Saturday, September 26, 2009

Health Care Behind Closed Doors

Many Americans are alarmed that our Congress is out of control. The Constitution has become an irrelevant piece of paper instead of the blue print for the foundation of our government. Nothing that has happened in Washington since the Obama takeover more clearly illustrates this fact than what is going on behind closed doors in the push to force nationalized health care down the throats of unwilling American taxpayers.
 

Senators are negotiating on Senator Max Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0 proposal and it hasn't even been written yet.

Of course, to state the obvious, the fact that they're negotiating on something that hasn't been written means no one has read it yet either.


And, to add even more insult to injury, it's now clear they have no intention of letting you read it.


You read that right. On an almost straight party-line vote, Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee squashed an amendment by Senator Jim Bunning that would have required Baucus' ObamaCare bill to be posted on the Internet – for all Americans to read – for 72 hours prior to the Committee voting on it.


Not only that. Bunning's amendment also called for requiring the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's official tally of how much Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0 will cost the American people and what the real impact will be on health costs to be released before the it was voted on.


It's as plain as the nose on your face.


They're leaving the door wide-open to pass Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0 proposal in the dead of night... under the cover of darkness... without even telling you and other concerned Americans what it will cost and how it will affect your health care.


But what really takes the cake is that even after those shenanigans, some Senate Republicans are still going out of their way to play Let's-Make-A-Deal on Senator Max Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0 socialized health care scheme.


They're actually fighting tooth-and-nail, not to stop ObamaCare but to negotiate a so-called compromise on this Obama-Baucus scheme to socialize the nation's health care system.


And that's just one more reason why we must tell our elected officials, right here and right now, that the American people don't want any more negotiations or deals or compromises.


We want ObamaCare off the table and we want it off the table now.

ObamaCare 6.0: A Stunning Assault On Liberty.

If the previous versions of government-run ObamaCare made you angry... Senator Max Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0 is likely to make your blood boil.


Much like its predecessors, the Baucus health care reform plan is chock-full of provisions calling for new government mandates, higher taxes, increased spending and government-dictated, rationed health care.


In fact, it's so bad that Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl said of Baucus' plan: "This is a stunning assault on liberty!"


Senator Kyl is right. And, the really sad part is this:


As previously stated, the Baucus bill hasn't even been written yet, much less read by the Senators who are doing the negotiating.


It's nothing more than a 200-plus-page shell of ideas to be rammed down the throats of the American people with all deliberate speed... before you and other concerned Americans have the time to find out what hit you.


Senator Lindsay Graham, speaking on FOX News, probably gave the best explanation of what exactly is going on: "[T]he Baucus bill... literally changes everyday... we're making this up as we go... they're trying to buy votes... the vision here is to pass something... they don't give a damn what it is and nobody understands what they're doing."


These so-called leaders just don't get it. Republicans and Democrats are quibbling over what type of government-run health care they believe to be best for you and your family and no one is fighting for the American people.


The American people for months have been sending the message loud and clear that they want no part of ObamaCare, period, regardless of what form it takes. The American people have been telling politicians in Washington that no amount of so-called "compromise" will make Obama's government-run health care scheme acceptable or palatable.


And yet, one of the only things keeping ObamaCare alive is the fact that some Republicans, under the veil of "negotiations," are keeping it alive.


It's time for these politicians to finally get the message. The American people do not want them to "fix" ObamaCare... no more so-called "ObamaCare compromises"... the American people want ObamaCare gone... never to be heard from again.


They Don't Want You To Read The Bill, But Will They Read The Bill?

The Baucus plan, right now, as you read this letter, is rapidly advancing in the Senate – even though the bill hasn't actually been written and none of the Senators working on it have actually read it.


And, as previously stated, it's now clear they have no intention of letting you read it either. Here's what Michael Franc wrote on the Heritage Foundation's blog, The Foundry:


"During the Senate Finance Committee mark up of the Baucus health bill ... Senator Bunning of Kentucky put forth an innovative amendment. This amendment stipulated that before voting on the measure in Committee, legislative language would have to be accessible to the public for 72 hours and that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would need to publish an official tally of how much this bill will cost the American people and what the real impact will be on health costs."


Franc continued:


"The amendment failed 11-12 on nearly a party line vote. Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR) was the sole Democrat to support this attempt at transparency. The bottom line: when the committee completes its work on this re-make of one-sixth of our economy, Senators will have voted on a phantom - a bill that does not exist with costs that are unknowable until, that is, the unelected legislative draftsmen write the real bill in some back room on Capitol Hill." [Emphasis Mine]


Remember what Senator Graham said: "the vision here is to pass something... they don't give a damn what it is and nobody understands what they're doing."


Fortunately, the American people are one step ahead of of our elected officials this time around.


They believe they can work behind closed doors and try to repackage government-run health care and seal it with a nice pretty bow.


But in the end, the American people are on to their game, we won't be fooled and we can stop them.


No more "negotiating"... no more "compromising"... it's time to stop ObamaCare once and for all.

Socialized Health Care Delivered Under A Christmas Tree Filled With Pricey Ornaments...

FOX News anchor Neil Cavuto summed up the mad dash to pass government-run health care – and specifically Baucus' ObamaCare 6.0:


"Christmas may be months away but that ain't stopping Senators from trying to outdo each other on health care... all sorts of pricey ornaments... 564 amendments... the pace of this is startling."


Like the alcoholic who swears he will never take another drink, only to succumb to temptation the very next day, politicians in Washington lead us to believe that they got the message loud and clear... they lead us to believe they would stop ObamaCare.


But instead of stopping ObamaCare cold, they rushed to make deals and propose amendments the second Senator Baucus unveiled his proposal.


Even Senator Hatch, while calling for a so-called "bi-partisan solution" to ObamaCare, inadvertently stated the case as to why continued negotiations on ObamaCare are a dangerous thing:


"Everything is geared to try to get us to a single payer system... if they can't do it automatically... they'll do it in increments... a one size fits all health care system right out of Washington."


Simply put, any compromise that is reached... any deal that is negotiated will simply lead us down the road to government-run, rationed health care for all.


Some will try to tell you that negotiation is simply a strategy... that it is perhaps the only way to stop ObamaCare.


But the truth of the matter is, ObamaCare never needs to come out of the Senate Finance Committee... it never has to see the light of day.


Rule 4 of the Rules of Procedure for the Senate Finance Committee reads: "Rule 4. Quorums. - (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) one-third of the membership of the committee, including not less than one member of the majority party and one member of the minority party, shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business."


That means, at least one Republican Senator on the Finance Committee needs to be in attendance in order to pass any legislation out of committee.


In other words, 10 Republican Senators (Charles Grassley, Orrin Hatch, Olympia Snowe, Jon Kyl, Jim Bunning, Mike Crapo, Pat Roberts, John Ensign, Mike Enzi and John Cornyn) could stop ObamaCare cold right now by simply saying they will not support it under any circumstances.


If those 10 Senators would simply say "no," and deny Democrats on the Finance Committee a quorum; ObamaCare would be done... finished... it would die in committee... but you won't hear that on the nightly news.


And yet, instead of finding a way to convince these 10 Republicans to stand firm in their opposition to ObamaCare, we're told it's more prudent solution to negotiate and make a deal with the opposition and hopefully cushion the blow of something that never has to happen in the first place.


Only in Washington D.C. does such a thing seem even remotely rational. It's time to tell these Senate Republicans to get serious about stopping ObamaCare.






Jeff Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom


Center for Individual Freedom
917-B King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-535-5836
Fax:703-535-5838

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