Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Light of Day
The President's efforts to bring National Health Care to the American people cannot stand up to the light of day. Period. Mr. Obama and Mr. Reid and Mrs. Pelosi will not admit that but it is a fact nonetheless.
How many times did candidate Obama promise that "his" administration would do business differently? That he would put the Health Care negotiations on C-SPAN so that everyone who wanted could watch and see who was making deals and usher in an era of complete transparency. Campaign rhetoric.
These negotiations have all gone on behind closed, and sometimes, locked doors. Only Democrats have been invited to these closed door meetings and only Democrats know what language is in their bills and how those deals were fashioned. Is this transparency?
What few deals we have learned about are far from common sense and rational. How does Harry Reid promise $300 million in breaks for Louisiana to garner the vote of one Senator? How does Nebraska become exempt from Medicare/Medicaid payments that other states have to meet? Or Florida? I mean really! Deals are always made to get legislation passed but has any piece of legislation ever required so many deals, payoff, tax breaks and exemptions to be passed? Doubtful. This is not "Change you can believe in".
The Democrats own this legislation completely and they seem to be proud of it. Why then won't they allow discussions to be broadcast to a curious public? Why are meeting rooms locked and Republicans excluded from all negotiations? Why do they feel like they have to hide behind 2000 pages of bullshit to force Health Care down our throats?
Why indeed. If the Democrats are so damn transparent, why don't they do these things in the light of day? Government in the sunshine, what a novel idea. But not practical when you're crafting bills that will suck the life out of every business and family in the country. Their only hope is that they can pass this monstrosity before enough public outcry condemns them to the scrap heap of politics.
If this bill is so good for America, why are there so many exemptions given to garner votes? Why are the unions Cadillac Health Insurance Plans treated differently than anyone else's health insurance? Why can't they discuss these things in the light of day?
Pitiful and sickening.
OH
How many times did candidate Obama promise that "his" administration would do business differently? That he would put the Health Care negotiations on C-SPAN so that everyone who wanted could watch and see who was making deals and usher in an era of complete transparency. Campaign rhetoric.
These negotiations have all gone on behind closed, and sometimes, locked doors. Only Democrats have been invited to these closed door meetings and only Democrats know what language is in their bills and how those deals were fashioned. Is this transparency?
What few deals we have learned about are far from common sense and rational. How does Harry Reid promise $300 million in breaks for Louisiana to garner the vote of one Senator? How does Nebraska become exempt from Medicare/Medicaid payments that other states have to meet? Or Florida? I mean really! Deals are always made to get legislation passed but has any piece of legislation ever required so many deals, payoff, tax breaks and exemptions to be passed? Doubtful. This is not "Change you can believe in".
The Democrats own this legislation completely and they seem to be proud of it. Why then won't they allow discussions to be broadcast to a curious public? Why are meeting rooms locked and Republicans excluded from all negotiations? Why do they feel like they have to hide behind 2000 pages of bullshit to force Health Care down our throats?
Why indeed. If the Democrats are so damn transparent, why don't they do these things in the light of day? Government in the sunshine, what a novel idea. But not practical when you're crafting bills that will suck the life out of every business and family in the country. Their only hope is that they can pass this monstrosity before enough public outcry condemns them to the scrap heap of politics.
If this bill is so good for America, why are there so many exemptions given to garner votes? Why are the unions Cadillac Health Insurance Plans treated differently than anyone else's health insurance? Why can't they discuss these things in the light of day?
Pitiful and sickening.
OH
# posted by OH @ 9:43 AM 
