Even though it has been almost a year since health care reform was passed, the concerned industry groups are still donating millions to members of Congress.

In case you were worried that the new health care law, the so-called “government takeover of health care,” was going to hurt the profits of the completely unnecessary private health insurance middlemen, don’t be.

David Brooks, struggles in vain to explain the consequences the Affordable Care Act and what could replace it if Republicans succeed in repealing it outright. It is beyond his grasp.

One of the favorite choices of the wingnuts for actual legislation has always been ‘tort reform’. It was their hue and cry to get out of making health care productive for most citizens, even though it is not an area subject to federal legislation.

In Texas where there has been extensive tort reform, conditions have been created that are ideal for incompetence and outright fraud. One area that has seen a true disaster is in emergency room care. Under conditions that may include extreme stress, mistakes can occur but the patient maimed for life cannot count on any compensation for those mistakes.

There are lots of things Congress could have done and might still do to fix the problems and improve the benefits of the law. Just google, e.g., “Firedoglake, Jon Walker, health reform.” These measures would actually improve health care, expand and improve coverage, or reduce its costs. But nothing, absolutely nothing the Republicans are proposing would improve health care in America.

I still can’t quite wrap my head around it the fact that Obama thought it was a good idea, in midst of 9.6% unemployment, and on the day after the census bureau announces that 1 in 7 Americans are living in poverty, to show up at the gated Connecticut mansion of a guy named Rich Richman and tell a privileged few at a private $30,000 a plate fundraiser that people who see their glass “half empty” are pessimists and that the health care bill represents “the most productive, progressive legislative session in at least a generation.”

Ahhh, the power of the Democrats! To all of you who said that Dems couldn’t get anything done, to all of you that said Congressional Democrats couldn’t find the President’s desk with a map, a flashlight, and guided tour from Desirée Rogers, to all of you that said this White House did not know how to play political hardball, I say: Behold!

A big part of the final push for this health care reform effort is focused on how terrible the private insurance companies are. On the White House blog, communications director Dan Pfeiffer is attacking the huge premium increases and monopoly power of some private insurers. HCAN is doing a “mass citizens’ arrest of the insurance companies.” On the stump, President Obama is hitting the terrible practices of the private insurance corporations hard. . . .

Does Obama have what it takes to reinstate banking regulations?

Senate Democrats don’t care if the Teacher Tax doesn’t translate into higher wages. They get their increased revenues even if American workers don’t get higher wages.