Multnomah County Commissioners, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and, surprisingly, 13 U.S. House REPUBLICANS recently voted to support Single Payer Solutions. (The congressional Republicans endorsing state level single payer only - a bit weird but welcome nonetheless.) They join the growing single payer list below.
Multnomah County becomes the first Oregon city, county or school board to publicly support a single payer health care solution to America's/Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis. Bravo Multnomah county, especially commissioner Jeff Cogen who introduced the resolution.
Send words of encouragement here:
AFSCME District Council 75 - http://www.afscme.org/directory/181_366.cfm
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 - http://www.atu757.org/welcome.htm
American Federation of Teachers Local 5017 - http://www.aftnw.org/
Democratic Party of Lane County - http://www.dplc.org/officials.htm
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - http://www.iatse-intl.org/home.html
Multnomah County Commission - http://www.multco.us/portal/site/MultnomahCounty
Newly Enlightened Oregon Legislators ???????
Newly Enlightened Members of Oregon's Congressional Delegation ???????
Oregon Academy of Family Physicians - http://www.oafp.org/DigestofCongressOAFP2009.htm
Oregon Education Association - http://www.oregoned.org/site/pp.asp?c=9dKKKYMDH&b=123024
Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals - http://www.ofnhp.com/?view=home
Oregon Nurses Association - http://oregonrn.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=173
Oregon Teamsters Local 206 - http://unionsforsinglepayerhr676.org/news_releases/2008-11-18
Pacific Green Party of Oregon - http://www.pacificgreens.org/cat-get-involved/contact-us/
State Council of Machinists (IAM) - http://www.iamdl24.org/
U.S. House Republicans (13) - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/31/13-republicans-voted-to-a_n_249026.html
So the questions arise:
Are there any other public entities in Oregon who will join Multnomah county in support of a single payer health care solution to America's/Oregon's moral and economic health care crisis? (Lane county? city of Portland? Portland Public School Board? Multnomah county Democrats? Democratic Party of Oregon? Any business group in Oregon?)
Every member of the Oregon legislature has refused to even discuss much less endorse single payer legislation. Are there any legislators who since the close of the 2009 session have seen the light and are prepared to run in next May's primary supporting a single payer health care solution?
Every member of Oregon's congressional delegation has refused to even discuss much less endorse single payer legislation. Are there any members of Oregon's congressional delegation who have seen the light and are prepared to run in next May's primary supporting a single payer health care solution?
A Friendly Suggestion To Our California Neighbors
Dear Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Legislators:
Your state's well known budget deficit can be significantly reduced by immediately terminating health insurance contributions to ALL state employees, including the legislature and its staff, and giving them a $4,000 raise in take home pay. Your legislature should then immediately pass a resolution supporting a single payer solution at both the national and state level which would be signed by the governor. The citizen activist energy released in California and many other states for a single payer solution would be enormous. The political and economic weight of the eighth largest economy in the world would most certainly have a major impact on congressional consideration of a single payer solution. Now would be a good time to act before the congress reconvenes in September to take up the most urgent and important political item on our national and state agendas.
Good luck and good health.
Thanks Again To Bill Moyers
No other person on the national stage is doing more to enlighten the public on the truths of our current failed system of health insurance, health care reform proposals and pretense and the merits of a single payer health care system then Bill Moyers on PBS Bill Moyer's Journal. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html . We continue to owe Moyers a debt of gratitude.
Richard Ellmyer