Well, tomorrow’s the big day. After failing to convince the American people, and enough in Congress, that what America needs is a government takeover of healthcare, the Obama Administration is inviting Democratic and Republican members of Congress to the White House for a “bi-partisan healthcare summit.”
In advance of the big pow-wow, President Obama released his own healthcare plan, which, surprise surprise, is a lot like the Democrat bills already considered in the House and the Senate. A couple of new twists: the Obama plan imposes even bigger job-killing penalties on businesses (so much for lip-service about creating more jobs in these tough economic times), his plan costs more than the Senate plan but less than the House’s, and he adds another new bureaucracy to impose government price controls on healthcare. And not surprisingly, despite the fact that the President said he’d be open to Republican ideas, he completely left out Republican ideas, like medical malpractice reform, association health plans, and allowing individuals to purchase healthcare across state lines (to increase competition and keep healthcare costs down). Let’s face it, the Obama Administration and the Democrat Congress couldn’t care less about keeping healthcare costs to the consumer down, they just want more government control of our healthcare, and of our lives for that matter.
Republicans must be very wary at this so-called summit, which is in reality just a mechanism for the Obama Administration and Pelosi/Reid to use their allies in the mainstream media to browbeat Republicans, and try to convince the public that Republicans are just “the party of NO.” Well, there’s nothing wrong with saying NO to policies which will hurt the American people, and which the American people have said they are opposed to time after time. (Massachusetts)
The Democrats in Congress are so desperate for what they consider would be a political win, that they don’t care that the American people would suffer a huge loss. And they seem determined to even change (break) the rules that Congress has operated under for generations. All major legislation in the Senate has traditionally required 60 votes for passage. The Democrats had 60 votes until the people of Massachusetts, the bluest of blue states, were so disgusted with the Democrats’ healthcare plan that they elected a Republican, Scott Brown, to the late Teddy Kennedy’s seat, principally on the promise that he would oppose the Democratic healthcare bill. There went their 60 votes, so the Democrats are apparently seriously considering a parliamentary trick which would require a mere 51 votes (Reconciliation) even though this is traditionally used only for relatively minor adjustments to budget items, etc. The government takeover of one sixth of our economy, is clearly far more than a minor adjustment of a budget item, and thus the Democrats are willing to sacrifice the Constitution and the rules of fair play for a political victory. If they decide to go this route, they may win a pyrrhic victory now, but the American people will make them pay this November.
Unfortunately, the damage to our country would already be done. Ronald Reagan once said “there’s nothing more permanent than a temporary government program.” If Pelosi and Reid and their allies in Congress are successful in imposing their big government healthcare takeover on the American people, it will be very difficult to undo the damage. That’s why we must stop it before it happens. And not be suckered in by a so-called “bi-partisan healthcare summit. “