Columnist: Health care rationing begins under Obama

From a new column by Nat Hentoff on Obama's plan to nationalize health care:

As a reporter, I do not use euphemisms —such as calling murderous terrorists "militants" or "activists." And as an American, I can exercise my First Amendment right to say plainly that President Obama is a liar with regard to our new health care law, often referred to as ObamaCare.

When a number of critics of ObamaCare, including myself, warned that it would bring the rationing of treatments, medications and research into new procedures, the president said to the American Medical Association (June 15, 2009) that this rationing charge was a "fear tactic."

The next month, he said flat out: "I don't believe that government can or should run health care." (firstthings.com, May 31, 2010)

But in May of this year, the president nominated Dr. Donald Berwick, a professor at Harvard Medical School, to head Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) -- the most powerful health care position. As Hal Scherz underlines (RealClearPolitics.com, May 26): "CMS covers over 100 million Americans, has an annual $800 billion budget that is larger than the defense department's and is the second largest insurance company in the world."

Unlike Obama, Berwick is enthusiastically, openly candid in his support of Britain's socialistic National Health Service. In a 2008 speech to British physicians, our new health czar said: "I am romantic about National Health Service. I love it (because it is) 'generous, hopeful, confident, joyous and just.'"

There are many reasons why it is vital for Americans to vote in the midterm elections —and, of course, in 2012, to prevent a second term for the most dangerous and incompetent president we have ever had — but for many Americans, it is particularly important this year to vote against supporters of ObamaCare. The question for many voters should be whether, in the years ahead, they will be in condition to vote if they are on waiting lists for government-controlled health care.

More of us are learning that during the Obama administration, it is essential to continually keep our eyes open on all it does.

Read the full column here.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS