Glenn E. says:

Some day, in the far future, historians will look back on this time and declare that the Republicans were just a bunch of spoiled losers. Who refused to vote for anything a Democratic president liked or promoted. Even if it was a good idea. They all just conspired to vote it down, to a man. And lobbyists even got enough Democratic congressmen to vote NO, just to kill their “majority” advantage. It’s rather amazing how, even with the Democrats having enough voting member to pass anything. They still can’t. Or rather, WON’T! It’s a rigged game. Wise up America.

Welcome to Third World Medical Treatment says:

Come to Canada
Its like 1984 logic
Over 30 % of Canadians have even given up trying to find a G.P.
Its treatment by attrition
The only thing that is growing in levels of service is the cancer of government bureaucracies and departments
You should see all the large building being built for them with no apparent increase in anything except the size of their departments and office buildings plus of course hard earned salaries

bobbo, straw men made of hay says:

#36–brm==well, at least I got your attention. Your tangent on the definition of straw man is another straw man. Why don’t you address the merits of both of my posts? I certainly addressed your merits.

Calling me names means nothing, is not interesting. Failing to respond to an argument is really the insult.

Just trying to connect at a level you might understand.

eaglescout1998 says:

The Democrats have enough votes to pass ObamaCare even if every single Republican in Congress votes against it. If the Democrats are so eager to shove ObamaCare down America’s throat, they should take their testicles out from Nancy Pelosi’s purse and just do it.

Misanthropic Scott says:

#42 – flatwombat,

(Great moniker, BTW. Did you get the plate number of the vehicle?)

I hate to say it, but while things have gotten more blatant and far worse in this regard, I think the golden age of which you speak never actually existed. Or, maybe it did for a brief time in the beginning of our nation’s founding.

bobbo, more from THE ONION says:

Thanks for the tip qb. Article is a good read, but for those who like video, this is perfect in so many ways:

http://theonion.com/content/video/study_most_children_strongly

Phydeau says:

http://theonion.com/content/news/congress_deadlocked_over_how_to

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said on Meet The Press that Republicans would never agree to a plan that doesn’t allow citizens the choice to be denied medical care in the private sector.

“Americans don’t need some government official telling them they don’t have the proper coverage to receive treatment,” Boehner said. “What they need is massive insurance companies to become even more rich and powerful by withholding from average citizens the care they so desperately require. We’re talking about people’s health and the obscene profits associated with that, after all.”

Benjamin says:

I live in Iowa so Grassley is my Senator. His office’s phone lines were slammed by angry constituents calling to express their displeasure with a government run healthcare plan. He is up for re-election in 2010. If he votes in government healthcare, Grassley will have to go back to being a farmer.

The Republicans are looking for someone to run against him in the primaries because he tried to make a compromise bill in the Senate to make healthcare pass.

We vote for these people and if they do something against our interests, it is our right to find someone else to run against them in the next election. If government run healthcare passes there will be a whole bunch of Senators and Congressmen out of work. Maybe the next batch will vote to repeal this thing.

Phydeau says:

Fact is, “government run healthcare” would be one of many competing plans. There would be competition between individual insurance companies and a government-run plan. You could pick whichever one you wanted.

If Insurance Companies are so sure government-run healthcare is so terrible, why are they so scared of competing with it? Maybe because they see how efficient and cost-effective government-run Medicare is and they know they’d be more expensive?

The bullsh*t propaganda that the Insurance Companies are feeding you is false. Open your eyes.

Greg Allen says:

Have ANY Republicans said they will vote for affordable health care? I don’t think a single one is even considering it.

Yet, they carp and whine that the Dems are not acting bipartisan enough.

Mr. Fusion says:

#35, Bobbo,

A slight misinterpretation of the actual data.

… Obama Admits it creates a 1.4-2.4 Trillion deficit. Do you think such repetition adds to your irrelevant point in any way?

The final cost would be in that range for a single payer system to a hybrid of current status and government run system.

However, the single payer system, where all the fees collected by the new government entity would be less than that currently collected by the health insurance industry AND cover all those currently un- or underinsured.

Americans are expected to pay $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009.
http://nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

From the same site.

National health expenditures are expected to increase faster than the growth in GDP: between 2008 and 2018, the average increase in national health expenditures is expected to be 6.2 percent per year, while the GDP is expected to increase only 4.1 percent per year.

According to one study, of the $2.1 trillion the U.S. spent on health care in 2006, nearly $650 billion was above what we would expect to spend based on the level of U.S. wealth versus other nations. These additional costs are attributable to $436 billion outpatient care and another $186 billion of spending related to high administrative costs

The average employer-sponsored premium for a family of four costs close to $13,000 a year, and the employee foots about 30 percent of this cost.

Health insurance costs are the fastest growing expense for employers.

Employer health insurance costs overtook profits in 2008, and the gap grows steadily.

At the current rate, it is expected to cost Americans $25,000 per family for health insurance by 2018.

62% of all bankruptcies are because of health care costs. 80% had insurance.

178,000 small business jobs worth almost $850 Billion will be lost by 2018 at current rates.

Small businesses will lose over $50 Billion by 2018 because of excessive health care costs.

Benjamin says:

#53 Phydeau
“Um, you did know that Obama’s plan would set up competition between Insurance Companies? Or are you just listening to the latest Insurance Company propaganda?”

My boss pays my health insurance. I want to keep my current plan. Obama wants a single payer plan. If my insurance company denies my benefits, I can sue in court to overturn that decision. Under Obamacare there is no appeal when you are denied coverage.

If Obama was really interested in health care reform, he would do tort reform. Lawyers raise the cost of health insurance and doctors are forced to pay huge insurance premiums for malpractice insurance.

Medicare reimburses doctors only 50% of their fee so that $80.00 doctor’s visit now costs $160 and every other procedure doubles in price.

I’ve had government health care when I was in the military. I’ll keep my private insurance.

MikeN says:

Did you guys even bother to read what he’s said?
He isn’t talking about support from his constituents. He is saying he wants support from other Republican Senators. He won’t vote a bill out of committee unless he thinks it is a good bipartisan compromise. This is what a good committee chairman should do,representing his party’s views rather than his personal tastes. Doing the opposite as you suggest is what led to Southern Democrats using the committee system to block civil rights legislation for decades.

Benjamin says:

# 63 Named said, on August 19th, 2009 at 7:47 am

so… what do you do if you lose your job?

Then I look for another job that has health insurance or I go without. How would I pay for health insurance (government or otherwise) if I had no job?

Under Obamacare, in addition to being without a job and without health insurance, I would have to pay a fine to Obama as well.

Also can anyone tell me where in the Constitution authority is given to Congress to pass this health care bill?

Powers of Congress

” To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;—And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof. “

Mr. Fusion says:

#66, Benny,

Where is the Constitutional authority? Why is it that the Liberals always have to do the homework of the idiots, especially when you just posted it.

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

This is further defined by the preamble to the Constitution where it states,

… promote the general Welfare, …

Don’t they teach kids anything in school anymore?