Because Big Brother "O" Sez So,...

If The Obamessiah and his Obamacare say its good for you, it must be, right?

HT TO Captain America for a portion of this post:

Chicago school bans some lunches brought from home

To encourage healthful eating, Chicago school doesn't allow kids to bring lunches or certain snacks from home — and some parents, and many students, aren't fans of the policy

At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."

Carmona said she created the policy six years ago after watching students bring "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" on field trips for their lunch. Although she would not name any other schools that employ such practices, she said it was fairly common.

And then there's this tidbit I came across today from Thomas Dalhborg:

Reimbursement is being tied to individual linear metrics via Pay for Performance and other programs. In 2015, CMS, through its Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), intends to begin penalizing physicians for not reporting data on these types of metrics. Awards and recognition are being handed out for achieving them. Physicians and physician practices are being rated on them. Consumers (you and I) are being "educated" to select our preferred provider based on these metrics.

Gentle readers, there you have it: We Americans are too fat, too lazy and too stupid to make our own healthcare choices and we can't properly take care of our own children, so let's rely on the government to make those choices for us!  THIS was the "Change" we "Hoped" for??  I call "BULLS**T!!"

Another Domino Falls,...

"We do big things," such as shred this monstrosity like a goat in the Amazon!

Judge Rules Health Care Law Is Unconstitutional

A U.S. district judge on Monday threw out the nation's health care law, declaring it unconstitutional because it violates the Commerce Clause and surely reviving a feud among competing philosophies about the role of government.

Judge Roger Vinson, in Pensacola, Fla., ruled that as a result of the unconstitutionality of the "individual mandate" that requires people to buy insurance, the entire law must be declared void.

"I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the act with the individual mandate. That is not to say, of course, that Congress is without power to address the problems and inequities in our health care system. The health care market is more than one-sixth of the national economy, and without doubt Congress has the power to reform and regulate this market. That has not been disputed in this case. The principal dispute
has been about how Congress chose to exercise that power here," Vinson wrote.

Oh,..the Irony!

By now, everyone has heard that Beau Biden, son of VP "Slow Joe" "Absorbine Jr" Biden, is being treated for a stroke.

While we wish him every bit of good luck, let's look at how non-Obama-worthy this incident has become:

1. He was initially treated at Christiana Hospital in Northern Delaware. Christiana is the state's top trauma center and yet he was transferred to Jefferson's Hospital for Neuroscience (The area's BEST place for stroke care, in the Bitter American's opinion). Would that have happened under Obamacare? Or would only those high up in the Socialist,...errr,...Democratic Party be afforded such a luxury? Hell, will JHNS even exist under Obamacare?
2. He was transported by ambulance, for better than 45 miles, surrounded by a cadre of official state vehicles. Hello-o-o? Carbon footprints? All that wasted fuel? Air pollution? Wasn't that one of the backbones of the Obama campaign?? Hell, Algore must be having a stroke of his own right now!!

I'M THE BITTER AMERICAN, THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!

A Good Definition of WHY Tea Parties Exist

Shelby Steele on Obama's blind charge to the "with me or against me" front:


Barack The Good
The big government liberalism that Mr. Obama uses to make himself history-making also alienates him in the center-right America of today.

A historic figure making history, this is emerging as an over-arching theme—if not obsession—in the Obama presidency. In Iowa, a day after signing health care into law, he put himself into competition with history. If history shapes men, "We still have the power to shape history." But this adds up to one thing: He is likely to be the most liberal president in American history. And, oddly, he may be a more effective liberal precisely because his liberalism is something he uses more than he believes in. As the far left constantly reminds us, he is not really a true believer. Rather liberalism is his ticket to grandiosity and to historical significance.

Of the two great societal goals—freedom and "the good"—freedom requires a conservatism, a discipline of principles over the good, limited government, and so on. No way to grandiosity here. But today's liberalism is focused on "the good" more than on freedom. And ideas of "the good" are often a license to transgress democratic principles in order to reach social justice or to achieve more equality or to lessen suffering. The great political advantage of modern liberalism is its offer of license on the one hand and moral innocence—if not superiority—on the other. Liberalism lets you force people to buy health insurance and feel morally superior as you do it. Power and innocence at the same time.

I rest my case,....

I Guess Yelling "A**hole" Wouldn't Be Civilized Enough?

Stupak Called 'Baby Killer' on House Floor
FOXNews.com

A voice apparently on the Republican side of the House shouted the remark while the Democrat spoke.

Even after the main vote on the Democrats' health bill Sunday night, tempers continued to flare in the House.

Following the vote on the massive health bill, Republicans challenged the Democratic bill's language barring federal funding of abortions, saying it was weak and would effectively allow public funding for abortions.

Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, who had fought for tough language barring federal subsidies for abortion coverage, denounced the Republican move, saying it was nothing more than an attempt to deny 32 million Americans health care. From the Republican side a voice shouted, "Baby killer!"

It was not immediately clear who had called out the epithet.

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), said it wasn't him.

"I don't think it’s appropriate at all," he told Politico. "The people who know won't give it up," Campbell said. "I'm not casting dispersions on that state" in a reference to lawmakers from Texas.

Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas said he heard the scream but wouldn't say who was responsible.

"I can make a guess," Barton told reporters.

Fox News is searching for the source of the remark.

Oh, Mi-i-iste-r-r Wi-i-ilson-n-n??

Tonight, Snake Oil Has Been Poured on the Slippery Slope Towards Marxism,...

House Votes to Pass Senate Health Care Bill
FOXNews.com

After a harrowing day that saw a bloc of pro-life Democrats agree to compromise on abortion language, House Democrats cemented a victory for President Obama with a 219-212 vote for the Senate's massive health insurance overhaul.

Bye-Bye 'Bamacare??

Democrats Cancel All Hearings in Anticipation of Health Care Negotiations

FOXNews.com

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered committee chairmen to postpone their hearings Thursday so lawmakers can meet to chart a course for one last sales job on President Obama's signature health care overhaul.

'Sweetheart' Deals Still on the Table as House Deadline for Health Care Vote Slides

FOXNews.com

The White House is pushing to strip out a number of "sweetheart" deals in the Senate bill as Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats are unlikely to make the March 18 deadline set by President Obama for passage, an indication the House speaker doesn't have the votes to pass it.
Pelosi said "March 18 is an interesting date" as she announced lawmakers are still waiting for a Congressional Budget Office report on the cost of the legislation.

"Our clock starts ticking when we get the final CBO report," Pelosi said. "We don't have the final report yet but we have a pretty good idea of where we are going on it." (Hell, perhaps?)

The current plan is for the House to approve the Senate-passed bill from late last year, despite serious objections to numerous provisions. Both chambers then would pass a second bill immediately, making changes in the first measure before both could take effect. The second bill would be debated under rules that bar a filibuster, meaning it could clear by majority vote in the Senate without Democrats needing the 60-vote supermajority now beyond their reach. (Um,..that's called "CHEATING!")

Will Hearing Aids Be Covered by Obamacare?

Because these three need them!!

"Hey, Steny: when I look into Harry's ear, I can see you!"

Dems Race to Pass Health Care Bill as Tea Partiers Plan Town Hall Wave

By Judson Berger
- FOXNews.com

Democrats are racing the clock to pass health care reform ahead of a wave of Tea Party-driven town hall meetings planned for the spring recess -- the kind of gatherings that nearly derailed the package last August.

But there's a big difference this time around. Last summer, Democrats were encouraged to hold the town hall meetings, and they were blindsided by the backlash, which was recorded and promoted in countless YouTube clips. This time around, they have a good idea of what's coming -- and they're lying low, in case work on health care carries over into the recess.

"There's not been the same push as there was in August to encourage members to do town halls," said Stephanie Lundberg, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

But that isn't stopping Tea Party groups, as well as former House Republican Leader Dick Armey's outfit, FreedomWorks, from holding their own meetings and trying to coax lawmakers into attending.

"We're about to ratchet it up," said Debbie Dooley, a Tea Party Patriots organizer and FreedomWorks volunteer outside Atlanta. "You're about to see the passion that we saw during the August recess."

Whittled Down by "Unyielding Opposition?"

Obama to Consider Adding Some GOP Ideas to Health Care Plan

FOXNews.com

President Obama wrote congressional leaders Tuesday to say he will incorporate four new Republican ideas and strip out legislative dealmaking from his health care proposal in an effort aimed at winning the smallest margin needed for passing a pared-down bill.

The proposals are unlikely to win over liberal Democrats who want the president to expand his plan to include a public option or Republicans whose unyielding opposition has forced Democratic leaders to consider passing the legislation through an unusual budget move that bypasses a filibuster.

The GOP proposals Obama has embraced reform the way states handle medical malpractice suits, reduce waste and abuse in the health care system, increase Medicaid reimbursements to doctors and expands health savings accounts.

STAY THE COURSE! MAINTAIN THE HIGH GROUND! THE PARTY OF "NO!" SHOULD MEAN "NO PUBLIC OPTION - PERIOD!"

The "Brown on Blue" Effect

'Nuff said,...

Blue State Turns Brown!!!

CNN: Brown wins Massachusetts Senate race

Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Republican Scott Brown has won Tuesday's special election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy, CNN projects based on actual results.

Brown, a Massachusetts state senator, had 52 percent of the vote to 47 percent for state Attorney General Martha Coakley, the Democratic contender, with over 69 percent of precincts reporting in results from the National Election Pool, a consortium of media organizations including CNN. Independent candidate Joseph Kennedy, a libertarian who is not related to the Kennedy political family of Massachusetts, had 1 percent.

At stake was President Obama's domestic agenda, including health care reform.

Brown Beats Coakley in Massachusetts Senate Race
FOXNews.com

Republican Scott Brown is the winner of the Massachusetts race for U.S. Senate.

The state senator whose campaign surged in the final weeks of the race becomes the first Republican to be elected to the Senate from the Bay State since 1972.

He also breaks the Democrats' 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority in Washington, posing big problems for President Obama's agenda.

Blue State About to Turn "Brown?"

Voter Enthusiasm a Problem for Coakley, Polls Suggest FOXNews.com

The bad breaks keep piling up for Martha Coakley in her bid for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, with a string of gaffes causing her problems, Democratic strategists predicting the worst and the latest polls suggesting the state attorney general's campaign is missing the kind of enthusiasm that Republican Scott Brown has generated.

"We are in deep s--- if we lose on Tuesday," a Democratic operative said.

A new poll out of Public Policy Polling on Monday underscored the depth of Coakley's challenge.

The poll showed Brown leading 51-46 overall, 64-32 among independents and winning 20 percent of the vote from those who backed Obama in 2008. On the flip side, the survey showed Coakley pulling just 4 percent of the vote from those who backed John McCain, in the 2008 presidential race.

Hell, even left-leaning CeeNoNews has hit the panic button:

Brown looks to pull off huge upset in Massachusetts From Jim Acosta, CNN
January 18, 2010 10:37 a.m. EST

(CNN) -- Democrats are scrambling to hold onto the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in a surprisingly close race in Massachusetts that could imperil President Obama's agenda.

Polls published in the last week of the race show Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley in a dead heat, worrying Obama and Democrats about the possibility of losing what once was considered one of their safest seats.

A Brown victory would give Senate Republicans the votes to stop the health care bill -- and the rest of the president's agenda -- through a filibuster, a tactic they employed after Democrats took control of Congress after the 2006 elections. However, they have been unable to use that tactic after Democrats gained their 60-vote majority in the Senate in 2008.

The Biggest Argument AGAINST Healthcare Reform!

Celibacy in the face of a pro-abortion healthcare bill?? Only in the land of Obamamania!



And besides,..the lead blonde is Eva Amurri - daughter of uber-socialist Susan Sarandon. I wouldn't f**k you, either!

The US Constitution: Harry Reid's Toilet Paper?

From Erick Erickson at Red State (by way of Atlas Shrugs):

If ever the people of the United States rise up and fight over passage of Obamacare, Harry Reid must be remembered as the man who sacrificed the dignity of his office for a few pieces of silver. The rules of fair play that have kept the basic integrity of the Republic alive have died with Harry Reid. Reid has slipped in a provision into the health care legislation prohibiting future Congresses from changing any regulations imposed on Americans by the Independent Medicare [note: originally referred to as "medical"] Advisory Boards, which are commonly called the “Death Panels.”

It was Reid leading the Democrats who ignored 200 years of Senate precedents to rule that Senator Sanders could withdraw his amendment while it was being read.

It was Reid leading the Democrats who has determined again and again over the past few days that hundreds of years of accumulated Senate parliamentary rulings have no bearing on the health care vote.

On December 21, 2009, however, Harry Reid sold out the Republic in toto.

Upon examination of Senator Harry Reid’s amendment to the health care legislation, Senators discovered section 3403. That section changes the rules of the United States Senate.

To change the rules of the United States Senate, there must be sixty-seven votes.

Section 3403 of Senator Harry Reid’s amendment requires that “it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.” The good news is that this only applies to one section of the Obamacare legislation. The bad news is that it applies to regulations imposed on doctors and patients by the Independent Medicare Advisory Boards a/k/a the Death Panels.

Here is the transcript of the exchange between Jim DeMint and the Senate President:

DEMINT: But, Mr. President, as the chair has confirmed, Rule 22, paragraph 2, of the standing rules of the Senate, states that on a measure or motion to amend the Senate rules, the necessary affirmative vote shall be two-thirds of the senators present and voting. Let me go to the bill before us, because buried deep within the over 2,000 pages of this bill, we find a rather substantial change to the standing rules of the Senate. It is section 3403 and it begins on page 1,000 of the Reid substitute. . . . These provisions not only amend certain rules, they waive certain rules and create entirely new rules out of whole cloth.”

The Senate President disagreed and said it was a change in procedure, not a change in rules, therefore the Senate precedent that a two-thirds vote is required to change the rules of the Senate does not apply.

Senator DeMint responded:

DEMINT: and so the language you see in this bill that specifically refers to a change in a rule is not a rule change, it’s a procedure change?

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: that is correct.

DEMINT: then i guess our rules mean nothing, do they, if they can re define them. thank you. and i do yield back.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: the senate stands adjourned until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.

That’s right. When confronted with the facts, the Senate Democrats ran for cover. The Senate Democrats are ignoring the constitution, the law, and their own rules to pass Obamacare.

If Only the Muslims Could Be This Vocal

NB: I'm being sarcastic, don't fatwa my blog!!

Bishops slam 'unacceptable' health care bill

Washington (CNN)– The US Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a strongly worded letter to members of the US Senate Friday, terming the abortion language in the Senate Democrats' health care bill "completely unacceptable."

"The new Senate bill is an enormous disappointment, creating new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience," reads the letter obtained by CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh.

The bishops proved their power in the House, when, following direct negotiations with the House Speaker, they forced House Democratic leaders to allow a vote on the Stupak amendment, which introduced firmer restrictions on abortion funding.

The language in the Senate bill regarding abortion coverage is not as specific as the House bill passed earlier this month. In their letter to the Senate, the bishops ask for a similar measure to be added.


"Specifically, we urge you to include the House-passed provision that keeps in place the longstanding and widely supported federal policy against government funding of elective abortions or plans that include elective abortions. "

Catholic members of Congress, like Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, have already faced rising pressure from church leaders as debate rages over the language in the Stupak amendment.

The Result of Obamacare?

Neon Elmhurst Hospital Sign Burns Out Appropriately

It was simply a case of the right bulbs going out at the wrong time. But passers-by couldn't be blamed for thinking a smirking prankster, or something much darker, was responsible when they looked up at the neon sign for Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, N.Y., which then displayed the ominous phrase "I'm hurt."

When The New York Times showed Elmhurst spokesman Dario Centorcelli a photo of what a missing E and S had wrought, he seemed surprised. "Oh, God, are we going to get this fixed?" he wondered.

We can only hope the hospital stays more on top of the situation when patients come in hurt and in need of fixing.

And the Healthcare Rationing Has Already Begun

Creeping in on little cat's feet, comes the first acknowledgment of medical rationing from the Obamessiah's unofficial Surgeon General:



We're now on the same playing fields as European Health models??

1900 screenings to save 1 life??

And THIS coming from the queen of medical objectivity, huh??

Great Outcomes from Government-Run Healthcare,...

Medicare is, after all, operated by the US Government, right?

One in four hospitalized heart failure patients with Medicare back in hospital within a month

Study highlights:

• Roughly a quarter of Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure are back in the hospital within 30 days.
• 
  The rehospitalization rate for these patients, who are over age 65, remained the same from 2004 though 2006

DALLAS, Nov. 10, 2009 – Almost a quarter of heart failure patients with Medicare are back in the hospital within a month after discharge, researchers report in Circulation: Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Each year, from 2004 through 2006, more than a half million Medicare recipients over age 65 went to the hospital for heart failure and were discharged alive. And each year, about 23 percent returned to the hospital within 30 days – signaling a need to improve care, researchers said. Readmission rates for all causes were almost identical all three years.

“I was hoping for improvement and was disappointed to find that was not the case,” said Joseph S. Ross, M.D., M.H.S., the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. “Despite the increased focus on the need to reduce readmissions, about a quarter of patients are back into the hospital within 30 days.”