For example, Sarah Palin recently said
". . . 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."
I thinks it's truly amazing that someone who ran for Vice President of the United States would tell such a blatant lie. The only purpose is to scare people who may not know any better. For verification, read the bill (page 425) or read this Fact Check - or know that AARP is taking out ads to counteract these lies.
This is just one of many, many examples of our supposed leaders telling lies or misrepresenting the facts - just to scare people. Unfortunately, it's working - and it may kill health reform again. For over a hundred years, brave Presidents (Republican and Democratic) have been trying - without success - to achieve universal health coverage - ie, health care for all Americans.
Why do these efforts at universal coverage fail? Is it because Americans don't want everyone to have health insurance? Of course not. Everytime a President has proposed health care reform, the public has been overwhelmingly supportive - until the opponents bring out their big guns.
There are businesses who are making a lot of money on the current system, and they are willing to spend a lot of money to make sure it doesn't change. They say they want reform but then do everything they can to prevent it from happening. Who are these businesses? Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and for profit hospitals and nursing homes - and the lobbyists and members of Congress that they support with millions and millions of dollars.
Just about every other American would benefit from health care reform - but many of the people who would benefit are screaming the loudest. Health care is a very complicated business, and the vast majority of Americans don't understand how it works. So when they hear some frightening sound bite from some immoral politician, they get scared.
If you know what's good for you, you won't believe anything politicians say or any ads about health care. We used to depend on the media for unbiased coverage - but not any more. And the Internet, where many people get their news, is much worse. Check it out for yourself using unbiased sources. I recommend FactCheck.org, which is a totally nonpartisan, unbiased organization that regularly checks out political bull.
Your life, or that of a loved one, will depend on the outcome of this legislation - so you'd better pay attention.
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19 comments:
We have government healthcare in England, and we love it. In fact, it's one of the reasons we've stayed over here and not moved back to the US -- last time we lived there, we were constantly filling in insurance claims that were then denied -- gets so frustrating. Here, if anything is wrong, you call your dr's office, get seen that day if it's an emergency and no bill or insurance claims to fool with afterwards. All my prescriptions are free too (I know, I pay for it in taxes but it's good value as I pay the same rate in the US and don't get healthcare thrown in).
Excellent commentary on health care reform, Casey!
I found this blog back when Obama was campaigning and enjoy it.
I am disgusted, and more than a little embarrassed, that so many 'passionate' folks at town hall meetings are willing to buy into these myths like that of Palin.
Suppose their real reason is they are afraid they will lose something should reform happen in health care. Probably didn't turn a hair when standing up and cheering for 'let's invade a foreign country, pretend they have weapons of mass, and break the bank doing it'.
If health care reform happens, as much as I want it to..I will probably fall over in a fit of surprise.
Stay tuned. I'm going to post periodic health reform commentary until it either passes (hopefully) or dies (Europe, anyone?)
I agree with you Mint Julep! where were the commercials about how much invading Iraq would cost when we were going to war? Where was the outrage? We were like sheep then but now when they try to reform healthcare (really, don't those town hallers care about the millions of people in the US going without medical care?), everyone turns activist.
Actually, I was not too sheepish about going to Iraq, and never bought into the argument that the administration's "intelligence" indicated weapons of mass. However, I didn't oppose going to Afganistan and hunting for bin Laden after 9/11. SIGH.
Used to work in human services dealing with people who live in HUD buildings. They were all obsessed with how many benefits--such as lift chairs, diabetic supplies, etc.--other residents were receiving and very jealous of them. It was a glimpse of greed and malice I could have gone forever without seeing. This town halling chaos reminds me of that tho.
Death panels? Yeah, it's such a lie that they just took it out of the legislation. uhhhhh, who's lying now? Wow, here it is in plain english being dumped from the legislation yet people like you, the New York Times, Chris Matthews are still saying it doesn't exist. Well, i guess that might be true now. Thank God these "un-american" and "non-genuine" heros are protesting. Wow, it's amazingly hypocritical that when people protest the "left" the "left" has no idea how to react other than to criticize. How stalinistic.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090813/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_end_of_life_2
Art - Did you read your own link? It was pretty clear in that article that "death panels" was a blatant, political lie. That section of the bill is being removed, because it wasn't that important and it's not worth trying to defend it to people who don't know how to read and are believing these political lies.
'How Stalinistic' to be too afraid to use your own name when you come into a blog to criticize.
"Art" (or whoever you really are), it adds nothing to the debate to label your opponents, whether it's Stalinist, Fascist, Socialist or anything else.
If you have something to say, say it. Simply calling someone "stalinist" is the rhetorical equivalent of "you suck" and has about as much value. It was drilled out of me at age 14, but maybe you weren't as fortunate as I was in your education.
Art, this is not about 'left' or 'right'.
It's about health care...for all.
That's in 'plain English'.
Look, the only people calling names are you people. Like criticizing me for not using my real name....uh, it's a blog for god sakes. Or calling Sarah Palin a "liar." THAT IS CHILDISH. To believe that Sarah Palin simply made up the "death panel" argument is completely silly. There was legitimate concern. You quote Time as if it isn't biased. It is as is Newsweek. How many times has Obama been on the cover of each in the last year...like a 100.
What you guys do NOT understand is that Republicans aren't against health care for the needy, they are against government run health care. PERIOD! Government makes things worse. Obama, in his own words, said "look at UPS and Fed Ex, they are doing great, it's the USPS that's always having problems." THOSE ARE HIS WORDS! He is right. If government can't deliver mail correctly, why in Gods name would we hand over health care to them. It's not about the poor, it's about government control. That is what I do not agree with.
Plus, government run health care isn't all its cracked up to be. Nothing is flawless as seen below.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/ian-birrell-why-i-dont-believe-that-the-nhs-is-sacrosanct-1775088.html
http://freep.com/article/20090820/BUSINESS06/908200420/1319/
And to Elizabeth, it's not Stalinistic to use a code name. It's because of the left's stalinistic and chicago gangster tactics people like me wish to remain anonymous. See Sarah Palin and what the media and blogs have done to her entire family. Freakin disgraceful.
We have a president who can't even come up with a full form birth certificate, was barely raised in the States, practiced religion in a church that preached HATE AMERICA for 20 years and yet the media sticks to covering Palin's daughter. nice.
Art....for the record, I do not care what name you use, and if you are frightened by 'chicago gangster tactics'...then you are. (I don't know what the phrase 'c.g.t' means tho)
I also do not know what a "full form" birth certificate is, or what it means that you need to see one for President Obama.
Churches do not 'preach'. The 'preacher's' remarks were well covered in the press...as well as Palin's family news, maybe more.
Surely you cannot believe that Obama 'hates America"; if so, then your stance is not even about health care reform.
OMG! Art is a Birther! Let's just ignore him - since he's just a right wing nut job and not capable of having an intelligent conversation.
BTW. The comments that I have deleted are just spam.
Please provide proof of how much insurance companies are profiting. Their profits are actually at most 6-7%. They posted a 2.2% profit margin last year. That is not exactly rolling in the dough.
We need tort reform. Let's start there. They have it in Texas and rates dropped 33% the first year tort was in place. The government is going to take that away from Texas.
What the government is doing by "providing health care" and requiring that everyone carry it is against the constitution.
You cannot say most Americans don't understand how health care works. Where are the statistics on that? You think the government understands how health care works? I don't think they really do. Look at medicare and medicade. It's bankrupt and there are billions of dollars in fraud each year. You can buy the same piece of medical equipment for anywhere from 20% to 80% less than what the government would pay under your medicare.
Of course AARP is getting in on it. Since the bill will reduce the coverage provided by medicare you will have to purchase more supplemental coverage from a private industry. That means more money paid by seniors to AARP to receive that extra coverage.
Oh on a side note: Can you tell me the name of one MORAL politician? haha
Casey- Your post was rude. I don't know for sure if Obama is truly an American born citizen. I'm not even going to debate it. If his birth cert says he is, then he is. Anyway, just because Art is a "birther" as you put it doesn't mean that he is any less intelligent than you.
How can you go to a church for 20 years and it NOT have an impact on you. If a church and its pastor do not have an effect on you, your spirit, your behavior, your beliefs then the church has failed.
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