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What Barack Obama Fails To Understand About America

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The stunning collapse in public opinion for President Obama's health care plan demonstrates a weakness in the president's overall vision. According to a new Gallup Poll, 55 percent of Americans now believe Obama is doing a poor job on health care reform, his signature issue. The main reason for this is that few understand what the deuce is going on. I analyze the news for a living, and I can't explain what the House bill would do. It's more than a thousand pages long, for crying out loud, and reading it could cause your head to explode.

Americans elected Obama to change things that are failing. No question but that the health industry is in chaos. Price gouging, frivolous lawsuits and poorly run hospitals all add to the apprehension of the regular folks. But the president is not reforming, he's reinventing. He wants the government to set up a parallel health care apparatus, a giant entanglement of entitlements.

Did I mention that no one can explain it?

It's not only confusion that is causing Americans to bail on Obamacare. Most of us value freedom and have a healthy distrust of government. Time after time, we have seen the feds screw things up: Iraq, Katrina, immigration, Vietnam, the war on drugs, public schools, the list is endless. And we are going to put our troubled appendix in the hands of these people?

If the president's plan were clearly presented with the costs spelled out, I believe it would have a chance of passing.

But just about everybody knows the USA might be facing bankruptcy, which would damage Americans far more than a troubled health care system. Even though he will not admit it, there is huge financial risk in Obama's health care vision, and Americans are starting to wise up about the danger.

Finally, there is the freedom factor. Your health is obviously personal. You want to have as much control as possible when you get sick. In Canada, where the government runs the health care industry, there are waiting lists for treatment in some places and a shortage of doctors in others. Americans fear that if medical choices are dictated by the feds, that kind of chaos will happen here.

Also, federal health care means all of your medical records are in the hands of the government. Do you want that?

Don't be surprised if the federal health care plan goes down in flames and Obama is dealt his first major setback. This whole thing is poorly thought out, rushed and full of peril.

It's almost enough to make you sick.

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Who's Looking Out For You?" To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the Web site www.billoreilly.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 BillOReilly.com.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM


Comments

4 Comments | Post Comment
Sir;...Do you realize that the enitire defense of this entire place and population is in the hands of the federal government...How do you like that; that people who cannot even be trusted to manage public health when it is clearly a public problem, or national health when it is clearly and national problem- are in charge of your defense from enemies domestic and foreign??? Only a madman would concoct this situation where those who should do the job do the job...No...We must see this land with more tiers of health care than a hog hotel...We must see health insurance premiums as a private tax for a service the government already taxes to provide, that breaks the people and drains off more and more of the publics capital into private hands...The cost of medical care is ruinous...Two thing limit that cost naturally...One is common sense, that we cannot have it all, or live forever; That we cannot have perfect care, or perfect justice when things go wrong...The other thing that limits cost is the simple fact that as profit excludes more and more people with health problems, the government is left to pick up the costs for those who remain, and what they do not pay adds to the general costs of medicine until the whole edefice falls, and brings down the government and the wealthy with it... That is a long way off....The people can be squeezed for more profit, and more people can be denied, but we are reaching a breaking point...The government is failing, and businesses are failing for the cost of health care... It should be rationed, and rationed should mean reasoned...There are things people should not be forced to pay for under any plan...There are things which should be expected of any plan... But your spreading fear over the whole federal government is foolish...You want to break the budget to make life easy for millionaires...You don't want to deny any millionaire that title to save some poor kid from disease or an early death...I understand all that... But if the federal government cannot provide for this bit of general welfare, then it is an impediment to the good for which it was formed...We need good from our government...It is not all about defense, or all about welfare...These are sides of the same object we have as a nation, of liberty and justice for all... We cannot leave out the all, or hand over so many victims, sixteen thousand every day- in the case of health insurance, to make their way alone as though they had no government on their side...If government cannot do for the people, and do good in their names, then they are an impediment to justice and to progress, because they stand in the way of people taking what they need themselves from those who have it when they need it... Would you prefer people all running around with guns or knives demanding justice or medicine from each other??? Order is not a reason for which our government was formed, but order will eventually be impossible to maintain if government cannot do good for the people...You conservatives can muddy the issue and deny the ability of the democrats to change the system...You cannot so easily hold back the tide of a restless and angry people...If you want order, you must concede some justice...Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #1
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:25 AM
You're quite right O'Reilly. The President should stop trying to accommodate critics like you and go for single payer. He's tried to be nice to all of you who are dedicated to the failure of his presidency, and by implication our country as well, and you've all shined him on. Time for the gloves to come off.
Comment: #2
Posted by: Masako
Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:50 AM
Dear Bill O'Reilly, Since the 70's, 'Common Sense' has gone bye-bye! The politicians have bankrupted America with their social and welfare programs so they can continue to get elected! If you're a Taxpayer, you should be fed up with Obama, his administration and "bragging" about his healthcare! His favorite "This Healthcare isn't about me. I have great insurance and so does every member of Congress." Wouldn't you, as a Taxpayer, wonder why politicians have better healthcare,doctors, salaries, and retirements? If American Taxpayers are smart, they'll go back to "Pay as you go" system for medical expenses, insurance, and everything else, that includes stopping politicians and insurance companies from taking your last penny! "If you don't work, have never paid social security, live off social and welfare programs, why should you receive anything that Taxpayers have worked for?"

America doesn't need bigger government nor anything else controlled by a radical and socialist government, let alone National Healthcare! 'Fair Tax', to include property taxes, and 'pay as you go' for doctors and hospitals,
would cut theft and tons of useless paperwork. Trillions would be saved!

At no time have Taxpayers heard the words "We, the politicians, in order to pay off trillions we borrowed without Taxpayers consent, are going to reduce our benefits, salaries and retirements to $12,000.00 yearly!"

This is one actual insurance/government billing. Check out your 'Explanation of Benefit' regarding Medicare and your private insurance. If your doctor billed for $233.00, Medicare paid $76.20, and your private carrier said it
was OK to pay $19.05, this should tell you about government/insurance and hidden costs?

America is now an enslaved nation with trillions of dollars in debt and all because of deceit and greed. I'm quoting John Adams - "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword, the other is by debt."
Surely, you remember history and the Dictator that said "We'll destroy America and never lift a finger!" If this doesn't wake you up, nothing will!

Comment: #3
Posted by: Shirley deLong
Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:47 PM
Re: James A. Sweeney: Sir, please read the Constitution. The country's defense IS the job of the federal government. Providing health care is not.
Comment: #4
Posted by: Scot Penslar
Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:24 PM
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