Obama Care - An Atrocity!

[mcurrier]

All that the Declaration of Independence , the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee anyone is the right to the pursuit of happiness, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms (individually and against a tyrannical government), equal treatment as a human being (no discrimination, etc.) and so forth.

The PRIMARY ROLE of government is to "provide for the common defense" (i.e. against aggression from without our sovereign borders to those living within our sovereign borders).

You do NOT have a "right" to:

Food

Health Care

Clothing

Toys

A Car

A TV

Cable TV

A Cell Phone

Owning A House

etc.

etc.

etc.

If you can work and create your own wealth faster than you create your own debt, then you have the right to purchase these things using your excess money. Otherwise, you will spend your time working as many Americans do, simply to be able to provide the basics necessary to sustain life for you and your family (food, clothing, shelter). It is no one else's responsibility or duty to provide these things for you.

In our free society, those who have done very well for themselves may, at their own discretion, set up charitable foundations to assist those who may not be as fortunate. Philanthropy has long existed in America, but it is voluntary. It can not be forced upon it's citizens. Otherwise it is forced redistribution of one person's successful gain (which represents that persons hard work) to another person of lesser means (perhaps by their lesser work or what-have-you).

When FDR started involving government in the seed of socialism in America, he put our government on a very wrong path, and many people follow him yet today, unfortunately in the wrong direction. FDR would rather have us give a man a fish, rather than teach a man to fish. Government has never, ever, ever been able to run anything well. Military is a governments primary role. Private sector runs everything else much better.

--------

Here's a quicky lesson on government for a few folks -

Whenever you see the word 'government', in it's simplest terms it means "the people" (we, us, all of us collectively). For we are the ones that government derives it's authority, representation and the resources with which to do things. A government of the people, by the people and for the people...

Take this conversation for example:

Who is going to pay for x? Oh, the 'government' will! Translate = Oh, the people (we, us) will!

Money doesn't magically appear from this "government". Every penny that the "government" spends on anything increases the amount that every citizen has to put in - excluding those who only receive and never put in. And therein lies the problem. Eventually you get to the point where those who keep working hard and putting in get tired of it and envious of those who don't work, never put in and only receive. Those working hard then decide one day that they no longer want to work hard and put in, but they want to take it easy and receive like the others. You get to a tipping point where you eventually will have more people taking it easy and receiving than working hard and putting in. This creates a major disincentive for those working hard and putting in, thus when you pass the 50% mark (maybe way sooner), the numbers of those who want to just take it easy and receive will increase at an exponential rate. So...what do you do when 100% of the people want to take it easy and only receive? Where is the magical 'government' that will provide for all of these people? Is it a genie? A leprechaun? The numbers just don't work out. Anyone over 4 years old can see this.

[Mark@Sea]

Anyone over 4 years old can see this.

Houston, I think I've found the problem....

[Guest SUNTZU]

YouTube - Federal Aid

Yep, this guy's a racist. Yep, this song is absolutely relevant, and not racist.

[Guest redbarron06]

This creates a major disincentive for those working hard and putting in, thus when you pass the 50% mark (maybe way sooner), the numbers of those who want to just take it easy and receive will increase at an exponential rate.

If I remimber the number that was reported from several places during the last election we are now at about the 48% mark so we are not far from completley imploding.

[Guest redbarron06]

After 8 years of Bush I'm not surprised. You should be relieved to have intelligent, ethical, competent people at the top of your government for a change...there is at last real hope that conditions at VA hospitals will improve.

Airman lost legs after gallbladder surgery

During the procedure, surgeons nicked or punctured an aorta

updated 8:56 p.m. CT, Tues., July 21, 2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An airman lost parts of both legs and was in critical condition after routine gallbladder surgery at Travis Air Force Base went terribly wrong, his family said.

Airman 1st Class Colton Read was supposed to get his gallbladder removed laparoscopically — via a small incision — at Travis' David Grant Medical Center on July 9.

During the procedure, surgeons nicked or punctured an aorta, a large artery that carries blood from the heart throughout the body, according to his wife, Jessica Read. The surgeons repaired the breach enough to save his life, but the repair began leaking and disrupted the blood supply to his legs, she said.

Read was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where doctors told the family that damage from the lack of blood required amputation. Family members say he's undergone 10 surgeries to remove dead tissue from his legs, leaving him without much of his right leg and the lower portion of his left.

And Read still hasn't had his gallbladder removed because of the surgery complications, relatives said.

Travis officials would not comment on specifics, only saying a "serious medical incident" occurred at the hospital. The case is under investigation by the base, a national hospital accrediting commission and the U.S. surgeon general.

VA hospitals inadequately serving women

Report finds that heath system not complying with privacy requirements

updated 8:04 p.m. CT, Wed., July 22, 2009

WASHINGTON - Veterans Affairs Department hospitals and clinics aren't always making sure women veterans have privacy when they bathe and receive exams, government auditors said Tuesday.

As thousands of women veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan and enter the VA's health system, the Government Accountability Office reported that no VA hospital or outpatient clinic under review is complying fully with federal privacy requirements.

GAO investigators found that many VA facilities had gynecological tables that faced the door — including one door that opened to a waiting room. It also found instances where women had to walk through a waiting area to use the restroom, instead of it being next to an exam room as required by VA policy.

At four hospitals investigators visited, women were not guaranteed access to a private bathing facility. In two of those cases, there wasn't a lock on the door.

Female veterans told the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee that VA workers need to be better educated about combat situations that women face in the two ongoing wars. Beyond privacy concerns, there are other issues as well, they said, such as a lack of child care at VA hospitals and difficulty in finding diaper-changing tables.

"Many VA facilities are not prepared to accommodate the presence of children," said Kayla Williams, an Iraq veteran and author. "Several friends have described having to change babies' diapers on the floors of VA hospitals."

A majority of the women veterans who have turned up at VA facilities are between the ages of 20 and 29, and on average are much younger than the average male veteran, the GAO survey found. Nearly 20 percent have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and many experienced sexual trauma while serving. Yet, a smaller percentage of eligible women than men use VA care.

Randall Williamson, director of health care issues at GAO, said while top VA officials are committed to improvements in women's care, hospitals and clinics weren't always taking simple steps to make women more comfortable — such as moving the direction of exam tables.

"Part of it comes down to commitment at the local level," Williamson said. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress.

Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of the veterans strategic health care group at the VA, said the VA recognizes the care given to women isn't as good as what's offered to men, but it's made changes and will continue to do so.

She said space constraints and the layout of buildings pose challenges, but the VA is putting together long-term plans for construction improvements. Changes under way "will build the system that will provide care equal to the health care needs of all America's veterans, regardless of gender," Hayes said.

In 2008, the VA provided health care to more than 281,000 women veterans, a 12 percent increase from 2006. Over the next two decades, the number of women veterans is expected to increase by 17 percent.

Congress is considering legislation by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., that would mandate a review of barriers keeping women veterans from getting care from the VA and require the VA to start a pilot program to provide child care to women seeking mental health care.

Doc at center of VA cancer probe admits errors

92 prostate cancer patients received wrong radiation doses over 3 years

updated 4:04 p.m. CT, Mon., June 29, 2009

PHILADELPHIA - A doctor accused of botching dozens of prostate cancer surgeries at a Veterans Administration hospital admitted Monday that he sometimes missed his target when implanting radioactive seeds, leaving patients with incorrect dosages.

But Dr. Gary D. Kao called the mistakes commonplace in aiming seeds at the walnut-sized prostate, which sits near the bladder and rectum, and he steadfastly refused to become a scapegoat for the scandal at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

“Contrary to the allegations that I was a ’rogue’ physician, ... I always acted in the best interest of the patients in delivering this important treatment,” Kao, a radiation oncologist, testified at a Senate field hearing at the hospital, where he worked from 2002 to 2008.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found that 92 of 116 men treated in the hospital’s brachytherapy program received incorrect doses of the radiation seeds, often because they landed in nearby organs or surrounding tissue rather than the prostate. Kao performed the majority of the procedures under a VA contract with the University of Pennsylvania, where he was on staff.

Doctor said he didn't tell patients of errors

Under questioning from Sen. Arlen Specter, Kao acknowledged that he never informed patients when he missed the prostate or delivered insufficient doses.

Kao, however, said the mistakes did not necessarily amount to substandard care that had to be reported to the NRC or other agencies.

“Brachytherapy was and still is an evolving field,” he said.

Kao, 45, testified at the hearing voluntarily, albeit with a lawyer at his side. In a lengthy written statement, he said he earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University, did his radiation oncology residency at the University of Pennsylvania and has never been sued for malpractice.

Rep. John Adler, D-N.J., harshly questioned why he still had a medical license.

Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., seemingly defended Kao while questioning the long-term safety of the procedure, which thousands of men across the country have undergone in recent years.

Specter sought the middle ground, eliciting an apology and an awkward embrace from Kao to one of his alleged victims, the Rev. Ricardo Flippin.

Flippin, 68, of Charleston, W.Va., testified that he lost his job during five months he spent in bed, incapacitated, after Kao implanted seeds into his rectum instead of his prostate in 2005. The VA suggested he was suffering from hemorrhoids or constipation afterward, but an Ohio State University physician finally diagnosed the problem as radiation burn and surgically corrected it, Flippin said.

“Rev. Flippin, we should have, we can do better,” Kao said. “I hope we have a chance to do better for you and your colleagues in the future.”

Flippin said he would have chosen another treatment option, such as having his prostate removed, had he known the risks involved with the radiation seeds.

The brachytherapy program at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia has been suspended. A review of 12 other VA hospitals where the procedure is performed showed a handful of problems, but none on the same magnitude. The NRC also said, based on reporting by doctors and the agency’s own reviews, the problems at the Philadelphia hospital were far more frequent than U.S. hospitals overall.

Kao has stopped performing the surgeries and last week took a leave from the University of Pennsylvania.

Would you care to revise your statement? Edited August 7, 2009 by Hyaloid
Removed uncivil language...

[Guest Ralph G. Briscoe]

Obama Care – An Atrocity

Betsy McCaughey is interviewed by Fred Thompson. She has read the massive bill pending regarding health insurance.

Check it out:

http://fredthompsonshow.com/premiumstrea....XlsaXN0U2l6ZT01

Must see!

Olbermann: ?Death Panel? Palin dangerously irresponsible - Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com

[Guest beefcakeb0]

people want to blame bush now that we have an intelligent admin now.... wooohhhooooo a chicago professor must be a genius compared to the only president to ever have a masters degree from harvard

[Guest SUNTZU]

Must see!

Olbermann: ?Death Panel? Palin dangerously irresponsible - Countdown with Keith Olbermann- msnbc.com

Must see!

DEADLY DOCTORS - New York Post

[Rightwinger]

Now he's quoting Keith Olberman?

Bwaaaaaaaahhhhhaaaaaa

He has no agenda, totally neutral and boy.....those years at ESPN sure gave him the bonafides to step in the political commentary ring.

That's good though, now we can quote Rush again as he used to work for the Kansas City Royals. That makes him solid!

[LagerHead]

there is 50 000 000 (FIFTY MILLION) people without health insurance...!!! and someone is telling me we don`t need a health care reform....? are you kiddin` me? some say "I`m happy with my health insurance"..well, good for you, but you are not the only one or the most important here, there is few more of us in US.... no compassion, no nothing, all about ME ME ME ME.... egocentrics...unbeliavable... "health care is not a right"...?? some would die to keep their gun but don`t give a crap if their family,friends or coworkers have a decent health care...? sick world we live in today..sick....

Db

As you pointed out, the vast majority of people in the U.S. are covered by some type of health care. So how is this not about "ME ME ME"? Tax everyone so a minority can benefit? No, that's not selfish either.

You see, there's always, ALWAYS going to be losers in any system. But Obama wants to change it from 10% being the losers to 100% (minus Congresss and Senate, who will continue to have their own health care) being the losers. I'm not sure how this is a net benefit.

And if you think that their estimates of how much this is going to cost are accurate, you apparently haven't heard of universal health care in Massachusetts or that other state. Which one was it? Oh yea, Tennessee. TennCare. Sound familiar? Or Medicare. It is currently at around 11 times the original estimate of how much it was going to cost. Massachusetts' health care is currently at about 10 times the original estimate, etc, etc.

Yea, it's a sick world we live in. But unfortunately it's the only one we have. We can deal with it like big boys and girls, or we can make it even worse. I choose the former, thanks.

[LagerHead]

1. Where does the constitution prohibit Congress from regulating healthcare? Or food quality, or drugs, or air traffic? Facilitating healthcare for all comes under the heading of "promoting the general welfare", though I know you disagree.

2. I don't believe they should, providing everyone has a reasonable opportunity for gainful employment. If you're assuming people don't have healthcare because they don't want to work you don't understand the problem at all.

1. It says "promote" not "provide." Nuff said.

2. I have worked providing housing for those that "can't" work and paid for that housing using their Section 8 benefits. Most of them drove the nicest cars in the building and had the nicest furniture. Now there are two possible explanations, both of which are equally likely. A) The benefits they were receiving were far in excess of what it took to "survive" or they were working in some other endeavor "under the table" and without the knowledge of the government who was paying their section 8 benefits. So yea, there are PLENTY of people who DON'T work as opposed to CAN'T work.

[Guest savvysteve]

Betsey McCaughey is a tool the healthcare industry. She's one of the kooks promoting the lie that Obama wants to use healthcare to kill off old people.

Fred Thompson's just trying to get rich like Rush....he'll put anybody on the air to entertain his audience.

What do you think we should do to fix our broken healthcare system?

P.S.

If you don't recognize that there are major problems don't waste my time.

Spelling may not be great... I am ranting here.

1. Figure out some way other than government take-over to reduce the health care costs. Look at welfare, medicare, medicaid, social security...

Look at what state run health care has done for the state of California. They have the 8th largest economy in the world... See a trend here. Look at our country's deficit.... you think this won't add to it?

2. We need to fix the immigration problem that is plaquing our country. Find a way to allow the illegals to be nationalized so they to can begin to pay taxes. Allow them to join in on these health care plans. Wait that tax money might help to educate them which they are getting free now. Hell, that alone may reverse the trend. Think what taht would do to the health insurance companies who now have more subscribers...

3. Don't let illegals get health care for free while the rest of us are paying for it in the long run. Fix this loophole where if two illegals come here and make a baby the baby is an American and thus you can't deport the parents. The constitution needs to read anyone born to two legal US residents will result in a natural born citizen. I understand that we are a country of immigrants... But immigrants who come here and don't pay taxes are illegal immigrants... Goodbye.

4. Quit allowing those people already on state/federal aid to vote... If you have someone giving you hand outs why would you dare NOT vote for them. If you receive food stamps, welfare, WIC, or any other form of government assistance then voting rights should be NULL and void. There has to be an incentive for free loaders to work. We are already at a point where the ratio of those paying into Social Security and those getting SS benefits is almost equal. I saw a guy speak on this. The ratio is already like 3 to 1 and will only get lower.

[Steelharp]

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Braced for a fight he never got, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan Tuesday, urging a town hall audience not to listen to those who seek to "scare and mislead the American people."

Now, if THAT isn't the black calling the kettle pot...