Health Care Reform

The Issue Of Government Mandates: A Responsibility of All Citizens!

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The major complaint about the Obama Health Care legislation, and the basis on which two Federal District Court judges in Virginia and Florida have declared it unconstitutional, is the “mandate” that all people have to purchase a health insurance policy by 2014, although low income people will have federal subsidies to help them buy such insurance.

Many people have a major problem with this idea of a “mandate”, the nerve of the federal government telling citizens they must protect their health, because otherwise the rest of America must pay for their emergency health care in hospitals when they fall sick or are injured in accidents.

How irresponsible these complainers are, as if government does not have the right to demand its citizens take on personal responsibility for themselves! 🙁

Think about it! Is it not true that the government can “mandate” that we pay Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, federal income taxes, and federal gasoline taxes? Cannot the state and local governments “mandate” that we pay property taxes, gasoline taxes, liquor taxes, cigarette taxes, and sales taxes?

Has not the government “mandated” that Americans be drafted in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the years of the Cold War? Could they not “mandate” it again at some point in the future?

Does not the government at all levels “mandate” that we obey the laws that are passed upon us, whether we like it or not?

Is it not a “mandate” that all children must be given education, and that parents provide for the health and safety of their children?

Do we not have a “mandate” in most states to purchase auto insurance, and do we not have a “mandate” to pay for a drivers license and automobile registration if we wish to drive?

Do we not have a “mandate” to purchase homeowners insurance if we wish to buy a home and pay a mortgage on it?

Do we not have courts that “mandate” that we might have to serve on jury duty, and do they not have the power to enforce punishment on us if we disobey the laws and the “mandates” of the government at all levels?

If we are to claim that we do not have to obey laws, and pay taxes, and take responsibility for ourselves, then what we are asking for is for others to pay for us, and we are also promoting chaos and anarchy in our society! 🙁

So, to those who object to the so called “mandate” on health care, get used to the reality that this is your responsibility, or you can sign away any health care, as we are not going to pay for you, because you are stupid, ignorant and reckless of your own health needs! 🙁

A Revelation: The Founding Fathers Supported National Health Care For The Merchant Marine Sailors In 1798!

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The claim by Tea Party activists and Republicans and conservatives that the Constitution does not allow national health care has been shown to be incorrect by the revelation that in 1798, the Founding Fathers passed legislation through Congress, signed by President John Adams, that provided for mandatory health care coverage on merchant marine sailors, paid for by a one percent tax on their incomes, in order to protect their health from illness and injuries, and therefore providing enough of a work force for the all important activity of foreign commerce!

Federal maritime hospitals were built in all the major American ports to provide medical services, and they were financed by the mandatory health care tax on the sailors!

Eventually, the service was expanded to cover commerce and ships on the Mississippi River and the Ohio River. Over time, it became the Public Health Service, which is still in existence today!

What the US government did in the 1790s is the method used by all European democratic governments today to insure that all citizens have health care, including the mandated taxes for their own good, to insure health care, rather than wait for an emergency and then deny health care to millions, or do it expensively at the cost of all taxpayers in emergency rooms!

So it turns out that the Founding Fathers were indeed “socialists” in the sense they mandated that people in the merchant marine had to take responsibility for their own health care and contribute to the cost through mandated taxes!

The author wishes to acknowledge that this tidbit of information came to him through the discovery on line of this revelation by his son, David Feinman, a true “chip off the old block” in so many ways! 🙂 Thanks, Dave! 🙂

The Obama Health Care Legislation Under Attack! It Could Stand Or Fall On Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Decision! :(

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The Obama Health Care legislation has come under severe attack from federal district court judges in Virginia and now Florida, with the Florida judge declaring the entire act unconstitutional! 🙁

26 states have petitioned the courts to undermine the legislation, and the purpose seems to be to destroy the entire law, even the parts that any sane person would support, such as keeping children on to age 26, ending a lifetime ban on coverage over a set amount, allowing a company to drop coverage once someone becomes sick, and preventing coverage for the millions of people with pre-existing conditions!

To think that a piece of legislation could be negated by a body of unelected, unaccountable judges, instead of an elected body of legislators is, to say the least, very disconcerting! 🙁

It is now obvious that the legislation will come up for review by the Supreme Court during the election campaign of 2012. And it is assumed that Justices Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Chief Justice Roberts will vote against it, and that Justices Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan will support it, leaving Justice Kennedy with the swing vote, as is often the case.

Years ago, conservatives complained that the Supreme Court is really the Kennedy Court, as his vote decided most cases by a 5-4 vote, and there was anger when Kennedy went with the liberals on the court on several cases, including Lawrence V. Texas, the gay rights case in 2003.

However, in recent years, Kennedy has more often joined the conservative side than the liberal side, so indeed the future of the health care law may hang on what he, a singular human being, determines is constitutional! 🙁

Eric Cantor’s View Of The Senate: Hypocrisy Personified! :(

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia has expressed frustration about the fact that the US Senate, under Democratic control, will not even take up the Health Care Reform repeal bill passed by the House of Representatives yesterday.

He feels that it is wrong that the Senate becomes the equivalent of the “graveyard” or “dust bin” (my language) of legislation that passes the House of Representatives.

Somehow, this comes across as if Eric Cantor has not been awake and conscious in the past two years, when the Senate minority, the Republicans, bottle necked hundreds of House bills by utilizing the filibuster tactic. That apparently was not a problem to Cantor, and we never heard him protest the blockage of what the majority wanted in the Senate.

But now when the MINORITY in the Senate wants to impose their agenda on the American people and take away the advantages of the Health Care Reform, suddenly Cantor is outraged that the Democrats are finally ready to play the same game, and block any consideration.

The only major difference, and I emphasize MAJOR, is that the Democrats ARE the majority, and have every right to block the attempt of the GOP to destroy a piece of legislation which is of historic proportions!

To say the least, Eric Cantor is a pure HYPOCRITE, par excellence! 🙁

Celebration Of Two Years Of Barack Obama: Public Opinion Ratings Soar! :)

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Today marks two years of the Obama Presidency, and an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll shows his rating with the public has soared from 45 to 53 percent in the past month, the highest it has been since July 2009! 🙂

Why has this happened? Apparently, his handling of the Lame Duck Session, demonstrating willingness to work with the opposition Republicans, is a major factor.

Also, his handling of the Tucson tragedy was overwhelmingly popular, as he showed empathy and ability to speak to the country in a soothing manner in the midst of a major crisis and depressing moment for the nation.

Also, there is growing optimism long term and short term about the economy, and Obama comes across as a reasonable person, rather than as an extremist, as so many Republicans present themselves.

The pressure is not on the President, as many thought after the midterm losses in Congress, but rather with the Republicans to show reasonableness and desire to work with the President for the good of the country.

But don’t hold your breath on such cooperation, as every evidence is just the opposite.

Speaker John Boehner failed to attend the State Dinner for the Chinese President, something totally inappropriate, considering that Boehner is second in line for the Presidency, and yet has no interest in interacting with the leader of the second largest economy.

Almost no Republicans attended the State Dinner, with the major exception of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who seemed somewhat embarrassed, when asked about it, that he was the rare Republican to be at the banquet.

The Republican party, with the battle beginning among probably more than a dozen individuals to be the GOP nominee for President in 2012, and with their ties to the Right Wing talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, among others, gives the advantage clearly to the camp of Barack Obama! 🙂

Congratulations, President Obama, on an outstanding first two years of your administration, and the growing likelihood that you will have the great advantage for a second term as President, because of your accomplishments and principles, and the growing image of the GOP as out of step with the American people, as evidenced by the Health Care repeal vote yesterday in the House of Representatives!

The Republican House Of Representatives Repeal Of The Obama Health Care Law: What It Means!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican controlled House of Representatives has just voted to repeal the Obama Health Care legislation.

In so doing, the GOP has made clear it has no desire to protect the health of the American people, but rather cares more about the insurance companies, the corporations, and keeping their own excellent health care.

They demonstrate that they do not care about 129 million people with pre-existing conditions, many of them unaware because they have not been able to afford health care!

They show that they do not care about the cost of prescription drugs to senior citizens, and the slow closing of the “donut hole”.

They make it clear they do not care about children being able to be under their family’s medical plan, if the family has one, to age 26, at a time when many young people cannot find work and cannot be protected, therefore, for health care.

They indicate they do not care about people bring thrown off their health care plan once they get sick.

They leave no doubt that they do not care whether someone has a lifetime limit on health care coverage, including children who have serious health issues.

They demonstrate all of this and more, that they are a party which only cares about the rich and the corporations, that they have no humanity or empathy for the sick, that they do not concern themselves with the sustaining of life, and would rather demagogue the issue of health care than come up with a real alternative that allows the most advanced nation in the world to protect people’s health, as every other democracy in the world has.

They have shown how far right the Republican party has gone, considering that Theodore Roosevelt first proposed national health care in the 1912 Presidential campaign; that President Dwight D. Eisenhower first promoted and supported a cabinet agency of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953; that President Richard Nixon proposed a national health care plan in the early 1970s; that Senator and later Presidential candidate Bob Dole offered an alternative health care plan to that of Bill Clinton in the early 1990s; and that President George W. Bush and his party instituted a prescription plan in the early 2000’s.

Now the GOP has nothing to offer except negativism, and mean spiritedness, and most of its membership is monstrous and nasty and leaves the image of “to hell with the American people”!

One can be assured that their negativism will go no further in success, and that the American people will surely reject them once they understand what Barack Obama and the Democrats have been trying to do—promote health care for all as any civilized nation should have done long ago!

Budget Cuts In The Real World: Total Confusion Of Americans!

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A CBS News Poll demonstrates the difficulties involved in the need to cut government spending.

77 percent want spending cut to deal with the deficit and the national debt, while only 9 percent want to raise taxes.

But ask people what should be cut, and then one realizes just how difficult it is going to be for either the Republican House or the Democratic Senate and President Obama to come to grips with the crisis.

63 percent say to cut cut Social Security for the wealthy, but how is the issue of what is “wealthy” to be determined, particularly in a nation where tax cuts for the wealthy have been part of policy under Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Republican Congresses, and was part of the Obama tax deal with the GOP in December? Interesting that people want the wealthy to lose benefits, and yet the Republican Party is bitterly opposed to any such idea.

58 percent support reducing money for projects in their area, what is now called “earmarks”, but is that really true when such “pork” helps creates employment, boosts the economy, and promotes infrastructure improvement and public works which people like and want?

55 percent want farm subsidies reduced, such as for tobacco, cotton, and dairy, but will GOP representatives and senators whose constituents want it and vote for the Republican party, really vote for that?

52 percent want to reduce defense spending, but it could be argued that it could undermine our national security, and would force the closing of naval, air and military bases in many states, affecting the economy in a detrimental way.

Other areas to cut spending get a negative reaction, such as 48-45, people are against eliminating the mortgage interest deduction; 54-43 against raising the retirement age; 56-41 against reducing money for student loans; 65-33 against raising taxes; 67-27 against reducing health care and education spending (which the Republicans want to do, including repealing the Obama Health Care plan); and 69-26 against taxing health care benefits.

So what it comes down to is that Americans want to “have their cake and eat it too!”, pay no more in taxes but only hurt others rather than themselves!

In other words, the American people don’t want to face reality, and that makes the job of the politicians extremely difficult over the next two years of the 112th Congress!

The Ultimate Fatal Flaw In Sarah Palin’s Potential Candidacy For President!

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Sarah Palin is being blamed by many for having incited violence that led to the tragic events in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend, particularly by posting a graphic last year with cross hairs on 20 Congressional districts, including Gabrielle Giffords’s, of Democrats who supported the Health Care Reform legislation.

Of course, no one is literally saying that Sarah Palin directly advocated violence, so her protests that she is against violence ring true without any question.

But Sarah Palin fails to realize that she has, along with others, including Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, created a toxic environment which can incite loonies to take action because of political conflict that they engender by their rhetoric.

Enough has been said about Sarah Palin’s inferior qualifications to be President of the United States. She has proven to be lazy, lacking in curiosity, ignorant of basic information, and unwilling to answer tough questions with news media that might challenge her.

But her ultimate fatal flaw has now been revealed: that she is unwilling to admit responsibility, that she has made errors, and allows herself to be defended by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. She is now shown to be outside the mainstream of American politics, a person who creates conflict, rather than bring us together.

We do not need another President like George W. Bush who was unwilling to admit shortcomings, and who is less informed than the former President!

We need a President who is willing to admit errors and shortcomings, and is in the moderate center of our political system. The fact that Obama is called every possible name, including Marxist, Communist, Socialist, Nazi, etc., as Franklin D. Roosevelt was, shows us that despite the loonies and their assertions, he is in the center, while Sarah Palin is not!

If the Republicans hope to compete in 2012, they must make it clear that Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck are NOT representative of what they offer, or they will end up in the dustbin of history! 🙁

Irony Of Republican Attempt To Repeal Obama Health Care Plan: It Would Add To National Debt, Raise Health Care Costs, and Be A Job Killer! :(

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The House Republicans are attempting to repeal the Obama Health Care legislation, which will fail, in any circumstances, with the Democratic controlled Senate and President Barack Obama standing in the way!

But the irony is that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office makes it clear that doing such a repeal would add to the national debt, raise the cost of health care for everyone, and be a job killer to boot! 🙁

Medical spending would go up by $125 billion by the end of this decade; add $2,000 annually to each family’s health care premiums; and destroy 250,000 to 400,000 jobs annually over the next decade.

As Democrats have also pointed out, it would help promote more deaths of people who have no access to health care; would take away coverage of young people to the age of 26; would restore pre-existing conditions as a method insurance companies could use to deny health care coverage to millions, including many children; and open up the “donut hole” for medications for seniors, which is starting to close up, with 50 percent cut in the cost of brand name prescriptions newly instituted.

The truth about the Republicans is that they have no concern that millions have been denied health care coverage! They also have no concern that transplant patients in Arizona are being denied the ability to survive, with two already having died because the Republican Governor, Jan Brewer, has no compassion or interest in helping sick people, all over budget issues, when one can be sure there are other ways to cut budgets besides setting up what are the equivalent of “death panels”! 🙁

It is extremely ironic that Republicans argued about so called “death panels’ in the Obama Health Care legislation, which did not exist at all, but yet now REAL “death panels” are occurring in Arizona, and probably soon elsewhere! 🙁

Where are these Republicans now, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl. and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin? Why is it that they are not outraged by this, and feel the need and moral standing to speak up for LIFE, particularly when they are all supposedly PRO-LIFE for fetuses, but not apparently for sick people of all ages?

The Republican Party should be condemned for their lack of compassion, empathy, and concern for those who are sick!:(

They forget: “There but for the grace of God go I!”!

Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh Rejection Of Health Care Coverage: Does That Make Him Principled? NO! :(

Ronald 6 Comments

Joe Walsh is a new Congressman from Illinois, elected with the help of the Tea Party Movement, and dedicated to the destruction of the Obama Health Care legislation.

As part of his commitment, Walsh has announced that he is rejecting the health care coverage that all members of Congress are entitled to, which happens to be the best health care plan available in the United States!

He is also rejecting retirement and pension benefits that members of Congress automatically receive as part of their employment.

On CNN this morning, Walsh tried to portray himself as principled, but what he says and is doing rings false! 🙁

His own wife has a pre-existing condition, but he wishes to end that part of the health care plan already in effect. He admits that he will have to enter the private insurance market and will have trouble finding insurance that will help his wife. Is this sensible on his part? NO, it indicates that he is a poor husband who puts his ideology over his family needs!

But, on the other hand, let’s think about this more. Congressman Walsh will make about $175,000 a year as a Congressman, which is a salary only earned by about two percent of all employees in this nation.

Also, Walsh will have $1.4 million to set up district offices, and one wonders whether he will utilize some of that money to help pay for his health insurance! 🙁

Walsh is not an average American with an average job, so it is easy for him to pontificate about the evils of the Obama Health Care law, and deny 30 million people the benefits of such a law!

For a man who supposedly believes in “family values” and “personal responsibility”, he certainly is showing that he is an ideologue who has no concern for people in his district who do not have the salary or opportunities that he will have, just by being a member of Congress!

We will have to watch Congressman Walsh to see whether he is consistent in his actions and statements, or whether he will accept help from lobbyists and others, who will be only too willing to assist him to gain his influence behind their legislation!

Does anyone want to bet on this man’s principles, or see him for what he is certain to be–a hypocrite of the worst kind? 🙁