Being the Change I Wish to See

Not the mainstream polls taken recently. I just heard a piece on NPR where McConnell kept saying that the American people don’t want health reform, and if Democrats pass it, reform will hurt their election chances in November. Not true.

According to a March 10, 2010 Benenson Strategy Group report, a large majority of Americans want reform, and if anything, they believe reform doesn’t go far enough.

He also said that “forcing” the bill through reconciliation is unprecedented and it denies the “majority” in the Senate the right to vote on the bill. Last time I checked, 59 out of 100 votes is a big majority. If McConnell has such a problem with reconciliation, why did he vote yea on reconciliation bills 13 times in the past? There have been 21 reconciliation bills over about the past 30 years. Sixteen were Republican bills. It’s not an unprecedented procedure at all.

Me thinks he dost protest too much. I believe the Republicans are obstructing, lying and posturing so much because they realize if health care reform passes, their asses are grass in the coming November mid-term election, and Democrats and Independents are the lawn mower.

One GOP talking point is that the Democrats will be in big trouble and lose their majorities in the House and/or Senate. Why would they give this legislation so much time and energy? Since when did the GOP care how the Democrats will do in an upcoming election as long as it’s worse than GOP candidates? It’s because they are terrified at how much passing health reform will boost Democrats in the mid-term election. If they believed their own rhetoric, they would get out of the way and let health reform pass, and reap the benefits of extremely poor Democratic policy.

Another talking point is health care reform will increase the budget deficit substantially. Also not true. According to the CBO, it will decrease the budget deficit substantially:

This bill isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I would like to see a lot of changes, and I believe over time, all the fixes, including a public option or single-payer system, will become part of the legislation. The problems will be fixed as needed in the future just like Medicare has been amended since it first passed. One thing is certain. Doing nothing is not an option.

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: budget reconciliation, federal budget, health care reform, public opinion on health care reform, Senate health reform bill of 2009

written by joubess \\ tags: budget reconciliation, federal budget, health care reform, public opinion on health care reform, Senate health reform bill of 2009

This metaphor describes exactly what is going on with the GOP and health care reform:

GOP dudes want pizza but without any of the ingredients, including sauce and cheese. I wonder if they even want crust?

It’s time to forget the Republicans and for the Democrats to go it alone.

Those of you who don’t want health care reform are saying you want the insurance companies to make 35 cents out of every dollar in profits. You’re paying for it, and you are at risk of losing your insurance because the costs keep going up. It will keep going up as fewer and fewer people are insured, and our delivery system is expensive.

If you have employer health insurance, look back at your pay stubs from at least a few years ago compared to today and see how much more you’re paying now compared to then.

What’s going on with people who don’t want a public option or even a co-op? What’s wrong with making it possible for the uninsured to be able to buy insurance and afford it? What’s wrong with increasing competition to make your insurer earn your business?

What would you do if your insurance tells you the emergency surgery you just had isn’t covered or is only covered 65/35 because you were out of town when it happened? You would have to pay 35% of an average $20,000 hospital bill. Can you fork that over right now?

Think back on recent and even not so recent lay-offs at your company. How many people who were laid off had a serious illness prior to being laid off? Get rid of those who get sick and get rid of their risk from your employer’s pool.

Are the insurance company executives in your pants (or your pockets) at your demand? They’re heavy into many GOP pockets. Prostitution, figurative or literal, is the only sane thing I can think of for wanting to pay those companies a 35% profit. The rest of the excuses are myths or outright lies too many people have started to believe.

Wake up and smell the coffee! Our health care system is unsustainable, and the GOP wants a “reformed system” that is even more unsustainable and more beneficial to the insurance industry.

It’s time for the Dems to dump the GOP obstructionists.

Sources:
TRMS
Countdown

Technorati Tags: Countdown, GOP fearmongering, GOP obstructs on purpose, health care reform, Keith Olbermann, Kent Jones, MSNBC, pizza parable, Rachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show, TRMS, Wendell Potter

written by joubess \\ tags: Countdown, GOP fearmongering, GOP obstructs on purpose, health care reform, Keith Olbermann, Kent Jones, MSNBC, pizza parable, Rachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show, TRMS, Wendell Potter