The Chicken Hawks of the Health Care Debate
Now that Iraqmire has been out of the headlines, nobody talks about Chicken Hawks any more (aka Armchair Warriors, Keyboard Warriors, the Chairborne Division, and some other less printable names). You remember the type: always bellowing that “We” should invade this country; “We” need to send more troops into that country.
And of course “We” always means Somebody Else, since these Chicken Hawks never set foot on a military base and wouldn’t know a uniform if it bit ‘em on the ass.
And now the health care debate has put the spotlight on a new breed of Chicken Hawk. This subspecies (the operative word here is “sub”) receives a huge salary and a shitload of perks — all courtesy of YOUR tax dollars. These perks include free medical care for themselves and their families. Again, that medical care is being paid for by YOU.
But, when members of this subspecies are asked about providing similar health coverage for other American citizens, they start screaming about “Welfare!” and “Socialized Medicine!” Quick — what’s wrong with this picture?
Every legislator who rants and fumes about “Socialized Medicine!” — while simultaneously receiving socialized medicine for his/her own family — is a Chicken Hawk; plus a few other names that wouldn’t be suitable for a family blog.
Aren’t these Chicken Hawks worried about rationed health care? What if they don’t even get to choose their own doctors?
I think President Obama should do a big favor for these Chicken Hawks. They won’t appreciate it now but someday they’ll thank him. These Chicken Hawks need a big strong dose of Toughlove. They’ll grouse a little at first, but later they’ll be bursting with pride, knowing that they’ve pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and they’re now productive members of society.
There’s no getting around it: on some level, these Chicken Hawks are looking in the mirror and seeing a two-faced little shitstain staring back at them. Being the recipients of taxpayer-financed health care while simultaneously shrieking “Socialized Medicine!” — they can’t possibly live with themselves.
Obama needs to take away the socialized medical benefits that these Chicken Hawks are receiving. They need to be forced to practice what they preach; to walk the walk. They’ll be much better off in the long run. Just think, there won’t be any more bumbling government bureaucrats standing between themselves and their doctors.
cross-posted at Bring It On!
posted by Tom Harper @ 3:56 PM
16 Comments:
RIGHT ON!!
Tom - You are being kind when you call them Chicken Hawks, but you are also right on the money.
When they are running for election they pretend they are going serve us and the country. When they get elected they serve themselves.
I'm with you on the sentiment, but in practice Congress theoretically could do more to cut off the president's health care, through the power of the purse, than vice versa.
Maybe a better way to handle it would be to publicly challenge and shame the chickenhawks you're referring to to donate the cost of any medical care they receive to a fund to provide health care for the poorest of the poor.
I've been whining about that for years - that and the lifetime pension they get after minimal public service.
Did you see the Daily Show interview with Bill Kristol the other day? Kristol said, in essence, that the gov't ran a first class medical system for the military, but couldn't/shouldn't for the public sector. Further, he said the military deserves better healthcare than civilians.
Here's a link
Come on Tom you know these guys have no morals. They'd sell their own grandmother for the right price.
And who decides their pay and benefits? Oh that's right they do. How silly of me to forget.
RT: Thanks.
Holte: It might be an insult to chicken hawks to compare them to these Republican and Blue Dog obstructionists.
SW: In reality, I think most federal legislators already have more money than God, so it wouldn't even make much difference to them if they had to pay their own medical bills. But this issue should be a lot more publicized, just to watch these people squirm and try to rationalize.
Carlos: That really sucks, their lifetime pensions and other perks, in return for their "service" -- whatever the hell that consists of.
I'll check out your link. I love the Daily Show and I keep forgetting to watch and/or tape it.
Demeur: A job where you can decide your own pay and benefits -- nice work if you can get it.
Maybe it's also time to take those socialized gubmint pensions back, too.
And also that socialized police and security protection. Let's take it all from them. Let them pay market price for that stuff out of their own pockets.
Oops, I forgot. THEY are the takers, WE are the takees.
Dave: Damn right. If they hate welfare and socialism so much, they shouldn't be saddled with it themselves. Let them stand up on their own two feet for once.
You are right! This is exactly like Chicken Hawks. The hypocrisy of these people never ceases to amaze me. And they act so indignant about the horror that "socialized medicine" would be. How do they sleep at night???
Mauigirl: Yup, these people give new meaning to words like "hypocrisy."
These sorry sacks of hippo shit spouting "socialism" and yammering on about old people being murdered in their beds by leftist doctors in the middle of the night are the lowest common denominator, and the lowest common denominator seems to be the group calling the shots anymore. Congress is a f-ing joke. Except Weiner, from NY, who really smacked down his House-mates on CSpan3...yesterday, I think. Here's a link to that - it is a great, great piece of video, and I think you'll like it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTh-Yu9RfF0
Bee: Excellent speech. Thanks for the link.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/weekend-opinionator-a-sick-debate/
August 7, 2009, 8:13 pm
Weekend Opinionator: A Sick Debate
By Tobin Harshaw
Comments:
12. August 8, 2009 1:57 am Link
I have lived in Europe, the USA (NYC and FLA) and currently live in Canada. I am a reasonably well-informed financial executive. I make my living as a capitalist.
I wouldn’t know where to begin re: the health care debate but I will make a couple of observations:
1. The USA has the finest health care in the world — bar none — provided that you have a no-limit gilt-edged money is no object health plan. Or you are rich. In my experience the 2 go hand in hand.
Failing such insurance or such boundless wealth how any rational human being with an IQ over 75 and an income below, say, $250k (forget the social compassion argument) could defend the existing system is beyond comprehension.
2. The outright lies — yes lies — that critics of health care reform spew is disturbing. The intentional misrepresentation of the Canadian and European models is outrageous. The Canadian model is flawed. There needs to be greater access to ‘private-delivery’ alternatives (which currently exist in some fields.) Having said that, since I returned to the province of Ontario in the late 1990’s until now the improvement in standards and care is staggering and in most cases matches anything I witnessed or experienced in NYC. Yes, health care is rationed here (hence a need for ancillary private care) but it is rationed everywhere — including the US. The exception being as per point #1 above. Per capita Ontario spends approximately 65% of what the consumers/taxpayers of the US/NY spend. However Ontario delivers 90% — or more — of the US standard. That is one very big financial/efficiency/productivity gap. That money gap goes to the US insurance companies, doctors, malpractice lawyers and lobbyists. The common canard about Canada etc is that “faceless bureaucrats make life or death decisions” (as opposed to, say, faceless HMO clerks). The truth is that in Canada the ‘gatekeepers’ who allocate critical care are the physicians themselves — the specialists.
3. Aside from private-payment plastic surgeons it is true you will not see many doctors in Canada driving a Rolls Royce. But you will see an awful lot driving a Benz or a Jag. Doctors here work hard and are well compensated. What we lack here is the concept that a medical degree should be attributed Venture Capitalist returns.
4. Lastly, a general observation/question (again, I really am a capitalist). Why is it that in the USA (a country I genuinely love) millions of people who barely make a living or are working class and/or just holding on to the ‘middle class’ are the most vocal — hysterical wouldn’t be an exaggeration — in defending the privileges of the rich and the corporate? Against their own self-interest I might add. Anywhere else in the western world the existing US health care tyranny would have people in the streets demanding reform — not ‘debating’ it.
— jon c
http://baptistperspective.brucegourley.com/2009/07/health-care-debate-and-tommy-douglas.html
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Health Care Debate and Tommy Douglas, Greatest Canadian of All Time
Few Americans may realize that a Baptist minister is recognized by Canadians as the “Greatest Canadian of All Time.” Tommy Douglas, who died in 1986, is one of history’s most influential Baptists that few outside of Canada know. And here in the summer of 2009, Douglas’ legacy is extremely relevant to the biggest issue facing Americans: health care.
Tommy Douglas, you see, was the man who brought about Canada’s universal public health care system, a health care system which Canadians for several generations now have chosen to pay extra taxes to operate and maintain, and a health care system which 91% of Canadians today view as superior to America’s health care system. Furthermore, Douglas set Canada on the road to universal health care during the Great Depression, while here in America today President Obama is seeking to do the very same thing during the current Great Recession.
Douglas, a minister turned politician, first became personally aware of the moral imperative of health care when as a child he almost lost his leg to a disease because his family could not pay for treatment; only by the good graces of a doctor, who offered his medical services for free, was Douglas’ leg saved. Influenced by the Christian principles of the Social Gospel while in collge, Douglas pastored for several years before entering politics during the Depression in 1935, becoming the Premier of Saskatchewan in 1942. He remained a leading politician in Canada for many years, consistently advocating for universal health care and basic human rights. Under his leadership, the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights was enacted. And while securing public health care for all citizens, Douglas paid off government debt and created a surplus.
Although today most Americans want a public health care option, we as a nation are slow to the table in responding to the moral imperative of basic universal public health care (although a number of presidents, beginning with Teddy Roosevelt, have personally supported public health care). If we as a nation this year do manage to place human life above the greed-driven free market health insurance industry by enacting a public health care option, we have Tommy Douglas to thank, one of the greatest Baptists of the past century.
Posted by Bruce Gourley at 7:00 AM
Labels: baptist, government, greed, health care, insurance, Teddy Roosevelt, Tommy Douglas
On Bill Moyers Journal 10 & 31 July 2009.
Wendell Potter -- Profits or Patients
WENDELL POTTER
With almost 20 years inside the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter saw for-profit insurers hijack our health care system and put profits before patients. Now, he speaks with Bill Moyers about how those companies are standing in the way of health care reform.
Looking back over his long career, Potter sees an industry corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed. According to Potter, insurers have every incentive to deny coverage — every dollar they don't pay out to a claim is a dollar they can add to their profits, and Wall Street investors demand they pay out less every year. Under these conditions, Potter says, "You don't think about individual people. You think about the numbers, and whether or not you're going to meet Wall Street's expectations."
Thanks for all the info. Good to know about.
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