Charlotte Tea Party Headquarters

from "A Scarlet Stethoscope", http://rnadvocate.blogspot.com/2009/11/48-hours.html

48 Hours.

In 48 hours, the House of Representatives could be voting on the biggest legislative debacle in history.

It’s crunch time. I’m not too proud to beg. I need your help.

The 1,990 page “Pelosi” bill, HR 3962, is on the table. Today, I learned that Pelosi is pushing hard to have this bill voted on – on SATURDAY. In 48 hours. Here is what I think her strategy is:

Number one: Pull it out at the last minute, knowing that the people this bill will immediately affect will not be able to make it out to Capitol Hill to do anything about it. She knows that doctors and nurses will not be able to leave their posts to get to DC every time she pulls a stunt like this. Make it so mind-blowingly long that the average citizen – even ones that have experience reading bills – would never be able to finish it in time to get out any opinion about it.

Number two: Keep using this strategy until the people that are working so hard to fight it finally wear down, become despondent, and give up.

Number three: Take the “swing votes”, her Blue Dog Democrats, out to the woodshed. Threaten them with losing that committee, that promotion within the house, let them know they won’t be part of the “inner circle” if they don’t support her bill.

My “pithy” description of HR 3962 is this: it’s HR 3200 on steroids. The cost is just as astronomical. The mandates, the fines, the public option, all have returned with a vengeance. Her version of ‘medical malpractice reform’ is a complete joke – and should be called medical malpractice DEform. The biggest influences that raise medical malpractice insurance – huge damage awards and attorney fees – are protected in the Pelosi bill - no caps here! Heaven forbid we do anything to take money out of the pockets of trial lawyers!

The spin on this bill is disgusting. Of course they are saying that it’s not “Universal Healthcare”. And in the beginning, it won’t be. But once employers, in the middle of an economic crisis, realize that they can get a cheaper deal with the government plan, they’ll go to the public option, eventually putting private insurance out of business, and thus your public “option” is the only option left…while the economy continues to circle the drain. But most importantly, and most critical, if you are a patient that needs specialized care – this bill could be a matter of life and death. If you are not a patient that requires specialized care – still no excuse – one day you could be. This could affect you.

Once again, Pelosi has underestimated the American people. It’s time for a counterattack on her three-pronged strategy.

Number one: If you can’t make it to Capitol Hill, you can pick up the phone. You can write a letter. You can send a fax. We’ve locked up their phones before, and by God we can do it again. There are several healthcare advocates that HAVE finished the entire bill, and there are reviews and resources out there so you can find great information. If you can’t call from work, email from home.

Number two: WE CANNOT GIVE UP. We cannot give in. If the patriots that won this country 200 years ago made it through the dead of winter, sometimes battling in bare feet in the snow, we can keep up this fight, stay vigilant, and keep the pressure on. This will not be the last attempt – mark my words on that. the pressure, corruption, and power-hunger on Capitol Hill is more than I’d care to think about. Pelosi and the Obama administration are hell-bent on passing this. We have to be just as hell-bent on fighting it.

If they want to pass healthcare reform, remind them that HR 3962 is NOT the “be all and end all” to healthcare reform. There is a house bill that has free-market alternatives for healthcare reform, allows the purchase of health insurance across state lines, and has real medical malpractice reform. This bill would have nowhere near the astronomical pricetag of the Pelosi bill – it would, in the end, SAVE money that can be directed to more medical innovations and research, keeping America where it should be – the best place in the world for state-of-the-art, life-saving medical treatments. The bill is called HR 3713, and North Carolina’s very own Sue Myrick is co-sponsoring this bill. Please see my blog from October 25th at: http://rnadvocate.blogspot.com/2009/10/hr-3713-call-to-action.html  for more information about this bill.

Number three: Remind the swing voters (a.k.a. “Blue Dog Democrats”) – promotions and perks are really nice. Everyone loves to be the big man on campus. That great committee or House position is awfully inviting…but won’t help much if you end up losing your job in the coming elections. Remind them that you are watching, and when it’s time to get to the polls, you along with thousands of others will make absolutely certain that they will be collecting unemployment when the votes are counted.

Jennifer Sherrel, RN, has put together a list of the Blue Dog Democrats and phone numbers to reach them at Capitol Hill; she has been able to contact several of them, and I’ve made notations of the information she has been able to get from her calls. PLEASE contact them – even if they said they will vote against the bill. The more calls they get, the more reinforcement they will have when it is time to place their votes. If they ask where you live, if you’re in their district, it may help to remind them that even though you’re not in the district, their vote directly affects you. Be polite, but at this point, if politeness doesn’t work, you may need to demand to be heard. If that doesn’t work, send them a fax. If you do not live in the district, it can be impossible to send emails over the websites. And please remember to send a “thank you” to Representative Sue Myrick for tirelessly standing up for our freedom, and protecting us from government intrusion in our healthcare – and thank her for co-sponsoring alternatives that actually address the real problems in healthcare.

Please take action – NOW. We have less than 48 hours to stop this. Please pass this blog along to everyone. Everyone deserves healthcare – but they don’t deserve to have piecemeal, thrown-together solutions. Americans deserve the best healthcare at a low cost, and free-market solutions can do this.

HR 3962 could destroy the healthcare system as we know it. There’s a bill out there that might fix it – HR 3713. With enough support, our Representatives can get the RIGHT bill on the table.

The Blue Dog Democrats:

Jason Altmire (PA) (202) 225-2565 – fax (202)-226-2274

John Barrow (GA) (202) 225-2823 – fax (202) 225-3377

Marion Berry (AR) (202) 225-4076 – fax (202) 225-5602

Dan Boren (OK) (202) 225-2701 – fax (202) 225-3038

Bobby Bright (AL) (202) 225-2901 – fax (202) 225-8913

Parker Griffith (AL) (202) 225-4801 – fax (202) 225-4392 – Voting NO

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) (202) 225-2801 – fax (202)225-5823 - ***UNDECIDED***

Glenn Nye (VA) (757) 273-7217 – fax (757) 299-8017

Earl Pomeroy (ND) (202) 225-2611 – fax (202) 226-0893 – Voting YES

Nick Rahall (WV) (202) 225-3452

Christopher Carney (PA) (202) 225-3731 – fax (202) 225 9594

Travis Childers (MS) (202) 225-4306 – fax (202) 225-3549 – Voting YES

Kathy Dahlkemper (PA) (202) 225-5406 – fax (202) 225-3103

Larry Kissel (NC) (202) 225-3715 – (202) 225-4036 (Confirmed by Jennifer today that he will be voting NO – please call and THANK him for voting no!!!)

Jim Marshall (GA) 202/225-6531 – fax 202/225-3013

Jim Matheson (UT) (877) 677-9743 – fax (202) 225-5638

Mike McIntyre (NC) (202) 225-2731 – fax (202) 225-5773

Walt Minnick (ID) (202) 225-6611 – fax (202) 225-3029

Harry Mitchell (AZ) (202) 225-2190 – fax (480) 946-2446

Gene Taylor (MS) (202) 225-5772 – fax (202) 225-7074

John Tanner (TN) (202) 225-4714 – fax (202) 225-1765

Charles Wilson (OH) - (202) 225-5705 – fax (202) 225-5907 - ***UNDECIDED***

Mike Thompson (CA) – (202) 225-3311 – fax (202) 225-4355 – Voting YES

Collin Peterson (MN) – (202) 225-2165 – fax (202) 225-1593 – Voting NO

Loretta Sanchez (CA) – (202) 225-2965 – fax (202) 225-5859 - ***UNDECIDED***

Baron Hill (IN) – (202) 225-5315 – fax (202) 226-6866

Charlie Melancon (LA) – (202) 225-4031 – fax (202) 226-3944

Henry Cuellar (TX) – (202) 225-1640 – fax (202) 225-1641

EMAIL FOR THE BLUE DOGS:

Kristen Hawn, Communications Director: BlueDog@mail.house.gov

And while you're at it...

President Barack Obama

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

References and Links

Links with listings of the “Blue Dog Democrats”:

http://wichitacountydemocrats.org/Blue_Dog_Democrats.html

http://templeofmut.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/blue-dog-dem-contact-numbers-and-more/

.pdf version of HR 3962, “The Pelosi Bill”: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/t2GPO/http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3962ih.txt.pdf

Library of Congress summary of HR 3962: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03962:@@@D&summ2=m&

HR 3713: Library of Congress summary - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3713:

.pdf version of HR 3713: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/t2GPO/http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3713ih.txt.pdf