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Losing In Fall OK With Democrats If It Means They Win Health Care
Investors.com ^ | March 5, 2010 | MARK STEYN

Posted on 03/05/2010 5:14:05 PM PST by Kaslin

So there was President Obama giving his bazillionth speech on health care, droning yet again that "now is the hour when we must seize the moment," the same moment he's been seizing every day of the week for the past year, only this time his genius photo-op guys thought it would look good to have him surrounded by men in white coats.

Why is he doing this? Why let "health" "care" "reform" stagger on like the rotting husk in a low-grade creature feature who refuses to stay dead no matter how many stakes you pound through his chest?

Because it's worth it. Big time. I've been saying in this space for two years that the governmentalization of health care is the fastest way to a permanent left-of-center political culture.

It redefines the relationship between the citizen and the state in fundamental ways that make limited government all but impossible.

In most of the rest of the Western world, there are still nominally "conservative" parties, and they even win elections occasionally, but not to any great effect. (Let's not forget that Jacques Chirac was, in French terms, a "conservative.") The result is a kind of two-party one-party state:

Right-of-center parties will once in a while be in office, but never in power, merely presiding over vast left-wing bureaucracies that cruise on regardless.

Republicans seem to have difficulty grasping this basic dynamic.

Less than three months ago, they were stunned at the way the Democrats managed to get 60 senators to vote for the health bill.

Then Scott Brown took them back down to 59, and Republicans were again stunned to find the Dems talking about ramming this thing into law through the parliamentary device of "reconciliation."

(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; 666; bhohealthcare; healthcare; marksteyn; obama; obamacare; pelosi; reid; servitude; steyn; treason
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To: Tex-Con-Man

As John Kerry once famously said, reducing a planned increase is a cut. That’s Liberal Math for you.

The Media controls the message and most people are clueless.


61 posted on 03/05/2010 7:35:43 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (There is nothing Democratic about the Democrat Party...)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

As Steyn says, just like we got rid of the Energy Department and the Dept of Education and “fixed” social security that was built on actuarial tables 80 years ago. Right. We’ll repeal it. RINOs love big government as much as Dems once it is in place. Once it is enacted, it will NEVER go away. It is the end of the US being a nation of free and independent men.


62 posted on 03/05/2010 7:38:32 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Traveler59

Not only that but watch how the debate will be framed. It will be the same demonization by the the left - the media especially - that occurred when GW tried to overhaul social security.

There will be nightly sob stories with citizens begging not to have their health care taken away.

And true to form, the pubbies will cave and do nothing.

imo...


63 posted on 03/05/2010 8:34:20 PM PST by jonno (Having an opinion is not the same as having the answer...)
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To: Kaslin
Here's the funny part - - if the rats pass Mengelecare via "reconciliation", guess what? - - the Republicans can repeal Mengelecare via "reconciliation". If that happens, look for Democrat hypocrisy like never seen before - - even from the rats.
64 posted on 03/05/2010 8:39:26 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: dalereed
i’ll be long dead before the total demise occurs, i’m almost 73 now!

Maybe. Maybe not.

65 posted on 03/05/2010 8:56:10 PM PST by Gritty (Governmentalization of health care cements in a permanent left-of-center political culture -Mk Steyn)
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To: Gritty

I obamacare passes and i’m determined to be a useless eater my future will be in months not years!


66 posted on 03/05/2010 8:59:39 PM PST by dalereed
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To: A_Former_Democrat

Yeah like we’ve done before? OH wait...we haven’t....ever. This *IS* government we’re talking about here.


67 posted on 03/05/2010 9:11:13 PM PST by Solson (magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.)
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To: Kaslin
Steyn is 100% on the money. The Dems would be scared if they knew the competition would actually do something about it. Unfortunately, I'm not at all confident the GOP, assuming they regain power, would have any chance of rolling back anything.

They didn't in the Contract With America, they didn't with a majority in the House, Senate and a GOP President. And they won't in the next three years.

The American Public may be mad now...but it will pass if the economy improves. If it doesn't, they'll blame whichever party is in power...because we really do NOT study nor know the history we should know. We've become lazy.

68 posted on 03/05/2010 9:18:25 PM PST by Solson (magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.)
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To: spectre

“Talk about falling on their sword and committing Obamacide. Idiots.”

“Obamacide.” I don’t know if you got that term somewhere else or thunk it up yourself, but that is BRILLIANT! We need to make the term “Obamacide” (i.e., political death in service to High Highness’s vision) go viral. Use that term wherever you can, ESPECIALLY in any correspondence or phone calls with your Representative. (My rep is Lynn Woolsey so there’s not much point in beating that old nag, unfortunately.)

OBAMACIDE. Brilliant!!!


69 posted on 03/05/2010 10:50:53 PM PST by Hetty_Fauxvert (PETRAEUS IN 2012 ..... PETRAEUS IN 2012 ..... PETRAEUS IN 2012!)
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To: Kaslin
[Steyn Article] I've been saying in this space for two years that the governmentalization of health care is the fastest way to a permanent left-of-center political culture.

V.I. Lenin would have agreed. He called the sovietization of medicine the keystone of the arch of Russian socialism.

70 posted on 03/06/2010 3:57:12 AM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: FlingWingFlyer

It ain’t dead until congress is recessed and we flip at least 1 in Nov, or we will be fighting this battle for 3 more years!

OBAMANOMICS—TRICKLE DOWN DESTRUCTION of the economy
Bambi doesn’t keep his promises...so buyer beware!

SET THEIR LOCAL AND DC LINES ON FIRE!

PLEASE ASK THEM TO REPEAL THE BIG NEW FEES in TRICARE for Life, the retired Military over 65 secondary health ins. which they passed in a DOD bill. They promised our Military these benefits, and our Military have earned them.

Sen Scott Brown’s number is 202-224-4543
Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121

Lots of local demwit phone numbers on this thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408217/posts

Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military’s secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011 NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!

OBAMA’s WAR ON SENIORS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433867/posts/

New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.

Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security, http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security

Health Care Rationing for Seniors Another Problem in New Obama Plan http://www.lifenews.com/bio3058.html

Medicare tax may apply to investment income (ObamaCare tax hike)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460988/posts

Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/28/obama.health.care/index.html

Will healthcare reform mean cuts in Medicare for seniors?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2009/1017/will-healthcare-reform-mean-cuts-in-medicare-for-seniors

Health Reform’s Hidden Victims Young people and seniors would pay a high price for ObamaCare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574306303720472842.html

SOCIALIZED MED THREAD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2464538/posts

MILITARY & Retired MILITARY
Veterans’ G.I. Bill benefits MIA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2464680/posts
TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.) http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w/

By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009

Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.

The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.

“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.


71 posted on 03/06/2010 7:35:48 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
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To: Kaslin

Obamacare call list: Courtsey of TN Eagle Forum:

PLEASE CALL! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE State District
Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District
Bart Gordon (202) 225-4231 TN
Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI


72 posted on 03/06/2010 7:36:24 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
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To: pnh102
During that time, they continued the never-ending expansion of government, spending and borrowing.

That's a relevant complaint.

Your previous one wasn't.

73 posted on 03/06/2010 4:50:04 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Repeal not possible until a Republican is president. However a Pub congress could refuse to keep funding it.

Bingo. Pub can throw monkey wrenches to gum things up.


74 posted on 03/06/2010 8:06:16 PM PST by ak267
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To: dalereed

Once it’s put into effect it will be there forever, just like Medicare, Social Security, Welfare, amd health care for the poor!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

But there wasn’t an internet, talk rasdio, Facebook and tea parties back then. Also, soc-sec and MC had bipartisan support with no realization the full effects.


75 posted on 03/06/2010 8:09:49 PM PST by ak267
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To: ak267

Anyone that would go to any site such as facebook is the lowest form of life!


76 posted on 03/06/2010 8:12:50 PM PST by dalereed
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