Kick ’em off their Respirators
April 5, 2010 - by
The other day a friend sent me an article saying Obamacare cut Medicare $500 billion. I wrote back and asked, Exactly what Medicare treatments for patients did Obama cut?
Back came another email with an article attached written by a lady, the former Lt. Governor of New York, who said Obama has set up a fund to study ‘comparative effectiveness research’ – which, the lady from New York explained, means he’s got the government studying how to limit a patient’s medical care based on his or her age.
In other words, if you’re eighty-five and have cancer you’re less likely to get care than if you’re forty-five which, to put the lady’s point of view as bluntly as possible, is proof President Obama’s planning to cut Medicare by cutting care to old people – rather than prolonging their lives.
I emailed my friend back and said, Somehow, I have doubts about Obama and the Democrats kicking old people off their respirators. Democrats may be misguided but they’re not downright mean. Besides they’re politicians and sacrificing grandma would be pretty unpopular.
Back came his response, They’re doing it now in socialist Europe. It’s called rationing health care.
I thought about that a while then wrote back, Why on earth do you think Obama – who’s already proved he’s the biggest spender in American history – would suddenly become a tightwad when it comes to paying for old people’s medical care?
The response came back like an arrow: Because he’s out to redistribute health care.
In other words, President Obama is remaking American society to accomplish one goal: Redistributing wealth. Which Obama-care does – the have nots gain health care at the expense of old people on respirators.
Now there’s no doubt Obama did say he was going to cut Medicare $500 billion but my suspicion is he was cooking the books. He did promise cuts. But don’t bank on them happening. In all likelihood taxpayers will pay the whole $500 billion plus a lot more.
But that’s not how the lady from New York (or a lot of well-meaning Republicans) see it. To them President Obama has staked himself out as the heir and soul-mate to a long line of revolutionaries stretching all the way back to Karl Marx; from there it’s just one more small step in memory to all the revolutionaries in the last century who had blood thirsty social engineering schemes to remake their societies (like Stalin wiping out the Kulaks to remake Russia) and then, suddenly, Obama, even if he is only a Democrat, morphs into a villain capable of kicking old people off respirators – and I can hear Gary saying, Hold on – stop right there. That was one helluva leap, and, of course, he’s right but that’s not my point.
Here is my point: President Obama stands up and says with a straight face he’s going to save billions by cutting Medicare and there’s not a word of truth in it but a lady from New York – who’s already figured out Obama’s a bigger socialist than whoever’s the top socialist in Europe these days – takes him at his word and asks herself, How’s he going to do that? and concludes he’s going to kick old people on respirators, then another of the Republican faithful chimes in and says, Sure, that makes sense, because he’s out to redistribute the wealth.
Which is as good example as I know of how politics works these days.
Kick ’em off their Respirators
April 5, 2010/
The other day a friend sent me an article saying Obamacare cut Medicare $500 billion. I wrote back and asked, Exactly what Medicare treatments for patients did Obama cut?
Back came another email with an article attached written by a lady, the former Lt. Governor of New York, who said Obama has set up a fund to study ‘comparative effectiveness research’ – which, the lady from New York explained, means he’s got the government studying how to limit a patient’s medical care based on his or her age.
In other words, if you’re eighty-five and have cancer you’re less likely to get care than if you’re forty-five which, to put the lady’s point of view as bluntly as possible, is proof President Obama’s planning to cut Medicare by cutting care to old people – rather than prolonging their lives.
I emailed my friend back and said, Somehow, I have doubts about Obama and the Democrats kicking old people off their respirators. Democrats may be misguided but they’re not downright mean. Besides they’re politicians and sacrificing grandma would be pretty unpopular.
Back came his response, They’re doing it now in socialist Europe. It’s called rationing health care.
I thought about that a while then wrote back, Why on earth do you think Obama – who’s already proved he’s the biggest spender in American history – would suddenly become a tightwad when it comes to paying for old people’s medical care?
The response came back like an arrow: Because he’s out to redistribute health care.
In other words, President Obama is remaking American society to accomplish one goal: Redistributing wealth. Which Obama-care does – the have nots gain health care at the expense of old people on respirators.
Now there’s no doubt Obama did say he was going to cut Medicare $500 billion but my suspicion is he was cooking the books. He did promise cuts. But don’t bank on them happening. In all likelihood taxpayers will pay the whole $500 billion plus a lot more.
But that’s not how the lady from New York (or a lot of well-meaning Republicans) see it. To them President Obama has staked himself out as the heir and soul-mate to a long line of revolutionaries stretching all the way back to Karl Marx; from there it’s just one more small step in memory to all the revolutionaries in the last century who had blood thirsty social engineering schemes to remake their societies (like Stalin wiping out the Kulaks to remake Russia) and then, suddenly, Obama, even if he is only a Democrat, morphs into a villain capable of kicking old people off respirators – and I can hear Gary saying, Hold on – stop right there. That was one helluva leap, and, of course, he’s right but that’s not my point.
Here is my point: President Obama stands up and says with a straight face he’s going to save billions by cutting Medicare and there’s not a word of truth in it but a lady from New York – who’s already figured out Obama’s a bigger socialist than whoever’s the top socialist in Europe these days – takes him at his word and asks herself, How’s he going to do that? and concludes he’s going to kick old people on respirators, then another of the Republican faithful chimes in and says, Sure, that makes sense, because he’s out to redistribute the wealth.
Which is as good example as I know of how politics works these days.