Blog @ MoreWhat.com

So how is the President doing so far? He has some quiet time to think about that as he finishes his ten day vacation. Some have complained that while millions of Americans are unemployed or underemployed Barack Obama should not be playing golf and taking vacation.

The President opposes SB1070 in Arizona and signs legislation to spend $600 million on border security while his Justice Dept sues Arizona over a state law that others are considering for their own states.

Porkulus spending and bailouts have done nothing to improve the economy. Mostly they have provided payoffs for unions representing teachers and other public sector employees. Conflict inside the White House has Obama’s economic team in turmoil. Romer, the leader of Obama’s economic council is leaving.

As if the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and controversy over Gitmo and civilian trials for terrorists were not enough trouble on the left for Obama he weighs in on the ground zero mosque and further splits his party.

Obamacare is not the winner Democrats portrayed. Since passage of the bill in late night sessions during Christmas last year the White House has spent much time defending the legislation. Something you would not have to do if the idea had any merit.

Just about everything is going wrong for the liberals who control the White House and Congress. As the midterms approach this November and every indication suggests a sweeping defeat for Democrats President Obama returns to the only strategy he knows. Blame someone else for your failures.

Once again President Obama is blaming George W Bush and the GOP for our current economic problems. Is the GOP responsible for our current economic and fiscal problems? Or is the economy now President Obama’s problem?

The GOP shares the blame for where we are. But that does not let the Democrats off the hook. If you seek the office of POTUS as Barack Obama did you have to know what you’re getting into. If you claim it’s the other guy’s fault and you’re the one to fix it you just signed on to do just that. If you fail it is a lame excuse to continue blaming others.

Here’s a flashback provided by The Hill on Barack Obama taking ownership of the US economy in 2009.

During a July 14, 2009, address in Warren, Mich., Obama said, “Now, my administration has a job to do, as well, and that job is to get this economy back on its feet. That’s my job. And it’s a job I gladly accept. I love these folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, ‘Well, this is Obama’s economy.’ That’s fine. Give it to me. My job is to solve problems, not to stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe.”

Notice the phrase, ‘these folks who helped get us in this mess’. A stark contrast to other statements by the President that shift all the blame on others. And it would be correct. Both Democrats and Republicans share responsibility for what goes on in Washington, D.C. and the topic of governance.

What the President does not say is something all liberals avoid. Entitlements are the single largest drain on financial matters in the US. It is the bulk of the budget year in and year out. Those problems belong to Democrats. FDR, LBJ and other Democrats ushered in budget busting programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. In the current mess Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Community Reinvestment Act and corruptocrats like Chris Dodd and Barney Frank have directed the banking industry to lend to those who cannot repay the loans.

Mr President, as you blame the GOP for all our ills you should check your own party’s backyard and what they have done to bring us to this point. Adding Obamacare to the other failing programs mentioned above is not our way out of this.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This is no surprise to anyone. Beyond the problem of national security, border control and ignoring the rule of law and founding principles of our nation illegal immigration is a crushing economic burden. It’s time for a reminder to all the liberals supporting shamnesty. Like the rest of the liberal agenda the notion of shamnesty is dangerous. An excerpt from a new report on the economic risks associated with illegal immigration is presented below followed by a link to the full report. Read it and weep, or join the fight against illegal immigration to save our country.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers

Executive Summary

This report estimates the annual costs of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local level to be about $113 billion; nearly $29 billion at the federal level and $84.2 billion at the state and local level.

The full report (click here)

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the finance committee and key player in passing Obamacare posted an item in Roll Call defending his work. The November 2010 elections are approaching and apparently Mr Baucus, like Mr Obama is focusing on damage control. If that were not the case and if Obamacare was inspired legislation that is good for the nation he would not have to defend it.  But defend it he does, again.

I have some questions for you Senator Baucus. But you probably will never read them on this tiny and obscure little blog in cyberspace.  And I do not have the time or patients to try to get your attention by other methods.  So let’s just give it a go and see how it works out.

The first question has essentially been asked at the top of this post.  If Obamacare, Demcare, HillaryCare, LiberalCare is so wonderful why do you need to defend it?  Good legislation that can stand on its own merits does not need to be defended.

Question two: Given the CBO estimates, your own actuary reports from HHS and numerous other sources, how can you claim Obamacare will ‘lower skyrocketing costs’ of healthcare? Just the half trillion dollars to be removed from Medicare plunges an iceberg into this titanic.

Question three: Given the power to be bestowed on bureaucrats to decide what constitutes insurance coverage, how doctors will be paid and what treatments are authorized how can you claim the quality of care will be improved?

Your anecdote on Billie Jo Meglen is heartwarming Mr Baucus.  But tell me; if the doughnut hole is $2000 and your fine legislation provided Billie Jo with a $250 ‘rebate’ check how does that really help? $250 is 12 1/2% of $2000.  Put another way, the $2000 she would pay without benefit of the $250 ‘rebate’ is 14.28% higher than with the $250 from the taxpayer. I can get a bigger discount by haggling with the pharmacy or the drug company.

And question four: I know, you said after that a 50% discount would be in place for drugs, etc.  Is that what the $80 billion payoff from Big Pharma was for or will the taxpayer be on the hook for the difference? Unless the drug companies keep handing you billions those discounts will be paid by taxpayers.

Mr Baucus, where is the offset to pay for the 35% discount to employers who provide health insurance?  And by the way, there’s a rumor out there that 60% or better of the current employer based plans will be disallowed once this thing gets going.  What say you, Senator?

And Senator, how is it you can magically make things disappear?  Like annual and lifetime claim limits and pre-existing conditions? If there is no limitation on claims a not-so-unlucky insurance carrier could easily go bust with too many high cost customers. How does Obamacare establish or maintain the basic idea of insurance for pooling risk?

And I really am unsure if I understand your terms when it comes to insurance company disclosure. If what you pay for claims are ‘costs’ how do you ask them to pay 80% of profits on those costs? Isn’t profit what you hopefully have left over after paying costs? BTW, just what is an ‘exorbitant salary’?  Who gets to make that determination?

Your claims and defense of Obamacare seems vague and ripe with generalities.  Like how ‘Americans and small businesses’ (interesting distinction) will receive billions in tax credits without, shall we say, breaking the bank?

‘The new law is fully paid for and won’t add a dime to the national debt.’ That’s a real difficult claim to believe Mr Baucus.  I didn’t believe it the first time I heard it.

Do you really expect American taxpayers to accept these claims? Especially given all the evidence to the contrary.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

President Barack Obama on Tuesday sought to shift the nation’s attention to a sunnier topic: the coming benefits from the Democrats’ recently-passed healthcare reforms.

Surrounded by a sea of seniors in Wheaton, Md., Obama defended the legislation from GOP attacks and trumpeted the arrival of one of earliest benefits of the new law: a $250 rebate to tens of thousands of seniors caught in the coverage gap of Medicare’s prescription drug benefit — a gap known unendearingly as the “doughnut hole.” The government will begin mailing out those checks on Thursday.

That Barry, what a joker. Does he know anything at all about the ‘doughnut hole’? A $250 check to cover the gap would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic. Aside from being able to carry your lame-ass live-at-home 26 year old children on your health insurance nothing much happens with Obamacare until 2014. Well, except for all the new taxes and reductions in Medicare to pay Medicaid for all the new participants Barry wants.

No point in retelling all the sad points about Obamacare here. If you have not learned about it by now you are either disinterested or one of those nut cases believing Barry is going to pay for everything you want.

BTW, the only reason President Obama is ‘trumpeting’ Obamacare is he knows most voters will thump Democrats at the polls this November and he is in campaign mode as usual doing damage control. He should have thought about that before the Cornhusker Cash or Louisiana Purchase bribes he gave Democrats to pass his legislation.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Republicans are banking that anti-health reform ballot initiatives will give them a significant edge in the November midterm elections.

The debate on the measures, which will be voted on in a half-dozen states, comes as Democrats are increasing their efforts to bolster support for their signature domestic achievement during the 111th Congress.

South Carolina and Missouri have health reform questions on their primary ballot, while three states — Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma — will give voters a chance in November to amend their state constitutions to say residents of those states can’t be forced to pay a penalty if they don’t buy health insurance. The amendment seeks to nullify the individual mandate, which consistently polls as one of the law’s most unpopular provisions.

Amending state constitutions for an opt out is good, pardon the pun, ‘insurance’ if liberals maintain a majority after November 2010. But let’s not forget about repealing Obamacare. It’s a good idea if for no other reason than President Obama does not like the term obamacare. He doesn’t like having his name associated with legislation most people oppose. You would think he would be proud of it if he genuinely thinks the legislation is worthy.

Guess what? He doesn’t and neither should you. But if you are about 2 out of 3 voters no one has to tell you that. You already know.

Tell a friend.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Here’s a perfect example of why PORK, earmarks, ’stimulus’ or any other call for ‘government help’ is nothing more than politicians seeking political cover or nanny state advocates portraying taxpayer funds as manna from heaven.

Cash-strapped states press Congress for more Medicaid help

States are turning up the pressure on federal lawmakers to help them pay their Medicaid bills, cautioning that they’ll otherwise face a dire fiscal situation that could hurt their economic recovery.

The state-federal health program for the poor consumes more than 20 percent of state spending, according to the National Governors Association, and without extra federal funds advocates say states will have to raise taxes, slash social spending or cripple their Medicaid programs.

The first paragraph above might accidentally point to the real problem. POLS suggest their ‘economic recovery’ will be hurt if they don’t get federal TAXPAYER dollars to fund shortfalls for state Medicaid spending. That’s their emotional ploy to justify getting the money.

What they should be saying is that taxpayers cannot continue being asked to pay more for entitlements! Asking for federal taxpayer dollars merely let’s them seek political cover by not speaking the truth on out of control spending and avoiding personal political damage by increasing state taxes to cover the entitlement spending.

You can draw your own conclusion on why programs like Medicaid continue to require more spending. But it is hard to avoid the reality. As long as you offer ‘freebies’ for program participants that are paid for by someone else the demand for the program benefits and the associated costs will continue to rise. The costs will always exceed the taxpayer’s ability to pay for it.

That is the twisted burden shift caused by entitlements. Someone creates a program to provide benefit to someone lacking the funds to pay for it themselves. Over time the taxpayer lacks the funds to pay for the benefit of the recipient who lacks the funds.

There is a biblical reference that fits this scenario. Give someone a fish and you can feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and they can feed themselves for a lifetime.

OMG, with that reference the NEA will ask for more education funding. It doesn’t matter. They would ask for more funding without the reference. But they won’t ask to be held accountable to teach anyone to feed themselves for a lifetime.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

crossposted at Maggie’s Notebook

Here we go again. Liberals are not satisfied with passing healthcare legislation dictating what insurance providers must sell and citizens must buy. Now they want to dictate what citizens eat, how much they weigh and how active they are. And they tell you that is what you want.

“Americans want to be healthy, live longer, and have more time with the people they love,” said Rep. Marcia Fudge. “This bill makes it much easier for people to make healthy choices by addressing simple barriers to wellness.

The fallacy here is that people always had and still have the ability to ‘make healthy choices.’ What those who support this legislation really want is to remove your ability to choose and impose their will on you. In other words, you will do what we tell you to do. And we’ll pass laws to try and make that happen.

“The U.S. is paying heavily for the obesity epidemic which is the result of inactivity and the overconsumption of unhealthy food and sugary beverages,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. “The Healthy CHOICES Act and its far-reaching policies will help target and address this growing health concern by providing adults and children with the resources and information they need to make healthier lifestyle choices.”

“This legislation reflects thoughtful and effective policies that can help Americans reach and sustain a healthy weight, and we are eager to partner with Congress to advance this much-needed measure,” said Penny Lee, Executive Director of the Campaign to End Obesity.

That’s right. ‘The Healthy Choices Act and ITS FAR-REACHING POLICIES’ will attempt to force you to conform to someone else’s idea of what you should be and how you should act. They fail to mention that if you consume more calories than your activity can use you will gain weight. Even if you eat what they call healthy food that rule still applies. So perhaps this legislation has little to do with ‘healthy choices’ and more to do with controlling your life.

Funny, not so long ago the liberal mindset was trying to convince the world that being fat was okay because those who were could not avoid it. Later, the ‘gene people’ were trying to convince you there is a gene that makes you fat. But now that the liberals are the majority in Washington DC they’re abandoning that and offering legislation to restrict your personal choices once again.

News flash for liberals: If you do not want to be fat you will pursue that which allows you to maintain a suitable weight as well as other characteristics you deem worthwhile. If you do not care about the issue you will not make that effort. This may be another example of nature’s way of cleaning up the gene pool. Congress is unlikely to improve on that.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This video report is not breaking news in the usual sense. The tax on indoor tanning salons as a result of Obamacare has been a known quantity for weeks. Other reports on this story are widely available. What is ‘breaking’ about this story is the effect on American business. It is breaking them. And this story is just the beginning.

The decision to bypass this story for a post on this blog was maintained until today. Here’s the reason why. For this blog author tanning salons are viewed as a peculiar entity. No participants here. Not a fan. Don’t use them or run one. But that is exactly the point. That Obama is targeting specific businesses to pay a huge price for his entitlement should be a wake up call.

Your business will be next. What? You thought they would stop with tanning salons? That is why it matters even if you have no personal interest in what a business offers as a product or service. All taxpayers will pay for this. Which means about 47% of the US population will not. And the liberals expect us to believe this is not redistribution of wealth or socialism.

You don’t have to be wealthy to have wealth or have someone redistribute it for you. If you are an employee or run your own business and are surviving or getting along under current circumstances you have wealth. That is if you consider what your situation would be without it. If you understand that you should understand Obamacare will not help you. It will not even help those who are struggling right now. Because just like the other entitlements you cannot simply have something without paying for it. Someone will have to pay for it. And the costs will exceed our ability to pay. Guess what that means?

Obamacare is still a liberal dream as it cannot be accomplished in a practical manner. This story about tanning salons and a 10% tax because of Obamacare demonstrates what is wrong. Obamacare does not solve healthcare problems. It creates more of them. Targeting taxpayers to pay for the healthcare of others as a grand plan to fix healthcare is no different than the impractical entitlements of social security, medicare and medicaid.

In the early years there were perhaps 30 or 40 workers paying in that covered each social security recipient. It would not be a surprise if that ratio has declined to one to one. But it is certainly less than 30:1 and as the CBO reminds us the trust funds are accounting mechanisms and nothing more. The money to pay the entitlements has to come from increased taxes and borrowed money.

Obamacare is the same kind of fraud only on a much larger scale. And some of the first casualties will be the jobs Obama claimed would be coming. The tanning salons are in the first wave of many to come.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Nothing like being in the right mood to publish a post on what can only be described as stupid. A baseball game just ended. It should have been one for the win column for what should be MY team… the Milwaukee Brewers. After leading since the third inning a pinch hitter for the Cards smacked a two run homer in ninth and the Brew crew went down in order in the bottom of the ninth. This is not an uncommon event for the team from brew town.

To add insult to injury a fitting annoyance was observed at a sports site while preparing this post. Wanting to represent the games’ chronology accurately a peak at the stats was in order. On arrival at the site a big picture of T Woods was presented with the title ‘destyiny of a champion.’ Excuse me while I throw up. The Masters is in session and this occasional viewer will neither watch it or the network, CBS, airing it. The whole scenario from Tiger’s dishonesty to his tabloid ’secret’ lifestyle and the public’s eagerness to ‘forgive’ (as well as his wife’s) strike me as shameless AND stupid.

Enter the original focus of this post…. healthcare. Yup, Obama won a coup d’eta with his Obamacare and while attempting to destroy the American health system he moved on quickly to doing same with our national defense and security. But some events in healthcare and reports about it are the real subject of this post. The rest was just a fun way to start this.

First, there is a report on clinical trials. The initial premise describes a situation where trials are stopped short of completion due to better than expected results. It further suggests those results are flawed.

A new international analysis of 100 clinical trials that ended early found that the results were often wrong and sometimes life-threatening.

If this doesn’t remind you of the AGW scam it should. It is as if we have been time warped back to the Dark Ages. How long will it be until we reach the age of enlightenment? Seriously folks, it really doesn’t matter whether the stupidity is the result of intentional deception or not having a clue. The outcome is not better either way.

The second report in this group features another curious announcement.

Thirteen lawmakers have sent a letter to USAID about leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and Buruli ulcer, which are in the group referred to as “neglected diseases.”

I’m sorry. Neglect is not the real problem with curing disease. This is not the first time this thought has been expressed on this blog. Given Big Pharma, a sector of the economy producing drugs, their billions in sales would be at risk if diseases were regularly eliminated by finding cures. Likewise, researchers and others who earn a living ’searching for cures’ would be out of a job (and income) if they solved the problem.

How about you don’t get another dime until you cure something?

Then there’s a report about the need for more minority doctors to serve minority patients. At first glance the proposition seems innocent enough. But after further review stupidity is observed revealing the nonsense.

“What happens with the health outcome, depends upon good communication, the trust and credibility between the health professional and the individual seeking care, and an understanding of the patient’s culture, value system, so that one can develop, hopefully, a strong relationship or interaction between the health professional and the individual,” Dr. Sullivan explained.

While living in an area liberals would define as ‘diverse’ a successful doctor once expressed a simple yet intelligent formula for dealing with patients. The doctor was white and many of his patients were not. He held that effective communication with one’s patients did much of your diagnostic work for you. Letting them speak, listening and asking the right questions provided the necessary information to solve the health problem(s).

Please, let’s not suggest that successful outcomes in medicine require the doctor and the patient to possess a shared cultural or demographic heritage.

Two reports for this post remain although there certainly are more to review. The first of these two is absolutely priceless. So is pursuing the sort of reasoning it describes. Which may help understand some of the reasons why healthcare costs continue to rise so fast. Stupidity.

To be prepared, firefighters and paramedics practice regularly. On this day, they are practicing with special equipment designed to accommodate overweight patients.

The details about the equipment are what make this report ’stupid.’ For those not fond of the metric system, if memory serves, kilograms are converted to pounds by multiplying the number of kg’s by 2.2.

This stretcher, ramp and winch system can load a patient weighing up to 680 kilograms into an ambulance.

680 x 2.2 = just under fifteen hundred pounds (1,496 lbs). You don’t need an explanation do you?

The last report is a repeat of some from the past. Caesarean Deliveries at All-Time High in US may indicate a trend in unnecessary procedures. All of these reports feature a serious case of stupid.

If you disagree, sound off. It appears there is much evidence to suggest the human species is mired in stupidity. Are we all in decline based on our recent collective performance. Has someone spiked the water? What’s the deal?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This video is not new. But it is worth viewing/studying for more than one reason. Can you guess what they are?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Less than two weeks ago the news was dominated with stories surrounding the contentious health reform debate. Opposition to President Obama’s obsession with his top agenda item in Congress mirrored that of the voting public.

The U.S. Congress appears headed for a final battle over health-care reform legislation in the next several days, and the political stakes for President Barack Obama, his Democratic allies and opposition Republicans are enormous.

Health-care reform has been President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority, and the president is making an energetic final push for support, including a recent visit to Ohio.

‘An energetic final push for support’ keeping President Obama in campaign mode since taking office was necessary as most Americans oppose the plan.

Public support for the Democratic health-care plan has eroded during the past several months, and Mr. Obama must now rely on Democrats alone to get the legislation through Congress.

There never was strong support for Obamacare as demonstrated by public opinion polls and the need for Democratic party leadership to strong arm their membership, buy votes with special deals at taxpayer expense as well as abusing their majority status in Congress to force a simple majority vote on the measure that would otherwise require 60 votes in the Senate.

Democrats including President Obama could not muster 60 votes of support in the Senate nor more than 40 percent in public opinion polls. Even without the ever-present political considerations politicians evaluate common sense opposition from the voting public demonstrates healthcare legislation forced through Congress by the Democrats is seriously flawed. And that Democrats have nothing but contempt for those who oppose their questionable agenda. That includes about sixty percent of the American public.

Health Care Bill Still Under 40% Approval

The polls above are from last week. You can click on the link to read more.

Perhaps the sixty percent opposed can send the Democrats home in November 2010 and retire the one in the White House in 2012.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

A column by Dana Milbank at WaPo may be representative of the liberal view on healthcare reform and the associated politics in Washington DC. And right out of the gate Milbank is wrong. In the first paragraph he tries to be cute and references a Kenny Rogers song suggesting the GOP should ‘know when to fold’em’. And two more errors are offered in the next paragraph. One, that healthcare reform is a done deal. And two, bad behavior and death threats ‘no doubt’ were caused by actions of Republicans.

On the topic of folding Milbank should be more concerned about the financial strain another huge entitlement will place on our nation. He should also point out that politics, majority party politics is responsible for the selfish choice to place a favorite liberal agenda item, healthcare ‘reform’, ahead of attending to jobs and the economy.

Perhaps Milbank’s real meaning for his ‘folding’ advice was requesting that the loyal opposition simply roll over and play dead. There are those of us who would prefer they did not. Bad enough that GOP errors caused them to lose the majority in 2006 that led to the leadership mess we’re in now. But the best way to fix that is learn from your mistakes, retake the majority and correct what damage the liberals cause.

To suggest that healthcare reform is a done deal is for Milbank to concede his lack of understanding. Beyond the fact that 37 states have initiated legal moves to opt out of Obamacare and talk about repealing the new legislation there is an underlying problem Milbank ignores.

There are no done deals in politics. Obamacare is no exception. Most new legislation alters older legislation and the party battles, wins and losses, perpetuate the process. And if Milbank thinks other liberals are content to stop meddling in healthcare after the bill is signed by the President, he knows nothing.

‘No doubt’ Milbank would prefer you had ‘no doubt’ about who or what is behind threatening behavior directed at politicians. But it is prudent and sensible to withhold judgment until there is something other than guesswork or personal opinions available like evidence. Or we can fan the flames like Milbank and point fingers and hurl accusations. Or just hurl.

For Milbank to jest about viagra for pedophiles misses the point which is government failures in managing programs produce outrageous outcomes. Milbank mentioning Lindsey Graham or John McCain as sensible voices in the GOP confirms they’re RINOs. Thanks for making one point conservatives can agree upon.

There is much about Milbank’s column that is foolish. Not the least of which is getting it wrong on why the GOP won’t fold’em.

The GOP used the majority party’s choice of reconciliation to send Obamacare back to the House allowing liberals one more chance to do what’s right and kill the bill. They also used amendments they knew would be rejected as nearly all have been to date in order to provide a record of many items that are in Obamacare and wrong. And to have those who support Obamacare go on record as promoting and accepting bad legislation.

There may be those who believe the GOP needs to use the record of these proceedings to challenge Democrats in November. It may be necessary to inform those not paying attention. I for one do not require it for opposing those who supported Obamacare. And Milbank does not need it to vote for liberals. No doubt.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

In Hypothetical 2012 Matchup, Obama in Statistical Dead Heat Against 2 Republicans: Nobody and Anybody

It would be entertaining if it wasn’t so serious. First of all, make no mistake, there is rhetoric everywhere. Political rhetoric is a familiar tool. Everyone uses it. And those opposed to any such rhetoric typically submit a rebuttal. The following is an example.

This blog offers a rebuttal to those who characterize any criticism of Obamacare as somehow sponsored by the GOP or otherwise supported or connected to the Republican party.

The Democratic party has been in the majority throughout the so-called health reform debate that has now lasted, in its current form, for more than a year. The Democrats raised the issue. President Obama has placed it as his top priority. The entire issue was brought forward by the Democratic party. And few would argue against the fact it has been a liberal cause for decades. No need to repeat a description of the Ted Kennedy saga or the fallacy that current health reform proposals are in any way relevant to frequent references about Theodore Roosevelt’s efforts on behalf of public health issues.

Democrats currently own this issue and any results that occur because of it. The GOP has been effectively shut out of the process as shown by the massive number of amendments they offered compared to the few that have not been rejected by the majority. Even some Democrats opposed to this reform have had their ‘yes’ votes paid for by special deals. And there is not one poll available during the entire debate to indicate adequate public support for the Democratic party’s health reform legislation.

Connecting opposition to current healthcare reform exclusively as a function of the GOP is absurd. While the GOP opposition certainly has a political component the same cannot be said for the majority of Americans opposed to the Democratic party’s healthcare reform legislation.

Just because a majority of Americans oppose the Democratic party’s healthcare reform legislation does not make them Republicans. And the fact that this blog is presenting content in this post from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is not an endorsement of the GOP. But it does demonstrate something about the loyal opposition to Obamacare. Most Americans oppose Obamacare and that includes the GOP and this blog. Although it is fair to say each opponent may have their own reasons for opposing Obamacare.

The point is Obamacare is opposed by most Americans. And the Democratic party majority is forcing it upon citizens anyway. That’s the issue.

Here’s the Mitch McConnell content……

and the text version……

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday regarding the health care bill:

“The administration and some in Congress would like to think this debate is over.

“They want the American people to sit down and quiet down.

“That’s been their approach to health care for an entire year.

“Well, Republicans think Congress serves the people, not the other way around.

“So we’ve fought on behalf of the American people this week — and we’ll continue to fight until this bill is repealed and replaced with common-sense ideas that solve our problems without dismantling the health care system we have and without burying the American Dream under a mountain of debt.

“That’s what we’ve been doing all week here in the Senate.

“While Democrat lawmakers and staffers threw a party for themselves at the White House yesterday, Republicans were here at the Capitol fighting a 150-page postscript that Democrats added on at the last minute to the health care bill.

“This add-on bill took a terrible health spending bill and made it even worse.

“If you thought the tax hikes in the original bill were bad, this bill raised them even higher. If you thought the Medicare cuts were bad, this bill made them deeper. If you thought the first bill cost too much, this bill made it even more expensive.

“If you didn’t like the special deals in the first bill, they slipped more into this one.

“The whole thing was one last slap in the face of Americans across the country who’ve been howling at Democrats for the past year to stop this bill and to work instead across party lines on reforms that would actually drive costs down.

“So today, Republicans will give Democrats one last chance to reject the horrible impact the underlying bill and this last-minute add-on will have on our country.

“Unfortunately, we already know that they plan to turn the other way.

“We’ll offer an amendment to direct the Medicare cuts in this bill back into Medicare, to preserve and strengthen it for future generations. They’ll reject it.

“We’ll offer an amendment to strike all the new sweetheart deals in this bill. They’ll reject it.

“We’ll offer an amendment that would have obliged the President to keep his pledge that families earning under $250,000 won’t see any tax hikes as a result of this bill. They plan to reject it.

“We’ll offer an amendment requiring HHS to certify that this bill doesn’t increase premiums. They’ll reject it.

“We’ll offer an amendment to strike a job-killing mandate on businesses. They’ll reject it.

“So while the White House is trying to sell this health spending bill to a skeptical public — Senate Democrats today will speak loudly and clearly about the things in this bill the White House doesn’t want people to know — and vote to endorse them:

* Massive cuts to Medicare for seniors
* Job killing mandates and small business tax hikes
* Higher insurance premiums
* Sweetheart deals
* Tax hikes on middle class families

“This is the real story of health care reform.

“Americans may not be hearing about it from the White House, but I assure you they’ll be feeling the pain. Americans know this, and they want to know that someone’s fighting for them in Washington, to make their voices heard.

“That’s what Republicans have been doing on this issue for the past year. That’s what we’ve been doing this week. That’s what we’re doing tonight.

“And that’s what we’ll keep doing until those voices are heard.

“We’re not giving up.”
###

Emotional appeals designed to pull at the heartstrings were an effective weapon unleashed on the uninformed for those supporting the latest fiasco in the US Congress. Americans have always been a generous group. But too often that generosity is abused by those with special interests having nothing to do with being kind to others.

The report below is a case in point. The first paragraph indicates it was published before roll call vote 165 on Sunday night last on the House ‘vehicle’ for the bill named the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. And there is much in this report pointing to the decision process of many Americans.

In this instant society of fast food, mobile everything and the ‘on demand’ appetite developing unreasonable expectations comes with the skewed perception of reality that results from these behavior patterns. Not so different from the average spoiled child.

A basic concept in marketing defines salesmanship as satisfying needs and wants. Everyone should understand the difference between something you need and something you want. But more and more these days the two become confused. It is now common for people to believe something they need or want is a right and they are entitled to it. And to them it does not matter if someone else must be the responsible party in providing it. In other words, I need it therefore I want it and you must give it to me.

With the story below, where to begin? Why is Michele without health insurance? The author suggests 20 somethings are the largest uninsured group. She further suggests about half work only part-time. And their uninsured numbers are nearly twice that of older adults.

This will sound cruel. Michele claims she has a heart condition and it keeps her from working full-time. We are not told why she is a single mother but obviously having a heart condition did not interfere with getting pregnant. It may sound cruel but being sheptical is part of not being conned.

Much of this is about choices. And it certainly is about rights and responsibilities. How many people CHOOSE not to have health insurance? How many of those described in the VOA report made choices which limited their options for their future? It is reasonable to suggest there are those who are in predicaments not of their own choosing. But it is just as reasonable to suggest the vast majority of people in predicaments are there through no one’s fault but their own.

And a swell of sympathy for those with limited options (through no one’s fault but their own) has once again been used to force legislation on the rest of us. Liberals were more than willing to use these emotional appeals in an attempt to further their flawed agenda and avoid political backlash this fall at the ballot box. To the GOP’s credit a practical and common sense set of objections were used to oppose dangerous legislation. However, to be fair, their motives may not have been entirely altruistic.

The point is, whether for the right reason or not, the GOP was on the correct side of this political battle. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a misnomer in more than title. If you do not understand or believe by now this measure can break the financial back of our nation you are not paying attention.

The instant society, a loss of values from our nation’s past and a failure to be the best we can be have all conspired to bring us to this point. If this trend is allowed to continue the future looks very dim indeed.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Democrats in the US Congress are racing to pass health care reform legislation. Currently, people in their 20s are the largest group in the United States without health insurance. With skyrocketing health care costs, those with low incomes often cannot afford insurance. Under the legislation, some 30 million uninsured will be able to buy insurance, and some will get government subsidies for it. And that could make health care more affordable.Michele Gomez is a 23-year-old single mother with no health insurance. She has a cold and came for medication to the Free Clinic in Arlington, Virginia outside Washington. Gomez also is having a blood test because she has a heart condition.

She says because of it, she can only work part-time and she doesn’t make enough money to pay for health insurance.

“I need medicine, and sometimes I get heart pains and I have to think about it twice before I go to the hospital because I don’t have insurance,” said Michele Gomez. “I normally get a big bill and I don’t have a way to pay for it.”

Nearly half of young adults work part-time and so they are less likely to be offered health insurance at their jobs.

The U.S. government estimates that 30 percent of young adults are without health coverage, compared with 17 percent of older adults.

Gomez says she is in favor of health insurance reform. But she says if she is required to pay for even a small part of her insurance, she can’t do it.

“I think they should have done this a long time ago,” she said. “It’s ridiculous how you can’t get insurance, especially if you are a U.S. citizen. I think that should be one of the major priorities is to get insurance for people, especially if they have a low income.”

Health officials say it’s important to insure young adults even if they have few health problems. Nancy Pallesen, head of the Arlington Free Clinic, says their issues can become chronic.

“It’s very important for these people to have health care, regular health care, and to have preventative kinds of health care because in the future this will save them a lot of anguish,” said Nancy Pallesen.

Currently, most insurance plans allow parents to claim their children as dependents until they are 22-years-old. Under the new legislation, young adults will be able to remain on their families’ policies until the age of 26.

Ronald Perry works in a grocery store and says health insurance is too expensive for him. He thinks it should be optional.

“Everybody can make their own decisions and if you choose to have health care you shouldn’t be forced to do it at 26 or 30,” said Ronald Perry. “If you want it at 45 or 50 you should be able to get it then.”

Young adults are more likely to work in small businesses that don’t offer health care plans.

Isidro Duran is one of them. He came to the U.S. from Honduras 10 years ago and works in a small restaurant in Washington. He says he would like affordable health insurance.

“I am nervous and I am very concerned about it because you never know when you will need it,” said Isidro Duran.

Kimlinn Pham, from Vietnam, is a manicurist in a hair salon in Virginia. She hopes health care reform will allow her to buy reasonably priced health insurance. Pham says even when she’s sick she avoids going to the doctor.

“The doctor and hospital are so expensive,” said Kimlinn Pham. “I know that they treat you very well. But later on when you get the bill, you are the one to suffer from the bill. The doctor won’t suffer from that.”

Even with new legislation, the changes in health insurance won’t begin for several years. By that time, some people in their 20s could already be burdened with medical debt and chronic illness.

Given the roll call vote (number 165) for March 21, 2010 with a time stamp of 10:49PM in the US House of Representatives the fat lady may not have sung yet on the outcome of healthcare legislation but the situation looks rather dismal.

What it looks like from here is Obama will sign his Obamacare and the Senate has an opportunity to make fixes or changes. It also looks like Mr Stupak may have been duped. Accepting less than a million dollars in airport funding for his vote in exchange for an executive order from President Obama to protect Stupak’s claimed pro-life interests may be another healthcare scam.

While preparing to publish this post an unproductive search was conducted to determine who the other Congressman were in Mr Stupak’s little alliance. It is almost as if the others have effectively cloaked their names from the media. About all that was found so far was six more names to go with Mr Stupak at Wikipedia. A check of the roll call indicates they all did not vote one way.

But they are not the only ones who may deserve to be politically impaled for this travesty. You can start with the Republicans. Had they not squandered their last Congressional majority with a major fall from grace on conservative principles we wouldn’t be having these discussions.

Add to that the equally disgusting performance of the liberal agenda gone wild and a recurring theme in American politics emerges once again. Politicians are the largest impediment in politics and governing. They are the root of all evil in public affairs. They are what allows lobbyists to exist. For without the pursuit of power, election and re-election by politicians, lobbyists would have no reason to exist.

It’s the ageless battle between greed and corruption versus principle and virtue. So now the next chapter begins. What to do after the mindless tragedy that took place in Congress this past Sunday?

37 states will pursue opting out of Obamacare. Various entities will pursue legal action against Obamacare. And many politicians may have just signed their resignation papers with a vote for Obamacare. And some argue those who voted against it will experience the same fate.

Let the purging begin.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com