<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:18pt"><div><span>Nick,</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Good points. But, sadly it isn't news that the GOP cannot get their facts straight. It would only be news if they did. </span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>We can only pray Republicans will see health care as a right, not another means of profit. Health care is a shiny juicy apple for the Republicans because people can be made to pay all they have or will have in order to get it. Remind Christian Republicans, Jesus Christ practiced Socialized Medicine---its in the Bible. </span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span>Donovan Arnold</span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 18pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york,
times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <font size="2" face="Arial"> <div style="margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); height: 0px; line-height: 0; font-size: 0px;" class="hr" contentEditable="false" readonly="true"></div> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Nicholas Gier <ngier006@gmail.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> vision2020 <vision2020@moscow.com> <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, January 11, 2012 12:13 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] Why can't the GOP get its facts straight?<br> </font> </div> <br>
<div id="yiv2063168090">Good Morning Visionaries,<div><br></div><div>This is a letter I've sent to the DNews, LMT, and Idaho Statesman. I'm taking daily notes of GOP misrepresentations, errors, and outright lies. The second part of the letter touches on the current Viz. health care debate.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Yours for a more honest election process,</div><div><br></div><div>Nick</div><div><br></div><div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">To the Editor:</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">Why can’t the Republican candidates get their facts straight? Most of them are smart enough to distinguish
truth from falsity, and they presumably have aides who can do proper
research. </span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">At the MSNBC debate on Jan. 7, Mitt Romney declared that
Americans make 50 percent more than Europeans do. This of course is not true. </span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; background-color: white;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; background-color: white;">According to data from the CIA,
average incomes per person are higher in Luxembourg and Norway, and 10 other
European countries are within 50 percent or less of the U.S. These figures have
been adjusted for purchasing power in each nation.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">Without exception the Republican candidates claim that Obama
wants to make the U.S. into a European socialist welfare state. This is also false.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">Most European welfare states have paid maternity/paternity
leave (up to 18 months), universal child care, universal health care, and
universal elder care. I challenge anyone
to point out where Obama has committed the country to these wonderful goals.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">The Affordable Care Act –as opposed to Medicare and
Medicaid—allows private insurance companies offer coverage. Ironically, Republicans were originally for
the individual mandate precisely because it would provide for this free market
alternative. See Paul Starr’s “The Mandate Miscalculation,” <i>The New Republic</i> (10/29/11).</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">Some European health plans (Germany, the Netherlands, and
Switzerland) do involve private insurance companies, but they are prohibited
(gasp!) from taking any profits. These governments wisely believe that health care
is a right and not a commodity manipulated for the benefit of stock holders.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;">That damned socialist Barak will allow insurance companies
to continue to make big profits. Their executives will draw huge salaries and
fly around on private jets. They will
also extract far higher administrative fees than Medicare or any other
universal health care plan.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></div><div class="yiv2063168090MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br>
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