4th Circuit Oral Argument in ObamaCare Cases (mp3 files released today)

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ^ | 5/10/11 | United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

[BCrago66]

From the homepage, click "Oral Argument Audio Files On Internet as of May 11 Session." Then pick which of the two cases you want to hear, and it will open up a mp3 file.

The panel is 2 Obama appointees and 1 Clinton appointee, so it's a near certainty that the plaintiffs (the party against ObamaCare) will lose. To get a re-hearing en banc (a hearing by all 4th circuit judges), you need the votes of a majority of the 4th Circuit. Given that all the Dem appointees will vote against it (because they will have got their desire result), whether we get a re-hearing depends on whether there's enough Republican appointees on that circuit to make a majority.

But it doesn't matter much anyway, because win or lose in the 4th Circuit, these cases will be decided by the Supreme Court. Thought I'd remind people of that, in case they get frustrated by the pro-government slant of the 3 judges' questions.

[BCrago66]

If you don’t want to click around, here’s the direct mps files:

26-State Case
http://coop.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/11-1057-20110510.mp3

Liberty University Case
http://coop.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/10-2347-20110510.mp3

[BCrago66]

Correction: I labeled the case with Virginia as plaintiff as the “26 state” case. That’s wrong, the 26 state case was litigated in Florida, and will get appealed in the 11th Circuit. In the Virginia case, Virginia stands alone as the plaintiff.

[muawiyah]

The federal judges have pretty decent health insurance. Once they step down from the bench, a substantial chunk of that will be replaced with whatever is left of Medicare.

The judges are ahead with the current system, and they are seriously in danger of an early death with ObamaKKKare.

I don't think it's a given that the judges will elect to sign on to an inferior medical care system.

[BCrago66]

Actually I think they’re free to participate in the same health plan when they retire, for life.

[muawiyah]

Here's the trick ~ you're a federal employee ~ you sign on to the FEHB system. You pick a plan. You are covered.

When you retire (or turn 65) you are in just a little bit different track. It looks the same. It feels the same. Uses the same words. You go to the same doctors. Alas, the standards of care change!

You get the same insurance you always had, but as a federal annuitant you get the Medicare "standards of care".

So to speak, you get a different "death panel".

Under ObamaKKKare with Medicare playing much less of a part, you'll get yet another "death panel" with lower "standards of care".

There will be nothing better that you can buy into ~ without spending your own money.

[BCrago66]

I stand corrected. As Johnny Carson used to say: “I did not know that.”

[ncalburt]

Somehow two nutters appointed by Barry and one by Clinton are hearing this case.
So its over!

Thank Mitchy, McCain, Snowe, Brown, Grahamnesty for helping
the Dems stacked this court with DEMS !!!!!!!

[muawiyah]

The diminution of compensation doesn't happen when all along you've been beneficiary of a system that actually has some declining benefits built in ~ like FEHB.

There are some improvements as you get older, but also degradations of services.

Your needs change as you age. Some standard of care somewhere says that swellings in the abdomen probably don't mean pregnancy in 80 year old ladies, so don't bother checking that.

With thousands of "standards of care" around most of this is simply invisible to us.

[muawiyah]

The diminution of compensation doesn't happen when all along you've been beneficiary of a system that actually has some declining benefits built in ~ like FEHB.

There are some improvements as you get older, but also degradations of services.

Your needs change as you age. Some standard of care somewhere says that swellings in the abdomen probably don't mean pregnancy in 80 year old ladies, so don't bother checking that.

With thousands of "standards of care" around most of this is simply invisible to us.

[Trod Upon]

I think that if anything is going to trigger violent revolt in America, it will be the politicized courts. Once you come to believe the system is hopelessly stacked against you, there’s really no reason to work within its bounds anymore. Spooky thought.

[HiTech RedNeck]

There’s still a lot of room for the give-a-damn factor to work resulting in near miracles at the polls — or to fail, giving the USA a dog on its back. In 2008, for example, a whopping 40% of Americans who could have given a damn who the president was did not bother to let that push them off their sofas and into a line at a polling booth (and a previous line to register if applicable).