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Marching Against Voter Suppression In Minnesota

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices)

With the words and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. invoked, I joined more than 100 Minnesotans recently to march from the Sabathani Community Center to the Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the city’s south side. The march brought together community organizations, civic leaders and citizens angered by the voter suppression amendment due to be on our November ballot as a constitutional amendment. Yes, we here in Minnesota are being asked (thanks to our Republican controlled legislature) to amend our constitution with something that one Minnesota Supreme Court judge has already hinted may be unconstitutional.

Through the streets of Minneapolis we marched after being energized by speakers who reminded us that it was our turn to follow Dr. King’s example of always speaking truth to power. And the truth of the Minnesota ballot initiative this November, if passed, will be that it will forever change how Minnesotans cast their vote and it could keep up to 500,000 eligible Minnesotans away from the polls. We here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes led the nation again in 2008 in voter turnout thanks in part to our civic pride and a wonderful thing called same day voter registration, which allowed more than 540,000 individuals to cast ballots on election day in 2008.

Our amendment (also an unfunded mandate with the cost of implementation due to fall to property tax payers) is falsely labeled as “voter photo ID.” In reality, it would eliminate same day registration and completely jeopardizes absentee voting. In its place would come provisional balloting — something Minnesota has never had.

As one speaker reminded the crowd before we took to the streets, “Jim Crow has come to Minnesota. By putting this on the ballot in November, they have shown us where their vulnerability is. If we vote, they lose. They know that if they keep us away from the polls – even by just a small percentage, that they control the power.”

A Native American speaker from Wellstone Action (an organization that promotes the legacy of former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone) proudly showed her tribal nation ID, which she said allows her to board a plane, but which would not allow her to cast a vote if the amendment passes.

Minnesota’s voter suppression law takes on a slightly different flavor from others that hit after the 2010 elections. Although Republicans gained control of our state legislature by the smallest of margins, Democrat Mark Dayton was elected governor. His veto of any proposed law, forced the Republicans to bypass Dayton and put the initiative on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. The Republican controlled legislature also pushed through a constitutional amendment on gay marriage for this November, even though the state already has a law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. There was no stopping our legislature when it came time to implementing ALEC “cut and paste” legislation here in Minnesota.

And so we marched. Many in the crowd asking, “haven’t we already done this?” in reference to the 1960s civil rights marches that finally granted full voting rights to African Americans. One female marcher even donned a costume from turn-of-the-20^th-century America in honor of the suffragette movement, carrying a sign that asked, “Is this 1912?”

Our Supreme Court is due to make a final ruling on this amendment soon. The amendment is before the Court because of the “bait and switch” nature of the language as it currently stands.

If the Supreme Court lets stand the ballot initiative as currently written, Minnesotans will not know the deep, hidden nature of what the changes will entail. The initiative currently states:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free identification to eligible voters, effective July 1, 2013.”

Nowhere does it state what type of government ID must be presented. Nowhere does it state that provisional ballots — an entire new concept to Minnesota – will be issued to voters who can’t produce valid ID. Nowhere does it state that absentee ballots –used by more than 240,000 Minnesotans in 2008, are completely in jeopardy.

And so we marched…and so we talked to others…and so we will continue to talk to our neighbors and fellow citizens. Our democracy is under attack here in Minnesota, just as it is in other state throughout the land facing voter suppression laws.

From the words of Dr. King to a park named in his honor, we marched to remind people in Minnesota and everywhere: The real power belongs to ‘We The People.’ It’s up to us to once again do the work to reclaim it from those who seek to take it from us.

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Single Payer: Moving Forward State-by-State

Monday, June 18th, 2012

(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices)

Amid all the noise created by the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its future now before the U.S. Supreme Court, there are some states who continue to move forward with the only common sense health care solution: single payer.

First it was Vermont, when Governor Peter Shumlin signed a law in March that sets Vermont on a course to provide health care for all of its citizens through a single payer system called Green Mountain Care. Key components include containing costs by setting reimbursement rates for health care providers and streamlining administration into a single, state-managed system. The ACA reform law would not allow Vermont to enact single payer until 2017; Vermont is asking the administration to grant it a waiver so that it can get there even faster, by 2014.

Could Minnesota be next?

Vermont diligently and patiently worked for years to build the foundation for its law. So too, is Minnesota under the umbrella of an organization called Health Care for All Minnesota (HCAMn). Its mission is dedicated to establishing comprehensive single-payer health care for all Minnesotans through advocacy, education, lobbying, and community organizing. HCAMn, a coalition of member organizations, is an independent, nonpartisan, 501(c)4 non-profit and does not endorse candidates or work on political campaigns.

No matter what the Supreme Court decides, the move to single payer is on in Minnesota. In 2010, the Minnesota Health Act passed out of both state legislature committees before the November 2010 elections swept in a Republican controlled legislature and a Democratic governor (Mark Dayton). That effectively stalled the legislation even though Dayton is on record as supporting single payer for Minnesota.

“After the 2010 election, we decided our focus would be more to educate people on what single payer is,” said Erin Anderson, Executive Director of HCAMn. “We are now going state-wide, via forums and meetings, telling people what the benefits are, how it would save money and how everyone would be covered. We’re focused on education and organizing the general pubic.”

Minnesota is one state actively working to implement a health exchange as part of the ACA. The governor’s task forces on both health exchanges and health reform offer HCAMn other avenues to turn the conversation toward implementation of single payer.

“We, in an effort spearheaded by the Minnesota chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, made a commitment to be at task force hearings and to speak during the public forum part of those meetings,” said Lisa Nilles, Vice Chair of HCAMn. “We’re showing up and making sure the message gets through to the governor. We’re also present at citizen forums organized by the Citizens League and helping to provide the governor input on what the citizens are saying about health care. And the message is getting out there that Minnesotans want single payer – that single payer needs to be on the table.”

Some national polls have shown a 2/3 majority in favor of single payer. A 2007 poll of Minnesota physicians indicated a 64 percent approval of single payer. Also, the majority of physicians (86%) agreed “that it is the responsibility of society, through the government, to ensure that everyone has access to good medical care.”

The HCAMn site provides excellent information on what single payer is and what it is not. It’s a great read for individuals concerned about knowing the facts about single payer. In summary, single payer provides:

One system that covers everyone
A uniform and comprehensive benefit set for everyone
A single network of health care providers and an end to choice-limiting networks
A single insurance pool to spread insurance risk
An outlet to delink health care coverage from employment

“There’s so much misinformation about single payer,” Anderson said. “People think it’s ‘socialized medicine’ when in fact it’s not that at all. You still have private clinics and private hospitals, but they are paid by one payer and it doesn’t have to be the government. And people think it has to be so expensive, when all the studies show single payer saves money.”

Despite making sense and saving money, single payer faces an uphill climb with roadblocks thrown up by big insurance company lobbying. So what keeps HCAMn motivated through this long process?

“We have a fragmented health care system that keeps so many people from getting the care they need,” said Anderson, who herself carries the ‘scarlet letter’ of a pre-existing condition. “I had back surgery when I was 13,” she said. “I’m a pre-existing condition.

“It’s the stories – that’s what keeps us motivated. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by debt, who isn’t covered by health insurance, someone who has high deductibles or high prescription drug costs.”

For Nilles, a physician who worked in England in the early 1990s before beginning her practice in the U.S., it’s that first-hand knowledge of working in a system in which “everyone’s covered” that has been her motivating factor.

“I lived in a world where it (universal coverage) was just the norm,” Nilles said. “And then I came back and saw the crazy and chaotic system here. People here tend to push back and will cite horror stories about health care delivery in other countries, saying there is rationing and long lines. And they’re not looking at their own country. I ask: “what about here?’ We ration health care more than anyone, but people somehow think we have it better. I’ve been active in this for the last seven years, and single payer has become a real contender in the conversation – it seems to be more prevalent. People know what it is – even if they are afraid of it. And, once they hear it explained in some depth, they are not afraid, but often turn into supporters.”

“In this country it tends to be the states have to do it first,” Anderson said. “The states are like pilot projects and they have to implement it and then it moves to a national level.”

“For a long term view, everything we are doing is building, and when will it break in favor of single payer? I don’t know, but I do know we are making progress and that is what gives us hope, Nilles said”

Single Payer: Common Sense & Cost Savings

HCAMn points to the recent Lewin Group report on what single payer would mean for Minnesota. The report once again states the obvious about single payer – it covers everyone and it saves money. A complete copy of the report is available by clicking here. Below is an excerpt:

Using health spending data provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), we estimate with our models that the single payer plan would achieve universal coverage while reducing total health spending for Minnesota by about $4.1 billion, or 8.8 percent, in 2014. This includes added costs due to reductions in utilization management and increased utilization costs resulting from reduced cost sharing. Additional costs and savings estimates under the single payer plan in 2014 include:

A total savings of $35.7 million to state and local governments;

An average savings of $1,214 per worker, for employers offering health insurance coverage prior to the ACA;

An average additional cost of $1,963 per worker, for employers not offering health insurance coverage prior to the ACA;

An average savings of $1,362 for families, including wage effects;

A reduction of 42,800 Minnesota jobs for those with insurance-related job functions; and

A ten year total statewide savings of $189.5 billion, from 2014-2023.

Wendell Potter: Exposing The Insurance Industry

Perhaps the biggest roadblock to implementation of single payer health care system is the for-profit insurance industry and its lobby. After all, who stands to lose the most with a health care system designed to take care of individuals rather than line the pockets of executives and shareholder. The United States remains the only industrialized nation in the world with a for-profit health care system.

HCAMn’s annual single payer summer celebration is Thursday June 21 and will feature Wendell Potter as its guest speaker. Information on how to purchase tickets can be found by clicking here. Following a 20-year career as a corporate public relations executive, Potter left his position as head of communications for CIGNA, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, to help socially responsible organizations — including those advocating for meaningful health care reform — achieve their goals.

Potter has been a powerful voice in exposing insurance companies and how they put profits before people. His latest book Deadly Spin provides not just an exposé of health insurers but a stark warning that corporate spin is distorting our democracy. Visit www.wendellpotter.com for more information on the book and the work Potter does.

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We Stand Together or We Fall Together

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

This video from the Wisconsin AFL-CIO states perfectly the belief that motivates the union movement and progressivism – We Stand Together, or We Fall Together. Now is the time for us progressives to continue to stand up and continue to fight for our union sisters and brothers in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and other states that are under attack by conservatives who are doing the bidding of the Koch Brothers and other billionaires.

On Tuesday, more than 5,000 people showed up in Ohio to protest SB 5, Governors Mark Dayton in Minnesota and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts came out with strong statements in support of public employees and their unions, and hundreds of people showed up at solidarity rallies in Boston, Providence (Rhode Island), Juneau (Alaska), and everywhere in between. We are winning the battle on this issue, but need to keep on making our voices heard through letters to the editor, calls to our Governors and legislators, and attending rallies that are continuing through this week.

Please let us know at the Winning Progressive Facebook Page if you know of rallies, etc. to add to this list.

WISCONSIN

*Donate to help provide food and supplies for the protesters in Madison

* Call, e-mail, or visit your state legislator – contact information available here

* Contact Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker – contact information available here

* Write a letter to your local newspaper - links available here

* Sign up to help Organizing for America’s Wisconsin chapter organize supporters of public employees and their unions

* Attend a rally:

Wisconsin – Throughout the State

Here is a list of rallies occurring throughout the state during this week.

OHIO

Senate Bill 5 would eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in the state

* Contact Ohio state legislators

* Contact Governor John Kasich – (614) 466-3555

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor – links to newspapers available here

* Attend a rally:

Ohio – Columbus

Rally for workers w/Jesse Jackson

Wednesday, February 23 – 11:00 a.m.

Teamsters Hall – 555 E. Rich St.

For more info, contact 614-441-9145 or brian@progressohio.org

INDIANA

A string of bills targeting public employees, including limits on teachers’ ability to collectively bargain and a permanent ban on the ability of future governors to allow for collective bargaining with state employees.

* Contact Indiana state legislators

* Contact Governor Mitch Daniels – 317-232-4567

MINNESOTA

Legislation is pending that would eliminate vital portions of the state’s Public Employment Labor Relations Act, and freeze wages of state employees

* Contact Minnesota state legislators

* Contact Governor Mark Dayton – 651-201-3400 – thank him for coming out in strong support of public employees and their unions!

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor – links available here

* Attend a rally:

Minnesota – Duluth

Thursday, February 24 – noon – 1 p.m.

Duluth City Hall

COLORADO

Legislation to reverse former Democratic Governor Bill Ritter’s executive order allowing collective bargaining has been stopped so far. Ultimately, however, the issue is expected to come down to how hard new Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper is willing to fight for public employees and their unions.

* Contact Colorado state legislators

* Contact Governor John Hickenlooper – (303) 866-2471

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor – links available here

OTHER STATES

* Write a letter to your local newspaper editor -

Here are links for submitting letters to the editor for national papers, and to newspapers in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.