My Letter To Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-MI

The following is a letter I received in reply to my opposition on 'Health Care Reform'. Following that is my response. If you don't agree, that's fine with me. I just wanted to have my say-so.



"From: Senator Debbie Stabenow senator@stabenow.senate.gov
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 4:44:47 PM
Subject: Re: Health Care 'Reform" and Cap & Trade

July 29, 2009


Thank you . . .

. . . for contacting me regarding your opposition to universal health care coverage. I understand your concerns.

When it comes to health care, our families and businesses are in a serious crisis. High health care costs are causing cuts in benefits and increases in premiums, adding to the ranks of the uninsured at alarming rates. But the impact of this problem goes beyond individual families. Skyrocketing health care costs make our businesses less competitive in the global marketplace and cost us good-paying jobs. We are already paying for the uninsured through overuse of the emergency room-the most inefficient and expensive way of providing care.

I believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. There is no doubt that the problems we face are complex, but there are real solutions. We can create a system that is uniquely American and shares the cost between the government, businesses, and individuals in a way that is fair and equitable. Now is the time to show the political will to tackle these issues because there is so much at stake. I am committed to working with both my Democratic and Republican colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee to find solutions to America's health care crisis.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please don't hesitate to do so again if my office can be of assistance to you or your family.

Sincerely,

Debbie Stabenow

United States Senator



DS:SM"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
The United States Senate • Washington, DC 20510
stabenow.senate.gov

Dear Senator,

Thank you for your reply. We differ in many areas of thought on Health Care reform. I do not believe that insurance is a right. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are rights.

I enjoy the fact that my employer offers health care - however, I can only afford to cover myself - not my husband or college age child. I have a $1000 deductible and $1500 co-pay. For the most part, my insurance coverage is catastrophic only. My portion of the premiums if I were to cover eligible members of my family would cost nearly 1/4 of my bi-weekly take home pay. Obviously, if a mortgage is only supposed to by 1/3 of your monthly salary, then insurance premiums are nearly the price of a good-sized house.

Adding to the 'ranks of the uninsured' is the fact of a 14.2% unemployment rate - of which my husband is one. He doesn't qualify for unemployment insurance so he isn't even counted.

So, why are my premiums so high?

First, because malpractice insurance for my physicians is totally out of control due to frivolous law suits, huge legal fees and the costs associated with trying even a small case. The judge, clerks, bailiffs, secretaries, etc...all have to be paid - by me, the taxpayer.

Because of the need to cover themselves, doctors are forced to order complicated, often if not always expensive and sometimes unnecessary tests and procedures.

Every time a doctor orders a CT scan or a battery of blood tests - there is his fee (which includes the salaries of his staff, his building costs and the portion of his malpractice insurance that he must pass on to the patient), the cost to the facility to pay the personnel, the supplies, the equipment (none of which is cheap) and their own malpractice insurance costs, and usually a specialist qualified to interpret the results.

The second reason my premiums are so high: illegal residents who leech our resources in everything from medical care to education. Someone has to pay for what they use or are given. Guess who that is? The taxpayer. The insurance premium payer. The legal worker. ME.

We already send food and monetary aid to many other countries - including where many of our illegals come from. Why are we not sending them back? Why the oversensitivity to their 'plight'. I hate to say this, but my only concern right now is for MY family - not theirs.

My great-grandparents came from Italy around 1910 - on a boat - steerage class. They learned English, they got jobs, they became citizens. Why should it be any different now? When did being lawbreakers ENTITLE anyone to my money? When did it become unacceptable for me to spend my money with charities or organizations that help people at my own discretion? Why is it now the governments job?

So, Senator, I stand firm in my convictions that we don't need 'Health Care Reform', we need basic laws already on the books enforced, tort reform to stop the lawyers from destroying us while they get wealthy and to put in place the means for the insurance companies to be able to lower premiums for malpractice insurance as well as health insurance.

One more thing. Health Care in this country is the finest in the world - people from all over the world come HERE for care, not the other way around. No one in this country is ever denied medical care - it's illegal to do so - however, people without insurance put off getting care, or only do the minimum so it doesn't bankrupt them.

The plan the President is touting is going to be very expensive, create more bloated government bureaucracy, and in the end, won't help the average patient. By the way, the term 'deficit neutral' is not only a lie, but actually quite silly.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my point of view.

Sincerely,

Jennifer, RN

Questions on Health Care Reform

There are more in the article.... REALLY GOOD ONES!!! Enjoy.

clipped from spectator.org Questions I Never Asked Obama Here is a list of questions that reporters wanted to ask President Obama about health care reform at Wednesday night's press conference but were afraid to ask: 1. Why are American taxpayers subsidizing premiums of millions of union members and healthy Americans who already have health insurance at a cost of about $6,000 per person? 3. Why should American taxpayers pay for the health insurances of millions of illegal immigrants? Shouldn't there be a better way to provide people who are here illegally basic care? 4. Why are American taxpayers paying $10 billion for the health care costs of retirees of big corporations? 5. You talk about using health care reform to control the deficit. But if we targeted help to people who need it most, wouldn't that help? 7. You also say doctors will decide how they should practice medicine. So who will decide, the panel of experts or my doctor? famous line from Raiders of the Lost Ark *Looks dangerous. You go first.*

Doctors Demand Apology From Obama

Of course, no one in the media is reporting this in favor of focusing on the 'race issue'.

The news conference on Wednesday night lasted an hour. Many things were said - but still no actual facts or figures. We still don't know what the "PLAN" looks like or will actually cost.

We DO know that Obama has no problem speaking out of turn on topics he knows nothing about. Like the 'acted stupidly' comment, he misrepresented and maligned another group in America - Doctors.

In truth, I don't mind him making ridiculous statements. They prove that he is ill-equipped to tackle these issues and uninformed about the facts.

I'm tired of all the liberal cheer-leading... I want the truth.

Is the health system in trouble? Yep.

Is government run health care the answer? Let me introduce you to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

My answer is Nope.

clipped from freerepublic.com Pitching government control, President falsely accuses doctors of conspiring to make children sicker “President Obama should be ashamed of himself for trying to scare Americans into supporting his government takeover of medicine by falsely accusing doctors of making children sicker. I have never heard a more disgusting or blatantly phony conspiracy theory. We treat our patients with the respect, care and concern you will never find in Obama’s government-run rationed care bureaucracy,” said Dr. Kerr. “On behalf of my colleagues, I respectfully ask President Obama to apologize for such a slanderous lie and ask him to stop engaging in sickening conspiracy theories to push his government-run scheme. These cheap scare tactics are beneath the dignity of the office of The President and perfectly illustrate why more and more Americans are losing faith in Barack Obama.”

Words A Matter Of Public Record

"Earlier this year, Mr. Obama assured us that most of the stimulus money "will go out the door immediately." But it hasn't. Only about 7.7% of the stimulus has been spent in the six months since its passage, and more of it will be spent in the program's last eight years than in its first year. So now the president claims he said something different. "We also knew that it would take some time for the money to get out the door," Mr. Obama said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.

One problem with Mr. Obama's stimulus bill that is rarely talked about is that it will force a huge, and likely permanent, increase in discretionary, domestic spending. That portion of federal spending was $393 billion in President George W. Bush's last budget. Democrats immediately raised it to $408 billion for this fiscal year and now face the question of whether to make the stimulus a one-time expenditure or a permanent spending increase."

clipped from online.wsj.com The President Moves the Economic Goalposts So what's a president to do when the promises he made about his economic stimulus program fail to materialize? If you're Barack Obama, you redefine your goals and act as if America won't remember what you said originally. That's a neat trick if you can get away with it, but Mr. Obama won't. His words are a matter of public record and he will be held to them. "You'll see the effects begin almost immediately." Now it's clear that those promised jobs and growth haven't materialized. Mr. Obama never said if his stimulus were passed things might still get significantly worse in the following year. "I think my initial measure of success is creating or saving four million jobs." the stimulus's $787 billion would "go directly to . . . generating three to four million new jobs." unemployment rate would top out in the third quarter of this year at just over 8%. There are 2.6 million fewer Americans working than there were on the day Mr. Obama was sworn in.

Not Surprised At All...

And where Michigan goes, the nation will follow. If you doubt that statement, wait 2 years... that's the approximate lag time.

The only way to stop this is to stop the idiots in Washington as well as the idiots at the state level.... both parties. In this country we can all vote. Shamefully, only a small portion of the population gets off their asses and votes.

I firmly believe that if you don't vote, you can't bitch. I vote.

clipped from www.wzzm13.com Michigan unemployment spikes to 15.2% LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's already high unemployment rate jumped 1.1 percent in June, hitting 15.2 percent. State officials say the latest jobless rate was 7.1 percentage points above the state's June 2008 rate of 8.1 percent. Rick Waclawek of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives said Wednesday that "a large drop in manufacturing jobs" caused by restructuring in the auto industry accounted for much of the rise. General Motors and Chrysler shed jobs as they went through bankruptcy. The national unemployment rate in June was 9.5 percent.

Things That Make You Say, "Huh??"

When did it become acceptable to just walk in front of a moving car in a parking lot?

When did it become acceptable to bitch and yell in order to get your way? When did rudeness become OK?

When did it become acceptable to 'fib' or 'fudge a little' or outright fabricate a lie for any ole reason?

When did keeping the incorrect change become 'their problem'?

When did ignoring a person's feelings become OK?

When did it become acceptable to DEMAND 'rights' that weren't earned?

When did lack of personal responsibility and accountability become acceptable because someone is 'disadvantaged'?

Who the hell decided the definition for 'disadvantaged'?

Why do we need so many warnings and labels and signs to 'keep us safe'? Didn't your parents teach you ANYTHING?

When did the 'public's right to know' become more important than personal privacy - regardless of a job?

When did it become 'fair' to base any decision - for or against - on skin color?

Every once in a while, I hear things on TV, deal with people at work, or even just while out and about, that make me say, 'HUH?'. I was raised when children were seen and not heard, spanking was discipline, grounding meant doing extra chores every waking moment, and 'chores' were done in order to 'earn' an allowance. As a teen, I was expected (even though I'm female) to give up my seat on the bus to an older person, to help people and be polite. I waited for traffic, not the other way around. I worked hard for my salary - I didn't wait for the government to take care of me.

Some days, I wonder if I lived on a different planet...

In my humble opinion, I firmly believe that the worst thing to happen to the raising of children was Dr. Spock. I also believe that the worst thing to happen to personal responsibility/accountability was the first lawsuit won for someone doing something stupid (i.e., the woman that sued McDonalds for spilling hot coffee on herself and won).

You may not agree with me. You may agree. Unfortunately, the world has changed - and not for the better. I just felt the urge to wish for better.

Bill O'Reilly: Bill's Column - Don't Say That

Bill O'Reilly: Bill's Column - Don't Say That

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Word usage. Remember 'far out' and 'groovy' and 'cool'? Kids usually come up with new words, or ways of using words that sound like gibberish and require translation for adults. Then something odd happens: adults start using the words and phrases. Yeah, we're 'hip'.

So, we become an embarrassment to our kids and they change up the language - again! As adults, we're always behind the times - unless you're a musician. Have you ever noticed that no matter how old a drummer or singer gets, he uses the latest lexicon?

Bill's column is timely and worth the read. Enjoy. And then, clean up your language!

Ciao

Isn't This A Little Bass Ackwards?

Someone PLEASE explain this to me:

Illegals who have a job - crack down on them and the companies who hire them, but don't STOP illegals from getting into the country or send BACK the ones that commit crimes or drain our social services.

Yeah - long sentence. Still, it's a fair question. The administration keeps looking for new ways to spend our tax dollars and still can't fix anything.

California is crushed under the burden of illegals leaching on the system. They know where the illegals are, but won't send them back. Instead, the government wants to take the productive illegals and punish them and their employers?

We call that Bass Ackwards. And stupid.

clipped from www.foxnews.com Obama Administration Launches Investigation Into Companies That Employ Illegal Immigrants WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the U.S. Wednesday as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers. President Barack Obama has said his administration's strategy for stemming illegal immigration would focus on employers who hire illegal workers. "This nationwide effort is a first step in ICE's longterm strategy to address and deter illegal employment." The I-9 audits are certain to cause concern among employers who have complained that identifying illegal workers is fraught with problems, from recognizing fake identity documents made to look authentic to risking violating anti-discrimination laws. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said investigations will focus on businesses that knowingly hire immigrants who cannot legally work in the U.S.