This page was last updated on April 2, 2010.
Altmire’s ‘no’ vote excuse doesn’t fly; Philip S. Dedig; Beaver County Times; April 2, 2010.
Mr. Dedig supported the proposed federal gasoline tax holiday, Hillary Clinton for President, complained about “business as usual” (“Business as usual in D.C.,” 6/17/08) in Washington, DC, regarding energy, opposed offshore drilling, said Democrat voters deserve better candidates (“Local Democratic voters merit better,” 8/22/08), supported “bailing out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae” (“Fed, Treasury had to move”, 9/30/08), told us we had “No choice but to help auto makers,” told us “College costs must be made affordable,” supported the $787 billion “stimulus” package (here and here), and told us “U.S. can afford health care for all.” If it’s a leftist position, Mr. Dedig supports it.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“The saying goes, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.
‘If a person looks like a Republican, talks like a Republican, votes like a Republican, he is a Republican.”
“U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire is a Republican in sheep’s clothing. A former lobbyist, he has sold out to corporate America and special interests. I am not impressed with the way he is spinning his ‘no’ vote on health care reform, and he would be better served if he ran on the Republican ticket.”
[RWC] “U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire is a Republican in sheep’s clothing?” Apparently Mr. Altmire’s Americans for Democratic Action lifetime Liberal Quotient of 88% and American Conservative Union rating of 24% aren’t good enough for Mr. Dedig.
As for “special interests,” how much do you want to bet Mr. Dedig doesn’t consider labor union management to be a “special interest?”
“One issue that really bothers me about the health care debate is this: If the United States is to remain an economic superpower, we will need healthy workers. Thirty million Americans are too many people not to have access to affordable health care.”
[RWC] Sure, without a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly we won’t have enough “healthy workers.” What BS! Further, since all the policies Mr. Dedig appears to support work against “the United States … to remain an economic superpower,” I’d take his concern with a grain of salt.
“Another large issue is about money and how to pay for health care reform. We are Americans, and we will find a way to fund health care. One great thing about America and its people is that we always find a way.”
[RWC] Like Medicare and Socialist Security? According to the Medicare Trustees in their report to Congress in 2009, Medicare is now in deficit (outlays exceed Medicare tax revenue) and will be bankrupt in 2017. Regarding Socialist Security, SS was to go into deficit in 2016, the Disability Insurance portion of SS will be bankrupt in 2020, and the overall SS “trust fund” (the equivalent of a stack of federal government “IOUs” for revenue already spent by the feds for other programs) will be exhausted by 2037. Because of the current recession, SS is already in deficit, a full six years ahead of last year’s projection.
Please read my paper entitled “Healthcare.”
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