Liar, liar pants on fire!

Hi Everyone:

I really hope that politics have come a long way since this country was founded over 225 years ago. I am sure that there were a lot of debates over the wording of our constitution, The Bill of Rights and every admendment to the constitution etc. Debating issues is an important and integral part of our democracy. What I do not know is whether during all those debates if lying on a mass scale was used to change the opposing side minds and hence their votes on the issues before them.

Well it seems that lying and scare tactics are used more and more these days when important issues crop up to the surface. What should be debates with facts to support whatever your position, now a days facts mean nothing and lies and scare tactics seem to be more important. One of today's hot topics is health care and health insurance reform. I think that we can all agree that our health care system, primarily the health care insurance industry needs reforming. It is getting so expensive that if left unchecked, sometime in the future, health care will only be affordable for the rich. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems is that people without health care insurance use emergency rooms as their primary care doctors. ER visits for non-life threatening problems is the most expensive way to receive health care. Another big problem is that a lot of bankruptcies occur due to overwhelming medical bills.

President Obama is trying to change our system. He wants change to make health care more affordable. He has left the bill writing job up to congress in hopes that a bi-partisan bill would emerge. Even with the House's health care bill, done in writing, opponents to the bill instead of debating the issue with facts are using scare tactics and outright lies. I recently read the longest email I have ever received from opponents to health care reform. The email analyzed all the points in the bill. Some examples are as follows:

-Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed.
-Page 42: The "Health Care Commissioner" will decide health care benefits for you. You will have no choice.
-Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not. will be provided with free health care.

All of the above are untrue and not in the House bill! Politifact.com, the fact checking site run by the St. Petersburg Times read the bill and its legislative summary and could not find any of the above in the bill. Katie Couric of CBS News, during an interview, asked President Obama if illegal immigrants should be included in comprehensive health care reform? President Obama's reply was "No"! Even with both Politifact.com checking the wording of the bill and President Obama's response, that no illegal immigrants would be covered the email was still sent out. In fact, a provision in the House measure states, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." That would seem to clear up any misunderstandings about illegal immigrants receiving free medical care. Not so fast! Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa claims that 5.6 million illegal immigrants may be covered under Obamacare. King went on to say that this is what the Congressional Budget Office's recent analysis said. Rep. King is so wrong! The analysis did not say that, period! Rep. King does not seem to care that his statements and press releases are wrong, inaccurate and are just plain lies that are said to stir up opposition.

Additionally, New York State Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Patterson, NY, recently told a news conference that that the proposal reforms would "force American taxpayers to foot the bill for taxpayer-funded illegal-alien health care". Where did he get his info? It is obviously another falsehood that is meant to stir up opposition.

Lying and using scare tactics is just plain wrong and should be stopped immediately. I do believe that people are entitled to their opinions and that debating issues should and has to be based on facts and truths. To outright lie makes no common sense. Lies will just come back to bite you. If one feels so adamantly against an issue fight fairly with truths and facts not lies, innuendos and scare tactics. Let the truth be told on both sides of an issue and then let the vote commence with a clear conscience on both sides. That to me would be the common sense approach to the health care/insurance reform that is at hand.

On a side note, if President Clinton was impeached regarding lying about having (oral) sex with Monica Lewinsky, some sort of punishment is needed for politicians who outright lie to use the lie(s) as a scare tactic.

Scare mongers bad, common sense good!

Til next week.