'Dr. Obama's Medicine Wagon'

From Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council:

When the President's push for the stimulus package ran into opposition in Congress a few months ago, he hit the road campaign-style. Yesterday he took this same approach by holding a townhall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin as questions mount about his massive health care "reform" bill. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, the Democratic leadership released a timeline for action on the legislation that leaves little time to read the 615-page bill.

According to sources on the Hill, the President is pushing for the bill's passage before Congress adjourns in August for their summer break. Meanwhile, confusion still lingers over how much the reform would cost, what it will achieve, and how it would protect the fundamental values of life and conscience. The only thing that was clear after Thursday's chat is that the administration has no intention of slowing down this train to address the uncomfortable details.

As I was on the Hill again yesterday, Republicans told me they are still asking for the price tag. Exactly what is the cost for our government to takeover health care for all Americans, which makes up an estimated 17% of the nation's GDP? While the bill is still being assembled, FRC has learned that there probably won't be time to score the health care legislation for its budgetary impact. That alone should be enough to make taxpayers demand answers.

When members of the Green Bay audience asked questions, the President was clearly on the defensive. He claimed that his goal wasn't socialized medicine, saying, "[S]ocialized medicine would mean that the government would basically run all of health care. They would hire the doctors, they would run the hospitals. They would just run the whole thing... Nobody is talking about doing that, all right? ... Socialized medicine is different from a single-payer plan." In single-payer systems, one entity (which the President admits is "usually the government") reimburses the public and private sector health care providers. Essentially, the President is trying to distinguish between outright state ownership (socialism) and federal payment or control of all health care expenses (ObamaCare). There is very little difference.

Click here for more information and to sign a petition to Congress.