Obama Will Say “No Thanks” to At Least One of Bush’s Parting Gift
In his continuing quest to become the biggest asshole that ever lived, Bush is extending DHHS Secretary Mike Leavitt’s ridiculously ideological regulation to “protect” the religious freedom of medical providers. What the regulation actually does is make it much more difficult for women and their families to access abortions and CONTRACEPTION. Yes, it’s just another attempt to turn America into a country of government-enforced pregnancy.
Here is my original post from July:
It’s amazing how timely the questions I asked BlogHer to ask Obama and McCain campaign representatives during a special session were (questions that were not asked by the way). Here are the questions I submitted to BlogHer:
- I want a straight answer about whether they feel contraception is a health care right of women?
- How should the right to patient care be balanced with the right to refuse care?
- Do they know the rate of contraception use among sexually active women? (90%)
- What is the difference between the so called “morning after pill” and the so called “abortion pill?” What is their stance on sex education in public schools?
Am I psychic or what? It’s like I knew about the religious right bullshit coming down from the Bush Administration before it even happened–their parting salvo to the women of America if you will. In fact, I’m just going to quit mincing words and call the legislation presented by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt what it is–a big “fuck you” to the women of America and the men who love them. If Leavitt and the rest of the Bush Administration get their way, women will have have no idea whether or not they can get birth control from their medical provider without asking. Not only that, but the proposed legislation would overrule state laws which require employers to offer contraception along with other prescriptions as well as state laws that require hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape victims. From US News:
It would prohibit federally funded medical facilities—including teaching hospitals and Planned Parenthood clinics—from refusing to hire doctors who don’t want to dispense birth control pills and other types of contraception that may cause the expulsion of a fertilized egg. (It’s already illegal to discriminate against doctors who refuse to perform abortions.)
The excuse Leavitt and Florida Representative Dave Weldon, a supporter of the legislation, give for throwing up additional obstacles to access to contraception is to protect and expand the “conscientious refusal” rights of health care providers. No one is fooled by their feigned concern for the rights of health care professionals–their goal is to redefine contraception in medical and legislative terms so that access to it becomes more difficult and more unfertilized eggs are saved. So logical! By putting the rights of health care providers BEFORE their patients, a practice that seems to violate the ethical oaths most health care providers take upon entering their profession, the government is telling women, that once again, their rights to control their own bodies is secondary to the rights of others.
Why on earth do some people think unfertilized eggs inherently have more rights than than the women who produce them? Explain the logic to me? And men, why are you not outraged as well? Now your sexual partner is at the mercy of the values of her health care providers. Her first question to a new doctor will have to be “Do you prescribe contraception?” Actually, many of us already have to do that. If you live in Reno and are insured through St. Mary’s, your employer is required to provide an alternate prescription plan for contraception because they refuse to cover it. This legislation would put an end to that. Men will still get their Viagra because impotence is a medical problem–continual pregnancy is just a biological reality. Nevada’s decimated state social services should cope with the thousands of additional babies born because womens’ access to birth control was FURTHER restricted very well, and that’s just what will happen locally.
One thing I know for sure–this is another war the Bush Administration will lose. Women are voting Republicans who have and continue to trample on their health care rights out of office. Oh, the times, they are a changing, and I can’t wait to send this bunch out of office with their hands covering their crotches.
Since no one really believes that the Obama Administration won’t block the regulation set to take effect on Inauguration Day, I’m not as infuriated as I usually get. However, what I will repeat are some solutions that could be added to the regulation just in case something goes wrong. If you’re going to allow medical providers to discriminate against potential patients, you might as well take the discrimination all the way.
- Give medical schools, nurse-training programs, etc., the right to require students to state on the record whether they will seek “conscientious refusal rights” during their career and to specify any medical procedures or prescription medicines they would object to upon admittance. Their reply will become a part of their public medical education history and added to a data warehouse easily searched by the public.
- Any medical provider must publicly display any medical services or medications they refuse to provide so that patients have this information BEFORE they seek treatment. New patients must be informed of the services not provided by medical providers in writing as a part of their new patient admittance policy.
It’s only fair, right? If you want to be a selective health care provider and discriminate against patients because of your religious views, patients should have every right to do the same. Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it–and a boycott.
The Bush Legacy by David Horsey
Yep, that about covers it. Be sure and view the full-size cartoon by David Horsey at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
“So What” Bush Says
And this is why George W. Bush should never have been voted into the office of the president. ”So What.” From an ABC News interview with Martha Raddatz after the shoe-throwing incident:
Bush: There have been no attacks since I have been president, since 9/11. One of the major theaters against al Qaeda turns out to have been Iraq. This is where al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand. This is where al Qaeda was hoping to take …Raddatz: But not until after the U.S. invaded.Bush: Yeah, that’s right. So what? The point is that al Qaeda said they’re going to take a stand. Well, first of all in the post-9/11 environment Saddam Hussein posed a threat. And then upon removal, al Qaeda decides to take a stand. And they’re becoming defeated and I think history will say, one, the world was better off without Saddam, two, along with the Iraqi troops we have denied al Qaeda a safe haven because a young democracy is beginning to grow, which will be an important sign for people in the Middle East.
How do you explain so much evil committed by a man who’s response upon being confronted by his responsibility for the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans, and the displacement of millions of Iraqis is “So What?”
By the way, I can understand why many people who voted for Bush are now misremembering their votes, but you can’t misremember some of the responsibility for the damage this man has done thanks to your vote.
Reid Statement: Republicans Responsible For Killing Millions of American Jobs
From Senator Reid’s office (via email):
“Given the unhappy choice between a bridge loan and bankruptcy, Democrats have always believed that we must give the Big Three and the millions of Americans they employ every possible chance to succeed.
“By rejecting every good-faith bipartisan compromise – including those from the White House and Senator Bob Corker – it is now abundantly clear that Republicans have no interest in keeping the Big Three from collapsing.
“Because Republicans failed to act, three million Americans are more likely than ever to lose their jobs and our economy is at risk of suffering even greater damage. Our hearts go out to those families who will now have to deal with this burden as the holidays near.
“Republicans may think that rejecting this legislation sent a message to the auto industry. Instead, they sent a message to every single American that they are more interested in settling scores than solving problems.”
The final vote was 52-35. You can refresh this link to see the vote recorded
We Hate Unions, Screw the U.S. Economy
Tonight’s stand by Republicans is exactly that–they hate unions so much they’re will to screw the rest of us over over peanuts.
Republicans, especially Southern Republicans, have a deep and abiding hatred of labor unions. Why? I know WalMart does a spectacular business at the expense of their employees and the U.S. economy, but really, what’s so threatening about paying a living wage and working a 40 hour work week with some holidays off to spend with your family?
So back to Southern Republicans and their particularly strong hatred of unions. Why are they willing to risk economic collapse to win more concessions from the UAW (ignoring the concessions they’ve already made)? Perhaps it’s because there is a cultural history of serfdom and slavery in the south that’s just hard to shake, and labor unions threatens that directly because they create a strong middle class who typically demand more from their legislative leaders? Maybe it’s more about the fact that labor unions turn out the Democratic vote more effectively than any other institution? I’m sure it’s a combination, but the reason for their irrational union hatred doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Republican Senators lead by McConnell (R-KY) and Corker (R-TN) are willing to let the economy take a severe kick to the groin because their hatred of unions is that strong and irrational. $70 billion in LOANS is peanuts compared to the $700 billion BAILOUT of Wall Street.
From Digby:
Republicans spent the last eight years like drunken sailors on their first shore leave after years at sea. They wantonly drained the treasury of billions and billions of dollars on harebrained schemes to induce “birthpangs of democracy” around the world, chasing phantom enemies and enriching their defense contractor contributors. They created a lobbying culture so corrupt it finally collapsed of its own weight. They deregulated the financial industry so thoroughly that it created an elaborate ponzi scheme that has just about destroyed the world economy.
They have no standing to lecture anyone about responsibility, fiscal or otherwise, and no right to obstruct the cure for the problem they created.
It’s true that Democrats have, over the years, enabled Republicans and helped their ideology to run amock. But right now they are all we’ve got and their intentions, quite clearly, are to keep the economy from tanking, if only out of self interest. The Republicans are blocking this bridge loan for both narrow parochial reasons and longterm partisan gain. There’s no other way to interpret this otherwise inexplicable unwillingness of the Republicans to even grant a short term bridge loan. They want the economy to fail.
I don’t know why people keep electing these morons, but seriously, now is not the time to use labor unions as a bargaining chip in a deal to prevent an economic hit the current economy may not be able to handle. Its fucking irrational and selfish and unconscionable and disgusting behavior. They are in it for themselves, oh, and the foreign car makers who have factories and headquarters in their states. Americans are sick and tired of ideology ruining their future–that’s why they elected a post-partisan president.
And all of this is just another reason this country needs universal health care.
Prop 8 - The Musical
More Proof That George Bush Is A Giant Asshole
More proof that George W. Bush and his administration is one giant asshole. Unfortunately, we’ll undoubtedly hear more stuff like this rather than less for quite some time now.
Happy Thanksging!
Pardoned turkey finds Bush’s brain.
This image never gets old.
To Progressive Bloggers Freaking Out
The title of this post sounds like an ode to Andrew Marvel. Anyway, please read these two posts by Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly. Ask yourself this question; has Obama given you any reason to suspect that he doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing? Obama has put forward an agenda that most progressives would be proud of and every maneuver he makes is meant to ease the way for getting this agenda through Congress. You may not like this appointment or that appointment but give the guy who just ran one of the most amazing political campaigns this country has ever seen a little bit of credit. He definitely knows more than you.
Now That’s A Stimulus Package!
2.5 million jobs by 2011? Now that’s a stimulus package! Add your Congressional Representatives’ and Senators’ office numbers on speed dial and contact me links bookmarked. Obama is going to need the their votes to pass this kind of far-reaching stimulus package. Congress better get the message of change quick or the new election season begins soon after they meet for their first session. I don’t think a lot of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have any idea of what they are in for from all the activists the Obama campaign trained over the last two years as their energies shift to make sure the change they voted for happens.
