Okay, let’s beat this damn dead donkey one more f*cking time!

Bi-partisanship is the buzzword in Washington and now the Prez is trying to grasp the concept with his new health care summit with Repubs…..good luck with that……

I have been accused by some as a basher of the GOP and that I do not think that they do anything right….Personally, I do not agree with this assessment but then I may be biased…..

Below is the alternatives that was recently handed to the Prez at a Repub Leadership Conference…….my comments on the proposals are in italics:

Some key elements of Republicans’ alternative plan:

· Lowering health care premiums. The GOP plan will lower health care premiums for American families and small businesses, addressing Americans’ number-one priority for health care reform.  I think this proposals is sterling….but I would like more info on just how they plan to accomplish this…..

· Establishing Universal Access Programs to guarantee access to affordable care for those with pre-existing conditions. The GOP plan creates Universal Access Programs that expand and reform high-risk pools and reinsurance programs to guarantee that all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses, have access to affordable care – while lowering costs for all Americans.  this is yet another GREAT idea and it was also when proposed by the Dems…..

· Ending junk lawsuits. The GOP plan would help end costly junk lawsuits and curb defensive medicine by enacting medical liability reforms modeled after the successful state laws of California and Texas.  This is just a typical GOP answer….lawsuits account for about 1% of the cost of health care….do not believe this would do much to solve the problems of paying for health reform….this is inevitable for Repubs to propose…..the reason is that they need to placate the insurance industry for their monetary support….but if it will get them talking then by all means throw it in…..

· Prevents insurers from unjustly cancelling a policy or instituting annual of lifetime spending caps. The GOP plan prohibits an insurer from cancelling a policy unless a person commits fraud or conceals material facts about a health condition. It also prohibits insurance plans from instituting annual or lifetime spending limits. Another good idea…but it sounds like an out for insurance companies, atr least parts of it…..but worth a look….

· Encouraging Small Business Health Plans. The GOP plan gives small businesses the power to pool together and offer health care at lower prices, just as corporations and labor unions do. I have NO prob with this proposal, in fact sounds like a good idea…..

· Encouraging innovative state programs. The GOP plan rewards innovation by providing incentive payments to states that reduce premiums and the number of uninsured.  As long as this is used to benefit all the people of the states then I see NO prob here either….

· Allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines. The GOP plan allows Americans to shop for coverage from coast to coast by allowing Americans living in one state to purchase insurance in another.  An EXCELLENT idea…….

· Codifying the Hyde Amendment. The GOP plan explicitly prohibits all federal funds, whether they are authorized funds or appropriated funds, from being used to pay for abortion. This one is just boring, but I guess if it is your main concern then why not…..

· Promoting healthier lifestyles. The GOP plan promotes prevention & wellness by giving employers greater flexibility to financially reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.  This one I have a prob with….but that is for a much larger post because this involves much more than eating….

· Enhancing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The GOP plan creates new incentives to save for future and long-term care needs by allowing qualified participants to use HSAs to pay premiums.  A CRAP proposal!  The recent economic meltdown should preclude anyone from considering this piece of crap!

There you have it….the Repubs alternatives and what I think of them…..if you took the time to read it then you will see that there is room for lots of bi-partisanship….the question to ask is why is there not?

One answer is the games politician play….instead of going before the American people and emphasizing their points and commonality of points, they would rather spend their time insulting, lying and  just plain throwing negativity around….there is common ground why cannot they just work from there and leave all the BS behind?

Personally, I would not vote for any of these dickheads….they show a serious lack of country first….both sides…..there is plenty within the Repub plan that has the potential to be bi-partisan and worthy of negotiation…..if this does not take place for whatever reason then the American people will see that it is NOT about them but rather the egos and  the idiocracy of Washington…….then it will be time to send these dinks a message to start acting on the people’s behalf or go home and service the wife/husband….because YOU ARE finished in Washington….