Beaton: Days of infamy for Obamacare
The Aspen Beat
President Franklin Roosevelt called the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor “a day that will live in infamy.” The ensuing World War II lasted 3 1/2 years.
That’s about the same as the period between Obamacare’s enactment in March 2010 and the launch of the website in October.
Here’s the monthly timeline of both World War II and Obamacare:
• World War II, month one: The Nazis already have conquered nearly all of Europe, and the Japanese have conquered most of East Asia. America is still mired in the Great Depression. At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese destroy much of America’s Pacific Fleet. The next day, Congress nearly unanimously declares war. Volunteers flood the military enlistment offices. The declaration of war is a half-page long.
• Obamacare, month one: Obama signs Obamacare even though polls show that most of the people oppose it. The bill runs to 2,000 pages. The speaker of the House chuckles, “We’ll have to pass the bill so we can find out what’s in it.” One thing not in it, President Obama assures us, is the cancellation of anyone’s insurance. He promises, “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it. Period.”
• World War II, month two: American troops arrive in the British Isles.
• Obamacare, month two: Obama completes his 37th round of golf since taking office.
• World War II, month three: Americans break the Japanese code, enabling them to decipher Japanese war communications.
• Obamacare, month three: The Obamacare tax on tanning salons goes into effect.
• World War II, month four: Americans send a message to Japan, with a daring, long-distance bombing raid on Tokyo.
• Obamacare, month four: Obamacare mandates that “adult children” can stay on their parents’ health insurance until they are 26.
• World War II, month six: An American outpost at Midway Island is attacked by a Japanese fleet — including four aircraft carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor six months earlier. This time the Americans are ready. In the span of six minutes, American dive-bombers under the command of Adm. Chester W. Nimitz reduce three of the four carriers to flaming wrecks, and a few hours later they sink the fourth. Most of the American pilots and sailors were less than 26 years old. But there were no “adult children.”
• World War II, month 14: The Japanese overrun the Philippines. Gen. Douglas MacArthur promises, “I shall return.” He later did.
• Obamacare, month 18: Obama postpones Obamacare regulations until after the election, thereby delaying work on the website to implement them. In his campaign he repeats his promise, “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it. Period.”
• World War II, month 30: In the biggest naval operation in history, Americans and their allies under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully invade France to begin the liberation of Western Europe.
• Obamacare, month 34: Obamacare doubles the Medicare payroll tax and imposes a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices — everything from stethoscopes to X-ray machines.
• Obamacare, month 38: Obama completes his 122nd round of golf.
• World War II, month 39: In the wheelchair he has lived in for the past 23 years, Roosevelt travels to war-ravaged Eastern Europe to meet with allies Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. He dies two months later. He didn’t golf.
• Obamacare, month 42: The Obamacare website goes live. And then it goes dead. Obama’s administrator in charge declares it a “debacle.” Obama says he “fumbled.” It later comes out that Obama and his administrator met exactly once over the preceding 42 months.
• World War II, month 42: America and its allies defeat Germany.
• Obamacare, month 43: Notwithstanding Obama’s promises to the contrary — which he made at least 24 times — Obamacare begins canceling the insurance policies of millions of Americans.
Some have life-threatening illness and cannot afford medical treatment or the higher premiums and deductibles under Obamacare. Obama eventually says he “regrets” that “people find themselves” in that position.
A nonpartisan fact-checker calls Obama’s broken 24-time promise the “lie of the year.” White House records show that Obama knew all along that it was a lie; his “regret” commenced only after the people found out.
• World War II, month 44: America and its allies defeat Japan. Over the course of the preceding 44 months, the American “arsenal of democracy,” as Roosevelt called it, manufactured 1,000 ships, 300,000 airplanes, more than 2 million trucks and two atom bombs (after inventing the atom bomb). Some 16 million men and women were trained in the military.
• Obamacare, month 44: Over the course of 44 months, Obama postponed a dozen deadlines without congressional authority, exempted friends and cronies including White House staff, unions and companies that contributed to his campaign, and launched a website “debacle.” By a 5-1 margin, Obamacare canceled more insurance policies than it issued.
• Obamacare, month 45: Obama mentions that Air Force One is flying him to Hawaii for “a couple days.” His purpose is not to honor the 1,102 sailors still entombed in the sunken USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor but to honor the game of golf for the 155th time since becoming president.
His “couple days” in Hawaii is actually 17, but who’s counting?
Glenn K. Beaton can be reached at theaspenbeat@gmail.com.
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