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The Blair House Project
#8612 02/27/10 08:38 PM
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I don't suppose everyone had time to sit through (the entire 6 hours? of) Obama's recent Health Care Summit, held on Feb. 25th at "Blair House". Apparently the bloggers found it boring, and (as usual) the broadcast media focused on brief moments containing juicy sound bytes and entertaining personality clashes, which they then air repeatedly. So... probably most folks would conclude there weren't any moments of substance in the entire summit.

I personally found at least 2 speakers saying stuff worth viewing, so i present links to their segments. (an extra YouTube url is also included, in case the indexing at C-SPAN goofs up):
  1. <Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)> (youtube)

    ^ her point about the U.S. competing with foreign corporations who aren't financially burdened by heath care for their employees (since those costs are shared by "society") is quite valid. Nothing new really, as her reference to Iacocca indicates... but somehow forgotten.


  2. <Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)> (youtube)

    ^ never heard of that guy... but he seemed pretty tuned-in, for a politician.

Anyway, no big news here. I just posted those moments since they'll never get the kind of media coverage as the clever little zingers exchanged between Obama and McCain.

Last edited by Hal Itosis; 02/27/10 08:51 PM.
Re: The Blair House Project
Hal Itosis #8615 02/27/10 11:06 PM
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One of the things that fascinates me the most about the whole health care debate is how successfully the Republicans have managed to frame the issue and determine the language that's being used to talk about the issue, in ways intended to emotionally manipulate the people who participate.

For example, we keep hearing about "health care reform." The entire discussion has been framed around health care, with the automatic (and, to some people, scary) idea that we're talking about changing health care in this country.

The debate isn't about health care reform. It's about health insurance reform. But people aren't emotionally attached to their health insurance company, so re-framing the debate as being about health care reform automatically gives an advantage to the folks who oppose it.

Isn't language awesome?

I also love watching Congressmen rally on and on and on about how "socialized medicine" is bad (as if that actually had anything to do with the debate), when...

...every single member of Congress is covered by socialized health care for life.

They keep saying they don't want to vote to give this to people, but they sure did vote to give it to themselves!


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Re: The Blair House Project
Hal Itosis #8641 03/01/10 01:30 AM
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Although I'm also a Canadian I did watch quite a bit of it and had the same thought as I've had before: "I sure wish this would succeed. Our American neighbours will be so much better off." Some numbers that stuck in my mind were:

- 45,000 Americans die each year because they can't afford medical care
- Of the 750,000 personal bankruptcies in the US last year, 70% were because of the cost of getting health care
- 80% of that 70% were covered by healthcare plans

Tacit is so right about the manipulation of information to frighten people which, I suppose is because so much of the "information media" is controlled by the right wing. I am continually amazed at the 'facts' that would be presented about the Canadian healthcare system. So much of it went beyond manipulation. It was simply lying to the American people.

Is our system perfect? Nope, but it works. I'm an example. I do not have any political pull, I do not have any 'connections', and I do not have better access than any other ordinary Canadian. A year and a half ago:

Thursday afternoon - Treadmill stress test, poor results
Friday Morning - meet with the Cardiologist at the hospital and shortly thereafter admission to the hospital
Friday Afternoon - in an OR for an angiogram that confirms the Cardiologist's concerns.
Saturday Morning - Cardiac surgeon visits me in the hospital to review all results
Tuesday morning - in an OR for a quintuple bypass

Gigantic bills in the mail - zero.

I really do hope Americans get a workable healthcare system. Everyone has a right to the best health possible.

ryck

Last edited by ryck; 03/01/10 01:34 AM.

ryck

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Re: The Blair House Project
ryck #8645 03/01/10 03:32 AM
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Originally Posted By: ryck
I really do hope Americans get a workable healthcare system. Everyone has a right to the best health possible.

What do you mean, isn't the US health system the best in the world? (quote from House minority leader Boehner.) laugh


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Re: The Blair House Project
ryck #8647 03/01/10 05:00 AM
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Originally Posted By: ryck
- 45,000 Americans die each year because they can't afford medical care
- Of the 750,000 personal bankruptcies in the US last year, 70% were because of the cost of getting health care
- 80% of that 70% were covered by healthcare plans

QFT. [i've heard those numbers as well and am inclined to think they're accurate, if not conservative (pardon the expression).]


Originally Posted By: ryck
I suppose is because so much of the "information media" is controlled by the right wing.

Not really... it's the good old greenback that rules the roost. Even the so-called liberal elite (with the exception of PBS) is concerned mainly with their bottom line... so they don't want to depress the viewership or pi$$ off the sponsership. [just watching the evening news for example: every single commercial will be for some drug (or insurance) company.]

EDIT: just had a flashback... i remember watching the Flintstones (i.e., the original airings), and who was the sponser? Winston. (Winston tastes good, like a - - cigarette should). According to the wiki, i was between 5 and 11.

--

Glad you survived that cardiac ordeal. [my dad has had a double —and then like 10 years later —a quadruple bypass.]

Last edited by Hal Itosis; 03/01/10 05:20 AM. Reason: cough cough

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