Surprise amendment stuns (MN) Senate during debate over health care for poor

[The Straight Story]

Surprise amendment stuns Senate during debate over health care for poor
By Doug Grow | Wednesday, May 11, 2011

....

Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, introduced one of the GOP's plans for cutting Human Services costs by taking about 15,000 single adults out of MinnesotaCare and giving them vouchers so they can buy their own health insurance.


Hann sang the praises of the bill: It will save the state money. It will give the poor more choices. It will improve the health care of the poor. It will get government out of health care. It's the American way!

Then, Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, rose to speak. She offered a simple amendment to this GOP plan.


She said her amendment would require legislators to test the plan for two years, before the poor were forced into it.

"I hear what a wonderful deal this is for people," Goodwin said. "We can determine if this plan is working as it should."

Amendment greeted with silence
...

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2011/05/11/28200/surprise_amendment_stuns_senate_during_debate_over_health_care_for_poor

[AmericaIsGreat]

1. Lmao

Awesome

[Brother Buzz]

2. Sweet!

[Fumesucker]

3. Damn, send that woman to the US Congress..

Pw3nd them all, we need more Democrats like her.

[krispos42]

11. +1 n/t

[leeroysphitz]

58. Send her to the white house. n/t

[uppityperson]

4. Perfect. thank you.

[pacalo]

5. Beautiful!

[patrice]

6. K&R

[usregimechange]

7. k/r

[Snoutport]

8. I LOVE HER NOW!

[Lifelong Protester]

9. Good for her! When is she running for congress???

[bobbolink]

10. Thank you, Sen. Goodwin! Could you please school our national congresscritters?!

[UrbScotty]

12. Franken did something similar in the US Senate - seconding a proposal by a Republican

that would have required lawmakers to live by the same health insurance as they were providing for people.

Franken seconded it, saying that lawmakers shouldn't have better health coverage than their constituents!

[fairElizabeth]

28. What happened to that proposal?

I've worked all my life- been almost ten years now NO HEALTH COVERAGE. Lets see them live that way for awhile!

[Parker CA]

13. Absolutely brilliant response! Kick and Rec!!

[FLAprogressive]

14. epic win

[Canuckistanian]

15. Busted

They wanted their little plan to be voted in so that it would NEVER be repealed.

They KNEW it wouldn't be popular once the peasants found out.

[defendandprotect]

16. And with our Congress quite comfy with their benefits provided by taxpayers ....

not much of a fire under them to worry about the rest of us -- !!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. for every state/ fed congresscritter plus staffer $780 a month per for their healthcare

[me b zola]

17. Recommended!

:applause:

[toddwv]

18. The article is excellent reading.

She puts the Republicans on the record as a bunch of hypocrites. One of them says the amendment is bad because she wouldn't be able to afford it?

But it's ok to take 30,000 of the rolls and put them on a voucher system that will drive them into bankruptcy after their first medical emergency?

[happyslug]

59. Senator Linda Berglin (DFL) District 61 Was the one who said she could NOT afford it

And Senator Linda Berglin's statement was aimed at the REPUBLICAN Senator that had attacked the plan because the GOP Senator had opt out of the Medical Plan for the Minnisota Legislature. In effect Senator Berglin attack was NOT on the proposal itself, but the whole concept of forcing ANYONE to use Vouchers as opposed to fee for services.

More on Senator Berglin:
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?mem_id=1005

Thus the statement that "I can't afford this kind of plan for my family." was an attack on the GOP Senator Hoffamn whose attack on the proposal was based on her opting out of the state plan, not any support for the GOP plan to put the poor on vouchers only.

Senator Hoffman:
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?mem_id=1168&ls=.

[Zebedeo]

19. Am I the only one who sees the irony here?

because the exact same tactic could be used by RWers in the U.S. Congress about the Affordable Care Act. They could say that members of Congress should go on it for two years before ordinary Americans are forced into it. I'm guessing there would be no takers.

[JDPriestly]

41. Actually, I have read that it is very close to the plan that Congress has.

[valerief]

20. WOW!!!! Now, THAT is beautiful! nt

[freshwest]

21. In their faces!

[demwing]

22. Unfortunately the bill still passed :(

But is expected to be vetoed by the Dem Gov., Mark Dayton

[66 dmhlt]

39. But fortunately it will be VETOED by Gov. Mark Dayton

Per the article linked

[demwing]

55. Welcome to DU. Did you read my post?

I ask because I said the same thing :)

[66 dmhlt]

86. Do you not agree ...

It deserved more prominent display?

[demwing]

89. I originally had it all in the subject line

and split it because it looked clunky. I could have reversed the subject line and the content, but I wanted to end on a positive, not a negative note.

Is that gonna be OK with you? :)

[66 dmhlt]

91. Ahhh ....

Actually No! Go back and change it! And while you're at it, you can quit with your snide "I've Posted A Lot More Than You Have, So You're Not Worthy" attitude.

[girl_interrupted]

23. K&R!

[HankyDubs]

24. Barb Goodwin for president!

[Maraya1969]

25. They say they want small government but it is still the same government but with less

money to give. Small government I would think means the government gets out of the people's business. It is quite obvious that they just want to take money away from the people and still keep the government just as intrusive.

It is all about the money.

[Citizen Worker]

26. Send her to congress? Hell no, run her for president in 2012!

[DeSwiss]

27. K&R

[Harriety]

29. I'm happy Sen Goodwin spoke up. Governor Dayton needs their support. He can't veto everything.

[BzaDem]

30. Thank you Senator Goodwin, and thank Minnesota for electing a Democratic governor that will veto

the whole voucherization of healthcare for the poor. By only a 9k vote margin.

[Angry Dragon]

31. K&R

[peace frog]

32. k & r

[the_chinuk]

33. Well played madame. Well played. n/t k/r

[Fumesucker]

34. K&R

[Enthusiast]

35. Filthy Republicans. nt

[RoccoR5955]

36. Coupons for doctors.. Yeah, that'll work. NOT! n/t

[A Simple Game]

45. Why would I want a coupon when

I already have some perfectly good chickens?

[dorksied]

37. This woman is a GENIUS

absolutely brilliant!

[Pholus]

38. The teabaggers want "their country back" -- the country I remember would have laughed the GOP out

for this one. But that was 30 years ago when the depression era folks ran the place. Now? Well, not so much.

[Greybnk48]

40. Brilliant!! What a perfect idea. n/t

[myrna minx]

42. K&R n/t

[SemperEadem]

43. A democrat with a backbone and a voice is a beautiful thing

indeed! If it's that great, let's all check it out first!!

No takers, I see.

Typical asshole thug move.

[blackspade]

44. Awesome Sauce!

:beer:

[cordelia]

46. Beautiful

[roguevalley]

47. What would Jesus do? Read the OP. What a great woman. I

wish I could vote for her.

[msedano]

48. tomfoolery on the left, vitriol on the right

it's an era of new language for political types. as for medical care, i recommend enrolling all electeds into the Veterans Administration health care system.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

49. Damn right

How to FIX social security and Medicare once and for all? Put every Senator and Congresscritter on it. STRIP them of their publicly-funded health care and their publicly-funded retirement and cut their pay in half.

That's how the rest of us have to live. FORCE THEM to rely on the same programs we do to survive in old age and have health care.

Those programs would be a) protected; and b) FIXED so fast your head would spin.

Senator Barb Goodwin is correct. Make legislators eat the dog food they want to foist on everyone else first -- to test and see if their programs work - BEFORE pushing the program onto the public.

I bet we'd see much more sane legislation coming from them that way.

[mimitabby]

50. she's WONDERFUL!

[moondust]

51. And most of them could probably afford it.

It's scary that so many people with murderous ideas have managed to manipulate themselves into positions where they can actually do great harm to millions if they can muster enough votes. Democracy doesn't always work well.

K/R

[bobbolink]

67. "Democracy doesn't always work well." Some of the founders worried about this, and wanted voting

to only be open to the very educated.

In fact, that is what PUBLIC education was supposed to be about... having a citizenry capable of independent thought, not just for a meal ticket.

[russspeakeasy]

52. Fan damn tastic. Go Goodwin.

[Rainbowreflect]

53. I think I'm in love.

We need many more like her!!!!

[benld74]

54. Ya gots to test it B4 the people drive it, right?

[nonperson]

56. Every legislator in the entire nation should have the same level of health care

As the lowest level of any citizen in the entire nation.

Great job, Sen. Goodwin. Call them out and publicly shame them.

[MedicalAdmin]

57. Despite this being the State that keeps electing Bachmann...

The deep spirit of democracy that infuses this state isn't dead yet.

You go girl. I'm gonna call her office and send a check from our clinic for her helping the poor and disenfrachised by shoving that amendment up where the sun don't shine.

[geardaddy]

71. We're also the state that keeps electing Ellison and McCollum. n/t

[MedicalAdmin]

84. Woot. Woot.

And let's not forget Fearless Al Franken.

Woot, woot.

[geardaddy]

88. Exactly!

Love the kitteh woot!

[liberal N proud]

60. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander

[Kurovski]

61. K&R. (nt)

[geardaddy]

63. I would love to see this and laugh at Hann

"Hann even held up a letter. "The Chamber of Commerce supports this bill,'' he said, excitedly."

[ElsewheresDaughter]

64. smart women!...I would vote for her

[bobbolink]

68. You can probably contribute to her campaign. After this, she may need some help with that.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

85. I will

[Joey Liberal]

65. Barb Goodwin is a hero. nt

[Avant Guardian]

66. She was greeted with silence because they all know this 'plan' is BS

[PotatoChip]

69. HaHa! Good for her!

Thank you Sen. Goodwin!!!

K & R

[judesedit]

70. That's funny,. The GOP says that's unconstitutional when it's Obama wanting it

The Repukes are the biggest lying, greedy, crooks on the face of this earth. Recall all of the selfish bastards.

[ooglymoogly]

74. Except Obama never proposed anything this inane or so insane.

[judesedit]

72. I say take all public officials healthcare away and make them victims of their own hypocracy

While we're at it, trim their unearned incomes to match their failing performance for the people they were elected to serve.

[ooglymoogly]

73. KR. Thars them duuumb folk tryin they best to deestroy our country

and then there are a few smart people who try to keep those duuumb folk from destroying our country. They do this with no more than smarts and wit.

Standing ovation.

[AldebTX]

75. I Think That Should Be The Rule

For all the laws and rules they pass.

[florida08]

76. She's quick on her feet

Can we order a dozen or so of her to replace blue dogs..

:kick:

[yellowcanine]

77. How did someone with that much good sense ever get elected?

Hate to be cynical but really, how did she?

[ck4829]

78. K&R

[TrollBuster9090]

79. Take Hann and encase him in carbonite!

Then take Goodwin and send her to the Capitol building in Washington.

[Uncle Joe]

80. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, The Straight Story.

[Liberal_in_LA]

81. LOL!! Wonderful.

[peacetalksforall]

82. Eden Prairie - Columbia Heights MN

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2718116.html

"1 of 100 1. Eden Prairie, MN
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 1
Population: 64,000
Unemployment: 5.1%
Compare Eden Prairie to Top 10 Best Places

Why is Eden Prairie No. 1 this year? Not only is it family-friendly, it has a dynamite economy too.
At 5.1%, its unemployment rate is nearly one percentage point below the county rate and more than four points below the national average. It helps when you've got 50,000 jobs right in town.

Major employers include Fortune 500 trucking company C.H. Robinson, hearing-aid maker Starkey Labs, and the Minnesota Vikings, whose practice facility and front office are here. As for fiscal strength, Moody's gives the town a perfect AAA bond rating.

While it doesn't have much of a downtown, there's plenty of outer beauty: from gently rolling hills to 17 lakes that residents flock to year-round for swimming and ice skating. Town parks are laced with 125 miles of running, hiking, and biking trails.

No wonder residents rank among the healthiest people in the nation. Add in top-notch schools and safe streets and you've got a place that's tough to beat." --Ismat Mangla

===============

Columbia Heights - pretty much the opposite - old community - started in Territory days - close to Mississippi River (St. Anthony) Falls that provided power in the early days and was the center of development. It is very international these days just as it was in its earliest days with all the immigrants - modest to very modest incomes.

Eden Prairie was just land when Columbia Heights was developed. There might be people in Eden Prairie who have never been to Columbia Heights and v.v.

A Catholic Church on the edge has an Ecuadorian rector. There are many stories like that.

CNN Money won't be writing up Columbia Heights, though CHeights does have hills and a very early golf course.

I hope her constituents appreciate her.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2718116.html

[ooglymoogly]

83. Hey, Who is this gallant lady and why have no pictures been posted

We need to get to know this Senator....Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights. Maybe we need a 'get to know these people' list with plenty of pictures and stories.

[stevenleser]

87. This will work for state legislatures but not US Congress. Republican Reps are too Rich. They can

buy their own health insurance on the side for two years to compensate.

[Quantess]

90. straight to hell.