Thursday, March 25, 2010

Ashamed

[Note 1: Sorry I missed some of you -- for some reason I am having trouble getting Blogger blogs. I'll try again later.]

[Note: 2: This post is probably too long. Sue me. I have ingested so much information that I wanted to share since Sunday because of all the idiocy going on across the country. Trust me when I tell you that this is what's left after ruthless editing.]

I have gone on the record as being of no political party affiliation time and again here and I've pretty much decided that I will stay that way. However, the G.O.P. is doing it's best to lose my vote forevermore. Right now, as an American I am ashamed -- ashamed of the Republican party; ashamed of the Teabaggers; ashamed of the people who call themselves our leaders for their blatant disregard for us; ashamed of the racism I've seen from them and their plain damn ignorance. The Constitution clearly states:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

No, they didn't forsee a lot things when those words were written nor could they have. However, they were men of foresight and creativity who left room for change peaceful change and that is how it is supposed to be. They simply couldn't envision all the growth, advances, and changes in our society.

Those words seem to have been forgotten by an awful lot of people lately.



The list above from Sarah Palin's PAC is an example of why I feel that way. It's her "hit list" for November. She wants to destroy anyone who helped pass the health care bill. It includes my Congressman, John Boccieri. The wackos who support her have made threats against the people on it and their familes. How serious is this? The FBI has been called in and I hope they are doing something to protect these folks. In the meantime, the Republican party has given its soul to Fox News and allow wackos like Sarah, Rush and Glen to make their policies.

I have nothing against dissent. Dissent can be a good thing and it is healthy if it is done in a rational manner. I haven't seen too much rational coming from the Republican side. That Ms. Palin hasn't been muzzled by her party astounds me. Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan -- all good men -- are rolling in their graves along with every single one of the Founding Fathers.

This mercifully short video against illustrates what we're up against. I hope y'all laugh as hard as I did!



And here's another short video of my Congressman before the vote. He actually sent an email asking how we wanted him to vote. Our old Congressman just did whatever his corporate puppeteers told him to do.



He also sent an email explaining what the bill is going to do after it passed (color me seriously surprised and I can almost forgive him for voting for Cap and Trade):

Dear Kay:

Today we make history as President Barack Obama signs H.R. 3590 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. With the signing of this historic health care reform bill, insurance companies cannot dump you when you get sick, can’t deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition, or cap your insurance.

Our senior citizens should be proud that local Medicare Advantage plans are now strengthened and the life of Medicare itself is extended. Beginning today we will close the doughnut hole where so many seniors find themselves struggling to afford prescription drugs. A $250 check will be in the mail soon. Our small businesses can begin to hire back people and get a tax incentive for providing them with health care.

Upon the President signing the health care reform bill today, several provisions go into effect immediately or soon after enactment. Those provisions are outlined below:

1. SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDITS—Offers tax credits to small businesses to make employee coverage more affordable. Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage. Effective beginning for calendar year 2010.

2. BEGINS TO CLOSE THE MEDICARE PART D DONUT HOLE—Provides a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010. Effective for calendar year 2010.

3. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS—Increases funding for Community Health Centers to allow for nearly a doubling of the number of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

4. INCREASING NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS—Provides new investment in training programs to increase the number of primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

5. HEALTH INSURANCE CONSUMER INFORMATION—Provides aid to states in establishing offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals with the filing of complaints and appeals. Effective beginning in fiscal year 2010.

6. HELP FOR EARLY RETIREES—Creates a temporary re-insurance program (until the Exchanges are available) to help offset the costs of expensive health claims for employers that provide health benefits for retirees age 55-64. Effective 90 days after enactment.

7. IMMEDIATE HELP FOR THE UNINSURED UNTIL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE (INTERIM HIGH-RISK POOL)—Provides immediate access to insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition - through a temporary high-risk pool. Effective 90 days after enactment.

8. EXTENDS COVERAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 26TH BIRTHDAY THROUGH PARENTS’ INSURANCE – Requires health plans to allow young people up to their 26th birthday to remain on their parents’ insurance policy, at the parents’ choice. Effective 6 months after enactment.

9. ENDS RESCISSIONS—Bans health plans from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Effective 6 months after enactment.

10. NO DISCRIMINATON AGAINST CHILDREN WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS—Prohibits health plans from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Effective 6 months after enactment.

11. BANS LIFETIME LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Prohibits health plans from placing lifetime caps on coverage. Effective 6 months after enactment.

12. BANS RESTRICTIVE ANNUAL LIMITS ON COVERAGE—Tightly restricts new plans’ use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care. These tight restrictions will be defined by HHS. Effective 6 months after enactment.

13. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER NEW PRIVATE PLANS—Requires new private plans to cover preventive services with no co-payments and with preventive services being exempt from deductibles. Effective 6 months after enactment.

14. NEW, INDEPENDENT APPEALS PROCESS—Ensures consumers in new plans have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal decisions by their health insurance plan. Effective 6 months after enactment.

15. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SALARY—Prohibits new group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. Effective 6 months after enactment.

16. FREE PREVENTIVE CARE UNDER MEDICARE—Eliminates co-payments for preventive services and exempts preventive services from deductibles under the Medicare program. Effective beginning Jan. 1, 2011.

17. ENSURING VALUE FOR PREMIUM PAYMENTS—Requires plans in the individual and small group market to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services, and plans in the large group market to spend 85 percent. Insurers that do not meet these thresholds must provide rebates to policyholders. Effective beginning Jan. 1, 2011.

18. CREATES NEW, VOLUNTARY, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE PROGRAM—Creates a long-term care insurance program to be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled. Effective beginning Jan. 1, 2011.

Today we can expect to reduce our deficit by $1.4 trillion over the next 20 years, reign in fraud, waste, and abuse and achieve a delivery system that works for all Americans.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

John Boccieri


Now tell me how any of that is going to ruin this country. And I'll bet every damned one of those old fart teabaggers will take the $250 and run -- if they truly believed in what they say, they would return the money.

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

10 comments:

  1. I am with you all the way on the insanity infecting this country. We can't remember any time, including the Vietnam era, when the atmosphere has been so poisonously polluted with mean-spiritedness, sanctimony, and vitriol.

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  2. I almost forgot--We love your Congressman. Too bad we can't vote for him.

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  3. One of my Congressmen is targeted by Sarah Palin, too. He has been getting death threats. Someone is going to get hurt or killed before this is over, I'm afraid. The Republicans just don't seem to think they have any responsibility in this atmosphere of hate.

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  4. Goodness. First, thank you for posting this. Good stuff.

    2. Yup, I'm feeling vastly better and coughing rarely now. Allergies probably are triggering my nemesis now.

    3. My Democratic congressfolks didn't mail me anything that good, but they all invited me to town meetings.....to which in my shame I didn't go.

    4. It's hard to get me on my main blog, but I am over at Open Diary as Day Tripper:

    http://www.opendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=C100459

    They make it difficult by giving us a home page to open. Entries are listed over there on the right, pictures in the middle and gar-bage on the left.

    Hope you are doing ok.

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  5. Anonymous5:12 PM

    The main thing is that the Health Care bill got passed by Congress, and the GOP can't touch it. I just hope people don't get murdered because of it. Why are Republican such sore losers?

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  6. AMEN, sis. Thanks for spelling it out like that. You got a good guy there.

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  7. Mary: I thought you might be!!!! And yeah, the 6os rabble rousers were peaceniks -- make love not war. I think I like John, too!

    Betty: I'm sorry to hear that -- so has John. Actually, if it weren't such a danger I would consider being on that broad's (replace with snglo-saxon barbarim if you choose) list a badge of honor. And yeah, one of these nut jobs is going to do something -- I can feel it.

    Maggie:

    Thank you!!!!!

    Glad you're better!!!!

    At least they know you exist. John is exceptional.

    Noted and (hopefully) added to my blogroll.

    I'm surviving -- one of my meds is giving me fits.

    Gigi: From your keyboard to God's monitor!!!

    Judy: Thank you, sis!!! Yes, we are blessed!!!!!! Hope we can keep him around.

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  8. Wonderful, thanks for sharing. :)

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  9. It really is a crazy time and it's beyond my understanding how Republicans aren't anything but ashamed of their party and all they are hearing. It seems like it should be a party that disappears as that's what they deserve. We need a real conservative party to replace them. It's sure not those who call themselves Republicans today.

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  10. I think you are a heroine to plan on working on Bocceri's campaign. I will work for my Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords who had the door to her headquarters smashed. The crazies are out in full force.

    My day started off badly. My morning paper had Sarah Palin's photo on the front page with the news that 4,000 showed up to see her (McCain was the sideshow.) I hope most of them came from out of town because I hate to think there are that many idiots in my city.

    Of course, there are probably more, but I can dream that all people here are sensible.

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