Just Saying… (#8)
Do they really think that the left will swallow this stuff and say, “thank you sir, may I have another?”
The Republicans have been saying that for the Democrats to be truly bipartisan, they have to stop proposing things that they know the right won’t approve. But hasn’t the health care plan been whittled down to almost nothing, just to appease the right, who aren’t voting for it anyway? I’m growing tired of saying, yet again, that Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin, and that we need something different in this country.
On another note, all this talk about MA Governor Elect Scott Brown upsetting the 60-vote, filibuster proof Democratic majority is a huge crock of shite. The Democrats never had 60 people to count on. not when they vote like real people – different ways on different issues. Throw in the all-consuming reelection campaigns, and Democrats will never be able to do what they want in America.
12/22/2009
Just saying… (#7 in a series)
Lindsey Graham (on NPR’s All Things Considered) predicts that there won’t be another super-partisan bill after this health care debacle. How is that going to happen when all Republicans say no to anything Democrats put forth?
12/15/2009
Just saying… (#6 in a series)
So now the Senate Dems are getting rid of the early Medicare opt-in – the program that would let people as young as 55 enter Medicare, possibly saving the US money in the long run, since these people who might not have health insurance would be getting care for the ailments that plague us all in our later years.
All this to appease Lord Lieberman.
If there’s no early Medicare, no public option of any kind, and no apparent incentive for private insurance companies to lower their costs, how is this bill changing anything?
8/12/2009
Just saying… (#5 in a series)
If what I’m hearing is correct, the Obama administration wants a healthcare system that’s socialized medicine, just like Canada’s. First of all, Canada’s healthcare isn’t socialized, and second, what do you think Medicare and Medicaid are? Well, they’re not socialized medicine either, but that’s a different story.
This article, from last year, explains the situation really well. One of Canada’s insurance plans is socialized, but the doctors work for themselves. It’s just another insurance plan that everyone can get.
There are commercials (can’t seem to find them, but they’re there) about how, if you have government health care, you’ll have to wait for everything, and you could literally die from the wait. I had a private HMO growing up, and I remember having to wait at least a month to get a general checkup. Even now, when I have another private insurance company, I (sometimes) have to wait to get a procedure done. No matter what, most doctors are willing to see you right away if it’s urgent, and there are always emergency rooms if the doctor can’t see you. I’ve taken advantage of both.
Even though I have complaints sometimes, I’m lucky to have insurance. Now, more than ever in recent history, we need a solution to insure the almost 48 million people who don’t have that luxury. What’s so wrong about having a socialized insurance plan? It all boils down to this – are you willing to help pay for someone else to stay healthy?
7/3/2009
Just Saying… (#4 in a series)
I would love to see a viable BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system happen in NYC. There are plans to have one line in each borough. If I won’t see a 2nd Ave Subway in my lifetime, this is the next best thing.
But if I’m on 62nd St with a big bulky package and I see 4 “Limited” buses (think express bus stops without express bus speed) go by my stop before I decide to walk to 82nd St, there’s something wrong. If I don’t see any local buses go by while I’m walking home, there’s something terribly wrong.
BRT will only work if there’s a working local service available. And amid all these budget cuts, I don’t know how that will happen.