But we have to look no further than 118th & Miracle Hills Drive in Omaha to see a Nebraska Senator strong-arming those who wish to exercise their First Amendment Rights.
Members of the Americans for Prosperity - Nebraska had protested along 78th & Pacific Street a number of times, generally against the Health Care re-form bill. You may have seen them (or some of the other groups set up there).
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's office is there, you see.
They hold signs. Wave at passing cars. Ask you to honk.
They're on the curb, and not in anyone's way.
Well, recently Senator Nelson picked up sticks and moved out to 118th and Miracle Hills Dr. It's a ways back from anything, and frankly, they're not getting much drive-by traffic.
But AFP chose to move their protest in front of that office anyway. Well, until The Man came down on them, that is.
Seems SOMEONE called the local towing company, and requested the protesters' cars be towed. Facing the impound lot prospect, the lovers of freedom moved on. (Could have sworn that those parking spaces were paid for with taxpayer funds...)
Since we know how much the Dems love to protest, we're sure they will be outraged by this act and will leap to AFP's defense.
(Leap. Right outta your chair. Go ahead. Come on now...)
***
Senator Nelson recently issued a press release that he is shocked (shocked!) that politics are intruding on the people's business on Capitol Hill. ("Your Cornhusker Kickback, sir.")
Who could imagine such a thing happening.
This is Nelson who facilitated the current Health Care bill, based upon a bribe to Nebraska.
This is Nelson who yesterday said he couldn't vote for the Reconciliation Bill, because it was too expensive and changed student lending laws. (Wait...what...student loans...health care bill...screwing who...?)
Of course, Nelson's vote doesn't make a bit of difference here since reconciliation only takes a 50 vote majority. Think he'd be on the other side if it made a difference?
As the Wall Street Journal says today in their scathing editorial against Nelson:
"...hold a special place in your memory for Mr. Nelson, without whom none of this would be possible."(And heck, even the NEGOP's Mark Fahleson points to the Daily Kos's smackdown of Nellie.)
***
And lest we forget, let us please put State Senator and Congressional candidate Tom White on record for the Health Care re-form bill:
- For!
- Aye!
- Yes!
- Si!
- Oui!
- Two thumbs-up!
- Nodding head vigorously!
We're not positive, but this maybe, possibly, could be an issue come November...
Posts
106 comments:
David Vitter proposed an amendment to repeal HRC as part of the Senate reconciliation procedure, last night. Nelson voted with all of his fellow Dems and against all Senate Republicans to table the amendment. So that's the second time he's voted for the Senate Bill.
Whether you agree with what these people are protesting about, we can all agree that towing protestors' cars is childish and underhanded. Sadly something that people are all to used to when they butt head with Nelson and company.
That really is childish, but then Nelson has lost all credibility and should resign now. But he probably figures, in for a penny, in for an impound. Bada-bump!
And, of course, I'm sure you all have proof that it had to have been Sen. Nelson himself that demanded cars be towed. Right? And you will provide it?
I think it's pretty cool that the Senate Republicans have decided to stop working at 2:00 PM. I thought they hated unemployed or underemployed folks. This is great. Is the GOP now in favor of six hour work days?
I hate unemployed folks. They should get jobs. Woof.
Make no mistake about it, Ben Nelson is now officially the creepiest of creeps. If he had one ounce of decency left in him, he would do the honorable thing and RESIGN.
Ben Nelson would resign immediately if he had a shred of decency. We know that he doesn't. Its time for Nebraska to get a sensible congressional recall law on the books so this doesn't happen again. He turned his back on us, he ought to be turned out.
Ben has disgraced the State of Nebraska. Its one thing for a state to be a national laughingstock, like Iowa, but being held up tho the scorn Ben's Cornhusker Kickback is shameful.
Nelson voted against reconciliation. Hope he's not expecting a medal or anything.
Maybe if you doofuses on the right would nominate a halfway decent candidate, swing voters like myself might consider voting for him.
Its time for Nebraska to get a sensible congressional recall law
It is called an election. I am all for getting rid of him, the sooner the better, however, a majority chose him (read, were duped again)and thus there are consequences.
charles
well. i doubt the subtle protesting was pissing off the doctors. and i don't think anyone was suggesting that nelson actually called the towing company. it is much more likely it was his staff.
Hmmmm...
This post has only been up for a few hours, and it already has more comments (12) than were posted on the past four articles over at NNN since last Sunday (8).
Not much going on over there I guess.
Speaking of the Senate, the latest poll out in PA shows Toomey beating either Specter or Sestak.
That's be another pick-up for the R's.
I would argue that the protesters are visitors to Senator Nelson's office and have a right to be there.
A recall bill just may make its way onto the floor next year. Then Bye Bye benita
Nice try sweeper. This didn't happen. You really have gone off the deep end on this one. Pure speculation, not a shred of truth to it, and a complete smear.
I'm embarrassed for Don Walton for giving you the time of day. If YOU had a shred of decency you'd take this post down and apologize for lying. Shill.
What's next - you guys gonna trow bricks through Nelson's office window? You gonna spit on his staff? Oh I bet it'll be death threats. Maybe none of you are brave enough for that - you'll just keep on lying.
RM,
I just call 'em like I see 'em.
Since you're obviously an uptight staffer, maybe you should look out the window every once in a while and see what's going on. Either that or tell your property manager to tell the tow trucks to stay away.
Oh, and way to make up the rest of the stuff, just like your buddies in Congress.
And thanks for reading!
SS
RepoMan, I can't decide if your post was a joke or not. If it wasn't, all I have to say is "Yawn.". Feel free to call us racists, xenophobes, misogynists, wife-beaters, latent homosexuals, domestic terrorists, whatever. The Left has gone to that well so many times that it's dry. We just don't care. What we do care about is getting your boss' grubby fingers off our wallets and out of our lives.
Lamer duck politicians (Ben Nelson) bore me. Someone needs to talk about the $19,500 Jim Suttle is paying a DC lobbyist to lobby for light rail funds.
Notice, $19,500. I can imagine the conversation went when he hired the lobbyist.
Suttle: I need you to lobby for me.
Lobbyist: OK, that'll be $24,500.
Suttle: Uh...OK, you see...to pull the wool over the tax payers eyes and keep the city council from having to approve this, I need to keep it under $20,000.
Lobbyist: OK, $19,500 for this contract and we'll figure out a way to slide me the other 6K later.
Suttle: GREAT! I like the way you think. You're hired!!!
Unreal!
Woof.
Robyn or Maggie at the World-Herald are you covering this???? Nelson Staffers sending tow trucks!!!!
Can I call Ben Nelson a whore in this blog? Other blogs and opeds call him a whore.
I assume they mean he is a political whore. Because just look at the mug on that sucker. He looks like a carp.
I find it interesting that some thought it was out of line that the cars were towed but none of those people thought that standing across from a medical treatment center was inappropriate either
Face it, we live in a country where most people don't take care of themselves but expect others to deal with the consequences. YOU may not fall into that category but to enjoy all the benefits of what our government can do for it we need to buy into ALL of it so DEAL
I can't wait to see Dave Heineman and Lee Terry run campaigns in favor of allowing insurance companies to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, and tell parents they can't leave their kids on their insurance policy until they're 26, and base their campaign on taking away the tax credits for small businesses.
I cant wait until parents see the premiums for covering people with preexisting conditions and covering their children until 26. Do you socialist Democrats really think this is free???
Sweeps:
Why are you ignoring the biggest Nebraska politics story of the week?
Namely, whether Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning should resign over his cover-up of CSI Chief David Kofoed's felonious evidence tampering that, had it not been discovered, would have sent two innocent Nebraskans to death row.
And if that weren't bad enough, while Kofoed was framing two innocent guys, he was NOT attempting to pursue the real killer(s) who he -- and only he -- knew were out there.
National disgrace.
Most of the parents I know would prefer their kids were paying their own bills by age 26.
Lee Terry voted against and the Gov is not supporting this recently passed and gleefully signed into law (well, except for the potty mouth of Biden) healthcare bill because it is just that: A BIG FRIGGIN' BILL THAT THE NEXT THREE GENERATIONS OF MY FAMILY WILL HAVE TO WORK THEIR A**ES OFF TO PAY FOR.
And, BTW, the little children that you care so much about-except when they are being "terminated" at planned parenthood in Lincoln, AREN'T EVEN COVERED UNTIL NEXT YEAR BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE SO THOROUGHLY F*CKED UP THE LANGUAGE OF THE BILL IN THEIR HURRY TO BUY OFF THOSE LAST 10 VOTES LAST WEEKEND.
I can't wait to see the premiums that the 27 year old has to pay right from the start.
They go out into the big brutal world of personal responsibility just when insurance starts to rise due to the risk pool.
BTW, if Little Billy and Baby Jane decide to get married before they are 26 can they still stay on their parents' welfare or if their grown up enough to get married should they be considered grown up enough to take care of themselves?
pump the breaks there Economist, no one said parents HAD to cover their kid till age 26
If you don't know how to raise your kid to know when to help out then that is your own fault
Boy, I sure hope that skateboarder kid that became a dad gets a big endorsement contract soon so he can support his illegal immigrant girlfriend and the baby they made either before or after he dropped out of school at 17.
BTW, that 15 year old mom should consider suing One World Health for not diagnosing her preeclampsia after she paid them good money to do so.
Did you read the Bill? I will bet you $10 bucks that some Judge is going to order a parent to keep a kid on private insurance and I bet it happens in the next year.
Hey ignorant Anonymous, Insurance is based on pools. I have to pay higher premiums because your loser 26 year old can't get a job and pay for his own insurance. You socialists don't get econ 101.
And how about the people who will just pay the fine because it will be cheaper than buying insurance? Betcha if something happens they will be buing insurance and those of us who have been paying premiums for years will see them raise because 1) many people still won't buy it and we have to cover all of those added and 2) people who are really sick will buy the insurance at the last minute.
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Gotta work to throw the guy out of the offic. Perhaps a qucik scan of his most loyal supports is in order.
Here is one, Omaha Steaks.
Lets boycott of Omaha Steaks, a VERY LIBERAL owner to boot.
Sweeper - that's just it - you didn't see shit did you?
Were you there?
Seems to me there are signs in the parking lot that say "unauthorized vehicles will be towed." Seems to me if you are there to stage a fake protest and not see a doctor or the Senator's office then you might not be authorized. and it seems to me that the party of personal responsibility is looking to blame Nelson and Democrats for everything. "We only shouted racial slurs becuase the liberals MADE US DO IT."
and as for "taxpayers" paying for the parking - not true. It's a private building. ALL the tenents pay for the spaces. And the Doctors there - not the Nelson people - are upset that their patients cant find parking and have to walk through an ugly mob to see their doctor.
anon 11:14 - I thought you nutball conservatives all believed in the power of business and the free market. What, pray tell, would boycotting Omaha Steaks accomplish? You looking to cost more Nebraskans their jobs?
Oh I get it now - you are coming up with a list of "liberal" businesses to publicize and attack. How very third reich of you. Good luck with that.
Please excuse any typos, I'm tapping the keyboard from under my desk because of all the spit and brick flyin' through the air.
Speaking of the 1st amendment, I'm curious if there's some emanation from one of the penumbras that says I have the right to choose ... whether or not to have healthcare insurance.
Doesn't the government trust me to make my own personal healthcare decisions? It's MY body; shouldn't it be MY choice?
Let's review and have some fun.
So those against health care reform took parking spots meant for pain management patients because they felt it was their right and were too lazy to sacrifice and walk a few blocks. You don't have to accuse right wingers of being selfish when they provide such obvious examples.
And then beg for compassion when their cars are "deported" becasue they were someplace where they weren't legally suppose to be.
This is good stuff people - I hope you can set aside your hate and have a good laugh on a Friday afternoon.
For the record, Sen. Nelson actually voted with Republicans against tabling their superfluous amendments.
For example, vote 73 on S. Amendment 3556--Coburn's to ban fraudulent drug payments and Viagra coverage to child molesters and rapists, and drugs to induce abortion.
He also voted with Republicans on Hutchinson's amendment S. 3608, vote 74, to "protect the right of States to opt out of a Federal health care takeover."
I haven't gone through all of the amendments nor do I care to, but I'm not sure what Nelson is trying to prove either way. The amendments (created with attack ads in mind) are silly, as are his votes against tabling them.
"Irony” is opposite and that aptly describes your words from reality.
If you like federally mandated healthcare, you alone should pay for it. The government should squeeze you so hard that your pockets are empty when your children need medical care and the government limits it. That's justice not hate. Hate will be what you will feel toward the government that you today so unwisely champion.
Repoman:
It's not "third reich" to boycot businesses because you disagree with their practices, beliefs, etc.
It's called consumerism.
In fact, I will never buy another car from Atchley Ford because Zak Atchley publicy supported Jim Suttle.
People have boycotted advertisers for sponsoring programs or shows they don't like.
It's all freedom, baby.
To Anon 2:10 I don't think I championed the government - just tried to have some fun. Boy, you teabaggers need to lighten up. And yes I know it's hard to take anything lightly when life as we know it will end soon - ugggghh run and hide from Obama.
Lesson learned at the end of the day - If you are going to scream that the sky is falling at least park legally when you do it.
I think we should demand that LT take a pledge to repeal this reform if reelected and to get the government out of all health care. Please make him sign now before the primary.
Now, release the cracken and turn up the sound on the AM radio - I think Glen Beck is trying to sell me more gold before it all comes crashing down.
Hey RepoMan,
Want to earn a quick $10k? Find a way to prove someone in a crowd yelled the "N" word at that congressman from KC. There's a published offer for just that online right now. BTW, the Benator is doing his monthly radio call-in show on Monday. Want to bet that the calls will be heavily screened by his staff???
You can't have your car towed unless a sign is clearly visible stating that you would get towed if you weren't authorized to park there.
No tow company in there right mind would tow a car unless signs stating the consequences (and the number to call if towed) were posted clearly.
If a person was towed and can prove no signs were present, they could be entitled to a complete refund of towing expenses.
So, why exactly is this a big deal?
Not a big deal??!! Don't you know this a socialist plot to confiscate our vehicles and stifle our first amendment rights to carry signs and feel self- important. Ben Nelson must be stopped before he tows all of cars and turns them into goverment vehicles to transport illegal immigrants to abortion clinics.
Well if we're transporting illegal immigrants to abortion clinics with confiscated cars of protesters they should be happy because that means there wont be another generation of illegal immigrants!!! (sarcasm folks)
Anon 1:07,
Thats a great argument for abortion, be quiet before your excommunicated from the republicans.
The amendments (created with attack ads in mind) are silly, as are his votes against tabling them.
I'm sorry, Anonymous @ 2:03, could you explain why it's 'silly' to bar the state from paying for Viagra for sex offenders?
Nathan, it's not an argument for abortion at all. I'm just relying on 37 years of Sup Ct precedence that it's my body and my choice, right? Let's be consitent here. If the Sup Ct can find within the language of the 1st Amendment a right for a woman to kill the unborn baby in her womb (what about the rights of the baby?), then surely they can find a right for me not to have to buy health insurance from the government, can't they?
Repulicans working four hours are still working more than most liberals. Let me see - prison folk liberals. Welfarites liberals. Academia who rarely work are liberals. Must I go on? Who is working?????
Those illegal aliens are working 12 hour days for minimum wage. We could use a lot more Americans like that.
I forgot to sign that last post.
So the Arthritis patients should have to walk for blocks every day so the T-baggers can wave their moronic signs? Didn't you bother to read the sign that showed all the medical facilities located in the same plaza as Nelson's office? Bad journalism for sure.
I won’t repeat the ugly sarcastic things said here that were later removed. But I will note that some bloggers here have limits to what they will accept as sarcasm, just as Obama has limits to what he will accept as criticism. Unfortunately, the former leads to burning people for joking about God and the latter leads to putting them into gulags. It is all connected, you know.
The problem with Republicans is they want to shove their moral limits up everyone's butt while Democrats want to shove their socialism down everyone's throat.
When any subject becomes off limits for criticism, sarcasm or humor, then freedom is going down.
bob,
Somehow the Hitler references were neither funny nor sarcastic.
If I find something in bad taste, it disappears. There are lots of other blogs where you can write that stuff if it really floats your boat.
And thanks for reading.
SS
So I guess Bruning's lawsuit is a waste of time. While obamacare does gave an indvidual mandate with fines and all, there are no enforcement provisions. The One, whose brilliance is greater than that of Solomon, innocently overlooked such a major detail? Or is this something that will get slipped in with body armor for our troops? So many conveniences in obamacare.
The funny thing about Bruning's attention-seeking is that he is going after an idea that was, for a long time, a Republican idea. Mandates suddenly became "bad" when Democrats started to see how important they were to a successful reform of the system.
I believe LT has already stated that this Bill should be repealed. Followed by him saying that it will be difficult to repeal without 61 Republican votes in the Senate and impossible to repeal with a Democrat in the Whitehouse that won't sign a Repeal Bill for the Republicans.
He also, repeatedly, offered the Amendment requiring Members of Congress (that's House and Senate for those of you that don't realize it is a 2 House Body) be enrolled in any Public Healthcare offering. The Senator that proposed all Members be enrolled in Medicaid was just stating what the equivalent to the Bills Public Plan will be.
Go Lee Terry!
SS, I agree it was in bad taste and it wasn’t funny. But it was clearly sarcasm. That Hitler comment exactly mirrored a previous conservative comment and twisted that conservative comment to appear to have been written by Hitler. That means the Hitler comment was written by a Liberal who made fun at the expense of eight million dead Jewish victims.
Liberals love to portray themselves as sensitive. They act like they are the only true humanitarians. But just as Obama is occasionally caught being the snotty bigot he really is, we had here an example of a liberal using Hitler and Jews as a joke. There is a lot of rot behind the facade of liberal humanitarianism.
Blog moderator's dilemma: If there is a small gem in a pile of vomit, do you pick it up or just wash it all down the drain? I'm not that squeamish.
Going to vote all the Libs out we can as soon as we can. The May primaries will be a nice begining to the General election.
See ya Lib's.
Damn, I missed the Hitler comment. Was it a singing Hitler, or a dancing Hitler?
BTW, on a similar subject, what the !@#$ is President Hussein up to in the Middle East? Trying to make the world safe for an Iranian bomb?
I feel like licking my crotch.
Funny you should bring that up, RWP, because Obama is going ballistic over Israel building apartments on the site where a former mufti of Jerusalem used to live. That mufti met with Hitler (there's pictures), and he recruited Arabs into the SS. Great segue.
bob,
Sometimes what you think is a "gem" is actually just a gum drop.
(and thanks for reading)
SS
Macdaddy:
I ask myself, how would human history have been different, if the Jews had never existed? And alternately, how would it have been different, if the Palestinians had never existed?
It seems to me, it doesn't take an Einstein to figure that one out.
RWP, as long as we're considering alternative realities, what would the world look like if Christians hadn't been around to burn all those libraries and manuscripts across the globe?
If Europe's Christians hadn't invaded the Mid-East in the middle ages we might not have our present religious wars.
Fighting FOR religion is like screwing for virginity.
It says a lot about people who support giving Israel billions of dollars a year but not fellow Americans health care.
And if Marx had never been born there'd be 100 million more people alive. We could have avoided the Cultural Revolution, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, much of today's Middle East conflict (which was financed in it's early stages by the Soviet Union), and billions would live in freedom. Atheists aren't such great humanitarians either.
Nathan:
We're proposing to appropriate $2.8 bn in aid to Israel in 2010. That's a drop in the health care bucket. But I agree, the US needs to take a good look at all its expenditures. We're rapidly going bankrupt. I don't think any program should be spared.
I don't think Obama's policies towards Israel have anything to do with saving money. I think he has some sort of bizarre idea that we should placate medieval autocracies.
And FWIW, Anonymous@6:04, I'm an atheist. Don't look to me to defend Christianity, or any other religion.
Why are western religions so violent? Or is it just that westerners ARE violent?
I say we quit giving Israel money right after we quit giving Africa and all countries considered to be sacred cows for the Congressional Black Caucus.
We give because we are America. While we do need to conserve our financial resources, we cannot turn our backs to those in need around the globe.
Maybe we need to prioritize between wants and needs.
BTW, did anyone see that Michelle and the Prez decided not to invite their own children to the Whitehouse Easter Egg Roll? They only invited children that attend public schools-no private, parochial or home schooled children allowed at the Whitehouse to celebrate the pagan tradition in honor of Jesus rising to walk the earth after being crucified and tossed under a rock.
Well, I shouldn't complain since my little ones attend public schools, at least they could go.
Buddha and Confucius said...
Why are western religions so violent? Or is it just that westerners ARE violent?
The second most bloody war in human history was the An Shi rebellion, China, 756-763. It killed around 35 million people. Imagine a war without firearms doing that. The fourth most bloody war in human history was the Chinese civil war most often called the Taiping Rebellion, 1851-1864. It killed 25 million people.
RWP, ever profusely flowing source of enlightenment to the terminally ignorant. Pick up a fricking book, can't you?
Awww did the tea partiers get their cars towed? Cry me a river.
AG Bruning and the Gov. both know all too well that the chances of the courts striking down the new health care law are nil.
It's so obviously a political grandstand I don't know how they look themselves in the mirror.
Good luck AG JB running against Nelly in 2012. Why would you even want that job?
Look at Senator Johanns, reduced to ranting and raving with nobody paying any attention to him.
Ricky From Omaha
Ricky et al, you have been served notice by the Tea Party.
Watch out Ricky. It looks like Publiuso and the Tea Klux Klan plan to burn a cross on your lawn.
Squirrel!
Anon 534,
Ya really have issues. Ya had to take a simple comment and take it to an extreme, perhaps because your insecure, or maybe you have a limited capacity to accept being in the minority. Either way you rants will only serve to keep the public up and on station, thanks. It is a lot easier this way.
RWP-I think he has some sort of bizarre idea that we should placate medieval autocracies.
I think pres Obama he has realized that bending to will of Israel has done nothing for the peace process so far and its time to look at other options.
And Israel gave us a huge slap in the face by announcing the new settlements the day Biden arrived, therefore implying that its with out consent. The palestinians aren't going back to the peace talks until all new settlements are stopped and they are on record as saying such. Clearly Israel doesn't want peace, and their attitude is why should they back down from anything when they have the support of big brother US of A behind them. I say we let Israel know they need to start acting in good faith as partners, or we could cut off the 2.8 bill in military aid every year.
I'm baaaaaaaack!
And no, I'm not double parked in anybody's parking lot.
Hey, hope you will all enjoy the benefits of health care brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Democrats. I know your folks (or maybe you) probably either have enjoyed or are enjoying that Social Security we gave you. Many of you older Republicans have certainly enjoyed your Medicare/Medicaid that we provided. Where would your RNC Chairman be today if we Democrats hadn't given him and so many others the right to succeed with the Civil Rights Bill? The list goes on, and on, and on ...
So you see, despite all the Tea Bagger rhetoric spewed by a bunch of wannabe "patriots," we Democrats have actually been getting the job done. Ten, twenty, fifty years from now, you and your descendants will all be as happy about this health care bill as you are about all those other goodies we Democrats provided.
As I see it, the Republican is the one that said:
"If God had wanted us to fly, he'd have given us wings,"
while the Democrat is the one that said:
"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know - we Democrats tend to get a bit wordy, but we have a greater vocabulary than just the word NO. And, we tend to, as that great Nebraskan, Larry the Cable Guys says, "Get 'er Done!"
BTO,
Glad to have ya back.
Barry O is special. It took him an entire year to get his heathcare bill passed in a town where the only place you can find a Republican majority is at GOP headquarters. He fought for a year to get his own Democrats to follow him and not all did.
That is the political equivalent of mental retardation.
Among his supporters. the result is a flurry of self congratulatory political masturbation.
There is no cure for this degree of specialness.
A-4:17 - Please, if you are not going to present your own thoughts on any given subject, but are just going to attack people, have the courage to sign your own name. Or are you just choking your special political chicken?
"Barry O" was able to get a once-in-a-generation bill passed despite a concerted effort by those who opposed it merely for the sake of opposing it. The Republican Party missed a gigantic opportunity to be included in crafting the most important legislation considered by Congress in decades. That was not what I would call a stroke of genius.
Replying to the Omaha Lawyer who said the protesters at BEN"RAT' NELSON,S office are not guests......you do you think you are lawyer? We are all taxpayers and will continue to protest Nelson,s office hard until he is out of office for bribery! He is a disgrace as well as all Democrats!
The DNC is lame. Their radio spot going negative on Terry will only solidify Terry's support. Oh and to then hijack the Slogan "Hands of My Healthcare" is about as lame as it gets.
I don't think there is an appreciation of the level of interest by the public in the Obamacare isssue.
Can anybody here the fiddle music at the DNC?
Brian, while you were away, you might have done a little research on how the Civil Rights Act was passed. You "gave" Steele the "right to succeed"? That's enormously presumptuous and pompous, even for you.
Johnson's "Great Society" was a titanic failure. It fostered a culture of dependence. Social Security is now wiped out due to mismanagement by you Democrats for all these years. It's now paying out more than it takes in but Democrat Congresses have spent the surplus as though it was just extra money sitting around and now we'll have to start borrowing to meet our Social Security obligations.
Medicare is swiftly on its way to going bankrupt and that process is being accellerated by Obama's health plan taking $500 billion away from Medicare to fund this healthcare fiasco.
In order to sell this gigantic crap sandwich, you democrats had to engage in all sorts of deceptive practices, including that you start taxing to pay for this mess in year 1 but don't start benefits until year 4 so that Obama can make the claim that the plan is cost-effective. But that's just smoke and mirrors. You can manipulate the numbers to make it look like it'll pay for itself but you can only do that for 10 years and, even then, only by front-loading the taxes and back-loading the benefits.
Even going by the overly optimistic CBO numbers, nearly 1/4 of the cost of this bad boy comes in year 10 with an upward cost trend. So, how will we pay for this in the 2nd decade? The $500 billion Medicare cut is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. It won't be available ever again. You can't backload the costs after the 1st decade. It's costing over $200 billion a year in year 10 and climbing in subsequent years. How are you going to pay for it?
And those CBO numbers don't include the $144 billion in annual administrative costs. Where's that money coming from?
Oh, and the CBO numbers don't include the doctor fix. When were you dems going to factor that in?
Why did you dems have to be so dishonest about this bill? Why did you have to front-load the taxes and back-load the costs? Why all the back-room dealing and not on C-Span? Why was the "most transparent administration ever" so secretive about this deal?
I'll answer that question for you: Because if the American people really knew the crapstorm that was about to hit because of this, you'd have a revolt on your hands. But, you can't keep it hidden forever. Eventually, folks are going to figure this out. Enjoy the power while you have it, buddy.
The democrats who I've seen comment in support of this healthcare mess have to be among the stupidest, most immature people on the planet.
Brian is bragging on here about all the great government giveaways. Vile Kyle had a letter in the LJS this weekend bragging about all the great government giveaways. Ain't it all wonderful? Government is giving us health care coverage?
Listen democrats, this isn't like your grandma giving you $10 in birthday money every year. I'm sorry I have to educate you about this but MONEY DOESN'T REALLY GROW ON TREES. The government has to pay for these programs and they can't just print more money whenever they feel like it.
In order to pay for all these huge and costly sociral welfare programs, the government has to obtain the money through taxes by taking it away from mostly productive people and giving it to mostly unproductive people.
In the process, the government incentivizes dependence and disincentivizes self-reliance, investment, entrepreneurism and a whole host of other favorable attributes. You're killing the goose that laid the golden egg. And that's bad for everyone.
Were you aware that they raised the debt limit by over 2 trillion so that Obama could spend more? You Democrats love to blame Bush for taking a surplus and turning it into a deficit when he left office but Bush pales in comparison to the economically disastrous path Obama is leading us down.
Have you looked at the numbers? Do you realize that the CBO predicts that by 2020, the federal deficit will equal 90% of our GDP? In the entire 20th century, the worst it had ever been was 28.05% in 1943.
President Obama has even acknowledged that current spending levels are unsustainable. When is he ever going to act on that knowledge?
Brian, since you're on board again, I've been wondering this for months now and have never found a Democrat who could answer the question:
You claim that the healthcare bill will improve access to healthcare for all Americans.
You claim that it'll insure the 15% of Americans who were without insurance so that they too will have access to healthcare.
With all this free access to healthcare, doesn't it seem logical to assume that people will try to use it?
Where are you going to get the extra doctors from in order to meet all this additional demand?
If people have insurance thanks to the government but can't find a doctor to treat them, isn't that claim of "greater access for all Americans" just an illusion?
A-9:23/9:46/9:58 (Are you ALL in the same family?)
9:23 - Nice to see you have opinions. It's tough that people who think like you were unable to get enough of like-minded representatives into Congress. Better luck next time. I just hope that when it happens, you folks will actually have some ideas.
9:46 - Why do you think that Democrats believe money grows on trees? We know that things need to be paid for. We also know that the benefits of having a healthy America will help us to pay for health care in the long run. It's not rocket science! It's kind of like the effort it took to put a man on the moon. It cost us a LOT of money to have those bragging rights, and even you Republicans are proud of that. Wait, I guess it IS rocket science. Good thing there are Democrats around to figure it out for you.
9:58 - If America can't figure out how to do this, then we have no right to continue to be the great nation we once were. Americans used to have the courage to do daring, and wonderful things. Seems to me there's a lot of you that just want to hole up and count what little you already have. Democrats dare to be bold and look to the future, and not just to benefit themselves.
Hey, "family values party," what's up with Michael Steel (you know ... the RNC Chair) frequenting the Voyeur West Hollywood (a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex) on YOUR DIME? Seems he dropped $1,946.25 of your hard earned contributions there recently.
And you guys think that just Democrats play free and loose with your spare change! Hah!
Brian in response to 9:58.
So, in other words, you have no answer. Just a cheap cop-out of "don't worry, they'll figure it out" (paraphrasing.)
There are already significant shortages of primary care docs in various parts of this country and your massive new entitlement program is going to place more strain on an already overwhelmed system.
Your Social Security program is going broke as has been pointed out and Medicare won't be far behind. Your party's track record on managing these huge entitlements is awful at best and you expect the nation to be satisfied with a perfunctory "Don't worry, they'll figure it out" reply?
That's comforting.
Hey, with the democrats in charge of healthcare, what could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong, you ask?
Well, we could continue to deal with a bunch of know nothing - do nothing Republicans that have offered American no hope, no change, no jobs, no ideas, no challenges, no vision, no future .... basically a lot of NO ... and nothing else.
It really is a shame that the Republican Party has slid down that slippery slope into the realm of ineffectiveness and ineptitude. What happened to you guys? You used to stand for something. Now you only stand against things.
To those of you Republicans that don't fit in the picture that I have painted, PLEASE take your party back from the idiots that are currently running it. I relish the thought of having a real debate over real issues with people that know how to formulate real sentences using real logic. God how I wish today's Republican Party was a worthy foe.
Brian, you were in such a hurry to fling insults at Republicans that you didn't read the question very carefully. The question was what could possibly go wrong with Democrats in charge of healthcare. You know, the same Democrats who spent all the Social Security surplus over the years so that now, when social security revenues don't cover the obligations, we're having to BORROW the money.
Of course, insults, while de rigueur for the Dems who regularly post here, are not substitute for substance, which your side seems to be especially lacking. I've noticed since I've been reading this blog that you particularly seem incapable of responding to substantive points with anything but epithets.
You have never once answered the charge that the Democrats gamed the numbers that the CBO produced in order to make their health plan *appear* to save money. You've never responded to the charge that the Dems did NOT include $100 billion a year in administrative costs that will have to be appropriated and that they fed the CBO an overly rosy picture in order to keep this thing under a trillion for the first 10 years.
Conservatives on this site have made substantive point after substantive point regarding the cost and the workability of this healthcare monstrosity and the best you can come up with is to say that the Republicans are the party of "no." You sound like a DSCC e-mail -- nothing but vitriol. You need to demand that the DSCC spoon feed you better talking points.
Why would a Republican conclude that Democrats think money grows on trees? How about first because they think that you can create the biggest entitlement program in the history of the Republic and that it won't cost anything but will actually save money.
And have you looked at the budget numbers lately? The previous record deficit under the Bush administration was in the neighborhood of $400 billion. Obama's projected deficits for the foreseeable future are all over a trillion $. That's Obama's rosy forecast. The CBO paints an even bleaker picture. In fact -- and here's some more substance for you -- the CBO projects that by 2020, our federal deficit will exceed 90% of the GDP. The highest it ever got in the entire 20th century was 28.05% in 1943.
It's gotten so bad that Moody's projects that the U.S. will loose it's AAA bond rating, which means that we'll have to pay higher interest levels in order to finance our debt, which means that more of our budget will have to go to debt service.
And, in full view of these dire numbers, the Democrats propose a massive new entitlement program, for which they've gamed the numbers in order to make it look like it won't cost anything but which will, in reality, be enormously expensive as I've already set forth.
Had to break my last comment in two. Here's the rest of it:
Oh, and your big, expensive healthcare plan won't make this nation healthier. We don't have enough doctors now. We won't have any more after this behemoth kicks in. We'll just have greater scarcity of medical treatment and shift access from people who can pay to people who have to have someone else pick up the tab. And that's only one reason why free healthcare (which isn't really free but those who won't be paying for it won't understand that) won't make us healthier. Another reason is that we'll still be a fat nation. As a result, we'll still have huge rates of heart disease and diabetes and high blood pressure and cancer and all the other medical problems associated with obesity.
This thing is worse than mortgaging our children's future. It's bad enough that it's going to cost so much more than the numbers the Democrats fed to the CBO to keep their pricetag down. And that it's coming at a time when we can ill afford it. What's almost worse is that you're going to have to pay for it by taking money away from productive people to give resources to the unproductive. And what that will do is diminish the productivity of our economy.
Businesses will have less to spend on growth, which means less job creation, which means higher levels of unemployment, which, in the long run, harms the very people you think you're helping. But that's what typically happens when you put Democrats in charge of something important like this.
Look around the country at the worst run cities in the nation and they have one thing in common: they're all run by Democrats. You guys are trying to turn us into one giant version of Detroit. I hope you fail.
A-9:31,
And you accuse ME of spewing party line B.S.? Geez, Gutless, I've already heard all this crap from your usual band of echo chambers. Good thing you're not writing a peer reviewed article or you'd face charges of plagarism.
Puh-lease, Brian. That's weak even for you.
Compare:
"Well, we could continue to deal with a bunch of know nothing - do nothing Republicans that have offered American no hope, no change, no jobs, no ideas, no challenges, no vision, no future .... basically a lot of NO ... and nothing else."
with:
- Obama's own projections are for budget deficits over a trillion dollars per year;
- Bush's previous record deficit was in the range of (only) $400 billion;
- because of Obama's spending, the CBO is predicting the federal deficit to exceed 90% of GDP by 2020;
- the highest the federal deficit was as a percent of GDB in the entire 20th century was 28.05% in 1943;
- Moody's projects we'll lose our AAA bond rating, which means we'll have to pay higher interest rates to service our debt;
- etc., etc., etc.
Yeah, Brian, you're right there with me on substance. :rolleyes:
Whoever you are, recent anonymous poster, Amen!
Anonymous,
It isn't my job to buttress your opinions.
No, Brian, that's true, it's not your job to buttress my opinions. But you have graciously allowed them to stand unchallenged, for which I am grateful. Thank you.
Recent anonymous poster.
Once you said "Social Security is now wiped out due to mismanagement by you Democrats for all these years. It's now paying out more than it takes in but Democrat Congresses have spent the surplus as though it was just extra money sitting around and now we'll have to start borrowing to meet our Social Security obligations" you became a retarded jackass. Republican and Democratic presidents and congresses have done this but you decided to lay the blame solely at the feet of the dems you became nothing more than a retarded jackass not worthy of my time or anyone else's to refute your wild eyed crazy theories.
And yes I called you a retarded jackass, go tell Sarah Palin.
No doubt it would have been much better to allow the Republicans to flush all the Social Security funds down that toilet over on Wall Street.
Anon 1:49,
You sure take a lot for granted
I am not in the habit of debating with sock puppets that hide behind veils of anonymity. That doesn't mean that I agree with you, nor that you are right; it just means that I don't play by your rules.
Nathan, I blame the Dems for Social Security because back when Republicans were sounding a warning about the questionable solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund, it was Democrats who were calling them alarmists. Whether the solution was to privatize Social Security or not, it still was the Republicans who recognized the problem. Democrats insisted we were good till 2053 when Dems predicted the Treasury IOUs would run out. It was the Republicans who argued the more important date to watch was when the obligations would exceed the revenues -- which has now happened. And it's inarguable fact that Congress has been controlled by the Dems for more years than Republicans over the years, so it's pretty clear which party has been in control. Besides, Brian has informed me that it was the Dems who "gave" us Social Security, so if the Dems can take credit for it, surely they can take the blame as well.
P.S. I don't care what you call me. It just proves my point about the Democrats around here being more about epithets than arguments.
Anonymous,
Your an idiot, come back when you want to have a real discussion and can accept blame for your sides faults instead of just pointing fingers.
Lighten up, Francis.
Yes, Democrats did come up with the idea of Social Security. It was originally designed to help widows, their children, the aged and the infirm. Why would anyone want to deny them help? Maybe for the same reasons some could care less if anyone else had health care just so long as they've got theirs. They will be judged by a power greater than mere politics.
Click on my name for a more detailed history of Social Security.
Christian, I think the whole notion of the government doing everything for everyone is very disempowering.
There are problems with the system that this healthcare nonsense won't fix. We don't have enough doctors. This won't change that. If we don't have more doctors, we won't have better access. We'll just shift who gets it.
We have to figure out why healthcare costs so much and try to address that. This healthcare bill doesn't do that. It just mandates insurance for everyone, which will just make taxpayers foot ever increasing bills. It won't lower the cost of getting care and it won't lower how much is spent.
Why not look at promoting health and wellness? We are raising a generation of sedentary, fat kids who develop diabetes and joint problems and circulatory problems and a whole host of other problems that require expensive healthcare. Why aren't we addressing that?
Instead, what this bill does is basically say, go ahead and be fat and unhealthy and taxpayers will pick up the bill.
Keep in mind that just because the goverment is paying for it doesn't mean it's free. The money still has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is the 60% of Americans who pay federal income taxes.
And, by the way, God said feed the hungry. He didn't say feed the lazy.
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