Saturday, August 22, 2009

Anti-Health Care Reform, Anti-Obama: What's Been Going Out As "Gospel," Part . One


I know it's a sin to be so blasphemous, but Jesus H. Christ! can't Christofascists read? Don't they understand words of more than one syllable? Do they always depend on someone else to transcribe the English language into baby talk?

Evidently, they do. And it's super impressive if that person has an "Rev." before his name or a luminous "J.D." after it. The fact that congressmen have to explain H.R. 3200, the Health Care Bill, is bad enough, but that people would believe what their pastor "translates" is idiotic in the extreme. Sure the bill is 1000+ pages, but those pages consist of less than 175 words each and the margins are big enough for your doodles in crayon. No, it's not Gone With The Wind and they won't make a film out of it starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but it's IMPORTANT. It concerns health care for the entire nation!

Over the web I've been reading about all of the protesters' objections to the bill which they proffer as "the truth." Ask any one of them if they've actually read the bill and especially the questionable clauses and they will say that someone else told them. Someone very trustworthy.

Right. Okay, so here's where I go head-to-head and toe-to-toe with all the "Men of God" who say that this bill is "evil." With all the conservatives who want to see President Obama fail at a major proposal. With all the pundits whose income is derived from as much fear and loathing as they can muster.

This is the first part of a three-part post that annotates the screed of one such person, Professor Mat (only one "t" - so maybe he knows Michele-one-"l"-Bachmann) Stevor, Dean of Liberty University School of Law (Jerry Falwell's ghost resides there) and founder of Liberty Counsel (a "we-defend-only-persecuted-Christians" kind of legal aid association).


Besides the 128 talking points of Prof. Stevor, however, this "brief" that I'm addressing has a devastating forward by the (in)famous Pastor Rick Joyner of "MorningStar Ministries" and MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Much of his ministry is based upon his actual encounter with Jesus and some of the saints (which ones he can't say). Suffice it to say that the adjectives he most often uses in his urgent forward are: "diabolical," "sinister," "evil," and "totalitarian," while the most pronounced nouns are "Hitler," "Stalin," "ACORN" and "Obama administration."

Before reading the sturm und drang referred to as a "brief" I want to set forth some points:

Much of the Bill consists of amendments to Medicare. Medicare is run by our government. It is not something SEPARATE from the government. Much of what this bill does is EXTEND Medicare. To harp on the fact that any proposed health care program will be run by the government, therefore Orwellian is ludicrous.

Look up the contested sections of the bill HERE. This is the actual bill HR 3200. Split screen this post with the actual bill and compare. I could be wrong about these sections, but reading them (okay, you may have to read them several times over!) will set your mind at ease about the bill's intent.

Decide for yourself whether or not Prof. Stevor's points are fact or mere conjecture. Prof. Stevor's favorite word is, without a doubt, "MANDATORY." When you look at the document, however, you will be hard-pressed to find the word or anything close to it. His other favorite word is ACORN, because, as we all know, ACORN was the evil organization that helped Pres. Obama get elected. ACORN is the root of all evil!

The purpose of Professor Stevor's "brief" is to give you a right-wing rundown of a bill that will turn everyone into an Obama "zombie". It does not allow you to think that, if enacted and proved unhealthy to American citizens, it can be repealed. Everything in this bill, according to Prof. Stevor, is pushing you down the slippery slope to DOOM!

There will be sections where I will vent my frustration in an unseemly manner. Sorry. Get over it.

Prof. Stevor makes too many of his assumptions look like obvious fact. They aren't. Writing comments like "Can you say ACORN?" is ridiculous coming from someone who supposedly has a legal mind. In a debate, I would simply say, "Prove it!"

Okay. Let's look at the first 100 pages. Ready? Let's GO!!

HR 3200 currently under consideration in the House of Representatives


Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit the books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!! Huh? It requests that a STUDY be done of self-insured vs. other kinds of health insurance. It doesn’t even say that all employers will be studied. It says NOTHING about “auditing” books!


Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get. It’s an ADVISORY Committee established to RECOMMEND covered benefits and “essential, enhanced, and premium plans.


Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!! There is absolutely no mention of rationing at all! What this section does is talk about the limit of co-payments and that increases in payments will not exceed the Consumer Price Index each year.

Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your benefits for you. You have no choice! Wrong! The Commissioner’s primary duty is to help set plan standards.

Pg 50 Section 152 in HC bill - HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal otherwise. Is that what you get from THIS?: “all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services."


Pg 58HC Bill – Gov’t will have real-time access to individual’s finances & a National ID Health care card will be issued! I have a MediCal card from the State of California. I assume people who have Medicare also have a card. “Individual’s finances” are limited to whether or not you have to make a co-payment. Big deal! Whenever you swipe your debit card to buy a (lousy) dinner at The Olive Garden, the same thing is being done. Does that mean that The Olive Garden wants to monitor your finances?

Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access to your banks accts for electronic funds transfer. And if you work for the government, you can request direct deposit. BFD

Pg 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community orgs (ACORN). This section deals with reimbursement and reinsurance of retirees. If you see ACORN, Union, community organizations mentioned at all, you’re reading the Rick Joyner/Mat Stevor fictional version.

Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Govt is creating an HC Exchange to bring priv HC plans under Govt control. Just listing and making available other possible plans is not placing them under government control.

Pg 84 Sec 203 HC bill - Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private Health Care plans in the Exchange. NO. It merely wants to be there for more choices. It does not “mandate” anything.

Pg 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Govt will ration your Healthcare! Definition of health care plans is NOT rationing. Where does this guy get this stuff?

Pg 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill - Govt mandates linguistic appropriate services. Carping about illegal immigration. The Government “offers, not “mandates.”

Example - Translation for illegal aliens. Actual wording:
The entity shall provide for culturally and linguistically appropriate communication and health services.” Example, my Czech grandmother might actually get to know her benefits. It means the government is trying to be fair. What a novel idea!

Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt HC plan. This section never discusses ACORN, Americorps or any other group. It merely states that the commissioner must do outreach.


Stay tuned...

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