We have to act fast. Five Democratic Members of Congress from New York are putting the brakes on President Obama’s historic campaign to reform our broken healthcare system.
Legislation that would expand healthcare coverage for tens of millions of Americans is gaining steam in Congress. But these five New York Representatives are stalling the bill because it pays for reform with a modest tax on the rich.
This is our best chance for healthcare reform in a generation, but now these five six Democratic Members of Congress are putting real reform in jeopardy – even though less than 1% of all New Yorkers would be affected by the tax.
Healthcare is too important to sit on sidelines. The WFP has started a petition pressuring the Representatives to do the right thing.
Our goal: 5,000 signatures from New Yorkers across the state calling on Reps. Michael Arcuri, Scott Murphy, Mike McMahon, Eric Massa, and Dan Maffei* to put real healthcare reform over protecting the rich.
President Obama said on Tuesday: “some will try to delay action until the special interests can kill it.”
He’s right. The President has brought us closer to universal healthcare than this country has ever been. We can’t afford to waste this chance for real reform.
But without proper funding, providing quality, affordable healthcare for everyone is impossible. The simplest, fairest way to achieve that goal is by asking those who enjoyed billions in tax cuts during the Bush years to pay their fair share.
Republicans smear Obama’s healthcare campaign every day, but with a big Democratic majority in the House and 60 Democrats in the Senate, it’s Democratic opposition that could really derail healthcare reform.
This is what the Working Families Party was made for – holding politicians accountable when the big fights are on the line. And nothing could be bigger than the President’s drive for real healthcare reform.
* Michael Arcuri (24th – Central NY)
Dan Maffei (25th-Central NY)
Eric Massa (29th-Western NY)
Mike McMahon (13th-Staten Island)
Scott Murphy (20th-Capital Region)
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I contributed to two of these campaigns in the belief they were progressives (for the people…not corporations).
It is disheartening to find them unwilling to do what is right for the benefit of all.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
If anyone calls one of these 5 dems, please report the response below.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Aww..Hell..lets just have these guys..all of the Congress just send their wage and benefit bills to the Health Care Insurance Companies..they work for them..why should we the people pay for them….? As a matter of fact let the corporations pay for the whole entire government’s expense..they work for the Corporations not the people…so let the corporations pay for ALL their expenses..not just the “extra goodies”…and lets call our government by its real name instead of “Democracy”, lets call it what it really is, corporate owned fascism..”of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations”…drop the pretenses..what Harry and Nancy did (we will take a vacation!) was not for the GOP..it was for the (private Health Care Industries)Corportions benefit…more time for the corporate propaganda ads to reach more people…looks almost like an Executive Branch coup…from Congress..doesn’t it….
July 24th, 2009 at 3:24 am
PLEASE TELL THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THE FOLLOWING:
The only “businesses” which would be affected are those where the owners are collecting profits of more than $1 million (under Pelosi’s proposal) *EACH* — there is no reason to treat these people differently from people with salaries of $1 million.
A business making a million dollars a year with 5 partners, in contrast, would be treated as making only $200,000 for each partner and wouldn’t even trigger the tax.
Furthermore, these businesses would still be taxed at lower rates than the rate if they were taxed as normal “C” corporations — which is 50% (35% corporate tax plus 15% dividend tax or AET tax).
I speak as someone who actually does tax returns.
These Dems have been *MISLED* into thinking that this will somehow hurt small business, and probably telling them the *truth* will help get them to change their positions.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
this is so dishonest and unfair to these members of congress — they have legit reasons for their complaints about the bill, which is still being written.
what’s the wasted point of pressuring the Good Guys? why not aim your fire at the republicans who definitely are trying to block healthcare, not at people who are merely trying to make it better?
July 26th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Our assessment is that right now, helping Obama pass the healthcare bill is the most helpful thing we can do to advance the cause of universal, affordable healthcare.
Blocking the healthcare plan is likely to harm the effort, even if the motive is to make it better.
July 29th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Eric Massa is NOT holding up anything!
He is a champion for working
families and is supporting single payer.
Check out Massa here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt5C036D_g
Please don’t lump him in with the gutless Dems!
August 6th, 2009 at 9:02 am
The only plan that our working families party of New York should be backing is HR 676 the Conyers-Kucinich bill. this is the only comprehensive solution to the problem. Universal single payer health care is the only solution. Shame on the WFP of NY for protesting guys like Massa who won’t vote for a plan that is not universal.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Thank god these 6 have listened to their constituents. That is after all their job. We voted them in to carry out our wishes not the wishes of Obama. It’s called checks and balances. Let them write a bill to cover the uninsured and leave the rest of us alone. After all they claim that is their goal. We do not need government run healthcare nor do we want it. I read the bill.
Congress can put the same mandates on the insurance companies as they have with the banks and gm. That should take care of premium control and coverage of all medical necessaties.
Torte reform for all the non compliant patients that get rich off of suing their Physicians because they are to lazy to follow orders! Lower the malpractice premiums and raise the pay to Physicians.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Just watched the video. Massa’s office lied. The interview I saw from him last week painted a different picture. Will take this video to town hall next week and inquire. Part of the problem is reps are not speaking what is written. Maybe they should read the bill before meeting with people and speaking on it.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I might think twice about supporting it if Congress would be willing to use the same system for their healthcare.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I read about your encounter with Rep. Massa in Politico, and I tell you as a fellow EUROPEAN progressive, you have it all wrong.
Health care reform without either a single payer system (best) or a national public option is a LOSER. It will create the semblance of reform, kepp all the players that want NO REFORM happy and fat, and in the long run will be useless and the Democrats get blamed.
The idea of insurance is pooling. If you don’t get ALL into the pool, it gets too expensive for the rest (since the healthiest are the most likely to drop out). Regional coops are created to be losers — that’s why the health inurance industry pushes them.
Pushing progressives to sign on to a reform plan that is designed by industry is a LOSER!
I’d be glad to discuss this further, especially since I know the excellent Austrian single payer system well(I insisted on keeping my Austrian passport just to avoid dependence in the US system).