House Passes Senate Changes To Health Care Reconciliation Bill
Today
On Thursday, the House passed the Senate changes to the Reconciliation Bill by a vote of 220 to 207. The bill will now go to the President for his signature. Earlier, the Senate passed the Reconciliation Bill by a vote of 56 to 43.
'Go for it,' Obama tells GOP on health repeal
President travels to Iowa for first event outside D.C. since bill passed
President Obama visits the place where he first announced his plan for health care reform back in May of 2007, sharing with a large crowd the immediate effects of health reform for small businesses and families
The Associated Press
updated 2:50 p.m. ET,Thurs., March. 25, 2010
IOWA CITY, Iowa - President Barack Obama dared Republicans to try to repeal his new health care law, telling them Thursday to "Go for it" and see how well they do with voters in November.
"Be my guest," Obama said in the first of many planned appearances to sell the revamp before fall congressional elections. "If they want to have that fight, we can have it. Because I don't believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver's seat."
With emotions raw around the nation over this week's Democrats-only vote to approve the nearly $1 trillion redesign of the health care system, Obama took the opposition to task for "plenty of fear-mongering, plenty of overheated rhetoric."
"If you turn on the news, you'll see that those same folks are still shouting about how it's going to be the end of the world because this bill passed," said Obama, returning to the college town where, as a presidential candidate three years ago, he unveiled his plan to provide health care for all.
No Republican lawmakers voted for the 10-year, sweeping package that Obama signed Tuesday and will shape how almost every American will receive and pay for medical treatment. Many in the GOP are predicting it will prove devastating in November for the Democrats who voted for it.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the GOP won't give up "until this bill is repealed and replaced with common-sense ideas" that won't dismantle the current system and increase the debt.
Some Democratic lawmakers have faced threats and vandalism because of their votes. Obama didn't mention the incidents.
The president stressed the notion of a promise kept. As the crowd broke into a chant of "Yes we can!", Obama corrected them: "Yes we did!"
Challenged by a young man in the audience who shouted several times, "What about the public option," a liberal-backed proposal for the creation of a government-sponsored plan to compete with private insurers, Obama said: "We couldn't get it through Congress."
"This legislation is not perfect, as you just heard," the president said. "But what this is, is a historic step to enshrine the principle that everybody gets health care coverage in this country, every single person."
Afterward, Obama visited Prairie Lights Books -- killing two birds with one stone. He had highlighted the store in his speech as a small business that has offered coverage to full-time employees for 20 years, but is struggling to continue to do so after its premiums rose last year by 35 percent. Obama also has frequently complained of his inability as president to do regular things -- like browse a bookstore.
The White House suggests it has the upper hand on the issue politically, arguing the GOP risks a voter backlash because a repeal would take away many benefits. Among them are tax credits for small businesses to provide health care to their workers and $250 rebates for seniors to help pay for their presciption medications.
Obama spoke as Democrats in Washington raced to complete the overhaul with a separate package of fixes to the main bill.
Senate leaders finished work Thursday on the fix-it legislation, already approved in the House. But Republican attempts to derail the bill resulted in minor changes, meaning the House must vote on it again before Obama can sign it. The House vote was expected by evening.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Have you ever watched the Senate vote?They do a roll call each time and they either do a thumbs up or down. Or wave their hand up or down, they are not sitting down but are walking all over, if their names are called and they are not there to give their answer, they come back to wave their hand at the end, There is no time limit to the vote, and with the almost thirty amendments there have been several roll callers. Why do they not have an electronic vote like the house? It is funny and yet interesting to watch. Beats watching the so called reality shows which I deplore, Oe watching basketball which i have no love for, I wonder how long this will go on. it is 1:44 am. And I need to go to bed-y by, hehehehehehe'
Mr. Durban voted yes by pointing to his eye, absolutely classic...
I will continue in the morning. night all.......
Senate clears reconciliation bill
Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2010 2:18 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Congress
From NBC's Mark Murray Breaking News at the very time President Obama is talking health care in Iowa: "Senate passes bill reshaping new health care law; House final approval is next," the AP reports.
NBC's Ken Strickland said the vote was 56-43. Three Democrats voted no: Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), and Mark Pryor (AR). One Republican, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, didn't vote.
Dems close in on final health bill victory
GOP pledges to campaign on repeal; Obama: 'I welcome that fight'
The Associated Press
updated 5:38 p.m. ET,Thurs., March. 25, 2010
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., at podium, gestures during a health care reform news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. From left are, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Reid. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg) 2:31 p.m. ET, 3/25/10
WASHINGTON - Capping an epic struggle, congressional Democrats applied the final touches Thursday to historic legislation enshrining health care as the right of every citizen. Republicans vowed to campaign for repeal in the fall election season, drawing a quick retort from President Barack Obama: "I welcome that fight."
The president spoke in Iowa as the Senate voted 56-43 for legislation making changes, including better benefits for seniors and lower- and middle-class families, to the bill he signed with a flourish at the White House on Tuesday. That cleared the way for a final, confirming vote in the House, which Democratic leaders hoped for by evening.
Passage of the two bills was the culmination of what Obama called "a year of debate and a century of trying" to ensure coverage for nearly all in a nation where millions lack it. Taken together, the two bills also aim to crack down on insurance industry abuses, and to reduce federal deficits by an estimated $143 billion over a decade. Most Americans would be required to buy insurance for the first time, and face penalties if they refused.
The second of the two bills also presented Obama with another victory, stripping banks and other private lenders of their ability to originate student loans in favor of a system of direct government lending.
Apart from their impact on nearly every American and an estimated one-sixth of the American economy, the week's events marked Obama's biggest political triumphs since he took office more than a year ago. A pending arms control agreement with Russia, announced on Wednesday, added to his resume, and White House officials said they hoped the momentum would translate into further political successes in the run-up to the midterm elections.
After a months-long battle in Congress, the political struggle was morphing into a new phase, where public debate was tinged with violence — and politicians accused one another of seeking to exploit it for their own advantage.
More than 10 lawmakers in the House said they had received threats or worse as a consequence of the health care debate, most of them Democrats who voted in favor of the legislation. There were reports of bricks through windows, a cut propane line to a grill and numerous obscene and threatening phone calls and faxes. An undisclosed number of lawmakers were under increased police protection.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the GOP leader, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, both denounced the threats and incidents of violence. But Democrats said Republicans had been too slow to respond, drawing an outraged response in return.
"By ratcheting up the rhetoric, some will only inflame these situations to dangerous levels," said Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia. "Enough is enough. It has to stop."
An aide to Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, head of the Democratic 2010 campaign effort, responded: "This is straight out of the Republicans' political playbook of deflecting responsibility and distracting attention away from a serious issue."
"Repeal and Replace" was the new slogan for Republicans as they pivoted away from earlier attempts to kill the health care legislation. Officials said it was meant to appeal to tea party activists — who staged an occasionally unruly demonstration outside the Capitol over the weekend — as well as to independent voters eager for changes in the health care system but fearful the Democrats went too far.
"Republicans fought on behalf of the American people this week and will continue to fight until this bill is repealed and replaced with commonsense ideas that solve our problems without dismantling the health care system we have and without burying the American dream under a mountain of debt," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Repeal was far-fetched in the extreme, since Republicans are now deep in the minority in both houses and would need a two-thirds majority to overcome a certain veto by Obama.
But Republicans circulated polls showing public backing for the overhaul at no better than 40 percent, despite months of Democratic efforts to rally support. Attacking the bill as a government takeover of health care paid for in higher taxes and Medicare cuts, they taunted House Democrats who voted for it, saying those lawmakers had cleared the way for their own defeat this fall.
Democrats said any unease was the result of months of Republican distractions — as far back as last summer's debunked charges of "death panels" — and predicted the public would warm to the new law once its first benefits take effect.
That was Obama's pitch in Iowa, where he touted a "set of reforms" that will take effect before the elections.
He said small businesses would be eligible for tax credits to help them cover the cost of insurance for employees, including a $250 rebate from the government for seniors with high prescription drug costs.
"This year, insurance companies will no longer be able to drop people's coverage when they get sick, or place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive," he said.
"This is the reform that some folks in Washington are still hollering about. And now that it's passed, they're already promising to repeal it. ... Well, I say go for it," he said.
Senate passage of the follow-up measure was nearly along party lines. Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska joined 39 Republicans in opposing the legislation. Republican Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who is hospitalized, did not vote.
The day's events marked the final stages of a rescue mission that Obama and Democratic leaders mounted more than two months ago, after Republicans unexpectedly won a Massachusetts Senate seat, and with it, the ability to slow final action on health care legislation.
Under a revised strategy, the House agreed to approve a Senate-passed bill despite numerous objections, on the condition that both houses would follow quickly with a fix-it measure. The one finally brought to a vote on Thursday added more than $20 billion to subsidies for lower- and middle-income individuals and families who will be required to purchase insurance, and about $8 billion over a decade for states that already provide more generous than average Medicaid benefits.
The Senate vote took place with Vice President Joe Biden presiding, a symbolic gesture since his vote was not needed.
Moments before approving the legislation, the Senate paused for a moment of silence in memory of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who died last year after a career of more than 45 years in which he relentlessly pursued legislation to enact national health care.
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 49 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Republicans took to the House floor Thursday to plead with those who oppose the Democratic health care overhaul to refrain from violence and threats. Opposition to the health care bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Wednesday is "no excuse for bigotry, threats or acts of vandalism and I condemn such things in the strongest possible terms," said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, the House's third-ranked Republican. "Some of our colleagues have received threatening phone calls. A brick has been thrown, a window has been smashed. This is not the right way to respond," added Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., a leading anti-abortion lawmaker. The remarks came a day after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Democratic lawmakers were worried about their own safety and their families because of a rash of threats that followed the House vote Sunday sending the landmark health care legislation to the president. While not directly criticizing Republicans, Hoyer warned against lawmakers against encouraging protesters into acts that might cross the line into threatening behavior. "The bottom line is, we need to be very careful in public life that our rhetoric doesn't incite to violent acts," the Maryland Democrat said Thursday on a network morning news show. He said dealing with difficult issues in a civil and peaceful manner is "at the core of our democracy." The FBI is working with lawmakers subjected to menacing obscenity-laced phone messages. In some instances, bricks were hurled through congressional offices, including Rep. Louise Slaughter's district headquarters in Niagara Falls, N.Y. At least four Democratic offices in New York, Arizona and Kansas were struck and at least 10 members of Congress have reported some sort of threats, congressional leaders have said. No arrests had been made as of late Wednesday, but the FBI is still investigating. Hoyer had said Wednesday that lawmakers who felt at risk were to get attention "from the proper authorities." He declined to say whether any were receiving extra security. Normally only those in leadership positions have personal security guards. Slaughter, a Democrat, is chairwoman of an influential House committee. She said someone had left her a voice mail that used the word "snipers." Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said "it's an effort to kind of hijack the debate by coercive elements. I'm glad the Republican leadership colleagues denounce it. But they were very late to do that." Hoyer on Thursday did not single out any member of Congress or political party as having made statements that could encourage such acts. But he did say he thought some of the rhetoric "has been far beyond legitimate debate." "In our democracy," he said, "we resolve things, not through violence, not at the point of a gun. If we don't do that, we will devolve into a society that we're not going to like." "It is unacceptable in America," said Sen. John McCain. The Arizona Republican said angry citizens should channel their rage into voter registration for the next election and efforts to repeal the health care law. House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement that while many Americans are angry over the bill's passage, "violence and threats are unacceptable." Some of the anger spilled over in a flood of threat-filled phone and fax messages to the office of Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. Stupak vowed to oppose the health care package unless given greater assurance that it would not allow federal funding of elective abortions. He voted in favor after the administration agreed. Stupak's office released some of the messages, declining further comment. "I hope you bleed ... (get) cancer and die," one male caller told the congressman between curses. A fax with the title "Defecating on Stupak" carried a picture of a gallows with "Bart (SS) Stupak" on it and a noose attached. It was captioned, "All Baby Killers come to unseemly ends Either by the hand of man or by the hand of God." The vandalism and threats surprised a researcher at a think tank that monitors extremist groups. "I think it is astounding that we are seeing this wave of vigilantism," said Mark Potok of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center. Hoyer said earlier that people have yelled that Democratic lawmakers should be put on firing lines and posters have appeared with the faces of lawmakers in the cross hairs of a target. While not directly criticizing Republicans directly, he said "any show of appreciation for such actions encourages such action." Gun imagery was used in a posting on the Facebook page of Sarah Palin urging people to organize against 20 House Democrats who voted for the health care bill and whose districts went for the John McCain-Palin ticket two years ago. Palin's post featured a U.S. map with circles and cross hairs over the 20 districts. McCain defended Palin Thursday, saying it was commonplace practice and "part of the lexicon" to refer to "targeted" congressional districts. In Virginia, someone cut a propane line leading to a grill at the Charlottesville home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello's brother after the address was posted online by activists angry about the health care overhaul. Perriello also said a threatening letter was sent to his brother's house. The FBI and local authorities were investigating. Tea party activists had posted the brother's address online thinking it was the congressman's home. The post urged opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for the Democrat's vote in favor of the sweeping health care reform. Nigel Coleman, chairman of the Danville Tea Party, said he re-posted the comment that originated on another conservative blog, including the address, Monday on his Facebook page. The posts were taken down after the mistake was discovered. "We've never been associated with any violence or any vandalism," he said. "We're definitely sorry that we posted the incorrect address." ___ Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss., David N. Goodman in Detroit, Dena Potter and Bob Lewis in Richmond, Va., Ben Dobbin in Rochester, N.Y., Mark Carlson in Phoenix and Laurie Kellman in Washington contributed to this report.
March 25: ‘Great Expectations’ broadcast and town hall event focuses on education. Guests include Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Former Gov. Jeb Bush & musician John Legend
My commentary
Good Morning, Its Thursday and I caught the Morning Joe and the Great Expectations on Education forum that they held in Tampa Fla. I am hoping that I will be able to find some video on it to put in my blog. What I did catch was that it takes a bottom up philosophy starting with the parents, community involvement, a coalition of after school volunteers and the teachers and school district getting involved to get the kids to know they are the ones who control their destiny, that they can do it and have the education they so deserve...
I found videos about the Education forum this morning take a look and listen, I do not know if I have them in order. But what they discussed is very important to our national education and our children and their futures....They are below the story
NEW YORK - March 23, 2010 - MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” will broadcast live from Tampa, Florida on Thursday, March 25 with a special broadcast and town hall event focused on education in America. The “Great Expectations” broadcast will bring together the leaders who are at the helm of education reform in America. The program will also feature a one-hour town hall discussion with special guests and members of the Florida education community.
“Morning Joe” co-anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski will be joined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Former Governor Jeb Bush, Grammy-Award winner John Legend, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Mayor Cory Booker among others. The guests will discuss what works and what doesn’t when it comes to education, including success stories of educational entrepreneurs and schools that have exceeded expectations.
The broadcast will originate from Alexander Elementary in Tampa, a school that is proof that when a state, a school district and teachers commit to teaching, they can exceed expectations and show success in student performance. The broadcast is not open to the public.
This video is about Los Angeles and their Urban League and their President Blair Taylor and how "Neighborhoods at Work" changed the outlook of one High School and what can happen to schools across the nation.
Senators are debating a package of fixes to the new health reform law, demanded by House Democrats as their price for passing the nearly $1 trillion overhaul legislation.
The Republican Four
Mar. 23: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill. Behind him are, Senate Minority Whip John Kyl, Sen. John Cornyn, and Sen. Judd Gregg.
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has signed into law a sweeping overhaul of U.S. health care in a defining moment of his presidency, but one last chapter in the epic struggle is still playing out in the Senate. Senators are debating a package of fixes to the new health reform law, demanded by House Democrats as their price for passing the nearly $1 trillion overhaul legislation that will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans over the next decade. Obama signed the bill on Tuesday, declaring "a new season in America" as he sealed a victory denied to a line of presidents stretching back nearly half a century. Failure would have weakened him and endangered other issues on the president's ambitious domestic agenda, including immigration reform and climate change legislation. The fix-it bill under consideration in the Senate eliminates special deals for some individual states from the new law, softens a tax on high-cost insurance plans that was repugnant to organized labor, provides more expansive subsidies to lower-income people to purchase insurance, and offers more generous prescription drug coverage to seniors, among other changes. Its approval at the end of this week is virtually assured, since it's being debated under fast-track budget rules that allow passage with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes usually required for action in the 100-seat Senate. Democrats control 59 Senate seats That didn't stop Republicans, who are unanimously opposed, from using the floor debate that began Tuesday afternoon in the Senate as an opportunity to repeat the accusations they have lobbed at Obama's health legislation for the past year: that it raises taxes, slashes Medicare coverage for seniors, and includes a burdensome and constitutionally questionable requirement for nearly all Americans to carry health insurance. Republicans came up with some new arguments too, including an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn that would prohibit sex offenders from getting Viagra prescriptions under federal health programs. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin dismissed that as a "gotcha amendment" designed to be difficult for Democrats to oppose. The main suspense surrounding this week's debate is whether the fix-it bill can emerge from the Senate unchanged. If it does, it can go straight to the president for his signature, since it's already passed the House of Representatives. If the Senate changes it even in a minor way, the legislation would have to go back to the House to be passed again, a prospect House leaders are prepared for but say they don't expect. If there are only minor changes the House would be almost certain to pass the bill again with little trouble, but if Republicans succeed in knocking out a significant provision or attaching a substantive amendment there could be difficulties in the House, where the legislation passed very narrowly Sunday night. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate say they have scrubbed the fix-it bill thoroughly to ensure that will not happen. Republicans are introducing an array of politically sticky amendments such as Coburn's and another that would stipulate that Obama himself must get health coverage through a new purchasing exchange to be established under the health law. The Republicans also are planning to raise points of order under rules requiring that provisions of the fix-it bill must have a budgetary impact. If Republicans argue that something doesn't and the Senate parliamentarian rules in their favor, the provision in question likely would be knocked out. For Republicans, making it more difficult for Democrats to pass the fix-it bill is about the end of the road for congressional roadblocks against Obama's yearlong overhaul drive that will impact one-sixth of the U.S. economy. But opponents already have launched a campaign from the outside, with 13 state attorneys general -- all but one of them Republicans -- suing Tuesday to overturn the legislation on grounds it is unconstitutional to force people to get health coverage. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell served notice Tuesday of the Republicans' continued campaign against the legislation leading up to the November election when control of Congress will be at stake. "The slogan will be 'repeal and replace,' 'repeal and replace,"' McConnell said. Opinion polls show the American public remains skeptical. Obama is planning a number of appearances to promote the plan, starting with a trip to the politically pivotal Midwest state of Iowa on Thursday. He intends to emphasize the law's most immediate impacts, including the ability of young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parents' health plans. Obama planned to sign an executive order Wednesday affirming existing law against federal funding of abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life. A critical bloc of anti-abortion Democrats in the House had pledged to vote against the health care package unless given greater assurances that it would not amend current law. In a last-minute deal, Obama agreed to issue the order to get their votes for passage of the legislation.
There have been 23 amendments voted on and tabled by a majority of the Senate, it is 12:36am and the Republicans have added another amendment. Who knows how many more....
Sen. Coburn's (little blue) poison pills
Republicans have made it known that they will stop at nothing to "kill the bill." That is, the sweeping health-care bill that is now law. Some are pursuing a repeal effort. Others are moving down a more crafty route. Take Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). He issued a list of nine amendments(they are below with links) to the reconciliation bill that are designed for maximum embarrassment. The one that has gotten the most attention is "No Erectile Dysfunction Drugs To Sex Offenders." If Democrats vote against the measure, they'll be portrayed as being in bed with child molesters and other perverts. If they vote for it and the measure gets approved, those "fixes" (the article is below the amendments) the House approved with fanfare last weekend would have to go back to the House for yet another vote. These amendments took a lot of time to craft. Would that the Republicans had expended as much energy coming up with real proposals during health-care negotiations as they did these poison pills.
'Fix-it' bill: Final fight on health care front
By John Fritze, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats vowed to start debate today on a series of changes to President Obama's landmark health care legislation, launching the final battle in the year-long effort to revamp the nation's health insurance system.
Work on the proposed "fix-it" bill, which eliminates special deals for individual states and increases subsidies to make insurance more affordable, was slated to get underway after Obama signed into law the broader health care bill narrowly approved by the House of Representatives on Sunday.
House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, have cheered the 219-212 vote on Obama's health care proposal. But, like the health care bill itself, the follow-up package of changes has prompted a partisan feud in the Senate that could tie up the measure for days.
As lawmakers gear up for the fight, attention has shifted to the Senate parliamentarian, who must decide whether certain provisions are in order.
"We feel confident," said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of Senate Budget Committee.
The changes, which passed the House 220-211, are being considered under reconciliation. That process prohibits filibusters, so Democrats can approve the legislation with 51 votes. The approach gained traction after Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won a January election that left Democrats one seat shy of the 60 needed to stop filibusters with a vote.
Among the changes:
• The Medicare drug coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole" would be phased out.
• Subsidies to help low- and middle-income families buy insurance through marketplaces called exchanges would become more generous.
• Special deals for individual states, such as a provision to boost Medicaid funding for Nebraska, would be cut.
• Government fees paid to private banks to originate student loans would be eliminated. Instead, the U.S. Department of Education would administer student loans directly.
One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said Monday he will oppose the fixes. Nelson supported the broader health care bill in December but said he opposes the new student loan provisions.
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats hope to finish work on the reconciliation bill by week's end.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona and other Republicans have promised to slow the process down through procedural objections. Meanwhile, the bill is open to amendments, and if any amendments are approved by the Senate, the House would have to cast another vote on the legislation.
Republicans are focusing on a rule that prohibits using reconciliation to change Social Security. The measure adjusts an excise tax on high-end insurance plans that the Congressional Budget Office says will change how much money goes into the Social Security trust fund.
White House adviser David Axelrod said Republican delay tactics could backfire: "I don't know how much of a stomach the American people have for dilatory tactics and parliamentary maneuvers."
After Speaker Pelosi strong-armed her health care takeover through the House on Sunday night, I began reaching out to folks all across the country to let them know that the RNC is focused on one thing: firing Nancy Pelosi. Check out some of my guest posts on other blogs, and be sure to read the comments left by fellow Americans concerned about their country under this Speaker’s leadership. Just imagine the outrage when President Obama signs this bill into law at 11:15 AM today.
As I said in my guest blog on BigGovernment.com: (article is below comments on this article)
[Speaker Pelosi] believes that she is no longer accountable to congressional rules, and national laws. Those are just guidelines that can be tossed away on a whim if determined they will prevent her from accomplishing her goals…
For the sweetheart deals and arm-twisting tactics; for this unconscionable dereliction of her duty; for this gleeful defiance of the Constitution; and for the utter contempt with which she has repeatedly treated the American people, Speaker Pelosi MUST be fired.
Mr Steele: So why not a simple piece of legislation, introduced by the Republicans in both houses entitled Let Americans Choose 2010. The bill would sunset the recently passed legislation on 12/31/10 unless a super-majority of voters approve the legislation. If health insurance and health care are declared rights not found in the constitution, then a voters should also have a "right" to vote on this legislation and a super-majority (not a simple majority) should approve it. Those opposed to such a bill would be targeted for the fall elections for failing to allow Americans a vote. If the bill passes and the President refuses to sign or vetoes it, he becomes a target.
Posted by SeverinHall on 2010-03-23T23:50:13.2
The American People need a plan...and a reason to vote for the Republican Party...just being against Pelosi is not a strategy for success. I just read a Fox News poll that says 16% of voters think that the Repubs can fix the economy. We should be spelling out a plan for Nov by explaining in detail our strategy for creating jobs, lowering taxes, lowering the defecit, decreasing and limiting the size of government (such as voting against pork projects), not just railing about the inept Democratic leadership. People are grasping at any sign of hope...The Repubs should be the ones to give it to them. We need a new contract with America. Something tangible and enforceable. To you "USADEFENDER" Mr. Boehner said it so poignantly in regard to this Bill which you obviously champion.."Shame on us. Shame on this body. Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes YOUR will and YOUR desires above those of your fellow Countrymen..." In a sense there is an "I got mine" mentality. I work hard for everything I have and don't want to see half of what I worked hard for go to some free loader collecting that which is wholly undeserved. To the anonymous poster above, you can respect and support the office without supporting the Man. GET A GRIP...AND A CLUE!!!
Posted by Polani Tribesman on 2010-03-23T17:27:46.857
Chairman Steele, why are you focused on Pelosi? If you think that all the American People want is revenge, or even just to be rid of the person who spearheaded this, you're wrong. The American People want good government. You are turning me off! I would like to read about what the Republicans plan to do instead. If we can bring about 'tort reform' that effectively eliminates suits for people who only got a bad break in life and their doctor was not guilty of genuine malpractice, the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can cap the medical malpractice awards at a reasonable level so that 'tort lawyers' cannot get rich by playing on the emotions of the members of the jury, the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If doctors are not held responsible for the 'success' of their treatment (for which only God is responsible), only for providng proper treatment, then they won't have to do exhaustive diagnostic testing just to minumize their exposure to tort suits and the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can provide for competition in medical insurance by regulation that allows people to buy insurance from any provider in our country the cost of medical insurance will be reduced. If we can regulate the medical insurance industry such that the price of each plan is fixed so that large corporations and individuals pay the same price per person, the cost of medical insurance for individuals will be reduced. This will also be fair and justifiable because we are regulating access to life-saving treatment. One shouldn't have to be a member of some hugh group to get a good price on saving their life. The American People want to hear how you are going to roll back the socialist takeover of healthcare and provide better healthcare less expensively. There are solutions to all of the problems with healthcare, that do not require the abandonment of true democracy for socialism. The American People want to hear the details. How are you going to do it? When somebody, and I mean anybody, Republican or Democrat, stands up and says, "This is going to be wonderful, just wait and see!", it turns most of us off. That is INSINCERE! If it's going to be wonderful, explain it to us, make your case, and you'll get greater support than you ever thought possable. The RNC ahs been asking me for donations for a long time now. If you want donations, run some real, common sence people who are wise rather than cunning. Run some people who believe that the framers of our constitution had it right, and for the right reasons. Stop trying to take us down the tubes slower. Try to get us back up.
Posted by GB Frank on 2010-03-23T16:29:26.733
I thought we lived in a democracy where the will of the majority is the law of the land. How can something that is voted on my an elected majority be unconstitutional? What people are we talking about here, when we talk about the will of the people? Last I checked, no matter how much money you have, you still only get one vote. Now I hear my former party will seek to defy the law, drumming up some bizarre logic that discounts the existence and will of the majority.
This weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ensured that the 111th Congress will live in infamy. Instead of listening to the people she used every procedural trick at her disposal to pass her health care legislation. She must be stopped.
Over the last year, the American people have witnessed a Speaker who will stop at nothing to achieve her vision of a Leftist government. She believes that she is no longer accountable to congressional rules, and national laws. Those are just guidelines that can be tossed away on a whim if determined they will prevent her from accomplishing her goals. On Sunday, she cast them aside with reckless abandon and forced through her government takeover of health care.
Nancy Pelosi has no regard for public opinion. Even in a hostile electoral environment, she asked members of her caucus to fall on their swords so that she might add another achievement to her increasingly shameful legacy. Her actions are deceptive, dishonest, and simply unconstitutional, but she shows no remorse. To her, the ends justify the means.
Let there be no doubt: Nancy Pelosi’s sole priority in this entire health care drama has been authorizing a government seizure of the American health care industry and nationalizing a full one-sixth of our economy. She ignored the cold hard facts of the federal budget. Plainly put, you cannot add $1 trillion dollars to the budget and then claim that it’s revenue neutral, cut $500 billion from Medicare, and won’t affect recipients. The math simply doesn’t work. But Nancy Pelosi doesn’t seem to have any problem with fudging the numbers when it’s to her advantage.
Worse yet, Speaker Pelosi has claimed that she would preside over the most ethical and transparent Congress in history. She has repeatedly denied Americans their Constitutional right to know what Washington is doing in their name, because she knows that if they find out, they will hold her caucus accountable.
For the sweetheart deals and arm-twisting tactics; for this unconscionable dereliction of her duty; for this gleeful defiance of the Constitution; and for the utter contempt with which she has repeatedly treated the American people, Speaker Pelosi MUST be fired.
The time has come for Americans to speak out. If you believe that American government should be open, honest, and transparent; if you believe that individual Americans, not the federal government, are best equipped to make their own medical decisions; if you believe that the Constitution of the United States – not this radical leftist agenda – is still the ultimate authority in our land, I am asking for your help to fire Nancy Pelosi. I am asking you to pledge your support to punish her and every Democrat who joined her in this abomination and help Republicans regain the majority in the House.
The voice of the people was ignored on health care, but with your help we will make sure they hear it loud and clear when we remove Speaker Pelosi from her throne this November.
