A public service announcement

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RobCaswell's avatar
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During the years of the George W. Bush administration a new modus operandi was forged for the GOP through both actions and (even on a couple of occasions) direct statements: "Facts are irrelevant." Since the 2008 election many of the loudest voices in the the GOP (and their media cheerleaders) have pursued that approach with gusto. Perhaps their greatest monument to that practice has been in characterizing the Affordable Care Act ("ACA" aka "Obamacare"). The result has been a confused citizenry that is uncertain whether lies, repeated after being dis-proven, must somehow be true. That can be seen in many of the recent man on the street interviews and polls that have gone viral – perhaps the most telling among them are the ones asking people the ignorance-revealing question if they like "the Affordable Care Act" better than "Obamacare".

LIES by callmesickgirl

It's hard to discuss the facts around issues like these without being labeled "politically biased"… and I fully admit my political views are usually liberal. But the saying that "reality has a liberal bias" seems to be more true with every passing day, I'm sad to say (really!). My own politics also means I have my own bones to pick with the ACA and its half-assed, market-based approach to the problem which continues to make our collective health a profit-based commodity. Many of the comments in my recent poll on "preferred approach to health care" illustrate just how much mis-information is flying around. So as a public service I'd like to point everyone to a few helpful links that clarify some of the chief factual distortions and outright lies that are muddying the waters of our recent national discussion around the ACA.

Caring for Dementia by carts

Please note I might try to chime in on a few of the comments, but there ain't no way in Hades I'm going to be able to engage in a discussion with everyone. My goal here is to try and find reliable and verifiable resources that are fact-based. It's a sad reality that, while the Internet affords us so many more news sources than we've known in the past, so much of that information is tainted or willfully misleading. So understanding all of the news we get requires more effort than ever as we have to do our own vetting. So I invite you to vet any of the claims in these listings on your own… just remember, finding an opposing view or statement is easy, but it doesn't always count as verifying your information. When in doubt you can always go to the source:

The Affordable Care Act, section-by-section: www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/…

OK, here's your quick resources for trying to make sense of some of the more contentious issues:

Politifact's List of the Top 16 Myths about the Health Care Law:
www.politifact.com/truth-o-met…

Media Matter's List of 15 Myths The Media Should Ignore During Obamacare Implementation:
mediamatters.org/research/2013…

Politifact's List of 10 Things Obamacare Supporters say that aren't Entirely True:
www.politifact.com/truth-o-met…

FactCheck.org's Obamacare Myths:
www.factcheck.org/2013/09/obam…

Some of you may be inclined to respond to these lists by killing the messenger (the media source). I ask you politely to refrain from that approach if you choose to comment and instead address the presented facts with your own supported fact-based challenges. To do otherwise is simply to avoid the issue all together.

Bottom line: I hope those of all political stripes that are confused by the swirl of "fact-like-info", truthiness, and spin on the ACA will get a clearer view of what it is and what it is not. But don't take my word for it... or these links. THINK! Do your homework and look at every voice with healthy skepticism tempered by reason.
© 2013 - 2024 RobCaswell
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dana-redde's avatar
:salute:

Brave soul. I wasn't going to touch some of those idiotic comments with a ten foot pole.

The worst part is the media going along with the pusillanimous and false "well, if only the Democrats would give an inch!" narrative.