Listening to Democrats on the Sunday talk shows it seems clear that they are actually backing away from the "public option." A Democrat in the Senate said that there never was the votes and there aren't the votes now. I cannot tell you how relieved that makes me. It was literally like a big rock lifted from my heart. If this reform goes through without the public option, then it will truly be the people's voices were heard. It will be amazing that the Democrats have all the power and this historical well liked President, and yet the people's desires will have WON. And this will have happened over the demonizing by Democrat leaders of the American people who dared to protest. Harry Reid recently called us "evilmongers." Pelosi said we carried "swastikas." It's beyond surreal that they thought insulting the American people was going to work. And it didn't.
Keith Hennessey,former Assistant to the U.S. President for Economic Policy and Director of the U.S. National Economic Council, has put together a memorandum that looks at what Obama said at this heath care townhall and debates some points that Obama made at the townhall. I thought it would be informative to go over some key points.
I'm going to try to whittle down some of it for you.
1) THE PRESIDENT: Under the reform we're proposing, if you like your doctor, you can keep you doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.
And yet here is what the CBO said about the House Bill:
CBO: In addition, CBO and the JCT staff estimate that nearly 6 million other people who would be covered by an employment-based plan under current law would not have such coverage under the proposal. That figure includes part-time employees, who coudl receive subsidies via an exchange even though they have an employer's offer of coverage, and about 3 million people who would not have an employer's offer of coverage under the proposal. Firms that would chose not to offer coverage as a resul of the proposal would tend to be smaller employers and those that predominantly employ lower-wage workers-people who would be eligible for subsidies thought exchanges also would not have coverage available though their employers. Whether those changes in coverage would represent the dropping of existing coverage of a lack of offers of new coverage is difficult to determine. (page 5)
So basically Obama is overpromising, and it's simply not true that everyone can keep the health care they like.
2) THE PRESIDENT: You will not be waiting in lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance.
Keith Hennessey: And yet section 3103 of the Senate HELP Committee bill would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority to appoint a Medical Advisory Council that would determine what items and services are "essential" for a "qualified health plan," and by implication, which benefits are not essential. The House bill is parallel but less specific, creating an "independent public/private advisory committee." in which the members are chosen by the government.
So in reality government officials ( or people appointed by them) will determine benefit packages, co-payments and deductibles, premiums, plan expenses, and profits.
If that's not putting the government in charge of your health insurance, I don't know what is.
And pray tell how the President knows there will be no waiting lines?? With 47 million more people suddenly insured, you don't think the lines will be long?
THE PRESIDENT: And finally--this is important--we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies...(later) And I would like to see a mental health component as part of a package that people are covered under, under our plan.
So the government will REQUIRE that all insurance companies cover these things and we are still suppose to believe that the government is not in charge of our health insurance? A little honesty here would be nice.
THE PRESIDENT: ...because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching disease like breast cancer and prostate cancer on the front end. That makes sense, it saves lives; it also saves money-and we need to save money in this health care system.
CBO: Although different types of preventive care have different effects on spending, the evidence suggests that for most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, and not lower, medical speading overall.
In other words, it's fine and good to say we need to catch cancer and other diseases early on, but it's simply not true to claim it will save money. It will not. It will increase the medical spending. Mainly because expanding preventive care for everyone, will cost much more than the few it catches early to save more expensive care.
CBO: Judging the overall effect on medical spending requires analysts to calculate not just the savings from the relatively few individuals who would avoid more expensive treatment later, but also the costs for the many who would make greater use of preventive care.
This is probably the President's biggest falsehood:
THE PRESIDENT: And we will do this without adding to our deficit over the next decade, largely by cutting out the waste and insurance company giveaways in Medicare that aren't making our seniors healthier. (later) First of all, I said I won't sign a bill that adds to the deficit or the national debt. Okay? So this will have to be paid for.
*CBO says the House bill would increase federal deficits by $239 billion over the next ten years.
*CBO says the House bill would increase the deficit in 2019 by 65 billion, meaning the bill fails the President's "10th year test."
*CBO says the House bill would result in increasing deficits beyond 2019, because the ndew spending would grow faster than 8% a year, while offsets would grow only about 5% per years.
*THe House bill would not just slow Medicare growth, but would also raise taxes on high income individuals and small business owners.
THE PRESIDENT: We have AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors.
Simply untrue. The AARP has not endorsed any bill.
THE PRESIDENT: And so I do think it's important for particularly seniors who currently receive Medicare to understand that if we're able to get something right like Medicare, then there should be a little more confidence that maybe the government can have a role-not the dominiat role, but a role-in making sure the people are treated fairly when it comes to insurance.
Keith: But Medicare is fiscally unsustainable. The President already said that in an earlier discussion. So Medicare is not a successful model for a new system, because we can't afford it.
THE PRESIDENT: I don't have to explain to you that nearly 46 million American don't have health insurance coverage today. In the wealthiest nation on Earth, 46 million of our fellow citizesn have not coverage. They are just vulnerable. If something happens, they go bankrupt, or they don't get the care theyneed.
The Truth about those 45.6 million people:
*6.4 million are enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP and just gve the Census taker the wrong answer. This is called the Medicaid undercount.
*Another 4.3 million are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP and have not enrolled. If they need care, the hospital generally enrolls them.
*Another 9.3 million are non-citizens.
*Another 10.1 million have income more than three times the poverty line. They chose not buy insurance
*Leaving about 15.6 million remaining uninsured of whom about 5 million are childless adults.
In a country with 305 million people and only a little over 15 million truly uninsured, I think we can find a way to insure them and require the others to insure themselves without radically changing our healthcare system.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Key Points in Health Care
Friday, August 14, 2009
Will Obama lose American's Trust?
I have always loved Peggy Noonan. I love the way she writes. Needless to say I was a bit saddened and appalled by her being swooned by Pres. Obama. But she writes it as she sees it, and at the time she saw him as uniter, a different kind of politician. She saw him as one who would rise above petty politics and govern fairly.
She, like the rest of us, have learned that he is nothing of that. She has an excellent piece at the WJS on what Americans are feeling on this healthcare bill, and the impression Obama is giving of himself in defending it. We all know that Obama has the votes to cram this bill down our throats, whether we want it or not. Reasonable Democrats may resist, but they may not. So in this one sentence, Peggy illustrates perfectly what happens if this passes:
If he wins it, will be a victory not worth having. It will have cost too much. It has lessened the thing an admired president must have from the people, and that is trust.
And there it is. Whether this bill passes or not, politically, Republicans have won. If it doesn't, then we saved our country from this debacle. If it does, then Obama loses the people's trust, and the next three years will be very difficult. We will probably win back the House and Senate in 2010 and Obama will unlikely win re-election.
Obama has no one to blame but himself for the corner he is backed into now. He allowed the likes of Pelosi to craft a boondoggle bill that far overreached the concerns that many have on health care. Instead of listening to the people, he dismissed them. He ignored those at the townhalls. He allowed those on his side to demonize, not the Republicans, but the American people.
And they won't forget that.
God bless the sane Democrats
It's entirely possible that blue dog Democrats will save us from this horror of a health care bill. And that's not all they may save us from:
Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate should abandon efforts to pass legislation curbing greenhouse-gas emissions this year and concentrate on a narrower bill to require use of renewable energy, four Democratic lawmakers say.
“The problem of doing both of them together is that it becomes too big of a lift,” Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas said in an interview last week. “I see the cap-and-trade being a real problem.”
The resistance by Lincoln and her Senate colleagues undercuts President Barack Obama’s effort to win passage of legislation that would cap carbon dioxide emissions and establish a market for trading pollution allowances, said Peter Molinaro, the head of government affairs for Midland, Michigan- based Dow Chemical Co., which supports the measure.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Score One Fo Palin!
Wow. Right out of the gate in her new role and she SCORES!
The Senate Finance Committee will drop a controversial provision on consultations for end-of-life care from its proposed healthcare bill, its top Republican member said Thursday.
The committee, which has worked on putting together a bipartisan healthcare reform bill, will drop the controversial provision after it was derided by conservatives as "death panels" to encourage euthanasia.
Underestimating her is the left's first mistake.
Big Pharma, Big Lies
Obama is having a bad week. Support for health care reform support has fallen dramatically, and he was caught telling a few lies at his health care townhall, not the least of which was saying that the AARP had endorsed his bill (Gibbs said he "mis-spoke).
Like I said earlier, I think I need only to quote Democrats from now on on health care because so many seem to be getting it. But to imagine that the Huffington Post, of all places, would break this story, is, well...it's just amazing:
A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.
The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.
It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.
In exchange, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) agreed to cut $80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years. Or, as the memo says: "Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion."
Representatives from both the White House and PhRMA, shown the outline, adamantly denied that it reflected reality. PhRMA senior vice president Ken Johnson said that the outline "is simply not accurate." "This memo isn't accurate and does not reflect the agreement with the drug companies," said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin.
And like Ace points out, Big Pharma also agreed to spend $150 million on pro health care reform ads this month. We aren't sure if this is even legal, but we do know that the Obama administration has been lying about this. This was a secret memo, secret transactions, secret deals with Big Pharma. What happened to "transparency?" Please. That was a lie too.
The worst thing to me? Pres. Obama going on and on, claiming he can find additional "savings" in drug spending, when in fact he has already promised a deal with the drug companies to not get a penny more in savings from them.
Does Obama just think that people will shrug off these lies? This is one of the reasons support for health care reform is diminishing. People don't believe you when it's clear that you have been lying to them.
The crazy that is our government right now
I've never seen the left or the msm quite so unhinged as they are now, simply because American citizens have chosen to show up at townhalls and voice their concerns.
First Pelosi said that people at the townhalls were toting Swastikas. The media showed a collage of pics with this big photo of Obama with a Hitler mustache. Turns out that picture came from the Lyndon LaRouche people. If you aren't familiar with LaRouche, he's been bringing the crazy for years now. SNL did skits about him in the mid-80's called "Lyndon LaRouche Theatre." It's also interesting that when the left had huge paper mache heads of Bush as Hitler, the media forgot to be outraged.
Then some guy brings a gun strapped to his hip outside Obama's townhall and the leftwing media goes nuts. Turns out he's a libertarian and the open carry law is one that the citizens of his state like to show off. He is also the one who mangled the quote by Thomas Jefferson about the tree of liberty being watered by the blood of patriots. Suddenly he's our poster boy and the entire opposition movement to the healthcare bill is defined by this guy. At least according to the leftwing looney tunes on the net and MSNBC.
Now the DHS, in order to once again paint all of us as scary and threatening, issued another report about "rightwing extremism," using kook sites that in no way represent the right wing.
The fact that this govt agency is being used in such a political manner is appalling, and over at NRO, they explain it pretty well:
"Under Napolitano's watch, government officials who were supposed to be gathering real intelligence on domestic terror threats were instead surfing the web and reading whacky websites, all to create the public perception of 'rightwing extremism,'" [ALG chairman Bill] Wilson said.
The DHS report warned of allegedly impending domestic terrorist acts by gun owners, pro-life activists, people concerned about states rights, and returning U.S. military veterans. Wilson said the department prepared the report "without any intelligence sources, crime data, or actual evidence of planned attacks or any groups known to be planning attacks, or any groups with histories of perpetrating attacks that are currently conducting any types of operational recruitment, meeting, or planning attacks."
You can read a complete list of the web sites used by DHS here. Prominent among those is the site of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left non-profit based in Mongtomery, Alabama, that for years has seen all kinds of Nazis and KKKers behind every bush in America, but especially those located south of Mason-Dixon Line....
It's one thing for the left to distort, lie, and spin things against us on the right (we expect that), but quite another for our own government to be conspiring against us. First it's flag.gov website where citizens are asked to tattle on other citizens, and now this.
It almost seems that every day I am confronted with a government that sees someone like me, a college educated wife/mom of four children, taxpayer, never broken the law, volunteer and activist and writer, as someone to watch.
It's beyond surreal.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Democrats, this is all on you....
I think from now on I will only quote Democrats on health care reform and Obama, since so many seem to be getting it:
Camille Paglia:
But who would have thought that the sober, deliberative Barack Obama would have nothing to propose but vague and slippery promises -- or that he would so easily cede the leadership clout of the executive branch to a chaotic, rapacious, solipsistic Congress? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom I used to admire for her smooth aplomb under pressure, has clearly gone off the deep end with her bizarre rants about legitimate town-hall protests by American citizens. She is doing grievous damage to the party and should immediately step down.
...................
There is plenty of blame to go around. Obama's aggressive endorsement of a healthcare plan that does not even exist yet, except in five competing, fluctuating drafts, makes Washington seem like Cloud Cuckoo Land. The president is promoting the most colossal, brazen bait-and-switch operation since the Bush administration snookered the country into invading Iraq with apocalyptic visions of mushroom clouds over American cities.
You can keep your doctor; you can keep your insurance, if you're happy with it, Obama keeps assuring us in soothing, lullaby tones. Oh, really? And what if my doctor is not the one appointed by the new government medical boards for ruling on my access to tests and specialists? And what if my insurance company goes belly up because of undercutting by its government-bankrolled competitor? Face it: Virtually all nationalized health systems, neither nourished nor updated by profit-driven private investment, eventually lead to rationing.
I just don't get it. Why the insane rush to pass a bill, any bill, in three weeks? And why such an abject failure by the Obama administration to present the issues to the public in a rational, detailed, informational way? The U.S. is gigantic; many of our states are bigger than whole European nations. The bureaucracy required to institute and manage a nationalized health system here would be Byzantine beyond belief and would vampirically absorb whatever savings Obama thinks could be made. And the transition period would be a nightmare of red tape and mammoth screw-ups, which we can ill afford with a faltering economy.
As with the massive boondoggle of the stimulus package, which Obama foolishly let Congress turn into a pork rut, too much has been attempted all at once; focused, targeted initiatives would, instead, have won wide public support. How is it possible that Democrats, through their own clumsiness and arrogance, have sabotaged healthcare reform yet again? Blaming obstructionist Republicans is nonsensical because Democrats control all three branches of government. It isn't conservative rumors or lies that are stopping healthcare legislation; it's the justifiable alarm of an electorate that has been cut out of the loop and is watching its representatives construct a tangled labyrinth for others but not for themselves. No, the airheads of Congress will keep their own plush healthcare plan -- it's the rest of us guinea pigs who will be thrown to the wolves.
On a side note: Esquire, who endorsed Obama and gushed about him endlessly, seems to be catching on the real Obama.
The Theatre That Is Obama
So far in all the townhalls, I have yet to see any Democrat prove that anyone asking questions was planted there by "Republican operatives."
But it only took Michelle Malkin less than a day to identify all the plants (and there were MANY) in Obama's townhall on healthcare.
The audacity (pun intended).
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It's the Economy Stupid....
Ok, let's take a break from the health care debate. The townhalls seem to working. Gallup: Public support for health care legislation drops from 56% to 35% over past four weeks. I'll take a little comfort in that. Especially since there is no comfort to take in the job numbers. If only we were expending the energy from the healthcare debate, on getting Americans back to work.
You know it's bad when Bob Herbert at the NYT even sees it:
You can put whatever kind of gloss you want on last week’s jobs numbers, but the truth is that while they may have been a bit better than most economists were expecting, they were still bad, bad, bad.
................
The country has lost a crippling 6.7 million jobs since the Great Recession began in December 2007. No one is predicting a recovery in the foreseeable future powerful enough to replace the millions of jobs that have vanished in this historic downturn.
Analysts at the Economic Policy Institute noted that the economy has fewer jobs now than it had in 2000, “even though the labor force has grown by around 12 million workers since then.”
Two issues that absolutely undermine any rosy assessment of last week’s employment report are the swelling ranks of the long-term unemployed and the crushing levels of joblessness among young Americans. More than five million workers — about a third of the unemployed — have been jobless for more than six months. That’s the highest number recorded since accurate records have been kept.
The Obama administration tried to find some silver lining in the jobless rate ticking down 0.1 percent last month, but as Hebert points out, it wasn't because more people found jobs, but because 450,000 people withdrew from the labor market. They stopped looking, so they weren’t counted as unemployed. This isn't something to celebrate.
It's ironic that so many in the black community looked to Obama to finally make things better in the country for them. Since Obama took office more black men are losing jobs than at any time since World War II. While unemployment in general is at 9.4%, for black men age 20 and up the unemployment rate was was 14.5% in June.
Pres. Obama imagines that having some beerfest with his Harvard professor friend and the cop that arrested him, will somehow help with racial issues. Prof. Gates represented the average black man about as much Paris Hilton represents the average nun. It was ridiculous.
There is a real need here in the black community, and it has nothing to do with cops and class. It has to do with jobs.
Everyone is hurting and I just can't believe we are wasting our time and energy on issues that can be dealt with at a later time. We can still talk health care reform next year. We can talk immigration reform next year. We can talk energy and cap and trade next year. They will all still be there. But NOW is the time to focus on jobs, and our government is doing everything but that.
It's bad folks, and if the Obama administration could take a breath and stop trying to create their little liberal utopia in the first year, they might realize that it's important to actually govern and get this economy moving.
A Bold Face Lie
Today in Pres. Obama's townhall, he completely lied. Here is his quote:
"I have not said that I was a single-payer supporter."
You have probably seen the video where he says he indeed supports a single-payer plan.
In this video linked above at a 2003 union conference he clearly says, and I quote EXACTLY, that "I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care plan."
From that speech:
"I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its gross national product on health care, cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that's what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. That's what I’d like to see."
It's one thing to say that he has changed his mind or that his belief has grown or become different. But that isn't what he says. He says "I have not said I was a single-payer supporter."
A bold face lie.
Does Obama just hope that most Americans will believe him and not see this video tape?
Why in the world would he lie?
I think this shows a gross arrogance on his part. That he can say what he wishes now, and not be held accountable for what he has said in the past.
via RedState
Even those on the left are beginning to see the Big Brother in this health care reform
Democrat leaders went ballistic over Sarah Palin's remark about "death panels" regarding the end of life measures in the health reform bill. But many reasonable people on the left are beginning to realize that she was right on the money:
This is the Big Brother nightmare of oppressive government that the shrewd propagandists on the right are always blathering on about. Except that this time, they could not be more right.
As HotAir points out:
The shading in of human particulars is what makes this so unsettling. A doctor guided by a panel of experts who have decided that some treatments are futile will, in subtle ways, advance that point of view. Cass Sunstein calls this "nudging," which he characterizes as using various types of reinforcement techniques to "nudge" people's behavior in one direction or another. An elderly or sick person would be especially vulnerable to the sophisticated nudging of an authority figure like a doctor.
Bad enough for such people who are lucky enough to be supported by family and friends. But what about the dying person who is all alone in the world and who has only the "consultant" to turn to and rely on? The heartlessness of such a scene is chilling.
Even I wondered why so many seniors were showing up at the townhalls from the beginning. They already knew what we are just beginning to learn. In this health care bill, it is the elderly that will pay the highest cost. And I'm not talking about taxes.
Media Caught in Bold Faced Lie About Obama/Hitler Poster
This was twittered last night, and as I was watching it I suddenly realized that my daughter was in it! She is interning in D.C. this summer. You have to look quick to see her, but she is at 1.44 and 2.32 in the video. She is the reporter with long dark hair holding the microphone.
Pretty cool, huh?
I'll be writing more about her internship later!
Keep Getting Angry!
I am a totally peaceful person. I don't lose my temper. I don't yell. I rarely argue, even with my teenagers. But if something were happening in my family that threatened it in some way, you can be assured I would yell my bloody head off.
This is what you are seeing at the townhalls. The left would LIKE for us to be "civil," so the media will stop covering the townhalls. But these people are scared and angry, and justifiably so.
Andy McCarthy at NRO says it best:
Re: Krauthammer's Take [Andy McCarthy]
With due mountains of respect to Dr. K, his suggested approach of "quietly and civilly raising questions," politely pointing out that the numbers don't add up, etc., is exactly how we have come to be stuck with the stimulus, the bailouts, and obscene trillions in budget deficits.
This is not a nice, ivory tower, Oxford debate. This is gut-check time about whether we are going to maintain the bedrock American relationship between the citizen and the state. We are in the battle against ruthless, radical ideologues who have the media and the daunting numbers on their side. On our side, we have the further burden of wavering moderates and in-Washington-too-long types who define success as making a deal — any deal — that they think they can sell as a bipartisan compromise that staved off something extreme (but what in reality would be a sell-out that is 3/4 extreme, with Obama simply coming back in 2010 or 2011 to get the remaining 1/4 ... plus).
If our side's approach lacks passion: (a) the brass-knuckled Rahmbo/Pelosi/Reid leadership will easily succeed in showing the potential Democrat convincables (without whom we cannot win) that they better stay on the team if they know what's good for them, and (b) the GOP moderates and old Washington hands will interpret civility as a greenlight to do the dealing they're dying to do.
I am not, and would not, endorse criminal mob behavior. But exhibitions of anger and spirit when one is justifiably angry and spirited are entirely appropriate. Making clear to a pol who is trying to insult your intelligence that you don't appreciate it is entirely appropriate.
I just don't get the detachment from the real world here. We're not talking trivia here. We're talking about what kind of country we're going to be from here on out. That's something worth getting whipped up about. If we're not whipped up, we lose. If we are whipped up and the Democrats try to use that fact as an excuse to ram this through, then they were going to ram it through anyway.
We are a heavy underdog. To prevail, the needle we have to thread is to convince enough Dems and RINOs that there will be electoral hell to pay if this monstrosity is enacted. That requires an authentic demonstration of fervor. It's unfortunate that some people will go overboard — as happens in any human endeavor — but that's no reason to treat this as if it were an academic exercise. If that's the approach, the game — like the country as we know it — is lost.
This isn't a game. This isn't just an "issue." This is truly about losing what America is all about. It is truly about losing control of our very health and our future. So I encourage any and all passion.
The future depends on it.
Rationing Care - the Government Option
Posted by BigDog
Falling out of Love with Barak Obama
...President Obama's appointee, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who, according to a New York Post op ed article by Betsy McCauley, former Lt. Governor of the State of New York, stated, "Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, 'as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others' (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008)." He also stated, "...communitarianism' should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those 'who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens...An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.' (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96). "
Rationing.
The government deciding who lives and who dies.
Its funny when Leftists try to refute criticism of the health care bill by quoting Obama. The bill itself is evidence as is the long publicly held beliefs of his administration's officials, advisers and associates. Saying 'that's not true because Obama says its not true' doesn't cut the mustard.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Real Hillary
Remember when Hillary was first elected Senator and she dropped the pretty hairdo and makeup? People reacted and she got back on board. It's the same with her personality. She adopted this softer side when campaigning for President. But here the real Hillary, Hillary the feminist, peeks out from behind the mask.
Not a pretty sight, is it?
Compare and Contrast
When the right protests....
When the left protests....
Submitted without comment.
This is why people are scared.....
This man is not a Republican. He says he has voted both ways. Does anyone doubt his sincerity? These are the people protesting. Democrats have a right to oppose us, but stop accusing us of being part of some lobbyist funded protest.
via GatewayPundit
Snake Oil
RealClearPolitics has an excellent article describing how past healthcare measures have always expanded benefits, while cost spiral out of control. This will be what will happen here, but on a much larger scale:
No president has spoken more forcefully about the need to control costs. Failure, he's argued, would expand federal budget deficits, raise out-of-pocket health costs and squeeze take-home pay (more compensation would go to insurance). All true. But Obama's program would do little to reduce costs and would increase spending by expanding subsidized insurance. The House legislation would cut the uninsured by 37 million by 2018, estimates the Congressional Budget Office. The uninsured get care now; with insurance they'd get more.
"You'd be adding a third medical entitlement on top of Medicare and Medicaid," says James Capretta, a top official at the Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2004.
What needs to be done first is to establish cost control.
Congress wouldn't create new benefits until it had disciplined the old.
How is it possible that we are talking about such a radical overhaul in health care when we are looking at Medicaid going broke in 2017? It's like we are ignoring this big elephant in the room. Is it any wonder that so many are having to yell to get people's attention? I've said it before and it bears repeating. In 1965 when Medicaid was established the government said that by 1990 it would cost 9 billion. The actual cost? 66 billion and about to go broke. Now the government is telling us that this health care reform will cost 1 trillion over ten years (which is completely mind boggling). Does ANYONE really believe that that will be the cost of this?
Congress has a nasty habit of passing bills and worrying about the actual costs later.
In addition I found this interesting article by Robert Reich (secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton). Reich loves Obama and loves the idea of universal healthcare, but......
But I'm appalled by the deal the White House has made with the pharmaceutical industry's lobbying arm to buy their support.
Last week, after being reported in the Los Angeles Times, the White House confirmed it has promised Big Pharma that any healthcare legislation will bar the government from using its huge purchasing power to negotiate lower drug prices. That's basically the same deal George W. Bush struck in getting the Medicare drug benefit, and it's proven a bonanza for the drug industry. A continuation will be an even larger bonanza, given all the boomers who will be enrolling in Medicare over the next decade. And it will be a gold mine if the deal extends to Medicaid, which will be expanded under most versions of the healthcare bills now emerging from Congress, and to any public option that might be included. (We don't know how far the deal extends beyond Medicare because its details haven't been made public.)
Let me remind you: Any bonanza for the drug industry means higher healthcare costs for the rest of us, which is one reason why critics of the emerging healthcare plans, including the Congressional Budget Office, are so worried about their failure to adequately stem future healthcare costs.
I find it amusing that so many on the left imagine that it is the right being funded by insurance companies and lobbyists. Why do you think those same people stood by Obama when he got the health care debate started? He made a deal with them. He knew he needed big pharma on his side to pass this boondoggle, and as you can see, they will make out like bandits. Does this make you feel like the American people's best interests are being considered?
Keep all this in mind when you see the onslaught of pro government run healthcare ads soon. It wil big pharma urging you to be on the side of Obamacare. After all, it's in THEIR best interest. Reich's continues:
Big Pharma isn't just supporting universal healthcare. It's also spending lots of money on TV and radio advertising in support. Sunday's New York Times reports that Big Pharma has budgeted $150 million for TV ads promoting universal health insurance, starting this August (that's more money than John McCain spent on TV advertising in last year's presidential campaign), after having already spent a bundle through advocacy groups like Healthy Economies Now and Families USA.
Are we getting this? This isn't some rightwinger telling you these things. This is a former Clinton cabinet secretary who loves Obama.
The truth that so many of you who supported Obama will have to face sooner or later, is that you were sold a bill of goods. He is the finest of snake oil salesmen. And we all know that the snakeoil never works and it never makes us feel better.
Wake up people. The future of your health depends on it.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Listen and Learn
via HotAir.
The caller has a perfect summary who these protesters are. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Call Your Representative
Here is a list of of Representatives in the house. Find yours and call them and tell them to not vote for this health care bill when they come back from vacation.
Nothing could be more important than this. Call now, call later, call often this month.
What the townhalls are proving is that these are not just Republicans showing up to protest.
Keep at it folks, spread the word.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Sarah Palin speaks out on healthcare
From her Facebook page: ( I added my own thoughts re: death panel below)
"As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!
The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.
Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.
Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors.
We must step up and engage in this most crucial debate. Nationalizing our health care system is a point of no return for government interference in the lives of its citizens. If we go down this path, there will be no turning back. Ronald Reagan once wrote, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Let’s stop and think and make our voices heard before it’s too late."
- Sarah Palin
Many say that "death panel" is a gross exaggeration. But I was reading Charles Lane in the WaPo, who at first saw that sort of talk as rubbish, and wondered why Democratic strategists were hesitant to refute these kind of claims because it might agitate already worried seniors.
What he found was that maybe seniors did have a right to be worried. If you try to read through the gobbly gook in the bill regarding end of life care, there are disturbing things. Saying it's a "death panel" is not too strong of a way to describe it. Considering that these end of life counseling sessions are addressed in the measure to "bend the curve" on health care costs, makes it clear that costs will confront the decisions on what kind of care you receive.
As Lane explain , the left may claim that these end of life counseling sessions are voluntary and a patient may refuse them, but as stated in the measure ,the Doctor is paid to initiate these sessions. What patient is going to interrupt a Doctor explaining end of life care for them? How would a patient even know that was what the discussion was, until after it underway? And I must say it does bother me that Doctors will be PAID specifically for having these end of life discussions. In other words, it won't be about you asking these questions. It will be about a Doctor being paid to bring them up.
Then, most disturbing of all, the government controls the "content" of these discussions between Doctor and patient.The doctor is instructed to discuss "advanced care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to"; "an explanation of . . . living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses" and "a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families." The doctor is THEN instructed to explain that Medicare pays for hospice care. As Lane says..."hint, hint."
In other words they want doctors to explain how expensive your care will be, and well, you are old, and do you really what to go through all this expense? After all Medicare picks up the bill for a nice relaxing stay in hospice while you die.
Death panals indeed.
Lane ends with this:
Ideally, the delicate decisions about how to manage life's end would be made in a setting that is neutral in both appearance and fact. Yes, it's good to have a doctor's perspective. But Section 1233 goes beyond facilitating doctor input to preferring it. Indeed, the measure would have an interested party -- the government -- recruit doctors to sell the elderly on living wills, hospice care and their associated providers, professions and organizations. You don't have to be a right-wing wacko to question that approach.
Congressman Copping Out
I got this from HotAir.(the embed may not be working. Click on the Hotair link to watch the video.) It perfectly illustrations a couple of the myths about what is going on in these debates. The first myth: People that are complaining don't live in the Congressman's district. I haven't seen any proof of that. So this Doctor, who DOES in live in the district, gets up to ask a question about healthcare. Afterwards the Congressman accuses "some" in the crowd of "hi-jacking" this forum because they don't live in the district and it wasn't a healthcare forum. But the Doctor asked the question when they gave the audience an opportunity to ask the Congressman anything on their minds. Only two were related to healthcare. 2nd myth: Congressmen are willing to meet with you and discuss this. This Congressman says that the people here didn't have "decency" to call his office to set up a meeting. But the Doctor says that he had called the Congressman many times and was told there would be no forums on healthcare. This forum was the only opportunity the Doctor had to ask his question. Myth three: All people at these forums are Republicans. This Doctor wasn't Republicans and I've seen many of the videos that are not.
I was asked in the comments if I thought that the people on both sides now that show up at these healthcare forums are the fringe elements of both our parties. I do not believe that at all. It's clear from the videos that these are mostly middle age and elderly people very upset about this healtcare bill. Not fringe in the least. I would bet this might be first time they have been at meetings like this. And unless the left considers union members fringe, I don't think the left had their fringe there either.
Now, This is A MUST LISTEN TO. Betsy McCaughey a patient advocate talks to Fred Thompson on radio. She has read the entire bill, and she talks about the parts of the bill that disturb her the most. It's brief. And it really is CRITICAL that you understand what is in the bill. She does a great job of telling us what is in there in language we can all understand. Please take the time to listen.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Townhalls Turn Ugly When Unions Get Involved
I'm bumping my updates from below so everyone can be sure and read them.
The Union is sending out it's minions to the townhalls now. In a memo sent out on Thursday, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney urged supporters to attend townhalls to counter rightwing "tea party patriots". Also, Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, also sent out a similiar missive.
They certainly have a right to do this, and we should welcome any and all debate. But so far the most we have seen is some yelling. But since the Democrat supporters have gotten involved it's gone further than that.
At two healthcare town halls last night, one in Tampa and the other in St. Louis, violence broke out. There were six arrests at the one in St. Louis. Among those allegedly arrested were SEIU members. One black conservative was reportedly beaten up by a union thug and had to be taken to the hospital.
Passions ran high in St. Louis because Congressman Carnahan (D) locked out 1000 tea party people and then snuck in SEIU members through a door marked handicapped. You can't keep people out of the townhalls just because they disagree with you. You can't just let in people that agree with you. You work for ALL the people. When people see that they are being treated unfairly, things turn ugly, and it did.
Here is a photo of one Obama healthcare supporter slapping another against it.
I guess when the White House gave Senate Democrats a battle plan and said "If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard," they didn't realize some would take that literally.
Expect more stories like this. When passions run high, these kinds of things happen and it's too bad. I've been at many protests where people argued loudly and passionately, but violence is never acceptable. Never.
But people are scared. Really scared. Let's hope it doesn't get worse.
Update: On a lighter note, Someone took some pics of "the mob." Too funny
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Heathcare, Seniors, and Taxes
Scroll for Updates! Things get ugly at Townhall meetings!! See below!
Karl Rove has an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal about why things seem to have gone oh so wrong for Obama on health care:
We see this on health-care reform, which the president’s pollsters told him—six months into the debate—he must instead call “health insurance reform,” a phrase he repeated five times in his prime-time news conference and at least 20 times in five days of appearances since.
The problem is many Americans remember Mr. Obama started his health-care push by focusing on covering the uninsured and reducing costs, not knocking insurance companies upside the head.
Public support for his plans shrank when Americans saw the trillion-dollar-plus price tag, recoiled from the intrusive expansion of government into patient-doctor decisions, and came to understand the plan was financed in part by huge cuts in Medicare and large tax increases.
So, after running into heavy opposition among Congressional Democrats and growing public hostility to his plan, Mr. Obama has now recast the debate as an attack on insurance companies, with the president serving as savager-in-chief. This would be more credible if he hadn’t surrounded himself with insurance CEOs and lobbyists when he kicked off his effort in March.
Many of you might remember when I posted about the name change from "health care reform" to "health insurance reform," but I had totally forgotten that Obama had insurance CEO's and lobbyists standing by him as he began this push for health care reform.
I bet those guys are feeling pretty stupid about now.
I also hadn't realized that Obama's plan included large cuts in Medicare. Well, no wonder all these seniors are showing up at all these townhalls. It makes even more sense now. Elderly people understand that when it comes to the rationed care we will be getting with Obamacare, they will be the first to be denied aggressive care. Better to give them "a pain pill," as Obama has said.
Karl also notes how Geithner and Summers refused to rule out middle-class tax increases on the Sunday talk shows, and Gibbs had to do some backtracking:
This dispute pits the economic team against the campaign team. The economic team awakens each day worried about reconciling two irreconcilable realities: The administration’s budget calls for huge, sustained new government spending, which threatens giant budget deficits. Being liberals, the economic team is inclined to raise taxes, not cut spending.
What the economic team realizes is what the rest of Obama's team refuse to admit. They must raise taxes on the middle class to pay for everything. But since Obama promised God and the American people that wouldn't happen, they find themselves between a liberal rock and a hard place.
But as Rove points out, Obama has already broken his pledge not to raise taxes on the middle and lower class:
On Feb. 4, Mr. Obama signed a $33 billion cigarette tax increase, which fell disproportionately on lower- and middle-income individuals. And the “cap and trade” energy bill, approved by the House on June 26, is a tax on anyone who owns a light switch, uses a car key, or has bought anything manufactured, shipped or sold in the U.S.
And of course the health care bill will be paid by the same middle class he promised he wouldn't raise taxes on:
The House version of Mr. Obama’s health-care—excuse me, “health-insurance”—reform already has four taxes that will largely be paid by people making less than $250,000 a year. There’s $8.2 billion in taxes for using health savings accounts and other tax-free medical savings vehicles to purchase over-the-counter drugs. There’s an 8% tax on employers who don’t offer insurance: The Congressional Budget Office says workers in those businesses would pay the $163 billion cost via lost wages.
Many Americans took Obama at his word when he said he wouldn't raise taxes on them. They were sold a bill of goods. Democrats ALWAYS raise taxes. It is what they do.
Obama was elected by campaigning as a moderate. But he is not a moderate and he never was a moderate. He fooled us. It's that simple. And all those people who believed him because he was so charismatic, so cool, so handsome, now understand that those things don't lead a country. They now understand that he is far left and that is not where they want this country to go.
If these dissenting voices were just Republicans, there wouldn't be a problem. Because we are completely out of power now. But it isn't just Republicans and they know it. That is why they are trying to paint it as if it were.
Update I: Here is video from Gene Green's townhall last night. You tell me if you think this is the kind of debate we need to have. I sure do.
Update II: I want to include this post from Hip Hop Republicans. "The Arrogance and Hypocrisy of the "fake protestors" charge."
Update III: The Union is sending out it's minions to the townhalls now. In a memo sent out on Thursday, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney urged supporters to attend townhalls to counter rightwing "tea party patriots". Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, also sent out a similiar missive.
They certainly have a right to do this, and we should welcome any and all debate. But so far the most we have seen is some yelling. But since the Democrat supporters have gotten involved it's gone further than that.
At two healthcare town halls last night, one in Tampa and the other in St. Louis, violence broke out. There were six arrests at the one in St. Louis. Among those allegedly arrested were SEIU members. One black conservative was reportedly beaten up by a union thug and had to be taken to the hospital.
Passions ran high in St. Louis because Congressman Carnahan (D) locked out 1000 tea party people and then snuck in SEIU members through a door marked handicapped. You can't keep people out of the townhalls just because they disagree with you. You can't just let in people that agree with you. You work for ALL the people. When people see that they are being treated unfairly, things turn ugly, and it did.
Here is a photo of one Obama healthcare supporter slapping another against it.
Expect more stories like this. When passions run high, these kinds of things happen and it's too bad. I've been at many protests where people argued loudly and passionately, but violence is never acceptable. Never.
But people are scared. Really scared. Let's hope it doesn't get worse.
Light at the end of the tunnel
What makes the following polling so amazing is that it comes from democracycorps.com, the James Carville polling firm. They always seem to have good news for Democrats, but not this time. This came out 2 days ago and the left, who usually spreads his polls like wildfire, didn't so so with this one. You can see why:
From TheConservatives.com
By 53%-42%, those who are likely to vote in the 2010 election say Barack Obama is 'too liberal.'
They believe by a margin of 53%-40% that he will 'raise my taxes.'
By 55%-42% they say 'he promises things that sound good' but that won't get done.
By a whopping 65%-32%, likely voters call Obama a 'big spender.'
The news for 'Democrats' more generally is no better.
On the economy, likely voters give 'the Democrats' just a 6 point edge (45%-39%) over 'the Republicans.'
Likely voters give the Republicans an 11 point edge (49%-38%) on taxes.
The Republicans have a 13 point lead (47%-34%) on government spending.
Republicans have a 5 point edge (42%-37%) on the budget deficit.
Furthermore, by a margin of 54%-34%, likely voters believe Obama is not keeping his promise to 'save or create 3 million jobs.' And by 51%-43%, likely voters are more worried that the government will 'spend too much,' rather than 'fail to take strong action on important priorities.'
All-in-all, this is terrible news for Democrats.
The AARP refuses to listen to it's members
You have to love this. The AARP has a meeting to hear concern of it's members about the healthcare bill. Just look at the disrespect. The AARP spokesman just leaves and then comes back to take the microphone. Didn't matter. These people are our greatest generation and they didn't let that stop their meeting. You tell me if these people sound like a "mob."
These are our parents and our grandparents. We should LISTEN to them, not insult them.
You will notice when the AARP spokesperson comes back to get the microphone she says that AARP did not endorse Obama's plan. Is that true? Not only has the CEO of the AARP endorsed the plan, but Pelosi sent out a memo that named AARP as one of the organizations that they were working with "to ensure complementary efforts during August." If you read the link, you will see there is a complete backtracking on this by AARP, but is there any doubt that seniors have a reason to doubt them?
Recently President Barack Obama participated in an AARP Town Hall with the CEO of AARP beside him. Take a look at the comments about that from seniors.
The point is that many seniors are greatly concerned about this health care bill. These people are not part of a "mob" or sent out by lobbyists for heaven's sake.
Take a look at this report from ABC News:
There were no lobbyist-funded buses in the parking lot of Mardela Middle and High School on Tuesday evening, and the hundreds of Eastern Maryland residents who packed the school's auditorium loudly refuted the notion that their anger over the Democrats' health care reform plans is "manufactured."
"I went to school in this school," a man named Bob told me. "I don't see anyone in this room that isn't from Mardela Springs right now."
"We've been quiet too long," said a woman named Joan.
You will have to give kudos to freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil. At least he listened.
I'm telling you, the more the Democrats throw out this "mob" and "manufactured outrage" talking point, the more they will lose. I promise you that that room was not full of just Republicans. I've begun to believe that if Democrats push this on us, they will find themselves out of power in 2010. But I'm not willing to sacrifice our health care system for that to happen.
Sotomayor Confirmed
Congrats to Judge Sotomayor. We can only hope that your upbringing and moral values allow you to ignore the politics and focus on the constitution.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
"The RightWing Memo"
*Scroll for Updates!
Many of you have sent me or commented with the the talking point from Think Progress and MSNBC showing the "right wing memo" directing people to go to these townhall meetings with their Congressmen and "shout" and "rattle him" and so on. The DNC even used the memo in it's recent ad saying it was by " high-level Republican political operatives.”
Just one problem. It's a complete lie.
The man who wrote the memo is Mr. Bob MacGuffie, who is a Connecticut libertarian who has never voted Democrat or Republican on a federal level. He not only doesn't work for any Republican organization, he isn't really a volunteer. He had one blog posting on a tea party website.
He has a facebook page called "Right Principles" with 23 members and a Twitter account with five followers.
Wow, that's some high level Republican operative there.
He originally e-mailed his "right wing memo to 8-10 Connecticut activists.
So this lone guy sends out this memo and a few people get angry at townhalls, and now it is the the talking point of the left to call us "mobs." We are "shouting" and not allowing intelligent debate. Even Democratic Congressmen are quoting the so called "right wing memo." It's sad how pathetic the left can be when you fight their agenda.
I can see Think Progress lying and distorting all this, because that is what they do over there, but how ridiculous is it that not only did MSNBC pick up on the story, but the DNC uses it in an ad! There is a point where at least some truth should matter.
Prepare yourself for more of this. The Democrats want this healthcare bill bad. Not for the American people, but so it can be an victory for Obama. They will stop at nothing to do this. The American people have had it though. We are done sitting by and watching this administration run this country into the ground. It will get ugly I'm sure. And in the end it may not even matter what the American people want.
And that is the saddest thing of all.
via The Weekly Standard
Naturally those who are against govt run healthcare don't appreciate being called "a mob" by Democrats. Yesterday on twitter the tag #iamthemob got going. I thought you might enjoy some of the tweets. Mine are the last two:
capecoddergal: mom of 1 volunteer my TIME 2 battered women's shelter,hubby who donates HIS talents in the Doctors w/o Borders Program. #iamthemob
particle54: I was School Board president, softball coach, basketball coach, athletic assoc treasurer #Iamthemob
LANewsFreak: #iamthemob I am a hard working woman. I am tired of Obama insulting me for not supporting a Health Care plan we cannot pay for.
pow127: My Dad's family came from Ireland while he was in utero so he could be born an American He enlisted in army at 16, WW2 #iamthemob
seansrich: I am 41 year old american software engineer who once was a liberal until I lived in Albertslund Denmark. #iamthemob
mkellner: Because I work for a living and provide jobs for 10 people #iamthemob
djmagenta: Because I will not sit quietly while our constitution is destroyed. #Iamthemob
GregWHoward: "I'm a veteran of the USMC, a Christian, a father, lover of freedom, and #iamthemob
alalazoo: Because I am aware of my government's actions, and because I will not blindly go along with those actions that weaken our nation, #iamthemob
annajjohnson: I don't call ANY part of our beloved country "fly-over" country. My family fought to defend ALL of it. #iamthemob
LANewsFreak: I go to work, come home, enjoy the weekends, shop at target, BBQ. I don't want Obamacare #iamthemob
RWSparkle: I'm a mom of 4, I volunteered for meals on wheels, Nuturing Network, nursing homes, pregnancy crisis center, and H&H services #iamthemob
RWSparkle: I have been PTA President, mom reader, substitute teacher, writer, and team mom. #iamthemob
Update II: Trying to keep up with the insults and absurdity from the Democrats. Did you catch the video where Sen. Boxer ("Don't call me M'AM") dismissing the legitimacy of the protesters because we dress too well? Too funny. She is such a snob. How do you Democrats stand her?
But that is nothing compared to the Democrat leader of the house, Nancy Pelosi saying the following:
Q: Do you think there's legitimate grassroots opposition going on here?
Pelosi: I think they're Astroturf ... you be the judge. They're carrying swastikas and other symbols like that into townhall meetings on health care.
You know they have reached the bottom of barrel when they bring out the Hitler analogies. Does Pelosi really think this tactic will work? Accusing American citizens, who dare to protest, of being Nazis?
Update III: Redstate has a great townhall calender! Click on the links in the calender and you can see where your Congressmen/women are having townhalls. Hope this isn't too "organized" for the Democrats!
Clunker Dilemma
I've had this dilemma regarding the "Cash for Clunkers" program. My 16 yr old drives a clunker that probably isn't worth $1000. It was passed down from my oldest son. I figured if the usual mishaps and fender benders happen, then it wouldn't be so bad. But knowing that I could get $4,500 for it toward a new car is very tempting.
On the other hand, do I want to contribute to a ridiculous program that is nothing but a government give a way? But my friends tell me it's my taxpayer money paying for it, so I might as well take advantage of it.
When the government first conceived of this program it required that Americans buy American made cars, but the adminstration wasn't up on fair trade laws, and someone informed them they couldn't do that, so they had to drop that part.
Guess what happened? Four of the five top-selling cars in this program are made by foreign automakers. The top selling American car is the Ford Focus. Not surprising since a recent poll showed 46% of Americans said they are more likely to buy a car from Ford because it was the only car company that didn't take bail out money.
Then there is the writer at NRO who said he wanted a big truck. So what he is thinking of doing is turning in his clunker, getting the $4,500 discount and buy a new small car, drive it for a few months until the cash for clunkers thing is over, and then sell his almost new car for what he bought it for, and then buy his truck.
It's called 'getting around the system.'
Anyway, I'm leaning towards not doing it. It doesn't feel right and if he had a new car and wrecked it or had a fender bender, having a new car would make it worse. And there is the additional insurance.
What do you guys think?
Obama, The Joker
"A Study in Contrast"
This is so excellent and so telling I am sharing it in full.
From TheConservatives.com:
Given the debate over the legitimacy of protests against the Democratic agenda on health care, cap-and-trade, and the economy generally, I thought it might be instructive to look at how the last administration addressed protests against its policies.
White House officials meet with Cindy Sheehan and other anti-war protesters:
About 70 anti-war protesters shouted "bring the troops home" from Iraq near President Bush's ranch on Saturday, prompting two White House officials to come out to meet with mothers who lost children in combat in Iraq.
National Security Adviser Steven Hadley and Deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin listened to the concerns of Cindy Sheehan and five or six other mothers in a meeting that lasted about 45 minutes, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. Duffy said Sheehan told the two officials she appreciated the meeting.
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer on Anti-war protesters:
"I think the president welcomes the fact that we are a democracy and people in the United States, unlike Iraq, are free to protest and to make their case known,"
White House Press Secretary Trent Duffy on anti-war protests:
"The American people have a right to protest, and the right of free speech is something that we're fighting for in this war on terror, to preserve that right of free speech. So the President welcomes opinions from all Americans."
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan on Iraq protests:
"The President talked about some of this the other day in remarks at the Pentagon. He recognizes that there are differences of opinion on Iraq and our role in the broader Middle East. Some people want us to withdraw from Iraq and withdraw from the Middle East. They are well-intentioned."
Interesting. How does that compare with the Obama White House?
The Democratic National Committee addresses health care protests:
"The Republicans and their allied groups – desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill – are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in Congressional Districts across the country.
However, much like we saw at the McCain-Palin rallies last year where crowds were baited with cries of 'socialist,' 'communist,' and where the birthers movement was born – these mobs of extremists are not interested in having a thoughtful discussion about the issues – but like some Republican leaders have said – they are interested in ‘breaking’ the President and destroying his Presidency.
These mobs are bussed in by well funded, highly organized groups run by Republican operatives and funded by the special interests who are desperately trying to stop the agenda for change the President was elected to bring to Washington. Despite the headline grabbing nature of these angry mobs and their disruptions of events, they are not reflective of where the American people are on the issues – or the hundreds of thousands of thoughtful discussions taking place around kitchen tables, water coolers and in homes.
The right wing extremists’ use of things like devil horns on pictures of our elected officials, hanging members of Congress in effigy, breathlessly questioning the President's citizenship and the use of Nazi SS symbols and the like just shows how outside of the mainstream the Republican Party and their allies are. This type of anger and discord did not serve Republicans well in 2008 – and it is bound to backfire again."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on health care protests:
"I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the Astroturf nature of grass-roots lobbying," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs during a morning off-camera session in his office with reporters.
"This is manufactured anger," he said.
Well, you can say one thing for the Obama administration: they have brought genuine change to the way the White House addresses dissent.
That's right. While the Bush administration treated protestors with respect and understood the right to protest, this administration chooses to denigrate and spread lies about who the protestors are and why they protest.
I wonder if the DNC were so concerned when their protestors were hanging Bush in effigy or showing pics of Bush as a Nazi or Satan? I wonder if they were appalled when a Code Pink protestor ran up to Condi Rice with "blood" on her hands in a congressional hearing? Were they concerned about who was funding Cindy Sheehan's travels? Did we on the right ever try to paint the left with the same brush as the 9-11 truther's movement as the DNC is trying to do with "birthers?"
It's fine for the White House and DNC to disagree with all of us fighting these government boondoggles. But smearing and insulting everyday ordinary Americans protesting is what will backfire on them.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
This isn't Chicago Mr. Emanuel
Chicago politics has long been know for it's bullying and threatening tactics. We on the right all knew that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel would bring Chicago style intimidation to the White House, but who knew it would be so BLATANT.
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Emanuel saying this wasn't going to work in Washington. He provided these examples and they are mind boggling.
Last month, Politico reported that Emanuel had “launched a coordinated effort to jam” Senator Kyl and other Administration critics…" by intimidating members of Congress and Governors who raise legitimate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus. After Sen. Kyl's Sunday talk show appearances, the following letters were sent out the next day. Obviously Emanuel instructed Cabinet Secretaries to threaten and intimidate Governor Brewer of Arizona. Does that sound a bit overdramatic? You decide:
Letter from Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation:
"On Sunday, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently underway. I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know [emphasis added]."
Letter from Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior:
"Some key Republican leaders in Congress have publicly questioned whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working and suggested cancelling all projects that are not currently in progress. I believe they are wrong. The stimulus funds provided through the Recovery Act are a very effective way to create job opportunities throughout the Country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to Arizona, please let me know [emphasis added]."
Update: Now, on the White House website, they are asking Americans to "tattle" on each other. That's right. They asking people to send in names of those who are spreading rumors about healthcare, even in "casual conversations." I know. It seems surreal. But it's true.
The Voice of Democracy
There are more and more youtube videos coming out of Congressman going home to healthcare townhalls and being met with...umm...resistance. It's very gratifying to see. Tea Party Patriots has a a list so far of the townhalls coming up. Check it out to see if there is one near you and keep checking for updates.
I want to add something about the video I have posted below of Obama in '07 and '03 clearly stating that he would like to see a single payer system in healthcare, and how the private employer insurance would take a while, but would eventually be eliminated.
Update II: This is a must read by Thomas Sowell and says what I am trying to say here, but much more eloquently. "Ultimately, our choice is to give up Utopian quests or give up our freedom."
This morning on Fox News they played a video of the White House communications person in charge of addressing "dis-information," former ABC News Correspondent Linda Douglass. She she pointed to a link online that links the video I have below of Obama speaking on healthcare. She says that regarding pushing out private employer insurance and a single payer system, "nothing could be farther from the truth." She says people online cobble together video that mis-represents what was really said.
Ok, I can understand that. That happens all the time to people like Rush and Glenn Beck. So I'm watching this waiting for her to explain how that video "mis-represents" what Obama really said then. But guess what? That was it! That was her explanation. That it simply "wasn't true." She never explains why Obama said that, or how it was taken out of context.
Oh, I see. Just you saying it wasn't true, makes it so. I was at least thinking she would say that Obama believed that then, but not now. At least that would make sense. But she didn't even say that. Good grief.
It's wonderful that people are coming out to these townhalls. Everyone needs to do that. We are a LONG way from winning this fight. The Democrats have the power and the votes. They don't want a failure on this. They could easily dismiss the people's concern. Which made me realize how far we have come from the liberty this country was founded upon.
The difference between tyranny and democracy is simply this; the people's voice matters.
In tyranny, those in power don't care what the people think. They ignore our concerns. Our voice means nothing and changes little. Iran is a perfect example of this. Those people have faced death, and still they raise their voices. But they have no power and the voices ring out in a futile cry for freedom.
But here in this grand wonderful experiment called Democracy, our voices do count. Our votes do count. We vote the power out, if we wish.
And this is what bothers me the most about this healthcare debate. If it seems clear that the majority of people do not want this government run healthcare option, and Congress and the President ignore the people because they can, then what does that say about our democracy? Sure we can vote them out next time, but there is no going back on this. Once the government gets it's greedy claws into the fabric of our life, there is no tearing it away.
Will our voices be heard? We shall see.
Update: Watch this very informative and interesting video from ABC's 20/20 on healthcare.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Obama News
In the mere 6 months that Obama has been in office he has increased The National Debt by A TRILLION DOLLARS. It's so bad that even CBS is reporting on it.
It really is this simple. The spending has got to stop. Now.
"Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) wanted to meet with constituents in Austin to discuss ObamaCare. He may have forgotten that though Austin is liberal, it's still in Texas..."
I love how he leaves like a scared cat. Oh, that scary middle class!
See Arlen Specter and Kathleen Sebelius get an earful at a healthcare townhall. You will see many more of these in the coming weeks.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Random Thoughts and Links
I am gone tomorrow to take my dog to Minneapolis to the university veterinary clinic. Sorry for the light postings this weekend, I've been preoccupied. Here are some thoughts and links:
The thought occurs to me that Obama's cynical accusation that a pediatrician would take out a child's healthy tonsils for money stems from the mindset of a Chicago politician. It would be something he would do.
I was checking the weather online when a banner ad happened to catch my notice. "Obama Asks Moms to Return to School" Huh. It was an otherwise straightforward ad for an online degree. Now, I know that the administration has nothing to do with the ad, however it strikes me that the cult of personality surrounding Obama is beyond absurd. Farcical, even. Can you imagine such an ad with Bush or even Clinton? It would have been seen as patronizing. Patronizing. Good word. It fits Obama.
Imagine a Cash for Clunkers program 40 years ago.... Nope, neither can I. When did we go wrong that the gov't buys people's trade-ins? I just bought a new car, and I - like most everyone else who DOESN'T have a clunker - am getting a raw deal. Not that I want a gov't handout, but this is just a wealth transfer. Like most gov't programs, its being badly run by bureaucrats and keeps running out of money. They can't even handle trade-ins, imagine how gov't bureaucrats running health care and reimbursement. (shudder)
I hope Republicans have learned their lesson: "Stimulus checks" don't win re-election. Good governance does.
Its almost counter-intuitive that drug abuse is a disease of affluence which hurts the poor the most.
How we will win in Afghanistan
War is not complicated. You have to separate the guerrilla forces from the population and kill them until they no longer want to continue. Al Qaeda, dominated by Arabs, is finished inside Afghanistan. The Taliban are Afghans, to be dealt with by Afghans. As he did in Iraq, Gen. Petraeus wants to recruit local forces to protect their own villages. That will expand the Afghan forces to 300,000 and stabilize the situation. On patrols, Afghan soldiers spot the enemy 10 times more frequently than do coalition solders. Afghan soldiers are brave, hardy, ill-disciplined, individualistic, temperamental and trustworthy.I am all for Afghans running their own country, as long as they don't tolerate terrorists who use the country as a base of operations. If they need help with that, they should have it.
A year from now, coalition forces should be able to gradually withdraw, replaced by robust support and adviser units embedded in Afghan security forces. We shouldn’t make this a NATO war, allowing the Afghans to stand back. We’re outsiders, no matter how many schools we build or cups of tea we drink.
Myths of the Raptor
A lot of really ignorant things are being said about the F-22 recently. One of my favorite false statements is that its "not much use against an insurgency", to analogize: its like saying that during WWII that an Essex class aircraft carrier is not much use against German panzers. (rolls eyes) I guess we shouldn't have bothered building them.
Lets have a lesson about the Broken Window Fallacy.
Steyn
Mark Steyn is always pithy and usually insightful. He gets his own post
The Liberty Issue
My Favorite quotes:My conservative friends — and even a few media liberals — are agreed: The bloom is off the Obama rose. He’s not the Obamessiah, just another 50-percent president. He tried to do too much too fast, and his numbers are sinking. The Europeanization of health care is dead. Fuhgeddabouddit.
I wouldn’t be so sure. President Obama has no choice but to move fast, in part because the image he presented during the campaign — a post-partisan, post-racial, post-anything-unpleasant-and-controversial, pragmatic centrist — was a total crock. He has a vast transformative domestic agenda and — because most of its elements are not terribly popular — he has to accomplish it at speed, or he won’t get it done at all.
Quite right. Obama was not what he claimed to be, and frankly I am disappointed in many people who bought into the idea. It didn't take much thought or examination to realize this before the election. Well... its not like the Republicans had a decent alternative candidate. Note to Republicans: The quality of your candidate really does matter.
On the price tag: It’s often argued that, as a proportion of GDP, America spends more on health care than countries with government medical systems. But, as a point of fact, “America” doesn’t spend anything on health care: Hundreds of millions of people make hundreds of millions of individual decisions about what they’re going to spend on health care. Whereas up north a handful of bureaucrats determine what Canada will spend on health care — and that’s that: Health care is a government budget item.
Damn, that is an important distinction! The money quote:
How did the health-care debate decay to the point where we think it entirely natural for the central government to fix a collective figure for what 300 million freeborn citizens ought to be spending on something as basic to individual liberty as their own bodies?
This is why I love Steyn. He cuts to the heart of the matter. Republicans fall into this trap time and time again. They allow their opponents to set the framework of the debate and then nitpick the details. The Government has no business in healthcare. They should get out and stay out and let free people make their own decisions like adults.
