Fight for Health Care Reform

• August 19th, 4-6pm: Digna Alvarez, Bill Nelson's Regional Representative, holds open office hours every month at the Jimmie B Keel Library (2902 W. Bearss Ave, Tampa, FL). Please join us to make sure this is a civil forum and don't let health care opponents disrupt the event. Facts not fear!
  
  
• Join President Obama and numerous faith groups on a conference call on Wednesday evening, August 19th at 5pm. Click here to RSVP. Call in number is 1-347-996-5501 and no pass code is needed. Webcast log in: http://www.faithfulreform.org.
  
  
• Health Care Reform Q & A with Florida Experts Aug 20, 10:00 am-Noon Call 1-269-320-8200 x 842465. You are invited to submit questions in advance of this call to lisag@floridachain.org. The panel of experts will address as many of these questions as there is time for. Questions are due by Aug 19. Experts include Greg Mellowe, Policy Director, Florida CHAIN; Bob Sharpe, Executive Director, Florida Council on Community Mental Health; and Leslie Spencer, Associate State Director of Advocacy, AARP.


• Community Conversation Friday, August 21st: What matters most to you in health care reform? You are invited to come to a community conversation to talk about health care from your perspective. Join Jeff Johnson, Health Action Now Campaign Manager from 9:30-10:30am at the CARES Enrichment Center. 12417 Clock Tower Parkway. Hudson, FL. 34667.
  
  
• Canvass Rep. Allen Boyd's district in Tallahassee, Saturday, August 22nd. Join FCAN and our coalition partners to canvass Rep. Boyd's district. We will be meeting at the FL AFL-CIO office: 135 S. Monroe St. Tallahassee, FL 32301 at 10 am. We'll then hit the streets for door-to-door education on what health care reform means for Americans. Tea will not be served. All materials, refreshments before and lunch afterwards will be provided. Join us and bring your friends!
  
  
• Rep. Allen Boyd Townhalls. Please click here to check out the remaining forums Boyd is holding. We need people to turnout and attend these meetings to show Boyd that his district IS in support of a public health insurance option!
  
  
• Allen Boyd Community Forum
  6:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 25
  City of Tallahassee City Hall
  300 South Adams Street
  Tallahassee, Florida
  
  
• Statewide Rally!! August 29th!! Floridians throughout Florida are coming together for Florida's LARGEST mobilization for healthcare reform yet! Buses are being organized for rides as well. RSVP and stay up-to-date here.

Rep Allen Boyd reaping health care dollars

According to OpenSecrets.org, Rep. Allen Boyd, a Blue Dog Democrat Representing District 2, which includes Tallahassee, is a top recipient of dollars from health interests. Although Boyd barely had opposition of 2008, he received $55,747 from pharmaceuticals and $48,750 from insurance interests.

Boyd's opponent in 2008 barely raised $5,000 total, and Boyd got 62.5% of the vote. Florida District 2 leans Democratic, obviously, and it would appear Boyd thinks he has a free hand and can do whatever he wishes.

But FCAN believes there should be some accountability. Boyd, as a member of the Blue Dog coalition in Congress, recently suggested he might not support President Obama's health care proposals. Here's his quote from CNN:

When a questioner, Ray Evans, said he believed the President wants to do too much at once and asked whether Boyd would “be willing to scrap everything” and start over to do pursue reform more incrementally, the congressman responded: “I think that is an excellent idea … we may end up there.”

With a strongly Democratic district, even Boyd's millions in corporate campaign contributions might not be enough to protect him from a more liberal opponent. Our job at FCAN, will be to let people know that Boyd is undercutting a very popular Democratic President and seems to be following the interests of his campaign contributors rather than his constituents.

Hunting Preserve for Tampa's Elite?

As Hillsborough County considers selling the valuable Cone Ranch property to wealthy investors, questions are arising. The Times today points out that hunting might be an allowed activity under the preservation easement. Is that what this deal is all about? A private hunting preserve?

Denise Layne has an excellent track record protecting the environment and sits on the citizen panel looking at the project, but she can't do it all by herself. There are many questions, and the first one is why in the heck are we even considering selling this property to these rich guys?

Why take any chances at all with the property? It is currently owned by Tampa Bay Water, and it is a well field. Why not just leave things as they are? When the county has more funds, we can look at improving the ecosystem, and repairing damage from past ranching on the land. But any move to sell it, inevitably risks something happening to the land that might not be permitted if the land remained in public hands.

And isn't anyone besides me suspicious? Why are these guys offering us something for nothing? Does anyone really believe they are doing it because they love the environment? When the hunting issue came up, it began to look like a private, but publicly subsidized, hunting preserve. That's just not right. It is public land, and shouldn't be handed over to a few rich guys as their private playground.

Arguments made by tea baggers and 9/12ers

As a panelist last night at the raucous health care town hall FCAN co-sponsored along with SEIU, I got to respond to arguments made by the rabid, Glenn Beck-inspired 9/12 group and the rest of the mob that tried to shout us down. Rep. Kathy Castor bravely would not be intimidated and made her points, updating the town hall on her work on health care reform. Thank you, Rep. Castor.

But the baggers did ask questions, which you could hear earlier in the day on the right wing radio talk shows. The first question is, "How can we afford another trillion for health care when the country is already struggling with deficits?" The answer is that health care reform is needed to get the economy going again and make America competitive in the world economy. President Obama's reforms will SAVE money compared to the Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck (LHB) Just Say No alternative.

Here in Hillsborough County, we were struggling to keep our public hospital afloat, and it was eating up more and more taxpayer funds every year, largely to keep up with indigent health care. Indigent care can be very expensive because America is still a country where anyone that walks into an emergency room will be treated. I assume the LHB alternative would be to request payment first. As Hannity said on his show a few nights ago, anyone can afford health care if they just work sixteen hours a day. That is his health care plan.

So, Hillsborough voters passed the Half Cent for Health Care sales tax to fund indigent care, and the Hillsborough Health Care plan began doing primary care. We got a lot of people out of the ER and we have saved money. Our plan is a model for the nation. Obama's health care will save money. That's why all the industrialized countries in the world have health care. We lag behind and our economy is in trouble because of the opposition of teabagger thugs.

Another suggestion made by the right is that care will be rationed and that we'll have waiting lines. We have that now because care is rationed by one's ability to pay. How is that fair? It is estimated that 22,000 people died in the US last year because of lack of health insurance. And, of course, you can still choose to pay for your private insurance and you may pay as much as you want. You can also do what wealthy people do now, which is just pay the doctor. If you have enough money, you don't need insurance and you get to see doctors that don't take insurance. If you have the cash, you will still be able to buy whatever health care you want. No change.

Baggers suggest that euthanasia will be offered instead of live saving treatments, just to save money. What a ridiculous claim! Under our current system, you have to be able to afford health care or you don't get it. You can get down on your knees and beg your pharmaceutical company for a hand out. Maybe they will let you live. And if you're insured, you can hope your insurance company will pay for the treatment you want, and will not start looking for errors on your application. The Obama plan would allow us to make decisions, as a community, on how we want to treat people that are gravely ill and require expensive treatments. This would have to be one of the most difficult choices a community could make. But that would be better than they current system where you either have the money, or you beg for your life.

We are in the fight of our lives here, and future generations are counting on us. A couple young people asked me what it would mean for them. They used the LHB inspired phraseology, "Will we have to pay for your generation's health care?" The answer is, as it has always been, that the young must care for their elders. That's what we do in my family, and probably in yours too. It is a sign of respect and civilization. We don't want to see our seniors begging in the streets or choosing between food and health care. We also want to accept all our seniors have created for us. All the institutions, all the wealth, all the knowledge. The price is small, and the new generation won't prosper unless we leave them with a good health care system. Let's make sure we get it right.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Health care reform is heating up in Washington and right here at home. YOUR voice is critical to achieving quality, affordable health care for all. Please join FCAN in our upcoming activities to make sure our Representatives are hearing support for reform from their constituents.


Contact Jessica Pemble, Health Care Reform Organizer, for more information and to get involved in our upcoming events. 813-877-6712 or jessica@fcan.org.

August, 2009

August 6th: Kathy Castor/Betty Reed Town Hall @ Children’s Board, 6pm-8pm. We will be collecting petitions, educating the public on HR 3200, and hosting the Town Hall.

August 7th: Join FCAN and Greenpeace for our Healthy Food Drive, 11am-7pm. Help us get our “Independence from Insurance Companies” and “Obama to attend Copenhagen” petitions signed! We will be donating all food to Potter’s House on Kennedy Blvd.

August 8th: Canvassing with Organizing For America in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

August 12th: Small Business Press Conference. Senator Nelson’s Tampa Office. Time TBA.

August 15th: Canvassing with OFA in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

August 15th: Woodstock Concert @ Skipper’s Smokehouse. We will be collecting petitions.
Week of August 19th: Take part in painting a mural on Monday and Tuesday at the FCAN office (your thoughts on the health care campaign) that will be delivered to Nelson at a rally outside his office on the 19th. Time TBA.

August 22nd: Canvassing with OFA in Tampa and St. Petersburg; Potluck Celebration.
Week of the 25th: Petition Delivery (“Independence from Insurance Companies”) and Enemies of Reform Press Conference. Time/date/location TBA.

August 25th: Health Care Townhall at Tallahassee City Hall.

August 29th: STATEWIDE RALLY in Orlando! Goal: 600+ people. Buses will be available from the Tampa area.