IT'S BECAUSE CONSERVATIVES ARE EVIL!!!
Posted on 12/07/2008 7:33:22 AM PST by Bean Counter
Sunday, December 7 | 1:00 a.m.
BY JOHN LAIRD, OPINION EDITOR
Vancouver, Washington
Let’s assume that Rush Limbaugh is right, that liberals are “invested” in a U.S. defeat in Iraq because it would accelerate their anti-military agenda. Using that same logic, conservatives are invested in the economic recession because it accelerates their reduced-government agenda.
And, oh, how our governments are about to be reduced. While America’s economy is in the toilet, some conservatives are flushed with excitement over budget cuts on the horizon. Even Democrats know that now is not the time to raise taxes. That leaves politicians no choice but to bring down the cleaver on programs and services.
Indeed, these are the best of times for reduced-government advocates. This recession — painful as it is for others — arrives as an early Christmas present for folks who adhere to the doctrine preached by President Ronald Reagan at his first inaugural address in 1981: “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Lo, even as the bitterness of Nov. 4, 2008, lingers on the lips of some conservatives, December is downright delicious. Here are a couple of tasty morsels for their enjoyment:
— Washington state’s Health Care Authority announced last week that the Basic Health Plan, which covers 105,000 low-income people, will reduce its rolls by 7,700 over the next seven months, hoping to save $6.7 million before June. That’s bad news for poor people, but for the less-government advocates? It’s mmm-mmm good!
Wasteful tax-and-spenders might argue that this comes at the worst of times and actually is pound-foolish. “You have people losing their jobs, and very tight on cash,” said Rebecca Kavoussi of the Community Health Network of Washington, in a recent story in The Olympian. “They’re more likely now than ever to use emergency rooms, which is more expensive.”
Rebecca apparently has succumbed to the silly notion that taking care of sick poor people is more important than saving our tax dollars.
— A group called the Coalition to Fund Dental Access is concerned that adult dental Medicaid might be “on the chopping block” when legislators return to Olympia next month. The coalition will meet with lawmakers and others on Thursday to explain how more than 115,000 people depend on adult dental Medicaid, how another 450,000 people are eligible but unserved and how this program’s expenditures already were cut in 2003 by 25 percent.
That’s bad news for those who need adult dental Medicaid, many of whom are disabled, frail, elderly, indigent and cannot eat normally without regular oral health care and preventive treatment. But it’s wonderful news for the less-government budget watchdogs.
Zarelli’s good ideas
On the other hand, some conservatives are not without their own good ideas. State Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, issued a written statement Thursday with two excellent proposals. “The Legislature’s first action of 2009 should be to pass a supplemental budget within the first week of the session.” Typically, the Legislature waits until late in the sessions of odd-numbered years to pass a supplemental budget, which addresses the final six months of the current biennium through June. Zarelli correctly argues that the matter is more urgent.
Also: “If a program is proposed to be cut for 2009-11, every effort should be made to examine whether the change should be accelerated for implementation in the 2009 supplemental.”
Zarelli, an optimist, tends to find light in the darkest of times. For example, he recommends several remedies that would be meaningful but not drastic, such as “rolling back vendor rate increases in light of forecast deflation” and “canceling funding for cross-biennial studies.” But he’s also not afraid to freeze enrollment in the Basic Health Plan or forego expansion of the federal poverty level for children’s health care coverage, which, again, might sound acceptable to budgeteers, but not to many needy folks.
The looming budget battle in Olympia will claim many victims. “Across-the-board” might be a rhapsody to the ears of Limbaugh and the rest of the demolition crew. But sick poor people hear only a hideous cackling that banishes them to irrelevance.
Just yesterday his Editor wrote about how off-base people are who dare complain about the positions this "newspaper" takes.
I don't know of a single person of any political persuasion who is "Cackling" hideously or in any other way over the prospect of cutting Health Coverage for sick people. If Laird were truly concerned about that prospect, he might have used this opportunity to make some creative suggestions about how the State of Washington might avoid making those cuts...
Instead, Mr. Laird, the newspaper's "Opinion Editor" mind you, did that by running a letter to the Editor from one of our local Legislators, Jim "Hussein" Moeller (D. Vancouver), who is already advocating new tax increases to pay for "Public Health".
http://www.columbian.com/article/20081207/OPINION01/712079973/-1/OPINION
That's about all I can say on this right now without resorting to profanity, so to avoid irreconcilable differences with the Admin Mods over my choice of words, I'll let my Freeper friends join the chorus on this while I take a break and let my blood pressure return to normal and give my freshening Tourett's symptoms a chance to subside...
A liberal’s compassion is limited only by the size of someone else’s wallet.
IT'S BECAUSE CONSERVATIVES ARE EVIL!!!
What does this guy not understand? The government has screwed things up till know end forcing and encouraging banks to provide high risk housing loans to people who were by definition high risk. Now we are going to give the guys in Washington more to do? Hell no, it is time to cut the government. We will take care of our own, we will raise funds for the needly, we can and will survive without them and they should be thankful we have not stormed the halls of congress and drug each and everyone of them into the streets screaming.
“But sick poor people hear only a hideous cackling that banishes them to irrelevance.”
>>>>>>....................
cackle cackle cackle has it worked yet??
How can this be? To hear the Obamites, and Clintonoids, tell it, there is no health care for the poor under the Eviiil Bush Regime.
And, oh, how our governments are about to be reduced.
I haven't heard Obama or any Democrat talking about cutting spending. Instead, I hear about more and more and more increases in spending.
Wait... I thought conservatives were poor redneck racists who can’t afford healthcare. Was I misinformed by the MSM? ;)
These people have no logical (or moral) compass. They are adrift in a sea of stupidity.
This recession is INCREASING GOVERNMENT in ways we have yet to imagine. There is no way any logical conservative would want this because I see no way back out of the big government that is resulting for generations to come.
When government “manages” health care, they “manage” the cost and availability.
The result is that everybody has an insurance card and NOBODY receives any HEALTH CARE!
Doctors will not be able to afford to stay in business and access to critical tests and procedures will be delayed to the point of being useless.
As far as I am concerned , the newspapre, the editorial board,and the editors are welcome to pay for the “healrh care” for the “poor” if they are truly concerned.
If the product of my labor belongs to you as a right, then I am not your fellow citizen, but your servant.
I think this paper will succumb this year anyway based on what they are saying now almost weekly about cutting things. The Columbian models itself after the Oregonian, which is known around here as The Zero, and means more liberal viewpoints than not, and breathless infatuation with The One. The problem is that a lot of Vancouverites came over the river to get out of the Oregon liberal utopia, and we don’t want to read a little mirror image of it. All they can talk about this week is how education needs more money in WA state, where the administrations are famous for the salaries they draw. Anyway, The Columbian is strictly dinosaur media, and they will all be out looking for work soon, probably not later than June.
After torturing them, of course. Pain-meat is the best meat of all.
“We will take care of our own, we will raise funds for the needly”
You’re right. I think one of the big differences between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives believe in the goodness of our fellowman. We believe that family, friends, charities, and churches will not allow people to suffer. Liberals believe that the only way to take care of someone is big government and that’s the only way it can get done, no faith in their fellow man. Of course government ends up always failing to deal with it and makes it worse.
Occupations by increasing order of respectibility:
Opinion editor
Child molestor
Drug Dealer
The last time I looked into “how poor” someone was that got free health care, I found they owned a 5,000 s.f. house with 2 rooftop decks, owned commercial property with rental tennants, and owned 3 suv’s.
Health care is the individual State's business. If a State wants to create a Marxist “paradise” fine, as long as the State adheres to a Republic form of government, their own Constitution, and can pay for it (Health care in this instance) “themselves”.
Not evil only responsible, sensible and a longterm approach to good government.
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