House Dem Calls Out Congress: You Have Public Health Plan. Why Not American People?
It’s not every day that you hear a member of Congress call out his colleagues quite this aggressively.
Check out this video of Dem Rep Joe Courtney, demanding that members of Congress, Democrat and Republican alike, explain why it’s okay for them to oppose a public health insurance option when they themselves enjoy exactly the same thing:
Courtney rapped his colleagues for opposing the public plan this way:
When I listen to the hysterical descriptions of what is in this legislation, I would remind many members to look at themselves in the mirror. Because what they are presently entitled to as members of Congress is exactly what this legislation is proposing to create for all Americans.
Courtney went on to blast opposition to the public plan as “hogwash,” and concluded: “At the end of the day, we must give the people of this country exactly what they give us.”
I’d only add that if Courtney wants a major breakout moment on the House floor, he might start naming specific colleagues who enjoy public health insurance but don’t want to extend it to the public at large. Still, it’s strong stuff, in an understated way, and I suggest you watch the whole thing.
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Such a basic question that is never asked by members of Congress. The follow up to this should be, “if Representatives oppose the public health insurance option, then they should also be willing to give up their gov’t funded health care.”
Wow. That was fantastic.
Democratic Senators…watch this clip, get your butts on TV, and REPEAT IT. Word for word if you have to. If Democrats in the House and Senate had been speaking with that level of clarity and strength, this debate would be over already.
Well done, Rep. Courtney. Well done.
ABSOLUTELY! I’ve been saying this for months on my blog. If Republicans are so against the public option then they should vote to end their very own health care. Or Democrats should tie Republican member’s very own health care to this bill. Then we’ll really see just how against tax payer funded health care Republicans really are.
Will we be getting the plan the Congress has?
OT, but have y’all seen this?:
“Catherine Crabill, VA GOP Candidate: We May Have To “Resort To The Bullet Box”
She’s talking about the Obama Administration and she meant what she said, cause she followed it up with a little comment on how lucky we are to have the 2d amendment to deal with tyranny.
Given our history, how insane is this and how is it that no one is stopping this kind of talk? It is not constitutionally protected speech – you cannot say any damn thing you want to.
She should be arrested – and I mean it. I lived through every assassination since JFK and I can’t take another one – I will leave this country forever if they manage to kill Obama. This is breathtaking.
@Tena
It just leaves me speechless and sick to my stomach. It is almost unbelievable what they are letting people get away with saying with President Obama in office.
“American Medical Association endorses House Democrats’ health care bill
Whoops here the link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gJIJj8CaGBkC-1KeejISUCmekcxgD99FNJF01
I wish someone would move to amend a Republican supported bill and propose eliminating the public supported Congressional healthcare plan. Let’s see who votes for that.
Dem Rep Joe Courtney did a very good job and even included how our military to include retiree’s are using health exchanges. I hope to see him on some of the Sunday talk shows making his case to anyone who will listen.
@Tena… I thought it was against the law to make threats against the presidents life. I wonder if the secret service is aware of that statement.
THIS IS IT!
The healthcare reform bill released by the House Of Representatives is an excellent bill as I understand it. It’s a bill with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people. It is carefully written, and thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise. This bill will save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives. It is also now supported by the AMA.
This is the type of bill that all Americans can feel good about. And this is the type of bill that has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans. Rich, middle class and poor a like. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other party affiliations. This bill has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American.
The house healthcare bill should be viewed as the minimum GOLD STANDARD by which all other proposed healthcare legislation should be judged. All supporters of true high quality healthcare reform should now place all your support behind this healthcare reform bill released by the United States House Of Representatives, as the minimum Gold standard for healthcare reform in America.
You should all now support this bill with all your might, and all of your unrelenting tenacity. This healthcare bill is a VERY, VERY GOOD! bill for all of the American people. Fight tooth, and nail for every bit of this bill if you have too. Be aggressive, creative, and relentless for this bill.
From this time forward, go BIGGER and DEEPER with the American people every day until passage of healthcare reform with a robust, government-run public option.
FIGHT!! like your life and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!
SPREAD THE WORD
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSM8t_cLZgk&feature=player_embedded)
God Bless You
Jack Smith — Working Class
THIS IS IT?
Mr. Smith, how much of H.R. 3200 have you read? “It’s a bill with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people.” I find your assessment hard to swallow. Medicare and Medicaid are government run health care plans. How well are they run? Not very well based on the bill my mother has for simple proceedure. “An intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan”, I will refer you to the actual bill, 1. SEC. 222. PREMIUMS AND FINANCING.
(2) START-UP FUNDING-
(A) IN GENERAL- In order to provide for the establishment of the public health insurance option there is hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000,000. In order to provide for initial claims reserves before the collection of premiums, there is hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as necessary to cover 90 days worth of claims reserves based on projected enrollment. Please Mr. Smith, tell me where the “appropriated, $2,000,000,000″ is coming from in an almost $2,000,000,000,000 budget defecit?
“To cover almost all of the American people.” Which American people are not covered Mr. Smith? If this bill is such a strong, robust, intelligent, reasonable, carefully written, thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise government-run public option, then why are not ALL Americans COVERED?
How can at least 12 new federal department that will be created under this bill be cost efective and save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives? If there were savings in this bill, it would be a first in government run programs. EVERY government oranization such as HUD are REQUIRED to spend ALL of their Yearly budget to get there next years budget approved.
Explain to me how the Rich should feel good about this bill? They are being asked to pay anywhere from 1 to 5.4 percent or their modified adjusted gross income. Would you like to have as much as 5.4% of your income taken away from you Mr. Smith to cover someone elses health care?
Does this bill have potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American? Yes, but it also have the potential to degenerate the quality of life and health care for every American.
This bill is not the “GOLD STANDARD” that you tout H.R.3200 or H.R. 676 to be.
Do we need health care reform? I say YES. Is this the answer? NO! If government wants to reform health care, it needs to do it by fixing the current Medicare, Medicaid and VA systems. I will say that there is probably a good deal of abuse, fraud and waste in ALL health care programs. Doctors may run unnessecary tests just to keep from being sued. We need to get the “Bad Doctors” out of the system. Get patients more involved in their own health care decisions. We do not need to have the Federal Government turn this great Country into a “Nanny State” where we are dependent on the government from everything from the cradle to the grave.
This is NOT what the United States of America was founded on.
God Bless America
Bob Hicks – Working Class
bob, you are the only one that has it right. Being a Congressman or Senator of the USA can hardly be compared to the guy who asks you if you want fries with you burger. HI is not an entitlement. Obama now has the gov’t running banks, he is in the auto business, and now he wants free healthcare for all. Can you say hyperinflation?
Bob and Tim need to watch the video one more time, to notice the fact that the government run healthcare program congressmen now have allows them to pick from a large pool of private, repeat private insurance! If that is extended to the rest of us. How is it a bad thing? I wonder, if liberals are deemed “bleading hearts” what are conservatives-maybe “cold and heartless” with the time worn Republican credo: I’ve got mine now figure out how to get yours.
Every other educated country with a large middle class has already created government healthcare for most of its citizens. It’s not just a good thing morally but economically. Foreign companies have been beating us in this global economy because they don’t have the burden of healthcare for employees on their shoulders. The Democratic plan does’nt even try to match that. What amazes me is that conservatives can be sharp about finding abuses in government programs, but hazy about finding abuses in free market programs. I guess they’re ok with pre-existing condition exclusions, Cobra payments the unemployed can’t afford. The gatekeepers who can deny payment for life saving treatments, the drugs that cost far less to foreigners even though they’re developed here. The list is endless. The free market can do no wrong. Any attempt to make it better is socialism. Since I brought up the S word, let me add that Karl Marx was wrong when he said “The opiate of the masses is religion,” it’s really Conservatism and Libertarianism.
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I really wish Boosh still came on air! I miss that show.