Rep. Alan Grayson explains Republican Health Care Plan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco
Heath Care Reform Explained -Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Ilc5xK2_E&feature=related
Mitt Romney on Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Obamacare
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIJ38FhEJFA
Young Turks Debunk Romney
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEUjfCEc4g
As you know dear readers I have many close family friends on Facebook who are rather conservative to say the lest.
Several days ago one of them posted the picture above that states "Obamacare Must Go," to which another friend "liked."
I made a comment.
"Why must Obamacare go? You right wingers say this all of the time, but you never say why. Take your time. Think about it carefully, then get back to me and tell why we should stop insuring 30 million Americans who previously could not get health insurance. I'll be waiting."
As of yet I have not received a reply. I hope to soon. Sometimes I just sit in front of my computer which is tuned onto my Facebook page, staring at it with a listless and expectant expression on my ruggedly handsome face, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, for hours and hours, hoping that they will get back to me.
I'll continue to be patient.
It was with great pleasure that I was able to post a few items myself concerning Obamacare on my Facebook page, such as that $1.1 billion in rebates were currently being sent to those insured (the law requires insurers to give out annual rebates by Aug. 1, starting this year, if less than 80 percent of the premium dollars they collect go toward medical care. For insurers covering large employers, the threshold is 85 percent). Annnnd, that beginning last Tuesday (August 1st) eight Obamacare regulations went into effect allowing 47 million women to benefit from guaranteed coverage of preventive services — including contraception coverage — without co-pays. The new rules will require most insurance plans to begin including the services at no additional cost at the next renewal date that falls on or after August 1, according to a news release from the Department of Health and Human Services See graphics above).
I'm not trying to make fun of my friends. I just think they've taken up the Republican mantra without having delved into the actual subject thoroughly. I can't blame them. People have busy lives. Due to the 2007/2008 repression caused by the last Republican administration most people are busy making a living, trying to make ends meet, not have their house foreclosed upon, and don't have a whole hell of a lot of time to spend analyzing problems of a political nature. It's much easier to take the word of those who appear to uphold your personal values and ideals rather than spend the time necessary to investigate the issues independently.
It is the duty of each citizen to be informed of what's going on within the governments for which they vote, whether it be national, state, or local elections. And I'm sure that those who are regular listeners to Rush Limbaugh, let's say, or viewers of the Fox Propaganda Network, feel that by listening to or viewing them they are fulfilling that responsibility. A lot of us don't even do that (it is my position that a large percentage of these people are being fooled because they are being lied to on a regular basis from those they trust in the media, and are manipulated into voting against their own best interest).
My friend Ron votes on a regular basis, or so he says. I've asked him if he stays informed on the issues that he will be voting on and he unabashedly tells me no, that he does not. He says that once he gets in the voting booth the correct choices will magically come to him, possibly through telepathic messages from the planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from.
So it goes.
But back to Obamacare, or actually "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Republicans labeled this act "Obamacare," as a perjoritive term because that's what they do, but President Obama turned the tables on them stating, and I paraphrase, "I don't mind them calling it Obamacare, because I do care!").
The second clip above, ably narrated by journalist Cokie Roberts, does a great job of quickly explaining what "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" does and doesn't do. It's a complicated law with many provisions that take affect at different times. That is possibly the reason that according to national polls the majority of Americans say they disapprove of it, just 34 percent approve of the health care law, according to a CBS News/New York Times Poll released earlier last month, while 48 percent disapprove. Other recent polls also show more oppose the law than support it (however, when asked about individual elements of the Act the American public displays wide support. "A March CBS News/New York Times Poll found 85 percent favor the requirement that insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions, nearly seven in 10 support allowing children under 26 to say on their parents' health plan, and 77 percent back the part of the law that offers discounts to reduce the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, commonly known as the donut hole." - Jennifer De Pinto of CBS News)
Another reason may be that the Republican Noise Machine (media) and Republicans in Congress constantly rally against it, and lie about what it does and does not do, and how much it costs, and how it will affect the nation's economy.
Just saying.
The presumptive Republican Nominee for president, Mitt (Mitt) Romney certainly isn't shy about what he feels are the Acts deficiencies, as he explains in the third clip above, which basically echoes the entire Republican argument against it. I've condensed all of his arguments here:
"Obamacare raises taxes 1/2 trillion, cuts medicare 1/2 trillion, adds trillions to deficit and national debt, 20 million Americans will lose their insurance that they already have, that they like and want to keep. It's a job killer, 3/4 of small businesses surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce said Obamacare will make it less likely for them to hire. And most troubling of all Obamacare puts the federal government between you and your doctor."
I agree, it sounds pretty bad. In fact if I didn't have any other sources of information other than what Romney said, or Fox so-called news, or Limbaugh, I'd want it repealed too probably.
But are any of his arguments true? Now remember, this is Mitt Romney speaking, and as we've learned last Tuesday:
"'Downright Lie': Noun phrase, the noun referring to: A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. 2. Something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture. 3. An inaccurate or false statement. 4. Any statement made by Mitt Romney."
So of course they aren't true. The lovely Ana Kasparian, Desi Doyen, and Jacki Schechner of The Young Turks and Current TV help to debunk Romney's arguments in the fourth clip above, like he would have the power to repeal Obamacare on the first day of his presidency. Or even the second. The president does not have the authority to repeal any laws. So right of the bat Romney starts out with a big fat freaking lie.
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie. It's not a misstatement. He did not misspeak. It's a big fat freaking lie!
Does Obamacare raise taxes by 1/2 of a trillion dollars? Many in the Republican media and members of Congress have stated that Obamacare creates the largest tax increase in the history of the world.
But it doesn't. Surprisingly Romney and the Republicans are lying (graphic above).
It does include a number of tax hikes. The largest tax increase in the law is on high earners, who will see their Medicare payroll taxes increase by 0.9 percentage point and who will also pay a slightly higher rate on investment income. That raises more than $200 billion. There’s also the tax on unusually expensive health insurance plans, which raises $30 billion in the first decade, and much more in the second. There’s a $60 billion tax on insurance companies, so of course the Republicans are outraged at the law, it raises taxes on the rich and insurance companies!
Dear readers, are you going to lose a lot of sleep worrying about rich people and insurance companies being taxed more?
I didn't think so.
I'm not either.
To be continued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco
Heath Care Reform Explained -Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Ilc5xK2_E&feature=related
Mitt Romney on Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Obamacare
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIJ38FhEJFA
Young Turks Debunk Romney
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEUjfCEc4g
As you know dear readers I have many close family friends on Facebook who are rather conservative to say the lest.
Several days ago one of them posted the picture above that states "Obamacare Must Go," to which another friend "liked."
I made a comment.
"Why must Obamacare go? You right wingers say this all of the time, but you never say why. Take your time. Think about it carefully, then get back to me and tell why we should stop insuring 30 million Americans who previously could not get health insurance. I'll be waiting."
As of yet I have not received a reply. I hope to soon. Sometimes I just sit in front of my computer which is tuned onto my Facebook page, staring at it with a listless and expectant expression on my ruggedly handsome face, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, for hours and hours, hoping that they will get back to me.
I'll continue to be patient.
It was with great pleasure that I was able to post a few items myself concerning Obamacare on my Facebook page, such as that $1.1 billion in rebates were currently being sent to those insured (the law requires insurers to give out annual rebates by Aug. 1, starting this year, if less than 80 percent of the premium dollars they collect go toward medical care. For insurers covering large employers, the threshold is 85 percent). Annnnd, that beginning last Tuesday (August 1st) eight Obamacare regulations went into effect allowing 47 million women to benefit from guaranteed coverage of preventive services — including contraception coverage — without co-pays. The new rules will require most insurance plans to begin including the services at no additional cost at the next renewal date that falls on or after August 1, according to a news release from the Department of Health and Human Services See graphics above).
I'm not trying to make fun of my friends. I just think they've taken up the Republican mantra without having delved into the actual subject thoroughly. I can't blame them. People have busy lives. Due to the 2007/2008 repression caused by the last Republican administration most people are busy making a living, trying to make ends meet, not have their house foreclosed upon, and don't have a whole hell of a lot of time to spend analyzing problems of a political nature. It's much easier to take the word of those who appear to uphold your personal values and ideals rather than spend the time necessary to investigate the issues independently.
It is the duty of each citizen to be informed of what's going on within the governments for which they vote, whether it be national, state, or local elections. And I'm sure that those who are regular listeners to Rush Limbaugh, let's say, or viewers of the Fox Propaganda Network, feel that by listening to or viewing them they are fulfilling that responsibility. A lot of us don't even do that (it is my position that a large percentage of these people are being fooled because they are being lied to on a regular basis from those they trust in the media, and are manipulated into voting against their own best interest).
My friend Ron votes on a regular basis, or so he says. I've asked him if he stays informed on the issues that he will be voting on and he unabashedly tells me no, that he does not. He says that once he gets in the voting booth the correct choices will magically come to him, possibly through telepathic messages from the planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from.
So it goes.
But back to Obamacare, or actually "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Republicans labeled this act "Obamacare," as a perjoritive term because that's what they do, but President Obama turned the tables on them stating, and I paraphrase, "I don't mind them calling it Obamacare, because I do care!").
The second clip above, ably narrated by journalist Cokie Roberts, does a great job of quickly explaining what "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" does and doesn't do. It's a complicated law with many provisions that take affect at different times. That is possibly the reason that according to national polls the majority of Americans say they disapprove of it, just 34 percent approve of the health care law, according to a CBS News/New York Times Poll released earlier last month, while 48 percent disapprove. Other recent polls also show more oppose the law than support it (however, when asked about individual elements of the Act the American public displays wide support. "A March CBS News/New York Times Poll found 85 percent favor the requirement that insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions, nearly seven in 10 support allowing children under 26 to say on their parents' health plan, and 77 percent back the part of the law that offers discounts to reduce the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, commonly known as the donut hole." - Jennifer De Pinto of CBS News)
Another reason may be that the Republican Noise Machine (media) and Republicans in Congress constantly rally against it, and lie about what it does and does not do, and how much it costs, and how it will affect the nation's economy.
Just saying.
The presumptive Republican Nominee for president, Mitt (Mitt) Romney certainly isn't shy about what he feels are the Acts deficiencies, as he explains in the third clip above, which basically echoes the entire Republican argument against it. I've condensed all of his arguments here:
"Obamacare raises taxes 1/2 trillion, cuts medicare 1/2 trillion, adds trillions to deficit and national debt, 20 million Americans will lose their insurance that they already have, that they like and want to keep. It's a job killer, 3/4 of small businesses surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce said Obamacare will make it less likely for them to hire. And most troubling of all Obamacare puts the federal government between you and your doctor."
I agree, it sounds pretty bad. In fact if I didn't have any other sources of information other than what Romney said, or Fox so-called news, or Limbaugh, I'd want it repealed too probably.
But are any of his arguments true? Now remember, this is Mitt Romney speaking, and as we've learned last Tuesday:
"'Downright Lie': Noun phrase, the noun referring to: A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. 2. Something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture. 3. An inaccurate or false statement. 4. Any statement made by Mitt Romney."
So of course they aren't true. The lovely Ana Kasparian, Desi Doyen, and Jacki Schechner of The Young Turks and Current TV help to debunk Romney's arguments in the fourth clip above, like he would have the power to repeal Obamacare on the first day of his presidency. Or even the second. The president does not have the authority to repeal any laws. So right of the bat Romney starts out with a big fat freaking lie.
Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie. It's not a misstatement. He did not misspeak. It's a big fat freaking lie!
Does Obamacare raise taxes by 1/2 of a trillion dollars? Many in the Republican media and members of Congress have stated that Obamacare creates the largest tax increase in the history of the world.
But it doesn't. Surprisingly Romney and the Republicans are lying (graphic above).
It does include a number of tax hikes. The largest tax increase in the law is on high earners, who will see their Medicare payroll taxes increase by 0.9 percentage point and who will also pay a slightly higher rate on investment income. That raises more than $200 billion. There’s also the tax on unusually expensive health insurance plans, which raises $30 billion in the first decade, and much more in the second. There’s a $60 billion tax on insurance companies, so of course the Republicans are outraged at the law, it raises taxes on the rich and insurance companies!
Dear readers, are you going to lose a lot of sleep worrying about rich people and insurance companies being taxed more?
I didn't think so.
I'm not either.
To be continued.
No comments:
Post a Comment