does one laugh or cry over your last statement Steve....where did you say you were moving? lol

I rarely, if ever, discuss anything political unless I am speaking with others who are of like mind...on the "same page" as I am...but, Steve's comments about the teabaggers...not knowing what it is they are protesting is so true. I have watched these "poor souls" who have been given their "talking points"by the likes of **** Armey and his group...who are actually given written material on how to disrupt any kind of civil debate...who are so brain-washed by those who spew propaganda, misinformation, outright lies simply because they have been targeted as the most uneducated and gullible among us...and who scream so loudly about something they don't even understand...have no knowledge about the reason for their screaming, etc...and, as much as it infuriates me, it saddens me....and it frightens me, too. Never have I witnessed the devisivness that is occuring in our country...the hate and fear-mongering, and I fear that the rage and anger that those who would take advantage of the gullible/uneducated might instill in them to the point where they would even commit violent acts...and yes...even killing those who they have been made to see as the "enemy"...and that they would be doing what was "right"if ever they would bring themselves to kill. If it weren't so sad, it could be funny. For instance...if these poor, brain-washed souls were to be asked: "What is it about Medicare that you don't like? What is it about Social Security that you don't like? What is it about closing the Medicare Part D donut hole that you don't like? What is it about reining in the insurance companies...putting a cap on what they can charge...making them stop dropping customers who cost them too much money? What is it about reducing your health care premiums to an affordable amount rather than having those premiums raised (as is being done presently)? I could go on and on with more of the same kinds of questions, but I guess my message is clear...and I can only imagine how these poor souls might react/respond to my questions...I can readily see the expressions on their faces...because they don't have a clue.

Okay...I could go on and on...and I have been more political than I had intended to be when I started this "rant"!!! It's just that Steve's comments seemed to compel me to say what I've said, here...thank you for wading through the "rant"!

Virginia Therese

Rush LImbaugh was saying terrible things to a 11 year old boy who lost his mother. The woman was too sick to go to work and lost her insurance. Then she couldn't get any treatment and died. Rush was criticizing the boy for campaigning for health care, accusing him of being a crybaby for a liberal cause.

I think the teabaggers should be very ashamed of themselves. How can anyone possibly think health care access is a bad thing?

Costa Rica

My "Tea Party Video"



Tea Party_0005.wmv

Steve...........BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for the "tea party" and its insights, steve. Where do these people think all the lobbying money paid to defeat this bill comes from? consumers of products. WE paid; the producers of the products and their lobbyists just decided who received the $$.
The guy with PD in the video is my new hero.
Video was shown on Bill Mahr last eve

I am going to speak very frankly here, knowing that the thread will probably get shut down after I do so. But PLEASE read and consider this post before throwing daggers.

First and foremost, be willing to look at the entire picture here. My first instinct was to strangle the two guys that ridiculed t he man with PD (Steve, we would be in side-by-side cells!). However, when a DOG IS SHOWING HIS TEETH, COMMON SENSE TELLS YOU NOT TO WAVE YOUR HAND IN HIS FACE. I believe the gentleman with PD got the reaction he wanted, although the teabaggers (as they are being called) went way overboard. The behavior by the two men was absolutely WRONG, but their behavior does not speak for ALL people who have voiced their political opinions via the group approach In my opinion, it is just as ridiculing and ugly to show videos of Sarah Palin or to compare a political party with the Three Stooges as it is to throw money at someone. It was irrelevant that the guy in the video with PD, but since he is a Parkinsonian, what an opportunity we have for educating the public about living Parkinson’s!

I do not like it when the PD community is poled into two totally opposite directions. "Divided we stand - united we fall" are the most intelligent words ever spoken. It's time to stop this political bickering and look at the the REAL problem with the proposed healthcare proposal.

Yes, I have insurance coverage, and I had never taken anything "free" from the government, until I had to take disability retirement at age 48. That is not to say that it is wrong to take freebies, because our country has been based on the social aspect of "sharing" our wealth, and I don't just mean monetary. I am now on disability and have government-supplied Medicare insurance along with insurance from my former employer that comes with a premium of nearly $400 a month to cover my medications.

Let's look, however, at this side of the issue. As a middle-class citizen who worked (and worked HARD) for years and saw half of what I made go to taxes to cover those who were on welfare, lived in government-subsidized housing, and were on insurance supplied by the government; I speak from empathy, not apathy. I "shared" my assets for the 20+ years I worked, often living from paycheck to paycheck. When I had to go on disability, I feel that I deserved a small piece of our government's pie, especially since I paid into the pot for many years. I also know that some are born into poverty and may have never been able to contribute to this seemingly bottomless pot. I do not regret allowing those people in society to reap the benefits of my good fortune.

But it's time to face reality. I have experienced and seen the underlying problem with healthcare reform as it is now being presented. Please read my experiences so you can at least understand both sides of this healthcare reform issue.

I am NOT for this reform proposal for numerous reasons - one of which is NOT that we don't need health reform. I would stand up and tell you unwaveringly that WE NEED HEALTHCARE REFORM. However, what we don't need is a bill created by a group of inexperienced people, many of whom may have never struggled to pay the rent, to "reform" a nation's entire healthcare system in less than year and insist that we take it as it is written. One must take time to see where the wastes and abused sections are before adding MORE to our already exorbitant debt.

As an elementary principal, I saw those who were truly needy, and I saw those (gospel truth!) that intentionally had another baby out of wedlock to increase their welfare checks. I also saw parents with special needs children take the money supplied by the government intended for buying teaching materials for such children and run to the store to buy cigarettes. I have stood in line with my cheapo ground beef that I paid hard cash for while the person in front of me received rib-eye steaks bought with food stamps. I also worked in the Director/Chief of Staff office for 7 years at a local Veterans Administration facility. We can NEVER repay some of those guys for what they had to endure to keep our freedom. But I saw guys who tried to beat the government in every imaginable way, when maybe they served a year and worked in an air-conditioned office far from the battle lines. I have been in government-run NIH trials and saw the waste. The lady who coordinated the office of the NIH-sponsored trial could not speak or understand English, and it is unreal how she wasted money with excessive telephone calls and work hours trying to undo her messes. And I don’t have time to go into how the NIH system is wasting money – ways that could easily be corrected.

So what would I propose? I would NOT say to scratch the entire bill the President has pushed like crazy to pass. And I definitely would NOT say to pass it as it now is written. It’s next to impossible to make inexpensive changes once a piece of legislation has been passed. My suggestion is to just take a few months to look at our present programs and see where we can make them better and less of an abyss for tax dollars. Let’s curb abuse by monitoring how the money is now being utilized.

Our country doesn’t need a blanket with “Healthcare for all” stamped on it – we need one that says
v We need healthcare for all – but let’s all share the cost.
v We need healthcare for all – but let’s watch how the present programs are operating to find ways to save.
v We need healthcare for all – but don’t sacrifice quality of care.
v We need healthcare for all – but let’s first work on tort reform where we could reduce the costs of medications considerably.
v We need healthcare for all – but let’s discuss HOW amicably without acting like we hate those with differing opinions.

Finally, back to the man who had Parkinson’s and was treated like a dog – I in NO WAY CONDONE the way he was treated. But I am glad he brought the media to focus on Parkinson’s. Now, let’s build on that opportunity outside of the discussion of whether or not you agree or disagree with this healthcare legislation to show what a horrible, debilitating, quality of life we must live and how we NEED BETTER TREATMENTS!

(Just lost entire posting--should take it as a sign to not respond? naw...)

I understand your position. I too think this reform bill is flawed; I think it should have started with the delivery part of health care--ie direct medical costs/meds/testing/products/hospital costs and not with just the insurance piece. and do I think providing insurance to these living below the poverty line is going to solve their health problems? I'm with Hilary here--need to address poverty. I do feel we need to start somewhere. the war against poverty has not worked yet; must substitute other goals. In addition, prenatal care is desperately needed and access to health care can help in this area.
I also think the publicity for PD could be capitalized upon. Again, the fact that the protestors acted in such an egregious manner is on them, not the supporter. Sounds much like "blaming the victuim" here. I am a veteran of the protests of the 1960's. I never expected to be shot because of my protesting activities, though there were a few individuals who did lose their lives. should we now think "they shouldn't have put their hand into the mouth of the lion"? Should have expected to lose their lives for Civil Rights cause?(we could also discuss the ignorance of youth)

The 2 videos of the guy with PD who protested showed (to me) an individual who was so proud of his ability to participate in expressing his support of health reform and for proving to his doctor that he could accomplish that goal. Really think he expected to be humiliated, or is the least delighted he was? A man who wishes for others the ability to have surgery for PD, who cried with his family because the surgery gave him much of his life back?

Impolite society. Throwing things at a PWP, screaming on both sides, danger of violence; bullies vent their ugliness on someone weaker than them; plus ancient fear and superstition of those who tremble and fall down as if possessed.
Polite society. Competitor contacts my clients telling them that I am now incompetent and potentially dangerous, compulsive, and so they should fire me and hire them; a member of our group was fired as soon as boss found out it is PD; very polite business advice; plus ancient fear and superstition of those who tremble and fall down as if possessed.

I prefer to have people throw things at me and scream.
At least I know what they think.