Ping pong, anyone? With much of the national attention focused on the underpants bomber, the White House, the Senate, and the House are preparing for a game of three-way table tennis, as they work on the final version of the health care reform bill. Well it's not really 3-way, it's the White House and the Senate on one side, and the House on the other. I wonder how that's going to turn out? All this is being done in a conference committee that's not really a conference committee, but it's certainly an appropriate forum for health care reform that's not really health care reform. And the president wants it done yesterday:
It sure would have been nice to see those hands get on a bit sooner, wouldn't it?
So what can we expect the final version to look like? Will the House cave on all the major provisions? Is the Pope Catholic? A few things to note:
May I "hint" that tomorrow is "likely" to be Thursday.
"Some liberals?" Stevie Wonder views that as a giveaway to insurance companies. The only question seems to be how big will the subsidies (read taxpayer dollars shoveled to Big Insurance) be. The House proposes $602 billion, while the Senate comes in at a meager $436 billion.
The individual mandate remains (see giveaway to insurance companies), the tax on benefits will be there (or else Nelson and Landrieu won't vote for it), and drug re-importation is out (courtesy of the backroom deal with Pharma.) Let's see, no public option, an individual mandate, a tax on benefits, and a monopoly for the pharmaceutical industry. As I recall someone running for president was allegedly against all these things and yet they are almost certain to be in the bill which that same person signs into law. Wha' happen? Could it be that the president is suddenly "hands on" because this is what he wanted from the get-go? It looks that way from here.
"President Barack Obama is prodding House and Senate Democrats to get him a final health care bill as soon as possible, encouraging them to bypass the usual negotiations between the two chambers in the interest of speed...They agreed that rather than setting up a formal conference committee to resolve differences between health bills passed last year by the House and Senate, the House will work off the Senate's version, amend it and send it back to the Senate for final passage...Obama himself will take a hands-on role, convening another meeting with congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday."
It sure would have been nice to see those hands get on a bit sooner, wouldn't it?
So what can we expect the final version to look like? Will the House cave on all the major provisions? Is the Pope Catholic? A few things to note:
"On Tuesday Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders expressed confidence that the two chambers would reach a compromise. The Speaker hinted the House would likely drop its insistence that the bill include a government-run health insurance option."
May I "hint" that tomorrow is "likely" to be Thursday.
"Without the public option, individuals who do not qualify for existing programs like Medicare and Medicaid would be legally required to purchase private health insurance. Some liberals view that as a giveaway to insurance companies."
"Some liberals?" Stevie Wonder views that as a giveaway to insurance companies. The only question seems to be how big will the subsidies (read taxpayer dollars shoveled to Big Insurance) be. The House proposes $602 billion, while the Senate comes in at a meager $436 billion.
The individual mandate remains (see giveaway to insurance companies), the tax on benefits will be there (or else Nelson and Landrieu won't vote for it), and drug re-importation is out (courtesy of the backroom deal with Pharma.) Let's see, no public option, an individual mandate, a tax on benefits, and a monopoly for the pharmaceutical industry. As I recall someone running for president was allegedly against all these things and yet they are almost certain to be in the bill which that same person signs into law. Wha' happen? Could it be that the president is suddenly "hands on" because this is what he wanted from the get-go? It looks that way from here.
THAT'S IT!!!!!!
Thanks for your contributory contribution.
You mean, "Heckava job, Brownie"?
LOL, Obama now has millions from his election.
Lets see... How would a rich person act while "ruling" a country controlled by the rich?
How many thousands have died from lack of health care since this "debate" started? Been almost a year since this facade began. That brings the death toll to nearly 48,000. Not counting the decades before when they overtly chose to do nothing.
The Plutocracy that is our government seems to be successfully strangling us to death. Why does the majority of this country continue to allow themselves to be governed by whores and pimps?
Sheesh. For $2200 I wouldn't care if they sent it by carrier pigeon. I'll count the money while I wait.
First, wanted to re-post this as I was forced to turn to our "neighbors to the north" for several of my medications. I save over 60% on three meds I take Lipitor, Tricor, and Plavix buying through Northwestpharmacy.com in Vancouver. BTW that amounted to over $2,200 a year. They CAN be little slow. But I took the money I saved and put it into my car. New roller rockers and headers. Now my car looks and runs good AND I don't have plaque in my arteries. Tri-fecta.
Now, back to this blog....Thanks, Des, for keeping us in the loop. I have resigned myself to getting hosed on this. I am dissappointed Obama is not in there fighting for us as I hoped he would.
I'm not where shortstuff is.....but I'm getting there.
P.S. Napolitano's quote recently, "the system worked", bore a HUGE resemblance to a quote from the previous administration. I just can't remember who and concerning what????????
I think we're getting exactly what they wanted us to get, not what we thought we were getting. It seems that covers more than just the Health Care Reform. Wait until the Republicans start talking about how we got screwed and comparing the campaign rhetoric versus the reality.
Time to send more emails to the White House and demanding that the man we elected last year show up to work.
I've come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress regard voters same way Republicans d- we are apparently all a bunch of dummies. Pass a bill, any bill. No matter what it does, Democrats can still call it reform and campaign our our success in the 2010 mid terms. I ain't buying it.
You are in rare form this morning, Des. LOL.