Saturday, August 22, 2009

I'm Still Waiting

Since my last blog, I have discussed this health care issue at length face to face, via email, and on a forum I participate in (via email). Up to this point, I have had ONE specific response from a righty that may or may not be valid. He raised two points. One was regarding the tax that would be imposed on those that did NOT get health care. I read the section of the bill. He might be right. But someone pointed out in that forum that the tax would only apply to those making over 350 grand a year. And it would be 2.5% OR the averaged cost of a health care policy. If you are making 350 grand a year I think you can afford that. The jury is still out. The other issue regarded specific government involvement in allowing readmission into hospitals. Again, he may have a point. But frankly, the section of the bill that covers this is so heavily laden with legalese that I couldn’t decipher what the fuck it was talking about (And I will say I take issue with that. If you want the support of America on a bill, you need to write it using language the average American can understand). If we are talking about readmission because your cancer came back, that’s not a good thing. If we are talking readmission because you’re a hypochondriac with a headache and loose bowels, well stay home and take some aspirin and a tablespoon of Kaopectate. So, for the most part, my request for specifics is either ignored, brushed off, or blatantly defied as meaningless.

Here is my next question. How can you be so vehemently opposed to something that you have not taken the time to investigate? How can you speak out so strongly against something, and not have a single specific issue that you can identify as bad. How can you use words like socialism, entitlement, illegal aliens, lack of choice, when you haven’t taken the time to see if these things are really true? I guess you are either desperate to discredit the left, too lazy to do the work, or you are…. That’s right… a moron.

Speaking of morons, how about that Sarah “Failin” (my new nick-name for her… do you like it?). Here we have a woman who claims the health bill has provisions for “death panels”. When confronted, she stands by her claim. Of course, Failin is in a special class all by herself. She obviously believes the vast majority of Republicans are morons or she wouldn’t say some of the things she does. But she must be a moron too, or she wouldn’t say the rest of the things she does. So how do you combat that? If you come out and call her a moron, after she does something moronic, the other morons in the party will castigate you for calling her a moron.

Barney Frank is my new hero. You probably heard about his handling of a right wing-nut at a recent town hall meeting. She was playing the Hitler/Nazi card, likening the health care bill to something “Adolf the Nut Job German” would have implemented. He responded by telling her “When you ask me that question, I’m going to revert to my ethnic heritage and ask you a question: On what planet do you spend most of your time?” He went on to say “Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.” Is that awesome or what? Maybe we should get him and Sarah Failin in a room together for a chit-chat. I have twenty bucks that says he could reduce her to tears in a matter of minutes.

And then we have “Betsy Wetsy” Mcaughey (pronounced McCoy) who is insistent that there will be, well, she doesn’t call them death panels, but she insists people will be counseled on how to end their lives. I talked about her in a previous post when she made her outrageous claims on Fred “I want to be President, no I don’t, yes I do, no I don’t, yes I do, oh, nobody will vote for me so I guess I don’t” Thompson’s radio show. Back then I said the provision she was addressing said that every 5 years the elderly and infirm would be entitled to counseling on end of life decisions. Like those who can afford it are now. I went through all this when my mother passed away. So “Betsy Wetsy” goes on the Daily Show and Jon Stewart tells her exactly what I said. This nut job is still out there trying to convince us that this new bill will encourage euthanasia. And people believe her. I mean they must right? Or the Republican Party would tell her to shut the fuck up!

So, the challenge is still out there. If you oppose this bill, tell us why. Cite a specific passage of the bill and explain how it will turn us into godless, communist, swine. Kudo’s to the one guy who did. He may be the last reasonable Republican out there. At least he looked! But in over 1000 pages he only found two things that may or may not be issues. Be specific. I’m listening. I promised to list them in a future post and I will. But I haven’t gotten anything definitive yet. I will say if the concerns raised by the one guy are valid, I do have a problem with them. But I don’t think they are. Why? Because they are not in the spirit of the bill.

Peace,
Common Sense

3 comments:

  1. Doug, as I said in my email your whole premise seems to be that 1,000+ page health care bill that even you don't understand is somehow OK as long as you can play gotcha over the claims made by some on the right. That's absurd. I tried reading the bill and my eyes glazed over. The American people don't understand it and even Obama doesn't understand it. What kind of bill is that? Instead of focusing on the personalities of the people opposed to the bill why don't you try and translate it for the rest of us. I still don't get why you trust the govt that brought you Freddie, Fannie and a host of other financial disasters. Why is the health care bill so important to you? You know it will be many times more expensive than proposed (what govt program isn't?).

    ReplyDelete
  2. No Chemo, Kemosabe....the future of health care already operating in Oregon:

    http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/21/this-is-what-government-rationed-health-care-looks-like/

    ReplyDelete
  3. To your first post, I focus on the personalities of the people opposed to the bill because it's relevant. And it's not so much the personalities as it is the tactics. And nowhere have I said I'm 100% behind this bill. But I'm certainly not against it based on what I've read.

    To your second post, from what I have read, it is not government rationed health care. It's a government option that can be chosen instead of a privately or publicly held corporate option. Big difference. When my mother took ill and passed away she was cared for entirely by medicare. And she was cared for quite well. It seems the government did a fairly good job for her. Why not you?

    ReplyDelete