"I'm Willing To Let Them Fail" Paul Kanjorski

In the same Saturday, September 20, 2008 article Paul Kanjorski is quoted making a sarcastic statement "I'm willing to let them fail" referring to the financial institutions that are seeking a federal bailout. In a fair and balanced look Paul was not sincere but sarcastic with his comment.

Now let's look at Paul Kanjorski and Ed Mitchell's smear campagin against Lou Barletta regarding healthcare. In a recent commercial put out by the Kanjorski campaign it distorts one of Barletta's statements made to the Pocono Record in a March 26, 2008 story. In the article he stated "Government-run health care scares me to death," he said. "I don't think the government should be in the health care business. It could encourage more people to come into the country illegally for health care."

Ed Mitchell took the statement "I don't think the government should be in the health care business" and used it out of context in a political ad aimed square at Barletta. The Kanjorski ad uses the quote to proffer that Barletta opposes current government-funded health programs, such as Medicare and Children's Health Insurance (CHIP), Va hospitals, and Medical Assistance. Clearly Barletta's statement was "stretched" by the Kings of Stretch, Ed Micthell and Paul Kanjorski.

When one reads that article Paul Kanjorski makes the statement "I don't do the ads," claiming not to know the specific content. Hello, Paul. "I am Paul Kanjorski and I approve this message" is at the beginning of the ad on KanjoTV.

The ad starts by stating "Lou Barletta is a threat to your health." It is the typical smear that is characteristic of a fight against Ed Mitchell. He chooses to ignore the private and employer sponsored insurances in America today. Ed charges that George Bush has the U.S. in a world of debt. Yet, he and Paul Kanjorski want to put American taxpayers into more debt by funding all health insurance. With double digit inflation in healthcare expenditures it won't be long before 100% of GDP will be used to pay for "Kanjorski's master plan."

The ad ends with a statement that Lou Barletta opposes health insurance for all Americans. That charge is another distortion of Lou Barletta's position. Is Paul Kanjorski making us believe that the only way all Americans can have health insurance is if the United States Government pays for it? When did Lou Barletta ever state he opposes health insurance for all Americans? Let's see that one in writing.

What he did state is that he is opposed to the government in the healthcare business. No government should ever be in business, otherwise it competes with the very entity that supports it. Medicare, VA hospitals, and Chips are not goverment healthcare business entities. They are entitlement programs. The services in two out of three programs are provided by healthcare providers paid by the government. Even the VA hospitals do not compete as they do not serve the public. Their subsidies are paid for by the government to only treat military personnel.

But, as one would expect, Ed and Paul wouldn't know the difference. Washington has clouded Paul's vision. If Barletta wanted to stoop to the Ed Mitchell mentality he would come out with a commercial that states Paul Kanjorski wants all financial institutions to fail. After all Paul did say he was "willing." And that is scary to our health.

Ed Mitchell has the nerve to rip Barletta over negative campaign ads. Jeff Brauer from Keystone College was almost right when he said "it’s common for challengers to make incumbents out to be untrustworthy, corrupt or out of touch. In this case Ed Mitchell and Paul Kanjorski are doing it to themselves. "It's free money." "But you know, the temptation to want to win back the Congress, we sort of stretched the facts...and people ate it up." "You’re telling me I can’t take care of my family?"