Comments on: Don Young – Congressman for Alaska, Arkansas, or Louisiana? You Decide.

By: ToBeFair

ToBeFair — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:40:21 +0000

To be fair to Don Young there is another possible explanation for his recorded defense of Cao. He may not like the bill, but he may believe that Cao voted his conscience and, in so doing, did the right thing.

Thus under this reading Don Young, ever a man who votes the way he wants even if others don’t agree. Is saying he made the right decision to vote how he felt was right, and to vote in the way that he thought was best for his district, not to vote in the way that the national party thought best.

By: mommom

mommom — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:52:27 +0000

I think those 4% who would not fall under the plan includes mostly undocumented illegal immigrants mostly.Most of them will not be showing up at a Drs office anyway for fear of deportation. They may still show up at hospital emergency rooms when they are terminally ill or injured,at which time they will still receive care under the laws already in effect. But they will not be covered under this bill.

By: polarbear

polarbear — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:02:47 +0000

Since when did supporting health care for 100% of Americans become extreme-politico of any flavor? Caring for all is a Christian value. I see the House plan covers 96% of Americans. That is fine, but, what did the remaining 4 out of every 100 Americans do to deserve no health care? I look around in my neighborhood, at the families around me, and I do not see anyone who does not deserve health care.

So, I am just wondering whether Don Young and Lisa Murkowski would come back to Alaska, bring a black magic marker, walk among my neighborhood and put a black check mark on the forehead of every Alaskan who does not deserve healthcare?

By: Elsie

Elsie — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:55:50 +0000

It’s apparent to me that Young’s friendly, personal relationship with the freshman congressman from New Orleans is completely unrelated to any actual interest in helping his Alaskan constituents get health care.

And, he probably cares as little about the health needs of Cao’s New Orleans constituents as he does those of the Alaskan people.

One more thing to consider:
“Alaska congressman Don Young is accused of taking illegal gifts in court documents filed last week as part of an ongoing federal investigation into political corruption in the state.” http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/node/2508 (October 26, 2009)

If Yon Dung eventually ends up in a federal prison, maintaining any of his old congressional friendships and alliances may become difficult. Young Cao will have to turn to others for mentoring. Perhaps even Yon Dung would be in need of mentoring himself, by then.

By: Martha Unalaska Yard Sign

Martha Unalaska Yard Sign — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:17:27 +0000

Ditto exactly what Suchanut said. I though I might be the only one with massive confusion and need for wine.

By: beth

beth — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:08:22 +0000

[Slight sideways detour] Back in the early-80s, I received a renewed passport listing my birthplace as "Fairbanks, Alabama." I pointed out that I'd been born in Fairbanks, Alaska, not Alabama. The issuing office double-checked all my paperwork and my about-to-expire passport, and confirmed, yes, I had been born in Fairbanks, Alaska. There had been a clerical error somewhere along the line, apparently, resulting in my birth-city being correct, but my birth-State being totally, off-the-wall, out-of-the-blue incorrect. Obviously, it would be quite fraudulent for me to knowingly use for passage from one country to another a document with false information; for legal reasons, therefore, the [new] passport had to be corrected ASAP. We were a military family scheduled to fly back to the USA in less than a month. But how to go about correcting it? Come to find out, the only way they could amend/re-issue the [new] passport was if I submitted to them a notarized, sworn affidavit declaring I [are you ready?] "had never been, was not now, nor would I ever be... born in Fairbanks, Alabama." Swearing out that statement is certainly one of the stranger things I've had to do in my life, but it did get me a passport listing my correct birth city and state. Hooray! The verbatim wording required for the sworn affadavit still, even after all these years, makes me chuckle. beth. [/Slight sideways detour]

By: John

John — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:33:45 +0000

@ #13 jojobo1
Under Roberts Rules, you do have to be on the winning side to request reconsideration of something passed. But Congress follows a different set of rules. I don’t know what those say, but I don’t think Cao voted that way just to ask that it be reversed later. Surely that would have been done by one of the (mis)leaders of the Rs.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:28:43 +0000

I have not heard one republican representative use facts of any kind to talk about the health care reform bills. What I hear them say over and over is that reform is a government takeover of health care. That is what they want their supporters to believe.

It is going to be very tough to get a bill passed in the senate with Lieberman already saying he is against reform and will join the republican filibuster. The anti-reform people are out in force. All we can do is to push back is to call our senators every day and ask everyone we know who supports reform to do the same.

By: dowl

dowl — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:17:56 +0000

@#12 mommom, Thanks for the wiki background on Mr. Cao and is family. It is interesting that Ms. Cao attended Pharmacy School at the only (one left?) Catholic HBCU.

Prayers for the flu infected villagers and good healthcare for all.

By: Suchanut

Suchanut — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:17:41 +0000

I’m beyond dizzy, my head hurts. AKM thanks for explaining this. Whatever would we do without you? It’s five o’clock somewhere – where’s that Shiraz?