In conversations with Republicans, they often tell me they are pro life, but after discussing their policies, I usually end up asking how they became so pro-death. Jan Brewer, the Arizona Death Angel, is a perfect example, because people died when she pulled the Medicaid funding for their transplants. Republicans have so brain washed their sheeple, that they parrot Republican blood-lust, sometimes in embarrassing settings. Alan Grayson was prophetic, when he said that part two of the Republican health plan is “Die quickly”. Republicans may have screamed about that, but events have proven that he was spot-on.
The French Revolution had Marie Antoinette reportedly urging the masses starved for bread to eat cake instead. Now progressive circles are jeering over an exchange involving Rep. Ron Paul that they say shows that conservatives are unwilling to use society’s power to treat sick Americans and would rather let them die instead.
The confrontation took place Monday night at the CNN/Tea Party debate among the Republican contenders for the nomination to face President Obama in 2012. At the center was Paul, a Texas congressman and libertarian icon. In many ways, it has been Paul who have helped define the “tea party” movement, by pushing limited government, more spending cuts and mistrust of central institutions such as the Federal Reserve.
Healthcare, and the role of a strong central government in providing it, is one of the key issues separating the GOP, which opposes Obama’s healthcare insurance overhaul. So it was no accident that the issue became part of the debate as host Wolf Blitzer posed a hypothetical to Paul, who is also a physician.
“A healthy, 30-year-old young man has a good job, makes a good living, but decides: You know what? I’m not going to spend 200 or 300 dollars a month for health insurance, because I’m healthy; I don’t need it,” Blitzer said. “But you know, something terrible happens; all of a sudden, he needs it. Who’s going to pay for it, if he goes into a coma, for example? Who pays for that?
“In a society that you accept welfarism and socialism, he expects the government to take care of him,” Paul replied. Blitzer asked what Paul would prefer to having government deal with the sick man.
“What he should do is whatever he wants to do, and assume responsibility for himself,” Paul said. ”My advice to him would have a major medical policy, but not before —"
“But he doesn’t have that,” Blitzer said. “He doesn’t have it and he’s — and he needs — he needs intensive care for six months. Who pays?”
“That’s what freedom is all about: taking your own risks.,” Paul said, repeating the standard libertarian view as some in the audience cheered.
“But congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die,” Blitzer asked.
“Yeah,” came the shout from the audience. That affirmative was repeated at least three times… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <LA Times>
Although Paul strongly implied that he wanted the man to die without care, when cornered, he hemmed and hawed and made noises about charity. I’m sure none of the Republican candidates have the courage to tell the truth about their position, but their sheeple in the audience were to well indoctrinated to know to shut up.
Here’s Ed Schultz with Alan Grayson.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Alan was right that we pay 30% more for our health care than any other nation on earth, but we rank 50th in life expectancy. And he is right that it showed the true colors of the Republican Party.
29 Responses to “Die quickly!”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I watched the debate and was astounded at the audience reaction to this question. I would like to know how a more diverse audiense would have reacted. People should pose this type of question to their representatives at town hall meetings to find out their stance on “Obama-Care”.
Excellent idea, Patty.
The viciousness of this shocked even me—I was surprised– but reading between the lines concerning the hatred of health care bill- I should not have been– Some of these foolish people will most certainly experience health crisis of their own– and quite probably without good insurance coverage– They will be the first to scream–
That is also the case, Phyllis. Republicans are notorious for concrete thinking error, which also impairs their ability to reason consequentially.
It would be fair and accurate to view the Repubican Party as the Party of Death:
Words fail me in trying to express my utter disdain and disrespect for a group of people that embrace those kinds of principles.
Just learned I must have been channeling Stephen Colbert. He’s reporting he has found the Perfect Presidential Running Mate for Republicans – the Grim Reaper!
Amen to both, Nameless. That fits right in with my graphic.
How many times have I said that today’s Republican Party are nothing but Fascists and Nazi’s? Too many times.
Only to be told I’m wrong and scorned while often having my comment passed over or not read while dismissing me as just a paranoid nutcase.
The first to go at the Nazi Death Camps were the sick and the elderly. They were no good to the Nazi’s as they could not work and not worth keeping alive. The young and healthy however were put on work details and starved to death as history has shown through the pictures of those found still alive when the camps were liberated from the Nazi’s.
Nor should we forget that they executed a lot of people right in the streets while the German People looked on. What better way to keep the people in line then to show them it could be them out there getting a bullet in the back of the head or lined up along a wall with a mass execution.
These people are pure evil and until we stand up and take them out our country is doomed to the same fate that befell Germany and all other countries that are run by dictators and corporations who buy them.
Yet though I understand where Tom Cat is coming from saying we should not be like them I have too think that if we let them continue to do what they have been doing for more than 30 years we will end up a third world country under a Theocratic Fascist Nazi Government.
I have always been a nonviolent person, but the day is going to come when being nonviolent will get you killed a lot sooner then if you stand up for what America was and not what it has become.
I will continue to pray for their deaths and hope that the Lord does intercede on America’s behalf to save us from what is becoming more and more clear. If nothing changes than we are all doomed to a Hell that we let happen.
End of rant. Have a great day.
That is why I continue to say that the only good Republican is a dead Republican. The time is here when a lot of people in this country need to read a good history book about Nazi Germany to see what we are rapidly becoming.
Charles, as a student of history, I certainly see the parallels, but I have no desire to kill them. Firing them is all we need.
RE: Anon Paranoid at #4-
When Cheney dies, (hell, IF Cheney dies), one of his children will take his place. The new monster will have one amazing benefit even Cheney lacks: they will not have committed crimes against humanity, brazenly- out in the open- for all to see. Time will pass. They will act as their nature/upbringing/culture will dictate, and at some point they, too, will commit crimes against humanity. “It will have to be done. Dictated by circumstance. It’s for your own good.“. After that point, you can start praying for their deaths as well. And so it goes…
Rather than prayer- which obviously hasn’t worked for at least the last 30 years- I would remind you that there were at least 2 astonishingly effective revolutions against elite ruling classes in the last 300 years, those being the French revolution and the overthrowing of the Czarist regime. Both of these populist actions had 1 over-riding dictum: Root, Tree, and Branch.
To paraphrase Sting: I hope the 1%-ers love their children, too.
All the deaths their culture has produced dictates the Final Solution for the Oligarchy class. All of them.
“History doesn’t repeat itself; but it damn sure rhymes…”. Gotta’ love the irony.
Welcome Te Deum. 🙂
I reject your call for a violent revolution, because you did not follow through on your history. The two examples you cite were both followed by reigns of terror that ended in totalitarian regimes. This is not what I want for America.
Tom, you may reject the call for a violent revolution, but if things continue the way they are going, a revolution is going to happen. Unfortunately, what you and I both want for America is not going to happen if the GOP continues on their present path.
Charles, I grant you that. However, if it comes to that, what we end up getting is likely to be just as bad.
AP, people tend to react to you negatively, because you are reacting to the logical extension of Republicans policies that have not arrived yet. To return hate for hate will only serve to make us hateful.
I refuse to watch any more Republican Debates… they are not debating ANYTHING… merely throwing out sound bytes. I debated in college…. it was an exacting exercise dealing with facts…. solutions….. contemplative suggestions….
Jim, that’s an excellent observation. As an experienced debater, I confirm that.
I watched the debate, and was truly shocked! The party of evil – or what! Seems like I intend to take a sabbatical from the “right to vote” – I’m too disgusted, too annoyed and become too angry to bother with that “fundamental” right! I guess I helped put one in in NYC – but frankly, I don’t care – O has done too little too late – I’ve spent 1000’s of hours working to get people elected only to be left disappointed – so I’ll pretend I’m non-existent and cheer or more likely boo from the side lines – the forces of evil are too great, and America is too stupid! Keep up the good work TomCat!
Lee, I would not be a friend, if I were not honest that I am disappointed in you.
Ron Paul is not a friend of Pro Choice and he has in the past been either a member of or at least provided guidance and assistance to both John Birch and Jim Crow. He would fit right in with Rick Perry’s Reconstructionist Christian Movement [commonly called the Tea Party]. Now there’s a guy who’s been smoking something because he wants to apply the Texas template to the American paradigm. Texas is a mess and I understand that the city of Fort Worth for example is in dire need of bankruptcy assistance. Everyone needs to take a good long look at all these jokers on both sides of the fence and fully comprehend what their policies are truly about; and what their past record says about them. By the way Perry only subsisted on his farm with a lot of government assistance money. Now he wants to turn the same entitlement/privilege attitude and policy on the rest of America? Haven’t Americans had enough of these second rate leaders who are nothing but whores bought and paid for by the international bankers? There’s the real power brokers behind the election of a president.
If they really wanted change they would close the Fed and put control of the American currency and tax collections back into the hands of the US Treasury like JFK did. I never liked JFK when he was alive and for many years after that. However the more I have learned about him over the years the more I have come to respect and value him; his sexual peccadilloes aside. America hasn’t had a decent president since. The next thing that should be done is to install import trade and tariffs against all imported goods; specifically from China and Indonesia for example. How do you expect to compete with a country that has millions of workers earning in a day what a western unionized worker makes in half an hour? Big benefit packages and high union wages are the bane of doing business in the states or Canada. Let’s not excuse the mismanagement of our business and political leaders either. The amount of material; supplies; talent and money they squander is atrocious and criminal. Lastly the tax ratio needs extreme adjustment. It’s fine for some fat cat to publicly say tax me more especially since he hardly pays any tax if at all. This is due to the loopholes of intelligent reinvesting through management corporations such as Berkshire Hathaway. Then there’s the banks and the hedge funds. These people pay next to nothing. It is always the lower and middle classes that foot the tax bill for the nation.
What would happen if 300 million Americans stood up and told the government they were not voting and more to the point they were refusing to pay taxes until there was a fairly graded system wherein income tax reflected the gross income of an individual or firm. It’s time for the little to get a real break isn’t it?
Michael, go0d luck in organizing 300 million in a tax revolt. Desirable, but hardly realistic.
I did a little digging to get the following info on 10 nations:
Figures are from the CIA World Factbook 2009[1] and from the 2006 revision of the United Nations World Population Prospects report, for 2005–2010.[2] Only countries/territories with a population of 100,000 or more in 2007 are included in the United Nations list. Medical costs as a % of GDP taken from news articles and Wikipedia.
The life expectancy at birth of the world is 67.2 years (65.0 years for males and 69.5 years for females) for 2005–2010, according to United Nations World Population Prospects 2006 Revision and 66.57 years (64.52 years for males and 68.76 years for females) for 2009 according to CIA World Factbook 2009.
Rank Country Life expectancy (yrs) Life expectancy (yrs) Life expectancy (yrs) Medical
Overall Male Female % of GDP
1 Japan 82.6 79.0 86.1 8.2
4 Switzerland 81.7 79.0 84.2 ?
5 Australia 81.2 78.9 83.6 ?
8 Israel 80.7 78.5 82.8 ?
11 Canada 80.7 78.3 82.9 10.1
20 United Kingdom 79.4 77.2 81.6 8.4
20 Germany 79.4 76.5 82.1 ?
31 United Arab Emi 78.7 77.2 81.5 ?
36 Cuba 78.3 76.2 80.4 ?
36 United States 78.3 75.6 80.8 16.0
Exerpts from Medpage Today/ABC News, overall, more than 85% of U.S.counties have fallen further behind the international life expectancy frontier, the researchers said.
“Despite the fact that theU.S.spends more per capita than any other nation on health, eight out of every 10 counties are not keeping pace in terms of health outcomes. That’s a staggering statistic,” Murray said.
Still, they said several contributing factors are worth further investigation, including the environment ( IMO — Is this really a surprise to anyone given the air and water pollution etc), modifiable lifestyle behaviors (IMO — Obesity and its fallout probably #1 here), and performance of the U.S.healthcare system (see my comment below re Canada and Japan).
Interesting to note that at least two countries ahead of the US, Canada and Japan, have universal healthcare with required participation. In Japan, you pay 30% of the cost (simple version). I can tell you that in my province, I pay $60.50 per month for my medical plan coverage for a single person which covers any hospital /emergency care required and all visits to my physician. As far as prescription drugs go, assistance is based on income — If you make less than $15,000/yr there is no deductible; if you make $14,001 – 25,000 (approximately) you pay the first $500, 30% of the next $250 and after that it is ‘free’ meaning it is paid for by the province through taxes. In Canada and Japan, hospitals are not-for-profit as opposed to the US for-profit model. So to answer the question put to Ron Paul in the debate, in Canada the patient would not die for lack of medical care.
These sleazoid Republicans and Teabaggers need to get their heads examined. But then I guess they are hoping that those without insurance will all die and they will have more money and power.
A few interesting things about Scary Perry’s State of Texas — 25.1% of the population does not have medical insurance; the medical system is the 3rd WORST in the US; the 3 biggest reasons for this — POLITICS, the poverty rate, and the highest rate of illegal immigrants; and Texas has the most malls per capita than any other state. Shows you where their priorities are!
Thanks Lynn. I got rid of the other two versions. 😉
Great data!
While I applaud Representative Ron Paul for being principled — a rare commodity in contemporary politics — I don’t share his principles. This ability to take your own risks in life is a fundamental tenet of libertarianism, and I thought Mr. Paul capsulized this principle well: “That’s what freedom is all about: taking your own risks.,” I have a libertarian friend who has been bending my ear recently, who embraces this principle passionately.
Personally, I would like to live in a society that would take care of this hypothetical man, and — working with the supposition that the individual is uninsured, and there is no general social health insurance — he may spend the rest of his life paying for his care. Of course my first preference would be to have universal health care covered in the first place.
However, a couple of comments are important to make here. First, we should be clear that in the system that recently was legislated, which mandates the purchase of health insurance, that the cost of the health insurance premiums is subtracted from all citizens funds to create and enjoy there own life. To be fair, we should be clear that this diverted income comes at the cost of whatever good and enjoyment that money would otherwise would have been spent on.
Secondly, the popular standard of “the best standard of care available” is not even possible for everyone. I remember an economics professor decades ago telling me that if the cost of the best possible care for everyone at that point in time was three times the Gross National Product, and the cost of medical care has done nothing but skyrocket since then. So it is important to come to terms with the fact that the guaranteed minimum of health care needs some limitations. By necessity there will be occasions where people will suffer, or even die for want of health care that the system knows how to provide.
Paul, did you actually see it? Paul was doing everything he could to weasel out of taking a stand. The error of the ACA is that it did not take insurance companies out of the loop. What we need is a single payer plan.
sooo I shouldn’t listen to my republican doctor when he says to take up smoking, give up exercise and eat lots and lot of proscessed foods?
LOL Murky!! 😀 Is your doctor Ron Paul or Tom Coburn? 😉
How in the world did America get so totally screwed up? It is very sad, but more so it is very scary. Playing God is the new repug mantra. Wake up America before it is way too late. The policies that were set into place with duhbya since 2000, didn’t ring home to many. It’s affects are raining down on us now. No president could come in and change all the bad things in 4 years. This downward spiral must be stopped. Obama 12…or Hillary…just get rid of the crazies. As far as Rick Perry, I cannot hardly even say his name without wanting to spit the words out of my mouth for he is truly evil in every regard. His only belief is padding his own pockets at the cost of the nation.
Chris, that’s a long story. It started when the Dixiecrat racists deserted the Democratic party and the Republicans welcomed them with open arms. They became the base and forced moderate Republicans out of the party.