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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Healthcare Summit

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a joke. This is like Phillip Morris holdng an inforamtional meeting about how great cigarettes are for families and childrem.

Anonymous said...

9:40, You must be confusing AFP with ABC (televison) who gave Obama the "free" two hour infomercial on his health care plan.

As I understand it, Americans For Prosperity is a citizen advocacy group, and from the looks of the flyer, they have doctors from John's Hopkins speaking. Look interesting. I'm going to check it out.

Anonymous said...

Americans for Prosperity, the same folks that advocates pro-tobacco industry positions. Now there's a hell of an affiliation and cause. check it for yourself:

sourcewatch.org

chuck said...

I'm for prosperity. I'm also for the public-option.

Why don't they call this what it is:

"Americans against the public option"

I mean, that's what it is.

Anonymous said...

I read it and It's seems to me you are intentionally mis-characterizing this group. AFP involvement in tobacco bills are solely focused on advocating against indirect taxes on the poor and more government encroachment and the Nazi like desire to tax people's personal health choices. This fits right in with the healthcare issue, as this example of tobacco tax and bans fit right into opening the door of rationed health care from a central payer system, on people who smoke, or drink sugar products or carbonated beverages, are overweight, underweight, listen to loud music, or whatever else is deemed "bad" behavior by the wizards of smart that want to run around telling everybody else how to live. The quote from the article regarding the tobacco tax and ban was: "the smoke-free measure a "reckless expansion of government" that "set a dangerous precedent."

Anonymous said...

Chuck - what about President Obama breaking his promise not to tax folks who make less thank $250k?

I think the idea of the event is to show that the public option is simply a faster way to get to Canadian-style health care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWxcv0Dummk

chuck said...

2:06,

How did he break that promise? Also, why not just call it what it is? I find it odd that "for prosperity" is used, when that isn't what this is about. It's about being AGAINST the public option, not FOR prosperity.

I'm FOR prosperity and I'm FOR the public option.

I think they should should just label the group what they are, instead of trying to imply that those who disagree with them are "against prosperity". I think that's a little bit dishonest, don't you?

Julie Brewington said...

Hi Chuck,

Low taxes = Prosperity

Government Paid for Health Care = High Taxes

Come out Thursday (7/23) at 6pm in Carruthers Hall at Salisbury University and learn more about us and the health care issue! We have sopme great speakers who are pretty smart and know a lot about medicine, policy, business, and prosperity.

We'd love to see you!

chuck said...

I may come out. It sounds intriguing. However, I take issue with one thing:

low taxes = prosperity?

Not before FDR, when taxes were at their lowest, and a large portion of this country was living in poverty, working crushing hours for scant pay. The prosperity was seen in a wealthy few, and not the middle class.

Conversely, when taxes on the highest marginal rate was risen to 90%... NINETY PERCENT!... we experienced the greatest boom in economic growth and the greatest increase in the middle class in the history of the United States, from the late 40's to the mid 70's.

So, your equation is too simplistic. Like I said before: I am FOR prosperity and FOR the public option.

Can I join your organization?

Anonymous said...

They are Americans for Prosperity, that is their group and they have funded this event. They deserve to have the name they choose and not have Chuck change it for them. We get that Chuck is for prosperity while advocating for more spending on the part of the current Congress and President Obama, which will not lead to prosperity but taxation thru the teeth, but he's for prosperity. I guess he means that the prosperity is reserved for the politicians who are running the county farther into debt and not for us commoners or himself-he claims he's not a politician on another post. As for being with the tobacco lobby, who cares, how many people light up and die on the spot-not counting the dangers of smoking while hooked up to the oxygen tanks either-try none, from those smoking 40 years to the first cigarette. If it takes 40 years for something to kill you, it's safe to say and be on the side that you can say the gov't really shouldn't protect you from it any further than it already has.

chuck said...

3:19,

I'm not telling them they have to change their name. I'm asking why they are named something different from what they are.

Also, be a little bit more coherent, please. You lost me on the part about smoking.

Anonymous said...

for Chuck, in less & small terms.
Cigarettes don't kill anyone instantly, the gov't protects us enough already from them.
BTW the AFP name was chosen way before this event and participates in many events not just the health care forum they have sponsored, ie, stop with the name-blah blah- about Americans against Public option-while this may be a group, they aren't sponsoring the event.

Julie Brewington said...

3:29 Chuck, I invited you to the event, as I do all people here in the first district. It is important for us as responsible citizens, to educate ourselves from various sources. If you agree with us you should join! If you don't, then I'm not sure why you'd want to.

Regarding tax rates, I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than you or I have elaborated on in our comments. Suffice it to say that an environment that is not burdensome to business and encourages business growth is a job friendly culture. As it stands, we have the second highest tax rates on business in the WORLD. This healthcare ball goes through we could very well be #1 and that's not a good thing Chuck. We have outsourced and drove off almost all manufacturing in this country today and that means guess what? Our economy is largely dependent on CONSUMPTION. With a nearly 10% and climbing unemployment rate, a healthcare bill like that proposed will Hit Small Businesses Hard

Most of the so-called reform plans would force even small businesses to pay for health insurance for employees—with politicians deciding which plans qualify. Failing to do so will result in penalties and fines—which will kill jobs and put some companies who can’t afford to pay out of business.

It WILL Raise Taxes on Everyone

- A Value Added Tax (VAT), a form of national sales tax, of 10% - 25%.
- Taxing existing health care benefits for employees and their families.
- New excise taxes on “sugary soft drinks,” alcohol, energy, and other politically incorrect products and services.

and that's jut the tip of the iceberg. Come out Thursday to learn more!

I look forward to meeting you.