Congressional Democrats yesterday voted down a Republican amendment that sounded like a pretty good idea regarding the impending health care bill; it involved giving both congress and the public time to read the bill before they voted on it:
Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday turned back a Republican amendment to wait 72 hours and require a full cost estimate before the final committee vote on the health care reform bill… The amendment would have delayed a vote on the final bill for about two weeks to allow the Congressional Budget Office to complete its final analysis on the cost and implications of the legislation.
I know we’re all going to die if Obama doesn’t get health care reform passed quick-like, but for god’s sakes can’t we at least take a solid gander at this beast before we inevitably unleash it upon ourselves? Is that really too much to ask?
Apparently it is, because Democrats are having none of this ‘reading the bill’ business:
In the Senate Finance Committee debate, Democrats argued that the amendment, offered by Sen. Jim Bunning, Kentucky Republican, was merely an attempt to stall President Obama's top legislative priority.
"This is fundamentally a delay tactic," said Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat.
No John, it’s not; at least not in the negative sense that you mean. It is a tactic designed to delay, yes – but only to delay long enough so that you donkeys and elephants have a chance to actually read (and perhaps explain to the public) exactly what it is that you’re imposing upon us.
If you wanted an example of nefarious use of ‘delay tactics,’ you’d have to look no further than our own awful Nancy Pelosi. According to the same article, there is a similar attempt in the House to require “House leaders to post all non-emergency legislation online, in its final form, three days before a vote.” Pelosi has held that bill up in committee for months. It seems the only bill Pelosi doesn’t want to ram down our throats is the one that would require her to let us have a peek at whatever it is she’s throwing at us.
The irony of the House legislation is that even though it would be something, it’s essentially toothless; it applies only to ‘non-emergency’ legislation, and today we live in a permanent state of national emergency.
So we cede more and more power to a tax-eating, war-waging leviathan in Washington D.C. that slowly erodes our personal freedom and autonomy without telling us how or why they are doing it. At least they have our best interests at heart, right?
Comments
I wonder how many of congress' bills could actually be read and *understood* in only 72 hours. Not a substantial percentage, I am betting.
Don't worry. Our recourse is to vote all incumbents out of office and have the new representatives repeal anything this Congress passes like this. The beauty of Democracy is that the people have the power to vote out and recall politicians who forget they are servants of the people.
Justin, These leviathan social programs the Democrats come up with are inter-generational Ponzi schemes. Mr. Ponzi should be pictured riding the Democrat jackass on their official logo. As I recall, he looks a lot like Jerry Colonna. I. Zarkov
Did you go to Berkeley Justin? So smart and wise you are!
AC
-justin said:"Congressional Democrats yesterday voted down a Republican amendment that sounded like a pretty good idea regarding the impending health care bill; it involved giving both congress and the public time to read the bill before they voted on it."
-Actually, contrary to justin's inaccurate headline: "While the amendment, on its face, may seem reasonable by providing transparency for Congress and the public to read the bill, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said it would take at least two weeks for the staff to write the bill that way.
The practice at the Senate Finance Committee during the past 30 years -- **under both the leadership of Democrats and Republicans** -- is that the committee votes on bill using 'conceptual language,' or what some call 'plain English.' No other committee works under this practice." -- MSNBC
Its a thousand pages!
What is that phrase that the state (whatever its form, and whoever happens to sit at the throne today) always carefully inculcates in its useful idiots, to do the dirtiest part of its long-term legwork?
Oh yeah, that's it. "If you have nothing to hide, what's the big deal with the <insert fungible term here--'rush','secrecy',etc.>? Gosh, you seem paranoid. Don't you trust us?"
Uh, no. In fact, I've yet to read any history that convinces me I should.
Besides, aren't we STILL finding out what we weren't told about the police-state frenzy the Beltway types got so orgasmic about just about exactly eight years ago?
In a completely unrelated matter, isn't it astonishing how all those Nazi atrocities sprung forth upon the world in their fully-matured form, with no wind-up? From a free people to draconian police state virtually overnight. Wow, that's amazing.
Gah, dangit. I used the word "Nazi". I may be discounted with impunity now. Oh, and add me to the watch list.
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