Friday, August 21, 2009

Death Panel

What is this "Death Panel" we've all been hearing about lately? Don't take my word for it. Don't let other people tell you what it says. Read the actual text of America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 for yourself.

The Act is 1,018 pages long, so give the 1.7 MB Portable Document format (PDF) file a couple of minutes to download. Then go straight to SEC. 1233. ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION starting on page 424. This is the section that addresses the issue that somehow came to be known as the "Death Panel." It's about seven pages long but it's double-spaced with big letters and wide margins, so it won't take long to read.

When you're done, please post a comment and tell America the specific page number and lines of the Act which trouble you. It's simple; every page and line is numbered for easy citation. Be sure and explain how those lines legislate anything like what the Act's opponents say the "Death Panel" is. The first one to comment gets to show off how well informed they are, so hurry up.
GOP Scare Tactics

3 comments:

TomCarroll said...

For a reality check it is nice to hear from the person who started the whole conversation in her debut on the Daily Show:
Daily Show’ Exegesis of House Health Bill
By Ashley Southall

Even with the text of the House health care bill on the desk in front of them, they couldn’t agree on what it actually said.

Jon Stewart, the “Daily Show” host and Betsy McCaughey, an outspoken opponent of the effort to overhaul health care, faced off on the program Thursday night.

Ms. McCaughey, the former Republican lieutenant governor of New York, who has been a proponent of the “death panels” reading of the legislation, defended her assertions that Democrats intend to intrude on the medical decisions of dying people.

But Mr. Stewart, at times reading from the same pages, argued otherwise. “It seems like this bill is allowing people more control over their lives, and that your reading of it is hyperbolic and in some cases dangerous,” he told her.

Ms. McCaughey remained politely unfazed.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/246932/thu-august-20-2009-betsy-mc%20caughey,
Another meaningful reality check on media and liberal interpretation

http://gawker.com/5341496/jon-stewart-to-fox-news-welcome-to-liberalism-fkos

This Daily Show clip on Fox news are Liberals is just so perfect. It leaves you speechless.

The Progressive said...

That was a great comment, Tom. Here are hyperlinks to the videos of the interview:
Jon Stewart Grills 'Death Panel' Originator, Betsy McCaughey, Part 1
Jon Stewart Grills 'Death Panel' Originator, Betsy McCaughey, Part 2

The Progressive said...

It's been more than two weeks since I made this post. Still no one has posted a single comment citing the section that establishes 'Death Panels.' Surely, a much as we heard about them, someone could show us the law. Unless, perhaps, could 'Death Panels' be similar to the WMDs in Iraq, which pretty much the same people insisted existed?