Posted on 08/23/2009 2:14:49 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
He says… She says… They say… but what’s the real deal?
Lie #1: President Obama says he wants “death panels” to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: "Death panels" are certainly not mentioned in H.R.3200, the Health Care Reform bill. But Presidential health care adviser Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and chairman of the Department of Bioethics at the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health, has defended rationing care more strictly for older people because "allocation [of medical care] by age is not invidious discrimination."
Lie #2: They’re going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
The truth: H.R. 3200 does not ban private insurance immediately. But Page 16 does contain a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly shows how the “public option” will kill the market for private individual coverage by not letting any new policies be written after the public option becomes law.
"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.
So we can all keep our coverage, yada yada, except: Those who now have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. And those who leave a company to work for themselves can’t choose to buy a plan from a private carrier.
And employers themselves could opt to dump their employee into the “public option.” The nonpartisan Lewin Group estimated that 120 million or more Americans could lose their insurance at work and end up in the “public” program because their employer decided to discontinue their group coverage, finding it cheaper to pay a small payroll penalty than to pay for premiums. This –says the Lewin Group---could cause private insurance to “fizzle out altogether.”
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!
The truth: The words “Soviet-style” and “rationing”” are not mentioned in the bill. You see, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a key presidential health care adviser, told Washington Times news reported Jon Ward on August 13 that his "thinking has evolved" on the subject of health care rationing:
"When I began working in the health policy area about 20 years ago ... I thought we would definitely have to ration care, that there was a need to make a decision and deny people care." And: "I think that over the last five to seven years ... I've come to the conclusion that in our system we are spending way more money than we need to, a lot of it on unnecessary care. If we got rid of that care we would have absolutely no reason to even consider rationing except in a few cases."
But why do people get care considered “unnecessary” by Dr. Emanuel? Because they disagree with Dr. Emanuel: they think it is necessary. But Dr. Emanuel says that if we can “get rid of that care” then we won’t have to ration! Whew. Good to know. And who gets to decide what is, and what isn’t, necessary? Why, our very trusted friends, the lawyers. The judges. And our key presidential health care advisors --- top bio-ethicists, no less --- like Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel.
Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to fund his ‘Reform’ by grabbing billions from Medicare!!!
The truth: The “secretly plotting” concept is a lie! --- because there’s really nothing very secret about it. Under the House health reform bill — which has already passed through the three health-related committees— House Democrats are proposing cuts to projected Medicare spending that would top $500 billion. They propose using this to subsidize health coverage for millions of people who could afford their own insurance: people making up to $88,000 for a family of four.
Proponents say that this would not involve cutting seniors’ benefits, but cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating rampant waste, fraud, and abuse. Interesting. President Obama has repeatedly pointed to Medicare as a model proving that the government can successfully manage millions of people’s healthcare.
The basic facts are simple and dramatic:
“And I wanted to say, well, I mean, that’s what Medicare is, is it’s a government-run health care plan that people are very happy with.” --President Barack Obama, to the AARP, July 28, 2009
Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will cost $2 trillion more, and bankrupt America!!!
The truth: That’s what one source says (The National Review, May 13, 2009) Another source says, “President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.” (whitehouse.gov/realitycheck).
Neither of these can strictly be called facts. They both involve predictions for the future, about which, by definition, we don’t have any facts --- yet. So the question has to be answered on the basis of how things have worked out in the past.
1. Do government programs generally result in vast savings, or vast cost overruns?
2. Which is more likely to be responsive to your individual preferences: a private business which is trying to attract you and retain you as a paying customer, or a government agency?
3. If you are not satisfied with services, which could you more successfully challenge, sue, boycott, or fire: a private business or a government agency?
4. Who you gonna trust?
Sources:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744
This information was collected and distributed by [Name, City] who is not an agent of any organization and is not on anybody’s payroll.
Many of the people you need to convince will never read past the first line -- to get to the "BUT...".
I tried to "get into the liberal mindset", and my reaction was, "See: 'they' even admit that all of their slogans are lies!".
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Either the "punch lines" (i.e. "This slogan is a lie -- as stated".) should be moved deeper into the respective section OR the supporting "BUT!!" should be emphasized -- to tempt the superficial reader to continue on into your real (and really good, BTW!!) arguments.
But, then maybe I've been listening to the voter imbecility revealed by Hannity's "Man on the street" interviews for too long... ;-}
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Good luck!!! -- and please provide feedback here as to how it went...
"When I began working in the health policy area about 20 years ago ... I thought we would definitely have to ration care, that there was a need to make a decision and deny people care." And: "I think that over the last five to seven years ... I've come to the conclusion that in our system we are spending way more money than we need to, a lot of it on unnecessary care. If we got rid of that care we would have absolutely no reason to even consider rationing except in a few cases."
Who, exactly, is "we?"The fundamental problem he addresses is that needs - not just wants, when it comes to health care - are infinite. Everybody dies eventually, and until that is no longer true choices will have to be made. Dr Emmanuel presumes, in using "we," that the government must must make those choices. Good socialist that he is, Dr. Emmanuel will not recognize the merit to the point, but it is not government but society which must make the choices.
Socialists are so used to conflating "government" with "society" that they will not be clear on what you are saying if you make a distinction between the two. The difference between "government" and "society" is freedom. In the absence of freedom, the government is the "single payer" - meaning, the government pays the piper and calls the tune. To the extent that there is freedom in a society, that is not the case.
Newt famously wanted Medicare to "die on the vine" due to effective competition from private enterprise (a la the Post Office and Federal Express); socialists want the opposite case in which private competition is gradually throttled and the government has unchecked monopoly power.
I think you have done a GREAT job!
(If my opinion means anything)
Anyway, it is astounding how LITTLE the opposition knows about Obamacare. Very few of them have even heard of Ezekial Emanuel.
“Troop Moral” is VERY important -— I think OUR SIDE has the mojo, we are more committed, we have the passion.
However, take EVERY opportunity to undercut the moral and the “moral authority” of the opposition.
Liberals have elderly relatives that they worry about.
Liberals have disabled relatives that they worry about.
It is time for CONSERVATIVES to reveal the UGLY truth about the Left:
They want “USELESS EATERS” to DIE!
Re Lie #1.
I believe that Zeke Emmanuel wrote an essay that not only says it would not be discriminatory to ration healthcare for older people (over 65), since after all we all go through various ages, but that he also argues that health care should be withheld or rationed for children under 13, since less has been “invested” in them, so presumably they aren’t worth as much to the state. Something to that effect was posted here yesterday.
Very good Kellynla, good thoughts. And you’re right about the Marine Vet speaking his mind. I think that’s a good example of what I mean by a politician being arrogant and CONFIDENT, the Representative didn’t give a hoot what the Marine was actually saying, he was just “holding a townhall meeting”.
But a lot of people (especially now) sure heard the Marine and they will remember him and also find strength through his example to do likewise. For that I’m thankful.
Something’s wrong (thinking on the hidden monster) because of the silence of our “Gelding Party” (good one!), I mean there’s not a fighter among them. To realize that all along we have been electing RINOs, appeasers, “compromisers” to our very destruction. Amazing, and also infuriating.
And yet, we have this wonderful woman not officially running for anything who has the enemy in an uproar! Now THAT’S strength, and her strength is in her faith, in the truth of what she says, in her sincerity, her love of country and family, nothing contrived, all genuine, my kind of leadership! You Betcha!
Thanks Kellynla, regards,
Thanks for the ping.
The link tells what the socialized medical system was like in Russia ... check it out.
See you and Mr. Don-o at the Johnson City event? I’ll be in my little electric four-wheeler.
I don’t know!
That’s exactly what’s needed. I’ve had good response from flyers I’ve made. I walk all around and look for people standing on the sidelines watching — as though they’re not quite sure what it’s all about. I’ve never seen any of my flyers thrown away.
It’s hard to hand out flyers with a sign so I carry a bag with extras and try to catch someone’s eye.
Bump!
BTTT
bump
Finally, we shall meet. I’m going to try to leave work a bit early - we may need to print up a few more flyers. We ran off 50. What do you think?
Actually, the edit at the top of this was my small contribution. The Mrs did a LOT of reading and research and boiled it down in her own excellent style.
My opinion is that people are more likely to read more of something they think they agree with. We shall see...
The gubmint may not be sued. They are immune from lawsuits. Sez who? Sez them.
Well, my first impression was, indeed, "This is a liberal hit-back piece", so, if your theory is right, it should go over well. Hope it does!!!
To your "Mrs" -- and to you: Great job!! -- and thanks for the REAL activism!!
And please do let us know how this trial run is received -- it is the sort of thing lots of us could/should use!
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