Out-of-touch the Allen Alley way

Carla Axtman

There are obviously a lot of diverse and varied opinions on the new health insurance reform bill recently passed and signed into law by President Obama. The arguments for and against it have gone on for months and months.

One thing that’s not up for argument: this is FEDERAL legislation. And for some bizarre reason, GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Allen Alley is trying to use it to gin up support for his non-federal, statewide campaign:

Earlier this week, out-of-touch politicians in Washington D.C. voted for invasive federal management of our health care system at a time when our economy is stuck in the doldrums of the Greatest Recession since the Great Depression.

The federal government is spending money at a rate that would make even Salem politicians blush. What’s more, they’re enacting policies that will worsen our already stressed financial situation here in Oregon. At a time when we can’t meet our existing financial obligations, the health care bill passed Sunday night will cost Oregon hundreds of millions of dollars in additional Medicaid funding between 2014 and 2019.

In fact, I believe we should push back on Washington D.C. and say "no" to their trillion dollar programs and unfunded mandates. This has nothing to do with health or caring about the neediest Americans. This is about fiscal responsibility and the constitutional authority of the federal government. Last time I checked this is the United States of America. I think we have forgotten that it was the states that came first and created the federal government in the first place.

Washington D.C. showed us they are out-of-touch. We need structural change to our healthcare system to hold costs in check. The best way to do that is introduce competition and personal choice. I see very little of that in their multi-thousand page bill.

It is time to send a message to Washington D.C. and Salem by sending leaders with real-world experience to bring fiscal sanity to government. We need someone who knows what it takes to create jobs, build careers and grow an economy in a competitive global market.

This is weird, at best and pandering, disingenuous pap at worst. What possible message is he hoping to send to Salem exactly....on a piece of legislation that they had absolutely nothing to do with?

In terms of being “out of touch”, Alley demonstrates just how far out of it he really is. Whether he agrees with the legislation or not, there’s ample evidence that it IS in fact about health care and it is in fact about getting insurance and health care access for the neediest Americans. Additionally, the “constitutional authority” bit is little more than rhetorical diarreah. There is little doubt that the reform package is Constitutional. Unless you’re a hack who enjoys wasting taxpayer dollars with futile court challenges, of course.

  • Boats (unverified)
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    The exercise of Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce to reach economic non-activity is in fact novel and unprecedented.

    The individual mandate is only "clearly constitutional" to two groups of people: 1) simpletons with exactly no legal training; and 2) Law professors and other "experts" hoping for some billable hours on the side for assisting on friend of the court briefs.

  • Jason (unverified)
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    Local politicians use national issues all the time promote their liberal or conservative views - which often gives a voter an idea of how a politician will vote on similar state or local issues. We have the Oregon Health Plan, and future decisions will need to be made by our state when it comes to continued funding and maintenance of that program - or any other future healthcare proposals, for that matter.

    Alley's stance on national healthcare has a direct correlation with how he'll vote and decide on similar issues in Oregon. This kind of stuff happens all the time, Carla, so I guess I'm a little confused as to why you seem so surprised by Alley's statement.

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    I am not sure whether Allen actually believes the crap he is mouthing in this letter or he just signed on to something his campaign drafted for him. However, for him to say, "This has nothing to do with health or caring about the neediest Americans", when this is all it is about, means he is appealing to the Tea Bag, looney tune, uncaring elements in the Republican party. It may win him the nomination, but it will doom any chance he had of becoming Governor just like it did for Ron Saxton.

    It is very sad that people who run for office in the Republican party today that start with basic moderate positions and good will end up selling their soul along the way chasing the votes of the insane right wing.

  • Bob Baldwin (unverified)
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    I think you're selling Alley short.

    Obviously, he's hoping that in addition to himself in Oregon, he'll be able to join a Real Republican in CA (not a sheepish FCINO), and a Republican Governor in WA (in 2012) to finally secede, giving us a Libertarian Ecotopia.

    I mean really, isn't that the obvious response to telling insurance companies to stop screwing their customers out of health care they paid premiums for? ;-)

  • Scott in Damascus (unverified)
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    "We need structural change to our healthcare system to hold costs in check. The best way to do that is introduce competition and personal choice."

    What, no tax cuts? Not even a tax credit for the private sector?

    Come on Allen - more red meat for the 22% teabagger base!

    (Oh, Wellpoint, Inc. raised their rates in California this year by as much as 39% - just sayin')

  • Kurt Hagadakis (unverified)
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    I don't get the objection. Is the point that it never makes any sense- it's patently absurd- for State programs to offset the effect of the Federal ones? For years liberals have argued that insufficient federal action has necessitated state level remediation. Factoring in that many Republicans are always trying to be the mirror negative, why wouldn't they do the equivalent, pass state programs to undercut progressive federal ones? It's the same logic. I can't see why the direction should matter. If that's as confusing to you as the accusation is to me, then I guess we've got another of those "but we're doing it for good reasons" blinders working again.

    Since his first sentence says he knows it's federal, I just don't see what it is he's confusing. Personally, when I saw the proposal, that logic never struck me. It was just rubbish. Really didn't have to look further.

    It's easier to see this as another smack of the lips, big sigh, "can you believe what they're saying", repackaging job, from a one trick pony.

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    Local politicians use national issues all the time promote their liberal or conservative views - which often gives a voter an idea of how a politician will vote on similar state or local issues

    Agreed. But what's weird to me is the "send a message to Salem" on the health care bill, stuff. There's no point. This isn't a state legislature issue at all. There's no message to send to them on health care reform because it's not their doing.

    Is Alley saying that he objects to health care reform for the nation or just for Oregon...? And by sending him money..he's going to change the current outcome how..exactly?

    His entire email is senseless.

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    In addition to the other inane statements, how can you have the "Greatest Recession" since the "Great Depression?" Like saying the biggest thunderstorm since the big tornado. He needs new writers...

  • Bob Wiggins (unverified)
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    <h2>Carla, I'm not sure that relying on Celebrifi.com ("All Celebrity News All the Time") is really the best source for constitutional analysis of the health care act. Bob</h2>

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