If Liz were Queen

Write to me at eebemma@yahoo.com if you want more tips for talking with your elected officials in August. Also feel free to print/publish/distribute this information.  I love Americans and I believe that every single one of us deserve to have a Single Payer solution that is funded by our taxes. I am not asking for a “free ride” nor am I for unfair taxation of the rich. I don’t even believe that it is necessary to raise taxes.  All that need to be done is to eliminate tax loopholes that benefit the rich and corporations and collect according to the percentages that they are SUPPOSED to pay which is 35%. Today ordinary Americans like  you and me pay between 25 to 30% of our income in taxes. The rich (upper 5%) and corporate America pay on average only 17.5% of their income in taxes.  If this one inequity were corrected, it would more than fund a single payer solution.  The solution is not nearly as complicated as the minions of privatized healthcare would have us believe.

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ASK THEM AND DON’T LET THEM HEDGE WITH THEIR POLITICAL JABBERWOCKY.  THIS IS YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO THEM ABOUT AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY.

When speaking to Republican Officials

“You represent the status quo–the notion that everything is just fine with our healthcare and that nothing needs to be fixed:  so what do you have to say that 18,000 Americans needlessly die each year? If we continue to follow your plan of status quo, 18,000 Americans will continue to die and this is OK with you–for 18,000 Americans to continue to die each year? ["Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage. from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.]

When speaking to Democratic Officials

“You represent the Public Option–it would not take effect until 2013 four years from now and even at that it will only add 10 million more Americans to health care, issuing at that time a mandate to force 10 million of them to pay private health care insurers.  How does this address the issue that an additional 72,000 Americans will die over that time period?  Isn’t the fact that 18,000 Americans each year die from lack of health care serious enough to demand more of a sense of urgency than four years from now? And more importantly, based on a continuation of Americans losing healthcare at the rate of 5 million a year, in four years time that means an additional 20 million Americans will have lost their health care insurance.  This brings the total number of Americans without health care insurance close to 70 million human beings.  Minus the 10 million that you will force into paying privatized health insurance, that still leaves 60 million Americans without insurance.  Don’t these people count?  what is your solution for them?  Pretend that they are not there?

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COUNTERING THE POLITICAL JABBERWOCKY

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

Politicians may not have the mental prowess of the Jabberwock, but they are ever so clever.  Here are three of the most common excuses that you will be handed from both the Republican and the Democratic politician:

SINGLE PAYER IS TOO EXPENSIVE

“I would just LOVE for all Americans to have health care, but unfortunately that is too expensive. We would go broke trying to fund it.” [This is an outrageous lie but you probably don't want to be so direct as to call them for being the liars that they really are.]

The single payer solution is not only affordable, it would help our economy to recover.  Please go HERE for all the fodder that you will need to support this argument.

SINGLE PAYER IS UN-AMERICAN
“Well, you know, American values are unique and the single payer system just doesn’t fit into the American values of individualism.” This is based on the faulty logic and intentional portrayal of Single Payer as some kind of a welfare program that is beneath Americans.  Single Payer is not that at all. Single Payer is choosing to use our tax dollars that we pay as citizens for a health care program that works for all of us.  The jackasses who use this argument fail to mention that 800 pound gorilla of corporate welfare that is in our living room.  By getting rid of that waste there will be plenty of room for individual Americans to have single payer health care. More on the “Virtues of American Values.”

IT IS TOO MUCH WORK TO CRAFT A SINGLE PAYER PLAN NOW.  THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME.

Well, that is a bold-faced lie.  A complete single-payer bill, written by John Conyers and with   congressional co-sponsors has been in place since January of 2007.

Every congressman in DC has lookat this bill.  it would take no more time to revise this bill than it will to try to mend the ridiculous excuse of a bill called Public Option.

HERE ARE ITS CO SPONSORS.  These elected officials are already familiar with this bill.

It’s not exactly at all like starting from scratch–not at all.
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 1/24/2007
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] - 9/17/2007
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 1/24/2007
Rep Becerra, Xavier [CA-31] - 6/13/2007
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] - 6/15/2007
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] - 12/11/2007
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] - 2/27/2007
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 4/17/2007
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 11/9/2007
Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] - 7/10/2008
Rep Carson, Julia [IN-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI] - 1/24/2007
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 2/16/2007
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 1/24/2007
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - 4/22/2008
Rep Clyburn, James E. [SC-6] - 4/24/2008
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 2/7/2007
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep Delahunt, William D. [MA-10] - 2/12/2007
Rep Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] - 3/21/2007
Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 9/29/2008
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 1/24/2007
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 1/24/2007
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 1/24/2007
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 1/24/2007
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 1/24/2007
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 3/7/2007
Rep Green, Al [TX-9] - 1/24/2007
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] - 1/24/2007
Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 4/30/2007
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 1/29/2007
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 1/24/2007
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - 7/23/2007
Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] - 9/18/2008
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] - 1/24/2007
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 1/24/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 1/24/2007
Rep Jefferson, William J. [LA-2] - 6/26/2007
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 1/24/2007
Rep Johnson, Henry C. “Hank,” Jr. [GA-4] - 2/13/2007
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [OH-11] - 5/23/2007
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 2/12/2007
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1] - 9/24/2007
Rep Kildee, Dale E. [MI-5] - 4/17/2007
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 1/24/2007
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 1/24/2007
Rep Lantos, Tom [CA-12] - 10/1/2007
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 1/24/2007
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 1/24/2007
Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] - 1/24/2007
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 10/9/2007
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 1/29/2007
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 1/24/2007
Rep McNulty, Michael R. [NY-21] - 1/24/2007
Rep Meehan, Martin T. [MA-5] - 1/24/2007
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 9/20/2007
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 1/24/2007
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 1/24/2007
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 1/22/2008
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 1/29/2007
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] - 2/27/2007
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 3/21/2007
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 2/16/2007
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 1/24/2007
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 1/24/2007
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 1/24/2007
Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37] - 9/20/2007
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 1/24/2007
Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] - 2/6/2007
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] - 5/8/2007
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] - 4/23/2007
Rep Sanchez, Loretta [CA-47] - 9/20/2007
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 4/17/2007
Rep Scott, David [GA-13] - 9/20/2007
Rep Scott, Robert C. “Bobby” [VA-3] - 1/24/2007
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 2/7/2007
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - 2/12/2007
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] - 3/27/2007
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2] - 6/12/2007
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - 9/6/2007
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 1/24/2007
Rep Udall, Tom [NM-3] - 2/27/2007
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 1/29/2007
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 1/24/2007
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 1/24/2007
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - 5/3/2007
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 1/24/2007
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 1/24/2007
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4] - 1/24/2007
Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3] - 2/27/2007