The American Spectator

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 12.31.10 @ 6:19AM

Good article. Good points.

Having said that, let me state the obvious.

Anyone who gets involved in any government programs should realize that all central economic planning fails, each and every time.

This is just another example of that.

Happy New Year. God Bless America!

Curly Smith| 12.31.10 @ 8:28AM

But if you're in the "we're the ones we've been waiting for" crowd you understand that the plan didn't fail; rather, the workers failed the plan. The plan was based on certain assumptions and central among them was that you had dedicated, devoted and skilled followers. Unfortunately, you learn too late that they're actually a bunch of "effing retards". You knew that Clausewitz said, "No economic plan survives first contact with the proles" so you built well-considered contingencies into the plan but there's only so much that you can do when you've grossly over-estimated the ability of your followers.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 12.31.10 @ 11:28AM

That's an excellent and wonderful point.

The other day, a friend and I were discussing about how so many citizens have been lead to believe they are special, and based on that concept, it's a wonder the unemployment rate is only 10%.

With all the incompetents in this society who believe they are empowered when actually they are fools, it's a wonder the unemployment rate isn't 50%.

Conservative Teamster| 12.31.10 @ 4:26PM

Remember boys and girls what Mr. Rogers told you . . . You are SPECIAL . . . there's no one else in the world like you. Well, all the little kiddies that listened to and bought into that ridiculous crap are now a big part of the problem. Yes, it may be true that parents all over the world feel their kids are special (myself included) they still have to make it clear to these children that they still have to act responsibly and work hard to achieve goals.What we ended up with is a whole bunch of spoiled brats who feel that they are entitled to things because day after day they heard that they were SPECIAL. Fred Rogers was a wonderful man and did a lot of good. I guess he thought the parents of all the children he said were special would be responsible enough to instill proper work ethics and values in their kids.Sad to say, he was mistaken.

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:07AM

There's nothing like the invisible foot of government, Bill.

And, by the way, have a wonderful New Year. You're fun to read.

wodiej| 1.2.11 @ 7:40PM

special means you ride the short yellow bus.

Dave| 12.31.10 @ 1:12PM

In a nutshell, dealing with radical politicians like Obama, et al is like trying to shoveling cat and dog dung from your front lawn. After a few scoops -- it all smells the same. Or as my wise ol' momma used to say: "I tried to tell 'ya ..."

In Obama's case - "what you ended up shoveling was paid for with YOUR VOTE back in '08.

In looking out over the front lawn - (said) dung hasn't even BEGUN to stink up the dining room. Not with the usual suspects like McConnell and Boehner's guarding the front porch.

Think it's bad NOW? Wait'll these Obamanistas find a way to push some form of Amnesty For Illegal Aliens into functioning law by way of (you got it) another EXECUTIVE ORDER.

For the illiterates and other functioning morons trying to convince us ... "it's all good", it don't get better than this.

Or does it?

PCC| 1.2.11 @ 5:22PM

"No soup for you!"

Appleby| 12.31.10 @ 6:36AM

As we Canukistanis know, the main point of our North-Korea-Style health program is that feeling that its okay if my child dies on a waiting list, providing a rich persons child dies five minutes sooner.

That is, *free* medicine and health care is not for your health; it is a way to make sure TheMan suffers and you get to watch. From your deathbed -- but at least, they imply, you will die happy.

Enjoy your perusal of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Chicken Little| 12.31.10 @ 10:08AM

Help us all in the name of God in Heaven!

No medicine for you! No medicine for you!

I'm running around screeching "No medicine for you" to the top of my youngs, trying to tell all the barnyard animals that they're going to have to start paying for their over-the-counter medicines out of their own pockets!

But let me pause briefly and wish all you artery clogged AmSpec readers---- you cancer stricken, Crohn's disease, alcoholic, epeleptic, syphilitic dementia *pigs* a Happy New Year!

Now run on out to your local pharmacy and buy some Tums and Alka Seltzer Plus before they close for tonight's festivities 'cause you *pigs* are going to need all the digestive aids you can lay your hands on.

Butcha gonna have to pay for it out of your own pockets, *pigs*.

Grunt, grunt, grunt.

Chicken Little| 12.31.10 @ 10:15AM

And one more thing.

All you show-stoppin', hogs 'a' poppin' fat asses can pick up a box of Whitman's Chocolates on your way to the cashier.

Margaret| 12.31.10 @ 10:23AM

Chicken Little, honey, you have got us pegged.

As one in attendance at the 2010 Bartley Dinner, I can attest that the AmSpec attendees were an overweight bunch. I don't know when I have ever been at an event attended by so many fat, ugly people.

It was frightening. Truly frightening.

I said to my husband, "Brantley, have you ever seen so many ugly people in one place?" This made him quite angry, so we drove back to the hotel in icey silence.

Brantley| 12.31.10 @ 5:34PM

Actually, truth be told, we were at The 2010 Portly Buns Dinner with Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Mikulski, Madeline Albright...... entertainment provided by The Big Booty Gospel Choir of Trinity Church from Chicago singing " Hey TSA! Don't Touch My Chocolate".

We drove back in silence, when I answered far to quick and with a smirk, "Yeah, as a matter of fact I have Mags,when you are in the house ."

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:09AM

What a wonderful thing it must be to be a Liberal and have the head and brain of a Chicken.

Neurosyphilis, or syphilitic dementia, by the way, is treated with inexpensive prescription medication that has been in mass production since WWII. That would be penicillin, by the way. Not an over the counter med.

Chicken Little| 1.1.11 @ 11:20AM

My, my, my . . . aren't we extremely knowledgeable about syphilitic dementia.

Had any experience with it, Occam's Fool . . . I mean Tool?

George True| 1.2.11 @ 10:35AM

Is that the best you can do, Mr Chicken?

Ray| 1.3.11 @ 3:32PM

"Had any experience with it, Occam's Fool . . . I mean Tool?"

You seem to have direct experience with dementia. After all, it was YOU who was grunting like a pig, was it not?

:D:D:D:D:D| 1.1.11 @ 5:20PM

AMEN! YOU TELL EM CHICKY LIL!
ALL YOU INBREDS CAN SAY IS JOKER THIS, COMMUNIST THAT, BILL AND GLEN SAID THIS, SARAH PALIN IS GOD THAT!

EVERYONE WHOS NOT AN IGNORANT WHITE SUPREMACIST PIECE OF SHIT HATES YOU ALL AND NO HATERS DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN!!!!!!
if they do im kicking your ass when you get there from your 10 heartattacks from all those whoppers you eat.
FUCK BUSH
FUCK REGAN
AND MOST OF ALL FUCK PALIN
a margret thatcher in the new millennium...

Trying to make libs look bad| 1.1.11 @ 6:17PM

:D

:D's illiterate drivel is written by an AmSpec fanatic in an effort to make liberals look bad.

Liberals are quite capable of expressing themselves in standard English, and :D knows this all too well.

Poppakap| 1.2.11 @ 7:22AM

Really? The evidence so far is quite to the contrary. Libs need no help whatsoever making themselves look stupid on this site.

Margaret| 1.2.11 @ 10:51AM

I, a conservative, happen to think the few "liberal" voices on this often-dreary blog bring a little balance and shed a little light. And they do it with some humor.

X,Y, & Z| 1.2.11 @ 10:55AM

I agree, Margaret.

If it were not for the occasional disagreement on this site, I would not read it.

Readers, such as Poppakap, think all conservatives should toe the same line on every issue.

I don't think so. I do not adhere to conservative ideology all the time, nor should I. I've got a brain, and I use it.

George| 12.31.10 @ 10:37AM

Happy New Year kid. Remember, be good today and maybe your mommy and daddy will let you stay up until midnight.

Chicken Little| 12.31.10 @ 12:36PM

And enjoy your chocolates, George.

George True| 12.31.10 @ 1:39PM

Is that all you've got, chicken? Boring!

Thomas| 12.31.10 @ 3:22PM

Chicken little misses the point. People with HSAs and FSAs ARE paying for their medical care out of their own pocket. That is the whole point. The ones that this change least affects are those who solely utilize the public health services; hospital ERS, community clinics, etc. Even those on public health programs, medicare and medicaid, won;t have to pay for the doctor visit or the prescription for the aspirin.

Only those that are not a burden on society get PORKED by this rule change.

Negro X | 1.2.11 @ 5:16PM

Chicken troll,
Too bad, no more free enemas for you.

55%| 1.2.11 @ 7:17PM

No, because you and your wife and daughter have used them all up.

Cyborg| 1.2.11 @ 10:50PM

At least they used them as prescribed, unlike you who used them to cleanse your lover's syphillis infected seman from you rectum.

Louis Jenkins| 12.31.10 @ 6:49AM

I have an HSA, and ordinarily run about $2,000.oo in the positive. And yes, I occassionally use it to purchase cold relief medicines, or other over the counter items. I took the account over the standard insurance policy because it was cheaper, and the deductable was greater. And I can contribute $$ to the account. Don't go to the MD a lot, so why not. We're slowly being hemmed in. Obama's, Pelosi's, and Reid's pictures will soon be on everything we buy. Don't need aspirin, don't have a head ache by natural causes. I have a head ache caused by the 111th Congress and aspirin won't cure it. Have we had enough yet America? I certainly have.

SonOfSam| 12.31.10 @ 9:41AM

spot on Louis! The author of this article wonders why this new restriction was put into the so-called healthcare "reform" law, but its as plain as the nose on your face: the ObamaNazis want to control more and more of your medical decisions, and in fact, they want to make the decisions for you, since they, the "progressives", know best.

What esle did we expect froma regime of traitors and tax cheats?

Rich Fisher| 12.31.10 @ 1:46PM

I have an HSA and I can tell you my household income is way below the figures cited. But, since being only middle class doesn't make you stupid I have been buying OTC stuff to the tune of about $500 for the past month. Got a nice stash. The real reason the Dems wanted to screw this plan up was that it actually worked. No Dem can stand a plan that actually works and does what it should have, give more control to the great unwashed out here in flyover country. Surely at least one Liberal Moron can justify this idiocy on the blog. Or, maybe even they have finally "had enough". Hope and Change you can believe in will be here in 2012. Help is on the way!

MomInLatteland| 1.2.11 @ 2:11AM

I would have stocked up on the OTC drugs, but after my husband's colonoscopy, daughter's braces and trips to the doc and hospital for a severe allergic reaction, I had maxed out the $6,000 on this account. I guess the good news is that there's not much in there now anyway.

Coal Miner's Son| 12.31.10 @ 7:27AM

I have an HSA through y employer. Though many of my colleagues prefer the traditional insurance because they don't like the high deductible, I find the HSA is ideal for me. Anyhoo--back when the were throwing this farce together, I received a notification that my friendly senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) was trying to sneak in a line that would outright ban HSA's and high deductible plans. I heard him giving an interview on the radio denouncing HSA's because by not paying premiums, those of us who were in well were "not doing their fair share" to take care of those who relied on their insurance more. So, I sent Sen. Rockefeller a happy little email. It stated quote: "I have an HSA. I like my HSA. Leave my HSA alone". They didn't listen.

Alfie| 12.31.10 @ 8:25AM

Did you REALLY expect a democrat to listen to ANYTHING you said? The sooner a critical mass of Americans see democrats for what they are, the sooner our country will have a chance to survive. The dems WANT class warfare. They want anybody with money to die as soon as possible so they can grab whatever you may have earned that wasn't already taxed up to the date of your death.

The whole 'lame duck' session was a clear example. Not only did they refuse to accept the country's repudiation of them in the November elections, they showed their arrogance by shoving it up our collective a$$es before they left town. I WOULDN'T PUT ANYTHING BEYOND THESE CRIMINALS.

Watch for barry the muslim to try something to stop the new House from taking over later in January. He, and his fellow monsters, are THAT EVIL.

If it were not a crime to threaten these thugs, there'd be thousands of us doing our best to eradicate this sub-human cancerous growth from our Country. But, we can't advocate that because it's against the law. What a pity. I can't think of anything degrading, foul, torturous, or horrible that would fit the damage they have inflicted , and will try to continue to inflict, on the remains of the United States of America. Traitor is even too good a term for them.

Rich Fisher| 12.31.10 @ 1:52PM

Well, now Alfie, it isn't illegal to threaten these thugs, only to threaten them with violence. So, Barry, my man, get ready to head back to the Hood. You are toast in 2012 and will be only a forgotten memory after Jan 20, 2013. A bad dream. And Michelle, my Belle can start her own garden in Chi Town and show us how to eat healthy when we don't have the White House staff to do the dirty work of gardening for us. So, threaten away, me harty's, the Bamster's days are numbered.

Bob K.| 12.31.10 @ 11:16AM

Coal Miner's Son,

I'm a Coal Miner's son too. From the Anthracite region. My father died of Anthrasilicosis or "Black Lung" as it is more commonly known.

I have observed over the years that these 4th and 5th generation coupon clipping heirs to wealth, like Senator Rockefeller and other heirs of the great 19th century robber barons, are experts in making sure that class warfare is limited to spats between the middle class and the lower class. It certainly has worked in West Virginia where your poor neglected electorate seems to think that these people really give diddly about them.

Is it true that Senator Rockefeller lives on the top of the only mountain in West Virginia that hasn't been strip mined? People like him are one of the best arguments that I can think of for a 100% tax on inherited wealth!

Intelligent Design| 12.31.10 @ 7:55AM

Obama and his Demo-Socialists would also like to destroy private retirement funds, such IRA's and 401-K's. Destruction of private property kills freedom. Obama and the Demo-Socialists are subversive to the Constitution. They are the enemy within.

Rick| 12.31.10 @ 10:29AM

The Wall Street Bankers, speculators, etc., are the ones who destroyed the 401K's. I've had it with people like you who say all the problems we face are the democrats fault, while the republicans walk on water. Our stupid system of federal government in this country is the problem!! It has been completely taken over by corporate america, whose ultimate goal is to enslave every american into serving only their interests. My company has cut and cut and cut, all the while reporting healthy profits. The other day, they wanted us to make another "sacrifice" to help the bottom line. We didn't lift a finger to help them out. We're thru with them. If they were on the doorstep of bankruptcy, it would be different, but they aren't. I've decided that, with the way corporate america controls this country, I have no business getting married or having children. Both cost money and I'm hoarding every single cent I can get my hands on right now, and it's all in cash, not the casino on Wall Street.

Rich Fisher| 12.31.10 @ 2:02PM

Rick, just wondering, where were you when your "company" was founded? How much or your own capital and ideas did you invest and risk in its founding? Have you risked it all to give other people a job or are you content to let others take all the risk and you just feed at the trough? Where did you get the idea that a corporation owes you or anyone else anything at all besides a fair days pay for a fair days work? If it isn't fair then why are you still there? Why not take your ability and mortgage everything you have, including that pile of cash, and start your own company and show us how a corporation is supposed to act. Without these evil corporations just what jobs would we have? Or are you content to live off the crumbs that the government will give you if you just check out of society and live off the government teat? Nobody in this country owes you a damn thing, nothing. You need to earn what you get and if you want more, then get your ass out there and make more. Otherwise, shut up about how evil it is for a corporation to make profits while you sit on your ass and complain about them only paying you what you are really worth instead of what your inflated ego thinks you are worth.

Larry| 12.31.10 @ 4:19PM

Spot on, brother! This guy is exactly the reason why the Democrats have been successful up to this point - ignorant, and just plain envious. We need less voters like him and more like you.

Teatard| 1.1.11 @ 5:27PM

No ignorance is a redneck trait sorry, we do not envy you. keep fucking barn animals, we promise not to ask for a go.

Poppakap| 1.2.11 @ 7:36AM

What a nasty little troglodyte.

Hey buddy, ever hear of a thing called rhetoric? What about evidence? Grammar? Punctuation? Manners? Didn't think so...

Return to cave. Glug want food.

Jack London| 12.31.10 @ 5:01PM

Take it you have no argument with his statement that 'The Wall Street Bankers, speculators, etc., are the ones who destroyed the 401K's'.

As for how 'corporations are supposed to act' to you think it would help for hinder the American economy if they invested some of the cash billions they're sitting on in new projects and jobs?

Jack London| 12.31.10 @ 5:08PM

I meant 'do you think it would help or hinder'

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:13AM

Dear Jack:

it would definitely help. But they can't invest in an uncertain environment of temporary taxes. And the class warfare taxing is the Democrats' invention.

Things have changed in society since "The Iron Heel," Mr. London. And if you haven't read it, you must do so, along with his other science fiction works.

old progrmr| 12.31.10 @ 2:53PM

Hey Rick, I'll bet that evil, greedy company you work for would like to see you gone. Do them a favor and simply leave. You are obviously smarter than the people responsible for the business; why, then, waste your talents there. Go out and start your own business. It should be very successful, especially if you are not worried about dastardly things like profits. I'll bet you can get a lot of shareholders to buy your stock - oh, wait, you don't believe in Wall St either.
Rick you evidently didn't get the vaccine against the Epidemic of Stupidity sweeping the nation.

Publius| 1.1.11 @ 3:58PM

your 401k was destroyed? My God, what did you invest in? My 401k has never been worth more ,even taking periodic investments into account.
Still waiting for your response to Rich's questions. Why don't you deny your evil employer the fruits of your labor and quit?

GavInTucson| 1.3.11 @ 2:14AM

Um, Rick, I hate to break this to you, but 'speculators' didn't break the 401K.

I'll just site one example (GM)... Obama turned 190 years of bankruptcy law on it's head by guaranteeing the UAW dollar-for-dollar on its stock losses, while demanding that secured-bond holders of GM (RETIREES on pensions and 401Ks) receive pennies on the dollar. Until Obama came along, bonds were secure investments, stocks were not.

Obama, your dear leader, screwed millions of retirees out of their retirement savings, while bankrolling a bunch of corrupt Union thugs. Again, stocks are the riskiest investments out there, or were, before Obama came along and executed the biggest political payoff in United States history, courtesy of the US taxpayer.

martin j smith| 12.31.10 @ 7:57AM

As many have said it is about control. Those RINOS who oppose the the repeal of ObamaCare like for instance Charles K. may as well be agents of Obama himself.

Tim Cox| 12.31.10 @ 8:18AM

Are you referring to Charles Krauthammer? As I understand it, he is not opposed to repealing the health care bill. He is opposed to defunding it as it would be messy and incomplete.

drudge ette obama| 12.31.10 @ 8:51AM

Sometimes messy is what you need.

War is messy.

Redstateboy| 12.31.10 @ 8:29AM

It seems the contention of the Liber-ul comments I read would be the world would be a better place if all Conservatives were suddenly Raptured. If that were the case.. then.. why is it - States and Cities ruled by Liber-uls, Socialists, Communists, Democrats (No diff to me) for decades are desolate? Vast swaths of their Cities resemble Beirut or Mogadeshu, tens of thousands of their citizens know only generations of suviving on the public dole, their School systems, for the few who actually graduate, produce uneducated dolts.. If Liber-ulism is so wonderful.. then.... why doesn't it work and more importantly.. why do Liber-uls not see the evidence that's abundantly in front of their faces?! It Must be true... Liber-ulism is a mental disorder.

Anon| 12.31.10 @ 8:43AM

Be careful about the rules you follow. My employer has gone a step further and decided that they won't reimburse for OTC in 2011, even with a prescription. Also, not all OTC in 2010 is reimbursable, so buy aspirin, not Metamucil, to use up your leftover FSA funds; even though OTC, Metamucil still requires a prescription to connect it to a particular ailment.

R Martin| 12.31.10 @ 8:47AM

"...except to those who wrote the 2010 health care bill,..."

Those writers need to be identified. In fact, I think it should be a requirement that the actual authors of every provision of every bill passed by Congress be clearly and accurately disclosed. There is great venality in the construction of much legislation, and it's time the truth be uncovered.

MikeD| 12.31.10 @ 9:00AM

You're absolutely correct. The Republicans need to limit every bill introduced to ONE specific issue. No additions, no addendums, no amendments. One issue per bill. And force every member of the House to vote on it in that format only. Then, when 2012 rolls around there will be a clear record of every vote every member made on every issue. No place to hide; no confusing language, no 'nuances', or obfuscation to hide what they really said and did. Shine the spotlight on EVERY member of the House, dems and GOP. The dems will have no place to hide and the RINOs will be exposed.

George True| 12.31.10 @ 9:55AM

Mike D: Everything you said, plus what Martin said. The people who write these bills need to be explicitly identified, and who wrote what parts. In addition, it needs to be clearly stated who these people work for, and if any of them are on the payroll of any organizations other than the government.

Yosemeti Sam| 12.31.10 @ 1:28PM

What existing or proposed website will/would SPREADSHEET those stats?

As a central clearinghouse for voter edification?

How about AS setting up such an on-line SPREADSHEET of stats going forward.

Mimi| 12.31.10 @ 9:23AM

R Martin...Let them account for what they created with this Nightmare of a Bill. Show us WHO you are ?....It.s high time we got NAMES. Call them, to the Halls of CONGRESS.... Make them " FAMOUS". They need to get off the FEDERAL payroll!!!

A. C. Santore| 12.31.10 @ 8:56AM

First, I was and am unshakably against any form of Obamacare by any euphemistic name they choose to call it.

With regard to this article and the comments, perhaps I'm missing something here. My health insurance does not cover over-the-counter remedies. Without prescriptions, people can buy all the OTC remedies they want to. Why allow some who receive tax benefits from their HSAs to have that extra? Perhaps the playing field is not level.

SonOfSam| 12.31.10 @ 9:45AM

or maybe instead of playing the "envy game" we should level the playing field by giving YOU access to an HSA, instead of raping and bastardizing my HSA in the name of "fairness".

beebop| 12.31.10 @ 10:15AM

I think we all deserve a civil answer.

The HSA permits you to put pretax dollars into a "savings" account for expenses not otherwise covered by your health plan. Your money in and your money out.

Jack London| 12.31.10 @ 1:09PM

No, I don't think you did miss anything. I can't see why we should get tax breaks for buying OTC products, many of which don't do anything much anyway.

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:15AM

Dear Jack,

Aspirin is OTC and very effective, as is motrin and tylenol. Loperamide does work for diarrhea. Some OTCs are ineffective, but those above I precribe every day for my inpatients.

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:15AM

Sorry, prescribe.

Jack London| 1.3.11 @ 5:42AM

Aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen are all very cheap generic OTCs and in any case no one should be taking them for a more than a few days without seeing a doctor. If there is a need for long-term use then it is right that they should be prescribed.

Ray| 1.3.11 @ 3:37PM

They don't need to be prescribed, but you should get a medical opinion for continuing taking them longer than their labeling suggests.

Poppakap| 1.2.11 @ 7:46AM

Jack,

So you'd prefer people paying substantially more for prescription medications provided by those 0h-so-evil pharmaceutical companies instead of offering a nominal tax break so responsible individuals can pay for equally effective OTC meds created by entrepreneurs? Admit it Jack. Your problem is with tax breaks, period. It's big brother's money after all and big brother only wants what's best for us unwashed masses.

A. C. Santore| 12.31.10 @ 8:57AM

First, I was and am unshakably against any form of Obamacare by any euphemistic name they choose to call it.

With regard to this article and the comments, perhaps I'm missing something here. My health insurance does not cover over-the-counter remedies. Without prescriptions, people can buy all the OTC remedies they want to. Why allow some who receive tax benefits from their HSAs to have that extra? Perhaps the playing field is not level.

George True| 12.31.10 @ 1:54PM

AC and Jack: With respect, you guys are missing the forest for the trees. Most of what a high deductible health plan (HDHP) combined with a Health Savings Account (HSA) is intended is for paying deductibles and co-pays, and also for paying for necessary medical treatment that is not necessarily covered under the health plan. Paying for OTC drugs is a very small thing comparatively. You could lose that benefit and still have 95% of what the HDHP/HSA was created for.

As the article states, the intent of HSA's was to put consumers more in charge of their own health care expenditures. And this, by the way, is the only way prices will ever come down, when you have cost-conscious health care consumers shopping for the best price.

But of course, having people in control of their own health care decisions and spending is something the Marxists just cannot allow. Obamacare was never about health, it was always about control.

Jack London| 12.31.10 @ 3:20PM

'Paying for OTC drugs is a very small thing comparatively. You could lose that benefit and still have 95% of what the HDHP/HSA was created for.'

Yes George but why should our tax dollars go to boost the profits of the OTC sellers? If it's small anyway what's the problem? The price of OTC is well taken care of by the market as it is. We bought 500 ibuprofen for about $10 in Wal-mart recently. That's enough to stave off quite a few headaches induced by right-wing drivel.

I don't get it, but I'm against the tax break for mortgages too.

As for you comment about 'having people in control of their own health care decisions' of course the opposite has been true for millions of people and the reform will give many more a much higher degree of control that you would deny if you took away the act's provisions, not to say taking away Medicare.

George True,| 12.31.10 @ 4:03PM

First of all I said, in so many words, that the OTC was not important, and that it could go away without taking much away from all the good things about HSA's.

Second, "our" tax dollars are not being spent at all. It is the person's own money. Yes, he got a very modest tax deduction for funding the account, but it's not like the Gummint sent HIM a check. And in any case the money from HSA accounts spent on OTC drugs isn't more than a drop in the bucket compared to the total amount spent for such things, so I doubt that Upjohn or Glaxo Smith Kline are giving out bonuses as a result.

With any tax incentive, whether it's an HSA account or mortgage interest deduction, the government is trying to promote a certain behavior that they see as good or helpful to the "general welfare". You leftists ARE in favor or promoting the general welfare, aren't you? I mean after all, that's what you guys said made it legal and proper to do Obamacare.

No, "the opposite" has most assuredly NOT been true for some decades now. Because of third-party payer, health care providers jack the prices sky high, and because the consumer isn't paying much out of his own pocket, it is in no way consumer driven like it should be.

The Health Care Deform Bill, rather than giving any control to anyone, will take away ALL control from all of us. Where is your proof that it will be the way you claim? There is none. People who don't know the first thing about health care or health insurance wrote this abomination of a bill. And it does not solve even one of the problems it was allegedly created to address.

Conversely, all of the problems could have been addressed very effectively without the necessity of government taking over anything. Which, of course, is why the Dems ignored such solutions. It was never about health care for the Dems, but always about control, control, control.

Jack London| 12.31.10 @ 4:38PM

Ha ha - must be something in the air this new year's eve - you're arguing in favor of nanny state subsidy and me against. While we're here what other government behavior control programs are you in favor of?

Logically then you'd be happy with HSAs funding fruit and vegetables as they have a hugely better impact on health than all the OTC trash we spend millions on. But I guess not.

You say the bill 'will take away ALL control from all of us'. In what way exactly?

Conversely, it will give many people who had no hope of any or proper coverage control over how they access care rather than pitching up at the ER.

Leaving aside politics here George this really seems to be a no brainer to me on the facts.

George True| 12.31.10 @ 8:26PM

"must be something in the air...you're arguing in favor of nanny state subsidy and me against."

I don't know, is it a full moon tonight?

I'm not arguing in favor of a nanny state. Just pointing out that there are countless different deductions in the tax code, of which the HSA deduction is just one. Not advocating for or against, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just one out of thousands.

When you are dictated to by your government that you will have such-and-such a health plan and no other, and you WILL buy it or else, that sounds like a loss of control to me. When the government one day says we authorize these procedures and treatments and no others, and it's illegal for you even to pay cash for anything else or for any doctor to provide any other service, that sounds like no control to me.

Regarding pre-existing conditions, all group plan already convered them. In the individual market, there were already about 15-20 different plans that covered almost all pre-existing conditions, for $200-$340 per month. With proof of creditable coverage within the last 63 days, pre-existing was covered immediately, otherwise a 12 month waiting period on pre-existing. But Nancy & Harry pretended like such plans didn't exist because it didn't fit their narrative.

Regarding the uninsured, the real number was not 60 million people or 40 million, or even 30 million. More like 15-18 million. So why mess with the 80% who said they were satisfied to very satisfied with their current health plan? Why not just design a program for the 15 million?

It was all politics, Jack. If Nancy & Harry were really interested in the best, the most logical, the most workable, and the most reasonable cost solutions, they never would have done what they did.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:37AM

What you are describing is a dictatorship and dictatorships are good for only one thing --- target practice. This is why the Democrats rail against the private ownership of firearms --- they rightly fear an insurrection and their own personal destruction. I'm a Jeffersonian on this issue --- "I have sworn hostility toward every form of tyranny over the mind of Man" --- but then Thomas Jefferson would be arrested by the OhBummer dictatorship if he suddenly popped-up on New Year's Eve, 2010.

Jack London| 1.2.11 @ 12:38PM

George, it's hard to take anything you say seriously with statements like 'it's illegal for you even to pay cash for anything else or for any doctor to provide any other service' - which will obviously never be the case here.

And I like the way you offer a year's wait to get coverage as 'control'. What nonsense.

There are now about 50 million uninsured and rapidly rising. We're living in a society where 1% own 90% of the wealth. Lack of control over fundamentals such as health are toxic to our society.

George True| 1.2.11 @ 1:56PM

So you simply ignore the evidence and then abruptly change the subject. But this is something all leftists do.

I presented evidence that the pre-existing conditions issue was largely a lie because, in fact, there were more than a few plans that covered such conditions affordably. You then denounce all such plans because they do not, in all cases, cover pre-existing without a waiting period. The fact that such plans exist, and are affordably priced for most people, and WILL cover the majority of people with pre-existing conditions immediately is a HUGE deal, and it puts the lie to what was supposed to be one of the main justifications for Obamacare. You then ignore such evidence, dismissively denounce all such health plans in general, and then go off in another direction. I proved my point, you couldn't refute the evidence, so you then prevaricated.

As discussed earlier, there are not and never were 50 million uninsured in America. You can choose to believe it if you are so gullible, but it has always been a convenient lie. Having been in the health insurance field for 22 years I am quite familiar with where and how those numbers were derived, and it is bogus. It includes illegal aliens, and includes people who can easily afford to buy health insurance but choose not to. It also includes people who are eligible for Medicaid, but for whatever reason never applied for it. The real number is 15-18 million. This group includes people who are not quite poor enough to get free health insurance through Medicaid, and people with pre-existing conditions not covered on a group plan and who either cannot afford or do not know about some of the reasonably priced guaranteed-issue plans discussed in the previous paragraph. Fifteen million, give or take. The real number. Go ahead, dismiss it, prevaricate, but you will still be wrong about it.

"One percent owns 90% of the wealth..."

I don't know if that's actually true or not. But if it is, so what?! It has nothing whatsoever to do with what we are discussing! Again, you go and change the subject when your leftist talking points have been exposed as not being factual. Furthermore, even if it is true, whoever owns all that wealth OWNS it. It is theirs. It is not mine, not yours, not anybody else's, and certainly not the government's.

"Lack of control over fundamentals such as health are toxic to our society."

Only leftists say such nebulous things. And in any case, the vast majority of Americans did not feel that they lacked control over their health care. As I said earlier, 80% said they were satisfied to very satisfied with their health plan. Sixty seven percent unequivocally said !STOP! when the Dems were insisting they would pass Obamacare no matter what.

By virtue of your unfamiliarity with the known facts, and because of your tendency to engage in prevarication, I would suggest that it is YOU who cannot be taken very seriously.

Jack London| 1.2.11 @ 7:04PM

And this:

'And though most Americans say their insurance is "excellent" or "good," these positive ratings do not necessarily paint a complete picture, as significant portions of those who rate their insurance positively still say they face problems paying their medical bills or are dissatisfied with certain aspects of their coverage. Additionally, recent Foundation polls indicate that substantial portions of insured people are concerned about the cost of their health care and insurance, the adequacy of their insurance to meet potential health care needs, and the stability of their insurance coverage.'

We have many millions living in health insecurity. Wake up guy!

Jack London| 1.2.11 @ 7:06PM

this is what I meant to post:

George, only state high risk pools cover pre-existing conditions, not private plans. And state pools are grossly underfunded and some aren't admitting any new people. See this blog on the Forbes site - says it all better than I can. But clearly you need more information.

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickun.....onditions/

As for the uninsured, have a look at:

http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7451-06.pdf

'The number of nonelderly uninsured Americans rose to 50.0 million in 2009—an increase of 4.3 million people—amidst rising unemployment rates and an economic recession.'

Also see: 'In addition, an estimated 9.7 million older adults who have health insurance but have such high out-of-pocket costs relative to their income that they are effectively underinsured'

And this:

'Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Yet, insurance is buying less. The report found that deductibles per person rose 77 percent, on average.'

And this:

'adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because of costs, have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with their insurers or discover insurance wouldn’t pay as they expected.'

And this:

'The proportion of working-age Americans who have medical bill problems or who are paying off medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007, bringing the total to 72 million'

And this:

'And though most Americans say their insurance is "excellent" or "good," these positive ratings do not necessarily paint a complete picture, as significant portions of those who rate their insurance positively still say they face problems paying their medical bills or are dissatisfied with certain aspects of their coverage. Additionally, recent Foundation polls indicate that substantial portions of insured people are concerned about the cost of their health care and insurance, the adequacy of their insurance to meet potential health care needs, and the stability of their insurance coverage.'

We have many millions living in health insecurity. Wake up guy!

Tenn Slim| 12.31.10 @ 9:13AM

Reading this article, following the Texas EPA conflict, reading C. Kruathigmer (sic) WP article re regulation impositions via stealth, affirms what the Conservatives and me, have been identifieing as the 2011 and 2012 Obama re election tactic.
Subervise controls, High Tone Rhetoric, and a fast keno style shuffle at the MSM press briefings.
Folks, watch your six. We are in for a 2 year roller coaster ride.
Semper Fi
We MUST Prevail

coal carrier| 12.31.10 @ 9:20AM

Last night I visited my son and his wife. She wasn’t feeling well and said that she just came from the drugstore and all of the cold remedy drugs were gone from the shelves. On my way home I stop at a convenience store and passed through the drug aisle and, there too, all of the cold remedy drugs were gone.

I thought, could it be from the recent snowstorm? Now I get the picture. Apparently the HAS and FSA account holders did what this article stated.

Little by little the American public will become aware of what the communist in the WH and his followers are doing to our country and in 2012 will put an end to it. If not, next will be the 401K’s and the IRA’s.

beebop| 12.31.10 @ 10:08AM

Marry a doctor or have one of your children. As soon as practical.

My 94 year old aunt (sister died at 97, my mom her sis at 95) had surgery yesterday for colon cancer. Can you imagine if her son wasn't a doctor? She would be assigned a seat and told to die. By the way she is in MARVELOUS health both physically and mentally and she can afford any level of health care she wants. If we're not going to say "no" to things like breast augmentation why the hell should ANYONE tell this 94 year old how to spend HER money? Thank God for my cousin and his making sure she gets treatment. Again .... enlarge your family. Adopt a doctor ;) Happy New Brave New Year to all!

Stan Redmond| 12.31.10 @ 10:19AM

"Just take the pill" - Barrak H. Obama

Margie| 12.31.10 @ 1:18PM

Happy New Year, beebop. Saying a prayer for your aunt, too.

beebop| 12.31.10 @ 2:14PM

Margie:

I hale from hearty stock. My female forebearers especially. Tough old birds every single one. I personally intend to stick my fingers in the eyes of the hypocrits until I am at least as old as my old ma .... she'd be pleasantly surprised that one of her children has turned away from the free spending left ...

Margie| 12.31.10 @ 3:14PM

My French Canadian Grandma lived to 92 and my Dad, her son is 79. He just spent 2 weeks in hospital where the wonderful doctors worked their talent from God once again and saved his life.. once again. It is a horror and shame what Obama is doing, just like the Communist he truly is. We must vote him out, and hope that those that we vote into office have the courage to dump this entire nightmare of a fiasco.
Keep on keepin' on, beebop.
God bless.

Occam's Tool| 1.1.11 @ 1:22AM

Thank you, beebop, for the kind words.

And, by the way, as a single guy during my medical school and residency, let me tell you that that is the time to grab your doc. They are quite dateable and approachable then. I have a fabulous wife who I met AFTER leaving California, but I will be happy to tell you that while I was in Los Angeles, it never failed to amaze me to find the most beautiful women dating the most malignant looking trolls.

The best place to find young docs, by the way, is in the medical libraries of your local medical schools.

Have a lovely New Year.

GavInTucson| 1.3.11 @ 2:40AM

Beebop, our dear leader has already stated that there is indeed a pain pill that your aunt could have taken instead.

There's really nothing to see here. Our dear leader knows that drugs can take the place of actual medicine. He should know. He's on them.

martin j smith| 12.31.10 @ 10:35AM

Speaking of flawed candidates Paladino in the NYS Gov. race was really very bad. But here is another one further back yet I wonder. John McC I felt ran a terrible campaign. Yet, I wonder where we would be now if he were president ? How much give would have given the Democrat controlled legislature ? And, would he not have been the object of blame and scorn--and another extention of Bush--for the Democrat party to target. I don't know but I do wonder. But what we have with Obama is the worst and the main thing that keeps him propped up is the MSM. Which brings me to anther issues: They must be
exposed to voters who are unaware for the fraud that they are. there is a need for counter-propaganda.

Margie| 12.31.10 @ 1:14PM

Perhaps with Sarah Palin as the V.P. McCain would have had the voice of reason & common sense in his ear often, and we wouldn't be in this mess. All water under the bridge now, but 2012 will be here soon enough.
Onward!

Morten| 12.31.10 @ 11:04AM

Two of my kids needed braces a couple of years back and of course it wasn't covered under my insurance. My FSA limit at the time was about what it cost for each of them, so over a two year period I was able to get them taken care of. Reducing the ceiling and taking away the OTC provision is a step in the wrong direction for reducing costs to the consumer. Makes no sense other than squeezing more tax dollars out of us. They need to undo this piece of the Obamacare monstrosity.

Oldefarte| 12.31.10 @ 11:08AM

As Andrew correctly indicated, the essential points of this issue are the government's INCOME REDISTRIBUTION and its CONTROL. I would love to know who [especially those commenting here at TAS] voted for BHO in November of 2008 [or previously in Illinois]; but the odds of knowing/discovering same are slim and none [as most all of his previous voters/supporters are now too ashamed to courageously admit that they did vote for him]. The redistribution and control can be seen in not only this element of his administration's policies, but in the TAX THE RICH cry recently, the Justice Department's suing Arizona over immigration and their threatening to sue over the BP oil spill, Kathleen S.'s attacking health insurance companies dictatorially, their lying about the true spending target of the stimulus legislation being not infrastructure building but instead state/local government income maintenance [which benefitted unionized governmental workers, teachers, etc only], etc.!!!!

martin j smith| 12.31.10 @ 12:03PM

Will the new House of Rep Tea Party crowd confront the Democrat Party and go to the voters to lay out the facts ? If the last election was a blow out I think the next one will need to be a Political A-Bomb to rattle the Dems. They are the ones that need to be truly rattled even more so. I think they were in the last election this one needs to be greater. And that my fine feathered friends is what counts. Elections matter because they have consequences.

A.M. Mallett| 12.31.10 @ 12:05PM

These ignorant joy bitches that comprise the Democrat Party are some of the biggest fools God ever placed on earth. While supposedly trying to lower overall healthcare costs, they jump it up by requiring everybody who uses a HSA to make a $100 office call in order to buy aspirin. ... complete pack of fools.

RCV| 12.31.10 @ 2:42PM

No, the fool would be the person who makes a $100 office call so they could get a tax deduction for a bottle of aspirins.

beebop| 12.31.10 @ 3:03PM

Maybe you missed this: IT'S THEIR MONEY!!!!

At what point do you think people will tire of being held at gun point by the "we know best" crowd?

RCV| 1.1.11 @ 8:43PM

Of course it's their money, and they're free to buy aspirin or anything else they'd like to with it. Get a grip on yourself - this is simply about whether you can deduct the $2 off your taxes without a prescription.

Oldefarte| 12.31.10 @ 3:44PM

No, 'the fool' would be the MORON[S] who voted for any/all of these domestic terrorists to begin with!!!!

e cowan| 12.31.10 @ 12:54PM

I was surprised to find this article, which seems to approve of ObamaCare in the Wall Street Journal (from Drudge.com)
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....atsNewsTop
Big Health-Care Changes Arrive in New Year
It's bragging about closing the "doughnut hole", etc. Makes the Republicans sound like monsters for wanting to 'defund' the law.

Who Knows?| 12.31.10 @ 2:41PM

Know the put down query, “What are you, off your meds?”

Even the fact that the American Spectator chooses to post an article about how the government is “messing with” my tax free drugs, and all the knee jerk responses heretofore responded to it, here, is proof that America is---

Presently over the hill.

By 2020, a mere NINE years from now, it is predicted that TWO THIRDS of the human bodies in the USA will either be overweight or obese!

Currently, from personal observation, I’d say it’s approaching HALF, already.

An example---at the local YMCA I’ve been going to for over two years, there’s this guy in his 20’s, running day care. He was overweight when I started, and I just looked more closely at him, and he’s NOW obese!

It amazes me that people who disgust me by their bodily FAT expression of stupidity and/or lack of will power CONTINUE to get even FATTER!

So, wrt the gist of this article, to wit the pills and such, what one must understand that almost all of them are unneeded by HEALTHY people, most of the time! In short, the chosen FAT norm is the cause of even the painful NEED for any of them!

It always comes down to a choice between living to eat, or eating to live.

In the old, less prosperous days, when I was a kid, a good and completely fulfilling meal was hard to get, and worked hard for. Nowadays, the “children” have aged, ONLY chronologically, not into wisdom.

It’s really very simple.

There is a spectrum resembling the left-right political one.

On one end, eat poison and die, and on the other, eat super food, and live in exuberant health, even right up until a quick discarding of the body.

And, in between, you can imagine all the possibilities.

Well, part of the American, and indeed all of the developed world, slip, slip, slip sliding away into a chosen suicidal end, can be imagined as the moving of the “eating indicator” down from the healthy end towards the deadly one---hello junk food!

Also, people are SUPPOSEDLY conscious, and therefore, able to make whatever choices they can, moment-by-moment, within the physical parameters given.

So, one COULD, theoretically, live the bodily life as follows---

Find out what weight is optimal, given one’s height, bone structure, etc.

If too heavy, eat only enough food to burn off the excess fat.

Then, on a daily basis, weigh the body, and eat only enough SUPER food to maintain that weight.

Until DEATH!

Who’s stopping one from this wise regimen?

Not ME!

Given that this intelligent course of controlling the body is NOT the case, these FAT days, proves that most people are living to eat---not very smart!

The bottom line, then, is that the existence of actual overweight and obese humans is evidence that such humans are controlled by their taste buds!

This TASTE bud’s for you---NOT!

What’s the logical result of this unwise bodily mass movement, for America, and the civilized world?

More pills and other modern medical means to relive the pain and suffering such bad choices inevitably bring, especially at the ending part of such a fat headed life.

It won’t be a pretty picture!

Actually, it’s not NOW one!

George True| 12.31.10 @ 3:07PM

I agree with you. Americans are overweight, out of shape, have terrible diets, and don't exercise enough. And some of the things that have been allowable expenditures for HSA money are vitamin supplements and health club memberships. In other words, the HDHP/HSA plan is the only one that gives people a financial incentive to live a healthier lifestyle. So it is entirely fitting that TAS laments the regrettable and ill-advised new restrictions on HSA's.

beebop| 12.31.10 @ 3:54PM

Do you ever tire of the generalizations?

I quit smoking more than 25 years ago. Know when to push back from the table and have never topped 125 pounds. I don't run for the pill bottle or Dr. Oz to tell me the "best fat fighting" this or that. I know what works: less garbage in and more time on my feet.

Why don't we generalize about the things you lefties hold dear? All union members are lazy and all children born out of wedlock are to teens and minorities? The people on unemployment only apply for the obligatory three jobs per month and live on food stamps! Do you like it? Of course not. Nor do we. Bugger off.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:06AM

This is why I advocate that the American people rise up and smash smash smash Uncle Sam [every level of American government] between the eyes with a crowbar until he is DEAD DEAD DEAD.

Observe that Uncle Sam advocates and threatens the use of deadly force in order to obtain obedience from the government's intended victims.

We can't have a situation in which the government threatens the use of violence against innocents who disobey the government.

Obviously, if the law is wrong, then it must not be obeyed, and those who attempt to force obedience must therefore be destroyed.

Let no one hide behind a badge, a uniform, or a flag, and say, "I don't make the law --- I just enforce it." Or "I'm just doing my job." Or "I'm just following orders."

This is what the Nuremberg trials of the Naziswas all about --- holding the government's hired criminals responsible for their own actions --- even when their government says that they are "not" responsible for their actions.

Did I leave anything out?

George Tonrue| 1.1.11 @ 1:55AM

"Where the people fear government, there is tyranny. Where government fears the people, there is liberty."
- George Washington

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:22AM

Here’s a better idea. Because there is no reason why our FAT government should be involved with healthcare --- or even “touch” healthcare --- there is no reason for FAT Uncle Sam --- by which I mean “every level of FAT American government” --- to worry about the costs associated with having “fat people” among the US population.

Furthermore, it is the height of irony for the FAT American dictatorship --- uh, that’d be FAT Uncle Sam --- to pursue anti-fat policies among the population, when FAT Uncle Sam himself is a hefty hunk of steamin’ junk. FAT Uncle Sam’s spies, spook, snoops, and armed enforcers have FAT heads and FAT mouths and FAT arses and FAT salaries and FAT benefits and FAT pensions. I advocate their overthrow and destruction. Screw government FAT!

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:29AM

One of the quickest ways to reduce government FAT is to fire millions og government employees, and if thery riot and attempt to seize money and property from the taxpayers directly, simply mow them down with machine gun fire --- the assault weapons that American taxpayers need in order to protect themselves from their bloodsxcking government.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:39AM

SAM ADAMS IS MORE THAN JUST A GREAT YANKEE BEER!

TAX HATER SAMUEL ADAMS, ON A ROLL AND ARMED TO THE TEETH, AUGUST, 1776……

"You darkeners of counsel, who would make the property, lives and religion of millions depend on the evasive interpretations of musty parchments; who would send us to antiquated charters of uncertain and contradictory meaning, to prove that the present generation are not bound to be victims to cruel and unforgiving despotism, tell us whether our pious and generous ancestors bequeathed to us the miserable privilege of having the rewards of our honesty, industry, the fruits of those fields which they purchased and bled for, wrested from us at the will of men over whom we have no check.

"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, and supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom – go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

“Courage, then, my countrymen, our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty. Dismissing, therefore, the justice of our cause, as incontestable, the only question is, What is best for us to pursue in our present circumstances?”

“It does not take a majority to prevail….but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”

“Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can.”

“The Constitution shall never be construed… to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.”

RCV| 1.1.11 @ 8:46PM

Sam Adams also had some choice words for those who would take up arms against a constitutional republic. He forcefully advocated the death penalty for all those involved in Shays rebellion.

Dean from Ohio| 1.3.11 @ 10:33PM

In which the Constitution is honored more in the breach than in the observance? No, I think he would promote the use of arms to restore compliance with the Constitution.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:40AM

OhBummer is a b00b and a fool for attacking the American Tea Partiers. He is annoyed that they’re not grateful to him for hijacking the American healthcare system --- the greatest act of vandalism perpetrated upon the American people since a gang of jihadi frootloops and loonytoons hijacked some planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center towers, and the Pentagon, and made a failed attempt to crash into the White House and instead drilled a hole in a Pennsylvania farm thanks to some very courageous American passengers.

And --- now widely seen for what he is --- the president presents a problem for the Democrat-captured media. They pump out his propaganda for him --- and, like the opinion monitors in Ayn Rand’s novel, “Atlas Shrugged” --- they are dodging brickbats and rotten vegetables.

He’s pompous, pampered, and pretentious --- a pseudo-intellectual fop. He’s a glorified, smooth-lyin’ dandy, and slicker than Sick Willie Clinton. He’s a dictator-on-the-make, a bloodsxcking, predatory humanitarian thug, and a low-down skunk.

He’s a fraud and a swindler. He lies when he inhales and he lies when he exhales; his oxygen is the falsification of reality. He lies, placidly and laconically, as if deception were a soporific drug.

He’s a friend of the poor and the downtrodden --- indeed, you can hear the milk of human kindness sloshing around inside of him when he walks.

He declares himself the post-racial leader --- “Let me be clear!” he intones --- and he hides behind his race, daring his critics to put their reputation for fairness at risk.

He pauses to ponder the portent of his propaganda --- and it is fakery; he smiles and his mendacity comes shining through. Shake hands with Barak Hushpuppy OhBummer --- “The Mistake of ‘08” --- the illegal alien squatter in the White House --- and America’s first and last Arab president. Now count your fingers.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:41AM

The Democrats have this "enemies list" --- denominated in epithets aimed at the people whose wallets they wish to hijack and take up residence inside. You can be a “Racist!” and you can be a “Homophobe!” and you can be a “Teabagger!” --- a homosexual man taking his partner’s scrotum into his mouth. You can be “Selfish!” and you can be a “Wacko!” and you can be a “Hick!” and you can be a “Rube!” You can be a “Right-wing-nut!” and you can be “Mentally Ill” and you can be a “Warmonger!” and you can be "Unenlightened!" and you can be a “FatCat!” and you can be a “Fascist!” --- although no one more closely approaches the precise description of “Fascist!” than the usual Demo propagandist --- either official, or self-appointed.

So all you have to do to occupy multiple epithets on the Demos’ enemies list is to insist that they take their hands off yourself, off your wallet, off your property, off your kids, off your diet, off your healthcare, off your household appliances, off your car, off your bank account, off your weapons of self-defense, off your liberty, and off your freedom of speech. Insist on all these good things - and that qualifies you to be spat upon by nasty, mean-spirited scum --- by The Friends of All Mankind --- by a gang of lying, thieving, dope-smoking, pill-popping, coke-snorting, sticky-fingered, bloodsxcking, tax-eating, gun-stealing, predatory humanitarian thugs --- by the Democrat party, in other words. No political party in the history of America more profoundly deserves absolute and outright destruction.

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:42AM

What this country needs is a truly LIBERAL president and congress and judiciary! And I forgive the reader for suspecting that this must be some kind of bad joke!

But the Democrats believe in "statism" --- not "liberalism."

They benefit from the imprecise American political terminology ---- we say "the government" here in the USA ---- rather than "the state." And that's a dangerous problem. Famous brands of statism in recent centuries have been Nazism, socialism, fascism, communism, and welfare statism ---- this last is sort of a mix of fascism and socialism.

Liberalism, on the other hand, is a political philosophy of small, cheap government ---- it is a constabulary ---- and the job of a liberal government is to enforce human rights within its own jurisdiction. I speak of the unalienable and perfectly-natural and universally-valid human rights of life, liberty, private property, and the pursuit of personal happiness.

The first article of private property is "the self" and all other rights are derivatives of and flow from these cardinal rights. These rights ---- The Rights of Man ---- are the gift of nature or of nature's god ---- and they belong to all human beings, everywhere.

Show me a Democrat who subscribes to all of the above, without qualifications or weasel words. The words "liberal" and "liberalism" were hijacked by the Democrats and socialists and fascists long ago ---- and it was the mistake of conservatives and libertarians to let them get away with it.

It is long past time that liberalism be reclaimed, defined, and explained by its rightful owners ---- by the champions of freedom, i.e.: not by Democrats.

Well, how about "progressivism?" Whuzzat?! “Cancer” is “progressive,” too. Isn't “progressivism” just another statist cancer? It chews you up, piece by piece, in the name of Da Peepul? Eat Da Rich? Moral cannibalism, anyone?

Friends of freedom! Friends of peace-through-strength! And friends of prosperity! Declare yourselves to be "liberals," then ---- and kick over the bloody coffee tables --- and overthrow and trounce the Democrats in 2010 and 2012!

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:43AM

MUSSOLINI ENDORSES OHBUMMERCARE!

“We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become.”

--- Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy

Osamas Pajamas| 1.1.11 @ 12:44AM

The Democrats know nothing about economics. They're America's "know-nothing" political party.

Their recipe for fried chicken begins, "First, you steal a chicken." They're not into production --- they're into "redistribution."

It's very simple. You do the work and they'll take your money --- and oftentimes, your other property.

It's time for the privately-employed taxpayers of America to make things very complicated for the publicly-employed tax-eating ruling class.

Overthrow them!

First try the ballot box --- and see if they steal the elections, as they have done so often and for decades --- and if they do, then escalate to the Second American Revolution.

George True| 1.1.11 @ 1:41AM

O.P. - You are on a roll tonight. Sheer eloquence.

Hear, hear! And happy new year!

sheilatrake| 1.1.11 @ 1:11AM

Best way to save is called collective buying!!! search online for "Printapons" every day a local business will be featured and prices will be discounted upto 90% off

martin j smith| 1.1.11 @ 5:02PM

As of january 5 ( ? ) the relevance of the Republican party in our nation will be tested to the greatest degree ever. And, the same would be true of the Democrat Party. It is vital for all players on our side to know that this is a winner take all game. Not lets be friends and share. The RINO idea ( if I understand it & frankly I really doubt I do ) seems to go like this: We have to work with the Democrat Party,hands across the aisle even though they slap us around and treat our side like dirt, say we are bi-partisan because it sounds good and make a deal. Who cares about the voter, who cares if the deal is really good for the nation, who cares except we have made a deal. And, those who disagree with us are racists and hate Obama because he is Black. Thus, we join the Democrat Party. Do I have it about right there ? It may be necessary to attack RINOS just as much as any Democrat because that is what they really are. One other point related. In case Obama appoints a RINO calling that person a Republican, those who do not see it that way should call that person just what s/he is: A Socialist -- as a Republican--a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Melissa| 1.1.11 @ 11:17PM

All the better to track the citizenry my dear. Mwahahaha!

Cheri| 1.2.11 @ 7:39AM

Looking at all the post-Geesh!! My husband and I make around 70K which throws us out of all govt programs. We have a handicapped daughter who has a lot of medical needs financially. FSA was OUR money put away for her expenses. This is just another way to get more tax revenue. Two years from now capping it at 2500$ is the big one which will hurt many families with high medical cost. I pay taxes, support medicaid and medicare population with my paycheck for services I will never qualify for. Sad really... These so called 'do gooder' liberals are destroying the base that pays for all the govt subsidies. When they run out of the money they bleed from us, then what?

Grill| 1.2.11 @ 5:10PM

:-) This topic maybe hot today,
happy new year!

JDB| 1.2.11 @ 7:44PM

My medical insurance went up 25% on 1-1-11, to over $1,800 PER month. Since we are healthy and have no prescription medication, I got a high deductible policy for less than half that.

Now, I read here, that the Marxist/Obama plan IS to make us pay more so the lefty creeps can continue their sad, unhealthy, despicable chosen lifestyles.

Smarter than you| 1.3.11 @ 10:34PM

The above message likely brought to you by a child molester who can't speak English.

joe| 1.3.11 @ 6:14PM

I am a physician and will write a prescription for these nonprescription items for anyone who asks.
Screw the Dems and their controls!

Horny Goat Weed| 1.4.11 @ 3:41PM

I love how the majority of Americans were investing so much hope in Obama as he is not the regular white guy they invested so much in him to be some new radical superior being, then once they had got other all that colour thing thing they realised that they had taken a huge dump on their own doorsteps :)

weddingdress| 7.1.11 @ 12:48AM

MUSSOLINI ENDORSES OHBUMMERCARE!

“We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become.”

--- Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy