Healthcare by Mob Rule?

[Getagroove]

Private industry has sunk to a new low in trying to get their way. Documents recovered and shown in the mainstream media television outlets show a public relations firm hired by the insurance industry has been organizing an "astroturf" rebellion (a phony grassroots organizing effort) to disrupt town meetings during the month of August while Congress is in recess and discussing proposed changes to the health care delivery and insurance system.

Whatever the public decides it wants to do about the changes presently being debated in Congress, a civilized, informative discussion should be allowed to take place without heckling, shouting, and shutting down constituent questioning of their Representative about this issue. What is the industry afraid of, that an open, rational discussion might actually convince people this plan is not a government takeover of health insurance? What is wrong with allowing an option to participate in a private plan or a public one? Where are all of these so-called free marketers who say that competition is best? If the private sector is better at doing things then let them prove it by providing better coverage at reduced cost. All the industry is offering at this moment is to do away with the pre-existing illness disqualification for insurance coverage in return for a mandate that everyone be covered. That means they get 40 million new customers with no commitment to control costs or stop denying individual procedure coverage. Sounds like a pretty shitty deal to me.

Whatever your views about healthcare reform, this new tactic of funneling private industry money to disrupt town meetings is new low, and should be soundly criticized by all Americans. It's a new form of corporate Naziism, akin to sending Brownshirts to stir up trouble. In this case the Brownshirts are misinformed and frightened people who have unwittingly become dupes in a Washington power struggle. Don't let them shut down the discussion. Contact your representatives and newspapers and tell them you don't appreciate be told what to think or how much information you are allowed to hear to influence your decision-making. Corporations funding lobbying efforts in Washington is one thing. Using their unlimited financial resources for disruption and intimidation is another, and should be unacceptable in a democracy.

[Peaches]

And I suppose that this is alright with you?


If you see anybody publicly opposing President Obama’s plan to implement a government-centric overhaul of the health care system, the White House wants you to report that person (or persons) ASAP.

From the White House website:

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to [e-mail].

Emphasis added. Of course, as we’ve seen in the health care debate to date, the term “disinformation” is used by the Obama White House as a catchall to describe any opposition to the President’s push for single-payer, government-run health care — meaning the White House wants to be informed of any forwarded emails or blog posts or any “casual conversations” that could be taken as opposition to their health care overhaul plan.

The White House has, as yet, offered no explanation of what it is they plan to do with the tips on policy opposition they hope to receive from citizen informers.

Interestingly, as Jake Tapper pointed out on Twitter this morning, the title of that post on the White House is a quote from John Adams’ 1770 “Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials.”

(h/t Jon Henke)

UPDATE: As Erick, one of RedState’s resident lawyers, points out here, this program may go beyond sinister and actually be a violation of current U.S. law.

Further, [e-mail] is not currently subject to Freedom of Information Act requests — something a freedom-loving legislator (Jim DeMint? Tom Coburn? Paul Ryan? Eric Cantor?) should seek to correct at his or her earliest convenience.

“I’m sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we’re Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration.”

– Hillary Rodham Clinton


Here is the link for this article: http://www.redstate.com/jeff_emanuel/2009/08/04/call-for-informants-if-you-oppose-obamacare-the-white-house-wants-to-know-about-it/