Part 3: "Well, at least you have yer health. Wait...no. You can has bucket. Kthxbai."

Welcome to Part 3 of my not-so-live blogging of the Iowa GOP debate. You can still access the rest of the series, if you arrived here out of sequence :)

Just a recap from Part 1: you can watch the whole Konservative Krying Game for yourself at the ABCnews.com site. Aside from Stephanopoulos, the cast of characters included: Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; and Rep Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
(Missing and presumed sleepy: former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn)

Well, at least you have yer health. Wait...no. You can has bucket. Kthxbai.

HUCKABEE: (The Fmr. Gov of Arkansas is asked about the Senate's recent proposal to expand children's health insurance (SCHIP), and asked about whether he agrees with the Presiden't threat to veto the legislation) Response: "Either give every American the same kind of healthcare that Congress has or [force] Congress to live on the kind of healthcare that Americans have." Suggests that the US should focus on prevention and wellness, instead of dealing with illness and catastrophes. "Almost like a boat taking on water…do you get a bigger bucket?" (sorry…I missed the middle of this folksy analogy. You get the idea: do you wannu fix the leak or just keep on bailing? I dunno. "Iz nice tnx, but is not mah bucket." LOL)
T. THOMPSON: Wants to move the US towards wellness and prevention. Argues that the 'ill and disabled' take up 60% of all health care costs. Suggests that health care delivery/insurance could be simplified in one form, like the simplest of IRS tax forms (WTF?)
TANCREDO: Argues that it is "not the responsibility of the federal government to provide "womb to tomb" health care." Wants to foster more "personal responsibility," encourage reimportation of drugs, and, remember: it's those "illegal aliens" who are taking up a "large part" of US health care resources (I call B.S. See "Delivery of Health Services to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers," by Arcury TA and Quandt SA., Ann Rev Pub Health, April 2007)

(General question: all congressional Representatives/Senators who are running for the Republican nom. voted against expansion of SCHIP. What about Romney & Giuliani?)

ROMNEY: Concedes that expanding the ranks of the insured can't be brought about by tax exemption, but still thinks that the US can provide full coverage "with a free market based system" (With what? Its palpating invisible hand?)
GIULIANI: Thinks SCHIP and its proposed expansion are inherently bad because they move the US "towards socialized medicine" (uttered w/extra hiss). Giuliani wants to give a "major tax deduction" for health care, approx $15 000.

(Note: Stephanopoulos points out that all Republican candidates have stated their opposition to the expansion of health insurance for children. Nice.)

HUNTER: Insists that some SCHIP recipients are not poor families, but include those earning $60 000/yr. (Those greedy, greedy children, eh?)
BROWNBACK: Feels that the US "needs more market forces in health care," and that the Democrats are "marching" the US towards "socialized medicine" (aside: can't you just imagine Father Brownback ordering his daughter to "march up to your room, young lady"?)

Part 4 is on the way..."I can't believe it's not democracy! Furrin Polsy and the War on Brains"
or...
Return to Part 2..."Iraq: Stay, Go, or Arm-paramilitary-death-squad(s)?"