BREAKING: The Tyranny of Harry Reid! Fine Print of the Bill says it can't be Repealed!

email from a friend | March 14, 2010 | Art in Idaho

[Art in Idaho]

I have to say I received this email from a friend I trust. I have not officially verified the claims in the said bill, but thought it worthwhile to put it out there so we could research it.

The impudent tyranny of Sen. Harry Reid!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is proving once again the maxim that darkness hates the light.

Buried in his massive amendment to the Senate version of Obamacare is Reid's anti-democratic poison pill designed to prevent any future Congress from repealing the central feature of this monstrous legislation!

Beginning on page 1,000 of the measure, Section 3403 reads in part: ". . it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection."

In other words, if President Barack Obama signs this measure into law, no future Senate or House will be able to change a single word of Section 3403, regardless whether future Americans or their representatives in Congress wish otherwise!!

Note that the subsection at issue here concerns the regulatory power of the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB) to "reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending."

That is precisely the kind of open-ended grant of regulatory power that effectively establishes the IMAB as the ultimate arbiter of the cost, quality and quantity of health care to be made available to the American people.

And Reid wants the decisions of this group of unelected federal bureaucrats to be untouchable for all time.

No wonder the majority leader tossed aside assurances that senators and the public would have at least 72 hours to study the text of the final Senate version of Obamacare before the critical vote on cloture. And no wonder Reid was so desperate to rush his amendment through the Senate, even scheduling the key tally on it at 1 a.m., while America slept.

True to form, Reid wanted to keep his Section 3403 poison pill secret for as long as possible, just as he negotiated his bribes for the votes of Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Bernie Sanders of Vermont behind closed doors.

The final Orwellian touch in this subversion of democratic procedure is found in the ruling of the Reid-controlled Senate Parliamentarian that the anti-repeal provision is not a change in Senate rules, but rather of Senate "procedures." Why is that significant?

Because for 200 years, changes in the Senate's standing rules have required approval by two-thirds of those voting, or 67 votes rather than the 60 Reid's amendment received.

Reid has flouted two centuries of standing Senate rules to pass a measure in the dead of night that no senator has read, and part of which can never be changed. If this is not tyranny, then what is?

DON'T SIT BY AND LET THIS HAPPEN IN THE DARK!!! FORWARD TO EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST!

[Kartographer]

I believe that it’s just about time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b3Q89FZoY0

[Art in Idaho]

I believe that it’s just about time!

The Judge is right! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: What would happen if 200 million Americans just drove to Washington D.C.? . . on said date. . .

[Vendome]

It’s bull. The only document that can’t be changed is the Constitution, except by amendment.

This entire bill can be torpedo’d by any future Senate and Congress.

[Art in Idaho]

This entire bill can be torpedo’d by any future Senate and Congress.

That's good to know. Nothing passed ever seems to be repealed, so good to know it is still legally possible. .

[Vendome]

Well it’s true nothing passed is ever truly repealed but, this thing stinks to high heaven and I hope it isn’t put into law.

They had the votes to do whatever they wanted until Feb 2010 and if it were possible the would have passed it then. However, they are resorting to gimmicks to get this thing through and we are just going to take it? Don’t think so and I don’t think they will pass it.

My opinion, your mileage may vary. Welcome to FR and Post on.

[beckysueb]

Well I guess if they can pass it without a vote, we can repeal it without a vote no matter what their silly paper says.

[celtic gal]

Time to get that damn birth certificate issue nailed down and get this fraud out of the WH and wipe out any and all dictates and laws he has signed. Arrest this fraud, his wife, mother in law, and all his staff and jail them.

[Windflier]

Harry is wasting his breath. It is the kind of language that the SCOTUS has grounds to overturn.

I agree. Congress once repealed an amendment to the Constitution. They can certainly repeal any ill-conceived and destructive legislation.

And, if Congress won't repeal Obamacare, The People will.

[Daisyjane69]

As others have correctly stated, no present Congress can encumber a future Congress.

That is, in fact, exactly what makes this bill so dangerous, from a fiscal standpoint.

When we get to 2018, or whenever, exactly WHO is going to be around to pass the Cadillac taxes to fund this train wreck? Our legal system doesn’t permit taxes to be passed in 2010, to take effect in 2018.

What a bunch of asshats we have in charge, I swear.

[dforest]

If they can pass this bill by nefarious means it can be repealed in the same way. After all, why should the American people hold themselves to a higher standard than the commies in Congress?

Screw that little weasel tyrant Reid.

[HapaxLegamenon]

The whole bill is unconstitutional anyway, and they are intending to “deem” it into law without voting on it. Moreover, the whole section or law can always be repealed, regardless of what it says.

[firebrand]

You are right to be alarmed but we knew this. It nullifies future elections, in essence, so it is blatantly unconstitutional.

[Oceander]

One only wonders if the United States will stay solvent for much longer. Moodys has, once again, repeated its warning that the U.S. is in danger of losing its AAA credit rating on its federal debt. See this article: U.S., U.K. Move Closer to Losing Rating, Moody’s Says. This is the second warning in a very short period of time and, quite frankly, should be regarded as a shot fired over the bow of the United States on the increasingly reckless course the fascists, I mean democrats, continue to pursue.

This is, basically, tantamount to when Greenspan used to warn that the markets were getting frothy, or exhibiting irrational exuberance - it meant that the Fed (when it was still colorably a responsible central bank and not just the fascists', I mean democrats', favorite piggy-bank) was going to raise short-term interest rates soon, and the markets took the warning seriously. This warning by Moody's is just as serious and any even half-assed fiscally responsible legislator would take it as such. That the fascists, I mean democrats, do not indicates that they have no intention of being fiscally responsible, and in fact intend to ruin the United States through crushing debt.

[mlocher]

Oceander, You are blessed with a great sense of humor, and believe me, one is needed right now.

I saw the re-issue of the warning by Moody's. I think S&P also recently issued a similar warning. You are correct that our leaders in Congress and the White House are taking us down the road to economic ruin. I believe Americans will figure out how to peacefully get rid of the red menace, but it will get ugly for a while.

Having said that, however, the markets are trading on the value of the dollar. Strong dollar, market drops. Weak dollar, market goes up. The intrinsic value of the stock market is stuck in neutral. Except for a couple of sectors there is no business growth. And the broader read of the economy shows little sign of growth -- the unemployment numbers tell it all. Add further the fact that there are several job killing bills in the legislative pipeline, and it is no wonder why investors are not putting money into job creating investments.

[LibertyRocks]

That wording sound VERY familiar to me — the exact phrasing. Either we had the same teacher, or that is what we were taught not 20 years ago as well. And, it’s not like there have been any Amendments in that time... Although I would love to be able to cite the Section, Title, & paragraph numbers. Hoping someone out there can help.

Also — if anyone can put up a link to the bill text as it stands tonight/this morning before the vote — I would love to see it!

[LibertyRocks]

Didn’t see your post before I commented on this thread... Thanks for providing the citation. I appreciate it.

[thecodont]

Could you please post the link or bill number to the bill posted this evening? Thanks.

[the_Watchman]

The bill posted that evening was replaced by a subsequent version. That is one of the problems. This thing is a moving target.

Here is the version that was current at the time that I examined:

http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF