Like many Americans, I am instantly suspicious of anything Obama does, especially things that might at first appear to be in our own best interest. Unlike many of those Americans however, I do not believe that Obama is a stooge for a secret World Order organization, or a closet socialist, or even an aspect of the devil himself (start typing, Dan Brown!)It is instead my belief that Obama is the most recent puppet for the corporate plutocracy that was set up in this country in the early 20th century. Therefore, anything our President does should be for the benefit of the plutocrats, those top 1%'ers who own most of the country. To date, Obama has not let me down (bank bailouts, troop surge, Guantanamo still open, etc). The President's stance on healthcare however, has me deeply troubled. I'm having a hard time calling him out on this one.
According to OpenSecrets.org, a political contributions tracking site, Obama has received large amounts of funds from corporations, particularly law firms. Several banks are listed as well, including the bailed-out Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The connection between these contributors and Obama's corporate welfare scheme is not difficult to draw. What I couldn't find however were companies that might want the President to push a universal healthcare bill through Congress. So why is he so adamant to do so? For the good of the people? No way. Charity doesn't pay for second term votes.
Searching for a place to begin, I turned to logic. Accepting as true that Obama is a corporate puppet, he therefore only acts upon the will of his masters, the plutocrats. So what big wigs would be so interested in universal healthcare, a seemingly anti - capitalist objective? Probably ones that would stand to gain from the new government investment. First, a government run healthcare plan would funnel money into hospitals and doctor's offices, where insurance money usually goes. The problem is, doctors and hospitals historically don't have enormous lobbies, and probably couldn't afford the president. So who else would benefit? Business might benefit from having government-insured employees, as that would save on sick days and their own insurance costs. So in general big business might be a contributer. Pharmaceutical companies (which have huge lobbies) could stand to gain if free healthcare created an influx of need for drugs (drugs currently unaffordable by those who would qualify for universal care). The insurance companies though also have large lobbies - why are they letting this plan go through? In reality, they may be the cause of its strongest opposition.
Look at how this bill has progressed through Congress, first through the finance committee, then the house, and now the Senate, fighting all the way. Our representatives have already stripped this bill for all it's worth (Ralph Nader says it all, also Wendell Potter). The bill, even if it passes, will not be "universal". What's more, the government side has been removed and replaced with corporate non profits. Still, it is estimated that several million uninsured will receive benefits from the plan. Despite everything, it's still too good to be true. What digs?
Fortunately my man Dennis Kucinich was there to fill us in on the Obama Administration's true intentions. Now I haven't read the 1,000+ page bill I don't think I could even understand it if I did, but I trust that the issues that Dennis points out are real. According to the congressman, this new healthcare bill would funnel more taxpayer money into the pockets of the pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Americans would now be mandated to have healthcare, much like auto insurance for drivers. Pharm companies would be given free reign over medicare prices. Essentially, the corporations get a windfall in tax dollars. I don't even want to think about what services that money is being directed away from (I'll give you a hint: it's not the defense budget!) Congressman Kucinich has co-written a new document, H.R. 676, which promotes a single payer, universal healthcare option, but Obama has yet to endorse it.
The question still remains however, how are insurance and pharm companies influencing the administration? The opensecrets.org info shows that Obama did not receive large sums of money from those industries in contributions. It is possible however that the plutocrats are using lobbyists instead. According to opensecrets.org Lobbyist by industry page, Pharmaceutical and Insurane companies still spend millions of dollars each year on lobbyists, and are the top lobbying industries. It is likely therefore that corporate influence has reached Obama in this manner, perhaps since he began his Washington career as a junior Senator.
One final question still bothers me. Did the corporations convince Obama to rework healthcare for their advantage, or did they try to shape Obama's healthcare reform after the idea had already been introduced? Certainly the '08 election talk of universal healthcare influenced voters to support the democrats; it was one of Obama's flagship issues. Could this bill be a result of the Obama administration simultaneously trying to keep their promise to the people, and their obligation the plutocrats? What do you think?
- the Socialist Intellectual
