Obama, once again, ingnoring the facts

It seems odd to me that today I saw the President conduct an "open" and "unstaged" town hall meeting in which he went unchallenged throughout the entire meeting. At one point he was seen winking at one of the questioners. What makes it odd is at town halls across America frustrated, even angry Americans are voicing their discontent about this proposed Government takeover of health care. Congressmen and Senators are facing angry, informed audiences at meetings all over America, yet today in New Hampshire the President was cracking jokes, swooning an audience that didn't seem to need much persuasion. In real town hall meetings the frustration is compounded by the fact we are not getting any substantial answers, even from our President. The Democrats rhetoric is old, and wrong.

Early in the meeting, the President addressed the claim of a "Death Panel" which would make life-death decisions regarding elderly and special needs patients. Obama said he would not "pull the plug on grandma because we decided that it's too expensive to let her live anymore". Then he went on to say he worked closely with Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) who wrote the amendment. Of course, Obama was not telling the truth. In a press release issued by Isakson's office tonight, the Senator responded saying,

" I never consulted with the White House in this process and had no role whatsoever in the House Democrats’ bill. I categorically oppose the House bill and find it incredulous that the White House and others would use my amendment as a scapegoat for their misguided policies,”
furthermore, "My Senate amendment simply puts health care choices back in the hands of the individual and allows them to consider if they so choose a living will or durable power of attorney. The House provision is merely another ill-advised attempt at more government mandates, more government intrusion, and more government involvement in what should be an individual choice.”

Isakson voted against the House bill, and did not support the provision drawn up, based on his earlier amendment which had been passed. The President is not neccesarily right about grandma either. He cannot guarantee the government wouldn't "pull the plug". According to HR 3200, the bill he is so fervently defending, There would be mandatory "Advanced care consultations" (mandatory every 5 years after age 75) which could be a contributing factor in "the formulation of an order regarding life sustaining treatment or a similar order." (page 430). Obama cannot guarantee orders would not be given to end life. Under certain circumstances this responsibility could end up in the hands of the Secretary.

The President continues to say that this bill will not add a single dollar to the ballooning deficit, which increased in the month of July by $181 Billion. But again he seems to have his facts wrong. According to the Congressional Budget Office, "enacting H.R. 3200 would result in a net increase in the federal budget deficit of $239 billion over the 2010-2019 period." How can the President say this bill will not add to the deficit when his very own CBO is projecting a deficit of hundreds of billions? In a study conducted by the Lewin group the deficit is much less, coming in at $55.6 billion. Still, a far cry from "not a single dollar...".

Obama likes to throw out the number 47 million, inferring that there are 47 million americans who want, but don't have, health insurance. The President in misleading you here as well. Yes the US Census Bureau cites that in 2007 there were 45.7 million uninsured people in the US. That figure, "counts anyone who went without health insurance during any part of the previous year as 'uninsured'". Which means if you went without coverage for even one day that year, you were included in the figure. According to Sally Pipes, President and CEO of the Pacific Research Center the figure also includes, "10.2 million illegal immigrants and about 14 million people who are eligible for public health care programs like Medicaid or [SCHIP] but have yet to enroll,". There are also another 10 million or so people living in households making over $75,000 a year, househoulds which could probably afford healthcare, but choose not to. So of the 47 million people Obama says are in need of health care, the actual number around 13 million. Thirteen million people who don't have healthcare due to financial, or other reasons.

So of almost 300 million americans, 52% of which oppose the bill, The president wants sweeping "reform" for 4% of the population? THAT, Mr. President, is Un-American. He wants to force a potential 84 million Americans, who already have health insurance, onto a government-run system, for 4%? According to Consumer Reports, 73% of americans are happy with their current health insurance. What Obama is trying to sell to America is completely Irrational. The facts do not support his claims. Logic dictates there no need for this bill. Facts show White House claims about the bill are false.

For almost every claim Obama makes, there is a statistic, a fact, a video, a document, or a witness who can tell you the opposite is true. This man has given America no reason to trust him. This bill is nothing but a move to establish another center of influence over us, by an already over-sized, overbearing federal government.