Thread: Guess who top two receivers of Insurance money is? Obama &am

Guess who the top two receivers of Insurance money is? Obama is one, who is the other?

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Health interests donate $11 million to senators crafting health overhaul
By ALAN FRAM , Associated Press

Last update: September 16, 2009 - 2:08 AM

WASHINGTON - Sen. Max Baucus, a leader in the troubled effort in Congress to write a health care overhaul bill, has received more campaign donations from the health industry than any elected federal official except President Barack Obama and three other senators.

Baucus, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has collected $3.9 million in donations from the health industry since 1989.

Yet, when it comes to generous campaign contributions from doctors, drug makers, hospitals and other medical interests, the Montana Democrat has company from a group of colleagues he's seen a lot of lately.

Baucus is part of the "Gang of Six," three Democrats and three Republicans who have labored since June to write what Baucus hopes will be a bipartisan bill cutting health costs and extending coverage to millions of Americans.

All of them have received above-average donations from the health care world.

Four other congressional committees have produced bills that tilt heavily toward Democratic priorities.

The work of the Gang of Six is important because Baucus' bill — set to be unveiled Wednesday — is seen as the closest to a draft that might win Senate passage with some GOP support.

It's also the closest to what the health industry wants: It has no government-run insurance option, would require individuals to get coverage and sets up experiments in limiting medical malpractice suits.

Among them, the six senators have raised $10.7 million since 1989 from the industries and people with the most at stake financially in the overhaul effort.

That's an average of nearly $1.8 million apiece over that period, more than triple the roughly $560,000 average for all other senators and representatives.


http://www.startribune.com/politics/nat ... iUiacyKUUr

Please note I tried to call Sen Baucus office today, and first it was busy and then it finally went to an automatic message center - but the message center was full - so it just cut off.

So much for "hearing American voices".

I then called my Congressmen and said that this new 880 Billion dollar bill is too expensive - you already spent all of our money!

Here in CA - the new budget just passed 8 weeks ago is null and void because the taxes taken in this quarter were 250 million short so more programs were going to have to be cut. Also in LA County - Mayor Villaragosia said tax revenues are down more than anticipated so more cuts for LA county.

UMMM - what was that saying Margaret Thatcher is famous for?

Oh yea, the problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other peoples money!