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Whose Medical Decisions? (Thomas Sowell)
Jewish World Review ^ | August 18, 2009 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 08/17/2009 5:33:14 PM PDT by jazusamo

There was a time when rushing a thousand-page bill through Congress so fast that no one has time to read it would have provoked public outrage. But now, this has been attempted twice in the first 6 months of a new administration.

The fact that they got away with it before, with the "stimulus" bill, may have led them to believe that they could get away with it again.

But the first bill simply spent hundreds of billions of dollars. The current "health care" bill threatens to take life-and-death decisions out of the hands of individuals and their doctors, transferring those decisions to Washington bureaucrats.

People are taking that personally — as they should. Your life and death, and that of your loved ones, is as personal as it gets.

The mainstream media are again circling the wagons to protect Barack Obama, but this time it may not work. One of those front-page editorials disguised as a news article in the New York Times begins: "The stubborn yet false rumor that President Obama's health care proposals would create government-sponsored 'death panels' to decide which patients were worthy of living seemed to arise from nowhere in recent weeks."

Nowhere? Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is "Special Advisor for Health Policy" for the Obama administration. That's nowhere? He is also co-author of an article on Americans' "over-utilization" of medical care in the June 18, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Is that nowhere?

Dr. Emanuel's article points out that Americans do not visit doctors or go into hospitals more than people in other industrialized countries. In fact we go to both places less often than people do in those other countries, which include countries with government-controlled medical care.

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: emanuel; healthcare; obama; obamacare; sowell; thomassowell
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1 posted on 08/17/2009 5:33:14 PM PDT by jazusamo
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To: abigail2; Amalie; American Quilter; arthurus; awelliott; Bahbah; bamahead; Battle Axe; ...
*PING*
Thomas Sowell

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Recent columns
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Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Thomas Sowell ping list…

2 posted on 08/17/2009 5:35:16 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

If the Death Care bill is passed, will <10% be spent within 6 months, too? How many people would that kill?


3 posted on 08/17/2009 5:35:58 PM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Fili et Spiritus Sancti.)
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To: All
Please bump the Freepathon and donate if you haven’t done so!

4 posted on 08/17/2009 5:36:15 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

There was a time when rushing a thousand-page bill through Congress so fast that no one has time to read it would have provoked public outrage.

That was a real dirty sucker punch. That bill contains cobras ready to strike. For Example, the Healthcare bill we are currently seeing is the 2nd part. The first part was passed in the Stimulus Bill in February.

“”President Obama has already appointed the fifteen member Federal Council. According to the Stimulus Bill, p.152, all members of the Council must be “senior federal officers or employees.” Thus, medical treatment will be dispensed by a group of bureaucrats from their ivory towers, not by the hands-on practitioners in the presence of the patients. The council was funded with $1.1 BILLION from The Stimulus Bill.”

“According to former New York Lieutenant Governor and Health Policy Analyst Dr. Betsy McCaughey, the Federal Council will set a cost effectiveness standard for treatment. (Stimulus Bill p. 464) Translation.....if you are over 65 or have been recently diagnosed as having an advanced form of cardiac disease or aggressive cancer, dream on if you think you will get treated.....pick out your box...”


5 posted on 08/17/2009 5:41:24 PM PDT by bareford101 (Be loud! We have nothing – NOTHING - to apologize for in fighting for our Country!!)
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To: jazusamo
“the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out there.”

Well gee, just get rid of the old people and we reduce health care costs by 80%. Simple solution President Satan.

Another good one by Sowell. Thanks for the post and the ping.

6 posted on 08/17/2009 5:43:30 PM PDT by LuvFreeRepublic
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To: bareford101

I believe that coming from Dr. McCaughey, I’ve got much respect for her.


7 posted on 08/17/2009 5:45:42 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: LuvFreeRepublic

You bet and I’m sure that’s what many have planned.


8 posted on 08/17/2009 5:48:01 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Off topic....”High Flight” is one of my favorites. God bless our military.

Here is another:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=456503441&albumID=984955&imageID=8420013


9 posted on 08/17/2009 5:53:11 PM PDT by LuvFreeRepublic
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To: jazusamo

There are more Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) devices per capita in the United States, more coronary bypass operations and .

As for a “death panel,” no politician would ever use that phrase when trying to get a piece of legislation passed. “End of life” care under the “guidance” of “some independent group” sounds so much nicer — and these are the terms President Obama used in an interview with the New York Times back on April 14th.


10 posted on 08/17/2009 5:56:04 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: LuvFreeRepublic

Thanks, that’s very good and thanks to you Dad for his service.


11 posted on 08/17/2009 6:04:36 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

>> The mainstream media are again circling the wagons to protect Barack Obama, but this time it may not work.

Perhaps because that stream is running dry.

>> As for a “death panel,” no politician would ever use that phrase ... “End of life” care ... sounds so much nicer

The glossy language used to market HR3200 is deceptive, jingoistic nonsense.


12 posted on 08/17/2009 6:05:43 PM PDT by Gene Eric
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To: george76

Dr. Sowell doesn’t miss anything, at least it’s rare when he does.


13 posted on 08/17/2009 6:05:49 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

I thank the good Lord daily for men that have the eloquence and can take all the shrill and lashing and turn it into a COMMON SENSE approach.

Let us never forget what a treasure Dr. Sowell and other like him are to our nation in times of political and power grabbing rhetoric.

Its easy to stay angry, Thomas Sowell takes that anger that many of us have within and writes a solid rebuttal to the events that plaque us.


14 posted on 08/17/2009 6:29:37 PM PDT by HiramQuick (work harder ... welfare recipients depend on you!)
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To: jazusamo

He IS the man! Thanks for posting...


15 posted on 08/17/2009 6:29:40 PM PDT by rlmorel ("The Road to Serfdom" by F.A.Hayek - Read it...today.)
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To: HiramQuick

Very well said!


16 posted on 08/17/2009 6:35:41 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Ask your congresscritter about a specific provision in the bill. They will have no idea what you are talking about....guaranteed.


17 posted on 08/17/2009 7:10:15 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: jazusamo

Thanks for the ping to another informative, and wise commentary by Dr. Sowell jaz. I appreciate it.


18 posted on 08/17/2009 8:30:24 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...Call 'em What you Will, They ALL have Fairies Living In Their Trees.)
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To: jazusamo

He is wonderful.

Thanks for find his articles.


19 posted on 08/17/2009 8:34:18 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: jazusamo

Thanks for the post Jaz. Dr. Sowell nails it again in very few well written words.


20 posted on 08/17/2009 9:23:35 PM PDT by wjcsux ("If you cannot tolerate imperfections, be prepared to kiss your freedom goodbye," Thomas Sowell)
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