You can’t say Baucus isn’t trying to generate revenue or create jobs. New cash flow for insurance companies, Renta-cop enforcers, prison guards, and last but not least more lawyers and judges to jackboot the poor.HACK.

Here is what the article you cited says in pertinent part:

“Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, was circulating a proposal that would cost $900 billion over 10 years and guarantee coverage for nearly all Americans, regardless of medical problems. Fees on insurers, drug companies and others in the health care industry would finance tax credits to help expand coverage. Baucus’ panel is the only one of the five involved in health care not to complete a bill yet, and the only one still searching for a bipartisan compromise.

“One provision would fine families up to $3,800 for failing to buy health insurance, essentially requiring that everyone have medical coverage, much like the case with car insurance. Obama rejected a mandate, and fines, during his presidential campaign.”

Let’s examine a bit more dispassionately. What it says is that families would be subject to a “fine” for failing to buy health insurance, “much like the case with car insurance.” Now I am not an expert on car insurance, but so far as I know it is not legal to drive without car insurance. This is not to protect the driver, it’s to protect the other people who might get whacked by the driver. And if you cannot get insurance because you are a crappy driver you end up in an assigned risk pool (frequently called SR-22) for which you have to pay a premium. Unless you decide not to drive. Anyone know of a state that requires car insurance for people who don’t drive? Thought not.

I will suggest to you that the word “fine” does not appear in this proposal; rather what you will find is that there would be a requirement to pay as much as $3800 a year for inclusion in the insured pool. I do not like that approach, but I have not seen the proposal other than what I quoted above. And I doubt if you have seen more. I will suggest to you further that this balloon will never get inflated, much less fly.

I suggest you get the proposal and read and evaluate it before doing the knee-jerk conservative thing of calling this a new effort at establishing “the ultimate police state.”

One other thing. I absolutely do not believe your figure of $4 million a year that you allege Max Baucus gets from the pharmaceutical and health care industries “to promote their interests.” I challenge you to provide verifiable documentation.

Opensecrets.org says here:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00004643

that he received a bit less than a million in the past year from pharms and health products sector. Would you be so kind as to show us where you got that $4 million figure from? You have also said that he took the money “to promote their interests.” That is tantamount to accusing Senator Baucus of taking bribes. Unless you have damned good proof of that you ought to consider retracting your accusation.

Driving to work this morning I finally wandered onto the thought:

Why would you need to pay for a right?

and

Why would you be fined for not accessing that right?

I guess we’ll simply have to settle for this being one of our many differences of opinion.

Concerning Baucus receiving $4 million from various interests; I’ll leave it up to you doing the research. These are figures I’ve researched from various sources since May 5th when he chaired the first committee meeting to address medical care. Prior to that I knew nothing about Senator Baucus, but having spent time since researching his bona fides; I must say I’m not impressed to say the least. To me, anytime a Congressman takes money from a lobbyist or special interest group regardless of its current legality it’s tantamount to accepting a de facto bribe.

His supporters back in Mayberry, Montana surely aren’t lining the Senator’s campaign coffers to the tune of million/s and not in the state of Montana who’s economy could be classed a having cratered due to the economic downturn. Here’s a link which within its body is mentioned that Senator Baucus has received millions from health care interests up to July 2009. Here’s a Wiki link that makes reference to him receiving millions in “contributions” up to July 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Baucus

It was mentioned too in the Yahoo article that a family of four could realize an “annual” penalty of as much as $3200 in sanctions against them for not acquiring government sponsored health insurance; ie., $750 per family member. What if they already have a private plan offered by their place of employment etc.? Does this mean people will be forced to join some crippled, huckletybuck government sponsored plan? Will this encourage companies to drop employee coverage en masse telling their people; “get your coverage from the government”; ie., possibly without compensation from the company? Medical coverage offered either at lower priced group rates or paid for outright by companies is a perc that just might disappear from the American workplace as a function of this legislative action.

I personally smell evil brewing in the Halls of Congress concerning this legislation no differently than the Patriot Act, endless minimally challenged “war-funding”, TARP, Obama’s early term recovery package etc.; ie., another rushed through ill-thought piece of legislation that’s going to destabilize the entire existing medical care paradigm regardless of its current flaws.

Thanks for your comments.

Carl Nemo **==

Note: Since I posted my original blog article, the Yahoo link was changed so it reflects different content which does not reference the penalties, but instead covers President Obama’s upcoming hard sell to Congress. I’ve changed it to a Durango Herald link that explains the proposed penalty system.

Translated:

I made an allegation and I want you, who challenged my allegation, to do the research necessary to refute my allegation or to affirm it.

I gave you the fruits of my research and you gave me a wiki article that does not have your number in it and in fact refers to the same citation I provided above. And you want me to do more research to try to prove that you aren’t libeling Senator Baucus.

That’s hilarious.

And it certainly supports Doug Thompson’s editorial about all the junk, lies, distortions, etc., on the misinformation superhighway.

I’m beginning to think you suffer from chronic “sore arches”. You need to lighten up and start enjoying life. It seems to me that you need some “slack”…!

If I condensed all your commentary to CHB from day one to present into one single distillate; I’d come up with one unhappy, contentious, tail-biting soul.

You are obsessed with pursuing every dot and tittle concerning posts to this site to the point that you’ve become a boorish, obnoxious person…!

Recently I replied to one of your blog posts in a civil manner etc. I don’t come on to you trying to bust your chops or rub your nose in your posts which are at times lacking in gravitas and accuracy by my standards. To put it simply, I’m both fatigued and tired of your presence on this site and no doubt there’s many others that feel the same way.

You seem to be lacking in social skills. : |

Carl Nemo **==

Where is the wrongful logic in that as long as I am not burden to the whole?
As far as I know I can refuse the ambulance ride and die where I drop.
What gives anyone the right to say otherwise?

Isn’t it obvious that this is one of the last chits in the poker game of life that now these snakes want control of? The last vestiges of this sacred personal freedom belong to me, not some no neck slack jawed jive ass prick that likes to pretend he’s the mother of all invention.

It’s a goddamn money making revenue generating scheme period, and you can bet the ones pushing the hardest have a vested interest in the cash flow and could give two squirts of duck shit whether you get adequate and fair treatment for so much as a hangnail…HACK2E !

Here’s a scrap of pork for you; a link to an article that lays out the amount of largesse that Max Baucus has received from the healthcare bloc to date.

The link is to Dan Eggen’s “Washington Post” piece of July 21, 2009 concerning the healthcare industry’s contributions to the “Gang of Six” on the Senate Finance Committee and their respective take from these interests. It’s in the millions for each of them. Truly disgusting I must say and as far as I’m concerned, though legal is tantamount to taking bribes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072003363.html?hpid=topnews

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/max_baucuss_money.html

I also amended my blogpost to 3 million for the years 2003-2008, not including the first half of this year prior to him refusing further ‘contributions’. We’ll never really know the true scope and depth of the amounts of money he’s received from healthcare industry interests, shall we?! /:|

Carl Nemo **==