Jun 28 2007
Contact Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Huebsch About the Healthy Wisconsin Initiative
Weblogs and those who write them are often accused, sometimes correctly, of being long on talk and short on action. it’s easy to sit behind a keyboard day after day and Monday-morning-quarterback everything that comes across the newswire after all. It’s a lot harder to go out and get involved in your community and make an impact in tangible way.
Sometimes you can have the two worlds meet in the middle, where online activism and real world action meet. That’s why I was happy to see a tool from Progressive Majority Wisconsin come through my Inbox today that you can use to register your feelings about the Universal Health Care plan Democrats unveiled this week with the Republican Assembly leader.
I’d encourage anyone interested to fill out the form here.
For example, you can use it to ask why it is Assembly Republicans are more interested in protecting the bottom lines of insurance and pharmaceutical companies instead of the welfare of Wisconsin’s residents. Why they’re more interested in misrepresenting the actual costs to taxpayers instead of the savings taxpayers will see.
Or you can use it to ask Rep. Huebsch why he and his party won’t put the best interests of Wisconsin ahead of their personal ideologies.
Dan - this is what frustrates me …
“… ask Rep. Huebsch why he and his party won’t put the best interests of Wisconsin ahead of their personal ideologies.”
“you can use it to ask why it is Assembly Republicans are more interested in protecting the bottom lines of insurance and pharmaceutical companies instead of the welfare of Wisconsin’s residents.”
“Why they’re more interested in misrepresenting the actual costs to taxpayers instead of the savings taxpayers will see.”
Anybody with an opposing viewpoint is evil, in the pockets of big business or misleading people. Ever think they just might be good people with a different point of view?
I don’t know Rep. Huesbsh, and as such would never say he’s “evil” or even a bad guy. He’s probably a great guy, but I stand by the fact that he’s purposely misrepresenting the costs and savings to taxpayers, and that the beneficiaries of doing nothing are the insurance companies and big pharma.
We already spend over $17 Billion/year on health care coverage in Wisconsin. The Universal health plan would cost $15.2, a savings of $1.8Billion that would be passed on as property tax relief! How can you not be for that?
It would also cover more than 75,000 children in Wisconsin who don’t have health care at all! How can you not be for that?
It would give everyone in Wisconsin access to the same health care that Rep. Huebsh HIMSELF gets today! If it’s good enough for him, why isn’t it good enough for the rest of us?
The fact (again) is that this plan saves taxpayers and small businesses money, it will save lives, and it will lower your property tax bill. I thought those were all things Republicans stood for? So when Rep. Huebsch comes out and screams about it being a “tax increase of $15B”, he’s misrepresenting the facts for reasons I can only attribute to his unwillingness to put the public good over his personal ideology.
If anyone would like to send a quick email to their own state representative, feel free to use our advocacy tool also, it only takes a minute or two. Here is the link:
http://advwisc.bluestatedigital.com/page/speakout/healthywisconsin
he’s purposely misrepresenting the costs and savings to taxpayers
Nobody knows the costs and nobody knows that there will be savings. If it is like any other state foray into socialized health care the cost will actually INCREASE. You can check it out … Google will find it for you.
and that the beneficiaries of doing nothing are the insurance companies and big pharma.
The beneficiaries *might* just be you and I, Dan - when gov’t does nothing the people tend to benefit. Even if pharmaceutical companies profit, I’m ok with that. Why? 1) They use the money to research new drugs to fight diseases, etc. 2) Your and my money is invested in these companies which pays for our retirement. 3) Is actually is OK for a company to have a profit.
a savings of $1.8Billion that would be passed on as property tax relief!
Initial savings .. most likely. However, the cost over the years will increase and the benefits and coverage will decrease. It’s happened every time a state has tried socialized health care.
How can you not be for that?
Well, we could lay off ever teacher in our schools to get property tax relief, too. I’m not for that. Just because it would lead to tax relief does not automatically qualify it as a good idea.
It would also cover more than 75,000 children in Wisconsin who don’t have health care at all!
Again .. socialized medicine. However, I am, on the conceptual level, for that. A couple of points here .. 1) children are a tiny burden on the health care industry, therefore the costs would be minimal 2) I would hesitate to put govt in charge of the health of anybody, especially our children.
If it’s good enough for him, why isn’t it good enough for the rest of us?
Well, it’s complicated, but if we all had the same health benefits, we would all get worse benefits in a few years - the plan would not resemble the plan you state employees currently have. We would eventually be unable to pay for the benefits and either lose coverage or pay more. It’s a simple equation. Take teachers as an example … they have GREAT coverage and it would be awesome if everybody in my school district had the same coverage as the teachers, right?! Well, it’s F’in pricey to pay for that. The taxpayers pay a HUGE amount of dollars in order to pay for teachers taking their child to the emergency room three times per week for that darn cold that will not go away.
The fact (again) is that this plan saves taxpayers and small businesses money
UNTRUE.
it will save lives
Really? Interesting.
and it will lower your property tax bill
For two, maybe three, years.
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Government is not the solution to the problem, government IS the problem.