Beaver County Adds Its Voices on Insurance Reform
Street Heat in Aliquippa:
Congressman Altmire
Pushed to Change Stand,
Abandon Insurance Bigwigs
By Carl Davidson
Beaver County Blue
McLean Street in Aliquippa got plenty of heat of the sunny afternoon of March 16, as opposing rallies on the issue of health care gathered out the office of Jason Altmire, the 4th CD’s Democratic ‘Blue Dog’ representative in Congress.
Photo: Steve Kislock
The first rally was at noon, when a crowd of 120 people, organized largely by trade unions, retiree groups and health care workers and activists made a last-ditch effort to get a ‘Yes’ vote on the current insurance reform proposal. But at 4pm, a crowd of more than 300 GOP, Tea Party and anti-reform forces showed up demanding a ‘No’ vote. Earlier, the anti-reformers had tried to disrupt the progressive rally with a horn-blasting truck behind the speakers stand, but they were shooed away. “Remember to turn in your Medicare card,” shouted one of the rally attendees to the departing horn blasters. Both efforts got wide coverage in regional media.
Altmire wasn’t present. But if he is at all astute and his staff took careful notes, one critical political fact will stand out: those calling for a ‘Yes’ vote were the hard core of his most active supporters in the past, while those calling for a ‘No’ vote are largely unlikely to vote for him over a Republican no matter what his vote is on this issue.
Continue reading Beaver County Adds Its Voices on Insurance Reform
Michael Moore to Dennis Kucinich: Thank You
Maternal Death Rate in US has CLIMBED 100% in last 20 years
Amnesty International: U.S. Maternal Health Is in “Crisis”
by Angry Mouse
Mon Mar 15, 2010 at 04:46:04 PM PDT
Those brave members of Congress who believe the biggest problems in health care are government-funded abortions, death panels, and lawsuits might want to take a look at this problem:
The report, titled “Deadly Delivery,” notes that the likelihood of a woman’s dying in childbirth in the U.S. is five times as great as in Greece, four times as great as in Germany and three times as great as in Spain. Every day in the U.S., more than two women die of pregnancy-related causes, with the maternal mortality ratio doubling from 6.6 deaths per 100,000 births in 1987 to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 births in 2006.
…
“In the U.S., we spend more than any country on health care, yet American women are at greater risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than in 40 other countries,” says Nan Strauss, the report’s co-author, who spent two years investigating the issue of maternal mortality worldwide. “We thought that was scandalous.”
Continue reading Maternal Death Rate in US has CLIMBED 100% in last 20 years
Cong. Kucinich Explains Current Healthcare Bill
Latest health care reform bill leaves Americans vulnerable to insurance companies: Dennis Kucinich
By Plain Dealer guest columnist
March 14, 2010, 3:01AM
View full sizeFile photoU.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich / U.S. Representative
President Barack Obama is in northern Ohio on Monday to campaign for his health care plan, and I will be here to welcome him. I have met with the president three times to discuss how we can work together to address the serious deficiencies in our health care system. Even at this late date, I am hopeful that the White House will be able to reinstate key reforms that passed the Education and Labor Committee on which I serve.
Unfortunately, the president’s plan, as it currently stands, leaves patients financially vulnerable to insurance companies. It requires all Americans to buy private health insurance policies, while failing to ensure those policies do what they are supposed to do — protect people from financial catastrophe caused by injury or illness.
Continue reading Cong. Kucinich Explains Current Healthcare Bill
LAST MAN STANDING for Healthcare Reform: Dennis Kucinich. Progressives: Stand by Your Man!
by Randy Shannon
MoveOn.org is demonstrating at Dennis Kucinich’s Cleveland office. The President brought him to his rally in Ohio to twist his arm.
Along with 76 other so-called Progressive Democratic Congresspersons, Dennis Kucinich signed a pledge not to vote for a healthcare bill that did not contain a public option to control the runaway premiums that people would be forced to pay by the insurance mandate.
Now there is one single Congressman out of that 77 who has the guts and the principle to stand by his pledge to the American people. Dennis Kucinich remains unbought and unbullied, hated by Rahm Emanuel and the insurance lobbyists. While Obama and the Democratic leadership were just funnin’ about the public option, Kucinich was serious.
If the healthcare vote comes down to one vote difference, then Dennis Kucinich’s vote can easily be moved to the yes column by adding the public option. 51 Senators have said they would vote for the public option in reconciliation, a majority. The White House and the the Congressional leadership have sold out to the insurance companies. Only Dennis Kucinich can force them to include the public option.
Help him by joining with thousands of others across the nation who are sending donations to Dennis through the Firedog Lake blog. Join with others who are canceling their affiliation with MoveOn.org. If you want to help go to the link at the end of the article below to contribute. Even $5 will send the message.
donate to Dennis Kucinich to send a message that progressives have not become a tool of corporate America.
Steal This Idea for Western PA: Green Jobs, Union Apprentices
Indiana Apprenticeship Program
Graduates Its First Green Technicians
March 11, 2010
By Andrea Buffa
Apollo News Service
Apollo News Service
This Monday, the Apollo Alliance was proud to co-sponsor an event honoring the first “Green Technician” graduates of an Indianapolis training program run by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 481 and the National Electrical Contractors Association of Central Indiana. After receiving their certifications, the newly minted Green Technicians displayed an array of solar panels and a wind turbine they recently installed at the Electrical Training Institute, where they received their instruction.
“Each graduate of the Green Technician program will be an Industry Certified Technician, ready to work on anything from windmills to retrofits of existing buildings that need to become more energy efficient. We are incredibly proud of their achievement,” said Jim Patterson, director of the Electrical Training Institute.
U.S. Representative Andre Carson, D-Ind., and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler were on hand to honor the graduates. “It’s important that American workers stay at the cutting edge of green technology so they can access the high-quality jobs that are being created in the global clean energy economy,” Shuler said. “The race is on to build a 21st century clean energy infrastructure, and the AFL-CIO continues to push for it to be nurtured here in the U.S. and built by American workers.” Continue reading Steal This Idea for Western PA: Green Jobs, Union Apprentices
Steelworkers Have Bus Seats for DC Antiwar Demo March 20
Labor Unions Speak Out:
‘Why We’re Marching on March 20’
By Bill Hackwell
March 13, 2010
The statement below was released by the ANSWER Coalition:
Labor organizations and unions are joining with thousands of others who will be marching on Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 20.
Among the over 1,500 endorsers of the National March on Washington are U.S. Labor Against the War, New York City Labor Against the War, North Carolina Labor Against the War and New Jersey Labor Against War.
The United Steelworkers (USW) are sponsoring a bus to D.C. leaving from their headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh.
Dan Kovalik, the senior associate general counsel for USW, said:
“The USW will be sending a bus of protesters from its headquarters in Pittsburgh to the March 20 demonstration for peace. The time is long overdue that our nation’s resources be spent on real health care reform, a social safety net and job creation rather than on weapons of mass destruction and senseless wars. We march for that change in our government’s set of priorities.”
United University Professions (UUP)—the union representing more than 34,000 academic and professional faculty on 29 State University of New York campuses and several other New York State schools—passed a resolution at its 2010 Winter Delegate Assembly calling on UUP leaders, chapters and members to build UUP participation in the March 20 demonstration in D.C. as part of the labor contingent. Continue reading Steelworkers Have Bus Seats for DC Antiwar Demo March 20
Cong. Kucinich Stands Firm against Healthcare Insurance Company Bailout
Christiana Wants No Fed Oversight on Drilling
Gas Drilling Rig with Holding Tank for ‘Fracturing’ Sludge
GOP Whitewashes
Marcellus Shale Dangers
In Western Pennsylvania
By Carl Davidson
Beaver County Blue
If you’re looking for a full-throttled booster of the natural gas industry to be your representative in the Pennsylvania legislature, then Jim Christiana’s clearly your man.
But if you’re looking for a representative that puts the general public of Beaver County’s largely working-class 15th District in first place, and then brings local business into line with their common interests, you’ll be happy there’s an election this year.
That’s the main conclusion I drew from Christiana’s ‘Informational Event’ on the Marcellus Shale and the natural gas industry held at the Shadow Lakes County Club in Aliquippa, PA, at 8am in the morning, Friday, March 5, 2010. Continue reading Christiana Wants No Fed Oversight on Drilling
Beaver County Blue: Voice of the 17th CD of Progressive Democrats of America 