Cross-posted at Eclectablog.
My former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers stopped by the offices of the Livingston Press & Argus in Livingston County, Mich. this week to criticize health care reform legislation currently before Congress. Not only did he criticize, he told several bald-faced lies. From the article:
He said a government-appointed panel's conclusion that women need fewer mammograms at certain ages would be incorporated in the bills.
Rogers, himself a cancer survivor, said the government shouldn't dictate who has access to mammograms.
"I said, 'Oh, my gosh. They just sentenced to death 36,000 American women.'"
And that's not the only whopper he told.
Contrary to the CBO scoring of the legislation that says it will reduce the federal deficit, Rogers says it is "a financial train wreck".
Again, from the Livingston Press & Argus piece:
He said the estimated cost of proposed health-care reform will most likely outweigh the financial hit of the uninsured receiving health services without paying for them.
"The math of this thing is awful," he said.
Apparently this legislation which has yet to be actually passed by Congress and sent to the president for his signature has enormous power and influence. Why? Well, again according to Rogers, it is already "creating a financial catastrophe and led to more private physicians, in particular, to stop accepting the coverage."
Finally, it is Rep. Rogers' contention that the reason that Democrats voted for it was because they didn't actually read it.
The article is getting a great deal of progressive flak in the comments section, a bit surprising in this very right-wing area. The amazing thing is that Mike Rogers is often seen as a somewhat moderate Republican by many in Michigan. The truth is, of course, that he is not.
Apparently when you and your party have put themselves in a position of having absolutely no voice in the legislative process, your only recourse is to tell lies. The second biggest shame is that there are still media sources that will report them without fact checking.
On Mike Rogers' campaign website we learn that he needs our help:
Mike is under attack from LIBERALS and BIG LABOR BOSSES who want to control your health care!
Small wonder.