"Socialized Democracy"?

a question for conservatives (including president obama): is it "socialized democracy" when every american, regardless of their financial income, has the right to an equal vote? why is the concept that every american, regardless of their financial income, should have the right to equal healthcare, called "socialized healthcare"? if the equal right to vote is called "democracy", shouldn't the equal right to healthcare be called "democratic healthcare"? and another question for conservatives: if you were to have our government force people to pay money for healthcare, shouldn't you support the concept that our government should force people to pay money to vote?

"GOP healthcare plan isn't about helping the uninsured"

Found this great article today (where it was entitled, "GOP plan is a bogus effort"; the article is titled differently in the Times online edition) on the front page of the L.A. Times Business section, of all places.

Republican Rep. John Boehner spoke yesterday of the "sanctity of life" when opposing the anti-abortion funding amendment to the health bill. That's all fine and good, but for Boehner, and his Republican and certain Independent and Democratic allies, the sanctity of life stops at the fetus; after a person is born, its straight to hell.

Re: Pelosi: New health care bill is 'historic moment'

From the article:

"Speaking on the steps of the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress was "on the cusp of delivering on the promise of making affordable, quality health insurance available to every American.""

Let's ignore for now the possible definitions of "affordable" and "quality". The beginning of the very next paragraph reads:

"Officials said the measure, once fully phased-in over several years, would extend coverage to 96 percent of Americans."

So, which is it? Will the legislation cover every American, as Pelosi said, or just 96 percent, as officials are reported as saying.

Why might the proposed legislation cover only 96 percent? Who are the 4 percent who won't be covered? Why are the lives of the 4 percent not worth, monetarily speaking, as much as the lives of the 96 percent?

Why is it that Pelosi and other key Democratic legislators don't support free universal health care that would cover all Americans, not just a portion of them?

Karen Ignagni Is A Spawn Of Satan

Read this article to find out how health insurance industry lobbyist Karen Ignagni is almost single-handedly preventing free universal health care in America from becoming a reality.

I already wrote, in a previous blog entry, that President Obama never wanted universal health care in the first place. The House bill (which contains a "public option", Baucus' Senate Finance Committee bill doesn't) will only cover 97% of those eligible, far from universal.

Both of these "health care reform" bills contain a mandate that people must buy health insurance. Such a mandate will insure that the health insurance industry will have millions of new customers, putting billions more into the pockets of health insurance industry executives, employees, and lobbyists. Money will continue to be seen as more valuable than people.

As long as people have to pay money to insurers and providers for health care, some people will be able to afford it, and some people wont. Some people will receive health care, and some won't. Some people will live, and others will die unnecessarily.

The only way to "keep the health insurers honest" is to get rid of the health insurance industry entirely! Let the health insurance industry executives, employees, and lobbyists get their greed on in some other industry, like the music business!

Sens. Max Baucus, Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln, Bill Nelson, & Tom Carper Are Shills For The Health Insurance Industry

I know we wanted more transparency in government, but this is ridiculous.

Yesterday in the Senate Finance Committtee Democratic Senators Max Baucus, Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln, Bill Nelson, and Tom Carper all voted against Sen. Rockefeller's "public option" amendment to health care reform.

Don't the "fearful five" know that the American people can see right through them?

This group of Senators don't care one iota for the health and well-being of their constituents. All they care about is the health and well-being of their health insurance industry campaign donors, and the health and well-being of their own pocketbooks.

Republicans Are Hijacking Patriotism From The Patriotic, And Democrats Are Letting Them Get Away With It.

We all know that Republicans will lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want.

Its not that Republicans don't know lying, cheating, and stealing are wrong; its that, in their view, lying, cheating, and stealing are justified if it results in them retaining their power, or, even better, broadening it. Doing so, in their eyes, better secures our "free" society.

Republicans believe that, since man is inherently evil, its better to enslave the (evil) majority to ensure that the good who can rule best (Republicans) are able to survive. This signals a major difference, some would say, the major difference, between the worldview of Democrats, who believe that man is inherently good, and that the enslavement of anyone, even Republicans, does nothing to promote the goal of a peaceful and sustainable world.

So, everyone, including Republicans, know that Republicans are liars, cheaters, and stealers, and know that Republicans are able to justify this fact to themselves by convincing themselves the end justifies the means. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone.

When Sen. Lindsay Graham goes on national television and says that "Americans don't support Obama's healthcare proposals," I know exactly what he's saying.

He's not saying that all Americans oppose Obama's healthcare proposals. He knows the majority of Americans actually support Obama's healthcare proposals. However, by saying "Americans don't support Obama's healthcare proposals" he's achieving the dual result of accusing those who do support Obama's healthcare proposals of being un-American, and thus, unpatriotic; and, on the other hand, helping to create, or insinuate, an anti-Obama healthcare plan atmosphere in general, hopefully inculcating in the minds of those who may be on the fence about Obama's healthcare proposals that they should be against them after all, because anything else would be un-American, and thus, unpatriotic. Sen. Lindsay Graham, is, after all, a Republican, all-knowing and all-powerful.

I would just like to say that I support Obama's healthcare plan if it contains language permitting free universal healthcare, and I'm an American. So I just proved Sen. Lindsay Graham wrong. I'm an American, and I support Obama.

Will someone please explain to me what is so American about letting a human being die because they don't have access to healthcare?

Will someone please explain to me what is so American about caring more for the survival of health insurance companies than the survival of human beings?

Will someone please explain to me what is so un-American about believing that America should care about the well-being of all its citizens, not just some of them? That if one human being suffers, then we all suffer?

Will someone please explain to me what is so un-American about the belief that every American should have access to healthcare, even if they don't have the money to pay for it?

Feel free to respond, especially you anonymous Republicans out there! :) Hint: democracy and capitalism are not the same thing.

The Left Should Reclaim 'Freedom'

Found this great article today while perusing my blog subscription feeds.

Conservatives Say It's Their Turn For Empowerment?

I suppose it remains to be seen if Rep. Joe Wilson's "emotional" heckling of the President, and the conservative opposition to real health care reform, is rooted in racism (also, here), but nobody, conservatives and Republicans (is there a difference?) included, can deny that the conservative movement and the Republican worldview in general is historically rooted in the racism, sexism, homophobia, bigotry, intolerance, and hatred of anyone who thinks and/or looks different than they do, experienced in America during the last 200+ years.

If the conservatives and Republicans could have their way, slavery would still be legal, people who aren't white would have to sit at the back of buses, wouldn't be able share drinking fountains with white people, and wouldn't be able to eat at certain restaurants, people who have political beliefs on the left end of the spectrum wouldn't be able to find work, women wouldn't be able to vote, and gays and lesbians wouldn't be able to marry (ooops, still working on that last one).

Conservative Americans have a lot to thank American liberals for, but when it comes to defending their stance against many of President Obama's ideas, conservatives will always have to contend with the history of intolerance perpetuated, historically, by themselves.

Sen. Max Baucus Is A Shill For The Health Insurance Industry

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., speaks with the press following a meeting on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) from huffington post.

Today Sen. Max Baucus "finally" unveiled his "groundbreaking" health insurance reform proposals, which in actuality would reform nothing, and would leave the health insurance companies much richer and more powerful than ever.

Interesting to note that, according to the Max Baucus page on opensecrets.org, amongst Baucus' top 20 campaign contributors are Schering-Plough Corp, Aetna Inc, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, & Wyeth.

Obama Never Wanted Universal Healthcare In The First Place

First it was called universal healthcare, then "single payer system", then a "public option", now the "public option" apparantly is barely even an option.

I think its important for everybody, especially Democrats, and especially everyone who voted for him, to know that Obama never supported universal healthcare in the first place. If he had he wouldn't be giving up on it so easily.

Republicans and Democrats are too beholden to the health insurance scam's...urm...industry's money for any true "change" to come about.

Its important for everyone to realize that all those highly upset and passionate folks at these public forums who are taking up arms against what they see as death panels, torts, brainwashing, socialism, and fascism are not speaking from their hearts. They are bought and paid for by a very defensive health insurance industry that is very, very protective of its mass quantities of wealth, a cache of cash that now looks to get even larger without a "public option" being available.

The health of U.S. citizens will continue to be linked first to monetary profit and least to true concern for the well-being of people created equally under God.

I was watching one of these health-care town hall meetings on T.V. last week and one of these birther anti- health reform/fascist/socialist/death panel/brainwashing/abortion/choice of doctor pro- tort reform people declared "I'm not evil!"

If she wasn't so evil to begin with why did she feel the need to assure everyone of her lack of evil-ness? Methinks you protest too much.

Republicans Are Minions Of Satan

Having a little trouble sleeping tonight and this thought just occured to me, I think its quite brilliant. Shared it on my facebook page and now I bring it to you in all its glory:

I suppose it remains to be seen if Obama is Hitler and Democrats are actually socialists, but i think Republicans should start owning up to who they really are - minions of Satan.

Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

Not sure where I was in July 2004 but I missed this well-written article about everything Republicans and "Blue Dog" Democrats have to thank liberal Democrats for.