Thread: GOP fundraising 'survey' outrages some recipients

Raymond and Louise Denny of La Center were surprised last week to receive a mailing from Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, entitled "2009 Future of American Health Survey."



After reading it, their surprise turned to outrage.



They were especially irked by the following:



"It has been suggested that the government could use voter registration to determine a person's political affiliation, prompting fears that GOP voters might be discriminated against for medical treatment in a Democrat-imposed health care rationing system. Does this possibility concern you?"



Raymond Denny, a retired insurance underwriter, characterized the question as akin to "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"

Pollsters defend the practice:

It's standard practice to use such faux "surveys" to raise money for a variety of causes, said Portland pollster Mike Riley. "It's common, trying to stir the pot to see what kinds of issues get attention."



"Both parties do that," Riley said. "They are using some of the hot-button issues to see what activates the voters. It's politics as usual within the party faithful. No one that I know puts any credibility in these types of polls."

Then why do they do it?



http://columbian.com/article/2009082...259961/-1/NEWS



I would love this issue to be debated on the merits, but that's nowhere near happening.



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoLhNGUuxzM&feature=related[/media]

They've resorted to push-polling.



For example, in Ontario, the average wait time for general surgery, which are benign conditions, is 99 days when averaging all area hospitals. The shortest is 44 days. This would be non cancerous, general surgery. (Ex, knee, hip replacement, cosmetic, removal of benign masses, etc.)



For breast cancer surgery, for example, the average wait time is 34 days, but at the shortest in the area, it is 13 days.



For gastrointestinal cancers, the average wait in Ontario is 44 days, but the shortest in the area is 26 days.



For cardiac: bypass surgery has an average of 48 days in Ontario, but could be done at shortest in 26 days. Angioplasty has an average of 18 days, but could be done in 10 days.



Emergency surgery is taken as priority, and is done as quickly as possible. The average wait times posted also take into account emergency surgery, btw.



http://www.health.go...public_mn.html#



Also take into account that Ontario is the most populated province in Canada.





Our system is shit here, and the lies about how great it is and how bad their's is don't cover that up.