I have just learned that the Senate is taking up the Harry Reid version of the bill in a vote to proceed with discussion that has been called for tonight. It's all being done, once again, at night on a weekend. And this is the "most transparent" government in history? Somebody had better rethink that statement.
One senator called the Reid version "an unmitigated disaster that will increase taxes, raise insurance premiums, and gut Medicare." (Senator Bob Bennett, R-UT).
Tonight’s scheduled vote is an attempt to shut off the initial debate and move to discussion of the bill, a blatant attempt to ramrod the bill through the Senate as quickly as possible. If it fails, that means the bill won’t even be allowed to come up. Reports today indicate that all forty Republican senators have committed to vote “No!” A single Democrat defection would be enough to deal a powerful blow to the Democrats’ dreams of government-run health care. But Reid wouldn't be calling for the procedural vote tonight unless he knew he had the 60 votes he needs.
If the Democrats hold together and win tonight’s procedural vote with the required 60 votes, then what?
Even then, it's a shallow victory. Senator Lieberman (D-CN) is vehemently opposed to it. Even if he votes with his party on this vote, all they will have won is the authority to proceed with debate about Senator Reid’s health care bill. They will not have won final passage of the bill itself. In order to do that, they will have to hold another vote requiring 60 supporters. That vote will take place at a time when it will be more difficult for Democrats to avoid the consequences of voting against the will of their constituents, the majority of whom do not agree with the principles and practices in this legislation.
After the vote Saturday night, senators will leave for a Thanksgiving recess. Upon their return, assuming Democrats prevail on the vote tonight (and they will), they will launch into weeks or more of unpredictable debate on the health care bill, with numerous amendments expected from both sides of the aisle and more 60-vote hurdles along the way.
Speaking of polls. . . President Obama promises this bill will not add a single cent to the bulging deficit. Turns out another recent poll that will be published in tomorrow's Washington Post taken among Americans reveals that no one (less than 20%) believes him. The only thing that is going to stop this runaway midnight express is opposition to it from ordinary American citizens -- and they've got to rise up in overwhelming numbers to threaten the very political existence of their elected representatives. Until those people are threatened with losing their seats in 2010, nothing will change.
This Reid version of the bill would create a huge expansion of government in our lives. It will raise premiums for those who have private coverage. It will raise taxes for many individuals and most small businesses. It will reduce payments to Medicare providers. And those are the best things about it. The real problem with it is that it’s absurd how expensive it is going to be at a time when the Treasury is already stressed.
America has added 10% to its entire national debt in under a year!! It is little wonder why China and Japan are concerned about the devaluing of our currency and they are moving to gold to hedge their reserve currencies holdings. The insanity must be stopped!! This bill crafted by the majority Democrats would add an additional $2.5 trillion dollars in new spending over the next ten years.
How in the world can President Obama look other world leaders in the face and assure them everything's under control and that our economic house is in order as a nation?
You don't get the full impact of that number unless it's written out:
$2,500,000,000,000.00
They insist that number is wrong, but the bill’s accounting is dishonest. In order to give it a smaller price tag, the Administration starts collecting money four years before they provide any services. That way, they maintain the illusion of lower costs by taking money without paying for anything. It's a fraud, pure and simple, yet the drum beat continues because the majority party has the votes. It's as corrupt and fraudulent as anything we have ever witnessed in our lives, yet it continues to move forward through the halls of Congress.
This has now gone way beyond politics, folks. This is nothing more than mental illness versus sanity. If you're not already engaged in opposition to this horrible piece of legislation, then get engaged tonight!
Look at how your elected representatives plan to pay for this. The Senate bill includes a tax on high-value insurance policies that's not part of the House bill, while the House would levy a new income tax on upper-income Americans that's not in the Senate measure. The Senate measure also raises the Medicare payroll tax on income above $200,000 annually for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Both bills rely on more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare.
Two key words: NEW TAXES AND CUTS TO MEDICARE.
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