Bizarre, Politics, Society

Santorum Instructs Students On Same-Sex Marriage and Health Care

We previously discussed the unease of civil libertarians over Rick Santorum, particularly his privacy positions. His appeal to evangelical and faith-based voters was evident in a remarkable appearance in Sioux Center, Iowa. Santorum has a tense exchange over his position on same-sex marriage and health care — making the factual representation that no one has ever died from lack of health care protection and same-sex marriage would have horrific consequences for the nation.

The first exchange was with Jason Kornelis, 23, who started out by asking Santorum about his opposition to same-sex marriage. Santorum expressed disbelief in the statement of Kornelis that he could not see how same-sex marriage would “be a hit to faith and family in America . . . You can’t think of any consequence?”

Santorum raised the specter of teaching such “sexual activity” in schools and added

“Really- wow- um okay, well let’s see if we can have a discussion. We can flesh out some, well, let’s look at what’s going to be taught in our schools because now we have same sex couples being the same and their sexual activity being seen as equal and being affirmed by society as heterosexual couples and their activity . . . so what is going to be taught to our people in health class in our schools? What is going to be taught to our children about who in our stories, even to little children — what are married couples? What families look like in America? So, you are going to have in our curriculum spread throughout our curriculum worldview that is fundamentally different than what is taught in schools today? Is that not a consequence of gay marriage?”

When Kornelis said that he was still not convinced, Santorum said “I think you’re wrong — okay, in fact you have to know you’re wrong, because if we say legally if this type of relationship is identical to other type relationships than of course more of it will be taught because this is what the law says.”

When a student asked Santorum asked about health care, the student cited a 2009 Harvard study and noted that he did not “think God appreciates the fact that we have 50 to 100,000 uninsured Americans dying due to a lack of healthcare every year.” He should know better to cite an academic study to Santorum during an election with experts and intellectuals have been denounced as virtual threats to the nation. Santorum responded

“Dying?” . . . the answer is not what can we do to prevent deaths because of a lack of health insurance. There’s — I reject that number completely, that people die in America because of lack of health insurance . . . People die in America because people die in America. And people make poor decisions with respect to their health and their healthcare. And they don’t go to the emergency room or they don’t go to the doctor when they need to . . . And it’s not the fault of the government for not providing some sort of universal benefit.”

Few candidates are willing to take those breast cancer victims to task for their “poor decision” to have cancer. Not since Ann Coulter took on those 9-11 widows has a Republican shown such daring. I am not sure who is more benefitted from the Santorum surge: Romney or Obama. I expect both. What is remarkable is that Santorum can in good faith oppose the national health care legislation on federalism grounds without asserting that the lack of health care does not cause some harm or deaths to uncovered individuals.

After a long and bizarre GOP primary season, I expect voters in South Carolina and New Hampshire may want to consider the response of Melvin Udall when Santorum comes knocking:

Source: ABC

64 thoughts on “Santorum Instructs Students On Same-Sex Marriage and Health Care”

  2. Santorum’s Income Has Soared Since He Left Senate
    by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON January 7, 2012
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=144823565

    Excerpt:
    Santorum’s resume contrasts with campaign rhetoric that casts him as an outsider who would shake up Washington. It also appears at odds with the image that Santorum stresses as a candidate with hardscrabble roots in blue-collar Pennsylvania and as the grandson of an Italian immigrant coal miner.

    Much of the money Santorum earned in recent years was for his work as a board member for a large health care company and consulting for a Pennsylvania energy company and a Washington lobbying firm.

    Santorum earned a $165,200 Senate salary and $32,245 in book royalties, according to his 2006 disclosure report.

    At one time the No. 3 GOP leader in the Senate, Santorum was of comparatively modest means during his two terms. He has followed the same revolving-door path that many former members of Congress pursue when they move to the public sector, trading on his knowledge and political connections as a congressional insider with groups that advocate for corporations and other interests. He was not a registered lobbyist but served as a corporate consultant.

    “It’s a well-worn path of former members of Congress using their former position in Congress to cash in,” said Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “It’s ironic that he portrays himself in his campaign as a Washington outsider. He’s a quintessential insider. He’s an incredibly rich, highly paid consultant.”

    A Santorum campaign spokesman did not return messages Friday seeking comment.

    Santorum’s service on the board of a hospital conglomerate provided much of his income in recent years.

    Santorum reported receiving $395,414 in director fees and stock options from Universal Health Services Inc., a hospital management company. He left the board last year as he launched his presidential bid. Santorum listed between $100,001 and $250,000 in Universal Health stock.

    Santorum’s consulting work earned him six-figure fees in recent years, his disclosure form showed.

    Consol Energy, based in Pennsylvania, paid Santorum $142,500 for his consulting services.

    Santorum reported that the American Continental Group, a Washington lobbying group, paid him $65,000 in consulting fees. The firm’s lengthy client list includes Microsoft Corp., Comcast Corp. and the American Gaming Association.

    “The senator did general consulting and provided his advice and opinion on which way the Senate may go, based on his record in the Senate and his history in leadership,” said David Urban, president of American Continental Group. “He’s very smart tactically.”

    Santorum left the firm last June when he formally began running for president.

    Santorum also reported earning $125,000 for consulting work for The Clapham Group, a Virginia-based consulting firm that works with faith-based groups, among others. Clients include the American Bible Society and The Poverty Forum, according to its website.

    Santorum’s earnings included payments from a conservative think tank and media outlets.

    The Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington paid Santorum $217,385 as a senior fellow.

    News Corp. in New York paid Santorum $239,153 for his appearances on Fox News Channel. Salem Radio paid Santorum $83,999 for his work as a radio talk show host. Santorum was guest host for “Bill Bennett’s Morning in America” radio show. The Philadelphia Inquirer paid Santorum $23,000 for columns he wrote for the paper.

  3. Technorati will give you a short code which you need to place in a new blog post. After that…it’s a waiting game. Technorati will inform you, via email, whether or not your blog has been verified.

  4. Swarthmore mom, that is an outstanding link, LOL, thanks much.

    Anon Nurse, also an excellent link. I know his health service was busted for fraud (either Medicare or medicaid or both) and poor patient care but I didn’t know details regarding treatment.

  5. No matter how small this may seem….this is a huge success……So what if Huntsman is seen in a Maoist Uniform…..It is a sign of respect for the host county…..would you expect to see him in Bermuda Shorts and a Polo Shirt purchased from Barneys……

    Jon Huntsman Gets Boston Globe Endorsement

    Paper Snubs Former Mass. Governor

    NEWPORT, N.H. — Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman on Thursday won the endorsement of The Boston Globe, marking the second time Massachusetts’ largest newspaper has snubbed its former governor, Mitt Romney, ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

    Read more: http://www.wmur.com/new-hampshire-primary-extended-coverage/30148417/detail.html#ixzz1ih7uvZ3H

    http://www.wmur.com/r/30148417/detail.html

  6. Thanks for the great links, Swarthmore mom. (What in the hell is wrong with these people???)

    Lotta, I hadn’t heard the Romney dog story either. Thanks for the update. More on the Santorum business later… I had read about it, but don’t know the details…

  10. My mother died in the ER waiting room waiting to be admitted to the hospital because they had her name wrong and did not think that she was insured although she had been treated in the same staph infected hospital for three years straight at a cost of a million plus insured dollars. Yes Santo Rum you sure are a smart guy and can really inform kids about the facts of life. You, the guy who was in Congress and the Senate on the public tit making the rest of us pay for the birth machine you and wifey poo created. Think we went in dumb and come out dumb too?

  11. lotta,

    I really don’t creep out easily either but there is more than just a hint of depravity in each of those actions.

    Lord, it’s late … even for me. I’d better get to bed if I want to accomplish anything tomorrow.

    by the way … how’s your other half doing? Well, I hope.

  12. Blouise: “lotta, Your post at 10:54pm … are you f**king kidding me?!!”
    ***

    Oh girlfriend, I’m sorry to have just dropped that much cruel/crazy on you at one time, I assumed everybody had heard those stories by now.

    Different cultures have different relationship with their dead and even here in America the treatment of the dead over time has and does vary, I know that and I’m not creeped out by those things. But Santorum just creeped me out with the extent of their ‘ceremony’ and bringing their other kids into it, and that’s not an easy thing to do.

    I don’t think you can have positions like this current field of candidates have without having just insane or ugly-to-the-bone acts in your closet. And speaking of closets, I don’t even want to know what’s hidden in the Bachmann’s closet 🙂

  15. lotta,

    Your post at 10:54pm … are you f**king kidding me?!!

    I had never heard either of those two facts (the dog and the dead baby) … probably because I never paid any real attention to either Romney or Santorum.

    Those two are real freaks of nature. What kind of person votes for them? Yuck!

  16. Nice picture Pete, how many of the women are Mitt’s wives?

    (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

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