President Obama held a press conference this morning after meeting with Congressional leaders to talk about his plans to move the country forward in light of the severe budget cuts that will start to take effect today.
In Florida, you can thank these House Republicans (phone numbers here) for turning their backs on everyday Floridians and the country so they can protect millionaires and billionaires from having to pay their fair share of taxes.
To see how the sequester will hurt Florida, and what their constituents will have to give up so the wealthy (yes, many of whom are members listed below) can continue to pay less in taxes, see this earlier post.
House Republicans voted again for the 33rd time to "repeal ObamaCare," the first time since the Supreme Court ruled nearly all of it Constitutional. Never mind their so-called love of the Constitution, their love for Supreme Court Justice Roberts who tipped the vote, nor their apparent fondness for the government health care that they enjoy at low rates and at our expense, and especially this: Never mind that it was all political theater and another way to waste money, time, and to distract from the fact that they have done virtually nothing since the 2008 election beyond blocking everything the President and Democrats have tried to do for all of us in the wake of the absolute disastrous eight years of George W. Bush and the tailspin they all sent the country into.
They. Don't. Care.
Nope. If they have anything to say about it, and if they take the White House, the House and the Senate, you will just have to die waiting before they'll grant you what is now constitutionally your right: Affordable health care, no discrimination from health insurance companies for pre-existing conditions, no children allowed to stay on their parents insurance until age 26, nor any of the rest.
They. Don't. Care.
If the Republicans really feel SO strongly that the Affordable Health Care Act should be repealed, I think it's about time they give up their own government health care. After all, we're paying for it, and isn't that just what they claim, that government health care is absolute tyranny? They compare it to the Nazis and the Gestapo, say it's unconstitutional in spite of the fact that their own Supreme Court Justice ruled it otherwise. Hey GOP, put up or shut up. End the tyranny. Give up yours. We the people "can't afford it" remember?
We Floridians who are living with cut, after cut, after cut from a governor who has made a career out of blocking us from getting good affordable health care, who refuses to implement Medicaid and thinks no court can tell him what to do, who ignores the biggest tuberculosis outbreak in 20 years and closes the hospital that treats the victims, turning them out into the streets as the outbreak spreads across the state and people die, we are footing the bill for his actions and every one of his enablers below. And we're paying for a lot more than just that.
Guess what GOP, Americans like and need ObamaCare. Look at the polls.
Below are the Florida members who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 33rd time. Ask them if they intend to end the "tyranny" by giving up their government health care just as they expect us to do.
To Repeal ObamaCare: Yes Votes (244)
Sandra Adams R FL-24 Gus Bilirakis R FL-9 Vern Buchanan R FL-13 Ander Crenshaw R FL-4 Mario Diaz-Balart R FL-21 Connie Mack R FL-14 John L. Mica R FL-7 Jeff Miller R FL-1 Richard Nugent R FL-5 Bill Posey R FL-15 David Rivera R FL-25 Tom Rooney R FL-16 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R FL-18 Dennis Ross R FL-12 Steve Southerland R FL-2 Cliff Stearns R FL-6 Daniel Webster R FL-8 Allen West R FL-22 C. W. Bill Young R FL-10
The House defeated Democrats' motion to amend the repeal bill to require anyone voting for repeal to give up their own taxpayer-subsidized health care plan. They were joined by 8 Blue Dogs.
So not only is there no question that Republicans and Blue Dogs are telling you "government health care for me, just not for thee," it's now part of the Congressional record. As far as they're concerned, the rest of us can just stick it.
Remember how Republicans have been telling you they're against raising taxes for Americans? Raising taxes of any kind? Even for corporations, millionaires and billionaires?
Well, funny thing about that. They've decided there IS at least one group who don't deserve a tax cut:
You.
The House Republicans today rejected a payroll tax cut for the average American.
Except for the two Republicans who just didn't bother to vote at all: Vern Buchanan and Mario Diaz-Balart, every Florida Republican in the U. S. House voted to raise your taxes and cut unemployment benefits.
Remember last year during the health care fight when the media reported on the "angry mobs" at town hall meetings all over the country?
Remember also that these "plain folks who were outraged over a potential government take over of health care" were really bused in and in some cases paid by groups attempting to hijack the Tea Party "movement," and to use manufactured outrage to disrupt the meetings?
Well, that was last year.
This year there are more of those town hall meetings, and there are plenty of angry people again too. The difference this year is these people aren't bused in, paid, or scripted by those "Tea Party" lobbyists. They're real people who are armed with more facts than the congressmen have talking points and colorful pie charts in which to muddy them with.
This year they're angry not over a manufactured, mythical government takeover of health care ("Hands Off My Medicare!"), they're angry at a real GOP proposal to take away Medicare and health care as they know it. They aren't fooled by the sales pitch they're getting from their congressmen, and they're confronting them with it.
And those Republicans don't like it.
Last week, Paul "Ayn Rand Is My Mentor" Ryan was booed at his first town hall, where he was confronted by people who (surprise!) don't care for replacing Medicare with Ryan's "throw them a bone voucher" in order to fork over yet more tax cuts for big corporations who are already either paying very little taxes or none at all, getting refunds, subsidies, and oh by the way, busily NOT creating all those jobs the Bush tax cuts promised oh those many years ago.
Problem.
This week there have been a couple memorable town halls, which are actually getting some media attention. Two of them were in Florida.
The first was in Alan Grayson's former district, this time represented by Daniel Webster who defeated Grayson in last year's election. You'll recall that Grayson was defeated in part because he dared to speak the truth about the GOP health care plan. Grayson gave a speech on the House floor, where he said:
"The Republican health care plan: don't get sick," he said. But, he added,"The Republicans have a back up plan in case you do get sick ... This is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly!"
This description immediately caused the GOP, the media, and some Democrats to fan themselves and head for the fainting couches faster than one could say "but he's right." He was. Read that quote again and see if you can see any difference from the Ryan plan for Medicare. Don't get sick, because if you do, well good luck finding insurance with that coupon! (As if any health insurance company would even insure them in the first place.) That being said, because Democrats are labeled as radicals for speaking the truth about what the GOP is really up to, for that offense Grayson was in part swept out of office and replaced with a real radical, Daniel Webster.
Webster's first town hall since Ayn Ryan...I'm sorry, PAUL Ryan unveiled his fantasy based, math free "budget plan" took place yesterday. Webster was busy reciting his scripted talking points to the crowd with his little charts and graphs when he was challenged by constituents who were armed with facts. This is what happened:
Problem.
GOP New Town Hall Rule 1. Facts are not permitted.
Now we move on to another of yesterday's town hall meetings held by Allen West who makes Dan Webster look almost down right normal. Almost. West has never been a "fact" person and he tends to make up his own reality as he goes along. However, yesterday according to reports, he did admit to one fact: This years town halls are more heated than last year. He just chooses to pretend it's for different reasons.
“The natives are restless. You go up and you whack a hornet’s nest,” he said.
Well, sure. If those "restless natives" are senior citizens, or those who will be in the near future, who want health care, and if that "hornet's nest" is being "whacked" by members of the media asking actual fact-based questions rather than those collected and screened "George W. Bush style" at the door prior to the meeting. Those natives and whackers of hornets nests would be dealt with, as West pointed out himself:
“You’re not going to intimidate me,” West said.
West is certainly a man of his word, and in his little corner of GOP style Democracy, those who dare to ask impromptu questions will be...arrested:
One protester was just arrested at Congressman Allen West’s Fort Lauderdale town hall meeting.
Nicole Sandler of Coral Springs interrupted when West was explaining the Republican position on Medicare.
Sandler shouted a question, which prompted responses from other audience members: “Shut up lady.”
She didn’t stop. As people recorded the scene with their camera phones, she was escorted out by a Fort Lauderdale police officer.
Sandler objected to being asked to leave, arguing with the officer as he escorted her out, including emphatically cursing at him. Ultimately he arrested her for “trespass after warning” and transferred her to another police officer who took Sandler away.
Problem.
GOP New Town Hall Rule 2. You May Ask Questions Only If You Don't Mind Spending At Least One Night In Jail. Bring Your Toothbrush.
So there is a glimpse of what democracy looks like in the new world of the Right Wing-Nuts who have become today's Republican Party. Facts have rarely been tolerated by the GOP in the past either, it's just that now there will be no debate. Rather than asking questions based on actual facts, you will be stripped of your rights and silly luxuries like Medicare, and you will sit quietly while your future is quite possibly destroyed so that the rich might buy another yacht with gold-plated fixtures so they can sail to one of their private islands where they can bide their time sipping cocktails garnished with swizzle sticks topped with tiny plastic senior citizens and poor children as they keep the fire pits stoking with $100 bills.
And you will like it. Or else.
Yes, the GOP are learning a new lesson this year. Life just isn't scripted, and there are only so many gullible, bad actors willing to get on the bus and protest against their own best interests.
Republicans in the U.S. House voted today on the Paul Ryan budget plan that would essentially get rid of Medicare, and make significant cuts to Medicaid, while giving big tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.
The vote was 235-193. Only four Republicans joined Democrats to vote against the plan.
Cut benefits for the health care of older Americans, while giving more money to the rich in the form of tax cuts. That's the Republican way!
Ryan calls his plan "A Path To Prosperity." That "prosperity" as you can see depends on who you are.
All Florida Republicans voted for the Ryan budget plan, while all Florida Democrats voted against it.
Luckily the plan has no chance when it moves to the Senate.
