Washington Whispers: Obama Report Card Week 50

 

Another good week for President Obama according to US News and World Report.  

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Moscow celebrates the New Year

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Rightardia wishes you a Happy New Year

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Democratic Underground: So Rush Limbaugh dies and goes to Hell . . .

Edited on Thu Apr-15-04 06:47 PM by joefree1

So Rush Limbaugh dies and goes to Hell. Its horrible. Burning fires. Hot bubbling lava! Incredible pain! No Oxycontin. He looks over and sees George W. Bush having sex with a beautiful woman. Non-stop, sweaty, constant, back-breaking sex.

So the next time Satan is going by on an inspection tour, Rush complains. "This sucks! I have to suffer for all eternity, and that White House squatting frat boy gets to spend it with a beautiful woman."

The Devil replied, "Who are you to question my punishment of that woman?"

Got anymore?
http://ediablo.com/ediablojokes.html

"If you have no enemies, it is a sign fortune has forgot you."
- Thomas Fuller (1608 - 1661)

source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1014808

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Time Warner Cable may drop Fox stations

By BRIAN STELTER
Published: December 30, 2009
The News Corporation said on Wednesday that it looked doubtful that it would sign a new distribution contract with Time Warner Cable by Thursday night. This has increased the likelihood that its Fox stations will be removed from cable lineups in millions of homes.

The News Corporation’s president, Chase Carey, declined an offer by Time Warner Cable to enter binding arbitration. The companies are fighting over how much the cable operator should pay Fox stations for the right to retransmit their shows, sporting events and local newscasts.

Fox is demanding about a dollar for each cable subscriber each month, which analysts say could set a precedent for broadcasters that want more money from cable and satellite operators.

The contracts expires midnight Dec. 31. Fox could then take its signal off Time Warner Cable systems in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and other cities.

Time Warner Cable representatives arrived in Los Angeles early this week for the Fox talks.  The renewal deal that also will affect several cable channels, including FX and the Speed Channel.

The companies traded barbs on Wednesday after the cable operator responded to a letter from Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and offered to extend talks into 2010.

Hours later, Mr. Carey said that the News Corporation would not provide an extension because it had been “trying since the summer to negotiate a fair deal.”

“At this time, it looks like we will not reach an agreement, and our channels may very well go off the air in Time Warner Cable systems,” Mr. Carey told employees.

“We deeply regret that millions of Fox customers will be deprived of our programming, but we need to receive fair compensation from Time Warner Cable to go forward with them,” he said.

Mr. Kerry said Wednesday night that he would press the Federal Communications Commission to intervene in the dispute.

Negotiations between programmers and distributors are often prolonged and painful, but they rarely occur in public the way the feud between Fox and Time Warner Cable has.

Each company has mounted a campaign for public support, with print ads and petitions. Fox says that it deserves to be paid more for its programming, while Time Warner Cable says Fox’s demands are excessive.

See the rest of the story at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/business/media/31cable.html


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Gallup: Obama approval keeps on trucking' 12/30/2009

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Did Washington and Jefferson grow and smoke weed?

The short answer is that both grew it, but neither made money. Jefferson even invented a better "hemp brake" to separate the fibers from the stalks, something he thought was so important to agricultural that he refused to patent it. This suggests that Jefferson ran an advanced marijuana processing facility and  was a true Democratic gentleman.

In the 1700s and 1800s there was no stigma with reefer madness so it is likely both men did toke up, but there is no proof. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws mentions both men grew hemp for economic reasons. You can not only smoke hemp, but it can also be used to make clothing.

Source: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2912/did-george-washington-and-thomas-jefferson-grow-marijuana

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This Modern world: 2009 the Year in Crazy

We consider Tom Tomorrow to be one of the best political cartoonists in the US.  He never fails to amuse. See him on Salon.com and Credo.com.

If you have children, please purchase the Tom Tomorrow book, The Very Silly Mayor. We are providing the book ad for free.

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Provocative Russia Today ads rejected by airports

Major US airports refused to display images intended for use in the RT's December'09 US advertising campaign. An alternative version (the one saying 'Our Ad. Politically correct.) was accepted though, and can be seen on display in airports of New York NY, Washington DC, Baltimore MD and Newark NJ.

RT advertisements, which are turning heads in the UK, juxtapose provocative images which show different sides of a story. RT asks questions and encourage viewers to question more, since you can only reach a balanced judgment by being better informed. By challenging the accepted view, RT reveals a side of the news that you wouldn't normally see.

We agree and find all sorts of information on Russia Today and Ria Novosti that cannot be found elsewhere. We like the alternative and refreshing view points. Well done, Russia today!


After all, the more you question, the more you know.

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Dick Cheney wants Obama to expand the Middle East War

Former Vice president Dick Cheney thinks the US should invade Yemen because of a terrorist attack that ran amok. He appears to have an absolute opposition to all of Barack Obama's policies. Cheney recently said:

We are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren't, it makes us less safe," Cheney said in a statement to POLITICO. "Why doesn't he want to admit we're at war? It doesn't fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency - social transformation - the restructuring of American society."

Should we listen to man who many consider to be one of the most incompetent dullards in the Bush administration? Should we listen to man who took President Bush down to the wrong path to war with Iraq? Cheney was responsible for most of the things that went wrong and that were illegal during the Bush administration.  

Many historians have suggested that George W. Bush was one of the worst presidents in US history. Rightardia will go one step further: Dick Cheney was the worst vice president in US history and we suspect  he will one day there will solid evidence that he was a war criminal.



Here are some of the 'highlights' of the Cheney vice presidency: 
 
* 1/7/09: Cheney reports that he is actually "a warm, lovable sort." And: "The notion that somehow I was pulling strings or making presidential-level decisions. I was not."

* 1/22/09: Scooter Libby "was the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice, and I strongly believe that he deserved a presidential pardon."

* 2/4/09: "When we get people who are more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans, then I worry." Guantanamo is "first-class" and "necessary." Releasing anyone from Guantanamo will lead to a catastrophic nuclear or biological weapon attack on the US.

* 3/15/09: Invading Iraq "was absolutely the right thing to do and I think when history reviews this period 10 or 20 years hence, what will be significant was that we did, in fact, accomplish what we set out to do." Also we won that war, hooray!

Obama has made Americans less safe.

On the recession: "I don't think you can blame the Bush administration for the creation of those circumstances. It's a global financial problem." It was actually Barney Frank and Chris Dodd's fault. Scooter Libby was "an innocent man who deserves a pardon."

* 4/21/09: President Obama's handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "was not helpful" and could lead "foes" of the U.S. to "think they're dealing with a weak president."

Release of torture memos "a little bit disturbing" because they did not release the memos that show "the success of the effort." Cheney attempted to declassify memos that showed "the success" of torturing and killing people who may or may not have even been terrorists.

* 5/7/09: "Enhanced interrogations" (that means "torture," which is illegal) were used only in "special circumstances." "It would be a mistake for [the GOP] to moderate."

* 5/10/09: On Colin Powell: "I didn't know he was still a Republican." Also: "there was nothing devious or deceitful or dishonest or illegal about what was done."

* 5/12/09: Cheney likes Jeb Bush and would support him for president. "I don't think we should just roll over when the new administration accuses us of using torture. I don't believe it was torture." Also "I don't pay a lot of attention to what the critics say, obviously."

* 5/12/09: No one is doing anything to stop Iran from getting nukes, and Europe totally wants them to have nukes, basically, because they hate America, so we should probably bomb Iran. "We fail to recognize the fact that we're alone out there in terms of trying to achieve the objective of forcing the Iranians to give up their nuclear weapons."

* 5/21/09: In a speech scheduled against a speech by the actual, elected president, Cheney said torture "prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people."

Also Abu Ghraib was the fault of "a few sadistic guards." All the people in Gitmo and secret CIA prisons are for "ruthless enemies of this country. This is a particularly breathtaking lie. Also he made a reference to "dictators like Saddam Hussein with known ties to Mideast terrorists."

* 6/2/09: Intelligence gathering is "more an art form than a science." Also, breaking: "On the question of whether or not Iraq was involved in 9/11, there was never any evidence to prove that."

* 6/3/09: Bush "decided that he did not want to be the one who pulled the plug [on GM] just before he left office."

* 8/22/09: The Bush administration was working on a secret plan to end the Afghanistan war when Obama took office. Now Obama is "dithering," which is bad for the troops.

* 8/25/09: Naming a prosecutor to look into violations of the law during Bush-era interrogations casts "doubts about this administration's ability to be responsible for our nation's security." "The people involved deserve our gratitude."

* 8/30/09: Investigating violations of the law is "an outrageous political act." "I wasn't a fan of his when he got elected, and my views haven't changed any."

* 12/1/09: Obama's "agonizing" over what to do in Afghanistan will kill our soldiers and make the Taliban win. "

Cheney was asked if he thinks the Bush administration bears any responsibility for the disintegration of Afghanistan because of the attention and resources that were diverted to Iraq. 'I basically don't,' he replied without elaborating."

Obama is "far more radical than I expected." "Here's a guy without much experience, who campaigned against much of what we put in place ... and who now travels around the world apologizing."

source: http://gawker.com/5437177/a-treasury-of-terrifying-hyperbole-by-dick-cheney?skyline=true&s=x

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JibJab: Never a Year Like '09

From: jibjab | December 28, 2009 

Octomom. Balloon Boy. Tiger Woods. If there's one thing for sure in this world, it's that as long as people are acting reckless, insane and just plain stupid (i.e. like people), there will always be plenty of material available for JibJab's annual "Year in Review" videos!

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Newsy: President Obama's Biggest Problem is...

 
December 29, 2009 2:06 

As the Obama Administration heads toward its second year in the White House, political commentators discuss his biggest obstacles.

When Rightardia hears Obama associated with the term 'messiah,' we think the commentator must be an evangelical.

Democrats have high expectations for the president, but we have never looked at him as someone who will resolve all of America's ills.

We believe Obama's foreign policy has been successful and expect a Start II treaty with Russia to materialise shortly. Hillary may also have some successes in the Middle East.

On the domestic side of the House, we want health care wrapped up so the president can concentrate on employment. That issue will make or break him in the 2010 elections.

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Panic in Decade Zero

The decade of zero economic gains for the typical American family can be blamed primarily on the Republicans and its deficit spending while concurrently cutting taxes for the most affluent Americans. 

America has become a warfare society in which 25 per cent of the GDP is spent on defense and little is invested in the US infrastructure in the last 20 of 29 years that the GOP has held the US presidency.

The Bush Ownership society was supposed to give more Americans home ownership. Because of deregulation, an SEC rules change in 2004 that cut Wall Street bank reserve requirements and a willingness to look the other way for predatory lending practices, Americans now own fewer homes than they did in 2000.

Why should you vote Democratic? Because Republicans are evil. The Democrats are the lessor of evil.

graphic courtesy of InternetWeekly.org

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Sen. Orin hatch explains the GOP Double Standard

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Gallup: Who is the most admired woman in the world?

Well, it wasn't Sarah Palin or Oprah.  

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LTSaloon: Human Oddities of 2009

Rightardia will have to admit that this has to be the weirdest collection of conservatives we have ever seen in US politics. 2009 produced a bumper crop of GOP weirdos.

This is another excellent graphic form LTSaloon.

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Move your money to a community bank before it's too late

This is a powerful video that was included in the lead article in the Huffington Post. They don't make too many movies any more like the old Gary Cooper flick. Americans seemed to be a little smarter about politics in the 1940s and 1950s than they are today. They understood fascism a lot better back then.

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Senator Obstruction holds up an appointment because he is anti-union

This is the same Senator who said the following about the Democratic health care initiative:

"If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Rightardia wonders what the other side of the coin is? What is Obama succeeds in passing this historic legislation? What will that mean for the GOP?  

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Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu is arrested again

By Liel Kyzer, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service

A Jerusalem court on Tuesday released nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu to house arrest, after he was detained for meeting with a Norwegian citizen in direct violation of his parole orders.

Vanunu was released after claiming during a court hearing that the relationship between him and the Norwegian woman he met with is of a romantic nature, Channel 10 news reported.

"He is not accused of divulging any information," said Vanunu's lawyer Avigdor Feldman, according to Channel 10. "She is not interested in nuclear matters. She is interested in Mordechai Vanunu, who seems to be interested in her." 

Jerusalem police arrested Vanunu on Monday for violating his parole. Vanunu was released from prison in 2004 after serving an 18-year sentence for revealing details of Israel's nuclear weapons program. Vanunu also addressed U.S. President Barack Obama during the hearing, imploring him for help. Vanunu stated:

"President Obama was a nuclear weapons-free world, and he must work for my freedom. All I want is to be free. I don't have freedom of speech and freedom of movement." 

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Vanunu was detained on suspicion he met with several foreigners, in violation of the conditions of his 2004 release from prison. Vanunu was a former low-level technician at an Israeli nuclear plant who leaked details and pictures of the operation to the Sunday Times of London in 1986.

From the material, experts concluded that Israel had the world's sixth-largest nuclear arsenal. Vanunu was later kidnapped by Israeli intelligence agents in Rome and brought back to Israel to stand trial.

Four months ago, the High Court decided that the order prohibiting Vanunu from leaving the country, speaking with foreigners or approaching foreign embassies would remain in force for another six months.

The court told Vanunu that after the six months were up, he could petition the court again to annul the order. Before the hearing, he said:

"I want and need freedom and only freedom. Twenty-five years is enough. This is not my government. I want to see the world, to be beyond the Mossad and the Shin Bet." 

Vanunu distributed to the press a letter he wrote earlier this year to the Nobel Prize committee, in which he declined to be on the list of candidates for the prize because President Shimon Peres, who he said was "behind the Israeli atomic policy," was a Nobel laureate.
 
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1138464.html 

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Gallup: Obama gets another bump 12/29/2009

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China plans to launch another lunar probe in 2010

By Xin Dingding (China Daily) Updated: 2009-12-29 07:33

Another spacecraft launch likely in 2010 to prepare for a space lab. China plans to launch Chang'e-2, the country's second lunar probe, at the end of 2010, space authorities announced yesterday. The design and production of Chang'e-2 is complete, and the lunar orbiter is undergoing ground tests, the State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense said yesterday in a news release.

Chang'e-2 is expected to test the soft-landing technological capability for the Chang'e-3 and provide high-resolution images of the landing area, the administration said:

Progress on six key technologies of Chang'e-2 has been made, including the lunar capture, orbit control and research on high-resolution stereo camera, the administration's spokesman said.

Ye Peijian, chief designer of the nation's first lunar probe, had told China Daily earlier that the launch was expected in October. The administration said that Chang'e-3, the country's lunar lander and rover, is also well on the way toward liftoff. The project is now in the prototype stage.

Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 are part of the second phase of the country's lunar exploration program, which consists of three stages - "orbiting", "landing" and "returning". Ye said earlier that Chang'e-3 is likely to be launched before 2013. The country's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, was launched in October 2007 and ended its 16-month mission on March 1 this year.

Meanwhile, China's manned space project is also likely to see a breakthrough next year, a top scientist said.

Qi Faren, chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, told Guangzhou Daily on Sunday that Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a spacecraft that will test docking technology and prepare for the future construction of space laboratories, will be launched by the end of next year at the earliest.

According to the official website of China's manned space program, www.cmse.gov.cn, the launch date of Tiangong-1 is set between late 2010 and early 2011. Within two years of the launch of Tiangong-I, China will launch Shenzhou-VIII, Shenzhou-IX and Shenzhou-X spaceships, to dock with Tiangong-1, the website said.

Two space laboratories, Tiangong-II and Tiangong-III, will follow, and China aims to build its own space station by the year 2020, the website said.

China became the third nation - after the US and Russia - to send people into space when Yang Liwei went into orbit aboard the spaceship Shenzhou-V on Oct 15, 2003. Three other astronauts were sent to space in Shenzhou-VII and carried out the country's first space walk in September 2008.

Shen Liping, deputy chief designer of China's manned space program, was quoted by Guangzhou Daily as saying on Sunday that China's first woman astronaut will be able to fly to outer space sooner than the targeted 10 years. 

source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-12/29/content_9239369.htm

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The Dumbest Quotes Of The Decade

This is interesting. The conservatives overwhelmingly have the greatest number of dumb quotes. Guess who won the competition?

Rush: "Exercise freaks ... are the ones putting stress on the health care system."

Steven Seagal: “People all over the world recognize me as a spiritual leader.”

Christina Aguilera : "Where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?"

Kanye West : “I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade. I will be the loudest voice.”

Ted Stevens: "The Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes.

Britney Spears:

1 "I've never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don't like eating fish. And I know that's very popular out there in Africa."

2 "I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada." 

David Hasselhoff: "I've got taste. It's inbred in me."

Sarah Palin:

1" All of 'em, any of 'em that have been in front of me over all these years." - unable to name a single newspaper or magazine she reads, interview with Katie Couric

2" It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: 'Sit down and shut up,' but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out." - announcing her resignation as governor.

Craig T. Nelson:  "I've been on food stamps and welfare, did anybody help me out? No. No." -- on lack of fiscal responsibility

Dana Perino: "We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term."

Ms. Teen South Carolina 2007: "I personally believe, that US Americans are unable to do so, because some people out there, in our nation, don't have that, and eh I believe that our education, like such as in South Africa, and the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, our education over here, in the US, should help the US, or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future... for our children."

Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I think gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.”

Michele Bachmann: "This is an earthquake issue. This will change our state forever. Because the immediate consequence, if gay marriage goes through, is that K-12 little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal, natural and perhaps they should try it."

Glenn Beck : "Al Gore's not going to be rounding up Jews and exterminating them. It is the same tactic, however. The goal is different. The goal is globalization...And you must silence all dissenting voices. That's what Hitler did. That's what Al Gore, the U.N., and everybody on the global warming bandwagon [are doing]."

Paris Hilton: "I'm so smart now. Everyone is always like, 'Take your top off.' Sorry, no! They always want to get that money shot. I'm not stupid.

And the winner for the Dumbest Quotes of the Decade:

George W. Bush :

1 "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

2 “They misunderestimated me”

3 "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

See the rest of the quotes at : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/29/the-dumbest-quotes-of-the_n_405836.html

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House GOP health care plan is filled with loop holes

Jun. 17, 2009

House Republicans have released a two-page summary of their proposal, which CNN Radio obtained.

Some highlights include:

·~"Pools" of insurance. It would let states, small businesses and others group together to offer lower-cost, health care plans. Such pools would have to offer, at a minimum, any coverage that is provided in a majority of states.

This sounds suspiciously like a coop, a health care idea that never really caught on. One of the problems with this idea is that the 'pools' cannot cross state lines,. In addition, Blue Cross was once a cost effective non-profit coop, but to make more money it became a profit making health care corporation.

·~Medicaid transfer. It would allow Medicaid users to take the value of their Medicaid benefits and transfer/apply those to a private health care plan instead.

Wow! All this would do is weaken Medicare and make it more expensive. This is a really bad idea, but it is not surprising that the GOP would propose it with its support of corporatism.

·~Boosting of health care savings accounts. It would increase incentives for people, especially those in lower income brackets or over 55, to build up HSAs.

Again, this proposal would help people in the top tax brackets but would do little for the average American. Some of these plans require any money left over in them be turned into the federal government. 

·~Automatic insurance. It would encourage employers to sign up their workers for health insurance automatically, so that employees would have to "opt out" of coverage if they didn't want it.

Finally, a good idea. But, what about employee choice?

This Republican alternative bill also contains several ideas that are increasingly championed by both parties.

·~Longer coverage for youths. It would allow dependent children to stay on their parents' policies until they are 25.

The Democrats support the same provision, but extend the benefit to age 26.

·~Promotion of wellness at the workplace. It would encourage employers to reward employees for improved health.

No argument here. The Democratic plan wants doctors to be reimbursed for wellness medical care.

·~Expansion of community health centers.

·~Mobile health care. It would allow Americans to maintain their specific health insurance policies when they lose or leave jobs.

·~In-home care. It would provide financial help and encourage more in-home care over institutions.

·~Limitations on malpractice lawsuits. There is general agreement over limiting such lawsuits, but a deep divide exists over exactly how much.

In Texas, they put a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages makes most claims unprofitable for trial lawyers to pursue. Statewide, malpractice lawsuits have fallen by half. But the cost of medical insurance has not fallen.

The CBO found that under the Republican plan, insurance coverage would increase by about 3 million and that the percentage of insured non-elderly adults would remain at about 83 percent after ten years. The House bill would increase coverage to an additional 36 million people, raising the number of insured to 96 percent. The GOP plan is cheaper because it only insures 10 per cent of Americans the Democratic plan would cover.

In a press release from the Democratic National Committee, Vice Chair Wasserman Schultz said the GOP plan, "would allow health insurance companies to continue engaging in unfair and discriminatory practices like denying coverage to people because of a pre-existing medical condition."

Politfact agrees that Wasserman Schultz's analysis is mostly true. The GOP wants to put people with pre-exisitng conditions into high risk pools.

The GOP want to  "limit the pool premiums to no more than 150 percent of the average premium for applicable standard risk rates in that state." In other words, it might cost people with pre-existing conditions to pay 50 percent more than average premiums paid by healthy people.

-- CNN's Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report. To top of page

source: http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/17/news/economy/republican_health_care_bill/index.htm

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/061707dnbusmedmal.3ce4922.html

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