Posted on 09/18/2009 9:33:39 AM PDT by mbarker12474
Here is a line by line transcript of President Obama's speech on healthcare, made before a joint session of Congress, on 9 September 2009. This particular transcript was pulled from the www.whitehouse.gov site.
I have started labelling each line with "true" or "false" or "okay" or "n/a" or whatever.
Have at it:
okay 1 THE PRESIDENT: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people:
FALSE 2 When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
FALSE 3 We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month.
FALSE 4 Credit was frozen.
FALSE 5 And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.
TRUE 6 As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods.
TRUE 7 A full and vibrant recovery is still many months away.
unverifiable 8 And I will not let up until those Americans who seek jobs can find them -- (applause) -- until those businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive;
unverifiable 9 until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes.
LIE 10 That is our ultimate goal.
FALSE 11 But thanks to the bold and decisive action we've taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink.
12 (Applause.)
N/A 13 I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and your support in these last several months, and especially those who've taken the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery.
N/A 14 I also want to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying time for our nation.
LIE 15 But we did not come here just to clean up crises.
TRUE! 16 We came here to build a future.
17 (Applause.)
TRUE 18 So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future -- and that is the issue of health care.
TRUE,TRUE 19 I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.
20 (Applause.)
TRUE 21 It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform.
TRUE 22 And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way.
? 23 A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943.
? 24 Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.
25 (Applause.)
26 Our collective failure to meet this challenge -- year after year, decade after decade -- has led us to the breaking point.
27 Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy.
28 These are not primarily people on welfare.
29 These are middle-class Americans.
30 Some can't get insurance on the job.
31 Others are self-employed, and can't afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer.
32 Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover.
33 We are the only democracy -- the only advanced democracy on Earth -- the only wealthy nation -- that allows such hardship for millions of its people.
34 There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage.
35 In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point.
36 And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage.
37 In other words, it can happen to anyone.
38 But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured.
39 Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today.
40 More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you'll lose your health insurance too.
41 More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won't pay the full cost of care.
42 It happens every day.
43 One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadn't reported gallstones that he didn't even know about.
44 They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it.
45 Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne.
46 By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer had more than doubled in size.
47 That is heart-breaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America.
48 (Applause.)
49 Then there's the problem of rising cost.
50 We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren't any healthier for it.
51 This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages.
52 It's why so many employers -- especially small businesses -- are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely.
53 It's why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally -- like our automakers -- are at a huge disadvantage.
54 And it's why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it -- about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care.
55 Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers.
56 When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
57 If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined.
58 Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem.
59 Nothing else even comes close.
60 Nothing else.
61 (Applause.)
62 Now, these are the facts.
63 Nobody disputes them.
64 We know we must reform this system.
65 The question is how.
66 There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canada's -- (applause) -- where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everybody.
67 On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.
68 I've said -- I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both these approaches.
69 But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have.
70 Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch.
71 (Applause.)
72 And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months.
73 During that time, we've seen Washington at its best and at its worst.
74 We've seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform.
75 Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week.
76 That has never happened before.
77 Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses;
78 hospitals, seniors' groups, and even drug companies -- many of whom opposed reform in the past.
79 And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been.
80 But what we've also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards their own government.
81 Instead of honest debate, we've seen scare tactics.
82 Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise.
83 Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge.
84 And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.
85 Well, the time for bickering is over.
86 The time for games has passed.
87 (Applause.)
88 Now is the season for action.
89 Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do.
90 Now is the time to deliver on health care.
91 Now is the time to deliver on health care.
92 The plan I'm announcing tonight would meet three basic goals.
93 It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
94 It will provide insurance for those who don't.
95 And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.
96 (Applause.)
97 It's a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge -- not just government, not just insurance companies, but everybody including employers and individuals.
98 And it's a plan that incorporates ideas from senators and congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans -- and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election.
99 Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan.
100 First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.
101 (Applause.)
102 Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
103 What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you.
104 Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition.
105 (Applause.)
106 As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most.
107 (Applause.)
108 They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime.
109 (Applause.)
110 We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.
111 (Applause.)
112 And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- (applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse.
113 That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.
114 (Applause.)
115 Now, that's what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan -- more security and more stability.
116 Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices.
117 (Applause.)
118 If you lose your job or you change your job, you'll be able to get coverage.
119 If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you'll be able to get coverage.
120 We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange -- a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices.
121 Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers.
122 As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage.
123 This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance.
124 It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance.
125 And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves.
126 (Applause.)
127 Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still can't afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we'll provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need.
128 And all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections I already mentioned.
129 This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.
130 In the meantime, for those Americans who can't get insurance today because they have preexisting medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill.
131 (Applause.)
132 This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in the campaign, it's a good idea now, and we should all embrace it.
133 (Applause.)
134 Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the risk and go without coverage.
135 There may still be companies that refuse to do right by their workers by giving them coverage.
136 The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money.
137 If there are affordable options and people still don't sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for these people's expensive emergency room visits.
138 If some businesses don't provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors.
139 And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved.
140 And that's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.
141 (Applause.)
142 Likewise -- likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers.
143 There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still can't afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements.
144 (Applause.)
145 But we can't have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees.
146 Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part.
147 And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe -- (laughter) -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance.
148 And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole.
149 Still, given all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months, I realize -- (applause) -- I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform.
150 So tonight I want to address some of the key controversies that are still out there.
151 Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost.
152 The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens.
153 Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible.
154 It is a lie, plain and simple.
155 (Applause.)
156 There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants.
157 This, too, is false.
158 The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
159 AUDIENCE MEMBER: You lie! (Boos.)
160 THE PRESIDENT: It's not true.
161 And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.
162 (Applause.)
163 Now, my health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a "government takeover" of the entire health care system.
164 As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare.
165 (Applause.)
166 So let me set the record straight here.
167 My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition.
168 That's how the market works.
169 (Applause.)
170 Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies.
171 In Alabama, almost 90 percent is controlled by just one company.
172 And without competition, the price of insurance goes up and quality goes down.
173 And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly -- by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest, by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage, and by jacking up rates.
174 Insurance executives don't do this because they're bad people;
175 they do it because it's profitable.
176 As one former insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill, they are rewarded for it.
177 All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called "Wall Street's relentless profit expectations."
178 Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business.
179 They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors.
180 I just want to hold them accountable.
181 (Applause.)
182 And the insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would do just that.
183 But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange.
184 (Applause.)
185 Now, let me be clear.
186 Let me be clear.
187 It would only be an option for those who don't have insurance.
188 No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance.
189 In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up.
190 Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't like this idea.
191 They argue that these private companies can't fairly compete with the government.
192 And they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option.
193 But they won't be.
194 I've insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects.
195 But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.
196 (Applause.)
197 Now, it is -- it's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight.
198 But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated -- by the left or the right or the media.
199 It is only one part of my plan, and shouldn't be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles.
200 To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it.
201 (Applause.)
202 The public option -- the public option is only a means to that end -- and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal.
203 And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.
204 (Applause.)
205 For example -- for example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies.
206 Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan.
207 These are all constructive ideas worth exploring.
208 But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice.
209 (Applause.)
210 And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need.
211 (Applause.)
212 Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me, to members of this chamber, and to the public -- and that's how we pay for this plan.
213 And here's what you need to know.
214 First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future.
215 (Applause.)
216 I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.
217 And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize.
218 (Applause.)
219 Now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for -- from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy.
220 (Applause.)
221 I will not make that same mistake with health care.
222 Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse.
223 Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care don't make us any healthier.
224 That's not my judgment -- it's the judgment of medical professionals across this country.
225 And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid.
226 In fact, I want to speak directly to seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue that's been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate.
227 More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years.
228 That's how Medicare was born.
229 And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next.
230 (Applause.)
231 And that is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan.
232 (Applause.)
233 The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies -- subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but don't improve the care of seniors.
234 And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead.
235 (Applause.)
236 Now, these steps will ensure that you -- America's seniors -- get the benefits you've been promised.
237 They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations.
238 And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs.
239 (Applause.)
240 That's what this plan will do for you.
241 So don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program.
242 That will not happen on my watch.
243 I will protect Medicare.
244 (Applause.)
245 Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody.
246 We have long known that some places -- like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania -- offer high-quality care at costs below average.
247 So the commission can help encourage the adoption of these common-sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals throughout the system -- everything from reducing hospital infection rates to encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors.
248 Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.
249 (Applause.)
250 Now, much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers.
251 And this reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money -- an idea which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts.
252 And according to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of health care for all of us in the long run.
253 Now, finally, many in this chamber -- particularly on the Republican side of the aisle -- have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care.
254 (Applause.)
255 Now -- there you go.
256 There you go.
257 Now, I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs.
258 (Applause.)
259 So I'm proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine.
260 (Applause.)
261 I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas.
262 I think it's a good idea, and I'm directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today.
263 (Applause.)
264 Now, add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over 10 years -- less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.
265 (Applause.)
266 Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent -- but spent badly -- in the existing health care system.
267 The plan will not add to our deficit.
268 The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes.
269 And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year -- one-tenth of 1 percent -- it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.
270 Now, this is the plan I'm proposing.
271 It's a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight -- Democrats and Republicans.
272 And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead.
273 If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen.
274 My door is always open.
275 But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to improve it.
276 (Applause.)
277 I won't stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are.
278 If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out.
279 (Applause.)
280 And I will not -- and I will not accept the status quo as a solution.
281 Not this time.
282 Not now.
283 Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing.
284 Our deficit will grow.
285 More families will go bankrupt.
286 More businesses will close.
287 More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most.
288 And more will die as a result.
289 We know these things to be true.
290 That is why we cannot fail.
291 Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed -- the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town halls, in e-mails, and in letters.
292 I received one of those letters a few days ago.
293 It was from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy.
294 He had written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal.
295 He asked that it be delivered upon his death.
296 In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, his amazing children, who are all here tonight.
297 And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform -- "that great unfinished business of our society," he called it -- would finally pass.
298 He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material things." "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a moral issue;
299 at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."
300 I've thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days -- the character of our country.
301 One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government.
302 And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate.
303 That's our history.
304 For some of Ted Kennedy's critics, his brand of liberalism represented an affront to American liberty.
305 In their minds, his passion for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government.
306 But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here -- people of both parties -- know that what drove him was something more.
307 His friend Orrin Hatch -- he knows that.
308 They worked together to provide children with health insurance.
309 His friend John McCain knows that.
310 They worked together on a Patient's Bill of Rights.
311 His friend Chuck Grassley knows that.
312 They worked together to provide health care to children with disabilities.
313 On issues like these, Ted Kennedy's passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience.
314 It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer.
315 He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick.
316 And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance, what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent, there is something that could make you better, but I just can't afford it.
317 That large-heartedness -- that concern and regard for the plight of others -- is not a partisan feeling.
318 It's not a Republican or a Democratic feeling.
319 It, too, is part of the American character -- our ability to stand in other people's shoes;
320 a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand;
321 a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play;
322 and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise.
323 This has always been the history of our progress.
324 In 1935, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it.
325 In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress -- Democrats and Republicans -- did not back down.
326 They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind.
327 You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem.
328 They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom.
329 But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little;
330 that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited.
331 And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn;
332 when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American;
333 when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges.
334 We lose something essential about ourselves.
335 That was true then.
336 It remains true today.
337 I understand how difficult this health care debate has been.
338 I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them.
339 I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road -- to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term.
340 But that is not what the moment calls for.
341 That's not what we came here to do.
342 We did not come to fear the future.
343 We came here to shape it.
344 I still believe we can act even when it's hard.
345 (Applause.)
346 I still believe -- I still believe that we can act when it's hard.
347 I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress.
348 I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test.
349 Because that's who we are.
350 That is our calling.
351 That is our character.
352 Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
353 (Applause.)
END 9:03 P.M. EDT
So 0bama IS a LIAR. Joe Wilson’s crime was pointing out that The Emperor has no clothes.
TRUE 152 The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens.
FALSE 153 Now, such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible.
FALSE 154 It is a lie, plain and simple.
155 (Applause.)
TRUE There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants.
LIE 157 This, too, is false.
LIE 158 The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
TRUE 159 AUDIENCE MEMBER: You lie! (Boos.)
LIE 160 THE PRESIDENT: It's not true.
FALSE 161 And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.
The Congressional lemmings applaud like clockwork after each line which has absolutely no inkling of content. Empty heads Pavlovian reactions do not bode well for a Constitutional Republic.
We absolutely MUST vote the brain dead out of office in 2010! Not to mention 2012!!
THIS JUST IN FROM JOE WILSON
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Dear Jo,
I wanted to take a few minutes today to thank you for all of the support you have given me. Despite the relentless attacks from liberal Democrats, I am motivated everyday by supporters like you.
I also want you to know that we are not alone in this fight. Republican leaders in the House and Senate have courageously stepped up to publicly support us throughout this ordeal.
I have written a Facebook note to thank Republican Leader Boehner, Republican Whip Cantor, Representative Steve King, Senator Graham and Senator DeMint for their support. Will you please take a moment to also thank them by commenting on my Facebook note?
The past week has been tough. The attacks from liberal Democrats have not subsided. But having thousands of Americans committed to standing for truth about the proposed health care reform has made this effort much more powerful. Additionally, I hope you will take notice of the courage some of my Republican colleagues have shown.
Please take some time to read my note to Republican Leader Boehner, Republican Whip Cantor, Representative King, Senator Graham and Senator DeMint and add a comment to thank them for their support.
Proud to stand with you,
Joe Wilson
U.S. Representative
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