Steve Driehaus cynically led the public to believe that he would vote against the Senate version of the health care bill – then he voted for it. But that really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Back in the Fall, when the House version of the bill was being considered, he said unequivocally that he would not vote for the House bill if it “placed additional burdens on small businesses or added to the deficit.” It did both, but he voted for it anyway. The people of this community deserve a Congressman who will tell them the truth, and they sure don’t have that now.
Remember when Speaker Pelosi (whom Driehaus has voted with 94% of the time) made the inane comment that “we have to pass the bill so you can see what’s in it?” Well, most of us had a pretty good idea what was in it, and that’s why most of us rejected the Democrats’ so-called health care reform. But Driehaus and his liberal bosses in Washington believe that they are so intellectually superior that they know what’s best for us. Forget the fact that thousands and thousands of American citizens have attended town hall meetings, marches, rallies, written emails and letters, called Congressional offices, even traveled all the way to Washington, D.C. to voice their opposition to this government power grab. Dr. Driehaus and Dr. Pelosi know better.
So what have they done to us? They’ve raised our taxes by $1.2 trillion. They’re adding more than 12,000 new IRS agents to collect all these new taxes. They’re cutting Medicare to seniors by $528 billion. They’re raising health care premiums on the average family by $2,100 per year. They’re creating an entire new federal bureaucracy which we know will grow exponentially over the coming years. And perhaps most disturbingly, they’re taking away a significant amount of our freedom.
Of course there are some things in the bill which many Republicans, including myself, support. For example, dealing with pre-existing conditions and allowing children up to 26 years of age to remain on their parent’s insurance to name a few. But overall the bill is a travesty.
Although Steve Driehaus didn’t have the good sense (guts) to stand up to the power-mad Speaker Pelosi, and vote against this monstrosity, 34 other courageous Democrats in the House of Representatives did. Here’s what some of them had to say about the so-called health care reform legislation:
“I voted no today because I was elected to listen to my constituents…No one should ever be elected to be a blind loyalist to a political party” (too bad Steve Driehaus doesn’t look at it that way). — Congressman Walt Minnick D- Idaho
“The politically easy vote would have been to vote with my party. But I was not sent to Congress to take the easy way out or to vote the way they want me to vote in Washington.” — Congressman Jason Altmire D- Pa.
“The health care package… doesn’t do enough to keep health care costs in check. Small business owners… tell me this new proposal will hurt them and their employees across the board. I’ve listened to my constituents and have heard their concerns clearly.” — Congressman Michael Arcuri D- N.Y.
“I am strongly in favor of reforming the health care system, but I don’t think this bill is going to do it, and therefore I can’t support it. It puts too much of the burden of paying for it on working folks who are already being over charged, and that’s not fair.” — Congressman John Barrow D- Ga.
“The Senate health care reform bill does not adequately address the issue of federal funds being used to pay for abortions. Despite the recently announced Executive Order addressing this issue… as a pro-life Member of Congress, I believe that abortion is fundamentally wrong and taxpayer money should not be allowed to support it.” — Congressman Marion Berry D- Ark.
“After reading and carefully reviewing the legislation, I oppose its passage. I am concerned about the unsavory deal making that occurred in the United States Senate… while the measure that passed the House removes several of the special benefits, others remain and were not removed by the legislation. I simply cannot countenance this kind of deal making which goes well beyond the bounds of normal legislative negotiations… The bill also fails to achieve the tort reform which is necessary to control health care costs.” — Congressman Rick Boucher D- Va.
“I voted against the health care reform bill because our country cannot afford its massive costs… for months my constituents have expressed their strong opposition to this bill and I cannot ignore the will of the people I represent.” — Congressman Bobby Bright D- Ala.
“I have reviewed the bill and I remain deeply concerned about the legislation’s large price tag and the absence of sufficiently strong language to prohibit federal funding of abortion.” — Congressman Travis Childers D- Miss.
“Many parts of this bill cause me great concern, like telling people they must buy health insurance or be fined, cutting Medicare by more than a half trillion dollars, and increasing taxes… I am also concerned how these new mandates will impact our small businesses as we recover from this economic recession and they attempt to put people back to work.” — Congressman Mike Ross D- Ark.
“I voted “No” on the House health care reform bill and I will be a “No” on the Senate health care reform bill. At a time of massive federal deficits, I believe these bills could make those deficits worse.” — Congressman Chet Edwards D- Texas
“Health care reform is needed, but the bill before us is too expensive, does not adequately address rising medical costs and skyrocketing insurance premiums, and tries to do too much too soon. We simply cannot afford to create a new federal bureaucracy that costs nearly $1 trillion when our national debt is $12 trillion and there’s no plan in place to address it. I will not vote for it.” — Congressman Mike McIntyre D- N.C.
“Today in the House of Representatives, I voted against the Senate health care bill and the reconciliation package. I opposed the bill for many of the same reasons that I voted against the House version of health care reform last fall: the plan costs too much and doesn’t do enough to lower health care costs… I cannot support a plan that raises taxes for the majority of Americans who currently have health insurance, while doing little to lower their premiums or reduce their out-of-pocket health care costs” — Congressman Charlie Melancon D- La.
“I didn’t change my vote. My position has been consistent the entire time. Rarely are issues black and white.” (No, wait, this one doesn’t belong here – these are the weasely words of our Congressman Steve Driehaus, who voted for the awful bill.)
It’s a shame that Mr. Driehaus put the wishes of the Washington special interests and Nancy Pelosi ahead of the wishes of the people here at home. But the people here will have the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with Mr. Driehaus at the ballot box this November. YES WE CAN.