This speech is right on the money. I think Mr. Potter's words will give a lot of people the courage, as it did with me not too long ago, to get up and speak up in this important debate. I commend Mr. Potter again for making such an important address.
In response to some of the comments made regarding this speech, first I have to say that more needs to be done than writing a letter or sending a fax to our representatives. We need to be part of the conversation, and we need to talk to our fellow citizens no matter what their political beliefs and affiliations are. Yes, it is often difficult to talk to people with different beliefs, especially when they are walking around chanting razzledazzle and BS that they picked up from the propaganda mills, but that is no excuse to not even make an attempt to get up off of our rears and say something. Also, I would just like to point out that my conversations with those opposing health care reform were not shut down by chants of "Obama will kill your Mama." In fact, it did quite the opposite, it shut them up. So, there is no excuse for not talking with others. It is actually the best thing we can do in a democracy.
Second, I have to address what is being said regarding the example in this speech about the girl being on drugs and dying from an overdose. I think it is easy to forget that when we are talking about health care we are talking about a wide range of services that fall under it, including drug treatment and behavioral health services. Keeping that in mind, I do not think it is very unusual at all to talk about those who have been denied those services under the for-profit health care and who have fallen to drug overdose as a result. Last I checked, drug abuse was considered a public HEALTH issue, so it is perfectly relevant in this discussion.
we need to be right on top of what's going on with the water situation! it's ironic how major companies have "charitable arms" or other non-profit elements, which probably only offsets a tiny percentage of the damage they do with their profitable arms. that is the epitome of greenwash posturing & spin!
Hey Mark,
I just Googled your name and surprise, surprise, it turns out you are the President of Castle Group "Health" Insurance. I'm positively shocked. If you're going to lambast someone who is trying to help solve the current health care crisis, you should at least let your readers know who you are so that they can judge the slant of your argument. I am a university writing teacher, and so that is one of the first things I think about when I read an article or editorial, but you, rightfully, assume that most people won't consider your background. This is typical of the tactics that Wendell Potter so clearly outlines in this very article. I almost feel sorry for you for the anguish you may feel on your deathbed when you realize how much suffering and premature death your industry has caused. But, on the bright side, Wendell Potter has shown it's never too late to make amends. Good luck with that.
If a company like Coke or Pepsi or Yum Brands has tens of thousands of employees and contractors and millions of customers and shareholders, and it signs on to a coalition with similarly-sized companies, I think the coalition membership can rightfully call itself "Americans" for or against whatever it wants.
...they still hope that by calling themselves "Americans Against " instead "Corporations Against" they'll divert most people from looking at who they are. That's astroturf.
Lighten up, folks. The rest of America isn't as dumb as you think it is.
Got it. Thumbs down on the article.
Just wanted to point out that Mr Gurda, as per his website that is linked in the aritcle, is President of "Castle Group Health Inc", described as "a leading health insurance agency, in Northbrook, Il".
If you accuse people of being biased and slanted, please be explicit about your obvious slant. Something like, "although I'm president of a health insurance company, I don't think your portrayal of insurance companies is fair...". Saying that, of course, takes the wind out of your sails a bit, but whatever.
Also, it would be great if everybody could stop trying to draw parallels between known hated figures and the people they don't agree with ("McCarthy-like", "eastern European", whatever that's supposed to mean. Anything related to Hitler, etc).
The constant spin is nauseating. Just stop. Say who you are, and what you mean, with specifics. Hyperbolic talk is obstructive, unless, of course, your goal is to prevent real change and regulation, which, from a purely financial perspective, would be yours.
Conflict of interest is often assumed to be a conscious process, where you know you should do X, but you do Y because you have a conflict. Sometimes its what I call "confusion" of interest, to distinguish between the two. Where you honestly think you can keep the moral and ethical issues intact, even though your economic issues are at odds with them. The brain tends to slant its view towards your own benefit, but not really in a conscious way. If you honestly believe in your post, I would humbly suggest you might have a slight "confusion" of interest, considering what you do for a living, and take that into account when throwing around terms such as "McCarthy-like".
I promise, I know I sound like a broken record.
If a company like Coke or Pepsi or Yum Brands has tens of thousands of employees and contractors and millions of customers and shareholders, and it signs on to a coalition with similarly-sized companies, I think the coalition membership can rightfully call itself "Americans" for or against whatever it wants.
Lighten up, folks. The rest of America isn't as dumb as you think it is.
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