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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=emergencylabor@aol.com
href="mailto:emergencylabor@aol.com">emergencylabor@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=emergencylabor@aol.com
href="mailto:emergencylabor@aol.com">emergencylabor@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, July 09, 2012 8:24 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> DEMAND QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL! -- 8TH IN SERIES ON KEY
ISSUES IN 2012</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><FONT
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<DIV>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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align=center><SPAN style="mso-no-proof: yes"><IMG id=MA1.1341840262
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face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="mso-no-proof: yes">[Please excuse duplicate postings and please forward
widely.]</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The Question to be
Decided: Shall Health Care Be Regarded as a Basic Human Right or as a For-Profit
Multi-Billion Dollar Business?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The Affordable Care
Act (ACA), having been upheld by the Supreme Court, contains a number of very
positive features. But there are yawning gaps in its coverage of enormous
proportions. When fully implemented, it will still leave 27 million uninsured,
and that number could be much larger with the Court's having made expanded
Medicaid coverage optional for the states. <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">This is undoubtedly the worst aspect of its
decision</I>. It puts at risk the <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>main tool to expand insurance coverage to
the very poor, mostly people of color. Moreover, untold numbers of the uninsured
will inevitably decline to purchase insurance, despite the
mandate.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Looking to the future,
health care costs will continue to rise, more people will be underinsured, and
those who cannot afford private insurance -- or who simply refuse to buy it --
will not only be deprived of health care coverage, they will have to pay a stiff
fine. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>At the heart of the problem is the fact
that the insurance companies will remain at the core of the health care system.
As long as this is the case and these companies are able to plunder hundreds of
billions in profits from the system,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>the ACA will be severely crippled in carrying out its stated goal of
providing health care coverage for all.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Background<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Health care in the
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> makes up 17.9% of the economy,
incorporating some of the most profitable enterprises, as well as vital
facilities and services which barely cling to life. While working people suffer
and die waiting for care or through mishaps in the system, the most preposterous
charges and claims reverberate in a torrent of election-year
nonsense.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Underneath all the
extreme rhetoric and exaggerated claims lies a free-for-all fight by competing
corporate interests. Benefits to ordinary people are coincidental. The Supreme
Court's decision of June 28, 2012 on the ACA cemented health care profiteering,
left union workers in an even more precarious position, and further undermined
prospects of the very </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">poor's <SPAN
style="COLOR: black">obtaining basic health care. Within hours of the verdict,
the stock market reflected the true story.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Stocks of for-profit
hospital chains shot up. With the confirmation of the individual mandate
projected to guarantee a steady stream of paying customers, the value of
Hospital Corporation of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> stocks rose 15%, while Tenet
gained 10%. The commercial health insurance corporations, buoyed by the
retention of the individual mandate, can now focus on whittling away the
concessions they made in 2009. Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers
held their own, already planning for the added </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">expenses<SPAN style="COLOR: black">
they would be </SPAN>incurring<SPAN style="COLOR: black"> to help close the
donut hole of Medicare Part D and insurance coverage
expansion.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Drawing a Balance
Sheet on the ACA<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">It was hoped that the
ACA would dramatically expand Medicaid for most low-income folks, but the
Supreme Court's decision undermined that. The ACA pledged increased funding for
community health centers - culturally competent care close to home - but this
has been <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>weakened by threats to
Medicaid expansion and a variety of attacks on immigrants, with or without
papers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">On the plus side,
children can stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some of the most outrageous insurance
company practices are finally outlawed, like denying care for pre-existing
conditions and annual and lifetime caps on benefits. Gender inequality is
proscribed. The donut hole will be closed.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">On the down side,
there will be no real limits on what insurance companies, hospitals and drug
companies charge. Those who do not have health insurance coverage one way or
another will be forced to buy the insurance industry’s shoddy products or pay an
additional penalty and remain without coverage. As in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>, where the
ACA’s prototype was enacted in 2006, the new norm is unaffordable
underinsurance.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Health care costs will
continue to rise swiftly, strengthening employers’ resolve to shift costs onto
workers through pushing high-deductible, low coverage plans, or by dropping
health insurance altogether. Strikes and lockouts over health benefits
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">could<SPAN
style="COLOR: black"> become more frequent and of longer duration. Workers in
unions with joint union-management Taft-Hartley health and welfare plans will be
confronted with more employers demanding renegotiation of terms by the end of
2013. And in 2018, the excise tax on so-called Cadillac health insurance plans
will kick in, adding further burdens to those with stagnating
wages.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Which Way for the
Labor Movement?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><A
title=http://www.aflcio.org/www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/convention/2009/upload/res_34amend.pdf
href="http://www.aflcio.org/www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/convention/2009/upload/res_34amend.pdf"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext"><BR></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none">Resolution
34</SPAN></A><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> of the September 2009 AFL-CIO
convention in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Pittsburgh</st1:City></st1:place> proclaimed the goal of a national
social health insurance: a <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>single payer program. This
resolution was the result of seventy pro-single-payer resolutions submitted in
the pre-convention period, more resolutions on one issue than ever before in the
history of the AFL-CIO. The steady growth of labor’s commitment to fundamental
health care change grew from the work of the All-Unions Committee for Single
Payer Health Care -- HR 676.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">By the time the
national debate over health care took off early in 2009, nearly six hundred
labor organizations in forty-nine states had already endorsed HR.676.
Thirty-nine state labor federations, one hundred thirty-five central labor
councils and twenty-two national and international unions stood up to be
counted.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">To deepen and mobilize
this sentiment, the Labor Campaign for Single Payer was organized in <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:City> in January of
2009. This coalition set as its first priority the adoption of Medicare for All
as a strategic goal for organized labor. That goal having </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">largely<SPAN style="COLOR: black">
been met with the passage of Resolution 34, the struggle now is to move from
resolutions to action and to link the fight for a just healthcare system with
labor’s overarching goal of driving back the threat of austerity and winning
security for the working class and the entire population. <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">This will require building labor/community
coalitions across the country capable of mobilizing<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>gigantic numbers in the streets
demanding no cuts to the safety net and Medicare for
All!<o:p></o:p></I></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Following the 2010
enactment of the ACA, and in the wake of the 2010 elections, the pendulum has
swung to the states. The <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Vermont</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Workers</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType>, an affiliate of Jobs with Justice, and many
unions in <st1:State w:st="on">Vermont</st1:State> provide the solid backbone of
the movement for health care as a human right in the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Green</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Mountain</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Built on several years of solid
grassroots work, the single-payer movement in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Vermont</st1:place></st1:State> took advantage of federal funds
allotted to the states under the ACA to fashion health insurance exchanges to
entrench their goal of emerging in 2017 with a true single-payer system.
Powerful forces are now pouring resources into the state to block this advance
for health care justice or to subvert this movement into something palatable to
the corporations and politics as usual.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Some unions
representing those who work in health care, especially National Nurses United,
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">are deeply<SPAN
style="COLOR: black"> involved in refashioning<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>their industry, rejecting corporate
partnerships and fighting for the highest possible standards of care. This
militancy is reflected in strikes and other actions to block the erosion of
access to care and threats to advances already won.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">How Did Things Get
This Way in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"> health care remains
dominated by profiteers, and they exercise extraordinary influence in both the
Republican and Democratic parties. This explains why <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> taxpayers
spend more on health care per capita than taxpayers in any other developed
country, yet we still have fifty million uninsured people, only half of whom are
promised eventual coverage by the ACA. The bottom line is this: Profit rules,
with the working class, one way or another, paying </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">through the nose as a result of
enactment of the ACA.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The Bush-appointed
chief justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote to maintain the overall
structure of the ACA. But a challenge to that structure<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>came from 26 state governments, many of
whose governors threaten to reject the expansion </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">of Medicaid -- which would make it
available to <SPAN style="COLOR: black">those making up to 133% of the federal
poverty line -- even though the federal government would pay </SPAN>100% of the
cost for the first three years and at least 90% for the succeeding years<SPAN
style="COLOR: black">. Their main rationale: "We need the money for education."
But instead of pitting educational needs against health care needs, the states
need to demand additional funding for both, which can easily be paid for by
slashing the astronomical Pentagon budget. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">How many of the 26
states that brought the suit against ACA to the Supreme Court will end up
refusing to implement Medicaid expansion? In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State></st1:place>, politicians call Medicaid the
"budget buster." We need to step up the fight for all states to sign on to the
expansion, even as we intensify the struggle for a single-payer,
Medicare-for-All system. Everybody in, nobody out!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The individual
mandate, thought up by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation in the 1980s,
is the most regressive way to attempt to get to universal health insurance
coverage. Whether constitutional or not, it is an integral part of the "shared
responsibility-- shared sacrifice" mantra of the neoliberals. It was used to
block single-payer in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State> and on the national scene. It's
argued that the individual mandate is necessary to rope in all those who don't
buy health insurance on their own and so place a burden on everyone else. In
reality, most people who don't have health insurance are that way because they
can't afford it.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">As bad as the
situation for health care in the U.S. is today -- <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>and will be even under the ACA -- <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>it will be predictably far worse if
Democrats and Republicans join in a "grand bargain" to impose substantial cuts
in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other vital safety net programs.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is widely expected that an attempt
will be made to ram through such a "bargain" along the lines of Bowles/Simpson
during the Congressional lame duck session in December. What's needed is for the
labor movement and our community allies to join together to do everything in our
power to prevent this from happening.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">This entire experience
underscores the need for reforming the health care system in a most fundamental
way. Let's not forget that the Tories and Liberals did not usher in the
universal health care system in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> or</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"> <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Great
Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black">. It was the
labor movement that led the fight to win these historic breakthroughs.
Independent political action by labor in the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
organized in trade unions and in the community </SPAN>must<SPAN
style="COLOR: black"> lead the fight for a just health care system </SPAN>if it
is to become a reality in our country. <SPAN style="COLOR: black">Mass action on
the ground and labor campaigns wherever possible </SPAN>can <SPAN
style="COLOR: black">spearhead this drive. Labor will also need to build its own
party with its own demands, including Medicare for All!
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Our goals and slogans going forward
should include:<SPAN style="COLOR: red"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Resist attacks on
Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and all other social
benefits!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Demand that Medicaid
expansion be agreed to in all the states!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Organize all health
care workers into fighting unions!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Mobilize for
single-payer locally and nationally!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Support <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vermont</st1:place></st1:State>'s grassroots
efforts for single payer!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Affiliate unions with
Labor Campaign for Single Payer!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Challenge all
candidates on real health care reform!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Run independent labor
candidates!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN
style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Prepare for a rebirth
of the Labor Party!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; mso-no-proof: yes"><FONT size=3>Issued
by the Emergency Labor Network (ELN)<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; mso-no-proof: yes"><FONT size=3>For
more information write </FONT><A title=mailto:emergencylabor@aol.com
href="mailto:emergencylabor@aol.com"><FONT color=#0000ff
size=3>emergencylabor@aol.com</FONT></A><FONT size=3> or <st1:address
w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">P.O. Box 21004</st1:Street>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">OH</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">44121</st1:PostalCode></st1:address> or call
216-736-4715 or visit our website at </FONT><A
title=http://www.laborfightback.org/ href="http://www.laborfightback.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: purple"><FONT size=3>www.laborfightback.org</FONT></SPAN></A><FONT
size=3>. Donations gratefully accepted. Please make checks payable to ELN and
mail to above P.O. Box. </FONT></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 12pt; MARGIN: 0.1pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in; mso-line-height-rule: exactly"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>