House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to try to strong-arm through her plan to destroy our health care system, even in the face of overwhelming signals that she is fighting a losing battle. In the process she has continued her annoying little habit of breaking promises to the American people. She had promised to not hold a vote on the “health care reform” legislation without posting the final language of the bill online at least 72 hours prior to the vote. Apparently she is afraid that the final version of her 2000 page behemoth will further outrage the voting public.
The public has made their frustration and anger known all summer long, all the while congressional leaders have pretended to not hear them. The public outcry has prolonged the debate from something that the White House expected to be passed quickly and quietly by mid summer into an eternity for lawmakers. After the congressional switchboards were jammed with phone calls demanding that their elected representatives listen to them, the bureaucrats ignored their constituents. After millions of emails clogged the politicians’ inboxes, they sent out their canned responses claiming to represent their constituents. Tired of the unprecedented arrogance filling the Capitol Building, thousands of people showed up on the steps of the Capitol to hold a rally against the destruction of our health care system. After the rally they stood in line for hours to enter the Capitol to meet their elected representatives face to face. They wanted to ask one simple question, “Are you going to vote for this health care reform bill?” Several reports emerged showing the arrogance and superiority complex from which members of Congress are suffering. They could not spare even a few moments to “lower themselves” to the level of the common man.
It is most surprising that House leaders are pressing forward this week, of all weeks. Tuesday showed a dramatic reversal of the political leanings of the country. Democratic stronghold New Jersey saw their incumbent Governor Jon Corzine lose to Republican Chris Christie by 5 percentage points. New Jersey is a state that President Obama won easily by 20 points just one year ago. Virginia saw a political drubbing when Republican Bob McDonnell beat Democrat Creigh Deeds by 19 points. President Obama again won Virginia a year ago by 6 points. Right on cue, the White House downplayed the results saying that the outcomes had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his socialist agenda. The problem is that the President and his minions spent a lot of time and political capital in both states campaigning for both losers.
Whether or not the President or Ms. Pelosi are able to twist enough arms on Capitol Hill this weekend to pass their health care debacle is yet to be seen, but the damage has been done. The voting public has awakened to the fact that after the numerous bailouts already this year, the government now owns or controls 30% of our economy. They also see that if the power hungry bureaucrats are successful in destroying our health care, they will add another 18% of our economy. That will give them power over nearly half of our economy and they are just starting to erode our economical freedoms.
Troy Stouffer, Politics Correspondent:
Troy’s Column “Cacoethes Scribendi”, published every Friday to Gather Essentials: Politics, is a conservative look at the policies ad issues that affect all of us.
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Deo Gratias
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Comments: 54
Re- Introduction of Class Warfare disguised as governments healthy futures for you
America! We Are smart enough to know that what the promise is, IS IMPOSSIBLE!
"Barry Sucks!! Barry Sucks!!!"
I'm not of the anti-Obama crowd, but I hope this bill fails miserably.
Of course this will apply to us, not the members of Congress who have exempted themselves from this legislation and will continue to have their own health insurance plan which is unavailable to anyone but them.
Not one thing that they have done, has helped or even been for the country, it has just been what they want done, to make what they want, and screw the people. This is nothing more than a Bolshevik coup on this country. And too many have fallen for the "Free Ride" promise that they will never see, while they drag the rest of us down with them.
You may be able to keep the gays down but we are gonna get us some reform whether you like it or not.
So load your guns with all that Chinese amo you been hoarding and see just how far you get.
In don’t think that is really a correct statement at all.
Where were the Asians, where were the Mexicans, where were the blacks?
Those people were not representative of the peoples of USA at all. Sorry to pop your bubble.
That non-whites were somehow excluded or discriminated against??
I don't care if you are Repbulican - you're stance on this is liberal.
A Conservative is one that believes in the old tried and true ways as long as those ways still work.
A Liberal is a free person. And that freedom allows one to think of all the ways to change things that aren’t working.
The Health Care in the USA isn’t working as we in the USA are in 34th place over all in the countries in this world. And we pay 17% of our economy on health care as the better countries in this world pay between 7% and 10% of their economy on health care.
This needs liberal thought on how to fix it as the conservative thought of the same isn’t a very good way at all.
So to say that the fix is for government to get even more involved is like the foolish person who keeps expecting different results when they continue to do the same thing.
Why didn't they have the guts to do that?
Nixon had a very good plan. I know he quit, but why was his plan dropped?
This is the largest expansion of government in our time! Social security and the government employee pension funds are near broke and we are starting a new government entitlement program!
THIS WILL TIE A MILLSTONE TO THE NECK OF OUR ECONOMY FOREVER! WE WILL CALL THIS LASTING DEPRESSION "THE OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS DEPRESSION" ..
Go ahead vote for it. I dare you. Just be ready to suffer the consequences!
Just where do you think Health Care fits at this point in time?
As the group and team elements are where the Health Care efforts are now as that’s where the Doctors and the Insurance companies fall, however most of the hospitals are in the social or community charities level, and this bill is moving more of the Health Care effort from the group and team level to the community and social level and more out of the hands of the companies or the group level, I see that as no problem for the USA at all. It’s just a small realignment.
MoveOn.org
If anyone actually did the numbers and looked the proposes policies, it becomes self evident this is a move based on willful ignorance by many of its supporters. I can understand the desire for a free lunch but fail to see how any adult can still believe in that premise.
Pelosi is on a "power trip," as evidenced by the way, and time (11:30 PM on a Saturday night?) that it was passed. Both parties have pulled stunts like this, and it was usually on their way out of power (think GOP in '05). The stakes are higher, with this issue, but it will only make it that much more politically damaging if they can't pass anything, in the end.
However, there is easily as much risk is passing "anything," if it turns out to be the disaster you and I believe it will be. It looks to me as if Pelosi has taken the leadership, on both "cap 'n tax" and "health care," filling a void of leadership from the Senate and Executive branch. I suspect that the President and Sen. Reid support the most liberal bills, but can't show all their cards, for political reasons.
An interesting comparison is to Bush's "Social Security" reform. He let congress handle the details, not endorsing any concrete proposals. It was widely demonized in the press, and never got off the ground. In this case, the media have tried to be friendly, but this bill is being scrutinized by some, so the "friendly" media can't miss the story (again).
The "tea party" protesters put a personal face on the opposition, and again, while being given short shrift by the media, the Congress is taking them seriously. They know this isn't the final vote on this issue, and will be polling for the reaction to it. Now, with the Senate talking about "next year," they are looking at a tough holiday season. "Merry Christmas," House Democrats!