"Mad as Hell Doctors" Embark on Cross Country Care-A-Van to Demand Single-Payer from Congress

[Cleita]

It's finally happening. Someone is organizing a caravan to Washington to protest for single payer health
care.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/singlepayer/doctors/prweb2746034.htm

Frustrated with the health care 'options' coming out of Washington, D.C., six "Mad as Hell" Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) August 14, 2009 -- Frustrated with the health care 'options' coming out of Washington, D.C., six "Mad as Hell" Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system. A big part of their plan is to take the entire country with them.

Called a "Care-A-Van," these road-tripping Oregon physicians (http://www.MadAsHellDoctors.com) will leave in a used motor home from Portland, Oregon on September 8th, inviting doctors and ordinary citizens from other states to join them on their twenty-city tour across the country. Their journey will culminate in a D.C.-based event on September 30th, scheduled to take place on the steps of Congress. Demonstrating with the doctors will be thousands of fellow 'Mad as Hell' single-payer advocates, all adorned with the movement's new symbol - the white ribbon. Their demand: Single-Payer Now!

"We're mad as hell because our health care system is run by people who profit from illness" says Dr. Paul Hochfeld, lead Mad As Hell Doctor and producer of the documentary 'Health, Money and Fear. (http://www.blip.tv/file/2266267/)' "The rest of the civilized world has test driven single payer and it works. But elected officials in America won't even allow a discussion." more...

I would like to join them and am trying to figure out a way to do it and not upset my employer. Even so anyone who can should join. The thought of Americans slowly converging on Washington DC should send chills up and down our Congress critters.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. K&R

:bounce:

[underseasurveyor]

2. Good for them

Now those are the kind of doctors I could trust

[abumbyanyothername]

3. Let's join them!

Single Payer.

[Mermaid7]

4. DC in the fall anyone?

How about if we start tying white ribbons around trees until single payer comes home?

I'm going to. If we all did, perhaps there would be lots of white ribbons in trees all over across U.S. showing what we want. We needed a simple symbol and this is it. It's peaceful way of saying it.

"It's been many long years, will you still care for me?"

[Cleita]

7. That's an idea. Leave a path of them across the country,

Another DUer had the idea of embroidering sheets with stories of people who have died or been made permanently ill because of lack of health care or denial by insurance companies, sort of like the aid's quilt that could be spread on the Mall.

[Mermaid7]

10. email sent to the Mad as Hell Doctors.

P.S.
I like the idea of the quilts too. Perhaps with photos of those who have perished from the lack of Health Care or of those in dire need. They could be laid all over the lawn so everyone can see them.

Here is an copy of the email I just send to the Mad as Hell Doctors.
Please DUERS go to their site and let them know just how much we all support their noble effort on our behalfs. Even if it just a kind word.


Dear Dr. Mike Huntington,

I think what you are doing is absolutely fantastic and I am writing this email to thank you all! We have really needed a group such as yourselves to mobilize the rest of us who are in favour of a Single Payer System.

As a Canadian married to an American with a heart condition and living in this country where he can't get health insurance because of his pre-existing condition, you got to believe I'm a big proponent of a Single Payer System for all!

What I think might be a really good idea, is to get those ribbons out now to promote the rally, rather than wait until D.C. to distribute them. If we could get the sticker type that go on cars it would really get the word out and increase the number of attendees in the caravan.

I would like to do what I can to help in addition to donating to your Care-a-Van group of Mad As Hell Doctors.
So if there is anything I can do please let me know.

Thank you and the other Doctors for doing this for me, my family and all Americans.

To all of us, you are living Saints.

Appreciatively yours,

[bkkyosemite]

5. We need to rent a RV and go with them.......

Edit OR.............have the RV people donate their RV's for the cause and that would give them publicity for future purchases from customers....anyway we need to support this now. You know a huge stream of RV's like in Independence Day!

[Cleita]

6. However you do it. I'm going to tent it myself if I can arrange the time to go. n/t

[Echo In Light]

8. Rec

[Lars39]

9. Yes!

:kick: and rec

[Wednesdays]

11. K&R

:kick:

[redqueen]

12. :)

Cool.

[Mermaid7]

13. Response from Dr. Paul Hochfeld. (Please help these wonderful doctors)

Thanks for your interest. Your idea about getting the ribbons/bumper stickers distributed sooner rather than later is spot on. The reality is that there are only a handful of us that are working more than full time on it. We are doing all we can do. Adam Klugman will get back to you soon. In the meantime, the way you can be most helpful is to the spread the word and encourage people to send financial support. Unlike our Health Care System and our Political System, this isn't about money... but green resources will allow us to get more help to make the vision of the Road Tour live up to its full potential.


be well.


paul

[JimWis]

14. Looks like we've got us a Convoy. Great news, thanks for sharing.

[earth mom]

15. I LOVE these guys!

:applause:

:woohoo:

:bounce:

[Mermaid7]

16. Email to [e-mail] (pls email her too!)

Hi Rachel.

Love your show and congrats on your award. You certainly deserved it. Great Job!

If you haven't heard about this one yet, I think you are going to love it too.
I think you'll find what they are doing as very noble.


"Mad as Hell Doctors" Embark on Cross Country Care-A-Van to Demand Single-Payer from Congress"

Rachel, I'm sure a lot of people will be very interested and I'm hoping that you will help by giving this exposure on the news it deserves! An interview w Dr. Paul Hochfield would be great. See his documentry below. His email addy is above.


Thanks so much for taking a look and for considering it.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxx xxxx


http://www.MadAsHellDoctors.com


Dr. Paul Hochfeld's documentary 'Health, Money and Fear' a must see!
http://www.blip.tv/file/2266267

[donheld]

17. k & R

[Mermaid7]

18. Please recommend this thread and get it to the top.

I'm not the OP and it's not because of my own ego that I'm looking for some high rec count.

I want it on the top because I truly believe that this is a small group of doctors who are bravely standing up for us
and providing a way for us to mobilize that we haven't had before, against all odds.

The Obama health care plan is going down the tubes w all the outspoken nut cases that are commanding most of all the media attention. As Dennis Kucinich said, w the public option, "we are now comprising our compromise"...as we aren't even going to get that now!

We need to support this movement. If Obama can't do it, then we the people must.

These Docs aren't in it for the money, they aren't Politicians, they are caring and intelligent doctors wanting health care for all of us.

Please Rec it, PLEASE, so everyone can see it and get on board the Care-A-Van movement.

[Cleita]

20. Thank you for helping me with this thread.

I barely had enough time to get the news out before I went to work this morning. I want to write the doctors to tell them I started it and that I hope they sign on to DU to promote their caravan. I have another huge day tomorrow, but this weekend I hope to contact them.

[slipslidingaway]

19. knr...

"This is not a campaign. In campaigns, there are spectators. This is a movement. Everybody plays.

Please help us make this movement a reality. It's now or never for Single Payer. We need you to help us construct a miracle.

Take a road trip. Make history."

[Vidar]

21. Recommended for the many great doctors, mine among them, that are out there.

[xxqqqzme]

22. KnR

cuz everyone needs to see this

[jannyk]

23. ooooh, I have a little RV, this has me really excited and

wondering if I could get ready and get to Seattle by the time they leave. I would absolutely love to go!!!!

I'm jazzed, anyone else????

[xxqqqzme]

25. Yea, I'm trying to figure out how to go since

I don't drive because of the disabilities I received from an auto accident!!!!

If we are going to get real health care reform, we are going to have to fight for it on the steps of the capitol.

[Leopolds Ghost]

24. K&R!

I'm tired of getting called "naive or possibly deceived by the unamerican, right wing protestors" who are nothing more than astroturf for an insurance industry hell-bent on getting a health care bill passed that is centered around the single provision that both neoliberal Dems and neoconservative Republicans (like in Mass) can agree on: fining Americans who fail to purchase from a list of personal health insurance plans.

Hell, I'm getting into fights with "liberal" friends and relatives who say "you're the type of person who's dragging down health care for everyone by not having insurance" -- like Hillary's "insurance deadbeats are responsible for the problems of the health care industry" on the campaign trail -- and tut-tutting me for not having purchased a plan when I "had the chance" from an insurance broker that sold my info to ten other shysters, some of whom turned out to be flat out crooks when I researched them on-line!

"Had the chance" meaning of course "when this bill gets passed those of you who are uninsured will be forced to take what you can get -- or be fined -- and the rest of us, who are already insured -- because we are responsible corporate citizens -- will see our premiums go down, thank goodness."

"Death for you -- Life for my crop!"

Superstitious thinking, of course. Premiums will go up, due to the injection of 50 million inelastic-demand customers into the marketplace, which Congress and Obama wish to subsidize as a private, for-profit marketplace, like the stocks and bonds marketplace, and guess what happens to stocks and bonds when you force buyers into the market like Bush wanted to do by privatizing SS?

[Raster]

26. How wise they're not going in small planes.

[jannyk]

27. kicking this for exposure nt