By the way, single payer universal health care was the compromise. Single payer wasn't our first, best proposal. We've already have been denied our first best proposal: A level playing field where we all could rise and share in the obscene corporate profits that come at the expense of so many people's lives. We've lost to a corporate mentality that it's a 'dog eat dog'-world, where making a living isn't enough (or even possible); only 'making a kiIIing'.
Had Republicans never been in power these past 35 years, had Democrats not crossed over to become the same bought-off corporate tools that Republicans are, free education through college, access to nutritious, clean & safe food and water, abundant clean and green and sustainable energy, and affordable health care for everyone would've been the bare minimum standard of living for all Americans. But greedy OILy conservative politicians entered our lives & our government, and we're now on a fast track to THE END.
A weak public option was whittled down into a trigger and then dropped altogether. There are no cost controls in the healthcare legislation, but plenty of protections for continued gouging by insurance and drug industries.
The latest Democratic caving is over the budget.
When the budget process began, Republican congressman Paul Ryan came out with the first number that Republicans wanted to cut ($32 billion). Then there was a Tea Party revolt in the House, and Republicans in the House said "Fine, you win, $64 billion."
So now they're at $64 billion and Democrats have moved all the way over to where Paul Ryan was when the process began. So even if Democrats get that number (which in Washington would be considered a "win" for Democrats), Democrats have gone all the way over to where the Republican leadership thought their opening bid would be. Ultimately the cuts are going to be very dramatic, more so than anyone in either party thought was wise a couple of months ago -- NOBODY is representing the interests of the poor and middle classes.
Nothing is going to change until and unless Obama and Democratic politicians make the decision to engage. Democratic voters thought they'd made the decision in 2006 and in 2008 when they put Obama and Democrats in power. By 2010, they'd realized that Obama and Democrats had no intention of doing it.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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