(no subject)
Gawrsh I'm political here! Should get m'self a blawg.
Regarding: thinkprogress.org/2009/09/22/cantor-uninsured-option/
I apologize for the less than professional source, but it has more of emphasis I require than conventional sources. All conventional media outlets focus unduly on the relative calm at the event. They remark, with some surprise, that people are cowed by the idea of giving out their names and addresses. Not caring much for the merits of good crowd organization (Which cannot be translated into sound byte format without the aid of a 56k modem), the media attributes such disgruntled serenity to a pretty respectable one-liner:
"Stop the revival stuff and lets talk" I appreciate the sentiment, even if it isn't entirely altruistic- TV News organizations- Even Fox- Are not kind to protest movements.
Cantor spoke with Patricia Churchille, who has a "close relative" with tumors in her stomach. This relative has previously been well off, but now has lost her employer provided health insurance as a consequence of also losing her job. As a result, she cannot afford the treatment.
CANTOR: First of all I guess I would ask what the situation is in terms of income eligibility and the existing programs that are out there. Because if we look at the uninsured that are out there right now, there is probably 23, 24% of the uninsured that is already eligible for an existing government program [...] Beyond that, I know that there are programs, there are charitable organizations, there are hospitals here who do provide charity care if there’s an instance of indigency and the individual is not eligible for existing programs that there can be some cooperative effort. No one in this country, given who we are, should be sitting without an option to be addressed
Was he not paying attention? A little, maybe. But it is better to say that this was not an off the cuff remark, but rather something drilled into Cantor's brain prior to the meeting itself-A pleasant sounding rebuttal to some wailing constituent lamenting their inability to pay for lifesaving treatments. A tricky question to answer. And Cantor? Cantor does *not* provide an answer. He provides a response. A response to a plea that even before it's completion, he had already considered to be outside his realm of responsibility:
"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"