Motorists heading up El Toro Road past
Macy's Tuesday afternoon were puzzled to see a crowd on the sidewalk
featuring an ER physician with stethoscope standing next to the
Grim Reaper, holding a placard reading "2000 dead Californians
each year from lack of healthcare -- How many more?" As the
drivers slowed down to read the other signs calling for "Healthcare
for all Californians," many of them honked and waved in support.
What they were seeing was just Laguna Hills' turn in Heatlhcare
For All California's vast "365 Cities in 365 Days" campaign
to educate the public and build enthusiasm for universal single-payer
healthcare in this state, preferably through Senate Bill 840. Even
though post-election exhaustion caused Tuesday's event to be much
smaller then September's unforgettable Laguna Woods event, the statewide
grassroots group is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.
Asked about Governor Schwarzenegger's September
veto of SB 840, Orange County director Vern Nelson smiled, "Oh,
that didn't slow us down at all, it was just a bump in the road.
Senator Kuehl is reintroducing the bill in January and she has two
more years to get it passed and signed; if not, we may try for a
ballot initiative. For now we just have to inoculate the public
against the hundreds of millions of dollars of insurance company
propaganda they're going to be subjected to."
Gale Lawrence, a comely Laguna Woods resident and veteran peace
activist, added, "Right now the Governor is preparing to announce
his compromise, 'band aid' legislation, written by the insurance
lobbies who hope to not only stay in the game but get their hands
on lots more government money. Even though this may insure a few
more people, we have to remember that only a single-payer plan such
as SB 840 will save Californians 8 billion dollars a year while
insuring all of us and saving thousands of lives."
To find out more about this exciting movement, and the upcoming
events in San Juan Capistrano (Dec. 8), Dana Point (Jan. 14), and
Laguna Niguel (May 21) contact Vern Nelson at chezvern@aol.com
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