Oregon Elephant

Newt on euthanasia, on 'This Week'

Watch this video of Newt Gingrich on 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos'.  Newt is on fire, strongly defending criticism of the Obamacare plan.  He also makes a great point of why, even if euthanasia isn't specficially in the bill, the concerns about it are still understandable:

“Communal standards historically is a very dangerous concept,” Gingrich said. “You are asking us to  trust turning power over to the government, when there are clearly people in American who believe in establishing euthanasia, including selective standards."

So in other words, it's not just about what is in the bill...it is about trusting the government with our health care...and many Americans simply aren't willing to do this.

Some "party be damned" truth telling

Some things which cannot be denied by thinking people:

• Clearly, there have been individuals opposed to the President's health-care ideas (I can't call it a proposal, since he hasn't actually proposed anything specific yet) who have tried to disrupt meetings and prevent others from speaking.  This is simply wrong, and should be condemned, whether it comes from the left or the right.
• Some of the compaints people have ("keep your government hands off my medicare!") are overblown or simply wrong.  However, many of the concerns expressed (such as a ballooning of health care costs and a degradation of services) are very legitimate.  It's just as irresponsible for Democrats to label every objection as the product of hysteria.
• It would seem to me that on both sides, emotion is taking the place of facts (at least in some cases), and for there to be a good, productive debate, that needs to stop.

Here's a proposal Democrats/Progressives...I won't call you Adolf Hitler if you don't call me Vito Corleone.

Where are the buses? Where are the "paid mobsters"? Plus...isn't this what unions do ALL THE TIME?

I have two thoughts about the town hall meetings...

• Democrats keep claiming that interest groups are busing in paid instigators...where is their proof?  I haven't seen a single shred of proof anywhere that anyone is being bused into a district they don't live in.  I haven't seen a single actual individual identified as a professional rabble-rouser.  And yet, I also haven't heard any MSM conservatives call this out.  They're basically making an empty charge, with absolutely no proof to back it up, as far as I can tell.
• Concerning the fact that there are groups helping to organize indivudals to come to the town hall meetings, please.  This is what Democrats (especially unions) have done for decades.  There is absolutely, totally, 100% nothing wrong with this.  They aren't manufacturing anger...if people genuinely didn't care about the issue, all the activist groups in the world wouldn't matter.  They are simply contacting people who ARE angry, and organizing them to express their anger effectively.  And that's what democracy is all about.