okay - been to too many advocacy programs lately and done
too many radio programs this week on health care I guess. Listened to too many
heartbreaking stories of "working class" people who are not receiving
medical care that they need because they are uninsured / underinsured or
unsure. Now Channel 4 is doing a program Monday about 22,000 soldiers being
denied medical benefits after coming home from serving over seas because of
"mental" needs.
My point, as a
country we are saying…we don't want socialized medicine. Neither do I. We say we can't "afford" to fix our system. It would cost too much. So...millions are uninsured and that shouldn't be the case in this great
country. We have an "over
abundance" in many areas that could be "redistributed".
What has set me off
today? (My husband says it doesn't take much)
We need to Wake Up…first to look at the influences of Pharma / Insurance Agencies over our medical care and the choices that our elected officials are making because of them. (but that isn't today's story… that would take a couple pages) But, in addition to the HUGE amount of money we just wasted on drugs being used or not by our sports players - at the expense of REAL issues that have been ignored (another huge story by itself - House Republicans have walked out to protest the Democrats’ refusal to consider senate-passed FISA legislation that would enable America’s intelligence agencies to effectively monitor terrorists who are plotting to attack. While Democrats can’t find time for that, they did find time to debate this sports issue)
So…what about this upcoming HDTV thing. Why do I need HD?
Is my Oprah
show not being viewed as well as it should be? (hhhmmm-now I have a Retina tear
in my left eye that was recently discovered…now if I had medical insurance to
pay for the doctor and needed care, I might be able to see that incredible
improvement but our powers to be thought that our TV's are more important than
medical care for those in need, more money to our police for protection - which
is so desperately needed, more money for our schools to help educate our
children…so many areas I can think of)
Today, in the Post they
wrote an article saying we have gone beyond just the HDTV but now….they are
going to fund "coupons" : Every household, regardless of whether it
needs a box, is eligible to receive two coupons. Initially, $990 million will
be used to pay for coupons and cover administrative costs, which are capped at
$110 million. An additional $510 million could be allocated, but those coupons
are reserved for households that only have over-the-air television.
Consumers can apply
online at http://www.dtv2009.gov
or call the 24-hour hot line, 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). They can also
fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632) or mail one to P.O.
Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. The program expires March 31, 2009.
In total - this
program is going to be an OVERALL subsidized program costing $1.5 billion …who
is making these decisions for us and our money?? And why as citizens are we
allowing it? The whole thing is beyond my comprehension when there are areas in
our country called "food desserts" - areas where the people living
there don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We aren't talking about 3rd world countries,
we are talking about the United States.
Any better ideas of how this money could have been spent? This year, let's make our voices heard and our VOTE count. Maybe if one person is "unseated" because we speak up for what we believe in, then maybe our representatives will listen to "we the people" rather than they the Lobbyist (corporate)…..
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