"Mike Lee Did Not Just Say What Mike Lee Just Said"

Years ago, the Utah Jazz had a player named Carlos Boozer.  When Boozer was signed as a free agent, he was touted as the next Karl Malone.

For those who aren't familiar, Malone was a two-time NBA Most Valuable player, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, multiple-time All Star, and was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame.  A statue of him currently sits outside the Jazz's arena.

Boozer fell far short of those expectations.  Unlike Malone, who missed very few games during his time in Utah, Boozer was oft0injured, and usually missed large chunks of the season while injured.  When he did play, his play was lackluster at best, especially on the defensive end.He was already disliked among the Utah fan base by the time he gave this comment to a Miami radio station:

"I'm going to get paid, no matter what." He also ensued the he would get a significant pay raise the next time he signed a contract.  Talking about getting paid for doing a bad job, or not even doing your job, seems like a bad idea.

Fast forward to 2013.  Utah's Senator Mike Lee, whose insistence on stopping ObamaCare by any means necessary has led to many government agencies being shut down, with their employees being out of work.  Many "essential" employees are working, but not getting paychecks.  Imagine how they felt when they read this:

KUTV's Chris Jones asked the senator if he would give up his pay during the shutdown, Lee responded, "Uh.  I don't."  Jones continued, "you will continue to be paid, right?"  The senator responded, "I'm working, I'll continue to be paid."

"I'm working, I'll continue to get paid."  Wow.  So, even though you caused thousands to go without paychecks, caused millions more to cancel or significantly alter travel plans, at great cost to the Utah and National economy, not to mention those who rely on government services to eat to do without, you refuse to give up even a few days' pay?

Than again, we all know Mike Lee didn't know he'd be taking a pay cut to go from Lobbyist to Senator. 

But, Mike Lee's office said that Mike Lee intended to give his missed salary to charity (a nice gesture, but he gets a tax write-off for that, anyway).  They also said that Mike Lee didn't really say that he'd be getting paid.

So, KUTV posted the entire raw interview to prove that he did, in fact, say what he said.

Mike Lee didn't like getting filmed during the campaign.  I'm sure it was because he might say something he didn't really say.

Maybe Mike Lee needs to stop talking. 

-Bob

Jim Matheson: It's Official(ly over)

Dear Congressman Matheson:

I received your email today asking me to donate to your campaign, since Mia Love just announced she is going to run against you again next year.

With all due respect, Congressman, I'm starting to think that maybe having Mia be our congresswoman wouldn't be so bad, because on my number one issue, you and Mia have the exact same opinion.

On Thursday, you sent me an email saying that you once again voted for the repeal of ObamaCare.  In fact, you said that you have always voted for the repeal of ObamaCare.  You said that ObamaCare is a flawed bill.

On that, I agree.  However, ObamaCare is an improvement over what we would have if the numerous attempts to repeal the bill were successful.

Furthermore, YOU have the ability to fix ObamaCare.  So far, I have seen exactly ZERO proposals from you to fix ObamaCare.  Well, other than just repeal.

Yes, you are only one of 435 Congressmen.  However, one of the glories of Congress is that ANY Congressman can propose a bill.

Yet, you don't.

You have seniority.  You've been in Congress since 2001.  That's longer than any other current Representative from Utah.  In fact, only 119 Congresspeople have been there longer than you.  That means you have more seniority than 73% of Congress.

So, where's your proposal?  How are you going to fix the problem?

Congressman Matheson, I want to like you.  I'm a moderate Democrat.  I voted for you in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010.  In fact, in 2010, I voted for you 3 times -- at convention, in a primary, and in the general election.  In 2012, I was redistricted out of your district, but I told every friend I could that lived in your district why they should vote for you instead of Mia Love.  My voting for you predates my being a Democrat.  I've thrown money your way several times.  I've defended you.  I've overlooked some of your other votes.  I've overlooked your refusal to hold real town halls and talk to your constituents.

But, that's over.  Until you step up, show some leadership, and propose a solution, we're officially over.  No money, no volunteering, no defending you to my more liberal (or conservative) friends.

In fact, when friends in the Fourth District ask me if they should vote for in next year's congressional race, my answer will be simple:

It doesn't really matter, because my health and well being doesn't really matter to either candidate.

-Bob

Republicans: Let's fight the individual mandate by electing the guy who passed an individual mandate

Sometimes, Republican logic is so illogical.

A Conservative's Op-Ed For Health Care

As published in the Ogden Standard-Examiner. Bold provided by me.

As an American and a resident of Weber County, I salute President Obama, Sen. Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for pushing the health care reform bill through the legislative process. Until the administration of George W. Bush, I was an avid Republican and served in the Reagan and Bush (senior) administrations as a political appointee. But I will not allow Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh to define conservatism for me, nor will I accept the half-truths and invectives with which they pollute the airways.

Those who listen to these hate-mongers should realize that they have become millionaires by peddling the views they do. I recall Limbaugh frequently stating that he hoped Obama would fail. That is tantamount to wishing America would fail for Obama is our freely elected president.

What has happened to civility in this country? I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did. I consider myself an American, not a Utahn. I served 23 years in the United States Air Force and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance to one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

For as long as he is president, I will respect the office of president and the person who occupies it. It is pure hypocrisy or worse for those who legislate (many, if not most of whom are millionaires) to try to deny basic insurance coverage to middle- and lower-class Americans. We must understand that each member of the House of Representatives and each senator -- Republican and Democrat -- has health insurance with the major portion of their premiums being paid by the taxpayer. I know because I having worked in the government also have such a policy. Where is the "justice for all" in this?

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation would extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade. If realized, the expansion of coverage would include 95 percent of all eligible individuals under age 65.

For the first 10 years, it will cost about $100 billion a year. This is about the yearly cost of the Iraq War. Why is providing health care to Americans less desirable than invading and fighting a protracted war in a country far away that did not threaten us?

Republicans constantly assert that we will pay more taxes. Wait a minute. Who will pay more taxes? Not people in my income bracket! In fact, we may well see tax relief. Those who will be taxed more are families whose income exceeds $250,000 annually or singles whose income is at $200,000. Why do those who claim we will pay more taxes never mention these details?

The insurance industry, which spent millions on advertising trying to block the bill, would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill. Does the ordinary citizen understand that CEOs of insurance companies make millions of dollars every year? Some make as much as $24 million a year. Is this what we mean by free enterprise?

Never in the more than 15 years that I have resided in Europe have I met a person who wanted to trade their health care system for ours. I had a hip replacement performed in Germany. The procedure was no different or the care less than that I received for a like operation at McKay-Dee in Ogden.

It is disingenuous to say that we will receive inferior care under the legislation that Obama has signed. It is equally devious to cite horror cases from England or Canada. We have enough of our own. And it is simply wrong to call this socialized medicine knowing that people tend to associate socialism with communism.

Finally, my religious faith believes that governments are instituted of God for the good of the people -- all people, not just the rich and privileged! We are often reminded of our duty to care for the less fortunate. I therefore find it odd that the residents of this state are so anti-Obama.

West Haven resident Lynn M. Hansen received a B.A. from Utah State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Appointed ambassador by President Reagan, he served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and later with the CIA as vice-chairman of the National Ingelligence Council. He recently returned from Hamburg, Germany, where he served as LDS mission president.

Matheson: Health Care Reform Needs More Work

Editorial from Congressman Jim Matheson, printed in the Salt Lake Tribune April 4, 2010:

During my time in Congress, there may have been only a handful of issues that have captured people's attention and generated as much passionate debate as health care. For the last year, our country has been engaged in an intense conversation about how important health care reform is and about how important it is to get it right.
I certainly respect the passion that is out there, and the emotion around the health care issue. It affects everyone so personally, including me. Now, after so much debate, a new health care policy has been signed into law. The emotions remain and I hold out great hope that more work can be done on reform.
Ever-rising costs and growing ranks of the uninsured illustrate why health care reform is needed.
There are policies in the new law we all embrace. Now, in our country, people will not be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. That is a blessing to so many. Now, in our country, more children and young adults will have coverage. For so many families, that will mean peace of mind.
However I want to be clear about a critically important goal that still remains. After all the wrangling, the new law is too expensive, contains too many special deals, does not do enough to contain health care costs and -- according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Actuary -- will result in increases in health insurance premiums for many Utahns. For those reasons and others, I could not support the bill.
Controlling rising health care costs, increasing quality and value and improving access to health care and to affordable health insurance coverage are critically important to me. But the wrong kind of reform -- which increases health care costs for individuals and for large and small employers -- does not accomplish those goals.
I rolled up my sleeves during this debate. I spent hours in health care hearings. I have met with White House officials and congressional leadership for hours to work toward language that would not just lower the growth of costs, but drive down costs to consumers. I have talked with thousands of Utahns about health care reform in general and this legislation in particular and in important areas it falls short. It does not come close to eliminating Medicare's long-term budget deficit.
Special deals benefiting Louisiana, Tennessee, Connecticut and Montana were left in the bill, benefits that were not extended to other states. The pilot programs for medical malpractice reform don't help doctors who are forced to practice defensive medicine, nor patients who are trapped in a dysfunctional system where 54 cents of every malpractice awarded dollar go to pay legal fees. The bloat and waste contributing to the fact that we spend 50 percent more on health care than the next industrialized country -- while our medical outcomes are merely average -- isn't addressed.
You might think these concerns are too pessimistic, until you look at what has already happened in the case of one state that opted to implement increased coverage without implementing reforms to rein in the high cost of health care.
It has been three and a half years since Massachusetts enacted bipartisan legislation to provide health care coverage to nearly all state residents. It imposed an individual mandate for the purchase of health insurance.
Since its inception, 430,000 people have gained coverage -- a good thing. However, Massachusetts did not enact reforms to address rising health care costs.
Since then, the demand for care -- particularly in medically underserved communities -- has increased. But escalating health care costs are already preventing some newly-insured residents from getting care. In fact, one in five residents went without needed care in the past year because of cost. People with disabilities and those in poor health experienced the greatest barriers. Also, Massachusetts now suffers from some of the worst primary care wait times in the country, despite having the highest concentration of doctors nationwide.
One state health plan and its hospital -- Cambridge Hospital -- had some HIV and Hodgkin's lymphoma patients experience an interruption in their care because they couldn't afford increased co-payments. In Massachusetts, growth in health care costs has compromised the effort to provide health insurance coverage.
While it is important that a means be found to enable everyone (including those who are currently uninsured) to be able to afford health insurance, achieving that goal cannot occur at the expense of people who are presently insured. The challenge of reforming our health care system -- especially cost containment -- still confronts us.
The passion around this debate is important. We need robust debate to make good policy and I embrace those difficult conversations. A year of debate is a long time, but there is a decade of work ahead to move this policy to a place where it can meet the ultimate goal of increasing coverage and lowering costs to Americans.

Matheson: Hard To Argue With 64% Approval

Basically, I'm link dumping here, but Jim Matheson has the highest approval rating of any of our congresscritters:

Name Approve Disapprove Don't know
President Barack Obama 30% 69% 1%
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 21% 72% 7%
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid 25% 55% 20%
Senator Orrin Hatch 64% 30% 6%
Senator Bob Bennett 54% 37% 9%
Congressman Rob Bishop 48% 18% 34%
Congressman Jim Matheson 64% 27% 9%
Congressman Jason Chaffetz 55% 21% 24%
Source: Dan Jones Poll for KSL/Deseret News Margin of error: +/- 6.5%

The poll also asked about aspects of the health care bill:

Reform Agree Disagree Don't know
Pre-existing conditions covered 76% 22% 2%
Coverage for 36 million uninsured 49% 48% 3%
Americans required to have insurance 42% 57% 1%
Exchange to shop and compare policies 77% 21% 2%
Reduce out-of-pocket prescription costs 73% 23% 4%
Source: Dan Jones Poll for KSL/Deseret News Margin of error: +/- 6.5%

Overall Congressional Democrats' Health Insurance Reform Plan
Favor Oppose Don't know
30% 67% 3%
Source: Dan Jones Poll for KSL/Deseret News Margin of error: +/- 6.5%

Why I asked Jim Matheson to vote AGAINST health care

Yes, I still support health care reform. However, this does nothing to help the situation of many who do not have health care.

Instead, it mandates that we buy health insurance, at the price the insurance companies want to charge. And, since they know we have to buy it, they will charge whatever they want.

This is a bad bill that does more harm than good. It's time to start over, get a good bill, with a public option.

Another Victim Of The Best Healthcare In The World

Orrin Hatch's Pants are on Fire, Probably Hanging On Telephone Wire

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dick Durban: If you think it's a socialist plot, give up your federal health care

Hawaii Shows the Dangers of Government-Mandated Health Care

Starts at about the 3-minute mark:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Apparent Trap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

And, more Dog the Bounty Hunter:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Moment of Zen - Dog the Bounty Hunter on Health Care
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

I wonder what Dog's buddy Mark Shurtleff has to say about this?

-Bob

Please put health care negotions on CSPAN, like you said you would

Because, really, what came out of the Senate was not reform -- it was a Christmas gift to insurance companies.

So,please, I want to know who is standing on the side of insurance companies and who is standing on the side of Americans who will be hurt by ReidCare.

So, let CSPAN into the room.

The evils of socialized health care

We keep hearing about how horrible "socialized medicine" is, even when the health care plans being discussed are far from socialized medicine. However, we get warned about how bad things are in countries like England and Canada.



As this chart from National Geographic show us, They spend much less money on health care than we do. And they have a higher life expectancy than we do. That sucks. I'd hate to live longer while spending less per person on health care.

-Bob

Progressives Need a Hero

From the email box:

As you probably know, the White House and Democratic Senate leaders caved to Joe Lieberman and took both the public health insurance option and Medicare expansion out of the health care bill.

That means no competition and no choice -- just a bailout of billions of dollars to the same insurance companies that caused our health-care crisis in the first place.

We have one more chance to change this bill. Progressives in Congress can say they will block any bill without a public health insurance option.

Can you sign our new "we need a hero" petition today? Click here -- then ask others to sign.

We'll deliver it to top progressive senators Russ Feingold (WI), Bernie Sanders (VT), Sherrod Brown (OH), and Al Franken (MN).

Without a public option, this bill doesn't change the structural, long-term problems with our health care system. Instead, it's a raw deal that the insurance companies love: mandating that millions of Americans buy their junk products.

All it takes is one hero.

If just one brave senator says they will block a final bill without a public option, that will force President Obama and Senator Harry Reid to make a choice. They can either force Joe Lieberman and other corporate Democrats to accept the public option OR they can pass the bill through "reconciliation," a Senate procedure that only needs 51 votes.

Joe Lieberman will become irrelevant -- and generations of Americans will thank the brave progressive Senator who fought for fundamental change.

All it takes is one -- one hero to step up and change history.

Sign our "we need a hero" petition today? Click here.

After you sign, can you please pass along to Democrats you know -- or folks who are mad and want to see real reform? We don't have a moment to lose.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

--Stephanie Taylor, Adam Green, Natasha Patel, Andrew Perez, Forrest Brown, and the PCCC team

P.S. Progressive senators are already moving in the right direction. Russ Feingold made big news Sunday by criticizing the White House's "lack of support" for the public option. And last night, Bernie Sanders went on MSNBC and listed reason after reason the Senate bill is bad for the public.

Now, they just need a push to be the hero Americans are crying out for. Sign our "we need a hero" petition today.

Olbermann: Not Health, Not Care, Not Reform

What Will Flip Lieberman Ask For (And Get) Next

Hat Tip: JM Bell

Dr Dean: "This Is Not Real Reform" Me: Send Senate Bill to Death Panel

"We're not entitled to our own Facts"

RIP, Health Care Reform, Dem Majorities

HuffPost:

The public health insurance option died on Thursday, December 10, 2009, after a months-long struggle with Senate parliamentary procedure. The time of death was recorded as 11:12 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Its death had been rumored numerous times over the past year, but the public option repeatedly and defiantly battled back. The Senate's insistence on 60 votes, combined with President Obama's decision not to intervene on its behalf, eventually proved overwhelming.

The public option leaves behind a Medicare buy-in for people aged 55-64, an expansion of Medicaid, a quasi-public option for those under 300 percent of the poverty line and a collection of national private plans managed by the Office of Personnel Management.

Health Care Reform without the public option without the public option is not reform, it's just making changes.

And, without health care reform, the dems have nothing, absolutely nothing, going for them in 2010.

Well, bring in power was nice while it lasted.

War and Peace vs Health Care Bill myth

Listen to most Republicans talk about the current health care bills, and you'd think the only thing they have against it is that it's too long. In fact, some (Like Senator Hatch) claim that it's longer than War and Peace.

Well, the double-spaced, printed large enough for Senators to see version has more pages than your typical copy of War and Peace. However, as anyone who has had to write a "5-page paper" before teachers learned about word count knows, you can increase your page count by double-spacing and using slightly larger typeface.

In fact, according to the Associated Press, the House Health Care Bill weighed in at 319,145 words. The Senate version is 318,512 words.

Most English translations of War and Peace are between 560,000 and 670,000 words long.

-Bob