Fred Thompson: Romneycare At A Glance

Upper Cumberland Daily News ^ | 120607

[Fred]

Fred Thompson Release:

- This is Romney's health care plan of which he claims authorship and credit. - The plan guarantees Planned Parenthood a seat at the decision-making table. - The plan provides taxpayer-funded abortions for a copay of $50. - The plan penalizes individuals not buying health insurance coverage and small businesses not offering health insurance to their employees.

Romney Is Quick To Take Credit For Massachusetts' Health Care Plan

- "I love it. It's a fabulous program." (GOP Primary Debate, Reagan Library, Simi Valley, CA, MSNBC, 5/3/2007) - "But I helped write it and I knew it well..." (GOP Primary Debate, Reagan Library, Simi Valley, CA, MSNBC, 5/3/2007)

KEY ASPECTS OF ROMNEY'S MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH CARE PLAN...

(1) Guarantees Planned Parenthood A Seat At The Table. Romney's legislation created an advisory board and guarantees, by law, that Planned Parenthood has a seat at the table. Romney's plan established a MassHealth payment policy advisory board, and one member of the Board must be from Planned Parenthood. No pro-life organization is represented. (Chapter 58 Section 3 (q) Section 16M (a), http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw06/sl060058.htm )

(2) Provides Taxpayer-Funded Abortions . Abortions are covered in the Commonwealth Care program that Romney created as Governor. Under the program, abortions are available for a copay of $50. (Menu of Health Care Services: http://www.mass.gov/Qhic/docs/cc_benefits1220_pt234.pdf )

- Romney used his line-item veto authority to strike eight sections of the bill that he found objectionable, including the expansion of dental benefits to Medicaid recipients. Yet, he did not strike Planned Parenthood's guaranteed Board representation and he did nothing to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions as part of his plan. ("Romney's Health Care Vetoes," Associated Press, 4/12/06)

(3) Punitive Toward Small Businesses. Small Businesses are fined $295-per-employee if they do not provide health insurance coverage to employees. (Steve LeBlanc, "Mass Lawmakers Ok Mandatory Health Bill," Associated Press, 4/5/06)

(4) Punitive Toward Individuals. Individuals not obtaining health insurance coverage lose their personal state tax exemption in 2007, which will cost them an estimated $219 in higher taxes. In 2008, uncovered individuals are assessed a fine equal to 50-percent of the cost of a standard insurance policy, which could be as much as $2,000. (Michael Tanner, "No Miracle In Massachusetts," Cato Institute, 6/6/06; Steve LeBlanc, "Timing Of Health Care Law's Penalties Could Pose Risk For Romney, MA," Associated Press, 11/9/07; William C. Symonds, "In Massachusetts, Health Care for All?" Business Week, 4/4/06 )

[claudiustg]

You’re calling the Heritage Foundation liars. It was only a matter of time.

[cva66snipe]

If you’re backing Williams, you’re backing a liberal Democrat who wants to empower a party where almost HALF its Senate members have been either convicted, are on trial, or are about to be indicted. You seem to be the last person in TN who claims to be Conservative who doesn’t see how much of a Judas he is. You better get with the program.

Hey McGoo put on your glasses. I told you I'm not in his district. But hey you wanna win hearts and change minds? Try this. Go to a town in Union County called Luttrell and preach to them about what all you want them to do. Saturday nights are your best bet.

[Radix]

If I am a liberal than you must be uninformed.

[Mojave]

You’re calling the Heritage Foundation liars.

Nope. But you just lied. Again.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Union County supports criminal-party empowering back-stabbing liberal Judases like Mike Williams ?

[cva66snipe]

Union County supports criminal-party empowering back-stabbing liberal Judases like Mike Williams ?

Gee why not just go to Luttrell one Saturday night and ask them for yourself. Please put the question to the kind folk in the same manner as you did me.

you don't know local politics. Let's see who was from Union County politically? Oh yea Jake Butcher was. Half still wanna hang him half say he's a saint. If the most damage the area can do ya is Mike Williams be thankful for it. This isn't the suburbs of Nashville these are rural communities with many families established up to several hundred years in the area including my own. I don't think what you want matters much to them. If Mike Williams takes care of business in his home district his seat is safe. They will not boot him out over a party feud in Nashville.

[byteback]

I think everyone should know how gov’t works in a state where the votes are split. The Mass legislature and senate are so Democrat that they can override vetos. The choices are compromise or not get anything through. Does anyone here think that Reagan wanted all that spending he got with his tax cuts?

To get the cuts he had to yield on spending bills. That is how things work and I’m really surprised that so few here think that Mitt can just ram anything through in Mass.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Jake Butcher is 30 years ago. This is 2008. We’re gonna run Judas Mike’s crook-supporting liberal ass out of office on a rail.

[fluffdaddy]

“Because that was mandated by the court and not subject to negotiation.”

The courts didn’t mandate consultation with Planned Parenthood, only that insurance plans not discriminate against abortion. Besides, how exactly could the courts force the state to require coverage of abortion? Romney could have followed the grand tradition of Andrew Jackson (”John Marshal has made his decision, now let him enforce it>”) He was always free to say that the court rulings were wrong and that, as Governor, he would not agree to any plan that conformed with them. He could have done the same thing with respect to gay marriage. He didn’t, because he was the liberal Governor of a liberal state and apparently quite comfortable in that role.

Fair enough. But don’t turn around two years later and run for President as a conservative. That is an insult to the voters’ collective intelligence. Worse yet, it can’t possibly work.

The only plausible rationale for the Romney campaign is that Lincoln Chaffee and Jim Jeffords didn’t run and somebody has to carry the banner of the New England Republican. Any conservative who supports Mitt is a pathetic fool.

[cva66snipe]

Jake Butcher is 30 years ago. This is 2008. We’re gonna run Judas Mike’s crook-supporting liberal ass out of office on a rail.

Thats right Jake was 30 years ago and is still a legend up there to many. YOU are not going to run anyone anywhere and If YOU and others think you can force persons in the area to do as you say well YOU are drinking strong party Kool Aide.

Hey has it ever occurred to you that you are getting all bent out of shape over Wilder who is what now 87 years old? He isn't going to be LT GOV any more and he even likely has faced that reality. He may well not live another term if he even runs again.

Williams is Independent because his area is no mans land as far as party loyalty goes. This isn't the Nashville suburbs nor is it even Knoxville. Sounds to me like you are so frustrated at your own local situation which should be the focus of your energy that you instead choose to try changing an area you likely have never even been in much less a snowballs chance in changing minds.

I know the area because I live in walking distance of Williams district. If the party tries an outsider that will not work. Party doesn't win the election there reputation for job performance, friendships, and what comes back to the district does. His district is fairing pretty good in improvements. IOW you're wasting your time.

[Antoninus]

This needs to be broadcast far and wide.

See tagline.

[Antoninus]

Let’s run a candidate that’s against doing anything about healthcare.

Nothing is better than this PoS plan.

[Antoninus]

“Romney arrived on the scene with great promise, but is leaving the Republican Party here in shambles. Not only are the Republicans yielding the governor’s office for the first time in 16 years, but registered Republicans have fallen by 31,000 since Romney took office, and their legislative presence is at historic lows. But it worked out fine for him: He is now chasing the prize he really covets, the presidency.”

See tagline.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Since you didn’t hear me the first few times, I’ll repeat it for your benefit. We’re gonna run Judas Mike’s crook-supporting liberal ass out of office on a rail. You may not have a problem with the criminal rodent party in absolute control of TN state government, but I sure as hell do, and so do many others. So get with the program or get out of the way.

[fieldmarshaldj]

BTW, FRiend, Judas Mike is an “Independent” like Judas Jim Jeffords. He is a crooked sleazebag rodent like all the rest. In fact, he’s so deceitfully sleazy, he doesn’t even have the common courtesy to officially join the criminal party despite CAUCUSING with them.

Next up, you don’t know where I’ve visited in my own state. I’ve been in almost every county. Have you ? You have only a tenuous grasp of political history in this state, of which I’ve had to correct you many times. This isn’t 1978 and Judas Mike isn’t invincible. After next January, he can go back to cleaning toilets at Hooters.

[counterpunch]

IT WAS FEDERAL DOLLARS what part do you not yet understand?

Yes, it was federal dollars the state needed to fund the program. Fred's job as Tennessee Senator was to go to Washington and secure those federal dollars, and he did. I'm not going to argue the merits of TennCare itself. I'm sure it was a crappy program and was terribly mismanaged. It wouldn't have gone insolvent and kicked everyone off had it not been. But it wasn't Fred's role as elected US senator to decide the merits of the program either. It was for the governor and the state legislature. State officials, not the federal representatives. They are called representatives for a reason - because they are sent by the state to represent the state and its interests in the federal government. Period. The state had a program that for better or for worse needed federal funding. Fred was chosen by the people to go to Washington and get it. And so he did. It wasn't his constitutional role to veto the program. What part of that do you not understand? It sounds to me like you wanted Fred to act like one of those activist judges he despises and start rewriting state law by fiat. There is nothing conservative, federalist, or republican about that.

 

[cva66snipe]

You need professional help.

[judsonlegacy]

It’s easy to look at Romneycare and see the bad news.

The good news is that abortion/Planned Parenthood is the poison pill which will kill any prospects for socialized medicine on a national scale.

The left will endlessly insist these be included in any program, and this insistence will ultimately prevent passage.

Electing pro-life candidates is about much more than just abortion.

[cva66snipe]

I’ve been in most Tennessee counties and every state in the union except for Hawaii and Maine plus about 8 foreign nations as well. And I sure as the dickens know a lot more about this area than you ever will. BTW I knew enough politically to know the Butchers was going down months before the FDIC and feds ever raided the banks :>}

My wife's family is an old political name in Knoxville as well as co-founder's of Sevier County itself. Now go away I hear yer glorious leader is calling for you Field Marshal.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Since you folks are some of our top TN posters, I invite you to take a look here starting with post #51. How many of you share snipers opinion of the heroism of Judas Mike Williams in siding with the rodent party ? Think I need professional help in wanting to keep back-stabbing liberal weasels out of our state government ? I’m sure he’d love to hear your opinion on the subject.