Democratic leadership has been reported to have “cooled” on support of Dr. Donald Berwick, Obama’s appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid. The Senate has decided not to take up Berwick’s appointment because of Berwick’s controversial, socialist ideology. But Barack Obama has doubled down on his support of the Euro-loving Doc and given Berwick another recess appointment despite his far left, out of touch policy ideas.
Berwick is now well known for saying that the U.S. “must redistribute the wealth” in its administration of government healthcare systems. His sentiment is far, far outside the mainstream of American opinion. Statements such as this have caused even Democrats in the Senate to shy from his appointment. But not Obama:
“The president stands firmly behind the nomination of Don Berwick because he’s far and away the best person for the job, and he’s already doing stellar work at CMS saving taxpayer dollars by cracking down on fraud, and implementing delivery system reforms that will save billions in excess costs and save millions of lives,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement on Thursday. (CMS is the acronym for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.)
Republicans sent a letter to the White House on March 3 rejecting Berwick’s appointment.
“As CMS now has the responsibility for restructuring insurance markets across the country, Dr. Berwick’s lack of experience in the areas of health plan operations and insurance regulation raise serious concerns about his qualifications for this position,” the letter said. “Furthermore, his past record of controversial statements, and general lack of experience managing an organization as large and complex as CMS should disqualify him being confirmed as the CMS Administrator.”
This will be the second time that Obama has doubled down on his support for Berwick as in 2010 Obama bestowed a recess appointment on the socialist doc to avoid a Senate confirmation hearing then, as well.
In 2008 Berwick appeared before a British healthcare agency and said, “Any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must – must — redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is by definition redistributional. Britain, you chose well.”
Berwick is a socialist yet Obama keeps pushing this man into the fore.
This shows Obama’s true colors. His supporters blandly wave off any thought that the president is a socialist at heart. But with moves such as this Obama reveals with his actions that he is truly the most radical, left-wing president we’ve ever had.
Obama goes before the people and talks the good talk about capitalism. But with his real-world actions he proves that he stands against capitalism and for a government take over in every aspect of our lives.









March 12th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
““must redistribute the wealth” — Guess what– every time you go to the store and buy something your’e redistributing wealth. ”
Had a government official “not” said “must” you might have a point.
“Must” is a finite authoritarian and dictative application.
“Voluntary distribution” is not, and represents the embodiment of freedom.
Dont tell us to grow up.
I’m probably the most childish ass-hole on this blog and even I know when to say “yeah, that was some stupid sht, sorry”.
Try it, its kinda like….
being free
March 12th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
“If I might correct you Mick…”
Yeah, in more ways you’re right
March 12th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Me, the first rule is they are “completely mad.” The second rule is they are “always mad.” the third rule is, well guess what, “they are totally mad.” You’d do better playing pink floyd backwards to the Beatles number nine in the background with the gong show sound-track whispering from the back room,, and spinning the dice in a powerful magnetic bowl. Only then will you know the true “them” and which “them” “they” stand for. otherwise assume you are the normal one, as in all likelyhood you are the normal one, and they are “not”, “nor” will they be ever of that persusasion. Even, after reading this thread I have no clue whatsover, what this time, they are grieving at. I will assume they are perpetually dysfunctional disheveled in the bath robe of wanton complaints about humanity and leave it generously at that.
March 12th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Buzzbee, I think the obama plan should have limited itself to an insurance fix and malpractice fix first and stopped there. I think enough people would appreciate that to make it work, and it would be a clear fix. When they attempted to grapple with the failing medicaid states program, and federalize it openly, and well any federal fix it just raised a ruckus, and they didn’t offer up a coherent plan that in a sentence or two one could explain what it does and how it would be paid for. They kind of married a boondoggle with much needed private payor insurance reform. I am not sure the middle class is getting much out of this afterall, they were just once again used by the politicians as the reason of the day. HONK! That is sort of like splicing oranges and artichokes together, just indigestable. They did’t even address the high cost of medical and nursing education, research, teaching hospitals, residencies, billing practices, price inflation, over regulation, and all of it that so jacks up the final cost of health care. Right now, small retail individual health care policy holders are getting really priced out of the game and no one is helping them. Doctors in some areas are simply refusing to accept insurance anymore and want only cash payers and use their own less expensive more reasonable labs. Tired of getting inflated EOB’s? Well that surely solves it. God help you if you need any kind of surgery, that will surely cost you. Your better off getting a decent catastrophic medical insurance with a 90 day discount pharmacy plan and just pay for the first few thousand a year for routine doctor visits out of your pocket. How bad is it to pay $200 each for one, two or three “quality” specialist doctor visits a year out of pocket, compared to paying $500-800 a month for a regular health insurance? Your not spending more till your spending 6 grand or more a year on these little visits. If you have catastrophic insurance for surgeries and some kind of pharmacy plan your really covering the basics unless you need some fancy medical equipment or home care. For certain people with chronic conditions a full service plan might be better, but for those without that, it might not be. And if you have a plan and go to an ER and they do an xray and a blood test, maybe stitch you up, or observe you overnight, you can easily get EOB’s charging you many thousands of dollars, even 4 grand for a night. How is that even slightly justified? How can a university hospital charge you a grand for a blood test that only costs them $75 to run?
March 12th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Gee Brian…
you think maybe you could attempt to defend ‘MEs’ comment instead of being so creative as to just attack persona’s ?
You cant, ya know why ?
Because you’re a frickin loser.
Please, just try.
Try to tell us this statement doesn’t reflect the ignorance of not knowing the difference between voluntary commerce in a free market and government achieving mandated social economic justice.
MEs argument is that we shouldn’t b*tch about socialism based on mandated tax redistribution because every time you buy a blue boy magazine you’re doing the same thing.
ME;
“must redistribute the wealth” — Guess what– every time you go to the store and buy something your’e redistributing wealth. Every time the government levies ANY taxes or purchases ANY good or service it is by definition “redistributing wealth”. Not only is excellent health care “by definition redistributional”, so is any economic activity or policy at all.”
(NO ! ITS AN “”"”EXCHANGE”"”" OF WEALTH !!!!!)
“I” “must” not, as in “dont have to” spend my money on a private policy as opposed to a government mandatory obligation with the threat of penalization should I not conform.
Now, defend MEs position with conclusion or continue looking like the petty schmuck that you are.
March 12th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
“How is that even slightly justified? How can a university hospital charge you a grand for a blood test that only costs them $75 to run?”
BECAUSE ASS HOLES LIKE YOU SUE THEM FOR PAIN AND SUFFERING OVER THE LITTLE PRICK IN YOUR ASS AND NOT GETTING A SMURF BANDAID
March 12th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
well mick whomever what you are, you’r just cantankerous without a purpose. You must have run a kitchen of smurf’s as where I come from they just woudn’t have taken it. You’d prolly be stuck making the coleslaw yourself. Imagine that! Cabbage, carrots, oinions, celery, red peppers, mayo, fennel, vineger, lemon juice, a big clean steel bin tray, utensils, S&P,…..its good for you and keeps ya healthy. Oh now your defending overcharging hospitals. You can’t really blame those that think if the government can provide interstate highways that work via fiat taxes, why can’t they provide half decent health care when what we have has so many problems? Not totally unrealistic an expectation among a “thinking” public. It gets to “what is the role of government in today’s United States?” For all it charges in taxes and fees, we should get more than we are getting. Pay for any state dinners lately? Do they even eat coleslaw?
March 13th, 2011 at 6:02 am
“For all it charges in taxes and fees, we should get more than we are getting.”
Thats my point moron.
With the government the money is distributed in means where we have no oversight or discretion to the value of the exchange.
Its autocratic dictative spending of my money directed to less fortunates as mandated by someones perception of what is economic justice.
Thats socialism.
When I go to the market I have a choice as to whether or not to support that exchange of goods.
If its worth a buck it gets a buck. It is not redistribution, its a fair exchange based on a mutual agreement between two parties.
“Capitalism is the economic manifestation of freedom” (Fredrick Bastiat).
“Capitalism is individual rights applied to the science of production and exchange” (George Reisman).
Capitalism, by definition, is “a network of free voluntary exchanges in which producers work, produce, and exchange their products for the products of others through prices voluntarily arrived at” (Capitalism Versus Statism, Murray N. Rothbard).
The crux of capitalism, and thus freedom, is private property.
The only alternative to private property is communal ownership or governmental ownership.
Communal ownership and government ownership are also called socialism. That, by definition, is what socialism is.
Environmentalism is a perfect example of wealth redistribution to other nations with no fair “exchange” of goods taking place.
The difference between equal/fair exchange and redistribution are what must be taken into account and is the basis upon which MEs argument is dismantled with ease.
So no, none of us are lacking any logic other than assholes like you who try to defend such asinine justifications of socialism.
Buying a candy bar is not socialism.
Its an exchange of goods based on an understanding of equal value between two parties.
Wealth redistribution is a three party transaction with an authority determining placement.
Argue that ass hole instead of performing your feeble attempts at discrediting others intellect and logic
March 13th, 2011 at 6:04 am
“For all it charges in taxes and fees, we should get more than we are getting.”
Thats my point moron.
With the government the money is distributed in means where we have no oversight or discretion to the value of the exchange.
Its autocratic dictative spending of my money directed to less fortunates as mandated by someones perception of what is economic justice.
Thats socialism.
When I go to the market I have a choice as to whether or not to support that exchange of goods.
If its worth a buck it gets a buck. It is not redistribution, its a fair exchange based on a mutual agreement between two parties.
“Capitalism is the economic manifestation of freedom” (Fredrick Bastiat).
“Capitalism is individual rights applied to the science of production and exchange” (George Reisman).
Capitalism, by definition, is “a network of free voluntary exchanges in which producers work, produce, and exchange their products for the products of others through prices voluntarily arrived at” (Capitalism Versus Statism, Murray N. Rothbard).
The crux of capitalism, and thus freedom, is private property.
The only alternative to private property is communal ownership or governmental ownership.
Communal ownership and government ownership are also called socialism. That, by definition, is what socialism is.
Environmentalism is a perfect example of wealth redistribution to other nations with no fair “exchange” of goods taking place.
The difference between equal/fair exchange and redistribution are what must be taken into account and is the basis upon which MEs argument is dismantled with ease.
So no, none of us are lacking any logic other than ass-holes like you who try to defend such asinine justifications of socialism.
Buying a candy bar is not socialism.
Its an exchange of goods based on an understanding of equal value between two parties.
Wealth redistribution is a three party transaction with an authority determining placement.
Argue that ass-hole instead of performing your feeble attempts at discrediting others intellect and logic
March 13th, 2011 at 6:06 am
“Oh now your defending overcharging hospitals.”
No I wasnt you lying sack o sht.
I simply explained why costs are what they are
March 13th, 2011 at 7:40 am
It read like you were defending hospitals, just cause. Don’t blame me if your lagging coherance. I still don’t have a clue what your talking about, other than growling just cause. Frankly Me, Snow Crash, Klo, and Ginnie read a lot more logically.
March 13th, 2011 at 10:07 am
“It read like you were defending hospitals, just cause.”
yeah well, weve all seen how you write.
“Don’t blame me if your lagging coherance.”
“coherance” is spelled “coherence”…dont talk to me about “lagging”.
Its pretty simple ass hole, you even made the same point yourself in stating frivolous malpractice needs to be curbed.
Soo, once again, I made the same point and you’re just arguing cuz you’re a punk.
“I still don’t have a clue what your talking about,”
Yeah, that goes back to the coherence thing.
” other than growling just cause. Frankly Me, Snow Crash, Klo, and Ginnie read a lot more logically.”
All whos ass I’ve handed to them repeatedly
Ginnie is famous for lying, being inherently dishonest, twisting and repeating strawman arguments fabricated out of pure cloth.
Klo never answers anyone…EVER !
Snows got half a brain and agrees with myself as hes never allied himself with you at all and you still cant give me a logical explanation as to how how ME makes the connection between 3 party wealth redistribution and free market exchanges.
And as far as you go.
The common consensus is that you’re just some b*tch in a high chair puking alphabet soup on eveyones monitor whos loved only by pedophile proselytizing Arab Muslim closet terrorists.
Your defending MEs wild assertion that socialistic wealth redistribution is universal due to free commercial trade is plain stupid.
One involves a second party deciding where the wealth comes from (first party) and goes to (third party).
Both Warner and myself have made these differences abundantly clear, so,if you have no idea what he or I are talking about you’re either a complete fcking idiot or acting obtuse so as to promote some faux representation of superior intellect.
Which, in itself, makes you look even more the idiot.
Oh, you owe the above mentioned group an apology.
In two years I’ve never seen one of them come to your defense. Over all it seems you’re just an embarrassment they chose to ignore
March 13th, 2011 at 11:46 am
oh mick, or mick, your just chock full of barsh bilious voodoo. My key point hear is, you perceive slights over everyhing. “Hey I like Folgers Fresh Roasted Coffee!” Why how dare you say such a thing! Blashphemmney! When does the Inquisition restart? Meanwhile the rest of us move foward with the reformation.
March 13th, 2011 at 11:57 am
“Frankly Me, Snow Crash, Klo, and Ginnie read a lot more logically”
brian, you guys interprest something you read the way you want it to mean, not the actual meaning. Government forcing someone to buy something s/he doesn’t want to buy is not the same as a person buying something at free will.
Secondly, buying something at free will is not a redistribution of wealth. A redistribution of wealth is taking from one specific group to give to another specific group based upon some pre-determined rule(s) that the government makes, not the people. This is not what the Founding Fathers intended for the country.
Anyway, obama is a socialist and takes every opportunity to bypass the Congress to put these socialists into place throughout his administration.
March 13th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I perceive slights ?
fck you’re a jerk.
you cant ever argue a point without attacking the persona or source while never bringing any credibility to your own argument.
You are the epitome of slight, in every sense.
Not knowing the difference between capitalistic free trade and socialism is about as slight as it gets.
You’ve yet to give MEs stupid comment any validity and instead as usual went gallivanting across the universe saying nothing at all.
loser
March 13th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
uh, yes, you percieve slights, in everything. The sidewalk even dizzed you and now you cankarage and shout up an highly offensive remake of an, older than ghoast, remark. I would say that your retorts are paper mache stuck under the table with Elmers glue at best, probably on a lark. Anyways, Me’s commentary makes perfect sense to me, is well written, communicative, useful. By the way Ron I said that I think obama should have first done just insurance and tort reform, rather than spicing this other advocado(mandatory insurance) to the orange tree. Apparently the voluntary health insurance changes aren’t sticking too well so far as prices are going way up for individual policy holders to the tune of 85% in some places. Its like a ball of mercury and gotten away from everybody./
March 13th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
“Anyways, Me’s commentary makes perfect sense to me, ”
Even ME is smart enough to not defend that asinine statement anymore.
He/She/It, if you haven’t noticed backed off a long time ago once the rationale, truth, and facts were given to Him/Her/It.
Take a hint from the ass-hole who started this you moron.
Theres “distribution” and then theres “redistribution” in the form of government intervention in the process of allocation to where they see fit out of liberal concerns for social justice.
You’ve yet to come up with one example of commerce proving my retort to ME as wrong yet you say it makes perfect sense to you.
Yet, you’ve made no sense but instead simply launched attacks on mundane pedantic and personal issues going to my intellect.
Here ass-hole.
You might actually learn the difference.
http://billyg.net/wp/uncategorized/marxism-vs-capitalism-redistribution-of-wealth/
“Did I hear Nancy Pelosi and President Obama correctly? Redistribution of wealth was their exact words right?
The Capitalist Manifesto written by Kelso and Adler.
The underpinning of this philosophy is concentration of capital while it may undermine a free and Democratic order a higher order of economic justice is that everyone has a human right and an equal opportunity to become an owner of capital. Isn’t this supposed to be the American Dream! Philosophers dating back to Aristotle contest that property is essential to preserving a free society. So you want to seize my capital property and give it away to others by means of unfair and discriminatory taxes biased toward one “class” of citizen over another “class”?
Now turn to Socialism.
Socialism at its core is an economic system governed by a political elite with a more concentrated ownership and wielding more economic power than a capitalist system where capital is concentrated in the hands of the few. Big Government…Out of Control Spending and Borrowing to do so…Complete Discretion with no oversight and forget about the people because our voices just don’t matter.
March 13th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
’spicing this other advocado(mandatory insurance) to the orange tree. ”
Uhh, no.
You said “splicing the artichoke to the orange” and that it was “indigestible”
private sector insurance rates are going up primarily due to less employment, smaller pools, inflation, and speculative but skeptical outlooks in the fiscal and economic horizon.
If Obamacare were abolished today premiums would come down in a heartbeat.
More than half the union has filed suit against the fed on grounds of unconstitutional mandates and shared unsustainable costs.
Not to mention most people in the face of unemployment and rising staple costs such as gas and food, dwindling property values are opting out of private coverage in hopes of free Obamacare in a couple years.
Really, try some honest sources that you can share giving you some credibility before you open your yap.
While you’re at it. Try to have an argument/debate with me just once without diverting the issue to me in the face of you having your ass handed to you.
You really are the village idiot
March 13th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
I had to change the metaphorical fruit hoping it would catch the point. Anyways, more to the matter regarding Germans, I had a good grilled Knockwurst, saur kraut, and baked bean platta yesterday and it was very good, light even, and wished we had a german restaurant in these environs. I do have a jar of purple cabbage sitting at the ready for next week. But my argument is you guyz were incoherent except Me and all so whatever point you were trying to make was lost to the four corners winds.
March 13th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
“Me and all so whatever point you were trying to make was lost to the four corners winds.”
If you lost the point then I dare not ask where your Knockwurst ended up.
Slice thin, simmer the red cabbage with some red wine vinegar,water, sugar n lil salt, cloves if you like.
That would be Danish.
Now go push your head thru a sieve and make some Spatzle
March 13th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
yes a good mustard is always required.
March 13th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Back in the day Saddams Iraq had some pretty mean mustard.
Blew the Kurds and Iranians nostrils right off.
March 13th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
your constantly looking at the dark side. I notice that.
March 14th, 2011 at 7:19 am
I’m trying to set up a fight with you ass hole.
Do you honestly think I wanna sit here an exchange recipes with you and discuss moutard & poupon?