They must really think they’ve got the American people by the short hairs. At least that’s the impression I get when reading quotes from anyone in Washington, including those from that man with the bad combover, David Axelrod.
On CNN’s Sunday “State of Union”, Axelrod is quoted as saying about the current health care debacle: “This shouldn’t be a debate about abortion. And he’s going to work with Senate and the House to try and ensure that at the end of the day, the status quo is not changed ….” Meaning that President Walking Eagle is going to use his most charming Chicago-style persuasions to yank out anything remotely resembling a serious denial of federal funding of abortions from a final health care “reform” bill.
No one is asking the most basic question, that of the constitutionality of the federal government controlling American’s access to their health care, so of course the matter has deteriorated into a smoke-screen argument about abortion coverage. Coverage that Pelosi is on the record saying she wants (including for illegal immigrants).
You will recall that the “Stupak amendment” was tacked onto HR 3962 last weekend in a last-ditch attempt to appease some of the Blue Dog Democrats into voting for it. The amendment flat-out restricts any federal funds from going towards paying for abortions, rightly to the point that if someone is receiving a federal subsidy to pay for their health insurance, even if they purchase other coverage, that separate coverage may not include abortions.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with this. Giving someone a subsidy (our hard-earned tax dollars) and then allowing them to use any resulting freed-up personal funds to pay for an additional health insurance policy with abortion coverage is still using the taxpayers’ money to subsidize abortions. Color me a dangerous right-wing extremist or one of the conservative “mob”, but while I will not deny someone personal choice, whether directly or in such an indirect way as included in HR 3962 I refuse to help them pay for it. As do millions upon millions of other American citizens.
But because it goes against their agenda of overarching control, the progressives and liberals simply can’t let people be responsible for themselves. I was privy to a short series of emails ranting about the loss of “womens’ rights” and such that are perceived to be insidiously hidden in the Stupak amendment. It was sorely tempting to smack ’em down with common sense but I realized my time was better spent doing something more constructive than playing Wack-A-Mole.
Some of the arguments I read in the emails against this amendment were also bandied about on the House floor during debate, with the biggie coming in as “no one plans to have an abortion”. And surely there are those rare instances when a pregnancy is a grave health matter and abortion may be the only viable option. But you know, getting pregnant in the real world isn’t some mysterious, hoodoo voodoo process over which women have no control. Getting pregnant is a choice. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is a very deliberate choice, for no one holds a gun to people’s heads and forces them to insert Tab A into Slot B.
Let’s just say it in plain English. If you can’t save your pennies or find a rich sucker to pay for your own abortion, ladies, then I suggest you keep your legs crossed if you expect someone else to pay for your health insurance.
“I would go so far as to say it is a very deliberate choice, for no one holds a gun to people’s heads and forces them to insert Tab A into Slot B.
Ooh Really, how about rape victims? or incest victims ? What a weak, uninformed stupid argument! Try living in the real world for a change.
Well, well, the Kool-Aid kids have come to demonstrate their lack of reading comprehension skills. Rather makes me rethink my position here, but I digress.
Listen carefully, sunshine. Crimes, particularly violent crimes, are normally reported and in those cases, if pregnancy is a concern, there are things like the “morning after pill” to prevent development of a fetus. Waiting months to report a violent crime isn’t wise, though I am well aware there are some too afraid to report something like rape or incest right away, so the Stupak amendment does, rightfully, cover such situations.