(start video around 2:45)

Democrats like to say a lot of things about healthcare, in order to calm the jitters of the voting public. Of course you can keep your current health insurance, they say. The public option will simply keep those private companies in check. Furthermore, they say, fears of rationed care are unfounded — and clearly the fear of mandated euthenasia is pure paranoia.

But are these the facts? Do these calming words have any basis in reality?

As has been noted here and elsewhere, a public option will almost certainly evolve into a single-payer system — and, indeed, that is what it’s designed to do. Rationed care? A necessary symptom of the single-payer system. When a single payer is responsible for the health needs of everybody, there are bound to be some conflicts.

Just ask Ezekiel Emanuel. Ezekiel — Chief of Staff Rham Emanuel’s brother — also works with the Obama administraiton, as a presidential health care advisor. He published an article in January, in a British Medical Journal called ‘Lancet,’ in which he examines, not only the possibility of rationed care, but how to make beaurocratic decisions on who should get limited treatments. (via RightSoup)

E. Emanuel is also, as of March, a member of the Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research — tasked with determining a “Federal system for withdrawing care.” He seems more than up to the task.

Writes Emanuel:

Quote:

“Such an approach accepts a two-tiered health system-some citizens will receive only basic services while others will receive both basic and some discretionary health services… Substantively, it suggests services that promote the continuation of the polity-those that ensure healthy future generations, ensure development of practical reasoning skills, and ensure full and active participation by citizens in public deliberations-are to be socially guaranteed as basic. Conversely, services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.”

Scary enough. It gets worse.

Quote:

“When implemented, the complete lives system produces a priority curve on which individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40 years get the most substantial chance, whereas the youngest and oldest people get chances that are attenuated.” This may be justified by public opinion, since “broad consensus favours adolescents over very young infants, and young adults over very elderly people.”

Under the Ezekiel Emanuel plan, the infants and the elderly sit rather uncomfortably at the bottom of the food chain, while young adults take precedents over adolescents. And then, incredibly, Emanuel even stipulates that job and social standing will have to be accounted for:

Quote:

“Social Value Allocation” prioritizes specific individuals to enable them to promote other important values, or rewards them for having promoted these values. In view of the multiplicity of reasonable values in society and in view of what is at stake, social value allocation must not legislate socially conventional, mainstream values.”

…

“Allocators must also avoid directing interventions earmarked for health needs to those not relevant to the health problem at hand, which covertly exacerbates scarcity. For instance, funeral directors might be essential to preserving health in an influenza pandemic, but not during a shortage of intensive-care beds. For instance, former organ donors seem to deserve reciprocity since they make a serious sacrifice and since there is no surplus of organ donors. By contrast, laboratory staff who serve as vaccine production workers do not incur serious risk nor are they irreplaceable, so reciprocity seems less appropriate for them.”

In short, if you’re an electrician, and both you and a surgeon need the same liver — guess what? If the Government decides it needs surgeons, you’re what they call in the Insurance business SOL.

More on this can be found at the Washington Times. But one has to ask: if it’s true that regular folks don’t have to worry about things like rationed care under a Federally-run system, then why even submit the theory? And what the hell is going on in Georgia?

Are fears of a “Logan’s Run” kind of world under the Obama administration unfounded? When folks like this are the ones making the decisions on the Administration’s health policy, don’t bet on it. It’s time to get our representatives to read these bills they’re trying to pass. It’s time to let Obama and Company know that we aren’t stupid. Stand up against the Trojan Horse of “public options.” And remember not to eat the green crackers.

(Cross-posted at The Minority Report)

Promoted from the diaries by EPU

The Confirmation of Representative John McHugh as Obama’s Secretary of the Army is still yet to occur, but NY-23 Republicans and Democrats are preparing for the inevitable race for his seat in Congress.  And amidst talks that the District 23 Republicans may push off making their nominations, The Jefferson County GOP has made their selection known, and a final tally now seems set for Thursday.  In their pick of Dede Scozzafava, Jefferson County admits to weighing “experience” over substance.  Jefferson County’s GOP Chair Sandra Corey told the Watertown Daily Times criticism that Scozzafava is too liberal “isn’t a problem for me, because I’m a Republican.  I’m not a Conservative or a Liberal.”

The prevailing wisdom, certainly inside the Franklin GOP, seems to be that any Republican victory is important — even if it’s a center-left moderate.

Conservative candidate Josh Lynch, who has found supporters among the Jefferson County voters and throughout NY-23, disagrees.  “I see a ripe opportunity,” says Lynch.  An opportunity for a “Common-sense Conservative” who can run a “positive, issues-based campaign

There’s an aspect of the modern day campaign and on the new media side [in which] I would excel.  I would continue to do it the way I did here.  I want to be the consensus candidate.  A candidate that appeals to new coalitions.

Still a Senatorial Aid, Lynch is essentially working two full-time jobs — his second being the campaign for Congress.  In a late-night phonecall, I spoke with Josh Lynch about something the local GOP seems to be ignoring in favor of (flawed) perceptions of electability: policy.

Read More →

Now that Congressman John McHugh has been tapped as Secretary of the Army by President Obama (and there is little doubt he’ll be confirmed), the race has begun for his seat in the House.  Though Congressional District 23 is one of the largest (and most underrepresented) districts in the nation, in general, this isn’t one that people pay much attention to.  Except, this isn’t like a normal race, is it?  With the Democrats in total control of two of the three branches of government, Republicans are hoping to keep this seat, and perhaps even strengthen it.  Dems, meanwhile, would love to tighten their hold on the House by replacing McHugh with one of their own.  And, of course, for political junkies, it’s the only game in town.  All of which is to say that the NY-23 race is, in fact, being watched on a national level.

For now, I’m not overly interested in what the Democrats are doing with this.  Speculation is that State Senator Darryl Aubertine will be the (D) nominee.  And, certainly, GOP leadership seems to be looking for a candidate who can beat him. 

According to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the Republicans may select a candidate as soon as this week.  Now, Republicans are touting the fact that they are keeping the candidate-selection process very, very open and ethical.  Which, I suppose they are, at least as much as is possible without actually getting the voters involved.  The primary selection will actually be made by a weighted vote by the GOPchairs in the district’s eleven counties.  Because of this, it’s pretty hard for the average voter to get to know the candidates until after the selection is made and the GOP starts reformulating their message for the voting public. 

More information about the candidates will be posted to this blog, hopefully within the next day or two.  Even now, there are clear frontrunners, according to the media; and a source within the county GOP seems to confirm, at least for herself, that the two frontrunners are moderate Dede Scozzafava and the more evidently Conservative Paul Maroun.  However, there are other options as well, such as the 26-year-old Josh Lynch.  Though he’s young, and this would be his first elected office, the Conservative Lynch is no stranger to election politics, or even to Washington DC.  Lynch worked with Sam Brownback as an assistant, and during Brownback’s presidential bid.

It would be, I suppose, too much to hope that the District GOP would flout what has become known as “conventional wisdom” here.  I say that because, though actual conventional wisdom is based on what has been proven to work, recent GOP “conventional wisdom,” has been proven specifically to NOT work.  It is this new “wisdom,” for example, which suggests we need a moderate to win and keep the seat.  Since, you know, that worked out so well with McCain.

Moreover, we should not be merely thinking about winning this seat back, but about helping to effect change in Washington.  It should be remembered that the overregulation we’re experiencing, the quickly-passed and worthless “stimulus” package and the overbearing and equally pointless “Cap & Trade” bills are the works of liberals and moderates.   “Conventional Wisdom” can say what it wants; Common Sense says introducing more of the same to Washington will not bring about positive change and could, in fact, just make it worse.

This is going to be a tough battle for the North Country.  North Country politics, as I’ve learned since my arrival here about four years ago, is often about short-term reciprocation rather than solid, long-term solutions.  When talking with many voters in Northern New York, there appears to be a disconnect between stated values and the actual voting process.  Person A may better fit the political values of a voter, but the vote will often go to Person B, who “has done a lot for the area.”  Unfortunately, what is often unseen is how those good works in the name of the home county will actually effect the voters with regard to both finances and liberty.  If a politician, for example, signed something that brought a hundred jobs to such-and-such county, a voter may not notice, or may even wilfully ignore that the same politician also signed a whole bunch of taxes and regs into law which prevented them from getting raises, decreased their benefit packages or even lost jobs for the county.

And it is this, in part, which gives rise to the idea that we need moderates in order to win.  The GOP, clueless as usual about what goes on in the minds of voters, takes this willingness to see only the positives as a rejection of Conservative values.  They allow Democrats and the media to define the narrative about what the voters want, without actually listening to the voters themselves.  On the other hand, if the GOP leadership would listen — really listen — to the average voter, they would realize that results are important, but that the voters also need to be educated in what really happens in a way that the media — the outlet charged, in the minds of many voters, with that task — simply won’t do.

The fact is, here in District 23, the GOP can run a Conservative, and win.  But they need to be willing to take on the Democrats who try to define the message.  They need to show how what looks like a boon for the North Country isn’t always what it seems, and that though even liberal politicians can occasionally make good decision, these are far outweighed by those decisions which fly directly in the face of North Country values.

(cross-posted at SLC Republitarian)

I’ve been thinking about Obama.  About the things he does and is doing.  I’ve been thinking he reminds me of somebody.  I don’t know, though.  I can’t put my finger on it.

Maybe it’s the way he pals around with oppressive dictators who suppress dissidents.

Maybe it’s the way he fights for a healthcare system that could ration the elderly right out of coverage.

Perhaps it is his desire to control the weather.

I don’t know… I think maybe…

Anyone else impressed by the prescience exhibited by G4 here?

Since I’m such a valuable member of the MoveOn community (read: I have an email address to which they can keep sending requests for money), I was sent this little morsel.  An email both warning me about the dangers and evils of Corporate Banking(!) and explaining to me how Government can help.  I’ll reproduce their email, titled “The Fine Print” [cue ominous music]:

Dear MoveOn member,

Have you ever read your credit card agreement? Really read all that legal jargon in the tiny font?

Me neither. The big banks count on us not to because that fine print is where they hide the “gotchas” that cost consumers billions of dollars each year on credit cards, mortgages, and student loans. 

Now, President Obama and Congress are stepping in by creating a new “financial products” watchdog agency to protect consumers. In the same way that we keep stores from selling exploding toasters, this agency will have the power to keep lenders from offering “exploding” loans.¹

Of course, the big banks hate this idea. And their lobbyists are swarming congressional offices trying to kill the new agency.² 

That’s why it’s so important that Rep. McHugh hears pushback from regular folks now. Can you call him today and ask him to support a strong Consumer Financial Protection Agency?

Dear Move On,

Or — OR — you could just read the fine print.  I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but exploding toasters don’t come with legal copy and a required signature that says you understand the toaster might explode; correct?  This isn’t even an apples/oranges comparison, MoveOn.  You’re comparing Apples to Orangutans.

No, I don’t believe I’ll be calling John McHugh and begging him to support another piece of crap legislation.  For one thing, I’m sure he doesn’t need my prompting anyway, if Capntax is any indication. 

Your email suggests something that I sincerely hope more people begin to understand: you honestly believe that the people on your side are complete idiots.  You are honestly out there, advocating for continued consumer ignorance, under federal protection by the Mighty Hand of Obama.  This isn’t protection from the Big Bad Banks.  Theoretically, the Fine Print ought to take care of that.  No, what this is is simply protecting Consumers from the consequences of their own willful ignorance.  Again, a complete lack of respect for your patrons.

Normal people don’t consider as equals those who must be protected from themselves.  In general, we call those people “children.”  And I have the sneaking suspicion that you do, too.

Palin resigned.  Did you hear the news?  No?  Well, where the hell’ve you been, Skippy?  Clearly not here at RedState.  Sanford screwed up.  Probably heard about that, too.  But in all the hubbub and handwringing going on regarding 2012 here in RedState, we’re quickly losing focus of something far more pressing: It’s only 2009.

We have a HUGE game still to play, and it’s way too early to start talking about the end of the season.  The 2010 election is vital.  Not just, “say, you know, it would be super-duper if we got some Republicans in the Legislature again.”  No.  Vital.  As in, “Say, if we don’t get some Conservatives on the Hill in 2010, we can pretty much wave a sad farewell to the Country we know and love.”

Am I overstating the case?  Obama runs GM.  The House passed a giant enviro-bill that will create new regs and costs for everybody from the “big bad corporations” to the working guy trying to buy a pack of smokes.  There are healthcare plans on the docket right now which will effectively gut our current system and pave the way for a single-payer system.   Like Canada, but run by the geniuses who brought you Walter Reed.  And that’s all inside the First Year.  Overstating my case?  Sure.  How’s that sand taste?

We have one thing we need to focus on right now.  One.  Putting Conservatives into the Legislature.  That’s it.  That’s the game we’re playing.  Not the 2012 election.  We don’t even have a player list for that one.  I don’t know who’s going to run in 2012, and I don’t give a damn — and neither should you. Because it is a distraction, and only a distraction.

We have enough problems for 2010 without everybody starting the infighting and loss of focus over Palin, Sanford or whoever else you wanted to draft for the POTUS campaign.  This is the one that matters.  Here.  Now.  Get your damned head in the game, or step off the field.