The Revolution is Not Coming … Today

[mrjarrell]

J. Neil Schulman points out the fact that Obama isn't bringing socialised medicine to the US. It's already here, and this latest tightening of the noose is just one more step in their continuing journey. This latest foray isn't a flashpoint, any more than prohibition or other events were. Nothing will come of the impostion of Obamacare, except to make things a little worse than they are and add more to the debt. People are too concerned about everything else and the politicians know it.

via J.Neil Schulman

Even if Congress passes its “health-care reform” bill today — and President Obama signs it into law — this is not going to lead to a Tea-Party-led general revolt. In my very first article for this column on October 31, 2009, “ObamaCare Doesn’t Bring Socialized Medicine to U.S.,” I wrote:

To listen to Glenn Beck and other right-wing pundits, President Obama’s proposals for health care reform are the first step in turning America into Cuba or Venezuela.
But the truth is that the health-care system favored by conservatives is only marginally less government-run than the public option and must-buy health insurance favored by progressives.
All medical practitioners — physicians, surgeons, dentists, nurses, etc. — must be licensed by state and local governments, and approved by the federal government if they are to receive reimbursement for their services from Medicare.
All hospitals and clinics must also be government licensed, with additional licenses for teaching hospitals.
All degrees awarded by medical schools are only valid if they’re issued by medical schools approved by state-sanctioned medical boards.
Doctors may only prescribe pharmaceuticals or medical devices approved by the FDA — that is if they’re not on lists of substances prohibited by law from being prescribed at all, and providing them gets one a visit from the DEA.
Flu epidemics exist or not by a decision made by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also approves or disapproves of the vaccines to treat them.
An entire department of the Federal government is devoted to regulating “Health and Human Services.”
Finally, fifteen percent of the U.S. population — those 65 or older or declared disabled — are already enrolled in fully-socialized “public option” government health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid — and as high as a third of the U.S. population have at times been eligible for 100% U.S.-government-run health care provided through the Veterans Administration.
So Fox News and right-wing radio pundits ranting that President Obama and the Democratic Party want to bring socialized medicine to America is not only hypocritical and ignorant of history. It’s just obliviously silly.
I’m 56 years old, and I have never drawn a breath when my health care wasn’t fully regulated by — often paid for by, and sometimes directly operated by — the government, at one level or another.
It’s undeniable that expanding government health insurance to those under 65 who aren’t veterans or disabled — and forcing healthy people to buy healthcare policies to lower premiums for those with preexisting illnesses — is indeed moving in the direction of universal single-payer health care.
But to argue that President Obama and the Democrats want to bring us socialized medicine ignores the obvious.
We’ve had socialized medicine for generations.

The incremental usurpation of the people’s rights and powers has been going on, now, at least for close to a century. It goes back at least to 1913, when both the Federal Reserve System and the federal income tax went into effect.

Read the rest at the source and while you're at it go download Schulman's novel "Alongside Night". If you like SHTF fiction this one is a must read, since it's much more likely than many scenarios out there. Download it here. And make a point to read it.

[Blue Tile Spook]

His premise if flawed right from the start, IMO:

To listen to Glenn Beck and other right-wing pundits, President Obama’s proposals for health care reform are the first step in turning America into Cuba or Venezuela.

I'm not a Beck defender, just saying that I have heard Beck say many times that we have been inching our way toward socialism for decades. And some of the actions of certain Presidents were flat out socialism.

But the truth is that the health-care system favored by conservatives is only marginally less government-run than the public option and must-buy health insurance favored by progressives.

This is not "good", IMO, but it is better than the alternative, which is all bad.

I agree with Judge Napalitano (sp?) when he says we are 150 degrees away from what the founders set up for us and wanted for us, their descendants. We (the US) haven't hit the reef (complete or near complete socialism) in the shallow waters yet, but we definitely have two or three sails biting the wind and carrying us toward that reef at higher and higher speed.

[SavageEagle]

It's not just about socialized medicine. It's about the government control and revocation of our rights included in the bill.

[flagtag]

This ^!

[T-rav]

Originally Posted by SavageEagle

It's not just about socialized medicine. It's about the government control and revocation of our rights included in the bill.

What he said, its about absolute control from what you eat to what you watch on tv.

[littletommy]

Originally Posted by mrjarrell

J. Nothing will come of the impostion of Obamacare, except to make things a little worse than they are and add more to the debt. People are too concerned about everything else and the politicians know it.

via J.Neil Schulman


Read the rest at the source and while you're at it go download Schulman's novel "Alongside Night". If you like SHTF fiction this one is a must read, since it's much more likely than many scenarios out there. Download it here. And make a point to read it.

So... if folks are too concerned with everything else, what leads you, or them, to think this won't be the straw that broke the camels back? Sounds like wishful thinking on their part.

[flagtag]

They think of us as "nothing". We have no rights, we are their "subjects". They are so used to the "freeloaders" doing whatever they want them to do in order to get the "free ride" that they can't even see the real Americans in this country. (And who can blame them? We haven't really spoken up and complained loudly enough in the past. We certainly haven't been able [for the most part] to call them on their lies and corruption)

They think they can do anything they want and we have no say in their decisions. Think about it - how many of them haven't paid their taxes and have gotten away with it? The administration knows about it, but have no intention of doing anything about that. But, if WE did the same thing, we would not only have to pay the taxes and penalties, but we would end up in jail.

They are arogant and self-important. We are dirt under their feet as far as they are concerned.

[Liberty's Teeth]

What are you talking about? Not a flashpoint? There is only so much explosive gas you can put in a room with a lit match before it explodes. I would be surprised if the American citizens can wait until November, it may be too late. This is not France, England, Germany. This is the United States of America. We won't put up with this ****.

[mrjarrell]

Originally Posted by Liberty's Teeth

What are you talking about? Not a flashpoint? There is only so much explosive gas you can put in a room with a lit match before it explodes. I would be surprised if the American citizens can wait until November, it may be too late. This is not France, England, Germany. This is the United States of America. We won't put up with this ****.

Yes, the vast majority of Americans WILL put up with the sh*t and will do absolutely nothing about it. Look in the mirror. Are you currently on your way to DC? Nope. You're likely at or going to, work. Just like normal. So are all the rest of the populace. They'll gather around the water cooler and yap and nothing will come of it. There'll be lots of platitudes about "remember in November!" and you know what? There will be no substantive change. Even if the republicrats somehow managed to wrest control of Congress they won't repeal this entitlement program any more than they did Medicare or SS or any of the myriad other depredation foisted upon us. It will be business as usual with all the same old corrupt faces. We are France, England and Germany. We just have American Idol to make us a bit different.

[jsgolfman]

It was doomed from the beginning. The anti-federalists argued this before, during and after the original constitutional convention.