Riehl World View

Nanny state: England prepared to give swipe cards to monitor kids' health

- Jennifer of Cubachi

Michelle Obama is going to love this.

England's Secretary of Health proposed giving swipe cards to children to monitor their walking as they go to school.

If the children walk a certain amount daily, they are rewarded with incentives such as gift cards and movie tickets.

This is a more intrusive government, a waste of money, and infringement on civil liberties. This may look ridiculous, but this will be America's future if we don't watch out.

Palin: ObamaCare Is The Mother Of All Unfunded Mandates

A twofer, given her appearance with Rick Perry in Texas - government funded abortion and the feds dictating costly measures to the states. Now, where did I put that 10th Amendment? I don't believe the red tide has yet crested in America - at least, I hope not.

Palin described Obama as "the most pro-abortion president to occupy the White House" at the Dallas event, which was sponsored by a nonprofit organization that promotes an anti-abortion message. The 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee also said the federal health care law is the "mother of all unfunded mandates" and means federal funding will go toward abortions.

Bumped: When In The Course Of Human Events

In trying to gather and post my thoughts going in to today, I remembered this post below, originally published at the height of the ObamaCare debate on March 3, 2010. America was already restive due to TARP and the so called Stimulus spending. Glenn Reynolds linked to it, observing:

RESPONDING TO RECONCILIATION: I’ve never seen Dan Riehl this angry. Is he an outlier, or a leading indicator? The Dems had better hope it’s the former. . .

We're about to find out the answer to that question. (end update)

When In The Course Of Human Events

That this inexperienced travesty of a chief executive, Obama, more a byproduct of timing and media collaboration, than his own worth, or accomplishment, is personally advocating for the so-called nuclear option is the final straw.

It’s official. After months of threatening to push the button on the so-called nuclear option, reconciliation — the parliamentary maneuver that Harry Reid said “nobody” is talking about and that President Obama said Americans didn’t care about last week — is a go.

Reconcile this, you distasteful, malevolent little quisling punk - a timely reminder of some words I never thought would have such import during my lifetime.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The cause is well known and it is just. When the alleged leader of a democratic republic places his own wishes so above those of the complete body politic, he is no longer worthy of the title, leader, no matter what office he might occupy.

Only a fool with no clear appreciation of, or for, America past and present, would dare undertake what this pustule in the White House is attempting to do. It is contingent upon the Republican Party to undertake every step, every maneuver it can to bring this government to a halt.

Tell me now how wrong Bunning was to do as he did, yesterday? Whose side are those Republicans who didn't support him really on, ours, or merely their own? If the GOP lacks the courage, or the ability to stop this pathetic power grab by the un-American, decadent Left - an ideology that has already failed over and over throughout much of the world - then it becomes not just a right, but a responsibility for the American people to take their country back from the political elites that have already bankrupted it. And after that, they now seek to do even more harm by capitalizing on a crisis.

They confessed as much via ex-ballerina Rahm Emanuel, hence, they deserve no respect, or just due, as they are self-admittedly, an unjust crew. It is time to stop this government in its tracks, take it back democratically in the fall, or it then becomes time to bring this government down.

This neophyte, this joke we have in the White House has absolutely no idea of the force and the rage he is about to unleash on him and his entire political party. If there are not enough responsible adults left within his party to rein in this accidental, affirmative action jerk, this self-styled, extremely flawed little man, then his party is worthless to America. It deserves to be marginalized electorally and, ultimately, utterly destroyed, before being relegated to the dung heap of history with the rest of the marxist, socialist clowns Americans have dispatched before.

Reconciliation for this disaster of a destructive health care bill I doubt anyone on the Hill can fully define means all out war. The only question remaining is, whose side are you on?

U.S. District Judge: 20 State ObamaCare Suit Can Proceed

It's another liberty thing.

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. states can proceed with their lawsuit seeking to overturn President Barack Obama's landmark reform law, a Florida judge ruled on Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson had already indicated at a hearing last month that he would reject parts of a motion by the Justice Department to dismiss the lawsuit, led by Florida and 19 other states.

Obama's Nun Covering For ObamaCare's Forced PA Hospital Closings?

h/t Twitter. You can read the full accounting via Jeffrey Lord at Am Spec. Also, see this item via the Times-Tribune: Mercy Health Partners possible sale raises questions about the future (of healthcare).

The bottomline is this. They seem to be working to hide the story that ObamaCare is to blame for these potential hospital sales, or closings. A nun who received a signing pen from Obama when he signed healthcare reform looks to be leading that effort. I'd also keep a keen eye on what for-profit might step up to purchase one, or more of the hospitals. My guess would be, they are knee deep in contributions to Democrats. We already know that many people won't be able to keep their current health insurance, contrary to Obama's lying about that. Now, they may not even get to keep their hospital. And at the end of all this, it will likely be some for profit company that remains standing to take in taxpayer cash in the form of health insurance payments for delivering the care dictated by Washington, while paid for by you. This is what change looks like, if they aren't able to cover it up.

A mushrooming political battle over ObamaCare involving the White House, two incumbent Pennsylvania congressmen, three Catholic hospitals and a nun has just exploded in, of all places, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Charges from the Scranton medical community of intimidation by the Obama White House and its allies are filling the air.

If the doctor is right, and he is not alone in saying this, the proposed sale of the three Mercy hospitals becomes a harbinger of what will happen nationally as a result of ObamaCare slowly tightening its government tentacles over the private health care system. Which means the sale of the three Mercy hospitals has added Scranton to what the Wall Street Journal has already called ObamaCare's "trail of destruction."

Ahhhh. But who is Sister Carol Keehan? What's the big deal here with her? Why would a statement from simple Catholic nun appear to cause so much consternation with Mercy Health Partner CEO Kevin Cook in Scranton, Pennsylvania?

LET'S GO BACK to that presidential signing of the health care reform law. There were 21 very powerful people in that little group who received signing pens from the President. As mentioned that included the Vice President, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy's widow Victoria Reggie Kennedy. And someone else.

That would be Sister Carol Keehan.

Impressive, no? The Catholic News Agency thought so, and prominently noted the story here. It also noted that Sister Carol was receiving her presidential pen from the President himself because she had been "supporting health care despite bishops' objections." The story even pictured the pen itself alongside the presidential seal on the box in which it came, with "Barack Obama" clearly visible scrawled along the side. Meaning, Sister Carol had enough clout to take on the Catholic Bishops on the President's behalf -- and win.

Taxpayer Supported Back Massages For Senate Staffers?

Well, at least someone in America gets to keep their health care coverage. In fact, they'll likely continue to improve it over the years, as taxpayer's options for health care either shrink, go away, or become more expensive. Thanks Harry Reid, Obama and Pelosi, not that Republicans won't be sure to join in on the fun. Why do we hate them? Let us count the ways and deduct them from our paychecks.

As millions of hardworking Americans struggle to make ends meet, Senate staffers will participate next week in a two-day orgy of back massages, organic food tastings and milk mustache photos.

It's all part of a health fair for the staffers, who enjoy some of the best health care in the country.

Not only will they get health screenings, they'll also find out if their iPods are too loud. 

Neither the Senate's Education and Training Office nor the Senate sergeant-at-arms, which oversees the office, would say which vendors are providing the services or how much the health fair will cost taxpayers.

The Senate staffers also will be treated to seated massages, herbal teas, polarity therapy, low-fat cheese samples and organic foods. A pharmacist and health coach will be available to speak to fairgoers about their medications, nutrition and healthy lifestyle questions.

Reid On Reid: Rory Reid Concerned Over ObamaCare - Thanks, Dad!

Oh man, when it goes south with Democrats it really goes south! This would be the health care reform program Rory's dad Harry crammed down our throats, despite Brown winning in Massachusetts.

Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid (D) said Thursday that the new health reform law could hurt Nevada.

During a televised debate, Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he does not support the legal challenges against the health overhaul. Yet, he does believe that President Obama’s signature achievement could negatively affect Nevada.

Sebelius on opposition to Obamacare: People are still "confused"

- Jennifer of Cubachi

Forget all the articles exposing the high costs of implementing Obamacare, the loss of doctors who will leave their practices, and the monumental taxes this will leave on small businesses that will result in loss of jobs and bankruptcies for many of them. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just thinks you are being purposefully misinformed by those mischievous republicans and third party groups. 

Sebelius tells PBS TV host Tavis Smiley, the American public is just too "confused" to realize the value of Obamacare.

Obama Mocks Netroots: Jane Hamsher Achieves Rube Status!

Oh man, Obama can't restrain his arrogance, even when laughing at some of his strongest supporters. Jane Hamsher doesn't seem to be too pleased.

 Obama Mocks Public Option Supporters

OBAMA: Democrats, just congenitally, tend to get — to see the glass as half empty. (Laughter.) If we get an historic health care bill passed — oh, well, the public option wasn’t there. If you get the financial reform bill passed — then, well, I don’t know about this particularly derivatives rule, I’m not sure that I’m satisfied with that. And gosh, we haven’t yet brought about world peace and — (laughter.) I thought that was going to happen quicker. (Laughter.) You know who you are. (Laughter.) We have had the most productive, progressive legislative session in at least a generation.

Jane Hamsher knows who she is. She just didn't know who he was before working so hard for him. Rube!

Yeah, we know who we are. We’re the people who supported Bill Halter’s primary challenge of Blanche Lincoln, the woman Obama campaigned for. Who only included that derivatives rule in the financial reform bill because she was afraid of losing to Halter.

We’re the people who fought for a year and a half to pass Audit the Fed, which Obama, the Fed, the Treasury and the banks all lobbied against and worked hard to weaken.  It passed the Senate 94-0, and Chris Hayes called it “the single greatest act of bipartisanship since Obama took office” on MSNBC.  It was part of the financial reg bill, which is the “only popular Democratic act” since the 2008 election, per Gallup.

Obama himself used to be one of us, when he said that “the choice of a public insurance option” was one of his “three bedrock requirements for real health care reform” — when he wanted people to sign up for OFA:

Senior Voters Riled Up Over ObamaCare

Some interesting polling and a warning to politicians from a Seniors group. Keep your hands off our health care. We all know the spin, but we also all know the reality. There is no way to reduce cost and increase health care services. Something is going to have to go, whether it's a drug like Avastin, or something else. And the more decisions of this type made by the FDA, the angrier seniors are going to be in November and the Novembers to follow. If this hasn't reached critical mass already, I suspect it will. Good luck with this Democrats. They are going to get pounded over the head for so many of Obama's policies, they most likely don't even know what is coming.

“Let this poll be a warning to politicians, voters reject rationing; period, and the recent case of the FDA determining a breast cancer drug is too expensive, is just the tip of the rationing iceberg. Politicians who put a price on life will absolutely pay a price at the polls,” said Jim Martin, the president of 60 Plus.

Pat Boone, legendary entertainer and spokesman for 60 Plus, said, “In 2010, millions of seniors will be showing up to vote in droves. Tens of thousands of seniors rely on cancer treatments like the one the FDA is currently saying is too expensive to extend life and preserve hope. If Washington denies their right to the best available treatments, Washington can expect to hear from them in November.”

47% of registered American voters oppose the recently passed healthcare reform law, compared to 41% who support it.

56% of registered American voters believe the new healthcare reform law will lead to so-called “rationing” of care. 26% disagree. Even 2008 Obama voters have their doubts: 39% believe it is likely to lead to rationing; 39% do not.

82% believe that cost-effectiveness is NOT a justification for rationing, agreeing with the statement, “As a matter of principle, the government should not ration care or deny treatment options based on what it calls “cost-effectiveness.” I don”t trust the government to put a cost on human life.”” Only 7% disagree.

71% believe “the government is likely to limit treatment options through Medicare and Medicaid based on cost within the next several years,” compared to 10% who believe it is unlikely. 44% say it is “very likely.”

85% report they will be truly “angry” “if the government does in fact ration Medicare and Medicaid,” including 59% who respond it will make them “very angry.” Importantly in this election year, 87% of swing-vote seniors say that Medicare and Medicaid rationing would make them “angry.”

Public Opinion on the FDA & the Avastin Case

72% believe that the FDA should have nothing to do with “cost-effective” decisions, compared to 16% who want it involved in judging treatments based on cost. 82% of senior swing voters want the FDA to stay out of cost-based decisions.

63% of Americans oppose the FDA’s consideration of revocation in the Avastin case, compared to 16% who support it. This includes 68% of senior swing voters who oppose it, 70% of female swing voters, and 60% of Obama voters.

78% “worry” that the FDA’s revocation represents the “start of healthcare rationing” in America. 44% strongly agree.

71% of registered American voters report they would be less likely to vote for any member of Congress who supported the FDA decision on drugs like Avastin. 49% would be “much less likely.”