Bad Deeds for 8-2-2009

Many People Are Easily Misled; Don’t Help Spread the Lies – At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” The congressman tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter wasn’t having any of it. It’s a funny story — but it illustrates the extent to which health reform must climb a wall of misinformation.

Right-wing opponents of reform would have you believe that President Obama is a wild-eyed socialist, attacking the free market. But unregulated markets don’t work for health care — never have, never will. To the extent we have a working health care system at all right now it’s only because the government covers the elderly, while a combination of regulation and tax subsidies makes it possible for many, but not all, nonelderly Americans to get decent private coverage.

Now Mr. Obama basically proposes using additional regulation and subsidies to make decent insurance available to all of us. That’s not radical; it’s as American as, well, Medicare.

Defending Public Health Care: Truths and Lies – Last week a new study showed that 92% of Canadians would recommend their doctor to friends and family. Two-thirds have had their doctor for over five years and 85% of Canadians have a regular doctor.

Does that sound like the health care system depicted in the right-wing Republican-backed smear campaign against Canada? Once you look under the bed, the bogeymen of the right-wing smear campaign don’t exist.

More Truths and Lies about Health Care – IThom Hartmann interviews Sara Robinson, who has written about the issue.

Mythbusting Canadian Health Care – Let’s have some actual facts, instead of ideological posturing, wishful thinking, hearsay, and random guessing about how things get done up here.

Deconstructing the Right Wing Lies on the Health Insurance Bill -The right’s lies about the current health insurance proposals before Congress have rarely been compiled in such concise form before.

“Blue Dog” Democrats Getting Big Money From Healthcare and Insurance Industry – Typical “Blue Dog” Democrats — moderate members of Congress who have been the most ardent among Obama’s own party in thwarting ongoing national healthcare legislation — receive 25 percent more campaign cash from the healthcare and insurance industry than other Democrats, an investigation has found.

In fact, a Blue Dog’s average receipts from the medical industry was just $3,625 less than that of the average Republican. Republicans have worked to block plans to enact universal health insurance legislation, saying that it would restrict individual choice and lead to the rationing of medical care.

Regards,
Jim