Did you ever wonder why the "spin doctors" would go out of their way to try and discredit the opinions of real medical doctors? The spin doctors don't know much about the ailments and problems of common peoples, but they sure know how to make up exucuses for the status quo!



Last Call on Reforming Health Reform Bill

The ironic part about calling it Obamacare... is that the White House let the Congress work thru committees.

I think that the antics of both the Senate and the House - Democratic, Republican and those couple of Independents - was not in the best interests of the American people.

There is so much misinformation out there - and it's still being repeated, over and over - ad nauseum.

We need healthcare reform - and this is a good start. For once, could the govt please focus on me and what I am going to get from this bill? I really don't care that those earning more than $250K are going to pay more in medicare.

I do want to know when it takes effect, what it means to my current healthcare insurer, and all the personal things.

I am sick of having the debate ratcheted up to a "higher cause" about the debt and everything else. I am being selfish - I am already in the 40% income tax bracket - and guess what? I WANT SOMETHING FOR MY TAX DOLLAR!!!

Personally - I'm sick of hearing about leaving my grandchildren in debt. For all I know, by that time occurs - it could be an earth that resembles the earth government in Star Trek.

The kind of talk we've been enduring for the past 9 months - sounds really good to some people's ears - if we're focused on the 2010 election.

It's time for the POTUS to stop voting on party lines - and to start voting for Senators and Congresspeople who do work for us.

For example, Joe Lieberman (2012) and Chris Dodd (2010) are going to have a tough time getting re-elected. CT was shocked about Dodd's intervention with AIG and that embarrassment over Lieberman changing his mind about Medicare.

I just wish it was Lieberman who was running in 2010....

The democrats need to pass this bill already! The republicans would like people to believe that they are standing up for them. They don't speak for the American people who think health care reform is long overdue. To them, people who can't afford to pay for healthcare don't matter! I admit that the republicans have done a good job of framing the debate as big government vs the people. The democrats have not done a good job of exposing it for what it is, a shameless tactic.

Shameles supporters of the status quo need to quit playing already!

Ars...Jeez...not to sound condescending but you are so out of touch.

The vast majority of people including republicans WANT Healthcare reform. THAT is not the issue. I don't know ANYONE that wants things to continue on as they are. The costs are out of control! EVERYONE agrees on that!

But the vast majority of people would rather go on as we are than sign up for something they know nothing about especially when they know they are being scammed.

Obama has lied all through the first year. He guaranteed if we passed the $787 billion stimulus that unemloyment wouldn't go past 7.5%. It's over 10%! He swore to be the party of change but he lied about "no more earmarks", "no more lobbyists", "no more special interests" (bribes to senators for healthcare votes), "no funding for abortions". THESE ARE ALL LIES! After this should the people REALLY trust him on the Healthcare bill, especially not knowing what is in it? You are joking, right? Would you blindly sign away a contract that could affect you so dramatically, REGARDLESS of all the lies over the past year?

Talk about the party of "NO". It is the democrats saying, "NO", saying NO to public opinion and public distrust, saying we have no clue...saying we know what is best for you! Republicans are at least representing the majority. AT THE BARE MINIMUM, Democrats have an obligation and duty to the people to explain what is in the bill. But they won't because they know the whole thing is a sham. Can you imagine making payments on a car for 3 years before you could drive it? That's what would be coming (initial funding of the bill) for starters on top of what we currently pay. I'm certain 85% of the people would much prefer to put changes in to control costs (we've gone over the changes) versus an entire overhaul of the industry which cannot be economically sustained.

They have really screwed themselves on this one by playing the public off as idiots.

SH, you can only parrot what you've heard on FOX! How can you learn about the needs of "real" people from a millionaire with mic,a big mouth, and agenda to sabotage progress? If you don't understand the gist of the plan by now, you will probably still be clueless if someone explained it to you in A-B-C fashion. No amount of education or prodding is going to aid people who only want to say "no". Where are you getting your information, if not FOX?

CBO: $940 billion health bill would help cut deficit over 10 years

FOX? No thanks it is becoming too liberal with all the far left guests they have on. Ars, I know it doesn't have comics and sports but try picking up a Wall Street Journal once in a while if you want to learn something. That is where you can weed out a lot of propaganda. A general understanding of economics goes a long way.

CBO can only compute on the data it is given, and if it's fed political tricks, and bogus info, the projection will be bogus as well. When the CBO report was unfavorable regarding HR 3200, someone from the CBO office was called in to the white house and ” talked to.” Perhaps this has something to do with why this CBO report now regarding the senate finance bill seems unrealistic and doesn’t add up. How do you add a new entitlement without adding to the deficit? Obama has no credibility for the reasons I pointed out above.

The sheep that voted for Obama had no idea that the change was to give big government control of everything to create more union workers and tax revenue to bail the union’s pension and benefit plans out of the red. Private sector has non-union workers and this is why they are unemployed. Actual unemployment should include all those that have switched from unemployed to welfare. The heath care scam has nothing to do with reform. It is all about paying back the unions and their benefit plans and creating more debt that needs more revenue through income redistribution. The auto bailout was due to pensions and benefits that were due and they did not have the money to honor their contract with the UAW. Biggest scam of all time. If you are insuring "everyone", a huge chunk not paying a dime...IT IS NO LONGER INSURANCE!

Ars: From the link you post:

"The program would be paid for by slicing nearly $500 billion from Medicare and other federal health programs, particularly a privately operated insurance plan known as Medicare Advantage."

See, this is what you don't get. So...do these numbers include the unstudied "stipulation" that $500 billion will fall out of the sky from supposed "Medicare Savings?"

And just why have Democrats NOT asked for a CBO study of THAT? I mean, is the intention to liquidate ones entire retirement savings on their own healthcare? Is that what it will come down to?

Wake up, folks!!

The Fox News Channel is owned by News Corp., as is Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

It doesn't matter. We aren't talking the LA Times or NY Times. It's the Wall Street Journal. It's an international publication with about 800 reporters involved in about 100 bureaus worldwide. It has a reputation of editorial independence that the business world expects from that newspaper. It's probably the most trusted newspaper in circulation.

I'll give you that, Steve, about WSJ. I'm not sure I follow you on Fox being more liberal. It might have something to do with when I did watch, it was mostly The O'Reilly Factor and nothing else, and lately, I haven't seen much of him. More than all the partisan rantings of whether Fox is fair and balanced or just a prop for the GOP, one thing that worries me is it's courting of Sarah Palin. Many of those on the right accuse the mainstream media of being in the tank for Obama, but none of them ever gave him a job. This woman's getting tons of free publicity and is now sort of on staff? And the Tea Party people love her. If she chooses to run for president in 2012, we got a big problem.
Now about health care. I think too many people like us assume they know everything when they don't. "Read the bill" and "kill the bill." Do you honestly believe those people read the bill? Do members of Congress know it word for word? I doubt it, but that's true of any legislation. Last year, one of our state lawmakers passed around copies of an appropriations bill that included funding for improvements to our river port. The thing was an inch thick on legal paper. It would shock me if any Congress member ever read every page to any bill, let alone something as convoluted as the health care proposal. But I do trust they all have some clue about what's in it and what isn't (no death panels, for example).
Steve, you say the Republicans are standing up for the majority of Americans. Really? It seems to me they're just holding ground, determined to defeat the bill at any cost.
We've long past the time when they voted according to what they thought was best for the country or even their districts. Now, it's just a case of fighting the Democrats at every turn.