The Story that Caught My (I)

A Healthcare Salute

There were tears, cheers, and high-fives in the House chamber after lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to pass the historical healthcare reform package.

The first leg of reform of healthcare has passed the House of Representatives with one lone ranger Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, a republican who stepped on the right side of history and backed the bill for all Americans. I must make note that over 39 Democrats defected from President Obama and the people of those states must remember that those Dems voted against them and their families.

Why is health care reform so important and must be changed? Over 46 million Americans are uninsured and millions more are underinsured. If one can not keep their family healthy by practicing good preventive health care they will surely pay through the nose or be denied healthcare when it is really needed.

While insurance companies were originally created to provide protection for families from major medical expenses, they have become mobsters now and money is the name of the game.

They no longer care if you are sick or even die as long as they can keep collecting your money and paying out pennies or nothing if they can get away with it to keep Americans healthy. The removal of being denied healthcare due to pre-existing conditions along is enough for I-Witness to say that President Obama should have gotten the Noble Peace Prize.

The United States remains the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t guarantee health care to all its citizens.

President Obama has kept his word that it’s a new day and that he would do all that is within his power to try to improve the quality of life for all Americans. And I applaud him for that.

I-Witness further salutes U.S. Rep. Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, for looking beyond political affiliations and crossed party lines to give his vote to ensure all Americans can obtain healthcare in America. For those of you who may not understand the risk he has taken. His party will try to make him pay for not voting with them thus hurting his constituents by denying him favor. But he has the light of doing the right thing on his side for things outside himself and doing the right thing puts one in favor.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California cast the decisive vote in favor of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). Waters stated, “Ultimately, after thorough consideration of the legislation, I decided to cast the deciding 218th vote to pass H.R. 3962 because of the benefits it provides for my constituents,” said Congresswoman Waters, “and because it will extend coverage to 36 million more Americans who currently lack health insurance, either because they were turned down or they can’t afford it.”

The passage of the H.R. 3962 is a historical piece of legislation that will provide affordable quality health care to all Americans. Former Senator Ted Kennedy has fought for Affordable Health Care for America since he became a U.S. Senator, so it shows how long the American People have been denied good quality healthcare. It is now that the U.S. Senate must pass healthcare reform in the senate.

Milwaukee Health Care for Domestic Partners

Last week the Milwaukee County Board did such excellent work in preserving jobs and I commended them for that big-time.

Then a few days after their success, Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic introduced a resolution for domestic partners to be allowed to receive benefits as a partner.

I-Witness doesn’t care what way one chooses to live their lives, but I think this is the wrong time to be adding more bills to Milwaukee County. Why here it is they just save jobs if only for a minute? What if they were not able to save those jobs what benefits would those partners be able to get then?

Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic at some other point you can re-introduce this legislations, but now is not the time. Perhaps, after the budget or put it on your calendar for next but now is not the time to ask the Milwaukee County Board to find money for the resolution.

Yes, we live in a society where family has been redefined and I applaud our society for its foresight. But just as Rome wasn’t built in a day other things can’t be done in a day. Besides you should recognize the right time is prelude to all things happening.

Perhaps, this is good resolution this is not the right time for it. Let’s keep focus to maintaining jobs that can at some point provide those benefits to ones’ partner.