This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Health Care debate

  • Now that the deed ‘tis done, how will it affect you? (Part I)

    Cross Posted from The Burn Pit.

    Veteran

    Lots of heated rhetoric floating around out there, and I want to leap in.

    [Part II of this will discuss the effects that this will have on the VA.]

    The big question everyone has is: how will this affect me, the VA/TRICARE/TRICARE-for-life individual? Well, let’s start by looking at what some of the others are saying, and then try to cut the middle. Separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were.

    The only folks I have found thus far that think this thing is just great for veterans and their families is VoteVets. Now, mind you the MoveOn.org affiliated group is also citing some Harvard study of how many veterans die without health insurance that is based on nothing but comparing the number of deaths with the percent of veterans, so take it for what it is worth:

    The right has spent a good portion of the debate over health care reform engaging in scare tactics aimed at Veterans and Retirees (and when not doing that, have engaged in the demonizing of government health care begging the question why our Veterans would get health care that is somehow substandard, but I digress). Today, VA seeks to put those fears to rest…

    [Duckworth statement that deals with VA]

    The author of that statement is, of course, Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a double combat amputee who left both her legs in Iraq. As the vote on health care reform draws near, expect to see more shameful fear-mongering directed at the Veteran community– a slimy political tactic that falls well beneath the measure of service Vets have given to our country.

    Now, not long after that, VFW went live with its statement:

    “The president and the Democratic leadership are betraying America’s veterans,” said Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., a combat-wounded Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis., who leads the 2.1 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries.

    “And what makes matters worse is the leadership and the president knows the bill is flawed, yet they are pushing for passage today like it’s a do-or-die situation. This nation deserves the best from their elected officials, and the rush to pass legislation of this magnitude is not it.”

    And of course, VoteVets returned the salvo:

    VFW PAC operates as little more than a subsidiary of the Republican Party, as does the leadership of their parent organization.

    Today, that organization issued a statement toeing the GOP line on the health care vote. Of course, in order to toe that line, the VFW had to make things up.

    Remainder after the jump.
    (more…)

  • Dems bristle at namecalling

    While they were busy screwing responsible, working Americans to the wall, the Democrats got their panties in a wad about a bit of name calling this weekend. John Lewis, the guy who told us that sharks still patrolled the slave trade shipping routes looking for cast-aside slaves to feast upon, tried to convince us that protesters shouted racist slogans at him, though no video record of the incident seems to exist.

    Barney Franks, whose gay room mate ran a prostitution ring out of Franks’ apartment, claimed that the same thing happened to him Saturday.

    Now, the same Democrats are rushing to the side of Bart Stupak (by the way, reports last week from Stupak’s own family that he had to disconnect his home phone because of the death threats he and his family were receiving from the pro-abortion crowd) because some Congressman shouted out “Baby killer” while Stupak was speaking yesterday. Of course, that’s because Stupak caved on healthcare and violated his own principles in doing so because the President promised an Executive Order sometime in the future that would forbid the expenditure of federal tax dollars on abortions. I hope Stupak isn’t holding his breath.

    But while Democrats are sweating the name calling, I’d like to remind them of their behavior over the last administration’s tenure. And I didn’t appreciate being called a baby killer, neither did any of my friends who were in the military. I don’t like being called “pro-war” when I’m anything but pro-war, in the traditional sense of the term.

    But, since liberalism, in it’s current usage of the word, is a purely emotional ideology with no basis in logic or common sense, and since those lawmakers voted for health care solely because it makes them feel good about themselves, I’m sure the fact that there people who disagree with them keeps them up at night worrying. That’s why they marginalize us all as whackos – it reinforces their self-image.

    Personally, I’m more upset at being screwed to the wall.

  • Code Red on Capitol Hill

    Code Red and Code Pink 013

    Not a bad turn out for a one day notice, huh?

    Code Red and Code Pink 015

    Code Red and Code Pink 023

    The Capitol cops look a little bored despite the thousands.
    Code Red and Code Pink 017

  • That budget busting healthcare bill

    I’ve been avoiding discussing the healthcare bill the last few weeks because you guys come here to discuss stuff you can’t find anywhere else on the internet. But the healthcare debate has sucked the oxygen out of everything else on the internet. Even dicksmith is answering questions no one asked on healthcare. Frankly, I’d prefer he give us veterans guarantees that we’re not going to be penalized for having free health care. I never said our health care would change as a result of the health care bill (other than the fact that rolls will increase) – I just don’t want to pay the IRS a penalty for my VA/Military health care.

    Our hope rests with a small number of Democrats upon whom we’re depending to stick to their principles for a change. Their names are; Bart Stupak, Jason Altmire, Michael Arcuri, John Boccieri, Jim Costa, Brad Ellsworth, Gabby Giffords, Suzanne Kosmas, Betsy Markey, Scott Murphy, and John Tanner. Politico profiles the hold-outs. Gabriel Malor posts their contact information at Ace of Spades.

    Since no one is going to listen to us conservatives, John Hawkins at Right Wing News has assembled 32 quotes from Democrats as reasons people should oppose the healthcare bill. You should read them all – even if you already oppose the bill.

    The GOP sent me a comparison of what Obama said last year about the cost of his bill, and what the CBO said yesterday. Here’s the CBO score (.pdf), if you want to wade through it.

  • Saturday Two-fer

    I see actor Jon Voight is calling for a protest against ObamaCare on Saturday. So I guess you can come to DC for the hippies and stay for the Democrats.

    I’ll do my best to cover as much of the three events as possible. Looks like I’ll need my bicycle.

  • So you thought you could keep your health insurance, huh?

    So after almost two years of hearing about how we can keep our health insurance coverage under the new Obama plan, “maybe” we can’t now?

    So someone snuck it in, Huh? When? Over Christmas while we were all distracted by the Victoria Secret bomber?

  • “Are the voters crazy?”

    This is what you have to believe to be a Democrat today. It’s a ten minute clip but you have to watch the whole thing to soak up all of the insanity. Howard Dean explains to Chris Matthews how yesterday’s special election results means Massachusetts voters want more healthcare;

    Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

    To his credit, like the rest of America, Matthews ain’t buyin’ that line of crap.

    Ripped off from Ace of Spades.

  • Zombie Kennedy wants his Senate seat back

    The ghoulish Democrat Party has disinterred the rotting corpse of Ted Kennedy to defeat Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown. Apparently, Kennedy’s widow is complicit in the macabre plot to seat Zombie Kennedy in the Senate once again;

    victoria-and-zombie-kennedy

    A radical right wing plot to prevent Kennedy from taking his seat back has come to the attention of Harry Reid, so he’s joined in the conspiracy to return Kennedy’s corpse to the Senate;

    harry-reid-zombie-kennedy

    Reanimating a guy no one really liked to resuscitate a healthcare plan no one needs.