Forward momentum and signs of compromise are promising.

Supporters of Medicaid expansion — which is pretty much everyone except the Tea Party and staunch conservatives, by most accounts — will be happy to hear some positive news.

The House Michigan Competitiveness committee voted 9-5 to approve a Medicaid expansion bill, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press. Opponents and supporters were advocating strongly leading up to Wednesday’s vote.

The efforts of pro-Medicaid expansion activists like the Michigan Nurses Association are having a positive impact. State Rep. Mike Shirkey (R-Clark Lake) and chairman of the committee, was quoted in the Detroit Free Press on his change of heart:

I was a hard no to begin with. I had to look at what would happen in the state if we did nothing with things like the growing problem of uncompensated care.

A vote in the House could come as early as Thursday on this new version of a bill that originally called for a 48-month limit on eligibility for “able-bodied” adults. The revised bill drops that limit, but requires recipients who fall within 100 percent to 133 percent of the federal poverty level to contribute 5 percent of their out-of-pocket medical costs. After 48 months, recipients could opt to buy insurance on the healthcare exchange created by Obamacare or pay a 7 percent co-pay to stay on Medicaid. People living with chronic conditions or mental illness, or who can’t participate in routine daily activities, could remain at the 5 percent co-pay level.

Although this might make Medicaid less feasible for some, a compromise is better than no Medicaid expansion in Michigan at all, considering its many benefits to the state and its residents.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Department of Community Health director Jim Haveman said he’s confident the federal government will approve the plan.

If the bill passes the House it then goes to the Senate for a vote, where it might face tougher opposition. Governor Rick Snyder has said all along he’d like to see Medicaid expansion pass before the legislature’s summer recess begins at the end of next week.

The fight’s not over yet, but the good guys are gaining ground. The Tea Party of West Michigan is up in arms, having emailed its supporters immediately after the vote urging them to call every member of the House to urge a “no” vote.

The way I see it, this means they’re worried. Good.

But this is no time to be complacent. Democrats overwhelmingly support Medicaid expansion, so focus on your Republican legislators. Even if you already have, contact them again and continue urging them to vote YES on Medicaid expansion.

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Draped in a flag, carrying a cross

The funny thing about so-called “small government” Republicans is their hypocritical desire to pass more and more laws, many of them with no purpose (like the Senate resolution that was passed last week “to express support for the state of Michigan officially recognizing September 19, 2013, as International Talk Like a Pirate Day”.) Michigan Senator Patrick Colbeck introduced legislation earlier this year to prevent what he sees as the censorship of American history in our schools. He’s back at it again with a new bill that authorizes the teaching of American history. It’s yet another solution looking for a problem to solve.

His bill, Senate Bill 423, authorizes the display of all manner of historical documents in schools:

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution of the United States
• The Magna Carta
• The national motto
• The National Anthem
• The Mayflower compact
• The Federalist Papers
• The Anti-Federalist Papers
• The Bill of Rights
• The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States
• The Northwest Ordinances

He also wants to ensure that schools teach “the core principles of the Declaration of Independence” (his bill lists sixteen of them) and “the core principles of our state constitution” (he lists nine of those.)

Finally, he wants to be sure all state-mandated testing includes questions about these things.

Why? I’m not really sure. So far as I know, none of this is currently prohibited. So far as I or anyone else I know can tell, it’s just Colbeck asserting his “more patriotic than thou” ethos, proving to his tea party base that he’s a true patriot.

Here’s what I said about Colbeck’s efforts in the past:

Senator Colbeck isn’t accomplishing anything of significance with these phony displays of patriotism. He’s attempting to solve yet another problem that doesn’t exist. Our children aren’t being denied access to the teachings or writings of the “Founding Fathers” based on religious censorship any more than President Obama is a tyrant akin to the King of England in 1776 despite what the good Senator may want you to believe. These are empty gestures that simply shore up his support among the most rabidly conservative and politically active tea partiers in his district and will help him avoid a primary.

We have problems in Michigan. Big problems. Real problems. Many of them are taking place right outside of Sen. Colbeck’s southeastern Michigan front door. While these problems fester and become worse day by day, Senator Colbeck is wasting our time and our tax money on demonstrations of faux patriotism.

One thing is very, very clear: the 7th Senate District needs new leadership.

I’m finding it hard to add much of anything to that.

And, seriously, dude. The Northwest Ordinances???

An open letter urges conservatives to “sit out” Governor Rick Snyder’s re-election campaign.

That’s how much the Michigan Tea Party hates Obamacare. They’d sabotage the Republican Governor’s chances of winning re-election to prove a point.

They published an open letter today railing against Gov. Snyder’s continued efforts to convince the Michigan legislature to accept Medicaid expansion. Never mind the fact that Medicaid expansion would bring more than $1 billion in federal funding into the state to provide healthcare coverage to as many as 730,000 uninsured citizens, along with 18,000 jobs and $2 billion in economic activity by 2016. You can read details of the benefits here.

But don’t confuse the Tea Party with facts. All they care about is how much they hate President Obama. So much that they’re willing to watch Michigan suffer out of pure spite.

You’ll want to read the letter yourself, but this excerpt gives you the idea:

There comes a time when a political line in the sand must be drawn to preserve institutions. It is our estimation that Governor Snyder has gone too far by seeking help from one of the most polarizing figures in modern history, a representative of the most destructive American President of our history as a nation, to try to strong arm moderate voices in his own party into passing a bankrupt Michigan on to our children. The representatives of the people of Michigan have been listening to us. We have worked with them, helping them understand our concerns as taxpayers in this state, of radically altering a broken Medicaid system to accept half a million more uninsured, reportedly at no cost to our state, and very little in the future. We do not believe any government program could ever follow through on such a promise, and are appalled that the voice of the people means so little to the Governor of this State.

Does the Tea Party actually think they are the sole voice of the Michigan people? Um, no. Not by a long shot. The voice of the people encompasses moderate Republicans and Democrats, progressives, independents and voters who identify with other groups or don’t categorize themselves politically at all.

Every citizen of Michigan, of every viewpoint, has a voice. Whether or not we voted for the legislators who represent us, it is still their job to represent our best interests, without regard to party or personal gain. It’s their sworn duty to do what’s in the best interests of their constituents and the state of Michigan. At least, it’s supposed to be.

The Tea Party accused Gov. Snyder of attempting to “strong-arm” the legislature into accepting Medicaid expansion. What exactly do they call threatening not to support his re-election? A polite request? Just because they might throw a bigger temper tantrum doesn’t mean their voices or votes should carry any extra weight. This may come as a surprise to the Tea Party, but they don’t run the state of Michigan.

MLive.com covered the story and spoke directly with Gov. Snyder spokesperson Sara Wurfel, who said Gov. Snyder believes Medicaid expansion is the “financially responsible thing to do for the state and the right thing to do for Michigan residents.” Here’s what Wurful told MLive:

What’s being proposed is a unique Michigan centric plan that protects our state’s taxpayers and small businesses while ensuring coverage for our vulnerable citizens. As I think he’s demonstrated pretty clearly and consistently for the last 2 and 1/2 years in office, he doesn’t shy away from tackling tough issues and focuses on solving problems, not politics or polls. Period.

Let the Tea Party say what they want — and they will. But there are plenty of other voices in Michigan. It’s up to the rest of us to keep making sure they’re heard. Those of us who support Medicaid expansion will be casting our votes in future elections, too. Remember to respectfully remind your legislators of that when you contact them.

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[Photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog]

The House GOP is dropping demands for a 48-month cap on Medicaid coverage for able-bodied adults.

The Michigan Tea Party can’t be happy about this. There are signs of Republican willingness to compromise on Medicaid expansion, a big step forward in making it a reality in Michigan.

Yesterday, a story in Crain’s Detroit Business reported that House Republicans were abandoning their effort to place a 48-month cap on able-bodied adults’ access to Medicaid under expansion. This proposal had been blasted by Democrats and wasn’t embraced by Governor Rick Snyder. As I wrote here when the proposal was introduced, it would almost undoubtedly have been rejected by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Substitute language, which is expected to be introduced in committee this week, removes the cap and was provided to Crain’s:

Instead it seeks a federal waiver for those who have been on Medicaid for longer than 48 months and are between 100 percent and 133 percent of the federal poverty level. They would be able to either purchase private insurance through a health exchange or remain on Medicaid but increase their cost-sharing requirement from 5 percent to 7 percent of income for all out-of-pocket costs.

Other elements of the new bill include cost-sharing for people between 100 and 133 percent of the federal poverty level, starting at 5 percent for the first four years (excluding the first six months of enrollment). There would be rate reductions for people who meet health goals in areas such as obesity, immunization adherence or drug and alcohol use. There would also be incentives for Medicaid recipients who help reduce fraud and abuse in the system.

Crain’s contacted several committee members who wanted to read the new bill before commenting. But while she had to review the bill before saying if she’d support it, committee member Kate Segal, D-Battle Creek, said she’s happy to see the 48-month cap removed.

“It’s definitely a move in the right direction,” she said. “This is a population that is working full time, if not more, and the goal is to make sure this bill helps them.”

Spokespeople from the Michigan Association of Health Plans and the Expand Medicaid Coalition both made positive statements about the new language. The Michigan Competitiveness Committee is scheduled to hear testimony on the bill today and another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. Crain’s also reported discussion of a second substitute bill that may be introduced this week.

Today, both supporters and opponents of Medicaid expansion are gathering in Lansing to make their viewpoints heard. More details on that can be found HERE.

The Tea Party of West Michigan continues fighting against any effort to implement Obamacare — including elements that have already been rejected by the Michigan legislature, such as a state health exchange. From an email to supporters:

We need to push back as long and as hard as we can on ObamaCare. We need to nullify this thing and there are many reasons we can use to push back. Just one is the fact that it’s unconstitutional on it’s face and the states are the ones to decide this. [...] Anything is worth trying so we don’t get socialized medicine in America. By our House and Senate passing this they will make it that much easier for Obama and company to install ObamaCare in our state and around our country. We must hold tight and push back on this and not let it happen.

We all know the Supreme Court upheld the law’s constitutionality and that this isn’t socialized medicine, right? (Just checking.) But the point is that this group is engaged, activated, and ready to keep doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes.

Fortunately, there are voices of reason in Lansing today willing to do the same. As I wrote here yesterday, the Michigan Nurses Association is gathering to advocate for Medicaid expansion, expressing concern about losing federally provided money for Medicaid expansion. They see the need first-hand, and also recognize the economic benefits Medicaid expansion would deliver to our state.

Reasonable voices need to continue being heard in support of Medicaid expansion. Even if you’ve reached out before, do it again. Encourage your legislators to work together to find a way to get this done — before summer recess begins.

No matter what some people would want you to believe, Medicaid expansion is good for everyone in Michigan.

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Some Republicans will say anything to see the Affordable Care Act fail. The best defense is the truth.

Now I’ve heard everything. Well, probably not, when it comes to myths the GOP invents about Obamacare. But this one’s a doozy.

On the May 29 edition of The Last Word, I saw Tea Party Republicans leading citizens at a town hall meeting to believe that the IRS will get to make decisions about whether or not they receive healthcare coverage or treatment. I’m paraphrasing, but the gist was, “If they don’t like your politics or your religion, they won’t let you get care!”

Here’s the clip:

It’s so preposterous it’s hardly worth mentioning. But the trouble is, there are plenty of people who will believe it. That’s why it’s so important to get the facts out there.

The only involvement the IRS has in Obamacare is enforcing the penalty imposed on people who choose not to buy health insurance, if they can afford it. Oh, and by the way, the maximum penalty is about $800 per year. Right now, I pay $1,200 a month as a self-employed person with type 2 diabetes. So if someone chooses not to buy insurance and pays the penalty instead, they’re getting a deal. Because they still get to go to the emergency room and get care when they absolutely need it. People like me help pay for that.

Getting more people coverage is one of the reasons premiums will go down for countless Americans starting in 2014. We won’t be paying for as many other people’s care. States that accept Medicaid expansion will reduce even more of the burden on people who buy insurance. I’m looking at you, Michigan, among others.

Another myth that’s been spreading like wildfire, thanks in large part to Tea Party Republicans, is that premiums will go up because of Obamacare. That’s simply not the case. I’ve estimated my premiums will drop by nearly 40 percent once I’m no longer penalized for being a woman with type 2 diabetes who is self-employed — all black marks against me under the current system. Premiums are not set by Obamacare or the federal government. Premiums are set by insurance companies. In an open marketplace where insurers must now compete in state or federal healthcare exchanges, they must set market-friendly rates or suffer the consequences. Consumers get to choose the coverage that fits their needs and budget. This article from The New Republic by the always-excellent Jonathan Cohn explains it beautifully.

Look, I get it. Obamacare is a complicated law and there’s a lot to know. But it’s worth learning about — and it’s certainly worth getting the facts out there so the Republicans can’t succeed in what seems to be a plan to sabotage Obamacare through a strategy of misinformation and fear. First, there were death panels and now, the myth that the IRS will be pulling the plug if they don’t like you. I know you’re not that gullible. Let’s make sure everyone else isn’t, either.

There’s more to come. On the one hand, there’s sure to be continued attacks from Obamacare’s opponents. Having lost 37 attempts at repealing the law, they’ll apparently stop at nothing to see the law fail. On the other hand, as Obamacare implementation continues, there’s more and more evidence that it works. We just have to make sure the facts speak louder than the misinformation. Surely a good law that helps millions of Americans can stand up to a pack of lies.

I’ll be writing a lot about Obamacare here in the months to come, sharing new proof of its benefits that are being revealed with increasing frequency as implementation continues. I’ll also be providing facts to disprove any ridiculous lies being spread. So stay tuned and pass on the truth.

Questions are welcome in the comments section if there are topics you’d like to see covered in future posts. In the meantime, this site on health reform from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a great resource for independent facts.

[Photo credit: Chris Savage | Eclectablog]

Tell Michigan’s House and Senate Appropriations Committees to include Medicaid expansion in this year’s budget

Both the Michigan House and Senate Appropriations Committees are holding hearings TOMORROW Thursday, Apr. 11, where they might decide to include Medicaid expansion in this year’s budget. Expanding and strengthening Medicaid is vitally important to Michigan’s citizens and economy.

Our friends at Michigan Consumers for Healthcare are asking everyone to show their support for including Medicaid expansion in this year’s budget. And here’s why, in their words:

The time to strengthen Medicaid is now. Michigan could miss out on the opportunity to accept federal funds to bring health insurance access to up to 500,000 Michigan citizens. Strengthening Medicaid would not cost Michigan a dime; it would in fact, save the state over $1 billion dollars over the next 10 years. Medicaid needs to be strengthened now.

The federal government pays 100% of the costs for the first three years, funding that falls gradually to 90% in 2020, where it will remain.

Yes, there are some costs to the state of Michigan related to Medicaid expansion. But those costs would be incurred whether or not Medicaid expansion is adopted. More people will be eligible for Medicaid in 2014, regardless of whether the state accepts Medicaid expansion. So instead of letting Michigan bear the entire cost, why not accept the funding the federal government is offering?

Plus, Medicaid expansion will reduce related healthcare costs, like paying for treatment of the uninsured and costs of other state-funded programs necessary for care. Not to mention that as Michigan Republicans continue slashing support for citizens in need, as reported by Eclectablog yesterday, federally-funded Medicaid expansion becomes an even more vital safety net.

This federal funding will not simply be given to Michigan. The state must accept it — and Governor Rick Snyder fully supports Medicaid expansion in Michigan. I rarely agree with him, but he’s absolutely right when he says this is good for Michigan’s public health and economy. Gov. Snyder included Medicaid expansion in his initial budget but it was taken out with a hatchet by Michigan Republicans. Now’s our chance to put this priority back in the budget.

The House Appropriations Committee meets at 9 a.m. and the Senate Appropriations Committee meets at 1 p.m. on Thursday. There’s no time to wait. Make your voice heard NOW.

Michigan Consumers for Healthcare have provided everything you need to easily take action.

Republicans — especially the Tea Party Republicans — are being extremely vocal in their opposition to Medicaid expansion. Let’s make our voices even louder and tell the Michigan legislature to do what’s right for people, not politics.

Thanks to Families USA and Michigan Consumers for Healthcare for the excellent analysis of Medicaid expansion in Michigan (pdf) that provided key facts shared in this post.

The tea party wins – a good thing for the wrong reasons

The Michigan Senate adjourned today for their 2013 spring break without acting on the state-run health insurance exchange allowed under the Affordable Care Act. Governor Rick Snyder said today was the last day to pass the needed legislation so the result is that the federal government will run the exchange on our behalf.

By doing so, Michigan will now have to cough up $8 million taxpayer dollars to link to the federal exchange. Somehow I guess this is considered “fiscally responsible” in the down-is-up world of Republicans.

I had once thought a state-run exchange would be to Michigan’s advantage. However, having pondered it more and having watched the tea party-led ideologues in the Michigan legislature act in countless ways that harm so many of my fellow Michiganders, I now see this as a good thing. Additionally, many argue that a national network of such exchanges is an important first step toward a national single-payer health care system.

For those reasons, I applaud my tea party friends for their tenacity in this matter. They don’t realize it but they just gave progressives (and Michigan citizens) a gift. And for all of the wrong reasons.

UDPATE: Here’s the obligatory “dancing in the endzone” email from the Tea Party of West Michigan:

**** GREAT NEWS ****
****Very Very Important****

The Michigan Senate just adjourned until April 9th without passing HB 4111 which would have ushered in ObamaCare by setting up an exchange in Michigan. This now forces the Feds to set it up but they did not fund themselves to do so. The State Exchange is now dead in Michigan!!!

WE WON!!!

The only thing that will save it is for Obama to come back with another bribe and another extension on the deadline, which has happened before but as of right now, the tea party and others have stopped this thing dead dog dead in Michigan!!! The deadline for passage is April 1 and they are adjourned until April 9th so they won’t have an opportunity to vote on it until after the deadline which will be too late.

Medicaid expansion looks just as dead as that money was not appropriated in the House Budget!!!

This is a great day for Michigan. Now if we can keep the US House from funding the Federal Exchange we have a chance to starve ObamaCare!

Thank you again for all your calls to your Michigan House and Senate members. It couldn’t have happened without you. I’ll keep you posted if I get wind of anything swirling in the water. For now, it’s time to take a deep breath.

These maroons don’t even realize they have shot themselves in the foot with both barrels.

(Oh, and “swirling in the water”??? Eeeew.)

[Photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog]

Sorry, face. This nose has got to go

Governor Rick Snyder is warning Michigan Republican legislators that time is running out to set up a state-run health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”.) As Gov. Snyder points out, we have the choice of doing this in a way that is customized for Michigan or letting the federal government do it for us.

Gov. Rick Snyder warned Monday that time is running out to work with the federal government to establish an online health care marketplace and that people would likely regret lawmakers’ failure to act.

The Republican governor told The Associated Press the GOP-dominated Senate has until week’s end to approve a partnership exchange — a key component of the federal health care overhaul — before legislators go on a two-week spring break. He said there is not enough time afterward, and his administration is talking with lawmakers in an effort to get legislation passed this week.

Snyder said inaction would leave Michigan with a “pure federal exchange” and no state involvement. He said it would mean “worse customer service” for the hundreds of thousands expected to shop for and buy their insurance online starting Oct. 1, with coverage kicking in on Jan. 1.

“In retrospect, if we end up with that, at some point people will look back and most likely regret that decision,” Snyder said.

A partnership would let Michigan handle some customer service functions and approve insurers, which Snyder argues would save them from an extra layer of regulation and prevent the state from having to spend its own money.

“It means worse customer service because what happens in the partnership exchange is we get to handle the customer service piece along with some of the qualification piece. But really it’s the customer service side,” he said. “Wouldn’t you rather be working with a Michigander helping a Michigander understand what they need versus having somebody that the federal government has chosen to be your trusted guide?”

Republicans aren’t in any hurry, however, and appear to believe they know better than Governor Snyder. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville’s spokesperson says they don’t see this week as the “make-or-break point.”

Meanwhile, tea party groups are amping up their efforts to kill it, something I am increasingly cheering them on about. The more I think about our current crop of ideologues, drunk with power and out of control, controlling the fate of the Michigan exchange, the more I think it might just be the best thing for the federal government to do it. I’m afraid of what anti-women, anti-middle class, anti-worker, and anti-poor people twists they would put on it.

To give you a taste of how the tea partiers are thinking, here’s an email I received today from the Tea Party of West Michigan. All typos are theirs:

We got word late this morning that House Bill 4111 was going to the Senate Floor today.
That is the one the Michigan House passed that would take the federal dollars that had been dangled in front of our legislators to accept the ObamaCare “partnership” exchange. It was on the agenda but never came up for a second reading this morning. Many of us were watching on Senate TV. This is good news. We’ve been hearing there are not enough votes in any committee to get it out of a committee so Leader Richardville was evidently going to try to bring it right to the floor of the Senate this morning. He must have determined there were not enough votes in the whole Senate this morning and never brought it forward. What we are doing is working.

Unfortunately we still are not out of the woods. They could bring it back up at any time and probably when they don’t think we’ll notice. I know, you hate to think they play these types of games but they do. So, don’t let up on them. In fact you might call and thank them for not supporting the bill so it could not be brought for a vote. A little positive push from you to them. It never hurts.

Also, don’t forget there is a push to expand Medicaid. This is also coming from the Feds. They will pay us 100% for the expansion for three years then cut it back to 90%. I think this is a huge trap for our state. We have no idea just how many people this would bring onto the roles of Medicaid. It’s a horrible plan for people to start with.

I also think, since medicaid is not constitutional, it should not be there in the first place so instead of expanding it we should be working on making it smaller. We cannot continue to spend money the way we are. If we have these plans they should be done with things like Medical Savings Accounts or Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) so people learn to spend the money we give them wisely. Instead of going to the emergency room for a stomach ache, they might make and appointment and go to a family physician. If they have money left over at the end of the year, it rolls to the next year and maybe they get 10% or some other amount as an incentive to live a healthier life. This is not my idea. Many people have suggested this common sense approach but it’s never even considered by the majority of our congresspersons. If they allow people to make good choices for themselves they lose control over them.

Those last two paragraphs are stunning in their ignorance. First of all, we actually DO “know just how many people this would bring to the roles of Medicaid”: nearly a half million working poor Michiganders currently without adequate health insurance.

Second, the idea that people would get checked out by a doctor BEFORE going to an Emergency Room — an expensive act that costs ALL Michiganders in terms of higher health insurance premiums — is EXACTLY why we need to expand Medicaid and have subsidies in place for our poorest citizens. The fact that these ignorant people don’t realize this is probably the best example of why they should play absolutely no role whatsoever in setting up the exchanges as they move forward.

So, at this point, I have changed my position and am encouraging Michigan lawmakers to reject the state-run exchanges and let the federal government do it for us. It’s just one more solid step toward a single-payer health care system that will be cheaper and more efficiently run than the for-profit model we have now.

The expansion of Medicaid, on the other hand, is essential and it would be idiotic for Republicans to turn that down. Minnesota legislators just agreed to do so for their citizens this week and Michigan should do so, as well.

[Photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog]

How bad do we want this, folks?

Despite support for creating a public health insurance exchange in Michigan under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) from Democrats, some Republicans and even Governor Rick Snyder, it’s looking more and more like it won’t happen in Michigan. Why? Because tea party groups across the state are out-hustling and out-organizing progressive groups that could be making a difference.

On Tuesday MIRS news service quoted sources in the state senate who say there aren “not even close” to enough votes to pass legislation that will create the exchanges and cite a deluge of calls from tea party and other conservative groups that have flooded the phone lines of lawmakers for the past several weeks.

Meanwhile, what are progressive groups and our own Democratic caucus members doing to engage their constituents on this issue across the state?

One word: nothing.

We as a party have talked a LOT lately about using issued-based organizing to get Democrats organized around the state in preparation for 2014. It was this very same issue, in fact, that Organizing for America (OFA) used as an organizing tool during the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act. And now that we have it as the Supreme Court-verified law of the land, Democrats (and OFA, I might add) are dropping the ball.

It’s an opportunity to rally Democrats across the state and get them engaged. The Democratic caucus, the Michigan Democratic Party, OFA and any other progressive group in Michigan that cares about the implementation of this exchange have a ripe opportunity to organize around this issue. Instead, they are abdicating the fight to the tea party. The only groups fighting FOR it appear to be the hospitals and, if an email I received from the Tea Party of West Michigan titled “If you belong to the Grand Rapids or Michigan Chambers…” is accurate, chambers of commerce across the state:

If you belong to the Grand Rapids or Michigan Chambers…
…and you are against ObamaCare, you just might want to call them and cancel your membership!!! They are really turning up the pressure on our Michigan Senate. We were hearing today in several publications that there was no way there were enough votes in the Senate for the Exchange to pass. However late breaking tonight we are hearing that the chambers have really turned up the heat and have actually been successful in pulling a couple senators to their side. So, I know we’re all tired of calling but we must keep it up because what we are doing is working. Only problem is the Chambers are now having some success. It’s a tug-o-war now. We need to let our Senators know they will not get by with voting for this a second time against Michigan Citizens!

****EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY,**** call your Senator and then all the other Senators in Michigan and ask them to hold tough against the pressure coming from the Chambers to win them over to selling us into a socialist utopia called ObamaCare. We all know it will not be what is promised.

I cannot promise and [sic] end in sight. I do know that they wanted it in March in Michigan. I’m not sure we’ll ever be safe from the threat until ObamaCare is dead and buried. If we can keep it off the books here along with the other states in this fight with us, I believe we can starve the beast to death! Anything is worth it to stop this socialistic move to take 1/6th of our economy into Federal Government control!

This is, or perhaps WAS, a missed opportunity for Michigan Democrats including the Michigan Democratic Party. This sort of issue-based organizing is OUR forte. We knock doors. We organize phone banks and make calls. WE have the grassroots networks in place all around Michigan that can pull this off yet we are standing here with our thumbs up our bums doing nothing and missing this prime opportunity.

I truly hope we don’t miss many more.

One silver lining, perhaps, is that if the tea partiers DO succeed in killing the state-run health insurance exchanges in Michigan and in other states, the federal government will set one up on their behalf. If they pull it off and are successful, this is one more solid step toward a national single-payer health care system, a move that would lower everybody’s health care costs and help us to join the ranks of countries that spend less and deliver better health care to their citizens.

[Photo credit: Chris Savage | Eclectablog]

It takes a lot to render me speechless, but…

So, we’re headed home after a movie yesterday and came upon this minivan on the highway. Fortunately it got off at our exit so that we could get a better photo.

Yes, you are reading that correctly. It says “NOBAMA 2016″.

The derangement has now reached the point where these “strict constitutionalists” have come completely detached from the fact that a president can only run for two terms, something clearly spelled out in the document they worship as if it were a chapter out of the Bible itself.