Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee is ready -- having gotten approval from a federal court -- to cut over 300,000 people off of Tenncare, Tennnee's health care safety net for the poor.

These cuts include over 30,000 people with "severe and pesistent mental illness."

There is no place for these people to turn for help. Tenncare has been THE safety net for the poor. Tennessee didn't bother building public hospitals and clinics since Tenncare would take care of the poor. Quite literally -- people will die because of these cuts!

Bredesen is getting a free ride from the DNC and the news media because Bredesen is a democrat. While attacking Bush for his planned Social Security cuts -- and he should be attacked for such a sadistic and underhanded scheme -- the DNC says nothing at all about Bredesen.

There have been demonstrations in Tennessee. There have even been clergy hunger strikes in Tennessee. But no help from the "liberals" in the other 49 states.

We must have consistency and credibility if we're going to stop the right-wing takeover of this country.

Read about it:
http://www.tennessean.com/government/tenncare/archives/05/03/68170253.shtml?Element_ID=68170253

When tenncare was created there were some loopholes left open which others used which has led to the escalation of bankruptcy.

Businesses who did not want to offer healthcare for their employees were allowed to have these people to enroll in tenncare. SO many simply did not try to offer healthcare or dropped what they had.

And

With the influx of illegal immigrants from mexico almost all of them enrolled in tenncare or they go to the emergency rooms for all of their and their childrens health issues. This seems humanitarian in nature but its the taxpayers who end up paying all the costs. And just between you and me I've worked with many mexican illegal / legal workers. Most are good people. And after being her for several years and learning a good construction trade many / most moved up in pay to the same as natural born americans, 12 - 25 dollars an hour. Truth as a TN resident. Yet most still want the free health care of an emergency room.

Its a matter of numbers.