The Five Biggest Lies in the Health Care Debate

The intellectual dishonesty from all branches/both parties poisons the public trust in any health care reform.

SS/Medicare Trust contain no real value, only special Bonds. Determining the Trust balances, the Gov considers both public trx-actions and intra-Gov trx-fers. Whether an Entitlement contributes to the deficit, consider the public trx-actions. Ex.FY94 the SS Trust took in $335B in SStax and spent $317.6B in benefits. Results: a real surplus of $17.4B. However, when intra-Gov interest and contributions trx-fers are included, the SS Trust had a surplus of $56.8B. The Gov then issued to itself $56.8B in bonds for that Trust. The real surplus, $17.4B, was used in other expenditures in the annual budget. The problem: spending the actual cash surplus on general expenditures while writing you an IOU does not constitute a meaningful investment.
In the future more will be spent on Medicare/SS than is taken in. Reason should say we should be able to tap into our surplus Trust with the shortfall. If our Trusts had real value this would be true, but they just contain IOUs and are thus worthless, they spent the money. Our leaders do a disservice with this deception.

Revenue from premiums is the driver for natl. health insurance.

I was a registered Republican for many years and hadn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate between JFK and Gore. I really didn't identify with Al Gore but actually feared George W. Bush's drastic sociopathic personality. While I believe the Republican philosophies that 'the least amount of government is the best government' and that 'government should only do for the people that which they can't do for themselves', I have even stronger convictions supporting the necessity for honesty and that government has a real responsibility to do for the people that which they can't do for themselves. The Republican Party has been steadily moving away from those last two values, possibly starting with Nixon and definitely increased with Reagan's success and then culminated in Bush-Cheney being the worst presidency ever. Even now there can be no doubt that there is a large segment of the Republican Party that, as was the case with Bush-Cheney, are arrogantly and stubbornly focused on benefiting Special Interests and a select few, who use their power, influence and wealth to provide overt and covert support, substantial contributions and promises for after office compensation, all while the majority (95+%) are given only apathy, the costs and an abundance of subterfuge. All of the dire circumstances we are currently enduring can easily be seen as naturally progressing from this irresponsible stance. I for one would really like to see the return of the 'grand ole party' with their moderately conservative focus on benefiting the people, honestly all of the people, but it seems obvious that the only way that will ever happen is for the people to reject what they have become. If the people can literally resist the aggressive and deceptive appeals to their biases, prejudices and emotions, used to manipulate them, and instead be objective and rational in refusing to support what amounts to 'just cutting off our nose to spite your face', then likely the Republicans will have to abandon their loyalty to the few and once again conscientiously support the interests of the many. One can only hope!

I am against run-away big government as much as anyone but when having to choose between big government and accepting government being focused on benefiting only Special Interests and a select few, history has clearly shown that the majority (95+%) loose far more when the focus is on benefiting the few. When the voters become deceptively led by appeals to their biases, the scare tactics aimed at their prejudices and / or the subterfuge designed to excite their emotions, with the result being that they then choose to support placating and patronizing the interests of the influential, powerful and wealthy few, then the majority looses big time (reference 2000 - 2008). Currently we actually need some liberal efforts to regain balance after the drastic abuses that have allowed financial disaster with excessive deregulation, crumbling infrastructure with irresponsible neglect, unchecked Global Warming with the dishonest favoring of business interests, lost jobs and taxes with the concentration on what big businesses want, degraded quality of education and on and on always with the total focus having been on placating and patronizing the few. Even taxes are relative as those struggling to get ahead, are out of work or are worried about loosing their jobs will attest; again only the few who control the big money would object to a modest tax increase in a resulting strong economy. It isn't pure and simple nor is it without imperfections (needing fine tuning*) but it is really an easy decision when one can be truly objective and rational, refusing to be manipulated like sheep, and just determine where the quality and gain is and also recognizing when apathy, the costs and the abundance of subterfuge is all that is intended to be given to the majority. It really is a 'no brainier' after putting aside the biases, prejudices and emotions used to manipulate and then avoiding self-inflected negatives incurred when falling prey to the manipulation.
* When programs are fined tuned with responsible bipartisanship they benefit everyone; when they are killed with self-serving obstructionism they benefit only the few.

None of these "lies" are particularly relevant. The critical factor is that Obama's promise to provide healthcare for all Americans has been eroded. What we now have is a plan to cut healthcare costs. This overtly minor change in the raison d'etre for healthcare reform (which I find typical of Obama's entire presidency) ensues in a bill that includes the fact that some Americans will be forced to buy healthcare for themselves. The assumption here must be that people simply aren't bothering to buy insurance -- a reason similar to denying bankruptcy of educational loans -- e.g., they, among all people, are uniquely dishonest or irresponsible. Of course, none of this nonsense is true. Those who will not have healthcare under the new law will mainly be lower middle class, precisely the ones who cannot afford it. In all this, the private insurance companies will be the ones who will, as always, make out like bandits (losses of forced effficiencies will pale in comparison to massively increased volume). The man I voted for has turned out to be a "boy" for investment bankers, automotive manufacturors, and now private insurance companies. This hired "boy" has done nothing for people of color, for the disempowered, for the poor, for students overwhelmed by debts, in short, for anyone typically represented by the democrats. With this healthcare plan he has become the abomination for all in need in America..

It would take a great stretch of imagination to attribute conservative motivation as behind all that Bush-Cheney did; their obvious concentration on benefit for Special Interests and a select few, no matter what the cost to everyone else, was in no way conscience driven conservatism. They were plainly and simply irresponsibly and boldly, even ???in your face??? arrogantly, placating and patronizing those who would take care of them and it cost all of us (95+%) greatly. They actually were using their offices and America???s resources in the pursuit of their private agenda for the benefit of a few, who returned overt and covert support, substantial contributions and promises for after office compensation, all while the majority was given apathy, the costs and an abundance of subterfuge. It isn???t the intent to prosecute their wrongs here but rather to clearly identify their purpose, which was totally, aggressively and stubbornly supported by the Republican Party, and to point out the problems with accepting ???conservatism??? as a deceptive smokescreen for self-serving actions. Now, with the likes of Sarah Palin, Jon Kyl, Michael Steele, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, John McCain and others, we see the same arrogant, aggressive and belligerent demeanor being used to attack without any real interest in constructive compromise for responsible resolutions. There even seems a personality criterion demanding they be obnoxious, arrogant, dishonest and stubborn without conscience, and just prolific with the BS, closely matching the Bush, Cheney and Rove sociopathic performances. We really can???t withstand any continuation of ???more of the same???. If they can???t honestly and responsibly seek to negotiate constructive benefit, equitably for the majority, their destructive self-serving behavior should be identified and they should quickly be rejected.

I see these postings that go on and on, screen after screen, after screen, literally on and on with back-n-forth chest pounding bantering and I get this image of narcissistic individuals sitting there staring at their screen and smiling at their own reflections and I just wonder if they really believe that other people actually value reading their regurgitations, on and on. There are obvious reasons why debates don't allow that stuff and the same could apply here. I simply wonder why they just don't exchange email addresses and go direct. Theirs' just isn't my style, in fact, I find all of that kind of silly. I personally only post because after reading and/or hearing the news I feel something in particular should be said and then that these political web sites are the place to say it ... and then to move on. I fully realize that some will totally disagree with whatever I say, while others will mostly agree and that is fine with me. I also imagine that there will be some who are actually prompted to think and then to form their own opinions and that simply seems worthwhile. Now all of this is just my opinion, not necessarily right or wrong, just an individual opinion. And that too is okay, ... as if it actually matters. Oh well, to each their own.

Today it seems quite common for dishonesty to be accepted wherever it can be rationalized as serving people's personal interests. The problems with that should be obvious but, like in politics, the rationalizing has just become too easy. George W. Bush's sociopathic personality, including his gross dishonesty, arrogance and lack of any conscience, should have been quickly recognized but instead the subterfuge was accepted and the costly problems then occurred. Now those same people who so strongly backed and aggressively supported Bush are trying to have their way once again. Should they once more be successful in grooming and selling the public the likes of Sarah Palin, Jon Kyl or any other of their 'puppets in waiting', who again have no conscience and are totally motivated by self-interests making them ideal for Special Interests and the select few to control, we may then just be in for 'more of the same'. Even the drastic efforts to be obstructionists, protecting their excessive financial advantages, reek of gross dishonesty aimed to manipulate public opinion. If the people can't be conscientious themselves, putting aside their biases, prejudices and emotional attachments to be honestly objective and rational, and instead once again buy into the deceptive efforts, the scare tactics and the manipulative appeals, then we shouldn't expect anything other than 'more of the same'! BS just stinks and recognizing the bull's presence, before stepping in it, should be fair warning!

There is no such thing as 'competitiion' with the Government against Insurance Companies.
The Government has NO incentive to break even like a private company does.
The Government does a horrible job of providing services efficiently.
Look at the Post Office.

The bazaar and emotionally extreme antics of those protesting Health Care Reform continually demonstrates a total disregard for reality and a gross eagerness to twist the facts and rather just displays a 'pawn' like loyalty to the interests of a few. Yes, things need to be fine tuned but theirs is an obstructionist mentality that seeks to maintain the status quo of a failing system that drastically impacts so much. This once again documents how the Republicans have come to be 'puppets' for the benefit of Special Interests and a select few without any sincere regard for the majority (95+%). After Bush-Cheney and the severe problems experienced with their arrogant irresponsibility it would seem only reasonable to expect that they should abandon that blind fixation. Next they will want to protest financial reform, then political reform, then energy and environmental, education, infrastructure and on and on always just to protect the financial status of a few, no matter what the real costs to the country (as we literally saw with Bush-Cheney).

Racism? Is it really racism or just another example of aggressive exploitation and political publicizing of a few peoples' emotions? Is the truth, as we have seen repeated so many times, that there are those who exploit emotional biases for the purpose of furthering their political and personal ambitions or do the few that have such strong racial biases truly reflect all of our racial sentiments? I personally feel that it is just another demonstration, that isn't worth attention, of the obnoxious and desperate efforts of just a few aimed to disqualify and distract from the quality efforts of our president's efforts to address the many and severe problems he has inherited. How can they sincerely find fault when recent history and even their current focus demonstrates nothing but their gross dishonesty, arrogant irresponsibility and total disregard for the average American's interests, resulting in very measurable losses to all of us. The president's efforts obviously need to be fine tuned with bipartisan cooperation but what we have now is Republican resistance to everything in their obnoxious irresponsible and dishonest aggressive efforts to discredit everything and their intention only to block the president regardless of the costs to the country, with the people only standing to drastically loose more. We really need to face reality, to put aside our biases and prejudices, to be rational and objective in seeing reality and to simply refuse to be 'puppets', simply refusing to be led and manipulated as has happened in the past, and rather to see that our own best interests can be served by someone who, some may find it hard to accept, honestly and aggressively is attacking the problems. We shouldn't let racism be the smokescreen that allows the problems to continue.

Tort reform is a Republican lie. Why do they want to penalize the victim with restrictions (is that legal, no)? It's like softening the enforcement of good medicine.

If you want good medicine, and lower insurance. Then a direct approach would be better. Restrict the insurance companies. I the doctor has no lawsuits on his record and he adheres to good medicine, the government controls the insurance cost. But once the doctor breaks with the laws, then the insurance company can have a review and decide for themselves if the insurance cost will stay low.

The government should not lower the cost for bad doctors.

Actually, to be more precise, how did he lie?

The current Health Care Reform is really only the first of the many drastically needed reforms: Health Care; Financial; Political; Energy & Environmental; Education; Infrastructure; Law Enforcement & Judicial; and more all have deteriorated to critical stages. It really hasn't been the fault of just one administration or even of just one political party as the decline has occurred over decades with several administrations and both parties neglecting their responsibilities and instead just giving in to the influence of the power and money of the few. The Bush-Cheney administration's total and arrogant ('in your face') concentration on benefiting Special Interests and a select few, while giving the majority (95+%) only apathy, the costs and an abundance of subterfuge, obviously quickly brought everything to crisis point but no one else in recent history has ever made any significant effort to confront the progressing problems or to change things. Even now, after stubbornly and totally backing the Bush-Cheney irresponsibility, the Republican Party is still without any conscience aggressively trying to block any change and to continue with 'more of the same' to satisfy their powerful, influential and wealthy supporters. The deception and dishonesty for selfish gain continues without pause and without any sincere thought for the people. The problems are drastic and the status has gone beyond critical and now to allow ourselves to be manipulated by the creative appeals to biases, prejudices, emotional attachments or even to racism or Christian values, when all are just aimed to deceive, to ignore and to distract from the drastic problems, is to be blindly/ignorantly co-responsible. Barack Obama, with our personal preferences being immaterial, is literally the first president to clearly identify the problems and to honestly be willing to attack them. If we are not for him, or worse if we would be against him and supportive of those who are trying to 'cut his legs out from under him', then we each are part of the problem, part of the perpetuation of the problems. This country really can't withstand continuing with 'more of the same' and the people honestly and objectively seeing that while refusing to be manipulated is the only hope.