Contemptible Congressman

It's great to see, now that he finally has gotten a platform to speak from, that Paul Ryan is fighting for our health care. Oh, wait. Ryan has held public office since January 1999, and this is the first time he's even bothered to mention health care. I guess when the cronies that fund your campaign are threatened with smaller profits, one is suddenly moved to fight for the private insurers. Ooops, I mean, fight for the people.

Ryan feels we should, "...provide all Americans with the resources they need to purchase quality, affordable health insurance." What does this mean? Is he proposing the government just subsidize all costs? We're going to cover everyone and the government will pay? There's an innovative plan.

Then, as if amnesia occurred, in the next paragraph, Paul claims, "It takes an uncomfortable faith in Washington to believe that spending can be restrained and bureaucratic waste can be contained if only we gave government more control." So, the government should subsidize the costs, but have no say in the management? And somehow costs will also be constrained?

Next, he proclaims, "Despite skyrocketing costs remaining our top concern, the majority has concluded that we are not spending enough on health care in America." What majority? Who is he talking about? Most comments I've seen seem to feel we are misallocating our health care dollars, not that we have to spend more.

Of course, he had to mention "rationing". As I stated in the previous post, "One of a few boogeymen (rationing, death panels) the right has erected in the health care debate. Health care is already rationed. Private insurers decide who is covered and who is not. They decide what procedures will be paid be for, or whether one can even have a procedure. We have an ineffective bureaucrat between the doctor and the patient already - it's the private insurers."

He then tries scare tactics and myth-making with talk of citizens losing their current coverage. Although he quotes the Presidents statement, "If you like what you got, you can keep it." But Ryan doesn't believe this. So Paul then beats the rationing drum, again, as the sinister way in which the President will try to achieve cost control.

It's striking, sad, and funny that Paul closes with, "Health care reform is one of the most crucial domestic issues this Congress will act on and requires the input of all Americans." Again, this has been a crucial issue for decades. What the hell have you been doing, Paul? Your party killed President Clinton's attempt at health care reform in the 1990s. You, along with your Republican do-nothings, have sat on your hands for the last eight years. What were your priorities then? Needless wars (costing trillions), trying to kill Social Security, and tax cuts and more tax cuts.

Step aside and let the people who want to govern do their job.