On Dec. 18, a marathon reading of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 767-page, single-payer healthcare bill was held at Union Square. Senate Republicans had called for the reading of the full bill, estimated to take 10 hours, as Congress’s recess deadline loomed, forcing the Vermont senator to withdraw it. “We’ll read every page of this bill in public space, to tell Congress that we will keep fighting for single payer,” said Michael O’Neil, a local Green Party organizer. On Dec. 24, the Senate passed a healthcare reform bill, “much weaker than we’d like to see,” Sanders noted. To win the socialist senator’s support, the legislation includes $10 billion for primary healthcare for an additional 25 million Americans.


Villager photo by J.B. Nicholas