A fawning media continues to call any doubts or counter charges against proposed changes as "myths" that "distort" the "planned changes." When problems are acknowledged, the administration contends and the media accepts that the president hasn't really presented "his plan" yet.
Alessandra Stanley, reporting for the New York Times on President Obama's Sunday talk show grand slam with same-day interviews on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and Univision, commented on his "remarkably overt display of media management." On talk shows that are known for their challenging questions, Stanley observed, "No one shifted an armchair, moved a flower arrangement or asked an unexpected question." Media management is not what America needs.
Even Stanley observed, "For so well-spoken and confident a president, the lack of spontaneity on Sunday was striking. . Viewers have grown accustomed to the drama of live politics. Sunday looked more like a string of TNT reruns, an Obama health care overhaul marathon."
When critics talk about the cost for such entitlements and warn of higher taxes and a ballooning deficit, the president just keeps saying, "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits." Now, Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee have rejected a GOP amendment that would have required that the final health overhaul bill and a plain-English cost estimate be available online for 72 hours before any vote. Mr. President, a short summary isn't enough! Since a biased media isn't asking, we've got questions. Do you have answers? * Will you promise to make the "final" healthcare bill and the CBO cost estimate available online for at least 72 hours before you sign it?
* What is your plan to pay for the increased cost of healthcare coverage for 46 million people?
* How can you justify putting more tax burdens on the top one percent of income earners when those 1.4 million taxpayers already pay more than that of the bottom 134 million combined?
* Can you name any government entitlement program whose cost has been less than the CBO estimated?
* With an Investors Business Daily poll indicating that 45% of doctors would consider leaving their practice or retiring early if your plan passes, where will the additional nurses or doctors come from to avoid adding to the wait or declining treatment?
* How will private insurance companies survive when they must accept all who apply no matter what their condition and face governmental price controls on what they can charge?
* What fail-proof method to verify citizenship will be required by any plan that receives government subsidies?
* If politicians and federal workers aren't forced to use "our" plan, will you let the rest of us use theirs?
* With healthcare in "crisis," will your plan start before your next election so that you can be held accountable for the results?
* If you expect to pay for the new plan by cutting waste, why not start with those cuts and work to support a bipartisan plan that could be passed around core principles Americans support before you add another expensive entitlement program we can't afford?
* After rushing through a stimulus bill to "save" our economy from crisis, why has your administration been so slow in putting those funds to work?
* With Mexico's President Felipe Calderon proposing to dismantle some government agencies to cut costs, what government departments or agencies would you suggest we eliminate in the face of our escalating deficit?
* Finally, since Congress wants to censure Rep. Wilson for calling you a liar, don't you think it's appropriate to censure Senator Charlie Rangel for tax evasion that would have sent any other American to jail?
The majority of Americans taking to the streets are not extremists. They are frustrated and fearful that they're not being heard and that their questions aren't being answered.
When politicians in Washington vow to pass a transformational change that will impact 1/6th of our economy and could adversely affect our healthcare and federal deficit for years to come, we need more penetrating questions, some specific answers and very vigilant voters. What questions do you want answered?
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