My wife asked me to respond to an email sent by a relative. The relative in question subscribes to lists authored by the so-called Christian right.
Others have shown an interest so below are my responses. I hope that if nothing else, this at least illustrates the process of critical reading (i.e. watching carefully for references and verify the facts) which seems to be lacking in our country's education. This is a reformatted email, and the original mail I'm responding to is at the bottom as a quoted email. So, you need to scroll down to see the original message.
Dear ______ .
>>
Please don't let me be wasting my time. Please read this. I know that the evangelical Christian groups are being whipped into a frenzy by the far right talk shows and with web sites sponsored largely by the insurance industry (any site has an "about" link. You should always look at who is footing the bill for any opinion).
Let's take this one issue at a time per your forwarded piece:
#1. The Capps amendment preserves the current status quo on bortion. Period. End of story. It changes nothing. Please follow
this link and read the entire article by Congressman Luis Capps.
#2. I looked at the Congressional Budget Office site and could find no numbers that resemble those you are quoting. It is doubly suspicious because the information from the CBO deals with the total budget, and does not normally break this information down based on future law (i.e. this isn't a law until its finished). I conclude that these numbers were pulled out of someone's behind. But don't take my word for it. You can go to the
CBO web site yourself and look. The director's blog is a little easier to digest: http://cboblog.cbo.gov/. Scroll down a bit to get to the good stuff. I'll warn you the information is very technical and can be sleep inducing. Happy hunting!
#3. This is a serious slight of hand thing that people love to do: "according to the Washington Post" doesn't tell me who authored it. Was it on the editorial page? If so it may not be fact based at all. Maybe it was on the comic page or the obituaries. I'm being funny yes, but unless the author, date and article are cited, stuff like this should be viewed with suspicion. Also the phrase "to squeeze more than $500 billion out of the growth of Medicare over the next decade" could be spun a number of ways, since it is hanging out there by itself with no context. Was it even Obama who said it? Look carefully. It's made to look like that, but he isn't actually cited as having said it.
#4. Speaking of lies, this one is completely bogus. Here is the exact quote from the Times:
"Under the Baucus plan, all Americans would be required to carry health insurance. For taxpayers with incomes from 100 percent to 300 percent of the poverty level, the penalty for not having coverage would be $750 a year per person, with a maximum penalty of $1,500 for a family.
"For taxpayers with incomes over 300 percent of the poverty level,the penalty would be $950 a person, with a maximum penalty of $3,800 for a family. "
Interesting isn't it? $3800 is the MAXIMUM penalty for a FAMILY earning over 300 percent of the poverty level. Yet your people make it sound like any individual might face such a fine. As to what people will pay for coverage, that is still being worked out (as is everything else until a bill is passed).
#5. This is pure steer manure. The only thing ever stated was that the plan would pay for such counseling. No one would be required to have it, but it is a really good idea don't you think? If you have a serious disease (like cancer) and you have treatment options that only have a certain probability of working or prolonging life, wouldn't it be a good idea to sit down with your doctor (and your family) to help you make one of the most difficult decisions of your life? If you don't want to, you don't have to. But if you want to, the plan will pay the doctor's fee. That's it!! No "death panels," just you, your doctor, and your family. Now don't you feel a little foolish about swallowing this junk? Snopes discussion of this item:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/euthanasia.asp
I spent some time researching this for you. I hope you are open minded enough to get the point. These people aren't your friends, however well-intentioned some of them might be. This is all about big Insurance Companies trying to maintain their obscene profit margins. They are really the only ones that stand to lose in this reform. And they won't be put out of business, but they might be paying smaller bonuses and fewer dividends to their stockholders after reform.
The right wants you to believe that the government can't do anything for you. But I'm where I am because my Father benefited from the G.I. bill after WWII. Low interest loans allowed him to buy the house I grew up in. I attended grade school in a school that was built by the WPA. You at this very minute are benefiting from Medicare. Imagine what your financial life might be like without it.
Have you traveled much? Ever been to England or Canada, or Denmark? I've known people from all these areas, and they love their government health plan. I guarantee you, for every horror story about England or Canada, or Denmark, I can probably find a hundred(or more) horror stories about our badly broken system that is designed to deny care rather than provide it. Most doctors are in favor of reform because they are sick to the teeth of the insurance companies telling them what they can and cannot do for their patients. Not the government telling them, but the for-profit insurance companies making life and death decisions for their patients.
That's it. I'm NOT trying to be your friend. I'm not on this earth to try and make friends. I've learned that some people will like me and some won't, and there is not much I can do to change that. But this is very very important stuff. It is way too important to leave to the gullible 30 percent of our society to destroy. I'm sure they are well intentioned, but they are clearly ignorant and choose to buy into stories way too quickly (and they never fact check).
I work in radio, and believe me, the "liberal" media is a myth. Rush Limbaugh's current contract pays him $400 million (yes that's 400 MILLION dollars). He is no populist, he's a fat cat who wants you to vote so that he can stay that way. Sean Hannity was raised in a Catholic Seminary and then he dropped out of college. That doesn't qualify him to be anything in my book. These guys just read the talking points from their party and maybe embellish them a little. The talking points are written by highly paid people who know where your hot buttons are and are happy to push them.
If you don't have the time to check things, might I suggest you just turn off the internet and go for a walk, or sit on the porch and sip
lemonade (or whatever your beverage of choice is). Life is too short to get wound up over nothing.
Chris Hays
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 7:26 AM
>>Subject: FW: Pants On Fire? Counting the lies in Obama speech ABC
>>NEWS VIDEO CHAN 7 IMPORTANT READ
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 12:44 PM
>>Subject: Fw: Pants On Fire? Counting the lies in Obama speech ABC
>>NEWS VIDEO CHAN 7 IMPORTANT READ
>>
>>
>>NO SPIN MUST READ ...... AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND!! THIS IS
>>ALL I CAN DO TO INFORM YOU.
>>MY MEDICAL DOCTOR HUSBAND WAS ALWAYS 100% AGAINST SOCIALIZED
>>MEDICINE IN ANY FORM.
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: Human Events
>>Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 11:28 AM
>>Subject: Pants On Fire? Counting the lies in Obama speech
>>
>>
>>Below please find a special message from one of our advertisers, The
>>Pray In Jesus Name Project. >From time to time, we receive
>>opportunities we believe you as a valued customer may want to know
>>about. Please note that the following message reflects the opinions
>>and representations of our advertiser alone, and not necessarily the
>>opinion or editorial positions of Human Events or Eagle Publishing.
>>
>>
>>
>>HOT PETITION to STOP OBAMA'S SOCIALIST HEALTH CARE TAKEOVER.
>>Please
>> click,
>>sign, and WE WILL FAX your petition automatically to all 52
>>"Blue-Dog" House Democrats and/or all 100 Senators, right away
>>(saving you hours of labor!) We've already sent nearly 140,000
>>faxes, can you help us reach 200,000?
>>
>>Congressman shouts "you lie" during Obama's speech. Was he right?
>>
>>Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) issued an apology after his outburst,
>>"you lie," toward President Obama during his health care speech to
>>Congress on Wednesday. "I let my emotions get the best of me,"
>>Wilson said in a statement. "I extend sincere apologies to the
>>president." We commend Wilson for his quick humility. But
>>questions remain:
>>
>>Did Obama tell lies during the speech? Was Wilson right after all?
>> And why doesn't Obama apologize just as quickly for calling
>>conservatives liars? In their fact-checking, the press confirmed
>>FIVE WHOPPERS told by the President himself:
>>
>>OBAMA LIE #1: "No federal dollars will be used to fund abortions."
>>
>>THE TRUTH: The Capps Amendment to HR 3200 has a Section 4B that
>>reads: "Abortions for Which Public Funding Is Allowed. -- The
>>services described in this subparagraph are abortions for which the
>>expenditure of Federal funds appropriated for the Department of
>>Health and Human Services is permitted." The Washington Times
>>reported: "You can't get more explicit than that." And
>>FactCheck.org exposed Obama's lie too: "Despite what Obama said,
>>the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan
>>and by federally subsidized private plans." So President Obama
>>lied, plain and simple.
>>
>>OBAMA LIE #2: "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our
>>deficits either now or in the future. Period."
>>
>>THE TRUTH: The Democrat controlled Congressional Budget Office said
>>Obamacare would add $220 billion to the deficit over 10 years, but
>>will not succeed at shrinking the overall costs of our nation's
>>health care. Republicans claim it's more like $600 billion
>>increased deficit spending. (Confirmed by Associated Press, 9 Sep
>>09.) Either way, Obama lied.
>>
>>OBAMA LIE #3: "Don't pay attention to those scary stories about how
>>your benefits will be cut...That will never happen on my watch. I
>>will protect Medicare."
>>
>>THE TRUTH: The Washington Post reports Obama proposes "to squeeze
>>more than $500 billion out of the growth of Medicare over the next
>>decade....[which has] fueled fears that his effort to expand
>>coverage to millions of younger, uninsured Americans will damage
>>elder care. As a result, barely one-third of seniors support a
>>health-care overhaul, several polls found." (Washington Post, 9 Aug
>>09) Even the Post admits, Obama lied.
>>
>>CLICK
>>HERE TO SIGN PETITION, AND WE WILL FAX ALL 52 "BLUE-DOG" DEMOCRATS
>>IN THE HOUSE, AND ALL 100 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE OBAMACARE.
>>
>>OBAMA LIE #4: "If you lose your job or change your job, you will be
>>able to get coverage."
>>
>>THE TRUTH: Whether working or not, rich or poor, you will be
>>ordered to get mandatory government-run health-care coverage, or pay
>>a fine a $3800 fine per family, under the new Senate plan being
>>railroaded through the finance committee by Max Baucus (D-MT). (New
>>York Times, 9 Sep 09). Obama pretends you're "able" to get
>>coverage, when he knows it's mandatory (with a big tax increase or
>>"fine" penalty). Obama lied. But the biggest of all...
>>
>>OBAMA LIE #5: "The claim, made not just by radio and cable talk
>>show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels
>>of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens, such a
>>charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and
>>irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."
>>
>>THE TRUTH: Mandatory "end of life" counseling in HR 3200 "shall"
>>include counseling every 5 years to the elderly, giving doctors a
>>monetary incentive to persuade you to sign a "do not resuscitate"
>>(DNR) order to pull the plug on Grandma, just like the Obama
>>administration already pressures all Veterans to sign them.
>> (Confirmed by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, read
>>extensive details at PrayInJesusName.org.) And under the British
>>NHS government-run health plan, "Patients with terminal illnesses
>>are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end
>>their lives, leading doctors have warned." (The Daily Telegraph, 2
>>Sep 09). Dr. Ewing Cook just admitted intentionally killing
>>patients who signed DNR authorizations during Hurricane Katrina. "I
>>gave her medicine so I could get rid of her faster...there's no
>>question I hastened her demise." Bottom line: Grandma, don't sign
>>Obama's DNR order, even if your doctor gets a bonus check from the
>>President for talking you into that.
>>
>>Obama lied at least five times during his speech.
>> Congressman Wilson was right after all.
>>