Christmas Greetings from the Brewercare ‘Death Panels’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Gov. Jan Brewer and her Brewercare "death panels" again made the top story on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Tuesday night.

It takes a British reporter to show the timid Arizona political media how to ask the tough questions. Of course, Brewer had a snit and refused to answer the reporter's questions honestly, finally being saved by a press flak who interrupted her to say "Next question, please?"

Transcript from Tuesday, Dec. 14th – msnbc tv – Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

[M]ore death panels threatened in Arizona. The governor who fought health care reform and refused to spend stimulus money to cover a $5 million shortfall in transplant insurance now tells complaining Arizonans –

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER, ARIZONA: I would suggest that people would go to the federal government and ask them to send us stimulus dollars to support these transplants if that‘s what they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN: Does that sound crazy to you?

Not as crazy as this. This is how Governor Brewer sees herself. [From her Facebook page]

Governor Jan Brewer Wishing you and your family a “Rosie” Christmas — One that glows with warm blessings of the season, and a “We Can Do It” spirit throughout the New Year!

In our number one story, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer considers another round of death panels.  She tells a reporter from British television that if her constituents are concerned about saving people‘s lives, don‘t ask her, ask Washington for the money.  You know, more money beyond the money Washington already gave her that she spent on arena roof repair. 

Yet another Arizonan denied a heart transplant denied a heart transplant by Brewer‘s deal panel Douglas Gravagna will join us.  Brewer and the Republican-led state legislature are now contemplating cutting axing state Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, a Brewer spokesman telling the associated press “The program called Access remains the largest single state budget problem we‘re dealing with.” 

Brewer was at a public event when asked her decision to deny 100 citizens organ transplants, asked by Sarah Smith, a correspondent for Great Britain‘s channel 4. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH:  How many transplants patients in Arizona have to actually die before you‘re prepared to reverse the decision not to fund their operations? 

GOV. JAN BREWER, ARIZONA:  That‘s a real difficult, unfair question in my opinion.  You know?  Certainly we have made budget cuts.  The bottom line is Arizona simply doesn‘t have the money and—

SMITH:  It‘s only $5 million.  You must be able to find it somewhere else. 

BREWER:  I wish that—you know, I have a $1 billion deficit facing the state of Arizona.  The bottom line is we simply don‘t have the money.  I would suggest that people would go to the federal government and ask them to send us stimulus dollars to support these transplants if that‘s what they want to do. 

SMITH:  They sent you nearly $200 million in stimulus dollars.  Why can‘t you use those? 

BREWER:  They were sent to Arizona and have been expended in a proper manner. 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:  Next question, please? 

SMITH:  What do you say to people who say this is a GOP death panel? 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OLBERMANN:  “Next question, please?”  The governor‘s office providing a list to the “Arizona Republic” newspaper as to how the federal money had been spent a partial and utterly unspecific list that includes $12 million dedicated to attracting new business, $10 million to border security and enhancement, $50 million to state prisons. [See The Arizona Republic, Gov. Jan Brewer: No funds for transplants]

And as for Brewer‘s suggestion that her constituents should ask for more federal money, just yesterday Brewer applauded a judge‘s decision to declare part of the Affordable Care act unconstitutional, that same hat that would pick up 100 percent of the tab in order for states to expand Medicaid to 2016, 90 percent after 2020.

Today the governor posting this heartfelt message and illustration on her Facebook, page, “Wishing you and your family a "Rosie" Christmas, one that glows with warm blessings of the season, and a “we can do it” spirit throughout the New Year.”  Presumably that “we can do it” spirit refers to those who are not living in Jan Brewer‘s Arizona.

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