House Proceeding 09-10-09 on Sep 10th, 2009 :: 1:27:15 to 1:38:05
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1:27:12 to 1:27:33( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: co-author on and congresswoman woolsey is as we yield to you. thank you for coming. mr. conyers: if would you yield to me just very, very briefly. i want to tell you and chairwoman woolsey and the good doctor that is on the floor with her -- with us that i have listened to everything you have said.

1:27:15 to 1:38:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Jr.Conyers

1:27:34 to 1:27:55( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: and i want to commend you. i'm so proud that this discussion goes on immediately tonight after the inspirational remarks of the president. especially at the end. just great.

1:27:56 to 1:28:17( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: now, there was one part that i wanted to remind all the members of the caucus about was the part where he compared the progressive caucus and the single payer concept on the other hand with tse of a

1:28:18 to 1:28:38( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: totally different viewpoint that feel that there should be no employer connection at all. now, that was a tremendously effective rhetorical flourish, but the fact remains that i

1:28:39 to 1:29:00( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: guess there's somebody that come to think of it i'm one of the people that would like to separate the employer connection from health care. i hope that doesn't make me conservative or whatever group that has been pmoting that. because i think now that i

1:29:01 to 1:29:22( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: reflect on it, i think that's not a bad idea. the question is, after we separate it, we separate all people that work for a living with employer connection to their health care, which has

1:29:23 to 1:29:44( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: been very hurtful for most people, take for example the automobile workers in the detroit area with the three major automobile plants, their connection to the relationship worked out between their

1:29:45 to 1:30:05( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: collective bargaining agent and the corporations has been disastrous because when they close down or move out or relocate, guess what? the employer loses not only his job but he also loses his health

1:30:06 to 1:30:26( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: care. and he also loses his pension. in many cases. so i think that this should be carefully considered and reconsidered by everyone that heard the brilliant speech last

1:30:27 to 1:30:48( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: night. that is to say that to reject both of these ideas out of hand, the single payer concept and an end to employer connection, the

1:30:49 to 1:31:11( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: only problem with -- i don't know who is advocating that, but to say that everybody goes out and get his own insurance, well, maybe there is. there are 432 other members beside ourselves, so maybe somebo

1:31:12 to 1:31:33( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: but i don't take it as a serious consideration in this very complex subject matter that brings progressives to the floor today. now, on the other hand the universal single payer health care bill is not just a few people that have come up with something to involve themselves

1:31:34 to 1:31:59( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: in the discussion with health care reform. as a matter of fact the single payer concept is one of the ones, oldest serious major notion that's been around. that is to say for those of us

1:32:00 to 1:32:21( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: who were here when the president was bill clinton and he assigned his wife the task of taking on the reform of health care, we were -- we who are supporting single payer, were summoned to the white house collectively.

1:32:22 to 1:32:46( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: i rember very much that jerry nadler of new york was there, distinguished member of the judiciary committee. and what happened was that we were urged to step back from our initiative, which had been going

1:32:47 to 1:33:10( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: on for years before the clintons assumed their responsibilitys -- responsibilities on 1600 pennsylvania avenue and after some brief discussion, we agreed that that was the appropriate thing tdo. we did it. we did step back.

1:33:17 to 1:33:38( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: now, that concept is now undergoing a very short shrift in this whole discussion, namely because thishole discussion was initiated on the premise that universal single payer health care was to nw, too

1:33:39 to 1:33:59( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: startling, too complex, would take too long to institute so that we are going to start off by not including it in the mix. i'm proud to say that some of the committees did include it in the mix.

1:34:00 to 1:34:24( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: predominantly george miller of the education and labor committee had members testify before his committee. and charles rangel of the ways and means committee had testimony on universal single

1:34:25 to 1:34:48( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: health care. there may have been testimony in the energy and commerce committee under the distinguished leadership of henry waxman, but i cannot really attest to that at this

1:34:49 to 1:35:11( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: what i'm saying is that those members who support universal single payer health care have already made a major concession in the discussion.

1:35:12 to 1:35:33( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: major concession. seems to me that this could have been addressed in a different way, and it wasn't. that's water over the dam. but it's still for 86 mbers and there are more who are not

1:35:34 to 1:35:58( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: co-sponsors of the bill, who were never cut into the measure premises of how we go about it. so for the president to compare that with those everybody to go buy their own insurance any way they can, i

1:35:59 to 1:36:20( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: think was a mistaken metaphor. and i just wanted to inject that into the was a speech that was a call to arms. to the american people and the congress, that there is going to be health care reform.

1:36:21 to 1:36:41( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: now, the consideration is, however, that where we are right now as you have said so articulately, you and the chairwoman, is that we have to not have a public option, we

1:36:42 to 1:37:03( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: have to have a robust, strong public option. and my job as i see it is to pursue this not that we have one that we discuss or that we may stick one in or that it's a sliver of the whole subject

1:37:04 to 1:37:25( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: matter, for the reasons you have already articulated in this special order. it's critical, it is not, i hope we can get it. we've got to get it. this bill's name of health care

1:37:26 to 1:37:48( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: reform will only be justified if we do get it. and i want to pledge that the many people in the many places i have been around the country who are not happy that h.r. 676 was

1:37:49 to 1:38:06( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: not more thoroughly considered, single payer, that we definitely must have an alternative to t dozens and dozens of private insurance companies