QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 8:11 A.M. ET:  From former Senator Fred Thompson, writing in the Washington Times:

Seniors are reminded daily by the media that Medicare is going broke, that the country must cut Medicare costs and that the last days of life are by far the most expensive. Now they are being told by the administration -- one that has been less than transparent on this bill and a host of other issues -- that this bill will cut Medicare costs. They are learning that they are "coincidentally" being asked about end-of-life issues at the government's behest, perhaps by a stranger who is receiving Medicare reimbursement payments. How long do you think it will take a Medicare patient to figure out which decisions will cost the government money and which will save the government money?

Pretty grim.  And yet, when seniors, or their families, bring up the subject, they're ridiculed.  And others who bring it up are called right-wing extremists.  Thompson goes on:

So is this a conspiracy to kill off granny? No. Will seniors be forced to make decisions they don't want to make? No. But will "practitioners" be encouraged to have end-of-life discussions that include when it might be best for patients to allow their life to end earlier than it has to? Of course. And seniors have a right to be satisfied that there is not, at the heart of this process, undue consideration given to cost-cutting.

In the end, it depends on how comfortable one is with having the government in the middle of this process. That is what this discussion is really all about.

COMMENT:  That's correct, and it's an important discussion.  And because it's important, those individuals - on our side - who misbehave at town meetings with members of Congress, are doing our cause no good.  Screaming and yelling will persuade no one.  We have faced that kind of shout-'em-down behavior by liberals, and have properly deplored it.  Let's not fall into the trap, which the mainstream media would love to set, and become just like the "Bush lied, thousands died" opposition.

August 5, 2009