Flashback: Sarah Palin Has Her Own “Death Panel” Problem
As you know, Sarah Palin managed to gin up a bunch of media attention last week by claiming that health care reform would result in Obama “death panels” that might kill off her Down Syndrome baby based on his poor “level of productivity in society.”
If Palin is going to go this way, perhaps it’s fair game for her critics to point out that Palin — or, at least, the state of Alaska — has a “death panel” problem of its own. Remember this story from the Anchorage Daily News in July, reporting on the deaths of elderly patients due to mismanagement and neglect from Alaska state medical programs?
State programs intended to help disabled and elderly Alaskans with daily life — taking a bath, eating dinner, getting to the bathroom — are so poorly managed, the state cannot assure the health and well-being of the people they are supposed to serve, a new federal review found…
A particularly alarming finding concerns deaths of adults in the programs. In one 2 1/2 year stretch, 227 adults already getting services died while waiting for a nurse to reassess their needs. Another 27 died waiting for their initial assessment, to see if they qualified for help.
The pushback would seem to write itself. Relatedly, commenter AllButCertain asks a good question: Who, if not Palin, is writing her material these days? Recall that McCain’s top operatives created her infamous claim that Obama “pals around with terrorists.”
This “death panel” formulation rivals the “terrorists” line in rhetorical virtuosity. In terms of accomplishing its goals — infuriating a third of the country, getting another fifth or so to rally behind her, and putting a swift end to the brief drought of media attention she’d endured — it was a masterstroke. If Palin didn’t write it, whoever did deserves a raise immediately.
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The irony is that Palin can cite her own government’s incompetence as a model for how the feds will deny care and kill grandma.
The travesty is that there are many out there who support this uninformed mouthpiece and are willing to set aside critical thinking skills on her behalf based solely on their dislike of Obama. Very disturbing.
Kathleen
I think you can bank on that. She will attack the government she just finished leading with out even a hint of self awareness or irony. She is a dumba$$ plain and simple. Put it to you this way, how many people actually thought she really wrote that death panel stuff at first glance? I know I didn’t. Even after all the crazy stuff she has said I still wasn’t convince that she would come out with something that sounded like it would be posted on freerepublic. But she did and so for me at least she has removed all doubt.
I like ABC’s question too. It seems close to certain that one central figure here, based on similarity of statements and recent defences of her, is Gingrich. There is probably no one on the present scene more amoral than him, so the prospect of a VP (Palin) who is so obviously not up to the task won’t be any sort of negative in his thinking. If she can help him electorally, that’s really all that matters. His maneuvers over the last two years have been designed to regain or improve his prior standing with the conservative base and he won’t want her as an opponent with them (he’d lose). My supposition is that they are co-ordinating for a 2012 run, or four years later. Gingrich won’t put himself out there for the contest though if he’s sure he’s likely to lose because following on his earlier “loser” label (richly deserved) that would pretty much kill any stature he hopes to maintain.
Sarah was in a position to do something…why didn’t she?
Is this how you’d want your grandma treated?
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/867317.html?storylink=pd
Both sides are getting a bit unhinged. Repeating this sort of stuff is dangerous, IMO. I don’t think it is responsible for anyone to make such an attack and I don’t think it is responsible for Greg or anyone to spread this sort of stuff around. Both sides are already getting enough “ammo” to ratchet up their emotions – please don’t feed the extremists on both sides any more. Please tone it down, especially you Greg. Don’t you think sbj?
How about some facts, rather than tearing down rhetoric?
http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
Pg 150 Lines 9-13 Businesses with payroll between 251k and 400k who do not provide public opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable health care according to government will be taxed 2.5% of income.
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay).
Pg 195 Officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans’ financial and personal records.
Pg 203 Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it says that.
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill – Doctors, it does not matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same.
Pg 253 Line 10-18 Government sets value of doctors’ time, prof judg, etc. Literally value of humans.
Pg 265 Sec 1131Government mandates and controls productivity for private health care industries.
Thoughts from you Progressives?
When did it become immoral to call out a liar and prove it with evidence instead of just name calling like the liar did? Palin lied. Palin’s government was negligent at the least in problems with managed patient care – she was the chief executive, she didn’t fix it. These are truths. Obama death panels, those are lies.
I think the Daily Show summed it up nicely last night by quoting Moosolini herself when she said:
“Stop making things up!”
Government sets value of doctors’ time, prof judg, etc.
This doesn’t already occur every time a doctor treats a patient who has Medicare?
OT:
“‘When you get back there, sponsor legislation that requires every House and Senate bill to be written at a junior high school level. That is what we need in America today,’ he said.”
It is to weep………..
Greg any comments on WH strategy for the upcoming town hall? Will Obama be able to affect the current story about HCR (that “people” are now rebelling against the idea of reform)?
I know this is a bit off topic but is anyone watching Specter’s townhall? Why do I never see anyone other than old wrinkly white faces at these events. You would think that this country was 100% white. Could someone explain this to me? Our media also sucks by not questioning the lack of diversity of these events and then presenting it as what Americans are thinking. Sure, it’s what the angry white man in America is thinking but not the rest of us.
“Why do I never see anyone other than old wrinkly white faces at these events. You would think that this country was 100% white. C”
The reason is because those are the people who believe the bullshit the right is peddling. And they believe it because they want to and they want to because Obama is black.
There ya go.
With Palin – this is the perfect example of what I’ve been saying about the Right. Want to know what they are really up to? Just listen – they invariably project and accuse us of doing what they are doing.
Every time.
First Kenneth Chesney started asking for donations to pay his medical bills, for his so called injuries, and now his Lawyer states that although Chesney is out of work, he has Medical coverage through his wife’s Insurance.
http://washingtonindependent.com/54511/gladneys-lawyer-hes-unemployed-insured-and-making-money-from-the-alleged-attack
Doesn’t that mean that Chesney was trying to scam people by asking for donations to pay his medical bills.
People need to look more into this Chesney guy’s background. He is starting to look very fishy.
Kris: the white guys and gals are seeing control over our country slipping from their grip. They are in panic mode. They look at the Oval Office: who is that guy in “our” office? The hispanics, blacks and other minorities are at work. Except for the black guy who claims he was assaulted for protesting against reform. By the way, he has no health insurance, having lost his job, and he needs donations to get some treatment. This knucklehead does not want reform. Live with that.
Oddjob:
Watch it, the Crayola lobby is sneaky powerful.
Someone needs to sit every one of these braindead morons down and refresh their memories about Jeremy Bentham and the Social Contract.
So GM is announcing that Chevy is releasing a car that gets 236 miles to the gallon.
Who thinks they would have done that if McCain had won? They had the capability for years. They wouldn’t do it because they’re partners with the oil industry.
Why do I never see anyone other than old wrinkly white faces at these events. You would think that this country was 100% white.
This doesn’t really answer your question, but with regards to specifically this particular town hall mtg., it’s being held in Lebanon, PA. That’s right in the heart of rural Pennsylvania farm country. That area’s part of “Pennsylvania Dutch country”.
Yes, it’s quite white. Most of rural Pennsylvania is the same.
# Liam | August 11th, 2009 at 10:32 am
First Kenneth Chesney started asking for donations to pay his medical bills, for his so called injuries, and now his Lawyer states that although Chesney is out of work, he has Medical coverage through his wife’s Insurance.
http://washingtonindependent.com/54511/gladneys-lawyer-hes-unemployed-insured-and-making-money-from-the-alleged-attack
Doesn’t that mean that Chesney was trying to scam people by asking for donations to pay his medical bills.
People need to look more into this Chesney guy’s background. He is starting to look very fishy.
Here is a link to the article which shows that this same Brown Character who now says that his client has Medical coverage, asked a crowd for donations to pay for his clients medical bills.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/7C2B91CFCB7B4D398625760D0008E6EA?OpenDocument
“Gladney did not address Saturday’s crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. “A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too.” Brown read. “This should never happen in this country.”
Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance”
Who thinks they would have done that if McCain had won?
And of course the true irony on that one is that before he was seriously running to be the nominee of the wingnuts Senator McCain was a primary cosponsor of a bill that seriously addressed our addiction to oil.
That was back when the GOP was in the majority so it failed, of course.
First Kenneth Chestney’s Lawyer ask for money to pay medical expensives,
“Gladney did not address Saturday’s crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. “A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too.” Brown read. “This should never happen in this country.”
Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance”
Now the same lawyer, this Brown guy declares.
http://washingtonindependent.com/54511/gladneys-lawyer-hes-unemployed-insured-and-making-money-from-the-alleged-attack
“Meanwhile, though Gladney appears to be just fine in the video right after he was supposedly beaten up, he showed up the next day at a tea party event in a wheelchair. At the event, Bill Hennessy, the organizer of the St. Louis tea parties, asked the crowd to donate money to Gladney to help him pay for his injuries, despite the fact that he now says he has insurance. When I asked Brown about this, he said: “Well, who doesn’t need a donation? If people want to give him a donation because he’s injured and unemployed, that’s up to them.” Brown said Gladney has raised about $1,100 in donations”
Can you say Flim-Flam Artist, Boys and Girls?
@tena….nice, when your argument fails, go to the playbook. What does the playbook say? Call them racists, you’ll win every time. Saul “Tena” Alinsky.
Hey team, long time, no comments, sorry, the non-profit affordable housing world is imploding with the collapse of the real estate market, so work’s been beckoning, but I have still been checking in regularly to keep up with what’s happening, but have been trying not to comment because I’m too close to this issue to not be driven to insanity by the tea-bagging nitwits who don’t know what they are talking about…
That being said, I went to one of the town halls here in Atlanta last night for a Dem congressman Hank Johnson. This district is true-blue, but I wanted to talk to some of the people protesting, and I found out something interesting: the opponents of health care reform don’t know what they are talking about at all, don’t know how to read legislation, and for some reason think that 1000+pages is too much for a person to read and they obviously haven’t attempted to do so.
This is anecdotal, but I talked to five “tea patriots” (as I was corrected into calling them after I mentioned Tea-bagging), at separate times and one-on-one, and all of them mentioned euthanasia and death panels, all of them mentioned illegals being covered by the public plan, all of them mentioned forced abortions and ***-changes, and all of them defended insurance companies rights to set their business practices however they wanted.
None of those issues that they mention are in the bill.
Part of the reason for this misinformation being out there are people like Joe Sixpack, whose list someone with more time than I will have to deal with, but the most extreme parts are: your first two items from the bill are called an Employee and Individual Mandate, that is how universal coverage is achieved (and without it, the plan is expensive because some businesses would just dump employees into the public plan without contributing to it, causing you more tax dollars; your “Officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans’ financial and personal records”, um, why wouldn’t the people running a health insurance plan have your personal information? Doesn’t the government already collect your personal information in the census and at tax time?
People talk to your friends and family about this stuff, I’ll be the first to say my family is full of idiots who believe everything that they see on the tv, and we need to push back against the lazy thinking going on out ther.e…
“Can you say Flim-Flam Artist, Boys and Girls?”
God it’s pathetic how gullible these idiots are – how did our seniors get so damn gullible?
Oh, and damn Tena, you used to be so middle-of-the-road just a couple of months ago (I even remember you saying that you had voted for Reps in the past), these people are making you Bonkers, huh?
Join the Crazy-club….
“# Joe Sixpack | August 11th, 2009 at 10:48 am
@tena….nice, when your argument fails, go to the playbook. What does the playbook say? Call them racists, you’ll win every time. Saul “Tena” Alinsky.
”
O yeah I’m the only person in the country saying that – you nit wit. Everyone has noticed how white the protests are.
“(I even remember you saying that you had voted for Reps in the past), these people are ”
You have a lousy memory. I have never voted for a Repug in my life. My husband was a Repug – 4th generation. He pulls a straight Democratic level these days and has since ‘04.
@williamc
misinformation = lies….right?
So I’m lying in my post above where I submit to you facts from the current plan? You sound like Linda Douglass…just call it misinformation, it sounds good and the media will play along.
Just like the “misinformation” from Obama. 2003 “I’m for a single payer system” to the AFL CIO. 2009…”I’ve never said I want a single payer system”.
Now that’s misinformation…..or to quote and even better orator…I must misunderestimated your above statement.
Can’t deal in facts, so you fill this blog with nothing but rhetoric and comments about tearing people down.
If you want healthcare for all, do you want everyone to have a house paid for by the govt? How about a car? How about groceries?
By the way, I read the legislation. Don’t fault everyone for not having the time to do it, but do fault your congressmen whose job it is to read it before they vote on it.
“If you want healthcare for all, do you want everyone to have a house paid for by the govt? How about a car? How about groceries?”
So you are putting health care in the same category as a car?
You don’t think or believe every human has a right to the same level of health care? I want to see the moral argument you make that rich people are entitled to better health care just because they are rich. Let’s hear it – and it has to be moral.
@tena
“O yeah I’m the only person in the country saying that – you nit wit. Everyone has noticed how white the protests are.” – Tena
Tena, I do notice how caucasian they are, might have something to do with the fact that America is over 75% caucasian…just a hunch.
Nice name calling too…you sound like my 5 year old.
By the way, Sixpack – the government already pays for groceries for people who can’t afford to eat any other eay.
It’s called food stamps.
“Nice name calling too…you sound like my 5 year old.”
Well, that’s 3 comments now calling me names so who is 6 years old?
@tena
If, for some sad reason, this legislation passes and we go to a universal health care system, I promise you the Rich will get better healthcare. Why, because they will do what Rich people do, they’ll find the best person in the world and pay for it. In Canada, its illegal to have a private hospital, not run by govt, but the govt continues to allow the private hospitals to stay open b/c they can’t hanlde the amount of people, so they allow “the rich” just pay out of pocket for private doctor or just go to the USA.
I’m waiting for your argument on why it’s moral for rich people to have access to better health care than poor people.
You’re so worried about name calling you are avoiding the issues.
# Joe Sixpack | August 11th, 2009 at 11:02 am
@tena
“O yeah I’m the only person in the country saying that – you nit wit. Everyone has noticed how white the protests are.” – Tena
Tena, I do notice how caucasian they are, might have something to do with the fact that America is over 75% caucasian…just a hunch.
Nice name calling too…you sound like my 5 year old.
………………………..
So even your five year old child declares you to be a nit-wit. Good to know!!!
Doesn’t the government already collect your personal information in the census and at tax time?
Yes, and the enabling legislation includes privacy restrictions on how it may be used and who is allowed to see it.
@tena
You’re close, I’m 9. haha…how fun you are.
yes, I have relatives on food stamps and they are the laziest people I know. I know that some just flat out need the help during tough times, but when people abuse the system is when I get upset.
Nice to see you didn’t answer my question, just diverted attention again. Where is the line the government shouldn’t cross in your mind? When does it reach the breaking point for you? Clearly not with healthcare, but definately with wiretapping people who communicate with “oversees mean people”.
@liam
a. nice turnaround…I’ll admit, you got me on that one.
b. quit diverting attention from the facts of the conversation.
@tena
I will answer your question, just first tell me what you mean by “better access”. Thanks
with wiretapping people who communicate with “oversees mean people”.
Nice move. Glad to see you do not care about your privacy. As Franklin printed two centuries ago, people like you deserve neither liberty nor security.
You see, there never were any problems with such wiretapping. They were done by court order, a court order ridiculously easy to obtain, but Fuehrer Cheney was offended by that.
First things first: Tena, I’m sorry, I would never want to accuse anyone of being a Republican, please accept my apologies.
Joe, my congress person did read it, I sat with him and questioned him on it, and just because you read it doesn’t mean that you understand it because you obviously don’t. Your “facts” aren’t facts, they are sentences drawn out of a 1000+ page document to make your point. BTW, do you know why it’s 1000+ pages? BECAUSE THERE ARE 300 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY! and whites are not 75% of this country (are there no blacks or hispanics or asians here now?).
God, read a frickin book and come back with some real facts, I hate when folks who think they are making an argument don’t. I am not tearing anyone down, I am an administrator that deals with health care issues all day every day, I know what these insurance companies are doing to small businesses and sick persons, I met people last night who were afire over something that they had be told does something that it does not do and I was relating that. The people tearing stuff down are the screamers at town halls that don’t know what they’re talking about.
I am not a old white Republican, you aren’t going to appeal to my emotions by obfuscating and misdirection…
@oddjob
Unlike most of you Progressives, I’m willing to find common ground. Your point of Ben Franklin is relevant, and while I supported the wiretapping, I belive a sunset provision should have been added. Given the time in our country, I found it important, but only for a very brief time.
Also, I’m still looking in the US Constitution and our Bill of Rights where it says we are supposed to provide healthcare for all.
@williamc
US Census: 2000 75.1% of Americans identify themselves as “white americans”.
Not my facts, your governments facts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_American#cite_note-24
Electable republicans seem to be miserable managers which may explain their antipathy toward government. Witness W who bankrupted a couple of companies before he bankrupted the country. And palin was doing fine as long as oil was $140/bbl and the guvmint was doling out the money to AK. But come a shortfall instead of a windfall and she gets out of the game, unable to cope.
Wish Greg didn’t see these calculated shock statements designed to get media attention as a game. Or as a ‘masterstroke’ and ‘deserving of a raise’. That is just part of the mindset that is the problem.
Realize Greg means well here, which is why I read his page.
“Also, I’m still looking in the US Constitution and our Bill of Rights where it says we are supposed to provide healthcare for all.”
Since when does everything have to be in the constitution?
Do you know how many seniors lived below the poverty line before Social Security and Medicare? This is the truth – 90%.
90% of the old people in the country lived in abject poverty before the government stepped in. Do you know how much my mother’s last hospital stay cost? $400,0000. Without Medicare, my husband and I would have had to file for bankruptcy to cover her bills.
(FWIW, I don’t self-identify as progressive, but rather as a political moderate. I am in favor of a single-payer arrangement for healthcare because I believe the present system is already imploding and because the information I’m aware of indicates that on the whole such systems work more satisfactorally for more of the particpants. There’s a reason no other industrialized democracy pays for healthcare in the manner that we do. No other people think doing so makes any sense. Given that per person we spend roughly twice as much, yet get a poorer outcome, I don’t think it makes any sense, either.
Obviously that’s not in the Constitution or Bill of Rights per se, but it’s also not prohibited and it’s more sensible.)
I am glad to know you wanted a sunset provision included in the wiretapping law, however, as I already indicated, there was no need to change the law.
No one ever demonstrated the previous arrangement had any problems. The only reason the Cheney White House demanded the change was because Cheney so passionately believed the president is entitled to be a dictator.
Ok sixpack, I’ll bite:
Pg 150 Lines 9-13 Businesses with payroll between 251k and 400k who do not provide public opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable health care according to government will be taxed 2.5% of income.
Holy friggin ****! Mandates! This is to get people to participate in the program because it needs funding. The whole idea of insurance is for the healthy to subsidize care for the sick. The more people you have putting money in, the more the cost is distributed. But because Single-payer scares the **** out of ignorant conservatives, you have to make mandates. It’s this or single payer if you want to distribute and reduce cost. Also, Sec. 45R Pg. 189 states that small businesses will get a tax credit of up to 50% to pay for coverage. Also also, pg 137 has information on credits for those up to %400 of the poverty limit.
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay).
They also don’t get care paid for by the exchange or public option, at least from what I read. Should we tax non-residents to pay for YOUR care while THEY get none?
Pg 195 Officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans’ financial and personal records.
First, to get that information, they’d have to petition the HHS secretary or the head of the exchange for that state. And it’s only to be used to determine if you get a tax credit. Sec B on Pg. 196 states that explicitly. Why the wouldn’t we ask for financial information if we were going to give you a finances based tax credit, especially when the government should ALREADY know my financial information whenever i pay taxes?? And it says nothing about health information, idiot.
Pg 203 Line 14-15 HC – “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it says that.
The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining
the amount of any credit under this chapter or for
purposes of section 55. There was more to the section than you posted…
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.
Wow… it’s altering the fee schedule… not services. In fact, if you read that whole 1121 subsection, you’ll see that it’s still providing care, but trasitioning the system to preventative care imbursement which cuts costs. Please learn about context.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill – Doctors, it does not matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same.
There’s no statement of payment anywhere in that section…
Pg 253 Line 10-18 Government sets value of doctors’ time, prof judg, etc. Literally value of humans.
Actually, it describes the value of performing some service for reimbursement to the doctor. For example, performing heart surgery needs a lot of technical skill and time, while also inducing stress, should be compensated accordingly. Why do you hate capitalism? Hard work should be fairly compensated.
Pg 265 Sec 1131Government mandates and controls productivity for private health care industries.
Ummm… if a for-profit hospital is obviously(keyword) price gouging for ambulences, shouldn’t we have some control? Why shouldn’t they be subject to the same cost control measures as doctors?
Congrats on the distortion. I hadn’t really read the bill until you posted. Then you make it obvious that you A: Can’t read, B: Lie, C: Can’t think critically, or D: All of the above.
The Insurance Cabal are the only ones who are making out under the current system. They keep making record profits, by just skimming from the top, money which does nothing to pay for any treatment for anyone. HMOs are the Haliburtons and Blackwaters of National Health care.
Time to get those leeches, who pay their executives millions of dollars each year, for not treating people, out of the system.
It has to be changed drastically. Only nut jobs want to keep doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.
Hello! Hello!, They are in the Insurance, profit making racket, they are not in the healh care business.
@tena
Very sorry for your mother. I hope she is better now.
@tena/@oddjob
My whole point about this, the healthcare issue, is that clearly some people want it and some don’t. Let each state decide what is best. Massachusetts has decided to do it..may not be the best system, but its something. So move to Mass if you don’t like your current system. Let the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Mass pay for it. That’s why we call the United States of America…we are united, but different. I moved to a state where I don’t have to pay state income tax, however I pay plenty of real estate taxes for schools/hospitals, etc. That’s fine, I’m ok with it. But let me have a choice. There is just too much feeding at the money trough by legislators and eventually they run out of people from whom they can get it from. Right now, its about soaking the wealthy, but with more and more of this govt intrusion, the middle class is next, then the poor. Then we are all poor. Don’t penalize success(higher taxes on wealthy), incent people by having a fair system to tax. Everyone gets taxed at the same level. Right now, wealthy Americans(Top 10% of wage earners) represent 50% of the governments income, but only get 10% of a Vote. You should be upset about their lack of equality too if you’re upset about peoples lack of equality with healthcare.
Again, Tena, my best wishes for your mother. Many prayers are offered by myself and many others on this blog I’m sure.
Should we tax non-residents to pay for YOUR care while THEY get none?
It’s called working illegally and getting Social Security deducted from your wages.
Joe:
The majority wants health care reform; Obama won the election: it is your turn to move. May I suggest another planet as you seem to qualify an alien?
@Tom
The majority do want health reform. Peel back the onion a bit and find that 32% want a single payer system. That’s not a majority. Just another number for you 38% of democrats don’t favor a single payer system. That should worry you more than Repubs.
I think Palin is just scared, the way she describes a “Death Panel” She would be the first to stand in front of one because she contributes no production for the good of America.
It takes a special subset of pond scum to describe someone like Palin who is willing to lie and terrorize some of our most vulnerable citizens in order to further her career and please her supporters.
What would you liberals call the bureaucrats who tell seniors in Oregon that they should kill themselves so the state can save money? “Burden of Life Reduction Panels”?
The problem is no one in the media – TV, print, radio, internet(with some exceptions)- refuse to adequately do their job. George Stephanapolous gives Gingrich 3 chances to back out of his insane “death panel” and “communal standards” lines and then doesn’t call him on his lies. If a political party’s main strategy is to promulgate outright fallacy, they are morally and intellectually bankrupt. Rep Bohener and the like encourage this misinformation, and members of industry that push this deception should be brought to accord.
Sarah Palin never takes responsibility for her mistakes or lies she spreads! Sarah you owe President Obama an apology…I mean immediately so you can live with yourself for once!! You do not deserve to have children. Social Service needs to come in and take all of them from you! You are a Death Panel!
and then doesn’t call him on his lies
Of course not! If he did that Gingrich might never go on his show again!
We can’t be having that!!!
I, for one, love my single payer health plans. I have Medicare, Tri-Care For Life and Vetersans Administration all of which are paid for by the federal government. Thank you.
Here are some facts that most of you may not be aware of. Social Security is what FDR settled for when he could not get universal health care. Medicare is what Johnson settled for when he could not get universial health care.
Have a great day
Joe Sixpax- The military works on a pay scale as well.. And most people working in any organization work under a pay scale that the organization applies to them.. No one wants to over pay for an acccountant just like no one wants to overpay for medicine. The only people who will be sad to see the current system goare the insurance companies who ironically profit under the mass beaucracy (while making our health decisions at the same time) and the business doctors who rarely sit with patience anyways.. By the way, Wasn’t Bush’s prescription program (that doesn’t really cover anyone) the biggest entitlement program in generations?
JoeSixpax- We don’t have a choice… For many people the choice is get well and go bankrupt OR stay sick and have money to pay rent.. Prey, you never have to make that choice…
Hey JoeSixpax – why don’t you try some truth on for size! I know it’s hard for those on the right to use facts and truth to make their point, but why don’t ya give it a try.
“Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.”
TRUTH: This is simply not true. Employers with more than 20 employees aren’t even eligible to participate in the exchange, let alone the public plan, until several years after the exchange launches in 2013. Moreover, no employer will be forced to participate in the public plan.
“Page 146: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.”
TRUTH: Employers are required to pay some benefits for part-time employees on a basis proportional to what they pay for full-time employees. No language on this page or the next stipulates coverage for the families of part-time employees.
“Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll”
TRUTH: The payroll penalty applies to employers with payroll over $500,000 who do not provide insurance to their employees. The percentage for employers with payroll from $500,000 – $750,000 is 6%. Employers do not have to offer the public option to avoid this penalty, they can offer private insurance if they wish.
“Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll”
TRUTH: This is false, see above.
“Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t’ have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.”
TRUTH: Pages 167-173 detail what “acceptable health care” means (basically, insurance coverage) and also allow for many different kinds of exceptions to this rule.
“Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).”
TRUTH: Non-resident aliens do not have to pay the penalty for not having health insurance, nor will the receive federal assistance, because they are not required to purchase health insurance. They are not exempted from individual taxes generally.
“Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.”
TRUTH: This is a gross overstatement. For the purposes of determining affordability credits for Americans who need financial assistance in purchasing health insurance, employees of the Health Choices Administration will have access to tax information that the federal government already keeps. As is clearly stated on page 196, “Return information… may be used by officers and employees of the Health Choices Administration or such State-based health insurance exchange, as the case may be, only for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing and verifying the appropriate amount of any affordability credit described in subtitle C of title II of the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 and providing for the repayment of any such credit which was in excess of such appropriate amount.”
Here’s the link to the REAL plan since the link you provided is neither legit or truthful
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text
I see this as great opportunity to create more competition and fill an obvious gap that the free market system as yet to fill. Should the public option work out, then for money insurance companies will eventually have to compete with the government for those customers that insurance companies currently have left to medicare and medicaid (because they are profit losers)and other more expensive social structures. This could potentially consilidate medicare and medicaid and leave open the possibility of handing over the public option to the free markets in 30 years. This might actually lessen our entitlement structure down the road. This isn’t socialism. This is capitialism at it’s best… Close the holes that the for profit companies are exploiting, make companies compete for business like they should have long ago, and regulate the new business who take over running the public option in 25 years… What’s not to like?
Sarah Palin is the demon spawn of John McCain. This is an evil woman who pals around with an African witch doctor. You stupid Repubs can have this ignorant she-creature. The more it talks, the dumber it reveals itself to be. Only fools and like-minded simpletons give this banshee any credibility.
You Palin haters kill me. You are like dogs that can get fixed on a bone so much that the you simply can be taken off a debate by YOUR Liberal masters throwing you a bone that has nothing to do with what’s really at issue here. We are about to give gov’t contol over our health care, to witt our freedom of choice. I garuantee you that none of you have read The Bill, THE BILL, THEE BILLLLLLL!!! And even if you tried your friendly neighborhood dem congress would throw you a bone (Palin, Rush, Hannity, Fox News, Bush, Orielly, etc) and you would run that way and forget what in the world you were thinking about in the first place.
Hey MadCity Chick,
Do you want the gov’t to run healthcare?
Cool article. This was really great read if someone ask me. hope everyone can read it and learn something new.