Wilson’s reasons
Einton writes:
The press, who have focused to date on Wilson’s “bad-mannered” “heckling” of Obama, have actually begun to report begrudgingly on why he called Obama a liar.
Today’s AP article notes—albeit as an aside in an article that generally focuses on the dire consequences befalling the unruly Republican—that “Wilson is far from alone in thinking that the prohibition in the House bill doesn’t go far enough. For him and other Republicans, the problem is not what’s in the bill, it’s what the bill leaves out—namely a provision to enforce the no-illegals rule.”
So the media are finally beginning to acknowledge that Wilson is right?? Not so fast …
Yahoo News today featured a blog by an Allison Louie-Garcia that quotes the oh-so impartial Politifact.com as stating “Obama can make a pretty thorough case that reform doesn’t apply to those here illegally. We don’t find the public option argument enough to make the case that Obama “lied.” We rate Wilson’s statement False.”
And there you have it. An organization dedicated to “checking the facts” doesn’t even bother to introduce Wilson’s reasoning—including the fact that the bill is stripped of any verification requirement. The American people can’t handle the truth! Heaven forbid they are actually exposed to the reality that Obama and the Dems are indeed lying and the healthcare bill actually does cover illegals because there is no meaningful citizenship verification requirement.
What the Dems are doing would be something akin to a state college barring out-of-state students (illegals) from getting “in-state” tuition (free healthcare), but then making no effort to verify who is in-state (citizens) and out-of-state (illegal).
In other words, it is completely meaningless to bar illegals and then not verify who is and who is not legal, and yet the media goes over backward to introduce the “fact” that the healthcare bill “bars” illegals. What a joke.
September 11
Terry Morris writes:
…that “Wilson is far from alone in thinking that the prohibition in the House bill doesn’t go far enough. For him and other Republicans, the problem is not what’s in the bill, it’s what the bill leaves out—namely a provision to enforce the no-illegals rule.” (italics mine)
If the only problem Congressional ‘Republicans’ have with the institution of a permanent, mandatory, centralized socialist health care system in this country is that it includes no provision to enforce the ‘no illegals’ rule, then we have big problems bub! Indeed, it is worse than meaningless to bar illegals from participation without a means of identifying them. The whole idea here is to ‘nationalize’ health care. And since we all know that federal law always trumps state law whenever there is the slightest hint of disagreement between them, nationalized health care will, for all intents and purposes, bar the states from barring illegals from participation (Note: some states like my own have already passed laws including provisions to bar illegals from receiving non-essential health care services within the state.). So it’s like a back door health care Amnesty bill in which the fed “occupies a field and intends a complete ouster,” which, by certain peoples’ logic translates to exclusive federal control, preferably by coercion, but by force when and if necessary. After all, any ‘law’ implies the means to enforce it.
Notwithstanding that, the main point I’m getting at, and which I want to stick to, is that Congressional Republicans are destructive statists just like their Democrat colleagues.
Einton writes:
Wilson’s “you lie” cry has proved the real game-changer in this illegals coverage debate, and things are changing fast. As I wrote yesterday, his outburst has forced the media to look closely and seriously at this issue for the first time. Here’s a great AP article released just minutes ago. Below I excerpt the article with some comments.
“Senators closing in on a comprehensive health care bill have whittled away all but the most contentious issues and one of those loomed large Friday: coverage for illegal immigrants. Negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee thought they’d already resolved the question.”
Hmm. Let me get this straight. Until now, these senators actually believed the lie of Obama and the Dems that it was enough just to bar illegals from coverage without any identification requirement?? Geesh.
“That was before Republican Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” as President Barack Obama said in a speech Wednesday that illegal immigrants wouldn’t be covered under his health plan.”
Oh. So Wilson wasn’t some paranoid loony-tune as the MSM had tried to portray him. He was actually trying to bring attention to a critical flaw—and an intentional flaw I might add—in the Dems’ healthcare bill.
“That led senators to revisit the issue to make sure they have provisions in place to enforce prohibitions against illegal residents getting federally subsidized coverage.”
So Wilson was right—the bills really did cover illegals because there were no enforcement provisions in place! Obama was indeed a liar!
“The White House says that Obama does not want illegal immigrants to be able to buy insurance through the new purchasing exchange as they would be allowed to do under Democratic legislation in the House.” (my italics)
Wait a second! So illegal aliens can buy insurance—including the subsidized government-run option if there is one—under the House bill! In other words, the bill does cover illegals. But I thought this was all just a “myth” concocted by right-wingers according to Obama’s speech a few days ago…
“Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the White House will work with lawmakers on language to enforce that, although the Finance Committee bill is also expected to let illegal immigrants shop in the exchange….”
Wait—not just the House bill—the Senate bill also lacks an enforcement provision!? But the media quoted all these fact-checking “non-partisan” think tanks assuring us that the issue was closed: “The bills bar illegals from coverage. Obama was right. Wilson was wrong.” Oh—I see—the bills just lacked the tiny detail of enforcement. Ha!
“Without a verification requirement it’s essentially like posting a 55-mph speed limit and not having any highway patrol on the road,” said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Amen.
“Democrats in two House committees defeated amendments that would have required verification of legal status.”
A-hah (!)—now we’re getting somewhere. The lack of enforcement wasn’t just some “oversight” or “accident.” The Democrats deliberately voted these Republican proposals down. Middle-class Americans who voted for Obama and Dems! Do you really believe these people are looking after your interests? They were going to cut $500 bn from your Medicare reimbursements (which would force hospitals and doctors to cut services for seniors to compensate for the lower reimbursements) in order to provide coverage for illegals! And all the while promising and assuring you their bills would not cover illegals.
“Unlike in the House bill or legislation passed by the Senate’s health committee, the Finance Committee is aiming to include verification requirements.”
Great—only the Finance Committee bill will have any verification requirements.
“Another unsettled issue involves coverage for legal immigrants. Gang of Six member Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wants a five-year waiting period before legal immigrants can get subsidized coverage, but Conrad said Friday that’s not yet been resolved.”
I know this is treated as a taboo topic by the mainstream media, but why should legal immigrants, who must sign papers when they get their green cards that they are financially self-sufficient and will not become a burden on American taxpayers, get subsidized coverage??
Anyway, that’s the roundup to date on this issue. Apologies for my overly sarcastic comments. It just troubles me how little Obama and the Dems really care about ordinary Americans. Unbelievable.
LA replies:
Thanks to Einton for his close reading and illuminating analysis of the AP article. I also link and discuss his comment in a new entry.
LA writes:
From the Washington Post:
Wilson’s Yell Draws Attention to Immigration Issue
Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 11, 2009 01:39 AM | Send