The Obergruppenfuhrers want to put on a show trial. Court of Star Chamber in session!
Here's the narrative from PowerLine:
Caterpillar said Obamacare will cost it an additional $100 million in the first year; Medtronic warned that the new tax on its products "could force it to lay off a thousand workers;" Verizon told its employees that it "will likely have to cut healthcare benefits to offset the new costs;" and AT&T announced that it will record a $1 billion non-cash expense in the first quarter and "will be evaluating prospective changes to the active and retiree health care benefits offered by the company." These announcements are the tip of the iceberg; hundreds like them will follow as Obamacare becomes a reality.
Congressional Democrats, evidently stung by the bad publicity, are trying to strike back
Yup. Waxman (D-Despicable) sent a nastygram to the CEO of AT&T. (Similar letters to Cat, Deere, Verizon...)
In the letter (click on the link, click on the letter for larger size), Waxman expresses confusion (!) because 'Obamacare is supposed to REDUCE health-premiums'; further, AT&T's announcement "conflicts with independent analyses [of Obamacare]".
Therefore, Waxman (with his lapdog Stupak) ordered AT&T to produce a slew of documents, including emails, from ANYONE with the title V-P on up, and send them to Waxman's committee. The CEO is also 'invited' to attend the hearing.
One wonders if "Go Pound Sand" is acceptable in response.
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8 comments:
Why doesn't this just terrify people?
TD - I think its because too many are still framing this as strictly a Republican v Democrat issue instead of a freedom issue. A good example... this is from one of my lefty facebook friends:
"WE DID IT !!!! EAT IT GOP !! "
or from the people who really just think its a big goody-bag for themselves from the rest of us. Here is one from someone who is obese and a Type II diabetic that spends most of her waking hours playing all the FB games:
"YEAH!! The health care bill passed! It's about time something was done for the people that really need it!!! TIRED OF ALL THE $HIT done for the middle and upper class!!!!!!!"
Love the class warfare against even the middle class on that one.
It is truly sad.
I don't doubt you are correct, though I think mostly, its only supporters of the bill that feel that way, and lets face it, many of those people don't really understand what liberty really is anyway, I don't think. They have become so used to the government intertwined with everything they do, that they don't even stop to think about how those intrusions impede on their liberty, that the idea of Government being involved in making Health Care decisions that affect their lives just doesn't seem all that radical.
On the other hand I think a large portion of the opposition to this bill is based solely on its cost and impact on the national debt, especially among independents. That is a concept easy to grasp for most people. Its very concrete. And it's certainly one compelling reason to be opposed ... but I don't know how many really grasp how intrusive this will be on them, and on the people who provide the care, and the people who ultimately finance most of it. For me, and I suspect you, the heavy handed tactics of the Government to get Corporations and American citizens to comply is terrifying. I just think that is largely a minority opinion, which is frankly, almost as terrifying to me.
The bill is structured so that many of the costs are upfront, while most of the benefits are out-years.
Frankly, that makes it very 'repeal-able.' And the Dems structured it that way!
"The bill is structured so that many of the costs are upfront, while most of the benefits are out-years."
Thats wrong. According to CBO, most of the costs and benefits occur after 2014. Costs/benefits in the near term are small.
"I think its because too many are still framing this as strictly a Republican v Democrat issue..."
But don't you always frame your arguments as a Republican v Democrat issue?
We could quibble over details (like cutting Medicare doc reimbursements by $500Bn immediately, and keeping kiddies up to age 26 on policies immediately)....
But I'm easy.
With NO costs and NO benefits until 2014, repeal should be very easy to do, indeed.
"But don't you always frame your arguments as a Republican v Democrat issue?"
Um... no...
I strongly lean Libertarian, but don't fit neatly into a "Party". However, after last week, the Dem Party seems pretty well lost, so the odds for me backing one at the moment are slim, but most Rep's - a few maybe, but not all - don't really excite me either.
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