Monday, August 10, 2009

The Blood of the 254 Victims of Her Own Death Panel Made Her This Crazy

The crazy woman's ineptitude and penchant for hiring incompetent, creationist fools helped lead to this:

In one 2 1/2 year stretch, 227 adults already getting services died while waiting for a nurse to reassess their needs. Another 27 died waiting for their initial assessment, to see if they qualified for help.

And, meanwhile, the crazy woman cut funding for programs to help special needs kids, even while she dangled her own Down Syndrome child around the country in ways that are bound to have an adverse impact on the child's emotional and physical development. Her own private little family "death panel."

I'm tempted to post this on my facebook page:

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my friends' babies with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Sarah Palin’s "death panel" so her bureaucrats can decide, based on the subjective judgment of their all-but total incompetence, whether the former are worthy of adequate health care.

Such a system is downright evil.

Unfortunately for those 252 or more people, Sarah Palin could see her own death panel from her office, if not quite from her house. This past week, the biggest political joke of the 21st century morphed into a parody of Lady Macbeth:

Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then
'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a Beck, a Hannity a Limbaugh,
and afeard?
What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our
pow'r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought Obama to
have had so much blood in him?

28 comments:

Patrick said...

It's established now that Stephen Hawking would be dead if he lived in the UK, because he would be regarded as "essentially worthless"...

Rather shocking, I must say!

http://tinyurl.com/loflue

;-)

Anonymous said...

Oh no, it's all getting too much for Progressive Alaska...here comes the crack-up and it ain't going to be pretty....

KaJo said...

Don't just be tempted to put that on your own blog, Phil, DO it! And put it on your dailyKOS diary, too. And anywhere else you can think of.

There are a lot of other blogmeisters out there throughout the country who think they're just on an island of sane, like-minded people in the middle of the neocon Sarah Palinista insanity.

You might get out there and tell them you're here, too. One suggestion is to go to "Southern Beale" -- she has a couple of recent very interesting blog entries up, "A Tale of Two Healthcare Activists", and "Don't Talk To Me About Death Panels".

From reading her profile, you two seem to have some things in common. Photography, writing, travel, politics, animals, gardening, your astrological sign.... Hockey? Are you a hockey dad? :)

KaJo said...

Oops...after sitting on this comment for 3 hours waiting for an OK to post it, I didn't notice that in my first sentence it should have said:

"Don't just be tempted to put that on your facebook page, Phil, DO it!"

Pruph reeding...a lost art....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for showing that government healthcare ...either at state or national level...is a disaster waiting to happen. Good to see some progressives finally seeing the light on Obamacare.

mdeals said...

Thanks for showing on the face book.... and Sarah is the head of the crazy's batch.

Anonymous said...

Anon @7:01,it was the federal government that put a stop to Palin's inept, possibly nonexistent, executive skills. Palincare is clearly a bad idea for anyone. Unfortunately, currently nobody is in an oversight position that can put a stop to corporatized death panel private insurance.

Anonymous said...

From what info I can find online, not much, it looks like the "2 and 1/2 year period" started in 2006, before Palin started. I am curious to know where all the specific facts can be found. I would love a history of this problem and who did what. Do have links to any of that in order to make an objective judgement on this?

thanks

KaJo said...

Anonymous @ 11:15 PM: Palin took office on Dec. 6, 2006.

Two + 1/2 years ago, from the date of the ADN article, was Jan. 14, 2007.

What information online did you find that makes you think the DSDS underfunding and inefficiencies pre-date Jan. 2007?

Anonymous said...

KaJo-
http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/policy/fed/leg-update/grweekly071709.Par.0001.File.tmp/GR-Weekly-July-17.pdf

Go to page 3, #7. It says between 2006-2009. This is why I would like more facts. Sounds like the problem was a shortage of nurses in the program. If you have more info, I'd love to see it. Thanks.

Philip Munger said...

anon @ 7:59 am - it is, of course, as you speculate, an ongoing problem, and part of that and other problems with health care in Alaska is our endemic shortage of qualified nurses.

But the combination of staff manipulation in state health service higher echelons, and anti-science beliefs, combined with other Palin-associated shortcomings on this subject, will not be kind to her, as more emerges.

Anonymous said...

What manipulations did she do? I really would like to know. Looks like maybe she inherited the problem? What did she specifically do/or not do to cause this probelm? Do you have proof that she ever actually used her "anti-science" beliefs, to change any procedures? You and friends, have made accusations...yet always claim we will find out "as more emerges". What info do you have now, to base your claims on? Otherwise you cannot make a case for your blame. I am happy to look at facts, but I need to see them...

Anonymous said...

If it happens under your watch, you are responsible. Even if a prior administration started the problem, you inherit the problem when you take over. If you do nothing to correct the problem, then you are a part of the problem.
The economy did not click back to normal when Obama took office so he is responsible for the economy now and Palin was responsible while she was governor.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, still slamming Ms. Palin I see Shannyn, didn't learn your lesson I see but then considering your I.Q. is less than 70......you are such a sad, sad, angry person and soooooo jealous of this beautiful woman aren't you? How pathetic.

LisanTX said...

MSM is starting to echo your sentiments:

There are lots of stories, finally. Here is one:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-elisberg/sarah-palin-outdoes-herse_b_256496.html

Anonymous said...

And how do you know she did nothing? I can't find anything that says this is her fault or that she did nothing and let the problem continue. I would like to find more information that shows how she was involved, for good or bad...so post away. Is there enough information to know what the whole story was? I'd like to see it.

If anything, I would be blaming the head health agencies. but I forgot, to some people, everything wrong with the world is Palin's fault.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:16

Guess Palin DID do something about it. She lessened the Medicare backlog. New post up at C4P about it. Thank you, and PA, for polite discussion.

Anonymous said...

One more thing, as I re-read your article. You claim that she cut funds for special ed, but in fact, she INCREASED the funding, in fact tripled it per student. Please check your facts. If you disagree with the below, I would love the info. Thanks. Unless you have facts otherwise, you might want to make a correction to your post to be fair and balanced...

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_Sarah_Palin_cut_funding_to_children_with_special_needs_by_62_percent_while_she_was_Governor_of_Alaska_for_the_past_2_years

Anonymous said...

The doctors involved with Medicaid in Alaska became so frustrated at the lack of response from the state that they wrote the Federal center for Medicaid for their intervention.

Palin not only refused requests for funding although the state had a surplus, she also instituted a hiring freeze in the name of "fiscal responsibility" which exacerbated the gross understaffing of the Medicaid system. People died waiting for assessments.

Regardless of Palin's claims that she reduced Medicaid's backlog by 83%, 254 people died in her 2 1/2 years as the top bureaucrat. Then she quit right before this report came out. How convenient. She probably didn't want her fans to see that her brand of fiscal conservatism was borne on the backs of dying elderly and disabled people.

Alaska is the only state in the union to have a moratorium and investigation of their state Medicaid system. Epic failure.

8 lawsuits have been filed by the families of victims against the state. More may be expected now that the report has gone public.

Mr./Ms Anonymous above: Go to the ADN archives or Google and document this yourself. It's all there if you really would like the story. You ain't going to get by haunting Facebook, my friend.

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:13.

If Palin is at fault, as you claim...please post links, documents or letters to back this up. The ADN is not exactly objective when it comes to Palin so I don't trust them. I prefer to see actual facts rather than a 'reporting' of the facts.

Her resignation doesn't really imply that she was worried about this. The fact is that the moratorium was lifted two weeks after she left office. I doubt that Parnell had much time to make that happen so who did...Palin, I would guess.

thanks...I do want the truth.

Anonymous said...

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Cheers,
_________________
victor
Increase your brand popularity overnight

EyeOnYou said...

Palin's facebook makes claims with no substance to back them up. She claims that she used a rarely invoked emergency regulation to order assistance benefits for Alaskas seniors, in reality a special session was called (not so rare) but records show that the legislature called the session.
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_jrn_page.asp?session=25&bill=SB4&jrn=1499&hse=H


The facebook statement also says:
After her action, the legislature responded, and on July 28, 2007, Governor Palin signed Senate Bill 4 to continue support for low-income Alaskan seniors by adopting the Senior Benefits Program. “This program continues important assistance to Alaska seniors,” Governor Palin said. “I promised that seniors would not go hungry, and we worked with the Alaska Legislature to address this critical need.” It was estimated that 10,700 Alaskan seniors would be able to benefit under the program.

Try reading up on the story:

Palin proposed $34 million to revive the Longevity Bonus Program in next year's budget. But the Legislature cut out that money and turned its attention to the senior care program, which was launched by Murkowski as a safety net for seniors losing their longevity checks. About 7,000 seniors now benefit from that plan.

Hawker said his program would help 10,000 to 13,000 low-income seniors, while the bonus program -- with its limited pool of recipients -- would help only 2,000 low-income seniors.




http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/healthcare/story/202905.html



Not quite how Palin has decided to spin this in her favor.

EyeOnYou said...

Anonymous August 11, 2009 1:01 PM said...
What manipulations did she do? I really would like to know. Looks like maybe she inherited the problem? What did she specifically do/or not do to cause this probelm? Do you have proof that she ever actually used her "anti-science" beliefs, to change any procedures?
__________________

Governor Palin fired Beverly Wooley. Why?
http://www.adn.com/palin/story/852044.html

"She felt she just couldn't get up there (in legislative committees) and articulate the governor's position. ... She asked, 'Suppose the data or the scientific information says something different -- can I say that?' I said, 'Yes, but when it comes to saying the governor's position, you need to say that.' It just became more and more apparent that she could not get up there and do it."


It seems that the Governor prefers her beliefs over facts to be presented.

Before Butler, the state didn't have a chief medical officer above the division head. With the tightening state budget, the Palin administration viewed the position as a luxury


It is interesting to make note of the fact that Palin considered a Chief Medical Officer above the division head a "luxury", but didn't have a problem creating a new position for Bill McAllister when he was removed as her spokesperson, and that newly reformed position as spokesperson for the AG wasn't considered a luxury.

It's all about priorities, and when you pay attention to Palin and her administration, it becomes glaringly obvious where her priorities are and they aren't with the people who need the most protection.

Martha said...

Patrick... you're pullin' a Palin...you are FULL of it. Tell me, do write for her Facebook page too?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick said...
It's established now that Stephen Hawking would be dead if he lived in the UK, because he would be regarded as "essentially worthless"...

Rather shocking, I must say!

http://tinyurl.com/loflu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





In an editorial on July 31, Investor's Business Daily warned of end-of-life counseling in health care reform by saying people like Stephen Hawking "wouldn't have a chance" in the such a system.

People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In fact, Professor Hawking lives in England, where he has been treated by their National Health Service. And by his own account, it saved his life.

"I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS," he told The Guardian. "I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

The Hawking reference in the IBD editorial has since been removed, with this correction added: "This version corrects the original editorial which implied that physicist Stephen Hawking, a professor at the University of Cambridge, did not live in the UK." They don't acknowledge that the NHS has kept Hawking alive there.

EyeOnYou said...

Martha~
I think that you should have checked out the link that Patrick provided, as it was showing just what you posted.

He was being snarky hence the winky smiley at the end of his post.

His link takes you to Wonkette whichs says:
Important Editorial: If Stephen Hawking Lived In The U.K., He Would Be Dead

You know where Stephen Hawking has lived for 67 years? England. Again: England. England. And this is why an editorial from the “Investors Business Daily” about Obama trying to kill Trig Palin for having Down Syndrome, one that was cited favorably in a Human Events press release today, has become the stuff from which humor-jokes are made on the Internet

Anonymous said...

Eye on you-
thank you for providing more info. I read them and found more:

http://www.hss.state.ak.us/press/2007/pr052307gov-continue-seniorcare.htm?id=413

It looks like she requested funds for both programs, but the legislature took it out, if I understand it correctly.

EyeOnYou said...

I'm sorry but just because a press release by Palin makes this claim, doesn't make it fact. Palin is known (and can be proven) to lie, distort and misrepresent facts in order to make it seem like she has done something she hasn't. I appreciate that you are willing to believe what she claims, but I on the other hand am not so willing to believe her based on experience with her manipulation of facts. :)

Martha said...

EyeOnYou said...
Martha~
I think that you should have checked out the link that Patrick provided, as it was showing just what you posted
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I apologize to Patrick, thanks for setting me straight.

My face is RED!