Barack Obama Opposed Reconciliation Before He Supported It

All these "Heckles & Jeckles" will keep on insulting anyway.

If HCR was so bad, all these consrrvatives would be encouraging the Democrats to commit 'political suicide by HCR'. Could it be that HCR would just be beneficial to most Americans and will retire the Republican party to a mere regional hate group that they are acting like now.

Truth be told most Americans know we need to fix an unsustainable health care system almost in collapse. They know the GOP will never do anything to fix it. Most Americans support passing HCR, despite the loud crass obstructionists who seem more than willing to bankrupt the country by runaway health insurance costs. No surprise its the same crowd who backed Bush to bankrupt the country by incompetence and corruption.

Pass HCR if not just to stick it to the corrupt obstructionist liars who seem to hate the US.

Frank of TX 5:29PM March 16, 2010

President Obama undoubtedly has the best 'health care coverage' in the entire world. Yet he can't quit smoking.

So what's the point? Your own health is in your own hands, and mind. A 10-cent bowl of oatmeal each day will do more and better for you than Obamacare could ever do for you.

And unlike proposed Obamacare there are no mandates/taxes/penalties/fines/fees/jailtime associated with oatmeal.

dom youngross of OH 8:15AM March 06, 2010

Great post! I like your suggestions and I think most people with common sense would agree regardless of their party affiliation.

David of ID 5:01PM March 05, 2010

Now, Unlike Obama, our Grand Impresario, I don’t have a bunch of nerds in lab coats standing stoically behind me, but I’ll give this a shot anyway.

First a note of warning to all you hard right, Libertarian purist types. Stop reading the dogmatic ideology of Ayn Rand and Robert Ringer - "Survival of the fittest" went out with the first village campfire (Or, maybe you'd like to shove the old folks away from the warmth because they didn't gather enough wood?).

As for you Van Jones and Nanny Pelosi progressive, quasi-Maoists here’s a bit of historical perspective. Communism has killed hundreds of millions of people through their crazy ideas of social, agrarian and industrial reform. It’s not a good idea to use Pol Pot, Stalin, Castro, Che, Hugo or Mao as “happy faces” accenting your nutty agenda.

America needs to find a middle road - someplace between slash, burn and ruin and the killing fields. We’re America - we can figure it out.

We can’t get permanent health care reform without fixing our economic issues. We have to go after both with a “Big Stick”.

1. Drop the Medicare age to 55. Charge these new recipients a premium commensurate with their income. Means test older recipients and charge them appropriate premiums. Also, institute means/income scales for Social Security - Reduce benefits for “double dippers” and those who have substantial incomes. We’ve got old widows living in leaky travel trailers and eating cat food and crackers - while these gold plated, double dippers are teeing off 5 days a week or fueling their 50 foot long RVs.

2. Compel insurance companies to accept those with preexisting conditions. A percentage of the amount of these claims should be paid by the government as a subsidy to the insurance companies for taking on these high risk individuals.

3. Heavy duty tort reform. Not this joke Obama came up with for political cover. To hell with the Trail Lawyers Associations and Unions - And, while we’er sending folks to the Devils Den let’s give socialist Andy Stern and other union thugs some tickets to the blistering bacchanal as well.

4. Encourage competition across state lines - Do whatever is necessary to achieve this.

5. States should increase their health coverage and make it available to low and moderate income families - not just the those below the poverty level. This could be achieved by reducing the size of all state governmental departments (and I mean all) by 10%), or reducing salary, benefits, and legacy payments to these employees by 10%. Be sure to cut administrators as well. No one in their right mind could argue that government isn't bloated and over paid. Cut them back by 10%, let the unions howl - there would be no real effect on the public welfare - despite the mournful harping about police, fire fighters and teachers.

6. Secure the southern border - build that blasted fence! The costs in health, education and welfare payments to these illegal immigrants is staggering. Slap huge fines on any business that hires them. Deport all Mexican nationals who have been here less than 5 years - Get the others on the tax rolls and hit with an “immigration tax” based on the years they were here illegally.

7. Levy a 75% “Health Care Tax” on those making over 2 million a year (from all sources).

These guys will just have to bite the bullet and soldier on keeping only 25% of their incomes over 2 million.

8. Reduce the size of the realm. Do we really need dozens of international bases around the world? Retain a "big stick", but wield it carefully and keep it close to home. Keep an eye on Islam from a distance. When they attack again show them how long and heavy the stick is with a quick whack. Don't become mired down in nation building - it doesn't work - never has. Besides, it’s too costly in lives and treasure.

9. Cut wacky environmental spending and reduce expensive regulations on business and industry. These voluminous regulations, and never ending litigation are slowly strangling our economy. They act as leeches on a not so healthy host. Money can only be spent once, and if individuals and business spend it on jumping through endless "enviro-hoops" it's not there for health care or other important needs.

10. Cut government red tape to the bone from the city to the federal level. Building projects need to be fast-tracked and not tied in regulatory knots over a thousand issues with Environmentalist theology. Don’t treat industry as “the enemy” - that’s way of thinking is the road to the Stone Age. Government needs to "relearn" common sense and judgment. Stop micromanaging and creating roadblocks over insignificant issues. We're in an economic war - Get a move on!

11. Eliminate the Capital Gains Tax for investment in companies that create jobs based on a preset formula and who bring “out sourced” jobs home - tax those who don’t. And, reduce the Capital Gains Tax across the board.

12. Start drilling off shore - especially California, and Alaska (remember, offshore drilling actually reduces natural seepage from undersea fissures). Tweak shale oil and clean coal technology. Stop tearing down damns because of fish and frog worries, and fast track nuclear plants. Low cost energy is a must for production. The Algore-rithms for Global Warming are faulty. Drive a stake through the boogeyman called "climate change" and move on. If we are wrong so what? The earth has been a lot warmer in the past and there more species and biomass then - life flourishes in the tropics - not so much on frozen tundra.

Or, we can just fiddle around while Rome burns..... didn’t I see one of those guys in the white coats, behind Obama, carrying a violin case?

R.L. SCHAEFER of CA 1:11PM March 04, 2010