Archive for December, 2009

Sarah Palin right again on death panels…

Posted: December 23, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Our friends on the left continue to call it the “lie of the year” but for some reason these non-existent death panels are being protected by specific and extraordinary legislative language:

“it shall not be in order in the senate or the house of representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.”

What does that section deal with? The Independent Medicare Advisory Board. These guys are going to determine what will be covered and what will not, who will get treatment and who will not. Dare I say it a “death panel”?

Sarah Palin dares to say it. Explicitly:

In other words, Democrats are protecting this rationing “death panel” from future change with a procedural hurdle. You have to ask why they’re so concerned about protecting this particular provision. Could it be because bureaucratic rationing is one important way Democrats want to “bend the cost curve” and keep health care spending down?

The Congressional Budget Office seems to think that such rationing has something to do with cost. In a letter to Harry Reid last week, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf noted (with a number of caveats) that the bill’s calculations call for a reduction in Medicare’s spending rate by about 2 percent in the next two decades, but then he writes the kicker:

“It is unclear whether such a reduction in the growth rate could be achieved, and if so, whether it would be accomplished through greater efficiencies in the delivery of health care or would reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care.”

Though Nancy Pelosi and friends have tried to call “death panels” the “lie of the year,” this type of rationing – what the CBO calls “reduc[ed] access to care” and “diminish[ed] quality of care” – is precisely what I meant when I used that metaphor.

Amazing how this stuff that doesn’t exist keeps being propped up by the democrats in legislation. Her willingness to stand out front and say these things aloud is the primary reason why she is so hated and why she must be destroyed.

BTW look at google news, isn’t it odd that a a readers survey of a web site is being trumpeted as fact in paper after paper?

Jimmy Carter Apologizes to Israel!?!? Another Festivus Miracle!

Posted: December 23, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Here is a story I never expected to be reading:

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter has apologized to the American Jewish community for ‘stigmatizing Israel’ and asked for forgiveness for his actions, the JTA reported on Monday.

“We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive way to help Israel continue to improve its relations with its Arab populations, but we must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel,” Carter wrote in a letter to the JTA.

“As I would have noted at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but which is appropriate at any time of the year, I offer an Al Het for any words or deeds of mine that may have done so,” Carter wrote, referring to the prayer said on Yom Kippur in which Jews ask God for forgiveness for any sins.

As you know I’m a big fan of confession, but I’ve never expected this one.

Who says miracles can’t happen on this magic day of Festivus?

I guess he wanted to preempt the traditional airing of grievances but I as said last year, I have teenagers, every day is for the airing of grievances.

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate it and have a nice day to everyone else.

Update: I’m no expect of Jewish Theology but I know a bit about Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. I’m a bit bothered by the reactions on this thread where I found the Carter story. Remember the rules:

I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine

The next two verses are even more blunt:

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15

Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, the presence of one’s enemies will not make hell any more bearable.

Update 2: Speaking of grievances…

Isn’t that nice. Oh, in a not-at-all related story, Jimmy Carter’s grandson is running for Congress {incorrect see update 3 DTG} in a Georgia district that has a significant (at least for Georgia) Jewish population.

“Hey, I am really sorry for all that anti-Israel stuff I have been doing for years and years. I am also really sorry that I left that Holocaust thing out of my book on Israel and all the other things. Yeah, really sorry about that. Have you met my Grandson Jason, he is running for Congress and he really likes Jews.”

That gives an interesting twist to the story.

Update 3: Jumping in Pools says he is running for state senate rather than congress, Creative Minority report’s point remains. My thanks for the heads up and the correction. He did however leave his comment informing me of this at this post on St. Joseph instead of here.

Hey Chris the civil war is over and we won…

Posted: December 23, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech
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…so maybe you could drop the moral superiority business on the most Republican war ever fought that you had no part in fighting or winning 145 years ago.

Kathleen Parker pushed that smear herself back in August during an especially insulting segment on why Palin fares well in the south while Obama doesn’t, but it’s a treat to see it paired this time with a blind assertion that the disintegrating Democrats are the true party o’ the people.

In fairness I shouldn’t say “we” since my ancestors were all in Sicily but I’m a Massachusetts man and the monument in the center of my city is a Union monument and the graves on the hill are full of Union dead, so I’ll say “we” with that stipulation.

The south is part of the union. If we didn’t want the south in the union we would have let them go. If you are looking for bigots, you’d better pull out a mirror.

How big is this story?

Posted: December 22, 2009 by datechguy in local stuff, opinion/news
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I don’t know but I have a sneaking suspicion that what is not said in this story is even more significant than what is:

Mayor Lisa Wong directed the city solicitor to hire a consultant to investigate a wide-ranging array of issues inside the police department, according to a letter dated Sept. 14, 2009.

what kind of issues?

Included in the list is “the use or misuse of internal disciplinary personnel files,” as well as the “thoroughness and effectiveness of, internal affairs investigations of the conduct of police officers.”

She also said the investigation should focus on “to what extent officers, especially higher ranking officers, have by action or inaction interfered with or otherwise impeded the effective management and administration of the department by the Chief of Police,” and “whether the conduct of any officer violated the Police Department Rules and Regulations, the Police Manual, and/or the General Orders of Policies and Procedures of the Fitchburg Police Department.”

I’ve talked about the problems our city has with gangs and drugs. Is there more than meets the eye? We will find out.

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