#Occupy and "The American Spring" A Time for Occupy To Blossom?

Global Research

National Occupation of Washington, DC Will Bring Occupiers Together to Share Experiences, Educate Each Other and Build an Independent Movement to Shift Power from Concentrated Wealth

Many in the corporate media like to think the Occupy is over, but those of us involved know better.  We do not rely on the corporate media to validate the work of Occupy, we see it in our communities.  And, we know to look to our own media for accurate information. The Occupied Wall Street Journal reports on the actions of the Occupy, it’s weekly “Reports from the Front Lines” is something many of us look forward to so we can see the movement taking action across the country.

Another visible presence of Occupy will be evident this spring in Washington, DC when the National Occupation of Washington, DC begins on March 30th.  The event, which will continue through the month of April, is being organized by members of dozens of occupies from around the country.  Twenty-five General Assemblies have passed statements of solidarity for this national occupy event.

NOW DC begins with a lot of activity.  On the first day, Occupy the EPA, will bring people together to protect the planet for a sustainable future.  It will feature Helen Caldicott, a pediatrician nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, known for her anti-nuclear activism, Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo an EPA whistleblower and Margaret Flowers, also a pediatrician, noted for her advocacy for single payer health care among others. The march will include a pack of alpaca’s, a giant Earth and a giant polar bear puppet.

The weekend of March 31st and April 1st includes a two day “Bail Out America” direct action training organized by the Backbone Campaign which will provide information on strategies and tactics and developing creative actions that advance the causes of Occupy. Also that weekend will be the Occupation of the Department of Education, which will include teach-ins about how to end high stakes testing which is destroying schools and being used as a tool to privatize education.  Finally, that weekend will include trainings for peace keepers who will help to ensure NOW DC remains non-violent in its challenges to the Washington, DC power structure.

While the first two weeks will primarily focus on the NOW DC Social Forum, there will be a housing protest on Monday, April 2nd seeking to reduce mortgages so they reflect the real value of housing, not housing bubble mortgages and a protest focused on student debt on April 3rd.  

The first education event will be an all-day strategy conference “Control the Corporation” organized by the Center for the Study of Responsive Law which will feature experienced anti-corporate power crusaders speaking on countering the impact of corporations in elections, holding corporations accountable for their crimes, creating alternative economic models that provide jobs and increase wages, protecting the “commons” from the insatiable advocates of privatization, occupying the future and mobilizing for action. 

The reminder of the week from April 3 to 5 and continuing on April 10 to 14 will be the NOW DC Social Forum.  In-between those dates, there will be activities focused on spirituality, religion and activism to recognize the Passover, Ramadan and Easter holidays. The Social Forum will bring occupiers together to learn from each other and will be held at the historic Friends Meeting House on Florida Avenue near Dupont Circle.  Occupiers from across the country have developed workshops on policies and strategies to shift power from the 1% to 99%, lessons and the way forward for Occupy, direct action tactics and strategies, models for building alternative systems, occupy and labor and occupy faith. 

On April 14th and 15th Occupy will celebrate at the OccuFest a music, arts and political free speech event that will be held at Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, on 16th Street, NW in DC’s Columbia Heights. Musicians are being brought together by occupiers from across the country as well as by Occupy for Music.  There will be an occupy speak-out, spoken word, comedy, arts and politics also at the event.

The second half of the month will be primarily focused on protests, marches and civil resistance against the power structure in Washington, DC. This will not be limited to Congress but will include the corporate powers and lobbyists who dominate the government. On April 17th Occupy Congress is organizing “A17,” to protest Congress for consistently putting the interests of the 1% ahead of the people.  Also planned is Occupy the Department of Justice on April 24th, which will protest mass incarceration, political prisoners, privatization of prisons and highlight the case of Mumia Al Jamal whose 57th birthday is the day of the protest.

Education will continue throughout the month with regular movie showings and educational events on or near Franklin Square Park, the center of NOW DC.  In addition, on April 28th, occupiers are encouraged to participate in the Drone Summit: Killing and Spying by Remove Control sponsored by CODE PINK, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Reprieve being held at the Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church. This will be followed by a strategy session on April 29th on how to deal with this new form of warfare.

The goals of NOW DC are to elevate the skills, cohesion and vision of occupiers.  People will be able to bring back new ideas, skills, strategies and tactics to their local Occupy. During the month of NOW DC conversations will be held to discuss next steps for the Occupy – where do we go from here? 

The reality is, not only is the Occupy ongoing but it is just getting started.  It is escalating its activities, building its skills and the best days of the movement to end the rule of the 1% are ahead of us.


Kevin Zeese was one of the original organizers of the Occupation of Washington, DC/October 2011 and is an organizer with the National Occupation of Washington, DC. 

1 in 5 U.S. families say they struggle to pay medical bills #occupyhealthcare

Half say they can’t pay a cent

 The Washington Post

ATLANTA — A survey shows 1 in 5 Americans say their families are having trouble paying their medical bills. Worse, half of those who are struggling say they are unable to pay a single dime toward those debts.

The survey of 52,000 people was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from January through June of last year. It’s the first time the government agency has looked at the issue in such a comprehensive way.

Peter Cunningham, who studies the issue for an independent health policy research group, says it may be the largest such study ever done on the matter.

Lower-income people struggled the most. They were three times more likely to have difficulty paying their medical bills over the past year. It’s the first time the CDC has asked the medical debt question in its long-standing, in-person health survey, so there is no previous data to compare it with.

But another organization — the nonpartisan Center for Studying Health System Change, where Cunningham works — believes the number of people struggling with medical debt actually has been stable in the last five years.

The statistic of 1 in 5 who struggle with medical bills was reported by Cunningham and his colleagues in a smaller study in 2007 at the start of the recession. That figure remained the same in their 2010 survey, and that’s surprising since the ranks of the unemployed and uninsured grew by millions.

“As the number of uninsured increased, and there was higher unemployment, you’d expect that more people would report having problems paying medical bills,” Cunningham said.

However, he and other experts believe there’s something else at play here: Many Americans are likely just cutting back on doctor visits, prescription purchases and other health care spending.

Demand #SinglePayer #MedicareForAll: #GreenParty #Greens video demo

Scott McLarty, media coordinator for the Green Party of the United States (http://www.gp.org/), speaks about health care and the demand for Medicare For All (single-payer national health care).

This is a 'demo' I created this weekend as a model to encourage Green Party candidates & activists to use video to promote Green campaigns as well as Green ideas & positions on big issues. The script, which I posted on several Green lists before making the video, is based on a press release we issued last week (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=487).

The production is bare-bones. I tossed a blue quilt over some of the clutter in my apartment. The lighting looks good because I placed several light sources at different angles, some of them at eye-level. I used my Logitech web cam and Moviemaker to shoot & edit it.

Since it's a demo, I hope the video will lead to more Green videos with better production values, on health care and other topics. The more creative, the more visually stimulating, the better.

Creating the video is only the first step. The second step is promoting it widely online, through social media & e-mail, to get as many viewers as possible. (If you like my demo, forwarded the link and post it on Facebook etc.!)

We'd like to see videos featuring Greens, especially Green candidates, go viral in the coming months. Some of the videos featuring Jill Stein have already drawn a wide audience. If anyone needs help producing a video, contact the Media Committee through me (scottmclarty@yahoo.com) or Starlene Rankin (starlene@gp.org). We have Greens with technical experience & knowledge and they're willing to help.

Scott McLarty

The Green Party urges the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act's health insurance mandates, sees a chance for Medicare For All

Green Party of the United States

WASHINGTON, DC -- Candidates and leaders of the Green Party of the United States expressed hope that the Supreme Court will strike down the 'individual mandate' section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when the court issues a ruling on its constitutionality in late March.

Greens, who support single-payer national health care (Medicare For All), have called the passage of the ACA in 2010 a defeat for meaningful health care reform.

"A Supreme Court decision gutting the ACA's individual insurance mandate can bring us closer to real universal health care, because we already know that Social Security and Medicare are constitutional. Medicare For All is based on the same model as these successful programs," said Mayor David Doonan (Green) of Greenwich, New York.

Green Party members participated in protests and civil disobedience in 2009 when Democratic Party leaders held health care reform roundtables that included industry representatives and excluded single-payer advocates, particularly when Senate Financial Committee chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) declared single-payer "off the table" and President Obama negotiated away the public option in backroom meetings with lobbyists (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/ny-times-reporter-confirm_b_500999.html).

"America needs real universal health care, not a direct public subsidy in the form of a health insurance mandate to sustain the private insurance industry," said Barry Hermanson, Green candidate for Congress in California's 12th District (San Francisco) (http://www.barryhermanson.org/). "President Obama and Democrats in Congress could have introduced a Medicare For All bill, which would cover every American and drastically reduce medical costs by removing insurance companies from control over our health care. Instead they acted in the interests of insurance and other corporate lobbies. Even with the mandate, the ACA leaves 23 million Americans without coverage and many millions more with inadequate health care."

Greens strongly oppose proposals by Republicans to make Medicare a voucher program, which would privatize and dismantle Medicare. Greens also criticize Democrats for offering cuts to benefits and physician reimbursements as a compromise for higher taxes on the extremely wealthy.

"Democrats continue to defend the ACA, including mandates, because they want a political victory for President Obama in this election year. In the Green Party, we consider health care for every American and relief for people facing financial ruin over medical costs more important. Democrats pilfered the mandate idea from Republicans who introduced it in the 1990s, even though Republicans now oppose it," said Carol Brouillet, Green candidate for California's 18th District (http://www.carol4congress.org/).

"Health insurance mandates cannot be compared to the requirement that every car owner purchase car insurance. Driving a car is a privilege for people with drivers' licenses. Health care is not a privilege. It's a necessity for the basic right of Americans to stay alive, to be able to enjoy life and make a living," said Ms. Brouillet.

Medicare For All would cover every American regardless of employment, ability to pay, age, or prior medical condition and which would provide everyone with high-quality low-cost medical treatment and full choice of health-care provider. Decisions about medical treatment would be made by physicians and patients instead of insurance bureaucrats.

Medicare For All would boost the US economy by abolishing the financial burden on businesses to provide health care benefits for employees. Americans would pay for Medicare For All in the same way we pay for Social Security, but we would pay far less because the high cost of private insurance (for executive salaries and bonuses, profit margins, and other overhead) would be eliminated. Private insurance pads health costs up to 30% in administrative overhead, compared to 3% for Medicare. The profit motive is an incentive for insurance companies to restrict or deny needed medical treatment.

Green Party leaders sharply criticized Democratic and Republican legislators in California who defeated the recent statewide single-payer bill.

"California is a sterling example of the huge Titanic Parties playing games with our health. When Republican Schwarzenegger was governor, the Democratic legislature passed single payer twice, knowing it would be vetoed. When Democrat Jerry Brown was elected, it was predicted that the legislature would not pass the bill, and sure enough, they have not. Jerry Brown refused to take a stand on Medicare for All, and the Democratic legislature is leaving him alone. They're also leaving us alone, with terrible health care," said Laura Wells, 2010 Green candidate for Governor of California (http://www.laurawells.org/).

The Green Party speaks for a majority of Americans on health care reform: 64% of Americans believe that government should provide a national health insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes, according to a 2007 CNN poll (http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/may/new_polls_on_univers.php).

"Americans already recognize that everyone deserves the right of personal health and safety. That's why we have public police and fire departments, without requiring insurance for the services they provide. We recognize that people have a right not to spend their final years in destitution. That's why we have Social Security. The demand for national health care is based on the same principle. It's time to recognize health care as a human right, instead of a cash cow for corporate middle-men and major shareholders," said Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi, DC Statehood Green Party candidate for the District of Columbia's nonvoting seat in the US House (https://www.facebook.com/groups/stracuzziforcongress).

See also:

"Fifty Medical Doctors for Single Payer Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Individual Mandate"
Single Payer Action, Feb. 14, 2012
http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=3178

"Seeking Coverage For All"
By John R. Battista and Justine McCabe (Connecticut Green Party),
Hartford Courant, October 31 2006
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/november/seeking-coverage-for-all

"Hijacked -- Stolen health care reform V: Overall assessment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA)"
By John Geyman MD, July 22, 2010, Physicians for a National Health Program
http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/07/22/hijacked-stolen-health-care-reform-v-overall-assessment-of-the-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-of-2010-ppaca/

"Obama's Health Care Bill Is Enough to Make You Sick"
By Chris Hedges, Truthdig, July 11,2010
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/obamas_health_care_bill_is_enough_to_make_you_sick_20100712/

Insurance industry contributions to political campaigns in recent elections
The Center for Responsive Politics
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09

The Green Party urges the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act's health insurance mandates, sees a chance for Medicare For All

Green Party of the United States

WASHINGTON, DC -- Candidates and leaders of the Green Party of the United States expressed hope that the Supreme Court will strike down the 'individual mandate' section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when the court issues a ruling on its constitutionality in late March.

Greens, who support single-payer national health care (Medicare For All), have called the passage of the ACA in 2010 a defeat for meaningful health care reform.

"A Supreme Court decision gutting the ACA's individual insurance mandate can bring us closer to real universal health care, because we already know that Social Security and Medicare are constitutional. Medicare For All is based on the same model as these successful programs," said Mayor David Doonan (Green) of Greenwich, New York.

Green Party members participated in protests and civil disobedience in 2009 when Democratic Party leaders held health care reform roundtables that included industry representatives and excluded single-payer advocates, particularly when Senate Financial Committee chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) declared single-payer "off the table" and President Obama negotiated away the public option in backroom meetings with lobbyists (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/ny-times-reporter-confirm_b_500999.html).

"America needs real universal health care, not a direct public subsidy in the form of a health insurance mandate to sustain the private insurance industry," said Barry Hermanson, Green candidate for Congress in California's 12th District (San Francisco) (http://www.barryhermanson.org/). "President Obama and Democrats in Congress could have introduced a Medicare For All bill, which would cover every American and drastically reduce medical costs by removing insurance companies from control over our health care. Instead they acted in the interests of insurance and other corporate lobbies. Even with the mandate, the ACA leaves 23 million Americans without coverage and many millions more with inadequate health care."

Greens strongly oppose proposals by Republicans to make Medicare a voucher program, which would privatize and dismantle Medicare. Greens also criticize Democrats for offering cuts to benefits and physician reimbursements as a compromise for higher taxes on the extremely wealthy.

"Democrats continue to defend the ACA, including mandates, because they want a political victory for President Obama in this election year. In the Green Party, we consider health care for every American and relief for people facing financial ruin over medical costs more important. Democrats pilfered the mandate idea from Republicans who introduced it in the 1990s, even though Republicans now oppose it," said Carol Brouillet, Green candidate for California's 18th District (http://www.carol4congress.org/).

"Health insurance mandates cannot be compared to the requirement that every car owner purchase car insurance. Driving a car is a privilege for people with drivers' licenses. Health care is not a privilege. It's a necessity for the basic right of Americans to stay alive, to be able to enjoy life and make a living," said Ms. Brouillet.

Medicare For All would cover every American regardless of employment, ability to pay, age, or prior medical condition and which would provide everyone with high-quality low-cost medical treatment and full choice of health-care provider. Decisions about medical treatment would be made by physicians and patients instead of insurance bureaucrats.

Medicare For All would boost the US economy by abolishing the financial burden on businesses to provide health care benefits for employees. Americans would pay for Medicare For All in the same way we pay for Social Security, but we would pay far less because the high cost of private insurance (for executive salaries and bonuses, profit margins, and other overhead) would be eliminated. Private insurance pads health costs up to 30% in administrative overhead, compared to 3% for Medicare. The profit motive is an incentive for insurance companies to restrict or deny needed medical treatment.

Green Party leaders sharply criticized Democratic and Republican legislators in California who defeated the recent statewide single-payer bill.

"California is a sterling example of the huge Titanic Parties playing games with our health. When Republican Schwarzenegger was governor, the Democratic legislature passed single payer twice, knowing it would be vetoed. When Democrat Jerry Brown was elected, it was predicted that the legislature would not pass the bill, and sure enough, they have not. Jerry Brown refused to take a stand on Medicare for All, and the Democratic legislature is leaving him alone. They're also leaving us alone, with terrible health care," said Laura Wells, 2010 Green candidate for Governor of California (http://www.laurawells.org/).

The Green Party speaks for a majority of Americans on health care reform: 64% of Americans believe that government should provide a national health insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes, according to a 2007 CNN poll(http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/may/new_polls_on_univers.php).

"Americans already recognize that everyone deserves the right of personal health and safety. That's why we have public police and fire departments, without requiring insurance for the services they provide. We recognize that people have a right not to spend their final years in destitution. That's why we have Social Security. The demand for national health care is based on the same principle. It's time to recognize health care as a human right, instead of a cash cow for corporate middle-men and major shareholders," said Natale "Lino" Stracuzzi, DC Statehood Green Party candidate for the District of Columbia's nonvoting seat in the US House (https://www.facebook.com/groups/stracuzziforcongress).

See also:

"Fifty Medical Doctors for Single Payer Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Individual Mandate"
 Single Payer Action, Feb. 14, 2012

http://www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=3178


"Seeking Coverage For All"
By John R. Battista and Justine McCabe (Connecticut Green Party),

Hartford Courant, October 31 2006

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/november/seeking-coverage-for-all


"Hijacked -- Stolen health care reform V: Overall assessment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA)"By John Geyman MD, July 22, 2010, Physicians for a National Health Program

http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/07/22/hijacked-stolen-health-care-reform-v-overall-assessment-of-the-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-of-2010-ppaca/


"Obama's Health Care Bill Is Enough to Make You Sick"
By Chris Hedges, Truthdig, July 11,2010

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/obamas_health_care_bill_is_enough_to_make_you_sick_20100712/


Insurance industry contributions to political campaigns in recent elections
The Center for Responsive Politics

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09

New York protest tries to kick off revival of Occupy movement - "Healthcare for the 99 percent."

Reuters

NEW YORK - A few dozen Occupy Wall Street protestors marched on the world headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Wednesday, a lukewarm kick off to a nationwide day of revival for the movement loosely organized around denouncing economic inequality.

Police on motorcycles escorted the peaceful but loud group of about 50 protestors marching from the park outside the New York Public Library to nearby Pfizer, close to Grand Central Terminal.

"Shame on Pfizer! You're a bunch of liars!" chanted the protestors as they milled around barricades in front of Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, and were watched by about 50 police officers.

Pfizer officials were not immediately available for comment.

Coast to coast demonstrations were slated for Wednesday to decry corporations that lobby for legislation to create tax breaks and other benefits for large businesses.

The actions were aimed at revving up the movement known as "Occupy," which has been relatively quiet in the months since police cleared encampments in New York, Oakland and other major cities.

A rallying cry of the movement has been that 1 percent of the population has too much of the nation's wealth and the remaining 99 percent is disadvantaged.

Pfizer was awarded a mock prize for "Excellence in Profiteering" by the group before it marched back in the rain to Bryant Park outside the library, carrying signs reading "People over profit" and "Healthcare is a human right" as well as "I'm a doctor for the 99 percent."

Hoisting a sign reading "I can't afford to get sick" was Jennifer Roberts, 44, a painter who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"I've lived the bulk of my adult working life without insurance," said Roberts, who is single and therefore not covered by a spouse's health insurance either. "I feel it's very important to pursue a single payer system for this country."

Protestor Paul Layton, 59, a lawyer who lives in New York City, wore a yellow button reading "Healthcare for the 99 percent."

"I have to make a choice between keeping my office open and keeping my health insurance," said Layton who is also single and uninsured.

Single-payer advocate backs occupy movement

Corvallis Gazette-Times

The way to make universal health care a reality in the United States is to end corporate control of the U.S. government, a pair of political activists told a Corvallis audience on Friday.

To that end, said Dr. Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, the organizers and participants in the nation’s various “occupy” movements are on the right track.

Flowers, a Maryland pediatrician who has become a full-time advocate for single-payer, serves on the steering committee of Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care and is active in Physicians for a National Health Program. Her partner, Zeese, is a lawyer and longtime activist for a variety of causes including drug policy reform, election reform and peace.

The two spoke to about 100 people in the main meeting room at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave.

Flowers said that as she has continued to promote the idea of a single-payer system, it has become increasingly clear that other issues are in play.

“It evolved out of support for single-payer,” she said. “It became more and more clear that we need to overcome corporate power. We’re not going to (make change) with a single issue.”

The Corvallis visit was another stop in a tour that has taken Flowers and Zeese from the Southwest up through the Northwest with the aim of education and encouraging local movements for combating corporate culture, Flowers said.

“We’re trying to make people aware this is a long-term effort and get them to understand the roots of the issue and the solutions,” she said.

“Always our goal is to educate, organize, mobilize,” Zeese said.

Zeese pointed to increasing income inequality in the United States.

“Four hundred Americans have wealth equal to 145 million Americans,” he said. “The six heirs to Sam Walton’s companies (Walmart and Sam’s Club) have wealth equal to 30 percent of Americans.”

Hsichao Chow, 63, attended the seminar as a concerned citizen. Although he wasn’t expecting Flowers and Zeese to discuss the occupy movement, he said he wasn’t disappointed when they raised the topic.

“You can feel the energy in this room,” he said. “Most people came to hear about single-payer, but the issues they brought up are the crux of the (health-care) issue.”

He said it is encouraging to hear so many people talk about social justice.

“With our wealth divide, we’re waiting for a disaster to happen,” he said.

Some participants said they felt that it was important to spread the information provided by Flowers and Zeese.

“A number of us came up from Eugene as part of a speaker’s bureau, where we send speakers to different events,” said Rouanna Garden, 58. “This falls right in line with what we need to do ... they gave us a lot to work with.”