How come all the righties against health care reform who tell me to “read the bill” — very obviously haven’t read “the bill”?
For that matter, they seem unaware that there isn’t any one “bill” but several versions of bills floating around in Congress at the moment. However, the one being referred to as “the bill” is H.R. 3200, which I believe is the only version that’s advanced enough to have been published. It’s on the Thomas Library of Congress website.
The charge is that in last night's speech President Obama was lying about illegal immigrants not getting free health care. Rep. Wilson heckled the President on this point, and today a number of rightiebots are marching around saying “Obama lied read the bill … Obama lied read the bill… Obama lied read the bill.” Etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you this bit from H.R. 3200:
SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.
So if H.R. 3200 is “the bill,” then it was Wilson who lied, not Obama.
Recently the Annenberg “Fact Check” site published “Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200,” which answers a viral email being spread by health care reform opponents. It’s a good resource. Of course, there’s nothing better than finding the precise wording in “the bill” itself to show the “read the bill” crowd that they ought to read the bleeping bill.
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Comments
Claire McCaskil said something very about the Democratic majority last night..she pointed out that the moderate Republicans voted out, in those borderline blue/red states and districts voted in moderate Democrats.
So we've gained a bunch of conservative Dems but the Republicans lost more than elections, they lost their bearings, their balance. And now the Republicans are dominated by the extreme right and we all know the extreme right are completely around the bend.
They're not interested in working with anyone, only in bringing the left down any way they can. Witness this past month, with even normally reasonable Republicans stating the most heinous lies and exaggerations.
Can anyone guarantee that some illegal immigrants won't be able to scam the system? Of course not. But, dear, have you ever heard the phrase "cutting off your nose to spite your face"? To allow millions of Americans to go without health care, causing the deaths of an estimated 18,000 a year, driving hundreds of thousands into bankruptcy and hardship, because we begrudge some illegal aliens who might be able to scam the system and get a benefit they aren't supposed to get -- we are just hurting ourselves and strangling our country. This meanness coming from the Right, and people like you, is hurting all of us.
Deborah had an opinion and you went out of your way to smear her.
Stay classy.
I only point out to jerks they are being jerks.
Deborah had an opinion and you went out of your way to smear her.
Deborah smeared herself. It's attitudes like hers that are destroying America, and that is not hyperbole. That ugliness is killing people. It's tearing apart families. It's making children go hungry. It's tearing our country apart. I stand up to the ugliness whenever I see it, because not standing up to it is letting the thugs win.
And if you don't like my comments, you can stay away. I won't miss you.
Barbara O'Brien's comment, "To allow millions of Americans to go without health care, causing the deaths of an estimated 18,000 a year, driving hundreds of thousands into bankruptcy and hardship, because we begrudge some illegal aliens who might be able to scam the system and get a benefit they aren't supposed to get..." is an eloquent, humane response.