Earlier this year, Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) visited Berkeley Springs, West Virginia and was asked about Glass-Steagall, the depression era law that prevented banks from gambling with your savings account.
Glass-Steagall was repealed by President Clinton in 1999.
Many economists believe that the repeal of Glass-Steagall had a lot to do with the most recent economic collapse.
Last week, at the Peking Restaurant in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Senator Manchin was asked about single payer national health insurance.
Senator Manchin said he didn’t know enough about single payer to take a position on it.
This is getting embarrassing.
At the Peking Restaurant, Manchin was asked about an amicus brief filed by 50 doctors calling on the Supreme Court to strike down the Obama mandate in favor of a single payer national health insurance system.
Manchin’s first reaction – we don’t have the support for a single payer system.
Why is there so little support in Congress for single payer?
Because people like Manchin don’t support it.
Or as Manchin said when asked directly whether he would support a single payer system – “I don’t know enough about it to tell you I could support it.”
(Note to Senator Manchin – here are two great web sites that will tell you all you need to know about single payer – Physicians for a National Health Program and Single Payer Action. Don’t try and pull that one on us again, okay?)
Manchin said he’s opposed to the Obama mandate requiring every citizen to buy health insurance from private health insurance corporations.
Then he said – “If the Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional, what is Plan B?” Manchin asked.
Well, Plan B is single payer – a single payer system where everybody is in, nobody is out – like the VA, like Medicare.
A single payer system that most western industrialized countries have adopted.
Why not?
Manchin comes up with this –
“There has got to be personal responsibility,” Manchin said. “There is no incentive to keep yourself in better shape.”
Yes, there has to be personal responsibility, Senator.
Starting with you.
Your campaign banks accounts are getting fat with corporate contributions.
You are supposed to represent the people of West Virginia.
Not the corporations.
Why do you keep siding with your corporate funders?
And turning your back on your constituents?