Happy Monday, Back to Work!

Happy Monday, everybody! Good weekend? Was it full of partying and gloating over the United States House of Representatives passing a health care reform bill? Good, I know mine was!
Now it's Monday, though, and party time is over. Why? Because attached to the HCR bill that passed the House Saturday night was a little piece of crap amendment called the Stupak Amendment, named after Bart Stupak (D-MI). The Stupak Amendment makes it so that no federal monies can go to abortions. Alright, you might say, who cares? Poor women asking for government-run health care can't get abortions? Boo hoo, a small price to pay for massive health insurance reform.
Well, hold your horses, dear reader. The way this amendment is worded makes it so that private health insurance companies have an incentive to not provide abortion coverage if they accept federal subsidised payments (which is key to lowering costs for all Americans).
Well crap, you're now saying, are we totally screwed? A-ha, no! Okay, well, maybe, but not nescesarily by any means.
The Senate still needs to pass a health care bill (and that floor debate is supposedly going to begin this week), and then the two bills need to be reconciled, and then that reconciled bill needs to be approved by both houses of Congress.
Where does this get better? In the reconcilliation process, god willing. Which all comes down to this: it's that time again, time to call your Senators and tell them that you don't support passing health care reform by stripping away women's rights.
Let's do tis, people!

Here's the Senate switchboard number, fyi: (202) 224-3121 and have fun!

Profile in Courage

This is why the House of Representatives is my favorite.

Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn did some kick-ass whip counting, and passed massive, meaningful, historic health care reform tonight, 220-215.

Sadly, they attached an evil stupid amendment called the "Stupak Amendment" and I'll get to that tomorrow. Right now, it's party time America. It's not perfect, but it's a leap in the right direction. Public schools aren't perfect, but getting an education is standard in this country, and we're looking at that now in terms of health care.

Congratulations everyone who worked hard for this, y'all rock!