'Nobody Is Collecting Names': White House Responds to Charge It’s Monitoring Speech of Health Care Reform Opponents

If you're from Texas, don't just now start worrying about being listed on Obama's 'right wing extremists' list. Homeland Security has classified every Texan as a 'right wing extremists' since the State has talked about succeeding from the Union. I am definitely on the 'right wing extremists' list, not just because I'm from Texas, but I'm, also, a retired military conservative Christian! However, I cannot think of a better State to be in right now with the political environment as such.
I'm sure there has to be an Internet Czar monitoring everyone's URL and the websites we visit. What I have trouble
understanding is how did the United States elect a Moslem sympathizer as President! He was raised by Moslem father-heads, and from the ages of 6 through 10 he was raised in Indonesia, where the majority of the population is Moslem. This period of human development is the most important stage to form a person's lifelong character. It has been stated that he is a Christian, BUT he's NO Christian! During his Presidential campaign he ran on 'change', and wealth distribursement; and he is definitely trying his best to deliver on his promises!

Any business who receives personally identifiable information (PII) into a computer system they run is required by law to either prove that they have taken measures to keep it secure/private or to prove they do not store it in any way. The White House should explain how it is doing the same. From White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs flip responses to questions of privacy concerns, such as "nobody is collecting names", it seems they don't take this issue seriously. Citizens should be concerned...very, very concerned.

To DM Thorton

I resent that you accuse myself and others and radicals because we choose to voice our opinion. I was not sent by anyone to a meeting to protest and cause trouble. I am not a fear monger.

I also work hard to make my community and world a better place and just because I have a brain and have read the healthcare bill being proposed and choose to disagree with Pres Obama about wanting it does not make myself or others terrible people or trouble makers. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED I STILL HAD THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE WILL HAVE THAT RIGHT SINCE WE ARE BEING ACCUSED OF BEING TROUBLE MAKERS & TERRORIST FOR SPEAKING OUT ON THINGS WE SEE AS WRONG FOR AMERICA.

I do not want the government to run healthcare. PERIOD! Medicare has been ran by them and it is in a terrible mess and I can only think about how bad it would be to add this healthcare plan.

I personally believe it will cost about 10 times what they project it will cost and taxes will have to be raised to pay for it and I don't want more taxes on what it's going to cost us tax wise for the stimulis plan they passed.

I am also a senior citizen and believe I would be rationed out of being given health care and would still have to pay the taxes for other people to have it even though I would be told by a government agency I was too old to be useful to society and to just live with my health problem.

No I don't think this many Americans are wrong about what they are reading in this healthplan.

Indeed. We spend years rooting out Communism and now "Big Brother" has come to America.

Liberals, you make me sick. Not willing to stand up for anything unless you're pointing out our failures as Americans.

Now we want to collect information on dissention about the Socialist Agenda of a charismatic and dangerous president....

Let's start adding up this guys actions and start worrying about where our government is going.

I don't look good in a hammer and sickle.

Liberalism, the new Socialism. Let's take care of everyone who refuses to take care of themselves.

Now I'm ashamed of what we elected and did to this country.

The fishy email box set up by the executive branch (whether by a Republican or Democrat) creates a chilling effect on speech. By law they can not delete and have to record every name that emails them. Either they did not know that or malicious. Additionally, the sedition act says they can not do this. Do not they have lawyers in the whitehouse ?
I did not like what Bush did with warrentless wiretapping and I do not like this.

I just realized I should have referenced Donna BH, not D J Schaeffer. Sorry for the mistake.

D J Schaeffer,

Actually read page 425 before commenting on it. It does NOT say counseling is mandatory. It says medicare paying for VOLUNTARY counseling is mandatory.

This is typical of the nonsense perpetrated by the Republican talking heads, uninterested in factual discourse. Stop listening to the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. We need a factual debate on this topic by both parties. Delusional misinformation and the bullying at town hall meetings will only discredit Republican input and lead to an even more partisan piece of legislation.

DM Thornton said "It has become apparent to me that all of you who are opposed to health care reform, have not taken the time to fully understand the issues"

Well you are dead wrong. I am fully aware of the issue - I worked in a hospital finance department for 20 years. I completely understand the issues & the course the government is on is the WRONG one. The government is the reason healthcare is in the mess that it is in. There needs to be TRUE healthcare reform as follows:
1) Dismantle Medicare - the creation of this bureaucratic, bloated, ineffective program was the beginning of our healthcare problems - give seniors cash during the transition to upgrade their supplemental insurance.
2) Allow insurance companies to sell products across state lines (and across county lines within states)
3) Give incentives to pharmaceutical companies to charge other countries the same as what they charge us - why should we fund the research for the rest of the world?
4) Encourage the legal system to throw out frivolous lawsuits and juries to award appropriate amounts instead of the millions they do now (I would say 'tort reform', but that is still too much government intervention)
5) Allow small businesses to form healthcare consortiums (with 501(c)3 status) to purchase insurance at reduced rates.

Fishy name gathering by this White House is illegal.

What concerns me more is our President telling us to "shut up and get out of my way". At what time in this country have you actually heard that in the media from any sitting President? This administration is ill/corrupt to the core.

What were irate citizens attempting to get their voices"heard"at town hall meetings (because our elected officials choose to not listen) has now become citizens having to defend themselves from thugs/goons/Acorn payoffs that this administration has directed to "take care of with intimidation/force/more intimidation"...it should be apparent there were no fist fights in the first week of town halls. This administration directs invasion this past Wed/Thurs and now we have innocent people barred from attending by thugs and normal citizens beaten by them. "We will strike back twice as hard"per Obama... that is what you would hear in Chicago. AND NOW THE CHICKENS HAVE COME TO ROOST. And they have taken over the chicken coop.

Yes, page 425 mandates counseling for those 55 years of age and older for advance directives. Advance directives may be a living will or a durable power of attorney for health care. Either way, the advance directive allows you to state how end-of-life care should be handled. Now, those in favor of the Obama health care reform state that only the COUNSELING is mandatory. However, those doing the counseling are employees of the government run health care.

So my issue with this is a basic and unethical conflict of interest! How do you explain the "counseling" regarding advance directives when your job is to reduce costs, regulate and ration health care?

I am all for health care overhaul, but I agree with the previous post regarding vouchers for the 20 million LEGITIMATE Americans without health care.

Sorry, that should have been "quiet" instead of quite.

DM Thornton wrote: "...if you truly believe that after all the facts come out of health care reform that the Obama administration iS on the wrong course voice your concerns at that time."

That will be a like waiting until the foxes eat the chickens before warning the farmer that the foxes have invaded the chicken coop. That's because all of the facts about healthcare reform will not come out until AFTER the bill has been passed and signed into law. Nice try! We will not keep quite!

Now then, saying that if Obama fails the country must also fail is not understanding our concerns. IF President Obama's true agenda is the complete socialization of America, then those of us who do not want a socialized country would not consider the country as having failed if we avoided becoming socialized.

Finally, to say that we who oppose this healthcare reform have not taken the time to fully understand the issues is totally inaccurate. WE KNOW that the public option will end private healthcare insurance. WE KNOW that the public option will end up being the SOLE provider of healthcare in America. EVEN THE LEFT KNOWS this is the case.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) speaking before an audience on April 18, 2009 said: "And next to me was a guy from the insurance company who then argued against the public health insurance public option saying, 'It wouldn't let private insurance compete. That a public option will put the private insurance industry out of business and lead to single payer.'" To which the crowd erupted into a huge applause. She then followed with, "He was right. The man was right."

It has become apparent to me that all of you who are opposed to health care reform, have not taken the time to fully understand the issues. The GOP and the lawless people at the Town Hall Meetings that have been disruptive would be better off voiceing their concerns in a civil manner. Perhaps they will learn some things. Ignorance has never advanced anyone,s cause or concerns.

Furthermore if you truly believe that after all the facts come out of health care reform that the Obama administration iS on the wrong course voice your concerns at that time. It is time that all the fear mongering, birther nonsense, and comparisons to a Nazi cease. I am a moderate and certainly not a liberal which you all disdain. I guess you all would be happier if the country and President Obama fails. Whether you you agree with his decisions and policies or not, If he fails the country fails.Ultimimately we all fail.

I guess you all would be happy as can be at that time.

Get a life folks and work to make your communities and the world a better place!

Danny, I wasn't sure you caught my posting before it was deleted.

If you say your best education "ever" was under the instruction of John L. McKnight, and McKnight is a loyal student of Saul Alinski, I don't believe you can expect the education to include Capitalism 101.

Here are my ideas on the healthcare issue, specifically with regards to those individuals who are uninsured:

1. Between 7-8 million of the uninsured are satisfied to pay cash for their healthcare. They are well enough off that they can afford it. Why should they be forced to have to pay from $3,000 to $10,000 annually, when they may go 20 years paying only a couple hundred dollars a year paying for annual checkups?

2. 20 million of the uninsured are illegal immigrants. They should not be covered!

3. That leaves about 20 million uninsured who just can't afford healthcare insurance. The federal government can financially assist these individuals to purchase a private health insurance policy of their choice.

Most of the current proposals require that everyone must have healthcare insurance. THAT is limiting our freedom.

Now then mandating that private healthcare insurers meet minimum requirements also limits OUR freedom--the freedom to choose the specific coverage that we want. If covering abortion is mandated then that forces individuals who oppose abortion to actually financially support abortion through their premiums.

Finally, the private sector cannot compete with the public option that's because they must make a profit in order to stay in business. And as we all know, the federal government can operate even in the red. So eventually, in spite of the rhetoric to the contrary, the public option WILL BECOME to sole provider of healthcare. That denies us any choice in the matter.

And one last thing for now, I know a nurse who couldn't work quite enough hours to qualify for health insurance from her employer due to a physical problem. She also couldn't get private health insurance because of her pre-existing condition.

What kind of health care system prevents a nurse from getting health insurance!

Also my employer charges $400 to add a spouse onto my health insurance, and my wife's former company is charging $2500 for COBRA and now instituting a plan which has a $2500 deductible and charges as much as $200 for an office visit!! She can't afford private health insurance due to a pre-existing condition, and needs health insurance for some chronic conditions.

I really have very little respect for the tactics of muddying the debate with wild distortions, instead of offering practical solutions.

James--That quote about "the best education I ever had" is from Obama's resignation letter as Senator in which he thanks the people of Illinois for the opportunity of working with and serving them. To say that quote is about Alinsky is reading into it something that's plainly not there.

As far as Marshall, I was raised throughout my childhood by Republican parents and I've never voted for a Republican! And Wright--I've never heard Obama say anything likethe worst instances of Wright's rhetoric.

Besides, no one is a complete replica of their associates and influences.

If Obama is such a radical, why did he listen to mainstream economists instead of Paul Krugman when he had the most political capital, at the beginning of his term?

And what do YOU propose for solving the health care issues:

--millions of hard-working Americans who can't get insurance because they have pre-existing conditions and/or can't afford outrageous premiums
--the unaffordable cost of COBRA if you lose your job
--health insurance companies constantly raising premiums and fees and cutting services

This smacks of Macarthyism. If you don't know your history, you are doomed to repeat it. Please take the time for a history lesson. Macarthy pulled this as did Stalin and Hitler. Remember, everything was peachy in Germany until they disagreed. Then, it was off to the gas chambers...

When is our government going to arrive on the doorstep with a firing squad? Sooner than many of you realize... Wake up America!!

OBAMA and his tattle tell website needs to be reported on your news outlet EVERY single evening
HE is a dictator and is a horrific President
I am ashmaed of him as our President.
I am sending this to every news outlet and see which won of you report on this.

So in other words there is no evidence, just speculation attributing the worst motives to the Obama administration while ignoring any other possible motivations...such as trying to counter the arguments in viral emails, realizing that most people concerned about such emails are unlikely to do more than type in the "flag" email address and hit "forward."

***
Exactly.

As James knows, I disagree with him. I don't consider Obama's past as a community organzier "evidence" of anything sinister or untoward. Your take, Danny, is the same as mine. It's all speculation.

On the other hand, I DO think it would be useful for the Administration to change the request by asking people to copy and past the false information into an email and ensure that no names or email addresses are forwarded. The issue is very divisive, and truth be told, if Bush had done this, I would have been more critical because I didn't trust him. I trust Obama, but clearly a lot of people don't.

Danny wrote: "So in other words there is no evidence, just speculation attributing the worst motives to the Obama administration while ignoring any other possible motivations..."

President Obama studied under the principles of Saul Alinsky. Look up "Rules for Radicals" on the Internet and read these principles. President Obama is following these principles quite nicely.