Sam Graves' not-so-surprising talking points leaked to press
Barb ShellyIf you call the office of U.S. Congressman Sam Graves about the health care ruling, you are likely to hear that:
—The mandate is considered a tax and Republicans will work to repeal this egregious tax along with the entire law.
—Republicans have already voted 29 times to repeal all or part of Obamacare since 2010.
— The law’s price tag has doubled since enactment (well over $1 Trillion), only further adding to our long term debt problems.
— This law robbed Medicare to help pay for other parts of the law at the expense of our seniors, bringing the program closer to insolvency.
—Sam Graves will not stand for this huge expansion of government power over an individual’s health care decisions regardless of its constitutionality.
Melissa Roe, chief of staff for the Missouri Republican, sent these talking points out to staffers who will be answering the phones. She also included a Kansas City Star reporter on the e-mail list.
The e-mail is pretty much boilerplate Republican thoughts about the health care reform law. It notes, for instance, that “Once ObamaCare is fully repealed, we will not rush into the same mistakes made by the Democrats. It would be an opportunity to get health care reform right, and we should take the time to do so.” (Which probably means forever.)
What’s interesting about the memo is its implicit acknowledgement that some of the reforms in the Affordable Care Act are popular and even working.
Staffers are to inform people that “the so-called ‘adult children’ mandate will increase costs for the average family by $151-$452 per year. However, many insurers will voluntarily offer coverage to people up to age 26 on their parents’ plan even if this provision is repealed.”
Should anyone inquire about accountable care organizations — essentially groups of health providers that get paid to make people healthy instead of for ordering procedures — staffers are to note that Congressman Graves likes these in theory, just not the way they are set forth in the Affordable Care Act.
The memo concludes: “The theme to all of this is we agree with reforms and some of the policies included in the bill but Democrats are committed to this ‘one size fits all’, (federal) government knows best mentality.”
Anything else you want to know, phone Congressman Graves.
Mark Hastert
11 months, 3 weeks ago“When the death panel says your too old to get treatment, remember this day, and weep.”
Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/sam-graves-not-so-surprising-talking-points-leaked-press/#storylink=cpy
Wow, there’s a blast from the past. Is that all ya got?
Kent Mueller
11 months, 3 weeks agoMark, which time do you think Obama was lying? When he insisted it was a tax? Or, when he insisted it wasn’t a tax?
Mark Hastert
11 months, 3 weeks ago” which time do you think Obama was lying? When he insisted it was a tax? Or, when he insisted it wasn’t a tax”
Read more here: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/sam-graves-not-so-surprising-talking-points-leaked-press/#storylink=cpy
As you must know by now (it’s been in all the papers) it’s Justice Robert’s opinion that counted. Frankly besides Grover & Co nobody cares. That’s just inside baseball for the Tea Party to get their depends in a twist.
Kent Mueller
11 months, 3 weeks agoMark, the SC ruling is what it is, and it stands. But your guy has lied about tax to the American people over and over. He changed his definition to fit where he was in the election cycle and where he was on the court’s docket.
Jay Carney was back to calling it a penalty today. They haven’t been flip flopping, they have been lying. It’s the old liberal end justifying the means.
So, my question remains, Mark, which time was he lying?
Rick Adams
11 months, 3 weeks agoMark,
You know what surprised everyone - it was that the Supreme Court called it a tax and as such said that it was Constitutional. Up until then no lower court had phrased or approved it as a tax, nor had the arguments been attempted to be made that it was a tax.
So your comment that “your guy” lied .. it was the SC who changed the definition.
And sir, I can’t imagine a better way to describe why we are in the pickle is your use of “your guy”.
Can’t you tolerate a Black Man being your president ?
24 hours a day you and many others ( go check out www.politicalchips.org for the local I-vaguely-hide-my-hate-of-black-people.com group ) try to screw with ANYTHING he tries to do. You’d probably turn down free sensual pleasure from the Victorias Secrets Angeles if they were sent by the President. And it is as plain as the nose on your face.
Mark Robertson
11 months, 3 weeks agoNobody cares. Right. Earth to M. Hastert. And Sarah Palin was, as usual, so right about the death panels. Just ask Britain’s disastrous and deadly National Health Service(Obama’s former Medicare czar loves the NHS) The governors should not allow Obamacare into their states, as they have the right to do. If the feds come in and try to st up these Soviet exchanges, the governors should call out the National Guard. Our country, and thus our freedom is on the line. President Bush so messed up when he didn’t name the great Antonin Scalia as Chief Justice. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Mark Robertson
11 months, 3 weeks agoOh those “boilerplate” Republican talking points, better known as facts. How dare the Republicans deal in facts when talking about the utopian Obamacare. Free health care for everyone. It’s so lovely. So what if the U.S. has over 100 trillion in unfunded liabilities, and so what if Obama and company lied about the cost of Obamacare and being able to keep are existing insurance, and about the fact that Obamacare mandate will be a tax. What are a few lies when it comes to destroying our health care system and country. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence