The GOPster Tsunami of Election Fraud Begins!

Voter Intimidation & Misinformation

My Dearest One, I must solicit your in strictest confidence in this transaction, by virtue of it nature being utterly confidential top secret and by greatest magnitude of pending transaction with which I must rely of your gracious assistance to your maxiimum benefit in enormity. I am Daughter Marisah Okon of Nigerian Prince . . . you get the idea, it a scam.

Well it's an election year and if your the shamelessly unethical GOParty of Dirty Tricks, who Relies on Lies and believes that the End Justifies, NO REQUIRES, The Means, what do you do? You Commit Fraud, of course!

The National Republicon Congressional Committee hes set up dozens of fake campaign websites specifically designed to DEFRAUD Americans by tricking them into donating Their Money to the Slitherin Snakes in the Grass (GOPsters) instead of their intended beneficiary.

EXCERPT: "It turns out that the political organization has purchased over a dozen domain names of Democratic candidates up for election and set up real-looking-but-fake websites. The worst part of all – besides the blatant deception and malice for the electorate – is that fact that since it has been exposed, the NRCC has stated that they are “very proud of the program” and have promised to expand it. It seems they can’t even be shamed into stopping their borderline fraud." END

GOPride in their Deception and Malice, is Anyone surprised by this? These people Have No Shame! In fact they plan on rolling out more of these Fraudulent Websites as midterms approach.

And of course we have the cowed mainstream media obligatory attempt to seem "fair" by making a false equivalency with out a shred of evidence to back it up. EXCERPT: "These Republicans are far from the only group to engage in behavior like this – questionable campaign tactics are expected from both parties." END

Really!? Can we get some real examples of Democrats or affiliated groups engaging in serial election fraud? I can think of one, the tire slashing incident in Milwaukee back in what, 2004? That was local, isolated, not sanctioned by the party and they got caught and Punished, thank you very much. On the other hand, I can think numerous, repeated, regional and national examples from the GOPster groups and the GOParty directly, like the case we're examining here, right from the GOPlutocracy Top, the NRCC.

And this is just the beginning, soon we'll see the perennial attempts to misinform voters about when they can vote, where they can vote and to scare voters with false information about who is eligible to vote and the associated penalties. Of course voting machines will be in short supply in heavily democratic districts in battleground states, and others may be hacked. Perhaps we'll see a return of the denial of service attacks against Democratic call centers and the purging of voter rolls. And of course the Unpatriotic attempt by Fork Tongued Ones to disenfranchise voters with false claims of voter fraud, when it is THEY who are the Fraudsters, has been in full swing since the Bush/Rovian U.S. Attorneys scandal and got a recent shot in the arm by the Extreme Court Judicial Hacktivist repeal of the part of the Voting Rights Act.

Well all I can say is that if you're foolish enough to turn your country over to people who are ethically bankrupt and power hungry enough to commit fraud to get elected, you're probably also foolish enough to be surprised when they defraud you through your government and rob you of your representation. You might as well give the keys to America to Nigerian Scam Artists! 

Walker Wins BAP's Forked Tongue & Fangs Award!

Yup, it does have to suck to be a Republicon. Having to lie constantly to advance, but not reveal their Hidden Agendas has Got to be Exhausting! In fact I believe it gets to be habit forming. As this week's example I offer our own Gubnah of Wiscossippi, Scott Walker who claimed in a recent interview that he voted for Ronald Reagan.

EXCERPT: "I remember, I was a teenager, had just become a teenager and voted for Ronald Reagan — limited government, you know, smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense." 

The problem is that Walker was born November 2, 1967 and was not 18 and eligible to vote until 1985 and therefore could not have legally voted for Reagan in either 1980 or 1984. One might think that Walker's admission yields the long-sought success in the nearly fruitless Republicon quest to find fraudulent voters to justify their Hidden Agenda of Voter Suppression. But the truth is that Walker is now a habitual liar, he can't help it anymore, and this is just one more notch in his belt on his way to the Fabricator's a Hall of Fame!

Therefore, in recognition of the dogged pursuit of his Quest for the Hole-ly Fail, Scott "Full O Fertilizer" Walker has become the latest recipient of BAP's coveted Forked Tongue & Fangs Award!

Congratulations Gubnah!

Republicons Luvs Dem Some Freedumb!

Pall "Lyin" Ryan

It's got to suck to be a Republicon. I mean having to lie all the time, about EVERYTHING! That's Got to be Exhausting! This week's most prominent example was how every GOPster jumped out and pounced on the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on Obamacare, Twisting it's conclusions into Half-Truth, the main ingredient in the curdled concoction that is GOPropaganda.

The GOPster syndicate took the CBO finding that Obamacare would cause a reduction in hours worked equivalent to 2.5 million full-time workers by 2025 and Twisted it into the Lie that 2.5 million jobs would be lost.

The Truth of the matter is that the CBO report finds that Americans who will No Longer be Shackled to their Jobs because of the Healthcare They Need for themselves and their Families will likely decide to reduce their hours or leave jobs in order to accommodate their personal needs and those of their families. Not being a Slave to a Job you don't otherwise need just to have healthcare for you family? That sounds a lot like Liberty to me!

And those jobs aren't going away, so maybe that'll give some opportunities to some of the young people whose Hopes for the American Dream have been Dashed by the Great Republicon Recession.

Them's Fightin Werds!

And what's with the Coke inspired Hatriots who love's them some Freedumb ya'll, but think they're Empowered to Dictate to Others what language they're allowed to speak, or sing? Oh, and dear ones, America the Beautiful is NOT the National Anthem, although, I for one think it should be. Do these idiots actually think their forebears spoke the native tongue of these shores when they landed . . . or English?

Which of course reminds us of the the hate-filled response to the little girl and her bi-racial family featured in the Cheerios ad of last year, reprised in an updated ad for last Sunday's Super Bowl. In the Cult of Con personal freedom still doesn't extend to the choice of an individual to decide who they should love.

FREEDUMB FER AWL!

Serfs Up! The Republicon War on Education

Unfortunately, Republican State Senator Dale Schultz has had enough and recently announced his retirement as The Last Decent, Good-Willed, Rational and Public-Minded Republican in the Badgered State. We owe him our thanks for helping stop (for now) the most recent example of GOPster Blitsgesetz (Lightning Law) in the form of an absolutely horrible bill that is just latest attack in the ongoing Republicon War on Public Education.

EXCERPT: "Every hero needs an enemy," Schultz observes, "and someone made the decision that public educators are going to be the enemy."

Of course the think tank to which Senator Schultz is referring, that has made this decision for us all is the fascist American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC), oh Benito would so proud! And one must wonder, if the good Senator feels like a Serf, what the hell does that make all of the rest of us!? Mere chattel I suppose. And why the hell then are We Paying these People to be Middlemen for Imposing the Will of our Corporate Rulers, FREEDUMB!

Senator Schultz is also wise enough to see through the GOPropaganda mantra of Failing Public Schools - Fairies, Frog Princes & Failing Public Schools: "Failing schools, hell," he said at a recent public forum. "Would you like to take me and show me, in my district, where are the failing schools?" AMEN Senator Schultz! Your kind will be sadly missed when you're extinct.

What's really galling however is that so many people are gullible enough to believe that the Vulture School Republicons actually care about the students who are failing in such large numbers because of the concentrated poverty where they live and go to school. That's about as believable as the notion that the Republicons still believe in Freedom and Democracy, when clearly it's All about the Money and Only about the Money!

Yours Truly,
Sean Cranley - CorpSerf#: OIMNFD-1-NURFD-2

Walker's Surplus Smoke 'n Mirrors

It is I Who Killed the Wicked Witch of Westconsin!

An Honest Man would not take credit for something he didn't do. But Walker is Not an Honest Man. And Walker's policies are NOT Responsible for the projected budget surplus.

Furthermore, Walker will not use the budget surplus in the Prudent Public-Interest of the Citizens of Wisconsin, but rather in the Selfish Political Self-Interest in his getting reelected Gubnah in 2014 as a requisite stepping stone to his tilt at the oval office in 2016, a position for which he is Woefully Unqualified. But Walker doesn't care because he'll be long gone before the chickens come home to roost.

One might argue that Gubnah Walker created the projected budget surplus by extracting it from public working people and that using it in a political ploy to cut property taxes, which will go predominantly to people with high property values, aka the rich, is more of the Voodoo Economics of Upward Wealth Redistribution that has been damaging America's economy and society for three decades now (and Wiscossippi's for three years). And you'd be right, but only partially so.

You see, just about EVERY State in the Union, those run by Republicans, Democrats or both, are projecting budget surpluses.

Americans for Plutocracy Know No Hypocrisy

Please Accept this Token of Our Extreme!

Excerpt from Americans for Prosperity emission statement: AFP grassroots activists advocate for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint.

Seriously? So this A$$troturf group of paid shills for the Koch Bros (note t-shirt says "Staff" not volunteer) runs around decrying over-regulation and has the the audacity to use a spill caused by lax regulation for a PR-opaganda stunt by handing out bottles of water?! 

That's like guys running the sword concession seeking kudos for putting a bandaid on a gaping chest wound! GOPsters have no shame and the word hypocrisy means nothing to them whatsoever.

And ya gotta love the irony that the 4-methylcyclohexane methanol spewage issued from Freedom Industries. Yup, that's the plutoctopus plan, freedom for industry, serfdom for the citizenry. Affluence for the 1%, effluents for the 99.

Pollution pollution you can use the latest toothpaste
and rinse your mouth with industrial waste - Dr. Tom Lehrer

United Sportsmen for Koch

The scam sportsmen group, United Sportsmen that was fraudulently awarded a $500,000 grant of money belonging to the citizens of Wisconsin before publicity forced Gubnah Walker to rescind the graft, I mean gift, is now in trouble with the IRS over its false claim of tax exempt status. As such they have been forced to turn documents over to the Journal-Sentinel and guess where the trail leads. You know it, Americans for Plutocracy and the Koch Brothers!

Excerpt from the Journal-Sentinel:
As previously reported, the political group Citizens for a Strong America Inc. gave $235,000 to United Sportsmen in 2011. The newly released filings show that single donation made up United Sportsmen's entire revenue for that year. The group spent most, but not all, of that donation and finished the year with $39,044.
The bulk of the money spent, $118,400, went to Arena Communications of Salt Lake City, Utah, a firm that helps design and send out mailings to voters. Arena has high-profile GOP clients around the country, including Walker; U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, a Janesville Republican; the state GOP; and the committee representing Republican state senators.
United Sportsmen sent out a mailing in the 2011 state Senate recall elections. END

Hmmm Senate recall elections, what could be more outdoorsy!? Well it is fishy I suppose. So just who is Citizens for a Strong America?

Christie Throws Top Aid Under The Bus . . .

He Would Have Taken the Fall Himself . . .

But He Wouldn't Fit!

Petty Vindictiveness Amongst the GOPster? I'm Shocked, Shocked I tell ya!

But seriously folks, This may be a one-off for Chris Christie that he can put behind him, but not for our Gubnah Walker. 

Walker has established a repeated pattern of inability to hire competent, ethical staff and personnel mismanagement as well as an ineffectiveness in managing entire departments under his purview. Those are damning qualities for anyone in management, let alone a chief executive. 

You see Walker doesn't need to be indicted under the John Doe probes, they have already clearly demonstrated that he is an incompetent manager and an abysmal judge of character, which would makes him an absolute unqualified disaster as Divide & Conquer Gubnah of the Badgered State, let alone President of the (as yet still somewhat) United States of America.

Of course if he DID know then he's just another in a long line of corrupt vindictive GOPsters. After all, Lies and Corruption are Standard Operating Procedure (GOP SOP). Just ask David Iglasias for one example.

BAP Brunch - December 2013

Rob Zerban, candidate for the Badgered State's 1st Congressional District will be joining us at our monthly BAP Brunch to discuss issues facing the citizenry.

This Saturday (12/14)
11:00 AM
Los Compadres Restaurant - 725 Milwaukee Avenue, Burlington

There's a buffet or you can order off the menu. Everyone orders and pays separately. People of goodwill welcome, we hope to see you there!

Americans for Plutocracy Und Vulture School Visconsin

Genus - Visconsinus Schoolus Vulturi

O.K. I've somehow gotten on some interesting email lists, for example all of a sudden I recently started receiving emails from Wisconsin Right to Life. Now apparently I'm on the list of Wisconsin's Tentacle of Americans for Plutocracy (AFP).

Oh joy, I have been offered an opportunity to attend an event designed to Destroy our Public Schools, the Core of Our Communities, turn my future grandchildren and the children of Wisconsin into Perpetual Revenue Streams to flood Vulture Schools (Profit Centers) and satisfy the plunder-lust of the corporatist educational privateers (Pirates) on Wall Street! Libertea My A$$!

AFP: "We know that every child deserves access to a quality education-regardless of their income or zip code." Hmmmmmm.

Of course the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee is a favorite venue the reactionaries in the Neo-Gilded Age movement funded by the Koch Bros Plutoctopus. But seriously, Waukesha, the most prosperous County in the Badgered State!? 

Amar Kaleka

The Burlington Area Progressives are hosting our monthly BAP Brunch this Saturday (11/9) at a new location, Los Compadres Restaurant, 725 Milwaukee Ave (Hwy 36) Burlington at 11:00am. Newly announced Candidate Amar Kaleka will be there to introduce himself to the good people of Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District. Come and meet him!

There has been a Pall over our fair land for too long and it's time for some fresh air!

An Emmy winning independent film maker and son of the slain Oak Creek Sikh Temple President, Amar states that; "There's a fever in the nation, and specifically in this district, for our leaders to stop playing politics and do their jobs," Kaleka said. "All I want to do is bring democracy — a government of, for and by the people — back to America."

Vulture Vos to Vanquish Voters!

When Robin "Vulture" Vos touts "Our Fall Agenda" who do you suppose he means? Could Vos, Wisconsin's Public Sector Chairman for the fascist American Legislative Exchange Council (fALEC), be referring to his Corporate Masters? One of the items on the agenda to be rammed through Vos' Gerrymandered Illegitimate Legislature in the Badgered State is a perennial favorite of the folks at fALEC, Voter Suppression.

Of course the Vulture portrays his picking at the carcass of democracy as promoting election integrity, but even he doesn't believe that non-sense. That's for the consumption of the indoctrinants of the Cult of Con who uncritically accept one of the Whackiest Conspiracy Theories ever dreamed up. A Federal Judge appointed by Ronald Reagan even admitted recently that He Was Wrong when he ruled to uphold Indiana's Voter ID law stating; “I plead guilty to having written the majority opinion,” Posner wrote in his new book, “Reflections on Judging.” He said that the Indiana law in the Crawford case is “a type of law now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.”

And to what does Mr. Vos point to justify placing road blocks in the way of the legitimate right to vote of thousands Wisconsin's citizens? One man, ONE! One man who was dumb, drunk and high enough to vote twice in last year's election, get Caught and go to Jail for it! One vote out of 3,028,951 cast. Why that's 0.00003%! At that rate, it's not clear how we will ever have faith again in our elections again!? What IS clear is that Vulture Vos, Gerrymanderer and fALEC corporate shill has no interest in representative democracy and No Shame.

The nine scariest words in the English language?

I'm a corporation, I'm here to write your laws!

More Good News on Obamacare!

Honestly, why does anyone believe anything said by a Republicon or one of their GOPropaganda mouthpieces? No doubt you've heard all that GOPster wailing and gnashing of teeth, blaming Obamacare for increasing premiums (cuz ya know they haven't been going up much faster than the rate of inflation for over a decade now, right?).

Well here's the real news:

Obamacare premiums are even LOWER than those previously projected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office due to competition among the private insurance companies in the market place, especially new companies.

This means that our federal government will save an additional $190,000,000,000 (that's billion) over the next 10 years in reduced cost for subsidies.

These savings will raise the amount of deficit reduction to be realized by the law by 174% to a total of $300B.

The lower premiums are projected to mean an additional 700,000 fewer uninsured Americans, whose families will now have the security and quality of life that goes with access to healthcare.

It's your government and It's Working!

Personal Responsibility + Private Insurance + Private Providers = Obamacare

THAT'S RIGHT BABY!

Things are not looking good for swillers of ignorance and ill-will that crafted the disgustingly bigoted image above. But if you're teabaggnorant enough to believe that healthcare delivered by private providers, covered by private insurance companies and paid for by responsible citizens is SOSHILISM!, you might also be foolish enough to look a gift dark horse in the mouth.

The Wisconsin Public Radio Saint Norbert's College Survey for fall 2013 demonstrates very strong and GROWING support for the Affordable Care Act!

54% of Wisconsinites support the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, up from 41% in 2010.

60% of Wisconsinites favor the individual mandate for American's to take personal responsibility and buy private insurance and their families. That's up from 59% in 2009.

70% of Wisconsinites favor the public option of our federal government offering citizens coverage similar to medicare to compete with private insurance. That's up 26% from 2009.

81% of Wisconsinites favor requiring insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions. That's up from 77% in 2009.

And a whopping 84% of Wisconsinites Disapprove of Shutting the Down Our Government over Obamacare! Furthermore, 74% believe Obamacare should NOT be part of discussions related to the budget or raising the debt ceiling, for which 42% blame the Republicons in Congress. Put that in your cup and swill it Ted Cruz!

Thank you President Obama and Democrats for demonstrating that when guided wisely Our Government Can Work to make the private sector function better for the all the people of America. Because like fire, capitalism can be a wonderful servant if tended carefully, but a deadly disaster if left to be whipped by the winds of unregulated greed!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

AFFORDABLE Care Act Baby!

Looks Like my Boss and I will each be able to save over $600 per month by going to the exchange for the Platinum (top tier) Family Plan!

Now THAT is fricken family values my friends!

That's over $14,000 in SAVINGS per year for our small business, instead of having premiums DOUBLE every THREE YEARS like they have for over a decade!

Thank you Mr. President and Congressional Democrats for Obamacare!

Blitzgesetz = Lightning Law

I've coined a new term, Blitzgesetz, to describe how the Republicons approach legislation now in the various states to get their pro-corporatist laws passed with minimal debate and before the public even knows whats happening. It's another arrow in their quiver to thwart democracy. 

The best, but hardly the only example is the way Gubnah Walker proposed Act 10 late on a Friday afternoon and had it scheduled to go to a vote the following Thursday. The only thing that gave enough time to allow the public to grasp the plan and express their outrage at his divide and conquer scheme was the Fabulous 14 leaving the state and preventing a vote. Walker's War on Workers planners hadn't counted on this development when plotting their attack in launching their Blitzgesetz campaign.

Surprise! Now Walker flanked by his minions Vulture Vos and Albuta Darling, in an electioneering ploy have again hit the blitz with their new property tax bill. This Blitzgesetz came out of nowhere, has had zero Democratic input and is to be rushed through in a special legislative session and on to the Gubnah's desk by early next week! 

Wham bam thank you man! You could save $13 this December and a whopping $20 next year. Oh, but not a cent more for Wisconsin's public schools. It's a bums rush, thanks for nothing Republicons.

You can call them the Tea Party, you can call them the Neo-John Birch Society, you can call them Plutocrats, but it all boils down to good ol' fashion Fascism. And while the Nazi fascists employed Blitzkrieg (lightning war) to achieve their ends, the American fascists, in pursuit of their anti-democratic designs have unleashed Blitzgesetz - Lightning Law upon the American People!

Gerrymandering, Voter Suppression & Blitzgesetz, the TP's holy trinity.

A Call to Paul Ryan to End the Shutdown

As you may remember, I called my congressman, Paul Ryan, the other day to express my opposition to the government shutdown, and urging him to stop trying to kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).  I got back a letter saying that he really didn't want to shut down the government, but that nasty Senate would only pass a resolution that adhered to the law of the land, and funded the ACA -- though it seems all other parts of the funding resolution are agreeable to all parties.

He also trotted out the usual phony numbers about how this -- and everything else he doesn't like -- is going to run the USA into bankruptcy, so we should all get aboard with his Ayn Randian plan for Utopia.  He's only doing what's best for those of us who are unlucky enough to be his constituents, after all.  It's not like he's supposed to actually represent us or anything.

Below is my response.  I suggest that all of you send him a similar letter, or make a call stating these same points to his office, which can be reached via his constituent hotline:

CONSTITUENT HOTLINE: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926)

* * *

Representative Ryan --

If you oppose the government shutdown, then work to bring a clean resolution to the floor.

The ACA is the law of the land, it was passed in the normal way, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Not only that, but it was created by the Heritage Foundation and pioneered in Massachusetts by your former running mate, Mitt Romney.  Additionally, its popularity was reaffirmed by the re-election of President Obama.  You and your running mate_ lost_ that election overwhelmingly.  (And if not for gerrymandering, would likely have lost the House as well.)

The American people are for the ACA, as proven in polls of its component parts, or even merely by asking about it as the ACA rather than "Obamacare," the "pejorative" that your party labeled it with in an attempt to gin up fear.  Additionally, substantial portion of people who say they are "against" it merely believe that it doesn't go far enough.

The ACA _was_ a Republican plan, the "compromise" that your side wanted, rather than single-payer or some more progressive (and less expensive) healthcare plan that would have cut out the private insurers who, in some cases, have been sucking 30% or more of our premiums out of the system.

If you want to repeal this law, the ACA, you should repeal it in the normal way -- not via this government shut-down blackmail.

Because you say you oppose a government shutdown, I now expect that you will work to bring a clean resolution to the House, and not try to rewrite the law during this process.  I expect that you will, therefore, support the Senate version of the resolution -- which leaves the law alone, as it should.

Please do so.

Yours -- Steve Sullivan

GOPstructionist Filibastards Fear ObamaCare

Could this map illustrate why the Republicons are so afraid of Obamacare? 

Look at the south, the bastion of the GOPster's base. What if all those poor uninsured folks suddenly realized that they could get access to affordable healthcare for themselves and their families, thanks to President Obama and the Democrats? 

What if they then woke up from their FuxSnooze and realized that it was the Republicon Party and their Teabagger faction that fought tooth and nail to deny that necessity for a decent quality of life for them and their families? 

That's got to scare the livin' crap out of the Greedy Oligarch's Party!

"The real issue is not the size of government, the issue is who the government is working for." - Robert Reich. When people see what the Affordable Care Act does for them the Republicons will have to throw the term they invented out of irrational scorn and derision, "Obamacare" Down the Memory Hole, lest the American People be reminded of who actually worked to better their interests.

Now look below at the most common occupations among the uninsured, cooks, wait staff, clerks, nursing aides, maids, you know all the people that are subsidizing your middle class lifestyle through serving you cheap stuff by foregoing the "luxury" of healthcare and a living wage! 

Do the GOPstructionist Filibastards disgust you NOW!

And don't get me started on the GOPocrisy of the Crisis Conservatives, who repeatedly proclaim that Compromise is a Dirty Word, are now crying for "Negotiation"!

Wait a tick, what are the TPs putting on the table? NOTHING! How about reasonable immigration reform? NOPE! Raise the minimum wage? NOPE, NADA! Yeah it's dirty a word for them in their starched white shirts, but we're supposed to be the ones who stir up the dirt. 

Remind Your Congressman: The AHCA IS the Compromise!

Today, I'm calling my deadbeat congressman, Paul Ryan, one of the ringleaders of this foolishness -- (202) 225-3031 or local-Racine  (262) 637-0510 -- to tell him to do his job, pay the bills, and re-open our government.

I'm going to suggest you call Paul, or whomever your congressman is, and/or John Boehner -- (202) 225-0600 -- and do the same.

When I call, I'm going to remind him that The Affordable Health Care Act IS the compromise.

Here are three reasons why:

This implementation date (today) IS the compromise.  October 1, 2013, (today) is years after the AHCA passed, and years later than most of us wanted.  What we wanted was a roll out 2 years ago, right after the bill passed (March 2010).  This is the time that was picked so everyone -- including the Republicans and their Big Money backers -- had plenty of time to prepare.  But instead of preparing, they've spent their time dragging their feet, refusing to cooperate or prepare, lying about the system, and repeatedly trying (and failing) to repeal the law.  (By the way, the AHCA is the law, not a bill.)

This Private-Insurance-based system IS the compromise.  What we wanted is a single-payer system -- like most of the civilized world has -- which would have saved even more money by cutting out healthcare middlemen.  Under the AHCA, insurance is limited to only 20% profit, whereas the cost of government-run single payer would have been 10% or less of the premiums.  (As it is in the rest of the world.)  Our compromise was not putting the healthcare profiteers out of business -- as we probably should have done.

This Republican-designed healthcare system (AHCA) -- including the individual mandate -- IS the compromise.  The basis of the AHCA was designed by the Heritage Foundation (a Republican think tank) and tested by Republican Governor Mitt Romney (in Massachusetts).  This was their alternative to National Healthcare.  What we wanted was Medicare for All -- which would have bee much easier to roll out, because it would have been an expansion of an existing system, and cheaper because it would have cut out the insurance company middle men.

Those are the three reasons that came to my mind (though there are probably more).

While I'm on the phone, I'm also going to suggest that if Paul Ryan really wants to shut down the government, he should start with his own government paycheck and health insurance system.

After that, I'm going to call my sensible senator, Tammy Baldwin (202-224-5653 or 414-297-4451) and thank her for supporting the AHCA, and remind her to not back down and knuckle under, because we've already compromised -- because the AHCA IS the compromise!

I suggest that all of you call the House of Representatives (and the Senate) and do the same.  And while you're at it, check out the AHCA site at https://www.healthcare.gov/.