The Respectfully Republican Conversation

Anonymous

I am going to go have ice cream --- Barocky Road.

vivre

As if there is not enough bad news to worry about today:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/02/the_bureaucratic_coup_targetin.html

Paulette531

Damn Rock...now you made me want ice cream...so I guess I will have some DECADENT chocolate peanut butter! From Marble Slab no less! LOL!

Anonymous

Well, I heard that thing too about the Gitmo detainee ... if its true, then that part is bad but the other things he alleges -- playing rock music, naked women coming in to his room ... well, teenage boys would be envious!!  I say that tongue in cheek, I don't know the details of what crimes he committed or may have committed ... I leave that to them.

But I researched this Charlie Daniel's article ..it's true ... you can view it on his site, Charlie's Soapbox, and Snopes says it's true and there are many other verified sources saying the same thing:

The Straight Scoop

I've just returned from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Naval Air Station base where we did three shows for the troops and toured several locations around the post visiting with some of the finest military personnel on planet earth. The kids seemed to really enjoy the shows and especially liked "This Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag" and "In America". We had a great time with them. We saw Camp X-Ray, where the Taliban detainees are being held only from a distance, but I picked up a lot of what's going on there from talking with a lot of different people. The truth of the matter is that this operation is under a microscope. The Red Cross has an on site presence there and watches everything that goes on very closely. The media is not telling you the whole truth about what's going on over there. The truth is that these scum bags are not only being treated humanely, but they are probably better off healthwise and medically than they've ever been in their lives They are fed well, able to take showers and receive state of the art medical care. And have their own Moslem chaplain. I saw several of them in a field hospital ward where they were being treated in a state of the art medical facility.

Now let's talk about the way they treat our people. First of all, they have to be watched constantly. These people are committed and wanton murderers who are willing to die just to kill someone else. One of the doctors told me that when they had Taliban in the hospital the staff had to really be careful with needles, pens and anything else which could possibly be used as a weapon. They also throw their excrement and urine on the troops who are guarding them. And our guys and gals have shown great restrain in not retaliating. We are spending over a million dollars a day maintaining and guarding these nasty killers and anyone who wants to see them brought to the U.S.A. for trial is either out of their heads or a lawyer looking for money and notoriety. Or both. I wish that the media and the Red Cross and all the rest of the people who are so worried about these criminals would realize that this is not a troop of errant Boy Scouts. These are killers of the worst kind. They don't need protection from us, we need protection from them.

If you don't get anything else out of this soapbox, please try to realize that when you see news coverage much of the time you're not getting the whole story, but an account filtered through a liberal mindset with an agenda. We have two fights on our hands, the war against terror and the one against the loudmouthed lawyers and left wing media who would sap the strength from the American public by making us believe that we're losing the war or doing something wrong in fighting it. Remember these are the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein's Republican guard was going to be an all but invincible enemy and that our smart bombs and other weapons were not really as good as the military said that they were. They also took up for Bill Clinton while he was cavorting around the Oval office with Monica Lewinsky while the terrorists were gaining strength and bombing our Embassies and dragging the bodies of dead American heroes around the dusty streets of Somalia. It's a shame that we can't have an unbiased media who would just report the truth and let us make up our own minds.

Here I must commend Fox News for presenting both sides much better than the other networks. They are leaving the other cable networks in the dust. People like being told the truth. Our military not only needs but deserves our support. Let's give it to them. The next time you read a media account about the bad treatment of the Taliban in Cuba, remember what I told you. Been there done that.

Footnote: I got an e-mail from a rather irate first cousin of mine the other day who has a daughter who's a lawyer and she seemed to think that I was painting all lawyers with the same brush. Please understand that I'm not doing that at all. That would be like saying that all musicians were drug addicts. There are a lot of good and honest attorneys out there. I happen to have one of them. But it seems that they never get any airtime. It's always the radicals who get their opinions heard. Who fight the idea of the military tribunals and site The Constitution and the integrity of America as their source of justifying their opinions. Well, first of all The Constitution says " We the people of the United States", it doesn't mention any other country. And secondly as far as integrity is concerned, I don't think some of these folks would know integrity if it bit them in the posterior.

What do you think?

God Bless America
Charlie Daniels

Paulette531

Cool...I love Charlie Daniels, I saw him in concert in Hawaii with Willie Nelson...awesome concert!

moodyk13

It is my hubby in my avatar.  I was afraid to put the pic of me and ibc up cuz Cam would beat me up.  Nothing worse than a cat fight between bc sisters.

Anonymous

I'm sad - you all like me.

Anonymous

We don't like you ONE bit!  You're done!   Skinny butt syndrome!

--------

I see Subway is going to yank Michael Phelps endorsement.
Personally think Subway is being very short-sighted and narrow-minded.

And they're missing out on a major marketing ploy.
Use the photo of Phelps' bong-toking. and say = "Got the munchies? Head for Subway! "

..I guess he could still qualify to be President of the United States after organizing maybe some swimming lessons for the community.

Anonymous

Thank you Rock - I am SO glad you don't like me...But EVERYONE else likes me...that is sad... OH WELL....

ijl

daisy,

Are you a fan of 24 ? My husband and I just learned of this show last week. We already watched the first season and are in the process of watching the second season.  This is sooooo addictive. It also takes our mind off Obama and his failed policies.

ibcspouse

Laura,

The fact that you are another super thin blonde hottie does not engender any hate on my part....The fact that you have a Super hot set of wheels with a dyno tested custom balanced and blueprinter engine....chaps my a##

Where is the good laura...the one who tried to join on Shokk's night out(of her mind)

Anonymous

ooohhhhhh I must think about that one.... yikes.... that's a mouthful... hmmmmm..dyno...well...hey...that's what  the goat is all about!

Anonymous

Here is is 11:47 and I suppose I am again alone.   Never got caught up just kept posting. Laura, I wasn't trying to make you get back to the topic at hand.  I was just PI$$ED off!  Just can't understand why......

You guys are too funny.  Did YA'LL get drunk after listening to the prez.  He was so cotton picking boring.  I SO agreed with O'Reilly.  I can't figure out why some of his guests thought he (the prez) did a pretty good job at his first press conference.  I was screaming at the TV...yelling..telling him he had not even READ the darned bill...that the repubs were not trying to be hard to get along with..they just did NOT agree with this porked up bill...and yelled at him to stop blaming Bush for our economy...blame his own freaking party and ACORN....blame youself prez for training ACORN...blame dems who thought Freddie and Fannie were doing just fine...and ACORN who muscled their way into banks intimidating them to loan to "poor" people.  I was soooooo bored.  He was so long winded answering questions.  Oh, and why would he mention anything about Japan's economy back in the '90s.  They're doing what we about to do and it hurt instead of help.  Idiot!  Sorry.  Shouldn't call prezes names. 

Now I'll try to catch up on reading MORE pages.  You guys have been back here posting.  On top of getting a late start my phone rings and darn I can't continue reading.  It's late so the phone will NOT ring. 

Well, I'm rambled on enough..that's what happens when you're talking to yourself.

Shirley

Anonymous

BTW, IBC, love that beautiful avatar.

Anonymous

I don't understand how ACORN is going to get jobs or re-organizing the districts?  How did that end up in the bill?????

ibcspouse

Any bets...Alcorn will be getting the census jobs...I think the talk was 25 dollars and hour per counter..so they can count mickey mouse thousands of times...

Anonymous

I'm on 254 and LMBO!  I wasn't laughing at 8 PM.

IBC, love your directions on how to make mashed cauliflower...do not peel....LOL  And I agree..sucking up to Iran.  Is this man nuts or what?  The Iranian prez (can't pronounce or spell his name) has told PBHO or is it Barry S. (?) to apologize and close all the bases around the world.  Now, if that's a reasonable man......

Vivre, had to drink some virgin bloody Marys while watching HIM.

Diane, I stayed home with my kids too.  I think in that stimulus package they should be giving people who didn't work disability if they are too sick to work NOW!    After all, I heard you can quit your job, stay home and take care of a sick person (in this stimulus) and draw unemployment.  Wonder how many times that system will be worked over!  I guess it'll create the job the person left. 

shokk

Well first of all did not get to see any of House..........Hugh Laurie is alright................Daisy at least you got to see most of 24..........

Hey Russia one would think that it would be easier to be a liberal and it probably would be with the jet setters and all the really cool people and plus it is more politically correct but I found it to be very difficult........just not in my soul...........

Ok guys I did not see any of the speech and only heard just a sentence or two..........watched Reba with my youngest daughter........oh yeaaah............

Have not listen to Fox news or anything tonight............I just have this feeling we are sc***ed and I don't want to watch it while it happens..........

Mr. Spouse Mrs. Spouse is just beautiful.....has that Audrey Hepburn thing going on..........

And of course cannot leave out Moody.........yes your guy is very handsome..........my my my aren't we just a beautiful couple with unusually good looking kids..........hmmmmmm........Moody bet you have never had a speeding ticket in your life.........

Vivre actually I don't drink............well I did have a glass of Bailey's when I heard about DebC passing........she really liked it and had a toast in her honor............I am going to need those French lessons.........come to think of it I want to learn to cuss in French...........you can teach me that right?

Shirley I sure wish you would share more............you keep things too bottle up...........actually I know Obama is probably not good for your blood pressure but if it weren't for him we wouldn't have you..........and your posts..............and your emotions..........and your spit fire..........and of course for all of us the way you use "colorful" words..........it keeps this thread interesting.........

Rocky please don't say the word ACORN............what a load of crap............that is one word that makes my blood boil.......by the time they get through with the census there will be not one Republican district anywhere in the Country............

Good night everyone...........Shokk

saluki

Ah--You mean House wasn't on? My Tivo was not on the fritz----It's set to record House weekly- but no recording took place tonight.------

Westminster was much better for my blood pressure than watching Obama's news conference.

Shokk- Ditto about ACORN

vivre

My paint dried very nicely tonight. How was your evening? Now I am off to bed and hope that I will wake up from this socialist nightmare. Where is RipVanWinkle when you need him. I would like to sleep for about 4 years. And then wake up blond so Mr spouse would fuss about how beautiful I am. But I know I would just be totally gray!

Anonymous

Rocky, who knows what's in that bill.  After PBHO's (Barry) first four years are done lets see if he says, "I screwed up."  Nah, he won't say that.  He'll remind us again and again that he inherited Bush's economy.  He needs to take a look at what President Reagan did after inheriting Jimmy Carter's mess.

I think it's passed my bedtime.  Way past my bedtime.

Anonymous

One more...I loved Lindsey Graham the other day.  HE'S ANGRY and BARBARA BOXER stuck her nose in...if you haven't seen this it's worth the 3 minutes.  Wish we had more like him!  But what does he know?  He's just a southern redneck.

Lindsey Graham tears into Babara Boxer 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vO3cXBkbg&feature=related

Daffodil

Scotties may have left the Whte House, but not Westminster: Sadie, Best of Terrier Group!! Announcer said she was wearing the lead of...and DH switched back to Closer. I was hoping to hear the lead belonged to the reporter-nipping Barney!!! (Meeting Barney as a pup was the closest I came to the Bushes!)

Daffodil

Doctors' Opinion of Financial Bail-Out Package:

The Allergists voted to scratch it, and the

Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the

Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve, and the

Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. The

Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted. The

Pathologists yelled, 'Over my dead body!' while the

Pediatricians said, 'Oh, grow up!' The

Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, the

Radiologists could see right through it, and the

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The

Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the

Plastic Surgeons said, 'This puts a whole new face on the matter.' The

Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the

Urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water. The

Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the

Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no. In the end, the

Proctologists left the decision up to some assholes in Washington.

Anonymous

...the Oncologists wanted to nuke it.

saluki

I had read yesterday about why Daschle was so important to Obama's Health plan

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey
Commentary by Betsy McCaughey

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

New Penalties

Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties.  “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)

What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the “tough” decisions elected politicians won’t make.

The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being more willing to accept “hopeless diagnoses” and “forgo experimental treatments,” and he chastises Americans for expecting too much from the health-care system.

Elderly Hardest Hit

Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost- effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464).

The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle’s book. This board approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis.

In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.

Hidden Provisions

If the Obama administration’s economic stimulus bill passes the Senate in its current form, seniors in the U.S. will face similar rationing. Defenders of the system say that individuals benefit in younger years and sacrifice later.

The stimulus bill will affect every part of health care, from medical and nursing education, to how patients are treated and how much hospitals get paid. The bill allocates more funding for this bureaucracy than for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force combined (90-92, 174-177, 181).

Hiding health legislation in a stimulus bill is intentional. Daschle supported the Clinton administration’s health-care overhaul in 1994, and attributed its failure to debate and delay. A year ago, Daschle wrote that the next president should act quickly before critics mount an opposition. “If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it,” he said. “The issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol.”

More Scrutiny Needed

On Friday, President Obama called it “inexcusable and irresponsible” for senators to delay passing the stimulus bill. In truth, this bill needs more scrutiny.

The health-care industry is the largest employer in the U.S. It produces almost 17 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. Yet the bill treats health care the way European governments do: as a cost problem instead of a growth industry. Imagine limiting growth and innovation in the electronics or auto industry during this downturn. This stimulus is dangerous to your health and the economy.

(Betsy McCaughey is former lieutenant governor of New York and is an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. The opinions expressed are her own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Betsy McCaughey at Betsymross@aol.com
Last Updated: February 9, 2009 00:01 EST

suzfive

This is scary - for all of us - this needs to be taken out of the final bill:

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey
Email | Print | A A A

Commentary by Betsy McCaughey

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama's stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill's health rules will affect "every individual in the United States" (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and "guide" your doctor's decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis." According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and "learn to operate less like solo practitioners."

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

New Penalties

Hospitals and doctors that are not "meaningful users" of the new system will face penalties.  "Meaningful user" isn't defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose "more stringent measures of meaningful use over time" (511, 518, 540-541)

What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the "tough" decisions elected politicians won't make.

The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle's book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being more willing to accept "hopeless diagnoses" and "forgo experimental treatments," and he chastises Americans for expecting too much from the health-care system.

Elderly Hardest Hit

Daschle says health-care reform "will not be pain free." Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective. The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost- effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464).

The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed in Daschle's book. This board approves or rejects treatments using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for younger patients are more often approved than treatments for diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis.

In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to save the other eye. It took almost three years of public protests before the board reversed its decision.

Hidden Provisions

If the Obama administration's economic stimulus bill passes the Senate in its current form, seniors in the U.S. will face similar rationing. Defenders of the system say that individuals benefit in younger years and sacrifice later.

The stimulus bill will affect every part of health care, from medical and nursing education, to how patients are treated and how much hospitals get paid. The bill allocates more funding for this bureaucracy than for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force combined (90-92, 174-177, 181).

Hiding health legislation in a stimulus bill is intentional. Daschle supported the Clinton administration's health-care overhaul in 1994, and attributed its failure to debate and delay. A year ago, Daschle wrote that the next president should act quickly before critics mount an opposition. "If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it," he said. "The issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol."

More Scrutiny Needed

On Friday, President Obama called it "inexcusable and irresponsible" for senators to delay passing the stimulus bill. In truth, this bill needs more scrutiny.

The health-care industry is the largest employer in the U.S. It produces almost 17 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. Yet the bill treats health care the way European governments do: as a cost problem instead of a growth industry. Imagine limiting growth and innovation in the electronics or auto industry during this downturn. This stimulus is dangerous to your health and the economy.

(Betsy McCaughey is former lieutenant governor of New York and is an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. The opinions expressed are her own.)

suzfive

Oops Susie beat me to it

shokk

Sherri I don't think it is because the viewers like us..........I think they stop by to put voodoo curses on us.............ha.........but it is always good when someone new stops by and posts.......

Ok guys thanks to Rush we know now what is in the stimulus package concerning the concept of "national health care" system..........with a chapter out of Dachule's book on reforming health care that as the American population ages we need to accept our fate as growing older and not to be going to the doctor for age related illnesses.........WTH?..........and also for health were there is no cure i.e. (stage 1V cancer)...........this is not good for us with dealing with poor health.........I hope everyone is reading.....finally something has made the news.........thanks to talk radio........going to see what I can find...........later Shokk

suzfive

No one knows it's in there - that is why PBO wants it passed so quickly - before it is called to someones attention. I am going to e-mail my senator, Senator Feingold - he is a Dem but a good one and actually listens to his constituents. He voted No on the TARP. I will also e-mail my congressman to see if they can get this out of there. The electronic records part is okay, but not the rest.

My dad is 89 and WAS a die-hard Obama fan. Talked to him on the phone yesterday and the first thing he said was "I don't want to talk about politics". Usually, he would say something about Obama - how wonderful he was - hmmm - think he is having second thoughts.