Missing Reagan

HT: Instapundit

Our esteemed leader, President Obama, wants to pass a health care bill that:

1. Doesn’t spend more than $900 billion.
2. Doesn’t “add to the deficit”.
3. Includes pre-existing conditions.
4. “Richer” Medicare drug benefits.
5. And it must be passed soon.
6. Does not increase income taxes on those making under $250,000 $220,000 [whatever the number is today].

Rep. Charles Rangel, for his part, says that ONLY spending $900 billion more would reduce coverage “for the poor and working people”.

Needless to say, to get this monstrosity to pass the Senate Democrats are now trying to pass this bill without Republicans. Just like the House.

XKCD struck a little close to home…

In case you haven’t noticed there is a concerted effort to discredit the 2 million 9/12 protestors in Washington and around the country. How it’s being done:

Step 1: Visit the protests with cameras.

Step 2: Find and take pictures outrageous signs, ignoring the 99.999% of protestors that are normal. (Take any random sampling of 2 million people and you’ll find some oddballs.)

Step 3: Post articles around the web regarding the ‘racist’ protestors with links to those pictures. – “A surge of white racial resentment, loosely disguised as a populist revolt." (Think Progress, Democratic Underground, and more.)

Step 4: Start an emailing campaign to generate criticism.

MR Take: If the facts aren’t on your side, start calling your opponents names.

AlphonZo Rachel Takes On The Truthers in this 9/11 rant:

White House is going to try to strong arm moderate Democrats today on health care. Despite President Obama’s assertions in his speech about reaching across the aisle, no scheduled visits with Republicans have been announced.

When medical decisions are made by government accountants:

NICE has previously been criticised for banning or restricting breakthrough medicines for conditions such as breast cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Five year waits:

But under guidelines, sufferers may have to wait up to five years for their condition to deteriorate before being put on more expensive treatments with fewer side-effects.

A once-a-year drug with less side effects is barred due to cost:

Although the drug is not vastly more effective than existing medicines, it has the advantage of being given just once a year, through a drip.

With studies showing that over 50 per cent of osteoporosis patients find tablets so inconvenient that they stop taking them, the drug could have a huge impact on health.

With 1,150 Britons dying each month after breaking a hip, better treatment of osteoporosis could have profound consequences.

MR Take: The only way that governments can provide less expensive health care is to just spend less on those who are suffering – the patients.

Stuart Varney pokes holes in Joe Biden’s math:

Another Democrat Congressional Representative forgets his job is “Representative”:

MR Take: Having seen Rep. Hill in action, we fully understand why he doesn’t want to be filmed.

More problems with Britain’s government run health system:

Patients are being diagnosed as being close to death “without regard to the fact that the diagnosis could be wrong.

“As a result a national wave of discontent is building up, as family and friends witness the denial of fluids and food to patients."

The warning comes just a week after a report by the Patients Association estimated that up to one million patients had received poor or cruel care on the NHS.

MR Take: When the government runs health care, rationing appears in many different forms.

MR Take: You’re known by the friends you keep.

The Senate is postponing the Cap & Tax bill a couple of weeks. Bet you can’t guess the reason:

…cited Kerry’s hip surgery this month, the death of Senator Edward Kennedy…

Riigghhht. The final reason listed is the closest to the truth:

…and the debate over health-care legislation as reasons for the delay.

MR Take: Don’t get your hopes up. It’s just a minor scheduling change and they’ve already passed a bill in the House.

Obama on the President’s role in setting the tone of political debate:

HT: Breitbart.tv

Steven Crowder takes on political astroturfing as only he can do:

Glenn Beck replay’s this classic

To determine whether to answer a question or not, a Congressman asks to see a constituent’s ID:

MR Take: Why do we call them ‘Representatives’?

HT: Breitbart.tv

Government run health care in Britain is putting infant lives at risk:

The lives of mothers and babies are being put at risk as births in locations ranging from lifts to toilets – even a caravan – went up 15 per cent last year to almost 4,000.

Health chiefs admit a lack of maternity beds is partly to blame for the crisis, with hundreds of women in labour being turned away from hospitals because they are full.

Why? Because the government had to control costs:

Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley, who obtained the figures, said Labour had cut maternity beds by 2,340, or 22 per cent, since 1997. At the same time birth rates have been rising sharply – up 20 per cent in some areas.

MR Take: That’s what happens when government bureaucrats run health care instead of health care professionals.

Ann Althouse is asking readers what books they’d recommend President Obama read while on vacation. Her readers offer many excellent choices, in addition Glenn Reynolds offers his recommendations as well.

Our addition to the list: P.J. O’Rourke’s “Eat The Rich”. It’s a hilarious, yet highly informative treatise on economics. Highly recommended.

‘David Hedrick’ shot to the top of the search term rankings today. This was apparently prompted by Rush Limbaugh playing this clip where Marine Corp Vet David Hedrick took Rep. Brian Baird to task:

MR Take: Unfortunately, there will now be a strong effort by find something to smear the Marine. This has been SOP since “Joe the Plumber” spoke up last year.