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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Lets get Political

First, I want to state that this was the first Presidential election that I was eligible to vote for. I was not for Obama. In fact, I wasn't really for McCain. I did like Palin, but given the choice, Mike Huckabee was my top pick. I tend to be very Conservative, and in fact, I usually answer with Conservative instead of Republican or Democrat. I am a supporter of Small Government. I guess this counts as my explanation for the rest of this post.

I'm going to be perfectly honest. I'm scared. I'm scared about what our Government has in store of us, and I'm petrified of the total control that our Government is slowly trying to implement. What also scares me is that we are being called to be citizen informants on our fellow Americans. Doesn't this sound like some history lesson from the German Nazi era? Yeah, it does to me too. And don't take my word for it. Macon Phillips, a White House Representative is the person who sent out the plea, as you can see in the following paragraph. I'm even providing a link so you can see for yourself. Notice the address of the link, it's the White House blog! This is real people! Read the rest of this article here.

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

Okay, so, say I'm having a conversation with my friend...or say I'm emailing a friend who has asked my opinion, or say, I'm writing a blog about Health Care... well, then, you should report me.

Does that seem right? Does that seem like Freedom? Does that seem like Free Speech? No. This seems to me like Government control. It seems to me that even our small thoughts and oppositions to the Government are beginning to be seen as a bad thing. What about our system of checks and balances? That's basically out the window as well, considering that the House, the Senate and the Presidency are all controlled by the same political party.

This health care bill scares me as well. I fear for my parents lives, as well as the lives of friends and family. In the bill there are sections that require Senior Citizens to have end of life counseling on a yearly basis, and to discuss very controversial things like the restriction of antibiotics. In England, after the age of 59, no person can have a stint placed in their hearts, nor can they receive life saving procedures if they have a heart problem. This is the type of health care system that is being purported for America. Heart disease is one of the greatest killers in our country, so we're just going to stop treating it? It all comes down to the restriction of coverage, and our Government have already proved this to be the case in how they handle Medicaid.

Under this new bill, a young family may have to undergo counseling before they are "allowed" to have a child. They will discuss the proper wait time between children, and may even force abortions for healthy children. Does this sound like China to anyone else? To a communist nation to anyone else? If they're going to do this for HEALTHY children, can you imagine what might happen to someone who is pregnant with a child who has Downs Syndrome? Or worse, someone who is pregnant with a child with a disease like Trisomy 18, or Cerebral Palsy? Those parents may never get to meet their children, simply because our Government doesn't think they have the right to live. Because they are nor productive to society.

What scares me the most however, is the lack of involvement our Senators and Congressmen are having in the decision of this bill. Many have stated that no, of course they haven't read the 1,000 page bill, and that they have no intention of doing so. They say that if they did try to read it, they wouldn't understand it, so whats the point? Sound unbelievable? I'm merely paraphrasing John Conyers (D-MI), who happens to be the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. And John Conyers is not alone. Regardless of what the bill says, or doesn't say, I want the people who are voting on it to read it, so at least they know what they are voting on. We're a country in an Economic Debt Crisis, isn't that what they keep telling us? So, shouldn't our elected politicians read a bill, that if passed, will put our country another couple of Trillion dollars in debt?

So, before you jump on the bandwagon of socialized- oh wait, I'm sorry, universal health care, take time and research it. Take time and write or call your senator or legislator and request that they take the time to read the bill. Raise your voice, the only way we're going to get change is if we start from the ground up.

11 comments:

  1. I'm sorry but this is just too much. It's unfortunate that you seem to understand so little about what is truly going on in our country and government right now, yet try to write as though you're an expert and pass your own twisted and ill-informed opinions off as fact. Had you read the entire White House blog you would have perhaps realized that in no way is it a call for Americans to "spy" on each other, but rather an attempt to track down any false information that may be circulating and simply set the record straight. I suppose you didn't happen to notice that sentence in the blog which states, "For the record, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor, or both, you will be able to keep them." In fact what is happening with his current healthcare reform plan is that he is only talking about extending coverage; to offer up a government option as well, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of private sector insurance options already available on the market today.

    Now as far as your Socialism and Communism comments go...do you even understand what those words mean? The U.S. is so far at the opposite end of the political spectrum that its funny. If you think you've got it so bad here, and are so scared for your life, I would encourage you to try living abroad for awhile. Go visit Communist China, or better yet, how about North Korea? Try living in a place where all utilities are controlled by the government, where someone tells you where to work and forces you to give what you earn to the government to be redistributed equally among all citizens, where you are told how many children you can have and when. Maybe you'd realize that in fact, you don't have it quite so bad after all.

    In closing, having an opinion on political matters is fine; that freedom of speech is just one of the many, many ways that America is set apart from so many other countries. But when you try to pass your own opinions off as fact you lose all credibility.

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  2. No, I actually think Shaina understands a bit more about what is going on in the US than you do. And I never recall her claiming she was an expert-- she was giving her opinion. A perfectly fine thing to do, given its her blog. (I also note that you start your comment with an ad hominem- "twisted and ill-informed". Classy.)

    And while the President's blog might say that you can keep your own private insurance (which is true)it carefully omits certain points that are found in the healthcare bill-- such as on page 16 of the House bill, which states that 1 year after the signing of the bill into law, a citizen would be unable to change your private insurance-- except to switch over to the public plan, of course.
    Look it up. It's all there in the bill.

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  3. Socialized healthcare is a failure everywhere it has been tried. Socialism is a failed system. Maybe people like you need to stop pretending like its 1909; that your statist "mommy government-will-take-care-of-you" ideas have never been tried and proven to be wrong.

    Communism is tyranny, plain and simple. Socialism is graduated tyranny. One takes away liberty at gunpoint, the other takes it away through the ballot box. Both seek to make men dependent on the government for their livelihood-- and thus, unfree. Something people like you seem to have forgotten is that the freedom to succeed also involves the freedom to fail. But if you would rather have a "benevolent dictator" provide for your every need, then I suppose I can only say to you what Samuel Adams (the patriot, not the beer guy) said to those who opposed independence:

    "If ye love more...the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, — go from us in peace. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
    ~ Samuel Adams


    Don't worry. I'm sure Obama and his Leftist friends won't take all your freedoms away if you ask very nicely.

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  4. And I suppose since you don't seem to understand exactly what the public plan will mean, allow me to give you a little lesson in how the healthcare market would work if public healthcare becomes available:

    First, the healthcare bills would provide a public plan whose premiums would be 30-40% less than private plans. It would then place this public plan in direct competition with the private plans. So hospitals, clinics, etc. will be reqiured to provide the same level of service to those on the public plan as the private insurance, but will receive less payment for it.

    The market being what it is, these health service providers won't just absorb this cost. They'll pass it off to the private insurance, who will pass it off to their customers.
    Some of these people with private insurance won't be able to take the increase in cost, and will have to switch over to the public plan.

    More people on the public plan will cause the service providers to hand an ever-increasing chunk of their costs to the private sector. And the rising cost will cause more to embrace the public plan out of necessity. It's a self-feeding cycle that will end with most if not all Americans on the public plan. Cue rationing, shortages in services, and tax hikes to pay for it all.

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  5. Shaina, I'm just as appalled as you are with regards to the direction that our President wants to take our country down.

    I'm also downright appalled by the comments left by anonymous. Clearly, getting your information from the White House website, and various liberal media, must make you way more informed than you or I.

    If more people in our country realized how much of our freedom would be taken away by the health care bill, they, too, would be appalled. Just talk to people who live in Canada, Australia, Austria, etc. I have. Why are Canadians coming to the US for major surgeries? They simply would die if they waited to have it scheduled in their own country. These countries are getting subpar treatment, in subpar facilities, with black market treatments, and preferential treatment towards the wealthy. (isn't the system designed with the poor/illegals in mind? Quite simply: no) They are also taxed way beyond belief in order to pay for the (completely unacceptable) services they are given.

    Even Obama officials are saying that the middle class can expect to see their taxes rise to pay for the government-run health care system. Didn't Obama say that no one making less than $200k would see their taxes rise? He also said that the stimulus would be our economy's cure, (it wasn't--no surprise--unemployment is still at an all-time low) and is now saying that the health care bill would be the cure. Does anyone believe him anymore?

    Anonymous, like a lot of Americans, unfortunately, doesn't seem to see past the health care bill in and of itself. While it is most definitely a sign of a socialist society, it leads us down a slippery slope that will inevitably end up in a complete socialist nightmare. Europe didn't become what it is today overnight, and we are marching towards that very society with each day.

    I was going to point out, but GeekParallax did before me, that the private healthcare industry would absolutely be affected by this. I'd also add: Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange. Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans) They will essentially run private health care providers out of business. Employers will be forced to auto-enroll employees into the government-run plan (pg. 145) and any employer who does not offer the government plan will be taxed an additional 2-8% depending on their payroll. (pg. 149-150 )

    Besides the fact, if this wasn't such a HUGE deal, why would our Senators claim immunity for themselves and their families from this proposed system? They have private health care, right? So, why would they specifically have to include that in the bill?

    In addition, the government will pay for abortions and euthanasia with our tax dollars. That is not okay with me. They would also determine doctors' wages, (scary) encourage affirmative action with regards to our doctors and surgeons, (!! this has no place in a bill!!) and there would be no ethical opt-out for nurses. (i.e., they would be forced to perform abortions in spite of their religious convictions)

    There is so much more that I haven't even touched, but just going through them is so disheartening to me. I honestly think Anonymous should read the proposed bill for himself/herself. And Shaina, all I can say is that, more than ever, we need to be praying for our country, and for wisdom and guidance for our leaders.

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  6. Amen, amen, and amen. I just love that Anonymous isn't willing to share his/her name, just their misguided opinions.

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  7. Thanks guys for all the support!! I always find it amusing when someone will only post as anonymous when they have something controversial to say. I refuse to say anything without putting my name to it!

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  8. I completely AGREE. Anonymous, you are entitled to your opinion as well, and I respect it, however, I think both sides need facts in order to prove a point. Give me your sources and I will believe you. Shaina appears to have solid sources (being directly from the GOVERNMENT) and ANYONE who cannot see that this bill is TOXIC is downright STUPID. Yes, I said it. Yeah, I went there. STUPID. MISINFORMED. READ THE FACTS, PEOPLE. THE END IS NEAR.

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  9. So, the FACT that President Obama himself has said that this healthcare reform plan will not resemble a socialized system like those of Canada or England, those who qualify for Medicare or Medicaid will see absolutely no change in their coverage, and citizens will not be forced to have a plan which pays for abortions, means nothing to you? Let me gues; you all really believe there will be government "Death Panels" too, right?

    I am in 100% agreement that one must use credible sources and rely on the facts when making an argument. (I do find it hilarious though, that directly after claiming his/her respect for opinions other than their own, Anonymous call people who think differently than him/her STUPID. Wow. I feel like I'm in second grade all over again). Just from reading the other comments here, I don't believe anyone has questioned the credibility of using the White House blog as a source of information, only this blogger's interpretation of it. Credible sources are useless if you refuse to believe them, or take them out of context. I too have read the White House blog and have seen nothing even approaching a call for American citizens to spy on one another.

    I just stumbled onto this blog by accident so maybe you've addressed this in a previous post I haven't seen. Where exactly are you getting some of your information? Where have you seen it stated that we as a nation are just going to quit treating patients with heart disease? There's been absolutely no mention of forcing families to get the Government's permission to have children nor anything even hinting at the idea of aborting healthy (or for that matter unhealthy) babies. These things simply are not true. At all.

    Clearly there are not many supporters of our President reading your blog. While I respect the opinions presented here, I would urge you all to set aside your obvious dislike for president Obama and go back and do a little more honest and open-minded research about some of the topics you've written about. And for the record, if that research is limited only to reports made by FOX News or statements made by extremists like Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh, it doesn't count.

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  10. Firstly, Anonymous #2... No, my sources are not coming from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, or Sarah Palin, although I do count all of those sources as good ones. I read several different sources, not all of them conservative. I just find the conservative sources much more believable.

    My sources for this particle post are mainly people who are going to be living this in their day-to-day life, the Doctors and Nurses. They are just as concerned, if not more so, about this Universal Health Care Plan. If you'd like, I can go back and cite every single source that I used, but the main article was written by a Pediatric Ophthalmologist from Atlanta, GA who was been practicing for 25+ years, named Dr. Rosenbloom.

    I apologize, but no, when words come out of President Obama's mouth stating that this health care bill is not going to be like Canada's or England's, because he has lied so many times in the past, so why should I trust him now? First, he made a promise while campaigning that if he were to win, the process of legislation would be the most transparent in History. Since being in office, this is simply not the case. He has hidden things from the American people, they've signed bills secretly at 3 am, and he's not submitted all of the bills to the American public like he promised.

    Secondly, he promised that no one making under $250,000 would be taxed, EVER. Well guess what? Now that his precious health care plan is going to cost so much, he's talking about raising the taxes for EVERYONE to pay for it. So, I apologize (not really) for not believing his words to be true.

    Finally, I urge you to become more open minded, and not just read or watch sources from Headline News, or CNN. Obviously your views are jaded as well. You're right, I don't seem to have many Obama supporters reading my blog, but I believe if you look outside your urban area and into the Heartland of America, you'll find that there aren't very many true Obama supporters left in America.

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  11. The assumptions you've made without knowing who I am or anything about my situation in life are astounding. No wonder you're so poorly informed about what is really going on. I only watch Headline News or CNN? I need to get out of my URBAN area into the heartland of America? WOW.

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