.
.
.
When the political body is infected by a foreign object, such as a plan to offer health insurance sufficient to cover the poor and middle class, the immune system sends out special blood cells, called LouCo-cytes, to defend against the invaders. An excess of these cells can lead to a dangerous condition known as "LouC0rrhea."
This comes into my inbox this afternoon from a friend:
They just took SB 810 up for a 2nd time today because there were members “absent” during the first vote. Calderon was the only one who voted who was previously “absent”, he voted NO. Correa was the other NO in the first vote. The others who were in the room but did not vote were: Padilla, Wright, Vargas, Rubio. So SB 810 failed by only 2 votes – 19 to 15. We need 21 to win.
We still have another chance though…SB 810 is on “Reconsideration” and can be brought up again if the votes change. This will likely happen on Tuesday January 31st – our last day to pass it.
Please call the following legislators who DID NOT VOTE today and tell them:
“I’m disappointed that the Senator did not cast a vote for SB 810 on the Senate Floor. Senator Leno plans to bring it up again on Reconsideration and I ask the Senator to support SB 810 then. It’s the only real solution to the healthcare crisis care crisis that saves the state billions, guarantees healthcare for all Californians, and controls costs, while eliminating the denials of care and restrictions of provider choice imposed by private insurance companies.”
Check here to see if you are represented by them: http://senate.ca.gov/senatedistricts
Senator Alex Padilla (Pacoima/LA area)
Email: Senator.Padilla@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4020
Senator Juan Vargas (San Diego area)
Email: Juan.Vargas@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4040
Senator Michael Rubio (Fresno/Bakersfield area)
Email: Michael.Rubio@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4016
Senator Rod Wright (Los Angeles area)
Email: Senator.Wright@sen.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 651-4025
So: Senator Correa doesn’t want the Insurance Commissioner to be able to regulate increases in insurance premiums (that was AB-52) and — almost alone among Senate Democrats — he doesn’t want the possibility of single-payer health insurance (to, among other things, cover people, lessen the likelihood of bankruptcies, and control medical costs) to be voted on by the House.
What does he want? Hmm … maybe it’s best not to answer that.
County Party Chair Frank Barbaro argues that you have to be a moderate to win as a Democrat in Orange County. The problem is that what passes for “moderate” among Orange County Democrats sometimes goes all the way into “moderate Republican.” Correa’s vote is an embarrassment for Orange County and a poke in the eye to the state party. I’ve heard that Correa has told people that he can’t actually do much to help individual voters as a State Senator, but here is a situation where he could do something — and chose not to do it.
And La Palma voters: note that other “no” vote on SB-810 came from Ron Calderon, who is trying to knock Loretta’s sister Linda out of Congress this year in the new CD-38, which will include your fair city. Hey, I guess that Ron Calderon, like Darrell Issa, is coming into the Orange Juice Blog’s sphere of influence as well; maybe we should start focusing more on him too! I wonder if Sister Linda has any comment on this vote?
Lou’s dependably bad on these kinds of votes. He says it’s because he’s concerned about the budget. There will be a big transition cost, but the overall savings over the long haul would be staggering. Meanwhile we look at all his insurance and big pharma contributions and draw our own conclusions.
Ironically, his stump speech which I’ve heard more than once begins with a tale of a working-class woman who comes to the door while he’s out stumping and complaining that she can’t afford her insurance – and this is supposedly what drives and inspires him?
Time for someone new.
*With all his faults….Lou is still the best of the best!
If you’re talking about Republican State Senators, I’ll agree.
If you’re talking about Democrats — well, this is a pretty huge fault!
Damn, you two are like a couple of teenage groupies. Don’t any ISSUES matter to you?
Sounds to me like someone already has health insurance!
*Dr. Lou, Dr. Lou…..he has his reasons!
This is wonderful news!
I can almost forgive Lou for casting the deciding vote to raise taxes on all Californians in spite of his pledge to not raise taxes.
All the Democrats cry boo-hoo because the only moderate among them cast a “No” vote. Correa has a tendency to use common sense when it comes to casting his vote for unfunded projects that have no chance of being funded, except through an already empty general fund. And, the idea that voters should be used like an ATM to just pull another 4% or so out of them for funding this? Seriously, how much in taxes do you think the middleclass (forget the poor and the rich who do not pay their fair share because of favorable tax codes) should have to pay to live in this state?
Lou was right to turn his nose at this $250 billion dollar unfunded liability. He is also right in that, if there is to be universal healthcare (shudder), it should come from the Feds as that will prevent states from having lapses in coverage when people travel and move.
Oh, and yes, I do have healthcare mostly paid for by my employer. But, it wasn’t always that way. When I was younger I, like many, chose not to worry about healthcare. I see this as the first step down the slippery slope to mandated healthcare as that will be the only way one can pay for the entire system.
How much do you think the middle-class should have to pay for health insurance to live in this state? Is money paid in taxes more “money-ful” than money paid in huge premiums (which Correa won’t do anything about, given his opposition to those premiums being regulated through AB-52)?
Californians could have much better and more widely available health care for less money than they pay out of pocket for health care now.
By the way, congratulations on having made it through your younger days without some medical problem that could have put you on the public dole. I’m glad that you never had to go to the emergency room on the taxpayer’s dime — presuming that you’re not just leaving that part of the story out.