The Republican Party is taking a huge risk of alienating the mainstreamers in their party by working to defeat health care reform. While the disruptions at town hall meetings that thwart honest debate may not be orchestrated by the GOP; they sure don’t condemn the tactics being used. They are rolling the dice with the country’s future by not trying to be part of the solution.
Take a look at our own congressman, Doc Hastings. He refuses to have town hall meetings. Doc thinks his district isn’t clamoring for health care reform and no discussion is needed. Leadership of the local Republican Party doesn’t care either. They are in a ‘NO” rut. That’s what happens when you stifle ideas and try keep the good old boys in power. The party of NO is shrinking. Hopefully we will make some changes in our local elections. It’s our only chance to even talk about anything!!
Ron et al, this is the result of a lack of leadership in the GOP. It is has split into factions in which the mainstream is powerless to do anything about it. I can’t wait for their 2 or at best, 3 state strategy in 2012.
Mainstreter..the bets are still out there…or are you still too chickens**t to pick up the gauntlet?
What a shockeroo! Hastings doesn’t want to discuss a topic as important as health insurance, instead declaring it a “non-issue”. Another surprise- Neal would rather place bets on the outcome of a democratic vote than to discuss the topic.
But to focus on the slightly more relevent Hastings, he still has to receive authorization from his party to speak on such an important issue, and a party without a leader can’t decide what to say. Of course, healthcare coverage is not of much concern to Hastings, who receives platinum-level insurance, paid for by the taxpayers (many of those same taxpayers have little or no coverage, thanks to cons like Hastings, and Neal). So when Dick says, we can’t have anything that might possibly be government-subsidized, because that would be a form of “socialized medicine”, what he really says to the residents of his district is, “I get it, you are paying for it, and I don’t want to discuss it any further.”
Very true Drew, the gop has no plan to fix anything.
Doc Hastings IS holding a Townhall in the Wenatchee area, on Thursday August 16. It will be held at the Douglas County PUD in East Wenatchee, 1151 Valley Mall Parkway, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.
It would be nice to have someone ask him why he is spreading misinformation about Health Care Reform on his website.
social security
medicare
medicaid
postal service…..
do you really want the same idiots running a trillion dollar health plan. No thank you!
Where are you stuneros, in prison?
You seem to hate everything.
Streeter..I’m right here…wanna back up your rant?
I dint’t think so…You’re just a little gas bag wannabe…
My rant? The republicans have no plan, no leadership. You sound just like Eyman.
Grandmere- Thanks for the info on Hastings townhall meeting. Hopefully we can have a real discussion on reforming healthcare, and not a Fixed News cheerleading tryout promoting the “pay more-get less” for-profit arrangement America currently has in place.
Someone needs to ask Hastings why his healthcare coverage is so vastly different (and better) than what stuneros or neal gets.
O Boy all the back slapers, ringers and second screen names are here Spew (drew) lamestreet, grandma opps I missed borrie
Congratulations to Ed Patton and Aileen Kulick for their courage to stand beside the “NO” group and support sometype of health care reform.
I talked to him for a bit and he asked me a question. “How many people across the street would you say are on Medicare or Medicade? I said about 75% and Aileen agreed.
A lady protesting on the same side of the street that Ed and Aileen were came over and said that she admired them for having the courage to be there in support of health care reform.
He asked her the same question about how many people were on Medicade or Medicare and she answered, “I don’t know but I know that I am.”
It appears that the majority of the people protesting were on Medicare or Medicade and that they fear that the current health care bill may jepardize these programs.
I asked her if she had the bill with her so she could show me where it said this but she did not have it with her.
She called over her friend, saying that she had showed it to her and to look on page 42, 45 and 50 and I would see it for my self.
I asked her if she could be more specific because, so far as I knew, there were some three bills floating around. She responded that there were five bills in the house and 1 in the Senate and that this number of bills was unprecedented.
If this is the case, I can see that this is part of the confusion which is creating such an atmosphere of distrust on part of the American people.
For my edification, does anyone have a specific citation to this wording that would be so kind as to post it so that we can all see what the lady was talking about?
I would be most apreciative and it would help me to see your point of view. Thanks
the GOP is not stopping anything, they are not preventing democrats from doing anything…the democrats don’t have enough votes in their own party to pass this atrocity. Public opinion is also making them back down from it. I think that most of us are sick and tired of this arrogant administration pushing shit down our throats, while telling us it is what we need. They do not even read these bills, how can they know what is in it? Obama has lied about everything so far, why should we trust him with health care?
Jason- your own party is lying about healthcare and has been for a long time, but this is apparently OK with you. They lie about the quality and quantity of services in ther countries. They lie about how rationing is going on in America by the insurance carriers so they can make a ridiculous profit, and that rationing is endorsed by conservatives like yourself. Your party is doing one hell of a vicious smear campaign against universal healthcare in the U.S., and it’s becoming a side story overseas. First and foremost, UK citizens are not giving up their National Health Service without a fight (even Thatcher wouldn’t get rid of it, because she knew the end of her politcal career would soon follow- one conservative Brit told me, “We wouldn’t wait for the next election cycle; we would have recalled her within the week. That’s how much we love the NHS”) Your party takes in an awful lot of campaign cash from the healthcare industry, as does the Democratic Party (though not nearly as much as the cons). But the other story the Brits are talking about is our financial barriers to healthcare services in America- and the cons are to blame. The rest of the world is waiting to see if we are so lacking in morals and ethics that we will allow your big corporations to prioritize huge profits over the basic health needs of all Americans. If that’s what you stand for, then you stand against a Constitution written to keep every American safe, secure, and healthy.
In truth, the GOP IS stopping this, because they are putting an Orwellian fear into many Americans with their lies about universal healthcare. Secondly, they are putting pressure on Democrats to play along, and those Democrats need to be reminded of how easily they can be replaced, with new representatives who still believe in “We, the People”, and not “We, the corporations”
The republican party is lying about health care? Come on, give me some proof of that…I have only read small amounts of the bill but the republicans are the only ones telling the TRUTH about it.
If you think the Canadian system is so great, take a look at this…http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=cp_x081502A.xml&show_article=1
Since you brought up the Constitution, it was not written to keep us safe, secure, and healthy, it WAS written to prevent government intervention in our lives,(limit the power of the Federal government),to put limits on government to protect freedom.
Republicans have no power, over democrats there is no pressure coming from them, pressure is coming from the citizens of this country that are learning more and more about this atrocity. The “blue dog” democrats ARE being reminded of how easily they can be replaced…that is exactly why they are not passing this reform bill, they know it is not good for the American people.
The atrocity is in how your party enables the insurance carriers to deny care while raising premiums and making record astronomical profits. The atrocity is when your party lies to the American public about the safety of Canadian pharmaceuticals, conveniently not mentioning that Canada buys their meds from those same U.S. drug companies, but just negotiates a MUCH lower price on each one, so their people can afford them (I guess it must be inherently dangerous to pay less for the exact same drugs to keep you alive, by your logic). Those goddamned socialists in the Great White North are really oppressed alright, with a government that looks after it’s constituents rather than U.S. corporations- how dare they!
Both Rick Santorum and John Bohner have said repeatedly that people are dying in socialized countries waiting for life-saving care, that they can’t chose their doctors, and that there is rationing everywhere. Those are all just some of the lies, but it’s always best to go to the source if you reaqlly wanted the truth- the recipients of socialized medicine. If what your party was saying is true, why is it that they are not about to give up the NHS in Britain? If things are so dangerously unhealthy in Canada, where’s the exodus of medical refugees coming to partake of our glorious medical bounty in the U.S., where you pay 3 to 5 times as much, and receive less care (providing you can pay at all)? The fact is, there is no horde of people coming to the U.S. for healthcare from up north, and the NHS is considered a prize possession in the U.K., where no member of Parliament is about to shut it down (unless, as one conservative senior citizen told me, “the MPs want a bloody revolt on their hands”). Your party knows this, but they are lying to you and the rest of the world. I have never met one Canadian or British citizen who would consider trading their healthcare for ours, and I am pretty sure I have asked a lot more of them about this than you have. As one couple from south Wales told me this week, if the Americans are scared of an NHS-style healthcare reform, it’s because the private insurance industry is lying to them to protect their profits, and they (you) are sadly believing it.
As for the Constitution, I am sorry that civics wasn’t offered where you went to school- if it was, you would have been tested on some very basic fundamentals, like how life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of individuals will always take precedence over the profits of corporations and their CEOs. It’s that whole “We the people” thing, and Jefferson knew this as he wrote about the importance of protecting and preserving our democracy. The cons like yourself who insist on following this Reaganesque-style of crushing democracy, only to replace it with a corporatocracy and a wealthy ruling class are exactly what the likes of Jefferson, Paine and Madison fought against. They fought for a system of government, that government in place to protect us from the greedy corporations and wealthy profiteers you are protecting.
Doesn’t it get to be a little humiliating to know that you pay at LEAST 3 times as much for health insurance, and get less and less coverage each year? And while they’re denying you care, they’re raking in record profits that got towards executive jets and private resort islands. And you can’t do a thing about it, because they have zero accountability to you. That’s gotta piss you off, just a little. Well, maybe not as much as knowing that Santorum and Bohener get much better health coverage than you can hope for, and you’re paying for THAT as well.
Drew
This is from the Canadian Press…READ IT
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=cp_x081502A.xml&show_article=1
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of individuals will always take precedence over special interest groups and an out of control radical government getting involved in everything from banking to running car companies, and trying to take over health care.
The Government is not and was not put in place to take care of us like little babies, we are not a cradle to grave society, and I will fight to make sure that we never have to suck on Mother Governments tit in order to survive. I want to be self sufficient, and I will not be a burden to society if I have my way. If you have your way we would all be a burden to each other and health care will be just like every other government program…a disaster and almost bankrupt.
and just so you know, I am not humiliated about my health insurance, it is great! I have very good health insurance, I have never been denied care, I have not received any less coverage from year to year, in fact it has gotten a little better. and one more thing for you to know…Santorum and Bohener get health insurance from the private sector, it is not government health care insurance, we do pay for it, but my employer pays for mine, and since we employ them we pay for their insurance. Is that clear enough? there is a difference between government health insurance and the insurance that our elected officials get from the private sector.
Jason- Why do you continue to suck up to the private enterprise system, which will throw your ass under their bus in a heartbeat if it looks like you might cost them more than you’re worth? And how is it ok with you that you get “great” coverage (your words, but certainly not every American’s), while close to 50 million go without? Are they, your fellow Americans, expendable to you? They are to the insurance companies, and they most certainly are to your republican party. The wealthiest country in the world has a party that finds it acceptable to a) leave out millions because they cannot afford to pay, including 12 million children, b) deny care to millions more who pay 3 times as much for healthcare than their counterparts in every other industrialized nation in the free world, and c) lie about all of this, solely to make sure that you continue to pay, and the healthcare industry continues to make a profit from you. The rest of the world is watching America, Jason, to see if we value our citizens intrests over those of the indutries that your party would allow to rule us. They are astounded that some, like yourself, find the profits of a few mega-corporations to be more important than the lives of millions of your fellow citizens. They are shocked to hear that those same companies are even allowed to let people die, rather than pay for life-saving cancer treatment, or organ transplants, simply because it may cut too deeply into this years already ridiculous profit margin. That’s a system that YOU and YOUR PARTY endorse, but it’s nothing to be proud of. Unless, of course, democracy isn’t as important to you anymore.
The rest of the world IS looking at what we are doing and telling us that we should NOT do national health care (haven’t you been listening?) Canada can barely keep up with the day to day demands, and now they want to have private insurers, because their system is failing.
Out of those 50 million uninsured how many are illegal immigrants, young adults that do not want insurance, and wealthy, that do not need insurance to pay for their medical costs. The REAL number of chronically uninsured is around 12 million, and we can insure them for WAY LESS than the program that YOUR party is trying to pass.
“Why do you continue to suck up to the private enterprise system, which will throw your ass under their bus in a heartbeat if it looks like you might cost them more than you’re worth?”- Because, what ever you have been told about them is obviously a lie, they are not the ones that have denied to pay for life saving drugs and treatments, like the Canadian and British systems have done. Even Obama said that we should tell “grandma” that “maybe your better off not having the surgery, but taking the pain pill.”- now he told that to Jane Sturm about her 100 year old grandmother, that Private insurance paid to have a pacemaker put in and now she is 105 yrs. old- Obama’s plan would have killed her off 5 years ago…so you can not tell me that the government would not ration health care, when Obama flat out admitted he thought it was a waste of money.
You can listen to him for yourself if you want
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dQfb8WQvo
Life saving treatments are denied by government run health care systems, and THAT is the system that YOU and YOUR party endorses.
Jason- The insurance companies don’t want to see their lavish lifestyle end, and they’re getting you to be their official shill (while taking your money- how’s it feel being their tool?)
Private insurers deny care on a daily basis, and you know it. Your own insurance policy has clauses in it that indicate what they will pay for, and how much. That’s the first stage of the denial; thank God they’ve got you as a loyal supporter, because to provide more care means less profits for them, and you wouldn’t want to see them give up an executive jet or 3, would you?
Out of the 50 million, none of them are illegal immigrants. I don’t know how many
young adults are uninsured and want to stay that way, but that is another smokescreen thrown up by your party- if YOU know how many, provide the number, then we’ll talk. And wealthy that do not want insurance? But are you suggesting that 38 million people in America are therefore either wealthy, illegal, or too young to care? Interesting number, and one you cannot back up with a single statistic.
Such is the case with your party, which has had to resort to lies and fear all over again, in order to keep the wealthy happy as they piss on your leg and tell you it’s raining.
I once asked you to tell me who you’ve talked to that is a recipient of either the NHS, or Canada’s single-payer system, who is disgruntled with that system- you provided no one. Then you pasted breitbart up here as a news source, when the educated and informed world knows it’s a cons blog. Truth is, you can’t provide anyone that you have talked to personally that wants to sack the NHS, or Canada’s provinciallly-managed programs. I have intervewed over 2 hundred people in the UK, and around 50 in Canada, from every politcal and economic persuasion- they all want to keep their programs, and find it ludicrous that we put profits before the health and safety of our own people, the closest thing to a severely critical comment coming from two conservatives. Both seniors, one insisting that the NHS was too management-heavy, and needed to go back to having enough nurses to do the job. I asked both if the National Health Service should be sacked, and replaced with a profit-based system like in the U.S., and both proclaimed that it would be a mistake, since the NHS has served the UK overall very well since Aneurin Bevin first introduced it in the mid 1940s. Same is true for Canada’s program. It’s visionary, Thomas Douglas, is to this day Canada’s most respected and admired citizen- if the masses hate the program so much, they sure love the guy who thought it all up, and fought hard to put it in place. Sure, you can find one or two cons who don’t like they idea of protecting their own, but you still haven’t proved to anyone that the public, as a whole, is ready to trade it in. And you know why.
Your suggestion that the citizens of countries with government-subsidized healthcare want it to end is a lie, and those same people appreciate having lower death rates from cancer, diabetes, heart disaease, respiratory ailments. The U.S., on the other hand, has an infant mortality rate worse than Costa Rica, and a life-expectancy 8 years LESS than the UK (We also rank much higher in cancer deaths, and those related to heart diseases, diabetes, respiratory ailments, etc., etc). In the meantime, you pay anywhere from 3 times as much, to over 6 times as much, as any other industrialized nation in the world for your “sick care”, with an average of 30% of your premiums going to profit and overhead.
Hey, anytime you want the truth about healthcare in the UK or Canada, you really need to get out and talk to the recipients of that care, and not the profiteers who benefit from it in the U.S.
Jason- One other thing; this “death panel” thing, is it something you just made up? It’s common knowledge that republicans like yourself like to instill fear in the masses, with dangerous sounding labels (remember how your party turned “estate tax” into “The Death Tax”, complete with some lies about how low-income people would be taxed heavily on just a few thousand dollars of an inheritance, when in reality the threshold started in the six-figure area? Is that where you got the idea for a”Death Panel” (insert spooky-sounding Vincent Price voice-over here)?
Nice rant, but you must have forgotten that I did tell you of four friends that lived in England on work visas and one friend that now lives in Germany(I know that pales in comparison to how many people that you claim to talk to) but I don’t care if the British or Canadians like their health care system or not, it doesn’t change the fact that the Canadian press published an article with the president of the Canadian Medical Association saying that Canada’s health-care system is sick. He said “there’s a critical need to make Canada’s health-care system patient-centred” and “We know that there must be change,” she said. “We’re all running flat out, we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands.” sounds to me that their system is failing.
Obama reinstated a workbook for vets called Your Life, Your Choices. Vets call it “The Death Book” why? because it asks them to answer questions on what it would take for them to think that life would not be worth living. Would Obama have us fill out the same workbook? Would Obama let an old woman get a pacemaker, even if he thought she was past her usefulness to society? would a panel be in charge of deciding who gets life saving surgery, and who gets pain pills? Would Obama appoint a new Czar to be in charge of “end of life decisions”? Why don’t you try asking some questions instead of believing every word out of Obama’s mouth…he has not read the bill that is in Congress right now, so how can he tell us what is in this plan and what is not?
Obama made a good argument against his own plan, when he started talking about the Post Office and UPS, and Fed Ex. The Private system is doing way better than the Post Office which is having big problems.