When Obama says that no illegal alien will be covered under the government option as outlined in the three plans currently in the house and the senate he is not technically fibbing but he is not giving the complete story. Because verification of citizenship or legal resident alien status is not sufficiently provided for in the bills some illegals will get coverage. This burden of verification will fall mostly on the poor who often lack sufficient documentation to prove they are citizens which is why it was left out of all three bills.
Yes, and when it was tried before, the number of illegals that were caught trying to get healthcare was ridiculously small, particularly when compared to the number of citizens who were denied healthcare because they couldn't prove their citizenship. That's why it was dropped in the past, and why it's not there now. Since it's already been shown to clearly not be a problem, why was Wilson so worked up over it?
After Obama's speech Rahm Emanuel, Obama's enforcer chief of staff, rushed over to three Republicans and, in a profanity laced screed, demanded that Wilson be forced to apologize. Emanuel can't say two words without one being profane. But the media certainly didn't report what Emanuel did. I believe that deserves designation as a double standard.
What, you think Emanuel should be excoriated for swearing? That's a standard that will take out a lot of Republicans as well as Emanuel. Remember Dick Cheney's "Go Fuck Yourself" comment delivered to Pat Leahy on the Senate floor? Or are you concerned that he shouldn't have demanded an apology? Or that the media didn't report that? (It was reported; I heard it on NPR.) Or is the problem that the media didn't report that he swears a lot? That's been reported too. It's common knowledge. I think it's tacky, but it's no secret.
When was comprehensive healthcare reform tried before? Illegals currently utilize emergency room services as their primary care physician. We pay for their healthcare today. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1985 has placed great burdens on hospitals in forcing them to treat all comers regardless of ability to pay. The unintended consequence of this act has been the treatment of illegal aliens. EMTALA is bankrupting hospitals in regions of the country where there are a disproportionate number of illegal aliens, Florida, Texas and California. So too with HR 3200, there will be unintended consequences.
Not comprehensive healthcare reform; what was tried before was an attempt to prevent illegal aliens from getting services. That is where the illegal problem was found to be essentially a non-issue, while citizens were being harmed in much larger numbers. This was presumably for routine, non-emergency care, and would be comparable to the situations being proposed currently. Emergency care, as in the case of EMTALA, would continue as before, and is not connected to the current proposals.
That radical organization the Congressional Reseach Service says, noncitizens who can be considered "resident aliens" under U.S. tax law would have to buy insurance (under HR 3200) — and unlike immigration laws, the tax code doesn't distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants. Wilson was correct in calling Obama on this.
What's wrong with illegals buying insurance? If they pay for it, they may well pay more money than they use. I don't see a problem here. The tax code requires a social security number in order to file, and illegals can't get a valid social security number, right?
I really don't understand how Emanuel's penchant for making everyday a "swearing-in" ceremony has to do with his quick to anger profanity laced screed in the House chamber being any less egregious violation of decorum and civility.
Emanuel was having a private, non-televised (tacky) conversation with his equals, while Wilson yelled at
The President during an event that was televised around the world, undercutting our President's authority in front of every nation on Earth. You consider these situations equal?