If you let a liberal blather on long enough, they will eventually tell you what they are really thinking.  Collectivists love, I mean really adore, government.  They are enamored with the monopoly on force that government has.  It is an engine to force the rest of society to bow to their will.  It doesn’t matter how poorly government works.  It doesn’t matter how, in the wrong hands, it will crush liberty.  They want the power to make others do what they want. 

Paul Krugman is a big believer in using the force of government to bend and twist society into his warped view of the world.  He is a true believer in the collectivist ideal of molding and remaking society into his bizarre dream.  But, he also cannot stop himself from relaying the truth, eventually.  In a recent New Obama Times column, he lets his loose lips sink some ships of the falsehoods inherent in the Great Healthcare Takeover.

Krugman argues, “Well, if having government regulate and subsidize health insurance is a ‘takeover’, that happened long ago.  Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs already pay for almost half of American health care, while private insurance pays for barely a third (the rest being out of pocket expenses).”

Well, let’s take old Paul at his word.  If he is right, and the numbers verify his is, our health care system is closely controlled and regulated by government already.  We have been hearing for the past couple of years how terribly broken and ramshackle the system is.  Since government is already in control, and the system is so terribly broken, the logical conclusion is that government has wreaked havoc on the system.  It is not the measly private sector which has destroyed the system but in fact government meddling.  If we are to ‘fix’ this broken system, we need to look at what is actually causing the problem.  It would appear, according to Krugman’s analysis, that government is the problem, and not the puny private sector.  In fact, the private sector is shoring up the governmental wrecking ball. 

Krugman’s second ‘myth buster’ is that the governmental takeover of the health care payment system would slow the growth of costs.  He insists 34 million more Americans would get ‘health care’ under the Democratic Party takeover at a mere cost of only one percent more in costs.  Krugman is doing what all far left wingnuts are doing.  He confuses health care coverage with health care.  Those 34 million people are not going without health care.  They are simply paying for it themselves or otherwise getting their health care piecemeal through government programs that do not include them as ‘participating.’  In the mean time, health care providers will continue to rack up the costs of inflation and we will see less actual care because we will simply be refusing to pay for actual needs.  That’s where the costs are contained.  We will just refuse to give seniors hip replacements if we deem they ‘too old.’  That doesn’t do a thing to stem health care costs.  It just denies paying for their care. 

His third ‘myth’ is that this plan is too expensive and is fiscally irresponsible.  Krugman deems the cuts to Medicare and the enormous tax increases an argument against that.  He believes the fantasy that these cost containment ideals will pare down the cost of health care.  But, the plan defines yoga classes and divorce counseling as health care.  It may cut hip replacements and heart surgery for the elderly, but it explodes the costs of everything else deemed ‘comprehensive.’  Once the Sebelian (Kathleen’s minions) committees and commissions get their teeth into the system, we will have a radical shift from actual medical treatments into the fairy land of ‘prevention’ where every nut job and wacko can persuade the system to pay for their snake oil. 

Krugman, of course, is too clever by half.  He believes that government can do no wrong and the private individual can do no right.  But, his grasp of the facts, though twisted in interpretation, gives away the game.  Thanks, Paul, for clearing that up for us.  You have let the kitty jump out and meow.

UPDATE: The Daily Caller reports that the House GOP will introduce a privileged resolution calling on the Ethics Committee to investigate Pelosi’s and Hoyer’s handling of the Massa allegations. Specifically, the resolution calls on the committee to find out what the Democratic leadserhip knew about Massa, when they knew it, and what they did - or didn’t do - about it.

Good for the House GOP. This is exactly what Democrats would have done had the roles been reversed. And I think it’s safe to say now that this action officially makes the Massa allegations a scandal and a campaign issue. As they should be.

UPDATE 2: The GOP resolution passed the House on a vote of 402-2. No Democrats voted against the resolution, which means shenanigans are afoot. It is now up to the House GOP to keep Democrats honest on this.

The Eric Massa sideshow just became a full-fledged election year scandal aimed like a dagger directly at the Democrats’ House majority. Numerous press outlets are now reporting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was informed in October of last year about the former New York representative’s odd behavior with male subordinates.

Joe Racalto, Massa’s chief of staff, was uneasy that Massa, 50, was living with several young, unmarried male staffers and using sexually explicit language with them, one source said. But what finally prompted him to call Pelosi’s director of member services, the source said, was a lunch date that Massa made with a congressional aide in his 20s who worked in the office of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

According to a person briefed on the call, Racalto was concerned that the lunch followed a pattern by Massa — who is married and has two children — of trying to spend time alone with young gay men with no ostensible work purpose. Racalto, according to this person, also alerted Frank’s chief of staff. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the matter.

Last week, Pelosi said the she first heard of concerns about Massa’s behavior in early March. Pelosi said her staff did not inform her of every rumor about members of Congress. But that explanation is no longer operative, since this was not a rumor that her staff picked up. It was a plea for intervention by none other than the member’s chief of staff, his highest ranking aide.

Pelosi’s “hear no evil” act is now about as believable as her pledge to run the “most ethical Congress in history.” She knew, and chose to do nothing.

Read More →

UPDATE at the end of this post!

In a scheme which is designed to give House Democrats the ability to vote for health care while telling their constituents they did not vote for health care, House Rules Chairwomen Louise Slaughter is preparing a rules change to push through the Senate bill WITHOUT a floor vote specifically on the bill.

Hey Red Staters!

Please check out my new Conservative Blog Report Video in which I profile:

Powerline on The Slaughter Solution.

Gateway Pundit on ObamaCare protests in Missouri.

And the incredibly smart Erick Erickson. You probably already read this.

Finally, have you heard Sean Hannity’s new nickname for Rahm Emmanuel?

Cross posted at Mike LaChance.

$436,000,000,000

Total tax credits payable directly to insurance companies included in the Senate health care bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office score and language in Section 1412(c) of H.R. 3590 (page 291).

If it must be now, why this approach to health care reform?

• It adds another inefficient and unpaid entitlement to our national obligations. Taxes won’t pay for our current entitlements, much less this new one; and citizens will never allow politicians to tax them sufficient to do so. That means we have to borrow the short falls. At some point, lenders are going to say enough. Then what do we do? Is this health care bill going to become the “mother of all sub-prime mortgages?”
• It’s 2,500 plus pages are filled with corrupt deals. Every powerful Congressman and Senator has carved out exceptions for their friends and supporters, leaving the rest of us poor mopes picking up the tab. The President just sold an Appellate Judgeship for a vote.
• It is so heavily weighted towards government oversight that we are fashioning our health care into a DMV, INS, the Post Office, or all of the other unresponsive, bureaucratic nightmares run by governments.

Since the Democratic leadership won’t start over, there’s no alternative except to defeat it.  

For a year now, the “Healthcare reform” seems to be the only issue on Obama’s agenda – isn’t it strange that during times of a severe recession our President is still chipping away at getting the healthcare reform passed?  What possesses this man to blatantly ignore America’s voice when we  said “no” to healthcare reform?   

One thing we do know is this – Obama’s reluctance to address the real issues during this recession is the living proof that he has an ulterior motive for jamming this reform down our throats! As you read on, it becomes quite evident that Obama plans to do just what he said during his campaign; he’s going to “Spread the Wealth”  via big government.  

A good leader and administrator prioritizes and has his “ducks in a row,” meaning jobs, downsizing the government, eradicating the earmarks and stopping the millions of foreclosures, but not this man.  His agenda is the “Healthcare Reform” and he will try to pass it at all costs even if it means placing our Nation in harm’s way by increasing our National deficit. 

He’s already proven that he’ll pay whatever the going price may be to secure votes for this reform – there’s the Louisiana Purchase, Jim Matheson, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and my guess is more Democrats will be bought in the next week.  Watch headline news to see which of the Democrats will vote “Yea,” if the price is right!

Logic tells us that in order to pay for this reform, taxes will be substantially increased, Medicare will suffer, business of all sizes will take a huge hit and the horrendous cost of this healthcare reform may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

2009 proved to be the year of the “ABOP.”  HAMP, was another botched Obama program (ABOP), TARP another botched Obama program (ABOP) , Harp yet another botched Obama program, stimulus bill (ABOP);  so 2009 is truly the year of the “ABOPS.”  2010 is looking like another repeat of 2009, especially if the Healthcare Reform bill is passed.   All of the 2009 bills or reforms have been a smoke screen for “Spreading the Wealth.”

The mistake made by American’s was electing a stranger to lead our country – we didn’t know the man, we didn’t know anything about him and we still don’t know this person that many call Mr. President.  We had a right to check the man they call Obama out, to know his history, his values, his real character, but we didn’t – he was too slick for us and too many people like the word “Change.”  Here is a quote by John Adams that says it all.

The people “have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge– I mean of the character and conduct of their rulers.”

If one is to judge a man by his actions and deeds, Mr. Obama would have failed on all counts.  His actions and deeds have been disgraceful the first year of his presidency, because not one of his promises during the Presidential campaign have come to fruition.  

Surely there are some Democrats in the White House that can’t be purchased and who will stand up for their Nation and fellow Americans; it’s impossible for all of them to tuck their tail between their legs and slink away into the vast unknown of Obamanism.   PLEASE WILL THE “REAL DEMOCRATS” STAND UP and put a stop to this healthcare reform; as I mentioned earlier this could easily be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath-water, folks.  The negotiations taking place in the Senate right now are still vital to what the House eventually does.  Yes, if the bill passes the House, that’s it.  It’s over.  However, the House won’t pass the Senate bill unless they have a reasonable prospect of seeing reconciliation pass.

Even if it isn’t the endgame, reconciliation is still a major piece of this puzzle, because House Democrats are factoring it into their vote.  If reconciliation looks like a non-starter, then the House Democrats are not likely to pass this monster.  If 50 Democrats come out in support of the bill “fixes,” then the tide turns and Pelosi will be able to marshal the troops.

That’s why this whip-count from OpenLeft is worrisome.

The Democrats are close.  We must keep a keen eye on Harry Reid and the reconciliation negotiations.  Keep pressuring your Senators to come out against the reconciliation process.  Public opposition by Democrat Senators will deter Democrat House members from voting yes.

It’s not always easy for me to tip my hat to the left. They, by and large, have acted as if they were so wrapped up in their status as “The Majority” that they had forgotten what their jobs were; represent their Constituents on issues that matter to them…in Washington DC. Most have lost their way since taking over, but there are signs that a few of them are starting to understand the expression “a line Americans won’t cross.” And thank God for that:

A dozen House of Representatives Democrats opposed to abortion are willing to kill President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plan unless it satisfies their demand for language barring the procedure, Representative Bart Stupak said on Thursday.

“Yes. We’re prepared to take responsibility,” Stupak said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” when asked if he and his 11 Democratic allies were willing to accept the consequences for bringing down healthcare reform over abortion.

“Let’s face it. I want to see healthcare. But we’re not going to bypass the principles of belief that we feel strongly about,” he said.

It should be enough that Americans, by huge margins, don’t want this health care nonsense to go through. So far it hasn’t been. It should be enough that Americans have had enough of those Political heroes who continue to make it clear they are more interested in saying they “got health care done” than in saying they put a stop to bad legislation we can’t afford and no one can agree on…and that the taxpayers don’t actually “want.”

It does appear that a handful of Democrats have finally decided that using Federal funds to pay for the killing of innocent human life just MAY, after all, be farther than they are willing to go in order “to get health care done.”

We’ll see.