“Sweeping” Health System Plans Pass By 5 Votes

08 Nov, 2009 by William Teach

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You have to wonder what the Founders, who shed blood to create a new country, would think about this

Handing President Obama a hard-fought victory, the House narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system on Saturday night, advancing legislation that Democrats said could stand as their defining social policy achievement.

I’m not quite sure how this is a victory for Obama, considering he had little to no hand in creating this monstrosity, other than some pep talks and spam emails. The victory belongs to Nancy Pelosi. Sort of.

After a daylong clash with Republicans over what has been a Democratic goal for decades, lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to approve a plan that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Democrats said the legislation would provide overdue relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance.

Just Republicans? By everyone’s reckoning, 39 Democrats voted “no.” And one massively squishy Republican. And the plan, like every government plan, will cost well more than $1.1 trillion, a number the Fish Wrap of Record throws around like it is no big deal.

“This is our moment to revolutionize health care in this country,” said Representative George Miller, Democrat of California and one of the chief architects of the bill.

Hey, a Dem spoke truth! Would sound a whole lot better if you could hear it in a 1930’s Russian or German accent.

Democrats were forced to make major concessions on insurance coverage for abortions to attract the final votes to secure passage, a wrenching compromise for the numerous abortion-rights advocates in their ranks.

In other words, massive bribes, adding billions of pork that will not be part of the CBO scoring of $1.1 trillion.

Many of them hope to make changes to the amendment during negotiations with the Senate, which will now become the main battleground in the health care fight as Democrats there ready their own bill for what is likely to be extensive floor debate.

In other words, you can expect the abortion ban to be stripped out in one manner or another.

But, this all comes down to a simple fact: the entire American health system will be changed on a bare majority vote. Five votes. If this legislation is so super duper fantastic, why were Republicans completely shut out? Why did 39 Democrats say no? You would think that a piece of legislation of this stature would get, nay, would require, more that 215 votes to pass.

Around the blogosphere, most are expecting this to fail in the Senate. But now is the time for the GOP to get its act together and get folks who will run against Democrats across the country in 2010. Now is the time for the GOP to work its tail off to expose this legislation for what it is: an extremely costly push for single payer and control over individual lives, private companies, and Central government.

On the good side, we have time to get Republicans elected who can immediately, their first day in office, to void this horrendous craptacular legislation before this horrendous craptacular legislation takes effect.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove