senator franken kicks more butt

Here's Al Franken again, this time on medical bankruptcies. For Canadians who are unfamiliar with that term - since it doesn't exist here - this refers to people who exhaust all their credit and savings, and are forced to declare bankruptcy, in order to pay their medical bills.

Franken is making a point we all know well, but he's just so much fun to watch. Plus I'm finishing a story and writing a paper, and of course working all weekend, so I need fallbacks like this.



And a related note that's been sitting in my inbox for too long: in eight states, plus Washington DC, getting beaten by your partner is a pre-existing condition - a legal reason to deny insurance coverage. This jumped out at me from the HuffPo story: "During the last health care reform push, in 1993 and 1994, the industry similarly promised to end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions." Just ask the insurance companies nicely. I'm sure they'll reform themselves. That's generally the way things work, right?

Thanks to James for sending both.

And in case you missed the Senator kicking the butts of rapist-protectors: here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

pity the 1%

"Cash bonuses on Wall Street are expected to drop by 14 percent during this year's 'bonus season'." Only 20 billion dollars will be doled out, with the average bonus totalling $121,000. How sad. That's billion, with a B. Bankers' trophy dates are sad, too . Be sure to click - and read to the end for maximum impact.
Read more

which side are you on: the unprecedented strike by nba players is a watershed moment for justice

Image
First of all, it's not a boycott. It's a strike. And a  wildcat strike to boot. When the players on the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to play in the NBA playoffs -- joined by their baseball counterparts, the Brewers, with other teams quickly following -- they became part of a tradition that reaches back to Tommie Smith and John Carlos, to Muhammad Ali, to Carlos Delgado, all the way to the present, to Maya Moore and Colin Kaepernick.  The striking NBA players are part of Black Lives Matter. They are part of the present-day civil rights movement. But they are part of something else, too. They are part of the labour movement. Professional athletes are workers.  They may be wealthy -- though all are not as wealthy as the top earners -- but their working life is perilously short, and throughout history, has been awash in exploitation. If some earn huge salaries today, that's because so many people are profiting from their labour.  Strike vs boycott So why is this action a...
Read more

galloway in toronto federal court on sunday, be there!

Oh man, I wish I could go to this! I can't, but maybe you can. I will definitely be at the Toronto Galloway event on Monday. In fact, I'll be watching the House of Commons vote on our motion from our table there. But if you're in the Toronto area and you don't work on Sunday like I do, here's news from the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War: Pack the court on Sunday! Federal Court hearing on ban on George Galloway George Galloway's Canadian legal team will be in federal court on Sunday to argue against Jason Kenney's ban preventing Galloway from entering Canada. The Defend Free Speech campaign is calling on all supporters to show up at the federal court to attend the hearing, which is open to the public. Help us pack out the court: the more people we have in attendance, the more clearly we show support for our case. Before the hearing begins, we will hold a Free Speech rally outside the court house, starting at 10:30 a.m. Please bring placards and banners to...
Read more