The Observation Deck:  First you say you didn’t and then you did…. 

Having a buffoon for a president has its advantages; you get a good laugh now and then.  This morning, CNN showed a clip of The Trump commenting on the failure of Trumpcare to get a vote in the House.   The video clearly shows him sitting in the Oval Office saying he NEVER promised to repeal and replace Obamacare.  This clip was followed by about five videos from his campaign specifically showing him declare emphatically that on day one he was going to “repeal and replace Obamacare” to wildly applauding crowds.  Now, I know, The Trump hates CNN and calls it “fake news” but, come on Donald, all those videos are a matter of public record documenting things you have really said and done.  It was very funny watching him at his desk, fluttering his hands and shrugging his shoulders and insisting he never said something he really did.

The Observation Deck:  Did you know?

One of The Trump’s cabinet ministers and a great many Republicans actually believe the earth is 6,000 years old. What you probably don’t know is where that comes from.  That belief is based on the calculations of the 17th Century Irish Archbishop of Armagh, James Ussher, who used the generations and ages given in the Bible to calculate that the exact date of creation was Saturday, October 22, 4004 BC.  Now if you add the years since ancient Christians adopted pagan rituals to determine the birth of Jesus, you add 2017, so the earth is 6,021 years old.  And if you believe that, it is perfectly understandable why you believe everything Donald Trump says.

The Observation Deck: The Republicans’ (Don’t Care) Health Care Plan

Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services said that Trumpcare would put in place “a patient-centered system where we get patients and families and doctors making medical decision and not Washington D.C.” That is so much unmitigated bullshit I can’t believe even the most avid Trumpist can believe it.

For the past five years, I have dealt with three kinds of cancer, three surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, experimental drugs, numerous scans, lab tests and various consultations and not once, got that, not once has Washington D.C. had anything to do with making my medical decisions.

The Republican Party keeps telling you that “the American people” want choices, they want to manage their own health care, they want to get Washington bureaucrats out of your health care, that the free-market insurance business will make everything wonderful with liberty and health care for all.

No, the American people would just like to have a health care system free from anxiety and clearly understandable. The Republicans flat out do not want to give all Americans guaranteed health care. It can be done. This article is a clear explanation of how. Of course, the Republicans, insurance companies and big pharma would never allow it.

The Fake Freedom of American Health Care

If Republicans really want to give patients more freedom, they should try health care the Finnish way.

NYTIMES.COM