I wanted to share this with you because there are few questions here, that are quite surprisingly complex. Yet, without any notes, or anyone jabbering in his ear, or a change of subject, he answers them directly. Which tells you a lot about him knowing his topics inside and out.
I marveled as I watched this live on CNN. He totally MADE HIS CASE on health care. And that night; the Evening News would rather cover the sound bite of seeds of fear spread by the FAR right wing.
And people wonder why he's not making his case? He is, just nobody is reporting it to you!
Transcript (in his own words):
President Obama's Townhall in Raleigh, North Carolina
Shared via AddThis
He starts this Town Hall talking the economy, and about what is and is not in the recovery programs.
the Recovery Program Dollars
On the Recovery Act:
"One-third of the entire Recovery Act is for tax relief for you, for families and small businesses -- one-third of it. (Applause.) Ninety-five percent of you got a tax cut. You may not notice it -- (laughter) -- because it's appearing in your paycheck on a weekly -- every time you get a paycheck, as opposed to you getting a lump sum. Because it turned out that by spreading it out, it had more of a potential to stimulate the economy. That's what the economists advised us to do. But a third of it is going to tax breaks, to individuals and small businesses. That's money in your pocket to buy cupcakes and other necessities of life. (Laughter.)"
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"Another third of the money in the Recovery Act is for emergency relief that is helping folks who've borne the brunt of this recession. For Americans who were laid off, we expanded unemployment benefits -- a measure that's already made a difference for 12 million Americans. (Applause.) So we extended unemployment insurance; that's made a difference in 12 million Americans, including 300,000 folks here in North Carolina who would have been cut off from unemployment insurance if we hadn't extended it. (Applause.)"
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"All right, so this brings us to the last third -- and this is where the critics will say, okay, well maybe we agree with the tax cuts, maybe we agree with the assistance to the states and individuals, but what about that last third, all those investments? Well, you know what, we decided that the last third should be for short-term and long-term investments that are putting people back to work, and build a stronger economy for the future. (Applause.)"
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"So just remember, if somebody asks you about the stimulus or the recovery: one-third of it is in your pocket in tax cuts; one-third of it is unemployment insurance relief, help on COBRA, and making sure that states don't have to make cuts that would make things worse; one-third of it, investments in roads and bridges, putting people back to work. So it will take time to achieve a complete recovery. We're not going to rest until anyone who's looking for work can find a job. (Applause.) But there should be little debate that the steps we took, taken together, have helped stop our economic freefall."
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I'm not exactly understanding why Republicans ('tea baggers' in particular) of all people, are not enjoying tax cuts, that are really effecting their pay checks? As compared to W's who's only effected CEO's and Pro Athlete's pay?
I do want you to read the whole transcript for yourself! I'm just picking a highlight or two that should have been on the evening News, and weren't. This blog is Social Commentary, so I'm picking an choosing to make my own points, about the bull shit out there.
On Health Care:
"First of all, nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care. I'm tired of hearing that. (Applause.) I have been as clear as I can be. Under the reform I've proposed, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. These folks need to stop scaring everybody. (Applause.) Nobody is talking about you forcing -- to have to change your plans."
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"Let me be specific. We will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage because of your medical history. (Applause.) I've told this story before -- I will never forget watching my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final days, worrying about whether her insurer would claim her illness was a preexisting condition so they could wiggle out of paying for her coverage. How many of you have worried about the same thing? (Applause.) A lot of people have gone through this. Many of you have been denied insurance or heard of someone who was denied insurance because they got -- had a preexisting condition. That will no longer be allowed with reform. (Applause.) We won't allow that. (Applause.) We won't allow that."
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I need to interject here, that now CONSERVATIVES think "Obama is a secret RACIEST!" Ah guys? Did you notice his mother and grand parents that raised him were WHITE? He knows both worlds, and knows good people are in both! And isn't fooled by those who preach the hardest, against their own sins. There's the oldest problem of man kind! Without the mirror in the bird cage, the Republicans just don't seem to have anyone to attack.
But then again; Maybe that explains why he hates old people- that he wants to force them choose how to die? Where did that one come from? That's even crazier than Glen Beck- which I hardly find possible.
(back) On Health Care:
"I want everybody to understand this. If we do nothing, I can almost guarantee you your premiums will double over the next 10 years because that's what they did over the last 10 years. It will go up three times faster than your wages, so a bigger and bigger chunk of your paycheck will be going into health insurance. It will eat into the possibility of you getting a raise on your job because your employer is going to be looking and saying, I can't afford to give you a raise because my health care costs just went up 10, 20, 30 percent. And Medicare, which seniors rely on, is going to become more and more vulnerable. On current projections, Medicare will be in the red in less than 10 years.
So that's the status quo. When everybody goes around saying, why is Obama taking on health care -- that's the answer. That's one option. I don't like that option. You shouldn't either. (Applause.) That plan doesn't sound too good. That's the health care system we have right now."
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Why you need to read THIS transcript!
Questions Asked of President Obama:
"Q As the wife of a family physician, we see people not only coming into that specialty less and less often, but also leaving that specialty because it's so, so hard as a young family to make that work -- long hours, not great reimbursement, not great pay, with huge amounts of debt when you come out of medical school. So what are you thinking of to entice more people to come into that speciality? Because you can insure every person in America and if there's not a physician there to see that person you still don't have health care. So what are you going to do to entice people to come -- (applause.)"
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"Q Thank you, Mr. President. My brother is -- he has a family of four and two children. His daughter is a disabled child -- MS -- and he receives Medicaid. He managed -- he works a job -- he managed to save $3,000, and at this point Medicaid stopped all benefits helping him. And I want to know, does your health care plan include reforms for the Medicaid system and these kind of injustices? (Applause.)"
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"Q...What current long-term social program created and run by the government should we look to as a model of success and one that we as taxpayers should be confident that a new government-run health care system would be better than the current system in place? In other words, what are you going to do differently?"
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"Q Sorry, you do say that we know Medicare has this problem, that they're paying for readmittance. Why don't we reform that now? That's a government program. Why are we allowing that?"
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"Q Thank you very much, Mr. President. My name is Bill Purcell. I'm one of those primary care doctors you were talking about, a pediatrician. I also have a little job in the North Carolina Senate. (Laughter.) But I can see in my practice a patient and make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine, but if a patient can't afford the medicine, they don't get treatment. What can we do about the high cost of prescription drugs in America? (Applause.)"
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"Q...So my question is, I believe that most average Americans are for the health reform, but they are afraid of change. So what -- what would you say to the average American, what do you believe the impact or the cost impact is for the average person that needs health care?"
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"Q This is more a political question than a technical question. I wondered -- I hear a lot, especially the opposition, complaining that they don't have time to read these thousands of pages in your health care plan. And I was wondering, on the one hand, we've been in this -- all this has existed for a long time; what difference does a couple of months, so we allow them to read it? And we just, you know, we just don't hear that anymore."
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I'm sure not going to tell you everything the President said. I'm sure your starting fade already. But, see what you missed, watching Fox News? You can read the whole transcript for yourself, if you really want to know. I know it's no fun, but it's very enlightening! And some of you still dare to say; "He's not making his case!" No sorry, it's more like a whole lot of people don't want you to hear it. Including the Companies who pay for most of the NEWS SHOWS!
Have you ever seen a news show without a boner pill ad, or an ahfuc ad, or some good hands on your wallet? I smell a conflict of interest.
-:)
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