Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Today in the Senate
Today in the United States Senate the American People were sold down the river. In a 15-8 committee vote the Public Option of the health care bill was shot down. A second version of the vote proposed by Senator Charles Schumer was also killed by a 13-10 vote.
Two-thirds of Americans want drastic health insurance change, but not the U.S. Senate. The leaders of the selling out of the American People are as follows: Orrin Hatch of Utah,who stated that the bill was "a Trojan Horse for a single-payer system..." Charles Grassley of Iowa called the government that pays his salary, his pension and his health care for life "a predator" that will "ultimately force private insurers out of business" as though the profit off of human illness was an upstanding moral pursuit.
Another big mouth for big health care companies was the highly trustworthy John Ensign of Nevada, best known for allegedly boffing a campaign staffer, the wife of his close friend and golfing buddy. Senator Ensign then doubled the salary of the staffer he was schtupping, and hired her husband to an 'administrative assistant' post, paying him $150,000 per year, apparently because he knows Microsoft Office Suite as well as anyone and can put together a damn fine PowerPoint presentation. Senator Ensign, ironically, seemed to liken the Public Option to a chronic illness: "Once it's started, you'll never get rid of it!" He led into this statement complaining that the program would be so popular it could never be uprooted.
These Republican Senators went on and on like the Public Option would be a bad thing: a government program that serves the people and is appreciated. If by chance the bill eventually passes, and at some future point the Public Option is reintroduced successfully, the Republicans can add this horrifying success to such terrible government programs like Medicare and the Interstate Highway System.
They were not alone. In this majority Democratic Senate it took some fifth column turncoats to aid in standing against the majority of those who voted for them. Leading the fifth column charge was Max Baucus of Montana. Apparently his chief reservation against the Public Option was that he might have to endure a filibuster. Gee. Having to listen to Republicans drone on for hours on end. Isn't that part of your job, Senator?
Kent Conrad of North Dakota is a mystery. He has been elected in a state with heavy Republican leanings, however he frequently bucks the conservative line of his constituents (far from always, but often enough to piss them off).
Blanche Lincoln is not a mystery. She is a Democrat in name only. She is against equal rights of gays. She is in favor of banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers. She is in favor of restricting class action lawsuits. Apparently large corporations need to be protected from ordinary citizens.
These three Senators voted with Republicans against both versions of the bill. Voting against the first but not the second were Thomas R. Carper of Delaware and Bill Nelson of Florida. Delaware is the state of choice for many banks and credit card companies. Florida is Florida. I don't wish to make a "Red State" generalization, because the "Red States" are not 100% "Red." They just seem that way.
Once again I propose the full analysis of all Senators and Congressmen's financial supporters. As I wrote about last week regarding the New Jersey Democratic delegation members and their support of a substandard health care product manufactured by a company based in New Jersey that had made large contributions to the Senators and Representatives' campaigns, open air is needed, and needed badly.
I have to wonder if the Democratic Senators who voted today against the Public Option have ulterior motives in their voting. It does not seem likely that their motive is to protect the people who walked into the voting booths and selected them.
Two-thirds of Americans want drastic health insurance change, but not the U.S. Senate. The leaders of the selling out of the American People are as follows: Orrin Hatch of Utah,who stated that the bill was "a Trojan Horse for a single-payer system..." Charles Grassley of Iowa called the government that pays his salary, his pension and his health care for life "a predator" that will "ultimately force private insurers out of business" as though the profit off of human illness was an upstanding moral pursuit.
Another big mouth for big health care companies was the highly trustworthy John Ensign of Nevada, best known for allegedly boffing a campaign staffer, the wife of his close friend and golfing buddy. Senator Ensign then doubled the salary of the staffer he was schtupping, and hired her husband to an 'administrative assistant' post, paying him $150,000 per year, apparently because he knows Microsoft Office Suite as well as anyone and can put together a damn fine PowerPoint presentation. Senator Ensign, ironically, seemed to liken the Public Option to a chronic illness: "Once it's started, you'll never get rid of it!" He led into this statement complaining that the program would be so popular it could never be uprooted.
These Republican Senators went on and on like the Public Option would be a bad thing: a government program that serves the people and is appreciated. If by chance the bill eventually passes, and at some future point the Public Option is reintroduced successfully, the Republicans can add this horrifying success to such terrible government programs like Medicare and the Interstate Highway System.
They were not alone. In this majority Democratic Senate it took some fifth column turncoats to aid in standing against the majority of those who voted for them. Leading the fifth column charge was Max Baucus of Montana. Apparently his chief reservation against the Public Option was that he might have to endure a filibuster. Gee. Having to listen to Republicans drone on for hours on end. Isn't that part of your job, Senator?
Kent Conrad of North Dakota is a mystery. He has been elected in a state with heavy Republican leanings, however he frequently bucks the conservative line of his constituents (far from always, but often enough to piss them off).
Blanche Lincoln is not a mystery. She is a Democrat in name only. She is against equal rights of gays. She is in favor of banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers. She is in favor of restricting class action lawsuits. Apparently large corporations need to be protected from ordinary citizens.
These three Senators voted with Republicans against both versions of the bill. Voting against the first but not the second were Thomas R. Carper of Delaware and Bill Nelson of Florida. Delaware is the state of choice for many banks and credit card companies. Florida is Florida. I don't wish to make a "Red State" generalization, because the "Red States" are not 100% "Red." They just seem that way.
Once again I propose the full analysis of all Senators and Congressmen's financial supporters. As I wrote about last week regarding the New Jersey Democratic delegation members and their support of a substandard health care product manufactured by a company based in New Jersey that had made large contributions to the Senators and Representatives' campaigns, open air is needed, and needed badly.
I have to wonder if the Democratic Senators who voted today against the Public Option have ulterior motives in their voting. It does not seem likely that their motive is to protect the people who walked into the voting booths and selected them.
