Republicans Start Attacking Democrats’ “Dying With Dignity” Message

[darrels joy]

Republicans Start Attacking Democrats’ “Dying With Dignity” Message




Posted by Erick Erickson (Profile)
Friday, July 24th at 2:49PM EDT
9 Comments
The Republicans are engaging on this front. Good for them.
Congressmen Boehner and McCotter released the following statement:

Section 1233 of the House-drafted legislation encourages health care providers to provide their Medicare patients with counseling on ‘the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration’ and other end of life treatments, and may place seniors in situations where they feel pressured to sign end of life directives they would not otherwise sign. This provision may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia if enacted into law. At a minimum this legislative language deserves a full and open public debate – the sort of debate that is impossible to have under the politically-driven deadlines Democratic leaders have arbitrarily set for enactment of a health care bill.

“This provision of the legislation is a throwback to 1977, when the old Department of Health Education and Welfare proposed federal promotion of living wills for cost-savings purposes described as ‘enormous.’ At that time, the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago decried this effort by saying: ‘The message is clear: government can save money by encouraging old people to die a little sooner than they otherwise would.

Instead of being regarded with reverence, and cherished, human life is subject in this view to a utilitarian cost-benefit calculus and can be sacrificed to serve fiscal policy and the sacred imperative of trimming a budget.’

“With three states having legalized physician-assisted suicide, this provision could create a slippery slope for a more permissive environment for euthanasia, mercy-killing and physician-assisted suicide because it does not clearly exclude counseling about the supposed benefits of killing oneself.

“Health care reform that fails to protect the sanctity and dignity of all human life is not reform at all.”

That’s exactly right. The Democrats can say all they want that they just want to improve comfort and save costs at the end of life, but their actual rhetoric suggests something more. Look to the example I posted earlier about Oregon.

A man who could not afford chemotherapy was told by the government that they’d help him commit suicide instead of helping him live.

It’s not hyperbole. It is already reality.
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/0...gnity-message/
__________________________________________________ ___

Rep. Tonko Aide — “. . . Solve the Prolonging of Life Issue”




Posted by Erick Erickson (Profile)
Friday, July 24th at 11:14AM EDT
11 Comments
It’s always great to hear liberals speak when they think no one is listening.
Rep. Paul Tonko is a freshman Democrat from Albany, NY. He’s a typical non-descript eastern machine politician who is a robot for Obama and Pelosi and doesn’t have too many original thoughts. Earlier this week one of his top aides was flying to Washington from the district. She was accompanied by what appeared to be a special interest Washington DC lobbyist, who probably came to Albany to attend some type of big money golf, gambling, and cigars fundraiser for Tonko.

Anyway, unbeknownst to them, a hero of the conservative movement sat quietly behind them. It was impossible to avoid listening to their boisterous conversation, and Tonko’s aide didn’t disappoint.

Naturally, most of the banter dealt with the health care bill, and here are a few of the gems:

The two were talking about whether Tonko would even be given time to read the bill. She told the lobbyist, “well he pays me to read it for him”.

“[The] costliest part [of the Obama healthcare bill] will be the physician’s rate cut,” she said. Lots of political capital is going to be spent to get that through.

And, for the crowning glory, the aide feels that “probably the best part of the bill is the increase in Hospice care which will solve the prolonging of life issue.”

This seems to prove the argument that the Obama bureaucrats will eventually decide who lives and who dies.

Remember, the Democrats have already put in their legislation a requirement for senior citizens to, every five years, learn how to die with dignity.

Also remember that hospice care is for the already terminally ill. So how will increasing hospice care funding solve “prolonging of life issues” unless the government is going to start putting people who are not terminally ill into hospice after they’ve had their mandatory “how to kill yourself” training.

Isn’t “hope and change” wonderful?

http://www.redstate.com/blog/2009/07...of-life-issue/

(They are already doing this in nursing homes. My mother was asked over & over if she wanted to sign a do not resesitate order until she said yes. I was not notified of the meeting even though I was her legal guardian, lived 3 blocks from the nursing home and was available. They would not change it when I found out and objected saying "she signed it". We had talked about this and she never wanted one. Joy)

[darrels joy]

"Highlights" from the Health Care Bill: Pages (1-500)


I just received a summary of the first five hundred pages of the health care bill. Here are some highlights.

Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure.

Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get

Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.

Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.

Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange

Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly.

Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.

Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payrol

Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll

Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected

Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.

Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.

Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.

Page 379: Creation of the Telehealth Advisory Committee

Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources,

Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates.

Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.

Read all the summary here.

http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/...ill-pages.html

[SuperScout]

So where's the Czar of Euthanasia? B.O. will really need one.....

Are you reading any of this gimpy? If Obamacare passes, you will be on the short list. Maybe with you last dying breath, you'll utter your regrets for having backed this socialist.

[Digital Beauty]

Several years ago my husband underwent a major life saving surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a long history of heart problems including 2 bypass surgeries, implanted cardioverter device (ICD) congestive heart failure etc. After his last bypass he was told there was a 98% blockage of his left main coronary artery, but at that time it was too risky to attempt. Several years later, medical science had progress to the point that the opening of this artery that makes a 90 degree turn at the center of the 98% blockage could be tried.
We were informed that his surgery was called the "Widow Maker" and the surgeon was open about it telling us that many do not survive it but he
thought he could do it. We argreed and it was a success that has already added about 4 years to his life. My point it, he had medical insurance through his work and with Tricare as a military retiree. However, we were told that was a good thing because if we only had medicare they would not even consider the operation. Too expensive. How sad that people live and die by the almighty dollar sign and those who believe they know best. An old saying I was taught as a child by my father was this.."When you are old remember that you were once a child and as a child remember one day you will be old too." May those who support this current legislation be reminded that they too will be old one day and their actions now will dictate THEIR medical as they age.... OK off my soap box for now... thank you for providing this forum to let me express my frustration

[SuperScout]

Don't worry about ranting, as many of us OF's are quite handy at it too! And what you wrote about "too expensive" is going to become the medical mantra if Obamacare gets passed into law, God forbid.

[reconeil]

Nonsense. Stay on your: "Soap box", DB.
If more of We Subjects did just that,...America would be a much less lordly & better place.

Still, I would rethink that: "Their actions will dictate THEIR medical as they age".

After all, you can bet your bippy that our Glorious Rulers (of whichever BENT) have infinitely
better & FREE and/or BEST U.S. Taxpayer Paid For Medical Coverage on earth.

None should believe that either TRICARE or Premium Paid for MEDICARE are near as good.

Though, I'll never understand why lately Officialdom & Press keep automatically lumping
Privately U.S. Citizen Premium Paid for MEDICARE together with: "We The (Schnook$)" and/or Public Paid For (for both Destitute Citizens & Illegals) MEDICAID. Why is that?

Neil