Voting Against A Ban On Pre-Existing Conditions

We've already heard the Democrat talking points about how Republicans want to vote against or repeal legislation that grants coverage for pre-existing conditions and extended coverage for young adults under their parent's plan.  Aren't they mean and nasty to want to rescind such wonderfully compassionate legislation.  I've already heard this from a progressive friend of mine.  (yes, I have one.)  But this is tantamount to offereing somebody a hot fudge sundae covered in maggots and cockroaches and then being shocked when they vomit on your shoes.

There is a bit of ice cream and hot fudge in the bill, but the maggots and roaches are far more plentiful.  Here is a list of just a few things that make the sundae not just unpalatable but quite revolting.
 - Stages a government takeover of the entire student loan business thereby eliminating more than 30,000 private sector jobs and adding further hardship to an already struggling banking industry.  (Bail them out so they don't fail and then steal their business - good plan)
 - Forces people to buy coverage they don't want and levies a fine on them if they don't.
 - Places an excise tax on Medical Equipment which will cause the cost of the equipment to rise.
 - Places a 40% tax on insurance companies which will be passed on to the customer.
 - Mandates that small business owners offer group coverage to their employees whether they can afford it or not.  Businesses will either fail or hire fewer workers in an already struggling economy.
 - Places a medical cost to administrative cost ratio on the Insurance companies which will define them as insolvent in all 50 states.
 - Mandates that Insurance companies will have to refund premium amounts in excess of the medical cost thereby allowing them no cusion for the years when medical costs exceed the premiums collected.
 - Sets up a government program to monitor administrative costs of the insurance companies so that while the admin costs of insurance goes down, the admin costs of the government skyrocket.
 - Limits the amount that you can put in your own FSA to $2,500 per individual.  This serves no purpose except for the government to tell you what you can do with your money.  The FSAs are used to pay for child care, co-pays, deductibles and non-covered medical expenses so what right does the government have to tell you how much you can have deducted from your paycheck to cover these things?
 - Places a cap on how high an insurance premium can be without considering the actual medical costs of the coverage.  And remember that they have left the companies no cusion to cover excess costs.  This is equivalent to telling GM that they cannot charge more than $20,000 for a car no matter what it is.  How well do you think that would work and how long do you think GM would stay in business?
 - Mandates that there can be no more than a 3% variation in premiums across the population which means that a healthy person who takes excellent care of themselves, eats right, exercises and doesn't smoke or drink has to pay more in their premium in order to cover the 400 lb, chain smoking, beer swilling couch potatoe down the street.  If the premiums can't be more than 3% different do you think the sick guy's will go down or the healthy guy's will go up?
 - This is my favorite - The states will have to increase the number of people on Medicaid and raise the Medicaid re-imbursement rate even though many of these states are fighting against mounting debts already.

In the last instance the supporters say, "but the federal government is going to pick up the tab for that," and they are - for a few years - and then it's all up to the states.  The only difference there is that they put the maggots under the ice cream instead of on top of it.

These are not Republican talking points but actual extracts from the Bill.  I read it.  Just some of it, not all of it, so I can only imagine what kind of disgusting additions are in the portions I didn't read.

This bill was supposed to be about health care reform and controlling the rising costs of care but all it addresses is insurance, and it raises the cost of that.  It does address medical equipment, but it raises the cost of that as well.  There are no measures within this bill which will actually address the rising cost of healthcare, and if you're suprised by that then you haven't been paying attention.

Call me crazy, but I prefer my hot fudge sundae without maggots and cock roaches.
 -

Health Insurance Explained With Food

I like food - a lot - so it becomes a frame of reference for me with a lot of things, but there is a food reference which really helps to explain health insurance and why some of these new provisions have the potential to be disastrous.

An individual health insurance plan is like ordering off the menu.  You pay for what you as an individual are going to eat.  Your cost for the bill reflects what you are costing the restaurant to feed you.  The more you're going to cost them, the more you're going to pay.  A group insurance plan is like a buffet with the same price for every individual.  The buffet works because it's a balance between those who eat enough for 4 people against those who barely eat anything.  That's the insurance premium balance as well.  Those who are sick and will cost the insurance company thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars against the healthy people who cost the company nothing or next to nothing.  It balances and, as with a buffet, those who use less pay for those who use more.

However, with a buffet, everybody who uses it is paying for it.  Now imagine that the restaurant has to offer the buffet to people who can't pay for it because it's unfair that some people get the benefit of all you can eat while others do not.  Now the restaraunt has their balance thrown off and are feeding more people with no additional money coming in and no more food.  Some of these new people will also be eating in excess of the average and costing the company even more.  When this occurs, one of two things will happen at that buffet.  Either the cost will go up for those who pay for their meal, or the restaurant will be unable to cover the cost of the new eaters and go out of business.

This of course does nothing to really increase the availability of an all you can eat privilege for all.  It is still limited to how much food there is, how many seats the restaraunt has and the locations of them.  There are still those that will not be able to get all you can eat because there are simply not enough buffets to serve all of the people in the area.  Will the government then mandate that all restaraunts offer an all you can eat option thereby forcing them into bankruptcy?  Probably.

The insurance companies are all risk mitigation.  They exist to cover the cost of your health care.  If the costs you accrue rise, then the premium whose sole purpose is to cover those costs will have to rise as well.  The group policy is nothing but a buffet with the high cost of a few members being offset by the low cost of the majority of the members.  As you increase the number of high cost users without increasing the low cost members as well, the price for everybody goes up.  If you do all of this without increasing the number of doctors - and this new plan has the potential to actually decrease that number - you do nothing to improve access to health care.

What this bill does is give people access to health insurance but does nothing to give them access to health care.  It potentially has the opposite effect.  A health insurance card does nothing but take up space in your wallet if you can't find a doctor.

Taxpayer Funded Vacations for Family

After reading a blog by Left Coast Rebel regarding money spent by Nancy Pelosi on travel for friends and family, I was hopping mad.  To say the least.

I have written a letter to my Congressmen demanding that a bill be passed into law which makes this illegal.
I demand that a bill be immediately proposed to prohibit federal funds from being used to pay expenses for friends and family travelling with elected officials. There is no company which pays for airfare, food and entertainment for friends and family who accompany an employee on a business trip and the federal government should be no different.

It is unconscionable and offensive for money that the people work tirelessly for to be used to fund another's vacation. If friends and family wish to accompany an employee (and don't forget you're all our employees) on a business trip that is fine, but it should be at their own cost and not the cost of the taxpayers.

I want this made as illegal as it is unethical and I want it done now. As our federal debt explodes and you vote to raise the debt ceiling to accommodate your recklessness, it is abhorrent that money we do not have is spent on travel expenses for anybody not directly performing the people's business.

I encourage everyone to call, write or e-mail our elected officials and let them know how you feel about this travesty.  It probably won't change anything, but doing nothing definitely won't. 

We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. 

Grandma Got Run Over By the Congress

Grandma Got Run Over By the Congress
(to the tune of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer)

Grandma got run over by the congress
Just days before this Christmas eve
Now she requires approval from a panel
To get the care her doctors say she needs

Grandma needs a hip replacement
She has cancer in her bone
But the panel says it isn't cost effective
The truth is that the woman's just to old

She needs supplies for Diabetes
Her blood sugar she must check
But the panel has denied her
They say it's all because she's way too fat

Grandma got run over by the congress

Just days before this Christmas eve
Now she requires approval from a panel
To get the care her doctors say she needs

And we can't forget old Grandpa
As his prostate starts to swell
He needs some tests and maybe medication
But the panel told the man to go to hell

All that panel will give grandma
Is a body bag in black
But they approved an augmentation
To give Michelle a slightly bigger rack

Grandma got run over by the Congress
Just days before this Christmas Eve
Now she requires approval from a panel
To get the care her doctors say she needs

Now her goose is cooked and roasted
Her grave we've just begun to dig
She died while waiting for approval
From a government's that's gotten way too big

What will be the fate of Grandpa
None of the Congressmen can tell
The only thing of which they're certain
Is the need to exempt all of themselves

Grandma got run over by the Congress
Just days before this Christmas Eve
For wrongfull death my family is now suing
Both Pelosi and that Harry Reid

He's A Chicago Guy

He's A Chicago Guy

(To the tune of The Night Chicago Died)

As we’re watching the decline

Of the worth of the dollar bill

A fix he’s yet to find

And I’ll bet he never will

On and on and on he drones

Hearing no voice but his own

Unemployment he ignorers

While on the Congress floor

We’re hearing Harry cry

With the agenda we all must comply

Give the President just what he wants

Or Rahm Emanuel will bludgeon us

Glory be

We’re hearing Nancy cry

Sacrifice your seat to please this guy

Forget about what the people want

We’ve got to get our agenda done

Yes indeed

Now the Hill is under the thumb

Of a plain Chicago thug

And capitalisms grave

They’ve already dug

As with health care, cap and trade

They try to spend our wealth away

And if you dare to disagree

You’re declared the enemy

We’re hearing Harry cry

With the agenda we all must comply

Give the President just what he wants

Or Rham Emmanuel will bludgeon us

Glory be

We’re hearing Nancy cry

Sacrifice your seat to please this guy

Forget about what the people want

We’ve got to get our agenda done

Yes indeed

When the American people called

To halt our country’s fall

They’re concerns were waved away

Just increasing their dismay

He’s a Chicago guy

Barack O-ba-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

He’s a Chicago guy

Economic justice spread the wealth

You have a right to a home and health

Glory Be

He’s a Chicago guy

Barack O-ba-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma

He’s a Chicago guy

He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do

So better prepare ‘cuz we’re getting screwed

Yes Indeed

I really wish I had the technical capability and knowledge to record this and make a video to post on youtube.  Too bad I'm eletronically challenged.

An Angry Spinster's Letter To Leadership

I better clean the house because I expect the FBI to come knocking at my door.

I sent this letter to all of my Congressmen, Barack Obama and Joe Biden via the hand dany Congress.org.

Why, in the face of the unemployment rate finally stabilizing at the astronomical rate of 10% are the Democrats so doggedly determined to pass a bill that is guaranteed to send the unemployment rate higher? Why are they insisting on rushing something that should be analyzed, deliberated, debated and discussed until all possibilities and potential consequences are address? Why are they insisting on putting their personal agenda ahead of the best interest of this nation. Most importantly, why are they insisting on turning us into a European style of government which is what we fought a revolution to escape?

Stop turning us into Europe and go back and read the Declaration of Independence. As Congress continues on it's path to destroy everything this Constitution was designed to create and protect, you continue to skate ever closer to a specific line from that hallowed document.

We hold these truths to be self evident: That all men are created equal; that that are endowed by their creator will certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; THAT WHEN ANY GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE OF THESE ENDS IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE
PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT.

Contrary to what you may believe, there are millions and millions of Americans who still believe in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution and we are appalled at how you wrap yourselves in our sacred documents while shredding everything they stand for.

Get your act together or expect to find yourselves added to that unemployment rate.

The Tone of Debate

I have been away from the blog for a while writing a novel, but the draft is done, the document sent out for a critique and a literary agent obtained. So now my mind and my time are free to return to the blogosphere which I enjoy so much, and what do I find when I turn my mind back to current events, that people who oppose the Congressional plan for universal health care are unamerican.

The town halls on the subect of health care have become a bit heated; people seeking to be heard screaming down or talking over the hosts and speakers, but is this really unamerican as Nancy Pelosi suggests?

The right to peacably assemble and request a redress of our differences is a protected right under the first amemndment so how can that be unamerican? As long as the protests remain peaceful, they are as American as applie pie and baseball. I believe that people should be polite and respectful during these discussions, but that only works if the other side will listen. When you have been polite, when you have been speaking respectfully and when you have been totally ignored, the need to raise your voice may become your last option so it appears the opposition has two choices before them.

1)speak softly and respectfully and be completely ignored.
2)shout loud and long and be labeled a nut, a nazi or unamerican.

Not much of a choice there is it?

There's something else that really bothers about this whole situation and that is why it is wrong for people of like minded opposition to band together. Why is it a great thing for one side to be organized but wrong for the opposing side to do the same? Why is one side praised for their organization but the other side reviled for theirs? Why does the organization of one side validate their information while the orgnaization of the opposing side discredit theirs?

Discrediting anyone who does not agree appears to be a major theme within the current leadership of both the white house and congress. Both the executive and legislative branches of our government appear to forget that they represent ALL American citizens and that the voices of all of us count.

What purpose is possibly served by claiming that anybody who disagrees is unreasonable and unamerican? What does that do to smooth the ruffled feathers of the descenters? And what is actually being done to address the concerns of the dissenters? Oh, right, what's being done is to disregard their concerns and call them names. Good plan.

Candy Ass and Chief

It's become plainly and painfully obvious that our new president does not have the backbone to stand up to the extreme left wing of the Democratic party. This was one of my main concerns when he ran for president but I hoped (vainly it seems) that he would rule as a moderate since he ran as one. But he's not doing that. And he's caving in to any pressure from his own party. As inexperienced as President Obama was, there's one critical part of being President that he was wholly unprepared for. It has nothing to do with domestic policy or foreign policy, but basic management policy. Any management course will tell you that you have to be prepared to be disliked. President Obama based so many of his policies on his confidence in his likability that he doesn't know how to deal with criticism from his own party. Being criticized by the other party he can attribute to partisanship, but from within his own? Oh my gosh! How could this happen? Say it ain't so Joe. He's so afraid of not being liked that he's doing things he should not be doing and releasing information that he should not be releasing. He's putting his own personal popularity ahead of national security. And he thinks we're pretty much too stupid to figure out what he's doing.

This is a man who is totally unprepared to be questioned, second guessed, vilified, criticized, disliked, disapproved of, despised and downright detested. Did he honestly believe that the love fest that the media engaged in during the campaign would continue indefinitely? I guess he could count on NBC for the continuation but eventually reporters and the media would have to start doing their job. So now, people have stopped singing Kum-Ba-Ya in a circle around him, and have stopped hearing angels sing when he speaks, and they're actually paying to attention to what he's saying and doing. And his personal popularity is steadily decreasing. Not dramatically, and not quickly, but steadily. He still has a very high popularity rate, so he's still hanging in there, but eventually he's going to realize that personal likability is not a reliable policy cornerstone. But never fear, I'm sure he'll appoint a Czar of Presidential PR to take care of that.

I hope that Pres Obama will find the strength and the leadership to stand up to the extreme side of his own party and lead from the middle where most Americans reside. I hope that he does not continue to let the ACLU and Moveon.org dictate the release of classified information. I hope he can stand by promises he made to look forward and not look back. I hope he can become the leader of his party and not just their rising star. I hope, I hope, I hope.

In the next 4 years we have 3 possible outcomes. First, Obama will take control and refuse to let the far left dictate national policies. He'll put his foot down and really become the leader. This is becoming more and more unlikely. Second, he'll continue to cave in to pressure and the country will end up being led by a minority of extremists. If this is the case we can only pray that the moderates in Congress will object and actually put the best interest of the country in front of party loyalty. If they don't, then the third possibility will occur. And that is that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed will rule our country until the next Congressional election. If they take us too far to the left, then the Democrats will potentially lose their control of Congress. So the next 2 years will tell the tale.

But lucky you. You have me to give you my opinion on what's going on. A different perspective to help you make up your own mind. Which is exactly what we all should do. Gather information on what's going on and then make up our own minds. And act on those decisions. Speak up and speak out. Our democratic process only works for the people if the people stay involved.