Pawlenty: ‘Obamacare’ is like drug dealing
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 8:50 am
- 10 Comments
Gov. Tim Pawlenty took his media tour to Jan Mickelson’s radio show on Monday to discuss “Obamacare” and his presidential ambitions. Pawlenty, who touted himself as one of the country’s most aggressive governors in opposition to health care reform, compared the federal law to drug dealing. “The offer you a free sample and get you hooked” on federal programs. Mickelson’s Iowa-based show has a controversial history: Clear Channel, which carries the program, chastised him in August for anti-gay statements he made on the air.
On his record in opposing Obamacare, Pawlenty was not shy.
“We’ve been one of the most aggressive states in the country and I have been one of the most aggressive governors in the country trying to defeat, delay, deflect or opt out of Obamacare,” he said. “Just to give you a couple of the few highlights: I’m one of the governors who joined the lawsuit to have it declared unconstitutional, that’s number one.”
“Number two,” he continued, “we were one of of 11 states to be given the option to enroll early; I declined that opportunity and I’ve suffered some criticism here from the left because of that.”
“They’ve offered us money to get involved early in other aspects of ‘Obamacare,’ including exchanges and high-risk insurance pools, which we already have by the way in the state, and various other things, and we have turned that down.”
“I have issued an executive order saying that we will not participate in ‘Obamacare’ unless required by law or approved by me, consistent with something we would have already done at a state or local level anyhow, and moreso these are just some of the things that we’ve done, I think but we have I’ve been one of the leading governor’s fighting ‘Obamacare’ in the country.”
Mickelson asked him about the consequences for states that reject federal health care reform.
“Well, it’s mostly financial,” Pawlenty said. “I’ve likened them in the past — this is obviously stated for exaggerated purposes — but you know they are on some level like the drug dealers, they offer you a free sample and kinda get you hooked and then, you know, in this case, I don’t think it’s a perfect analogy, but they dribble out the money, the carrots.”
He continued, “They get these states hooked up on these programs. And now you look at a program like Medicaid, which is so out of control with costs going up so fast — this is the health care for the disadvantaged and poor — the costs are going up beyond any reasonable ability to pay for it, beyond any reasonable growth in revenues, and state’s technically have the ability to opt out to just go it their own and there’s some states that may consider that.”
The full audio can be heard here [MP3]
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Comment posted December 15, 2010 @ 10:17 am
Voters offered you a free sample of government office Tim and you got hooked. You’ll do and say anything for your next fix. Now you need more and you don’t care who you have to step on to get it. Your ideas are beyond anything reasonable, and you only care about your fellow addicts. All we can do is opt out of supporting your habit.
Comment posted December 15, 2010 @ 11:27 am
“Whatever it is, I’m against it!” – Groucho Marx in Duck Soup
Comment posted December 15, 2010 @ 11:29 am
Here’s an idea Tim P:
I think we can agree both water and health care are necessary to sustain human life. You don’t want the undeserving to have access to affordable health care and you certainly don’t want government to be involved in health care, so lets do the same with water. Lets privatize the water delivery system in this country. Lets get government out of the business of providing water for those who don’t deserve it.
There would be lots and lots of opportunities for new businesses to take over the job. Lots and lots of profits for shareholders who invest in these companies and we could get government and government $$ out of the business of sustaining life just like health care. It would be up to each individual to shop around for the best company to supply their water needs.
If the water is too expensive for some……… well, too bad……… get a better job. It’s not the responsibility of government to help you live. That’s up to you.
(PS – You would also kill off much faster many of those nasty liberals who don’t buy into your very perverted sense of God, Christianity, government and all that.)
Think about it Tim. YOU could become a shining star in the Republican Party for such an innovative idea.
Comment posted December 15, 2010 @ 11:29 am
Pawlenty just added his name to “The Family” aka The Fellowship today in a full page Politico add. Thanks for showing your true theocratic colors Tim. It makes my job much easier. Tim is the Tealiban.
Comment posted December 15, 2010 @ 12:12 pm
He’s too late Kevin: This from Public Citizen -
Fortune magazine has predicted that “water is the oil of the 21 century” and corporations are rushing to invest in the water business.
Giant water, energy, food, and shipping companies have plans to buy water rights, privatize publicly owned water systems, promote bottled water, and sell “bulk” water by transporting it from water rich areas to markets desperate for more water. At the same time, to ensure maximum profits, these companies are lobbying to weaken water quality standards, and pushing for trade agreements that hand over the U.S. water resources to foreign corporations.
Comment posted December 16, 2010 @ 8:53 am
Having lived in a number of states before moving to MN, I’m quite confident that any implementation at a federal level of Health Care “Reform” would only ruin what we have in MN. There are so many ways for people here to get affordable care, both public and private, the only ones left out are those whose own in-action affects their outcome.
Comment posted December 16, 2010 @ 1:26 pm
Russ
I would love to see your list of ways folks in MN can get affordable health care -public and private. And please define affordable too.
Comment posted December 20, 2010 @ 8:18 am
King T – Baggs is quite a hypocrite when it comes to the issue of Big “Gub-ment” Health Care, considering he is a recipient of the BEST health care on EARTH.. He should be thanking the Tax Payer.. What does he do??? Instead he insults the very institution that benefits him and his family..
As far as the issue of drug dealing is concerned.. I can’t turn on my TV without seeing the Corporate Drug Cartels pushing Viagra, Cialis, Zoloft, Requip, Ambien, or some other liver rotting pharmaceuticals.. The real drug dealers aren’t on the street corner anymore .. They are in Corporate Board rooms, They are Lobbyist in Washington and the real drug dealers are in the Marketing Divisions of “Big Pharma” ..
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