Susan's Blog

Don't Let Health Care be Swiftboated

Susan — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:31:43 EDT

The urgency in achieving real health care reform in 2009 is not just a problem for Americans without insurance. Runaway health care costs and the inaccessibility of quality health care in this country are a national disgrace that is eating away at the heart and soul of this country. As Americans, are we going to stand by while we watch our loved ones and others do without the medical care they need? Are we going to let the insurance and pharma lobbyists and the Republicans block real health care change and determine who lives and dies in this country? I retired last year after over 30 plus years in the workforce. I retained good health coverage through my former employer. But it comes with a very high price tag. A price I am able and willing to pay now. But I know the day will come when I can no longer afford my health insurance. The cost for my insurance coverage increased nearly $600 this year. What will it cost in another year? What will it cost in five years? My prescription copays also shot up. Now I'm forced to choose those medicines which are most essential to my health and disregard othrer prescriptions which my health care providers believe I should be taking. I am considering a trip to Mexico to purchase a large supply of my medicines as I am unable to afford them in the country in which I live. This is pathetic. I have a chronic difficult to manage and sometimes life threatening condition. In spite of excellent insurance coverage, it now costs me a third or more of my retirement income to manage this condition. If healthcare costs continue to rise at this rate, the day will come when I, like many Americans already, will no longer be able to afford to pay for my health needs. For me that may mean death. Welcome to the American dream. President Obama's health care plan offers Americans the best hope in years that real change may be possible. But we have to help make that change happen. Send a donation if you can. Join your local community efforts working for affordable healthcare for all Americans. And if at all possible, join your fellow Americans July 11 to walk in the Unity March on Washington to show Congress that you demand real health care change now.

The Kansas City Star Endorses Obama

Susan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:48:34 EDT

Monday, Oct 20, 2008 Posted on Fri, Oct. 17, 2008
The Kansas City Star

Barack Obama for president

These are anxious times for Americans. A faltering banking system, plummeting stock prices, difficult conflicts abroad, huge federal deficits, rapidly escalating health expenses . . . the list of troubles seems to go on and on, and public faith in our national leaders and key institutions has suffered.

But the six issues highlighted below illustrate why we believe Sen. Barack Obama is the right person to lead the country forward. He is a man of strength, empathy, energy and intelligence.

The Illinois Democrat understands the challenges that await George Bush’s successor. A gifted public servant whose roots extend to his mother’s birthplace in Kansas, Obama has a rare ability to encourage hope among the dispirited and to inspire young people.

Obama’s sound judgment is reflected in his choice for a running mate. Sen. Joe Biden is a passionate advocate of ordinary Americans and a foreign-policy expert who would be prepared to assume the Oval Office on a moment’s notice.

Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain, was the strongest candidate in the Republican presidential field this year. He is a war hero who has shown courage in Washington as well, pushing legislative colleagues toward campaign finance reform and challenging wasteful spending.

But McCain has been a less impressive candidate this year than when he ran for president in 2000. Although claiming to be a change agent, he is following in Bush’s footsteps on everything from the war in Iraq to tax breaks that favor the wealthy over the middle class.

Despite his age and previous health problems, McCain chose a vice presidential candidate who is so clearly unqualified for high office that the thought of her stepping into the presidency is frightening.

That irresponsible decision casts serious doubt on McCain’s judgment at this point in his political career. And over the past eight years, Americans have come to know, all too well, the high price of carelessness and ineptitude in the White House.

Voting is a privilege that is envied by people in many nations. We urge all eligible Americans to exercise their right to vote on Nov. 4.

The world is watching and hoping Americans will choose a president who will reach out to allies. Obama will restore America’s reputation as a land of civil liberties, educational opportunities and good faith.

Obama’s ascendancy is a tribute both to him and to the ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity for all. His achievements are the result of hard work and merit. His election as America’s first biracial president would be a milestone in the nation’s long journey toward racial equality.

The Obama-Biden ticket offers the best hope of recovering from today’s economic difficulties, reclaiming leadership in the world and moving forward to a more promising future.

A vote for the future

Years of Washington blunders have left the United States struggling both at home and abroad. Both presidential candidates promise change, but Barack Obama is most likely to deliver:

•A stronger economy: Obama is best suited to lead the drive to reinvigorate the economy, repair gaps in financial regulations, make tax policies more equitable and provide help for Americans in need.

•A safer world: Obama realizes the need to shift more military resources from Iraq to Afghanistan, home of the 9/11 terrorists. He is also committed to closing dangerous gaps in homeland security.

•A healthier America: Obama believes access to health care is a right. He would make coverage more affordable to more citizens and stop insurers from penalizing people for getting sick.

•A new energy outlook: Obama wants to boost renewable energy and encourage more efficient vehicles, buildings and appliances. He doesn’t back excessive offshore oil drilling or a rush to build nuclear plants.

•U.S. leadership abroad: An Obama presidency offers hope for the U.S. to rebuild frayed alliances and gain respect in places like Germany (seen in photo). VP nominee Joe Biden brings strong foreign-policy credentials.

•A safeguard for liberties: Obama wants judges who won’t favor the strong at the expense of the weak. He offers hope for a Supreme Court that would reject excessive executive power and protect precious freedoms.

Missouri Race Still Tight

Susan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:13:48 EDT

The polls are tight in Missouri. CNN lists the state as too close to call. Thus, we're seeing quite a bit of the candidates here in the Show-Me-State, and not just in TV ads. Saturday Senator Obama was in St. Louis where he drew the largest crowd of his campaign to date. The crowd, estimated at 100,000, gathered beneath the Gateway to the West Arch to listen to Obama promise to bring change to America. Saturday evening Obama campaigned on the opposite side of the state in Kansas City in front of 75,000 supporters. Talk about good timing. While he was in town, The Kansas City Star endorsed Obama for president making it a productive week-end for the Obama camp. Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden campaigned throughout the state last week and Senator McCain is expected in Kansas City today. It will be interesting to see if voters turn out for McCain the same kind of record numbers that they did for Obama.

Obama is strong in St. Louis and St. Louis County, Columbia, and the Kansas City metropoplitan area. In southern Missouri, which is a rural area made up of religious evangelicals, Obama is not polling as well. Bush easily carried this region of the state in 2004. However, Senator Claire McCaskill, who was able to make inroads in southern Missouri during her senate campaign, is leading the charge for Obama and it is expected that Obama will do better in this area than Kerry did in 2004. CNN's recent analysis of Missouri's voters points out that suburban white women who voted for Bush in 2004 are starting to lean Obama.

McCain: Define Suspend

Susan — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:52:13 EDT

Obviously, Sen. McCain is not quite clear on what it means to suspend a campaign. After supposedly suspending his campaign due to his urgent need to return to Washington, McCain did not actually arrive in the nation's capitol for another 22 hours. How did McCain spend those 22 hours you ask. Studying Paulson's bailout plan? Meeting with the nation's financial titans? Reaching out to fellow pols to broker a compromise? Not according to MSNBC which reports that during those 22 hours McCain was interviewed live by Katie Couric in New York, dined at a New York restaurant, spent the night in a New York hotel and spoke the next morning at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. McCain spokespersons obviously didn't get the word that the campaign was suspended because they continued to appear regularly on news shows to remind us that John McCain was putting the country ahead of politics and his own poltical ambitions. And I have serious doubts that the McCain campaign has stopped accepting donations. As for the campaign's claim to have halted 8 million dollars in radio and TV ads, well, all I can say to that is they must have forgotten to stop those ads in the battle ground states. I know because I live in one. The Huffinton Post called McCain campaign offices in the battle ground states and found business as usual. One McCain staffer in Missouri asked exactly what it was that the campaign was suspending. I think that's the question that we're all asking.