Still No CBO Cost Estimate For ObamaCare

Two days after the Blair House summit and still no official CBO cost estimate [Article – CBO: Obama’s Health Care Plan Too Sketchy to Score; UPDATE: Obama Punts on Public Option: “That’s Up To Leader Reid”].

To be sure, the estimate will reveal the bloated cost of the 2700-page ObamaCare bill [Article – Obama Admits CBO Cost Estimates of ObamaCare Are Incomplete].

We should reform our health care system, but at what cost?  At the cost of another one trillion dollars added to the burgeoning national debt?  If ObamaCare passes, Americans will be paying for something that will not officially start until 2014 and will do nothing to reduce our budget deficit.

With all of the spending that Obama and tax-and-spend politicians have already added to our debt, how can we sustain the cost of ObamaCare?  How much money will honest, hard-working Americans have in their pockets after paying for all of the spending Obama has racked up?  One way or another, we will be paying for it in the form of  higher taxes.

After the GOP clearly built a stronger case against ObamaCare at the health care summit (when state-run media calls it a “draw”, you know the Republicans got the upper hand), they need to form their own health care summit and create another one of their own comprehensive health care bill (previous bills were thrown out by congressional Democrats) [Article – ObamaCare’ alienates most Americans].

Harkin: ObamaCare Will Pass With Or Without GOP

Big surprise here:  Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) says that health care reform will pass with or without GOP support.  These should be welcome words for anyone who is opposed to the brand of health care reform that President Obama and other leftists politicians are wanting to force upon an unwilling American public [Article: Harkin: Health reform will pass – with or without GOP support].

Obama was correct about something.  After ObamaCare is rammed down our throats, even when a majority of the American people don’t want the Democrat version, he’s right—that’s what elections are for.  After November of this year, it will be a lot more difficult for leftists in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to fulfill their utopian socialist agenda [Article: Obama warns Republicans he will pass health care].

ObamaCare Summit: Waste Of Time Or Entertaining TV?

The health care summit sponsored by Barack Obama took place today and there are mixed reactions across the political divide [Article – Reality TV or Healthcare Summit?].

If you watched or listened to the summit in whole or in part, what are your thoughts?  What were the strong points and what were the weak points made on both sides?  Do you think the whole thing was a colossal waste of time or did it make for entertaining TV?

U.S. House Passes Health Care Reform Bill, Ignores Will Of American People

In a brazen act of defiance against over 50 percent of the American people, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her fellow leftist statists in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the monstrosity known as H.R. 3962 – Affordable Health Care for America Act [Article – House passes health care reform bill; Vote garners only one Republican].

The snag in the works was getting so-called “moderate” “Blue Dog” Democrats to vote for the “deficit neutral” bill. How did Pelosi get so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats to vote for passage of the bill? There was certainly some arm-twisting that was done by leftist Democrats and President Obama himself; however, by simply inserting a stipulation known as the “Stupak Amendment“, which limits, but does not eliminate coverage and funding for abortions, that’s all it took for so-called “moderate” Democrats to submit an “up” vote.

Never mind the insertion of items that don’t have anything to do with health care reform and that raise taxes on people whom President Obama promised would not be taxed. Never mind that over 50 percent of Americans do not want a public “option” or in other words, government-run health care [Rasmussen Report – Health Care Reform].

Self-serving, hyper-ambitious politicians on all levels of government do not care about the will of the American people. They do not genuinely care about the health and well-being of the American people. They have proven time and again that they are nothing but a group of haughty, arrogant, elitist power and money grabbers with an aristocratic sense of predestinate entitlement.

The next election cycle is only a year away. A lot can happen in a year and those who want to retain their positions of power will do their best (or worst) to pull the wool over their constituents’ eyes in an effort to get re-elected. They know that the memories of the people they claim to represent are short. They are banking on that knowledge because it is a successful time-tested strategy.

So-called health care reform is only one link in a longer chain of enslavement that leftist bosses are forging for America. They are only a couple of links away from completing that chain. After the chain is complete, it will be almost impossible to break it.

What will you do? Will you vote for or against the chain? The 2010 elections should give us an indication.

H.R. 3962 – Affordable Health Care for America Act

Here is a copy of all 1990 pages of H.R. 3962 – Affordable Health Care for America Act for your reading pleasure, providing you want to read the whole thing, which I’m sure would be more than most members of the U.S. House of Representatives have done:

H.R. 3962 – Affordable Health Care for America Act

What I gather from all of the talk about the legislation, it is basically the H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 on steroids, including more convoluted and vague legal speak in an effort to mask the establishment of a government-run health care system.

Again, cost estimates on the legislation are incomplete and contrary to what House Speaker Pelosi thinks, each present (and future) American citizen could be facing a bill that is worth over 1 trillion dollars (that’s $1,000,000,000,000.00), instead of the less than 900 billion dollars Speaker Pelosi would like us to believe the cost to be. This will hardly give a majority of Americans the “choice” on whether or not to pay for something they don’t want in the first place [Article – CBO: House Bill Costs $1.055 Trillion].

Going Nuclear: Health Care (Insurance) Reform Legislation

With conservative and moderate Republicans and Democrats being opposed to a public “option” being included in any health care (insurance) reform legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has threatened to use reconciliation or the “nuclear” option to ram health care (insurance) reform legislation down America’s collective throat [Article – Reid Threatens ‘Nuclear Option’ to Pass Health Care Reform as Panel Starts Work].

What’s more, a draft of the U.S. Senate’s health care (insurance) reform legislation will not be available for the public to read and research. So much for transparency [Press Release – 1. Bunning Introduces Transparency Resolution | 2. Bunning: Democrats Are Intent On Keeping Americans In The Dark].

There has been talk of passage of a watered-down bill that would leave the way open for any public “option” amendments or other amendments that would receive stiff opposition if they were inserted in committee [Article – 1. Boehner Decries “Phantom Amendments” Added to Senate Health Care Bill After Committee Vote | 2. The Vapor Bill – Congress’ Secret Plan to Pass Obamacare – Update | 3. New plan might allow Dems to slip public option through Senate].

Go ahead all of you power-hungry, self-serving, leftist politicians—force through legislation that the American people don’t want [Article – Reconciliation 101: A “Nuclear” Abuse of Power]. I’m sure most if not all of you know that you are going to be committing political suicide. You claim to care about the wants and needs of the American people. If you continue to defy the will of the people, with elections coming up, the people will show just how much they care about you.

Real Change You Can Believe In

Ex-Marine David William Hedrick will be running against U.S. Congressman Brian “Teabaggers Are Terrorists” Baird (D-WA) for Baird’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. I have no doubt that Congressman Baird is not the only one who has to fear for his political future. Here is a reminder of the disparaging comment made by Congressman Baird regarding those who oppose government-run health care and increased government control of and interference in the lives of the American people:

Here is a video of Mr. Hedrick in his exchange with Congressman Baird:

Obama To The U.N. – Don’t Count On Us, Slams Israel

In today’s speech to the United Nations, our Apologist-in-Chief, President Obama told the world to basically not count on us for help, while at the same time asking for their cooperation on such matters as reducing carbon emissions, fighting infectious diseases, and opening economic policies in an effort to more actively participate in the world market. He also took the opportunity to trash Israel and elevate the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

“Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone,” Obama said.

Governmental Abuse Of Power – CMS Issues Gag Order To Medicare Advantage Provider Humana

Max Baucus (D-MT) is enraged at Medicare Advantage provider Humana for exposing language in America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 that outlines cuts to the Medicare Advantage program. The cuts would affect health care for a large number of American senior citizens [Article – Baucus Bludgeons Humana]. Senator Baucus complained to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CMS issued a gag order to Humana. This has also prompted an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services of Humana for unethical activities [Article – HHS investigates Humana Medicare mailer warning seniors on health overhaul].

This is a blatant attempt to suppress dissenting views and is an egregious abuse of power by Senator Baucus. There are going to be cuts to Medicare Advantage, but Senator Baucus doesn’t want seniors to know about it. Instead of waiting until health care reform legislation is signed into law, after which it would be too late to object to the contents of such legislation, Humana felt obligated to inform its customers on what potentially would arise, if the provisions in Senator Baucus’ bill were to be implemented. In other words, Humana was providing a beneficial service to its customers. What Senator Baucus is doing is disingenuous and presents a great disservice to American seniors. If the good senator is worried about his precious bill being scrutinized and altered beyond recognition, he need not worry because it will be for naught. There are already over 500 amendments on the ready to be inserted into Senator Baucus’ bill.

The CMS-issued gag order is now being called into question and rightly so [Press Release – 1. Camp Demands Answers from CMS on Its ‘Gag Order’ on Those Providing Accurate Information About President’s Planned Medicare Cuts |2. McConnell: End Federal Gag Order on Medicare Cuts].

So far no word from President Obama on whether he will order HHS to cease and desist with their investigation. In view of the other cease and desist orders Obama has given and then taken back, the investigation might as well proceed as scheduled.

Obama Advisor Axelrod: No Health Insurance Across State Lines

David Axelrod, one of President Obama’s senior advisors, reveals a little bit of the truth regarding leftist plans for the insurance industry. To his credit, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer of all people, grills Axelrod as shown below:

After bumbling, stumbling and fumbling through Blitzer’s questioning, Axelrod finally defines what the Obama administration is in his statements: President Obama, his administration and other leftist politicians are anti-capitalists. Most, if not all of them are Marxists. They are no more concerned about the American economy than Hugo Chavez or Fidel and Raul Castro. All they care about is furthering their radical leftist agendas. The more they talk, the more of their radicalism they let slip out [Article – Axelrod nixed selling health insurance across state lines].

ObamaCare Plans Still Lead To Government-Run Health Care

As they stand, here are the health care plans that either made it to the U.S. House or U.S. Senate floor or are undergoing alterations in committee:

America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009

Affordable Health Choices Act (Kennedy Bill)

H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

Quite a few people have read and researched the legislation. They have provided their analyses and have provided information from their analyses in Internet-friendly form. Take your pick from the plethora of links provided below:

Ignored: H.R. 3400 – Empowering Patients First Act

Yet again more from the so-called party of “No” and the party with no fresh ideas. Another conservative health care reform bill, submitted to the U.S. House floor back in July, that was referred to committee, but has since then made it to the committee scrap heap along with H.R. 3218 – Improving Health Care for All Americans Act:

H.R. 3400 – Empowering Patients First Act or Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2009

Conveniently, House leftists and the MIA (Media In Absentia) didn’t give another conservative bill (268 pages total) one ounce of consideration or air time [Bill Tracking – H.R. 3400: Empowering Patients First Act]. More of the same old worn-out conservative/Republican ideas? Oh that’s right, no public or government “option” in its contents. A bill that actually empowers the people, giving a patient the freedom of choice and taking personal responsibility for his or her own health care. Also contained in the legislation are provisions for tort reform, coverage for every American citizen, no coverage for illegal aliens, less of a tax burden to the American taxpayer and more cost control regulations governing the health insurance industry [Press Release – Putting Patients First!].

Compared to the monstrosity known as the  over 1,100-page government-run health care bill (H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act), which includes the creation of at least 54 government agencies, government-educated, trained and paid physicians; tax increases to pay for such expansion, including all of the procedures to be covered and paid for, no tort reform (besides, you can’t sue the government), coverage for illegals, vaguely-defined government “exchanges”, equally vague descriptions of the various boards and panels a patient must refer and/or report to, mandates on patients for government-approved health care coverage, mandatory employer coverage, encouraging “competition” among the various health insurance companies, which is really no competition at all when they won’t be able to compete with government coverage, penalties for non-compliance or “opting out” of the public “option” and since government-run health care as it is described in H.R. 3200 will increase in cost over a short period of time, health care rationing will occur, I don’t know why leftists in the U.S. House of Representatives would want to make legislation any simpler.

Ignored: H.R. 3218 – Improving Health Care For All Americans Act

More from the so-called party of “No” and the party with no fresh ideas. A conservative health care reform bill, submitted to the U.S. House floor back in July, that was referred to committee, but has since then made it to the committee scrap heap:

H. R. 3218 – Improving Health Care for All Americans Act

Well now, I wonder why House leftists and the MIA (Media In Absentia) didn’t give this conservative bill (all 24 pages) any consideration or air time. I know, it contains the same old worn-out conservative/Republican ideas and it was completely overshadowed by the over 1,100-page government-run health care bill (H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act) that made it to the House floor [Press Release – Bill expands access to health insurance with tax credits, aid to states | Article – 1. The Republican Health Care Reform Plan: HR 3218 (Part 1) | 2. The Republican Health Care Reform Plan: HR 3218 (Part 2) | Bill Tracking – H.R. 3218: Improving Health Care for All Americans Act].

America’s Healthy Future Act Of 2009 – Max Baucus’ Attempt At Compromise

For your reading pleasure:

America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009

CBO Analysis: America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009

JCT Analysis: America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009

You have to give Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) credit. He tried his hand at compromise by crafting a health care reform bill and was met with opposition, not only from Republicans, but from fellow Democrats as well [Article – Baucus Unveils $856 Billion Health Care Plan, Predicts ‘Broad’ Support]. Now he should somewhat know how John McCain feels.

Here’s what will have to be in or associated with a health care reform bill for it to be accepted by the majority of the people of the United States of America:

• No government or public option. Health care co-ops are still a scaled-down version of government or public option-style health care.

• Pretax and non-taxable medical savings accounts.

• A crackdown on medical over-billing practices.

• Tort reform.

• Better controls against fraud and waste.

• Non-discriminatory insurance coverage.

• No strings attached incentives for those who want to attend medical school and become health care practitioners or providers.

• “Deficit-neutral”.

• No tax increases.

If there ever comes to be a bill that exists with the bullet-pointed provisions, the American people will support it. Otherwise, it’s back to the drawing board, Senator Baucus.

Obama’s Hope And Change: FAIL

With all of the wide-ranging promises of “hope and change” and fixing the “messes” George W. Bush and the Republicans created for the United States, Barack Obama appealed to many people looking for someone who could fix what has been supposedly broken. People just wanted the pain to go away and Obama pledged to take that pain away [Article – Opinion: So far, Obama’s failing miserably].

Eight months into his presidency, Barack Obama has struggled to deliver on his pledges of “hope and change”. His grand proposals and plans for health care, climate change, card check and “stimu-less” have all been stalled or are simply not reaping any results. If Obama cannot move forward with his plans to fundamentally change America, he and his policies will fail. His presidency will be relegated to mediocrity not experienced since the Carter administration or even worse.

States: If ObamaCare Is Mandatory, We Don’t Want It

Lawmakers in eight states have filed proposals this year to ask voters to amend state constitutions to include a prohibition on restrictions to choose a private health care plan, mandatory participation in any given plan and penalties for declining coverage. State lawmakers argue the health care plan President Obama is proposing would restrict personal freedom of choice regarding the selection of health care plans. Similar measures are under consideration in two other states. Lawmakers in three other states say they are planning to file similar ballot proposals  in the near future [Article – State lawmakers try to halt health care changes].

Congressman Joe Wilson To President Obama: Liar!

Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) obviously had enough of Obama’s finger-pointing and accusations when he basically called President Obama a liar. Congressman Wilson’s exclamation prompted looks of disgust from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden, as well as shouts of “Shame!” from several Democrat members in attendance. To be sure, Wilson will be receiving an abundance of calls and E-mails from infuriated American citizens who support President Obama and/or his agenda. Wilson later apologized for his outburst, but the focus of Wilson’s anger was on what the President was saying all throughout yesterday’s speech to U.S. Congress [Article – Barack Obama health care speech: Republican calls president a liar].

The facts speak for themselves and analyses of H.R. 3200 have been done over the past couple of months. ACW has even posted an analysis of H.R. 3200, referencing page numbers, articles, sections, subsections, etc. [ACW Post – Analysis of H.R. 3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009]. Leftist politicians and proponents of government-run health care have played their word games during the health care reform debate by saying that what opponents of government-run health care or the “public option” (now health care co-ops?) have been saying what is in the bill is not in the bill. They have even called their opponents liars. President Obama has been one of those who has called government-run health care opponents liars.

After reading the following linked information, you can judge for yourselves whether Barack Obama is being completely honest with the American people or not:

Public Health Care “Option” Or Health Care Co-op?

In the health “insurance” reform (it is still really health care reform) debate, the public “option” is supposedly off the table. But wait, what about health care co-ops [Article – Health Care Co-Operatives: Doing It the Right Way]?

Democrats will not pass a health care…excuse me…health insurance reform bill without some sort of public option and the vast majority of Republicans will not vote on a health care…excuse me again…health insurance reform bill with a public option. Therefore, when will a health care…excuse me once more…health insurance reform bill contain anything that both parties would agree on? The answer is simple: Never [Article – 1. Public Option or Not, It’s Still Government-Run | 2. Health Care Co-ops: Just another Public Option].

Stimulus: If It Was Good For Nazi Germany, It Is Good For Us

With all of the accusations flying from leftist Democrats, media outlets, etc. about anti-government health care town hall protestors, conservative media pundits and conservative talk radio hosts being Nazis, the vast hypocrisy of the left becomes even more exposed and abundantly clear. According to left-wingers, TEA party protestors and others like them are doing much to emulate “right-wing” Nazism.

A few months back, the New York Times published an article about the Obama “stimu-less”, entitled Stimulus Thinking, and Nuance.

I couldn’t find anything on this subject from any other media outlets, including Fox News. Although The New York Times has not established a record of being a conservative news source, are we to conclude that the article by David Leonhardt was written with a right-wing point-of-view? Since the left has attributed conservative and/or right-wing beliefs and causes (erroneously so) to those of Nazism, are we to assume that Nazi Germany’s stimulus plan was a conservative and/or right-wing success story [Article – Hitler’s Economics]?

National Review Online has an article entitled Nazis for Me, but Not for Thee, explaining the previously-cited New York Times article. The NRO article does not denounce the NYT for publishing the article and I happen to agree with NRO. The NYT should not be denounced for several reasons.

First, the article does not endorse all or even most of the policies of Nazi Germany, just Hitler’s economic reforms that started in 1933. Second, a comparison between Nazi Germany’s economic policies were compared to those of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration and the Japanese stimulus of the 1990s, from which an opinion was extrapolated from that comparison. Third, the article was written to give more credence to President Obama’s stimulus plan and to prove that stimulus has worked in the past. Surely the examples that history has on record of the “successes” of stimulus are not limited to only those of Nazi Germany and Japan in the early 1990s. There have to be better examples to glean experiences from, right? How about from the era of FDR? No, the author of the NYT article wrote:

“When governments have taken aggressive steps to soften an economic decline, they have succeeded. The Germans did it in the 1930s. Franklin D. Roosevelt did so more haltingly, and had more halting results.”

Apparently, the economic policies of FDR were not as aggressive as the economic policies of Adolf Hitler. Of course, history points out that FDR’s economic policies did not pull the country out of the depression, but that it was in fact the advent of World War II that did. Since the NYT article was written by an objective “right-winger”, let’s ignore history on that fact (sarc-off).

Pertaining to the NYT article, the previously-mentioned NRO article hits the nail right on the head:

“Nazi Germany is a useful historical example of socialism run amok. The genocide and terrorism ultimately practiced by the Nazis were horrible — that goes without saying. But National Socialism went on for a dozen years, it was the last stage in a progressive nationalization of German society, and there was a lot more to it than genocide and terrorism. It cannot be that because there was genocide and terrorism, the socialist aspects of National Socialism are outside the lines of acceptable political discourse.”

The NRO article further states:

“The wisdom vel non of policies adopted during over a decade of Nazi socialism cannot be off the table simply because, in the end, the Nazis were monsters. We may find the seeds of their monstrousness in those policies, or we may not. But the thought that we should not talk about them is absurd. Notably, Leonhardt’s piece ran without any teeth-gnashing from Mort Kondracke and our other Beltway chaperones.”

History shows that Germany’s economic policy became a “means to an end” economic policy. They used their economic restructuring for the good of the few, not the many. They used their economy to build a deadly military juggernaut and to murder millions on innocents. Germany’s economy became fraught with widespread corruption, fraud, favoritism and theft. The people of Germany became the creators of their own demise. They were gradually transformed into wards of the state, no longer entrusted with the ability of individual thought, freedom and responsibility. In the end, the policies of Adolf Hitler and his various reichsministers or “czars”, led to the destruction of the country of Germany and a large number of its populace.

A history lesson for all of us because history has the uncanny ability of repeating itself.

Americans Against Government-Run Health Care: Expect A Major Offensive Of Intimidation And Suppression

To be sure, leftist organizations are preparing a major offensive of intimidation, confrontation, rights violations and suppression of dissent against American citizens who dare to speak out against those currently in power who are rapidly stripping this country of freedom and liberty and ushering in an era of near if not outright, totalitarianism.

Marxists and their socialist partners will not give up their version of health care reform without a fight. That fight is set to escalate. They will purposely try to goad people who are against a government takeover of our health care system into violence through either verbal and/or physical confrontations. That is what they want. They need ammunition to direct public opinion. That’s the ChicagObama, Emanuel, leftist, Marxist way. One has to wonder why they would want to do that, until you look into Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”, which is the handbook used by Obama, his army of “community organizers”, state-run media outlets, leftist politicians, labor unions and left-wing activist organizations.

According to Alinsky, you “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it”. This is done in an effort to divert attention away from the real issue(s) or fact(s) at hand by focusing the point of attack on a particular individual or group by assigning stereotypical labels and/or broad generalizations to them through slander,  libel or any other method of attack. Once public opinion has been swayed to portray the opposition as nothing more than stupid, insane, violent, anti-government and hate-fomenting anarchist “astroturf” Nazis who are encouraging civil discontent and disobedience, that individual or group of individuals can then be more easily targeted for dismantling and destruction.

We got a taste of the “Alinsky way” in the case of “Joe the plumber” and more recently with a woman who dared approach Senator Arlen Specter.