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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=firedoglakeaction@gmail.com href="mailto:firedoglakeaction@gmail.com">Jane
Hamsher, FDL</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=unionyes@ameritech.net
href="mailto:unionyes@ameritech.net">David Johnson</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 11, 2010 11:28 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Huge scandal brewing</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
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<P align=center><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2><B>Sign
our Petition to<BR>President Obama:</B></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Failure
to disclose $780,000 in payments to one of the most prominent
proponents of your idea of reform undermines the entire debate. Come
clean on any other undisclosed use of tax dollars in health care
reform.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><A
href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d6ce/4596a5b8/6348e82a/3dc655fe/3188917028/VEsH/"
mce_href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010"><B><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Click here to sign.
</FONT></B></A></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Dear David - </FONT>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>For almost the entirety of
the health care debate, the Obama Administration has relied on economist
Jonathan Gruber to make the public case for its idea of reform - even the
most unpopular parts. But as Firedoglake revealed on Friday, <B>the Obama
Administration has failed to disclose that it paid the same economist more
than $780,000.</B></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Jonathan Gruber's work has
been cited by the White House, Members of Congress, and countless media
outlets, but not once did the Obama Administration disclose it was paying
him more than $780,000 in tax dollars. <B>This is a huge ethical violation
that undermines the entirety of health care reform. </B></FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d6ce/4596a5b8/6348e82a/3dc655fe/3188917028/VEsE/"
mce_href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010"><U><B><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Sign our petition to President
Obama: come clean on Jonathan Gruber and anyone else receiving public
money to push health care reform.</FONT></B></U></A></P>
<P><A
href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d6ce/4596a5b8/6348e82a/3dc655fe/3188917028/VEsF/"
mce_href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010"><B><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif
size=2>http://action.firedoglake.com/gruber </FONT></B></A></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Once we broke this
scandal, <FONT style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The New York Times, Washington
Post, Time Magazine</FONT>, and other publications all said they should
have disclosed Gruber's lucrative contracts if they were aware of the
conflict of interest. Dozens of Members of Congress cited Gruber's work in
their floor speeches. The White House pushed Gruber hundreds of times to
the press and on its website.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>While Gruber's ethical
lapses are his own personal and professional issue, the true problem here
is that the White House used Gruber and his research as a seemingly
unbiased source in support of its unpopular reforms. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>When Obama wanted to tax
middle class health care plans, Gruber defends the tax. When Obama to
force people to buy private insurance, Gruber defends individual mandate.
When Obama does not want public option, Gruber says a public option is not
important. When Obama needs to pretend the bill has cost controls, Gruber
says it has the greatest cost controls ever.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>It is simply not right for
the White House to cite Gruber's analysis to illustrate the benefits of
the bill they support without disclosing that Gruber is on the government
payroll. A biased insider can't be an unbiased outside observer. But
that's exactly the approach of the Obama Administration, to the tune of
$780,000 in tax dollars.</FONT></P>
<P><B><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>The Obama
Administation's $780,000 "buy-an-economist" scandal threatens to shake the
foundation of health care reform. We need to get to the bottom of
this.</FONT></B></P>
<P><A
href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d6ce/4596a5b8/6348e82a/3dc655fe/3188917028/VEsC/"
mce_href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010"><U><B><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Sign our petition to Obama: come
clean on tax dollars used to pay any other undisclosed
contracts.</FONT></B></U></A></P>
<P><A
href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d6ce/4596a5b8/6348e82a/3dc655fe/3188917028/VEsD/"
mce_href="http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010"><B><FONT
face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif
size=2>http://action.firedoglake.com/gruber</FONT></B></A></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>We need to do health care
reform right. But not telling the truth about reform won't help anyone.
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Thanks so much for your
support.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Best,</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2>Jane
Hamsher<BR>Firedoglake</FONT></P><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif
size=2><BR></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
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