Initially, Obama and friends envisioned their transformative health care initiative as a government operated, single payer, one size fits all, universal health care plan. Everyone would be required to enroll in this system or risk criminal and civil sanctions.
As Obama and his liberal democrat cronies continually extolled the benefits of ObamaCare to the American people they also conveniently neglected to mention that the President and Congress would not be subject to this plan as they would be exempted from this legislation and allowed to retain their own, government funded, health care packages.
When it became clear that the American people were absolutely horrified at the prospect of a “socialized medicine” system, not unlike those employed by Great Britain and Canada, the single payer universal health care initiative was quickly transformed into a “public option” plan which would allow those Americans who were happy with their current health coverage to retain it while offering government run health care coverage to others.
It did not take long for any thinking person to soon realize that the less expensive government funded public option would inevitably result in private insurance carriers being forced to raise their premiums which, in turn, would force more individuals to opt for the government plan. Over time, only the very rich (and of course the President and Congresss) would be able to afford health care coverage through private insurance carriers. Basically, we would arrive back at the initial single payer, universal health care concept originally envisioned by Obama and the left.
Once again it became clear that the American people were not too happy with ObamaCare. During the August ’09 recess, members of Congress were told by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to return to their individual state districts and meet with their constituents to explain the benefits of ObamaCare. What Obama and his democrat Congress did not know was that the American people had other plans for the August recess.
Members of Congress were besieged at their August Town Hall meetings by irate citizens demanding accountability from their representatives and making it very clear that they were not happy with the direction that the ObamaCare legislation “public option” initiative was taking.
Although stunned by levels of discontent with their health care plan, Obama’s liberal democrat Congress responded by simply dismissing the citizen protests at their town hall meetings as being non-representative of the majority of Americans, consisting of small groups unruly, uninformed, uneducated, redneck, un-American and racist individuals.
Nancy Pelosi, in an effort to deflect opposition to the “public option” plan made a failed effort to rename it a “consumer option” in the hopes of making it more palatable to the uniformed masses. Well, when Nancy started to talk about her new "consumer option", she once again, allowed her mouth to outdistance her brain when she stated....
“I do think it better when people think of it as their option, their consumer option. Because public option is being misrepresented as being something that’s paid for by taxpayer dollars, which it is not.”
Now you really have to sit back and ponder what these politicians are drinking. If this new health care program will not be paid for by taxpayer dollars, then just who the hell is going to pay for it?
Harry Reid, in a ridiculous attempt to shore up a listing ship, then introduces an "opt out option" for individual states if the bill is passed. Great idea! What State Governor in his or her right mind would opt out of an enitlement program knowing that the citizens of that state will still have to pay the increased taxes for benefits they will not receive because their state "opted out" of the program.
When it became clear that Obama intended to cut Medicare funding in order to pay for his health care plan the Humana Insurance Company sent a mailing to its Medicare Advantage customers warning of possible benefit reductions if Medicare funding was cut.
As soon as Obama became aware of this, he had his Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, issue a statement via that agency’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services directing companies that participate in the Medicare Advantage program to cease all communication with beneficiaries dealing with the administration’s planned cuts to the Advantage program.
Harry Reid took to the floor of the United States Senate and complained about the lack of republican support his Health Care Plan was receiving. Of course Harry made no mention of his "democrat only" closed door meetings while putting his plan together or his "democrat only" meeting with the President when Obama stopped by Congress to rally his party members to finalize the plan. Then Reid, either abetted by copious amounts of intoxicants or perhaps just plain mendacity, likened those republicans and others who oppose his Health Care Plan to those who, according to Reid, opposed an end to slavery... opposed women's right to vote ...and those who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Fla) ,while on the floor of the House of Representatives, stated that the Republican Health Care Plan is a simple one - "Don't Get Sick!" The Florida Congressman went on to say that if you should get sick, the Republican Health Care Plan will ask you to "Die Quickly!" Grayson also described those republicans and others who opposed ObamaCare as “Neanderthals!”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a democrat from Rhode Island, took to the floor of the Senate to present what I had thought would be an argument in defense of the Senate’s Health Care Bill. Unofortunately, I was wrong. Rather than arguing he merits of the bill, Senator Whitehouse instead used his time at the Senate podium to label all those republicans and conservatives and the majority of the American people who are opposed to this massive legislation with such words as “crazy”, “shameful”, “lunatic fringe”, “being poisoned with hate”, etc. Not surprisingly, Senator Whitehouse then resorted to the left wings political playbook of “playing the race card” when he stated that…
“They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama. The birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups, it is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist.”
Even though President Obama had the majority of the mainstream media in his back pocket supporting ObamaCare, he became irritated with the fact that the Fox News Network (FNN) was actually reporting all of the shenanigans that he and his liberal friends were pulling regarding Health Care. What to do? Obama sent out his White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn, to announce to the world that FNN was not a “real news network” and and that the “real” news media should not report or follow up on stories being reported by FNN!
Of course they were those members of Congress who refrained from calling American citizens who protested ObamaCare “un-American” or censoring the news.. Thy simply sat back and waited to be bought off!
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu was one of them. She simply withheld her support for Harry Reid’s Senate version of ObamaCare until she was paid off! The nation witnessed a a government payoff to Senator Landrieu to secure her vote so that Harry Reid could get 60 votes and begin the debate on Obamacare in the Senate…a $300 million payoff for her vote! Hell, the original Louisiana Purchase only cost $15 million. Can you say quit pro quo, payoff!
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson was also one to steer clear of demonizing his constituents for protesting ObamaCare while withholding his vote. But Nelson didn’t come cheap. In addition to the abortion restrictions he wanted, he also got a very nice pay out to his state of Nebraska: the feds will pay 100% of its Medicaid costs, forever. The bill raises eligibility for Medicaid, so that’s been a big deal for opponents and governors complaining about unfunded mandates.
Of course Obama couldn’t forget about the unions who supported his Presidential campaign. ObamaCare calls for a 40% tax on those upscale private “Cadillac” health care plans. Guess what, the members of most of the big Obama camp unions enjoy these type plans. No problem…Obama simply exempted these unions (AFLCIO, SEIU, United Mine Workers, UAW, NEA, etc.) from this tax until 2018! Want to make a bet that there was an under the table promise to simply extend this extension in 2018?
Of course one should also keep in mind that during this entire process, the majority of our elected representatives have not even read the legislation they are supposedly working on. Maybe if President Obama had kept his campaign promises to televise this whole health care debate on CNN instead of allowing his minions Pelosi and Reid to conduct their business in secret, behind closed doors, one or two Congressman and Senators might have actually read the bill to avoid looking silly on television.
Many of us, now with our eyes wide open, wonder how it is that we have allowed ourselves to become burdened with this type of overbearing, over taxing and ever expansionist government. One only has to look to our founding fathers for the answer.
James Madison astutely pointed out that “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.”
Alexander Hamilton followed up Madison’s statement by saying “The natural cure for an ill-administration in a popular or representative constitution, is a change of men.”
Remember, our cure for this "ill" administration and Congress" lies with the 2010 General Election which is only ten months away!
Peter J. Mahon
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