Obamacare Passes!!!

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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Well, the democrats did it. After a Republican got elected in Massachusetts, almost everybody had given up health care reform as dead. It is to the immense credit of Obama and Pelosi that they were able to resurrect the dead body and then pass it into the law.

It is a very comprehensive legislation, some provisions go into effect in 60 days, others not until 2018 (after second term of Obama). Also, it is a modest bill, the one that House originally passed was more far reaching, it had a public option.

However, this was the best that could be got through the Congress and all the credit, all the kudos to Obama and Pelosi for shepherding it through the House.

They did it in spite of the fact that it may hurt them in the November elections. Such courage is rare indeed among politicians, most of them try to hang on to power as long as they can, using any means they can.

So well done, Obama. So what was the Republican reaction? Well, they have already introduced legislation in the House to repeal the bill. The reaction among teabaggers (the far right Republican base) was particularly interesting. Teabaggers infest a website called Townhall. I was reading comments on Townhall this morning and here are some of the juicer ones. Enjoy.

The comments are in the blue.


God damn Democrats to hell.

Let the Violence Start! If they will not listen to our protests, then maybe they will listen to our gunfire.

If we can't settle this by legal means and the ballot box, I don't think you'll have too much trouble finding some like-minded folks at the bridge to Concord.. (He is of course, talking of armed conflict and assassinations).

When the elected leaders go rogue on the people who elected them, two things can happen - use the other branch of govt. to undo the unconstitutional mandates or stage a coup.


DON'T TURN IN YOUR CENSUS FORM!!! (Now here is a dumb idea if there ever was one. If teabaggers don’t send in the census forms, they won’t be counted, liberals will be counted and states which have high teabagger population will be the losers).

It's like giving money to Hitler! The Gov't wants to know everything about you, how many guns do you have, how many fishing polls etc. The Brown shirts are everywhere! I watch this secret show on Foreign Owned Xcasting and this is like Germany invading Italy all over.

The Devils Disciple and his High Priestess posing with grins on their faces that are just
EVIL! I pray for the day when there will be a Hand writing upon the wall..


Now, some posters here take me to task for implying that some conservatives consider Liberals or Democrats the Spawn of the devil. Well, here is the proof.
 
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Bar Sinister

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Jan 17, 2010
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However, this was the best that could be got through the Congress and all the credit, all the kudos to Obama and Pelosi for shepherding it through the House.


You are certainly right about it being the best that can be done. Future governments will have to fill the the holes in the US health care system that remain. Perhaps it is time for Canadians to get after our government to fix Canada's mediocre health care system.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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You are certainly right about it being the best that can be done. Future governments will have to fill the the holes in the US health care system that remain. Perhaps it is time for Canadians to get after our government to fix Canada's mediocre health care system.

I agree that Canada’s health care system could do with some changes. However, the bulk of our system is quite sound, and it works. That is evident in health care statistics (life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality etc.). For the most part, it delivers good quality health care to most Canadians.

It could of course be made better. But it will have to be tinkering at the edges, rather than a complete overhaul.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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You are certainly right about it being the best that can be done. Future governments will have to fill the the holes in the US health care system that remain. Perhaps it is time for Canadians to get after our government to fix Canada's mediocre health care system.

Government's track record for "fixing" things is by and large pretty dismal......:smile:
 

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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Government's track record for "fixing" things is by and large pretty dismal......:smile:

That depends. Government can do some things well, others not so well. Government cannot generate wealth, that is the function of private sector. However, government can spread the wealth around, it can look after the poor, the disadvantaged quite effectively.

It can also manage health care much better than the private sector. The contrast between government managed care and privately managed care is vivid, the contrast between USA and all the other developed nations.

Private sector is good at generating wealth, and must be free to do so, with certain constraints. However, private sector is not good at much else.
 

ironsides

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Feb 13, 2009
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Small test of American politics:
The U.S. is now almost officially a Socialist State. Lets who can say why, and the House voting and passing the Health Care Bill is not the reason.

"It can also manage health care much better than the private sector. The contrast between government managed care and privately managed care is vivid, the contrast between USA and all the other developed nations."

Has not been proven yet except on small scales developed nations, no one with a major population over 100 million. How many of these countries are having financial problem dealing with medical conditions. In larger countries it is failing. Doesn't work in China, India or Russia, never did. You can pat yourselves on the back for a having a good system, but you are considered a small country.


 

SirJosephPorter

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Nov 7, 2008
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Small test of American politics:
The U.S. is now almost officially a Socialist State. Lets who can say why, and the House voting and passing the Health Care Bill is not the reason.

"It can also manage health care much better than the private sector. The contrast between government managed care and privately managed care is vivid, the contrast between USA and all the other developed nations."

Has not been proven yet except on small scales developed nations, no one with a major population over 100 million. How many of these countries are having financial problem dealing with medical conditions. In larger countries it is failing. Doesn't work in China, India or Russia, never did. You can pat yourselves on the back for a having a good system, but you are considered a small country.



How many developed countries are there with population of more than 100 million, ironsides? None. India, China and Russia are hardly developed countries. India cannot feed its population, let alone provide health care to them.

So to that extent, anything done in USA has to be without precedent. However, there are big countries such as Britain, Germany, France, which also have universal, government run health care. While not in excess of 100 million they do have population in 60 to 80 million range. Government run health care works very well there, as is evidenced by health indicators.

Now, I don’t know whether it will work in USA. In many aspects, USA has a different outlook than all the other developed countries, it tends to be in general much more conservative in outlook. So we don’t know how well it will work, and there are no precedents. However private health care has obviously not done a good job of it, otherwise there wouldn’t’ be a clamour for health care reform (and whatever they think of Obamacare, a majority of Americans still favor some kind of health care reform).
 

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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India, China and Russia are hardly developed countries.
This is where the cheese slides off the lefts progressives cracker...

Anyone that believes a country with either or both, a substantial nuclear program, and/or a space program, is not a developing nation...period.
 

SirJosephPorter

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Based on my experience, I would say that China qualifies as a 'developed' country.

In your opinion, perhaps. China ranks 96 in all the countries in per capita income, India ranks 128. That is not my definition of a developed country. That is the definition of a country which cannot feed its population.

As to Russia, it ranks 51 in the world, behind countries like Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados. Again, I wouldn't call that a developed country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
 

EagleSmack

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Feb 16, 2005
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China and India have been around for 1000s of years.

Don't you think they have had enough time to develop?
 

SirJosephPorter

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Quite so.

Indeed. If you consider China a developed country, I assume you also consider countries like Algeria, Tunisia and Suriname as developed countries, they are all richer than China.

I am sure these poor African countries will be happy to know that they have been elevated to the status of developed countries.
 

TenPenny

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Jun 9, 2004
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Indeed. If you consider China a developed country, I assume you also consider countries like Algeria, Tunisia and Suriname as developed countries, they are all richer than China.

I am sure these poor African countries will be happy to know that they have been elevated to the status of developed countries.

Feel free to not make any assumptions.
 

CDNBear

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Sep 24, 2006
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In your opinion, perhaps. China ranks 96 in all the countries in per capita income, India ranks 128. That is not my definition of a developed country. That is the definition of a country which cannot feed its population.

As to Russia, it ranks 51 in the world, behind countries like Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados. Again, I wouldn't call that a developed country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
And that means what?

That Russia, China and India spent more money on arms prolification then its people and the development of its civilian infrastructure. And nothing more.

They are not developing nations.
 

Avro

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Feb 12, 2007
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Obama shows Canada what courage is

When was the last time a Canadian prime minister was able to overcome obstructionism and cynicism to follow a principle, regardless of the polls?
We’ll answer below, but it is worthwhile to look at what U.S. President Barack Obama achieved with Sunday night’s historic passing of health-care legislation in the House of Representatives.
Canadians often are horrified by the dreadful partisan debates in American politics. Indeed, during the last hours of the debate, a leading black congressman faced a racial slur and the words “baby killer” spilled from the lips of a Texas Republican.
Canadian political discourse doesn’t get so vile. Not when prorogation is the main topic of debate.
But before we get too smug, we have to ask: Can our own political system, with a seemingly permanent minority government, produce a leader with the courage of an Obama?
Our politics are so mired in centrist sanctuary that the Liberals and Conservatives have moulded milquetoast caricatures of leadership.
“Yes we can,” in Canadian politics, doesn’t mean we can improve, we can do better — it means we can do what it takes to keep power, regardless of what we believe in.
The last time a federal government followed its convictions in spite of the polls was, strangely, under the leadership of Mr. Dithers, Paul Martin.
In 2005, the Canadian government intensified its commitment to the war in Afghanistan with more troops and a more robust fighting role. The Liberals knew more soldiers would die. That does not win votes — it loses them. But it was a commitment to principle — to finish what we started. Sunday’s vote allowed Obama to revel in timeless oratory: “Tonight, we answered the call of history,” he said. “We are still a people capable of doing big things … This is what change looks like … We did not fear our future — we shaped it.”
When was the last time we heard that in Ottawa?
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the health-care bill “a victory for America’s soul.”
With our minority governments — which are said to keep politicians where Canadian want them, in the centre — our political soul is wilting.

Source

I may have been wrong about Obama and the size of his nuts, they appear to be as big as Bush's but for the right reasons.:lol: