Tuesday, January 13, 2015

ObamaCare realities

ObamaCare is not universal health care or anything a real leftist should applaud.  We've made that point repeatedly for six years now.  Outside The Common Ills community, others have made the point as well.

No one has done a better job of it than Kate Randall.

In her latest piece for WSWS, she reports:



Another year and a new pronouncement from Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel: “Skip Your Annual Physical.” So writes the former top adviser to the Obama White House on health care “reform” in a January 8 opinion piece in the New York Times. Emanuel declares: “Not having my annual physical is one small way I can help reduce health care costs—and save myself time, worry and a worthless exam.”
Dr. Emanuel, a breast oncologist, is a close ally of the Obama administration, having served from 2009 to 2011 as a special adviser on health care in the crafting of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He is the brother of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff.
Dr. Emanuel is currently a professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the director of the Clinical Bioethics Department at the US National Institutes of Health.
He is a long-time advocate of reducing health care costs by rationing medical care based on the “free market” operation of the for-profit health care system. Those who follow his musings will recall that his theories took on a macabre form last September when he penned a piece for the Atlantic titled “Why I Hope to Die at 75.”
In that article, he argued that valuable dollars should not be wasted on medical services for the elderly, a group who, in his opinion, are insufficiently “vibrant” in their advanced age and have little in the way of creative powers to offer society. He bemoaned the fact that today’s health care system has “slowed the dying process.”


That's your ObamaCare.

At Third, we did the following on Sunday:



And we is Dallas and the following:



The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.



Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 
Monday, January 12, 2015.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi criticizes the US government's support, several US senators offer criticism of him as well, Jake Tapper offers an opinion offensive to The Cult of St. Barack so they feel they can lie about him, and more.



Don't you hate lying pieces of trash?



Maybe they're not liars in all cases.  I seriously question the sanity of The Obama Diary.

They're apparently too busy drooling over the cock of US President Barack Obama to form actual thoughts beyond "Must wrap lips around."

At Third, we called the idiots out for their inability to get that Bully Boy Bush going to his ranch-ette in Crawford, Texas wasn't the problem, going to war on Iraq was.

Today The Obama Diary is yet again lost.









  • The link?

    It doesn't say that.

    The Obama Diary apparently hopes you're so stupid -- the way they are -- that you'll just take their word for it.

    The Obama Diary is the worst of our side (the left).  A cheap whorish thug that thinks it can lie and get away with it.

    They're attacking Jake Tapper today for a reason we'll get to in just a second.

    But let's deal with their charge first.

    Media Matters in 2007 and 2008 whined about a lot of reporters.  Jake Tapper was one.

    The link goes to a whine about Jake saying Barack was still smoking despite Barack saying he had quit.

    As most now know, once in the White House, Barack was still smoking.

    Jake was actually correct.

    And Media Matters wrote a lengthy post suggesting he was wrong and a lengthy post to tell you how trivial the topic -- that, again, they wrote a lengthy post on -- was.

    The Obama Diary thinks this establishes something.

    All it establishes is just how stupid and whorish The Obama Diary is.  A certain 'sports' commentator in Chicago is equally stupid.  He slams Jake today by slamming CNN's Iraq coverage in 2002 and 2003 -- Jake Tapper didn't work for them then.

    Where did Jake Tapper work in 2002 and 2003?

    Salon.

    Salon didn't do investigative journalism.  It wasn't the sewer it is today where Joan Walsh regularly slimes people and calls them "un-American" because she doesn't like them.  But it didn't do investigative journalism. Didn't have the budget for it.  It was columns and opinion pieces and interviews.

    This is Jake Tapper's reporting for Salon on Iraq:




























    And world leaders were standing together amidst a procession that included Francois Hollande of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, David Cameron of Great Britain, Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, along with the leaders of Mali, Jordan and Turkey.
    It is no small thing for the king of Jordan, a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, to march in a rally prompted by the murders of people who mocked Islam as well as of innocent Jews -- all of whom were killed by Islamic extremists.
    The United States, which considers itself to be the most important nation in the world, was not represented in this march -- arguably one of the most important public demonstrations in Europe in the last generation -- except by U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley, who may have been a few rows back. I didn't see her. Even Russia sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
    I say this as an American -- not as a journalist, not as a representative of CNN -- but as an American: I was ashamed.
    I certainly understand the security concerns when it comes to sending President Barack Obama, though I can't imagine they're necessarily any greater than sending the lineup of other world leaders, especially in aggregate.
    Today, All Iraq News notes Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had some criticism for the US government as he declared, "The US-led Coalition to the IA [Iraq Army] is too slow, but it was improved in the last two weeks."


    Don't dish it out if you can't take it.  Today saw US senators call out al-Abadi on his inability to provide humanitarian assistance for those in need in northern Iraq.  Senator Barbara Boxer's office issued the following:



    Monday, January 12th 2015

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) – joined by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Christopher Coons (D-DE), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) – sent a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi regarding humanitarian aid for the nearly two million Iraqis displaced by the violent campaign of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
    The letter follows a Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing chaired by Senator Boxer last month on ISIL’s brutal tactics and the growing regional humanitarian crisis.  (Full video of that hearing is available here. Senator Boxer’s statement from the hearing is available here. Senator Johnson’s statement from the hearing is available here.)
    “We have heard firsthand about the suffering and harsh conditions facing these men, women, and children—many of whom have taken refuge in Iraq’s Kurdistan region,” wrote the Senators. “These civilians are in dire need of basic necessities—food, clean water, and shelter. In particular, we are concerned about the welfare of women and children—who make up a majority of the displaced population.”
    In their letter, the Senators ask for Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Abadi’s leadership in ensuring that critical humanitarian assistance reaches vulnerable communities most in need—including Iraqi civilians who have taken refuge in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
    “As such, we respectfully ask that you take every action to ensure there are no gaps or delays in aid distribution, and that available assistance is dispersed without any discrimination based on sect, ethnicity, or religion. We also ask that you coordinate closely with KRG officials, local authorities, and key international actors to provide them with the resources they need to protect and care for displaced civilians and to continue the fight against ISIL,” the Senators wrote.

    The full text of today’s letter is below.

    January 12, 2015
    His Excellency Dr. Haider Al-Abadi
    Prime Minister, Republic of Iraq


    Dear Prime Minister Al-Abadi:

    We write to commend and show appreciation for your efforts as Prime Minister in beginning to heal the sectarian rifts within Iraqi society and to build a stable, secure and more prosperous country for all Iraqis.
    As you know well, one of the greatest threats facing our two nations is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Over the past year, ISIL has taken control of vast swaths of territory across Iraq and Syria with the goal of establishing radical Islamic rule. In its wake, ISIL has left a trail of brutal violence and abuse—targeting other Muslims, ethnic and religious minorities, and women and girls. As a result, nearly two million Iraqis have been displaced.
    We have heard firsthand about the suffering and harsh conditions facing these men, women, and children—many of whom have taken refuge in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. These civilians are in dire need of basic necessities—food, clean water, and shelter. In particular, we are concerned about the welfare of women and children—who make up a majority of the displaced population. 
    The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has stepped forward to provide sanctuary to many of these desperate individuals. However, the sheer volume of the displaced has put a tremendous burden on the KRG. According to the KRG Education Ministry, over 600 schools have been converted into shelters to help deal with the estimated 520,000 displaced people now living in the Dohuk region. Even outside the Kurdish Region of Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens also need urgent assistance – whether clean water and food or shelter for winter.
    Despite pledges by your government and the international community to address this humanitarian crisis, we are deeply concerned that these critical resources are not reaching those who need them most. With winter now settling in, it is imperative that these vulnerable civilians receive immediate and sustained assistance.
    As such, we respectfully ask that you take every action to ensure there are no gaps or delays in aid distribution, and that available assistance is dispersed without any discrimination based on sect, ethnicity, or religion. We also ask that you coordinate closely with KRG officials, local authorities, and key international actors to provide them with the resources they need to protect and care for displaced civilians and to continue the fight against ISIL. We are hopeful that under your leadership all Iraqis will one day have an equal opportunity to live in peace and security.
    We stand ready to work with you on this and other issues of mutual interest.
    Sincerely,
    Barbara Boxer
    United States Senator

    Ron Johnson
    United States Senator

    Richard Durbin
    United States Senator

    Marco Rubio
    United States Senator

    Jeanne Shaheen
    United States Senator

    Ed Markey
    United States Senator

    Christopher Coons
    United States Senator

    Tim Kaine
    United States Senator

    ###


    Kristina Wong (The Hill) points out:

    While their letter focused on humanitarian aid, lawmakers have also been concerned that the Iraqi government, dominated by Shia, has been withholding U.S. military assistance from Kurdish fighters known as peshmerga.  
    "I am concerned by the varying reports I have received from the Obama administration about the equipment and support that has been provided to the Kurds to date," said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Friday.

    Haider is either unwilling or unable to provide the Kurds with military aid -- despite depending on them as the sole functioning military in Iraq.

    He also can't get a budget passed.  Still.

    All Iraq News notes that Parliament did   a second reading of the 2015 budget today.  Remember all those promises -- five so far from the Speaker of Parliament -- about how a vote was only days away -- all those remarks so many weeks and months ago?

    Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) counts 206 dead in acts of violence throughout Iraq today with another sixty-five injured.












    kristina wong