This trails onto Christian Dem in NC's recommended diary detailing how Dana Loesch, Tea Party Coalition spokesperson and self-proclaimed policy wonk, decided that it would be a good idea to pile onto Sandra Fluke as well.
Before I begin, let me digress just a moment. Where the eff did Dana Loesch get the standing to become a spokesperson for anything regarding public policy? She's never been elected to anything. She dropped out of college after unsuccessfully majoring in journalism (source). Why do so-called "legitimate" news outlets like CNN continually put her on the air, implicitly validating her as some kind of expert with a range and base of knowledge?
But never mind that. That Dana Loesch, of all people, is piling onto Sandra Fluke is ludicrous. But even funnier: the way she's piling on just exposes her as a dumbass.
More over the fold.
So here's the tweet highlighted in Christian Dem in NC's diary:
The whole thing is pretty odious, right? The idea that she (Loesch) - or anyone - has the right to call Sandra Fluke whatever she chooses because she (Loesch) will somehow pay higher health insurance premiums to cover birth control is beyond the margins of civility. You don't hear me running around calling Loesch a chronic, serial, slutty reproducer because she has children, and then justifying my statement by highlighting that I pay higher premiums to cover her pregnancy, right?
But here's the thing: those who are still trying to carry Republican, tea party and far-right water on this issue are pushing the buttons of the average American by telling them that they will pay higher premiums on their health insurance (of course - many don't actually have health insurance, so perhaps I'm overstating the impact) so that the Sandra Fluke's of this world can have free contraception. And that, simply put, is a ridiculous lie.
Via Time Magazine:
Initially, the controversy over President Obama’s proposal that all insurers cover contraception focused on religious liberty. After polls revealed that 98% of sexually active Catholic women have used birth control, though, some who oppose Obamacare tried to shift the argument from religion to money: “If insurers are forced to offer contraception without co-pays,” they warn, “they’ll hike our insurance premiums.” But will that actually happen?
::snip::
The truth is that both insurers and employers who self-insure save money in the long run by covering contraception. So much money is saved that it makes financial sense to waive co-pays and deductibles. A 2000 study by the National Business Group on Health estimates that not providing contraceptive coverage in employee health plans winds up costing employers 15% to 17% more than providing such coverage.
My emphasis added. Oops, Dana Loesch. Embarrassing.
You know - it really doesn't take a mathematician or financier or any other kind of expert to logic your way into this rather obvious fact. Oral contraceptives prevent a variety of much more expensive conditions, such as:
- Pregnancy - much more expensive than the pill
- Childbirth - WAY more expensive than the pill
- Acne - trust me - Retin-A micro is a LOT more expensive than the pill
- Ovarian cystitis - going on the pill at 18 years of age saved my ovary AND the cost of surgery to remove the cyst that was enveloping my ovary
- Reducing cramps - the pill is much less expensive than prescription pain killers
Those were the ones that personally came to me as I spent the 5 nanoseconds Loesch apparently did not spend before her idiot tweet. Planned Parenthood has an entire section on the birth control pill and details some of the advantages to women outside of preventing an unwanted pregnancy. It's really not difficult and it doesn't take a college-dropout tea party spokesperson to figure it out.
So, I responded with this tweet:
So the next time some knuckle-draggine ignoramus gets in your face and tries to tell you that THEY aren't going to pay the vig for some woman's slutty behavior, be sure to throw a few facts at them. They probably won't stick, but if you're lucky, they'll bounce off of your troglodyte target and land on someone who actually has half a clue.
I would assume that - thinking woman that she is and all - Dana Loesch will soon come out FOR free coverage of contraception for women given that it will actually save her money on her health insurance premiums.
And now, I'll go hold my breath.
UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback! I have to say - I really didn't know who Patricia Heaton was nor that she carries water for the far right. But check out this stream of disgustingness on Twitter. Apparently Heaton has deleted her account. That didn't stop me from sending ABC an email complaining about her and telling them I would never watch nor patronize any sponsor who advertises during Heaton's show The Middle.