A Better World

This is a continuation of my rebuttal of the letter posted on 3/10/10.

Senior citizens must reject the I got mine to bad for you creed of the Republican Party and instead embrace the Golden Rule. Although, versions of: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” are shared by 21 world religions, many Americans don’t subscribe to the Golden Rule. Sadly, members of Congress disregard the ethical code that states one has a right to just treatment, and a responsibility to ensure justice for others. It’s also called the ethic of reciprocity and is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights. The young have been looking out for the old for decades and we senior citizen should reciprocate.

Congressman Arcuri supported the Cap and Tax bill, because most of us want to leave our grandchildren a cleaner Earth. The concept of cap and trade involves our government limiting the amount of pollution companies are allowed to release. Credits are issued, which allow companies to pollute a certain amount, as long as the aggregate pollution equals less than the set cap.

Since, some companies can reduce polluting emissions more inexpensively than other companies, they may engage in trading any extra permits. Companies that can more efficiently reduce pollution sell permits to companies that cannot easily afford to reduce pollution. The companies that sell the permits are rewarded while those that purchase permits must pay for their negative impact. This system would theoretically reduce carbon dioxide by over 80 percent by 2050 and significantly reduce the rate of global warming. This system would create billions of dollars for the government to spend on consumer energy programs and doing so at the lowest total cost.

Obama has proposed that the Environmental Protection Agency enforce global warming pollution limits under the Clean Air Act. The biggest polluters, Big Oil and Coal, are standing in the way because they don’t want to have to do anything to clean the environment that they’ve been polluting.

Obama has a plan that would enforce limits on global warming pollution clean up the environment, and create jobs by making factories and power plants more efficient and encourage wind and solar technologies.

Bush had refused to enforce provisions of the Clean Air Act, even after the Supreme Court ordered him to do so.

Fear Itself

As a child I remember the words of FDR and those words still ring true.  “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

William Eckardt is a fear-mongering political hack, who is trying to win an election by taking advantage of the elderly. This senior citizen isn’t buying it, because I recognize, that the Democratic Party passed Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs demonstrate, that they’re the political party, that care about the poor and middle-class Americans.

The favorite tactic of the far right is fear-mongering, because it’s the only argument available to them. Fear was used by the Bush administration to scare Congress and the American people into a trillion dollar war in Iraq.

The Health Reform bills passed by the House and Senate cuts Medicare by approximately $500 billion. The Medicare Advantage plan costs taxpayers on average 14 % more than the traditional Medicare plan. The House proposed changes to make them equal to what the government pays for traditional Medicare services.

Republicans are masquerading as staunch defenders of a program they’ve hated, since Ronald Reagan warned that Medicare would destroy our freedom. In 1995, Newt Gingrich tried to ram through deep cuts in Medicare and Republicans went so far as to shut down the federal government in an attempt to bully Bill Clinton into accepting cuts in Medicare.

Arcuri and Obama never supported death panels language for seniors. Republican Senator Grassley told his constituents in Iowa: “And from that standpoint, you have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life. You ought to have counseling 20 years before you’re going to die. And you ought to plan these things out. And you know, I don’t have any problem with things like living wills, but they ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on Grandma.”

Grassley knew at the time, that there is no provision, no wording, no sentence, nothing in any bill that provides for a government panel to end Granny’s life. The reason, he sought to deceive his constituents, might have had something to do with his having received over $2 million from the drug and health insurance industry since 2003.

Accusations of forced euthanasia is untrue. Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans. 


Still Fooled

On 3/8/10, the following letter written by William Eckardt of Oneonta was published in the Daily Star.

“Central New York seniors, take heed, because from now until Election Day 'wolf man' Mike Arcuri will be dressing in sheep’s clothing attempting to fool us into thinking he truly cares for the needs of seniors. His recent voting record demonstrates he’s more interested in pleasing 'His Highness' Obama than caring for those of us who have paid our dues to society.



"This summer, Arcuri, acting like a thief in the night, shoved thousands of Central New York seniors under the bus by voting to steal $500 billion from Medicare so that illegal aliens could get a free ride.



"Arcuri supported Obama’s 'death panels' language for seniors whereby government bureaucrats, not our doctors nor our loved ones, will have the final say in deciding our eternal destiny. It’s called, “thumbs down” health care with Hitler, I mean Obama, playing the 'Grim Reaper.'



“Arcuri supported the 'Cap & Tax' bill that would substantially increase the cost of living for seniors, most of whom live on fixed incomes. More sinister however, is that 'Cap & Tax' would allow government bureaucrats to interfere with the selling of our last bit of equity, our homes.



“As grandparents, we hope for a better life for our grandchildren and their children. That’s no longer possible because Arcuri and his Obama-led gangsters have looted our nation so badly that our grandchildren and their children will be bankrupt at birth.



“No matter what Arcuri says, his record of dumping on senior citizens speaks for itself.



“He simply can’t be trusted, especially dressed in sheep’s clothing. This is no longer a political party line issue, it’s now a matter of survival. Seniors and soon to- be seniors, let’s throw 'wolf man' Arcuri and his sheep’s clothing out to pasture this fall.”

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I made several lengthy responses to Mr. Eckardt’s letter on the Daily Star’s on line comment page. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from those on line rebuttals on this website.

Untrue

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post stating: “The use of reconciliation to jam through this legislation against the will of the American people would be unprecedented in scope. And the havoc wrought would threaten our system of checks and balances, corrode the legislative process, degrade our system of government, and damage the prospects of bipartisanship.”

Healthcare reform bills passed the Senate with 60 votes and the House by a slim majority. Today, Democrats are seeking to pass the last fixes to align the two bills by using a process called reconciliation.

Reconciliation has been used 22 times in recent years. Under a Republican-controlled Senate, it was used 16 times and under a Democratic-controlled Senate, it was used six times.

Sen. Hatch admits: “Both parties have used the process, but only when the bills in question stuck close to dealing with the budget. In instances in which other substantive legislation was included, the legislation had significant bipartisan support.”

That is untrue. In 1989, a Republican controlled Senate used the reconciliation process to overhall Medicare for physician payments. In 1996, they used it to overhaul welfare. In 2001 and 2003, Republicans used it to jam through Bush’s tax cuts that exploded the deficit. Republicans passed the first of Bush’s tax cuts with 50 votes, and a vote from Vice President Cheney, who as president of the Senate broke the tie. That certainly wasn’t significant bipartisan support.

In 2005, Republicans used the budget reconciliation maneuver to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for domestic oil drilling and the Deficit Reduction Act. With Vice President Cheney's vote the Deficit Reduction Act passed on a 50 to 51 vote. The 2006, Tax Relief Extensions Act was passed using reconciliation. The final vote was 54 to 44.

An Ethical Code

Our founding fathers recognized, that they couldn’t predict the future. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Madison: “No society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth always belongs to the living generation.… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years. If it goes longer, it is and act of force and not of right.”

They wanted the Constitution to be a living document for future generations to make better. Consequently, our founding fathers included Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution, that provides and extensive list of the powers of Congress. The list concludes with: “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Some Americans consider Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance and Universal Healthcare the creation of a cradle-to-grave dependency class, but many of us view these programs as the fulfillment of a promise made by our founding fathers.

Although, versions of: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” are shared by 21 world religions, many Americans don’t subscribe to this Golden Rule. Lifewise, many members of Congress disregard this ethical code that states one has a right to just treatment, and a responsibility to ensure justice for others. It’s also called the ethic of reciprocity and is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights.

Terrorism of the Minority

On 3/5/10, W. A. James had a letter published in “The Oneonta Daily Star.” An excerpt from the letter stated:

“I am of the opinion that our civic-minded Congress and Senate will mount a full-court press on the First and Second Amendments. They are already chipping away on the First. If big government can muzzle our freedom of expression and our right to bear arms, there will be nothing to stop them from trashing the rest of the Constitution. Read your history as this happened pre-1940 in Nazi, Germany. More czars, anyone? Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.”

Mr. James may not be aware, that Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution provides and extensive list of the powers of Congress. The list concludes: “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

I present the following information to educate not as a scare tactic. Our founding fathers wrote the Constitution without the benefit of a crystal ball, and things have changed significantly. In 1787, the Constitution allowed only white, male, literate, land owners to vote. In the early years of our Republic, the population ratio between the most populated state, Virginia and the least populated state, Delaware was 12 to 1. By 2004, that ratio was 70 to 1 between California and Wyoming. Currently, the Senate is skewed in favor of sparsely populated states. In theory, if the 26 smallest states held together on all votes, they would control the Senate, with a total of less than 17% of our population.

Larry Sabato is a Rhodes scholar, who has taught at the University of Virginia since 1978. He has suggested that we expand the Senate to 136 members to be more representative. This could be accomplished by granting the ten most populous states two additional senators each, the fifteen next most populous states one additional senator each, and the District of Columbia one senator.

James has taken a page from Bush/Cheney's playbook by using fear mongering to gain support. A majority of voters didn't buy Republican fear mongering in 2006 midterm elections, nor in 2008, presidential election.

Hopefully, voters have learned, that the Republican Party offers fear, because it’s not interested in solving problems.

Ultimately

In a letter published on 1/7/10, in the Oneonta Star, Robert Beckman wrote: “…those are just a few examples of the distortions and lies that Mr. O’Leary and his ilk in Congress have resorted to...” The letter was posted on this web site on 1/10/10.

Beckman mischaracterized my statements. He’s referring to a rebuttal letter of mine, in which I disagreed with the assertion: “While there are an unfortunate few that cannot afford health care insurance, most are satisfied with their current plan and doctors.  Too bad for them.”

Beckman claimed: “Mr. O’Leary states that 46 million Americans are without health insurance.  However, the Census Bureau, in the government’s official report on uninsured, said that of those 46 million Americans, 9 million were people who made more than $75,000 a year and who chose not to buy health insurance.” 

We agree, that 46 million Americans are without health insurance.  I used that statistic to make the point, that there are more than “an unfortunate few,” that cannot afford healthcare insurance.  I made no comment regarding those making $75,000 a year or whether, they should be included in the Census Bureau’s statistic. Still, 37 million Americans are more than “an unfortunate few.”

Beckman continued: “Another claim by Mr. O'Leary is that half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partially the result of medical expenses.  Included in Mr. O’Leary’s figures is a person who may owe a hospital $500 and have total liabilities of $500,000.”

I wrote: “Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses.” Apparently, Beckman didn’t understand the “at least partly” portion of that statement.  

Ultimately, thoughtful readers will determine whether my statements were distortions and lies, or specific and accurate.

My rebuttal began: “I got mine, you get yours, seems to be the creed of the Republican Party.” That creed isn’t to be confused with the Golden Rule.