Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul said during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing Wednesday that those who believe in a right to healthcare actually believe in slavery.
…
“Basically, once you imply a belief in a right to someone’s services — do you have a right to plumbing? Do you have a right to water? Do you have right to food? — you’re basically saying you believe in slavery.”
In this country, we have a right to be tried by a jury of our peers. We also have a right to a defense attorney. These are widely accepted rights that no one questions. Yet, to Senator Paul, serving on a jury is slavery, as well as being a public defender.
“Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, speaking at a Senate hearing, said that if you believe that health are is a right, then you believe slavery is a right, because you are enslaving doctors, nurses and hospital janitors.”
Lee – Please post entire links – otherwise you are very comical!!
Senator Paul seems totally unfamiliar with the notion of a social compact. Apparently, he never read any John Locke. Apparently, he is utterly unfamiliar with the concepts that the colonists conceived that led to a break with the Brits. Ah, what the fuck does history matter when you’re claiming to be its heir . . .
I’m sure those “slaves” will be more than happy to accept paying business from millions of new patients.
And the last time I checked, our government wasn’t sending soldiers out into the streets to round up people and force them to become doctors and nurses.
Rand’s argument would earn him a failing grade in a 9th grade debate class. It shouldn’t be necessary to state the obvious, but because the trolls on this blog are so damned stupid, I will: Health care reform doesn’t force anyone to seek or provide medical care; it simply makes private health insurance available to more people.
Revolving Door Case # 11-59823643-067
“A top telecommunications regulator who voted to approve Comcast Corp.’s takeover of NBC Universal in January is leaving to join the company as a lobbyist.
“Meredith Attwell Baker, one of two Republicans on the five-member Federal Communications Commission, will become senior vice president of government affairs for NBC Universal.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42....._business/
Roger Rabbit Commentary: It’s probably going too far to call Baker a crook who sold her vote on the commission to Comcast. She’s a Republican, and Republicans believe business shouldn’t be regulated, period. So this is simply a case of a Republican voting exactly the way you expect Republicans to vote. Even so, it’s unseemly to accept an amply compensated position with a company that benefitted from your vote as a commissioner supposedly serving the public interest. Even if there’s no actual conflict of interest here, it doesn’t pass the smell test.
Of course, if there was an understanding between Baker and Comcast before the vote that her vote would be rewarded with a lucrative position working for the company, then Comcast committed the felony of bribing a public official and Baker committee felony of accepting a bribe.
“I think, therefore I am.” has been changed to “I eat, drink, and shit in a toilet, therefore I can own slaves.” Got to hand it to the Randster, that’s some talented shit right there.
Getting back to Sen. Paul, the only kind of person who believes in withholding medical care from a suffering human being is the kind of person usually referred to as “a mean-spirited son-of-a-bitch.”
@5
Please tell me the DOJ is looking into this.
The wingnut argument that “if you want health care, get a job” just won’t work. It’s bullshit. Why? For several reasons.
First of all, most of the people who don’t have health care already have jobs — often two or three jobs. People who are already working several jobs probably can’t handle another job.
Nearly all of America’s uninsured are working poor. How do I know that? Because the truly poor — welfare moms, etc. — have Medicaid and the elderly have Medicare.
Secondly, before you tell people to “get a job,” please show me the fucking jobs. It’s thanks to REPUBLICAN economic policies that we have 9% unemployment. I saw in the news today that one million people applied for McDonald’s 62,000 jobs. That means you have 1 chance in 16 of getting a hamburger-flipping job paying minimum wage.
I’ve read elsewhere — in the conservative, pro-business, financial media — that there are, on average, 6 applicants for every job opening.
So don’t go around telling people to “get a job” when you can’t cough up the jobs.
In fact, I want to talk about that. Taxes (as a percentage of GNP) are at an all-time low. The rich are paying the lowest tax rates of the last 75 years, and making more money — and taking a larger share of GNP — than at any time in the history of the fucking universe since the Big Bang. And what do the rest of us get in return for this? We get 9% unemployment and 16 people applying for every minimum-wage hamburger flipping job at McDonald’s. So don’t tell me we need more tax cuts for the rich because the rich create jobs because I don’t believe that bullshit anymore.
Speaking of the Big Bang, I read a Big Bang joke in a science magazine today. It goes something like this.
Question: What preceded the Big Bang?
Answer: A previous universe in which a group of physicists decided to test their Big Bang theory.
@7 It’s not talented at all. The guy twisted logic into a pretzel. Any imbecile can do that. But Paul isn’t an imbecile. He’s an opportunistic politician who’s demagoging an issue in a way that insults your intelligence. Maybe some people like politicians of that ilk, and are more than happy to be their lapdogs in the voting booth, but I have no use for them.
Let’s be clear about something: REPUBLICANS ARE AGAINST HEALTH CARE. That’s right, they don’t believe you or your loved ones should have health care. They believe only they and their loved ones should have health care. Why would you vote for someone like that?
If you think Government can run Healthcare, take a look at their stratigic financial successes in the Post Office.
2b lost this quarter alone, and what will they recommend????????????????
Raising postage rates
That’s really helped in the past. It helped me run to billpay and UPS.
Rand Paul is a physician. You’d think he’d give a damn about people getting health care. What’s that oath doctors are supposed to adhere to, isn’t it called the Hippocratic Oath, or something like that?
@14 “If you think Government can run Healthcare, take a look at” Medicare, which as A&O costs of less than 1% — now compare that with the private health insurance industry’s A&O costs of 30%. That’s right, government-run Medicare is FIFTY TIMES as efficient as your vaunted private sector when it comes to running a health care payment system.
Can anything possibly be more idiotic than your rants?
Yes!
States that are broke
US Government that is beyond Broke
Universities Broke, tuition soaring
Forclosures galore
Rent, Food, Gas, costs skyrocketing
Deflated dollar
Just to break the ice and name a few hundred trillions in financial fault
There may be no better way to make yourself look utterly stupid, than to complain about the U.S. Postal Service.
Get this:
A uniformed, bonded and insured professional comes to your home or place of business and picks up your documents and hand delivers them to your chosen destination home or business. And how much do you pay for this personal, customized service? Forty four cents. Forty four lousy fucking pennies to have someone walk to your front door, pick up your rambling, incoherent tea-bagger manifesto, and hand deliver it to whomever you may designate in the United States.
And this you complain about.
I wouldn’t mind being that “broke”.
I think that I have the right to use the bathroom at AM/PM Markets. They apparently think otherwise — which is why I go around back and pee on ther side of their store.
Some things I just don’t argue about.
…which is why I go around back and pee on ther side of their store.
That’s a good technique. I’ve used it myself!
Look, nothing is going to happen to health care until we have 7 or 8 times as many docs, nurses and other health care workers. There’s absolutely no competition among doctors. They charge what they charge and fuck you. Ever hear of a cardiac surgeon running a special on bypass surgery? They all believe in the “free market,” but not when it comes to their fees.
Hey Roger,
Not an anecdote but what’s happening in WA State right now you Dumb Rabbit.
Recently in WA State the WDS (Washington Dental Services for the idiots such as ylb and rujax) sent out a missive saying they were cutting dental reimbursements by greater than 25%. So if you needed a crown and the rate was $1100 now it’s cut $25%. So my dentist who has 4 dental hygienists (who average around $30-50/hour depending on experience and years) – you know, union employees, and two office staff coordinating patient visits sent out a letter saying they will no longer accept WDS. The suck part of this was WDS didn’t send out a letter to the dentists, it was an email. Also WDS said it was due to ObamaCare. WDS didn’t care how much a procedure really costs, it’s about their arbitrary rate setting for procedures without regard to the real costs and what dentist had in employee overhead.
So, I asked a dentist who comes to my church what’s going on. He told us because Boeing was being courted by BC&BS and Premera and other health care companies about ObamaCare and the reduced rates of coverage, WDS had to crawl to Boeing to keep them as their contract and say they would reduce their rates which meant they would reduce their payout for services. So my friend told me because he only has one hygienist so his employee overhead was lower. He didn’t like what WDS is doing because now he has to work more than 60 hours a week to make ends meet based on this 25+% drop in payout.
But what will this do to dentists who employee the union faithful…? layoffs Roger Dumb Rabbit. Don’t believe Puddy? Call your dentists and ask about the WDS email and rate drop.
So ObamaCare strikes again, whacking the “little people”. I already know of older doctors and dentists who are contemplating retirement in the mid 50s. Also I called down to some old college buds in a well known Medical and Dentist school and they said 2011 was the first year they didn’t fill classes at capacity because people are realizing ObamaCare will screw them in the long run.
Thanks for your support of Obama and ObamaCare Roger Dumb Rabbit. You’ll soon see union dental hygienists appearing on the WA State dole all because of your jockstrapping this useless cause.
Ummm Roger Dumb Rabbit… People are against ObamaCare not healthcare.
@17 “States that are broke”
Well shit, of course states are broke, they depend on taxing consumer spending and we’re in the worst recession since the 1930s (also caused by Republican economic policies).
“US Government that is beyond Broke”
Well shit, of course the federal debt and deficit has soared, thanks to profligate Republican borrowing and spending. Bush turned budget surpluses into gargantuan deficits by slashing taxes for the rich while tripling to rate of growth in federal spending.
“Universities Broke, tuition soaring”
Well shit, of course our public universities are broke, thanks plunging state tax revenues caused by a Republican Depression and a tax system that makes poor people pay 5 1/2 times as much of their income to the state as rich people pay.
“Forclosures galore”
Well shit, of course there’s foreclosures all over the place, thanks to Republican deregulation of the financial industry and the systematic dishonesty of bankers, mortgage brokers, and loan officers.
“Rent, Food, Gas, costs skyrocketing
Deflated dollar”
Well shit, of course the dollar is plunging and consumer prices are soaring, thanks to 30 years of Republican misrule that handed the keys to our economy to greedy Wall Street bankers.
“Just to break the ice and name a few hundred trillions in financial fault”
Every single one of which is directly traceable to the Republican economic policies that have dominated our country for the last 30 years.
Can anything possibly be more idiotic than your rants?
@20 I’m with you on that. If they won’t give you the restroom keys, use the bushes. Do what ya gotta do.
One of the nice things about being a rabbit is you never have to ask for restroom keys.
re 23: Maybe single payer should be on the table again. My solution has been to follow Sharon Angle’s advice and offer a chicken to medical professionals for payment : just like in the good ole days.
I talked to my dentist at the local legal whorehouse in ‘Jackpot’, NV last Saturday, and he said that it doesn’t even have to be a live chicken. A frozen packet of ‘Perdue Brand’ thighs is plenty enough payment for for his non-union toof cleanin’ professional.
@24 “Ummm Roger Dumb Rabbit… People are against ObamaCare not healthcare.”
Ummm, no they’re not, puddydumb. All the polls I’ve seen have shown the public is very dissatisfied with our unregulated free-enterprise health care system and overwhelmingly supports health care reform.
@28 We’re very rapidly getting to where businesses and health care professionals will have to accept chickens and vegetables as payment for their goods and services because that’s all the middle class will have left.
@25,
Really Roger Dumb Rabbit… when the US House (where the budget is generated) was owned lock stock and barrel by DUMMOCRAPTS until 1995 and then again from 2007 to 2011?
Senility is really taken hold.
Then you are blind as a bat Roger Dumb Rabbit… The last time it was polled is found here
Butt we know you slavishly love Nancy Pelosi
@23 “He didn’t like what WDS is doing because now he has to work more than 60 hours a week to make ends meet based on this 25+% drop in payout.”
A dentist told you he has to work 60 hours a week to “make ends meet” and you actually believed that?
@32 “here”
And where, exactly, is “here”? In the part of your anatomy that faces downward when you’re taking a shit?
@34 “here”
Notice the standard obfuscate answer when Roger Dumb Raiibt meets real facts, not those conjured up in his “mind”. Real Americans think ObamaCare sucks.
Sucks to be you dude!
Yep, his daughter was next to him and said he comes home later during each weeknight. The WDS reduction affects cleanings, fillings, x-rays, etc., not just crowns Roger Dumb Rabbit. Maybe you will have full coverage for the golden grill, but who knows?
Sucks to be you Roger Dumb Rabbit. Senility is taking hold much faster than Puddy thought!
puddy bud, you still haven’t backed up your claim that torture worked. now we have mccain saying nope, it didn’t work, because the three people we tortured did NOT cough up the name, details or identities about that courier dude.
still hiding are you? go ahead, tell us more anecdotes about your dentist. we should base national policy on your dentist. fact that sweden pays half the percent of gdp we pay, for better health outcomes, is irrelevant blah blah blah. your anecdotes are what counts. so go ahead, tell us about your anecdotes on torture, and tell me, why aren’t you crying out for tearing out osama’s eye balls? he knew about a lot of plots.
Dental hygenists, working for a private practioner, are union employees? Now THAT seems highly unlikely. There bargaining unit consists of what – one employee?
It’s not exactly news that Boeing, or any other large company, might be trying to cut it’s medical care payments. That’s been happening all over, for a very long time. You can’t blame that one on Obama or “Obamacare” unless you want to blame Bush as well. The dentist has two choices: agree to accept the lower payments, or go off-network. I thought you guys were all about competition and free-market choice?
This story has holes running all through it.
By the way, my own employer has switched dental coverage effective last summer. In the past bridges and implants weren’t covered at all. Now they are covered, on a 50% basis.
So how does this fit in Puddy’s scenario?
Rand Paul is not against the federal government paying for eye operations. Hmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnn………….. Imagine that!
Paul is also in favor of free laser surgery for airline pilots while in flight:
“Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul was the sole “no” vote Thursday night on a measure that would make it a federal crime to aim a handheld laser pointer at an aircraft.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.c.....in-la.html
RR @ 29 writes; “Ummm, no they’re not, puddydumb. All the polls I’ve seen have shown the public is very dissatisfied with our unregulated free-enterprise health care system…”
Rabbit where in the name of hell did you get an education? This nation has never had a free-enterprise health care system. The AMA has run things just about as the damn well pleased for over 100 years. And if we did have a free enterprise health care system cannabis never would have been outlawed.
@41 And AMA is gummint? Since when? Those doctors are the biggest free enterprisers out there.
@40 Take your choice: A states-righter who thinks prosecution of people who interfere with airliners in flight should be left to a patchwork of local authorities with uneven resources and competence, or a libertarian who thinks we didn’t need any frickin’ criminal laws because the free market will take care of people who down airliners with laser pointers.
Rabbit you need to stay out that hole. There is a world of ideas you are missing out on. Sounds like you are suffering from tunnel vision, or maybe you have blinders on.
Its all that Florida beef he’s eating.
Puddy: Your facts are skewed again.
My dentist is in private practise and is successful with his own dental offices. His services, and number of employees has increased which now requires two large office buildings (which he owns) and he would not and does not employ union dental hygenists. He also is Republican.
So, tell me what kind of dentist would employ by choice a union worker? None.
Yes, there are union dental hygenists but they are King County or State public sector employees who work for public health agencies. These are not private employees.
Oh my “Mrs. Rabbit” comes to Roger Dumb Bunny’s rescue?
The same type of private practice person who has to get union labor to build the building to house his practice in!
47 – LMAO!!! I don’t know of any dentist who hires union help. Certainly the one I see doesn’t.
So union construction workers leads to union dental hygienists?
What an idiot!
Another of yelling loser boy fantasies on display.
Never said that but you’ll make it up right moron?
I noticed no one will deal with the potential layoffs of lots of dental hygienists because their employers will drop WDS. It’s happening and you can ask your dentist if the WDS letter referred to ObamaCare or not. Both dentist I know said it did and it will only get worse.
Across the street we have an oncologist (cancer doctor for the moronic twins rujax and yelling lost boy) and ObamaCare is asking for all medical records to be digitized like the military ones are now. This means they will be able to set up that board to deny service as defined and admitted to last year.
Wait a minute you all ridiculed Sarah Palin when she discussed death panels but you smiled in your lattes when Paul Krugman mentioned the same thing
50 – Yawwwwwnnnn. Moronic bullshit with nothing but hearsay to back it up.
Yes you did @ 47.
So you’re saying that the VA has death panels right?
Stupid as always.
47. Puddy: My dentist is a well-to-do Republican dentist and he WOULD NOT hire union anything. How do you suppose he got to be so wealthy and successful? Besides, hard work and being self-employed, talented and intelligent.
P.S. My Republican dentist is on the donor list to the Washington State Republican party, so I can back up my statements. Can you? No. I didn’t think so :))
No way, do you have to ever hire union workers to build :) anything.
@50: Boeing claimed that their rates were going up due to ObamaCare, only to backdown when they were called on their bullshit. Just because WDS blamed something on ObamaCare doesn’t mean anything other than that they’re being opportunistic and seeking a scapegoat.
@54: Do you (and your dentist) hate police officers and firefighters? Because they’re unionized too.
I certify myself a brain surgeon by a medical board of my own imaginative creation and am ready to slavishly help the junior senator from Kentucky in the name of Libertarian Freedom!
Yea Mike and in a Libertarian world if your patient dies then you get charged with murder. Libertarian world is probably a lot tougher than you think.
Health insurance is a state sanctioned monopoly. That’s not hyperbole. That’s the truth.
So, how is that a ‘free market’?
The only real competition in the health care companies is who can charge the most money for premiums, deny coverage to those who need it most, and deny as many claims as possible by hook or by crook.
These guys are in the collect money for nuthin’ business. What they do has little to do with health care.
@58 Sludge Puppy on 05/13/2011 at 4:26 pm,
You, friend, need to learn about Glibertarianism. In a RandRoidian Glibertarian world lawsuits are a burden to be dispensed with. If you are afraid of dying or anything else you are free not to contract the service.
MBS, Ron Paul is not considered the voice of all in the Libertarian movement. He comes from just one group within the movement. There are others with other ideas.
MBS here is Paul’s comment on tort reform from the debate the other night via Reason magazine.
“Ron Paul vs. Tort Reform
Peter Suderman | May 6, 2011
When you ask most Republican politicians what health policy ideas they support, one of the first things they tend to bring up is medical malpractice reform. The political advantages are obvious: Trial lawyers are both unpopular and a key Democratic constituency. The Congressional Budget Office, meanwhile, has estimated that reforming the medical malpractice system could save $54 billion over the next decade.
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), though, is not most Republicans. At last night’s GOP primary debate, Paul argued against the idea, making the case against the sort of tort reform proposals that many other members of his party support (Rep. Paul shows up around the three minute mark):” http://reason.com/blog/2011/05.....ort-reform
re 62: So, he’s just one voice in a nutbag fringe group.
I think he’d make a great Republican candidate. People who believe in turn of the (19th)century Autrian economic dogma are all the rage in the ‘staple teabags to your hat’ set.
re 64 if it is a fringe group it is one that doesn’t believe in using coercion as a social tool, or at least wishes to limit coercion.
Nope you did yelling lost boy.
I told you fools to check with your dentists. You haven’t. Once again yelling lost boy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Does he ever? I was told by both dentists their email said 25%. I found this and it’s 15% Oh well.
Proves beyond the shadow of a doubt yelling lost boy is full of shit like always.
Oh yeah yelling lost boy here is another…
Yeah “economic climate”… ObamaCare plain and simple.
You HA leftists… didn’t check plain and simple. So how will they decrease overhead? Drop hygienists plain and simple. Who are the hygienists? The little people.
No Xar but here are the ObamaCare exemptions to date as of Wednesday May 11, 2011
Giving orders.. again… No evidence out there beyond typical insurance company greed.
You knee jerk “Obamacare” and you have nothing but hearsay to back it up.
You’re an idiot.
re 65: Libertarians believe that the only legitimate power that government should have is to coercively force people to honor their contracts.
There are millions of ‘contracts’ with credit card companies wherein the cardholder is bound to the agreement, but the card issuer may change the contract at will — and government should be in the business of enforcing this kind of garbage?
That’s coercive. Libertarians seek coerce by proscribing limitations on unfair business practices.
re 72 where did you get that idea? You smokin’ some bad stuff!
re 73: It’s common knowledge that you can verify for yourself with a little research.
But I won’t try to coerce you into looking for facts rather than seeing the world through your one-size-fits-all ideological decoder.
Honoring a contract is one thing, honoring one that changes after you sign it is damn stupid and doesn’t fit any libertarian philosophy. That doesn’t make common sense, is common knowledge and certainly doesn’t go with common law.
The puddybitch is in tghe deep end of the pool without a lifering.
Medical records are already stored and accessed by a private agaency and have been for YEARS.
Health care is already rationed…by health insurance companies.
p-dippy is a moronic fucktard.
@50…
…since when does that motherfucker care about folks gettin laid off? THAT’s a new one!
Oh really rujax? Private medical records? Not my doctor or dentist!
Earlier yelling lost boy claimed I had no “evidence” of the WDS letter. Oopsie for the 195th time this year.
You change positions as fast as babies crap their diapers.
Moron!
79 – zzzzzZZZZzzzzzz.
You brought up “Obamacare”. Now it looks like it’s you who’s dropping the Obamacare bullshit.
Your full of shit fool.
Bullshit as usual from this asshole who as usual has NO CLUE. The fuckwit should check it out. It’s for real.
@81…add…
…the simpleton really thinks there’s privacy anywhere. How cute.
By the way, “medical malpractice reform” and “tort reform” don’t save society any money. They simply transfer the cost of a doctor’s negligence back to the victim.
But as long as a Republican isn’t bearing the cost, Republicans don’t mind. Until they become the victim. Then, listen to them howl!!!!