Fact-Checking Conservative Outrage Over STD Prevention Provision In Economic Recovery Package
Fact-Checking Conservative Outrage Over STD Prevention Provision In Economic Recovery Package
Another day, another shrill Drudge headline. On Monday, Drudge put up an unflattering picture of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), accompanied by the headline, “PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY.” His conservative fans in Congress, of course, quickly went on the attack against the sensible family planning provision in the House economic recovery package, and in an effort to compromise, President Obama agreed to drop the provision.
Drudge’s newest attack today focuses on the legislation’s provision to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases:
Democrats may have eliminated provisions on birth control and sod for the National Mall in the “job stimulus” — but buried on page 147 of the bill is stimulation for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases!
The House Democrats’ bill includes $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
Aside from the fact that many conservatives are squeamish about giving money to anything associated with sex, they seem unable to grasp the concept of preventive care and how it can help lower government health care spending. The $335 million provision to help stop the spread of STDs is part of a Prevention and Wellness Fund in the economic recovery legislation.
In 2006, CAP President and CEO John Podesta and Jeanne Lambrew — who is now a top health care adviser in the White House — proposed a similar idea. This fund would support clinically-proven prevention and wellness strategies that, in the end, would not only improve Americans’ health and productivity, but also lower U.S. health care costs. As Podesta and Lambrew explained:
Preventive health care service could reduce government spending on health care. If all elderly received a flu vaccine, health costs could be reduced by nearly $1 billion per year. Over 25 years, Medicare could save an estimated $890 billion from effective control of hypertension, and $1 trillion from returning to levels of obesity observed in the 1980s.
Some reasons that increased funding for STD prevention specifically will ultimately save the United States money:
– Increase workforce productivity. More than 56,000 people become infected with HIV/AIDS each year. The CDC estimates that the new infections cost the country $56 billion in medical care and lost productivity.
– Lower health industry costs. STDs, some of the most preventable diseases, cost the U.S. health care system as much as $15.3 billion annually.
– Lower federal government costs. The federal government is expected to spend $12.3 billion on HIV/AIDS-related medical care in 2009.
What’s more disturbing is that a new report by the CDC finds that the spread of the most common STDs — which are more likely to hit women and minorities — are on the rise. Obama has made clear that the economic recovery package is about getting people back to work; it’s hard for people to work if they’re struggling to get care for an infection.
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The measures the Repugs are screaming about are such small dollar items when looked at in the context of an $850 BILLION stimulus package.
$335,000,000 = 0.03% of $850,000,000,000
These people are idiots…
January 28th, 2009 at 3:18 pmI think when it comes to Matt Drudge… you have to have actually had sex to understand matters that pertain to sex.
You can’t get an STD from a rubber doll….
January 28th, 2009 at 3:19 pmIts obvious, the GOP likes STDs. Look at how many of them appear to be in the terminal stages of syphilis. Goopers are real big on passing things to their heirs.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:21 pmOkay, not only does preventing STDs lower medical costs (and save lives, just sayin’) but jobs are created for those who actually teach STD prevention! As much money as has been wasted on the failed “faith-based” abstinence-only education and these GOPers have the nerve to complain about real sex ed?
Let’s open condom factories here in the U.S. – red, white and blue foil wrappers!
PEACE
January 28th, 2009 at 3:29 pmIs there anything more self-loathing than a republican homozexual like Matt Drudge? Stockholm syndrome anyone?
May he become as irrelevant as Limbaugh is about to, and as Bush is now.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:34 pmWhy do Republicans love STD’s? For that matter, why do they love unplanned pregnancies?
Man, that is an unwieldy title at top, there… It took me some little while to parse it.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:35 pmWho has a stupidier hat? Drudge or Imus?
January 28th, 2009 at 3:35 pmDID the GOP ever care about women’s health issues?
GOP procreation – way to go! Brings to mind the reality show “18 Kids and Counting”. Does a man really love his wife if he forces her to continually breed year after year?
Is this why the RWers are afraid of sex education, their women might stop continually breeding?
January 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pmAnything to stop this from going thru is what they want.The Reich is a bunch of sore losers who don`t care about STD`s or how much it $$$$$ will save in the long run, as long as they can determine it to socialism of some sorts and they get it out of the stimulus package it`s ok.These guys only want tax cuts for coporations and the Wealthy even though tax cuts(on capital gains) are insignificant at this time because nobody is investing.This is absolutely outrageous and we all need to speak up hear and now.These guys are really showing their colors(YELLOW) and how much they hate losing and how much they hate America.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:43 pmIM SICK AND TIRED OF TAX CUTS. STOP THIS BULL!!!
WE ARE FALLING APART BECUASE SERTAIN PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING THERE FARE SHARE….YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE !!! ASKING FOR MORE CUTS SO YOU CAN INVEST IN MUTUAL FUNDS THAT PRODUCE NO FUKN JOBS…THAT’S REAL INVESTMENT….A HOLE.
ENOUGH OF THIS BS. PASS THE BILL WITH NO TAX CUTS FOR CORP. OR ANYONE MAKING OVER 150K. PERIOD.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:50 pmThe media would be better off if they did their own fact checking than rely on Drudge and Politico.
Drudge and Politico are two sites that are bottom feeders at best and they go out of their way to look for things that do not exist.
Just look at the clowns who contribute to both sites. Avoid both sites at all cost.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:55 pmIf it has anything to do with sex, repuglycans are against it.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:57 pmDamnitall, it’s just dirty!
conservatives are squeamish about giving money to anything associated with sex
…unless it is in diapers with a prostitute.
Tax cut for corps DO NOT MAKE JOBS.
Why would a company hire people when the public cannot buy their products because they are unemployed?
They don’t.
It is a vicious cycle, the more unemployed, the less things are bought, the more unemployment climbs, the less things are bought etc. etc.
Companies will hold on to what cash they can and wait it out…which makes the problem even bigger.
January 28th, 2009 at 3:57 pmThese troglodytes are squeamish about sex because they all seem to have something in the closet in that category. They are against it because they are really for it but can’t allow others to know. They are some sick people those gopers.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:08 pmRupturedReady,
Who gives a flying phuck about what YOU would support?
STFU A$$WIPE
Dynamo,
January 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pmGet a frigen life BOO!
You can STFU as well
I just had to shout at Norah O’Donnell on MSNBC, she just showed her right-wing colors by asking “with things like millions of dollars for STDs, isn’t the stimulus package more like a big Christmas tree?” (not exact quote, but close)
No, Norah, it’s more like the difference between life and death for some, or like the difference between hope and despair for others, and that’s just the healthcare and prevention part of the stimulus package. Airhead!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:17 pmDynamo, do you ever change your shorts or do you just shit in them and keep going?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:21 pmRR, the Repubs already tried abstinence-only education, and it hasn’t worked, as many here have tried to tell you, oh, at least every other day of the week.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:22 pmglezzery
but how do we keep you from making ignorant remarks?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:23 pmRemember, folks, Republicans do not argue from a reasoned standpoint, they argue from an emotional one, because once you have someone’s emotions flamed, they usually don’t think clearly. And that is how they have managed to win elections. Not with reasoned debate about why their ideas are superior, but with baseless emotional arguments about why you should fear the other guys winning.
Sex is a major hangup for conservatives. So finding something in a spending bill related to sex is their cue to stoke the emotions of their base and give them some false story and generate opposition where no reasoned opposition should exist. This is how Republicans win elections, and this is how they get their way. Not with reason, but with emotion.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:24 pmDaryll, be serious. Do you really think kids are so stupid that they don’t realize that not having sex is an option?
They have to be “informed” about abstinence? You’re saying they think it’s mandatory?
Hell, when I was in high school, I knew all about abstinence. it was all I practiced.
Sheesh.
Not by choice, mind you.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:24 pmGuess what, Darryl, old buddy, old sock…?
What you support IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT.
You lose. So why don’t you run along and shake off the Devil, boy?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:26 pmDynosaur troll again tries to derail the thread.
When Republicans look as foolish as they do in this one, I can understand his strategy.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:26 pmExactlly Buckie & Chris w w,
wingers have two answers to everything; tax cuts and wars.
335 million out of a trillion $ budget to prevent disease
which affects the entire country is what they’re on about ?
Bloody idiots.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:28 pmRaptureReady Says:
I will only support this provision, if it informs kids and young adults about abstinence. If it relays information about safe sex (Before marriage) then I believe that most people should be against it.
You are a fool, and you promote foolish ideas. Why do you think you should be allowed to dictate other people’s sex lives? That is what you’re doing when you say “If it relays information about safe sex (Before marriage) then I believe that most people should be against it.”
Or, put another way, why do I or anyone else have to live by your religion’s rules? Shouldn’t I be allowed to practice the religion of my choice? What if my religion doesn’t have the same, anachronous attitudes toward sex that yours does?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:29 pmOver the last thirty years or so, a mentality seems to have deveoped in this country, that if one makes enough noise about their “conservatism”, they are then free to say any irresponsible thing they want. Conservatives make an awful lot of noise, and so does an empty wagon.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:36 pmI will only support this provision, if it informs kids and young adults about abstinence, as well as practicing safe sex, does not shy away from the topic of masturbation, and includes open discussion about the emotional aspects involved. If it just relays information that you should avoid sex at all cost(Before marriage) then I believe that most people should be against it.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:36 pmHow come the repugs are soooooo facinated with other people sex lives in the first place. Shouldn’t that be criminal?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:38 pmbarack obomber
speaking of empty wagons!!!!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:39 pmExhibit A of the efficient, well-ordered conservative mind, such as it is.
Sometimes we don’t even have to deconstruct their arguments to make them look foolish. Sometimes just quoting them verbatim is enough.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:42 pmHmmm. It took 1000 chimps 1000 years of hooting, howling, flinging feces and banging on their keyboards to produce the flatulent mess at post #32.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:43 pmYEAH RIGHT, EXCEPT WHEN THEY ARE PAYING TO HAVE SOME! WHAT DO YOU THINK SENATOR VITTER?!?
HAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAAAHAHAAAAAA ! TOO FUNNY.
man i dislike that GD hypocrite.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:45 pmralph the wonder llama,
I’m there with you bud.
No choice high school abstinence sucks, plan and simple.
Thank gawd for college and beyond! That’s all I’m going to say ’bout dat!!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:46 pmsome mucking foron Says:
no suprise this is such a waste already staring ot. look at the 5 billion to acron!!! what a joke. did you guys see obama walk into the window of the oval office instead of the door haaa.
No. But I did reprint a post whose owner has absolutely no idea of proper punctuation, sentence structure, and word comprehension, let alone spelling.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:56 pmIt’s that conservative obsession with sex again. They obviously think of little else. Small wonder they totally screwed up the government.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:02 pmDynamo
January 28th, 2009 at 5:04 pmHummm
You need a new stupid picture…
no, a pimplie faced guy in a bow tie just went by and he smelled bad, I thought it was probably you.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pmDarryl Issa is lying his toupee off on MSNBC right now. He admitted that the Republiskunks’ voting for every spending bill that came down the pike was wrong, that their running the country into debt was wrong, but NOW he wants to stop spending. F@cking hypocrite bastage!
January 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pmFlushInterior says:
Whuh? Actually, I have no flippin’ clue as to what Flush is trying to say.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pmFlush. Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life!
LushInterior, I would say that your type will keep our national health care system busy for a while.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:13 pmLushInterior, I would say that your type will keep our national health care system busy for a while, what with all the mental care you obviously need.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:14 pmOk. I’ve got to accept that some groups see fertility control devices as immoral.
But what group stands up and says STDs are a good thing ? (other than the anti-gardiasil group who says that it will promote promiscuity) ?
January 28th, 2009 at 5:20 pmJane, happy to see you! I was just thinking the other day that while we’ve seen Wayne, I hadn’t seen anything from you in what seems like ages!
I saw Issa on Matthews too, and I love his “just like prison inmates, we’ve learned our lessons and can now we can be believed” shtick. I honestly laughed at how ridiculous these clowns are, but at the same time am f’ing pissed that they are getting so much air time.
Geez, Obama just finished Day 8 of his presidency and the only ones on teevee are GOP trolls.
PEACE
January 28th, 2009 at 5:23 pmRaptureReady Says:
I will only support this provision, if it informs kids and young adults about abstinence.
I would assume that everybody already knows about abstinence. That’s not “information.”
.
RaptureReady Says:
If it relays information about safe sex (Before marriage) then I believe that most people should be against it.
OK, that’s twelve kinds of retarded right there. I don’t even know how to read that. Are you saying you believe that most people would be against it, or are you issuing an order from on high?
And are you saying it would be OK to have a comprehensive sex education program in which all the examples are married and then just hope they don’t figured out that those methods also work for unmarried people too?
There’s no reason to think that such a program is more worthy of funding than any other. None. Not even on religious grounds. You are a crazy person.
.
Dynamo Says:
Obama looks like a compete idiot trying to open a window at the oval office.
I saw that picture. Looks like a door to me. Would probably look like a door to you.
You know, I’ve noticed that cons fail to apply the “reasonable person mistake” standard when making fun of Obama for getting something wrong. I got into it for a bit with a few of y’all over at AceOfSpadesHQ the other day, and they were screaming that Obama was an idiot for missing the 43rd/44th President thing. And also that he was a drooling imbecile for idly asking (at Mount Rushmore) how they got people up there to film “North by Northwest” (answer: it was faked on a set).
Now, I wouldn’t have known either of those, and neither would anybody I know, and neither would you, and neither would anybody you know. But they tend to take that as justification to scream that he’s actually as dumb as Bush. The difference is that Bush screws up things (like the English language) that most people don’t have a problem with. Obama occasionally gets things wrong that any reasonable person might get wrong. And frankly, he makes fewer mistakes than most people I’ve heard of.
We’re not the ones expecting him to be perfect.
.
barack obomber Says:
look at the 5 billion to acron!!! what a joke.
Where? I’m looking…
.
LushInterior Says:
Logic has been lost on this subject…..this should be the equation………more STD’s = need for more health care = greater chance of National health care.
Thanks for the tip for getting an agenda passed. We don’t work that way, because we’re not evil bastards like y’all.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:38 pmAll of this proposed (and formerly proposed) spending on stds prevention and family-planning/contraception is fine and necessary for the country, but in an overhaul of our national health care system, not an economic stimulus package.
Congress as a whole should have a say in the appropriations process what kind of changes to Medicaid (the family planning money) and other pressing health expenses should become law. Whatever democrats thought these health-care related expenditures in the Recovery bill would sail through Congress without any debate are making a big mistake and I hope it doesn’t ruin the type of bipartisan support President Obama was looking for in the votes for this legislation. Funding for renovating the National Mall is one thing, but these are needless controversies.
The dems better stick to (and ask for more) infrastructure and education spending (pell grants especially), tax relief for the middle class, small business and limited big business (to make republicans happy) and that’s it. But I’m afraid this Recovery Act’s going to balloon up to $900 billion and put us in an $800 billion deficit over 10 years that will come back to haunt us. I hope I’m wrong, but you know how Congress works.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:59 pmAnything that does not put money into the pockets of the wealthy will not get the approval of the GOP. They are not interested in preventative reforms being passed whether it is in an economic recovery bill or not. You can stick this in the health care reform bill and they still would not agree with it.
Repubs can’t/won’t admit that infrastructure spending is a good way to jump start the economy. Because frankly it does not put money in their pockets. All it will do is …PUT PEOPLE TO WORK!! And improve the badly deteriorated infrastructure that needs major repairs.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:29 pmPut the Scotch Guard down…
January 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pmSpencer’s Mom, thanks, we skipped work ’cause of the snow, so I had lots of time to comment today. And I was thinking earlier that you make such great comments, I always enjoy them.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:16 pmLTdan Says:
Pathetic, but what can you expect from a democrap. Also, ROTFL at oblahblah not even being able to open up a window.
Well, you’re easily amused. I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve adopted the Newt Gingrich style of “debate” by using the word “pathetic”. That was one of the words he told his “GOPAC Students” (fellow Republicans) to use against as a pejorative their opponents.
It’s interesting that you don’t know what it means, because you think it’s an excuse to laugh at someone, instead of a reason to feel pity for them. But you don’t have feelings, do you?
You also like to ridicule people who are your intellectual superiors. That is also very telling. Almost pathetic, even. Almost.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:19 pmI’m all about STD prevention, helping poor people with contraceptives, etc. But now is not the time to throw this BS into an ECONOMIC STIMULUS bill. Especially with a RECORD BUDGET DEFICIT. This is rediculous. We act like we can afford this.
Let’s focus on the main objective of this bill, which is IMMEDIATE ECONOMIC STIMULUS. Let’s get ourselves out of this hole first, then we’ll have plenty of time in the next four years minimum to slide in more pork spending to “save the world”.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:10 pmSo I’m paying for Bill Maher & his sle@sy gir1friends to help prevent them from getting stds? That means more of Maher’s rubberz plugging up pumps at the wastwater treatment facilities costing us thousands of more taxpayer dollars to remove with full body suits (I saw this happen at a wastewater treatment tour for a college class…worker said it happens all the time costing taxpayers thousands each time). Rubberz then end up in a landfill taking thousands or millions of years to degrade due to non-biodegradable materials. What about making a red-light district on the Web with it ending in .xx# or beginning with http://xx#. ? I know they tried once…but this kind of $ could make it pass through. Internet sle@ze truly damages the economy.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:28 pmJJGH,
Are you enjoying your visit to Earth?
January 28th, 2009 at 9:06 pmglezzery, there is nothing in the Economic Recovery package for ACORN. See Media Matters’ summary today of how bad the media’s coverage of this bill has been lately – including the San Francisco Chronicle, followed by Rush Limbaugh promoting the lie about ACORN funding in the bill. The funding is about redeveloping neighborhood homes that have been abandoned or foreclosed, nothing whatsoever to do with ACORN.
January 28th, 2009 at 10:39 pmLushInterior Says:
I see you are still begging us to pity you with your incredibly stupid and pathetic posts. When will you dredge up some self respect and stop being such a snivelling punk? We have already patted you on your head. Thats a good boy please stop embarassing yourself and pretending you are a retarded monkey. Please stop. Its so sad. Is there some medicine you can take? Something that will raise your IQ to a level where you see how badly you humiliater yourself. You can notice everyone averting their eyes from your sad and pathetica presence. I am embarassed to be the same species as anyone as stupid and pathetic as you. The attention you are getting is nothing but pity. All sentient beings pity you already. Stop already. It is just so sad
January 29th, 2009 at 12:21 pmLushMoron the only FELLOWS you have are fellow brainless shameless morons without a shred of self awareness or humanity. You are an ignorant punk and a worthless loaf.
January 29th, 2009 at 12:25 pmJJGH Says:
Are you going for the worlds record for stupidity? Well forget it there are some trolls here that are so stupid they will soon die from forgetting to breathe. You wont make the cut. I mean your stupidity is deep and strong. Vintage stupidity no doubt but you have to read the trolls like LushMoron and glezzy, LTDan and Drick. They make HAIR look intelligent. Sorry but you just dont have the chops
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