Sore losers keep up Obama attacks
I'm going to offer more support to our wonderful president by commenting on Gregory Gardner's letter (“Obama won but nation lost”) which presented the latest Republican conservative diatribe against this great leader is what is yet another example of the “sour grapes” attitude of conservatives like him because his assumed candidate, Mitt Romney, lost the election.
Gardner claimed “Obama's destruction of America. Our country is done. We are a country of takers.” This is straight out of the Republicans' political handbook of prepared scripts redefining the president as an “evil” Afro-American Stalinist out to destroy America, etc.
Romney came up with the politically operative terms of “takers” and “makers” from his infamous 47 percent video. What he didn't mention was that the “takers” are people on Social Security, Medicare, war veterans, the unemployed, etc.
Gardner also said putting “all this with a socialist health care nightmare, our country is on the path of collapse.” Only conservatives like Gardner are claiming that the Affordable Care Act is nightmarish. What conservatives ignore is that the new law prevents insurance companies from barring people with “pre-conditions.”
The facts are health insurers will be held accountable for health insurance rate increases. Insurance companies are now required to disclose to their customers rate increases of 10 percent or more and to justify these increases, and HHS and states have the authority to determine whether these increases are reasonable. Insurers will be prohibited from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Additionally, children will no longer have specific benefits denied because of a pre-existing condition.
New insurance plans cannot charge more in cost sharing for emergency services obtained outside. The Affordable Care Act also implements other landmark protections that end the worst insurance company abuses. What is it that Gardner considers a “nightmare”?
There are many examples of vagueness in GOP accusations against the president. They throw out the charge, then deliberately leave out the details. Their goal is to present a distorted narrative to damage the president's credibility. The last claims are unemployment will continue to skyrocket and taxes and regulations will increase.
Unemployment came down to 7.8 percent in October but went up slightly to 7.9 percent in November due to Hurricane Sandy. The president actually reduced taxes the first year in office, and spending has actually been leveled out. It was under President Bush when the massive spending occurred under which the government was operating when Obama took office. I invite Gardner to visit FactCheck.org, where he can verify all of this.
On Gardner's charge of regulations from Obama, the part he left out was that these new regulations are designed to prevent another 2008 economic debacle which almost threw this country into its second economic depression where millions were lost in retirement funds so many could no longer consider retirement with their funds now gone.
Yes, thank heavens for these new regulations so we don't want this to happen again. But Gardner and the GOP won't tell you that part. They'll just truncate it with “government regulations.” Oh, another evil Obama narrative!
Gardner should set a good example for other Republican conservatives and not be a “sore loser” — it's not worth the time.
JAMES SEFCAK
Yuma
