Sunday, March 21, 2010

219-212

After over a century of trying, the United States House of Representatives moved closer to an American dream: making healthcare a RIGHT, by passing the HealthCare reform bill, 219-212.

Yes, John Tanner and Marion Berry, despite the fact that they are retiring from Congress, threw theire poorer constituents under the bus by voting against this bill.  Lincoln Davis indicated that his contituency was against the bill, so he voted against it.  I am not sure he really believes that.

However, tonight, we crossed the Rubicon; there's no way we will go back now, and only expansions will take place from this point forward.  Like Social Security and medicare before it, this will stand as long as the Republic exists.

Thank you to Steve Cohen, and special thanks to Nancy Pelosi, who will now go down as the greatest Speaker since Sam Rayburn.

And somewhere tonight, Edward Moore Kennedy looks down at us and just smiles broadly.

6 comments:

callmeishmael said...

I caution again that when Medicare was enacted, the out years cost estimates (for 1981 as I recall) put it at 9 billion dollars. When the year actually came around, Medicare was well past 9 and onward to its now unsustainable levels. If, as you have indicated in other venues, the solution is to always raise taxes, I would again argue that doing so will take money out of pockets of those whose private investments create the jobs necessary to generate the tax money that you wish to use for an ever-expanding central government. Given the way the central government is administered by people who are not accountable and have no incentive to work harder, how is expanding it going to produce better--more humane--results?

Steve Steffens said...

If we do nothing more than eliminate the Bush tax cuts on teh richest 1%, that should offset any deficits.

callmeishmael said...

According to whose estimates? When was the last time we set out to "tax the rich" and ended up taxing ourselves? What will prevent these people--who obviously have money--from simply moving their sources of income to, say, Monte Carlo? Bjorn Borg did the same in moving from 100 percent taxation Sweden to little or nothing in Monte Carlo? You assume that rich folks will stay put, do their patriotic duty and pay more and more and more taxes. You also presume that deficits now will resemble how they were formulated and shaped eight years ago. We have to pay interest on the debt accumulated under President Knucklehead through two wars, an unfunded Medicare Drug policy and God knows what else. I'm no math genius, but even at first glance, I don't see how you're going to tax rich folks enough to pay whatever unforeseen deficits may result from the new bill plus interest plus pay for the long list of other ideas you think should originate from the central government (public financing of campaigns, some type of insurance reform, aid to "the poor," etc, etc, etc). I don't see anything but layers and layers of complications arising from the HRC bill that will hurt not these rich folks, but others who are unable to afford insurance. Our mutual Kaiser friend comes especially to mind here. He is the one who will get hurt through higher and higher tax rates rather than the rich folks you mention here.

captainkona said...

Yo, Ish.

Try not to forget the incredible waste that we have in the Iraq war. That money, when we withdraw next year, will more than cover this and then some. The tax on the uber-wealthy, as LWC stated, will also compound the largess.

The CBO says it will greatly reduce the deficit as well.

It's going to be ok, man. Don't trip. Not only is this paid for but it will lead to surplus funds in the long run.
But far more importantly than the money, our people can enjoy a better state of overall wellness and in time, fewer catastrophic illnesses through preventative care from birth will leave our future generation in excellent shape fiscally.

Also, we should be happy that we have finally joined first (and second) world countries in common decency. We are no longer moving backwards.

Anonymous said...

It'll only be a "right" when Americans without health insurance are no longer forced to buy it.

captainkona said...

That's a good point, mute.
But aside from Single Payer, this is the only way to balance the method.

It's not over, we still have to fight for a Gov't plan to replace the non-profit in the exchange and ultimately, Single Payer.

Guns are a right too, but we still have to pay for them. But hopefully something like Medicare for all is next in line now that we've come this far.
There's still some reconciliation to perform. Maybe we'll get lucky.
;)