From the Young Democrats of Harford County:
Saturday, February 20, 2010
4:00pm – 5:00pm
1537 S. Philadelphia Blvd., Aberdeen, MD 21001
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Progressive Maryland is hosting a healthcare reform rally in Aberdeen THIS SATURDAY in connection with a series of rallies held from Philadelphia to D.C. this month! We need a big turn out to show just how much Democrats in particular (and for that matter any progressively-minded person that is hoping to see health insurance reform a reality) to show up in big numbers. We turned some heads with almost 80 people in Bel Air last September, now lets see if we can get a few times that many in the progressive stronghold of our county. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL OTHER INTERESTED GROUPS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN SEEING HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM A REALITY!!! For more information contact me or visit http://melaniesmarch.com/ or www.progressivemaryland.org. Remember… this Saturday at 4:00pm in Aberdeen … we need you there!
Here is the full press release for the event:
A GROUP OF PENNSYLVANIANS ARE MARCHING FROM PHILADELPHIA TO WASHINGTON FROM FEBRUARY 17 TO 24 IN HONOR OF MELANIE SHOUSE.
Recently, our friend Melanie Shouse lost her long battle with breast cancer after missing out on critical treatment because she, like thousands of others, could not find affordable health insurance.
President Obama, who knew Melanie as a volunteer on his campaign, said: “She was fighting that whole time not just to get me elected, not even to get herself health insurance, but because she understood that there were others coming behind her who were going to find themselves in the same situation and she didn’t want somebody else going through that same thing.” Melanie did everything she could to fight for health care, not just for herself, but for all of us.
March to The finish line For Melanie
February 17-24th, We’re Marching from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, to Realize Melanie’s Last Wish
A lot of us are frustrated that, after mobilizing for over a year to reform health care and achieve other critically important changes, we are still waiting for the change we voted for. But we’re not giving up either. A group of Pennsylvanians, some with health care issues of their own, decided to march 135 miles from Philadelphia to Washington in honor of Melanie, carrying her message to the Members of Congress who need to hear it the most.
We’ll arrive on February 24th, just before President Obama’s Health Care Summit. So, as the summit begins we’ll be there to tell lawmakers enough is enough! Members of Congress have had plenty of time to discuss and debate health care over the past year. Now it’s their job to make it happen.
It’s time to get it done and get it done right. Congress must deliver the change we voted for!
We’d like to meet you along our route as we march to deliver Melanie’s message to Washington. You can join us for part of the march or for an event along the way. You can bring us your stories about the need for health care reform, which we will take to the members of Congress we meet. Or even better, you can join us for the final stretch as we march to the Capitol. You can also follow us on-line at www.melaniesmarch.com where you can show your support by taking action or making a donation.
Date and time
Saturday, February 20
4:00 pm
County
Harford County
Rally/Press Conf.Event Location
Park Moving and Storage
1537 S. Philadelphia Blvd. (Route 40)
Aberdeen, MD 21001
How sad it is that this is still going on. It is good to see, however, that states are starting to stand with their people and fight the federal gov’t on it’s BS bills and lies.
Crazy to believe that the president can just make stuff up and lie to the country and people like these “progressives” continue to push an agenda so detrimental to the people of this country.
I hope Harford county does rally-AGAINST this march. Pathetic and sad stories manufactured to win over susceptible human beings is a failure democrat-progressives. Good luck and I can only hope you truly open your eyes before its too late.
Yes how sad that the president can lie about weapons in Iraq and draag us into a war we don’t need while neglecting the other war we are in and not properly fight either war, exposing troops to harm all so that his stock in oil that is waiting in trust cn go through the roof!
Cdev-wow. You just nailed it right on the head Just as your obamessiah has put all the blame on Bush-so have you. I will have to just roll over and succumb to your overachieving power!
For real!? If you want to blame-go right ahead. We can start w/FDR or the psychotic Woodrow Wilson. Progressives to the extreme that have been squashed by the will of the PEOPLE. Sadly-the evolution of this “progressivism” has been minute enough to slip past us for the last hundred years. The blame is and always can be pushed back. But that is what a coward does.
Your golden boy wanna be leader has done nothing to own the situation-I agree with one point, it was a sad and difficult situation.
A true leader does the right thing no matter what. What gov’t entity in the last 50 years has done that? Who hasn’t had an agenda to push that is ultimately detrimental to us? Our gov’t has gotten too big and its not all Bush’s fault.
What has your “leader” done to make you proud to be an American? What has he done to make you feel safe? If you can name something and then actually back it up-then we can talk.
But I already know the answer. And we won’t be talking. He has done NOTHING to help the country-he has done all he can to DESTROY it.
Not saying either are perfect but unfortunate only wants to blame one party and not realize all poloticians LIE!
I totally agree…and that is my point. we need to get representatives that remember they serve US, not themselves or congress or even the President.
Like it or not, “our” leader is also “your” leader. Fighting for health insurance reforms is part of protecting American citizens, in fact, a forward-thinking health insurance reform package (especially one that includes a public option, or even more ideally true single-payer universal coverage) would save the equivalent of 5-15 9/11 attacks EVERY YEAR. What kind of American fights against these kind of numbers? And before JC and others start yelling about me using scare tactics keep in mind that calling anybody that supports this a ‘socialist’ is also a scare tactic… FEAR THE GOVERNMENT! Give me a break… WE CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT! What control do you have over your current health insurance? NONE. If we had a government insurance plan, we would vote for the leaders of that program! NOTHING is more democratic and patriotic than that!
PD – fine then I want Congress, all federal employees and unions to have the same plan and same rules once that is a part of this then it will have my support.
two cents –
Shared misery and unsustainable entitlements? I don’t think so.
Joe
PD-unfortunately, the people of this country don’t understand one important fact. Democracy is not what this country was founded on. And to be democratic in and of itself sounds nice, but in reality is the basis for what our country has been going through for a long time.
I will say this again, come to me with proof of what you spout off about “5-15 9/11 attacks EVERY YEAR” and have nothing to back it up. Just like the BS 2 million jobs saved/created crap BO throws in our face. How is it you figure out that number? And why is it you change HOW you say it everytime?
It is all political spinning and the IDEA that Health Reform is a good plan and NOT socialistic, is the scary thing. Ideologies that the PROGRESSIVES keep trying to push onto the country are getting out of control. The back-tracking, blaming, NON-transparancy, and out right lying to our faces, along with the belittling of everyone not a “progressive”, is the part that is scary.
Good luck PD, it isn’t about what party you are in anymore…it is about doing what is right…
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE58G6W520090917
December 2009, Vol 99, No. 12 | American Journal of Public Health
From 2002: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/healthcare/2002-05-22-insurance-deaths.htm
Try the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Vol 270, #6 (from 1993).
There are about 40 type research papers that I have found on this subject using Google Scholar from the 1970’s on, most finding about the same thing. Are you going to continue with the TEA Party mentality and continue to ignore these scientific studies because they are inconvenient to your idealogy?
I won’t rest until this socialist movement to insure the poor ends. Who does the gov’t think they are, Jesus Christ? Robin Hood?
If you believe those most at risk by a lack of health care reform are the poor, then you have truly been brainwashed. By poor I am assuming you mean those who live below the poverty line, as defined by purely economic standards. In this state poor children have guaranteed health care coverage through the MA program. Adults do not, but some do qualify.
Those at greatest risk are the ones who are able to own a home, pay their bills, and get by pay to pay but are not able to afford health coverage for their family. They are one health crisis away from losing everything.
How so many people have been brainwashed into believing the poor are taking more than their share is beyond me. The ones you should be angry with are the rich who use too much, pay too little, and have protections the rest of us can only dream of.
minqua –
1) “The rich” use too much – they pay for what they use and those payments provide salaries for others.
2) “The rich” pay too little – well the so called rich or top 10% of wage earners pay 65% of income taxes
3) “The rich” have protections the rest of us can only dream of – I have no idea what you are talking about – hyperbole?
Joe
Please explain your comment about how the rich pay too little? The “rich” you speak of include what protection? And who is classified as rich? The folks that live in Haiti? The 13Mill. plus that Pres. O sent for help to that foreign country? What about the millions/ billions the US and the UN donates to care for all of the other foreign nations that the US provides health care. Your argument about health care in this country falls flat for many reasons. I do not want gov’t involved in my health care. I do not want Ms. Obama telling me I can or can not eat at McDonalds, that her children are too heavy…what is next? Should the fact that I walk instead of jog to the mail box on a daily basis will impact my coverage? The fed gov. it not able to manage Soc. Sec. what makes you believe that it could do better with health care? The wait at the ER for many patients is over 4 hours now…imagine the wait w/ gov’t involvement…look at MVA…Let health care be a personal choice…it is not federal issue. Ms. Shouse had cancer. She did not die because of her health insurance. She died because she had cancer. One thing is not connected to the other. I don’t think the cancer cares if she is poor or rich…
Do any of you read? Michigan is up for a 56% increase in health insurance premiums and California is facing 39% from Blue Cross (that has been delayed). I submit for you to read:
Statement of Secretary Sebelius on Anthem Announcement That They Are Delaying Raising Their Rates
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/02/20100213a.html
and
http://www.healthreform.gov/
While it’s tragic and sad for anyone to die of cancer it should be noted that according to reports Melanie Shouse had a $5K deductible health insurance policy and there is no evidence that if she had a different insurance plan that she would have survived.
Many small business owners have these catastrophic plans and they save in a Health Savings Accounts to cover the deductible. This is a very effective way to care of one’s family and individual health insurance obligations.
Very sad story and unfortunately a story that is being politicized by progressives.
In an article in “Investor’s Business Daily.” some very interesting statistics are quoted from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization..
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%
Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%
Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71
England 14
Canada 18
Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in “excellent health”:
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want “Universal Healthcare” comparable to England or Canada ..
You know that same study; using their value judgements had the best healthcare in the world as being in Cuba?
Cdev –
After we all suppress logic and reason are you suggesting the US emulate Cuba?
Joe
He never said that… rather than analyzing the comment you attack it. Typical TEA Party response. By the way, is there something wrong with seeing what other countries do better than us and trying to adopt those practices? Is it unpatriotic to recognize that, while our country is indeed great in many many ways, there are some other countries that do some things better than us, and we can learn from their successes to make the US a better place? It has always struck me as rather damaging to society when self-described patriots question the patriotism of others that want to find ways to improve what we do. Illogical in the extreme.
Simply saying that he is selecting a prt of a study to pass off us as having better care then socialized medicine but fails to point out that the study was flawed in the fact that a third world country had the best health care according to the study, and socialized health care at that. I would not want our helth system to look anything like Cuba!
This report does answer the most important questions, like what is the overall rate of cancers (in other words we may higher rates of survival, but England may have considerably lower rates of onset to begin with), and how does this break down with regards to people with insurance vs. those without. One bit of sad reality about US statistics is that they are generally acquired through insurance companies (meaning those without insurance are less likely to be counted in such studies).
All of this ignores the biggest reason to enact insurance reform (which as has been stated countless times will not remove your current insurance if you do not want to, and in fact will strengthen your current policy): there are people here with no coverage at all! It is our civic duty to assure that all Americans have the ability to see doctors when they want to for preventative reasons and when they need to for medical reasons. This is not the case right now. It is time to fix this.
ProudDemocrat –
Regarding your assertion that somehow England and Canada are better at keeping their populations from developing cancers…I ask is their any evidence to support that premise?
Additionally, a public option or government plan could very well cause people to lose their current insurance if their employer stops offering its current private insurance and puts them in a government run plan. And remember neither the senate or house bills address the rising cost of health care.
Joe
Of course the senate Bill has no public option!
I asked the same question… was unable to find reference to that in any of the data presented above. You appear to be attacking my post when I posed a question, not suggested a conclusion.
I love that we have been able to talk about all this and I always enjoy seeing/hearing other points of views.
I think, my opinion, that the bottom line is government control and how much we, as a country, want to allow the gov’t to control.
Health Reform, as it is now being proposed, is a total disaster to this country. The cost alone is going to be the “nail in the coffin.” How can our government even fathom spending so much more money?
The fault of our country being in the position it is now, is ours. We, as people, for hundreds of years, have fallen for the “feel good” programs designed to help those unable to help themselves. The costs alone should have been the sign to us not to follow through. Social Security, Medicare/aid-programs designed to help our fellow citizens past working age to live a fulfilling and happy life. Too bad it has cost the people of this country quite alot of money. Money, that if we weren’t taxed to support these SOCIALISTIC programs, we would be able to handle ourselves as individuals.
Right now, the ratio of people support to one senior citizen receiving benefits, is almost 2 to 1. When these programs started, it was about 15 to 1. Staggering. Sobering, I hope.
I grew up under the philosophy you take care of each other, WITHOUT government handouts/help. If something happened, we as a community took care of it.
This government has too much power, the obscure gray line that this Republic was built to ensure not to cross, has been buried. It takes people with rock steady virtue and unselfish motives, to work in a public office for the people.
Am I saying no government, by no means. I am saying we need little government. We only need the government to do what it is charged to do by the Constitution. This country’s mentality has faltered to the point of just going with the flow of the government wishes, like a zombie being led to a slaughter or something. It is disgusting to see people stand up and fight for MORE government control, MORE government programs, MORE government spending of OUR money irresponsibly.
I have asked for some PROOF, from anyone, how this administration is doing anything RIGHT, GOOD, and SUSTAINABLE for this country, while following through on its promises (Obama) for transparency, frugal spending and blah blah blah. The fact that initially, when this Health Reform started there was supposed to be ABSOLUTELY no worries about us as citizens having to change doctors or our own insurances if we were happy with it-to PRESIDENT OBAMA actually coming out and admitting finally to the fact that you are NOT going to have that choice (his words, all stumbly in a speech w/no teleprompter to guide him through his lies)is all I need to cement my feelings on the program.
This march, for “progressivism”, is another misguided group of people who really don’t understand their country, or the people running it. They hear all these wonderful things that our government is going to do, all this HOPE and CHANGE, but they miss the point that the government, their leader, has declared a FUNDAMENTAL change, meaning erasing our history, but blaming them the whole time, in order to be able to justify where he wants to take us into the future.
I only hope that it isn’t too late, that his “executive orders” aren’t able to be followed through on, because we are on a bumpy road, and it ends very soon.
It is up to us, as AMERICANS, to see through the BS and realize thingns for what they are. It doesn’t take anything more than common sense to see what is happening. Don’t be sheep, if you don’t think for yourself, and just believe what your illustrious leader spews out at you, then you deserve whatever you get.
I for one refuse to sit and watch while our country is flushed down the toilet.
Dave Yensan: Please post a link to articles that you site as ideas to consider. There is no such thing as the “United Nations International Health Organization.”
If you mean the “U.N. WORLD Health Organization,” I could not find an archived article on investors.com (the publication’s web site).
Listen, I got the email too (that you copied and pasted from). It was sent around about two months ago and originated in the conservative blogosphere. Remember that just because “data” is printed online, doesn’t make it true. Do your homework instead of looking for sound bytes that support your view.
When I rode past the Health care rally on Sat. at 3:55 pm, there were about 20 folks w/ signs. I did not see any speakers or info about the new/old/needed changes w/n health care. The signs were not clear of what they supported, other than free health care for all. Later on, about 4:10pm, a luxury bus with SEIU painted on it arrived and a few more folks appeared. The total number of folks visible was about 25. I give them credit for standing up for what they believe.
I don’t support gov’t take over of my health care. I do not want US health care to be controlled by the govt. I do not believe that the SEIU is an un-biased participant in the health care issue, any more than Sen. Lautenbaur(sp?) was right to support the health care bill and then demand to be taken by ambulance to another hospital. Good for the goose, ought to be good for the gander, huh?
Torte reform is needed.
Health care reform is possible if, and only if, all sides are included, and if the process is open for inspection/reading/critique and debate by the people that end up paying for it, us, taxpayers.