I listened to President Obama last night. I know he is determined to pass his bill and wanted to get more Americans onboard.
I cannot believe his assurances that illegal aliens will not be covered. I cannot believe that abortion will not be covered. Why do his words make me question his reliability? It is simple, any amendment regarding need to verify legal status and any amendment clearly spelling out that abortions are not part of women's health services have been defeated and ARE NOT in the bill. The bill is long, vague and will allow those who later write the actual rules and regulations based on the bill to have free reign. They may then include abortion and omit any regulation that requires proof of legal residence or citizenship.
I do not believe his commentary regarding how well the economy is recovering. Unemployment continues to rise. Inflation is an ongoing threat. If the president feels so much savings is possible through rooting out fraud and waste, why is an overhaul of the entire system needed? Why do we need a huge bill to begin identifying those who are defrauding the government systems in place? Why did he reverse himself regarding taking money from Medicare to fund the new plans? When is he speaking the truth and when is he simply saying whatever he thinks will fool enough of us with false reassurance? He failed to explain how, with limited funds, more people will be covered with no cuts in services being made. The president wanted to convey his respect for senior citizens, the contributions made over past decades and the need to honor promises made to them. This is great rhetoric and yet this administration and Congress have already announced that COLA's will not occur for two years for those on Social Security while costs of Medicare will rise and the spending/debt will result in inflation and rising costs of basic needs for seniors.
Obama called for bipartisan efforts and then slapped the conservatives who have pointed out the very real need to ration care as a means of keeping the proposed program revenue neutral. With a fixed amount of money and an expansion of numbers covered, the president denied an honest appraisal such as made by Governor Palin. Those of us who have managed a family budget know that if more members are added to a family with income remaining the same, reapportionment of funds will need to be implemented. Obama may have always had someone to underwrite his increasing financial needs but this is not an experience shared by the majority of citizens. Congress is able to increase the amount of money it wants to spend by finding new ways to tax working people. I for one do not trust the politicians ability to be frugal when past performances demonstrate the opposite.
Why didn't the president recommend that Congress start over, simplify the bill, and include tort reform as a primary measure in cutting the costs for Americans? This speech did not reassure me. Do you feel reassured?
I heard him say that under his plan, that if you lost your job you wouldn't miss one day of coverage. I wonder how that will work, unless you're under a government plan; but hasn't he said you can keep private insurance? It takes months, sometimes years, to get government benefits now.
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