I’m watching the Senate Health Committee debates. Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn (R) introduced an amendment that as far as I could tell required members of the Senate to participate in whatever public plan they create for the common man and woman, apparently instead of the lush plan the taxpayer subsidizes for them now. It always pains me to give credit to Republicans but lets give credit where credit is due. Senator Coburn – on this one you rock.
Chairman Chris Dodd immediately accepted the amendment however, New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman (D) objected. He didn’t see why, since the public plan would be voluntary, he ( and others among the ruling class) should be forced to participate in something that the proposed law specifically says would be voluntary. That’s completely rational.
Of course it might be different if the taxpayer wasn’t subsidizing his royal behind. If he had to deal with the disaster of the US health care “system” created by his chamber and their lower house brethren that public option might look pretty good.
Or would it? The amendment lost.
So I guess the Senate Health Committee doesn’t have much faith in the quality of the public option. They won’t give up their privilege but we have to pay for both their privilege and the public option they won’t subject their families to.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders proposed an amendment to facilitate the states in experimenting with single payer. He explained how it was revenue neutral since it was really just redirecting existing expenditures, and he limited it to a few states per year. Yeah Bernie – though single payer is fundamentally immoral – the “states as laboratory” is something I’ve preached for decades. Small problem – it requires waivers on a significant list of Federal program requirements. It sounded as if (though I haven’t read the bill – pretty sure no one has) they would redirect money from individuals’ medicare etc. apparently without their consent. There was some discussion about this – no one seemed sure. What the hell – it’s not their health care. See previous paragraphs.
Hold on – another objection – sure enough – Senator Bingaman. Its seems a lot of people in New Mexico like that medicare money they get from that bottomless piggy bank that is the Federal Government – or from younger generations – I don’t know. But apparently we can’t have some silly little state making it’s own decisions about it’s affairs. They didn’t really mean it when they adopted the Tenth Amendment. At least not when it means reducing OUR pork.
Speaking of which – I went to Senator Bingaman’s website to make sure I spelled his name right. Here is what occupies about 25% of the home page
Bingaman: New Mexico Airports to Benefit from DOT Funds
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that two New Mexico airports will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to make improvements to their facilities and runways.
WOW! Great work Jeff. You bring home the bacon. No wonder Arizona, according to the Tax Foundation, gets $1.30 in Federal Expenditures (Pork) for every dollar paid in. Hillary and Dick didn’t do so well. Here in New York, we only get 79 cents back on every dollar we pay in. Never understood why New Yorker’s like big government. When it come to our fair share of pork our elected officials get rolled – over and over again!
Wait a minute. What does pork have to do with health care?