Mike Pouraryan
OV Healthcare Reform Watch (3/18/2010)
:
Well....
I admit I have had my doubts whether Healthcare Reform in the United States will see the light of day. However, it seems increasingly likely that the current healthcare reform will be passed and signed into law. I have to truly wonder whether I am not too optimstic in my assessment, though.
My optimism is based on the reports coming through. One of the key switches was Dennis Kuccinich. There are a few wayward folks who are still being pushed by the White House to switch sides. The opponents are at it, though. I happened to catch a glimpse of CNN and saw the Insurance Industry mouthpiece air the ads to underscore Karen Iganci's talking point on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday about the Insurance Industry being 4% of the aggregate cost. What she failed to mention was that they drop you if you have a pre-existing condition. They can recsicnd the insurance and there is a lifetime and a annual cap. All of these will go away within six months after the bill is passed. The insurance industry is afraid--as they should be.
Beyond the Insurance Industry, the right wing noise machine continues to be beating the drums. Now that the advent of reform is in sight, they are pushing the issue of constituionality of parliamentary processes. I find that extremely hypocritical especially in light of the fact that the Republicans have used procedures like Deem and Pass over 200 times. I also have to wonder the justification by Republicans in pushing through the Bush Tax Cuts through Reconciliation. The Bush tax cuts realigned Government in a major way that continues to this day.
Of all the right wing choir that was on the prowl over the past twenty four hours, I got the biggest laugh from two of the characters: Michael Levin and Bill Bennett. Bill Bennet is one of the more sensible guys on the right, at least. Beyond calling Michael Moore a joke and being dismissive of the debate, he was insistent upon leaving 16% of the economy alone. What Mr. Bennet needs to understand is that Mr. Moore is one of the more provocative storytellers of our time. Many of the right talking points were debunked in a major way with his film, Sicko. Now, he's got another one out called Capitalism, a Love Story. He has been an advocate for Social Justice and Equality for years. Such men, in the opinino of luminaries from the right, are psuedo-communists. One has to really wonder who is the joker here. There is of course Mr. Levin. Mr. Levin is an Attorney and a Talk Show host. He's also quite a provocatuer with his books. He has a foundation called the landmark legal foundation. He has threatened to file suit if the House adopts the Senate Bill without a full up and down vote. If he goes through with it, it will show the total lack of regard he has for those on main street.
The possiblity of 30,000,000 people covered is something that should be worth the effort. The downpayment is worth the effort. The right is saying that they would use this as a campaign slogan. If the President's aggressive stance is an indication of things to come, the Republicans need to be ready for a slugfest. I noted that this President should not be counted on. I still do.
The key trigger is the score by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). When the CBO Scores comes out, then the final dash for the finish line begins. It will be high drama indeed.
My optimism is based on the reports coming through. One of the key switches was Dennis Kuccinich. There are a few wayward folks who are still being pushed by the White House to switch sides. The opponents are at it, though. I happened to catch a glimpse of CNN and saw the Insurance Industry mouthpiece air the ads to underscore Karen Iganci's talking point on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday about the Insurance Industry being 4% of the aggregate cost. What she failed to mention was that they drop you if you have a pre-existing condition. They can recsicnd the insurance and there is a lifetime and a annual cap. All of these will go away within six months after the bill is passed. The insurance industry is afraid--as they should be.
Beyond the Insurance Industry, the right wing noise machine continues to be beating the drums. Now that the advent of reform is in sight, they are pushing the issue of constituionality of parliamentary processes. I find that extremely hypocritical especially in light of the fact that the Republicans have used procedures like Deem and Pass over 200 times. I also have to wonder the justification by Republicans in pushing through the Bush Tax Cuts through Reconciliation. The Bush tax cuts realigned Government in a major way that continues to this day.
Of all the right wing choir that was on the prowl over the past twenty four hours, I got the biggest laugh from two of the characters: Michael Levin and Bill Bennett. Bill Bennet is one of the more sensible guys on the right, at least. Beyond calling Michael Moore a joke and being dismissive of the debate, he was insistent upon leaving 16% of the economy alone. What Mr. Bennet needs to understand is that Mr. Moore is one of the more provocative storytellers of our time. Many of the right talking points were debunked in a major way with his film, Sicko. Now, he's got another one out called Capitalism, a Love Story. He has been an advocate for Social Justice and Equality for years. Such men, in the opinino of luminaries from the right, are psuedo-communists. One has to really wonder who is the joker here. There is of course Mr. Levin. Mr. Levin is an Attorney and a Talk Show host. He's also quite a provocatuer with his books. He has a foundation called the landmark legal foundation. He has threatened to file suit if the House adopts the Senate Bill without a full up and down vote. If he goes through with it, it will show the total lack of regard he has for those on main street.
The possiblity of 30,000,000 people covered is something that should be worth the effort. The downpayment is worth the effort. The right is saying that they would use this as a campaign slogan. If the President's aggressive stance is an indication of things to come, the Republicans need to be ready for a slugfest. I noted that this President should not be counted on. I still do.
The key trigger is the score by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). When the CBO Scores comes out, then the final dash for the finish line begins. It will be high drama indeed.
Outsider Views:
Smooth Political
Kitten Politics
Interestingly enough, the CBO has come out and noted that the proposed healthcare will save 130 Billion during its' first year. It seems to me that a proposal that is fiscally responsible should be embraced by conservatives...the fact that it will also help bring in those who could not get health insurance before is not only humane, but simply right.