Posted on 03/18/2010 1:31:24 PM PDT by Freedom Frayed
Another day, another no-show for the Obamacare reconciliation bill. House Democrats were quick to shift blame to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) with Rep. Robert Andrews telling The Hill that the delay “has been much more technical than substantive. … It’s not like what tax has to go or what spending has to go.” Which is an interesting claim, since Politico reported that AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was summoned to the White House yesterday afternoon “to discuss a higher-than-expected excise tax on some health care plans.” In fact, Politico added: “A labor source said Trumka’s meeting would focus on the entire bill, not just the excise tax question.” Sounds like more than just technical details are still in flux.
But in reality, none of these discussions really matter. The reconciliation bill being drafted is nothing more than thin political cover for House Democrats who believe the Senate bill is terrible public policy but want to please their leadership and the President by voting for it anyway. As we detailed yesterday, there is no bill but the Senate bill. Once the House passes the Senate bill, the President will sign it. Game over. It has been almost three months since the Senate passed their bill in the dead of night on Christmas Eve. A review of just how terrible it really is, is in order:
New Middle-Class Taxes: Throughout his campaign, President Barack Obama promised he would not raise taxes on American households making less than $250,000. The Senate bill shatters that promise. For starters, just look at the reason Trumka went to the White House yesterday: the excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans. This tax would overwhelmingly hit middle-class taxpayers. Taxes on prescription drugs, wheel chairs and other medical devices would also be passed on to all consumers, hitting the lower- and middle- classes the hardest.
Increased Health Care Costs: The Senate bill manifestly does nothing to bend the health care cost curve downward. According to the latest CBO report, the Senate bill would actually increase health care spending by $210 billion over the next 10 years. This follows a previous report from the President’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showing the Senate bill would result in $234 billion in additional health care spending over 10 years.
Increased Health Insurance Premiums: The President initially promised that Americans would see a $2,500 annual reduction in their family health care costs. But under the Senate bill, premiums would go up for millions of Americans. In fact, according to the CBO, estimated premiums in the individual market would be 10–13 percent higher by 2016 than they would be under current law.
Increased Deficits: Despite claiming to be comprehensive health care reform, the Senate bill does not address the fact that Medicare’s current price-fixing doctor reimbursement scheme is set to reduce doctor payments by 21% this year. That simply is not going to happen. Congress will pass that fix separately. If that cost were included, Obamacare is already $200 billion in the red. Now throw in the fact that the Senate bill is paid for with another $463 billion in Medicare cuts to health care providers. CMS says if these cuts occur, one-fifth of all health care providers will face bankruptcy. That simply is not going to happen. Just like the doctor reimbursement cuts have never happened, the Obamacare Medicare cuts will never happen. So in reality, Obamacare will add almost $700 billion to our national deficit in the next ten years alone.
Increases Unemployment and Puts Millions of Americans on Welfare: According to The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis (CDA), a dynamic analysis of the tax hikes and deficits created by the Senate bill shows that an average 690,000 jobs per year would be lost if it became law. In addition, over half of all Americans who would gain health insurance through the bill (18 million out of 33 million) would do so by being placed on Medicaid, which is a welfare program.
Higher taxes, higher health care costs, higher health insurance premiums, higher deficits, more unemployment and more Americans on welfare. That is America’s future should the Senate Obamacare bill become law.
Quick Hits:
* According to the Treasury Department, the National Debt has increased over $2 trillion over the 421 days since President Obama took office. * If the House does pass the Senate bill, dozens of conservative lawmakers and candidates have signed a pledge to back an effort to repeal the measure. * Yesterday Mark Levin posted the complaint his Landmark Legal Foundation will file in federal court if the House uses the Slaughter Rule to pass the Senate bill. * Over half of the Americans who gain health insurance through the Senate bill will not be able to get their drugs from Washington state Walgreens, since they announced yesterday that as of April 16th they will not accept any new Medicaid patients. * According to Gallup, Americans firmly prioritize the economy over the environment and fewer than half of Democrats now believe environmental protection is the more important goal.
Gee, what’s not to love?
Short answer: It will start a civil war.
“the National Debt has increased over $2 trillion over the 421 days since President Obama took office”
That’s $4.8 billion a DAY. Must be a hoot to spend other people’s money so indiscriminately.
Don't forget the MD exodus.
Waiting for a war to break out, or some big event to take place.
I believe this is the month.
The house is doing its’ “reconciliation” tap dance in order to scam recalcitrant members into actually BELIEVING there will BE a senate reconciliation measure. Some of the DUMBER house members will actually fall for it. Also, phony figures must be presented to the CBO. They will, of course, never be acted upon. AND house members who do vote for this fraud will be able to claim they were CHEATED by that EEEEEVIL senate which FIBBED about reconciliation. “You see, MR. Constituent...I didn’t really VOTE for the senate bill. I voted for the “reconciliation bill” which the senate was supposed to ACT on right away!!! Why, I was LIED TO!!!”
Somehow I don’t think many voters will buy that scam. Not now.
If you mean an "idealogical" civil war, then you are right. We have one of those going right now.
If you mean a real civil war or rebellion ... ain't gonna happen. Just my opinion.
And we have this, from Public Advocate:
The time for action is NOW.
Nancy Pelosi is desperate to ram through the Homosexual Lobby payoffs she’s buried in the Obamacare bill.
This plethora of hidden pro-homosexual filth includes:
Homosexual “lifestyle” subsidies, which will grant $1,000+ in annual tax breaks to homosexual “couples,” encouraging their sinfulness on the taxpayer dime;
Traditional Marriage Penalties, crippling many families with over $10,000 per year in new taxes;
Explicit Sodomy Training Seminars financed by tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, directed at “educating” elementary school students in homosexual sex acts.
That’s why I am counting on you to call Representative Richard E. Neal at 202-225-5601 right away!
You see, Nancy Pelosi is starting to play really dirty.
She plans to ram this bill through using a “deem and pass” scheme that would make these anti-family provisions law without even being voted on!
And if you think that’s the worst of her sleazy tricks, think again.
Pro-life Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak recently revealed the REAL reason Nancy Pelosi has been fighting tooth-and-nail to include taxpayer-funded abortions in the Obamacare Bill.
It’s dollars and cents. She’s convinced she can shave a couple bucks off the bill’s price tag by aborting more babies.
According to Congressman Stupak, Nancy Pelosi is telling pro-life Democrats:
“If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more.”
That is just how corrupt these pro-Obamacare politicians have become.
I need you to call 202-225-5601 right away and INSIST Representative Richard E. Neal resist Nancy Pelosi’s anti-family arm-twisting.
If she goes ahead her “deem and pass” scheme, Obamacare could be rammed down our throats before people even know what hit them. That’s why we must turn up the heat right now!
So please, call 202-225-5601 and tell Representative Richard E. Neal to oppose ALL of Nancy Pelosi’s trick plays to ram taxpayer-funded abortions and Homosexual Lobby payoffs into law.
We have no time to waste, the vote may come any day.
Please call Representative Richard E. Neal at 202-225-5601 right away.
Sincerely,
Eugene Delgaudio
President, Public Advocate
Public Advocate depends solely on your support.
Everyone is focused on the 2010 elections..the GOP will make great gains..possibly take one or both Houses of Congress...but I think that 2012 looks even better...with redistricting..where red states will gain 8-10 house seats at the expense of blue states, and Obama on the ballott..just take a look at the Dems that are up in the Senate..Obama may well succeed in “transforming” the GOP..
It’s not going to happen because the minute the bill passes most of the Republicans will flip and protect it to the end, wrapping themselves in the flag and claiming opponents are “anti-business” and claim some kind of ideological purity, well nourished by increased “free speech money,” aka campaign contributions aka bribes, to their coffers and accounts.
The system is going to CRASH.
“The system is going to CRASH.”
Which is EXACTLY THE POINT, so it can be rebuilt as a Soviet Socialist Utopia.
An ideological war can only take place when both sides play by the rules. Increasingly, Obama and the Democrat majority have shown that rules mean nothing. If the Senate Bill gets "deemed" into law, the only recourse we would have is the courts. If they fail us, it amounts to tyranny, and when you have tyranny, you have real civil war.
It will end the principle of individual right granted by our Creator and replace it with collective rights given by the government.
Whatever their excuses are Republicans will not put up much effort to overturn a national entitlement. Once passed it will be our future.
I agree.
TO have a real civil war, folks have to be willing to risk life and limb.
Most folks are not willing to tear themselves away from American Idol long enough to go participate in some civil disobedience, especially if they could get killed.
I just don’t understand WHY they won’t put up a fight.
This may be a totally dumb question.....If the Senate passed a bill, and the house is passing, er, something, what is the actual text of the bill gonna be? The Senate bill?
This is NUTS.
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