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Where there is smoke, there is fire!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Miller Homes Group

Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel, a top advisor to the Obama Administration's health reform efforts, wrote in the Feb. 27, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality of care are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change."

The change the president asked Americans to believe in when he campaigned last fall somehow didn't include the $3.6 tn in new spending, the $787 bn stimulus plan, or a nearly $1 tn overhaul of health care.

No president, neither Democrat nor Republican, would have won the election last fall if they told the American people the truth, that they planned to blow out the deficit to epic proportions.

The president is now promising cost savings will be wrung out of doctors and hospitals. But does anyone believe that the American Medical Association, which agreed to the cost cuts, can control the nation's 800,000 doctors or that the American Hospital Association can command the 5,700 hospitals to deliver savings?

Health reform plans since the ‘70s have promised the same thing, that cost savings would make reform self sustaining, cost savings have never been truly found in any government program.

Remember, Democrats ran on "paygo" in 2006, promising to offset any new spending increases or tax cuts with equal tax increases or spending cuts. But as soon as they took charge on Capitol Hill, the loopholes were written, in which the Dems waived paygo a dozen times to take care of nearly $400 bn in new deficit spending.

Loopholes sanctioned by the same Democrats who are now ramming through healthcare reform faster than the 18 months it took to get Medicare debated in the Congress in the ‘60s.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then Majority Leader Steny Hoyer backed paygo three years ago. And Hoyer said in May 2008: "We're absolutely committed to paygo. Speaker [Pelosi] is committed to paygo. I'm very committed to paygo. Our caucus is committed to paygo."

But last fall, after President Obama won the election, the leader of the House Blue Dog Coalition, Tennessee Democrat James Cooper, said: "I'm not sure the old [paygo] rules are relevant anymore...it would be unfair to the new President to put him in a budget straitjacket."

How quickly the paygo rules change when it comes to abusing your tax dollars.

A government plan that, along with Medicaid, is responsible for covering more than half of the health-care costs in this country, a plan that underbids private insurers and drives up private insurance costs as doctors and hospitals make up the difference on their lower Medicare reimbursements by padding their charges to private plans.

 This is a flat out joke. How can you change the way government operates, with the same folks running the show?

Posted by

Terry Miller

Miller Homes Group

Tyler Apartment Locator

Comments (6)

Ellen Crawford
Maximum One Executive REALTORS® - Alpharetta, GA
Alpharetta Real Estate Agents & Alpharetta REALTOR

I believe we can all change how government works in the voting booth.  What we are seeing is the price paid for 'apathy!'  Is all change good?  Not in my books.

Sep 10, 2009 09:20 AM
South Austin Real Estate Blog
Sky Realty South Austin - Austin, TX

Terry, what I gained from the Presidents speech last night was..  Hell with the public opinion this is my adminstration and we will do it my way.  ARROGRANCE, ELITEST... whatever you call it I was astonished to see it delivered so blantantly.

Sep 10, 2009 11:40 AM
Terry Miller
Miller Homes Group - Tyler, TX
Miller Homes Group and Tyler Apartment Locator

I agree Gail. It is almost like a dictator....

Sep 10, 2009 11:50 AM
Kent Anderson
Coldwell Banker Resort Realty, Sandpoint, Idaho - Sandpoint, ID
from Schweitzer to the Lake

Scary times in the Old Republic.  It is amazing, however, to watch all the people who jumped on the "CHANGE" bandwagon.  They are VERY reluctant to admit their mistake.  I equate it to the Nixon era.  It was difficult for the the Nixon supporters to admit they were wrong, but when Watergate showed up, they turned on him like rabid dogs.

Sep 10, 2009 02:34 PM
Kevin Robinson
Twin Falls, ID
Fractional Developer

That was a nice speech to us from our Daddy!

Sep 11, 2009 02:48 AM
Jon Budish
Resident Realty - Fort Collins, CO

I agree with Ellen. When are the American people going to wake up out of their coma, and kick these arrogant idiots out of office?

Sep 11, 2009 02:56 AM