Monday, November 09, 2009

Not Bothering With Sarah Palin Today

My quick survey of political topics this morning reveals two: Sarah Palin gave another laughable speech over the weekend and Congress sucessfully passed an version of the healthcare bill, with a public option but without government funding of any kind for abortions. The latter amendment was sponsored by a Democrat.

I have no more new to offer than Sarah does about Sarah, but the bill pleases me. Mostly because it completely belies the overheated rhetoric thrown at it by Republicans. “This bill is a wrecking ball to the entire economy,” from Rep Jack Kingston, (R, Georgia) is a typical example. If there is no government funding of a controversial medical procedure, I'm fine with that. As long as it's still legal. So hopefully, fingers crossed, the bill will go on its merry way, pass, and drive pundits to increasingly out-of-sync statements that will keep the party out of power until it calms down and starts governing again.

11 comments:

Publius said...

How does this bill "belie" the "overheated rhetoric," by chance?

piker62 said...

It's kind of hard to explain this to someone who swallows the rhetoric without question. But for example, someone claimed that the bill "hijacks the American Health System." It obviously does nothing of the kind. Similarly, if you try to imagine a credible scenario in which the entire economy is wrecked by this bill, you'll find it impossible.

Publius said...

So, in other words, you just have "feelings" about it?

piker62 said...

Told you it would be hard to explain to someone who believed it all was literal fact.

Publius said...

Ya know, you sound downright like a true believer yourself, there.

piker62 said...

Here's your chance to prove that you aren't. Do you think the version of the bill passed on Saturday hijacks the health system? Will it wreck the economy?

Will your grandma be forced to line up to become Soylent Green?

Publius said...

Soylent green is people!!!

I believe that this bill will wreck the budget of the federal gov't and the states. Not sure if it will destroy the economy necessarily. This bill will cause healthcare costs to soar, it will cause insurance costs to soar, it will cause the states to be overloaded with unfunded mandates as well. All of that is simple economic fact, one that has been seen in EVERY country that has instituted nationalized healthcare systems. All of them, from the most socialist to the least onerous, have seen this occur. Costs have gone up, service has gone down, fewer doctors have been trained, and people lose services.

It does hijack the health system. It turns it into a government run system and it is disingenuous to say otherwise. After all, with this bill government controls all aspect of the requirements for insurance and care regardless that it is private businesses administering it. It is truly a fascist styled state program where government forces business to toe its line but pretends it doesn't actually own the businesses.

And with your last bit, I assume that you are referring to the "death panels" line. I don't believe that Obamacare will target old people just to get rid of them. However, rationing, long wait lists, and denials will be a necessary part of the system and the young, extremely sick, and aged WILL find that less healthcare services will be their lot in life -- or death as the case may be. This is a simple truth in EVERY country that has nationalized healthcare now. Why do you think so many foreigners come HERE for their healthcare?

This bill is bad all the way around. There isn't a single good thing in it. Let's hope the harder road in the Senate will kill it.

piker62 said...

I truely think you're confusing the public option with the very popular National Health system in Britain, which the British love but you think they hate.

From your comments, I think you fear the bill that will be written twenty or thirty years from now. That's a slippery slope argument that you're making, but without being explicit about it you appear to be arguing from a parallel universe.

Publius said...

What does "love" or "hate" got to do with "effective"? Their system sucks. That they "love" it is meaningless. Some blacks loved slavery. Did that make slavery OK?

Here is a quote on the lie that Obamacare will save money:

"The future cost savings that the Administration and its congressional allies are promising to deliver are based on wishful thinking and sleight of hand. Over time, the reform, as proposed, would almost certainly add substantially to the budget deficit, thereby worsening the long-term fiscal crisis that the country faces."

This is a quote from a liberal named John Cassidy in The New Yorker. http://bit.ly/3hgXPU

piker62 said...

I've looked up a few other things by Cassidy and I'm convinced that he's a "liberal" because his name is associated with the words "New Yorker". He doesn't show any particular political leanings at all that I can see. In any event, he's at odds with the CBO in his estimation of the plan.

You should set the English straight. They'll love learning that they are stupid to have those opinions, just as America loves it.

Publius said...

Wait a minnit... WHY do you think I'd wanna have conversation with a cretinous Eurotrash in Britain? Besides, I don't speak Muslim so they wouldn't understand me anyway! I mean, they lost their country to the Islamofascists years ago, ya know?