Yesterday president Obama reconstituted his presidential campaign team to centralize control over Democratic party strategy and respond to the Republican win by Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special Senate election; growing public anger over unresponsive government and insufficient 'change', and Republican challenges in the coming midterm elections.  This move by the president represents a response to the failure of his initial strategies for reform.

While the criticism being purported now by many conservatives that the president ignored the jobs issue is not supported by the facts, the presidents economic initiatives have not delivered as promised or met the expectations of many.  The interests of citizens have always been in dire conflict with those of business and the wealthy elite, but what's new here is the appearance that the president is considering (or being forced to) shift the governments policy positions to directly side with citizens interests.  "Instead of a government that works for the entitled and special interests, a government that looks out for Wall Street, they wanted a government that works better for them, a government that plays the role it should to help foster the security of the middle class.", said former Obama campaign chief David Plouffe in his recent Washington Post column where he characterizes the change voters demanded in the 2006 and 2008 elections.  Amidst a sea of anger and rabid partisanship that has undermined every major initiative, it appears the president may now look to new courses to live up to that promise.  

Hati has a way of highlighting the work we need to do to be a truly civilized and humane society.

With each incidence of disaster in Hati the world has a new opportunity to display its compassion. I am grateful for the hundreds of volunteers from around the world who are giving of themselves and making a difference. for the nations that sponsor them and have contributed aid and resources. For the millions who have made donations despite facing economic challenges at home. There is truth in the saying "I am my brothers keeper." When we see ourselves in others we are connected to the only real source of security we have. When we care for each other we can count on one another, and we are then never alone. The benefits of brotherhood are perpetual.

But the selfish, self-interest based way in which we typically choose to live leaves us with small circles of support. Support that is then contingent on a negotiated exchange of benefits, and only available when it serves the interests of others. Reading about a group of doctors who elected to leave critically wounded survivors to secure their own safety, and took the medicine and supplies at hand with them, is a perfect exemplification of the selfish, misguided, and ultimately cruel beliefs we hold that prevent us from achieving real peace and security.

May peace be upon us…

May we love ourselves richly…
with bold thoughts,
thoughtful and measured steps,
fearless actions,
and faithful vision.

May we love our children…
with principled direction,
compassionate interaction,
loving responsiveness,
and unconditional acceptance.

May our labors enrich the world…
with passionate initiative,
respectful and attentive collaboration,
and open and receptive issue resolution.

May love fill our souls…

1. Why doesn’t the United States have universal health care as a right of citizenship?

   The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a right of citizenship. 28 industrialized nations have single payer universal health care systems, while 1 (Germany) has a multipayer universal health care system like President Clinton proposed for the United States.

2. Myth One: The United States has the best health care system in the world.
   
   • Fact One: The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990.
   • Fact Two: The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women down from 1st in 1945 and 13th in 1960.
   • Fact Three: The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for men down from 1st in 1945 and 17th in 1960.
   • Fact Four: The United States ranks between 50th and 100th in immunizations depending on the immunization. Overall US is 67th, right behind Botswana
   • Fact Five: Outcome studies on a variety of diseases, such as coronary artery disease, and renal failure show the United States to rank below Canada and a wide variety of industrialized nations.
   • Conclusion: The United States ranks poorly relative to other industrialized nations in health care despite having the best trained health care providers and the best medical infrastructure of any industrialized nation.
3. Myth Two: Universal Health Care Would Be Too Expensive
   
   • Fact One: The United States spends at least 40% more per capita on health care than any other industrialized country with universal health care.
   • Fact Two: Studies by the Congressional Budget Office and the General Accounting office show that single payer universal health care would save 100 to 200 Billion dollars per year despite covering all the uninsured and increasing health care benefits. (View the source.)

The financial crisis serves as a testimony to the failure of the market to adequately correct itself. Over the past few decades the movement to deregulate and set free big business has proven to have flawed models and elusive benefits beyond the elite owners, managers and stakeholders. The promise of more choice and lower prices has not been fulfilled. And what's clear is that it is still not an effective policy to have foxes watch over hen houses.

The inability to see how what benefits shreholders may adversely affect customers and the market is illustrated by comments from leading executives like John S. Reed who appologized for co-engineering and presiding over the creation of Citigroup in 1988. In a rare interview Mr. Reed exclaimed when asked about why he previously supported positions and policies he now derides, “When you’re running a company, you do what you think is right for the stockholders. Right now I’m looking at this as a citizen.” Mr Reed also said it was wrong for lawmakers to repeal the Glass- Steagall Act in 1999 which prohibited banks that provided customer services (accounts and loans) from being part of banks that dealt with securities (stocks, bonds, derivatives, etc.).

Another major issue at cause is the complicity between government and business. The Fed failed to do its job of oversight and regulating the industry. And to further cloud the already bleak landscape, the guy who presided over the mistakes was just reappointed and named "Man-Of-The-Year" by Time magazine.

I am frustrated at what I feel is yet another example of how innefective and utterly impossible it is to balance the interests of citizens when all our societal institutions are run by elites with market driven interests. But what is clear is that to see the issues we must be clear about what our interests are, and we cannot allow others to define them for us. When they do we must stand against those impositions and fight for what we want.

Health care reform is defined differently by the majority of citizens, than it is by the government, politicians, and industry advocates. The majority of americans want access to healthcare for all Americans, and are willing to pay for it as a priority for their tax dollars. They want a system where whenever they are sick and need care it is available, period. And they know this is possible by the example of other states like Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, and Sweden.

But industry advocates and the government that works with them do not want to do anything to affect the tremendous profits being derived from the way health care is delivered presently. And they know that those profits cannot be had under any truly universal helath program. You know who your government is working for when it refers to citizens, who are supposed to be its constituents, as "consumers" in line with the views and vernacular of the businesses it really serves. Simply put, if the citizens pay for it, citizens will have coverage and they cannot profit from it. So the only arguments that have survived all focus on how to reshuffle the current system. Well dammit, healthcare is one area where I want the current system to go away. I don't want the wellness and well-being of Americans to be a business. I want it to be a right, a societal benefit. I want to herald that America is the world's most civilized nation because we display the value we have for every life by nationalizing the health and well-being of every American. I don't give a damn about the labels and I want to bid the insurance industry a fond ado from the health care business. Let them rally around the lucrative programs they have for automobile and home owners insurance.

I say it's time to shut down the health care business and make it a national benefit program. That's right, let the government take over health care! There I said it. And when you come at us with all your "what will it cost" rhetoric, I say it will cost a lot less than what we spend to be the world's leading arms and weapons merchant. I say whatever the cost, it is not to great for us to bear. I say I want my government managing my healthcare more than I want profit driven millionaire elites doing it. And I say that nationalized healthcare represents a real investment in the American people with far reaching returns the world would humbly admire for generations. But, best of all we would live it and benefit from it.

The US Senate passed a health care reform bill (HR 3590) in a rare Christmas Eve session by a party line vote of 60 to 39. The $871 billion Senate bill must now be reconciled with the House bill when Congress returns to work in January. This Senate bill marks a monumental moment in history, a moment when private interests, working in concert with so-called public government, openly plunder American citizens tax funds while also passing a law that forces citizens to buy private insurance. Dictatorships across the globe must envious. And it was all done by creating divisive public debate and stoking visceral and sometimes violent protest to successfully deflect attention from facts and the real issues, while creating a sense of 'rightness' in expressing either support or dissent.

I predict this will go down as one of the greatest mass communications schemes of all time, and combined with the selling of public support for anything private that fails, it paves the way for a new era that will be marked by bankrupt and ineffective public government, higher prices, fewer and fewer choices and the effective disenfranchisement of millions who once claimed to be among America's 'middle-class' (not to mention the poor who have been and will continue to be screwed).

Let's get right to it. Here are highlights of health care reform as passed by the Senate in plain language.