IM NOT SURPRISWEED, THIS PRESIDENT IS A PERSON THAT HAS NO REGARD FOR PEOPLE, BUT HIMSELF, HE IS A PERSON THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED, OR THIS COUNTRY WILL BE GOING TO THE DOGS, I AM ALMOST ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT IM FROM THE UNITED STATES, HOW THIS MAN WAS EVER ELECTED I WILL NEVER KNOW, SIMPLY GREED AMONG THE UNIONS, AND HIS DIFFERENT CRONIES,
I WAS TOLD AS A USAF RETIREE THAT I WOULD HAVE MED BENEFITS FOR LIFE , I SEE THAT QUICKLY BECOMING ANOTHER LIE, YES YOU ARE RIGHT WITH NO BENEFITS, NO SUPPORT, THIS COUNTRYS MILITARY WILL BECOME VERY WEAK,
I ONLY HOPE THE GREEDY ARE NOW HAPPY THAT THEY HAVE A GREAT PRESIDENT, IT JUST BLOWS MY MIND,

Yes, thank you so much Obama Care. My husband who served his country is now being forced to purchase Medicare as his primary insurance. On calling to question his welcome to Medicare notice, he was told that Medicare is now required to be his primary insurance and his military insurance (Tricare Prime) is his secondary. Go figure we have to pay two insurance premiums now. If we don't take Medicare we loose the military insurance what an option, my husband is only 52 years and shouldn't need Medicare till well into his 60's.

As you were:
I read it and wept. An E-8 vet, I am appalled that this nation, who stands as a bulwark for freedom, honesty, transparency values, and a host of other honorable positions, thinks that their military personnel are just like the herd of "entitlement Americans"... means testing?.. after what we did FOR YOU without hesitation? ... gawd, where does it end? We came...we contracted... we laid down our lives... and now you -- you pencil pushing desk drivers want us to give up part of our agreement so you can spend on social stuff that we can't afford, and we are going to sit for it. Think again Commander in Cheat, maybe where you come from.... they do things like this, but this is America, and we have honor and respect for our military here. Go home ASAP after the National Get It Together on November 4th and stay there.
At Ease.

An active duty Army Col. makes a minimum of $5963.40 a month. With all else the military gives them, they can afford the $170/month. Bunch of whining primadonnas.

Obamacare probably will be UPHELD.

Yeah, I know, the 3 days of arguments will lead you to say that Obamacare is in trouble.

But is it?

Over the entire history of the United States, only very RARELY has the supreme court EVER shut down a signature presidential achievement.

We have to remember what the purpose of the supreme court is; that is, to review the CONSTITUTIONALITY of the law, and not legislate.

We also have to remember that the justices on the Supreme Court are highly intelligent individuals, and surely they are aware of the repercussions of their actions of shutting down a signature legislative act by a president.

Furthermore, we remember that when congressional acts have indeed been shut down, history tells us that the executie branch has the ability to increase the number of justices, to appoint justices on party lines, and to readmit an act that is stricken down.

The justices KNOW this.

We ALSO know that on the way to the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act has received very similar critisms from judges who were conservative and still upheld the act as constitutional.

Furthermore, before conservatives go crazy over Obama questioning the Supreme Court, let us also remember that President Reagan has criticised Judicial Activism as well, and the criticism of the Supreme Court is historically a REPUBLICAN idea (as was the health care mandate, ironically).

Let's look at the actual constitutionality of the act.
Chief Justice Roberts himself is known (and I'm paraphrasing) to have the philosophy that anything that "considerably" affects interstate commerce is something that the government CAN regulate.

All judges can reasonably conclude that LACK of health care insurance CONSIDERABLY affects the Health Care Market.

While 4 judges are pretty much in the bag on supporting the Act, Kennedy and Roberts are who we look at to swing the decision to UPHOLDING Obamacare.

Surely Justice Kennedy understands the argument of the government:

On questioning the content of the argument, "The government's argument [is] this -- and maybe I won't state it accurately. It is true that the noninsured young adult is, in fact, an actuarial reality insofar as our allocation of health services, insofar as the way health insurance companies figure risks. That person who is sitting at home in his or her living room doing nothing is an actuarial reality that can and must be measured for health service purposes."

And he knows that individuals without insurance ARE in the market:
"But they are in the market in the sense that they are creating a risk that the market must account for."

AND surely he understands the jurisdiction of the government:
"And the government tells us that's because the insurance market is unique. And in the next case, it'll say the next market is unique. But I think it is true that if most questions in life are matters of degree, in the insurance and health care world, both markets -- stipulate two markets -- the young person who is uninsured is uniquely proximately very close to affecting the rates of insurance and the costs of providing medical care in a way that is not true in other industries.
That's my concern in the case."

And even Justice Roberts understands the argument:
On responding to WHAT the government is regulating,
"I think you're just repeating the idea that this is the regulation of the method of payment. And I understand that argument. And it may be a good one."

And Roberts understands that this is DIFFERENT from any other market:
"Everybody is in this market, so that makes it very different than the market for cars or the other hypotheticals that you came up with, and all they're regulating is how you pay for it."

And Roberts understands the power of the government:
"Well, surely regulation includes the power to promote. Since the New Deal we've said that regulation in -- there is a market in agricultural products; Congress has the power to subsidize, to limit production, all sorts of things."

And Roberts further understands the differentiation of this health care market.
"No, no, that's not -- I don't think that's fair, because not everybody is going to enter the mortgage market. The government's position is that almost everybody is going to enter the health care market."




Clearly we see that the two justices that are the only two that we think have the ability to side with the democrats understand and perhaps even lean towards the constitutionality of the act.

If the Act is struck down, the Supreme Court KNOWS their reputation will be questioned (after Bush v. Gore and Citizens United).

Put all this together, and the idea that SCOTUS has very RARELY ever struck down a major legislative signature piece of legislation, and we come to a conclusion.

Obamacare is the future of health care in this country, and rightfully so.

-Mike
#politicodiary

So, a retired soldier with a family (of 4, I presume), would STILL pay less than a single man (me).
Seems fair to raise the rates.

It's for this exact reason we need healthcare reform.

I'm a retired veteran. If you knew how little I paid for Tricare you would agree to these hikes. I can also live a relatively unhealthy lifestyle with no rate changes. If I had a large family, I pay the same amount as someone with 2 kids.

As a 24-year, retired veteran of the United States Air Force, I am appalled at the acts of this President. I won't bother to refer to him as a Commander-in-Chief because he does not deserve the respect of those who have fought, paid the ultimate price or sacrificed their livelihood, safety, blood, sweat and tears to serve this great nation of ours. Military service, can in no way be associated with a normal job. And certainly, you don't have the same lackluster requirements imposed upon you as a civilian occupation. You work for a mere pittance of your worth, you sacrifice everyday at the expense of time with your spouse and children until you can't give anymore, you rise early and lead your personnel, equipped with the best taught leadership/behavior principles in the world, you gladly use the last five dollars of that pittance in your pocket to get a haircut to maintain the professional image of the armed forces and country you serve. Then toss in tens of back-to-back deployments to some of the most austere places on Earth, often working more than 18 hours a day until you drop...for years and months straight. Constant upheaval and complete moves of your family and belongings every 3-4 years to a new location to fill requirements. All along, scraping by and largely proud to be part of something bigger than yourself. Hoping and praying to live through it all and one day, God willing, be able to enjoy some of the"promised benefits" you paid dearly for through the blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices of yourself, your family and your brothers and sisters in arms. Unfortunately, we now are faced with protecting the liberties and freedom of a population to which, in my research, less than one percent have ever served or bothered to accept these sacrifices and wear so proudly the uniform of an American servicemember. So, your natural, uninformed answer is to continue to take from me and my family what I have so rightfully earned and fought for. I don't ask for much. Our government signed a pact with me at the ripe age of 18 when I took the oath to serve, raised my right hand and had the privileged opportunity to lead and serve with the most disciplined, morally true and value based sons and daughters our country has to offer. They recanted on the promise of free dental care more than a decade ago. The free medical care, well, I now pay for that too. Quit taking from coffee jar. All any of us retired/wounded servicemembers want is to take our PTSD, physical and emotional wounds, what's left of our eroded benefits and finally peacefully settle into the society we fought so fiercly to defend. We don't splurge on healthcare, we don't plaque the system. We simply get up everyday, lick our wounds and carry-on undetered like we always have. So I must ask...is it too much for me to ask for those who attack us and those administrations who wish for us to pay for their misgivings to kindly let us pass? No thank you requested or required. My military brothers and sisters have already laid our offerings upon the altar of freedom. Is your offering there beside ours?

On another note: A vote for Ron Paul will go a long way toward curbing the lobbyist-run establishment in D.C., and get our country back on-track. Then, we can all stop these unecessary attacks on each other and once again begin to place trust our government. Please get out and vote. Your country needs you!!

To blame President Obama is akin to getting hit by a bus, waking up in a hospital a month later, and blaming the doctors and the nurses for the accident.

Instead of insinuating that it's President Obama's fault, you should blame Republicans who did whatever they could to funnel taxpayer dollars to their corporate buddies who made trillions of dollars in war profits, bad loans, and deceptive financial deals. Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt. and he started this financial mess when he deregulated Wall Street firms. Under George W. Bush, the national debt went from $5 trillion to $12 trillion.

Whether it is war, or bank bailouts, or tax breaks, or private prisons, or no bid contracts, or school vouchers, or food stamps, or security contractors, or the student loan market, or the privatization of social security, the goal of the modern Republican is to expose taxpayer dollars to the open market and let big business and corporations fight for it like kids collecting candy from a smash piñata. Republicans and even some democrats know that they will get their share of candy.

It is quite a dishonest and devious tactic to criticize unpopular unionized civilians when it is actually big business and corporations that screwed the soldiers and got the best deals.

What I want to know is, why the people who think the military make so much money and have such good benefits are not standing in line to join? Oh, it's because they are not willing to die for what they believe in. As for the vets, when I have to go to the VA for medical treatment that is where I feel like I am, the Vet's office. Oh wait, my dogs get better treatment than I do so I am wrong on that comparison. Sorry.

Dean, i doubt your job or most 'union' workers have a DAILY threat of a bullet splitting your skull open; leaving wife and kids fatherless in an instant; sleeping in the desert or jungle at the lowest/highest temp possible; etc etc etc...now any of us can lose our life or deal w/ a tragedy at any moment, but it IS NOT a part of our daily job description. all honor and benefits to our military past/present/future

Back when Caesars men thought he was taking advantage of them and not following through with
promised rewards and land, and kept extending their service (different issues than today, but still they were being wronged), some of his legions lay down their shields and weapons and refused to march. This included his favorites, the legendary 10th legion. Just saying.

i totally agree with gramE. i have paid into SS since i was 14. i went to the SSoffice and it was packed with people from other countries (Mexico) we need to get all of the lawers out of congress and replace them with accountants and businessmen. please VOTE.

WHEN does this insanity STOP with this power hungry, tax and spend administration?...In Novemebr I HOPE, or I'll become a Canadian citizen! I'm fed up and tired of all the broken "promises" that were given to enlist, then stay for 23+ years...

Terry K. Murphy
MSgt USMC Retired

I was drafted in 1969, ETS'd and then enlististed in 1972, served 22 years in the military with a contract with the United States that told me I would recieve retirement benifits consisting of retirement pay and medical care for life. What a bunch of lies. Our benifits have erroded and are continuing to errod because of a socialist/communist president. I won't call him a Commander and Chief he's a clown with an agenda to destroy everything American Servicemen and women have accomplished since 1776 and before. How this SOB got elected and plans to get re-elected is by giving the lazy ass 50% of people who occupy America and don't pay any taxes a hand out. Once Obama the slave master owns them (They are slaves to the govt) they (all races included) won't leave the plantation because they have no ambition to better themselves. Gimme, gimme, gimme........... How's he paying for it? By taking what we as Service Members earned and buying a constituency.