Hugh Hewitt and Health Care in Westwood
After traveling around the country, it was nice to attend an event within walking distance of my home. Even nicer was that it was an important event that will hopefully one day be seen as the turning point in the health care debate when our nation decided that enough was enough.
Westwood is known for rallies at the Federal building, the finest quality medical care in the world at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and the official headquarters of the Tygrrrr Express.
(Not all of this impresses everybody. I mean who cares about a Federal building.)
This was a day for private citizens to peacefully push back against a government that is declaring the debate closed on healthcare, which they do on every single issue. Except in this case, the door has been pushed back wide open. For those wanting to help defeat socialized medicine, several websites abound.
http://www.docs4patientcare.org
http://www.kitchencabinets.org
Hugh Hewitt was the emcee and featured speaker at this healthcare event, but so many contributed.
(No, he does not bother me to keep linking to his site. However, there may be one person somewhere that has heard of me but not him. I do have relatives.)
Tony Katz ran the event, because Tony Katz runs events. Consider that a well deserved promo for him. He offered a very powerful line that should be the mantra of the people.
“The American people gave a second opinion, and the answer is no.”
Yet while Tony Katz has strong opinions, critics will point out that he does not have medical expertise. His brother Dr. Michael Katz does, and Michael Katz had a stinging indictment of the current situation. He has actually quit practicing medicine. Supporters of Obamacare say that this will not occur. Well it did. A doctor threw up his hands and simply quit. Those who believe this behavior to be an aberration will be very sorry when enough doctors decide “who needs this?” Michael Katz must be heard, and so he shall.
“I am a physician who refuses to practice without autonomy.”
“I have quit clinical medicine.”
“To those politicians who want to tell me about healthcare, let me say that you are not qualified.”
“Never confuse getting elected with knowing how to do something.”
Dr. Reed Wilson knows a thing or three about saving lives. That has been his career. He had plenty to say, and America would be wise to heed his words.
“Mary Landrieu can be bought off with 100 million dollars only so many times.”
“They said in the 1960s that Medicare would cost only 9 billion dollars in 1990. It cost 110 billion in 1990. Imagine how far off they will be with this bill.”
“This bill has doctors being paid the same rate all across America. Whether one is in New York, Los Angeles, or Biloxi, the rates are the same. Does anybody think a doctor in New York or Los Angeles can survive earning what a doctor earns in Biloxi. Does anyone think salaries in Biloxi will rise to that of New York or LA? More likely all salaries will go down.”
“To the government, a 40 year old woman is not cost effective. There has been a 30% drop in breast cancer since mammograms took place for women age 40. Yet the amount of money for a 50 year old woman to get mammograms is $1300 per person as opposed to $1900 per person. 40 year old women are simply not cost effective. This is rationing.”
“There was not one oncologist or radiologist doing mammograms on the board that made that decision. There were only number crunchers.”
“The Hippocratic Oath has been thrown under Obama’s bus along with everyone else he has thrown under the bus.”
“Ezekiel Emanuel is Rahm Emanuel’s brother. He has said that the ‘hippocratic oath is the problem with medicine today. It teaches doctors to be too thorough and care too much about patients.’”
“The doctor-patient relationship must be maintained.”
“We must have tort reform. 10% of all costs go to legal costs. When you buy drugs, 10% of the costs of those drugs go to legal costs including malpractice costs.”
“Our healthcare system works. Only 5% of industry is unionized, as opposed to the 13% national average.”
“We need to be able to sell insurance across state lines.”
Dr. Joel Strom spoke briefly, but with serious impact. As a physician, he pointed out what everybody to the right of Chairman Mao understands. The Obamacare numbers don’t add up.
“We are told that Obama care will be saving jobs, provide better care, have no increase in taxes, and reduce the deficit. Nobody I know believes this.”
One British woman spoke from the point of view of a woman who lost a patient, her father. Simple tests would have saved his life, but the doctors in England instead offered verbal assurances and delays. AFter her father died, her mother died soon after “of a broken heart.” The final indignity was when this woman lamented the senseless and untimely loss of her parents, the lack of a bedside manner response she received was “It’s not like America. You don’t get every test you want.”
One point that supporters of Obamacare point to is that in California, auto insurance is mandatory. Healthcare should be no different. This argument has a flaw. Some people have license to drive. They have no car. Therefore, they do not need auto insurance.
One problem with trying to sway people on the issue of healthcare is that unless one is directly affected by the issue, ignorance truly is bliss. The fact is that discussions of healthcare are often exceedingly boring.
To keep people awake, plenty of humor was mixed in with the serious nature of this event. Comedian Evan Sayet entertained the crowd.
“Hugh Hewitt is amazing. He can talk for three hours every day on the radio without a script. Barack Obama can’t talk for three minutes without a teleprompter.”
“Some people say Obama bowed to the leader of Japan. Not at all. He was leaning over so the little guy could light his cigarette.”
“It seems that this rally has saved 20 million jobs. Apparently 19 million of those jobs are for sign makers.”
“People have gone from ‘Yes we can,’ to ‘What did we do?’ Now the people are saying ‘No you can’t.’”
“Nancy Pelosi had the nerve to call the tea party people astroturf. She would know. She’s made of plastic.”
“Can you believe all these pages. This thing is 2,170 pages of cr@p. That’s just Obama’s enemies list.”
“The Democrats claim they want to get rid of waste. By waste, they mean seniors. The program is called ‘caskets for clunkers.’”
“If we want to get rid of waste and fraud, we can fire Henry Waxman.”
“The Founding Fathers gave us a public option. It’s called an election.”
The signs in the audience were hilarious. One female doctor had a sign that I immediately agree with. It read, “No rationing when it comes to breasts.”
I personally did not speak at this event, but before getting to Hugh Hewitt, three things come to mind.
Is Khalid Sheik Mohammed covered under the new plan? Given that he is a private citizen with full Constitutional rights, he must be given top notch health care. Also, amateur homicide bombers that fail to properly do their jobs should be given care so they can get healthy until they get it right.
Also, I favor a bipartisan approach to healthcare. We simply do ideological rationing. We put a provision in the bill that states that if nay rationing occurs, conservatives and others opposed to the bill should get Cadillac care while liberals and others favoring the bill should be the first ones to get rationed. If they are so sure that the bill does not lead to rationing, they should immediately accept this provision.
Lastly, every time I hear Nancy Pelosi talk about astroturf, I think that she is telling us that we can add her to the list of many unattractive women that have spent time in Bill Cllnton’s pickup truck. It can’t be a reference to her playing defense for the San Francisco 49ers. I think they play on natural grass, or some hybrid field turf. It has to be field turf because Bay Area people love their hybrids.
Anyway, every event needs a star to emcee, and the emcee at this event was Hugh Hewitt. A lawyer by trade, he is one of the few lawyers that likes and is liked by doctors. His humor made for a fun event.
“It’s great to be in America, the nation that produces 95% of the medical devices that save the world.”
“I’ll talk slow so that people from USC can understand me.”
“UCLA is not doing to well. I think they are going to the Olive Oil Bowl or something.”
“I recently did a broadcast with Dennis Prager. After Prager stopped talking, I got a full 30 seconds to speak. I told him to stop taking my cigars.”
“When you see Mike Gallagher, let him know that my numbers are higher.”
“This bill is going to cut 570 billion dollars from Medicare. This is a complete breach with our seniors.”
“43% of doctors have said that if Obamacare passes, they will retire or choose a different career path.”
“Also quitting will be millions of doctors in the form of students who won’t be doctors in the future.”
“The people are well meaning on the other side, but they don’t know economics.”
“Obamacare is bad legislation is like a disease. It increases mortality rates, and leads to rationing.”
“Good intentions don’t solve anything.”
“The AARP does not represent seniors, the American Medical Association does not represent doctors, and the Democrats do not speak for us.”
“I hate it when I introduce doctors. They make me feel stupid.”
“All these doctors are here. For those of you planning to have a heart attack, now is the time to do it.”
The only heart attack that will be suffered is the collective heart failure of our nation if the monstrosity that is Obamacare becomes law.
The other side are not bad people. They are just fundamentally wrong. Do not believe lobbying organizations that have staged photo ops where white coats are handed out. I heard from doctors, lawyers and patients in abundance on this day. They say that the only thing that must die regarding health care is this awful bill.
Believe them. Our lives depend on it.
eric
December 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Obamacare is not about reforming health care, increasing medical care coverage, creating or saving jobs. Obamacare is not about reducing medical cost or saving lives or improving anything. Obamacare is about control. Dems want control of America and this is one of their avenues of access to that control.
Why is this being debated? There is no debate their intentions and objectives are clear for all to see. Congress is the single most dangerous organization on the planet. The Dems will get their control and will use any and all means necessary to do so.
I predict that the 2010 and 2012 elections will be empty attempts to undo the damage the Dems are doing and continue to do.
Toma
December 1st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’m no Obama fan but if he is going to defy his base and commit extra troops to the war in Afghanistan then he does deserve full support on this issue and some praise. Of course, he should have sent the troops three months earlier and there is probably some caveat or “bait and switch” hidden, but even a flawed surge is infinitely better than the disaster that would ensure if he started to withdraw.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Getting back to healthcare I have to say that the criticisms of healthcare in the UK are either wrong or exaggerated. Under the NHS I’ve been treated quickly and professionally and never had a serious complaint about the service.
I would also like to point out that even family doctors in the UK can earn $300k a year - so the idea of government run healthcare necessarily leading to the runination of doctors is simply not true. Indeed, the US could do very well to copy Britain’s medical education system which allows doctors to fully qualify as Family Practioners from the end of secondary education within nine years - as opposed to the twelve years in the US system (including pre-med undergraduate training).
December 1st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I don’t understand what was so offensive about my post that our good host won’t leave it up…
JMJ
December 1st, 2009 at 8:58 pm
The bottom line should be that the people dont want it.
And even if they did want it not being able to afford it during the hardest time our economy has had in 40 years should be enough.
Now that this doesnt seem to matter it is the time to rise up.
Period.
Toma, either way the right will “eventually” win.
If they do pass it the ensuing catastrophe will be to our advantage at the polls. Remember, we will be taxed for 4 years before before start trickling in, in 2014
If they dont pass anything with a public option he will lose a good chunk of their base. Add that to the chunk of base they’re losing by sending troops to afghanistan along with those who realize he made our economy ten times worse and they’re finished.
I almost wish they’d pass the damn thing yesterday just so we can get the “I told ya so ” part over with.
I’m not preaching, I can get pretty stupid and nasty myself
jersey, my guess is that after tolerating bloody hell maybe Eric had enough
December 1st, 2009 at 9:33 pm
If I deleted a post this afternoon I must have magic powers since I was on an airplane, disconnected from the internet world.
The technology gods must have taken it along with my missing socks.
D@ng dryer.
eric
December 1st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Eric.
I’ll always come here no matter what. But Bloody hell was right in the way sometimes posts at this blog dissappear into oblivion as soon as you hit submit for no apparent reason.
Whenever I post here I copy to a another pad so I dont lose it in case your format goes bonkers. Its actually not half as bad as it used to be. Maybe the person you said designed this site for you could give it a check up.
————————-
I counted the seconds.
Not one minute into his speech and the chosen one was plugging for Islam kissing Muslim rear.
Two minutes later he was blaming Bush.
Not long after that he was taking the opportunity to say he’d inherited the depression since the great depression.
But hey, I’ve already become expectant and desensitized to this crap after hearing the same thing in every speech so far
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 am
Well,it had nothing to do with Eric… Must be a glitch. Maybe it was too long? Is there a length limit?
JMJ
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 am
The cybor gods have got some of my stuff too Jers. All you can do is tryagain.
Toma
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 am
I am technologically incompetent. The only thing I do know is that any post with 2 or more links to something else gets held until i can approve it. Sometimes I am on an airplane, delaying that.
However, I have posted stuff on other sites ages ago, and it just disappeared despite the hosts saying they did not delete anything.
I just have no answers, which is par for the course.
eric
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Well, guys, maybe the Toma’s cybergods are just tired of reading our debates! (…stupid, apolitical cybergods… grumble grumble…)
JMJ
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Lawnmower man returns