How is it NOT a conflict of interest when Baucus accepts big $$$

[kaygore]

from the very groups that his committee impacts?

We need to pass a law that the members of the House and Senate can not serve on committees that impact groups from whom they have accepted large donations.

How is Baucus' health care reform "advisers" any different from those who advised Cheney on the energy policy other than we have the names and faces and Cheney kept his secret?!

[snowdays]

1. It's ok casue he is a

Dem (NOT).


this is an email I received today,
Call in--please





HealthJustice Action Alert

Baucus' Incredible Arrogance Makes Me Angry
5/5/09
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear xxxx,

Today Mad Max Baucus showed us what he means when he says 'single payer is off the table.' When single payer advocates politely asked for a seat at the table, where 15 insurance flunkies were waiting to testify to his Senate committee, Sen. Baucus sneered at them and told them they would get more police. That gave all of Baucus' fellow insurance flunkies (and all the other clowns in the hearing room) a big laugh. Then Baucus hypocritically told the audience how much he respected single payer, as the police were arresting eight people who just wanted to present a point of view. I am angry about this arrogant abuse of power. If you are angry, now is your chance to tell Baucus. Call 800-578-4171, choose option 1, and connect to his office. if no one answers, it probably is because Baucus is too chicken to even listen to the angry messages.


Alternatively, call each one of his offices in Montana. Here are the phone numbers: Billings
[phone]; Bozeman [phone]; Butte [phone]; Great Falls [phone], [phone] (TDD); Helena [phone]; Kalispell [phone];Missoula [phone]; Washington D.C. [phone](Office),[phone] (Fax)
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.1payer.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join Our Mailing List

[snowdays]

2. Baucus, D-Mont., has received more campaign contributions from health insurance firms and pharmaceut

yup,

http://hcfany.org/2009/03/10/report-from-white-house-health-care-summit/

March 18th, 2009 at 9:22 pm Said:

3/12/09 Billings Post, Billings Montana

Baucus draws big money from health industry


by Cathy Siegner - Helena Handbag

A new study released this week by a California advocacy group shows that U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has received more campaign contributions from health insurance firms and pharmaceutical manufacturers over the past four years than any other Democrat in Congress.

According to the Consumer Watchdog study using Federal Election Commission data, Sen. Baucus has received $413,000 since 2005 from insurance companies and drug makers, third behind U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The study by Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog (www.consumerwatchdog.org) was the subject of a story in Sunday’s Washington Post, which also noted that the ailing U.S. healthcare system appears poised for significant reform, possibly this year.

Sen. Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has already had a lot of influence on the discussion, including issuing a “white paper” last fall advocating mandatory health-insurance coverage in the United States.

He has indicated that he doesn’t favor a single-payer approach to health coverage in this country, a position at odds with the ever-growing number of his constituents who have had it with the health-insurance industry. Sen. Baucus has said that the United States needs a combination of public and private coverage and that the country “isn’t ready” for a single-payer system..................

[dflprincess]

3. If we had a law like you suggest

there'd be very few committees.

It's amazing how they don't even try to pretend they're honest anymore.

[mod mom]

4. One Party rule-The Money Party-where $ is king.

:(

[truedelphi]

5. I am aware that Nov 2008 was the last electionwhere I will vote

For any money party candidate. Do't care if they are Dems, or Repugs - unless they are extremely pure like Kooch, they don't get my vote.

The whole ownership of Congress and the Presidency by the top one per cent is very sad.

I join you in :-(

[kaygore]

7. Jim Webb refused to accept any money from big money special interest groups or lobbyists

[truedelphi]

9. THanks for the heads up on that. I have always believed in Jim Webb.

Glad to hear he got elected despite the refusal (on his part) of taking money from the Big Guys.

And yet, people still believe that you have to sell out, and that you have to support those who have sold out.

[kaygore]

10. I don't always agree with the way Webb votes, but I can sleep at night

knowing that his vote was derived from an honest, intelligent, and thorough examination of the pros and cons and what is in the best interest of average Americans and the country as a whole...that his vote was not bought.

He would also not accept money from those who couldn't really afford to donate.

[truedelphi]

12. I don't agree with all his votes, either

But I do figure he is honest etc.

And that allows me to sleep when pondering why he votes the way he does sometimes.

:toast:

[mod mom]

15. I stopped giving $ directly to the party because I want to be able for my $ to target

those deserving of it. I'm going to volunteer today for my state's senate candidate, Jennifer Brunner, who despite doing a great job as a Dem as SOS will NOT get the party endorsement. She has raised $206,000 while the other Dem in the race has raised over a million. Unfortunately, the special interest candidates get a head start by having a lot more money behind them. We have to show them that the power of activists is stronger than the almighty dollar.

[malaise]

18. Ding ding

The good news is that people are waking up.

[jillan]

6. It's wrong no matter which party does this.

[msongs]

8. He is the suhuge giant big fish in a very small pond, so he gets all the (campaign graft) nt

[kaygore]

11. He needs to have his chairmanship yanked away from him for conflict of interest and consorting with

whores!

[AzDar]

13. K & R

:kick:

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Freedom Of Speech...Honestly

Every time this discussion comes up...and the same goes for campaign finance reform or lobbyists, the tricky issue of the First Ammendment comes into play.

Now how does money mean speech? Well, ask the Supreme Court...because they've upheld rulings against reform and taking money out of the political system under this ammendment.

The reason Baucus can take so much money is because he can...almost expected to. The beltway game is one of money as much as anything. Now, if it's your lobby...Labor for example...if they donate a lot of money to a candidate that's all well and good because they fight the good fight. But if it's a special interest that doesn't serve whatever "good fight" one believes in, then the person is a sell-out.

The real problem is the vast amounts of money and the full time campaign industry that has evolved inside the beltway. Everyone is constantly fundraising and hustling to raise the 5 to 10 million for almost every race these days along with the large cadre of consultants, pollsters and other "field operators". Then add on the high rates candidates are charged for teevee time...a necessity these days. The money always speaks loud...and sadly, louder than the common good.

Yep...frustrating as all hell...

[L. Coyote]

17. Top Contributors, opensecrets.org /politicians/summary

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?type=P&cid=N00004643&newMem=N&cycle=2008

Total PAC Money for 2008: $3,229,478
Number of Contributions: 1683

Top 5 Contributors, 2003-2008, Leadership PAC
Contributor	Total	Indivs	PACs
Merck & Co	$40,000	$10,000	$30,000
Pfizer Inc	$31,000	$1,000	$30,000
UST Inc  	$31,000	$5,000	$26,000
Gen. Electric	$30,500	$2,000	$28,500
AAOphthamology	$30,000	$0	$30,000

Top 5 Industries, 2003-2008, Leadership PAC
Industry	                 Total	       Indivs	PACs
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$326,000	$35,000	$291,000
Health Professionals    	$314,000	$5,500	$308,500
Insurance               	$192,000	$10,000	$182,000

Cycle Source of Funds, 2003-2008, Campaign Cmte only
Individual Contributions	$6,008,760	(52%)
PAC Contributions       	$4,959,391	(43%)

Top 5 Contributors, 2003-2008, Campaign Cmte
Contributor	        Total	Indivs	PACs
Schering-Plough Corp	$72,200	$64,200	$8,000
New York Life Insurance	$52,900	$43,900	$9,000
KKR & Co	        $50,500	$47,000	$3,500
Goldman Sachs   	$48,900	$48,900	$0
DaVita Inc	        $48,350	$39,600	$8,750

[snowdays]

19. But he says he still cares: “I want you to know I care deeply about your views,” Baucus said.....

………………

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22114.html
Health care activists disrupt Senate Finance Committee hearing
TAGS: Max Baucus, Senate Finance Committee, Health Care Activists

By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN | 5/5/09 10:35 AM EDT


Chairman Max Baucus tries to restore order, calls for more police.
Photo: AP




Health care activists disrupted a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday, standing up one after the other as Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) tried to restore order.

As soon as police escorted one protester out of the room, another would stand up, criticizing the committee for convening a panel of 15 experts and excluding witnesses who support creating a Medicare system for all Americans. About eight were led out of the hearing.

“We need more police,” Baucus said.

The mini-protest was organized by Healthcare Now, Physicians for a National Health Program and Single Payer Action, all of whom support a single-payer, government-run health care system.

“Single-payer needs to be on the table,” one of the protesters yelled. “This is political theater.”
………….

“I want you to know I care deeply about your views,” Baucus said. END


…………………….
http://hcfany.org/2009/03/10/report-from-white-house-health-care-summit /

[snowdays]

21. ** HERE is a list of the single payer HEROS who were arrested:...

Toast






http://www.1payer.net/action-alerts/260-heroes.html



Single Payer Heros
Tuesday, 05 May 2009 11:46 Clark Newhall
E-mail Print PDF

Dr. Margaret Flowers and other single payer advocates took direct action this morning and got carted off to jail. Fifteen of our allies demanded to know why single payer ws not even allowed a seat at the table yesterday during 'Mad Max" Baucus's Senate Finance Committee sham hearing on insurance-company-friendly fake 'reform." Look at the video here.

Notably, Baucus made mouth noises about the 'respect' he has for single payer advocates. Apparently , his respect does not extend to allowing our ideas to be heard in Congress. Meantime, his Senatorial colleagues were joking and laughing about the protest, paying it no attention. Yet, the clowns at the testimony table, including Karen Ignoble Ignani, were accorded the greatest respect by the clowns at the hearing table.

Margaret and those who were with you -- you are HEROES. You make us proud. Each of us can take a lesson from you and each of us must do what we feel is the most we can do. Without all of us acting together, more millions will die through the mis-managed and neglectful health insurance driven non-system.

Baucus, your hypocrisy makes me ill. Obama, you are complicit in this crap.Journalists, your silence on single payer shows where your real professional allegiance lies -- in your pockets with the big business money that lines them.

Here are the folks who were arrested this morning:

Katie Robbins
Russell Mokhiber
Kevin Zeese
Carol Paris
Margaret Flowers
Mark Dudzic
Jean Fox (?)
Adam Schneider

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 May 2009 12:46 ) :fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump: :fistbump: :yourock: :yourock:

[mmonk]

20. It's our system now. No sense in hiding it.

The American people are a trapped and servitude population. Did I mention highly propagandized as well? There is no outrage with ignorance.