Holidy Newsletter from Sen. Specter

I'm just going to cut and paste it.

Dear Friend,

From the cloture vote, it is now apparent that 60 Democratic Senators are in favor of comprehensive health care reform. This legislation is an important step in seeing to it that adequate health care becomes a right in America and not just a privilege.


Click below to watch my video message on healthcare

It is not the bill that I would have preferred and there is an oppuntunity [sic] to improve it in conference. I would like to see a strong, robust public option. I would like to see more clear-cut language on a woman’s right to choose. But it has many important features. It covers 31 million more Americans. It has important insurance reforms. No longer can an insurance company reject a claim because of a pre-existing condition. No longer can there be a lifetime limit on insurance coverage.

I consider the legislation similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1965. It was a very good law, but it took a preliminary legislative enactment in 1957 and another in 1964 - each an incremental step - to set the stage for what was satisfactory and adequate civil rights legislation.

It is regrettable that there is such divisive partisanship in the Senate today. When we took the cloture vote, every one of the 60 Democrats said ‘Aye,’ and every one of the 40 Republicans said ‘Nay.’ It is the same attitude that pervaded the Senate during the stimulus package which I think was indispensible to avoid a 1929 Depression. I believe that when you have thousands of people dying each year because they don’t have insurance or adequate medical care, this bill is a very significant step forward.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season.

My best,

Arlen Specter

Basically, he's saying that although this isn't the bill he would've preferred he's going to support it.  Gotta love the Senator's strong moral convictions... Hell I don't agree with it, and I don't know what's in all of the bill, but I'm going to support it since doing something is better than doing nothing.

Howard Dean: Health Care Bill "Bigger Bailout for Insurance Industry than AIG"

I'm not surprised to see Dean's warning against this bill.

Howard Dean: "We've gotten to this stage. . . in Washington. . . where passing any bill is a victory and that's a problem. . . Decisions are being made about the long term future of this country for short term political reasons and that's never a good sign. . .

There are some good thing s in this bill. The problem is we are now committed to a solution using the private insurance companies and You will be forced to buy insurance and if you don't, you will pay a fine and 27% of the money you put in will not go to your health care it'll go to CEOs who make 20 million dollars a year. . . this is a bigger bailout for the insurance industry than AIG...

I want health care reform, but the choices have been taken away from the American people. . . at this point I think this bill is not worth passing in it's current form.
Read MORE>>>

Another interesting quote was from Senator Harkin, "I plead with my progressive friends... if this bill were so bad why are 40 republicans on the hill going after it day after day after day and trying to kill it."

I'm struggling to remember which logical fallacy he just used to make his case. Regardless, I'm sure you see the folly in his statement since it basically means... If some Republicans oppose a bill therefore it's a good bill. According to his own logic, if Democrats (not even a majority is necessary) support a piece of legislation therefore the legislation is 'good'.

Wow, what's this country coming to when people like Howard Dean are warning the American public about the dangerous track our nation is going down?

Watch Howard Dean's comments on this bill on YouTube

Specter Sends Out Email Blast with hopes of Avoiding Senate Walk of Shame

Senator Specter send out an email the night of the vote to continue consideration of the "Health Care Reform" bill.

Dear Friends,

The Congress is continuing its work to try to get healthcare reform legislation, and I believe the prospects are reasonably good that we will produce a bill. I hope that the bill will have the public option - and a robust public option. We will have a cloture vote tonight and I believe that we should be able to get 60 Senators at least to agree to start the debate.

Click below to hear my take on healthcare reform

It would be my hope that my colleagues would not draw lines in the sand or stay in inflexible positions. We need to move ahead, and doing nothing is not an option. The problems of so many millions of Americans uninsured and the problems of the rising healthcare costs makes it imperative that action be taken.

I think that the bill which has been proposed is a very, very good start. It is obviously subject to amendments and some modification. But the total cost has come in at about $850 billion over 10 years and is projected to save about $130 billion to reduce the deficit. In the second decade it is projected to save even more, up to as much as $650 billion. President Obama has committed not to sign a healthcare bill which adds to the deficit, and I’m committed not to vote for a healthcare bill that adds to the deficit.

It is my hope that the bill will emerge with very strong provisions on preventative care. That includes annual examinations without additional costs and encouraging people to have the annual exams to catch many problems at their early stages, like heart disease or ailments, before they develop into debilitating and expensive chronic diseases. I disagree with the recent recommendations to cut back on mammogram screenings or pap smears. I think that early detection is vital and well worth the cost. I can tell you from my personal experience: an MRI detected a brain tumor the size of a golf ball between my skull and my brain back in 1993. It could have been a very, very serious matter had that early detection not occurred.

Healthcare reform is vital and we’re determined to get a good bill.

Sincerely,

Arlen Specter

I'm composing my response to the Senator now.

I have absolutely no reason to expect that he will retract his current position and support a sane, fiscally responsible, and NO-COST solution which will not grow the size or power of government for health care reform that the majority of Americans will support.