PrintJuly 10, 2009
Health care bill unveiling delayed
There appears to be a lot of resistance to national health care coming from rank and file Democrats who forced the leadership to delay the unveiling of the monstrosity until some of their concerns are met.
I have a concern; that this entire exercise is something akin to the old Rube Goldberg machines: complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. Just read what Pete Stark has to say about how the bill is being crafted courtesy of Patrick O'Connor and Chris Frates of Politico :
California Rep. Pete Stark, who chairs a key subcommittee, acknowledged Thursday night that the official rollout won't happen this week, as planned, but rather early next week.
Asked to estimate the proposal's cost, Stark - who said that White House health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle and budget director Peter Orszag have been heavily involved in the negotiations - replied, "Right under $1 trillion. ... We're trying to do it on the back of an envelope, but I don't have any more than a guess."
Stark suggested Democrats would reveal their measures to fund the plan on Friday, with introduction of the bill coming Monday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, House Democrats of every stripe filled the speaker's mailbox with a torrent of missives to make their case for what they do and don't want in the legislation - all while tax-writers struggled to agree on ways to pay for it.
Incredible. Like the 1000 page stim bill that nobody read and the 1500 page cap and trade legislation that nobody read or understood, the health care bill - something that will fundamentally alter the relationship between citizen and government in ways never before imagined - is being done by the seat of the pants without much thought given to the consequences.
What a bunch of irresponsible lunatics. Our Congress has gone mad with spendlust, a green haze clouds their eyes as visions of trillions of dollars warp their judgment. The president is showing absolutely no leadership whatsoever, even encouraging the madmen in their folly.
To sum up at this late date: no one knows how much it will cost, no one knows how to pay for it, no one knows what will be in the bill, no one knows how the public option will work, and no one knows the eventual impact on the economy.
For House Democrats, ignorance is bliss.
