August has been a brutal month for advocates of government-run health care. According to a new CNN poll, for the first time in his presidency, a majority of independents (53%) now disapprove of how President Barack Obama is handling his job. And a majority of all Americans (53%) also disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care. Responding to these new facts on the ground, senior Obama officials are now telling Politico that when Obama does finally detail the specifics of what he wants to see in a health care bill, the public option will not be included.
Instead, according to Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, President Obama will focus on health reform that will “create competition and choice.” Axelrod’s focus groups must love that phrase, because the White House has been selling Obamacare as “choice and competition” for some time now. Unfortunately, even without the public option, the other pillars of Obamacare (federal regulation of health insurance, massive new taxpayer-funded subsidies, and employer and individual mandates) will all decrease, not increase, Americans’ health care choices.
- Federal Regulation of Health Insurance: Both the pending House health care bill and Senate HELP Committee bill include provisions that would, if enacted, result in sweeping, complex, and highly discretionary new federal regulation of health insurance. Taken together these provisions would make the current situation worse by driving costs higher and by encouraging more employers and individuals to drop coverage.
- Massive New Taxpayer-Funded Subsidies: Both the House and Senate would expand eligibility for Medicaid, and create new taxpayer-funded subsidies to the middle class. Such commitments would result in millions of Americans dependent on the government to finance their health care.
- Employer Mandate: Both the House and Senate bills would impose an employer mandate for employers who do not offer coverage and for those whose benefits do not meet a new federal standard. An employer mandate would hurt low-income workers the most and would also stifle much-needed economic growth. Employer mandates are passed on to workers in the form of reduced wages and compensation. This is exactly the wrong prescription for businesses, especially during a recession.
- Individual Mandate: According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a federal individual mandate for health insurance would be unique and unprecedented because it would “impose a duty on individuals as members of society” and would “require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated” by the government. According to President Obama HHS nominee Dr. Sherry Glied: “Developing a system to promptly identify and penalize scofflaws will take effort and ingenuity, particularly in our diverse and mobile country. It may require a degree of intrusiveness and bureaucracy that some will find unpalatable.” In fact, it was jut last year that then-candidate Obama also opposed individual mandates.
Conservatives have been for increased “choice and competition” in health care long before David Axelrod discovered the phrase was popular with the American people and commandeered it to push Obamacare. Such pro-competition reforms include giving individuals the freedom to purchase coverage from trusted sources and not be restricted by where they happen to live, equalizing the tax treatment of health insurance purchases, and putting Medicare and Medicaid on a fiscally sustainable path.
Heritage Center for Health Policy Studies Deputy Director Nina Owcharenko concludes: “Instead of continuing to protect the status quo, Congress should advance improvements that put the health care system on a path to reform. Such improvements should be focused on increasing choice and competition not by turning control over to Washington but by empowering individuals and families to control their health care dollars and decisions.”
Quick Hits:
- California’s San Joaquin Valley is facing 14.3% unemployment thanks largely to a drought … a man made drought caused by the Endangered Species Act.
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi will let Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) keep his chairmanship despite his failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets on federal disclosure forms.
- According to the National Legal and Policy Center, the White House New Media operation is planning to conduct a massive, secret effort to harvest personal information on millions of Americans from social networking websites.
- According to Service Wire, the Department of Education is planning an unprecedented nationwide address on September 8th by President Barack Obama to the nation’s PreK – 6th grade students that also instructs teachers to have their students read books about Obama and ask them: “Why is it important that we listen to the President?”
- Obama administration bailed-out and United Auto Worker-owned Chrysler actually saw their sales drop 15% during the Cash for Clunkers program.
Democrats just need to keep pushing for initiatives that the American people don't want. These initiatives are driving moderate and senior voters over to the GOP. (for a top ten list of reasons for Republican Resurgence – Republican Resurgence – Obamacare paves the way – Top Ten reasons for GOP Resurgence )
Democrats so badly misread their manadate that the major 'change' they will bring about will be their own unemployment. The GOP is gaining a real chance to take back the House in 2010.
Forgot the link
http://www.conservativeblog.thewebinfocenter.com/…
With all the options available why doesn't the government just sell insurance to the 46 million unemployed for 50 bucks a month and with a 20 dollar co-pay for doctors visits and prescription drugs and be done with it. Or do the 46M just want free insurance like the rest of the liberal left. Seems like it would be the easiest option to sell.
Every body needs to insist we get the EXACT same options as congress and NOT back down PERIOD
It would be funny, if it wasn't so serious. Big Brother using "competition and choice" to describe a government takeover of 17% of the economy. I guess they have a pretty low opinion of the common sense of the average American. Given the tenor of the town hall meetings, they appear to have misjudged. Let's hope that American's continue to stand up to oppose this. Let's also hope that they recognize the insult implicit in Obama's use of fraudulent language to try to sell the takeover. I'm reminded of that iconic Rockwell illustration of a town meeting in which a regular guy is standing to speak "truth to power." It's pretty rich that it came out of New England, considering that the mind-numbed Obamarobots seem to be congregating there these days.
Please, will somebody identify one — just one — instance where government intervention has reduced the cost of anything! Government involvement (including subsidies) always has the effect of increasing the ultimate cost of goods and services. I'm looking for one example that will disprove this.
Propaganda is alive and well. This special effort to 'Listen to the President' is very well planned indoctrination of elementary school children, and is case in point. As well, the National Endowment for the Arts members are encouraged to use their talent to further Obama's agenda – particularly the healthcare bill. These two areas are very persuasive tools. Our only recourse is education at home, through the internet and other communication devices.
There is already competition in health care. To the extent that there isn't any, it's precisely because of government intervention in those markets. Government does not have and will not be a part of any "solution". They can only worsen the existing situation.
However, like any good snake-oil salesman, they know that if there aren't any snakes, no one will buy the oil. The snake-oil salesman will be sure to plant some snakes in the area of his visit to be "found". Therefore, if the Democrats screw up our existing health care delivery systems, they can turn around and claim to have the cure (for the credulous). However, their true aims are not "health care", but power. They have access to the same data that the rest of us have. They simply have a different end in mind.
To lower HEALTH CARE costs, the government must also take out the profit(already done in Medicaid and Medicare). Since costs(supplies and malpractice) will be the same and increase, only wages will be left to decrease. This includes many UNION contracts. If we end up with a single payor system, the government will be responsible to ensure that facilities remain open by making them profitable. Salaries will be dependent on the government.
-When will Congressman Rangel retire?
-The White House is planning to "harvest" the
personal information on millions of Americans
from social networking websites?
-The Dept. of Education is instructing teachers to
have their students read books about Obama?
Now these are audacity situations that simply go beyond the pale. What is going on?
HOW does Obama cause a drought?
"California’s San Joaquin Valley is facing 14.3% unemployment thanks largely to a drought … a man made drought caused by the Endangered Species Act."
Government control of any aspect of Health Care is a bad idea no matter if it costs a trillion dollars or costs nothing! It should not be allowed.
The citizenry should not lose track of the overall goal of the Obama administration which is to "fundamentally restructure this Country", to quote his words, (along radical Marxist lines).
Like Seurat's pointillist paintings we must step back and see the whole picture and not focus only on individual dots separately. While they'd like us to focus on one dot they are busy with a host of other Government take-over Programs (more dots).
When these "dots" are viewed as a whole, one sees a picture of complete Government control of our lives and Country through a replacement of the Constitution with an "Obamination".
Look at the administration he is creating! It is patterned on the Russian Communist model, a Chairman surrounded by a Politburo. How else can his clique of Czars be viewed? Many, if not all, are avowed Communists! What kind of topics do you think they discuss?
One Czar proposes to stifle free speech through an abuse of the FCC. They want to control the Internet, Conservative Talk Radio; they already control the "Mainstream Media"
The goal is to control the dissemination of information so we will hear and see only what they want us to hear and see.
Why does Obama want a quasi military Civilian Security Force, if not to have his goons go after any dissenters?
This man and his followers are no good for this Country!
No matter how pretty a package you make to contain poison, it still is poison!
Do not be fooled by Obama's fancy-wrapped huckstering of his Progressivism/Communism/Socialism/Fascism agenda! Whatever it is….. it isn't American!
Congress is broke. It should not be able to do anything. It is utterly corrupt. It is utterly in debt. When will it's spending problem shut it down?
It's as simple as one irrfutable fact; Obama is a
LIER! He will say and do anything to get his socialist plans shoved down the throats of the people of America. We cannot beleive not one word that vomits from his mouth. We all had better understand, Obama and his lackeys, want only one final result, to turn this country into a Marxist state.
The issue of public health care is quite easy to evaluate, really. Avoid making such a hubbub… when the legislators who are writing the plan actually commit to be covered by it (as opposed to the endless set of choices they seem to have for themselves and their families), then you will have a plan in which you can have some reasonable expectation of care.
Don't allow anything to pass unless those participants of the regime are also subject to its requirements, meaning the legislators and government workers are similarly "covered". Simple, no?
Otherwise, the further separation of those who think they govern and those who submit to such "government" will be enhanced to the point where we'll have to begin referencing the various level of "Estates", again. If my memory serves me correctly, the US hasn't ever officially been in that posture – but it is getting more obvious, day-by-day, that the First Estate wants to establish rules for the Fifth Estate by which they don't have to abide. Example? The Geithner tax defence used publicly by a member of the First Estate was rejected by the Tax Court when it was presented by a member of the Fifth Estate, all other things being presumed equal.
The Dept. of Education should be renamed the Dept. of Indoctrination. Surely the schools are not stupid enough to allow the students to be brainwashed by this outrageous plan of action. "Read books about Obama and learn why it is important to listen to the president". Hogwash!!If the schools are upper level schools where the students are capable of analyzing they would see that their "leader Obama" is a joke. By limiting this speech to grades 1 thru 6, he is getting to the vunerable, open minds of children, most of whom are unable to understand that it is pure and simple brainwashng. I think Hitler did that too. My kids would stay home on Sept. 8th if they were still that in elementary school.
Regarding the individual mandate, on Aug. 23 there was an editorial in the Washington Post by two attorneys @ the DC office of Baker Hostetlier LLP who served @ Justice Dept. under Reagan and HW Bush. The article cites cases that would lead a reasonable person to believe "congress cannot use its power to tax (or penalize) as a means of controlling conduct that it could not otherwise reach through the commerce clause or any other constitutional provision." Not that the Constitution is restraining this administration but I suppose this cannot be challenged until a bill is passed. Will Heritage lead the charge?
The National Legal and Policy Center site is not responding. Are they for real? You has a story about the administration plans to get personal information from social networks like Facebook.
Mr. Axelfraud, we do not need you SPEAKING FOR or Obama creating choice and competition. WE THE PEOPLE DO THAT FOR OURSELVES! STICK TO YOUR JOB DUTIES. This is not one of em'. KEEP YOUR CORRUPTION OUT!
If it were left up to the Democrats and Liberals, there would never have been an United States of America, we all would still be paying taxes to the King of England and high taxes to boot. Taxation without Representation is their goal, and especially Obama's goal. As per Pelosi, Axelrod and Obama, its unamerican to voice dissention.
Dear Mr. Axelrod: Government in the market place does not provide choice or competition. It does the opposite. That's why Communist Russia's government-manufactured Yugo was such an unpopular clunker. That's why the government owned grocery stores in socialist countries offer few choices and often have empty shelves. And that's why government schools in Hawaii do a lousy job; and parents scrimp and save to be able to send their kids to private schools.
In a free country, the citizens are free from government intrusion into their lives. The government's role is to provide a framework in which every individual is free to pursue happiness as he or she sees fit, so long as it does not hurt others. "Your right to swing your arm ends where my nose begins." Monopolies are illegal but state and federal over-regulation of health care creates monopolies. Allow private insurers to compete in interstate competition. And please, keep your hands off of my private health insurance.
The dems and obama are trying to tear this country to shreds with all this BS healthcare junk. People m have to make their own decisions about insurance, they either want it or don't, there is no in between. This crap about health care is a right is just junk, I have never seen where the Constitution says it is a right. Oh I forgot, the Constitution does not matter anymore, may it rest in peace.
Medical costs will continue to go up as long as the medical professionals have to practice defensive medicine. We are always in the "CYA" mode at the hospital. Also to help cut expenses for Medicare, why do they never address letting people choose not to use Medicare?
If people think the insurance companies are bad at decision making, wait until Washington is making their choices for them!
I was at our State Fair yesterday. There was a booth that was selling hats with different kinds of slogans and logos. Some of them had "Obama" " The 43" President" .
I told the man that I would pay double for one that said,"Nobama". He laughed and told me that when that fool was elected, he couldn't keep up with 'Obama" stuff to sell'! Now he can't even give it away. He thought the 'Nobama' was a good idea and was going to look into it!
Hozro
Individual Mandate
How on earth is this Constitutional. I know I have asked this question at least a hundred times regarding various pieces of the Obama agenda. I have received zero answers.
I really did not expect answers but the question still stands.
Where are our lawyers and courts when we need them?
PC is Thought Control
LEE
<<>>
Answer: GM Stock
I suspect that starting on September 8 we are going to barraged with so many 'fibs', half truths and outright lies regarding health care. I think that we all are going to be smart enough to see through the rhetoric and, hoefully, intense enough to keep up the heat. No matter what happens, how can any one believe anything these guys tell us? First they try to ram a 1000 plus page bill through before the summer recess, nobody Congress or the administration read, then when people start to question the contents, we're called Nazi's, goons, brown shirts, a mob and some other choice words, by our elected officials, then they tell us we don't know what we're reading because we're stupid and to top it all off, oh by the way, we misread the budget numbers and instead of a 9 trillion dollar debt, now it's going to be about 2 trillion more. So, how come we're still holding onto the banks and the auto companies, I thought we were going to sell the ownership? Lots of questions, no answers.
Mr. Jarvis,
I believe you are confused about the story of the drought in Calif. This is a man-made drought, but it did not state Mr. O caused the drought, only that he has the abliity to ease the situation by allowing the farming region to be declared a disaster area which the president denied in June.
It seems the environmentalists and the lawyers are the only winners here and are in complete control while the farming areas suffer 14.3% unemployment and some towns, such as Mendota to reach 40% unemployment. Plus there is the disasterous effect on the food supplies for this country.
Please re-read the whole article again, slowly. Comprehension is better that way.
Perhaps when you must pay $5.00 or more for a head of lettuce or can't even get one, you might understand the severity of the issue here.
What scares me are the agencies behind obama. Like the fbi. Failing to investigate obama's appointees who swindled the tax payers, allowing dangerous people and admitted communists in the government to RULE the subjects. Obama will continue to appoint the corrupting.
Nikita Krushchev, the Soviet dictator, first warned the world of the "cult of personality", that irrational and emotional process of LIONIZATION that transforms a man into a myth. He was warning the Soviet Union of the cult that had formed around Stalin, a cult that distorted Stalin's image from that of a mere mortal into an infallible authority, a spiritual figurehead, the Christ of communism. In much the same way, OBAMA'S goal is to be THE mythical and moral, omnipotent leader for the radical left in America, given his ego, possibly the world.
Beware, parents, Obama is trying to indoctrinate your children September 8! One of the most insiduous methods to gain control over the people is to incite distrust between family members.
I've seen this in communist countries. I've had a large number of relatives living behind the so called Iron Curtain. Talk to your children. Do not take this ASSAULT on the younger generation lightly. Hitler had his "youth groups". They were given a uniform, "they" made them feel important, and then thoroughly brainwashed them.
Liberty offers no guarantees whatsoever, to any of us, except for what it promises by itself.
When one segment of the population tries to dictate what the other segment will say and do, it is a threat to the liberty of everyone, including those who dictate.
Amazingly, none of these dictators seem to realize how their predecessors met their match and end. Brutality, deceit and oppression have yet to show success on the world stage of history.
Get up people. Speak up. Show strength and courage. Protect the Constitution!
An earlier post ask the question: "Can someone tell me one thing the government has touched that resulted in lower cost/price?"
Answer: GM Stock
Boycott "The One" and his blatant attempt at Goebbels style propaganda
Shock Obama, the Libs, and their Union Stooges.
Keep your children home on Sept 8th.
Or, go with them and see what really goes on.
Parents, this is a major chance to let these people know "who is the boss".
PC is Thought Control
LEE
Inasmuch as we, you and I, own a big chunk of GM and Chrysler, why could the Feds not at least recommend that those gaining our cash for their clunkers buy a GM or Chrysler car?
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Heritage Center for Health Policy Studies Deputy Director Nina Owcharenko concludes: “Instead of continuing to protect the status quo, Congress should advance improvements that put the health care system on a path to reform. Such improvements should be focused on increasing choice and competition not by turning control over to Washington but by empowering individuals and families to control their health care dollars and decisions”.
That's just it! For those so-called "Progressive (Leftist)" government elitists and statists in favor of government-controlled so-called "health care" (especially Obama, those controlling Congress, and the big business entities in bed with them [including the big insurance companies which are under the delusion that "laying down" for it will save their hide]), it is most definitely not for so-called "health care", much less "health care costs", but is most definitely for government control, as in their promoting dependence upon government and creating as many government dependants (read voters for them) as they possibly can, thereby getting and keeping themselves (and those of their ilk) in votes, power, and money.
That is a fact, which even those such as the so-called "Progressives (Leftists)" in control of Congress prove every time it comes down to it, such as every time any proposal or amendment to protect us (the people) against rationing is made or presented, by voting it down.
Come to think of it, the government elitist and statist so-called "Progressives (Leftists)" speak and act as if to say "who but the government can (quote) "keep the insurance companies honest"?
Hey! That obviously isn't the real question.
The real question is: Who's going to get honesty back in control of our government again, and keep government honest?
The answer to that is, as it was in our beginning and must be again, us, the people.
But now that begs the question: Will enough of us do so now before it's too late?
I don't want Obama or ANYBODY who is affiliated with him anywhere near ANY decision that is going to be made about me or my life.
This man is the scariest, most ruthless, arrogant, pompous, two faced, side stepping, lying politician I have ever been witness to. His history alone (or lack thereof) is enough to make me question his every motive, then he has Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid backing him.. This isn't good, not for us or our nation.
It seems like every move he makes is straight out of the Marxist handbook..
One other thing that scares me is that he had ordered all textbooks written prior to 1985 detstroyed as one of his initial acts as president..
This all just keeps getting more and more insane everyday when I turn on my radio. I never know what I will hear. I don't have kids, but I do have nieces and nephews in school that will be subjected to this filth. This administration is playing dirty….of course I expect nothing more from them. Parents had better stand up for what is right and give a message that is loud and clear to the bama and keep your kids home. Being silent is not an option.
Hopefully the best thing to come out of this would be a third Party. I've read comments expressing excitment of an GOP resurrgence! To what I ask? We need serious remediation NOW to the status quo in all of our Elected offices. Republican, Democrat, Hard right , Hard left. "Progressive(Socialist)" It is like being offered to die by rope or gun. I am desperately hoping for a leader to emerge for this nation. An Proud American, that knows in their heart that this is the finest nation on Earth. Free enterprise and Tort reform will do alot to repair this mess the past regimes have dug us into. Socialism, Facism and Treason need to be dealt with swiftly and severely. We need to make it hurt to be corrupt. Those colored by its brush should be too embarrased to show their face in public. To think that Bill Clinton is roaming the globe as a representative of this country is shameful. Any man of any integrity wouldn't have been involved in his monkey business, If he had he would surely be too ashamed to go public afterward, as would his wife. This circle of corruption has to stop, NOW.
This man they call King…He is giving up on the Adults and plans to work on the children. His collusion with the NEA and School Districts are the most brazen act of social indoctrination this counjtry , or any other for that matter has ever seen. Any parent that allows this to be presented to their child is an idiot. Any teacher that is a willing participant should never be trusted with children. Boycott Boycott Boycott. I am reminded of the disabled Marine Vet. speaking at an townhall meeting last week when he told the liberal elected official in attendance…"Leave my kids alone".
This miserable excuse for a president needs to be impeached for ignoring the Constitution,as well as most of Congress……….how utterly arrogant.
"Mandates" indeed!!!!!! That is not how this nation was set up to proceed.
Let us pray that this individual can be stopped.
Those who think that ol Floppy Ears is good, need to read von Hayek's book:"On the road to serfdom". They are potentially the prime targets in the future.
The only difference is, we who are not with this person and his ilk will not go quietly. We have worked, and died too many times to let this be destroyed.
Go to school with your children on sept. 8th!
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OMG! I'm unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation. I normally apply for benefits online; I had to call into the rediculous government department of unemployment this AM, and OMG!! What a joke!!!
If government run health care would be anything like this governmental department (imagine the DMV on steroids) then we're in deep deep trouble!
Governmental control of any aspect of our lives is total chaos! God help us all!
Ken Jarvis – Las Vegas writes:
HOW does Obama cause a drought?
“California’s San Joaquin Valley is facing 14.3% unemployment thanks largely to a drought … a man made drought caused by the Endangered Species Act.”
Ken, maybe before you comment you should investigate the facts. San Joaquin Valley is a Bioregion of California. There are eight Counties’ in the region that is mostly farming, agricultural producing bioregion that two millions California resident. California environmentalist and federal regulations designed to protect the likes of the three-inch long delta smelt; one of America's premier agricultural regions is suffering in a drought made worse by federal regulations.
The Red Herring and Delta Smelt have been declared an endangered species, which they are federally protected by Endangered Species Act. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued what is known as a "biological opinion" imposing water reductions on the San Joaquin Valley. As a result, tens of billions of gallons of water from mountains east and north of Sacramento have been channeled away from farmers which is how their crops were irrigated naturally and into the ocean to save a three inch fish and leaving hundreds of thousands of acres of arable land uncultivated or scorched and dried up.
I became aware of the issue when Actor/Comedian Paul Rodriguez made their plight known. He has some families there that work in the agricultural area. Rodriguez is so concerned about water that he helped create the California Latino Water Coalition so their voices are heard. He led marches with several thousand people in recent weeks, and spoke one night to a convention of the conservative California Republican Assembly in Bakersfield.
He has asked to speak with Obama’s Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, he said he left messages, asked for a meeting and asked Obama to help these people (who mostly voted for Obama). He has called for the local politicians to help and Gubernator had set aside some funds to help, but when trying to balance the California budget by reducing many programs the help they were expecting is no where to be seen now.
Why the people in that region do blame both Obama and his Agriculture Secretary because they added even more regulations to the uses of the natural water that flows from the mountains of California and because of the state water restrictions they cannot install an irrigation systems either. Therefore, they sit back and hope it rains, but not the 40 days and 40 nights of rainfall. To day, there has been no response from the White House or the Secretary of Agriculture. The longer they don’t respond, the angry crowds grow.
Since a majority of the workers on these farms are Hispanic, mostly legal California residents who pay their taxes. Since they are unable to sell the property because it is worthless or try to find other uses for the land, they are now owners of unusable acreage. If they aren’t making any money they will eventually have none to pay their federal and state taxes, and according to some in the region, it is coming close to that point. During an interview with Paul Rodriguez, he had one of those farmers with him. He stated that he would hire area workers, estimated to be about 40 to 50 people, many who were already poor and paid them nice salaries. When it was picking time, he hired even more, 100-150 so they could get the produce out and paid them $100 dollars a day. They said that the unemployment rate in the area is about 35-40%.
The longer these farmers cannot grow their fruits and vegetables there is less in the marketplace; which pushes the prices up higher, as the demand increases. (Remember the FDR plan to stop farmers from producing their produce by driving up the prices as demand grows higher? Another liberal retread). To learn more read the article here. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/how-gre…
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