August 8, 2009

The President, Today



The Transcript.

Some highlights:
So, let me explain what reform will mean for you. And let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of health care. That’s simply not true. This isn’t about putting government in charge of your health insurance; it’s about putting you in charge of your health insurance. Under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.
And:
In the end, the debate about health insurance reform boils down to a choice between two approaches. The first is almost guaranteed to double health costs over the next decade, make millions more Americans uninsured, leave those with insurance vulnerable to arbitrary denials of coverage, and bankrupt state and federal governments. That’s the status quo. That’s the health care system we have right now.

So, we can either continue this approach, or we can choose another one – one that will protect people against unfair insurance practices; provide quality, affordable insurance to every American; and bring down rising costs that are swamping families, businesses, and our budgets. That’s the health care system we can bring about with reform.
But why should we believe him? I mean he's a racist Kenyan-born Muslim (who may well be the Anti-Christ) who wants to kill Sarah Palin's Downs Syndrome baby.

That's just crazie.

13 comments:

  1. Want to know WHY we oppose 0bama's health care plan? Here are a few examples (from HR 3200):

    - Sec. 163, Pg. 58-59 beginning at line 5 - Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances & a National ID health care card will be issued
    - Sec. 163, Pg. 59, Lines 21-24 - Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfer
    - Sec. 313, Pg. 149, Lines 16-23 - ANY employer with payroll $400,000 and above who does not provide public option pays 8% tax on all payroll.
    - Sec. 313, Pg. 150, Lines 9-13 - Businesses with payroll between $251,000 and $400,000 who do not provide public option pay 2-6% tax on all payroll.
    - Sec. 401.59B, Pg. 167, Lines 18-23 - ANY individual who does not have acceptable care, according to government, will be taxed 2.5% of income.
    - Sec. 431, Pg. 195, Lines 1-3 - Officers and employees of HC Administration (government) will have access to ALL Americans’ financial and personal records.

    There's much, MUCH more in HR3200.. try reading it.. I have.. I have a copy on my desk.

    This "debate" about health care is not about health care (everyone can receive health care even though they cannot pay for it)... it is about a blatant power grab by the leftists so that they can control every aspect of our lives.

    Nearly 70% of Americans are satisfied with their health insurance company... the US has the BEST health care in the World.

    Obama and Pelosi can kiss my 'effin ass.

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  2. con,

    Let me know when you get to the part with the "Obama Death Panel."

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  3. I ran a little test on our Conservative Mountaineer. I checked HR3200 regarding CM's last example. The CM neglected to say that this text is included in the bill:

    RESTRICTION ON USE OF DISCLOSED INFORMATION- Return information disclosed under subparagraph (A) may be used by officers and employees of the Health Choices Administration or such State-based health insurance exchange, as the case may be, only for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing and verifying the appropriate amount of any affordability credit described in subtitle C of title II of the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 and providing for the repayment of any such credit which was in excess of such appropriate amount.’.

    And then the bill references the US Code dealing with confidentiality of taxpayer information, especially the one saying that the records remain confidential. In fact, the US Code already forbids any sort of disclosure of that information.

    So it's not as if EVERY guv'mint employee will have access to EVERY piece of financial information on EVERY citizen (like you implied), does it CM?

    Are your other scary examples as shoddy?

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  4. Oh, sure, bump me for the President. I understand.

    Wake me when he comes out hard for a public option. We have public schools and competitive private and parochial education scene. Let's have this dialogue.

    And please: WHEN ARE WE GETTING ONE OF THESE HEALTH-CARE TOWN HALLS IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA??? Me wants to go to the precious....

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  5. Oh my goodness. I didn't care for his second camera shot. He sounded pedantic and car salesmany. I didn't know "preventing insurance companies from not covering pre-existing conditions" was a part of it. If they're not allowed to do that, some of their business models is ASDF'd and you will NOT get to keep the plan you presently have. No Obama, I liked you in shots 1 and 4 more.

    Let's forget the outward regulations and provide public health care the same way we provide public education. To do this, we will soak the very rich, tax the upper middle class if necessary, and keep a sharp lookout for further opportunities for tax reform. Remember increasing the general welfare can only benefit our economy.

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  6. CM, you still did not provide a link to HR3200. Apparently you want to be able to say whatever you want and we are not supposed to be able to dispute it.

    As I read section 163, that is for insurers, not the government. The insurers are supposed to have a credit card reader and method for verifying your bank account, just like TJ Max and Walmart, so if you say you will pay by check, they can verify that. And its the insurers that are suppose to issue an ID card for their plan, one that hospitals and providers can easily identify.

    As for the part about the government having access to your financial information, that's for people applying for subsidies for health insurance. The government doesn't want to give you money if it turns out you can afford health insurance. But sure, slam them for looking out for the taxpayers insurance.

    Meanwhile George Bush was spying on American citizens, torturing prisoners and lying about why he invaded Iraq. But no, we can't investigate that.

    Nearly 70% of Americans are satisfied with the health insurance they have, that's what Mitch McConnell said when he went on Meet the Press. When David Gregory asked McConnell why it is that the United States ranks at or near the bottom in health care outcomes measured across industrialized countries, McConnell repeated the line about 70% of Americans etc. Yep, the US has the best health insurance in the world, as sold by PT Barnum.

    But then I see your line about Obama and Pelosi indicates exactly how interested in responsible debate you are.

    And anyway, HR 3200 is just a bill. It’s not the final product. But good job at scaremongering, trying to whip people up.

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  7. By the way, 71% of Americans are in favor of health care reform.

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  8. Good debunking article on most/all of this here

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  9. So assuming that 70% satisfaction number is true, that means that %30 are not satisfied, correct? That's a lot a Americans who are not happy with their health coverage. What do we to tell all those other people, "Most people are happy, so quit whining that you had to sell your house to pay for your bypass?"

    The whole point of universal health care coverage is that it's universal.

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  10. Con Mountaineer is doing a nice copy and paste job from a form e-mail that is circulating among rightwingers.

    And there is a version of HR 3200 available to read, though it will most certainly not be the final version of the bill.

    Regardless, not a single one of these "summaries" even comes close to the language that is in HR 3200.

    See, Con Mountaineer didn't actually read HR3200, despite what he says. That you would even attempt to pass off these "bullet points" as your own is utterly shameless. That you make no effort to announce the source of these "bullet points" is simply despicable.

    By posting this, Con Mountaineer is making it very clear to all of us that he does not think for himself; someone else does the thinking for him and he's all to happy to simply copy and paste and believe it wholesale.

    He's right about one thing: this debate is not about health care, at least not from our friends across the aisle. It is about lies, distortions and demagoguery.

    It is about imagined "Death Panels" (why don't conservatives have a problem with insurers denying coverage to ppl?). It is about pushing the plot from "Soylent Green" instead of responsible, honest debate.

    There is no lie the rightwing will not tell in defense of its extremism.

    Perhaps Con Mountaineer can explain why the AMA has endorsed HR3200, when they have been fighting socialized medicine for 60 years? Or the AARP, which has endorsed the President's efforts, and are working hard to counter the outright lies being told?

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  11. As for support for a public option, Con Mountaineer is just as disingenuous when it comes to the polling data he "cites."

    From Quinnipiac:

    "Do you support or oppose giving people the option of being covered by a government health insurance plan that would compete with private plans?"
    Support: 62%
    Oppose: 32%

    "Do you support or oppose government subsidies for individuals who earn 43,000 dollars or less or families of four who earn less than 88,000 dollars a year to buy health care insurance?
    Support: 60%
    Oppose: 32%

    "To extend health insurance coverage to most Americans over the next decade, would you support or oppose imposing an extra tax on individuals who earn more than 350,000 dollars and couples who earn more than 1 million dollars a year?"
    Support: 61%
    Oppose: 36%

    From Time:

    "Overall, how would you rate the health care system in the United States: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?"
    Excellent: 11%
    Good: 31%
    Only Fair: 33%
    Poor: 22%

    55% of Americans ranked our health care system as only fair/poor. Hardly the ringing endorsement that Con Mountaineer believes exists.

    "How good a job are the private health insurance companies doing in providing health care coverage: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?"
    Excellent: 7%
    Good: 28%
    Only Fair: 36%
    Poor: 24%

    "Would it be better to pretty much stay with the current health care system and just make some minor adjustments, or does the system need major reform?"
    Minor Adjustments: 43%
    Major Reform: 55%


    "Provides coverage for almost all Americans, even if the government needs to subsidize health care for those who can’t afford it."
    Favor: 63%
    Oppose: 31%
    Unsure: 6%



    "Requires health care insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone who applies, even if they have a pre-existing health condition."
    Favor: 80%
    Oppose: 14%
    Unsure: 6%



    "Raises income taxes on people earning more than 280 thousand dollars a year to help pay for providing health care to most Americans, even those who cannot afford it now."
    Favor: 57%
    Oppose: 40%
    Unsure: 4%


    "Creates a government-sponsored public health insurance option to compete with private health insurance plans."
    Favor: 56%
    Oppose: 36%
    Unsure: 8%

    (http://pollingreport.com/health.htm)

    Frankly, I don't know how anyone who claims to subscribe to the Judeo-Christian tradition can be satisfied w/ 50 million uninsured, with 14,000 people losing their health insurance every day, with thousands being denied coverage even though they've paid into their plans for years, 18,000 people die each year due to a lack of coverage, nearly 2/3 of American bankruptcies are health care related.

    We pay more than any other country on health care and only rank 24th in life expectancy.

    You want to compare with the Canadian system? The average Canadian family spends $2,000 with no wait for needed care; the average American family spends $16,800 per year while insurance companies and have to wait for approval from the insurance company for treatment.

    Why is it okay, Con Mountaineer, for the insurance company to tell me what care I need? Why do you support that intrusion between the relationship between doctor and patient? Frankly, I don't think that's a problem the private sector is willing to fix or wants to.

    Why is it okay for the private sector to profit off of the lives and deaths of our citizens? Explain to me how that is either American or even remotely Christian?

    http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm?chan=rss_topEmailedStories_ssi_5

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/80897.php

    http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthy_life_table2.html

    http://tauntermedia.com/2009/07/28/unconscionable-math/

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  13. Here's one of the latest lies going around that the rightwing is spreading:

    "Government will establish school based "health" clinics. your children will be indoctrinated and your grandchildren may be aborted!"

    So, does that mean they're opposed to the school nurse's office now? Oh, but the government telling you who you can marry is perfectly acceptable or passing legislation for a single person that destroys the so-called sacred relationship between husband and wife is accomplished with just the votes of 3 Senators and a handful of Representatives!
    Anyone who believes something so stupid as forced government abortions and euthanasia is an idiot. Get a grip on reality.

    Why are we listening to the people who gave us George W. Bush, the Iraq War, Medicare Part D, a deficit of nearly $2 trillion dollars (why is it that every time we elect a supply-sider the deficit explodes and the national debt doubles?) and didn't do one useful thing over 8 years to address any of the major domestic issues facing this country?

    Why are we even letting you have a seat at the table in this discussion? As I recall, you lost the election.

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