by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Surprising no-one, Blue Cross is emerging as the biggest impediment to health care reform legislation in California. They are transitioning from simple anti-reform rhetoric to full on campaign mode. Blue Cross is playing concern troll. Just check out this language from an upcoming print ad.

"Unintended consequences do happen," the new ad says. "Other states have tried healthcare reforms like 'guaranteed issue' that sounded good. They now have the highest premiums in the country while California has the lowest. Sound familiar? Remember how the rash deregulation of the energy market in California spawned power outages and soaring rates? Let's not go there again."

They are intentionally sowing fear in an attempt to keep the legislature from doing anything to spoil their profit making machine. Salladay rightly points out that the comparisons to energy deregulation are not apt. The deregulation was pushed forward without Capitol insiders really understanding the issue. That is not the case with health care. People are extremely well-informed on the issue and there is a bevy of data to dig into.

by dday [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

I am fairly surprised that more has not been made in the blogosphere of the unwelcome news that Chevron is doing everything it can to buy off the California Democratic Party and some of its top legislators.  Outside of this small item in The Oil Drum, pretty much nobody has said a word about the fact that the CDP accepted a $50,000 check from a company that is attempting to artificially depress capacity and manipulate the energy market in a way that is shockingly similar to how Enron made themselves a fortune during the 2000-2001 energy crisis.  You can read the details here.

As a delegate to this party, I feel personally tainted by this donation.  I feel like there is a concerted effort to buy my silence.  It will not work, and I want to outline why I am respectfully asking this party, of which I am a member and to which I pay dues, to return the money.