Sanders “Not Voting” For Health Care Bill

Tonight on the Fox Business Channel with Neil Cavuto, Senator Bernie Sanders stated flatly that he would not vote for the health care currently moving through the senate in its current form.

Senator Sanders:

I’m struggling with this. As of this point, I’m not voting for the bill. … I’m going to do my best to make this bill a better bill, a bill that I can vote for, but I’ve indicated both to the White House and the Democratic leadership that my vote is not secure at this point. And here is the reason. When the public option was withdrawn, because of Lieberman’s action, what I worry about is how do you control escalating health care costs?

Which is a big concern of many on the left with the legislation currently snaking its way through the senate. As it stands there are many good reforms contained within this bill but there is no real cost containment, no competition, and an individual mandate that Americans will be required to purchase a crappy product from the Insurance Cartel. NO REAL REFORM CAN BE ACHIEVED IF IT IS COME AT FROM THE POINT OF:

HOW DO WE KEEP FOR-PROFIT INSURANCE BUT TRY TO ENACT REAL REFORM.

This is the same argument that was brought forth in 1993-94 and we see what happened. No reform. I find it interesting that we are the only first world industrialized nation on the face of the earth that does not have universal health care coverage; whether it be a single-payer system like Canada or a heavy regulated industry with exchanges like Sweden.

Make no mistake there is no real regulation within this bill. Wendell Potter (former insurance executive) and now at the Center for Media and Democracy states that this is a dream bill to the insurance industry. Hell, it should be. Their lobbyists helped write it and their paid shills like Nelson, Baucas, and Lieberman have whored themselves out to due their bidding. And the secret deals that the White House has made with big pharma have only worked to piss of the far left even more.

Last night, Byron Dorgan's amendment to allow the re-importation of drugs from countries like Canada back to the United States was defeated. A full thirty democrats voted against it. The reasoning as I see it: Many Senators were worried that this amendment would only work to further kill the bill by alienating big Pharma. The White House worked out $80 billion is concessions from the Pharma which seems like a lot but only roughly accounts to about 2 percent of their profits over the next decade. Man, they got one hell of a deal.

Democrats, you are no longer the party of the people. You have become part of the problem instead of the solution.Passions are running high and your base is becoming disillusioned. What are you (Democrats) willing to do about it?