Health Care Legislation... "Now or Never??"

The President says we need to have health care legislation passed now, this year or it will never happen. My vote is, (call me Pollyanna!) it will never happen. This is not a negative reflection on the President or my party, the Dems. This is an opinion based on reality.

Reality: there are six health insurance lobbyists per senator.

Reality: if the u.s. government forces the private insurance companies to lower their rates, (which they will if the government expands Medicare or has a seperate plan for lesser cost), then you know what flows down hill and some how, some way, someone will have to pay. That means the doctors. This will reduce the quality of care and ability for doctors to spend the time to give the proper diagnosis. Also malpractice insurance is not addressed in the current reform proposals nor are the pharmaceutical companies who have their lobbyists and their billions as well.

It would take much more than 4 years to fix this problem, and, in my opinion, more than the 6 months we have left in 2009 to draft legislation specific enough to address everyone's needs. Example: If you pay blue cross $1000 a month for health insurance and the goverment's plan costs you $200; but to offset that cost, you have to pay more for your prescriptions, or any dme (durable medical equipment), or xray, or hospital stay, etc. you pay the same or more in the long run. And how does everyone get covered? If you cant pay for the government plan, you're in the same boat.

If the current mortgage/rent prices arent adjusted, how will a small business owner be able to afford to offer this for his/her employees, or even their own families? And if the issues which drive these health care costs through the roof, other than the ceo's at United Health Care, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, etc's greed, arent addressed? What are we left with? We saw what happened with the auto industry when they sacrificed quality for quantity; they failed, miserably.

Those are auto BODIES...what about human BODIES? If the abuse of litigation in our nation against doctors, the cost of pharmaceuticals, the need for extensive tests for a doc to cover their butt against litigation, the ability for docs to actually treat their patients, medical personnel making decisions at insurance companies or for the government as opposed to greedy bureaucrats, our abuse of the emergency room, ambulances, etc., until that is addressed, we're doomed. Just my two cents....uh, I mean $12 for a couple of Tylenol (which i'm sure you'll need after my gloom and doom philosophy of our nation's healthcare!)

Leslie Marshall, Host
The Leslie Marshall Show
"The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio - Of, For and By The People."
http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/

CIA Agents that Tortured Terror Suspects will not be prosecuted

I am deeply disappointed today in the President I elected. President Obama is keeping with the old Bush tactics by absolving the CIA of their sins of torture during interrogation.

A "suspect" is just that, suspect.....one we are suspicious of in the course of an action, a crime, even terrorism. One of the wonderful things about America in my opinion is the idea that we're actually innocent until proven guilty; that the burden of proof is on the prosecutorial team. I know that during war, or a suspect of terror for instance, isnt covered under the same rights that you and I are as citizens. But let's talk about a suspect, or a prisoner of war's rights, shall we?

On August 12, 1949, the Geneva Conventions adopted their "Treatment for Prisoners of War." The Geneva Conventions state, and I quote:

the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to prisoners of war:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples. And the wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

(Which the International Red Cross already stated was not always complied with).

According to the information I have read in the Bush memos, and I havent read them in their entirety as of yet, we, the United States, and members of our Central Intelligence Agency, under the Bush administration violated this convention. The U.S., the CIA and all governing bodies involved, including the former President, Vice President, his administration, etc. are guilty of breaking International law. This makes us no different than North Korea with their nukes or Iran's threat to destroy Israel.

For President Obama to forgive and move on in a matter of speaking is not only unbecoming the conduct of a sitting President, it makes him no different than a Bush Washington insider. It also gives the CIA a green light to torture in the future, threatens our climb back to the level of respect we as a nation once received from the world; and hurts our own military or citizens who might be kidnapped or arrested and held as hostages or prisoners, whether in a time of war, or in a time of peace. (Which the conventions specifically state the above mentioned applies to). I am deeply disappointed and have lost both trust and respect for my President today.

Leslie Marshall, Host
The Leslie Marshall Show"
The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio – Of, For, And By The People"
www.lesliemarshallshow.com