I suppose e-mail's a lot like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get. (At least you don't have to worry about sticky fingers.)
Case in point: A friend of mine wrote me in a panic last week. Seems he found an alarmed e-missive about "Obama's" health care plan on his computer so he sent it my way.
(I want to step back for a second here and point out two things: One, as most of you know by now, the tide is turning on this thing. But that doesn't mean we can take a break, either. And, two, I can almost guarantee you right now that whatever cobbled-together, watered-down bill Congress sends to the president, it won't look much like the legislation we're debating today. Just sayin'.)
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Now where was I? Oh yeah, so this e-mail – one of those annoying ad naseum forwards that trails on longer than my son's Christmas list – takes aim at the 1,000-page-ish House bill. According to the expert cited in the e-mail, lurking somewhere around page 425 or so is a counseling provision for seniors. Long story short, to cut Medicare costs, Congress wants seniors to consider suicide, so they can save the rest of us some cash.
I know, I know. Sounds almost as alarmingly funny as Michael Vick doing a PETA ad, but don't believe it. I've taken a look, and the part of the bill in question simply addresses end-of-life issues such as living wills and hospice care. Not ending-of-life issues like garden hoses and garage door openers.
Honestly, there are enough legitimate problems with this bill that we really don't need to make stuff up. We're only killing ourselves with arguments like that.
And if you don't believe me, head over to YouTube and run a search for "Crazy Eileen," as they're calling her now. That could be you.
P.S. If you're feeling up to it,Click here to read all 1,018 pages of the bill.
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