Posted on 09/09/2009 9:52:51 PM PDT by PhatHead
After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.
Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.
Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.
In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.
In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.
It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.
Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the War on Terror. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.
Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.
Nice song and great voice!
LOVE IT! Go Sarah. The lady has a backbone that the GOP can learn from.
oorah
Good to see folks that refuse to drink the juan mcStain kool-ade!
He has become a disgrace...I hope and pray he is defeated before he makes yet another spectacle of himself “running” for prez!
I’m sick of 98% of the Republican party.
Stockholm Syndrome?
Quite a few Vets feel this is true, including some who were there with him. It's not only disturbing, but when contemplated, it's extremely alarming. And McCain's Senate record easily supports it, as well.
GO SARAH!!!!!!!!
Benedict Arnold was an American hero who thought a lot about his friends across the aisle, and he only made one mistake.
Thanks. I’m glad I didn’t have to be the one to say that tonight! Semper fi, bro.
Ping!
Where is Romney? Silent. Where is Huckabee? Silent. Where is Sanford? Writing poems to his soulmate.
For all of you who fret that the MSM has 'destroyed' Sarah, you couldn't be more wrong.
She is slowly destroying them- and the party they rode in on.
When John was shot down and SURVIVED the Hanoi Hilton even after his POW mates wrote him off for dead, NOBODY except his POW mates are justified or learned enough to criticise or question anything about his time in captivity. PERIOD!
So get off this crap of using his time in captivity to draw insinuations as to why he is what he is today. Especially when we have seen scores of other politicians, like his buddy Graham, do exactly the same thing once diving into the cesspool known as D.C.
C’mon people, lets use our heads and our God given capacity to disagree and even skewer him based on his actions from the time he entered public office because it is intellectually lazy and crass to use his time as a POW as a means to knock him down a notch or two.
Instead, use your powers of persuation to connect to the voters of Arizona in an effort to educate them enough to realize he is not their friend and needs to be given his pink slip and passage to enjoy the rest of his life surrounded by the beauty of Oak Creek Canyon.
As I’ve said before, if ‘the greatest politician of our time’, Bill Clinton, says to not underestimate Sarah, everyone should listen- including liberals.
You got blocked too, just like Elwanda?
Stockholm Syndrome.
I have heard more than a few supporters of hers being blocked on her Facebook page. We need to ontact her spokeswoman and let her know this is becoming a larger problem.
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