Posted on 09/08/2009 12:12:35 PM PDT by TroutGuy
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) both cast doubt Tuesday on their support for a public-option component to the Democratic healthcare reform effort, suggesting the Obama administration is still struggling to win over key Senate centrists.
However, Collins and Lieberman both told The Hill they are more supportive of a “trigger” concept floated by Collins’ Senate colleague, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe, which calls for a public option to be implemented if insurance companies fail to fix the current system’s cost inefficiencies.
Reform supporters and critics alike are watching Collins, who cast a key vote this winter for President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill, and Lieberman, who occasionally breaks with Democrats although he caucuses with the party and generally supports it on domestic issues.
“I’m opposed to a Washington-run public option,” Collins said. “I believe it would cause many people to lose health insurance that they’re currently happy with now, and that’s contrary to the assurances that advocates of the public option have been giving. I’m also concerned about the cost and control issue.
“A trigger is certainly a better approach, but I’m not convinced that we could rely on this administration to resist the lure of triggering the public option.”
‘What’s the will of the people? No public option, but supportive of the fascist non-option?’
The will of the people seems to be ‘scrap this plan, and help the people who need help without having the government take over the entire system’.
The public option is just one of the many things wrong with the proposed bill. A trigger, if the only change, leaves us with all of the other problems, including coverage of illegals, rationing, comparative effectiveness panels, etc. The only good response by any congresscritter is to vote NO and start over again with a tax credit and competition based program.
No, the insurance companies are in Obama’s pocket—and only for now, for the advantage of forcing the young and healthy into insurance policies. If you don’t think the Dems would put the squeeze on the insurers at any time convenient for the big prize of nationalized health care, you’re deluded—because that’s just what the trigger would do.
On the other hand, we must remember that words are just the vehicles that carry ideas.
If a person is intent on taking his cargo from Point A to Point B, and finds there are such obstacles to traveling by airplane that he decides, for expediency's sake, to take it by bus instead, except for the time involved, there is no difference in outcome. The cargo still goes from Point A to Point B. Changing the mode of transportation didn't change that fact.
Changing the semantics of the mode of getting the billions (trillions) of dollars involved in health care in America under the control of powerful "people controllers" in Washington, D. C., will not change the outcome and consequences. It will only serve to delay the onset of those consequences.
Calling the vehicle a "public option," a "trigger," a "cooperative," or by any other word should not confuse Americans about the cargo's eventual fate. The Far Left wants to transfer this large percentage of the American economy to the control of the state. Congress, the Senate, and the Administration need to be told "no" in no uncertain terms.
Changing the description is just an exercise in semantics. The destination already has been made clear, and it's not in the direction of liberty.
“you’re deluded—because that’s just what the trigger would do”
The trigger is just something to give hope for change.
Did you see how much money the health care industry donated to Obama?
The whole Rushbot “public option” scare without looking at the rest of the monstrous bill is like a caricature of paranoid obsession.
The “public option” fake-out is on one hand, a trick to get liberals on board with Super Romney Fascist Care, and has evolved into a way to get conservatives on board with Super Romney Fascist Care.
Think of it like a matador’s cap. Ole! Liberal tricked. Ole! “Conservative” tricked.
“No, the insurance companies are in Obama’s pocket”
BTW, thanks for the laugh.
I hear what you’re saying about Obama’s baking a loaf and a half, planning to only serve two-thirds of it. But he and his Marxist merrymakers have long said they want to stop by the Romney-fascism option, just because they know the American public won’t fall for the whole thing at once. Sure, two steps forward, one step back if necessary, for now (they’d hoped to get the thing crammed through last month), but the end goal is full governmental control. To Obama fascism is both a means and an end.
I swear, if these people don't get this when it's right in front of them, they are asking for a revolution, and not the soft kind, either.
Oh, and as to the health care industry’s donations, don’t be fooled. There’s both protection money paid to make government intrusion less troublesome and legal-bribery money paid to get legislation they want. In this case, it was more the former, though again the industry has been bought off short-term with increases in customers and maybe even, gulp, profits. It’s a two-way double switchback.
You’re exactly right. I fear that all this talk of eliminating the “Public Option” is distracting us from all the other crap in this bill.
Trigger = Short Delay
I have a trigger for them. If the total cost of their program exceeds 150% of the estimate, the program is scrapped immediately and they ***must*** implement free market reforms.
“But he and his Marxist merrymakers have long said they want to stop by the Romney-fascism option,”
That is the present house bill, exactly.
Whatever they say is to trick their supporters. It’s what many politicians do.
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