This page was last updated on March 4, 2017.
Where was the outrage when the ACA was passed?; Joe Zanella (JZ); Beaver County Times; March 2, 2017.
This is my first review of a JZ letter.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I had to chuckle when I read a letter, “Give us same health care as elected officials,” in the Times. Did the writer forget that that the Democrats crafted and implemented the Affordable Care Act? They assured us they had our best interest at heart. The ACA was approved and now we have to live with it, or at least until the Republican-controlled Senate and House can repeal and replace it.
“What is sad is that the letter writer wants it replaced with the same private insurance the senators and representatives have and wants readers to write letters to their elected officials. Why didn’t he request that in 2009 before the ACA was signed into law? I did.
“I wrote to dozens of senators, members of the House, the president and vice president in October 2009 with the following extracted from one of my letters: ‘If the proposed Health Care Reform legislation is going to be so great for all of us, why are the House and Senate excluding themselves from it? If you believe in it, please ensure that all government officials will be covered by any legislation you sign, no exclusions.’”
[RWC] For someone who claims he put so much effort into this issue, it’s odd JZ doesn’t appear to remember that alleged effort bore fruit. As you’ll read below, Congress must use Obamacare, and it’s been that way since Democrats in Congress and then-President Obama made Obamacare law in 2010.
“Many Americans were outraged at the time. It led to many grassroots, non-violent demonstrations and the Tea Party movement. Unfortunately, many of the average Americans that were standing up to ensure the government didn’t overstep its bounds were portrayed as ‘racist.’ What a difference a few years can make and how short memory can be.”
[RWC] Awesome fact-checking - not. Contrary to what the Hendrickson and Zanella letters assert, Congress must use Obamacare. In fairness to Messrs. Hendrickson and Zanella, they were not alone. As of the time I wrote this review, all contributors to the discussion threads of these letters made the same error.
According to PolitiFact, “The requirement for Congress became part of the law after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in 2009 offered an amendment that required lawmakers to get their health care through the marketplaces. A version of the amendment was adopted.”
Finally, these letters and their discussion threads are perfect examples of why I constantly tell every reader to do his own fact-checking. In this case, everyone blindly accepted RH’s premise that Congress was exempt from Obamacare. Two letters and their discussions wasted time we can’t get back.
This reminds me of a quote from the movie “Billy Madison” (1995). The school principal said,
“Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”
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