| The politicians and the pundits can do the McCarthyistic cries of "Socialism", or "we need bipartisanship" all they want. But for those of us who know better, we know it all comes down to the money.
So whose in the insurance/pharmaceutical industry's back pocket?
Here's a quick breakdown, courtesy of OpenSecrets.org. All numbers are based on current election cycle.
Congress:
Bart Stupak-$0
Peter Hoekstra-$2,000
Vern Ehlers-$2,200
Dave Camp-$77,500
Dale Kildee-$2,000
Fred Upton-$24,250
Mark Schauer-$13,550
Mike Rogers-$45,750
Gary Peters-$22,175
Candice Miller-$0
Thaddeus McCotter-$8,500
Sander Levin-$28,000
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick$-0
John Conyers-$0
John Dingell-$9,500
Senate:
Carl Levin-$193,183
Debbie Stabenow-$434,065
Now I'll be the first to admit that some of these (like "Health Professionals") were vague, but I included them because further inspection would find that at least some of these groups have taken a stance against a public option. I didn't include hospital PACs because I'm guessing that most of them would be happy if we were all on Medicare just so they know that they're getting their bills paid.
You'll also notice that there's a direct correlation with the Repugs with the cries of "Socialism" and the amount of money they've received from the Medical Industrial Complex.
For the Democrats, some the of the numbers have been disappointing, to say the least. So far all of the Democrats have been on record as supporting a public healthcare option. We'll see if they're still singing the same tune when the time to vote comes.
And if they want us volunteering for them come election time, they better know how to vote. |
