HarryG's BLOG

Unbelievable! RE: so-called “death panels”

Everyone needs to read Jim Hightower’s article “Taking Us for a Ride on Health Care ‘Reform’” in the September 15, 2009 issue of The Progressive Populist. It should open your eyes. Section 1233, the so-called “death panel” provision, was a Republican idea!

I was stunned today when I learned that Section 1233 of the Health Care bill in Congress -- you know, the one that Conservative Republican pundits are claiming is really to set up a “death panel” that will decide the fate of all old people in need of heath care and will kill Grandma and have labeled it as an evil plot of President Obama and Congressional Democrats that should scare us all. Yeah, that section – was not put in the health care reform package by President Obama, not even by Democrats, but was championed by a Republican pro-life senator from Georgia, Johnny Isakson. As for the claims by Palin, et al that the section hides death panels within it, Isakson calls them “nuts”. Remember Sen. Isakson is a REPUBLICAN. Any such claims are pure nonsense and fabrication, i.e., a lie. People making these claims have either never even read Section 1233 OR they know they are lying through their teeth but assume their followers will never bother checking the section for themselves to see whether they are being lied to. (Great assumption on their part!)

Furthermore, a quite similar provision has already been included in Medicare law. Now get this: Who do you think added it? The 2003 Republican-dominated Congress passed it and President Bush signed it into law. HENCE, the Republicans were supporters and proponents of the contents of Section 1233 then, but, for some reason (politics, you think?) now vehemently oppose it. This situation would be funny for its absurdness, if it weren’t threatened to derail health care reforms.

One more tidbit worth knowing: The current TV ad blitz that has Rick Scott portrayed as a “health care expert” who attacks Obama’s plan for “Government-Run Health Care” is being handled by the same PR group that handled the “Swift Boat Veterans” campaign to discredit Kerry in 2004. Hey, it worked back then. They managed to convince a large portion of voters that Kerry, a true Vietnam war hero, had something to be ashamed of, whereas Bush, whose daddy got him into the National Guard, from which Bush then went AWOL so that Bush never served his country in Vietnam, was somehow the real hero. Is the American public going to be that gullible again?

[FYI: Rick Scott, the so-called expert, was CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain until he got fired in 1997. Under Scott’s guidance, Columbia/HCA over-billed Medicare, paid off doctors who sent patients to his hospitals with illegal kickbacks, cut hospital staffs to dangerous levels in order to save money. When sued, Columbia/HCA pled guilty and had to pay $1.7 billion to settle fraud claims made against them. You sure you want to get your health care information and advice from such a health care company’s ex-CEO. You think he has your or the American public’s true best interests in mind?]

Come on, people. Do some reading and checking of facts for yourself. Just because the Republican Party or the likes of Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Coulter, Hannity, or any other Fox news entertainer says it’s true surely doesn’t mean it is true. Start verifying for yourself!
(Don’t you just love the way that these clowns like Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, etc spout their opinions as though they were facts, but then, when confronted, wheedle out by saying “I’m paid to be an entertainer, not to report hard news.” Gag me with a spoon, as we used to say thirty years ago.)

Cheers!

Harry



Published 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man". A collection of my poetry. Lulu Press.
2008 Reader Views Literary Award winner - Honorable Mention in Fiction, Poetry category