Absofrellinloutely

[sirs]

Remember that moronic Pelosi quote, in which we needed to pass that 2000+page disaster of an Obamaniationcare bill, in order to "see what's in it".  This op-ed captures that anger, and one of the fuels to why the country is so irate with congress.
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Profligate Congress Should Read Its Own Bills

There's a scene in "Fahrenheit 911," left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore's mostly forgotten 2004 tirade against George W. Bush, that some of today's unhappy voters might recognize.

Moore was angry that Congress passed the Patriot Act so quickly that some lawmakers hadn't read the whole bill. So Moore went to Democratic Rep. John Conyers for an explanation.

"How could Congress pass this Patriot Act without even reading it?" Moore asked.

"Sit down, my son," Conyers said, lowering his voice as if to reveal a trade secret. "We don't read most of the bills. Do you really know what that would entail, if we were to read every bill that we passed?"

Years have passed, and we're in a completely different political environment today. But there is still no single complaint about Congress that resonates more with voters than the charge that lawmakers do not read the bills they vote on. How can they enact far-reaching legislation that touches almost every part of American life without even knowing what they're passing?

"Imagine if you went into your doctor and you're sent to a specialist and they don't even look at your chart or talk to you," says Rob Steele, a Michigan cardiologist who is challenging longtime Democratic Rep. John Dingell. "That's what is going on. They're not reading the bills, and they're not representing the people."

Across the country, Republican candidates -- men and women who, like Steele, have never run for public office before and aspire to become citizen-legislators -- feel the same way. So much so that a read-the-bill provision was the least controversial part of the House Republicans' Pledge to America, unveiled Sept. 23.

"We will ensure that bills are debated and discussed in the public square by publishing the text online for at least three days before coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives," says the Pledge. "No more hiding legislative language from the minority party, opponents and the public. Legislation should be understood by all interested parties before it is voted on."

Republican leaders didn't come up with that provision on their own. They got it by listening. "It's the expectation of the voters," says a GOP aide. "Our members are routinely being asked, 'Did you read this? Did you understand what it meant?'"

It wouldn't be hard to do. Republican Rep. John Culberson and Democratic Rep. Brian Baird already have a measure pending, H.R. 554 -- aka the "Read the Bill" bill -- that would require that the final language of a bill be available on the Internet for 72 hours before it is voted on. So far, it hasn't passed.

Of course, the Pledge can't promise that every lawmaker will actually read every bill. If enacted, it would just assure that all have a chance to do so. And even if lawmakers take the time to read a particular bill, there is always the question of whether they will understand it. While some things Congress passes are simple, others are quite complex. Bills amend obscure sections of legislation that has been passed, amended and amended again over the years. Complicated formulas for Medicare are adjusted in ways that can cost the taxpayers billions. Byzantine tax provisions are laid out. It's not always easy to understand.

To make sure that reading the bill actually improves the legislative process, GOP leaders routinely make available members and staff who are well-informed about this or that issue, as well as outside experts who can help.

Experience shows that smart citizen-legislators learn quickly. Tom Coburn, now a senator from Oklahoma, was a doctor who had never run for anything when he won election to the House in 1994. Jim DeMint was a businessman with no political experience when he ran for the House in 1998. Today, they're leading their party.

If it ever were to happen, the practice of actually reading bills would have one more effect that hasn't been much remarked on: Congress would probably pass fewer bills. That's something John Conyers himself foresaw when, in "Fahrenheit 911," he speculated on what would happen "if we were to read every bill that we passed."

Conyers thought for a moment before answering his own question. "Well, the good thing, it would slow down the legislative process." After the past 18 months, can anyone deny that reading, thinking and slowing things down on Capitol Hill would be a good idea?

Op-ed

[sirs]

ObamaCare Is Already Costing Americans

Six months ago, the health care reform bill became law. Prior to its passage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condescendingly announced, ?We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."

President Obama also assured Americans that health care ?reforms will finally reduce the costs of health care Families will save on their premiums.?

Contrary to the president?s assurance, unfortunately, the health care reform legislation is already causing a substantial increase in medical insurance premiums. We are also finding expensive provisions in this act that we did not know were there, including a hidden 3.8 percent sales tax on the sale of certain residential real estate and a burdensome Internal Revenue Service filing requirement on small business.

Based on anecdotal evidence from business owners, insurance brokers and the media, insurance premiums on policies renewed for 2010 and 2011 are increasing 20 percent to 40 percent. These rising premiums are driven by mandated coverage which includes free or low cost preventive care, non-exclusion of children with pre-existing medical conditions, required coverage for children up to age 26 and elimination of lifetime medical reimbursement limits.

Americans may recall that Obama promised, ?If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.? While this mandated coverage in the health care reform legislation may be desired by some people who are willing to pay the cost, there are certainly other medical insurance consumers who would rather have their current lower cost coverage. However, under the legislation, contrary to the president?s assurance, they are not permitted to keep their preferred lower cost health care plans.

The health care reform legislation also will have a devastating impact on the spending power of working Americans and our economy as the higher premiums kick in. In order to understand this impact, it is instructive to look at the actual impact of the legislation on a small company. In 2010, this company?s plan cost approximately $15,000 per year for family health care coverage, of which the company paid 60 percent and the employee paid 40 percent. For 2011, the premium for this coverage will increase 30 percent, or $4,500. The average non-management employee in this company earns $30,000 per year. The employee?s share of the increased premium will cost $1,800. That is equivalent to a 6 percent pay cut for the average worker! The legislation will not allow him to keep his old policy at a lower cost.

The unintended consequence of this reduction in spending power on American workers is a shift in spending from non-medical consumption to medical consumption. This will translate into a negative impact on spending for consumer items needed to help support the tepid American economic recovery.

The impact of this increased premium on the employer is equally devastating. The employer will bear $2,700 of the increased premium per employee. That means the direct cost of his labor increases 7 percent! If the business has 100 employees, this will cost the business $270,000. The increased cost will either come out of profits, in which case the employer will have less to invest in his business to create additional jobs; or it will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, which will result in less consumption.

(sirs adds:...BUT, at least most everyone is covered.  And that's what's important.  Screw the repercussions)

In either event, the increased premium costs will have a negative impact on the country?s fragile economic recovery.

The long-term economic impact of ObamaCare is even more ominous. No evidence or analysis thus far shows that ObamaCare will reduce the cost of medical cost in the U.S. All the evidence is to the contrary. Consequently, companies are expecting premium costs per employee to skyrocket. This will further reduce the competitiveness of American labor. Companies will have less money to invest in their American businesses, thereby creating even fewer jobs. Companies that have the option will decide to set up new production in lower cost countries with more competitive labor and medical costs.

Hidden in the bowels of the health care reform bill is a 3.8 percent sales tax on home sales beginning in 2013. The tax experts are not yet certain how this tax will work because it was not publicly discussed in Congress prior to the passage of the Health Care Reform Act. Did you hear the pundits discuss it? In principle this tax applies only to wealthy individuals with profits in excess of $250,000 (single taxpayer) or $500,000 (joint taxpayers) from the sale of their primary residence. However it also appears to apply to profits on second homes and residential investments. This tax will have a major impact on upper middle income baby boomers living in high cost metropolitan areas who want to downsize from their long held large family home. This tax will certainly have a chilling impact on the nation?s morbid housing market.

If middle-class Americans think they will escape this tax, think again. At some point in the near future, inflation from the Federal Reserve printing money to finance the president?s huge budget deficits will drive up the nominal price of housing. Even modest three-bedroom homes will sell for big nominal dollars. At that point the middle class will be ensnared with the tax. Look at history. The income tax was originally sold to the American people as only taxing the top 2 percent!

Pelosi may have unintentionally taught Congress and the American people a lesson. Read a bill and understand the impact of the bill before you pass it. It is unlikely that the Democrat-controlled Congress wanted to pass a medical reform bill that kills jobs and impedes the country from recovering from the Great Recession. Unfortunately, in its haste to control 20 percent of the economy represented by health care, it has passed a ?Jobs Reduction Act.?


Now we start to find out what's in it.  And it ain't pretty