Breathtaking it is that these two videos could come out on the very same day. First, a message from the Acton Institute calling the BarryCare spade a the spade it is:     And, seemingly, no sooner does Micheal Miller……

“The problem with socialism is that it doesn’t actually trust the individuals and the families to make decisions for themselves, it thinks that we are children.”

Good thing conservatives don’t need to resort to fear mongering tactics like Obama.

PS ALL YOUR CIVIL LIBERTIES WILL BE TAKEN AWAY UNDER OBAMACARE! BOO!

e-pirate on July 30, 2009 at 5:12 PM

Yeah, that fat tax that’s going to foot the bill for all of Obamatopia make no dent whatsoever in this immense, “fully-operational” Debt Star that we’re getting shackled to represents NO loss of liberty to a self-proclaimed “pirate.” And why would it? It’s not like we really need that liberty to eat whatever we bloody well please, or to be able to tell Puritanical busybodies in Washington to kindly F*** Right Off regarding whatever new scheme-of-the-week is supposed to turn us all into New Soviet American Global Man.

Hey, I know! How about you Statists run your lives however you wish, and leave me and mine to run our own? If you want to help the unfortunate using your own resources, fine and dandy. But remove that “helping hand” from the rest of our wallets – or lose it.

I like how conservatives are incapable of understanding the fact that the current health care system is controlled by bureaucrats: private bureaucrats. Bureaucrats who literally work everyday to figure out ways to deny coverage to their own customers and keep people with “pre-existing conditions” off their rolls.

AJB on July 30, 2009 at 5:26 PM

Actually, we DO get that. The problem at the moment is that the ‘solution’ being offered is about the worst possible one you could think of. Our government, at the federal level, has proven incredibly inept at the responsibilities it already has. And yet somehow people want to give it control over something as vital as making direct choices over our healthcare? (pun not intended)

Once this nonsense nanny-statism gets tossed in the round file when it belongs, THEN we can start having discussions about reform that really will help fix the problems. But until then we’re going to be in defense mode trying to stop this craziness from becoming law. To use an analogy, you can’t fling open the city gates to traders from faraway lands when there’s a giant Trojan Horse sitting right outside the walls.

the primary function of any bureaucracy is the preservation of the bureaucracy.

DDT on July 30, 2009 at 7:54 PM

Genius.

Blame the inner city for infant mortality? Why isn’t that still troubling to you?

Because the truth doesn’t trouble me.

Rely on UN numbers if you wish. Their assessments include all sorts of metrics that really have nothing to do with healthcare and a lot to do with “equality”.

jonknee on July 30, 2009 at 6:29 PM

I don’t think our healthcare system is killing us, our health knowledge combined with our affluent lifestyles are killing us. Public schools and public health systems don’t help.

Blame the inner city for infant mortality? Why isn’t that still troubling to you? Cuba has a better rate than we do. They have to go on the black market to buy aspirin but they can beat us in infant mortality. It’s beyond embarrassing.

jonknee on July 30, 2009 at 6:41 PM

No, what is embarrassing is people like you floating that stupid infant mortality meme. it makes you look stooopid.

Our healthcare is far and away the most expensive in the world and yet not rated the highest. We have higher infant mortality, lower life expectancy, etc versus a whole host of countries that spend less than us. The free market has failed to produce the most efficient system. The “cheap” healthcare is beating us. That’s not to say socializing it is the answer, but the status quo is unacceptable.

jonknee on July 30, 2009 at 6:29 PM

Of course it’s the highest, you geek. Only the very ignorant deny it. The infant mortality stats are nonsense since what we would define as a live birth, other countries define as a stillborn or miscarriage.

I agree that the video is a bit long – no catchy soundbite. I have an idea for a protest/video along the lines of the drug side effects idea.

Children selling lemonade (Future Tax Payers of America t-shirts) that are rationing and determining who gets what kind of lemonade based on their demographic. Fat people get diet lemonade, old people get only one teaspoon, kids get low-sugar, all lemonade is warm and bitter but it only costs $.05 for a very small cup. And no seconds until everyone has some. Ice is available in two hours, if you’ll wait. But if you’re willing to pay more, you can have the special, private lemonade – but only until they get caught selling it.

I know it’s an early idea but originally I was thinking a protest for outside my Reps office on August 22nd – Recess Rally day.

I’m looking for ideas. I have the kids and the lemons.

Not rated highest by whom?

The UN?

Oh, I’m totally convinced, then.

As for infant mortality and life expectancy, look to the habits of our inner-city populations, Jack.

Want to compare us to Sweden or Japan?

Apples to oranges.

guntotinglibertarian on July 30, 2009 at 6:32 PM

By almost any conceivable metric. On average you’re more likely to die from health related problems in the US than you are in many other countries. Can you buy great healthcare in America? Certainly. You can also pay for your kids to go to amazing elite schools, that doesn’t mean education in America is amazing. On average we’re getting worse healthcare than much of the West and on top of that we’re paying more than *everyone*.

Blame the inner city for infant mortality? Why isn’t that still troubling to you? Cuba has a better rate than we do. They have to go on the black market to buy aspirin but they can beat us in infant mortality. It’s beyond embarrassing.

Again, this doesn’t mean socializing it is the answer. But what we have now is failure. It’s not a simple problem.

Our healthcare is far and away the most expensive in the world and yet not rated the highest.

Not rated highest by whom?

The UN?

Oh, I’m totally convinced, then.

As for infant mortality and life expectancy, look to the habits of our inner-city populations, Jack.

Want to compare us to Sweden or Japan?

Apples to oranges.

When there is a “public option”, the playing field will be so skewed that it will soon resemble a rock climb up a sheer cliff, with government at the top continually moving the goalposts and companies at the bottom, eventually giving up because of inability to operate fairly in their own territory.

The fact of the matter is, GOOD health care does cost money, something that socialists are apparently completely unable to understand. “Cheap” health care is practically worthless, and it won’t be cheap anyway because our ultimately raised taxes will still subsidize it.

A further fact is that health insurance is already a highly competitive field, which actually has kept costs lower than they otherwise might be. Socialists will be in for the shock of their lives once they realize that the world is becoming more expensive and that the quality health care that this bill will destroy never, ever could be free or cheap.

Edouard on July 30, 2009 at 5:47 PM

Our healthcare is far and away the most expensive in the world and yet not rated the highest. We have higher infant mortality, lower life expectancy, etc versus a whole host of countries that spend less than us. The free market has failed to produce the most efficient system. The “cheap” healthcare is beating us. That’s not to say socializing it is the answer, but the status quo is unacceptable.

The obvious video to make would be one like the medicine ads where they point out all the side effects of the drug. I think that would be pretty effective.

tomas on July 30, 2009 at 6:22 PM

You’re right. But, republicans have never been good at things like that. They’ve gotten so use to rolling over, it’s Pavlovian.

I beg to differ. The county hospital to which I refer is actually on the cutting edge. It is well known for being teh most premier burn unit in the country. Well known people are known to frequent this particular system. My mother was needing to be transfered from a well-to-do hospital and they were on teh list because they have a neurosurgeon teh WTD hospital didn’t.

You would be amazed. I agree, the indigent are there, but they get the same quality as the non-indegent do.

CynicalOptimist on July 30, 2009 at 5:36 PM

Uh, nothing I said disagrees with you. And I also said that UCSF and County have the same doctors. And, cutting edge or not, different hospitals have different specialties or are conducting research and trials in certain areas. UCSF and Loma Linda have advanced pediatric cardiac surgery programs – County General does not. An infant or child at County General, even though indigent, who has a serious heart anomaly, will be transferred to a hospital that specializes in neonatal and pediatric cardiac surgery.