If the Price Is Right

Townhall.com ^ | January 5, 2010 | Chuck Norris

[Kaslin]

At almost 80 years old, Thomas Jefferson foresaw the corruption of a federal government with too much power, when he wrote to William T. Barry in 1822, just a few years before his death: "If ever this vast country is brought under a single government, it will be one of the most extensive corruption(s), indifferent and incapable of a wholesome care over so wide a spread of surface." "Wholesome care" like universal health care?

I waited until the new year to write this column because Washington was hoping its Christmas corruption would evade the majority of holiday revelers or become old news to even political junkies and pundits, who now are moving on to new issues. (This White House astutely understands and utilizes news cycles and calendars far better than any previous administration.)

While you passed out Christmas gifts to loved ones, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid passed out Christmas bonuses via the passing of the Senate health care bill -- what I call perpetual pork, gifts that keep on giving, unlike those familiar single hits at the public trough. He initiated a new frontier in pork barrel politics. His corrupt and creative diversions included giving out Medicaid and Medicare credits like another round of pork projects.

This health care pork round all started with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who bragged about receiving a $300 million increase in Medicaid funding for her state (what some are calling the Second Louisiana Purchase), though it turned out that it was only $100 million. (Isn't that a relief?)

Then there was the now infamous Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who gained his 15 minutes of yuletide fame when he sold out his critical 60th vote to pass Obamacare by accepting a governmental bribe that covers Nebraska's Medicare expansion costs to the tune of $100 million over the next 10 years.

Obama had told the AARP back on July 28 that he considered Medicare Advantage an example of "wasteful spending," so you could bet Obamacare would reflect his commentary. And in a statement released after the Senate's health care bill passed Dec. 24, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., confessed that he had a sweetheart deal made behind closed doors: "I was able to pass an amendment to the bill that excluded some 800,000 policyholders all across Florida from cuts to Medicare Advantage."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., finagled $600 million in additional Medicaid benefits for his state over 10 years.

Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad of North Dakota secured additional Medicare payments for their rural hospitals.

Referring to the increase in Medicare payments to eight medium-sized hospitals in his state, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa -- chairman of the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- openly confessed: "I fully admit that I was part of it. I put something in the bill that was particular to the state of Iowa. Yes, I did."

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a primary architect of the legislation, secured extra Medicare benefits for select Montana residents.

The manager's amendment singles out Democratic Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye's home state of Hawaii as the only state to receive a disproportionate share hospital extension.

At the last minute, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., inserted a $100 million kickback in the bill to construct a new hospital for the University of Connecticut.

Most important is this question Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, posed to his colleagues: Who will pay for these special deals? "The answer," he said, "is simple: every other state in the union."

And all the costs haven't even been calculated yet because the bribery isn't over. The House and Senate leaders will hold private negotiations this month to merge the Senate's $871 billion health care bill and the House's $1 trillion bill.

After observing the Senate's health care debate and already receiving some legislative offers to favor Obamacare, Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., had a word for the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "This shouldn't be a bill where you use hush money. This isn't an appropriations bill where you try to get the best projects for your state. ... You don't buy me off."

Rep. Stupak, don't think they don't have your number, literally. But will you, like other House members, play "The Price Is Right"?

Tired yet of the congressional charade and the bogus beneficiaries of health care? I'm done; I've had enough. They've tried to pull a fast one on us for the last time. Those corrupt crime bosses we call congressmen have caused enough damage. It's time to push for some serious housecleaning this next election.

In November 2010, all 435 House seats will be open for re-election, and one-third of the Senate seats will be open for re-election, as well. The time is now to eject the unconstitutional and corrupt congressmen, and it's time to let them know what's coming.

I agree with "tea party" leaders, who are delivering bold ultimatums to all congressional candidates in 2010: Pledge to repeal the health care reform bill in its entirety or you will be booted from office.

Congress, you're waking a sleeping giant, and you're not going to like the consequences.

[Diogenesis]

PROOF OBAMA - CARE is a Disaster (and Congress could care less)

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“Was Democrats’ Health Care Strategy Written In Federal Prison?
Rep. Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer, used to be the leader of Citizen
Action/Illinois. He also founded its predecessor, Illinois Public Action, in which Ms.
Schakowsky served as Program Director. He runs a political consulting firm, the
Strategic Consulting Group, which lists ACORN and the SEIU among its clients and
which made $541,000 working for disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

“Creamer resigned from Citizen Action/Illinois after the FBI began investigating him for
bank fraud and tax evasion at Illinois Public Action. He was convicted in 2006 and
sentenced to five months in federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, plus eleven months of house arrest.
While in prison—or “forced sabbatical,” he called it—Creamer wrote a lengthy political
manual, Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight! How Progressives Can Win (Seven
Locks Press, 2007). The book was endorsed by leading Democrats and their allies,
including SEIU boss Andy Stern—the most frequent visitor thus far to the Obama White
House—and chief Obama strategist David Axelrod, who noted that Creamer’s tome
“provides a blueprint for future victories.”

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“CATO: OBAMACARE PRICE TAG IS 6 TRILLIONS
When we correct for both gimmicks, counting both on- and off-budget costs over the first 10 years of implementation, the total cost of ObamaCare reaches — I’m so sorry about this — $6.25 trillion.“

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“The former CBO director, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, warns today on the effect ObamaCare
will have on our economy and health care. …This bill will lead to a huge middle class tax increase:
The bill creates a new health entitlement program that the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) estimates will grow over the longer term at a rate of 8% annually, which is much
faster than the growth rate of the economy or tax revenues.“

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”When Barack Obama ran for president, he promised that his health care plan would
"lower health-care costs by $2,500 for the typical family." Now, it turns out that new
legislation that he supports creating public-private "co-operatives" will increase the costs
of family health insurance by $4,000 by 2019.”

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”Robert Reich Reveals Brutal Health Care Truths; MSM Snores
"We're going to have to, if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that
technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you
maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive...so we're going to let
you die."

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”PriceWaterhouseCoopers concluded that the cost of health insurance for the average
family will rise by $4,000 by 2019, as compared with doing nothing:”

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“Customers will pay big for health fix: insurers”

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“A major new report confirms the worst fears of many: Health care reform will raise the
costs for most Americans—by about 18% on average. That is on top of existing inflation of health coverage.”

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“The WSJ Guide to ObamaCare. A comprehensive collection of our editorials. "

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“45% Of Doctors Would Consider Quitting If Congress Passes Health Care Overhaul
Two of every three practicing physicians oppose the medical overhaul plan under
consideration in Washington, and hundreds of thousands would think about shutting
down their practices or retiring early if it were adopted, a new IBD/TIPP Poll has found.
The poll contradicts the claims of not only the White House, but also doctors' own lobby
— the powerful American Medical Association “

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"Obama health care plan projected to cost 5.2 million jobs
In addition wages would be “stunted” for another 10.2 million wage earners."

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"Oregon Offers Terminal Patients Doctor-Assisted Suicide Instead of Medical Care
PORTLAND, Ore. — Some terminally ill patients in Oregon who turned to their state for health care
were denied treatment and offered doctor-assisted suicide instead
"[How could they] not pay for medication that would help my life, and yet offer to pay to end my life?"

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"Obama Health-Care Would Drive Up Inflation and Health-Care Costs
ObamaCare would shrink the economy, drive up health-care costs and inflation,
and increase the deficit,
Overall, total federal expenditures will be 5.6 percent higher than otherwise by 2019, adding $285.6 billion to the federal deficit in 2019”

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"Pushing Veterans Toward the Grave”

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PROOF Socialized Medicine is a Disaster

“70 deaths on ward of shame: Patients neglected by lazy nurses in a filthy, blood-spattered casualty unit, says damning report”

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Hundreds of patients died needlessly at NHS hospital due to appalling care
The watchdog report comes just months after an investigation into Mid-Staffordshire
The NHS foundation trust found similar problems, with up to 1,200 avoidable deaths. ”

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“NHS trust faces probe into high death rate and blood-spattered equipment ”

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“NHS will provide free marriage guidance
Doctors and patients' groups said they were "horrified" by the use of NHS resources for
relationship advice when patients with cancer and dementia were being denied
treatment they desperately needed. ”

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"Hospital patients 'left in agony'"
"Patients were allegedly left screaming in pain and drinking from flower vases on a nightmare hospital ward.
She said: "We saw patients drinking out of..."

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“Woman bleeds to death after doctor punctures jugular - and no blood is available(UK) "

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“Canadian Aboriginals receive body bags for flu

Health officials ordered an investigation Thursday into why the Canadian government
sent body bags to an Aboriginal reserve in Manitoba after community leaders requested
assistance to deal with an expected outbreak of swine flu. “

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"Patient with ulcer collapses and dies after paramedics tell her: 'Stop being a drama queen'"

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"Doctors said I'd had a miscarriage and did nothing as my premature baby fought for his life"

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"British Death Panel IBD Editorials September 10, 2009
Single Payer: In Britain, where the public option is about all most patients get,
a newborn has died because national guidelines recommend that the baby not be treated."

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"Is This The Obamacare Future? Overworked Doctors in Australia Worried They Are Killing Patients
there are long waiting lists for orthopedic surgery (median wait for total hip replacement is 88 days;
10% of patients waited over 345 days in 1999 to 2000), and cataract surgery (median is 73 days; 10% waited more than 316 days)."

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"Bed shortage forces 4,000 mothers to give birth in lifts, offices and hospital toilets"

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"Sentenced to death on the NHS ….
they can then have fluid and drugs withdrawn and many are put on continuous sedation until they pass away.

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"NHS blunders allowed cannibal Peter Bryan to kill two”

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"Paramedics told: 'Let accident victims die if they want to' in new row over patient rights (UK)"

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"Patients Forced To Wait Hours In Ambulances Parked Outside A&E Departments"

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"Cancer survivor confronts the health secretary on 62-day wait (UK)"

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"Hospital patient so shocked at dirty ward she climbed out of bed to clean it herself."

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"Kidney cancer patients denied life-saving drugs by NHS rationing body NICE (UK) "

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"Girl, 3, has heart operation cancelled three times because of bed shortage (UK)."