Brown In ‘09: Admits Massachusetts Took Federal Dollars To Fund Health Reform, Sees Need For Public Option

While Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) now says that Massachusetts shouldn’t subsidize federal health care reform, in October of 2009 the then-mostly unknown candidate Brown bragged that his state “took money that was coming from the federal government” rather than raise taxes to pay for its 2006 health care overhaul. During the radio interview with WRKO, Brown also defended the individual and employer health care mandates and admitted that the public option “may be good for other parts of the country“. (source)

Brown implied that the federal government needs to play a role in reforming the health care system and stressed that the federal dollars have helped insure residents who “don’t have any care whatsoever.” “Until they change the federal rules regarding health care and health care coverage for all, and we have to continue to support the folks hare in Massachusetts to keep them healthy,” he said.

* "Most in U.S. Want Public Health Option: Poll," Reuters, December 3, 2009

* "Poll: Public Option Way More Popular Than Senate Health Care Proposal," WhoRunsGov.com, December 10, 2009

* "House Progressives Push Reid To Put Public Option Back On Table," Huffington Post, January 27, 2010

* If you'd like to encourage Senate Democrats to use reconciliation to pass a public option, you may do so here.

* And if you'd like to contact Congress directly. You may do so here.

(Thanks for this contribution, Beny.)

***************************

Quit With The Bulldozer Mentality Already... It's Not Pretty

As he boasted in his first State of the Union address that his economic program had cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, Democrats jumped to their feet to cheer. Republicans sat quietly. Mr. Obama paused as he glanced over to their side of the House chamber. “I thought I’d get some applause on that one,” he said. (source)

WHO doesn't agree with that? Tax cuts for 95% of working families. And the Republicans sat still.

If people can't figure out who the conservatives are currently working for, they missed something on the way to the forum.

"Start thinking of each other as Americans first. We're all Americans. We all should anticipate that the other person, even if they disagree with us, has the best of intentions. We don't have to call them names. We don't have to demonize them." - Barack Obama (source)

* Republicans Give Obama a Frosty Reception

* Obama's State of the Union: How did he do?

* And a little bit of satire, Instant Poll: 90% of Republicans Who Did Not See Obama's Speech Disagree With It

*************************************

Don't Lose Your Voice

Congresswoman Donna Edwards and constitutional law professor Jamie Raskin speak out against the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and call for a mass movement of people to support a constitutional amendment. Visit FreeSpeechforPeople.org to learn more and get involved.

******************************

You DO Have Power. Know Where Your Money Is Going...

I'm not a pacifist. Though I occasionally play one at parties. In real life, I'm not that evolved yet. One day, with much more meditation, spiritual work, hair spray and booze, I hope to be.

While I don't ever condone violence, not ever. I can hardly think of the current state of our country's government and economic sector without thinking of the movie "V for Vendetta".

I don't want anyone to die, mind you... But, I wouldn't mind seeing a few explosions.

So, in all this madness, you DO have power. You can make informed purchases. You can do your part to support fair-minded businesses.

You can browse the buyer's guide below, supplied by The Human Rights Campaign. Just move your cursor over the guide to enlarge it and literally browse the pages via the "menu" in the lower right hand corner.

Or you can download the buyer's guide for free.

How you live matters.

Analysis: Will corporate ads buy 2010 voters?

*******************************

Be Prepared

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And ready yourself. If you're not enraged, you're complacent and not paying attention. And you'll get exactly what you deserve.

How ironic, on the premise of free speech, this will be its undoing.

And people are screaming about socialism? Just wait... This is now a "legal" path to corporate fascism.

Hitler would be proud.

*** Conservatives Fight To Protect Wall Street Big Wigs

*************************************