'Take the soup' and we will drown

our government has gone from being a representative democracy to an aristocracy. of course our self vaunted self interested leaders will attempt to recuse themselves from this sham. only members of congress who still serve the people will sign off on an amendment that forces them to take their own medicine. this is ridiculous.

We've BEEN watching carefully, now is the time to act. Speak up at every chance while your senators and representatives are on "break". Send letters and e-mails and make calls to them. Make it clear this administration is about to cost them their job.

I expect more--a semblance of truth, at least?--from someone who claims to have moral authority. Do you not understand that the reform is to provide health care to those who lack it under the present, profit-hungry system, and that our government--not just Pres. Obama and Congress, but our civil servants--already have insurance (much as my family has insurance through our employers)? You are willfully misunderstanding this effort...and I would think you could appreciate the financial devastation, physical suffering, and psychological hardship that has afflicted so many of the uninsured and underinsured--no doubt many of whom are in your parish.

WWJD? Deny health insurance for millions? Where exactly in the bill does it say that Congess is exempt?

Congress is exempt, because an amendment was offered to the bill to require all members of Congress to go under the new public option. The amendment was defeated along party lines. All the Democrats on the committee voted it down.

Go down to MCG and University any time. You will see those WITHOUT insurance getting medical care at no cost to them if they are indigent. If they aren't indigent then they can afford healthcare and will get it so long as they deem it more important in their lives than HBO, Ckinamax, etc, the internet, the latest cell phone or any other extravegance. We don't need a public plan that those who draft it won't even use.

aquistinian, if you don't see that for the patent political ploy it is, then you're willfully blind. And overburdened--the rest of us PAY for the indigent as it is....and your assertion that anyone who isn't indigent can afford healthcare is disingenuous.

So Hotfoot if we are already paying it with the current tax dollars why add a plan that will cost us trillions more?

This guy is a pastor taking shot at Ted Kennedy like that. Wow. That was was totally uncalled for and didn't help make h is point any better. I was just a reach to take a shot at a dem.

We the people have an obligation to advise our elected officials in Washington, Democrat or Republican, if we approve or disapprove of the Health Care Bill. They, in turn, have an obligation to stand up and vote yes or no, depending on the input from the people. No party line vote. No spin on the input. No pork promises. If they vote against the people's wishes, they should be replaced next time they are up for election. We will be watching!

I think everyone understands that we need reform. The republicans just don't want the dems to get credit for it. It amazes me how every night on TV I watch republicans that were there before 2000 say we have an alternative plan and we understand the need for reform. But, they never explain why from 2000-2006 when they had control they didn't do anything.

overburdened, because we are paying exorbitant amounts for those emergency services. The current system is poorly designed (it wasn't designed, it mutated into this mess) and ends up costing us more than we need to be paying.

This issue is not about dems getting credit before the reps, this is a disastrous bill that will lead our country into greater depressions we have never seen before. I have NO cable, NO home phone, NO internet at home. I do have a cell phone, a home, and a car. I go to work EVERYDAY and yes I have health insurance. There have been periods of time when I was younger that I didn't have insurance and guess what? I never went without healthcare that I truly needed. I do not want my taxes going up, I'm barely making ends meet now. I don't want government in my healthcare anymore than they already are. Changes may need to happen but I do not believe this is the way.

Great letter Fr. Donahue. I'm a parishioner and I agree with you.

"Mary Jo Kopechne drowned in that soup in Chappaquiddick," What does that have to do with the health care debate.

So what you are saying Hotfoot is that we are just going to throw trillions more at a problem that has existed since the beginning of time. I still say that it does not say anything in the Constitution that the federal government is responsible to the people for healthcare.

If we're already 'paying exorbitant amounts for those emergency services', how do you think they can afford to add 47million (overstated/includes illegals) with $1TRILLION (underestimate)? Where do you think they are going to get this money to afford this horrible prezbhocare? Try reading and understanding what's in this bill. prezbho has stated he wants single payer (guv'mint controlled) insurance. You will eventually be unable to continue your healthcare, you have now and will have prezbhocare. It's unbelievable how some defend this prezbhocare and haven't even read this. Even drs say the wording in this plan is so confusing and unable to be understood. prezbho even states he's not going to read the plan.

I see the three stooges are at in on this letter also-- Hotfoot, tech, and native---idiots all. Tech you reall do need to read the proposed bill and its proposed amendmentsd. It just might keep you from appearing as a total idiot!

539 people making a decision this big for the whole population? Amazing. Take it to the people to vote on in the next general election.

Reverend, one of the ten laws you espouse is "do not bear false witness". Now tell us what page, paragraph and line actually states the President and Congress are exempt from the Bill before Congress. Again, to accuse someone of a sin, unless it is true, is as bad as sinning before god. Maybe it would be better for you to read your bible and turn off the radio each day. Or better yet watch CSPN each morning.

Health: a fight for rights By Margaret Flowers---eight health care advocates, including me and two other Maryland physicians, stood up to Sen. Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, and the Senate Finance Committee during a 'public roundtable discussion' with a simple question: Will you allow an advocate for a single-payer national health plan to have a seat at the table? The answer was a loud, 'Get more police!'

Single-payer is a system of public financing that will guarantee everyone, without exception, all medically necessary care with no co-pays or deductibles. You would go to the doctor (most of whom would remain in private practice) and hospital of your choice.

By replacing today's wasteful, fragmented, for-profit private health insurance industry with a single, streamlined system of paying medical bills, similar to how traditional Medicare works, we would save more than $400 billion annually, enough to assure comprehensive, quality care to all.
--- http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/may/health_a_fight_for_.php

And government will run it. Like that has worked in the past. NOT! Medicare is going bankrupt and medicare fraud is through the roof. Private insurance companies have an investment to protect and therefore go looking for fraud more aggressivly than the feds do.

HotFoot, yes we pay higher insurance cost to pay for those who don't. That is only one reason, though. Another reason that insurance costs so much is because Doctors are passing along the increased cost of malpratice insurance when they bill their services. Why is their malpractice insurance so high? Because of numerous frivilous lawsuites (I know not all are, but if the frivilous ones were eliminated think of the cost savings) that cost the malpractice insurance companies billions. If the intent of the bill was to get at all the causes of our current healthcare mess, why isn't this issue addressed? Perhaps because those who benefit most from the lawsuites are trial lawyers. The same collection of folks that make up the majority of Congress and the majority of lobbyists. Oh yaeh, politicians have out best interests in mind.

Rev; If your members did not pay your health care, you would not have any! Hoe dare a man of the cloth, would want, those who do not have health care, to continue to be without it. You also need to keep the church seprate, from the government. Do you know how many of your members, who might not have health care?What do you do with the tithes, that they give you every sunday. Do you get enough of thier money to live in the style that you do.Where is your compassion, for those who are without the basic needs? How can you get up in the front of your congregation, and face them. Do you think all of your members think as you do.?

GR-10, it will never happen. The insurance companies have too much power. It makes sense but they are spending 1.4 million a day to keep themselves in the game. Medicare is basically admitting the elderly can't afford to pay big time money for profits of private insurance companies yet those of 22-65 are supposed to grease their palms. I mean they spend billions a year in adverstising, lobbying, and enormous salaries that don't improve our health. What is wrong with that picture. I mean we are talking life or death here.

You can tell the members of the "entitlement" crowd by their posts! That shoe fits pretty good , doesn't it 41?

Tis an argument you'll be wantin, father? Stirring up the flock this way. It's why Lassie left home to begin with. Stick to your flowing garments. You'll be legislating fron the altar soon enough. The choir you're preaching to now is the mob that was calling you mullet grabber five minutes ago.

dashiel, how does medicaid work for you? Are you satisfied with it?

In this great country of ours, to have a world wide organization giving free health care to remote areas in the USA is incomprehensible. ....Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps (RAM) is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based, non-profit, volunteer, airborne medical relief corps that provides free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States, and around the world. ...The group's work was originally confined to Third World countries, but later shifted towards the US...When did the USA become like a Third World Country? Where volunteer doctors etc go into an area to help people without any recourse, (no health care insurance)--RAM accomplishments: Accomplishments
As of June 16, 2008, your efforts have enabled RAM to deliver the following free medical, dental, vision care and veterinary care to the underserved:

Total patient encounters 357,368
Total value of free care donated by RAM to the underserved $33,079,038
Total number of participating ram volunteers 36,675
Total glasses given 70,704
Total teeth extracted 109,555
Total veterinary care 63,785 animals

Rev. Tim, people like you are the primary reason that I quit going to the Catholic Church years ago (after being raised a Catlik all my life). Why do you think that the churches are so empty and closing all of the time?