Elect Susie!
May 17, 2007 12:07 PM Subscribe
Millions of uninsured children in this country. Even with public assistance, they teeter on the brink of a catastrophic illness. What's the answer? Elect Susie!
Damn it, kids will do anything to get into college these days.
posted by phrontist at 12:13 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by phrontist at 12:13 PM on May 17, 2007
What's her stance on same-sex marriage?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:18 PM on May 17, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:18 PM on May 17, 2007 [1 favorite]
What astounds me is that Congress & the administration have not passed a "window dressing" bill that makes it look like they did something. Look at No Child Left Behind... it makes everyone think that the education system is fixed and doing fine.
posted by rolypolyman at 12:19 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by rolypolyman at 12:19 PM on May 17, 2007
Can we PLEASE have a candidate willing to work within the bounds of the constitution?
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 12:21 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 12:21 PM on May 17, 2007
Blazecock Pileon writes "What's her stance on same-sex marriage?"
She's sitting on it ? Anyway in other news Paris Hilton gets 23 days of jail , good for her ! Another children seriously risks not having health coverage and we still call ourselves rich and advanced nation. But fuck Paris, she's is distracting us it's her fault isn't it ?
posted by elpapacito at 12:23 PM on May 17, 2007
She's sitting on it ? Anyway in other news Paris Hilton gets 23 days of jail , good for her ! Another children seriously risks not having health coverage and we still call ourselves rich and advanced nation. But fuck Paris, she's is distracting us it's her fault isn't it ?
posted by elpapacito at 12:23 PM on May 17, 2007
Sorry, but one-issue candidates like Miss Flynn just aren't appealing to me. I'm looking for a candidate with real leadership experience and a bigger sense of America's place in the world. Someone like General Zod.
posted by BeerFilter at 12:29 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by BeerFilter at 12:29 PM on May 17, 2007
sounds like lefty nutter to me...she wants us to have socialism and does not even mention invading any countries for national security
posted by Postroad at 12:33 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by Postroad at 12:33 PM on May 17, 2007
You know, walking by a poster of Susie every day at Union Station here in Washington, with her childish haircut and pearly white teeth makes me think she is probably too young to be president.
posted by parmanparman at 12:36 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by parmanparman at 12:36 PM on May 17, 2007
Cute kid. But she just doesn't have the experience I think is needed. Give her a couple of years as the Secretary of State. She can then run for president again when she's 15 or so.
posted by quin at 1:00 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by quin at 1:00 PM on May 17, 2007
Susie is a very young-looking 35.
My niece and nephews are among those uninsured. It's fucking sad.
posted by teece at 1:02 PM on May 17, 2007
My niece and nephews are among those uninsured. It's fucking sad.
posted by teece at 1:02 PM on May 17, 2007
My insurance is going to be canceled once I get a job and stop being a full-time student... Why is it thatt the worse things get, the worse things get?
posted by Citizen Premier at 1:12 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by Citizen Premier at 1:12 PM on May 17, 2007
Have they just not let her know about the age limit, or have they decided this candidate doesn't need to know about the Constitution, either?
Good cause, questionable approach. Suzie's folks might want to look into other ways her cause can be championed without adding noise where signal's already pretty hard to find.
posted by batmonkey at 1:32 PM on May 17, 2007
Good cause, questionable approach. Suzie's folks might want to look into other ways her cause can be championed without adding noise where signal's already pretty hard to find.
posted by batmonkey at 1:32 PM on May 17, 2007
I wonder if nine million's not a low estimate.
posted by pax digita at 1:33 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by pax digita at 1:33 PM on May 17, 2007
FYI, the Susie Flynn site is run by the Children's Defense Fund which is backing Clinton's campaign, so if you register you're email on that site, don't be surprised if you get campaign mail.
posted by Pastabagel at 1:36 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by Pastabagel at 1:36 PM on May 17, 2007
Help me get 9 million signatures for the 9 million children without health insurance!
0,018,760
collected so far!
Hm. Maybe get a better web site developer there, Susie.
And yes, that is the best thing I can say about this site. Good work getting involved in civics, kid. I hope it doesn't end up making you cry.
posted by GuyZero at 1:42 PM on May 17, 2007
0,018,760
collected so far!
Hm. Maybe get a better web site developer there, Susie.
And yes, that is the best thing I can say about this site. Good work getting involved in civics, kid. I hope it doesn't end up making you cry.
posted by GuyZero at 1:42 PM on May 17, 2007
Good cause, questionable approach.
Yeah, I dont see how this is very different from parents making their kids wear Vote Bush shirts.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:55 PM on May 17, 2007
Yeah, I dont see how this is very different from parents making their kids wear Vote Bush shirts.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:55 PM on May 17, 2007
She wears long tresses
And nice tight dresses
Oh! Oh!
What a future she possesses
(My goodness. I feel creepy just cutting and pasting that)
posted by Sparx at 2:23 PM on May 17, 2007
And nice tight dresses
Oh! Oh!
What a future she possesses
(My goodness. I feel creepy just cutting and pasting that)
posted by Sparx at 2:23 PM on May 17, 2007
damn dirty ape:
I dunno on that piece...depends on the kid. I was hugely concerned about political stuff when I was her age, so it might very well be her own choice.
If, indeed, she's just another poster child propped up in place of adults doing a better job of promoting their own causes, however, I agree it's the same boat and it shouldn't sail any further than it has already.
posted by batmonkey at 2:24 PM on May 17, 2007
I dunno on that piece...depends on the kid. I was hugely concerned about political stuff when I was her age, so it might very well be her own choice.
If, indeed, she's just another poster child propped up in place of adults doing a better job of promoting their own causes, however, I agree it's the same boat and it shouldn't sail any further than it has already.
posted by batmonkey at 2:24 PM on May 17, 2007
Umm, I'm like 99.99% sure this is a cooked up donation campaign by the Children's Defense Fund to score money and email addresses.
Susie lives with that earnest couple on TV at 1am who had their tax trouble taken care of by American Tax Relief.
posted by PissOnYourParade at 2:53 PM on May 17, 2007
Susie lives with that earnest couple on TV at 1am who had their tax trouble taken care of by American Tax Relief.
posted by PissOnYourParade at 2:53 PM on May 17, 2007
You know, I don't mean to beat a dead horse or anything (since I've talked about this before), but affordable health CARE is the problem, not just insurance.
That said, my husband's employer dropped family coverage (without telling him, doh!) and we picked up BC/BS for $75/month for each kid. I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but that seems to me to be pretty doable, especially considering that they have programs to help with costs for lower-income families. I see the problem being not that people can't afford to pay for health insurance on their own, but that many feel that the government or someone else SHOULD be paying it for them, and I guess I just don't really understand that.
posted by jennaratrix at 3:11 PM on May 17, 2007
That said, my husband's employer dropped family coverage (without telling him, doh!) and we picked up BC/BS for $75/month for each kid. I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but that seems to me to be pretty doable, especially considering that they have programs to help with costs for lower-income families. I see the problem being not that people can't afford to pay for health insurance on their own, but that many feel that the government or someone else SHOULD be paying it for them, and I guess I just don't really understand that.
posted by jennaratrix at 3:11 PM on May 17, 2007
Now you see, this is exactly why pretty much all the so-called "universal" coverage plans being floated are not going to truly cover everyone. In fact, I prefer to call them mandatory insurance plans. They're almost all based on the idea that employers will be forced to buy insurance policies, and everybody who is not covered in this fashion will be forced to buy an individual policy in the open market (if they can afford it, if they can get covered, if their primary health problem is not excluded); the status quo on steroids. Every one of them -- except the California plan (and it hurts to admit Schwartzennegger is right)-- does not account for the fact that children do not have employers.
Susie is almost certainly a publicity stunt, but the problem she brings to light is pretty darn serious.
posted by ilsa at 5:51 PM on May 17, 2007
Susie is almost certainly a publicity stunt, but the problem she brings to light is pretty darn serious.
posted by ilsa at 5:51 PM on May 17, 2007
If somebody wants to raise my taxes to provide universal health insurance they better damn well be paying them too.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:21 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:21 PM on May 17, 2007
General Motors, hoping to trim some of their medical expenses, has just contributed $50 million to Susie's campaign, by giving it to individual employess who each give her the statutory maximum amount. (oops, I wasn't supposed to say that last part)
posted by caddis at 7:43 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by caddis at 7:43 PM on May 17, 2007
...and we picked up BC/BS for $75/month for each kid.
Man...I would kill to get a great price like that. We (family of 4) have had to purchase our own insurance for the past year-and-a-half. All we could get was an insanely-high-deductible plan ($4000 family) with no co-pays (you pay the full, adjudicated provider cost) Minimal prescription coverage. No dental, of course. We had to have vision (we all wear glasses) The cost? Just a tick under $800/month.
And then, at the yearly renewal, we were hit with a 27% rate increase. We had used the policy a total of 5 times over the year for minor issues. It didn't cost the insurer a red cent. Of course, they had an option...we could keep our rates at close to the old level, if we took an even higher deductible.
What a great scam. Just keep raising the deductibles and rake-in the profits.
My big fear is that any "market-based" healthcare solution is simply going to allow the insurers to keep on doing business-as-usual like this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:49 AM on May 18, 2007
Man...I would kill to get a great price like that. We (family of 4) have had to purchase our own insurance for the past year-and-a-half. All we could get was an insanely-high-deductible plan ($4000 family) with no co-pays (you pay the full, adjudicated provider cost) Minimal prescription coverage. No dental, of course. We had to have vision (we all wear glasses) The cost? Just a tick under $800/month.
And then, at the yearly renewal, we were hit with a 27% rate increase. We had used the policy a total of 5 times over the year for minor issues. It didn't cost the insurer a red cent. Of course, they had an option...we could keep our rates at close to the old level, if we took an even higher deductible.
What a great scam. Just keep raising the deductibles and rake-in the profits.
My big fear is that any "market-based" healthcare solution is simply going to allow the insurers to keep on doing business-as-usual like this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:49 AM on May 18, 2007
What?
I think this country has a National Health Service?!!?
posted by dash_slot- at 10:23 AM on May 18, 2007
I think this country has a National Health Service?!!?
posted by dash_slot- at 10:23 AM on May 18, 2007
Thorzdad: Ouch. And seriously, I hear you. I hate insurance companies; they aren't in this to keep us healthy, they're in it to make money. Which is why I'm not all about getting universal/affordable health insurance, I'd be more interested in seeing something done about affordable health care. Too many people seem to equate the two, and it's not the same thing at all. Seems to me like "universal health insurance" is a nice red herring to throw out there to keep people from thinking about the real issue.
posted by jennaratrix at 12:49 PM on May 18, 2007
posted by jennaratrix at 12:49 PM on May 18, 2007
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Too bad Susie needs to re-write the Constitution, but if she could manage it, I'd vote for her. I certainly believe a ten year old could do the job better than the current citizen holding the office...
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:12 PM on May 17, 2007