John Kerry: On The Road for Kids First Act

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry: On The Road for Kids First Act
2 May 2005


John Kerry is on the road this week to promote the Kids First Act (S. 114) . There are over 11 million kids with out healthcare coverage in this country. And, if you see Ron’s post below, over 20 million working adults with coverage. It’s time to hold our government accountable for this tragedy. Everyday we hear the spin about faith based values from the right wing, yet something so crucial as healthcare is ignored. The hype on the impending doom of Social Security covers up the true crisis, which is Medicare.

Here are a few quips from today’s email about the tour and a link to updates on his meetings:

Today I'm heading out on a week long tour to shine a national spotlight on the health care crisis facing the children of this country and build support for our Kids First Act.

As you know, 11 million children are living without health care and the number is growing.

Yet, while I was preparing for my trip, the House of Representatives led by Tom DeLay, voted to slash funding for health care for children from low income families. I'm not going to stand for this - and I know you won't either.

It's another example of how Washington Republicans are completely disconnected with the values that are important to the American people. Together we must hold them accountable and let them know that cutting kids' health care is just plain wrong.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=819

[flpoljunkie]

1. A man of his word working to provide health care for our children.

How utterly refreshing! Even if the M$M ignores John Kerry's efforts to bring attention to this pervasive problem for far too many of our children, the local media markets are very likely to cover these visits.

[Catamount]

2. Hi Kerry goddess, better luck with your attempts!

I posted my letter from John a little earlier and got some very negative responses.
:wtf:

[GRLMGC]

3. Of course

I totally expected that when I saw the Kids Come First posts

[Catamount]

4. Everyone must be very rich or childless, I guess!

[GRLMGC]

5. No kidding

I want universal healthcare but the fact remains that we are almost powerless. Democrats in Congress have to stay on the defensive in order to maintain many of the rights we've fought for. Kerry's idea is excellent. It means progress in the right direction. Universal child healthcare will pass and if it doesn't, it will make those who voted against it look awful. If we can cover more groups gradually, universal healthcare will be achieved. It's a huge thing that won't happen all at once. It just won't.

[LittleClarkie]

10. I wondered too

Who would ever say, "If I don't have health care, then I don't want my kid to have it either."

That's would just not compute.

[ailsagirl]

11. Good for Kerry... he just drips with integrity. "sigh"

I like the little clip in your signature, BTW!!!!!!

:kick:

[LittleClarkie]

13. Do you recognize where it comes from?

I thought it was appropriate, thanks.

[Catamount]

16. It looks familiar, but I can't place your clip.

It's not really *, is it?

[LittleClarkie]

18. It's an actor made up to look like him

It's from Madonna's "American Life" right at the end.

I had an Evita clip, 'cause I like musicals, and Bush reminds me of Evita with his SS "Rainbow Tour", but this is more appropriate. And the site lets you remote link.

[Catamount]

19. Thanks for 'xplaining!

:hi:

[ailsagirl]

28. ummmmm... actually, I don't

Where does it come from??

[LittleClarkie]

30. Madonna video ending, I think it was called "American Life"

the one where she's in a military costume. The one she got crucified for at the beginning of the war.

[ailsagirl]

31. Aha-- thanks for telling me

Bet Madonna despises him!!!!!!!!!!
:evilgrin:

[NAO]

12. I am moderately well off, childless, just gave $110 to "Kids First"

in response to a telemarketing call from "Friends of John Kerry".

I usually keep my political contributions down to $20 or $25, but since Senator Kerry gave me the privilege of co-sponsoring the legislation, I contributed the amount they asked - $110.

[Catamount]

17. Thank you on behalf of all parents!

:bounce:

[rockymountaindem]

6. It's ok.

Those people just hate Kerry more than they care about kids.

[politicasista]

7. I agree. I visited there.

Hopefully this one will be more positive.

[Catamount]

8. Nice to be on friendly ground!

:)

[FreedomAngel82]

9. Kick

I hope he's successful. Kids need health care so bad.

[ailsagirl]

29. That's a shame and so uncalled for...

Sorry to hear that.
No one should get trounced for posting something legitimate.

[NAO]

14. Health Care should be Framed in the same way as Police, Fire Protection

Education, Social Security, Health Care should be framed in the same terms as Police Protection and Fire Protection:

- something everyone needs

- something that it is right and necessary for the government to provide

- something that would be abhorrent to privatize

- something we all pay for (social) and we all are protected by (security)

[NAO]

15. Frame Programs the Benefit Everyone - No Means Testing

Means testing for a program is a sure way to destroy public support for it.

Think about it: when there is a burglar in your home and you call the Police, do they ask you how much you make? If you make too much, do they tell you that you do not qualify for state-funded law enforcement services and that you must call a private firm and self-pay? Of course not. Everyone needs police protection and it is provided to everyone regardless of income, no questions asked.

Everyone strongly supports police and fire protection because everyone needs them and they are there for everyone. Really, they are "Social Law Enforcement" and "Social Fire Protection".

Why shouldn't Health Care and Social Security be the same way?

Now think about the contrast between Health Care and Police Protection in response to a life threatening situation: If you have a burglar in your home, the police come, no questions asked. But if you have a bacteria or a cancer in your body...Do you have insurance? If not, do you make little enough to qualify for state-funded services?

Means testing fuels resentment toward the poor for being 'freeloaders' and ends up destroying support for things we ALL need. Like health care. And social security.

I seriously wonder if *'s gibbering about "more benefits for the poorest" is not meant to make Social Security seem like a "handout to freeloaders" to fuel resentment at people who do not take "personal responsibility".

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

20. I am not for this program and I said as much when called for $$$

John Kerry had the right idea and the right program in the election when he called for Universal healthcare for everyone. He should stick with that and be relentless He has diluted his own message. I am tired of this incremental bs. This program should be called the Healthy Orphan Act.

[politicasista]

21. You got something against kids?

Thanks for hijacking a positive thread.

[LittleClarkie]

22. Why not go for what you can get, esp. if he can shame Repubs with it

Don't quite understand what you mean about the "Healthy Orphans" Act. I don't follow you at all.

(on edit: Oh, I get it. But right now, with no health care at all for some, we could also have parents with dead kids or the dead family act.)

Would you rather not get universal health care, or would you rather get some health care for the most vunerable.

Right now, we don't have anything. And with a Republican majority, we aren't likely to get anything either. This has a chance of passing, as there is a clear way of payment, and plenty of heart-wrenching stories that he can use to push it.

I'd rather support something than nothing. We'll not get universal healthcare while the Repubs are in charge. They'll call it socialism.

To put another way, if I can't provide balanced nutrition for the whole family, I shouldn't give the child a school lunch?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

23. "I'd rather support something than nothing"

And that's why you'll probably get nothing. This idea does not address the healthcare needs of the young adult, the parent with adult children, the empty nesters, the never married, the childless, the unemployed, or the underemployed or countless other groups I could name. I said "healthy Orphans" because if you address the medical needs of children while ignoring their parents, logically, this could be the end result.

And I meant it when I said Kerry was on target before in the election. I hate to see him lose his own message and vision with this program. And if people are afraid to stand up for important programs because "they" will call us Socialists, I would call that self-defeating. I predict that in the very near future you will see a coalition of businesses calling for Universal Health - they should - because they are being rocked by medical expenses. Do you know that recently Aetna, a very big player in the health insurance industry called for Univeral health. John Kerry is giving up the game exactly at the point we are reaching critical mass and could achieve the larger vision.

[LittleClarkie]

24. Universal health? Or will they just drop their health care program?

That is the other option. No company is required to offer health care. Or they can just crank up the premium and let the employee deal with it.

If they haven't been calling for universal health care yet, with the skyrocketing costs we've seen in the last couple of years, then I'm not sure it's going to happen.

Kerry could tilt windmills, or he could go for something that has a practical chance.

His plan before the election was for if he became president. If he were president, he might have had the leverage to try for universal care. But he's not, and he doesn't.

Support the Dead Family option if you like. I'd like to at least save the Kids if we can. In a Republican Congress situation, it's the best route for now. If we get more Dems in Congress later, we can try for more. If this program gets implimented, and proves to be successful, they can then push for more. (BTW, I believe if you read it, some adults are included.)

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

25. "it's the best route for now"

Again, I respectfully disagree with you. We dilute our own programs and agendas, we settle, we compromise, we're diplomatic, we don't want to be called nasty names. IF this is sucessful, THEN we can push for more. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We and Kerry (once) were right on for the bigger fight- this incrementalism has been the death of the Democrats. George Bush is swinging the broadsword right now for Republicans and we need our own warriors to meet him in the meadow - to preserve SS, to fight for healthcare, to fight for civil rights - I don't give a shit about namby pamby feel-good legislation that ignores the larger issues.

(I really do care about the healthcare of children, but I am not willing to fight this battle on such limited turf)

[TayTay]

26. But this is limited turf

The American middle class is not on board with Universal Health Care. At all. Without a broad base of political support and pressure from the great American middle you are not going to get Universal Health Care. We have been pushing for this for nearly 60 years. So far, big fat donut.

I don't think Kerry has given up, I think he has switched tactics. He is trying to get the 'nose under the tent' in support of some kind of across the board health care program for a significant portion of the population that should have cost-effective health care. He is not ending with KidsFirst, he is starting with it. The reason for that is self-evident. It is a political solution to a political problem. The American middle-class might be persuaded to support the KidsFirst program because with kids it might actually save money, and is something that the US might want to do on purely moral grounds.

One part at a time. We have gotten nothing in pushing for the major health care coverage programs. Not sure if everyone noticed but the * Admin hates social programs of all kind and is currently trying to destroy them. (Either by starving them of cash or making them publicly go bye bye with a slow destruction plan, as in Social Security.)

I want Universal Health Care as much as the next Lib. We ain't gonna get it from this Admin. In the mean time a lot of people are going to suffer horribly. If Kerry can get a vote on his KidsFirst program, good for him. It's part of the solution.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

32. I disagree - the American Middle Class IS on-board with Uni-H

The MEDIA may not be and the Healthcare industry and Pharms and the Lobbyists and the the paid-off Pols may not be, but believe me, the middle class American consumer is totally on board with Universal Health. They see a greater and greater proportion of their paycheck go every week to health insurance. Why don't you poll small business owners about their health-care costs? Or Independent Contractors? Check into COBRA costs if you are thinking about leaving your job to start an enterprise of your own. Talk to the underemployed and the newly unemployed. Maybe talk to some GM workers who are facing plant shutdowns. This is a giant chokehold on the American economy. I think finally the business community is also starting to wake up and rebel at the amount it is costing them. Why do you think outsourcing is so popular?

Insuring sub-groups one by one is not the answer.

check out this concurrent thread which makes many of the points I am.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3584190

[TayTay]

33. Really, so every what are they hiding it or something?

Everyone wants reform. SB's are in dire need. We all agree on that. I do not see and would like you to produce evidence that the American middle class is on board for Universal Health Care. I have yet to see broad public support for this. There are no national voting patterns that show that this is a voting concern at the moment.

I hope things change. I will work to see that they do. But there is no national political will that can translate into votes at the ballot box that say this is so right now. If you have evidence of this, please post it. It sounds like something that national Dems might want to take notice of.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

35. My evidence is personal and anecdotal but so what

I'll start with your post where you yourself state "Everyone wants reform. SB's are in dire need. We all agree on that"

I am in a human resources position in a Red State where I come into contact with many people of varying social, economic and professional situations and healthcare coverage inevitably becomes a part of the discussion. I really meet with a broad cross section of the populace and I can tell you that healthcare or lack of healthcare is one of the major dynamics of their lives and job pursuits. These people can be former executives, business owners or blue collar workers, but their healthcare concerns intersect. I have also met new retirees whose pension or healthcare coverage is being readdressed much to their horror ( the old changing-the-rules-after the-game-has-ended scenario) They are all universally disgusted that this concern is not addressed in any meaningful way by either party and it IS their topic. I have my finger on the pulse in a very direct way- it crosses age, vocation and party lines. That's what I base my comments on.

[TayTay]

36. Okay, but the Red Staters are not helping

They are recongizing the need and then not voting for it. There is a need in the country for reform in the health care system. There is not groundswell of political support that could translate into pressure on the political establishment that would make such a system come into existence. This kind of pressure is building, but I don't see the votes yet.

Until the middle class starts to elect people who want this, it ain't gonna happen. There is no political pressure for such a drastic change to occur. There might be pressure for incremental change. Might be.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

37. Red but maybe more like purple

There is a groundswell. Trust me. In my position I am like a canary in a mineshaft. I often know what companies or industries are in trouble because I will get a flood of resumes from one source at one time. Democrats should push healthcare and SS - they are both rock solid winners. The "socialsim" label is so yesterday. It should label anyone who uses it as a dinosaur. Let's get with the program like the rest of the industrialized world.

[globalvillage]

27. Limited...

to the health of 11 million kids, and their families who can pay for other necessities if their kids are covered, and the moms and dads who can go to work instead of staying home with a sick kid who didn't get the necessary preventive care, and the rest of us who believe children are our future and should be treasured.
The Senator is fighting for 11 million children. I think I can get behind that.

[wisteria]

34. I really like this Kerry initiative!

The Kids First Act addresses the needs of the most vulnerably among us-the children here in America who find themselves the victims of poverty,parental joblessness,and other social and economic situations as well as spiraling health care costs. This is a beginning. It is directed at our future- our children. It doesn't come across as to much change to soon. I think this fact will make "Kids First" more acceptable to both Republicans and Democrats.John Kerry even goes one step further and suggests how to pay for this initiative and lays out parental guidelines and workable plans. HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO IGNORE THE UNFORTUNATE CHILDREN AMONG US?