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Health care is human right



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Published: April 1, 2009

We know how things stand. The recession is teetering on a new Great Depression; many say we are already there. Tens of thousands of Vermonters are out of work. Thousands more are slipping into severe poverty. Nonunion workers are losing their jobs and having their benefits gutted, while union workers are facing layoffs, pay cuts and increases in their health care costs.

Gov. Douglas has reacted by calling for mass layoffs, a decrease in unemployment benefits and cuts in social services, all at a time when we need jobs and services more than ever.

Up until now, working Vermonters have been on the defensive. But as a district vice president in the Vermont AFL-CIO, I am here to say this is about to change. No longer are working people willing to pay for the greed and failures of the capitalist class. No longer will we stand by as Wall Street tycoons squeeze more profit from a broken system at the expense of our jobs, our health care, and our lives. In a word, working people are preparing to go on the offensive in the fight for a dignified way of life, and the Vermont AFL-CIO is ready and willing to stand by these folks wherever they may be.

On May 1, thousands will march upon the capital, Montpelier, not only to insist that our jobs and services be made safe, but also to demand that all Vermonters be provided with health care now.

The Vermont Workers' Center, with a constituency of over 25,000, has been organizing towards this rally for months as part of their "Health Care is a Human Right" campaign, and is boldly calling on people to "call in sick" and for small businesses to "voluntarily close down" in order to support the mass action on the first.

The Vermont AFL-CIO, with our 10,000 members, has endorsed this day of action and is calling on our rank and file to take a "personal day" to attend the demonstration. We project that the May 1 demonstration will be of historic proportions. It will be the first shot fired in a battle to reclaim Vermont for the working man and woman.

So on Friday, May 1, stop whatever it is you are doing, and at noon converge at the Statehouse in Montpelier. It is time for working people to stand together and say "enough is enough." "Health Care is a Human Right" and we oppose the profit driven private insurance companies that make billions off of our sickness. We need a Vermont-based single-payer health care system now, and we intend on winning it.

DAVID Van DEUSEN

(Vermont AFL-CIO)

Moretown








READER COMMENTS


Andrew..... I don't know if you checked out the site I linked...but....

According to the simplest left-right axis, communism and socialism are usually regarded internationally as being on the left, opposite fascism and conservatism on the right.
I agree with the next sentence.....
Liberalism can mean different things in different contexts, sometimes on left, sometimes on right.

Now the right anarchy thing I guess I can agree with to a point because the further right you go the less government you have.

My point really was too far either way is bad and there are contributers here demonstrating both ends.
-- Posted by Dave None on Tue, Apr 7, 2009, 3:19 pm EST

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Actually Dave, the most extreme to the right is no government. The more Government there is the farther left on the scale you go. Oligarcy = left Anarchy = right. The founding fathers chose to have a republic. Do a little research.....a republic is a LONG way to the right from where we stand now.
-- Posted by ANDREW CHAPLEAU on Tue, Apr 7, 2009, 1:01 pm EST

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Hey, NN1, You "assume" that I'm a freeloader and looking for handouts... There's a very good likelyhood that I pay more into the system than you may think... ;o) Don't be so quick to assume.

I think what people like myself are advocating for is affordable health care as a right. There is a vast number of other issues that need to be addressed such as wellness and how can you get low income and less educated people to take responsibility for their own health and wellness.
The main issues is the lack of affordable health care for many many hardworking families out there.
You always go back to free loaders want free everything, there's tons of people paying taxes working as bast they can and not affording healthcare. Is that right?

I think the group of people frantically calling moderates like me leftist liberals should examine your political positions and maybe stop leaning so far right.

In case you've forgotten.....

Far Left = Communisim = Bad
Far Right = Fascism = Bad

Shoot for the middle....

Primer for you and Bill O'Rights and anyone else with an interest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_spectrum
-- Posted by Dave None on Mon, Apr 6, 2009, 8:34 am EST

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NN1.... not everyone is on a mission to get welfare or to get free healthcare.... some people want and NEED afordable health care... and afordable dental care... dont you know that a root canal costs over $600 and most dentists want a payment as soon as its done?!?! Why does such a thing cost sooooo much money? You cant tell me that a dentist cant afford to lower his/her prices.... oh wait, you probably want all of us to have all of our teeth pulled out at $50 a pull... much cheaper... but yet I think a little harder to eat.....
-- Posted by Taylor Hall on Sat, Apr 4, 2009, 1:45 pm EST

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When viewed from the left, everything is a right! Sounds like a case of political vertigo that should be elligible for free healthcare!
-- Posted by Bill O. Rights on Sat, Apr 4, 2009, 1:19 pm EST

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All I know is that in the last 36 years since I have been able to vote and thus complain about the situation that the polititians have put all the people in the US into. One thing is certain. Once a law takes away your rights. You will never see them again! Gone baby gone, will be the days of choosing what you want to eat. Right or wrong! What you feel like eating, playing, recreating, so and so on will be dictated by the government. If you have the government providing universal health insurance they will tell you all of these things and plenty more that I have not thought of. I as a small business owner would love to make sure that we all can afford (I say again afford) health insurance. This will never ever be provided by our current government system. If the government can provide anything its a great way to take your money from your family and **** it away!!
-- Posted by Frank Westcott on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 10:20 pm EST

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Thats right Frank, and its free!!!!!!!!! Sign up Comfy
and Dave.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 7:06 pm EST

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Ya, universal health care. Yup it`ll be free. It will be like liveing in a utopia. Untill they triple our utility bills. Tax our saveings acc. If you are unlucky enough to have someone close die and your left a little something they will take there share too! Did I tell you they will then tell you how patriotic you are. What a good citizen you are. In the mean time you hit some huge hole in the road and brake an axel. Or maybe worse yet you swurve to avoid this huge pot hole and hit and hurt some poor sole just walking down the side of the road. But we all know how the government can provide us with health insurance better than in any private sector right? Just like our great roads.The money will be reallocated and then they will tax some more. Pucker up baby change is a comeing!
-- Posted by Frank Westcott on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 6:36 pm EST

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These pages are full of liberals. Freeloaders one and all. Maybe you can sign up for some other free govt. program. No values, no morals, no responsibility. No nothing!!!!

Whats that we Comfy, got a little mouse in your pocket or you now speaking for all the liberals? Know whats worse than a liberal? Nothing.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 6:26 pm EST

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That would be more than we could say for you, NN1.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 5:20 pm EST

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You keep thinking Dave, you'll get their eventually.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 4:30 pm EST

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Oh, sorry Andrew. Thanks for the thought.

I didn't say I have an answer. Bigger brains than mine will need to come up with that. Maybe we should look at single payer systems that are in place and take the things that seem to work best from them and put it all in one.

I think most people will agree, the only people making money in healthcare is the insurance companies. Lots of money.
-- Posted by Dave None on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 4:06 pm EST

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NN1, you make little to no sense...

And I don't think you're smart enough to realize it, which makes it even more comical...

I'm at a loss for words...
-- Posted by Dave None on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 4:03 pm EST

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Taylor, there is an option for hard working people like us......work harder, better ourselves, save money any way we can, learn something new, look for the better job.

Dave, I'm sorry your friend died.

Do some researh, find out why there is no competition in the health insurance market in this state. Go visit the local Dept. of motor vehicles....see how efficient they are. Try and get an act 250 permit from the state....tell the social security office you lost your card and need a new one, watch how a bill turns into a law....and then how no one knows how AIG employee's got a bonus or how billions of our money went to other countries in the same bill. Then come back and tell me how you really want these people in charge of your healthcare. Because the same people that are putting us or U.S. trillions of dollars in the hole, will be the same people that stick the thermometer in your ***. Do we really want Barney Frank saying "Turn your head and cough"?
The more feel good and social programs the Gov't make, the more EVERY ONE pays in taxes(direct or passed on)the less money we will have in our pockets.
We really need to ask, Why do Cubans overload boats or cling to inner tubes to get to our shores, why canadians head south for medical proceedures...their gov'ts are in charge of health care why on earth would they want to leave?
-- Posted by ANDREW CHAPLEAU on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 3:39 pm EST

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Dave, keep your sorry for yourself, I don't need it nor did I solicite it. You brought up karma, I applied it, and if anyone on this earth is an example, it's him. I stand by my statement. You can take your probally and place it where you do that douchebag you mention. And goaded applies to what I think of you and the other liberals like you and comfy. Nobody rides for free.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 3:35 pm EST

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Mark S., I think you make some very good points. Though it is my belief that there has to be a line drawn in a place that allows people to make their own personal choices, I am willing to bet that if health care was being taken care of by the government, there would be a lot less tolerance for the manipulations of large corporations like fast food and tobacco companies. Maybe these companies (since their products are a huge part of our national health problems, should pay an extra health care tax on every product that they sell. Maybe we would see public
campaigns to get people to smoke more and eat more toxic food replaced by public campaigns to encourage healthier living and personal responsibility for ones health.
We have public water largely to protect public health, why not health care?
The first thing to do is get rid of all of the private insurance companies. They are in business for profit only and they are systematically ripping off all of their customers.
I don't know that anyone is asking for someone else to pay for their health care so much as a fair deall. Some things should not be soley for profit and health care is one of them. It can be covered by taxes or a slide scale payer system where everyone pays what they can afford it. Human life does not exist for the sole purpose of profiting large corporations.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 3:05 pm EST

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NN1, I feel sorry for you honestly..... a couple of points...

"Look Dave, this is VT, they have no moral character or values. And speaking of karma, is TED Kennedy getting his?" <---This is a completely irrelevant statement to the discussion and amounts to you being a goading Douchebag.

"A doctor goes to school for about 14 years to learn his trade at a great cost to him, you want him to work on you for free, try that with your car and see what happens. You don't have the right to free for anything. Unless you're a liberal democrat in this day and age. Another bailout on the way. Can you say socialism?" <--Universal Healthcare would probably pay for itself in avoided chronic disease. There are thousands and thousands of hardworking good people that CAN'T afford insurance. It's not that they aren't trying, the system has failed them. I'm not advocating to have doctors work for free, just to make sure people have access to decent medical services.
Comfy Anon is right, any service, or money you get from the government amounts to socialism.
-- Posted by Dave None on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 3:00 pm EST

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Are any of the people who cry, 'socialism' at the thought of health care for everyone crying about the govt paying for our roads?
Does anyone really think that (for instance) a garbage man works any less hard for those 14 years that a medical student has the privelege of spending in medical school?
How do you think public health would fare if we had trash mouldering all over the place? Yes, medical school is difficult and MDs deserve to be compensated for what they do, but health care is not only for the wealthy and the very poor. Middle class and working poor people have just as much right to stay alive as everyone else. We are still one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Even Cuba manages to provide health care for it's citizens. Canada does it. Many European countries do it. Are we really so lame and greedy that we can't? There is no excuse for this country to have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 2:47 pm EST

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Look Dave, this is VT, they have no moral character or values. And speaking of karma, is TED Kennedy getting his?

A doctor goes to school for about 14 years to learn his trade at a great cost to him, you want him to work on you for free, try that with your car and see what happens. You don't have the right to free for anything. Unless you're a liberal democrat in this day and age. Another bailout on the way. Can you say socialism?
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 2:34 pm EST

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I'd imagine the people who are complaining the most about the socialist aspect of Universal Healthcare have insurance.
I've had a friend die from cancer because they didn't have insurance and couldn't afford the diagnostic procedures much less the actual treatments.
A big benefit to getting everyone access to providers would be stopping diseases early when treatment is much less expensive.
The lack of empathy by a number of people here seems to speak to a real lack of moral character, too bad. Hopefully karma doesn't turn things around and put you in the position of the people you're so quick to judge.
-- Posted by Dave None on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 10:55 am EST

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I do think that free healthcare should be available for everyone, or at least at a discounted price. As someone who has no insurance I can tell you that it REALLY sucks! I work 2 seasonal jobs and have no option of my employer offering me insurance. I also have no option of working a full time year round job.... I cannot afford the states insurance plan.... so shouldnt there be an option for hardworking Americans such as myself??
-- Posted by Taylor Hall on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 10:18 am EST

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It's a shame that all these people who want the "Government" to provide everything to them and then complain about taxes can't get it through their thick heads that WE are the only source of income for the government. The government can't provide without first taking away. If the government provides anything, it comes at a price. The cost of health care may not come entirly from your bank account.....the price of healthcare will be your freedom, little bits at a time.

PLEASE IF YOU SO DESPERATELY DESIRE SOCIALISM/MARXISM, IF YOU NEED GOVERNMENT TO TELL YOU HOW YOU SHOULD LIVE, WORK, EAT, SPEAK, ACT, BREATH.....MOVE! I'm sure Cuba would love to have you. You'll live the highlife in a carribean paradise. Leave the patriots and supporters of the beliefs this country was founded on to live their own lives.
-- Posted by ANDREW CHAPLEAU on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, 8:25 am EST

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Native...
I realize (and I am sure that othersdo too) that May Day celebrations predate the old Soviet Unions use of the date... I was using the date in relation to the leanings being expressed by the author of this lilttle rant.
Thier little parades hardly were dancing around the Maypole celebrating the beginning of spring..
-- Posted by M S on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 12:42 pm EST

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Frankly I don't want the government to have anything to do with running my health care. Can you name any program the government does a really good job of running? The State of Vermont runs one small hospital in Waterbury and look at the mess they made of that. Patients actually died from incompetence and this is a mental hospital. The U.S. government runs the V.A. health system and look at the mess that is. Walter Reed, the flagship hospital of the V.A. system with black mold growing in patients' rooms and holes in the walls and ceilings. A patient hung himself in his bathroom and wasn't found for THREE days. Veterans finally getting treatment plans approved after they have died. And don't get me started about Medicare Plan D. Look at your local hospital and imagine it after the government has run it for a few years. Scary.
-- Posted by Angel None on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 11:48 am EST

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And I do hope you understand that May Day is a centuries-old tradition predating the USSR. Get informed before you start trying to educate others.
-- Posted by Native Wallingfordian on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 11:39 am EST

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I do hope that everyone that reads this understands the significance of May 1st. The old Soviet Union would hold a huge parade showing off all the latest military equipment for the world to see during the Cold War.
The May Day parade was a "show of strength" and visual threat against the "capitalist pigs" of the western world.
But, as history has proven, Communism collapsed pretty much on its own. So too shall the greedy, hypocritcal labor unions that falsely claim to be watching out for the true working people of the country.
-- Posted by M S on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 11:00 am EST

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Healthcare IS a human right.

To have someone else PAY for your healthcare is not.
-- Posted by Allen Kuusela on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 10:14 am EST

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Adults can take responsibility for themselves and live healthier lifestyles. Adults can also work and pay for their own health care (with government oversight). If, as Bill O'Reilly said this morning, you get struck by lightning or some other emergency out of your hands, there should be a safety net in place; but I don't want to pay taxes for your health care if you're wheezing and faltering because you were too weak to quit smoking or just couldn't resist the last 40 years of fatback and McDonalds.

Children, however, should never, ever have to go without health care. That should be an absolute given, no question. That is worth paying taxes in to. They are, to nick a cliche, our future.
-- Posted by Scott Frank on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 9:31 am EST

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Health Care is already a human right. No one gets turned away. I personaly don't want the Government involved in my Health. They can't fix a road so I doubt they can fix everything that can go wrong with people. Now here's my perspective. Since the Government is going to take over our Health Care then they should start controlling things more closely that will ultimately hurt our Health. So the following things are a small example of what you will no longer be allowed to do. No more Cigars or Smoking of any kind, no more drinking even socailly, you will be allowed only so many calories a day, no more junk food, etc. I could go on forever but I think you get the idea. You are all to stupid to properly take care of yourself so they will do it. Don't think they will stop with just taking over Health Care thats a start. They will need to control what makes you unhealthy. Since three stars were hurt on Dancing with the Stars, I would suggest no more Dancing with the Stars its needless entertainment that cost the citizens of the USA money. Where does it all end?

Jim Eckhardt
-- Posted by Jim Eckhardt on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 9:26 am EST

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Socialism at any cost right? Wonderfull.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 8:32 am EST

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oh boy... a May Day parade..
I haven't seen one of those since the collapse of the Soviet Union..
I haven't seen a rant like this since Nikita pounded his shoe on the podium at the UN and declared that he would bury us.
well.. he didn't but we seem to be doing a pretty damn good job burying ourselves..
Thanks to corporate and union greed there isn't much leftover for a real working class stiff in this country...
-- Posted by M S on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 8:27 am EST

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Take the burden of health care off of employers and workers. Take the medical decisions out of the hands of for profit insurance companies and give them back to the people and their doctors. Get rid of the insurance companies. They do not care if you live or die, they care if you make them money or cost them money. Public health affects everyone thus universal health care should come from the government as a way of protecting public health. Drug companies need to be reigned in as well; their mark ups are a disgrace. Canada did it, Cuba did it, many European countries did it, we can do it too.
-- Posted by Comfy Anon on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 8:16 am EST

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Universal Health Care is Socialism and does not work, look at Canada. If you want Move to Cuba, now there is a wonderland for you.
People spend more money on beer, Cable TV, and other uneccessary items than they do on themsleves. Why is it a Government responsibility to take of YOU? That seems to be YOUR job. By your own Insurance. This Act that it is someone else's respsonsibility has been going on for so long, that now no one can afford Insurance. People have gone for care and not paid their bills, people for too long have felt that those bills should be paid by the Government or it was someone else's problem to pay for the bills.Yet these same people have how many cars? how many ATVs? how many Snowmobiles? Motorcycles? etc etc How big of a screen do they have on their TV? How many channels do they get? How many times do they go to the Junk Food quick stops? and on and on and now if people were just responsible for themselves and they had the honor to pay their bills etc where would we all be right now?

I watched a Johnny Carson Show many years ago and they had this lady on who was claiming she was in dire need of more Welfare Benitits. She was putting on quite the show about how poor she was and how deprived her family was etc and she said this "my 12 year old son doesn't even have a bed." then Johnny looked at her and asked what he had been sleeping in and she replied " the Box the Color TV came in." That was many many years ago and she made that statement on National TV and did so without an ounce of guilt.
People Health Care is our Problem and Howard Dean with his wonderful restrictions and Government Intervention made it the problem it is today in Vermont.
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 6:31 am EST

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" But as a district vice president in the Vermont AFL-CIO, I am here to say this is about to change."


Now you have stood on your soap box, who are you to make such a claim? I don't like Unions, never did and if you want my opinion for most of the problems in this country, it is the Unions.
It isn't about Fair Labor but Greed in Labor. The Unions are the ones who are solely responsible for the problems in Detroit and they have been the problem for decades. Whose greed has caused so many factories to shut down and or relocate to other countries? Whose greed has caused the auto Industry to be able to make 100s of thousands of automobiles, trucks and SUVs and yet still be in a corner ready to file Bankruptcy.
Very few people care about your title and if anything more people will blame you for the problems and not look at you as the salvation.
Who stands between the Taxpayers and the people paid with their hard earn money? The Union. Who has all but destroyed the Education system? The Union.
I think you are the problem and far from being the cure, nice that you so eloquently try and shift the blame.
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, 6:20 am EST

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Do I think we as a society can come up with a better solution for healthcare? Yes, I would hope so. However, if healthcare is going to be considered a right, then taking care of oneself is a responsibility.

For example, the risks due to excessive weight are well documented, yet nearly 70% of the adults in the USA is overweight or obese. There are still a fair number of adult addicted to nicotine (read: they smoke). And so on...

We have to stop treating the symptom (i.e., the healthcare system) and start making a much better effort to treat the disease (i.e., there are far too many people in the system not be responsible).

Again, with every right comes responsibility.
-- Posted by Mark Simchock on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 10:13 pm EST

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BTW, May 1st is a Friday... so make it a three day weekend!
-- Posted by concerned citizen on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 11:59 am EST

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Health care is a broken system, and should (and could) be available to more people. It is unfair that the only ones with access to good health care are the wealthy, while the rest of us could not ever become wealthy due to inflated medical bills. So many people need the help of medical and dental clinics that waiting times are ridiculous, thus breaking down these systems as well. Providing affordable health care to everyone (with emphasis on preventative care) would help make everyone healthier, and help the system regain some financial stability. Without it, it's people waiting for hours in the emergency rooms, racking up huge bills that may never get paid.
-- Posted by concerned citizen on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 11:55 am EST

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Mike - don't forgot to demand your free cable TV while your there.
-- Posted by A paulled on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 10:25 am EST

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I thought the letter comparing Douglas to George Wallace set the new standard for absurdity. I was wrong. Comrade van Deusen is the new titleholder.
-- Posted by Mr. Moderate on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 9:26 am EST

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This is AS I SEE IT, by Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

More power to those in Vermont who are demanding health care.

Isn't it great that the richest nation on earth doesn't have health insurance for all of it's people, but the small island, third world Carribean country of Cuba does?

As good as it is for those planning to protest in Montpelier, how about one better, we all protest in Washington and demand health care there.

That would send an even stronger message that the everyday person means business.
-- Posted by mike brown on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 9:09 am EST

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The capitalist class? Are you joking? Capitalism wasn't broken until the idiots in Washington started intervening. Now... we have socialism.

Healthcare isn't a human right. It is no more your right than cable television, but then again some of you think the government should intervene there too.

Do you even have any idea why health insurance is so expensive in Vermont? It's not this expensive in other states. Go ahead, get some online quotes for other states. You'll see the difference. Then call Howard Dean and ask him why he did this to you.
-- Posted by A paulled on Wed, Apr 1, 2009, 7:07 am EST

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