"I'd been wondering why the liberals are so passionate about this Health Care thing. It couldn't be because they actually care about sick, poor people. If they did, they would visit hospitals, and give ten percent of their gross salaries to Compassion International and World Vision, like us stupid church go-ers do."
Victoria Jackson's like this Palin-Coulter love-child... but without the love.
One day we're laughing at the antics of her baby-doll character on SNL, and then it's like the Zombie Jesus got her. These opposite-mongers twist very basic precepts of their religion into something cruel, unforgiving, and stingy.
Au contraire, my Rapture-ready birth certificate conspiracy nut.
You can get caught up on so-called socialism, but some people call it Christian:
Act 4:31-37:
When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. They spoke the word of God with boldness.
The multitude was of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that the things which he possessed were his own, but they had all things common.
Neither was there anyone among them that lacked, for many who possessed land or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according to his need.
"Another option, favoured by many Democrats and the president, is for the government to step in with a results-based plan of its own, to compete against the private industry.
"Mr Obama should use it as a threat, rather than implement it now. If the private sector does not meet certain cost-cutting targets in, say, five years, a public-sector plan should automatically kick in. Such a prospect would encourage hospitals and doctors to accept a painful but necessary reform now."
That's a philosophical argument about pseudo-liberal market incentive that has nothing to do with what's happening on the ground.
HillaryCare served notice to the megalo-conglomerate corporate medical complex in 1993, and the industry has done nothing but make matters worse since then. We're NOT starting this argument over again from scratch, as if the industry has been caught off guard by the problem
The GOP and healthcare industry SAID they could do better but promptly wrought inarguable greed: 50 million are uninsured while countless numbers buy HIGH-premium, HIGH-deductible, LOW-service plans that reap billions in profit for an industry that is completely unmoved by the plight of the sick and dying: the distressed, lame, and injured who they drive from their membership roles as soon as corporate cost is incurred.
It's just cruel by now to give the industry five MORE dreadful years to come around to their senses and offer something kind, caring, and intentionally effective.
"The sticker-shock for an insurance mandate is really just a reflection of the second big problem: the overall cost structure of American health care. Indeed, one of the worst things about Mr Obama’s oddly hands-off approach to health reform is that he is concentrating on a symptom, not the underlying disease."
The $1.5 trillion estimate from the Congressional Budget Office is based on Senate proposals that do not include Obama's public plan or the projected cost reductions that such an extraordinary force of competion would bring to the market.
This newspaper is NOT clear about the problem at all:
With the threat of healthcare reform on the table, everyone's costs are already accelerating. A number of friends have gotten their notification of this increase in the mail, because the industry is gouging the population in anticipation of the regulation and competition with which you suggest the industry ought to be threatened.
THAT's how this industry responds to the threat of government competition, by getting ahead of the inevitability of it through price hikes.
Your fair-warning scenario has ALREADY played out, and it's time to fix healthcare for PEOPLE and patients, and forget about fixing it for a dysfunctional corporate oligarchy that has held the Pursuit of Life and miracle of healing in a greedy death-grip for so friggin' long.
Isn't that exactly what we're doing when we say we should all collectively invest in the best public health system possible?
We're capitalizing a public healthcare system and spreading the risk across a society that WILL benefit together by covering everyone.
That's everyone taking a risk, and there's no high horse in saying that the current system is leaving SO many people behind.
I would suspect the ironic argument against the public option comes from those who DON'T want to take the risk and invest in constructive competition to the current industry of balkanized consumers and colluding proprietors
Tell me I'm on my high horse, but DON'T tell me the insurance industry has ANY interest in fixing this problem. When a large number of modern industrialized countries do this better, at half the cost, it's obvious my high horse has a valid point to make.
To the insurance industry and its culture of life-defying greed, I say, "Neigh!"
Indeed, I agree and welcome your theory: we each should invest our capital gladly, those that have any, and risk it in the most constructive, competitive public healthcare sector ever.
"The strategist, who asked for anonymity because he was criticizing colleagues, said: 'These are friends of ours. I would much rather see a quiet call placed by Rahm Emanuel saying this isn't helpful. Instead, we try to decimate them?'"
— Anonymous sell-out
IF Rahm has made the call, it ain't working.
If he hasn't made the call, why not?
Make it happen, since it's as easy as a phone call from Rahm. Get these influence-peddling political favor-mongers to side with public healthcare, and there will be no need to decimate so-called friends.
"I get an election certificate from the people of Oregon," said Sen. Wyden, whose bipartisan health bill picked up its 14th co-sponsor last week. "As far as these ads are concerned, I pay them no attention."
— Sen. Wyden (D-Delusion)
The ads are neither FOR you nor TO you, Wyden. They're ABOUT you.
They're FOR the people of Oregon... who ARE paying attention... and YOU don't get that certificate you're taking about until AFTER they've decided if the ads are relevant or not.
Whether you think they are or not is practically immaterial.
"Conrad ticked off the areas of agreement that were reached Monday. 'National structure: I believe to be effective there has to a national entity with state affiliates and those affiliates have to have the ability to regionalize. I think his concern there can be addressed,' said Conrad.
"'Second, he believes there needs to be national purchasing power. I think that's a good point that the national entity would be able to do purchasing on behalf of the state and regional affiliates and on behalf of the national entity itself.'"
Remember when cooperatives were another word for commie?
Sen. Conrad can call it a co-op if he wants, but if it's a fully funded public program regulated by the federal government, I don't care if he's mincing words over state and regional affiliates.
One of the right-wing's favorite whipping boys for socialized medicine has state affiliates.
If we're starting to talk semantics... calling the national public healthcare option something Conrad can swallow while saving face... he's making progress.
