Posted on 10/16/2009 11:09:29 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Well, there’s good news and bad news.
If you’ve been listening to the media, you know the bad news. Senators voted the Baucus version of the ObamaCare bill out the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, and the legislation now moves to the Senate floor.
So what’s the good news? President Obama still doesn’t have the 60 votes he needs to overcome a filibuster of his nationalized health care bill.
In brief, the Baucus bill which passed out of committee will hurt you in several ways:
* You will have less money for buying firearms and ammunition. Hopefully, you have $25,900 that you don’t know what to do with — every year. Because that’s how much the Baucus bill is going to cost an average family of four to pay for a government-mandated ObamaCare policy every year.
That’s right … $25,900 every year! That will be your cost, according to a Price Waterhouse study of the Baucus legislation. You will be required to purchase this ObamaCare policy and pay this amount under penalty of law under Baucus’ bill. (Go to http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_pwc2.html to read the Price Waterhouse study.)
* Anti-gun medical database that can be used to deny your right to purchase firearms. As GOA has warned for several months, the ObamaCare legislation will pump your medical information into the medical database that was created under the stimulus bill earlier this year. The federal government has already used medical diagnoses (such as PTSD) to deny more than 150,000 military veterans the right to own guns — without their being convicted of a crime or receiving any due process of law. So don’t be surprised if socialized ObamaCare results in your medical information being used to infringe upon your Second Amendment rights.
* Discrimination against gun owners. ObamaCare legislation in Congress will very likely empower anti-gun bureaucrats to deny medical reimbursements to individuals who engage in supposedly “dangerous” activities, like hunting or keeping loaded weapons for self-defense. As GOA pointed out in an earlier alert, this type of discrimination against gun owners has already occurred in the homeowner insurance industry. (See documented examples of this at http://gunowners.org/op0231.htm on the GOA website.) Bottom line: Don’t be surprised if an Obama-prescribed policy precludes reimbursement of any kind in a household which keeps a loaded firearm for self-defense.
Sleazy politics: it’s worse than watching sausage-making
In order to get a somewhat positive financial analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) kept the details of his health care rationing scheme secret. He did this by providing the CBO an outline of the legislation, rather than providing real legislative language.
In fact, at the hour that the Senate Finance Committee was being forced to vote on the Baucus bill, the legislative language was still not available! So the Senate Finance Committee voted on a bill that will take over one-sixth of the American economy without even seeing specific legislative language.
Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire, used to say that, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.”
That’s still true today. In order to get this sleazy effort to the Senate floor without anyone knowing what is in the legislative language, the Senate leadership has developed a really contemptible scheme:
* They will take a totally unrelated piece of legislation — perhaps a bill that deals with AIG bonus legislation — and then amend it with a thousand-page health bill that no one, to this date, has been able to read.
* The Republicans will filibuster this attempt to vote on “secret legislation” — requiring the Democrats to muster 60 votes. If Democrats are successful in doing so, many of them will be free to vote against the health care bill on final passage, since only 51 votes will be needed for the final passage vote. These switch-hitting Democrats would then be free to tell their constituents that they “opposed” the anti-gun socialized medicine bill because they voted against it on “final passage” — a nearly irrelevant vote that only requires the assent of 51 senators.
But make no mistake: The REALLY IMPORTANT VOTE is the one that requires 60 votes. That’s the vote to end the filibuster (or “invoke cloture”) on the motion to proceed to the secret bill.
At this point, it is not clear that Obama has the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. Already, one Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, has announced he is opposed to the Baucus plan.
And Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa indicated recently that there may be one more Democrat who is leaning against the bill.
That’s why it’s IMPERATIVE that you contact both of your senators. Don’t think: “Oh, my Senator is a Democrat and he’s going to support the President.” We can’t afford to think that way. All we need to do is pick off one more Democrat Senator and this bill is dead!
At the same time, we need to make sure all the Republicans vote against this anti-gun monstrosity. Even with liberal Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine defecting, it is still possible to win the war over this legislation.
ACTION: Contact your two U.S. Senators. Let them know of your disgust for the Baucus bill, and urge them to vote against cloture on the motion to proceed to a “secret” composite bill crafted behind closed doors.
You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your senators the pre-written e-mail message below.
—– Pre-written letter —–
Dear Senator:
This may come as a surprise to you. But most Americans can’t afford $25,900 a year to pay for health insurance under the sleazy bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee.
According to a Price Waterhouse study, by 2019, the cost of the average family’s government-mandated Obama-drafted health insurance policy — which I would be required to purchase under penalty of law — would be $25,900 A YEAR. This is a much bigger increase in premiums than if Congress did nothing.
Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office agrees that premiums would climb faster under the Baucus bill than if Congress did nothing.
Incidentally, please do not try to tell me that the “fines” for not purchasing an ObamaPolicy have been reduced and that I can’t be sent to prison. This is largely a lie.
An ordinary family would pay $1,500 in fines when the bill fully kicks in. And, while an amendment added by Senator Charles Schumer says you can’t be sent to prison if you can’t afford the policy, it does NOT say you can’t be sent to prison if you can’t afford the fine.
The next step will be a motion to proceed to a bill which would implement a government takeover of a sixth of the American economy — and put the government in charge of making decisions over whether my family and me live or die.
That motion to proceed will be made at a point when there is no CBO score based on legislation — and possibly no legislative language at all.
I would urge you, in the strongest terms, to vote against that motion to proceed — particularly if there is not a final CBO score BASED ON LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.
Please do not vote wrong on this crucial cloture vote — and then expect that you can trick me by voting “no” on a meaningless final passage vote which only requires 50 senators.
Sincerely,
XXXXX XXXXXX
I’m at a total loss with these guys.
That would cause......noise.
This turd deserves flushed SO fast.
Screw it. I’d have more personal freedom in Mexico. At least the Mexicans can work in America and keep the money.
bump
You took my remark first..I was just thinking these goons are asking for a revolt. Earlier I mentioned the Tea Party folks having another march on DC this time with base ball bats, sling shots, rakes and pitch forks etc since we can’t show fire arms..we need to be creative and have other weapons...we can hope the police will join us and help thump this gang of robbers and dictators...They are asking for a fight.
It seems that the Senators will be voting on a bill with no content, the content to be filled in later and to include any damned thing Pelosi/Reid/Baucus/Hussein might want, whatever at all strikes their fancy. Why should it not be found to include an outright ban on guns or nationalization of all industry? Such is not likely but there will be a lot of surprises that will be rolled out over a few months or a year after this thing is passed, whatever form it appears to take. Maybe some really heavy provisions won’t be “implemented” until the Left gets its USSC majority which could happen any time they want it.
Instead of a filibuster, which requires ALL PUBs to vote against closing debate (about as likely as a hockey game in Hades), why not try walkouts? Although it does require ALL PUBs again to act as one, this is not a vote and can be done without naming names. Better yet, every time a “unanimous consent” motion comes up; object! That would bring things to a screaching halt.
ping
Must be. People will need the guns for defese againt the Obama Revenooer’s.
Yes.
Welcome to Canada folks!
Don’t forget, that of the 25k that you pay in the premiums, will be included abortion coverage. That’s right folks, you will, on penalty of arrest, be required to pay for abortions.
The washington elites have underestimated the people of this country.
I understand from some of the articles that I'm seeing that even though coverage will not be in place for years, we will have our income confiscated beginning next year. In the mean time I suppose my employer and I will have to continue paying for the coverage I've always had, so in effect I'm paying double before any thing else happens.
We ALL will, and sine they've done sooo marvelously with every other government program, I wonder what will happen to all the money they start collecting next year.
Between the stand alone cost of their new program, the double hit any of us still with jobs and benefits will take, and the infringement of so many of our rights, I might just have more rights in jail, and free healthcare, food,clothing, shelter without feeding the monster that is our federal government. What would happen if a large block of the income producing residents did just that, I wonder.
The govt would crumble practically overnight. Those of us who are enabling the tax-addicted tyrants, are the guilty party.
Just say no.
Stock a supply of food, water, and ammunition.
Be prepared for anything.
Health care and many other things will mean nothing very soon.
The elitists in washington cannot even see the coming storm. They are focused on money and power.
Meantime, our enemies, both foriegn and domestic are gaining power.
One day very soon the storm will hit. I have no idea what that will look like.
However, think of who hates us, that will be where it comes from.
Based on what I made last year this would leave me about 250.00 for everything else.
Who knows what other hidden clauses are in any bill that’s taken to both floors for consideration, but this is a major misstep that’s been caught. Let’s hope there are enough Congressmen and -women from enough gun-toting states to vote NO as a result of this glitch alone. If they don’t, they’ll soon find themselves out of a job. The NRA and related weapons advocates aren’t going to stand for this.
4th Amendment violation writ large. Get with it, people.
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