Sunday Roundup
This week, President Obama delivered a speech about hard work to America's schoolkids... and no one's head exploded. He then delivered a speech about the hard work of passing health care reform to a joint session of Congress... and Rep. Joe Wilson's mouth exploded. Wilson apologized to the president, then, painting himself as a victim, used the incident to fundraise -- taking in over $750,000 since Thursday (his opponent has raised over $1 million). The South Carolina Congressman's campaign website says he is "PASSIONATE ABOUT STOPPING GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE!" But, apparently, not so passionate that he won't accept the free, top-flight government-run health care he gets as a retired Army National Guard colonel. Wonder if his insurance plan covers getting his hypocrisy removed?
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OK, I know its way OT, but the top hat you wore at the SF opera opening was VERY cool - and the perfect statement re all the swells in their $10,000 gowns.
The corporate owned Republican spin machine has continued to rely on double speak, fear and ignorance to achieve their goals.
But let us not fool ourselves!
Our Democratic representatives also have their hands in the corporate cookie jar.
Until we force these representatives to clean up their act under threat of prison time,
we're in for a long bumpy ride.
The main stream media has shown a decidedly republican't slant on every single national health care related story, Arianna, implying OUR country cannot possibly pay for it - but NEVER mentioning the cost of an occupation, another war or the bank bailouts by comparison.
The MSM also NEVER mentions Bush tax-cuts would pay for health reform twice over, and chooses to favorably cover shameful behavior by reform opponents - more than the massive and criminal suffering of OUR citizens that's condoned simply by the lack of national health care Laws. The MSM no doubt FEARS their own loss of legal bribery power. Outside of MSNBC evening programming, I've NOT heard a single network mention that the 3 year delay will see another MILLION or more of OUR fellow citizens facing bankruptcy in that time from health related expenses - JUST to protect industry profit$ based on that suffering. Though even MSNBC uses morning programming, as do ALL 'networks', for pandering ONLY to the conservative audiences AND promoting the propaganda that's it's somehow a majority view in OUR country.
Whether that we're the ONLY major country that derives 'profit$' from the health and suffering of citizens, or that they find it somehow easy to ignore a 37th rank by the World Health Org., Arianna, the MSM's participation in this FRAUD on OUR country is ALSO just about GREED - and it's also just as EVIL!
insurance companies are using the media to link the health care reform plan to "socialism" just to intimidate the people .. I bet half of us don't even know what socialism even is ..
Name it whatever you want .. I think everyone and in every circumstance deserves proper health care ..
I live in a tourist area in Colorado, every year all the business owners complain that they have to find their workers from Nepal, Mexico etc. becuase the American college students only want the plum jobs not the waiter, t-shirt seller jobs etc, at $8.00 an hour. I'v seen this happen for the 15 yrs. I have been here. If all the illegals left this mountain town that hosts 3 million tourists a summer, we would be screwed.
Arianna, in an age of all or nothing politics, I am amazed that more people(inclusive of media) don't key into one simple fact. The Republicans, no matter what their ideology continue to roll out the same strategy. The President won the election due in large part to the message, but also by playing better at the Republicans game. The Democrats expanded the field, plain and simple. Now the Right (inclusive of a grotesquely far out fringe) pound and scratch and claw by any means neccessary to pick off democratic members. They speak openly of gaining 20 or 30 or more seats next year and will block any legislation that they can because they are not in power and will not get the credit.The President needs to only call their bluff. He needs to lay it on the line with a straight up and down vote in both houses. The Republicans' scare tactics will go up in a puff of smoke because whomever voted no, will be voted out next year. He can do exactly what he said Rep. Dingle and his father have been doing for decades (re-submit the bill). If the American people want it , then they can have it (consistantly 70% say they do). Then Beck and all the other pundits will have to be silent because then ...truly the American people will have spoken.
Futhermore (forgive me that I rant) some republicans say (very cooly) that it does NOT matter what reform the President signs , because when they get a majority back (and do you think they will discuss about what is lawful considering 50 or 60 in the senate) ) the will just repeal it. SO to compromise and water anything down is an action of futility. There has to be a clear majority it seams or 2 or 6 years down the road , all th hard work will be for not.
Democrats need zero Republican votes for anything in the next year and a half. They can pass any bill they want with not a single Republican vote, so what's the problem anyway? Blue Dog Democrats are standing in the way of Obama's health reform and that is what is truly happening to the health care bill.
No, the media is making it look like the blue dog's are in the way. A health reform bill will come out of congress. The details are not set, but expect there to be some sort of non-profit or public option to compete with private insurers and a ton of regulation.
The right wing looks more and more like an immature child all the time.
We need honesty, respect, responsibility, and democrats with a spine.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I think we need a new government dedicated to public service instead of the present government dedicated to public interest.
Our government has failed the American citizen.
Great ideals. Let's add integrity, inspirition and again, democrats with a spine! :)
I think we should CONCENTRATE on REPLAYING THE LINE OBAMA SPOKE..........so that every one can hear again that OBAMA did NOT LIE
IT WAS WILSON WHO LIED........and SLANDERED
To be fair, the people screamed and Obama's school speech was changed, the lesson plan changed.
Joe Wilson shouted and that sent the dems back to their pro-insurance industry healthcare plan to make adjustments.
Single payer never made it to the table. Now, public option is going the way of the $2 bill.
Thanks for fighting for us, the public, even with a majority. Who can tell the difference?
Sorry, you are incorrect. Obama's school speech did not change, and the objection was over accompanying lesson plans, not the speech.
No real adjustments were made to exclude illegal aliens because that was already provided for in the bill.
As far as single payer never making it to the table, how's that medicare working out for you?
If you want meaningful change, perhaps you should eliminate the screaming and the shouting which has accomplished nothing except the right to think they can pat themselves on the back.
How do you know the school speech did not change? Obama did not reveal it until a day or before he gave it. They did change the lession plan.. YEAH!
There was one real adjustment, it is called enforcement. In the house bill, HR3200, while the bill was in committee the Republicans tried to add an admendment to include enforcement of the provision so illegals could not use the system, the Democrats voted that down. On Friday the Senate took up the issue and their bills include enforcement and then Friday night Obama came out and clearly stated that if the bill does not include enforcement he would veto the bill.
As for a single payer system, Democrats in the Senate made it clear today that any health care reform bill passed and signed by Obama will NOT include a government single payer system.
So the town halls, writing congress, showing up for tea parties are making a difference. More and more people saw the flaws in what was purposed and they did not like it. We all want health care reform, we just want good health care reform that includes tort reform, lowering the barriers for all insurance companies to compete in all 50 states, fraud and waste out of medicare, you know the good stuff.
OBAMA did NOT LIE.....................JOE WILSON 's shout was a SLANDER.
HE SHOULD BE SUED .
BUT most of all THe TRUTH of the PRESIDENT"S line should be ESTABLISHED.
EMPHASIS should be on the TRUTH of the PRESIDENT's words just before Wilson claimed he was lying.
JOE WILSON ..................LIED.
Slander doesn't apply to congress in the chambers or really to public figures except in extreme situations. Wilson should just be ridiculed until he is forced to resign out of shame. Unfortunately, many of the people from his constituency have no shame.
That will never happen.
Joe Wilson Voted twice to provide money to hospitals for reimbursement for emergency room care that was not paid for. That is socialism and that is providing health care to immigrants. So what does that make him?
Exactly. A majority of people who are so vehemently opposed to government-run health care RUN to sign up for Medicare as soon as they turn 65. And what does that tell you about what they know?
Medicare is NOT government run health care. Medicare only pays the bills. The patient has a share of cost. There are some rules set by govermment imposed by anyone who uses Medicare but your doctor tells Medicare what they did and submits a bill. And if you want expanded coverage under Medicare you have to pay for it, just like regular insurance. Medicare is not the same as what is purposed now. It is simply not the same.
It is EXACTLY the same. A public option health insurance is exactly what you just described.
Medicare IS government run single payer health care insurance. For those who can afford it, there are supplements, for those who can't Medicare is thier only coverage. The goverment run single payer system. You are dead wrong.
What you describe is single payer ... exactly what Medicare is now. You claim that Medicare is not government run health care in one breath and then say that Medicare only pays the bills. Where do you think the money comes from to pay for the Medicare claims? They are not paid in full with supplemental insurance .... we pay for it! The taxpayers.
That, my dear little brain-washed friend, is exactly what is being proposed - not purposed - under HR 3200. Stop listening to garbage spewing from the viral emails and go read the bill yourself.
He EARNED that healthcare and it is not free.
Nobody ever said that healthcare reform is going to be free. The public option is one of several choices that you would be able to BUY. People just simply DON'T want to investigate the truth.
This is only one part of reform. The other part of reform is trying to reduce costs for medicare that people have EARNED. Another part of reform is to make it where people who have worked all their lives won't loss their insurance because they get sick and if they have to or want to change jobs they can without loosing insurance because of pre-existing conditions. And yes the military earned
their insurance, but that is not what was said in the statement..it is government run..very successfully I might add. Congress has great insurance..do you think that they earned it. I am not sure that being in Congress entitles you to a life of health insurance that other people in other walks of live can't have. Try to put yourself in other people's shoes and think about how you would feel.
The lowest cost per patient that is out there is VA. It is absolute government controlled, govenrnment sponcered, government everything. They buy meds at the lowest cost, the pay doctors and nurses a little below market value, the doctors and nurses do not have the overhead as other doctors, so both benefit.
The doctors and nurses are great people, very dedicated to medicine but limited by government.
Whether it is free or he earned it or not is not the point. The point is that Wilson is trying to say that government health care will be awful and will not work while he himself subscribes to a government run system. That is hypocrisy at its best. Like Bush claiming he is a fiscal conservative.
Congress doesn't have govt. health care, they can choose from any private health care coverage and the govt. pays the premiums
I would not have any medical coverage if it weren't for my gov't sponsored Medicare, and also my Dutch husband would have none. When I was in Holland for 10 years, they covered me for $100 a month, for everything, including operations. When we moved to USA, my husband and I could not get coverage, and then at 65 was able to get Medicare. Thank goodness. I was healthy all of my life, and suddenly, I have 3 leaking heart valves, and a hole in my heart. I had to have a parathyroid removal operation, from radiation treatment when I was 8 years old. All of my problems are covered with Gemcare, and I have no complaints about paying all of my working life for this coverage I enjoy today. Those who call Obama's plan socialistic don't know what they are talking about. WE NEED COVERAGE! NOT LIES from the other side. Holland's way of handling their citizens is wonderful, and only a few can complain, just as with any system. Those who are looking for negative can find it, but I state the positive. I would be dead today if I had no government paid plan.
Thanks for the post. And good luck.
People here are generally afraid of the word "socialism" & that's because the worst history has to offer of it is always held up as the model for which people should be wary of. My Mother is from Holland & I've also had to use their system as a visitor. To summarize, I payed $3.00 for a Dr. visit & prescription that would have cost me in excess of $200.00 here. No questions asked, just because I'm a human being (imagine that). Advances in health care & health care technology historically have been about helping man survive. It's only in the last few decades that we abandoned that principal here. What people don't realize is how many "socialist" democracies exist around the world in places we all want to visit. Ask people if they want to give up public education, police, fire, medicare, public roads, or public works... Socialist programs ALL. We need to help educate people whrever we can to the facts... Peace.
Right on, Chapmanp2!
In fact, it seems to me that Democracy and Socialism are made for each other. Unfourtunately, our schools are a shambles and our media are owned by corporations that just love dull, uninformed, consumers/citizens.
It appears that many, if not most, Americans are clueless regarding how other nations have placed themselves head and shoulders above the U.S. in terms of a decent standard of living.
Just say the word "Socialism" and the average Joe cringes, cowers, and generally gets all worked up.
What a shame.
Why did the President choose private school for his own children?? The public schools in DC are terrible. With secret service, his children would be just as safe in either setting, but he still chose private over public.
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