I am hopeful that some Republican senators will be willing to discuss a revised version of healthcare reform because I do not think that the country would be well-served by the healthcare status quo. But our respect for democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a healthcare bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened. Going forward, I hope there will be a serious effort to change the Senate rule which means that 59 votes are not enough to pass major legislation, but those are the rules by which the healthcare bill was considered, and it would be wrong to change them in the middle of this process.
Barney…I’m sorry but it’s time to start solving problems for ourselves. All I ask is that you work toward lifting the insane restrictions that have been legislated by the insurance industry and enacted by you and your colleagues as federal and state law that sustain the profits of yesteryear at the expense of innovating our way out of this mess you and your corporate supporters have gotten us in. Most people don’t realize this…but any time a startup tries to mess around in the insurance space, they’re quickly crushed by regulations that maintain this mess. Give the 300 million Americans you supposedly represent the freedom to do what you and your colleagues won’t.