Democrats walk a careful line on healthcare

Reporting from Washington - Rep. Rick Boucher is in a tough spot when it comes to overhauling the nation's healthcare system.

[tuckeredout]

Tis number - 47 million - has been thrown around a lot in many stories. It should be the writer's responsibility to spell out who these people are - illegal immigrants? Youth who don't see insurance as a priority? Folks temporarily in between policies, jobs? A little more detail would be helpful...

[Alz]

tuckeredout wrote:

Tis number - 47 million - has been thrown around a lot in many stories. It should be the writer's responsibility to spell out who these people are - illegal immigrants? Youth who don't see insurance as a priority? Folks temporarily in between policies, jobs? A little more detail would be helpful...

The 47 million number is a big lie.

Here's a breakdown:
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/06/47-m...

An excerpt:

• "During her campaign for President, Hillary Clinton admitted in questioning that, of the 47 million, at least 25 percent could afford health insurance but choose not to purchase it (those with a household income of more than $75,000 a year). I believe the number to be slightly higher, closer to 30 percent, but let's use Clinton's number. That's 12 million."

• "Let's count illegal aliens. Believe it or not, illlegals are counted in this number, however, statistical models vary and have ranged from 5 to 12 million. Let's take the middle. 8 million."

• "Then there are those who are already eligible for government programs but not participating. That number is estimated at 12 to 16 million. Let's take 12 million."

• "Another group of people are those who self-fund. These are people with the financial resources to handle high medical claims. That number is estimated at 1 to 2 million. We'll take one for arguments sake."

• "Then there are those who are between jobs. When people are fired or leave a job, they can opt for COBRA (an extension of their health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act, I believe 1996). When electing COBRA coverage, the premium is covered by the member. When someone is between jobs, or have obtained a job and have to wait 90 days for coverage, the government counts you as not having health insurance. That number is estimated at 5 million."

"These are not exact figures, and may vary, but they are pretty widely accepted."

"Add the numbers up and you get 38 million. That leaves 9 million without coverage (although they really do have coverage since the federal government, along with the states, administer medicaid and charity care)."

"So the real number of uninsured is 8-10 million. There are 300 million Americans."

"So we want to break the system because 1 out of 30 people cannot afford coverage. That's absurd."

Just another scheme from liberals to get us to do something (that we wouldn't do if we knew the truth) based on their false information.

Just vote against Liberals/Democrats.

[Just Curious]

Will the Trib publish the nude photos of Obama's sicko perv mother? Google it! She was one ugly broad...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[Bye bye Middle Class]

Six months and the Obama administration is now after the middle class -- didn't take long at all...TAXES and MORE TAXES are on the way.

They lied to all of us. They are your typical tax and spend LIBERALS and they are about to stick their grubby little hands into our wallets to pay for the liberal programs.
The American public needs to wake p and demand that legislators say NO to TAX increases!

All I can say is I TOLD YOU SO!!

[Alz]

Bye bye Middle Class wrote:

Six months and the Obama administration is now after the middle class -- didn't take long at all...TAXES and MORE TAXES are on the way.
They lied to all of us. They are your typical tax and spend LIBERALS and they are about to stick their grubby little hands into our wallets to pay for the liberal programs.
The American public needs to wake p and demand that legislators say NO to TAX increases!
All I can say is I TOLD YOU SO!!

Under Socialism, there is no middle class. Obama and these Modern Liberals/Socialists Democrats are moving us in that direction very quickly.

Many people in the middle class won't be able to stay there because...

• of Obama's attacks on businesses with higher taxes and regulations (so there will be fewer higher paying jobs);

• of Obama's new energy taxes that will make energy (and thus most everything) more expensive;

• of Obama's government run healthcare which will kill of a lot of businesses and a lot of jobs right in the healthcare industry (pharmaceuticals, research, medical devices, etc.).

Basically, there is not one thing I can think of much related to the economy that Obama is doing right.

The out of control spending, the higher taxes and regulations will kill us.

As you say, "Bye Bye Middle Class." It's sad, but more people have to wake up and say no to the Democrats and Obama.

[Clark Kent]

Bye bye Middle Class wrote:

Six months and the Obama administration is now after the middle class -- didn't take long at all...TAXES and MORE TAXES are on the way.
They lied to all of us. They are your typical tax and spend LIBERALS and they are about to stick their grubby little hands into our wallets to pay for the liberal programs.
The American public needs to wake p and demand that legislators say NO to TAX increases!
All I can say is I TOLD YOU SO!!

I respectfully disagree. If you go back and read Obama's speeches and radio interviews, he told people exactly what he wanted to do and how he was going to do it. Perhaps congressional democrats lied, but Obama was quite open and truthful. Voters just didn't listen, instead they were for whatever reason just taken by is speech giving ability. They heard the voice, but not the words.

only when he was called out for what he said or his associations did he backtrack and spin.

If one wants to know where our president stands on things, they can start by researching the czars. I suggest starting with the science czar and the green czar. Hey, is green the new red?

Want to know what Obama's views are on the constitution, research the history of the "progressive movement" or the Bull Moose party. Read about Woodrow Wilson's views on the Constitution. Oh, while doing that, I suggest reading Wilson's views on race as well. Aren't "progressives" grand? what's interesting is so many think these are new ideas.

Anyway, I agree, this is going to be an attack on the middle class, but I personally, heard him say that loud and clear. Seems to me like you got the message as well. But we both must wonder why so many others didn't.

[Alz]

More info on the US Healthcare system...as you can see, it's pretty good (far better than the liberals would allows us to know):

http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba649

[Alz]

A great and funny cartoon on Obama's WelfCare...

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-...

The funniest line is "Seniors are Shovel Ready!"

(BTW, this is a great website. Everyone should look at it a couple times per week... http://directorblue.blogspot.com/ )

[HadEnough]

I can't wait to see how Democrat politicians walk carefully in this state. But then I know how they will walk:

Slick Dick Durbin will only go to impoverished areas or appear at unions where he will have a friendly crowd. He may appear on radio and TV but only in a scripted way that will allow him to put forth his lies about the plan without any real challenges. If he appears before an editorial board, he will make sure that the board is supportive, like the Tribune's.

Senator Burris has already given his vote to whatever the Democrat leadership tells him to do. The guy has no functional brain in his head anymore.

House Democrats will stay in their "safe" zones, and will use automated calls to dictate what they want us to think.

The DNC will pay for television ads showing a worst case scenario, which really doesn't exist in this country.

Obama will lie about what is in the bill that he will sign. Nothing new, he has lied since he became President.

Can't wait for 2010, when the dead will rise to vote Dems out of office, in typical Chicago fashion!

[Jona]

`The article speaks to a free medical clinic opening in a remote area in Virginia - 2700 people flocked to it. It could easily have been Southern Illinois. People flocked to a medical clinic opening - not necessarily because it was a "free clinic". Many areas of Southern Illinois do not have adequate medical care - because doctors won't practice there - not because of healthcare insurance. Illinois is one of the States unkind to their physicians. The liability insurance is outrageous. Without Tort Reform, everyone will be hard pressed to "reform" health care. But, of course, we can't speak of that. Lawyers would be out of jobs.
Does anyone remember that Medicare was estimated to cost?
In 1965 it was $3Billion. Estimated in 1990 -$12Billion. Reality? In 1990 the cost was $107Billion. So what is it that makes Dems and others want to believe THIS is going to be different and the government is telling the truth?
Tell Mr. Durbin and others like him that the insurance companies are NOT funding the resistance. SURPRISE! Some of your constituents are awake and mad as hell. We are vocal and telling you, Mr. Durbin to take this Healthcare Bill and shove it! The American people are speaking - do you hear them?