Drunk with Power? Senator Max Baucus Slurs on Senate Floor

The video shows Finance Committe Chairman, Senator Max Baucus giving a speech on the floor of the Senate. Senator Baucus’ speach is slurred and he appears to be intoxicated.

AP Poll: Americans Worried About Healthcare Reform Costs

According to a recent Associated Press poll, Americans are concerned about the hidden costs of healthcare legislation. The doubters of the bill include Democrats in the Senate.

 When 1502 adults were polled from October 29 to November 8, forty-three percent said they do not like the healthcare reform that is being proposed by Congress. Forty-one percent said they support the proposal and 15 percent are still undecided on the issue.

Even though the margins seem close, the opponents of healthcare reform seem to have much stronger opinions than do the supporters. Katie Huhn of Acworth, GA summed up the opposing sentiment with this statement, “Well, for one, I know nobody wants to pay taxes for anybody else to go to the doctor—I don’t…I don’t want to pay for somebody to use my money that I could be using for myself.”  

House Bill Funds Abortions

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in September, that she was “absolutely” committed to posting the text of the final House Healthcare Reform bill on line for 72 hours before the House is to vote on the measure.  Today, the Speaker’s spokesman, Brendan Daly, told  THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the “pledge was to have manager’s amendment online for 72 hours, and we will do that.” In other words, the final bill will not be available for public review before the House votes (possibly on Saturday).

The question is why wouldn’t  Speaker Pelosi want to give the American people an opportunity to read the 2,032-page healthcare bill that will change their lives forever?  Is she afraid they might see exactly what is in store for them?

Perhaps Nancy Pelosi is afraid that Americans may have a chance to learn about the “Insurance Rating Rules” portion of the bill which is located in section 213 on page 96, line 16.  Here a reader will learn that anyone who is enrolled in the government-run plan will be charged a monthly premium to fund abortions.  The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account that will be used to pay for the abortion services.

Section 213 describes how the Health Benefits Commissioner is will assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan.  The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

Anyone who continues to read the bill will find the section named “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed” which is located in section 222, on page 110, line 17.  This is where readers will find that the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. There is also a requirement that the Exchange includes at least one insurance plan that covers abortions.

A majority of Americans believe health care plans should not be forced to provide elective abortion coverage. A majority of Americans do not believe health care plans should include any type of abortion coverage. There are two amendments that include language that would prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.  The Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for elective abortions under the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the Smith Amendment prohibits federal funding of abortion under the federal employees’ health benefits plan.

With thousands marching on Washington today to protest Obamacare, it would stand to reason that more time is needed to create a common-sense solution to healthcare reform. 

The Republicans in the House offered a 230-page solution earlier this week, complete with TORT reform and the ability buy/sell health insurance across state lines. The Republican version also protects the dignity of all human life and prohibits any federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. Being in the minority, the chances this proposal will see the light of day, are slim.

GOP Offers Alternative to Democrat Healthcare Reform Bill

The Republicans in the House of Representatives have produced a response to the Democrat’s 1990 page healthcare bill.  The 230-page alternative, presented by House Minority Leader John Boehner is focused on lowering healthcare costs for Americans, as opposed to expanding healthcare coverage.   While the Associated Press has obtained a draft of the bill, aides to Representative Boehner made clear the measure is not final and changes are still being made.

The current Republican version from the House addresses conservative issues that would address the high costs of healthcare.  The GOP proposal includes:

•  Increased incentives on health savings accounts
• Caps non-economic jury awards in malpractice cases at $250,000
• Offers incentives for states that will aim to drive down premium costs
• Allows health insurance to be sold across state lines, increasing competition and lowering premiums costs
• Includes a permanent ban on any federal funding for abortions (except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother)

“As Leader Boehner has made clear, our proposal will focus on the No. 1 concern of the American people—reducing health care costs, and we do it at a price tag our nation can afford,” said spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier, though Republicans have not said how much their bill would cost.

“Our proposal will help struggling middle-class families and small businesses by increasing access to affordable, high-quality health care,” Ferrier said.

Democrats are not taking the Republican plan seriously.  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer(D-MD) told reporters “[The GOP alternative] does little to provide security and stability to all Americans, doesn’t provide insurance availability for all Americans, does little to expand access to coverage.” Hoyer went on to say, “Ours is vastly superior and we think the American public will think that.”

While the Democrats are saying they expect to vote on Nancy Peolsi’s bill this week, they are still working on ironing out the final language for parts of the bill including government funded abortions and government health benefits for illegal immigrants.   With that, Hoyer says he is confident of a Democrat victory before Veteran’s Day (Wednesday, November 11).

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has not yet released the details of his (and a few others) healthcare bill that was written in secret.  As it stands, the Senate debate may not begin much before Thanksgiving.

The Democratic leadership has ignored the American people since the beginning of the healthcare debate.  With the latest poll numbers from Rasmussen, they may want to reconsider their power grab.  Rasmussen is reporting:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the House version of health care reform legislation last week, but most voters are still opposed to the effort.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down from 45% a week ago but unchanged from two weeks ago.

Fifty-four percent (54%) now oppose the legislative effort, up three points since last week.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of liberals support the plan, but just 18% of conservatives agree.

Only 23% of all voters Strongly Support the plan while nearly twice as many (44%) are Strongly Opposed.

As Scott Rasmussen, recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “The most important fundamental is that 68% of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent. … Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain.”

The American people appear to be educating themselves on the effects of the plan President Obama and his administration want to implement.  It will be interesting to see what the people think of the Republican suggestion.

Bachman Urges an Emergency House Call on Washington

Michelle Bachman, Representative from Minnesota, has issued a call to action for Americans who oppose President Obama’s takeover of healthcare.  While Americans have made their opposition to healthcare reform known through town hall meetings, phone calls, emails and faxes to their Congress people and even by marching on Washington on September 12, Representative Bachman sees the dedication of the democrats. Bachman has said she sees just how committed the democrats are and she thinks they are simply ignoring the calls, emails and words of the people.  Her solution?  An Emergency House Call on Washington.

Representative Michele Bachman wants Americans to join her on the steps of the Capitol this Thursday at noon for a press conference. From there, she is encouraging the people of this country to go to their representative’s office, “look them in the whites of their eyes” and ask them why they want to force cradle-to-grave government take-over of the healthcare system.  Bachman believes that if enough people are willing to get themselves to Washington and speak face-to-face with the Congress people who will eventually run for office again, the healthcare bill can be defeated.

The bill that was presented to the House of Representatives last week is not the final bill that will be presented for vote. That item is expected Monday night.  From there, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is allowing 72 hours for review.   

THINK:  Seventy-two hours to read 1990 pages (that we know of now). If you allow eight hours per day for sleep and any other necessities, the time left to read is forty-eight hours. More than forty-one pages per hour must be read (and comprehended) in the time given. How many representatives in the House do you think have cleared their schedules, packed a toothbrush and plan to settle in for the long haul?

Bachman calls this bill the “crown jewel of socialism” and references several examples from the bill.   In the video below, she explains her comments:

Many individuals and groups are organizing a road trip that will put them in Washington on Thursday.  Anyone who wants to join the crowd should search their local meet-up groups as a place to start. Many 9-12 groups have chartered busses and there have been reports of people who are not able to go “sponsoring” someone who can, but may not have the funds. 

For people who cannot get to Washington, you can visit your representative’s local office at 12:00pm on November 5th. To find the address for your representative, click here. If you cannot make it to the local office, make sure you flood the phone lines, fax lines and email servers on Thursday! Follow this link for contact information for Senators and Representatives.

President Obama and his administration are doing all they can to take control of one-sixth of the U.S. economy. They have continued to ignore the people and will stop at nothing to get their way.  If you want to stop this, you must act now.  Encourage your friends and family to participate with you. 

 DO YOU TRUST THIS MAN? Do you trust the people he surrounds himself with?