Be Angry, Be VERY, VERY Angry!
by Mike on Sep.25, 2009, under Political
Yesterday the Senate Finance Committee was working its way thru some 500+ amendments to Senator Baucus’ health care bill (not actually a bill, but rather, a conceptual framework). Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky) proposed that the final text of the bill be posted on-line for 72 hours and the final cost of the bill (as scored by the CBO) be available before the bill was voted on by the Committee.
This proposal was voted down 12-11 with Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) the only Democrat siding with the Republicans. Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mt) said it would take too long to obtain the CBO report and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) apparently thinks the American people are too stupid to understand the legalese of the bill.
This is infuriating. I can not tell you how angry this makes me.
I can somewhat understand not posting the bill before they vote on it. After all, this is just a committee and the bill will likely be amended significantly once it hits the actual Senate floor and they want it too the floor ASAP so the real discussion can begin. However, for committee members to vote on a bill without any idea of what it will actually cost the taxpayers, in an era where we are we are incurring TRILLION dollar deficits, is an unfathomable dereliction of their fiduciary duty to the United States taxpayers. After all, this is the Finance Committee! If this was a corporation, they would be sued (rightfully so) by their shareholders with the SEC and Justice Dept in lockstep.
For these 12 Democrats to put politics so far ahead of the needs of the American taxpayer is criminal. These people should be thrown out of office for this one vote alone!
