More Healthy Stuff

Today I’m quoting parts of Gary Bauer’s (head of American Values and former Presidential candidate) 10/7/2009 “End of Day” email newsletter; not because I’m somehow incapable of regurgitating his points, but because he makes them so well.

Beginning of excerpt quote:

The Contradictions Of ObamaCare

Speaking of healthcare, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has a column in Human Events today analyzing the obvious contradictions in ObamaCare. Below are a few excerpts:

Contradiction #1:  As far back as the campaign, President Obama promised he wouldn’t raise taxes on Americans making less than $250,000.  But an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that at least 71 percent of the individual mandate penalties in Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’s (D-MT) bill would be paid by Americans earning less than $250,000.  The Senate Finance bill also levies $215 billion in new taxes on employers and health insurers for offering high-value insurance benefits, which will surely be passed onto all consumers.

Contradiction #2:  In his speech to the Joint Session of Congress, the President was adamant:  “I will not sign [a bill] if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” And yet House bill H.R. 3200 will increase the deficit by an amazing $239 billion over the next decade.

Contradiction #3:  In his speech to the Joint Session of Congress last month and elsewhere, the President has reassured nervous Americans that if they like their current coverage, his reform will let them keep it. Unless you happen to have Medicare Advantage, that is. Or employer provided insurance. The director of the nonpartisan CBO testified before the Senate that, under the Senate bill, the benefits of seniors under Medicare Advantage would be cut in half. And an analysis of the House bill found that 88 million people will lose their current insurance under government health care.

Contradiction #7:  One of President Obama’s main rationales for health care reform is that it is necessary for economic recovery. Working against this promise is the provision in the Senate bill that will tax small businesses — the engine of American economic growth and job creation — that can’t afford to purchase health insurance for their employees.  It’s hard to see how the economy recovers when small businesses are prevented from hiring new workers by a new government tax.

Polling The Proposals

If America were a direct democracy, ObamaCare would be declared D.O.A. Recent polling from Scott Rasmussen shows that American voters are rejecting key elements of the plan by wide margins. Consider these results:

•    A central component of ObamaCare is the individual mandate to purchase health insurance or pay an excise tax. According to Rasmussen, only 32% of voters support the idea of the federal government forcing all Americans to buy health insurance. One-third of Democrats oppose the mandate, as do 59% of Independents.

•    On the “public option,” 63% of voters say that it is more important for the government to guarantee that no one would be forced to give up their current insurance. Just 29% of voters felt it was more important for the government to provide a “public option” for healthcare. In other words, most voters don’t want government-run healthcare. What they want are improvements to what they currently have.

•    When it comes to paying higher taxes for the new ObamaCare entitlement, by a margin of 59%-to-22% voters support a guarantee prohibiting tax hikes on families making less than $250,000 a year.

But America is a republic, not a democracy. We have elections to choose the politicians who will make critical decisions for us. Evidently, you’re not very happy with the decisions your representatives are making.

End of excerpt quote.

On this day in history: 1871 – Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicks the bucket, igniting The Great Chicago Fire; 1956 – Don Larsen, pitching for the NY Yankees, pitched the only “perfect game” in a World Series event. Only 18 “perfect games” have been pitched – all time; 1998 – U.S. House begins Clinton impeachment inquiry

On a positive note: William Kamkwamba, a Malawian, knew his parents needed  electricity to power their small appliances, but none was available. So, in 2001 he self-taught himself to build a windmill out of bicycle parts, scrap-yard materials, etc. His story is given in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, published in 2009. Remember, Yes You Can.

Blessings.

Tags: health, Pols