Comments on: Perriello’s Health Care Town Hall: Fear and Respect in VA-5

By: hankbostwick

hankbostwick — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:07:43 +0000

I hate to throw a wet-rag on the love fest. Yes, Mr. Perriello was extremely cool under pressure this weekend. But he has backtracked on his campaign pledge to help Congress pass meaningful and progressive health care reform. I understand as a resident of SWVA that Mr. Perriello must walk a fine line. He joined the NRA is asking Mr. Obama not to reauthorize the assault weapons ban and voted against the President’s budget which provided immediate funding for alternative energy, etc. This weekend he told a crowd in Bedford, Virginia, that he is “leaning against voting for” the Obama/House health care measures.

If you don’t mind the link in this comment thread, please check out what is really going on in SWVA:

http://starcityharbinger.com/2.....alth-care/

By: piniella

piniella — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:45:45 +0000

Hannity and Limbaugh will repeat that IBD agit-prop and many of their listeners will take it as a solid fact.

By: piniella

piniella — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:41:41 +0000

Do they really not understand that Medicare and Social Security are government programs

A few don’t.

Similarly, Zaid Jilani at Think Progress found this nugget in a WaPo article:

In other pockets of the state, the reaction to Democratic proposals has been strong, too. At a recent town-hall meeting in suburban Simpsonville, a man stood up and told Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.”

“I had to politely explain that, ‘Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,’ ” Inglis recalled. “But he wasn’t having any of it.”

By: unionave

unionave — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:18:17 +0000

We have all had a lesson in government thanks to President Obama . Over the past 6 months he has shown us how Washington works and who pulls the strings . He hasn’t pointed at any thing in particular but he has pushed a few buttons that spot lighted some hidden areas . The degree to which the lobbyist control our government lately has been a revelation . Also their ability to control the thinking of many Americans . The real wakeup call is that many Americans do not investigate beyond what they hear on the radio or via TV .

By: MarkH

MarkH — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:16:32 +0000

In the case of postage delivery the USPS existed BEFORE the private firms. They STILL started up and have done well. Of course it’s not identical to the health care insurance situation because the USPS delivers all kinds of things and the private firms mostly deliver packages.

By: MarkH

MarkH — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:04:48 +0000

Medicaid is being expanded to include more people and the idea is to provide a subsidy to get insurance. I don’t recall whether it specifies in the bill whether that has to be the public option. I don’t think it does. The main idea is just that everyone should get insurance and that the poorer among us get a Medicaid subsidy to buy insurance.

I don’t know whether that means the subsidy is a separate thing on top of (added to) what is currently received or if it just means that more people would be eligible to receive assistance.

By: Mauimom

Mauimom — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:33:39 +0000

It is astonishing how many selfish Americans want what they want NOW, even at the expense of someone else’s life?I don’t remember when this started, but it has to stop. NOW

It started with Ronald Reagan and his whole “welfare queens are stealing your tax dollars.”

I.e., tax dollars only go to bad things, so we should just lower taxes and let you keep “your” money.

“The government IS the problem.”

By: shell

shell — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:08:23 +0000

There is no — read: 0 — reason why this country should not provide health care for ALL Americans. And I mean ALL. Not 75%, not 90% — ALL of them.

Forget everything else — the “best” country in the history of time (politicians love to say this) can’t make sure all their citizens have health care?

Who f-ing cares if you have to pay for your own face lift? Who f-ing cares if you have to wait 6 months for a non-emergency surgery? It is astonishing how many selfish Americans want what they want NOW, even at the expense of someone else’s life? I don’t remember when this started, but it has to stop. NOW.

By: jakebob

jakebob — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:22:26 +0000

I guess I’m experiencing the flip-side — hope for change / what could be worse than the road we’ve been on? After 6 years of NO health insurance, I’m eager to see what kind of “public option” we can get.

NOTE: having lots of success heading-off rants on “socialized medicine” among my neighbors, by observing that “yep. gummint-provided healthcare is gonna put all the private insurers outta biz, just like the postal service has destroyed UPS and FedX. Right?” cue crickets!

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:30:19 +0000

There is certainly a vein running through all this of “don’t create any new government benefits — ’cause I’ll need some in a minute myself, and there just can’t be enough for everyone.” And with zero questioning of the self-privilege inherent in that position. Ironically, these are very likely the exact same people complaining loudest about entitlements…