Its all connected

Nice to see a Senator's home state paper examine one of it's own. In the article, the paper examine's Senator Baucus' campaign contributions, stating that the Senator has recieved 3.2 million in contributions from the health-care industry from January 2003 to through 2008. Since Baucus chairs the Senate Finance committee, he as a huge influence on the health care reform debate. Specifically, he has said that a single-payer option is off the table. He says this because he is in part owned by the very industry

Supporters of national health insurance are even less optimistic, noting how Baucus, President Obama and leaders in Congress won't even consider their proposal, which they believe would have broad public support.

"I can't think of any reason other than fidelity to your donors, to explain why they would keep us out of the debate," says Dr. Young of the physicians group. "Until we get campaign-finance reform, it will be very difficult to do anything to challenge the status quo (in health care), and the status quo had better be challenged, because it's a very bad status quo."