With Labor Day just around the corner and only six days left of Congressional recess, Locals across the country are gearing up for a busy weekend. But, amidst the upcoming celebrations, SEIU members are still working hard for health care reform.

OHIO: SEIU nurse Barb Montgomery joined the Organizing for America Health Insurance Reform Now bus tour during its stop in Columbus, OH on Monday, where over 2,000 activists rallied and paid tribute to Senator Kennedy's legacy on health care reform. At the event, Montgomery shared both her own story and that of family members and friends, further illustrating why Americans need health insurance reform.

RHODE ISLAND: Rep. Jim Langevin joined doctors, nurses and health care workers at Rhode Island's Women and Infants Hospital (the only maternity hospital in the state!) as they signed scrubs with their message to Congress: we need health insurance for all Americans. The event was covered on a variety of blogs, including a great post on Rhode Island's Future.

MAINE: At an an event organized by SEIU Maine Change that Works, AFSCME, the Maine People's Alliance and Organizing for America, a passionate group of healthcare activists delivered more than 35,000 letters, postcards, emails, and online petitions from all over the state to urge Senator Olympia Snowe to stand up for quality, affordable healthcare for every man, woman and child. Senator Snowe was not the only one who heard our message--the front page of the Bangor Daily News the next day featured a front page story with pictures of our activists and the headline "Health care reform fans blitz Snowe with 35,000 messages." Read more.

FLORIDA: More than 1,200 people from across Florida gathered on Saturday to help jump-start the reform debate. "There's a Washington debate, but now people in Orlando can get involved," said SEIU Healthcare Florida president Monica Russo. Community members, people of faith, retirees, union members and healthcare workers arrived in buses and cars from Tallahassee, Tampa Bay, Miami, Broward County, Jacksonville and Palm Beach to pack a gym in downtown Orlando sending a message to Congress: healthcare reform can't wait! Central Florida's 7th, 8th, 24th congressional districts together have 403,000 people without health insurance. Watch video.

CALIFORNIA: In Los Angeles, SEIU United Long-Term Care Workers (ULTCW) has scheduled a free screening of Michael Moore's movie Sicko, followed by a panel discussion with health care professionals and special guests. After the event, attendees will also be able to engage in a variety of actions, like calling elected officials and taping their own personal health care story, in support of health care reform. More details here.

On a related note....don't forget to vote for your favorite video of Congress members at town hall meetings debunking the lies and refocusing discussions about healthcare reform. Vote here.

This Wednesday, about 50 Mainers gathered outside of Senator Snowe's Bangor office to deliver the message: Maine can no longer wait for heath insurance reform. With them, our activists brought over 35,000 letters, postcards, emails, and online petitions from all over the state, urging Senator Snowe to pass health insurance legislation as soon as possible. By delivering these letters, our supporters and activists are sharing what many Mainers already know: delaying health insurance reform means higher costs and less coverage for our families. The crushing cost of our current health insurance system makes it impossible to strengthen our economy. With families and small businesses struggling to make ends meet because of the enormous burden of medical bills, we cannot afford to wait another day for the reform that we need.

Mainers from all walks of life, regions and ideology came together in Portland on Saturday morning to rally in support of health care reform. "Today is an historic day," former State Senate President Beth Edmonds told more than 600 who filled Monument Square. "We are part of the biggest rally for health care reform in Maine's history, and we have a once in a lifetime opportunity for real health care reform. Make no mistake -- health care reform is coming and Maine is leading the charge!"

The Monument Square event comes at the end of a monumental week for health care reform in Washington, DC. During the week, the House of Representatives Ways & Means and Education & Labor Committees concluded their markup of health care reform legislation, joining the Senate HELP Committee in proving that comprehensive reform is both fiscally responsible and legislatively achievable this year.

A historic day for the cause of reform, in addition to personal health care stories there were performances by Peter Alexander of Begging for Change, Maine's own campaign to show the amount of people forced to ask their neighbors for help due to the high cost of inadequate, overpriced coverage. Chris Mayo was another singer-songwriter to lend his support to the cause of reform.

The momentum in Washington was felt by many in the large crowd. Greg Douglas, of Harpswell, who was seriously injured in a car accident and, despite having insurance racked up over $165,000 in medical bills said now is the time for Congress to pass meaningful health care reform. "I'm here to help make sure every American has quality affordable health care and judging by the crowd here today, it's going to happen."

"Every day in Maine, families see their health plan benefits erode because they can't keep up with higher premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Every day in Maine, people decide to skip a doctor's visit and the medication and treatment that they know they need because they can't afford treatment. Today, we need to provide Mainers with affordable health care, including a public option, in order to get our economy on track and our people the treatment they deserve," said Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree (D-North Haven).

Read more about Senator Snowe's Support of a public plan option here

Nearly 46 million Americans are without health insurance, with numbers growing at a rate of 14,000 per day. In Maine, 288,000 residents will spend more than 10% of their pre-tax family income on health care costs in 2009. In a state where one provider controls 71 percent of the health insurance market, average family premiums in Maine increased 105 percent since 2000,while median earnings increased by just 17 percent between 2000-2007.

"Our society cannot remain competitive in the world's market place unless we bring health care costs under control. It is the single biggest threat to the security of our nation. When it comes to health costs, we all have common interests at stake. The stars are aligned. We cannot afford to fail," said State Senator Peter Mills, R-Cornville.

View more photos from the event on our Flickr page here

Video courtesy of Whitenoiseinsanity.com

Sponsored by: SEIU Change that Works - Health Care for America Now!
Maine People's Alliance - AFSCME -- MSEA / SEIU 1989 - The League of Young Voters - Organizing for America - MoveOn.org

Last week, a flurry of publicity heralded Maine as one of the leading health care reform campaigns in the country. From New York to Los Angeles, the stories and concerns of every day Mainers demanding health care reform are being heard.

Watch Video of New Coverage Here:

Stories like those of Greg Douglas, a carpenter from Harpswell who, after surviving a catastrophic car wreck that smashed his ribs and collarbone, was forced to pay over $165,000 in medical bills. The experience inspired Greg to fight for the quality, affordable health care that would have saved him from years of medical debt he has under our current system. From the LA times:

He said he was drawn into political advocacy after neighbors in Harpswell, Maine, raised $3,000 toward his hospital bills with a church dinner and collection cans in stores.

Douglas said he may not understand the intricacies of President Barack Obama's top domestic priority, but he knows he wants affordable health care for everyone, so nobody has to beg.

"People aren't standing up to be counted," Douglas said, explaining why he allowed his name to be used in a political YouTube video. "I just hope I can help somebody else.

Across the country the voices of our activists are also being heard. An article in the New York Times featured many of our activists speaking out their support for a strong public health plan option. Activists like Keith Brown and Lisa McSwain:

"So many people are being priced out of the private market," said Lisa McSwain, who runs a steeple restoration company in Edgecomb. "In my community, where so many people are self-employed, everyone wants a public option." ...

Keith Brown, who owns a small engineering firm in Washburn and attended the rally in Presque Isle, said he had written Ms. Snowe urging her not to allow a watered-down version of a public option.

"Typically I wouldn't bother to speak out on something like this," said Mr. Brown, who said he paid about $15,000 a year in premiums and deductibles. "My fear is that even if the public option passes, it will be altered to the point where it would leave out people like me that are trying to make a living."

From our ralliesagainst rising medical costs perpetuated by the profits of big business insurance, to our video featuring the hard working families forced to 'beg for change' because of a lack of affordable insurance, our activists are bringing to light what many of us have known all along: that our health care system is broken, and Maine's citizens are the ones that suffer for it. Pastor Bozeman of Augusta explained his support of health care reform that involves a strong public health plan option to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network:

Pastor Bozeman, of the South Parish Congregational Church in Augusta, says health insurance is beyond the reach of nearly 120,000 Mainers, largely because insurance company practices are fundamentally unfair. Bozeman says the scriptures demand more from a society that seems to recognize health care only for those lucky enough to be able to afford it.

"Whenever I personally am confronted with someone in our town who is going through a tough time and needs a hand, I often wonder as I look into their eyes and meet their gaze if it isn't Jesus himself looking back at me, testing me, to see how I treat the least of these who are members of his family," Bozeman said.

Coverage in the Portland Press Herald, the Morning Sentinel, the Kennebec Journal, and the Bangor Daily News emphasize both the enthusiasm of reform's supporters, as well as Maine's importance in the upcoming health care reform plan. With your help, we can continue to make a difference in historic fight for a health care plan that provides a quality, affordable option for all.

Are you a small business owner in Maine? Do your part by signing our health care pledge here: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/MESmBizPledge

View more pictures of our Anthem protests here: http://picasaweb.google.com/farkas424/MainersAreDyingForHealthCare#

Here in Maine, we want to remind our Senators of the human cost of our health care system. According to the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, employers' health care costs will increase by 9 percent next year. That means more American businesses struggling to compete and stay viable. And it means even higher premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for working families.

At Change that Works, we're highlighting the stories of the men and women forced to reach out to their neighbors to cover the costs of expensive medical procedures that are either not covered, or are inadequately covered by their current insurance. And thanks to Maine Public Broadcasting Network, our message is being heard:

"Sometimes I think we forget the humanity behind the cans, that each one of those cans is a human being," says Greg Howard, Maine spokesman for the Change that Works campaign from the Service Employees International Union. The group set up a display of collection jars in Portland.

They'll be collecting more photographs of posters and collection jars to send to the state's Congressional delegation, and to help underscore the need for a public option. "We thought it was important to point these people out and to try to give them a voice that their cans scream every single day in convenience stores, but some don't seem to hear," Howard says.

The rising cost of health care is a crushing burden on the hardworking families of Maine, and all across America. Last year, more than half of Americans postponed medical care or skipped their medications because they couldn't afford it. But what if you are the parents of a sick child that needs medical care? Then, like her parents, you could be forced to ask for help to ease the enormous financial burden of her health care:

"She's been receiving chemo since she was three months old," says Sadie Bowden of Canaan, aunt to one-year-old Faylynn McEwen, who has a brain tumor.

Insurance is covering hospital stays and a nurse comes to the home once a week. But Bowden says the parents have been relying on fundraisers like the concert she organized to help pay for things like long drives to the hospital in Bangor.

But the $8,000-plus in donations does not make up for the fact that both parents had to leave their jobs to provide home care. "Honestly, with the fundraisers we've been doing, we're raising money but it's not a ton of money. It's helping them basically pay their bills while they're at home taking care of her," Bowden says.

Until we reform our broken system, stories like Faylynn's will continue to remind us of how far we have to go before our system provides quality, affordable coverage to everyone who deserves it.

An important part of reforming our heath care system so it works for everyone is providing a public health care plan option, for those who are unable to afford private insurance coverage. Although the MPBN story cites a report by the Lewin Group stating that a public plan option would siphon 119 million people off of private insurance, a FactCheck report by Newsweek refutes this claim as misleading and untrue:

That's misleading. The 119 million figure comes from an analysis of a plan that would mirror Medicare and be open to every individual and business that wanted it. But that's not the type of public plan President Obama has proposed. Nor is such a plan gaining acceptance on Capitol Hill.

The author of the study says that while some have backed the Medicare-like proposal, using the 119 million number "overstates the impact of what now is being considered."

A public plan would provide support for those people who are unable to afford private coverage. The people of Maine should not be forced to ask their neighbors for help in order to pay their health care bills. There are faces behind these cans: let's stop begging for change, and start focusing on real reform.

View more photos of Mainers 'Begging for Change' and send in your own pictures by emailing healthcarecans@gmail.com

Send in your pictures to: healthcarecans@gmail.com

The Maine Change That Works campaign today launched "Begging for Change," a multimedia effort to highlight Maine families' urgent need for comprehensive health care reform that includes an affordable public health insurance option.

Throughout Maine, cans or jars with messages asking for spare change to help a local family facing a health care catastrophe are commonplace at neighborhood convenience stores and gas stations. Mainers also regularly see fliers promoting yard sales, community suppers or other events to raise money for a Maine family that has been devastated by medical bills.

"Please support a health plan that is the equivalent of yours--it's only fair. It should allow me to choose my own doctor, it should emphasize preventative care and it should cover everyone," Roxanna of York Harbor wrote to one member of Maine's congressional delegation. "I urge you to support legislation to provide health coverage for all. Allow your constituents to choose from a menu of public or private coverage. Don't fail your fellow Mainers--imagine what it must be like for them," Dorothy, also from York Harbor wrote to another member of the state's delegation.

"Nothing could more vividly illustrate the need for health care reform than when members of our community face such staggering health care costs that they must ask their neighbors for financial assistance," said Dr. Wayne Myers, M.D., former Director of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and past President, National Rural Health Association. "It's difficult to overstate how urgent it is for Congress to act to pass legislation that will help Mainers avoid financial ruin when faced with a health care emergency. When you read the messages on these collection cans, you see that these families simply cannot wait."

The "Begging for Change" campaign will collect as many of these images as possible and present them to Maine's members of Congress to underscore the need for immediate action on health care legislation that will help Maine families who cannot pay the costs of a health care crisis on their own.

A public health insurance option would provide Mainers with a choice - keep the insurance they have if they like it or be guaranteed quality, affordable coverage through a public health insurance plan. Such an option is needed to bring down costs, make coverage affordable, encourage private health insurance companies to compete, and guarantee that quality, affordable coverage will be there for people no matter what happens.

"Maine people do not have time to wait for relief from the skyrocketing cost of health care. In this time of economic uncertainty, we need health care coverage to be a sure thing, and that is what the public option brings" said Nicole Witherbee of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. "Every day that we wait, families across our state and our country are forced to delay care and make life-or-death medical decisions, pushing the financial well being of families and the economic viability of our nation into further peril."

* View more photos of Mainers 'Begging for Change' and send in your own pictures by emailing healthcarecans@gmail.com

* You can listen to--and download--the mp3 of Portland musician Peter Alexander's original song, "Begging for Change--The Healthcare Blues."

Lyrics for 'Begging for Change' after the break.

Last week, the Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act billboard kicked off with style in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Covered in an article by Seacoast Online, the purpose of the tour is to urge Senators Snowe and Collins to support the Employee Free Choice Act by showing the real-life workers behind the movement against worker intimidation.

Some of those 'faces' present at the rally on Wednesday in support of the Employee Free Choice Act were Paul O'Connor, President of the Metal Trades Council, and Kirk Miller, President of IFPTE Local 4, the local union of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Said Miller, to Seacoast Online, on why he and his fellow workers support the act:

"At the Shipyard most workers are represented by a union because they not only see the importance of having a voice in the workplace, but because the Navy, to their credit, does not stand in the way of the will of a majority or workers to have a union, if they so choose," said Kirk Miller, President of IFPTE Local 4 at the shipyard. "Sadly, this is not the case in the private sector, where hard working people who want to improve their working conditions are threatened and intimidated by their employers when they show an interest in forming a union."

Just as Maine's Veterans stand in support of the Employee Free Choice Act for what it can do to improve Maine's private sector economy, so do the people who build the ships they fight on. They all understand that a stronger workforce means a stronger middle class, which means a better economy for everyone, and that the ability to organize without intimidation is the first step.

Also present at the rally were two of the campaign's featured 'faces,' E.J. Russell and Cecile Martin, two workers from Maine who have been victims of employee harassment and intimidation while trying to organize unions. Said Paul O'Connor, President of the Metal Trades Council, of the opposition both faced while attempting to form unions:

"Cecille,almost 20 years ago and E.J. just last year. Both of them faced employer opposition, in both cases their employer sought to stop their efforts to form a union and bargain. It is because of stories like these that we are calling on our Congressional Delegation to support the Employee Free Choice Act."

Across the state, hard working Mainers and their families are stepping forward to voice their support for what Maine AFL-CIO president Ed Gorman calls "common sense legislation": the Employee Free Choice Act. By putting reasonable time limits on contract negotiations, and strengthening penalties against employers who attempt to intimidate workers who desire a union, the Employee Free Choice Act will put the power back where it belongs: in the hands of the workers who make our state great.

In addition to the statistics that prove the positive impact increased unionization will have on Maine's economy, stories from workers like Martin and Russell prove the need for increased protection from harassment provided by the Employee Free Choice Act.

Do your part: sign our petition to support the Employee Free Choice Act in Maine today: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/millionforfreech

Last week, the Bangor Daily News published an op-ed by by Susan Mackey Andrews, of Dover-Foxtrot. Andrews is the president of Solutions, a national consulting company that helps states serve young children with developmental disabilities, and also serves on the Health Accountability Team of the Maine Children's Growth Council. Having dedicated her life to helping better conditions for children's health, Andrews is exactly the kind of expert we need to help solve our current health care crisis. And what she says is sobering:

On March 17, I had the honor of representing Maine at the White House Regional Forum on Health Reform at the University of Vermont. The stories I heard from elected officials, physicians, health care executives and regular New Englanders vividly illustrated the depth and breadth of the health care crisis we face today and how it relates to our economic crisis.

The United States doesn't actually have a health care "system." Instead, we have a porous net of public and private programs that falls well short of providing quality, affordable healthcare to all Americans.

What follows is an intelligent, reasoned critique of our current system, with eight primary principles outlined as what Andrews sees as necessary changes that must occur for reform. Just like the campaign for Change that Works, Andrews is advocating for quality, affordable health care for all:

First, it must provide affordable and accessible coverage for all Americans. It is only to the benefit of our society as a whole, and to our economic solvency and advancement, to have healthy citizens.

Second, it must provide benefits that are equal to those available to our members of Congress.

Andrews understands that by providing quality health care to everyone, we will decrease the cost of health care by sharing the burden and increasing preventative care, which will prevent much more costly treatments later on. Andrews also thinks that quality, consistent health care coverage should not depend on your state of employment:

Fourth, employers, workers and government must share the costs associated with comprehensive coverage. Health coverage must be independent from employment in order to work for everyone.

In order to reform our economy, we first need to reform our health care system. Experts like Andrews are an important part of the battle for better health care, but the responsibility extends to all of us. Senator Snowe and Senator Collins need to know that we want reform from the ground up, and that a quality healthcare system is one that serves and protects us all. Andrews ends her article with a plea to join the fight:

The longer we wait to address this crisis the worse it gets; more people lose health care coverage, our costs increase, and the drag on our economy grows. Piecemeal reform will not work; token Band-Aid measures can't provide the combination of quality and cost-effectiveness critical to fixing health care in America.

We are each part of the solution to the national health care crisis. It is time now for each of us to step up, talk about what is important and support Congress and the Obama administration to achieve comprehensive health care reform for our country.

Write a letter to Senator Snowe to support our veterans and say yes to Employee Free Choice

Last week, a group of Maine veterans gathered together in Portland to voice their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. A recent segment on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network highlighted the stories of three of these veterans, and how their experience serving our country convinced them that passing the Employee Free Choice Act is necessary for Maine and for our country.

All three combat veterans, now employed in the U.S. Postal Service, spoke of the difficulty of returning home from war to a job market with uncertain employments, meager benefits, and no security. The lack of benefits and security available in the civilian job market even prompts some to re-enlist in the military. Says combat veteran Sean Kraft:

"After having the safety of the military, knowing that you're going to have food, clothes on your back and a roof over your head, it's really hard to come into the civilian world and you really don't know if you'll have that, and that's why a lot of people end up going right back in."

Meanwhile, Maine veteran Archie Etheridge empathized with those hardworking Maine families struggling every day to make ends meet. While Etheridge returned home from war to a steady job with the postal service, he saw friends and neighbors who weren't so lucky:

"Yeah, quite a few of them I'd say, probably two-thirds. A lot of people from Maine are self-employed and I would call it under-employed, like doing one of two jobs just to make ends meet. To me, I was saying, well, that's kind of strange. I could back to the Post Office like I never left, because the union and all that keeps my job there, so when I come back I just walk back in and start delivering mail again like I never left."

It's not only Maine's veterans that support the Employee Free Choice Act: the Center for American Progress' latest report shows how Maine's economy as a whole would benefit from increased unionization.

• Union workers have higher wages:
Union workers in Maine were on average 8.6% higher than non-union workers with similar jobs. So Maine workers who are employed in a union earn $1.54 more per hour than their non-union counterparts.
• Unionization rewards workers' productivity:

If union coverage rates were 5% higher than they are currently, Maine's newly unionized workers would earn an estimated $77 million more in wages and salaries per year.


• Increased unionization provides increased benefits:

Union workers nationwide are 28.2% more liked to be covered by employee health insurance and 53.9% more likely to have employer-provided pensions than their non-union counterparts.

So support our veterans. Support our workers. Support our economy, and support Maine's future. Write a letter to Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and urge them to support the Employee Free Choice Act today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/veterans4choice

Write a letter to Senator Snowe to support our veterans and say yes to Employee Free Choice

Last week, a group of Maine veterans gathered together in Portland to voice their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. A recent segment on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network highlighted the stories of three of these veterans, and how their experience serving our country convinced them that passing the Employee Free Choice Act is necessary for Maine and for our country.

(Portland, ME)-- Maine citizens today expressed their support for Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and her bi-partisan leadership in sponsoring legislation to reform America's banking system. As the nation works its way out of a deep recession, Senator Snowe has proposed legislation to address some of the most egregious practices of the banks that caused the downturn.

"Senator Snowe has shown true leadership by sponsoring legislation to protect taxpayers and consumers from the people who abused the public trust and their customers. Her initiatives to limit banks that received TARP funds from lobbying Congress, making political donations and reining in the obscene bonuses some banks have paid the people who got us into this mess in the first place, shows that she is putting the interests of the people of Maine and the nation ahead of the 'wizards of Wall Street' who brought us to the brink of disaster," said Kate Brennan with the Maine People's Alliance

On January 6, 2009, Senators Snowe and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the Accountability for Economic Assistance Act, which would require bailed-out firms to report their spending to the Treasury Department on a quarterly basis and that would prohibit them from spending taxpayer dollars on lobbying, political contributions, or to pay for lavish or unnecessary expenses.

"Locally owned banks and credit unions are to be commended for not following the poor example of banks like Bank of America. The current financial situation was caused in part by the less than orthodox practices of big banks that brought the financial system to the brink of disaster. Local banks are largely stable, making loans, and being part of the solution," said Roger Roy, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Business, University of Maine at Fort Kent.

In February, Senator Snowe and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) introduced an amendment to the stimulus bill that would have limited bonuses at bailed-out firms. The law would have been retroactive to 2008, and would have required bailed-out firms to repay any bonuses above $100,000 or face an excise tax of 35 percent on the portion over $100,000. Since the law would have been retroactive to 2008, it would have applied to the $3.6 billion Merrill Lynch paid out in bonuses last December, as well as to $1.6 billion that Bank of America has awarded this year. The Snowe-Wyden amendment would have recovered as much as $3.2 billion from bailed-out firm bonuses. The provision was removed from the stimulus bill in conference committee, allegedly at the behest of the Treasury Department.

On Wednesday, April 29, 2009, "Taxpayer Action" days are being held across the country to call on Bank of America to fire CEO Ken Lewis, commit to real financial reform, eliminate exorbitant fees and predatory lending practices, support the Employee Free Choice Act and provide affordable, quality healthcare for its employees.

In Maine, the top five banks in deposits are Key Bank, TD Banknorth, Bank of America, Bangor Savings Bank and Camden National Bank. Bank of America and Key Bank are the only banks in Maine that would be impacted by either of the initiatives sponsored by Senator Snowe and her colleagues.

"We want Senator Snowe to know that her efforts to protect taxpayers and reform our banking system are truly appreciated. Since being elected, Senator Snowe has shown the ability to reach across the aisle and work with members of both parties to find solutions that address the problems of the people of Maine and the nation. Her effort to hold the big out-of-state banks accountable to the taxpayers is another example of the leadership that the people have come to know and expect of the Senator," Brennan concluded.

The Washington Post recently reported on April 22nd, "Top recipients of federal bailout money spent more than $10 million on political lobbying in the first three months of this year, including aggressive efforts aimed at blocking executive pay limits and tougher financial regulations, according to newly filed disclosure records." During this time, Bank of America spent $660,000 on lobbying and $218,000 on campaign contributions through its political action committee.

The Snowe-Feinstein bill potentially could have prevented:
• The top recipients of federal bailout money from spending more than $10 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2009.
• Bank of America from spending $878,000 on lobbying and campaign contributions in the first quarter of 2009.
• Bank of America from sponsoring "a five day carnival-like affair just outside the Super Bowl stadium" this year.
• Executives at bailed-out firms like AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley from spending thousands of dollars per hour flying on corporate jets.
• Wells Fargo from taking out full page ads in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal in February to recognize its employees.
• Citigroup from sponsoring the Rose Bowl this year.
• Citigroup from paying $400 million for naming rights to the new home of the New York Mets, Citi Field.

The Snowe-Wyden amendment could have prevented or heavily taxed:
• $5.2 billion in Bank of America/Merrill Lynch bonuses
• $165 million in AIG bonuses
• $18.4 billion of Wall Street bonuses (the amendment could have recovered an estimated $3.2 billion through an excise tax )
Snowe and Wyden announced in April that they are reintroducing the provision as a stand-alone bill, but lowering the bonus cap from $100,000 to $25,000. Any bonuses above $25,000 will be taxed at the 35 percent rate, and the cap will be made retroactive to 2008 for all bailed-out firms.

Related links:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042101788.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042101788.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042101788.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042101788.html
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6782719&page=1
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_corporate_jets
http://www.americanbanker.com/article.html?id=20090209MUT5YRRR&queryid=686158679&hitnum=1
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3444571
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aRcdswO7S3m0&refer=us
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123509366925028921.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123741741674677723.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123509366925028921.html
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/mar/18/ron-wyden/aig-bonus-wyden-snowe/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/17/wyden-my-bill-could-have_n_176084.html

Augusta, ME - President Obama's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services has yet to be confirmed by the Senate despite her proven commitment to bipartisanship. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee confirmed Governor Kathleen Sebelius with bipartisan support, but obstructionists are once again playing politics. Maine's families, caught between surging costs for healthcare and an unstable economy, are the real victims of any delay of Governor Sebelius' nomination.

"We strongly applaud our Senator Olympia J. Snowe for her vote in support of Governor Sebelius in the Senate Finance Committee. She has again shown that she puts the needs of the people of Maine and the nation ahead of the partisan mud-wrestling that is business as usual in Washington. It was a vote to help Maine's uninsured, under-insured, small businesses and taxpayers. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for her vote to move this nomination forward," said Dr. Karen Hover, M.D. of Bangor.

Escalating medical costs have taken a large toll on Maine's overstretched budget. In 2007, for example, medical care for children and low-income residents alone comprised nearly 32 percent of all state spending. The New America Foundation discovered Maine's economy lost as much as $413 million because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured in 2007. That equates to $3,600 per uninsured Maine resident. Fixing healthcare is a necessary component of restoring fiscal balance to Maine.
"Maine's working families have been waiting a long time for the Federal Government to address our healthcare crisis. Now that we're so close, this delay in approving Governor Sebelius for HHS is just plain wrong. The 19,000 children right here in Maine without health insurance are at the end of their ropes and shouldn't have to wait any longer. Reining in healthcare costs will dramatically improve our economy, the lives of working Mainers, and future outcomes for our children," said Kids First Coordinator Aymie Walshe.
As some obstructionists in Washington drag their feet on Governor Sebelius' nomination, Americans continue to struggle with substandard care and crushing costs. Families with insurance must pay a 'hidden tax' to cover patients without insurance. A study by the Center for American Progress found families in Maine pay an extra $800 this year on their premiums to provide care for uninsured Mainers. This hidden tax comes at a time when premiums are soaring and wages struggle to keep pace. In fact, between 2001 and 2007, premiums in Maine grew by an astonishing 89.7 percent while wages increased only 16.8 percent according to FamiliesUSA. The individual financial impact of a healthcare system in disarray has long been a leading cause of bankruptcy and foreclosures.
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"As Secretary of HHS, Governor Sebelius will play a central role in comprehensive reform of America's healthcare system. Every day that passes without a leader in this vital role we risk losing critical momentum to develop solutions and begin turning Maine's economy around. We call on Senators Snowe and Collins to support Governor Sebelius' nomination so we can bring relief to Maine families," Dr. Hover concluded.