Readers of the Outspeaker know by now that I have absolutely no problem with calling an ass an ass.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, my very own ex-mayor and Republican candidate for the presidency of this, our former country, is an ass of the first order. I have watched his performances in the “debates” and, weighing him in the balance, found him severely wanting. Still, having experienced his reign firsthand in NYC, I figured he couldn’t REALLY do much harm. Here in Sodom-on-the-Hudson even nominal Republicans such as Rudy and our very own Michael Bloomburg (another Republican) function, out of political necessity, as moderate Democrats.

Then came the NYT of August 1st. In it was an article regarding Rudy’s plans to “transform” the way health care coverage is provided in the US. Before I had gotten as little as two paragraphs into the article, I knew what was coming. I knew I was going to get some re-hash of the same crap we have been hearing from conservatives for decades; tax credits, medical savings accounts, and other ways of re-funneling cash into the pockets of the same HMO’s and insurance companies who created the problem in the first place. It seems to be a credo of the Right that unless some individual or corporation is getting wealthy, common sense solutions are a waste of time and effort. And so it was for Rudy; He proposed a $15,000 tax exemption per family (he didn’t seem to have a solution for individuals)…

Oh, hell, here are the ass’s own words as paraphrased by the Times:

“Instead, he proposed tax exemptions of up to $15,000 per family, allowing individuals to direct that money toward the purchase of health insurance and other medical spending. He also said he opposed any government mandates that would require people or businesses to buy insurance, which is central to the universal health care plan neighboring Massachusetts passed in April 2006 when Mitt Romney, a Republican rival, was governor there.”

Instead of what?

Instead of the following, also quoted from the same article:

“In his speech here, he excoriated Democrats for advocating a “socialist” solution to solving the problem of the nation’s 44.8 million uninsured, saying the party’s candidates encouraged a “nanny government” by proposing a greater government role in health care.”

Rudy, you and your ilk can go straight to hell. A “socialist solution?”

Take a look at the following list, you IDIOT:

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America

The above list of countries comes to us via the World Health Organization. It lists in descending order, the ranking of countries regarding their overall performance in delivering health care. That’s right, we rank 37th, AFTER Chile and Costa Rica. There is ONE category, again according to WHO where we have the entire world beat, though. We spend more per capita than any other country in the world to DELIVER this sub-standard health care.

A socialist solution? What do you think Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, The entire Veteran’s health care plan are, free market capitalism?

No, Rudy, you are a pandering ass, with no ideas at all to recommend you. You have solely some videotape of you marching down Broadway on 9/11 with a handkerchief over your snout, which is about what anyone with any common sense would do; nothing at all. You provided no protection at all. As a matter of fact, you built our “crisis control center” right smack in the middle of the World Trade Center, knowing full well that it was a prime target of terrorists. When other, saner individuals recommended you locate it in downtown Brooklyn, you declined to do so.

Anyone care to guess where the Crisis Control Center is located these days?.

Rudy, you are an ass. Why in the hell would we vote you into office with such credentials?

We’ve already GOT an ass in place, and he is screwing up things nicely all on his own.

Oh yeah, another quote from the NYT article:

“And to help the poor or others struggling to afford health insurance, Mr. Giuliani said he would support vouchers and tax refunds, but he gave no details about how he would pay for them.”

The short answer is, he has no intention of providing health care for those struggling to afford a miserable system that costs more and delivers less than any other nation in the civilized world.

No details. No plans. No brains. Sorry Rudy…

Once again, thanks to my Megillah friends (who all must agree with me, since I never get any negative response) and I welcome any and all comment and criticism.