The President’s Health Care Scare Tactics Exposed
I’m calling YOU out, Mr. President. How dare you arrogantly assert that it’s your way or the highway? That Cook County – Chicago trick doesn’t work in the rest of our great country.
You railed against what you called scare tactics and misinformation. Yet you then proceeded to misinform your audience with your own false assertions. Let’s review a few:
First you decried the so-called Death Panels. While that term has certainly been used, the real concern is that you want to pay doctors to discuss end-of-life options. Currently, doctors decide when to counsel patients as part of their overall care. Now you want to pay them to specifically tell older folks how to die? That’s just downright scary. You even promote a booklet for veterans which tells them how to die. Since when is this ANY of the government’s business?
During all the time you campaigned for President as well as since you were elected, you and your minions have repeated the number ”47 million” as representing the uninsured in this country. Suddenly last night, you changed that number to 30 million. Did we suddenly use government funds to insure 17 million folks yesterday? Did 17 million Americans suddenly get religion and buy health insurance on their own accord? No, Mr. President, you were simply forced to acknowledge that at least 17 million uninsured people currently inside the United States are illegal aliens and you had already promised not to give them any benefits. Yet you continue to give them benefits. To wit:
The law mandates that any person seeking medical services at a hospital may not be turned-away because they have neither insurance nor money with which to pay for those services. Doesn’t that mean that EVERYONE is automatically medically insured? Don’t we taxpayers already pay for the so-called uninsured? So what’s the problem? From our point of view, the problem is that we do not choose to pay and pay and pay for people who are too lazy to care for themselves. We’re most charitable to occasionally help those folks who find themselves upside down. We’re not interested in providing perpetual welfare.
You insisted that not a single dime of extra money would be spent to provide this health care for all. You even said it with a “straight face.” Yet your own CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has clearly opined that this is NOT true. Your program would be out of money by the 8th year and that the subsequent decade would create still more severe cost overruns. Question: How do you cover additional millions with the same number (or less) of doctors and nurses without spending one dime or causing rationing?
In this matter of costs, you insisted that the entire program would be paid-for by savings you intend to achieve by making Medicare more efficient and by cutting the fraud and abuse in the system. If this savings is so obvious to you now, why wait? Why not IMMEDIATELY implement the improvements? Why, if this is so obvious to you, would you wait to correct such an obvious problem? Isn’t this what government is supposed to do automatically? Why does the elimination of fraud and abuse have to be conditional on passing government-run health care? As a petulant child, you refuse to do your job unless you get your quid pro quo?
You insist that a government option/co-op will be a small part of the overall health care system. Yet, one provision of the proposed bill states that a business will be fined 8% of payroll if they refuse to comply. Health insurance premiums typically exceed 8%, so if I’m a small business, my decision is simple. I quit paying more and simply pay the smaller government fine. Yet that decision ultimately results in putting government involvement in health care at close to 100%. You insist, however, that your goal is not to control health care. Who’s kidding whom?
Somehow, government is going to correct all the ills that private industry has created. Let’s take a peek at how the government has done in the past. Thanks to David Galland of Casey Research, I herewith submit his brief analysis:
“A Quick History Lesson
“The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. So they’ve had 234 years to make it work. It is broke.
“Social Security was established in 1935. They’ve had 74 years to make it work. It is broke.
“Fannie Mae was established in 1938. They’ve had 71 years to make it work. It is broke.
“Freddie Mac was established in 1970. They’ve had 39 years to make it work. It is broke.
“The War on Poverty started in 1964. They’ve had 45 years to make it work. About $1 trillion of taxpayer money is confiscated each year and transferred to “the poor.” It hasn’t worked.
“Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. They’ve had 44 years to make it work. They are both broke.
“AMTRAK was established in 1970. They’ve had 39 years to make it work. Last year it had to be bailed out and today continues running at a loss.
“$700 billion bailout of 2008. It has yet to create a single new private-sector job.
“Cash for Clunkers in 2009 went broke after 80% of the cars purchased turned out to be produced by foreign companies.”
But… This time it’s different. This time the government will do a really good job. This time, government will make it work. This time, government will be efficient and make health care better and affordable. This time, government will stop the fraud and abuse that is typically inherent in all government programs. This time…
Still another objection you raised insisted that scare tactics have frightened folks. All the talk about rationing simply isn’t so, according to you. Yet all a person has to do is observe where people from around the world go when they need health care. Why do Canadians fly to the USA for medical treatment for which they must pay when they can get free health care in Canada? Could it be because of the long waiting periods that plague every medical procedure in Canada? Ditto England. Hmm. Why do Sheiks from the Arab countries come to the USA for their medical treatment? They have all the money they need to get medical treatment in their own country. Oh, the medical treatment just doesn’t exist in their country. Wonder why?
If you want to really talk about “scare tactics,” let’s consider the bailouts. Somehow it was absolutely necessary for your administration to pass all the Wall Street bailouts immediately or we’d have runaway unemployment. If passed, you promised unemployment would not exceed 8%. Gee, where did the latest 9.7% unemployment figure come from? Ditto health care. We just had to pass your government controlled health care by last July; then August; now September. Or? And why do you conveniently fail to acknowledge that the health care plan you’re trying to ram-through today will not become effective until 2013? If it’s so important, why must it be passed now but held in abeyance until 2013? But that’s not “scare tactics,” is it Mr. President?
One of the reasons current medical costs are so high in the USA is the threat of lawsuits for malpractice. Doctors feel obliged to request all sorts of expensive but otherwise unnecessary tests just so they can’t later be charged with malpractice by ambulance-chasing attorneys. I didn’t hear you say anything substantive about Tort Reform last night, Mr. President. Oh, I forgot. The legal lobby makes large contributions.
You also said last night that you had an open mind and would consider alternative plans. I’m here to call your bluff. Here is a far better solution than involving government in the very personal and private decisions (which I submit is the very reason you won’t consider this alternative). Put people in charge of their own health care and payment for their health care services.
Suppose every individual takes control of his/her medical costs and treatments. Instead of an HMO or the government deciding what costs they will pay, the folks would decide directly. This system already exists in the form of Medical Savings Plans, MSPs. You get immediate treatment and the doctor gets immediate payment. No forms to send to the HMO or Medicare nor a wait for months to then get reimbursed. The funds set aside for this purpose would be treated as tax-exempt thus encouraging everyone to participate. Cash and carry works.
That is not to say that insurance no-longer has a place in medical protection. In today’s market, those with insurance have what I call band-aide insurance. The programs pay for almost every minor problem. Financially, this is a very poor use of limited funds. The MSP savings would cover these types of expenses in the future and would be unique to each individual/family. Serious medical expenses would still be covered by what is called “Major Medical.” Once an illness exceeded some specified amount such as $25,000, the Major-Med would kick-in and cover the rest. This would provide the so-called bankruptcy protection feature. Major Med is- and has been available for decades, and it’s very affordable. The issuing insurance company knows that it will not have to pay anything until the costs exceed the stipulated amount. Therefore, the premium is amazingly small. That, I submit, is the correct use of insurance – any insurance.
But wait, you say. “I don’t know enough about medicine to be able to make my own decisions.” Then I suggest you learn. And the very, very sad fact is that very few in the medical profession “know” either, but that’s a topic for another article. Suffice it to say that when competence is demanded by the customer, the medicos that survive the scrutiny will become the best choices for medical services. No one is instant-smart and there will be a learning curve, but the effort will be well worth time allocated.
Recently, I read an in-depth article describing the treatments and costs-of-treatments between the cities of McAllen, TX and El Paso. The McAllen costs were virtually double those of El Paso yet the patient (read customer) results were almost identical. If the results were comparable, why spend twice the money for the same results? Again I submit that government mandated single-payer programs will double the costs even though they initially claim they will reduce costs. Can you say Post Office? Can you say Medicare? Can you say any government program in competition with a privately-run program?
Every article I write seems to be based on having to refute the claim that capitalism has failed. Private medicine has “failed” so now big government has to step-in and make it work is the basic message now being promoted. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I continue to maintain, we’ve never even had pure capitalism so how would we know whether or not it’s failed? Big government has had their sticky hands in every facet of our lives with rules upon restrictions upon laws upon mandates that contradict common sense. I would argue that no one has a higher interest in your health and wellbeing than you, no matter how sincerely others try. That being the case, why don’t you just trust your instincts and take charge of your health? Just say NO to Government Health Care.
Let me be perfectly clear: Health care is NOT a right and government has absolutely no business getting involved. You can pander to the voters, Mr. President, but you can’t justify that position to rational, thinking people.
Regards,
Tex Norton
September 11, 2009
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Tex,
Great article!
It’s that very arrogance and the belief that he knows best that keeps the President determined to foist this healthcare disaster on us. Believe it or not, a recent radio news report stated that he is planning on going on the road again to sell the healthcare plan to the American people. This report was accompanied by a sound byte wherein he continues to insist that healthcare reform will not increase the deficit one dime. If that ain’t enough, the healthcare choices of the middle class will be made even stronger and more secure.
Never-never-land was never this unbelievable!
Tex…what a stunning article. You are right all down the line and put your points (as always) clearly and decisively. It is a privilege to be on the same page with you.
Linda Brady Traynham
[...] See the article here: The President's Health Care Scare Tactics Exposed [...]
Well said.
Forty years ago the doctor made house calls. Forty years ago you could drive up to a hospital and park right out front to visit a patient. Forty years ago, health insurance was in its infancy and few people had it. Forty years ago when you checked into a hospital the paper work was insignificant. Forty years ago some people died because of poor health.
Today there is no such thing as a house call. Today you drive up to the hospital and enter an eight level parking garage. Today health insurance is pervasive and most people have it. Today when you check into a hospital you could die before you complete the paper work. Today some people die because of poor health.
Todd Marshall
Plantersville, Tx
Thank you for writing (saying) what all intelligent readers know to be the truth.
Fifty years ago an office visit cost five bucks. In terms of today’s money, that is $30, compared to what money would buy when I was a teen. The average office visit is four or five times that much, now, and the rest of it went to cover paperwork and malpractice insurance.
“Why do Canadians fly to the USA for medical treatment for which they must pay when they can get free health care in Canada? Could it be because of the long waiting periods that plague every medical procedure in Canada?”
Very few Canadians fly to the USA for medical treatment. Some Canadians have been flown to the USA for heart procedures which have been paid for by Canadian Medical when our system is overloaded.
People on waiting lists can go to emergency and have the operation immediately if necessary.
Very interesting to watch how Americans fix America when necessary. Please do not hold your breath folks.
America seems to have a war against everything. Too bad that the costs are showing up.
Love you folks, keep up the political theater.
Douglas C Trant
Usually I really enjoy W&G but…not today. What passes for debate over healthcare in the U.S. remarkable for both it’s childishness and cruelty. A mere 30 million uninsured doesn’t disturb the writer, really? As someone who went without health insurance for several years I can attest to how frightening an experience it is. It is not true that hospitals do not turn away people–happens all the time. YOU try getting help in an emergency room without insurance my friend and let us know how that turns out.
The writer brings up Canada and England. A better question might be why there are not hordes of French, German, Swiss, or Scandinavian patients clamoring to get in to the US for care…because they do not need to, their systems work. I’m really frustrated with the ping-ponging “debate” that uses the same tired examples. And that goes for both sides. As for the contention that sheiks come to the U.S. – well, they tend to go to France or Germany over the US–and they can afford the best care in the world?
Again with the “death panels” – I’ve read the section over and just don’t see where there would be creation of a panel. Here is a link to the bill itself, it is on page 425. Would someone please quote the specific language and help me understand why people think death panels are being created? I actually would seriously appreciate the help.
http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/.....071409.pdf
:
Well written and to the point.
Speaking as a senior citizen who devoted most of her life to family before entering the paying workforce, I must say that I’m glad Medicare and Social Security exist. However, I do not like that these two programs are heaped into the pile with Medicaid and other welfare programs. I paid for Medicare all my working life, and even now that I am covered by this insurance, I still pay a monthly premium. I do not consider it free health care at all.
I am also a Vietnam Era veteran and in the VA system, so I have a backup medical plan. That insurance was not free either.
Social Security would not be broke if it were put into the account it is being withheld for instead of being “borrowed” for pet projects in D. C., and then not paid back. I fear for my children and grandchildren if they ever try to apply for this retirement supplement. Fortunately, they have worked all their lives, have savings, and 401K to see them through. they also know how to survive on limited income if need be.
All that said, I do agree that a full blown government run health care system would be a huge mistake for our country. So what if trial lawyers contributed a fistfull or two of dollars? Tort reform is part of the solution that must be considered. Allowing government to acess my bank account for forced medical payments is not okay with me.
Dear Gun-Totin’ Wacko:
You’re absolutely correct. I NO LONGER care whether or not you or anyone else for that matter have health care or whatever they think they’re entitled to at my expense. Stuff Happens. Deal with it. Wouldn’t hurt for you to have anticipated the possibly that something might go wrong in the future and to then have provided for yourself with Plan B alternatives. Oh, I forgot, I’m supposed to feel sorry for you because you’re a poor, pathetic soul without God-given health care or whatever else you think you deserve. Grow up.
As for health care in France, I tried in 2001 to get health care in France and struck-out. I then waited until I returned to the USA where I was able to get instant service. Whether you or any of the naysayers care to admit it, the observable facts are that nothing beats private enterprise regardless of the product or service being offered. Note that I’m not saying current business practices are perfect. Far from it. Our Political culture is fraught with fraud and corruption. Business follows government precedent. There is currently no incentive to be honest. The too-big-to-fail attitude eliminates the price that must be paid for those mistakes.
You might also spend some time developing the art of critical reading. Did you not read and understand the statement I made regarding death panels? I suggest to go back to square one and try again. Am I to conclude that you are going to be offended regardless of what I say? If true, tough! Deal with it, too. Fortunately, I note that most W&G readers are intellectually honest and reasonable. You can disagree with my opinions but you can’t disagree with the facts. I simply have presented the facts.
Dear Gun-Totin’ Wacko: Do the world a favor, son, and put your gun away. With that much anger and willingness to offend others you might do yourself an injury.
I’ll go one farther than mah buddy Tex: I have NEVER cared for being a milk cow for those who choose not to work, choose to break our laws to come here and than demand “free” food, medical care, housing, education, and SSI they never worked for, and the whole “entitlement” nonsense. I’m supposed to be guaranteed the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all those “social” programs and socialistic laws are big threats to are quite deleterious to my well-being. What is “mine” is “mine” only so long as some taxing authority has not wrested it from me with threats of incarceration. If YOU want to “help” the ungrateful “less fortunate” with YOUR money, have fun. By what right do you demand MY money to support YOUR idea of morality or charity? Easy charity when the rest of us pay for it. It is MY right to choose to buy health insurance, not something the government is authorized to mandate. Try getting help in an emergency room crowded full of illegals with kids with runny noses. Bah. Tex, let’s go play cribbage. LBT
Tex,
You are obviously a gifted writer my friend and I respect your views. As I told you, I like the way you write, but I could not disagree more with what you write! In addition, I’m a little surprised at the tone of your blog vis-à-vis our President. Calling the President a “petulant child” does no service to your arguments. Name calling is what’s wrong with the nature of the debate today. I say don’t confuse petulance with leadership and the desire to break the logjam in congress with respect to healthcare. Our President is doing what he said he would do when he ran for office. He won, if you hadn’t heard, so he’s trying to do the right thing. Just for the sake of disclosure, I’ve been a lifelong republican. I am converting to an independent. I’m tired of both parties. I voted for President Obama and I’m proud of that fact and continue to support him. The decisions made by democrats and republicans, in particular about foreign policy (Iraq stands out!), will turn out to be judged by history as the biggest strategic mistakes our country ever made. I’m going to deal with some of the points you made in your blog in some detail because these are weighty issues. Whenever possible I will place a hyperlink to my source for the information, or I will cite the source unless it’s simply my opinion. Oh, by the way, you’ll know when it’s my opinion! Let’s exchange ideas and see if, together, perhaps we can actually make some progress. While this is serious, let’s lighten the debate a bit and insert some humor when possible. After all, with the state of affairs in this debate you either laugh or you cry!
Death Panels
Your failure to repudiate the “death panel” comments is troubling because you know that’s not what the President is advocating. What the bill does is encourage families to talk with their doctors in advance about living wills and what measures they want taken if, God forbid, one were to become ill and unable to make those decisions. I’ve done a living will for my mother and I encourage everyone to do so. The fact is most families wish they had done just that when faced with a crisis. Do you really think families want their loved ones to be in such a situation without at least having thought about their wishes in this regard in advance? Do you really think families want to go broke paying for heroic treatment when the patient may have well told them verbally they did not want that done but failed to put it in writing? Do you really want the government to spend billions keeping people on ventilators for years when they did not want to live that way but failed to make a living will? You’re a financial expert, if someone does not want to live that way but is not able to express it, or did not express it in writing, is that a good way to spend taxpayer money? Common Tex, you know better! How in the world you can still defend the “death panel” comments, knowing how grotesque that characterization is, escapes me and diminishes your credibility.
On the other side of this “death panel” argument is the failure of some to look critically at what medical treatment works and what doesn’t. This is a legitimate and critical debate that needs to happen to ensure Medicare does not go broke. Take a look at this article in Today’s L.A. Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/na.....5060.story.
Illegal Aliens and Healthcare
Ah, the illegal alien deal, there is obfuscation at its best! Tex, even though you are a financial expert you didn’t deal with the real issue here – the law about no one being turned away at emergency rooms was in place decades before President Obama took office. The point is he is not advocating subsidizing medical treatment for illegal aliens. The bill explicitly excludes them and I can point to the exact location of the language. I agree that the identification at the point of service language needs to be clearly spelled out in the bill. Existing law provides that until someone is stable enough to either leave the hospital or be transferred elsewhere from an emergency room, their care is covered if they can’t pay; that includes illegal aliens. You and I both know that until we deal head on with the immigration debacle in this country those illegal aliens that cook our food, take care of our kids, mow our lawns and grow our crops will continue to come and seek help in emergency rooms because most of them have no alternative. Until we develop a bracero-like program (guest workers in California in the 1940s or 50s) where foreigners can come and work legally to do those things many Americans don’t really want to do, we’re going to have to suck it up and provide some form of rudimentary medical care. Don’t you wish it were not the emergency room?
And please, don’t tell me there is no job Americans won’t do for the right pay and benefits. Sure, someone would break their back picking crops for twelve hours if they were paid $25.00 an hour with benefits. Do you know how much a head of lettuce would cost then? Do you think Americans would want to pay the premium on goods, food and services if that was the going wage? You seem to make the point that since illegal aliens can already go to the emergency room they are already covered. Done deal, don’t worry, be happy! You and I both know that’s much more expensive than having a basic system to provide this type of care, such as community clinics, etc. They’re here doing stuff for you and me and millions of others, so either keep them out or deal with it and develop a system that works.
Cost of Medicare and Waste
Your point about the costs of the bill(s) and the waste and fraud in the Medicare system implied the President should have these issues resolved if it’s all that bad. Why, for crying out loud, hasn’t the President corrected these abuses you say? After all, he’s been in office eight months……long enough to clean up the mess that Republicans and Democrats created! Why not implement improvements and eliminate abuse from the system right now if the President’s assertions are right? Why wait until a bill is passed? Come on Tex, that argument holds no water – or as our friends from Texas might say, “That dog won’t hunt pal!” These abuses, fraud, waste and other problems have been entrenched for years and we all know that effective enforcement and eligibility review will cut costs from a system fraught with waste. The President is simply saying that these cost savings will help defray the cost of additional subsidies for those who legitimately can’t pay. Whatever bill passes and is signed by the President, as he said, “I’ll own it.” He’s willing to take the leadership to improve our system even though it might ultimately cost him a second term. That’s more than most republicans and democrats combined have done since the New Deal.
For example Ted, take a look at this graphic from the Orange County Register that depicts the increase in health insurance premiums for the average family. According to some analysts, fraud, waste and abuse account for about 40% of the increase. If you’d like to read the entire article here’s the hyperlink:
http://jan.freedomblogging.com.....ear/22345/
“Broke” Government Institutions
While I agree with you that a government option or cooperative system may not be the best alternative, I am at least willing to wait until a final bill emerges and the costs associated with any option are fully analyzed by the CBO and other independent groups. I also believe that a properly regulated private sector is almost always more efficient than government-sponsored enterprises. However, I think you took some editorial freedom when you cited a litany of government programs that are “broke.” While some are clearly in trouble, the reasons aren’t as simple as you’d have us believe. I’ll address just a couple of them. Let’s start with Social Security. It is not broke. This quote is from an article in MSNBC: “The first question is pretty straightforward, even though much of what you’re hearing these days is simply dead wrong. While the Social Security system is in need of another overhaul (similar to the one it got in 1983), the fund is hardly “going broke.” This year’s report by the trustees who oversee the fund found that, if left alone, the Social Security system will continue to be able to pay its bills for at least the next 40 years — thanks in part to a $1.4 trillion nest egg of Treasury securities that has been stashed away over the past several decades. (A separate analysis by the Congressional Budget Office figures the fund is in good shape until 2052). If you’d like to read the entire article, as well as see for yourself the sources of the information, here’s the hyperlink:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/70.....l_finance/.
Medicare and Medicaid are not broke, but if nothing is done to rein in costs and reform the system they will be broke by 2018 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01448.html). Medicare and Medicaid used to represent about 6% of GDP in 1980. Today it’s 16% and rising! That’s why President Obama has tried to instill a sense of urgency to the deliberations in congress. What would you have us do Tex, simply ignore the problem or turn it all over to the private sector to figure out? That’s what got us into this mess to begin with – poorly regulated business behemoths that bought congressional votes to eliminate the Glass-Steagall Act of 1993 and created the sub-prime debacle. See the information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass-Steagall_Act. How about that Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit passed by a Republican President and House in the early 2000s? I’m wondering if that concerns you since it added about $650 billion to Medicare costs in perpetuity. That’s year after year after year!
The Postal Service
Ah, the Postal Service, a favorite whipping boy for those who rail at government-run enterprises. Tex, aside from the occasional employee going “postal,” you and I both know that the Post Office served us well for many decades. They continue to deliver mail promptly, consistently and generally cheaply. The cost of postage elsewhere in the world is twice or three times more than in the U.S. The tipping point for profitability for the Postal Service arrived with the advent of the Internet, email, Skype, VOIP, etc. Tex, common pal, you know how these services and communication mediums have reduced the volume of letters and packages and created tremendous competition. OK, I’ll grant you that the Postal Service has not been managed well when faced with their more nimble private sector competitors sporting new technology. But, it’s not as simple as you make it out to be. Take a look at this opinion piece that actually presents clear, cohesive arguments and, to your likely delight, agrees with you about the supposed “nationalize it all” bent of the Obama administration. My point is, let’s discuss these issues intelligently.
http://www2.hernandotoday.com/.....r-trouble/
Bailouts of Wall Street
Tex, you blame the President for the Wall Street bailouts when it was George Bush that threw the first punch! President Obama inherited the biggest mess since the great depression and something had to be done. He never promised unemployment would not exceed 8%. The figures I found pegged the estimate by the White House at above 9% but no more than 10%. Some of the most trusted and respected financial analysts and institutions, recommended to President Bush and President Obama that something had to be done. We are already seeing signs that they were right, and while only time will tell, it looks as though what both administrations did was not only appropriate but essential to preventing another great depression.
Entitlement to Healthcare
I was surprised at the tone of your blog and, in particular, your comments regarding those who are unfortunate enough not to have insurance. I realize there are those who clearly failed to plan and/or elected not to get insurance even though they could afford it. While I have no overwhelming sympathy for them, I realize that when they get emergency medical care they do so at our expense. That’s right, yours and my expense pal. This “use the emergency room as your doctor” type of medical treatment is often ten times more expensive than providing a community clinic-type benefit for those without insurance. After all Tex, you don’t really want foreign workers walking around with uncontrolled and untreated tuberculosis or some other disease right?
How about our children Tex? How about young adults who graduate from college and, in this economy, can’t get a decent enough job to pay for health insurance? When a person graduates from college and he/she is generally 23 years old they are no longer eligible as a dependant on their parents’ healthcare policy. If their parents are able they can buy a policy for them. If not, they go without coverage. What if they have a pre0existing condition? Then they don’t qualify at all. Wouldn’t it be prudent to have a public option to deal with these folks, your kids and mine, until they get on their feet? How about a little compassion Tex? We are the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide some form of healthcare coverage, whether general or catastrophic, for its citizens and residents. I know you got all those replies about Derek’s thoughts from writers at your blog, but I got an equal or greater response from friends and relatives that agreed with him. It was overwhelming in favor of what he had to say.
Tex, my main point in all of this is that name calling and scare tactics – and they are scare tactics! – will not produce a good bill that the President will sign with bipartisan support. Let’s review the facts and support or oppose vigorously but constructively. Let’s remember that we’re all in this together and whatever the result we’ll have to live with it for many years. These are tough times and we need the President to exhibit leadership even in the face of polls and other opposition. Sure, we all want to keep our entitlements and none of us wants to pay more in taxes. But, you and I both know something has to give. Let’s create a future together rather than apart.
Regards form your California friend,
Shooter