Daily Archives: November 4, 2009
Speaker Pelosi Relents: There will be a vote on the Weiner Single Payer amendment this Friday
by Randy Shannon
Phone calls have poured into Nancy Pelosi’s office from across the country after the House Speaker reneged on her commitment to allow a vote on the single payer Weiner amendment to the healthcare bill. This commitment had been made to induce Cong. Weiner to withdraw his amendment in committee. The corporate Democrats had hoped the fanfare and hoopla around the House bill that conceded everything to the insurance companies would propel them to an immediate vote.
The Democrats concessions will give the insurance companies billions of taxpayer dollars to help Americans pay for private insurance they will be forced to buy with no affordable public option. There will be no cap on premiums and the weak public option will cost more than private insurance. These concessions were made at the insistence of Blue Dog Democrats such as Cong. Jason Altmire, who put health insurance profits ahead of sick and dying constituents, and to win the support of insurance panderers like the AARP.
Word from the Physicians for a National Health Program is that the flood of calls has forced Pelosi to allow 20 minutes of debate and a vote on the floor for the Weiner amendment this Friday. This amendment will substitute most of the language of HR 676 for the current bill and establish a Medicare for All system of healthcare.
Please call Cong. Altmire and let him know that you stand with PA AFL-CIO President Bill George when he said: “Altmire will vote right on healthcare, or you don’t come back.” 724-378-0928 and 202-225-2565
“Majority of Americans want a Public Option, yet Lobbyist Altmire is ignoring the wishes of the American People”
“AS I SEE IT”
Opinion, by Stephen F. Kislock III
November 3, 2009
Blue Dog Democrats, New Democrats Coalition! What the Hell happens to the Old Democrats?
This article is based on “New Democrats’ Rx for Health Reform (*)”, with Blue Dog Congressman Altmire as co-chair.
Progressives Democrats have no place at this table, WHY?
The “Party of No”, Blue Dogs and New Democrats are one and the same. How can Blue Dogs and New Democrats, use the term Democrat?
Steelworkers Seek Job Creation via Worker-Owned Factories
Photo: High-tech Machine Tools from MCC
‘One Worker, One Vote:’
US Steelworkers to Experiment
with Factory Ownership,
Mondragon Style
By Carl Davidson
Beaver County Blue
Oct. 27, 2009–The United Steel Workers Union, North America’s largest industrial trade union, announced a new collaboration with the world’s largest worker-owned cooperative, Mondragon International, based in the Basque region of Spain.
News of the announcement spread rapidly throughout the communities of global justice activists, trade union militants, economic democracy and socialist organizers, green entrepreneurs and cooperative practitioners of all sorts. More than a few raised an eyebrow, but the overwhelming response was, “Terrific! How can we help?”
The vision behind the agreement is job creation, but with a new twist. Since government efforts were being stifled by the greed of financial speculators and private capital was more interested in cheap labor abroad, unions will take matters into their own hands, find willing partners, and create jobs themselves, but in sustainable businesses owned by the workers.
Continue reading Steelworkers Seek Job Creation via Worker-Owned Factories
Beaver County Blue: Voice of the 17th CD of Progressive Democrats of America 