AFL-CIO President John Sweeney is calling on lawmakers to enact a national health care system.
Sweeney said that if he were President Bush, he would raise the topic next week during the State of the Union speech.
"I'd challenge Congress to quit stalling and pass universal health coverage this year so our workers can live secure lives and our corporations can compete in the global marketplace," Sweeney said Wednesday during a speech at the National Press Club.
Bush probably will not issue any such challenge, but "we do expect more from our elected leaders in Congress, and we're going to demand it," Sweeney said. "We also know we have to expect more and demand more from ourselves. And we know that to change the course of our country, we not only have to think outside the box of corporate control our nation has been trapped in, we have to get rid of the box."
Sweeney described the successful effort to persuade Maryland lawmakers to overturn their governor's veto of a "fair share" health bill as the "first crisp punch" in the health care fight.
