Fraud and Death Trump Citizen Health

[autorank]

Fraud and Death Trump Citizen Health

Citizens Poised to Sacrifice for their Leaders

By Michael Collins

The priorities of the nation’s leaders are coming into stark relief in the health care reform debate. President Obama has been clear that he will not tolerate any health care legislation that isn’t “deficit neutral.” It can’t cost a penny over budget. We owe him a great debt for clarifying how the so-called leaders in Washington actually view citizens.

Link: http://dailycensored.com/2009/10/12/fraud-and-death-trump-citizen-health/

[FiveGoodMen]

1. "he will not tolerate any health care legislation that isn’t deficit neutral."

And he won't support a useless occupation in Afghanistan unless it's deficit neutral, right?

...

Right?

...

Hmm. Priorities. (We're not among them!)

[autorank]

3. Maybe Afghanistan is an "opportunity cost"

You know, if we don't do it we lose certain "opportunities" - like perpetuating our dependence on
dinosaur remains and energy inefficiency.

They don't even bother to do the numbers on the Afghan costs. It just sails through but health,
well that's bot to balance out to the penny. Absurdity upon absurdity.

[autorank]

30. BuzzFlash.net => Buzz it if

Buzz it if you can (great site, worth registering):

http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=1040536 and here too

http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=1040436

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. +1

Hmm. Priorities. (We're not among them!) We were never intended too be . :thumbsup:

[autorank]

7. We treat our pets better than they treat us

And that's one fine pup!

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Isn't that the truth! And thank you.

[autorank]

57. Public Option defined

(Based on the current language)

65% of those polled a week ago favored inclusion of a public plan for everyone that would be just like Medicare. The in-crowd of pols doesn't realize that people don't parse words like they do. When they hear public option that hear it in standard English, not the in-crowd meaning:

public option (noun) def. A plan for only those without insurance that may or may not be available in your state or any state and that won't be available, in any case, for four years, if ever; the level of benefits and the duration of which are contingent on not one dime added to the national deficit as the result of said public option.

Etymology: Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, 2009

[Orwellian_Ghost]

58. Good stuff

We should start an Ambrosian devil's dictionary of neo-liberal phraseology.

[omega minimo]

2. Thank you for connecting the dots.

... the picture appears to be the one Eisenhower tried to draw, warning us.......







from the article:

The federal government has committed $23 trillion dollars to prop up Wall Street's failed financial institutions. That's a fantasy figure and clearly deficit-friendly since it's twice the 2008 Gross Domestic Product of the United States.

On Tuesday of this week a smaller amount was offered up for the 2010 expenditures on the Iraq war and the expanded efforts in Afghanistan. The $128 billion was approved without a Congressional Budget Office analysis (note the absence of a link for "CBO Cost Estimates"). Since we're already over budget for 2010, this is also in the deficit column.

It's all right to run huge deficits to bailout Wall Street crooks and to wage deadly wars but it's not all right to even think about a deficit when it comes to preserving the health and lives of citizens.

The second absurdity concerns priorities. A rational approach to national policy would place citizen health care well above both Wall Street welfare and endless wars on any list of priorities. But that wouldn't do much good with the current legislative approach.

[autorank]

6. Dots R Us

It's amazing isn't it. I need to be fair though. The federal child health care program is funded, in part, through an increased tobacco tax. I'm sure there are plenty of smokers on Wall Street and in the defense biz who are contributing to health care. That's their sacrifice.

[gratuitous]

5. They're a conscientious bunch in DC

The mere possibility of fraud is enough to scuttle legislation in favor of the hoi polloi. What if some low-life in East Sheboygan chisels the federal treasury out of a couple thousand dollars in not-totally-necessary health care? Actual, real, documentable fraud running in the billions of dollars is excusable, however, as long as the money is being poured into the overstuffed pockets of defense contractors.

Gnats must be scrupulously strained out of the process, the better to swallow camels.

[autorank]

11. Fraud is best contained by punishment

That's what Medicare does. They nailed Bill Frist's HCA for $1.8 bil for Medicare fraud. That sends
a message. People try but the "federal" part of the crime is scary. Medicare, unlike private insurance,
does not meddle with physician care. It's the payer and lets the doctor and citizen decide. What a
concept.

Weiner is on board and has a single payer amendment linked in the main article (at the bottom of the
Daily Censored piece).

[maryf]

49. Yep, call your reps to vote for Weiner's amendment...this week!!

It's due to be voted on...

[debbierlus]

8. Amen

[autorank]

17. Amjazing isn't it!

[ihavenobias]

9. Nice contrast.

It's true, there is always money for bailouts (and war), but not for healthcare.

[autorank]

12. "We are nothing to them."

I said that once, and I'll say it again. They simply don't care. Rather shoot it out in the Wild
East and give a bunch of failures money to cover up their crimes. It is getting a bit old.

Keep up the good work!

[BeHereNow]

13. You rock Michael.

But then you already know I think that about you.

BHN :hi:

[autorank]

16. !

Likewise!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BeHereNow]

14. K&R n/t (Because you said it all MC)

bhn

[autorank]

15. Thank you

It's all there, so obvious too. They don't even care enough about us to tell us a good lie;)

What did Al Pacino say in "Dog Day Afternoon" - (censored)

:hi:

[Me.]

18. The Damage A Healthy, Plump, Breast Fed Baby Can Do

It's kids like that that can push the boundaries of health care. They're the reason we're in trouble. Just think of how much a happy, healthy baby will cost us in the future. How dare those irresponsible parents raise a baby like that!

They're almost as bad as women who have the pre-existing condition of being beaten nearly to death.

If we drop all risky people, those who dare to get sick and expect treatment, we wouldn't be in this bind and those poor people in DC wouldn't have to strain their craniums to the point of nearly giving themselves tumors. Thank goodness they have the best health care in the world, I'm sure it must be deficit neutral.

[autorank]

19. That was a swift response

People muck up the works. We could reduce health care to zero without them. Maybe it will end
up with DNA defined "healthy" bio units who never get sick and, should that happen, never complain.

:)

[Me.]

22. You Know How The DC Hucksters Hate Complainers

We're hungry, cold, so sick we're dying are such inconveniences to a bank account.

[autorank]

23. What's next? Soylent Green. We're next with a bitter after taste

[DemReadingDU]

20. It's all about keeping the status quo

for the wealthy, politicians, lobbyists, big business.

The thing with health care reform, is that it won't take effect for 3 years! They should pass 'Medicare for All', now. If people don't want it in 3 years, they don't have to take it.

[autorank]

24. Right, how about that 3 years

It was in the president's speech but 4 years then. We're creeping toward reality.

The Weiner Amendment will put it on the line. I don't see much chance of it passing but
it gives the reality-based members a chance to go on record before they have to hold their
nose.

The current approach is indefensible and nobody seems to try much.

:hi:

[truedelphi]

36. I just saw Congressman Weiner on the Maddow show.

Didn't know who he was or what he was about till just now.

Between him and your wonderful truthful words, and the fun and intelligent comments from the many MC supporters, I feel a bit better right now.

Sort of good to know that if I am living on "Planet Unreality" for wanting

Universal Single Payer Health Care For All NOW!!

That I am certainly not on the Planet all by myself.

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. Good work, Mike. Puts it nicely in perspective. Joe Bageant was on a roll recently on his blog,

but today's star, it seems to me, is the woman who wrote the letter he's just published. Perhaps you've already read it.

http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2009/10/corporations-government.html

More specific to Obama, is this article in the Guardian, which seems balanced and insightful:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/12/barack-obama-progressive-race

I've noticed, Obama sometimes plays to his gallery, their gallery, the Capitol Hill gallery, taking the flak from the public for what sounds worse than DINOish behaviour, but after a while, he attempts to do what the pblic always wanted. Who knows if this is an instance? If so, it's too scarey a way to carry on, in any event, in relation to a subject as vital as this is to the people of the country. This is not a good time to act incrementally and by indirections. We can but hope.

[autorank]

42. Got lost in the Bageant site

Thanks so much.

From the Daily Censored piece:

"But if you’ve got cancer, diabetes, Lyme disease or any other medical condition and you can’t afford to pay for it, tough luck; neither can the Obama administrations or the 111th Congress. Helping you might mean giving up Wall Street welfare and endless wars. Even worse, it might cause a deficit.

"We can view our suffering as a sacrifice for the greater good of a balanced budget, kleptocracy by the elite and endless war."

That's how our government treats us over here. Even dear Gordon would never suggest such a thing.

[malaise]

25. Must read

The truth is painful

[autorank]

26. Thanks!!! It's a path to reality

The shame about all of this is that the public is THERE! Really there.

65% in a recent survey found that 65% favored a universal "Medicare-like" plan. How much better can it get?

If they fail to act fully, then there will be Hell to pay. I'm glad that Weiner, Kucinich, Sanders,
Conyers and others in the party are on the record. It's all that will provide an option.

People are really hurting.

[blindpig]

43. Hell to pay

Well, that's gonna require some hell raisers, ain't it?

Gird yer loins, the game is afoot.

k&r

[Orwellian_Ghost]

27. K&R

This should stay up for a few days.

:toast:

[autorank]

41. It should indeed. Tuesday is the day they commit fraud on the Hill

I'm referring to this: "The Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday morning on an $829 billion health care reform bill, giving Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) extra time to shore up wavering votes.

"Baucus must also pay attention to Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) who represents a conservative state that turned in a strong vote against Obama during the 2008 presidential election. Lincoln faces a challenging reelection next year, when her vote on healthcare is expected to become a major campaign issue."

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/62207-finance-vote-on-healthcare-scheduled-for-tuesday

The Hill is full of it though. If Lincoln voted the will of the people of Arkansas, she'd be
a strong supporter of a "public option" which most people think of as an option for ANYONE to
get a Medicare-like program.

Favor Oppose Not Sure
All -- 55 -- 38 -- 7
Dem -- 81 -- 14 -- 5
Rep -- 22 -- 71 -- 7
Ind -- 56 -- 34 -- 10
http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/09/poll-itics-arkansas-is-pro-public.html

So 55% of Arkansans favor the public option and according to The Hill it's a "conservativ state" and
the vote aye will cause trouble in the election.

With whom? The people who fix it?

:toast:

[stevedeshazer]

28. Excellent, K & R!

Great article.

:scared:

[autorank]

29. Thanks Steve

Time for a little truth from the inside the Beltway crowd.

We don't have time and public and individual health problems don't stop just so the leaders
can get their actd together.

It is a solvable problem so here's the deal - every member of Congress and the administration need
to give up their health insurance until they come up with a solution. That would be a good Zogby
question;)

:hi:

[autorank]

51. .

:kick:

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Well he does know where his bread is buttered, and it ain't us

He is also doing very well as Caesar not President. Oh and I hold no illusions. Our Democratic Caesars are better than the Republican ones, but Empire needs to be served and serviced.

[autorank]

32. We need Julian n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Mind you, when we talk this way

it makes a lot of folks nervous.

Oh the end of the US Dollar as reserve Currency will hasten the end, if we are not there by 2018.

What can I say? Perhaps then Muricans will start doing their republican duties, assuming the country survives.

[autorank]

38. Yes, but not nearly as nervous as we get when we hear the "Empire Talk"

Our exceptional burden and all that. We're in a war for the soul of the country that's being fought
in Honduras, the Middle East and South Asia and managed remotely by the minions in the corporate
media, serving their masters well. We've created a filthy environment which makes us sick and the
lords and masters don't think it is worth it to give us a little health care. Imagine that for a
moment? What does that make them?

[riderinthestorm]

34. I'm tired and this is my last thread for the night but not too tired to K and R. nt

Excellent, and I completely agree.

[autorank]

35. Thanks - bountiful dreams!!!

[puebloknot]

37. Kick for life -- the life of this excellent article, and the lives of We the People! nt

[autorank]

40. Which reminds me

They're back because they were right. De-Evolution is a fact.
"We are men. We are Devo."

[autorank]

39. AM kick

:kick:

[Orwellian_Ghost]

44. Bump

[formercia]

45. What ever happened to protecting the people?

Disease, ignorance, apathy and greed kill more US citizens than any terrorists could ever dream of.

[autorank]

56. We'll see with Rockefeller

His version of a public option might be what we really need - a Medicare like plan that people can pick instead of what they've got. That would be the berries. If that's not the case then its a sound and fury signifying nothing. I'll suspend my cynicism until I call Rocky's office. Let's hope.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

46. I wish I could reccomend this 100 times

The reality of our political system is literally "shameful".

[autorank]

47. It's not getting any better

And they don't seem to get it. The insurance company survey promising 110% rate increases if the
bill goes through is a real slap in the face. Following up on their lobbyists starting the whole
town hall nightmare movement, I'd say they "don't play well with others."

Time for a frontal assault on these folks with single payer! Let them do what they should, the
right thing, go out of business!

:hi:

[Orwellian_Ghost]

48. Kicking this article

[maryf]

50. Sorry I couldn't rec this...

HR676 would save the country 400 billion a year in admin costs alone...is that close enough to deficit neutral????

[autorank]

52. Glad you showed up!!!

This is the third rail of U.S. politics. They've built up the anticipation to a fever pitch, they
just don't know it. It's going to be a great advance anyway it comes out. Most people see the
public option as Medicare for anyone who chooses. That's not the intent. In fact the cynicism is
robust on Capitol Hill in the way the term is used. Doesn't matter. That's what we need. It makes
sense, and it's affordable - single payer, Medicare replica for everyone. If we get it, very unlikely,
then fine. If we get half a glass with all sorts of restrictions (as I discussed), then the pols
will have to deal with us and we're not a happy bunch on this issue. If they do nothing, well its
still good because people will be even more adamant. The Genie is out of the bottle and any elected
official needs to know it can't be put back again.

It's coming and that's no "hope."

[maryf]

55. The other two rails of jobs and housing will be charged

by this movement, maybe we can eventually derail the military/corporate locomotive...
Thanks for your articles, reality contains the grains of true hope... :)

[Vidar]

53. Great piece!

[autorank]

54. THNX!!!! Great cause!

[WeCanWorkItOut]

59. They intend to cut deeply into Medicare, please don't forget that

I'm all in favor of deficit-neutrality, since too much money for health
means less money for education, less for decent vacations,
it means higher taxes and elderly being pushed out of their homes,
higher prices for imported oil, etc.

Of course you're right, they should have thought of the deficit
before they bailed out Goldman Sachs.

Worse yet, they have chosen very ugly means to reduce health costs.
Just take it from Medicare patients, who already
may have a hard time getting decent care.
Just jack up the price of wheelchairs and dentures.
And make no effort to cope with the obesity crisis,
with Americans' ignorance of health,
with all the monopoly power of doctors' groups and
pharmaceutical companies.

(One point: I don't believe Medicare spends enough on punishing fraud.
And Medicare was too generous about paying doctors
for the CAT scans they ordered partly out of bias, since
they profited from the imaging centers.)