The Dallas Morning News yesterday noted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry, when he was a Democrat, supported Al Gore’s 1988 presidential campaign. Then it quoted Gov. Perry’s criticism Wednesday of the former vice president’s position on global climate change policy:
Speaking to a builders group in Dallas, Perry — once a Democrat — was asked about his past relationship with Gore.
“Did you get religion? Did he get religion?” a man in the crowd asked. “What has happened since then?”
“I certainly got religion,” Perry responded. “I think he’s gone to hell,” reports the Dallas Morning News.
Well, I don’t know if Al Gore has gone to hell, but it appears that health care reform has. In my opinion, without the public option, this bill is nothing short of a total victory for the big insurance companies, wherein they get 50 million compulsory new customers and the American people get nothing but fear and slavery out of the deal. However, the part I find interesting is that the insurance companies would (apparently) gladly give up those 50 million new customers and their premiums just to keep everything the way it is now—status quo. This appears to be the holy grail that they see and appears to now be within their grasp. Real health care reform with the public option would have been much better. However, I have a warning for the people of Texas and every citizen in Texas who opposed health care reform. If I were some idealogue, I would not be able to say this because it would not matter one way or another to me now in light of the impending conservative victory on health care. I just speak the truth from my heart. Here goes:
For the past 10 years, the insurance companies have lived in abject fear of what might happen in a federal health care reform initiative. Because they were so fearful, they decided to be nice and reasonable with their customers. For example, if you needed an expensive medication to keep your sick child alive, they thought it better to “knuckle under” and provide it rather than take the risk that the story of its denial would make it to Congress. Now, with the insurance companies about to win, the playing field is different. Real health care reform has been destroyed, and there is no real threat that it will arise again in coming decades. It’s done for. The insurance companies no longer have anything to fear—nothing. So, what does this mean for you as a citizen of Texas.? It means that your health insurance company now OWNS you, your wife, and your two children. They can deny you medication, surgery, cancer treatment, and really any kind of care at all. All they need is some trumped up excuse, and if you believe they are not going to find that excuse when you are costing them $10,000 per day on chemotherapy, I have some nice swamp land in Arizona that you might like to buy. As the old saying goes, “…absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Now, the insurance companies can do whatever they want to with you and your family—with complete and total impunity. Your cries for mercy will fall on deaf ears. Your insurance representative is not going to hear you. You are crazy if you think anyone in Washington, D.C. or your state government is going to hear you. The insurance lobby OWNS THEM NOW—lock, stock, and barrel. You will get no sympathy whatever from them and no action.
Bottom Line: If you are not independently wealthy and capable of paying for all of your health care needs out of your own pocket, like Warren Buffet, you are dead meat. I am dead meat. All of us are dead meat. But don’t take my word for it. Go talk to Warren, I would bet my last dime he will also tell you that you are dead meat. Warren is a nice and authentic gentleman who knows what he is doing. I trust him and believe that he would agree with me.
So, who do you have to thank when your daughter’s casket is being lowered into the ground? Well, you can start by thanking the Tea Party folks, the Religious Right, the wing-nut pastor at your church, conservative Democrats, conservative Republicans, Libertarians, and every two-bit boob on main street who was dumb enough to believe in nonexistent “death panels” and 100 other lies that they ate like pigs at a feeding trough. Congratulations.