A little video I took last month has gained new life as the Kansas Democratic Party has tried to make more of Tiahrt's lie than it is, and other outlets have picked up on it. It's a little embarrassing for me, actually, since I came home from that meeting hopping mad at the people who were there.
When this story came up a couple days ago, I felt like I was in a moral quandary. I mean, I really, really like the story that says "A bunch of 60-something Kansas Republicans were savvy enough to know that this congressdouche was lying to them," but that simply isn't the case. They didn't know he was lying, and the truth in this video is damning enough without stretching it. Here's the local news report on the subject, which was pretty accurate (and my bright smiling face is on at 1:17):
I've written about this before, the day after I took that video. What actually happened was almost as good, and I'll recap for those that don't want to follow that link.
"In this bill, they're gonna set up a committee to determine what every doctor in America will make. They will set that so every doctor will make the same...and if you think about it, many students who become physicians leave school with more than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in student debt. It's estimated that their salary will be somewhere in the range of eighty-five to ninety-five thousand dollars. I don't know how they'll be able to start a business, buy a home, and pay off their student debt of more than a quarter million dollars, so that's a concern."
This is the video that was just on the front page earlier today. That's my voice saying "Use some common sense." My voice is on a lot of these, because, like Joe Wilson, I can't keep it to myself. Unlike Mr. Wilson, of course, I know what the hell I'm talking about.
This bill requires that every American that gets health care through the government completely give the government access to their finances, immediately, if not...it says...immediately if not near term. I don't want to give the government direct access to your bank account. That's in here. So they will directly withdraw from your account, your bank account, money for health care you receive -- you won't write a check, you won't give them permission, you just take it. So I won't compromise on that. I won't compromise on this end of life counseling, because I know there are states like Oregon who are going to tell their seniors '...and you can take the blue pill.' And that concerns me because I believe that life is one of our fundamental rights, and
drowned out by applause
That's my view. I don't want people in Oregon or in Kansas or anywhere in the United States having to sit through counseling every five years where they're reminded, you know, you're getting ready...it's getting expensive to take care of you, and here's some options to cut down on the costs."
I'm always torn on this one what joke to make. I could ask "Is the blue pill referring to the one that makes you forget you're living in a computer-generated fantasy world, or Viagra?" or mock him more directly, adopting a pompous voice and saying "Us Godfearing folk here in Kansas will be fine, but them godless heathens up there in Oregon are just going to shoot you like a lame horse if you get sick."
"If you look at the philosophy of these czars, they put a low value on human life. Um, and I think that's a true statement. I think there is a valid concern with the economy, and the people who are challenged in their health today to see us moving towards a system that's going to have limited capability, because that will lead to rationing, and that will lead to tough decisions. And when will the federal government just decide to cut off funding like they do in other countries that have single-payer?"
Boilerplate czar scaredness, although I think Tiahrt was a little ahead of the curve on this hysteria. You can start to see how the mind here works. Government wants to do something -> government is bad at everything -> government will be bad at this -> government is going to make you use this thing that doesn't work simply because they can. It's as if elections don't exist in Rep. Tiahrt's world.
"In reference to socialized medicine being the camel's nose under the tent, I think that's a question we have to ask. You know, elections have consequences, and we did--last fall, a lot of people stayed home, a lot of people were upset with the economy and President Bush and the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan, and they simply stayed home, and now we're living with the results of that.
Tiahrt drops some science on us. The Republicans didn't lose because the Democrats had record registration, turnout, and, while I can't quantify it in anyway I still daresay enthusiasm in 2008. In fact, it was just the opposite. It was because everyone was pissed off and stayed home that the record turnout was enough to get Obama in the White House.
Crazy Lady: "I am only forty-eight years old. I have in my past, I was on the system, and through the system I learned that the Mexicans, the, what some of my friends, my Mexican friends, they call them wetbacks, they don't like them here in the United States for the simple fact that they send half of their paycheck wherever they work at back to Mexico. Why don't you get more of the people that are on the system, because I have been off of the system for fifteen years now. I have a very very low income job. There are some people here at this sitting conference right now, they know where I work at. They know I go out and I hustle my little snow cone and popcorn machine on the weekends. They know I have a very low income job. Why don't you folks do something about the Mexicans that are illegal in this country? Why don't you do something about the people that are younger than me, I'm saying about twenty-five years old, and I do know some of these people that are on the system that are a lot heavier than me and all they do is draw off the system and insurance and et cetera and don't work at all. Do you realize that if you get these people off like the Mexicans off of there and have the more money that they--we provide for them to live here in America and have them quit standing in Mexico, don't you realize that would lower the income of cost of living and also the insurance?"
Tiahrt: "Uh, your question is, that don't, doesn't, uh, I think me specifically and congress in general know that if we would limit the number of illegal immigrants here drawing on our services that would be less money, and would we have people who are twenty-five years or younger that aren't working, that are out to work, is that an accurate statement?"
Crazy Lady: "Yes."
I really don't know what to do with this one. Maybe put it to music?
"We have a way of people coming to this country as legal immigrants. I just met one yesterday in El Dorado. He came here from Canada. It took him five years to go through the process, we do need to reform the process. But he came with an interesting perspect on health care. He said he'd been in America for five years, became a citizen. Before he came, he lost a wife to cancer in Canada. He said when she was--when they told her that she had cancer, uh, she was couldn't see a physician for the cancer the onocologist (sic) for a significant amount of time if I recall correctly it was over nine months. By the time she got to an onocologist (sic) it had advanced so far that he ended up losing her. He then moves to America, finds out he has prostate cancer, and within a week he's had treatment, he's had an operation, and he's back home. And he says 'I'm perfectly healthy today. So,' he says, 'you think a single-payer system is going to answer your needs, then think again.'"
I said this in the original diary, but it bears repeating: How is it that I've lived in this country my entire life and never met a Canadian in the flesh who identified himself as such, but every single Republican member of congress knows a Canadian who's had better luck with health care in the US than in Canada? I can't imagine it's more than a couple guys. They must be part of some congressman's entourage.
"If you look at history in America, you'll see that during the 1930s when we borrowed money and spent it on government programs, we never saw unemployment get below double digits. So, borrowing money and spending it hasn't worked in American history."
Tiahrt uses true statistics to make false claims. At this point I just about threw the camera at him. Thankfully the meeting ended shortly thereafter.
The reason I'm doing what's essentially a reposting of a prior diary is that I'm of the opinion that if we tell the truth, even when the truth looks worse for us, that we have more credibility when we call out the other side as liars. And there's enough outrageous lies in here to call out, but not if we ourselves are lying to do so.
Edited because I accidentally posted the same video twice instead of the right one the second time. Twice, because I apparently did that in the original diary as well.