Student loan overhaul seems likely to join Senate health-care bill

Washington Post ^ | March 11, 2010 | Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery

[La Lydia]

Senate Democrats said Thursday that they are inclined to add an overhaul of the nation's student loan program to the final health-care bill. The move would create a potential double victory for President Obama, who has championed both causes as among domestic priorities.

Under the student loan proposal, subsidies that now support private lenders would be shifted to other student assistance programs, including Pell Grants for families struggling to afford college tuition. "Some of the things accomplished here are really going to help a lot of people across America," Durbin said.

Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) had been one of the chief opponents of the maneuver, for fear that it would provoke procedural challenges from Republicans. But he said the Senate parliamentarian had suggested in a preliminary ruling that combining the bills could work, provided Senate Democrats strike the right balance on cost.

"I'd say yes, we're leaning toward it," Conrad said.

He added that advocates of the student loan proposal would have to pare it down before the provisions could be added.

House and Senate leaders appeared to be closing in on a package of fixes to the Senate health-care bill that would clear the way for final passage of Obama's top domestic policy initiative. The education proposal would be included in the fixes package, and protected from a GOP filibuster in the Senate under special budget reconciliation rules.

Under the emerging plan, the House would accept the version of health-care reform that the Senate approved on Christmas Eve, along with adjustments sought by House leaders to key provisions, mostly aimed at reducing the bill's financial burden on middle-class families...

[La Lydia]

Isn't this another revenue bill that will have not originated in the House?

[Dead Eye Lane]

Yeah, what the h*ck. The bill is only what, 2400 pages now?
Loader up some more!

[Dead Eye Lane]

Yeah, what the h*ck. The bill is only what, 2400 pages now?
Load’er up some more!

[wilco200]

2700

[E. Pluribus Unum]

As long as you're going to jam something through, you might as well tack on your Christmas wish-list.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

[RockinRight]

They shouldn’t be allowed to sneak completely unrelated sh*t into a bill like this.

[Gator113]

Well, the sooner we get these reparations locked in, the sooner we can all change our names to slave names.

From the Declaration of Independence:

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Are we there yet?

[La Lydia]

Senate rules do not require that amendments be germane or relevant, except to general appropriation bills, budget measures, and matters under cloture (and a few other bills, pursuant to statutes). Consequently, if a committee fails to report a measure, a Senator may offer its text as an amendment to any other measure under consideration, without regard to the scheduling preferences of the majority leader.

[massgopguy]

...and it won’t add one dime to the deficit....

[massgopguy]

...and it won’t add one dime to the deficit....

[CharlesWayneCT]

Now I hear it’s back out because they are afraid it might take a vote away from the health care fixes.

which is good, because we certainly don’t want the government taking over student loans. Since the next step will be to dictate to people receiving the loans that they have to go to liberal colleges, or do public service, or sign up for mandatory health care.

[musicman]

"From the Declaration of Independence:"

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,"

"— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Are we there yet?

2010-2012

IMHO,...I'm thinking T-Shirts, yard signs, bumperstickers, billboards.....

A great way to get a conversation started, and a great way to EASILY recognize like-minded people. I like it better than the TEA party shirt I have, and it gets the REAL point across.

[FrankR]

""Some of the things accomplished here are really going to help a lot of Black people across America," Durbin said. Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) "

There...I brought it back to reality.

[Gator113]

“T-Shirts, yard signs, bumperstickers, billboards.....”

All great Ideas, IMHO. Might also look good on coffee cups too.

[Nosterrex]

I am against the government providing loans for students, but even if I were for it, this is not the way to go about doing it. Congress should have the opportunity to vote on this spending. Nothing would improve our higher education institutions faster than cutting them off from the government teat.

[gathersnomoss]

I will shorten your response to reflect mine....”I am against the government”....

These O’holes are thieves with a license to steal from you, your kids, your grandchildren...on and on and on. I have never seen anything so egregious before. In broad daylight with more disastrous affects than ten 9/11 attacks. And yet, not a single peep from the enablers, The Government Media. Many laugh when it is said that socialism is at hand here in the US. Those that are laughing are the fools.

[GailA]

Defeat Obamacare call list: List now contains the new MAYBES culled from FR posts.
PLEASE CALL! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE State District

Code Red” - House Target List on Health Care

The National Republican Congressional Committee has published a target list on health care. In addition to continuing to contact the five Tennessee Democrat Congressmen, you can go http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/94697.aspx to contact some of these targets. Much of the talk following Obama’s announcement has focused on how to defeat this second bill through reconciliation, but that is misleading because the first step to defeating Obamacare is not by concentrating on defeating the “fixer” bill but by defeating the Senate bill in the House when it goes to the floor for an up-or-down vote on Thursday, March 18th.

Rep. Lincoln Davis 202-225-6831 Columbia office: 931-490-8699
Rep. Jim Cooper 202-225-4311 Nashville office: 615-736-5295
Rep. Bart Gordon 202-225-4231 Murfreesboro office: 615-896-1986
John Tanner (202) 225-4714, Union City, (731) 885-7070, Jackson Phone: (731) 423-4848, Millington (901) 873-5690 TN (MAYBE)
Rep. Steve Cohen 202-225-3265 Memphis office: 901-544-4131
Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District

Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI (MAYBE)
Brian Baird (202) 225-3536, Vancouver, (360) 695-6292. Olympia, (360) 352-9768, (MAYBE)
senator mark begich (202) 224-3004 toll free. (877) 501 - 6275 just became a MAYBE
Jason Altmire 202-225-2565, Aliquippa, 724-378-0928,
Natrona Heights, 724-226-1304 (MAYBE)

On the Bubble (Major developments from the “yes” and “no” columns in the House)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2467046/posts

[La Lydia]

Congressional Easter recess is from March 20 through April 9. The smartest thing we could do at this point is do what we did last summer and attend all of the public events our congressional and senate representatives schedule in their home districts, to let them know how we feel about health care reform.

[Gene Eric]

It’s a frickin’ drunk orgy with sunrise nowhere in sight.

[GailA]

With hand outs of the Medicare/SS cuts...if they hold them at night I’m screwed, I had to give up night driving, I’m so night blind it isn’t funny. Going in to get the excess skin nipped on my eyes on the 30th, hoping to improve what little vision I have left.

I have a print shop program, I make up FR business cards to hand out and tell folks to go get educated. I just print them on plain paper and cut them out, cheapest way to do it.