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March 20, 2005
Oregon legislators step up on Schiavo case
Update: Mahablog finds that many of those legislators and bloggers who are hand wringing over the removal of Terri's feeding tube were the same ones who are frothing for slashing Medicare. Consequently, Medicare foots the bill for long term care for many sick and elderly in similar conditions:
We need a list of politicians and commentators, including bloggers, who have been calling for cuts in Medicaid but who now have joined in the "save Terri Schiavo" cult. These people need to be challenged to take her off Medicaid and pay for her maintenance themselves. If you know of any such people, please add their names to the comments.
The righties are going to say, it's not about money, it's about principle. But the principle is that there are people right now who are not receiving health care that they need because they can't afford it, and their lives may be shortened as a result. But there is plenty of taxpayer money to keep Terri Schiavo alive, even though she has no hope of ever being conscious.
Why? Because she's politically useful, that's why. That's your "principle."
Tonight is one of the nights I'm most proud to call myself an Oregonian.
As the federal government ridiculously insinuated itself into the Terri Schiavo case, Oregon legislators stepped up in protest against those same actions:
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., was among those organizing opposition to the proposal.
"This bill would have the federal government intrude into the most private, personal and painful family decision," Blumenauer said. "What people need to think about is how would they feel if Tom DeLay or some other politician decided to second-guess your doctor, or your husband."
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden (D) and Gordon Smith (R) also played important roles to the chagrin of NRO's Beltway Buzz:
Last night, things got worse with Ron Wyden making a personal effort to prevent the preservation of Terri Schiavo’s life. Because the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case concerning Oregon’s assisted suicide law, Wyden is afraid that legislation to protect Schiavo would damage Oregon’s case before the court. Of course, if one reads the language proposed in the House and Senate, it would be clear that no threat to Oregon’s law was included.
But Gordon Smith is missing from this debate as well. Smith personally advocated Justice Department intervention to block the assisted suicide law in 2000. John Ashcroft acted, but was blocked by a circuit court. While the Supreme Court has taken action Smith has been silent. The Beltway Buzz and numerous other media organizations have put in comment requests to Smith to no avail.
This is shameful on Smith’s part, both in respect to the Oregon voters who twice voted for the legislation (whether you agree with it or not), and to those who advocate the preservation of life. If Smith had been vocal in his support of the court’s move, he would have possessed moral authority to speak up in Schiavo’s case. Instead, this week has left Smith appearing fiscally irresponsible and morally tepid.
If both of my Senators are pissing off the wingers, I know we're on the right track.
I find the contention that Wyden intervened in order to assist Oregon's Assisted Suicide law a rather specious argument. It's being argued on Constitutional grounds with the SCOTUS and has nothing to do with Congress overstepping it's bounds on this most personal of issues. Right wing sour grapes from the author.
What's more telling is the profound absence of Gordon Smith in this debate. Smith is a conservative, prolife Republican who has bucked the party trend in the last week. Smith was the chief sponsor of an amendment to strip Medicare budget cuts requested by the White House. And now he's MIA on Schiavo.
I don't like Gordon Smith's issue positions very often. But props to him for this week's efforts.
Perhaps Smith didn't show up for this one because he knows it's absolutely ridiculous for the federal government to involve itself in this issue.
Since when did a hypocritical pig like Tom DeLay earn the right to invoke God when it comes to the life and death decisions of human beings that he doesn't know?
And speaking of hypocrites, the Republican Party claims to be the party of smaller government. Getting government out of our lives. Except if you decide you want to die. Then watch the hell out. Smug, arrogant, rightwing religious zealots (aka the Grand Old Party) will come riding in on a rail with a bill of attainder to interfere with your most personal and painful decisions.
Posted by Carla at March 20, 2005 07:48 AM