Right Truth

Rudy Giuliani on health care, and a conservative's response

Rudy Giuliani offered "a consumer-oriented solution to the nation's health care woes that relies on giving individuals tax credits to purchase private insurance." (NYT)
His plan calls for $15,000 tax deduction for families to buy private health insurance, which sounds nice on the surface, but ... Here's a conservative response:

The problem with Rudy's plan as with the plans offered by the Democrats is that there is no requirement of personal responsibility by the participants in the plan. If you simply provide health insurance to the masses, many if not most will start visiting doctor's offices and ER's in droves expecting the insurance to foot the bill for everything. If that happens, then the already overburdened health care system will suffer even more and the costs will continue to rise.

It should be made clear from the beginning, "If you go to the doctor or ER with things like bug bites and colds, YOU will have to pay for it."

Any such insurance plans should be of a high deductible nature requiring the individual to take care of day to day expenses. Indeed the insurance should be more of a catastrophic coverage providing the person with a safety net in the event of calamity.

'Government cannot take care of you. You've got to take care of yourself,'' he said. ''As more of us do that, the cheaper it will become and the higher in quality it becomes.''

I agree with Rudy's statement. Now, making it happen is another matter.

Also, "un-insurable" people are not addressed by this. If someone gives them 15,000 dollars to buy insurance, it won't do a bit of good if they can't buy a policy. Older people with any health problems are pretty much out of luck unless they can get a group policy through an employer.

Edwards says he would MANDATE that people have health insurance. How thew heck is he going to enforce something like that?

Rudy's sound-bite for the evening news was (not verbatim), "Americans cannot depend on a "Nanny State" to take care of them. They must learn to take care of themselves." I agree with that statement. It comes down to personal responsibility, as usual. Rudy's plan sounds nice, but like most political plans, implementing it would require lots of debate and consideration for how it would actually affect Americans.

On Edwards and Obama's plans (NYT):

Employers would have to share the cost of insuring workers or pay into a public program.

Edwards estimates that his plan would cost $90 billion to $120 billion per year and would be financed by repealing President Bush's tax cuts on those making more than $200,000 per year.

Obama's plan calls for the creation of a public program similar to the health plan offered to federal employees, and a National Health Insurance Exchange for consumers to shop among private plans. Employers would have to share the cost of insuring workers.

Obama estimates his plan would cost $50 billion to $65 billion per year, paid for by letting Bush's tax cuts expire on those making more than $250,000 per year. (more)

Other MUST READ ARTICLES:

STOP GLOBAL DHIMMING!, by Woman Honor Thyself
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Sharing the info and Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Planck's Constant, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Rice offers military trinkets to Arabs in exchange for their help in Iraq

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates met in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to trade "tens of billions of dollars in U.S. weapons and military aid" for the promise of 'possible' help with countering al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and butting out of Iraq. Fat chance. Rice denies any quid pro quo.

The nine nations, which are recipients of an expanded U.S. aid and weapons package, met in Egypt Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in an effort to rally diplomatic and practical help for the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. The two day meeting also opens talks on a proposed U.S. arms package for Arab states worth more than $20 billion.

"I think we know what the obligations of the neighbors are," Rice said. She said Egypt and other U.S. allies are working to relieve Iraq's heavy international debt, give additional foreign aid and stop violence inside Iraq.

In another move that could please Washington's Arab friends, the United States signed a statement endorsing an Arab initiative for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.(NPR)

What was the response from the Arab countries? Did they swear to put all their power into keeping their own terrorists from entering Iraq and joining the fight? Did they promise to do everything they can to stop Iran? Did they???? Nope. Zero. Nada. Zip.

"Rice strongly denied that U.S. weapons were being offered as a means of getting more help in Iraq," or as a QUID PRO QUO.

What? Nothing for the Palestinians? (from the Seattle Post Intelligencer)

In the interest of maintaining peace in the Middle East, the Bush administration announced Monday that it will sell $20 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Another $13 billion in military assistance will go to Egypt. Of course, to "balance the Arab sales," as The Washington Post puts it, the U.S. will boost aid to Israel from $2.4 billion to $3 billion a year, and give it $30 billion in military aid over the next decade (what, nothing for the Palestinians? Shocking).

According to Texas Fred, "Former Iraqi Leader Calls for U.N. Role" (in Iraq). Yeah, the United Nations will solve everything, bring peace, allow the troops to come home (siphon cash from every possible source). Uh, huh!

Gotta ask, "Who's running the asylum?"

"Why Israel Is Backing the Saudi Arms Deal?," asks Minstrel Boy (TIME)

Israel has come out in support of a multi-billion dollar U.S. arms deal to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. I can't remember the last time Israel supported a deal like this. Probably because it never has. So what exactly is going on this time?" [snip]

It's Nasrallah and Iran, then, that moved Israel to break with a 60-year policy of opposing arms sales to the Arabs.

You can go read it all.

Kurdish Journalists in Iran given death sentence

"Iran has sentenced two dissident journalists from its ethnic Kurdish minority for being "enemies of God". (BBC) This news needs to be taken seriously considering Iran is holding Americans hostage. What will their fate be?

Rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), says Adnan Hassanpour and Hiva Boutimar were sentenced by a court in the eastern city of Marivan.

The two journalists have 20 days to appeal against their sentences, but if their cases are rejected by the Supreme Court the sentence will be carried out.

Iran has executed over 100 people so far in 2007, most of them by hanging.

Other reading:

"When Science Fails, Faith Begins…", R. J. Godlewski

"Now if only the New York Times had some Credibility," Planck's Constant

"I Don't Know Whether To Laugh Or Cry", by Obsidian Wings

WHAT TO DO IF A NUCLEAR DISASTER IS IMMINENT!, Atlas Shrugs

"Treatment of Palestinian Christians ‘Medieval’", from Regent University. Also "The Deadly Virus of Celebrity Christianity"

Once again, I'm asking if someone can explain why Olmert is forcing Israel to commit suicide, and how much he's been paid???, Ynet

U.S. coordinated security with 'top Hamas agent'
Bush continues to fund, arm Abbas' militias 'heavily infiltrated' by terror group, WND

A story you won't want to miss

The following was sent to me via email and is written in response to the post, “Eradicating poverty and your wealth at the same time,” which deals with politicians wanting to redistribute your hard earned money and how tax dollars are spent. Enjoy.

Let me give you an example of some of the nonsense an ER physician has to deal with on a daily basis. The following is a fictionalized story and does not represent anyone in particular, but it very well could. It is more or less a compilation of several years of personal experiences. Also the language is colorful but necessary to depict the real life situation. If you are a liberal, a bleeding heart, a PC nut, or just easily offended, hit the trail. You’ve been warned.

It is 3AM. The ambulance brings in a 25 year old male who has been in a 4 wheeler wreck

Question: What is someone doing riding a 4 wheeler at 3AM?

This is an extremely intoxicated, perfectly healthy appearing 25 year old male (codenamed DIPSHIT) strapped to a backboard and restrained by a cervical collar.

DOC: “Where do you hurt?”
DIPSHIT: “Hell man, can’t you see I hurt everywhere? Let me off this G-damn board.”

Here is the first lesson of visiting the ER. If you are strapped to a backboard, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, tell the doc that you hurt all over. You will remain strapped to the board until the doc has x-rayed everything from head to toe.

DIPSHIT: “G-dammit, when are you going to give me something for my G-dammed pain?”

Here is the second lesson of visiting the ER. If you are intoxicated, don’t expect that the doc will give you anything for pain.

DIPSHIT addressing the nurse: “Hey you G-dammed bitch! Give me something for my G-damned pain.”

The third lesson of visiting the ER is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, call the nurse a bitch. You have just lost any hope of getting anything at all for pain. That bitch will also be the one tasked with sticking needles in you to administer IV fluids, medicines etc. She may also have to put a Foley catheter in your “you know what”.

DIPSHIT addressing the nurse again: “That damned doctor is a real SOB.”

Fourth lesson: The nurse will ALWAYS tell the doctor what you said. That SOB will tell the BITCH to stick needles in you for various reasons. Don’t forget that the SOB is the one that has to order that Foley catheter.

So we finally cart this dude off to x-ray where he gets a CT scan of his head and C-spine (since he can’t tell us if he was knocked out and claims to hurt all over). He also gets plain films of his chest, L-spine, pelvis, and any extremities that seem the least bit suspicious of injury. We might also CT his abdomen if we think it is tender there. The dude is still on the hard backboard. These x-rays are taking 2 to 3 times as long because he is busy screaming and thrashing about. Oh, I forgot to tell you, he called the X-ray tech a bitch too.

Finally he is back in his room waiting while the SOB doctor sifts through scores of x-ray films searching for injuries. About this time he starts screaming, “Rita! Where are you, Rita! Reeeeeeeeeeeeeta! I’m sorry, Rita”.

In a little while a skanky looking girl wearing cutoff jeans, halter top, various hideous tattoos, a nose ring and a tongue ring and about 5 months pregnant appears. She is barefoot with a layer of funk on her feet a quarter inch thick. “I’m Rita, where’s my G-dammed boyfriend? What the hell have yall done with him?”

By the way………NEVER go barefoot in a hospital. You folks can’t imagine some or the genetically mutated bacteria that might be growing on that floor.

In the room, they start balling and squalling and licking on each other…..phew!

DIPSHIT: “Oh baby! They have treated me like shit here”

RITA: “Those bastards, I’ll call my momma’s lawyer on them tomorrow.”

In a couple of minutes Rita’s cellphone goes off playing “The Dukes of Hazard” theme song. It’s Rita’s momma and Rita tells her momma in a lower form of Cussed English how we have mistreated her poor boyfriend.

At long last the doctor determines that DIPSHIT is not injured except for a few superficial scrapes and bruises. His blood alcohol is about 3 times legal limit. DIPSHIT is finally released from his restraints after about 3 hours and prepared for discharge from the ER.

RITA: “Ain’t you bastards gonna give him any G-dammed hydros (hydrocodone (narcotic analgesic)) for his pain?”

See the second lesson of visiting the ER above…….

DIPSHIT, RITA, and RITA’s MOMMA (who suddenly appeared in the middle of all this) are escorted by hospital security to the business office clerk to settle their bill……muttering obscenities along the way.

We find out later that DIPSHIT does not work. He told the clerk he couldn’t find a job around here in spite of the fact that there are a whole butt load of illegal Mexicans in the area doing the jobs that Americans won’t do.

We also find out that DIPSHIT has no health insurance and no means or intention of paying his multithousand dollar hospital bill which he has amassed due mainly to his own stupidity.

The SOB doctor and the BITCH nurse are sitting quietly after this wondering how these people who do not work, have no money and no health insurance can afford things like 4 wheelers, cellphones, lawyers, beer, tattoos, piercings, cigarettes, and all the other necessities?

We also find out that DIPSHIT and pregnant RITA have applied for Medicaid so that SOB, BITCH, and all the rest of you working folks out there reading this can foot the bill for their healthcare from cradle to grave.

RITA’s MOMMA was heard to say to DIPSHIT before departure, “Well, I guess since you had all these serious injuries tonight, you’ll need to go get on disability.”

Folks, I’m serious, WORK SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT IN THIS COUNTRY.

If people were required to work, they wouldn’t have time to hang out until 3am drinking and riding 4 wheelers and running up thousands of dollars in hospital bills.

All these illegal Mexicans should be rounded up and deported so we will have an ample supply of jobs for people like DIPSHIT. I have nothing against Mexicans, but most of the illegal FOLKS (that’s a George Bush term) around here are of that nationality.

I’m not much of a believer in disability. No matter how bad off you think you may be, there is something you can do if you take the time to look for it. There may be a few blind and deaf quadriplegics that might really need it but other than that, it is one of the most abused entitlements in this country.

The masses should be removed from the government dole.

People, I’m not really proud to be a Republican but thank God I’m not a Democrat. Politicians like John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton will keep deadbeats like DIPSHIT and RITA on the handout train and will indeed increase the misery borne by the working people in America. Liberal ideas never work and end up making the problem worse.

Finally, I think it should be a federal crime to assault a healthcare worker. Thousands of us are assaulted each year by creeps like DIPSHIT and RITA. Postal workers have this protection. Why not us?

Sincerely,
Your friendly ER doctor

The Flag's on Fire, a beautiful song

The song "The Flag's on Fire" is by international recording artist Bertie Higgins. He had the chart-topping "Key Largo" back in 1981 (and you may have seen him several time recently on VH1 countdown specials), and has been touring the world ever since. His shows, particularly in the heartland and south, are consistently sold-out.

As a veteran who lost a brother in Vietnam, Bertie is passionately in support of the troops and our government's position in maintaining our freedoms, and penned the song "The Flag's on Fire" to harness that sense of common purpose. In concert, the song gets standing ovations.

It's a beautiful song, enjoy:

For more information on Berti Higgins and his music, visit his website here then go order or download his music.

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Sharing the music and Trackposted to Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, Webloggin, The Pink Flamingo, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Republican National Convention Blog, Conservative Cat, and Conservative Thoughts, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Mexico's consul from Arkansas

"Mexico's consul from Ark. office speaks in Memphis" from Toni at Bear Creek Ledger:

It isn’t so much what this Mexican official is advocating to a group in Memphis, it’s the information on how the Little Rock Mexican consul office came to be:

Mexican consul from Little Rock encourages advocacy for illegal immigration

Recall that in 2003, Arkansas governor Mick Huckabee asked Vicente Fox to build their new consulate in Little Rock. He even temporarily housed them in a state agency office at a rental rate of $1 per year.

Former Governor Huckabee is running for President and has been touting himself as the “conservative” candidate.  Looks to me like he follows the McCain brand of conservative.  To actively recruit and advocate breaking the law with illegal aliens is far from conservative in my book.

New Americans welcomed to Iowa, Arkansas

As for Arkansas’ Huckabee, let’s hear what a Mexican consul had to say:

“[I came to Arkansas to] continue the negotiations with the state and city authorities for making sure that we are going to inaugurate a Mexican consulate in the coming year in Little Rock… Governor Huckabee was a large part of this… He went to Mexico City and met with President Fox and proposed this… [when you get your MC we] don’t care if you are documented or undocumented… I like Arkansas… It is so green. It’s so clean, nice, with very warm, open people, and many friends of Mexico.”

You can read about “Huck’s” deal with the Mexicans:

Last year, Huckabee struck a deal with Mexican officials to house the consular office in a state agency office for $1 a year while the consulate facilities were being refurbished. At the time, some lawmakers complained the governor made the deal without notifying the Legislature.

Lonewacko has more links relating to Huckabee’s support with illegal aliens.

This will make you scream, "Federal dollars proposed for La Raza, plan would start with $5 million, then double funding..." (WND)

Others:

How Many More Lives Must We Lose?, Common Sense America

Costa Mesa California checks citizenship of arrestees, ,The Virtuous Republic

Americans should have the right NOT to obey sharia law

Americans have ... The Right To Not Obey Sharia Law, Redux, according to Pursuing Holiness (and here, here, here:

Although hate crime laws were not created to enforce sharia law in the United States, they are certainly being used to do so now.

In this country, we have the right to burn flags, burn soldiers in effigy, put crucifixes in urine, sculpt the mother of Jesus in dung, Fred Phelps can spew his hate, gay activists can march, people can openly accuse politicians of crimes with no supporting evidence, and we have any number of ways to express any number of points of view. But through hate crime laws, certain types of expression are being suppressed.

Littering and stealing are already illegal, and if Mr. Shmulevich is guilty of those things he should be punished accordingly. But we have the right to not obey sharia law. Through hate crime laws, our government is offering more legal protection to Islam than it does to any other faith. We should not, and cannot tolerate that if we wish to remain free. (more)

Read it all at Pursuing Holiness.

Also of interest, "A group of Mus-lims have opposed plans for a pet food factory to be built as possible pork emissions will violate their religious rights." Read all about it in "It’s Raining PorK Halleluyah!" at Woman Honor Thyself.

Other good reading and reciprocal pings:

Michigan: Muslim State Next, The HILL Chronicles

US crusading against Islam?, In the Name of Towelie!

Two Liberal Wrongs do NOT Make a Right, DeMediacratic Nation

The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP Biography, at Republican National Convention Blog NYC 2004

Flying Imams and Reichstags, The Amboy Times

Jihad Man, at Stop Islamic Conquest

Sharia in Panama persecutes girls

From The Norieagaville News, Teenage girls who don't behave according to PRD Sharia standards will be persecuted and denied their right to education. Read this, laugh and cry at the same time:

Have Muslim fanatics taken over the government? Did Blades turn Imam? No, this is the work of education minister Miguel Angel Cañizales, who used to be a psychologist of Noriega's G-2 murder and torture squad - you stab'em, we slab'em - and a puppet "teachers union."

For starters, in La Chorrera 9 students of the Colegio Moisés Castillo Ocaña have been expelled from school, simply because, as El Panama America puts it, they were living "emancipated" AND in "plain concubinage." Shame and Horror! Be Allah's wrath upon them!

But that's not all. Our torture minister is not the only one converted to Taliban law. There is also one Luis López, who heads a puppet teachers union. And he asserts, today in the same Panama America, that pregnant schoolgirls need to be thrown out of school as well. They're too much work for his non-existent membership. Says our Taliban chief: "The teachers need to watch that the pregnant girl is not being hit accidentally in the classroom." Too much work indeed.

Our genius further claims that if a schoolgirl gets pregnant, it should be "investigated how that could happen." Maybe The Noriegaville News can help out here: Ever heard about birds, bees, flowers, condoms?

But wait! There's more!

Enters the scene another psychologist, one Geraldine Emiliani. In her vision, getting pregnant is not the only danger that looms, oh no, if schoolgirls get pregnant as a result of rape, this troglodyte claims, they may get a nasty disease called "lesbianism!"

If you don't think this could happen in the United States, read this, and this

If you like this article, go read the comments attached at the bottom. Thank you Noriegaville News.

Eradicating poverty and your wealth at the same time

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

"The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." --Matthew 26:11 (New International Version)

The Progressive politicians like John Edwards and Barack Obama are making poverty a central issue in their campaign for President of the United States. With all the money that is given to end poverty, why is it that "little progress is being achieved, in fact, the problem continues to escalate?" Edwards goal is to eradicate poverty by 2036. Good luck with that. Are Americans buying what Edwards is selling?

Edwards plans to eradicate poverty by "health care for all, the creation of 1 million one-year transition jobs, housing vouchers, and eliminating tax benefits for the rich." Translation? Punishing hard working Americans, entrepreneurs, businesses, ... those who create new jobs, those who run the American economy. You.

The United States is one of the, of not the, wealthiest nation in the world. The reason for that is average Americans in the United States have the "ability and the opportunity to invest and produce capital."

If Edwards, or Obama, or Clinton, want to impede your ability to work, invest, own property, prosper, ... in order to redistribute your money to others ... what incentive do you have to continue to work hard? None. Americans need to keep this in mind when supporting any Presidential candidate.

Most of the current anti-poverty efforts focus on redistributing funds from wealthier nations to poorer ones, either through mandatory taxation or charitable donations. This system ignores the fact that tomorrow the poor need to be fed again. Taxpayers or the voluntary donor must dig into his own funds yet again to help. The process is repeated daily, each time the poor recipient is only temporarily helped, as the taxpayer or the donor become poorer themselves. Meanwhile, as massive funds are moved in and out of governments, bureaucracies are institutionalized to run the system. More and more money goes to feed the machinery of poverty than gets into the hands of the intended poor. Such a system sustains poverty rather than eradicates it. [snip]

To date, nearly every effort to eradicate poverty has focused on temporary relief of the suffering rather than getting to the root of the poverty and creating real solutions to actually eradicate poverty permanently. The result of such efforts, while well intended, and perhaps necessary in the short run, to assure the poor are at least kept alive, will not solve the problem of poverty. In fact, such programs may actually make the situation worse. (more at CFP)

Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto said:

Capitalism, he argues, "is the force that raises the productivity of labor and creates the wealth of nations, It is the lifeblood of the capitalist system, the foundation of progress, and the one thing that the poor countries of the world cannot seem to produce for themselves." [snip]

The answer to poverty in the world will come only from providing the tools needed to create new, independent wealth. That tool is private property ownership. (read it all)

Edwards says, "We have, in fact, two different Americas - it is a reality." I shudder to think what America would look like if the Progressives get their way and begin 'redistributing wealth', rather than teaching the poor how to fish.

Other versions of the old saying:

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you will not have to listen to his incessant whining about how hungry he is.”—Author unknown

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you can sell him fishing equipment.”—Author unknown

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks.”—Author unknown

“Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Unless he doesn't like sushi—then you also have to teach him to cook.”—Auren Hoffman, Herald Philosopher

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he will sit in the boat and drink beer all day.”—OldFox

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to sell fish and he eats steak.”—Author unknown

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Marines to train in Israel

Earlier I reported on Israel's new training center in the Negev, called the National Urban Training Center. The center, which is basically a 'fake' city in the Negev, will train Israeli Defense Force’s to fight in four theaters: Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria. Additionally, United States Marines will also train at this facility, which was built by the Army Corps of Engineers and funded largely from U.S. military aid.

... the 7.4-square-mile generic city — balad, in Arabic, means village — consists of 1,100 basic modules that can be reconfigured by mission planners to represent specific towns.

It’s a much smaller, IDF-tailored version of the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center, the sprawling 100,000-acre simulated microcosm of the Middle East used to train infantry brigade task forces deployed in the region. And while Baladia City won’t feature all the pyrotechnic bells and whistles of the Fort Polk, La., facility, it will offer the same high-fidelity simulated battlefield technologies, force identification and location systems, and debriefing capabilities, officers here said.

“Combat units from platoon up to brigade level will train in an environment that simulates the real urban battle,” said Brig. Gen. Uzi Moskovich, commander of the NUTC and its adjacent National Ground Training Center, Israel’s downsized version of the Army’s force-on-force training facility at Fort Irwin, Calif.

Read more in my previous article, taken from Defense Times and Marine Corps Times

Other Reading:

A DEARTH OF STRATEGIC THINKING at GREEN HOUSE EFFECT IN GLOBAL WARMING, and "EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING IN INDIA"
Democrats Promise the Moon With 'Universal Healthcare' Pipe Dream Just To Snag Votes... at Hard To Swallow
Check out the many links at Real Terror