Despite a rocky rollout, Obamacare seems to be rapidly gaining momentum. (At this point, I'm going to follow journalist E.J. Dionne's advice and refer to it by its formal name, the Affordable Care Act [ACA]). Unfortunately, many of its opponents are willing to lie about the ACA in ways that have a profound influence on the public.
Among the most notable Obama/ACA-haters is Cathy McMorris Rogers, a Republican congresswoman from Washington State. Not exactly a household name, Ms. Rogers was chosen by mainline Repubs to provide the officially sanctioned rebuttal to the president's recent State of the Union message. She spoke of a letter she received from a constituent she referred to as "Bette from Spokane".
According to The Good Congresslady, "Ms. Spokane" lamented the cancellation of her existing health insurance, blaming the ACA and stating that she'd have to pay $700 per month more for a replacement policy. However, the ACA, via its state-coordinated exchange, actually had comparable options available at cheaper rates. But "Ms. Bette from Spokane" (a.k.a. Bette Grenier) readily admitted that, "I wouldn't go on that Obama website at all." Ms. Rogers conveniently omitted that last statement from her rebuttal.
This next example really boggles my mind! A Michigan woman undergoing cancer treatment seems all too willing to deny fellow cancer-sufferers --- who happen to be less financially fortunate --- the same access. Her name is Julie Boonstra, an ironbound Republican married to a party functionary in the Metro Detroit area. She has insisted that the ACA would deny her the treatment she requires. Well, a conscientious Detroit journalist discovered that the ACA would indeed provide the needed treatment. When the reporter furnished Ms. Boonstra the documentation to back up his assertion, she stated that she didn't believe it! Just like that!
I wish Ms. Boonstra a full recovery, but I don't understand how she and others who share her views could be so callous and stone-hearted toward people with modest resources:
--- especially fellow cancer-sufferers!
However, despite significant misfires during the ACA rollout, legions and legions of folks are clamoring to sign up for it. What they're discovering is proving to be a godsend.
More on this in a few days. (Part 2)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Chairman Issa, Champion of Free Discourse, Sets a Precedent
Congressman Darrell Issa, chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee likes to have his way. Who doesn't? But most of us learn while we're still li'l kiddos, that we can't always get what we want. It's a maxim that applies to nearly all of us who happen not to be named Darrell Issa.
From time to time, the Good Chairman likes to resurrect the IRS non-scandal; an agency administrator named Lois Lerner was accused of flagging Tea Party groups for special scrutiny. But such charges were proven baseless when it became evident that organizations spanning the political spectrum were probed with the same degree of intensity.
Once it became apparent that Ms. Lerner wasn't going to co-operate with the ongoing charade, Mr. Issa ground the proceedings to a screeching halt. When Congressman Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee, questioned this unprecedented action, the chairman ordered that his mike be shut off. Darrell Issa's glorious tantrum has been captured on video for all the world to see: preserved in visual amber! Here it is: Chairman Issa, Parliamentarian Extrordinaire!
Get a load of Mr. Issa's body language. Check out that scowl! The contempt he has for his congressional colleague is evident. He later apologized to Mr. Cummings who, being the gentleman that he is, graciously accepted. What else could he do?
But the chairman's Joe-McCarthy-like antics are starting to grow a tad overripe. House Speaker John Boehner (a.k.a., His Orangeness) has rejected requests to have him censured. Still, even some of his Republican buddies think it's time for him to cool his jets.
From time to time, the Good Chairman likes to resurrect the IRS non-scandal; an agency administrator named Lois Lerner was accused of flagging Tea Party groups for special scrutiny. But such charges were proven baseless when it became evident that organizations spanning the political spectrum were probed with the same degree of intensity.
Once it became apparent that Ms. Lerner wasn't going to co-operate with the ongoing charade, Mr. Issa ground the proceedings to a screeching halt. When Congressman Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee, questioned this unprecedented action, the chairman ordered that his mike be shut off. Darrell Issa's glorious tantrum has been captured on video for all the world to see: preserved in visual amber! Here it is: Chairman Issa, Parliamentarian Extrordinaire!
Get a load of Mr. Issa's body language. Check out that scowl! The contempt he has for his congressional colleague is evident. He later apologized to Mr. Cummings who, being the gentleman that he is, graciously accepted. What else could he do?
But the chairman's Joe-McCarthy-like antics are starting to grow a tad overripe. House Speaker John Boehner (a.k.a., His Orangeness) has rejected requests to have him censured. Still, even some of his Republican buddies think it's time for him to cool his jets.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Chairman Issa Leaves No Dead Horse Unbeaten
Recent charges that the Internal Revenue Service had singled out Tea Party-affiliated groups for vetting had seemingly been debunked. But Congressman Darrell Issa (R - CA) is a Man With a Mission, by crackey! As chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, he'll leave no stone unturned, even if it entails beating a dead horse, burying it, then digging it up and beating it some more.
Yes, it may be true --- to an extent --- that the IRS office in Cincinnati had singled out Tea Party organizations for special scrutiny at the behest of Lois Lerner, the since-retired head of the Exemptions Department. And why not? In the wake of the 2010 Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, a mass of such groups materialized within a short period of time. Many were financed by extremely generous benefactors such as the Koch brothers.
But over time, the entire vetting effort included 298 groups overall, spanning the entire political spectrum. Does 96 out of 298 seem out of proportion? If so, maybe it's because of the Tea Party donors' bottomless pockets.
What was to be gained by subpoenaing Ms. Lerner? The fact that she invoked the Fifth Amendment became an issue. I can only assume that that's what her counsel advised her to do. Chairman Issa has been known to play loosey-goosey with such inconveniences as facts, mainly by presenting evidence out of context, as he had done in the past with this IRS affair.
I can well understand Ms. Lerner's desire to avoid having to face undue stress brought on by Chairman Issa's spurious accusations. It shouldn't always be assumed that pleading the Fifth automatically implies guilt.
Once it became painfully apparent to the Good Chairman that he wasn't going to have his way with Ms. Lerner, he staged a magnificent tantrum and ground the proceedings to a shrieking halt. But Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the committee would have none of it.
More on this saga in a day or two.
Yes, it may be true --- to an extent --- that the IRS office in Cincinnati had singled out Tea Party organizations for special scrutiny at the behest of Lois Lerner, the since-retired head of the Exemptions Department. And why not? In the wake of the 2010 Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, a mass of such groups materialized within a short period of time. Many were financed by extremely generous benefactors such as the Koch brothers.
But over time, the entire vetting effort included 298 groups overall, spanning the entire political spectrum. Does 96 out of 298 seem out of proportion? If so, maybe it's because of the Tea Party donors' bottomless pockets.
What was to be gained by subpoenaing Ms. Lerner? The fact that she invoked the Fifth Amendment became an issue. I can only assume that that's what her counsel advised her to do. Chairman Issa has been known to play loosey-goosey with such inconveniences as facts, mainly by presenting evidence out of context, as he had done in the past with this IRS affair.
I can well understand Ms. Lerner's desire to avoid having to face undue stress brought on by Chairman Issa's spurious accusations. It shouldn't always be assumed that pleading the Fifth automatically implies guilt.
Once it became painfully apparent to the Good Chairman that he wasn't going to have his way with Ms. Lerner, he staged a magnificent tantrum and ground the proceedings to a shrieking halt. But Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the committee would have none of it.
More on this saga in a day or two.
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