Health Care

You have got to give republicans credit: they tried their best to kill health care legislation. First, the tried to kill it by an effort to bar "earmarks" in the legislation; earmarks that republicans themselves helped put it the bill. Second, they claimed the legislation was unconstitutional, because in requiring fines for those w/o insurance, the bill violated the 10th Amendment. That idea failed on a party line vote of 60 to 39. Third, the GOP conducted a non-filibuster filibuster and that failed by the necessary 60 votes to 40. Again straight party line. The final vote to pass HR-3590 was 60 to 39.

What does one see in a party that opposed Social Security in the 1930' and still does, opposed Medicare in the 1960's, and now is dead set against a health care plan? The GOP has not met a war it did not want to fund or a social program it did not want to kill.

(Source: "How your US lawmakers voted" The Record on 12/27/09)

Health Care and Abortions

The news this am is about the possibility that the needed 60 votes for the health care bill has been reached. Nebraska democrat Ben Nelson will vote for the bill if stronger curbs are placed on abortions being covered under the bill. This presents an interesting compromise. What if we could insure some 50 million Americans-who are without health coverage now-but by doing so some abortions would occur? Are some people so opposed to a legal procedure that they would deny millions of Americans needed care?

The article I am reading also notes that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is also opposed to legislation that does not "seek stricker abortion curbs". "The bishops played an significant role in drafting an abortion-related provision in the House bill". Tell me why an organization that has allowed its members to sexually abuse young children and then hide them from proper prosecution for those crimes should even be listened to?

Crimes and pardons

It seems that former governor Mike Huckabee pardoned Maurice Clemmons in 2000 from a 95 year prison sentence, along with 1033 other prison inmates over the 10 years he was in office. That is double the number pardoned by the three previous governors of Arkansas. Clemmons is the alleged killer of the four police officers in Tacoma, Washington recently. This reminds me of the political attacks on governor Mike Dukakis in 1988 by the Bush I ad men. Remember the Willie Horton ads? At least Sarah Palin will be happy with the bad press for a contender for the 2012 GOP nomination.

Patrick J. Kennedy

The House representative from Rhode Island has been told by the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, RI that he should "refrain from receiving communion because of his stance on abortion". This info was reported on the NY Times.com website today. Why doesn't the church also deny communion to those who support capital punishment or the war in Iraq; both are positions the church says they oppose. If the church is going to act in an obviously partisan political fashion, then they should loss their tax exempt status.

In the debate on the health care bill, Kennedy opposed language that would make it harder to get funding for an abotion, but when the final vote came up with the "anti-abortion language" in it, he voted for it. For some groups-the church here-there is no room for compromise.

Defense Spending

Back in June the House voted a defense spending bill of $ 680 billion for fiscal year 2010 which included $ 130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only 22 representatives voted against the spending. I guess both parties are in favor of the continuation of this obscene level of spending, especially when there are so many other pressing needs in this country: like health care reform. We could spend $ 130 billion on health care instead of wars that should not have been fought in the first place or are past the point of winning.

(Source: "How your US lawmakers voted" in The Record on 6/28/09)

Pat Robertson and Jeremiah Wright

Robertson has stated on his radio program that "Islam is not a religion. It is a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination". Adherents of Islam should be treated as "we would members of the Communist Party or members of some fascist group".

Virginia governor elect Bob McDonnell is a friend who has taken donations from Robertson, went to his school and considers him his minister. The issue is-to me at least-if Barack Obama was forced to denounce Jeremiah Wright for his 20 year old statements who isn't McDonnell being asked to do the same in regard to Robertson?

I guess what's good for the goose is not good for the gander.

(Source: "Pat Robertson puts McDonnell on spot with Islam remarks" by Rosalind S. Helderman of the Washington Post. In the Virginian Pilot on 11/15/09)

Bush Drug Bill

At the end of 2003, Bush II and his GOP congress passed "the largest health-care entitlement bill since Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965". The proposed $ 400 billion bill has provided prescription drugs to elderly Americans. The problem is that "no provision was made to pay for it-either by tax increases or by reductions in other programs". A former director of the CBO "estimated...the cost at least $ 1 trillion by its second decade: 2014-23". How come republicans were not screaming about the budget deficit then as they are now that Obama wants a health care bill? Obama"s bill would include a means of funding. As a respected colleague of mine always says the difference between democrats and republicans is that one taxes and spends while the other spends but does not tax.

(Source: "Democrats Might Learn Something from Dirty Dancing Tom DeLay" by Lou DuBose in The Washington Spectator on 11/1/09).