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Obamacare Will Make Us Poorer, Palin Writes

Former Alaska governor says in op-ed she won the debate on 'death panels'

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2009 5:48 AM CDT

(Newser) – Ahead of Barack Obama's clutch address to Congress tonight, Sarah Palin writes in the Wall Street Journal that the president's health reform plan "will increase our deficit, decrease our paychecks, and increase the power of unaccountable government technocrats." In a surprisingly wonky op-ed, the former Alaska governor lambastes Democrats for pretending to seek bipartisan reform, while ignoring conservative proposals that are "market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven." She also revisits her most notorious turn of phrase, saying she won the debate over "dare I say it—death panels."

"Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans," Palin writes, "and as a result Congress will likely reject a wrong-headed proposal." Palin insists that health reform is critical, that "we have an obligation to care for the old, the young, and the sick"—but Obama's promises to protect all Americans ring false. "With all due respect, Americans are used to this kind of sweeping promise from Washington. And we know from long experience that it's a promise Washington can't keep."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)

Then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the Vanderburgh County Right to Life fundraising dinner in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, April 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Then-Gov. Sarah Palin, followed by her husband Todd, acknowledges applause during the annual Senate-House Republican dinner at the Washington Convention Center June 8, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

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How can we ensure that those who need medical care receive it while also reducing health-care costs? Democrats' answers all rest on one principle: that increased government involvement can solve the problem. I fundamentally disagree. -

The economic effects won't be limited to abstract deficit numbers; they'll reach the wallets of everyday Americans. If we expand health-care coverage while failing to curb health-care inflation rates, smaller paychecks will result. -

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Obamacare Will Make Us Poorer, Palin Writes