30.Oct.2025, THURSDAY 6:30pm at The Hangar

We gather again this Thursday, 23 Oct 2025 at 6:30pm at:
The Hangar Restaurant
on the second floor (there is an elevator in addition to stairs)
540 1st St S
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
https://www.thehangarstpete.com/

When we meet on Thursday, the government shutdown, if still continuing, will be on its 30th day. The main sticking point is that Dems want the subsidies for "Obamacare" premiums to be extended, and Repubs say that they'll consider this only after reopening the government.
SO... I had Gemini (Google's AI) provide a 10-bullet summary of the history of the Affordable Care Act as stated in Wikipedia, since many do not realize that it is based on ideas that came from conservatives:

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) followed numerous failed attempts at major insurance reforms, with health care being a significant factor in multiple elections.
• The concept of an individual mandate, a core component of the ACA, dates back to 1989, proposed by The Heritage Foundation as an alternative to single-payer health care.
• Conservative economists and Republican senators initially championed the individual mandate as a market-based approach to healthcare reform, emphasizing individual responsibility and addressing "free rider problems."
• President Bill Clinton's 1993 healthcare reform bill, which included an employer mandate, ultimately failed, leading to the enactment of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997.
• The 1993 Republican Health Equity and Access Reform Today (HEART) Act also contained an individual mandate with a penalty for noncompliance and subsidies.
• Massachusetts, under Republican Governor Mitt Romney, enacted a state-level insurance expansion bill in 2006 that included both an individual mandate and an insurance exchange.
• The Healthy Americans Act, introduced in 2007 by Republican Senator Bob Bennett and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, featured an individual mandate and state-based, regulated insurance markets.
• Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, was a driving force behind Obama's healthcare reform, advocating for an affordable and effective approach based on cost analysis.
• The healthcare debate from 2008-2010 saw Hillary Clinton propose a plan with an individual mandate, while Barack Obama's plan offered subsidies without a mandate.
• The ACA was ultimately passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, with all Democrats and two independents voting for it, and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.

So, as Paul Harvey used to say, "And now you know the rest of the story". Meanwhile, the GOP has provided zero health care plan.

NOTE: Now that the weather is getting better, we will be OUTSIDE on the balcony. It is OK to have dogs out on the balcony. The main manager, Rue, told me it is fine to bring your dog through the restaurant as long as you are heading directly to or from the outdoor balcony.

If you show up and can't find us, just ask at the staff where the St Pete Drinking Liberally group is seated :)

Please note that several "regulars" show up most weeks, and therefore do not RSVP. Don't worry if you are new and only see a few RSVPs if you look at Meetup :) Anyone is welcome (as long as they are civil), and we talk about pretty much ANYthing -- some of which is political and plenty that is just life in general :)
~ Joe & Shirley