I am so angry! I’M MADDER THAN HELL! We knew the Democrats were liars, but now there is no doubt Republicans are too. We were PROMISED for the last seven years, given the chance, they would REPEAL Obamacare. John McCain didn’t just betray his state, where premiums have increased 190%, but he betrayed the entire country by being the deciding vote to NOT repeal Obamacare.
This is a perfect example of why government shouldn’t control our healthcare. We’ve ALL been waiting with baited breath to find our what the government is going to ALLOW us to have. Some say people will die without Obamacare although there is no evidence to support that claim. No one has died in the streets in this country. Many Republicans want to continue the Medicaid expansion as though that was the best solution. The truth is that people without insurance have better outcomes than people with Medicaid do. Medicaid rations care but few patients are aware of this because they aren’t told about a treatment if it isn’t covered.
Understanding that socialized medicine is about top down control NOT healthcare, I spent the last eight years working my butt off fighting against Obamacare. I traveled seven times to Washington to personally tell our representatives we didn’t want government control, we wanted the restrictions that prevented competition removed. I spoke to groups, I wrote articles, I wrote, called, emailed, tweeted the President, the majority and minority leaders, and members of Congress. The Republicans, EVERY ONE OF THEM, assured us the House held the purse strings and they would defund Obamacare if they became the majority. So, we gave them the majority in the House. What did they do? They funded Obamacare because they didn’t want a government shut down. They told us if they had the majority in the House AND the Senate, they could repeal Obamacare. What did they do? They said they couldn’t because they didn’t have 60 votes to override a veto. They told us they really needed a Republican President who would sign a repeal. And ALL but one (Susan Collins) voted for a full repeal, knowing Obama would veto it, to show us they were serious about repealing Obamacare. But they were lying.
We now know they never believed Donald Trump would win. They never believed they’d have to fulfill their promises. So they ALL ran on repealing Obamacare. And they LIED to us. At least a third of Republicans, if not more, WANT socialized medicine. The majority leaders make sure they have just enough votes to defeat a repeal so that they can provide cover for the others who also want to defeat a repeal. We still don’t know how many Republicans really support a repeal. But what we DO know now is that the Republican Party doesn’t care what we want. They care what lobbyists and donors want. There are a few members of Congress who have the courage to stand for what is right but they are way out numbered and are being shunned, criticized and primary-ed.
Republicans aren’t trying to do what’s best for the country. They aren’t even talking about programs like Medishare or the co-ops that are cropping up across the county where people pay $50/mo. for adults and $10/mo. for children that cover everything but catastrophic care. Broken bones, stitches, tests, labs, and medications at 95% less than anywhere else. WHY NOT?
Not repealing Obamacare will eventually result in single payer. Why don’t people understand single payer will NOT guarantee they will get the care they need? We have an example of single payer in the Veterans Administration. We have veterans DYING waiting to see a doctor. We have the VA hiding and destroying records so we can’t find out how serious the problem is.
England, proponents of single payer hold up as an example, doesn’t provide cancer treatment for those over 70, and just announced they wouldn’t provide hip or knee replacements to people who smoke or have a BMI over 30% (5’10” 180lbs would be denied) whatever their age. And if you go outside the system and pay for a treatment yourself, you will have to pay for all further medical care. You will not be allowed back in the system.
I often say I don’t understand why America’s previously shared values have changed so much. We ALL believed in self-determination and personal responsibility. We were fiercely independent. We defended free speech and were against censorship. But I DO understand what has changed. Over the last 30 years or more this country has had a constant flood of immigrants, legal and illegal, from 3rd world countries where the government determined how they lived. Many don’t share our values and too many are poor and uneducated. Unlike past waves of immigrants, the most recent have not been encouraged to assimilate or learn to speak English. They’re perfectly happy to have the government take care of them.
And now we see both Democrats and Republicans pushing for more H1B visas. Not only are unskilled American workers being replaced but educated, skilled Americans are being replaced as well. Our representatives on both sides of the aisle now represent legal and illegal immigrants and refugees over natural born American citizens. Think about it. They fight much harder to protect illegal aliens from deportation and award them more and more benefits than protecting us from harm.
I fear the Republicans will never repeal Obamacare. I doubt they will pass tax reform or fund the WALL either. I believe the establishment of BOTH parties can’t believe an outsider won and can’t allow him to succeed. The Washington establishment of both parties appear to be determined to destroy this President. And the Republican leadership apparently doesn’t care about keeping the majority. I think they are more comfortable being the minority. They could campaign on the principals they know we want and keep our support when they actually aren’t for those principals at all. When we see 24 Republicans voting to fund transgender surgery, including Darrell Issa, we can see how far the party has strayed. When there are veterans dying waiting for treatment and committing suicide for lack of care, it is completely irresponsible to fund very expensive ELECTIVE surgery that requires nearly a year to recover from.
The Republicans aren’t going to be able to put this genie back in the bottle. They’ve been exposed now. They can’t make false promises, that won’t work anymore. We ALL need to let them know we no longer believe or trust them.
Madderthanhell's Blog 
I shared this on Facebook. This is your best column yet, in my opinion. I was appalled with the vote, too, but not with McCain or Murkowski’s votes (nor with Collins’s vote). No surprises there.
Thank you.
First of all, I am sorry to hear about your mom! I didn’t know that till now. I am sure she was as lovely as you seem to be.
Regarding the Republicans and their refusal to support the R&R of the ACA…They had seven years to come up with their own plan and never did. All they had to do was bring in the medical community, the pharmacy community and other experts to write their own law. Astoundingly, they never did it! How can anyone explain that? The Conservative Movement is made up of people who seem to want to return to 19th century thinking…or even 20th century thinking. My parents used to watch the TV show: “Leave it to Beaver” where everything is “perfect.” The wife stays home. The husband goes to work and they have two children. Remember the 60’s when no one believed cigarette smoking caused Cancer? Same thing today when backwards thinking believe humans are not causing global warming.
I am in New Zealand now. Again, sorry to hear about your mom! Be good to yourself as you grieve!
Thank you, Frank. It IS difficult to lose a parent no matter how old you are.
Yes, it’s impossible to believe the Republicans didn’t have a plan. However, you are mistaken if you think it’s the Conservatives fault. They actually DO have a plan, it’s the RINO’s that don’t and they are in charge and they are punishing the Conservatives for trying to get their plan passed. I think the RINO’s prefer being the minority because they can pretend they are against socialism and globalism when they aren’t. They can keep promising to do what we want and keep getting elected when they have no intention of doing what they promised. When every single one of them promised to repeal Obamacare, you’d think they’d have done it on day one. NOPE!
I was an adult in the 60’s and although I didn’t smoke nearly everyone I knew did and regardless of the propaganda saying it didn’t cause cancer I didn’t know anyone who believed it didn’t. BTW, it doesn’t cause cancer in everyone, does it? Anymore than man is causing all weather events……if any.
So, tell me, Frank, are you willing to live under communism? Because if you are right, that would be the only way to control man’s activities. And you can see we are being pushed into it. Do you want to live in a government 700 sq. foot apartment and take buses and bikes everywhere? Do you want to have to get permission to travel? After all, we can’t have those planes flying all over the place, can we? Look at Cuba, still living in 1957. Can you name any inventions that have come out of Cuba in the last 50 years? How about Venezuela? People are starving in a country rich with resources.
And, Yes, FINALLY we have an administration that believes the debate is not over…..since there never has been a debate. We have a POTUS that doesn’t want global governance. THANK YOU, GOD! And BTW, not every other country believes man is causing global warming. The Czech Republic doesn’t, Poland doesn’t, Australia is starting to reverse much of it’s “green” policy and about 20 or more other countries don’t buy into it either. Many of the poor countries sign on to it because they get money.
Because humans AREN’T causing global warming. There hasn’t been any warming in 20 years. I’m on an email chain with between 25 and 30 scientists from around the world. They discuss the many natural phenomena that cause climate and CO2 has the least effect. What is backward thinking is thinking you know more than the scientists I correspond with.
But, thank you for your kind word about my mother’s passing.
Yep…and smoking never caused Cancer. Same type of ignorant thinking.
You’re a scientist, are you? What is ignorant is believing people who have been WRONG every time. The poles are not melting. The seas are not rising and the temperature hasn’t increased in 20 years. And here is some more information for you.http://www.news.com.au/national/western-australia/miranda-devine-perth-electrical-engineers-discovery-will-change-climate-change-debate/news-story/d1fe0f22a737e8d67e75a5014d0519c6
Nope. Smoking causes cancer in a small percentage of smokers. Generalizations are ignorant thinking.
I thought your post was about health care??
Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.
The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century.2 Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.
Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. Ancient evidence can also be found in tree rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks. This ancient, or paleoclimate, evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming.
And you cite a guy by the name of David Evans–a well-known quack? https://www.skepticalscience.com/David_Evans_arg.htm
Sorry. I do not mean to sound disrespectful but our group has been traveling all over the planet this summer (starting on May 20 and ending later this month) and have seen close-up the effects of global warming–which is our purpose. If you have not seen Greenland or Antarctica close up, you cannot possibly understand the devastating effects that global warming is causing. We saw it and it is very real regardless of what those who insist smoking never caused Cancer thought.
Let’s get back to health care. It is just as important as Global Warming.
Oh, yes, and BTW, the satellites have shown no warming AND that American is emitting the least CO2. We aren’t the problem.
ROTFLMAO!! And here’s how interested people are in AGW scary predictions. LOL? https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/08/01/gores-new-movie-an-inconvenient-bomb-at-the-box-office/
YOU found it necessary to bring up global warming, I DIDN’T. But I’m not going to allow your ignorant snark go unchallenged. CO2 isn’t even 4% of greenhouse gases and man contributes only about 3% of that. Man’s contribution is INSIGNIFICANT. “Skeptical Science” claims EVERYONE who disagrees with AGW is a quack. They’re like like Snopes (a Liberal site) or the Southern Poverty Law Center who name anyone who disagrees with their ideology a “Hate Group”. I’m VERY familiar with “Skeptical Science”. Like most Alarmists, you didn’t prove Evans wrong, you just called him a quack. That doesn’t work with people anymore. Not when they’re told the earth is going to freeze over and it doesn’t. And then they’re told we’re going to flood by 2000 and we don’t. Then by 2006, then by 2012……etc. and we DON’T. And they’re told there will be more hurricanes and there are fewer. And then they’re told EVERY thing from ISIS to erectile disfunction is caused by AGW you’re going to have a hard time selling crazy anymore.
The only people who said smoking didn’t cause cancer were the tobacco companies. However, having said that, smoking doesn’t cause cancer in EVERYONE who smokes anymore than CO2 effects all climate events. In fact fewer than 10% of smokers contract lung cancer. AND, in fact, there are MANY phenomena that effect climate that we have absolutely no control over…..and CO2 is one of the least.
The things you and your group are looking at could have been seen at times there were no combustion engines. Because things attributed to AGW are caused by natural causes. AGAIN, this year, environmentalists were prevented from going to the pole because the ice was too think. You are going in the summer so you can say, OMG, it’s melting!!! So, you and your evangelical environmentalists can keep deluding yourselves that reverting to preindustrial times will have an effect on climate.
The biggest clue should be that Climate Alarmists refuse to debate equally credentialed skeptical scientists. And the claim that ANYTHING is “settled science” is pseudo-science. Science is BASED on skepticism. Alarmists are like the Democrats fighting SO hard against the investigation into voter fraud. If there is no fraud, as they claim, they should be happy to have it proven. Same with Alarmists. If they are right, they should invite debate to put the controversy to bed.
Why is it necessary to tamper with data? http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/31/australia-weather-bureau-caught-tampering-with-climate-numbers/
I am wondering how you would feel and if you would consider 23 college people (men and women) visiting you in CA to discuss health care and Global Warming. All of us are Rhodes Scholars and there are seven us who are Mensa Genius’s (I am not one of them…but they are really nice people and not the typical “geeks” one suspects people with IQ levels near 200) We would stay in dormitories near where you live. Of course, we would be there to collect and discuss with you your proven data regarding Global Warming and Health Care…with your permission of course. At the same time, we are wondering if you would allow us to show you actual and irrefutable evidence that man is causing global warming and ask you to have an open mind to look at what we have proved.
And if you still choose to not believe or be somewhat convinced that man is indeed the primary cause of global warming, we would leave and agree to disagree. (and you and I would still be friends) I would personally vouch for you and would not allow anyone to be disrespectful to you. (I am the leader of the group and yes, will be a senior in college in September. (We discussed Conservatism in one of your previous posts)
We would provide the venue at a place of your choice and would engage with you with dignity and grace. There would be absolutely no cruelty tolerated. If that were to happen, we would immediately leave and that would be totally my call. If I sense you are being denigrated at any point by anyone from my group or yours, the meeting would be over immediately. We would simply leave.
What do you think about this? Our objective is not to attempt to prove you wrong. It is simply for us understand how there are some people who are absolutely convinced that man is not causing global warming and also why the Republicans never garnered their own experts to write their own health care plan but instead voted 60 times to repeal and replace the ACA. (to be brutally honest, we all suspect racism…if a European American had put forward the ACA, there would be no problem)
You seem like a good person and I admire your passion and even your humanity. (It took a lot of guts to write about and publish the loss of your mother!) This is your call young lady…yeah, I know you are 70 but you don’t look it). Let me know. Have a great week and keep those CA fires away from you. BE SAFE!
Frank
Would you agree to have 23 Scientists join the decision? I’m well aware that there are educated people who believe man is causing global warming. Would yo have an open mind if shown evidence man has little or no effect on global warming?
I’ll certainly bring up your offer to the board of my non-profit. Are you offering to come here at your own expense? If so, I’ll arrange a forum.
Of course we would agree to have 23 of your scientists join the discussion! And of course we would pay our own expenses! (We are students at Boston College) What a wonderful opportunity for both of us! Most likely, your scientists are the same people as ours.
Please send me the curriculum vitea resumes for each of your scientists so we do not get into a Yankees versus the “bad news bears) type of show-down. Once received, we will send you our credentials. Fair enough?
I am happy I have become friends with you since we both know we are polar opposites in our world views. Opposed to Trump’s idea of making America “Great Again” I think it is more important to make America Kind again. Agree? Have a nice weekend lovely lady! We are going out to lunch in Auckland now. (Wonderful food!)
America IS kind. We are the most generous people in the world. We are the first to arrive at any disaster.
If you are serious, when could you come to Los Angeles to do this? I would put together a panel of scientists, experts and maybe an astronaut or two. This could be a lot of fun. We’d need some of your credentials before hand to tell the panel who they’d be debating. Who do you fear the “bad news bears” are? You or my group?
Do you think that it is time for a REAL 3rd party? I do.
The problem with a 3rd party is that it would split the Republican party. The Democrats vote in lock step. I made a suggestion several years ago to all the Tea Parties across the country to have all our members reregister as independents. The drop in GOP membership would be dramatic and get the attention of the leadership. I suggested we then meet with the leadership and tell them if they wanted our support they would have to do what we wanted. Until then, no money, no precinct walking, no phone banking, NOTHING! I think that would be better than a 3rd party.
A well-thought out reply. I must confess that I voted for H. Ross Perot in 1992, the ONLY time I did not vote REP. I regretted that vote, as George H.W. Bush lost to the rogue Bill Clinton, which opened up an entirely new “genre” of criminal politics originating in Mena, AR.
Yes, the GOP needs to be grabbed by the lapels, and get scolded like a smart-aleck 1960’s wanna-be Hippie-Bum that just got caught shoving sandwiches in his pants trying to sneak out of the party.
The spineless GOP is the worst I have ever seen, and I have been voting since 1976.
YouTube made me take down my political videos, as their “advertisers” claimed that my videos were not ” ad friendly”. That is code-speak for ” you do NOT fit in our Anti-Trump/Anti-American narrative”.
I am going to resurface shortly on YouTube. If they kick me off, they kick me off. Won’t be the first time I was jettisoned off a bad blog/site/whatever. Won’t be the last. The Army won’t take me, and I am too old anyway. But I have a computer, and my film gear, hokey as it may be fr now. I will use THOSE tools to defend our USA.
Glad to have you on the side of Liberty. That is, after all, what it’s all about. If Trump isn’t successful, we’ll never have another chance. We will be pushed into global governance and top down rule. We the People want what Trump is trying to do, but the establishment just can’t have that.
Sorry to hear YouTube took down your video’s. They took down many of Dennis Prager’s too. Seems they won’t accept people saying anything truthful about Islam. I wonder why anyone would be protective of Islam.
I guess you do not want to provide the credentials of the “scientists” you want to “debate” our group? We do not want a debate. We simply want to provide you with facts that are indisputable. There are many “climate deniers” out there…and they are fools. I thought you were different and could discuss proven man-made climate change (which our group has actually witnessed opposed to Evangelical nonsense.) But…I still like you and still think you are a lovely young lady…you are just a little mixed up regarding facts.
Of course I can provide the credentials of the scientists. They aren’t sitting in my living room. I’d have to see which ones would be available on the date your team would be. Boy, how fast you backed out of that one!!! LOL! Coward.
You say ALL climate skeptics are “fools”?? Really, even the Noble Prize winners? Even the astrophysicists? Even astronauts? You want to present your “irrefutable proof” but don’t want any credentialed scientists to evaluate how irrefutable it is? Who were you thinking you’d present this “proof” to? Just me? I’m not a scientist. I’ve had your “irrefutable proof” presented to me by none other than Michael Mann. And I’ve seen equally qualified scientists refute it.
Seriously, you were expecting to come here and not be challenged? You say you witnessed it, and so have skeptics. If you are being shown “evidence” by an alarmist, OF COURSE, they are going to say it means what they want it to mean.
Frank, are you a scientist? You say your group are Rhodes scholars, in what fields?
You thought I was different and could discuss “proven man-made climate change”. I am different than most. I know it hasn’t been proven that 1) man has much is any effect on climate 2) that there is any significant warming 3) that the claim that 97% of scientists agree 4) there is such a thing as “settled science”. And I’m old enough and experienced enough to know when someone says they won’t debate an issue, it’s because they can’t. You just confirmed that by backing out of our meeting.
Don’t worry, I still like you, I just know this is a religion for you and you aren’t willing to even listen to anything that challenges your beliefs. Too bad.
Sent from my iPad