For telecommunications companies to take what used to be public tubes, and twist them into private corporate piggy banks, You need traitorous turncoats like Henry Waxman to sell us out. I would say, fuck you Waxman, but Indeed, he’s already fucked us all.

An early, friendly nod to biogenerics from a surprising source.

One final longshot chance to have the state single-payer waiver amendment restored to the House bill.

Statement released this morning from the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee

Anthony Weiner (D-NY) is offering a symbolic amendment in the House Energy and Commerce Committee health reform markup, swapping single-payer for the bill’s hybrid public/private system. At least 10 progressives on the committee should support the amendment in preparation for future struggles.

A look at Obama and the Congress’ efforts on climate change policy and the current ACES bill

In the House, health care reform is being covered by three committees. One, chaired by George Miller, held the first (!) hearing on single payer since John Conyers first introduced HR 676 in 2003. Listen to Conyers lean on Charlie Rangel and Henry Waxman, who chair the other two committees. (And you thought he only did the “sternly worded admonition” thing with Republicans.)

Republicans on Waxman’s House Oversight and Government Reform committee have been complaining about the need to investigate how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac caused the collapse of the Housing market. Today is the promised hearing. I predict it will come close, if not set a record, for Republican bloviating.

Three hearings today, all at the same time. Instead of watching Soros testify, I’m going to start with the Senate Banking hearing on Oversight of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act: Examining Financial Institution Use of Funding Under the Capital Purchase Program.

When the EESA (aka the Wall Street bailout) was passed, I complained that oversight is not accountability. So far it looks like I was wrong – oversight is not even oversight. Today’s hearing with representatives of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo Bank and Goldman Sachs could be interesting.

From the AP this morning: “Wall Street’s three big credit-rating agencies are under scrutiny in Congress for their actions before the financial crisis gripped global markets.”