Healthcare not a done deal--cooler heads in Senate

November 8, 2:45 PMColumbia Conservative ExaminerAnthony G. Martin

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The one reason that the draconian bill that mandates a government takeover of healthcare was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives late last evening was to save face for Barack Obama, who had put his entire Presidency and credibility on the line.

(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Even so, the bill barely squeaked by with a vote of 220-215...far from any sort of 'mandate.'

Obama has defined his Presidency solely in terms of passing such a so-called 'healthcare reform' measure, which actually has nothing to do with improving healthcare at all but everything to do with the government seizure of fully one-sixth of the U.S. economy.

Given that the 2 biggest problems Americans face with regard to healthcare are the 5-8 million or so who want insurance but can't afford it, and the 'preexisting conditions' clause that most insurance providers include in their plans, the ObamaCare-PelosiCare bill seemed to be a case of drastic overkill....sort of like dismantling an entire auto just to fix a loose wire or replace a filter.

It doesn't take dismantling the entire U.S. Healthcare System or a government seizure of the entire healthcare industry to correct a few problems that can be solved using free-market solutions.

Yet the House was under enormous pressure to approve this monstrosity of a bill, initiated by the Leftwing, Nancy Pelosi, and Barack Obama, to help the President save face, knowing that if the 'reform' measure had failed in the House there would be no further 'hope' for 'change.'  And Obama would essentially be a lame duck.

He may well turn out to be a lame duck anyway once the Senate gets hold of the measure. 

Cooler heads prevail in the Senate on this issue than in the House.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, has already stated that at present the Senate lacks the votes to approve a healthcare bill and that negotiations on such a bill may well extend far into 2010.

This is a clear indication that Reid knows he didn't have the votes and that Senators are leery of ANY healthcare legislation that bears the marks of the House version, namely, covering abortions and illegal aliens with tax dollars, rationing of care for the elderly, a 'public option' that would drive private insurers out of business, fines and jail time for those who fail to purchase health insurance, heavy taxes on businesses, and 'death panels' that give 'end of life' counseling to seniors.

Moderate Democrats in the Senate have already indicated to Reid that they will not support any bill that includes such provisions.

Thus, the battle is far from over, and the notion of 'healthcare reform' is far less of a priority in the Senate than it was in the House.  The bill may well die once it gets to the Senate, as have other bills passed by the House under pressure from Pelosi's extremist Leftwing minions.

As for the citizens who fought long and hard to defeat the measure in the House, it is important to note that this government attack on individual liberty and free enterprise has only heightened the vigilance of these stalwart Patriots.  They are angry, even livid, that their representatives would betray them in this manner, and they are determined not to allow their Senators to do the same thing.

A word to the wise...

For commentary on other issues, visit my blog at The Liberty Sphere.