 The health insurance (Obamacare) battle has been a real roller coaster. Over the last several months, I have been alternately encouraged and disappointed. With the untimely deaths of prominent Democrat lawmakers, and record breaking terrible DC weather, I've come to believe that Divine intervention might be playing a hand. Today, however I am concerned not so much with the possibility that Obamacare might actually become law, but rather the process by which it is being advanced through Congress. These political gymnastics of the rules and schemes could have a more far reaching effect on America than the insignificant multi-trillion dollar Obamacare ever may.
As of today, we have a House of Representatives lead by Speaker Pelosi that is poised to enact historical, stunningly expensive legislation without actually voting on it. They intend to force financially unsustainable Government control of our health care system on the American people without ever signing their names to the vote. They truly believe they can pass legislation that will effectively destroy most existing insurance coverage and change the political landscape of this Country (for better or worse), for decades to come without a public vote that will hold individual lawmakers accountable for their actions. The Slaughter solution (named for Rep. Louise Slaughter D-N.Y.), would supposedly allow the House to pass a rule that includes their fixes to the very different Senate bill and thereby "deem" the bill to be passed without actually reconciling the two versions or voting on the bill itself. Pretty slick huh?
The problem is, this approach is unconstitutional. To quote Article 1, Section 7 of our Constitution: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively.
This tactic by Pelosi and Democrat leadership is a clear attempt to pervert and circumvent the Constitution of the United States of America.
This is dangerous to our Country beyond all comprehension. If Obamacare passes, we may lose our free choice of insurance and timely access to health care, but if it passes through the sleazy machinations I have just described, we are in danger of losing our Republic. If we allow our lawmakers to simply bulldoze legislation through without the specific, carefully thought out requirements that have served this Country for 230 years, we are in peril of losing our ability to control our Government. If we allow that to happen America, we have lost everything.
|
