Put Up Or Shut Up – More Of This Please
Anthony Weiner (D-NY) hits it out of the park by double-daring Republicans to back up their trash talk about government run health care… by voting on eliminating medicare.
It’s about time someone called them out. Make them put their vote where their mouth is – if they dare. It’s quite a dilemma for the GOP, and I wonder how they’ll reconcile all their anti-government health care screeds with one of their largest voting blocs – the over 65, medicare crowd. My guess is they’ll suddenly start saying things like, “Well, Medicare isn’t really government health care.”
And it’s incredibly annoying that statements like Government run health care will kill old people receive attention when the true message is Republicans want to end Medicare.
Hats off to Anthony Weiner! My new favorite Congressmen.
Tags: Congress, Health Care, Medicare
That was great! Yes, I’m getting a bit tired of hearing Republicans bash “government-run healthcare” but Medicare and the V.A. system are o.k. That’s what we’ve been saying – we already have successful examples of government-run systems, and one is a single-payer system. Rachel Maddow is right, the fight now is between the coporate powers and the people.
Yes, Kudos to Truthteller Rep. Weiner!!!
then those old people will really need some death counseling!
It’s just so refreshing to hear someone call out the nonsense. And the GOP should have to make a stand for or against Medicare… and Social Security.
Kudos to Rep. Weiner! Wonder if we could get him to knock some heads in the Senate?
And this is definitely the model — we need way more Dems out there calling out the hypocrisy and the lies on this since apparently the liberal media is not up to the task.
What infuriates me about the Dems is that calling out this hypocrisy is not difficult. Every Dem should be hammering the point that it’s hardly surprising Rs are against government health care since – given a chance – they’d eliminate Medicare and Social Security. Then Rs would have to either come out and support “socialist” programs or… lose the senior vote.
I hope someone uses Weiner’s technique in the Senate to knock some sense into the mushy supposed centrists. They are the people of concern.
Absolutely stupid comment by this Congressman. Typical brain dead liberal. This guy is hypocrite.
Medicare needs serious reform because it is not sustainable in its present form. Medicare pays providers (hospitals/Dr’s) less and covers a small part of America by making every one else pay for it.
You can be 100% certain this loudmouth will not be leaving his gold plated care for the public option.
How does this mental midget of a Congressman propose to fix a program which has five times the unfunded liability if social security.
Tax the rich I am sure.
Mike Protack
It’s pretty rich that Mr. Shallow Bench would actually accuse someone else of being brain dead, yes?
Yes!
Yes, and he is badly misinformed as usual.
Protack: “Medicare needs serious reform because it is not sustainable in its present form.”
Obama is the first in either party to voice the need to reform Medicare and begin to act on it. As I understand it, Medicare reform happens to be a part of this health insurance reform bill, to make adjustments to the fees paid to service providers, and to negotiate drug prices with big Pharma.
I have a very good friend who remembers well when he went to and was treated by government socialized medicine. In the 1940’s Blue Cross was a Non Profit corporation that was Government regulated. During World War II, those who were not in one of the services, were working in the defense factories or supporting industries; and the vast majority of those Americans were covered by Blue Cross.
Those who were not covered by reason of age or other preventive factors had the availability of government funded clinics. The clinics provided the necessary care at hospitals and neighbor hood locations. Depending on your illness you went or were sent to the proper location.
Yes at one time the United States did have government health care that worked very well. Unfortunately it was disassembled over the decades. Those who want to rant and rave that they don’t want socialized “Obamacare” have no idea of their own history. They are truly a sad lot indeed just full of private health care CEO’s propaganda.
By the 1950’s manufactured goods started coming in from Japan. For the corporations, they were less expensive to build they had no unions, health care, no taxes, etc to pay for or manage. Just like Communist China today, our manufacturing industries are gone to the Fareast. I spent my youth in the service because we had to stop communism everywhere….but I guess it is OK if the fortune 500 corporations can use it to lower the standard of living the U.S. for the working class.
The rest is history we lost our manufacturing base while our insurance and service cost escalated out of control. Insurance companies invested money in all areas with complete immunity to loss. If a stock dropped they just raised our insurance rates to cover it.
Greed soon got involved and it escalated out of control. Corporate bonuses, jets, foreign trips, gifts to politicians, donations to PAC’s and PRESTO we lost our economy, our government and our national dignity.
Now we have an opportunity to get back honest regulations in all the above factors. Not only health care but all insurances, manufacturing, transportation, investments, banking etc.
So in conclusion, “Common Sense” laws are NOT Socialism. They are regulations that provide for the public good. While providing for domestic tranquility and assuring the public welfare, as defined by law rather than a handout to lazy citizens.
Good post Jonathan. It’s good to have some modern historical perspective given, providing a little more understanding of the evolution we have undergone to those who forgot or never knew!
In my early 20’s in the 50’s, while in the service, I had total medical care including a major surgical procedure, and dental care, at no cost of course.
In the late 60’s, under private insurance through my company, we had both daughters, one with significant complications, at a cost only of the telephone in the hospital room. In those days, newborns and moms stayed in the hospital for three days minimum. In the meantime, what has happened to this great medical care?
Great maneuver here by Weiner. I loved it, because it brought out the truth re Medicare, that even Republicans support it though will never admit it rhetorically. What a bunch of phonies, Protack included!
Cong. Anthony Weiner offered an amendment which essentially replaces the “public option” bill HR 3200
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/hr3200_summary.pdf
with a single-payer plan.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090731/hr3200_weiner_1.pdf
Chairman Waxman said Pelosi agreed to allow Weiner’s amendment to voted on by the entire house, if he agreed to withdraw it from a committee vote.
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2009/08/01