Friday, March 12, 2010

Nancy Pelosi: Artists, Health Care, and Day Jobs

Last night, Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow to imagine an economy that allows artists to express themselves and entrepreneurs to take risks without having to worry about keeping their day jobs in order to have health care benefits.

Transcript

NANCY PELOSI: Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance or that people could start a business and be entrepreneurial and take risk, but not job loss because of a child with asthma or someone in the family is bipolar—you name it, any condition—is job locking.

Good grief. Pelosi is nuts.

And how would we fund this?

Who will pay so that artists and entrepreneurs don't have to take responsibility for their well-being?

The American who goes to work everyday and pays a ton of taxes.

Yeah, imagine an economy like that.

I think such an economy would encourage everyone to take up painting or writing poems and chuck their day jobs. Why work?

So the economy would come to a screeching halt, but there would be a lot of crappy art to see and bad poetry to read.

Utopia!

13 comments:

Supergranny said...

I love this..wow, I can't wait! I've always wanted to try to paint...does that mean I can quit my job and you'll pay my health ins premium? Did I get that right?

I want to include your blog link in my blog...is that ok?

Mary said...

Sure, thanks!

Yes, Pelosi wants you to get in touch with your artistic side and not worry about your day job.

Pelosi-nomics. What a joke!

nyp said...

You appear not to understand what Nancy Pelosi was saying. As Jon Chait has noted, her point was that the goal of health reform is to "make it possible for people who want to work for themselves or start a business but can't because they need employer-sponsored health insurance. Creating a functional individual market with affordable rates for people with preexisting conditions would allow them to make career decisions based on economic criteria, not medical criteria."
That sounds to me like a worthy policy goal.

Mary said...

No, I didn't miss the point.

I understand Pelosi's point about feeling locked into a job because of the health insurance benefits.

The fact that she used the word "economy" was weird. She drifted off into terrority that was beyond staying in a job for insurance reasons.

Unknown said...

Help this artist you selfish Republicans...

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1027360/woman-aims-to-become-worlds-fattest

jay said...

For my business i need a fork truck, air compressor, desk, computer, files and healt Insurance, as well as good paying customers that pay on time. . Why should the Gov't only pay for my health Insurance. They should set me up and if I fail, they must have not helped me enough. Pelosi your idea is ridiculous!

K. Henderson Fine Art said...

Damn! I'm an artist and I pay for my family's helath insurance out of my own pocket. And now I'm told that the government will take care of me. What a fool I've been all these years

Unknown said...

this is just irresponsible on the part of Pelosi, my god, how many handouts can we give in this country, are we gonna start paying people's rent next?

Unknown said...

You all listen to Limbaugh too much. Think for yourselves a little.

The point is protecting those who aren't the top financial "winners" from enslavement by corporate entities.

Honestly, are you all going to look me in the eye and say everyone is getting what they deserve out of our current system ? The wealthy take what they want and the rest of us must serve them and hope to survive till retirement.

This allows people some small degree of freedom to do something other than bow to the whims of their employers, because without their health plan they'll be ruined.

You have been brain washed to see anything done for the public good as socialism. Not true.

Unknown said...

You all listen to too much Limbaugh's one sided commentary.

I can see that you enjoy the dictatorship from the right so much,...you fear the left.

Corporate greed is good. Aiding the common good is bad.

Be afraid. Don't think.

Kyle Kershner said...

I’d rather pay an artist’s health insurance than an illegal’s.

Brett said...

I don't know why you people are so upset? Don't you think it's great that a group of 26 year old men who live in their mothers' basements can quit their jobs to focus more on their polka-tronic barbershop quartet?

Or what about the "edgy" guy who wants to defecate on pictures of George Bush and roll in the filth all for the sake of "art"? I think it's great we'll be paying for his pink eye meds and rash creams!

I've already told my sister to get a second job so she can pay for my hernia operation. What can I say? Delivering Michael Moore's pies is quite a workout!

Anonymous said...

You mean I can now quit my job and follow my dream of being an artist and the govt will pay my health care??? Now I can stay home, smoke pot and be creative! Hot dog I love America! That's what is going to happen to America!!!