Whose side is Max Baucus on?
“Some people say ‘kick the public option off the table.’ The public option’s on the table,” Baucus said. “Nothing’s off the table. The public option might be off to the side a little bit, but it’s still on the table."But is the public option really on the table? Chairman Baucus hasn't allowed a single advocate for single-payer to testify before the committee, and some have been arrested for protesting this injustice. Yet health insurance companies, drug companies and HMOs have all had a seat at the Finance Committee table.
Even Montana's other Democratic Senator, Jon Tester, is open to at least considering the public option.
"The devil's in the detail on all this stuff. My key is accessibility and affordability. Those are the two things, but I think everything should be on the table," said Tester.So why do the actions of Senator Baucus not match his words? It's simple: Max Baucus is bought and paid for by the very same people who are testifying before his committee. Over the course of his career, guess who makes the top five donors list for Senator Baucus?
Lawyers/Law Firms - $1,579,973Hospitals/Nursing Homes come in at #9 with $541,891 in contributions. And since this post is about health care reform, I won't even go into the $1.4 million in contributions from the same people who caused the economic meltdown in this country.
Securities & Investment - $1,458,035
Insurance - $1,170,313
Health Professionals - $1,016,276
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products - $734,605 [emphasis mine]
Given such investment by big moneyed corporate interests, when Senator Baucus says no option is off the table, it's a lot like Joe Isuzu saying, "You have my word on it."
Comments:
Post a Comment