Big Dogs House

Senator Cardin Does Not Get It

Jul 21, 2009 Political

Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland was involved in a Town Hall meeting and was asked by a person about health care and why the government would fine him if he did not get a policy. Robert Broadus laid it out for Cardin:

“I decided not to get the health insurance. That’s working out for me because I’m able to save that extra money and give it to my family members and use it on myself. Senator Cardin, I want to know are you going to tell me an individual…that I have to buy health care or else you’re going to fine me $2,500 every year I don’t get it? Our founding fathers assured us we have a Bill of Rights and I want to see you uphold that,” Broadus said in an increasingly emotional voice and to scattered applause. WUSA9

Cardin’s answer was a scary one because he basically stated that the guy would have problems if he had a serious medical condition. This could be true but Cardin made it sound as if the guy was a freeloader who would not make arrangements to pay his bill.

Cardin responded by asking Broadus what would happen if he became sick, broke a bone, had a car accident and ended up in an emergency room.

“You don’t pay. You are part of the population that shifts its costs over to a person who does pay, and they’re paying for you,” Cardin said.

Explaining how hospitals have often to absorb those costs, Cardin said many hospitals would chose simply to leave the community.

“I just think the overriding public interest is to require you and everyone in this country to have health insurance,” Cardin said.

Cardin said that it was in the public interest to require everyone to have health insurance. Why? Cardin’s lame excuse about hospitals and individuals who pay absorbing the cost falls flat. Hospitals and people who pay already absorb a great deal of cost. Hospitals also absorb the cost of government run Medicare and Medicaid. The government sets rates and never reimburses the total cost. This is one reason that patients have a plethora of tests and procedures. It is done for two reasons. The first is to prevent a lawsuit for some undiscovered problem and the other is to jack up the bill so the reimbursement is higher.

Additionally, with government run health care or a public option, if you will, everyone pays the bill. Well, the people who pay taxes pay the bill. There is no difference between the cost being spread out in the case Cardin describes and the cost being spread out among the populace in order to cover everyone.

There are plenty of ways to solve this problem that do not involve the government getting involved. Government does not have any money and it does not make money. Government extorts money from people who produce and then redistributes it to those who don’t. Washington DC only consumes, it does not produce.

Cardin is out of touch with reality because he is like the rest who want complete control over our lives. They already hold the elderly hostage with Social Security and Medicare and now they want to expand their reach to hold everyone hostage.

It is all about control over our lives and nothing more.

Tags: ben cardin, control, health care, punishment, taxes

Lieberman Faces Penalties from Vengeful Dems

Aug 14, 2008 Political

Joe Lieberman has faced some tough circumstances in the past couple of years. He faced a tough challenger in the Democratic primary and lost only to win the general election running as an independent. He decided to caucus with the Democrats thus giving them a one vote majority in the Senate. Lieberman could not force himself to switch parties or caucus with Republicans and now he will more than likely pay a heavy price.

Lieberman has been supporting John McCain and this is really rubbing the Democrats the wrong way. The very people who abandoned him in the primary are upset that he will not support Barack Obama for the presidency. On the campaign trail Lieberman said something that really ticked off the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi made it known that Joe will likely lose his committee chairmanship.

This should come as no surprise. The Democrats have wanted to strip Lieberman of any committee responsibilities for quite some time. They have not done so because they are worried about losing the majority in the Senate. However, if they pick up enough seats that they do not need him they will strip him of everything and he will be fortunate to even get table scraps from the party that once put him up as a vice presidential nominee.

I stated in the past that Lieberman should have switched parties or caucused with Republicans because I knew it would only be a matter of time before the Democrats turned on him (more so than they did in the primaries). Lieberman could not force himself to switch and now will suffer the consequences should the Democrats no longer need his services.

Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that they have not stripped Lieberman because they want to keep the majority and she made it just as clear that he could lose quite a bit for backing McCain and for saying things about the sainted one. Pelosi is in the House and has no direct influence on Senator Lieberman but anyone who thinks Pelosi is the only one with vengeance on her mind is severely lacking in the ability to think. It is a foregone conclusion that Lieberman will get screwed if the Democrats pick up seats in the Senate. Since it looks like the Republicans will lose seats it is not looking good and Lieberman will have blown his chance at his own revenge. He should have screwed the Democrats right after the last election.

The only way Lieberman does not get screwed is if he either starts drinking the Obama Kool Aid or if the Democrats do not gain seats. Neither looks like it will happen.

I admire the fact that Lieberman has been loyal to his friend John McCain and I think it is even more remarkable when one considers what he will certainly lose because of that support.

Regardless of what happens in November, Lieberman should switch parties and move to the side that has treated him well.

Source:
SF Gate

Tags: lieberman, Pelosi, punishment