Dear Democratic Governors: Declare a state of emergency in your state and use NG medical units

[ddeclue]

to provide free health care to your citizens until further notice.

With 45,000 Americans a year dying from a lack of affordable accessible healthcare that is 15x the number of deaths in 9/11 and nearly 30x the number of deaths in Hurricane Katrina - it is a legitimate emergency for your state.

This would do so much to demonstrate to the rest of America how desperate the poor people of "the other America" are to have access to health care and it will be a game changer to force the issue of single payer health care for all.

President Obama: If the Governors will not call out their guard medical units on their own - federalize them - this is a legitimate national emergency - you are within your rights a commander in chief.

President Eisenhower used the military to insure that the Little Rock schools were integrated. Kennedy also used the military to bring about integration. Today's struggle is for a legitimate civil right also:

The right to life through decent medical care.

[KamaAina]

1. How many of those units are tied up in Afghaniraq?

:shrug:

[ddeclue]

2. don't know but the insurance companies and GOP would flip out if they actually did this.

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. K&R

:thumbsup:

[bobbolink]

4. Great idea! Now, when do we consider homelessness an emergency of the same magnitude?

Is at least 3 million enough??????????????

[mzmolly]

5. A good question. Especially with

cooler weather is approaching. :(

[bobbolink]

6. Unfortunately, the "cold weather" thing only results in charity....

I don't need a damned blanket... I need a HOME!

[mzmolly]

10. I know you do Bobbie.

:(

[ddeclue]

7. My problem is that I live in Florida...cooler weather means it's in the 70's instead of the 80's..

:P

[truedelphi]

8. Hell there could be one million just in the state of California alone.

Perhaps we could draft letter to the government heads of the Scandanavian countries. Pls help. Send food, tents, doctors, etc. Asking for real help ASAP.

And anything that can be done to embarrass the top officials here, would be icing on that cake we are supposed to be eating.

[bobbolink]

12. My proposal to the EU years ago was to return the favor the US did for their countries.

The US took in immigrants from many European nations when they were having hard economic times. We took in MILLIONS, and we helped them.

Now, Europe can return the favor, acknowledge that we poor folk here are being treated horribly, take us in, and show us how their system can work well, so that if/when the US ever gets its shit together, we can come back and help to rebuild.

I think it's a fine plan!

[sabrina 1]

14. That's an interesting idea, bobbolink.

Refugees from the US. Something really does need to be done here, as poverty is increasing, along with homelessness, much of it caused by fore-closures.

[bobbolink]

15. You know that I agree completely with you on most things, but on this I will have to disagree.

For a very iimportant reason!

MOST homelessness is decidedly NOT caused by foreclosures! That is a very small part of it.

As Sapphire Blue used to post over and over and over...

Homelessness is caused by lack of low-income housing!

The ONLY way to put an end to the evil of homelessness is to create the needed housing.

The reason I'm making a big deal of this? Because those of us who are suffering and dying in this way are ignored, and unless we are clear about the cause, nothing will ever change.

Homelessness is caused by lack of low-income housing!

[sabrina 1]

16. You are right. My comment left out that very important point.

Sorry and thank you for correcting the omission. If there was affordable housing together with a fair, livable wage it would drastically reduce the number of people who are homeless. And people now being forced into foreclosure would have options other than homelessness.

I have just been reading some very disturbing information about the homeless in some of our major cities, like LA (your passionate advocacy for this issue inspired me to some more research). Here's one article. I am sure it is not news to you, bobbolink but I have to admit, it is horrifying to me that these are the solutions this country has come up with.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/15-2

Los Angeles Accused of Criminalizing Homelessness

L.A.'s so-called Safer City Initiative was singled out in the groups' report as the most egregious example of policies and practices nationwide that essentially punish people for failing to have a roof over their heads.

Others include making it illegal to sleep, sit or store personal belongings on sidewalks and other public spaces; prohibitions against panhandling or begging; and selective enforcement of petty offenses like jaywalking and loitering.

Such measures are widespread in the face of a deep economic recession and foreclosure crisis that have increased homelessness over the past two years, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Added to this, policies that are every bit as bad as those Dickens wrote about so long ago, if the Baucus Health Insurance bill passes, there will be more cruelty heaped on those already being persecuted, and I can't think of a better word, sorry if it offends anyone. A fine of over $3,000 is being proposed for those who cannot afford to buy insurance, which would be mandated.

So, how can people already without homes, being fined for that, pay more fines for something that should be a right?

You are 100% right regarding the solution. We build jails and death chambers in Gitmo. It's not like the money isn't there.

And when they defunded ACORN, one of the few groups who had some solutions for these problems, it was the poor who once again, who were the real targets.

Again, thanks for making this point ....

[bobbolink]

17. Thank you, sabrina. I knew you would understand! Just one more point...

It isn't ALL about jobs!

When is a person old enough to retire? Ever? If so, then there MUST be low-income housing for seniors who need it, and forget the job stuff.

Does someone have the right to LIVE should they beocme too ill or too injured to work anymore? If so, then there MUST be low-income housing for them, too! And forget the job talk.... it is already very painful for people who CANNOT work!

There is NOT.

As for criminalizing homelessness, yes, that is the move all over the country, and I see so-called "progressives" doing NOTHING about it. It is NEVER talked about on Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann, or any of the others. So, I can only conclude that we don't matter to "progressives".

And here is the craziness..... It is becoming illegal to be homeless. Pure and simple. It's illegal.

So, we aren't dumb, we know when we aren't wanted, so more and more of us are killing ourselves.

BUT, should we mention it, or should we fail, we are LOCKED UP AND "INSTITUTIONALIZED" FOR BEING "A DANGER TO OURSELVES". FOR RECOGNIZING THE OBVIOUS, THAT WE ARE NOT WANTED.

I feel like I should repeat that sentence, because I don't see very many people able to make that obvious connection.


Then, THOUSANDS are spent on keeping us locked up.

Yet, there isn't money to provide us with a decent place to live.

Can we pleeeeez redefine

CRAZY?

[sabrina 1]

18. I make the mistake of thinking that some things go without saying

such as, that a country that claims to be a humanitarian society, is obligated to take care of those who cannot take of themselves.

But as you point out, it is necessary now to be specific. The elderly, the poor, the disabled, children, all should be taken care of. As far as when it is too old to retire, I have seen people who must be in their seventies at least, working super-markets and in airports (in some cases, as late as 2.00 AM). In Michael Moore's 'Sicko' he interviewed one man who was in his seventies, but could not retire because he needed the health insurance that came with the job and would probably work until he died.

As for your second question, sadly the answer is apparent in the numbers of people who are dying because they are too sick and too poor to live. And the only Democrat I have heard emphasize this appalling statistic, (45,000 a year) is Rep. Grayson. I wondered when we would hear those numbers in any of the debate about Health-care reform. And the response from the Right and even some on the left, was to ignore the enormity of the problem he was speaking about, and focus on his use of a word which they zeroed in on in order to distract, once again, from this shameful state of affairs.

Poverty is not a 'sexy' topic. And for so long, in a country that has evolved into a place where 'success' is determined by how much money one has, it is all too easy to dismiss the poor as 'failures' and to speak of them as statistics, rather individuals.

I don't know how to get attention for this huge issue when we are competing with such 'juicy' stories as a 30 year-old scandal involving a Movie director or the latest divorce of the 'hottest' Hollywood couple. Hours and hours of media time are consumed by the latest scandal of the rich and famous, which would be better spent focusing on the lives of those who are actually dying of neglect.

What is probably needed is some good PR company to turn this issue into that makes good TV. That is the reality of the society we live in.

I will think about it, as far as trying to get some attention from, at least, the Liberals in the media.

But listening to Rep. Grayson refusing to allow anyone to distract him from making the point that no one else dared to make, that people ARE dying of poverty and sickness in alarming numbers, gave me a little hope.

[JeffR]

13. Long past time!

Very good point!

[zorahopkins]

9. Great Idea, Except.....

Yours is a great idea.

There is one thing about it, though, that bothers me.

The rich would STILL have access to "cadillac" care. The private-sector doctors would still be able to give "cadillac" service to rich people at cadillac prices.

The poor people would NOT have access to the same type of health care that the rich have.

And it is entirely possible that the NG medical units would become overwhelmed with poor people, while the rich would not be bothered at all.

[bobbolink]

11. What you say is inarguable. However, it worked to open the eyes of Mr Potter...

there would be others who would then see the light.

AND, while I would never forget poor folk, it wouldn't be only poor folk.. there are many muddleclass people who CAN'T get care, either. Pre-conditions and all that.....