They did it. The American House of Representatives passed the health care bill.
Wow.
I won't have a chance to go check out the Capitol until tomorrow as I'm working all day today, but I bet there will be an energetic resonance of some kind.
This is a BIG deal. One of my FB friends posted a video featuring presidents since FDR talking about revamping our health care system, so it has been in the works for awhile. One of the last clips is President Obama saying, "I don't understand what this means politically, but I know it's right."
And YES it is not a perfect bill in any way, and YES now the haggling and wrangling and sifting will begin. I expect it will be years before any of these changes find a foothold. It will take a long time to figure out how to put into practice what was passed yesterday. That's how our government has always been, from the beginning.
And YES there wasn't a single Republican who voted for the bill. Nevertheless, it passed. Wow.
YES we can. Oh yeah.
In addition to the House debate and vote, yesterday was also the day of the immigration rights march. Thousands of marchers streamed through Lincoln Park in the very late afternoon. A very cool crowd.
16 comments:
Hi Reya, I love the daffodils. We've been enjoying them for more than a month now. There's one on the mantel, one in the bath. And a gajillion outdoors.
About health care: to me it's amazing we need debate something so obvious and so simple providing health care to citizens in our "homeland" as the Repubicans like to call it.
Why is there always so much debate over something like health care, especially how to pay for it when there is almost NO debate about how to pay for going to war, or how to pay for bailing out bankers.
Who's REALLY in charge? The people?
The energy level on Capitol Hill was palpable yesterday. It was like a bunch of hearts all beating at a different speed, but all still beating.
How fun to be ON the spot in these historic times! Thanks for the report.
And I love your new blog banner---it's the Sombrero Galaxy, yes?
Yes, we can!
What a great slant on it all, Reya.
I found the process frustrating to watch, but I'm happy the bill ultimately passed. I wish our leaders could work together and mediate their differences rather than coming to loggerheads. A pipe dream, I suppose, as long as political parties continue to function the way they do now.
I don't know what to think about the bill. Mandatory health insurance. Subsidies for those who can't afford it which would be us but now we will have to go through all kinds of hoops I suppose to prove we can't. And then there is the little fact that the doctor I go to doesn't accept any kind of insurance (keeps his fees down), his patients have to file for themselves if they want. Insurance companies have never had good track records as far as I am concerned and I've heard and read so many horror stories about the insurance companies deciding if a test or procedure or hospital stay is necessary instead of the doctor. So now, they can't deny coverage for pre-existing conditions but is there any control over how much they can charge for covering them? What's the point if they charge outrageous premiums? I've read several bloggers reports of their premiums being 30 - 42% of their take home pay. Yes, having everyone required to have insurance is supposed to lower premiums but I just don't see it happening.
the health bill is not at all perfect but is a step in the right direction...It will work out eventually- At least something has been done about the broken system getting worse day by day. Insurance scams, poor attiudes of "I'm alright, Jack"...So...thank you for your most effective stare, I knew that with you on the job it would be positive outcome!
Oh happy day Reya! As "Steve" mentioned it has been heart-breaking to watch the process but I am so pleased it has passed, not perfect, like ours but a start in the right direction.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings and smiles
Now lets tackle reform for Wall Street! One by one...
It was nice to see that, finally, at least one party could come together and work through an issue. It is not pretty watching a bunch of talking heads wander hither-dither all over the place.
There was so much polarization, though. Republicans on one side. Democrats on the other. Sad, really, that they can't work together to truly make our nation a super power of healthy, intelligent, educated human beings.
I'd like to borrow some words penned by Paul Krugman:
The day before Sunday’s health care vote, President Obama gave an unscripted talk to House Democrats. Near the end, he spoke about why his party should pass reform: “Every once in a while a moment comes where you have a chance to vindicate all those best hopes that you had about yourself, about this country, where you have a chance to make good on those promises that you made ... And this is the time to make true on that promise. We are not bound to win, but we are bound to be true. We are not bound to succeed, but we are bound to let whatever light we have shine.”
Shine on!
YEAH "HALLELUIEH!!! (spelling)
this is just the first step
but a step in the right direction
the quote from Obama via Krugman was so inspiring
HOORAY
and the daffodils add to the general cheer
They didn't get media attention, did they?
Yeah! Health Care finally got its day!
In spite of all the problems, this was a huge step in the right direction. Big. Really really big.
I am happy!
For goodness sake, it's about time! It's the foot in the door, the crack in the wall, or the slippery slope. However people want to view it, it is the beginning of solving the problem. I'm happy too.
it's amazing we need debate something so obvious and so simple providing health care to citizens in our "homeland" as the Repubicans like to call it.
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