Tom Daschle Reacts to the Citizen's Briefing Book

[urbanverificationist]

America's Health Insurance Plans and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, are PUBLIC HEALTH ENEMIES NO.1 & 2. AHIP represents an administratively burdensome middleman industry. There is no moral basis for including them in a health care system. PhRMA represents an industry with over-priced products. They have obstructed efforts to ensure reasonable costs plus fair profits for drugs. With SINGLE PAYER, we get rid of the first and bargain collectively with the second.

[urbanverificationist]

GET RID OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES. That's the dominant theme in the Citizen's Briefing Book. Can you say Single Payer Tom? HR676 is the bill. You ask people what the want and then you ignore them. It's all a show.

[howellerx]

i like your glasses

[TheDemonataLeader]

Stop censoring the comments (on most videos).

[Devourer09]

Lol?

[kjgear]

"We must stop imprisoning responsible adult citizens choosing to use a drug that has been mis-labeled for over 70 years."

[SkyDaddy7]

Exactly! I really like President Obama but the way they are ignoring the huge public outcry to have this war on drugs ended, especially the war on cannabis, is really pissing me off! I could respect it if alcohol & tobacco were illegal but they are not! And they kill more people each year than all the other drugs combined!

[kjgear]

Yeah, I want to like Obama also. I voted for him but I am starting to regret that decision. I didn't expect him to spark up a spliff when he got elected. But I did expect a little common sense and open-mindedness. At the very least, agree to look into the science behind cannabis and start an honest debate. Is that too much to ask for?

I wish the top questions on the change gov & org sites would of focused on asking for debate instead of outright "Legalize it!".

[Oban2006]

your dumb drugs are bad

[Devourer09]

Maybe because it's not an important topic for him to be focusing his time on right now...

[kjgear]

Thank you, Dr. Obvious.

[Devourer09]

Obviously you weren't aware, so I had to point it out to you.

[kjgear]

SkyDaddy7 (or anyone else), check out my idea on change[dot]gov Citizen's Briefing Book and vote it up if you like it: An Honest Debate on Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana

[kjgear]

"I suggest that we step back and take a non-biased "Science Based" approach to decide what should be done about the "Utter Failure" that we call the War on (some) Drugs.

The fact is that Marijuana is much less harmful to our bodies than other Legal Drugs such as Tobacco and Alcohol. And for the Government to recognize Marijuana as having Medicinal Properties AND as a Schedule I drug (Has NO medicinal Properties) is an obvious flaw in the system."

[TariffDude]

Huh. I was expecting a little more. It's hard for me to believe these were the toughest questions they got. Why not get to the heart of the matter instead of cherry-picking softballs? The part about kids just sort of turned into a string of wishy washy sentences with a bunch of positive words crammed in. "Good, healthy, wise, smart children learn better citizenship." Riight. what's the policy again?

[mjohnst]

Hey Sen. Daschle, do you know that 30,000 TEACHERS in California don't get health insurance because they are part time and prevented from getting full time jobs, including me. And this is true all over the nation. I hate complaining but adjunct professors are getting screwed left and right. As a government employee I'm praying for universal health care because my employer will not provide it!

[winnemuccakid15]

Can you get someone from the administration to hold the camera still.

[RadioVenceremosUSA]

Put Bush where he belongs: PRISON

Give us: WEED AND HEALTH CARE

We don't want: Democrat cowardice (like not putting Bush in prison because two dumbasses Reid and Pelosi don't want to upset their golfing buddy)

More incompetence, another Clinton (be original)

[solar75wind]

Healthy kids become better citizens??? Is he out of his mind? One of the worst examples of discrimination I have ever heard.

[abandonship42]

Health insurance is a scam! Give us free health care that we deserve as humans.

[6duffman9]

Health care is not a right. Having others work for a reduced and pre-negotiated rate is un-American. So, what's my point? Get a good education, graduate with a meaningful degree. Insure your children do the same. If you are in demand, pay and benefits always follow.

[thomaserossi]

But you're telling people they need to work for a living and pay their way out of their own pocket. That will never fly!

Better for politicians to hand out Free Lunches like Health Care, Welfare, and Social Security (which is a Ponzi Scheme). Hand outs get them elected.

The Romans would throw bread to the hungry mob to show their "generosity." Meanwhile, the bilked them with taxes, lived like kings, and the system imploded.

Lavish entitlements erode the attributes of adulthood.

[MarkG45]

yea, and while we're at it, who needs our socialist firefighters? let the free market decide. if you pay your insurance, you might just save your house/family in the case of a fire. and why not privatize the policeforce? were giving out free lunches to every scmuck who dials 911!

[thomaserossi]

It's pinheads like you that don't understand the fundamentals of economics. I'd rather pay directly for Fire and Police so there was competition to provide the best service for the lowest cost.

Look at the murder of the citizen at the BART station. If it were a private organization that could be enough to lose your entire contract, this would happen REGARDLESS of the court decision.

I'm an adult. I make grown up decisions, like Healthcare and personal safety. I don't want a Nanny State

[MarkG45]

move to fucking iran with your lawlessness then. the rest of us in the 21st century can play grown ups while you go off preaching how blackwater would do a better job at effective policing in the US than government control police

[thomaserossi]

Sorry but Iran is a SOCIALIST state. I don't want a SOCIALIST state you hippy-dippy, Multi-Culti, PC Libtard.

Socialism = Central Planning

You don't know shit from apple-butter which is why you're suggesting I go to a SOCIALIST state when in fact I'm speaking out against SOCIALISM.

That's why people like you need a Nanny State to wipe your butt and tell you you're special. You don't even get the little things, let alone the big picture.

[Katakato]

I agree with 6duffman9...health care is not a right...rights are inalienable and can neither be given nor taken away.

In order to have a right to "free health care", you're going to be violating my rights by stealing my money.

[mjohnst]

Jackass, being free from crime is not a right and if you want to pay for the police you're stealing my money. You're stealing my money when you pay for a military, or ensuring product safety - that's stealing my money. NO - you're stealing MY money by pretending to be a citizen and not doing your part as a citizen - selfish asshole!

[Katakato]

Hey mjohst...you're assuming that I want to pay for police that brutalize citizens, pay for a military that kills civilians, or that I even trust what the government labels as "safe."

I'm not selfish...I'm broke - thanks to government policies nonetheless.

[Katakato]

You know mjohnst brings up two really good points:

1. Most Americans these days confuse privileges with rights...there is quite a bit of difference between the two.

2. If your opinion matches a liberal agenda, you will receive abundant praise; if however they don't agree with you, personal insults and slander will result.

You could've easily disagreed with me without throwing the name calling...you can spew all of the totalitarian insults if you want to...I'd rather keep my liberty.

[abandonship42]

There are no rights other than what we make. Life, liberty and property (or the pursuit of happiness) didn't fall from the sky (or come from God), they were made to ensure the protection of the individual and can be expanded. Besides, I said nothing of rights, I was speaking of a public good (if you remember from that great education the definition of that phrase) and we have many of those. This has been addressed below. You can take the "un-American" talk somewhere else.

[lawrence55544]

weed kill all the time

[urbanverificationist]

Well, wasn't that a rather anemic response?

Most troubling is Sen. Daschle's conclusions on Single Payer. He describes it as the model used by the "world's highest-ranking health care systems." Yet he rejects it as "politically problematic." He would sacrifice the "ideal" system because he is "not willing to sacrifice worthy improvements on the altar of perfection." When it comes to Single Payer, Tom says, NO WE CAN'T. America remains a house divided. It is the ultimate "no can do" society.

[terrence0258]

Did he get confirmed yet?

[TimeLord6646]

Deaths per year resulting from alcohol: 100,000

· Deaths per year resulting from tobacco: 430,000

· Deaths per year resulting from aspirin: 180- 1000

· Deaths per year resulting from legal drugs: 106,000

· Deaths that have ever occurred in direct result of Cannabis: 0 (that's right zero)

let us smoke WEED!!

[MUSTSEE4TV]

its almost here...time for change

[lildwayne21]

HELL YEAH! I CAN'T WAIT!

[d0861]

Obama sucks.

[beeohhski]

your a douche bag and guess what the next 4 years will be a rub in your face if a black man does better than captain monkey mouth did for 8 which im sure wont be hard a retarded 3rd grader could have done a better job than gw

[d0861]

I like how you automatically assume I'm some neoconservative Bush supporter just because I dislike Obama. I also like your lack of grammar and punctuation.

[beeohhski]

yeah only so much room to talk shit not enough room for punctuation and its usually dildos that focus on grammar and punctuation to try to cut someone down but hey at least i can spell right and if you dont like bush or obama then that means one of 2 things your racist in which your outdated opinion doesnt count or your rich and you dont want to kiss alot of your money goodbye either way i dont really care so dont try to point out my mislearnings in elementary school to make you look good

[6duffman9]

WOW... Take a breath. I'm hyperventilating reading your post Beeohhski

[d0861]

Um, okay. Well since your last comment was twice as long as your first one, I'd estimate that you could have used about 100 punctuation marks and still would have had enough room to "talk shit." Again you categorize me; this time as being either racist or extremely wealthy. I can assure you that I am neither. I am a supporter of the Constitution, liberty and an individual's rights. Mr. Obama simply seems to share a different ideology.

[beeohhski]

again with the punctuation point out something else if you want to look cool or next time ill mispell everything and not form complete sentances like type the first word last then the last word and everything in between but backwards to where even clicking the comment to see what it says will be another waste of 20 minutes trying to figure out what i typed

[d0861]

You're the one who's centering the conversation on punctuation. Out of everything I said, you focused in on that one sentence. Now you just look like a rambling idiot.

[beeohhski]

eyih rambol may nowt. meng whares toaps moogias? moraf guhun mughuhgy frogenomic hogmonagary lawgoeus! mugaian harrow maegais buting hutiy fyowgen, muogy abatatdas fyugey moguntai fogrenis bougnlyots. wayste uv thyme reeding thius ef yur stewl doung des yew FAIL

[undeadnow]

lmao at the red glasses hoot hoot

[myWORLDizDIGITAL]

4 days until inauguration...

regards,

XEM

myWORLDizDIGITAL

[EnviroMonster]

It's always better to prevent a problem.The cure is often unknown.

[akasaart]

i woulda been pretty impressed if he'd actually addressed the cannabis thing

[sammanzhi]

3 words: please, legalize it!

[akasaart]

drop the please, and add a few more words:

"LEGALIZE IT, YOU DELUDED BASTARDS!"

[beeohhski]

its not nice to call them bastards they will never legalize it for assholes

[akasaart]

they're the only assholes

[akasaart]

you seem to be thinking of legalization as some kind of personal favor to people who smoke weed

legislation is not for luxury, but for purpose

this is about much more than pleasing a few potheads

this is about doing what is right

[beeohhski]

since when is weed wrong the whole weed law was made to try to keep mexicans out of america which is racist law and look what they did fucked it up for everyone contrary to popular ideology 75%-90% of americans have and still do smoke weed so how is this law working for us you know if the government sold ween and strictly enforces the illegality of non government sold weed they would make billions of dollars in a few months im positive because everyone likes weed everyone

[akasaart]

the government shouldn't sell it, they should tax it

this would allow for the development of a new free enterprise industry that could see great economic advantages

plus, it has been estimated we could see tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if weed alone is taxed at standard sales tax rates

think then, if we did the same with other drugs, such as LSD and ecstasy

this would remove the "drug culture", and also allow the FDA to regulate the constituents of club drugs such as MDMA

[beeohhski]

hey now im not talking about hardcore drugs weed doesnt come near all that stuff its just for you know so people will relax and not be so uptight anymore and if they just taxed it then how would they make all the money they need why get 2. whatever billion when you can get like more than that and it all goes to science and schools anyway and wherever the hell else it needs to go

[akasaart]

if only our government can legally supply it, that would be a monopoly

this would go against one of our nation's key principles of laissez-faire capitalism

just like any other industry, free growth is great for the economy, and moral

small entrepeneurs should always be free to compete in a free market

besides, competition is a motivation for quality

[BabybooR33]

ET DISCLOSURE .......wtf.....man

[Blackhalo325]

Federal universal health care was horrible in the military and I can only imagine what it would do to the civilian world. When I got back from Afghanistan and was about to deploy to Iraq the only people who would take me in the civilian world to see me for my vision was some shitty hole in the wall that still charged me up the ass. This is just another case of asking the arsonist to put out the fire he started. They're going to make it worse.

[masterhook]

as someone with out health coverage at all I know that even a federal universal health care plan, as bad as it may be, would be better then what I have now. If I was really to get sick what the hell am I to do. The cost of going to see someone is so bad that I may not go to the doc right away and make it even worse. This is what is clogging up ER rooms and putting millions of us into bankruptcy. We need to rethink how we do thing and get us going the right way, right now we are not

[Blackhalo325]

I was honorably discharged so I no longer have medical coverage either. That doesn't mean I think I should have it for no cost either. The insurance companies are businessmen with no medical training telling doctors what they can and can't do for you. This is one of the many flaws of the system that will not be changed. The government isn't our nanny and we need to do some things for ourselves. We were fine before the government came in.

[masterhook]

but should the your health be something that is bought and sold. health care should be a right and not just for thoughts who have money. We need to take health care out of the hands of the businessmen and back into the hands of the doctors that we both can see. and yes the government is not are nanny but look at how much of are tax money goes to pay for health care now and tell me if we reworked it that everyone could not be coved

[Blackhalo325]

I'm saying this new administration will not take it out of the hands of the businessmen. Anything the new administration does with health care will not take out even most of the problems. It may create lesser problems, but that's it. The free market would do a much better job. I don't care for people sitting around wanting everything for nothing. I hope decent healthcare is coming, but I'm not holding my breath.

[masterhook]

the idea that the free market will do a better job is really a joke when you don't have money to buy into the free market. I work my ass off running my own company and cant get health care, is that sitting around wanting everything for nothing, No! I have been to the uk and canada they may not have the best in the world but people are better off do to the fact that they can get help if they needed it. The plan that Obama wants is a hell of a lot better then we have not, you know nothing.

[Blackhalo325]

Yes, because I specifically said, "YOU ask for everything for nothing." e_e

Way to go on the offense.

[masterhook]

the thing is when I here people say that all the time and they have no clue about 99% of the people they are talking about work there asses off and do to what ever cant get out of the hole. there not looking for hand outs but a leg up and help them move on. The middle class is dying and we need to do stuff to save it and health care is on good say to start.

[lildwayne21]

I agree