Posted by Most Americans have heard enough about health care reform that anything the President says tonight will not change their minds, but more importantly will not change some hard facts.
The President indicated that a public option will create competition among health insurance companies, which in turn will lower costs. At least the President understands that competition does lower costs. But the government does not interject competition by offering “free” consumer health services. Simple economics dictates that lower costs are created by companies competing for consumers by setting lower prices.
In a public option scenario, the government will make the rules, set the price, and expect private insurance companies to compete with them. Private companies will necessarily fail. If the President really wants to encourage competition, he should ask Congress for a bill that permits private insurance companies to compete interstate. This will not only open up choices to the consumer, but will also lower costs.
Another easy way to lower costs is to cap monetary awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. One of the chief complaints of doctors in America is the cost of medical malpractice insurance, which ranges from about $80,000 to $250,000 per year. Lowering costs for doctors – lowers costs for the consumer.
The President also indicated that any legislation he signs will not add money to the deficit. If the government is not planning to print money to pay for the public option, then it will pay by stripping funds from Medicare, Medicaid and by taxing the American people. If the public option moves forward, the tax payers will be collectively paying for other people’s health care. This is precisely why so many Americans are against the public option, because it turns our marked-based health care system into a socialist one.
The people who are protesting the current health care reform proposals are coming out in droves, like no other time in recent history, because they do not want the government in their lives, particularly with respect to their health care. But even with the obvious uprising against the public option, the President and Congressional Democrats will still try to get the darn thing passed.
This is where the President and Congressional Democrats will lose. During the mid-term elections next year, the American people will not forget being insulted, ignored and ostracized by the mostly government controlled media, many Congressional Democrats and even the White House. Be rest assured however, the same people that attended the many town hall meetings and “tea parties” across the nation will be the same people that go to the polls. It is at the ballot box, that our voices will finally and handily be heard.
I have just one question. Does Speaker Pelosi get to keep the jet if she’s not Speaker anymore?
As a long time democrat, come 2010, I will punish my party by voting Republican. I have had it with my party gearing up to take the US into a socialist state.
It will no longer be my party.
What in the hell is going on? I did not vote for Hussien Obama…something about him I did not trust…could be that he never was veted thoroughly….but whatever I disliked his fork
tongue.
And for you democrats who don’t understand what a “fork tongue” person is….simply put a LIAR.
By Jim on Sep 9, 2009
Thanks Raquel, for your (as always!) very articulate article about taxpayers’ concerns and alarm with the current Congress and president, and the importance of the 2010 elections! In late August, the Cook Report predicted that the Democrats would lose 20 House seats in 2010 – see http://www.cookpolitical.com/node/4787 However, the current House Democrats need to be voted out of 39 seats to put that corporate jet at risk! (Not to mention the rest of the Jets for Junkets Congressional scandal!) We have a lot of work ahead. Thanks again Raquel!
Liz Berney, Esq.
By Liz Berney, Esq. on Sep 9, 2009
NY Times reports in mid-August on free health care offered by a non-profit in downtown LA (@ The Forum) for a few days and – surprise, surprise!!! – they were overwhelmed. What happens when Govt pays for all, and everyone needs heart transplants and new hips – like, right away!!!
With Govt care, don’t think twice that people like Congressman Charlie Rangel will be vigorously protesting on the fewer-than-average heart transplants in his district, when evidence of hyper-tension among his constituents demands they SHOULD get above the nation’s average of transplants.
Will be chaotic & budget-busting chaos…PJS
PS Government Option MUST BE STOPPED!
By pete stubben on Sep 9, 2009
Thanks Jim for writing and welcome to the Republican party! This is for you — http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell090809.php3
By Raquel on Sep 9, 2009
Wonderfully well written a concise essay.
The leftist strategy is obviously one of “shock and awe” on the American citizen; they’ll just keep sending one audacious wave of freedom killing proposals our way in a brazen attempt to wear us down.
What they have not thought about is that there are more of us than there are of them. Even as some patriots wear down, others rise up and ad infinitum.
So we have every tool we need to defeat their sorry butts, our lives.
The American people didn’t get to where we were because we were somehow born on third base. We got there one base at at time, one base on ball at a time, and sometimes the occassional blase′ bunt.
The string on the unraveling blanket that is communism and facism is waiting for all of us to just grab a string and patiently begin pulling until there is nothing left for the leftist but the rope to hang themselves with.
By Patricia A Carfagno on Sep 9, 2009
Good point, Raquel. Sadly, we are already living in a fascist state. Benign fascism, but fascism none the less. Our system is largely the same as Mussolini’s. By the way, I’m not sure why it’s common among social democrats to call Hitler’s system “fascism”. Our social democratic system has as much in common with Mussolini’s fascism as Hitler’s national socialism did. All three systems are variants of Bismarck’s state, which Hegel considered to be the culmination of history. Who said academics aren’t crackpots?
By Mitchell Langbert on Sep 9, 2009
@ Jim taking the US to a socialist state!!!!why does that sound familiar ( people said the same thing when social security and medicare were enacted). Don’t forget whatever “socialism” currently in place started with the previous president and treasury secretary so please include republicans in the mix if you want to shout about socialism as I seem to remember some voted on the Bank Bailout.
By reggie on Sep 12, 2009