TPM: ChickenCare Goes Viral

[Pirate Smile]

ChickenCare Goes Viral



Perhaps inevitably, as you can see in the picture at the left, a progressive group has now created a special ChickenCare dance remix of senate candidate Sue Lowden's proposal to bring down health care costs by adopting a barter economy in medical care.

A bit more seriously though, this does put the Nevada senate race into a certain clarifying perspective. The Health Care Reform bill wasn't Harry Reid's bill -- ideas and strategy from lots of people went into it. And many people had endless criticisms of how he managed the process over the course of 2009 and 2010. At the end of the day, though, it passed. The Senate is where it happened. And Reid was central to the entire thing. That is an historic accomplishment. If his career in politics ends in January, his place in history will be secure.

So on the one side you have Harry Reid, a key architect of comprehensive Health Care Reform, the product of decades of activism, in all its messiness and policy complexity.

And on the other you have Sue Lowden, who thinks bartering livestock and other commodities for health care services from doctors is a way to rein in spiraling health care costs. (If you think that's an exaggeration, take a minute and watch this video.) There's no end of comedic possibilities thinking through the logistical and logical difficulties of managing co-pays and long-term care and drug costs in chickens and other barter payment. But step and give it a serious look and ... well, this is this woman's take on confronting medical inflation. It's funny and also sad. But as a contrast it's stark and painful.

Seriously, think about it for a minute.

--Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/04/chickencare_goes_viral.php?ref=fpblg

[RandomThoughts]

1. There may be another reason for her comment.

It sounds crazy, but it could be more about code speak for the religious right.

If she is talking about bartering for goods and services she is probably talking to the religious right about end times and the tribulation. Many of the talk about the tribulation includes Christians forming communities were they barter, it comes from the verses that say nobody will be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast. And people are suppose to avoid the mark of the beast at all cost. So she is probably trying to claim or connect government regulation as being that type of thing.

So her talking about bartering for health care, is probably trying to link health care legislation, with the end times fear of some on the far right.

Nobody in government is asking a person to worship another person. And it could also be argued that the private sector could be spoken of in the same way.

I try to avoid interpreting but it seems that is a plausible reason for the candidates comment on the topic of Bartering.

[mrcheerful]

2. Yeah but just think the health care insurance industry would be destroyed if folks did pay doctors

in live stock. Once again we see just how out of touch with reality some on the right are, the last time doctors did barter was from the last republicon melt down that started in 1929.

[TankLV]

7. CONCLUSION: Sue Lowden is STILL and IDIOT!

I don't "care" what the iterpretation of her reasons for doing this is...

[Contrary1]

3. I'm kicking this chicken. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

4. kick

[MrMickeysMom]

5. Animate THIS -

Sexy Chicken Care (and unlike Sue Lowd, no Botox)

[James48]

6. Poultry? Nah. Just more corporate greed.

"Contributions from Pilgrim’s Pride. Pilgrim’s Pride and its chairman, Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim, warrant special mention in a description of Bush Administration ties to the poultry industry. There is a long and special relationship between George W. Bush and Pilgrim’s Pride, a Texas-based food processing company. Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim, Chairman of the Board of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, began supporting George W. Bush when Bush ran for governor in 1998, contributing $78,000, which put him just outside the top ten contributors to Bush’s candidacy.52 Pilgrim’s Pride also made its private corporate jet available to the Governor five times during 1999.53

When Bush ran for President in 2000, “Bo” Pilgrim pledged to raise $100,000 for the Bush campaign. In 2004, Mr. Pilgrim has qualified as a “Pioneer,” a fundraiser pledged to raise $100,000 for the campaign.54 Pilgrim gave Bush $4,000 from his own pocket in 2004 and other Pilgrim’s Pride executives have pledged as well. In the 2004 election cycle, Pilgrim’s Pride employees contributed $49,150 to the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign.55 Employees gave no money to Democratic candidates or to Presidential candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

Pilgrim’s Pride has also been a substantial contributor to other Republican organizations. In the 2000 campaign cycle, the company PAC gave $240,000 to the Republican National Committee, $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, $25,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee and $20,000 to both the 1999 and 2000 Republican Senate/House dinner. Lonnie Pilgrim contributed $2,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2000.56

In the 2002 election cycle, Pilgrim’s Pride contributed $190,000 to the Republican National Committee, $175,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, $55,250 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and $100,000 each to the 2001 and 2002 President’s Dinner Committee. Bo Pilgrim contributed $50,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee as well.57 No money was contributed to Democratic organizations."

Source: Page 20 of : http://www.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/file/food/CFA_Not_Ready_to_Eat.PDF

[IDemo]

8. Chickens for Checkups

http://dscc.org/chickens

[AnnieBW]

9. They should have used the Chicken Dance song

That would have been better.