American People Show Good Sense in Rejecting Obamacare

Jeffrey Anderson at the Weekly Standard summarizes Rasmussen's Obamacare polling numbers of December 30:

"Rasmussen's health-care polling results since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid orchestrated the Christmas Eve vote are full of undeniably bad news for Democrats. In roughly ascending order of bad news (if one is a Democrat)...

Likely voters oppose Obamacare by more than the (18-point) margin by which Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale: 58 percent to 39 percent.

There are far more likely voters who "strongly" oppose Obamacare (46 percent) than there are likely voters who support it even "somewhat" (39 percent).

Only 24 percent of likely voters think that the quality of health care would get better under Obamacare, while 54 percent think it would get worse -- a gap of 30 percent.

Only 13 percent of likely voters think that the cost of health would go down under Obamacare, while 63 percent think it would rise -- a gap of 50 percent.

Seniors oppose Obamacare by more than 2 to 1: 63 percent to 31 percent.

And the worst news of all for Democrats...

Independents oppose Obamacare by the head-turning tally of 66 percent to 28 percent."

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Where did the year go? Suddenly it is December ......again - and we realize that with giant strides we started in January and within a blink of an eye, 2009 is on its back!

A big "Thank You" to each and everyone of you, for any impact you had on my life this year. Especially for all the e-mails I received.......without you, I'm sure that 2009 would have been extremely boring.

May 2010 mark the beginning of a Tidal Wave of Love, Happiness and Bright Futures. And to those who need someone special, may you find that true love.

To those who need money, may your finances overflow

To those who need caring, may you find a good heart To those who need friends, I am still here for you .Thanks for being my friend!!

AND GOD'S BLESSING In 2010

(Thanks to a good friend in Canada!)

The Cold Heart of Obamacare

Much of the press coverage of the Democrats' health care legislation, now fiercely embattled in Congress, focuses on the public option, the actual long-term costs and tax increases, and the amendment barring funding for abortions. But the cold heart of Obamacare is its overpowering of the doctor-patient relationship – eventually resulting in the premature ending of many Americans' lives for being too costly.

To call the dangers of this legislation "death panels" obscures the real-life consequences to Americans, not only the elderly, of a federal government-run health care bureaucracy. In the Senate bill, for instance, Medicare doctors whose treatments each year of certain, mostly elderly, patients costs more than a set government figure will be punished by losing part of their own incomes....

Moreover, President Barack Obama has made clear that eventually he desires a U.S. equivalent of the British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), a commission that decides which drugs and procedures for patients are within the national budget for health care. The current baseline expenditure for each Briton, according to Michael Tanner, is $44,305 per year.

In this country, bureaucrats keeping tabs on patients – without actually seeing them and their condition – will mean, as Tanner notes, that "every time a doctor decides on a treatment, he or she would have to ask: 'Does the government think I'm doing this too much? Will I be penalized if I order this test?'

President Obama and his supporters in Congress insist that clinical studies prove how many needless and expensive tests and procedures are so often performed. But these are collective statistics. Individual patients are left out….

"Clinical studies routinely exclude patients with more than one medical condition and often the elderly or people on multiple medications. Conclusions about what works and what doesn't work change much too quickly for policy-makers to dictate clinical practice." Everyone, regardless of political party, should keep in mind: "If doctors and hospitals are rewarded for complying with government-mandated treatment measures or penalized if they do not comply, clearly, federal bureaucrats are directing health decisions," Groopman and Hartzband wrote.

If congressional Democrats succeed in passing their health care "reform" measure to send to the White House for President Obama's signature, then they and he are determining your health decisions….

We do not elect the president and Congress to decide how short our lives will be. That decision is way above their pay grades…
by NAT HENTOFF
Syndicated columnist in The Orange County Register

More on Catholic Healthcare Association's Support for Abortion-Funding Bill

From yesterday's New York Times:

"WASHINGTON — In an apparent split with Roman Catholic bishops over the abortion-financing provisions of the proposed health care overhaul, the nation’s Catholic hospitals have signaled that they back the Senate’s compromise on the issue, raising hopes of breaking an impasse in Congress and stirring controversy within the church.

There is nothing "apparent" about it. The bishops have called the abortion-funding bill "morally unnacceptable."

According to the Times, the CHA was joined by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, currently being investigated by the Vatican.

What's the impact? The Times continues:

"...in practical political terms, some Democrats — including some opponents of abortion rights — say that the Catholic hospitals’ relative openness to a compromise could play a pivotal role by providing political cover for Democrats who oppose abortion to support the health bill. Democrats and liberal groups quickly disseminated the association’s endorsement along with others from the nuns’ group, other Catholics and evangelicals."

and

"Abortion rights supporters said the signs of openness from Catholic groups were helping some Democratic abortion foes accept the Senate compromise."

“We have known for quite some time (so have we) that the Catholic hospitals and also the nuns are really breaking from these hard-line bishops and saying, ‘This really is our goal: to get more people into health care coverage,’ ” said Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado.

That is: they are willing to tolerate publically-funded abortion if that's what it takes to get the uninsured insurance.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Blessings at Christmas

“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright.” —Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, philosopher, physicist and writer, 1623-1662)

May the Lord show you the way and support you in fidelity to His law.

A Blessed Christmas!

Cardinal Laments Same-Sex "Marriage" Law

MEXICO CITY, DEC. 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- After a law allowing same-sex "marriages" was passed by Mexico City's assembly, the archbishop of that region said that no matter the legislation, these unions will always be immoral.

Cardinal Norberto Rivera, archbishop of Mexico City, stated this after the city's legislative assembly voted Monday to legalize these unions, and to allow adoption by same-sex couples.
The mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, is expected to give the final approval of the measure.

It will never be a marriage, the prelate stated, but only a formal union between two persons of the same sex, and from the perspective of Christian values "it will always be immoral."
He stated that the opposition to homosexual "marriage" is not discrimination, but rather "recognizing and defending marriage as an essentially heterosexual institution."
"Our children and youth run the grave risk of seeing these types of unions as normal," the cardinal said, "and they can falsely understand that sexual differences are simply a personality type."

In this way, he said, they will fail to appreciate the duality of human sexuality, "which is a condition for procreation, and thus, for the conservation and development of humanity."
Cardinal Rivera continued: "Homosexual acts, in effect, close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not come from a true affective and sexual complementarity."

Obama on the Senate Bill

From the Washington Post's blog page:

"President Obama's Broken Health Care Promises"

"Every single criteri[on] I put forward is in this bill," said President Obama about health-care legislation.

Really? Obama promised not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $250,000. The Senate bill includes several tax increases that apply to people who make less than that.

Obama said he wanted a bill that would leave the status quo in place with respect to federal financing of abortion. The Senate bill provides federal funds to help pay for the cost of insurance plans that cover abortion.

Obama said there would be no benefit cuts. The bill cuts Medicare benefits, as the Congressional Budget Office has confirmed.

Obama said that health legislation shouldn't add a "dime" to the deficit. Unless you believe that Congress is going to allow steeper cuts in doctor payments than it has done before, it will add a lot more than a dime.

He said legislation would cut premiums. CBO reports that a lot of premiums will go up.

He said that legislation would reduce health-care costs. The administration's actuaries say it would cause national health-care spending to go up."

NOW IS THE ONLY TIME YOU OWN

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read: ‘The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.'

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of WW II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER? Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

Senate Vote Update: Catholic Heath Association SUPPORTS Senate Bill

I had not known this. Tom Peters reports that the Catholic Healthcare Association supports the Senate bill, including taxpayer funded abortions.

Back on August 6, Jack Smith at "The Catholic Key" wrote:

"Since the election and during the buildup toward health care reform, Sister Carol Keehan and the Catholic Health Association she leads have come up for sharp criticism from prolife advocates. For her public support of the president's pro-abortion appointees to her campaign to enact health care reform now, she is accused of being at odds with the USCCB and the prolife cause, both of which have serious reservations about current health care proposals."

On September 11, Jack took some heat from John Allen at the National Catholic Reporter for his column. Defending Sr. Keehan, Mr. Allen wrote:

"Over the years she’s emerged as an important spokesperson for Catholic health care, including the church’s unambiguously pro-life position."

Looks like Mr. Allen owes Mr. Smith an apology.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Obamacare Moves Forward in Senate. The "Party of Death" Lives up to It's Name

Democrats: all for. Republicans: all against. The Party of Death lives up to its name.

The vote reminded me of the statement columnist Micheal Sean Winters made on July 14, 2009 in the Jesuit America magazine:

"To be clear: I have never voted for a Republican in my life. My mother told me my right hand would wither and fall to the ground if I did. But, if the President or my representatives in Congress support federal funding for abortion in any way, shape or form, I will never vote for them again and I might risk my right hand in the next election by voting for their opponent.

So, call your Senators and Representatives. Call the White House. Many of us pro-life Democrats have given the President the benefit of the doubt on the abortion issue because of his repeated commitment to trying to lower the abortion rate, a commitment he reiterated to Pope Benedict XVI last week. All the good will he has earned among Catholic swing voters, and all the arguments on his behalf progressive Catholics have mounted, all could be swept away if abortion is part of a federal option in health care. Politics is the art of compromise, but on this point, there can be none."

I'm waiting to hear what "progressive Catholics" say about this vote.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Obamacare, San Francisco Style

On December 16, the left-leaning SF Weekly ran a long story about the insanity of San Francisco government: "The Worst-Run Big City in the U.S."

It's well worth reading. Here's a short excerpt showing what happens when the government get's its hand on healthcare:

"Back in 1999, San Francisco voters were pitched a $299 million bond to "save" Laguna Honda Hospital as a 1,200-bed facility for the city's frail, elderly population. Who doesn't want to help the frail and elderly? A decade later, the Department of Public Works project is still incomplete, its price tag has swelled by nearly $200 million, and the hospital is slated to hold only 780 beds — so the city is going massively overbudget to construct a hospital only 65 percent as large as promised, which is four years behind schedule.

Amazingly, this gets worse. After securing the bond funding to save Laguna Honda as a hospital for the elderly, the Department of Public Health began transferring younger, often dangerous and mentally ill patients there and mixing them among the old people. This went about as well as you'd think: A 2006 state and federal licensing survey noted numerous instances of elder abuse, staff abuse, and patients toting drugs, alcohol, and even loaded weapons. One patient was assaulted four times in four months; to address this problem, staff erected signs reading 'No Hitting.'"

"Catholics Come Home" Initiative

Nice video from CatholisComeHome.org:



I had not heard of this before, that I remember, but it has been around for a while. The video reminds us that our civilization is the work of the Church, which I liked a lot. The Diocese of Sacramento (and others around the U.S.) will be using a variation of this video.

Our San Francisco CBS Affiliate, KPIX TV, came by today to interview Fr. John Itzaina, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul. You can see the clip here, which also has nice shots of the church, and 94-year old Fr. Austin Conterno celebrating the Mass.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney