Carper Knows Best
Jan 6th, 2010 by Frank Knotts
Sen. Tom Carper (D-De) was a studio guest on The Bill Colley Show on local talk radio station WGMD on Monday afternoon.
The hot topic with callers to the show was of course health care. As you can most likely guess, the callers were a majority against health care reform that is currently being rushed through congress. This seemed to have little or no effect on the Senator.
As he is known for, the Senator would take a question from a caller or from the host and then proceed to give a three or four-minute response that could not in any way be mistaken for an answer. Oh, he speaks in very even and measured tones that reminds one of Ward Cleaver talking to the Beaver, you know the tone that says,” I am your father and I know what is best for you, even if you don’t .”
It didn’t matter how many callers, or let me say citizens, expressed their opposition to health care reform. Sen. Carper would simply return to his talking points and explain how we the people didn’t get it.
He was arrogant and condescending, but in the most polite way. Several times he listed his re’sume’. He spoke of his service in the Navy, which I respect. By the way he must have been a free diver, this would explain his ability to speak for so long without taking a breath. He also mentioned several times his college education and his background in economics. In my opinion this was done to send the message that he again knows more than we do about our own needs.
It was this attitude that prompted me to call in and ask several questions of the Senator. I first gave him my name and asked if he knew me, he chuckled and started to answer that he knew a lot of Franks, so I answered for him and told him he did not know me. Next I asked him if he knew my health care needs, again he began to fall back to his talking points, so I again answered that he did not know my health care needs. My third question was whether he knew what I could or could not afford in the way of health care, by this time he was completely off his game, so I launched into my statement which was that, he did not, and since he knew none of these things, what made him think that he and his ilk in Washington should decide how I and others would best be served. I closed with the statement of “get government out of my way, don’t get in my way”.
After I had hung up the phone and turned up the radio I heard the Senators response to my call , which consisted of him saying, “that was a nice call from Frank”. Again merely dismissing the point that I was against health care because, well because the Senator Carpers of the world know best. They see themselves as the parents of children who cannot yet take care of themselves. They see it as their duty to manage our lives so that we don’t make costly mistakes and because they have been elected by people who in some case wish them to, well they feel they have the right to micro manage all of our lives.
The Senator spent an hour in studio with Bill Colley and took numerous calls on the health care issue. He gave his lame arguments why the country should welcome this so-called reform. But in that hour he never once acknowledged that some of the callers fears had any bases, he never once admitted that there was even the chance that this might not be the best thing for all of the citizens of the country, he never once gave any indication that he understood that many would actually be hurt if this health care legislation were to pass. He merely kept to his talking points, why ? Well because Sen. Carper and his ilk know what is best for the poor misguided citizens that elected them.
I wish I could take credit for this but it was another caller to the station who spoke these words after the Senator had left. The caller said that while Sen. Carper was speaking , on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on, okay I added a few on and ons, that all he was hearing from the Senator was , “let them eat cake”. Well I have to say that pretty much sums up the attitude of far too many of our elected officials and it certainly describes Sen. Carper’s appearance on The Bill Colley Show.
Nicely done, Frank!
I called him a socialist, and somewhere in his 5-minute response (after I had hung-up, of course) was a vague reference intimating that since he was ‘in SE Asia’ (non-combat), that it was absurd to label him ‘socialist.’ According to him, ‘he’s never heard that one before.’
Bulls#!t.
Didn’t Carper suport the nationalization of GM and Chrysler? Support the nationalization of some banks? The nationalization of the healthcare system? The regulation of corporate CEO salaries? Are these not socialist positions?
Carper’s a do-nothing lightweight that does what he’s told. Period. His greatest talent is being able to give a 10-minute response to the question ‘is it still cold out?’
Frank nailed this prick. Well done, sir.
Frank, you seem pretty happy with the health insurance you have. Can you tell us where you get your coverage and what you pay?
I think David told us he is on single payer deluxe U.S. government healthcare for the military. Is that what you have – single payer government deluxe, or something good you employer pays for as long as you work for him? Not everybody is set like you.
Please remember a lot of folks who either can’t afford decent coverage or people like my brother in law who was denied coverage while he suffered “preexisting” , or the millions who go bankrupt because of illness – there are many many people who are anxious to try reform, because what they have now is not meeting the needs of their family.
Career politician with non answers, what a surprise.
The sad reality is to stand for nothing yet seem to be for everything.
Mike Protack
Please remember a lot of folks who either can’t afford decent coverage…
The government plan doesn’t effect rates. All it does is force people to buy it. It does prohibit denying insurance based on pre-existing conditions. But, the insurance companies will raise rates to compensate for this.
Of course, this bill has nothing to do with insurance. It is about consolidating power in Washington. Ostensibly, virtually any human activity has some connection to ‘health,’ and can thus be regulated or controlled.
Rick, you are correct about power being consolidated in Washington, that is where the Federal Government is headquartered. They tell us how fast we can drive our cars, what kind of crap we can toss in the rivers, how strong ladders need to be, what pills you can sell to sick people, how high airplanes fly, what frequency your microwave operates at, who can print money, where the interstate highways go, how hamburgers get inspected. They control who can gets a passport to travel overseas, what chemicals can be in baby food, they even make sure our banks accounts are there when we need them. The Federal Government controls a tremendous number of people, things, activities. They keep huge data bases of fingerprints, photos, DNA. They are the single largest provider of health insurance. 40 million seniors get their health insurance directly from the Federal Government in Washington.
Somehow it is not a problem. It’s generally all stuff we need somebody to look after. One thing for sure, a lot more of us have more freedom than Americans 100 years ago. The four basic American freedoms are sometimes described as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear. Our American Government is the ultimate caretaker of those freedoms. Do not be afraid. If anything bad happens we can elect a new Government.
Think123, sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your question in #4, I have been petty busy due to the weather. I won’t discuss what I pay for my insurance because for now that is my private business. I do get my insurance through my employer and I pay a percentage of the cost for myself and my family, what a concept. As for your brother inlaw, there are already government options for the uninsured. I do believe we could do those options better and cheaper. My problem is the fact that the President and the Democrats want to force me to buy insurance, they want to decide what kind of insurance and if I choose to not buy it, they will fine and or imprision me. But of course you have no problem with that I’m sure.
“there are many many people who are anxious to try reform, because what they have now is not meeting the needs of their family.” Well let them try it without me and anyone who doesn’t want it. But you can’t do that can you Think123 ? Because you need those like myself who get up every moring and go to work , so that we can pay for the things we want and need, you need to force us into your idea of reform so that you can subsidize all of the loafers and non-productives of the nation. But tell me Think123, how will you fund your idea of nirvana after you and those who think like you have taxed and broken those like myself ?
This so called health care reform is not about helping the poor and down trodden, it is about punishing the successful , it is about bringing down all of those who have worked for the things they want, it is about nothing more or less than wealth re-distribution.
Frank, regarding pre-existing conditions and my brother in law, no, you are wrong . . . there are no government programs that help people who are denied coverage for preexisting conditions. His is not poor, he was not uninsured. The problem was . . the insurance company would not pay for spinal surgery, they said he had that spinal problem before he signed up. Well, he has had a stroke now, so the spine is the least of his worries, but he sure did suffer fighting the insurance company. The reform bill in Congress addresses that problem, as well as many of the other problems facing hard working self employed people who do not get insurance from the “company”. The entrepreneurs will all love. This will be great for them. This new reform bill will enable us to shop for health insurance in a new exchange set up just for individuals. We will have almost the same buying power as the big banks and the veterans. It means people can’t be turned down because they are sick. It means if you get cancer, the insurance company can’t cut off benefits, so you have to sell your house and go bankrupt and get on welfare to get coverage. It mean that the company that hires low wage workers and does not provide health insurance will not get off the hook by shifting their low income employees off on medicaid. That is what WalMart was doing in Maryland. Paying minimum wage, no insurance, so all their workers went to the State on Medicaid. There are systemic problems that are being addressed here Frank. This is called taking care of business.
Nobody is talking about nirvana, utopia, punishing the successful, redistributing wealth, rewarding lazy people. Where do you get that stuff? This is serious policy aimed at a serious problem. Remember when the emergency room was for emergencies? It’s not anymore, it’s primary care for a big number of people. This new bill in congress is going to open up 1000 new community clinics. It’s good stuff Frank.
You really should reconsider the way you look at this. Not all public policy is bad.
Do we need to dismantle the entire car to fix the water pump? Do we need to take apart the entire health care financing system to tinker with preexisting conditions?
David, CSPAN broadcast a professional forum featuring speakers from business and government of various political stripes. All were there to talk health care business not politics. One of the most interesting experts was the guy in charge of implementing the Massachusetts plan initiated by Governor Romney. They’re currently into phase two or three in Massachusetts, cost control. Phase one was just getting it up and running – providing online services where citizens can shop insurance in a new exchange they apparently set up. Public policy is always a work in progress, never really perfected. Just like in the private sector. Change or perish. Everybody knows the status quo is not good for America. Most everybody is willing to rethink how we do this. Why it is more and more people can’t afford insurance,why are prices are going up five times faster than inflation? Millions of Americans going bankrupt because they got sick. It is dragging us down – on top of our other problems.
Maybe the fast talking politician or the talking head radio and TV blogger guys can make a joke out of this, but the real serious professional folks aren’t laughing.
There is a lot of good stuff here. Eliminating preexisting denials that prevent sick people from buying insurance, outlawing benefit cut offs so families don’t go bankrupt, setting up an exchange where sole proprietors, individuals can choose from a wide variety of health plans and shop as a group, funding for community primary care health clinics to take the burden off emergency rooms – there is also a long overdue provision that says private health insurance companies can no longer spend more than 15% of our premiums – for operations, salaries, shareholder dividends. 85% of our premium money must be returned in the form of health care.
It’s a bit of an overstatement to say we are “taking apart our entire health care financing system”. Your veterans insurance will be financed the same way, as will Frank’s insurance at work. Same for the workers at Bank Of America. We really don’t have a health care financing “system”. We have a conglomeration of ways people pay for health care. That won’t change. The big change will be 25,000,000 or so people added to the pool because coverage will be mandatory, just like auto insurance. The logic is pretty much the same too. Means if you get in a head on collision, you better have both car insurance and hospital insurance. Mitt Romney called those who wanted to risk going without insurance even if they can afford it – “free riders”. Don’t pay for insurance, but expect us to bail them out when they have a heart attack. The reason an aspirin costs $10 in a hospital is to make up for the free riders. We are looking for a way out of this mess.
All the interest groups involved in this, AARP AMA CIO AFL to Chamber Of Commerce, all agree – we do need major, fundamental change. We are not dismantling the entire system. President Obama addressed the issue of switching to a national single payer system. He said that that kind of instant radical change is not prudent. He prefers an incremental approach to see how things go. The President has delegated the nuts and bolts of this to Congress and the private sector to work out.
As it stands, while the median gross family income in the USA is declining from around $50,000 a year, the cost of family health coverage is inflating to where a decent policy is heading towards $20,000 a year.
It really is a shame the Republican Party will have none of it.
I love hearing John McCain, a man who never had anything but dirt cheap special deluxe government insurance his entire life right from the cradle, telling the rest of us we better not mess with his system. He says all this reform stuff is “left wing”. David, I know you are a patriot. You gotta start examining what side you are on here.
I think the declining income issue is one that we must examine. The real problem is not that health care costs more. It is that we have less money in middle America.
That will be the megaconcern of the 21st Century.
The megatrends driving the drop in income are going to be long lasting and difficult to reverse. We are going to have less money in our pocket for the foreseeable future – at least. A lot of it has to do with us having to compete with billions people in other countries. People who work cheap with health insurance not factored into the cost of the goods they produce.
We dare not reach a point where health insurance consumes 50% of wages, whether the boss pays, or it’s out of the pocket of the self employed. The family next door to me is self employed. They cleared less than $50K and pay $1800 a month for health insurance. That’s over $20,000 a year. My buddy is thinking of giving up his little business and begging for a job at a bank or something. That’s not the way it should be. Soon as Congress passes the Reform, after the Exchange kicks in he will be able to shop for group rates with other self employed people. Hopefully, if we act together, be smart, maybe things will get better.
I think it is a great thing to better the health care financing system. What is being proposed will increase costs, lower quality, and take away consumer choice. It will not help employers, but it will cost the taxpayer more money. Most of the alleged benefits are years away while taxes go up on top of the high premiums already being paid. That is deform not reform.
think123, here’s one for you. Lower taxes to all who pay and let them shop across state lines for their insurance. In other words increase compitition. Also by lowering taxes you increase the number of small businesses. The answer is never going to be more taxes and more government, both will only limit choices and the ability of the individual to stand on his own. As government increases the number of individuals who rely upon it for all of their needs, it increases the need to take more from those still attempting to make it on their own, until they can no longer afford to, and must also turn to government. But at some point you will run out of people to tax to support those who are relying on government hand outs. At that point you will have complete economic failure.
Would it not be better to increase the number of people who can stand for themselves and reduce the number of state held slaves?
You forgot something, think; the government also steals from the productive through Marx’s ‘heavy, progressive tax on incomes’ (Communist Manifesto), steals by controlling the currency and thus, creating inflation (a hidden tax) by way of illegally eliminating gold and silver coin (coin prescribed by the Constitution as the only legal tender) and led the nation to bankruptcy (projected 13 trillion deficit).
This is why the Founders put Art. I., Sec. 8. into the Constitution.
So the government gives us economic slavery, bankruptcy and inspected hamburger (how much of that burger do you think is actually inspected?). Great deal.
Stop the Marxist Bastards!!
What does Rick and Al Quaeda have in common? They both hate the Government of the United States of America. Both think are elections are a joke.
Frank, you keep putting this in the perspective of handouts for lazy people. That is not what this is about. What does doing away with preexisting denials or cutting off benefits in the middle of an illness have to do with lazy people?
This is about more choices, as to who you can buy your health insurance from. As far as shopping across state lines, my understanding is that the reform bill provides for an “exchange” where individuals can shop across state lines. That’s one of the big reasons I am for it. Let people from all different states shop in a national group rate pool where every insurance company can sell policies. It says the insurance company has to return 85% of premiums as healthcare service. There is no way to do any of this without the “government” being involved. How can you have “public” policy with the government being involved?
“What does Rick and Al Quaeda have in common? They both hate the Government of the United States of America. Both think are elections are a joke.” This statement shows a high degree of a low mind. To compare a citizen challenging their government’s policy, with a group that wishes to kill people who disagree with them is like comparing abortion with having a mole removed, oh but wait you probably do believe they are the same. You acting as if no one should voice their opinion if it does not agree with that of your chosen leaders, actually is more in line with the radical Islamist.
Now to address your more economic statements about this not being about paying for the lazy and the non-productives among us, well tell me think123, who will pay for their insurance? And why must you and your like force people who choose not to buy insurance for their own reasons, to buy insurance? Because you have to have the younger citizens paying into the system while they are relatively healthy and not getting much back for their dollars. You need this to off set the cost of paying for the free loaders. Your arguement will always fall apart at the point you mandate that we must buy insurance to be a citizen.If that is your idea of freedom, them I feel sorry for you. You may actually believe that this reform will benefit those you think need the help, but my friend you are wrong, this is government attempting to steal away our most precious freedom, CHIOCE !!, for choice is Liberty.
Frank, Rick calling people Marxist bastards is more than questioning the government. It’s the same extremism the Jihadists use. American the Great Satan. Stop the Marxist bastards. All comes from twisted minds. Tea Party and Jihadists. Same hateful shit, different religions. It obvious Rick does not like America, has no respect for the majority, or the elections.
Frank,
1) do you think it is a mistake that me and “my like” pushed to mandate that we all have automobile insurance? Would you prefer drivers have a choice not to pay for insurance so we have to pay when then hit us and they get off free. How about that mandate that took away your choice not to get your car inspected?
2) you never said what you think about Romneycare in Mass where he made coverage mandatory? Is Romney, like me – and, as you say, “my like” whatever that means?
3) who are all these lazy non productive free loaders you keep talking about? How many Americans are no good bum freeloaders in your mind?
I am surprised a Christian man would take the position that poor people are just lazy bums and not deserving of good medical care.
Okay, the car insurance arguement is not relavent because I don’t have to buy it if I choose not to drive and it is to protect the other drivers not me, that is why I can buy just liability as long as I don’t owe money to a bank on my car, and then the full coverage is to protect the banks.
As for Romney care in Mass., well my friend, you have obviously missed some of my exchanges with Dave right here on this site about my opinion of Mr. Romney and his so called health care reform. If you look at it today you will see exactly where national health care will lead. Higher cost to those who pay and lower quality of health care.
Now to adress your point of my Christianity, well that is not for you to judge “for I judge not myself”, that is for God to judge. But to answer you about who the non-productives are, well that would be the young and healthy who choose to stand on street corners instead of finding jobs, any job. They are those who will say , “I can make more than that on un-employment”, they are those who have babies so that they can continue to recieve government support. We already have programs to support the elderly and the truly disabled. I have a problem with supporting those who can and won’t support themselves. Now, I will admit that this happens in a large part because they have been conditioned to behave this way. The statist among us work very hard to convince people that they are helpless, so that they will be able to grow the size and scope of big government.
Finally, Rick certainly doesn’t need me to defend his statements, but you yourself are not looking at the accusations that you are making.You liken hime to jihadist and then say he is the same because he calls people names, well aren’t you calling him a jihadist? Does this not make you as bad as him ? As for him calling them Marxist bastards, well there I do have to say he is incorrect, our current president is a fascist not a Marxist.
Think wears that nose ring proudly. He is most comfortable when being led-around by his government masters. ‘Slavery is freedom.’
Pathetic.
Frank,
1) do you think it is a mistake that me and “my like” pushed to mandate that we all have automobile insurance? Would you prefer drivers have a choice not to pay for insurance so we have to pay when then hit us and they get off free. How about that mandate that took away your choice not to get your car inspected? Yes, it should be a citizens choice to pay for car insurance or not to pay for it. However, if you choose not to pay for car insurance and you cause an accident you bear the entire brunt of the responsiblity for the accident yourself instead of having the safety of car insurance. Same thing with getting it inspected, if the muffler falls off your car and smashed my grill, you’re paying for it. That’s called “Personal Responsibility” and it’s why the United States Justice System was established, to ensure that people are held responsible for crimes they commit or damage they cause.
2) you never said what you think about Romneycare in Mass where he made coverage mandatory? Is Romney, like me – and, as you say, “my like” whatever that means?
Romneycare is a perfect example of why NOT to do universal healthcare. Even Romneycare, which was like the super diet version of the current healthcare bill being merged in Congress is failing and Massachussetts is running out of options to subsidize the costs of it.
3) who are all these lazy non productive free loaders you keep talking about? How many Americans are no good bum freeloaders in your mind?
I’d say that the lazy, non-productive freeloaders are the MILLIONS of Americans out there who CAN work but choose not to in favor of recieving welfare checks. If you doubt they exist I’ve got a few neighborhoods in Wilmington I could take you to. How about the estimated 2 million gang members in America? How about the 13-15 million illegal immigrants who currently have jobs yes, but recieve payment UNDER THE TABLE and live in America outside the law, but still recieve government aid to buy food, pay rent, send kids to school, get medical care and buy cars? Let’s start there for “lazy, non-productive freeloaders”.
I am surprised a Christian man would take the position that poor people are just lazy bums and not deserving of good medical care.
And as usual you FAR over reach and completely distort the facts. No one is saying that poor people in general are just lazy bums. In fact, I know many people who are in that “poor” category you so often talk about who are good people, who work or if they’re not working they are active and looking to better themselves. Some of them would be the first to tell you that they don’t WANT these entitlement programs because they can SEE what entitlement programs do. If you really ASK these “poor” people what they think of entitlement programs they’ll tell you it’s no way to live.
However, there is a segment of the population that knows no racial or spiritual boundaries who are content living on the government dime. Ben Franklin, who I don’t think anyone could consider an evil human hater (remember he was one of the leaders in the abolitionist movement, he gave many of inventions away for free and he was one of the most ardent supporters of freedom of religion) once said this: “I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. ”
We must not make it easy to be poor but to drive them into the middle class and we saw that working as we saw welfare shrink for a short time in the 80′s and 90′s. Now, Presidents Bush and Obama seem content to condemn the poor to a generation of pain and suffering by saddling them with massive debts to entitlement programs, crippling the private sector with huge tax increases and killing the value of the dollar by running the presses at full speed 24/7. We must accept the hardship NOW to save our kids and grandkids. Are we so selfish not to do that? think123, are you SO selfish that you cannot bear the burden now to save the next generation from OUR mistakes?
EvanQ, don’t try to use logic on pink-think 123; people of his ilk operate purely through emotion.
Rick, that’s why I made sure to ask him directly if HE was so selfish that he couldn’t sacrifice now in order to save the next generation. I’ve met some people like him, they claim to be Conservatives or Republicans but they have no concept of the roots of Conservatism and/or the Republican Party. Either that or they are disingenuous liars. The entire concept of conservatism relies on the fact that man is inherently good and capable himself of recognizing need, sacrificing for others and sharing. LIBERALISM (also known as progressivism) is predicated on the idea that humanity is inherently evil(or incompetant), incapable of recognizing need, unwilling to sacrifice for others and unlikely to share. It’s therefore the governments job to ensure equitable distribution of wealth and that money is “properly” earned. (reference Teddy Roosevelt’s New Nationalism speech: (http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=501)). THAT speech, is liberalism (progressivism) in a nutshell.
I had a discussion recently with someone who claimed to be very much a conservative but was not willing to consider forward looking reforms to any entitlement programs. They would say “We’ve GOT to stop spending…” but each time the idea of SS, Medicare/Medicaid reform was approached the answer was no. The reason? She had paid her fair share and expected it back. Even simple reforms like stopping growth of entitlement programs by privatizing NEW signups while assuring those who either currently, or who in the near future would recieve the benefits that they would be fully entitled to the current levels of assistance was scoffed at because she “deserved to get what she was owed by the government”. This isn’t just an entitlement PROGRAM issue, this is a greed issue but it’s not systemic and it’s not our nature. It’s bred into us by the entitlements, the politicians whose futures depend on being able to “defend” them and a society who is increasingly used to seeing them.
EvanQ, thanks for your comments, though you did throw me by putting my name at the beginning of #22.