Questions for the group mind, if you happen to know any of the answers offhand.

[tbyg52]

Not asking for others to do my research for me - just thought I'd throw these out before Googling, in case any of y'all know any of the answers off the top of your heads.

I took a few notes at my representative's town hall last night - some of the stuff he threw out struck me as iffy, and I'd like to verify. My reason for wanting to debunk these (if applicable) is that I'm going to his *next* town hall meeting as well!

List follows:

*******************************

Paperwork to apply for stimulus funds says “job creation not an issue” (Specifically mentioned a project in Missouri)

Cap and trade (he called it “cap and tax”) will cost each Texan (Texas family? – not sure exactly what he said) $1,800 a year

We beat the European and Canadian cancer survival rate by 10% (Of course, he didn’t mention any other health stats)

Wait times in Canada for surgery for non-life-threatening conditions - he used a sports injury as an example – said you would be going around on crutches for six months while you waited.

Claims Medicare payments usually don’t cover costs of the procedure being paid

Says tort reform in Texas has had good results, gave as example that before tort reform we had ob/gyn providers in 80 counties and after tort reform had them in 120 counties

Says less than 1% of stimulus money has been spent (has been allocated? – not sure exactly what he said) on transportation (transportation infrastructure? – not sure exactly what he said)

Any debunks on that stupid Repug health care reform chart? (To which he referred and is linked on his website)
http://docs.house.gov/gopleader/House-Democrats-Health-...

Thanks!

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Here's a link about cancer rates. Looks like he took his info from the NYT in 2007.

http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2007/09/surviving-cancer-us-vs-europe.html

[tbyg52]

2. Thank you very much - looks like an interesting site. nt

[Laelth]

3. Lies, lies, and more lies.

Is your Representative a Republican? That would explain it.

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[tbyg52]

4. Oh, of course he is.

Of course they sound like lies to me (except for the cancer one, per the study I was given a link to, and that's the *only* health stat he mentioned), but I'm looking for confirmation that they are. Hoping some people may know the answers and links off the top of their heads before I start Googling.

Edited to fix a stupid typo and to add "either lies or selective use of facts" - such as the ob/gyn numbers. I doubt he'd actually lie about something that seems as easily verifiable as that or the cancer numbers, but, for example, in the case of the ob/gyn's, I'm sure that's not the *whole* story.

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. Tort reform in Texas has increased the number of doctors...

...while access to care has simultaneously gone down, insurance costs have gone up faster than all but three other states, and the rate of medical malpractice -- the real issue -- is unchanged.

Link

[tbyg52]

6. Thank you!

Just as I suspected, cherry picked. I wonder if those are GOP talking points or if he thought them up himself......?