> I don't want to get flame-y about this, since there are a lot of
> folks working for SEIU I hold in high regard, but I gotta say this
> stance that people who support single-payer are some sort of
> hyperleftists or airheaded idealists, removed from the world of
> praxis, is annoying. It's a way of deflecting any questioning of
> whether the union is doing a sensible thing. I don't care what Dennis
> Rivera thinks in his heart of hearts; in the real world he's cut a
> lot of smelly deals with the likes of Pataki. Stern himself thinks
> you can get "universal" coverage by expanding on our present insane
> patchwork; that's economically and politically nonsensical. Could
> someone explain to me how what SEIU is doing on health care actually
> contributes to what really needs to be done?
That's certainly not what I intended to imply. I wholeheartedly support single payer and wish that SEIU did too. Unfortunately things like that get decided above my pay grade, as it were. In other news, this popped up in my inbox today:
MEDIA ADVISORY
WAL-MART, SEIU, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS, HOWARD H. BAKER JR. CENTER, KELLY SERVICES, CWA, AT&T, INTEL, AND COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR HEALTH CARE CAMPAIGN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 11 am, HYATT REGENCY CAPITOL HILL
Wal-Mart, the Service Employees International Union, the Center for American Progress, the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy, Kelly Services, the Communications Workers of America, AT&T, Intel and the Committee for Economic Development will announce a major new campaign with a focus on health care on Wednesday, February 7th at 11 am. Participants include:
• Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; • Andrew Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); • John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress and former Chief of Staff to President Clinton; • Howard Baker, founder of the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee and former Senate Majority Leader and Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan; • Carl Camden, President and CEO of Kelly Services Inc.; • Larry Cohen, President of the Communications Workers of America; • James Cicconi, Senior Executive Vice President-External & Legislative Affairs, AT&T; • Colin Evans, Director Policy and Standards Digital Health Group, Intel; and, • Charles Kolb, President of the Committee for Economic Development.
The event will be held: Wednesday, February 7, 2007 11 am – Noon Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill Capitol Room B (Lobby Level) 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, D.C.