...welcome to the Daily Gotham.

Thanks for pushing so hard on universal healthcare. The fact that 46 million Americans, and (I seem to recall) almost three million New Yorkers, don't have health coverage, is an ongoing scandal, and I'm glad that our freshmen legislators are taking the lead on rectifying it.

Thank you Congressmen for supporting legislation that is 1. fiscally sound and 2. humane and 3. popular.

I don't understand electeds who refuse to recognize that the public wants a government solution to the healthcare crisis and are even willing to pay for it. Of course going the government rout saves money in the end because the public stops paying for wasteful insurance industry administration, marketing and subsidies. So thanks for being smart on this issue. Lets toot our own horn here because we have the public with us as well as it being sound policy that supports America's squeezed middle class and all those working their way into the middle class.

Welcome Congressman! I hope to see you and your colleagues posting here more often.

Keep up the good fight.

As I write this, John Hall is not among the 75 co-sponsors of H.R. 676. He joins five NYC House members (well, including Vito) who haven't signed on:

Gary Ackerman (718-423-2154)
Joseph Crowley (718-779-1400)
Greg Meeks (718-725-6000)
Nydia Velázquez (718-725-6000)
Oh, yes -- and Vito Fossella (718-356-8400)

Perhaps some folks oughta put their pen where their keyboard is, and sign on to co-sponsor the "United States National Health Insurance Act."

at the same time. Crowely, Hall, Lowey and Velazquez are some of the better elected representatives we have. Why are they not on board HR 676? Is it a failing of their understanding of the issue -- these are fairly bright people. I think that they do not see HR 676 as politically viable at present. Either they are right and we need to wait, or -- those of us who support HR 676 have not yet made it politically viable. Popular support for National Health Insurance is around and so is opposition from formidable opponents: the health insurance industry. Taking them on is a big deal. How do we do it credibly?

Amazing! How refreshing to hear from a Congressional Representative who actually plans to study a bill in depth before signing onto it! If only all our Senators had read the bill that took up into Iraq or the details of the so-called PATRIOT Act, perhaps we would not be in the mess we are in.

Dan, do you really think Fossella would even consider co-sponsering this bill? First he'll have to call Rove, then Cheney and then Mr. Fossella that INDEPENDENT THINKER will vote against it.

Let's face it no bill coming out of Congress is perfect but it's a start and hopefully better than the Drug bill.

Congressman Hall, I hope you will sign on as a co-sponser of this bill and glad to see you posting here and hope you'll do more postings

This bill is not the one that is going to solve the health care crisis in the US. It doesn't make sense to demand progressive Reps to sign on to it when everyone knows this is not what is going to go into effect. All that does is make progressives look like fire-breathing ideologues who don't want to look at things rationally.

By all means, demand universal health care. It's important enough to get worked up about. But we should not waste our efforts pushing for something that even the most progressives among us know has very little chance of becoming law, and that isn't really a perfect solution anyway.

As I see it, HR 676 is like the canary in the coal mine. Saying its dead is just the beginning.

It's a sensible bill fiscally, it would save the bacon of employer -based health plans, it would create leverage to reduce ever-increasing health care costs, and it would insure everyone within an established framework -- Medicare -- which delivers coverage in an very cost-effective (low overhead) way.

So, why is What's so, so certain the bill is as dead as a door nail (which, by the way, it very well may be)? People are in favor of universal health insurance and -- when explained to them -- Medicare for all. So, from the point of view of popular support, HR 676 supporters ought to be home free.

What's standing in the way? My suspicion is Harry & Louise; that is -- fear on the part of electeds of the health insurance industry. Should that end the discussion? I don't think so. I think the question for us activists is -- how can we counter the -- admittedly alarming -- influence of the insurers?

H.R. 676 is the only health care bill that makes sense.
Politicians are going to study this bill to the grave. H.R. 676 would help returning injured servicemen immediately. They could choose their own doctor and hospital themselves instead of the dismal VA or Army hospitals as their only option. They could stay close to home or seek a hospital that specializes in their particular injury. After that, Medicare for all Vets and then, Medicare for all.
Is John hall also indebted to the health insurance companies like Hillary and Barack?