"Heh, heh, with the way I destroyed the federal budget it'll be impossible for any incoming Dem president to spend any money on anything for the people! Ha Ha ha...ROWWWR!" The heavens will fall! God will rain down curses and horrors on the abominations! Armageddon – according to moron John Boehner (top House Gooper) will descend. And oh yes, the last cry of an imminent meltdown – “We will remember in November”. Promising to electorally punish the Ds for their over reach.
Don’t think so, sonny.
When a team scores a ‘W’ this big, as the Dems did in health reform, it demoralizes the other team. Like when Jacksonville took out Miami 61-7 in the 1999 AFC playoffs, or the New Orleans Saints did the number they did on the hapless Colts in the Superbowl.
Even conservative columnist David Frum pointed out that the Republicans have made their own Waterloo by trying to turn Health care reform into Obama's Waterloo. He's right. The Democratic base has been by and large re-energized by the passage of the bill while the Republican faithful are reduced to whimpers, whines and cries of frustration. Predictably – from history, the Dem base will then turn out in far greater numbers in November, all delusional GOP blather to the contrary. The discouraged R-base will find a nook or corner to crawl into and hole up.
The level of disinformation on this bill, as I noted before, is so vast it boggles the rational and judicious intellect. A foreigner viewing the spectacle might conclude one side (the GOP- teabaggers) has suffered a nervous breakdown or more likely, a psychotic level of the newly minted mental affliction: “Intermittent Explosive Disorder”. (Based on the teabagger crowd spitting on black congressmen yesterday and the day before while yelping the N-word.)
But let’s clear the air here and bring some semblance of reason to the issue.
First, in terms of the debt – which the Reeps and their freaks are yapping about most.
Before they excoriate this legislation, they need to look at how THEY single handedly – converted this nation into “Third World” debt status. For the sake of those who want bullet items, I give them below:
- The mammoth Bush tax cuts of 2001, 2002 – to the tune of nearly $2.2 TRILLION – including interest accrued. This singlehandedly took the surplus accumulated during the Clinton years back into deficits. Contrary to Repuke spin meisters, this crap didn't produce any new jobs or enhance the bottom line. In the first year of the cuts alone more than $300billion was lost in revenues. (See 'Neoconomy')
- The deficit effect of the cuts was compounded by Dumbya launching two occupations (Afghanistan, Iraq) he couldn’t pay for – or rather refused to pay for – say by rescinding his tax cuts, or raising taxes (as was done in WWII). No one heard one word of deficits back then. Though some of us saner citizens did worry we were seeing a replay of Big Brother in 1984, with Permanent War
- The total costs of the occupations is now projected to be $3 trillion – when all the medical costs of treating vets is reckoned over the next 30-odd years. Up to the end of 2008, before Obama got in – the costs were $1.1 trillion. Thus, the TOTAL deficit before Obama even took office was: $2.2 trillion (tax cuts) + $1.1 trillion (“wars”) = $3.3 trillion
- But wait – we aren’t done! The GOOPS also passed the Medicare Reform Act of 2003 in Bush’s reign, the biggest corporate welfare giveaway in history. Under the guise of offering a “drug benefit” the actual law awarded drug –insurance companies enormous kickbacks via higher rates which could be jacked up every year. The original cost was falsely touted as ~ $394 billion but when the independent Congressional Budget Office ran the numbers it found an actual cost exceeding $790 billion. (Those courageous people who dared to give the real numbers and debt were fired summarily by the Bush leaguers).
Don’t think so, sonny.
When a team scores a ‘W’ this big, as the Dems did in health reform, it demoralizes the other team. Like when Jacksonville took out Miami 61-7 in the 1999 AFC playoffs, or the New Orleans Saints did the number they did on the hapless Colts in the Superbowl.
Even conservative columnist David Frum pointed out that the Republicans have made their own Waterloo by trying to turn Health care reform into Obama's Waterloo. He's right. The Democratic base has been by and large re-energized by the passage of the bill while the Republican faithful are reduced to whimpers, whines and cries of frustration. Predictably – from history, the Dem base will then turn out in far greater numbers in November, all delusional GOP blather to the contrary. The discouraged R-base will find a nook or corner to crawl into and hole up.
The level of disinformation on this bill, as I noted before, is so vast it boggles the rational and judicious intellect. A foreigner viewing the spectacle might conclude one side (the GOP- teabaggers) has suffered a nervous breakdown or more likely, a psychotic level of the newly minted mental affliction: “Intermittent Explosive Disorder”. (Based on the teabagger crowd spitting on black congressmen yesterday and the day before while yelping the N-word.)
But let’s clear the air here and bring some semblance of reason to the issue.
First, in terms of the debt – which the Reeps and their freaks are yapping about most.
Before they excoriate this legislation, they need to look at how THEY single handedly – converted this nation into “Third World” debt status. For the sake of those who want bullet items, I give them below:
- The mammoth Bush tax cuts of 2001, 2002 – to the tune of nearly $2.2 TRILLION – including interest accrued. This singlehandedly took the surplus accumulated during the Clinton years back into deficits. Contrary to Repuke spin meisters, this crap didn't produce any new jobs or enhance the bottom line. In the first year of the cuts alone more than $300billion was lost in revenues. (See 'Neoconomy')
- The deficit effect of the cuts was compounded by Dumbya launching two occupations (Afghanistan, Iraq) he couldn’t pay for – or rather refused to pay for – say by rescinding his tax cuts, or raising taxes (as was done in WWII). No one heard one word of deficits back then. Though some of us saner citizens did worry we were seeing a replay of Big Brother in 1984, with Permanent War
- The total costs of the occupations is now projected to be $3 trillion – when all the medical costs of treating vets is reckoned over the next 30-odd years. Up to the end of 2008, before Obama got in – the costs were $1.1 trillion. Thus, the TOTAL deficit before Obama even took office was: $2.2 trillion (tax cuts) + $1.1 trillion (“wars”) = $3.3 trillion
- But wait – we aren’t done! The GOOPS also passed the Medicare Reform Act of 2003 in Bush’s reign, the biggest corporate welfare giveaway in history. Under the guise of offering a “drug benefit” the actual law awarded drug –insurance companies enormous kickbacks via higher rates which could be jacked up every year. The original cost was falsely touted as ~ $394 billion but when the independent Congressional Budget Office ran the numbers it found an actual cost exceeding $790 billion. (Those courageous people who dared to give the real numbers and debt were fired summarily by the Bush leaguers).
More recent estimates come to over $1 trillion when you add in the “Medicare Advantage” plans (created in the same loathsome act) which actually are pushing standard Medicare toward insolvency since they bleed off on average $12 billion more per year. (Which standard Medicare beneficiaries must pay for via higher premiums). Add in the fact the bogus law disallowed the importation of lower cost Canadian drugs, plus didn’t allow bargaining for lower costs (like the VA) and you can understand how its actual intent was to blow a hole in the deficit.
Now, since I am a cynical person I will offer a cynical view of why the REEPS and Bush did these things. They did them to deliberately bleed away as much as they could from the government kitty in order to make it almost impossible for a Dem president or congress to do anything on behalf of the people (as opposed to launching invasions and rewarding corporations). They cynically wanted to humiliate any future administration and expose them as impotent – from being in a spending straight jacket that THEY created with: their tax cuts, their preemptive invasions & occupations, and their bogus Medicare plan which was really a corporate welfare giveaway.
Thus, the Republicans are the ones who actually sent this nation into monetary perdition, thanks to their reckless deficit spending during the Bush years. It is Obama – meanwhile, who has come up with a health reform plan that LOWERS the deficit by nearly $1.3 TRILLION over 20 years – according to the Congressional Budget Office. But of course, the goopers deny this like they typically deny reality.
As to the Health bill itself – here is what we know will materialize within 3-6 months (excepting #4), minus the propaganda:
1- Children will now be able to be covered under their parents’ health plan to the age of 26. Thus sparing them having to shell out for their own insurance – when they have college loans and can least afford it.
2- No insured persons will be refused care or treatment, especially critical, on the basis of pre-existing conditions. This will save some 40,000 lives per year for people who otherwise might have had to cease chemotherapy for cancer treatment. If the pro-lifers are worth anything other than hot air they ought to applaud this.
3- Insurance companies will no longer be able to “cap” benefits at a certain level, e.g. $1 million. Whereas before, the HMOs could halt all treatment once the total costs hit the limit mark.
4- Medicaid qualification limits, now absurdly low- will be raised to 130% of poverty level (about $29,327 for a family of 4). Even so, this is too low - since the federal povery level is 40 years old and is actually much higher. But, it's a start.
NO abortions using federal, taxpayer money will be allowed, period. This is exactly why the anti-abortion Dems like Bart Stupak signed on. This will be assured by an Executive Order issued by Obama. The pro-lifers ought to be ecstatic- but since they deny reality we see they are back to showing graphic images of destroyed fetal tissue on their blogs.
They still haven’t processed that these nascent human creatures aren't full human persons with rights and individuality. If they do believe so, I dare them to go down to the census and register the fetus as a separate “person” living in the house on the census form.
Yes, there will be the outrage, the predictable freak outs about "Socialism" and "government takeover" – but one hopes eventually the Right wing loons can find their sense and start to act like citizens in common cause once more. As opposed to the would-be secessionists who hearken after (most of them) their Johnny Reb forbears. Or (captured on You tube) the heartless little bastards that tossed dollar bills to a Parkinson's patient confined to a wheelchair - who dared to hold a sign on behalf of health reform. Taunting him by telling him to "work for a living". In a REAL Socialist nation, this human refuse would be collected off the streets, then impressed into extended community service on the spot...and fed on a diet that would be devoid of their usual half-pound burgers.
One last note to would-be commentators: If you assert (idiotically) Obama was "born in Kenya" when we KNOW this is untrue (his Hawaiian birth certificate has been displayed in a number of web venues) you will not be posted here. Forewarned and all that. But with moderation in effect I will not permit total rubbish or politically-crafted idiocy. If you don't like it, move on! Read a blog more to your liking and intellectual capacity!
Now, since I am a cynical person I will offer a cynical view of why the REEPS and Bush did these things. They did them to deliberately bleed away as much as they could from the government kitty in order to make it almost impossible for a Dem president or congress to do anything on behalf of the people (as opposed to launching invasions and rewarding corporations). They cynically wanted to humiliate any future administration and expose them as impotent – from being in a spending straight jacket that THEY created with: their tax cuts, their preemptive invasions & occupations, and their bogus Medicare plan which was really a corporate welfare giveaway.
Thus, the Republicans are the ones who actually sent this nation into monetary perdition, thanks to their reckless deficit spending during the Bush years. It is Obama – meanwhile, who has come up with a health reform plan that LOWERS the deficit by nearly $1.3 TRILLION over 20 years – according to the Congressional Budget Office. But of course, the goopers deny this like they typically deny reality.
As to the Health bill itself – here is what we know will materialize within 3-6 months (excepting #4), minus the propaganda:
1- Children will now be able to be covered under their parents’ health plan to the age of 26. Thus sparing them having to shell out for their own insurance – when they have college loans and can least afford it.
2- No insured persons will be refused care or treatment, especially critical, on the basis of pre-existing conditions. This will save some 40,000 lives per year for people who otherwise might have had to cease chemotherapy for cancer treatment. If the pro-lifers are worth anything other than hot air they ought to applaud this.
3- Insurance companies will no longer be able to “cap” benefits at a certain level, e.g. $1 million. Whereas before, the HMOs could halt all treatment once the total costs hit the limit mark.
4- Medicaid qualification limits, now absurdly low- will be raised to 130% of poverty level (about $29,327 for a family of 4). Even so, this is too low - since the federal povery level is 40 years old and is actually much higher. But, it's a start.
NO abortions using federal, taxpayer money will be allowed, period. This is exactly why the anti-abortion Dems like Bart Stupak signed on. This will be assured by an Executive Order issued by Obama. The pro-lifers ought to be ecstatic- but since they deny reality we see they are back to showing graphic images of destroyed fetal tissue on their blogs.
They still haven’t processed that these nascent human creatures aren't full human persons with rights and individuality. If they do believe so, I dare them to go down to the census and register the fetus as a separate “person” living in the house on the census form.
Yes, there will be the outrage, the predictable freak outs about "Socialism" and "government takeover" – but one hopes eventually the Right wing loons can find their sense and start to act like citizens in common cause once more. As opposed to the would-be secessionists who hearken after (most of them) their Johnny Reb forbears. Or (captured on You tube) the heartless little bastards that tossed dollar bills to a Parkinson's patient confined to a wheelchair - who dared to hold a sign on behalf of health reform. Taunting him by telling him to "work for a living". In a REAL Socialist nation, this human refuse would be collected off the streets, then impressed into extended community service on the spot...and fed on a diet that would be devoid of their usual half-pound burgers.
One last note to would-be commentators: If you assert (idiotically) Obama was "born in Kenya" when we KNOW this is untrue (his Hawaiian birth certificate has been displayed in a number of web venues) you will not be posted here. Forewarned and all that. But with moderation in effect I will not permit total rubbish or politically-crafted idiocy. If you don't like it, move on! Read a blog more to your liking and intellectual capacity!
Just wait until you get your first bill for your manditory Obamanation health care. You won't be laughing then. You just don't understand, this isn't a Democratic or Republican issue as much as it is a dictitorial policy, by an illegal alien, sitting in the White House. This country is a joke.
ReplyDeleteJust in: 12 States plan to sue the government for the Obamanation unhealthy care plan, they are; Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
ReplyDeleteMore to follow. Next we need to start impeachment proceedings for to get this illegal alien out of office.
"One last note to would-be commenters: If you assert (idiotically) Obama was "born in Kenya" when we KNOW this is untrue (his Hawaiian birth certificate has been displayed in a number of web venues) you will not be posted here. "
ReplyDeleteWAIT!! Some birther moron actually tried to post that as part of a comment? You're kidding, right? You mean birthers actually read this blog? I'd have thought their brain cells, what few they possess, would've melted down from content way in excess of their room temperature IQs.
The birther madness has been so exposed in so many places that only looney tunes still hold to it like that idiot Georgia Rep Neubauer that called Stupak a "Baby killer".
They also don't stop to think that in an era of so many Patriot Act provisions (including network connections between all policing agencies) and scrutiny of other nations (as possible terror sponsors) there IS NO WAY any foreign born person could be allowed to ascend to the presidency!
You'd have had the Secret Service, the CIA, the DIA, the NSA and every other government intelligence office and service vetting him and thee is simply no way they'd have allowed him to put one foot on the WH foyer far less into the Oval Office.
These people like the teabaggers, can't think. They are unable to reason, even to analyze the simplest syllogism. Their conspiracy theories of what's going on with Obama boggle the mind and astound us that there can be so many born n' bred lizard brains (as Keith Olbermann referred to them in his special comment last night).
Another thing is the misinformation being spread about the bill, that the exchanges will turn health care into socialist care. No, they won't! So long as any private insurer is active there is no socialism.
Until there are no more private insurers, which I can't fathom in my wildest imagination, projecting socialism doesn't mean there IS socialism.
Btw, did you see yesterday how health stocks went up? Why did that occur if the insurance companies were terrified of socialism?
There are just too many stupid people in this country, sad to say, but I am elated you have taken these miscreants by the horns and put out two excellent and insightful articles in a row.
Whatever you do, don't allow the idiots to have their comments published. Sure, they will scream and cry about "free speech" but as you said, no idiocy belongs on your blog and if they don't like it they can go to O'Reilly's FOX blog.
american -in need of therapy - wrote:
ReplyDelete"More to follow. Next we need to start impeachment proceedings for to get this illegal alien out of office"
I normally wouldn't post this crap - as I noted (since any IQ less than 40 lowers the average for users) but I just wanted to prove to Jani, that yes - we do have Birther Retardos frequenting the blog.
As for the bit about the states suing, they are wasting time and money. There is no violation of the commerce clause in any federal benefits provision or legislation- such that it also conforms with the promotion of general welfare clause (see Preamble of Constitution).
In addition, I understand the bit about fines is to be nixed, so in effect there is no punitive aspect to the bill, so people will not be "mandated" to purchase it.
Anyway, this plus James B's shlock - to show Jani why I have moderation going - is the extent of these asinine commments on "illegal alien in the WH" that I will allow.
Now, all of you whiners, go cry in your Jack Daniels or whatever.
Jani wrote:
ReplyDelete"WAIT!! Some birther moron actually tried to post that as part of a comment? You're kidding, right? "
Nope - see the two examples I referenced here (allowed to be posted just to show you). They're relatively short so don't besmirch the blog too much while they prove my point that there are lizard brains even frequenting blogs like this. Go figure!
"Btw, did you see yesterday how health stocks went up? Why did that occur if the insurance companies were terrified of socialism?"
Yeppers, sure did. After the bill was passed Sunday, stocks on Monday had a rally LED by the health insurance corporations and drug companies:
Pfizer (PFE) rose 1.4% and Merck ( MRK) gained 0.6%. Tenet Healthcare (THC) jumped 9%, while Medtronic (MDT) rose 2.3%, St. Jude Medical (STJ) increased 1.1% and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) advanced 1.8%.
Medicaid managed-care companies Amerigroup Corp. (AGP), Molina Healthcare Inc. (MOH) and Centene Corp. (CNC) closed up 4.6%, 3.6% and 10.6%, respectively.
Now, trying to get this into the dense craniums of these Birther-teabagger morons is like trying to pound water into already hardened cement.
James PB wrote:
ReplyDelete"Just wait until you get your first bill for your manditory Obamanation health care. You won't be laughing then."
Hey, check your spelling! It's 'mandatory' not manditory. Anyway, I already have private health insurance, and am not worried about "getting my first bill".
"You just don't understand, this isn't a Democratic or Republican issue as much as it is a dictitorial policy, by an illegal alien, sitting in the White House.
This country is a joke."
NO, YOU ARE a JOKE, and a moron. Btw, it's "dictatorial" not dictitorial.
Anyone who claims Obama is an illegal alien in the White House is a total moron who doesn't merit the time of day. To see why check out Jani's excellent comment which I really can't improve upon.
If you can't coherently and intelligently articulate comments, then you are not welcome to post any here. (I only posted your singleton to show Jani, who seemed amazed any one could buy this rot and post here).
"I normally wouldn't post this crap - as I noted (since any IQ less than 40 lowers the average for users) but I just wanted to prove to Jani, that yes - we do have Birther Retardos frequenting the blog"
ReplyDeleteJeez, I almost wouldn't have believed it had you not posted the comments from those two knuckle draggers. I mean, are they really that dense? Obama was born in Hawaii! His birth certificate has been posted for over a year in dozens of places! What do that want, each one of them to receive their own special notarized copy of it? They're insane!
They're also way wrong about this so-called lawsuit by the 13 Gop AGs going anyplace. Not really, and if they had half a brain they'd see. (But then only a quarter brain is needed to see Obama is no illegal, since the FBI would have had him ages ago if true- and they can easily spot fraudulent birth certificates with their devices. Oh wait, the FBI must be in on it too I guess!!!)
But seriously here. What we already have is a broken, massive cost-shifting "system" that unfairly puts the burden of uncompensated care on those who are regularly paying their premiums.
So, any sick or injured person can just go to an ER and is already mandated care, but that care is paid for in higher premiums by those of us with health ins. All the new law does is correct that maldistribution.
As for authority to impose an individual mandate, the Constitution already provides Congress authority to impose an individual mandate through the power to regulate interstate commerce and the power to tax.
Health care spending constitutes a large and growing proportion of the nation's gross national product. The high cost of health care and the cost-shifting that goes along with it has a significant impact on commerce.
Furthermore, the courts' modern interpretation of the commerce clause gives broad recognition to the federal government's power to involve itself in matters that don't initially seem like interstate commerce.
And the federal government's power to tax is well established.
Now, since the fines have been removed in the legislation (replaced by higher taxation increments) then technically the AGs have no case. People are under no coercion (outside of what will soon be existing tax law)to purchase health insurance. They can choose to go without, but just pay $715 more per year in taxes. Since congress has the legit power to tax, there is no case. Voila!
It's obvious to me that this lawsuit is bogus, will surely fail even if it gets to the Supreme Court, and is politically motivated.
Anyone hoping for it would benefit more by hoping that all the leaves on their trees and shrubs this spring suddenly turn into dollar bills. Not going to happen.
Glad you showed me actual comments from these twits, but no need to any more. I'm convinced....there are still too many losers with nothing to occupy their time.