Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!You would think that if Republicans wanted to totally mischaracterize a health care provision and demagogue it like nobody's business, they would at least pick something that the vast majority of them hadn't already voted for just a few years earlier. Because that's not just shameless, it's stupid.
Yes, that's right. Remember the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill, the one that passed with the votes of 204 GOP House members and 42 GOP Senators? Anyone want to guess what it provided funding for? Did you say counseling for end-of-life issues and care? Ding ding ding!!
Let's go to the bill text, shall we? "The covered services are: evaluating the beneficiary's need for pain and symptom management, including the individual's need for hospice care; counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options, and advising the beneficiary regarding advanced care planning." The only difference between the 2003 provision and the infamous Section 1233 that threatens the very future and moral sanctity of the Republic is that the first applied only to terminally ill patients. Section 1233 would expand funding so that people could voluntarily receive counseling before they become terminally ill.
That's right, "death panels!" And who voted for this bill from Virginia? Well, let's see:Sen. George Allen (R)
Sen. John Warner (R)
Rep. Eric Cantor (R)
Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R)
Rep. Tom Davis (R)
Rep. Randy Forbes (R)
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R)
Rep. Virgil Goode (R)
Rep. Ed Schrock (R)
Rep. Frank Wolf (R)
That's right, every single Virginia Republican back in 2003 voted for "counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options, and advising the beneficiary regarding advanced care planning." Or, as Sarah Palin et al. like to call them, "death panels." As I said, "hahahahahahahahahahahaha." :)P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering, there have never been and are not any such thing as "death panels" in any legislation under consideration or passed by Congress. Only a completely insane person - or a "screamer" or a "deather" or a "birther" - would believe that. What's going on here is the most vile form of demagoguery by Republicans who simply want to stop health care reform, hopefully gain political advantage on the Democrats, and salvage their pathetic party from the scrap heap of history where it belongs. Why the hell do we care about "bipartisanship" with people like this?!?
