Comments on: Why Isn’t Billy Tauzin at a Town Hall Meeting?

By: Mason

Mason — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:36:49 +0000

I keep saying the devil is in the mandates that no one seems to want to discuss. According to RJ Eskow, a person who makes more than $31,200 per year is going to have to purchase insurance (due to the mandate) at a cost of approximately $1,000 per month. He or she will be penalized for failing to comply with the mandate.

What is the penalty for noncompliance with the mandate and what is the penalty for not paying the penalty?

Penalty, schmemelty. The government can’t squeeze blood out of a rock.

Where do the economies of scale come from if 20 or more million people are rendered homeless because they can’t afford the fucking mandate!

Looks to me like the only universal aspect of this bill is that people are universally fucked.

By: pjack

pjack — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:11:08 +0000

right. Now who is going to pay for it?

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:09:37 +0000

(Just to further clarify: Today’s news certainly makes it sound like the PO’s being thrown under the bus and replaced with co-ops, which I’m not counting as a meaningful public option.)

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:02:36 +0000

I dunno, have you been reading Jane? To channel her: What’s your plan for getting the 15 Blue Dog votes it would take to pass any meaningful public option?

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:07:10 +0000

She needs to call up that Kenyan preacher and have him remove the rest of her witches or demand a refund.

OMG LMFAO

By: orionATL

orionATL — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:28:07 +0000

tarheel dem @49

i sense wisdom and experience in your words.

but, angry as i am, i have to ask:

so the congress gets to set “bad” health care policy

but

refuses to intervene to shape or to conduct oversight hearings on bad foreign policy - iraq, torture, telephone spying on americans?

i’m inclined to say, cynically and sarcastically, “great system we have working for us”.

but, really, i’m thinking how much more fu**** up could american political decision making get?

hmch?

By: TarheelDem

TarheelDem — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:59:56 +0000

Because it is not yet “his” healthcare plan, except in general principles

What is going on here is that we have a Congress. And Congress would be diddling with the details even if Obama had put forth a real plan.

Do we have a leader, or don’t we? That remains to be seen.

But you don’t need Obama’s blessing to find out what is in the bills and start educating your personal networks.

By: TarheelDem

TarheelDem — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:56:23 +0000

A meaningful public option is not dead if it passes the House floor vote. Doubtful is overstating the downside.

The universal mandate provision is dead without substantial subsidies. That is more sure than the public option. I’m not even sure that it will fly even with substantial subsidies. And the idea of taxing employer-sponsored healthcare insurance as a benefit is also dead. Congress at least knows that those two items would get everybody riled. And Nooners would see what real outrage looks like.

By: orionATL

orionATL — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:54:10 +0000

can we talk about leadership?

we have a very articulate, probably very intelligent, very handsome, and very personable president.

why is it that he is not out in the nation talking about his health plan?

educating americans about his health plan?

asking support from americans for his health plan?

what is going on here?

do we have a leader or don’t we?

By: TarheelDem

TarheelDem — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:46:07 +0000

Exactly.

Which is why I pushing single-payer advocates to start whipping the Weiner amendment and the Sanders bill and public-option advocates to whip these as a “show of strength” in advance of a vote on the public option bill. And advocating that they involve their personal networks in increasing the number of folks whipping Congress and the personal networks of their personal networks.

It really is time for folks to force this through a compromised Congress.