Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[General_Failure]

I voted for you in Ham.

[PhillyGirl]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/04/roy-ashburn-arrested-anti_n_485419.html

[ice grillin you]

everytime i see a story like that it warms my wittle heart

if you havent already everyone should see hbo's outrage which goes into the unbelievably hypocrisy of these people

[rjs246]

Haha. That's so awesome. farging people.

[Sgt PSN]

"I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate."

the sad thing about this is that he (and the right wing nutso's) probably think the biggest crime he commited is being a sausage smuggler. 

[rjs246]

Oh for christ's sake.



Classy.

[rjs246]

Since it was being discussed before, I figured I'd share the latest (and most informative) response I have received from a politician. I wrote my representative and both senators to commend the President on incorporating some of the Republican ideas into the his preferred healtcare plan and to express my disapproval to Eric Cantor about his knee-jerk rejection of those concessions. It's possible that I have too much free time on my hands. Or more likely, it's possible that I spend too much time in front of a computer and can too easily whip up an email. Either way, I thought this was a good note and worth sharing:

Dear Mr. rjs246 -



Thank you for contacting me about reforming our nation's health care system.  I appreciate hearing from you on such an important issue.  Throughout the debate, I have traveled around Virginia to hear from people all over the Commonwealth on the issue of health care.  Since June, my office has been contacted hundreds of thousands of times by constituents on both sides of the debate.  Hearing from constituents is a vital part of my job as a United States Senator and I hope you will continue to share your opinions with me.



President Obama recently held a bipartisan summit in an effort to find some common ground on health care reform.  Following the summit, the President reached out to Republicans and publically embraced four additional Republican priorities: combating waste, fraud, and abuse by engaging medical professionals to conduct random undercover investigations of health care providers who receive taxpayer money; additional funding for demonstration projects of alternatives for resolving medical malpractice disputes; increasing Medicaid reimbursements for doctors; and ensuring Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are in the insurance exchange.  The Senate bill, which is now under consideration in the House of Representatives, contains multiple Republican amendments and provisions as well.



Recently there has been much discussion about the use of the budget reconciliation process to address health care reform, which allows for a simple majority vote.  If the House of Representatives were to pass the Senate version of the health care bill, reconciliation could be used to eliminate contentious provisions, such as many of the "special deals" that have frustrated both you and me in this process.



On December 24th, the Senate voted 60-39 in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), with my support.  I favor the Senate version for its approach to cost containment and use of private sector innovation and competition to improve the quality and value of care.  While not perfect, I believe the Senate bill will lower insurance premium costs for the majority of families and businesses. It will reduce the deficit by more than three-quarters of a trillion dollars over the next 20 years, and it will add at least nine years to the life of the Medicare Trust Fund.  These figures are projected by the independent, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the official cost referee for legislation that moves through Congress.



A handful of controversial provisions have consistently made headlines throughout this debate.  However, what many do not realize is there are other, much larger, sections of the bill that have been agreed upon by both sides that make important improvements to our health care system.  The Senate bill includes insurance market reforms that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, eliminates the practice of rescission and guarantees issuance and renewal of insurance coverage.  The bill also invests in our nation's health care workforce by strengthening loan repayment programs and providing incentives for providers to serve underserved areas.  Prevention and wellness is also a focus in the bill, with initiatives to provide individuals with the information they need to make healthy decisions, improve education on disease prevention and public health, and invest in a national prevention and public health strategy.  These methods worked well in the private sector, and have successfully changed unhealthy behaviors to reduce cost.



Throughout the debate I worked with my colleagues to make improvements to the bill.  I joined twelve of my freshmen colleagues to successfully add significant cost containment measures to the Senate proposal.  Our package broadened efforts to encourage innovation and lower costs for consumers across the health care system.  It focused on reforming the way we pay for health services in our country, so that we reward quality rather than quantity.  Our package was the only group of amendments to receive bipartisan support, as well as support from the business community, consumer groups, and members of the health care community.  Attached is a more detailed summary of the package.



The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a report that showed health care spending in the United States rose 1.1% of GDP, or approximately $130 billion, in 2009.  This represents the single largest one-year increase in history.  This report should have been front page news, as it once again demonstrates that our current health care system is financially unsustainable.  While many are concerned about our federal deficit, most do not realize that a primary cause of our deficit is the increasing per-person costs of Medicare and Medicaid; by 2017, Medicare will be insolvent.  Additionally, American business is weakened by the current costs of health care.  Per capita health care costs in the United States are double that of virtually every other developed nation in the world, leaving American business at a disadvantage and unable to compete in a global economy.  American families also suffer from the rising costs of health care: within the next decade, premiums will consume 40 percent of an average American family's income.  To do nothing about the current state of our health care system would mean exploding our national debt, hobbling American business and crippling family budgets.



I encourage you to visit my website, www.warner.senate.gov/healthcare, for additional information.  Thanks again for contacting me.  As we move forward, I will continue to seek out the advice and opinions of all Virginians in order to help shape an improved health care system that will be in all of our best interests.




Sincerely,
MARK R. WARNER
United States Senator   

[MDS]

granted i read a 14 page letter from david cross to larry the cable guy, but could you bullet point for that me great thanks

[rjs246]

but could you bullet point for that me great thanks

Journalist.

[MDS]

you have time to write letters and mock me but you dont have time to bullet point responses of virginian state senators. interesting priorities list, russell.

[phillymic2000]

Oh for christ's sake.



Classy.

one side attacking the other, every election this happens. i'd rather be compared to the Joker then Hitler.

[Rome]

lol

[rjs246]

you have time to write letters and mock me but you dont have time to bullet point responses of virginian state senators. interesting priorities list, russell.

Notice how accomodating you in any way is not on my list of priorities? Weird.

[MDS]

i know its really, really strange

like i had to hear from havas that you moved to richmond and from you in person about your marital status. I WANT TO KNOW MORE, LET ME IN

[shorebird]

A handful of controversial provisions have consistently made headlines throughout this debate.  However, what many do not realize is there are other, much larger, sections of the bill that have been agreed upon by both sides that make important improvements to our health care system.  The Senate bill includes insurance market reforms that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating based on pre-existing conditions, eliminates the practice of rescission and guarantees issuance and renewal of insurance coverage.  The bill also invests in our nation's health care workforce by strengthening loan repayment programs and providing incentives for providers to serve underserved areas.  Prevention and wellness is also a focus in the bill, with initiatives to provide individuals with the information they need to make healthy decisions, improve education on disease prevention and public health, and invest in a national prevention and public health strategy.  These methods worked well in the private sector, and have successfully changed unhealthy behaviors to reduce cost.

This makes the abortion crap look very small and it's to the point now were the republicans are looking at the bill through a microscope for the sole reason of throwing a monkey wrench into the works.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a report that showed health care spending in the United States rose 1.1% of GDP, or approximately $130 billion, in 2009.  This represents the single largest one-year increase in history.  This report should have been front page news, as it once again demonstrates that our current health care system is financially unsustainable.  While many are concerned about our federal deficit, most do not realize that a primary cause of our deficit is the increasing per-person costs of Medicare and Medicaid; by 2017, Medicare will be insolvent.  Additionally, American business is weakened by the current costs of health care.  Per capita health care costs in the United States are double that of virtually every other developed nation in the world, leaving American business at a disadvantage and unable to compete in a global economy.  American families also suffer from the rising costs of health care: within the next decade, premiums will consume 40 percent of an average American family's income.  To do nothing about the current state of our health care system would mean exploding our national debt, hobbling American business and crippling family budgets.

My new job provides me  with a good health care plan. Total cost are $423 dollars per month of which I pay a measly $83 bucks which is around $20 per week. My employer pays the remaining $340. Take that and times it by over 100 employees and you wonder how they do it. You have to believe the cost gets passed down to the consumer. Bottom line if you drop the cost of healthcare everyone wins.

It's obvious medicare and medicaid can't go on as is. It's gotten so expensive now that medicines for older people get changed based solely on cost. Thats terrible. My Moms blood pressure medicine gets changed every 6-7 months. Last time she had a reaction to the new medicine and they changed it again. It's a farged up situation.

It's good you can get a response like that one from your politician. I wonder if it's a draft or if he acrtually wrote that whole thing to you. Either way at least you know what he's thinking.