Dems Rushing An Invisible Bill

Have you considered this aspect of the Senate Health Care debate? They're rushing hard to meet an artificial Christmas deadline... primarily because a 2009 passage is better for the Democrat party than extending debate into 2010. This is a HUGE bill that will affect 1/6th of the US economy and impact each and every one of us... but speed is more important to the Democrats than a well-crafted bill.

Add to that the fact that the Senate doesn't know what they're voting on. Oh sure, they have the original bill, but Reid has already announced he's working on modifications to it that he'll introduce shortly... but almost nobody has seen it and knows what is in it.

Here are some comments made by Senator McConnell on the Senate floor:
http://mcconnell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=320943&start=1

“Senators on both sides acknowledge that the health care bill we’re considering is among the most significant pieces of legislation any of us will ever consider.

“So it stands to reason that we’d devote significant time and attention to it.

“Indeed, some would argue that we should spend more time and attention on this bill than most — if not every — previous bill we’ve considered.

“The Majority disagrees.

“Why? Because this bill has become a political nightmare for them.

“They know Americans overwhelmingly oppose it, so they want to get it over with.

“Americans are already outraged at the fact that Democrat leaders took their eyes off the ball. Rushing the process on a partisan line makes the situation even worse.

“Americans were told the purpose of reform was to reduce the cost of health care.

“Instead, Democrat leaders produced a $2.5 trillion, 2,074-page monstrosity that vastly expands government, raises taxes, raises premiums, and wrecks Medicare.

“And they want to rush this bill through by Christmas — one of the most significant, far-reaching pieces of legislation in U.S. history. They want to rush it.

“And here’s the most outrageous part: at the end of this rush, they want us to vote on a bill that no one outside the Majority Leader’s conference room has even seen.

“That’s right. The final bill we’ll vote on isn’t even the one we’ve had on the floor. It’s the deal Democrat leaders have been trying to work out in private.

“That’s what they intend to bring to the floor and force a vote on before Christmas.

Isn't it lovely? Reid is working privately to develop a bill and isn't letting ANYBODY see what's in it. He's going back and forth with the CBO about their cost estimate, and not telling anybody what's happening. He's meeting privately with members of Congress, but not telling anybody what was discussed or what agreements were reached.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30764.html

He’s having private, one-on-one conversations with colleagues, and he’s not sharing the contents with others. He’s floating proposals to congressional budget analysts that not even members of his leadership team have seen. And he’s keeping his strategy largely to himself.

He wants to start the process TOMORROW, but nobody has seen the bill! Why do you think this is?

Personally, I think it's because the Democrats have discovered that, the more Americans learn about this bill, the less they support it, so they're trying to sneak this one by before we really know what's going on. Forget transparency, this administration and Congressional leadership want things their way, period. Whether it's good policy or not, whether we WANT it or not.

That's not the America that I have grown up loving and respecting. What about you?