New "health care reform" legislation - boon for the insurance industry, bad medicine for the American working class: Tomorrow's episode of Labor Express Radio will focus on analysis of the health care insurance industry bailout, masquerading as health care reform that was signed into law by President Obama last week. Here on Pilsenprole I will provide links to further analysis and ways to get involved in the struggle for universal, single-payer, non-profit health care. La lucha continua! The leading national organization of activists fighting for single-payer health care is Healthcare Now! (not to be confused with Health Care for America Now an organization which shills for Obamacare) .. http://www.healthcare-now.org/ The leading organization of Doctors pushing for single payer health care, and a leading source of research on the topic is Physicians for National Health Program (PNHP)… http://www.pnhp.org/ No union has been more in the forefront of the strugg...

I wish I could join in with all my co-workers and acquaintances that were celebrating yesterday’s vote on the health insurance industry bailout bill. Better yet, I wish I really could make them understand why I am instead very depressed. They all repeat the same mantras – “This is the first step”, “we can improve on this in the future”, “we are moving in the right direction”. What they don’t understand is, as Jon Walker argues below… “It‘s Not That the Health Care Bill Does Too Little Good, It’s That It Does Too Much Harm.” The fact is that this health care bill is about stamping our bankrupt private health insurance system with a seal of approval and ensuring that its replacement with an effective, universal, cost saving public system is off the table for the foreseeable future. This bill basically accepts as a permanent condition, what is at the root of the problem – a for profit health care system dominated by an industry whose reason to exist is to charge more for reduced...

Well, in the end, the lone voice of truth could not hold out. Today Kucinich announced, principal be damned, he is caving into the pressure and voting yes on the health insurance industry bailout bill. What is particularly sad is that Kucinich got nothing, not the slightest concession, for his flip-flop. Things have actually gotten worse since March 8th as the public option now looks completely, finally, absolutely, thoroughly off the table. The man who roared like a lion two weeks ago turned out to be something even less than a paper tiger. But really the ultimate bad guy here isn’t Kucinich, it is the Democratic Party which has once-and-for-all proved its utter bankruptcy. To all of you out there who were inclined to harbor illusions about the Democrats in 2008, welcome to reality. The Democratic Party is a whole owned subsidiary of Corporate America Inc. Can we all now agree please that there is zero hope for this country without the building of a serious left-wing third party...

As a member of the Green Party (albeit a lukewarm and increasingly disenchanted one) and a strong believer in the absolute necessity of a left-wing third party in the United States, I rarely find myself praising a Democrat, but Dennis Kucinich earned that praise today. At least there is one Representative in the Congress that is not bought and paid for by the health care insurance industry. Check out the following video clip in which Kucinich vows to vote against the current "health care reform" legislation, perhaps the only Democrat on the left to do so... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfuFVm6QdPU If Kucinich's vote is blamed for the failure of this insurance industry bailout bill masquerading as health care reform, he will need to hear from us thanking him for his vote. Lord knows the Democratic Party will demonize him as bad as they did Nader in 2000.

In celebration of International Women's Day, tomorrow's Labor Express Radio program will feature an interview with Labor Educator, Dr. Helena Worthen Associate Clinical Professor in the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois’ School of Labor & Employment Relations. Helena will discuss this year's plans for the Regina Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Conference to be held in Chicago June 2-5. If you are interested in attending the conference you can sign up and apply for a scholarship at the following web address... http://illinois.edu/calendar/Calendar?ACTION=VIEW_EVENT&calId=1753&skinId=1703&DATE=6/2/2010&eventId=150292 Helena will also discuss the The United Association for Labor Education Conference to be held in San Diego, March 24th - 27th. If you would like more info on that conference you can check out the following link... http://uale.org/conference-2010