• Cong. James Oberstar (D), Chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee–59 Democrat committee staff.
• Cong. Collin Peterson (D), Chairman, House Agriculture Committee–33 Democrat committee staff.
• Cong. John Kline (R), Ranking Member, House Education and Labor Committee–23 Republican committee staff.

Even the U.K., the drones blather, has government run health care. I guess they think we can identify better with the U.K. because they’re mostly white and speak English. I don’t know. I won’t waste any time trying to figure out the left’s thought process. Doing so would be as dangerous and pointless as trying to decipher the Necronomicon.

Invoking the U.K. as a model should, naturally, have the opposite effect on the American psyche. I hate to bring it up, but we kinda fought a war a couple hundred years ago to insure that we were NOT just like England. We already had the English life. We were right there and we rejected it.

Think of all the things we missed out on, only to aspire to end up in the same place. Our fish and chips are inferior. Guinness served over here is never quite as fresh. We don’t have tea time. I really like tea. We also ditched the cool accents. I mean seriously, I could have sounded like Ian McKellan or Sean Connery if it wasn’t for those clowns Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Thanks to the American Revolution we can’t claim Led Zepplin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths, Blur or the Spice Girls as our own. James Bond is not our brother. Neither is Dr. Who. On top of it, I would probably be a Lord or Earl or something. Damn it, Lord Leigh Scott of Wauwatosa sounds freaking awesome! Thanks a lot Thomas Paine.

Jerks.

The second half to the whole “we’re the only nation to not have” nonsense is that we are the “richest” nation. To that, I would like to affirm the obvious. We are the richest nation precisely because we DON’T have bloated, intrusive, nanny state government.

But Leigh, they say, it’s over. They passed it. Elections have consequences. Just deal with it.

I think that’s a dangerous idea. Accepting defeat when it is so far on the horizon for our great nation would be a huge mistake. I quote my almost countryman Winston Churchill when I say “Do not let spacious plans for a new world divert your energies from saving what is left of the old”.

No matter how you want to spin it, what happened at the end of March was indeed historic. Circumventing the “spirit” of the law to force a massive expansion of government has never happened before. Both the Social Security Acts of 1935 and 1965 passed with healthy bipartisan majorities. They weren’t “squeakers” voted late on a Sunday night after months of back room deals and shady pay-offs.

The process that just gave us the Obamacare more closely resembles the power grabs in Central America than it does anything Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton wasted their time writing about.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention Lily Allen and Oasis. Great, we can claim Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne. Wait, Avril Lavigne is Canadian? Damn it. Thanks again Alexander Hamilton.

Back to the point. The Left has made a critical error here. My Dad used to say “never make a threat unless you’re willing to follow through”. He was talking about fights on the playground, and later in business about suing people, but I think it’s true here. When you try to rig the system, ignore the will of the people, and rely on a favorable press to push a socialist agenda you better have the other toys that usually come in the evil dictator/commie/socialist toolkit. The American Left doesn’t.

Do you really think that any of this stuff is enforceable? What are they going to do when we all just stop paying taxes? What if we simply say “no thanks” to signing up with Blue Cross/Blue Shield? There aren’t enough jails. How long before the local police refuse to arrest people? The new bill calls for 15,000 new IRS agents, not 15 million.

Do you think that the 101st Airborne is going to accept an order to invade Arlington, TX?

The only way socialism overtakes America is if we accept it. If we simply mope around and complain about our taxes and the government like we always have. The only way this becomes the nightmare we all fear is if we let it.

And that is exactly what they expect us to do.

Unlike their heroes in Venezuela and Cuba, the left doesn’t have the muscle. I’ve gone head to head with union thugs. Not that scary. Sorry Nancy Pelosi, but I don’t see a Che Guevara in your future who can force social justice with the barrel of a gun.

It’s going to take more than Nancy Pelosi’s over-sized gavel, MSNBC, and presidential double talk to drive this country into the same recycle bin that the EU finds itself. It would take guns. And thanks to George Washington and Co., we have those too.

The Second American Revolution will be bloodless. It will amount to rank and file citizens sitting on their hands and on their wallets. Remember what our almost countrywoman Margaret Thatcher said; “the problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”. Agreed Maggie. I say we cut it the purse strings early.

The ultimate genius of the Founding Fathers wasn’t simply the Constitution. We saw how malleable that piece of paper was Sunday night. No, their genius is the political philosophy behind it. It’s in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, and Paine’s Common Sense. It’s now part of our DNA, our national identity. The government works for us, we don’t work for it. When the government forgets that and oversteps its bounds…time for a new government.

And that idea, my friends, it tougher to beat than a few parliamentary procedures or stubborn representatives.

So I take back what I said. Who wants to be an Earl anyway? The American Revolution insured that we have what no one else has: true liberty and freedom. Millions of our countrymen did not sacrifice their lives to allow us to slip into the same wretched trap that the rest of the world has. Our countrymen stared down legions of Redcoats, and we can’t stare down a botoxed illiterate like Nancy Pelosi? Our countrymen endured hand to hand combat with Nazi SS soldiers and we can’t put a moron like Paul Krugman in his place? Right now our brave brothers and sisters battle crazed Islamic militants who dream of death, and we can’t tell the goon at Starbucks with three earrings who lives in his parent’s basement, working on his “band”, where to stick it? Please.

Outside of our fondness for scotch and red meat, we are now nothing like our cousins in jolly old England. Thank God for that. Sure, the U.K. can claim Duran Duran, but we have Nirvana. And Prince. And The Doors. Plus, we have MGD and PBR. Guinness is good, but it’s a bit filling, like a milkshake. I’d like to insert a Daniel Day Lewis “milkshake” joke here, but I don’t think enough people will get it.

Anyway, I still kinda wish I had the cool accent.

First, I do not accept the premise that it is necessary to upend the health coverage currently available to all Americans for the sake of covering those who are uninsured. Expanding access to insurance is far less complex and far less costly than Democrats would have you believe. It does not involve a government takeover of 1/6th of the American economy. It involves insurance market reform but it also and more significantly involves providing choice and competition. The bill I support, the Patients’ Choice Act, provides the framework for such an effort. However, my views were not considered nor were the views of other lawmakers who sought to improve the system we have today. That’s because Nancy Pelosi and her liberal associates intend to destroy private healthcare with the ultimate goal of a Washington centered government healthcare monopoly.

Even before this monopoly takes its final form, the Democratic bill will speed our nation into financial crisis. Simply put, we can’t afford a new government healthcare program—a fact acknowledged by the President and Congressional Democrats. This is why they claim their reforms cost nothing; that it will actually reduce the debt. In truth, the bill conservatively spends a trillion dollars and the final toll on our budget will be many times greater than the initial cost. In their urgency to enact their plan, Democratic leaders papered over the financial problems we face with new government agencies and creative accounting gimmicks. Ultimately, the mechanisms created by this new law will force federal bureaucrats to ration benefits to control spending—a practice that is already common in government programs such as Medicaid.

Unchecked federal spending and the new entitlement just created should concern every American.

Our nation’s long-term financial outlook is worse than at any point in American history. Spending by the federal government outpaced revenues by $1.4 trillion last year and the red ink continues as far forward as we can see. In the real world, this financial condition would result in bankruptcy. Washington, however, can print money and borrow from foreign governments as long as those foreign powers are willing to keep us afloat. Any bets on when the Chinese will cut up the U.S.A. credit card?

The logic behind Speaker Pelosi’s health bill math defies common sense. Indeed, anyone claiming to make things cheaper by having the government provide it would do well to delegate financial decisions to someone else. A quick glance at the Treasury Secretary’s annual financial statement is all the proof we need. The United States is in a financial freefall and a new government healthcare entitlement will only make things worse. Existing entitlement programs like Medicare have unfunded liabilities amounting to $43 trillion—a figure that grows by nearly $2 trillion per year.

If all of these facts were not enough, the Democrats enacted their new law as a result of bribery. The American people have heard about many of the deals made prior to the vote. The Cornhusker Kickback, Florida Gatorade, and Louisiana Purchase are but a few examples. It is a national disgrace that our Congress has become an institution dependent on extortion to enact major legislation. And while the process is not easily discussed or understood, we cannot ignore the historic level of oppression implemented by Speaker Pelosi’s Rules Committee in her effort to gain passage of the bill. As much as the content of the bill itself, the manner in which it passed Congress provides clear evidence that the bill was about government power not the health of America.

The Senate, then, will dutifully enact all of these “fixes,” by using elaborate procedural tricks and at least a couple votes to override the Senate Parliamentarian. Right, like that is going to happen.

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For those keeping score at home, the whole idea of a reconciliation bill is simply to provide cover for House Democrats to pass the Senate Bill. The Senate will never take up reconciliation. The Senate bill will become the law of the land.

Via Roll Call

The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress’ original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday.

The Senate Parliamentarian’s Office was responding to questions posed by the Republican leadership. The answers were provided verbally, sources said.

House Democratic leaders have been searching for a way to ensure that any move they make to approve the Senate-passed $871 billion health care reform bill is followed by Senate action on a reconciliation package of adjustments to the original bill. One idea is to have the House and Senate act on reconciliation prior to House action on the Senate’s original health care bill.

Information Republicans say they have received from the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office eliminates that option. House Democratic leaders last week began looking at crafting a legislative rule that would allow the House to approve the Senate health care bill, but not forward it to Obama for his signature until the Senate clears the reconciliation package.

This just confirms what I’ve been saying all along: the House vote is the final vote.

Now, will the House Democrats trust the Senate Democrats and Obama? Harry Reid now appears to have a change of heart and will now allow Republicans input and to offer amendments. Reid wrote:

“Reconciliation is designed to deal with budget-related matters, and some have expressed doubt that it could be used for comprehensive health care reform that includes many policies with no budget implications. But the reconciliation bill now under consideration would not be the vehicle for comprehensive reform — that bill already passed outside of reconciliation with 60 votes,” Reid wrote to McConnell.

“Reconciliation will not exclude Republicans from the legislative process. You will continue to have an opportunity to offer amendments and change the shape of the legislation. In addition, at the end of the process, the bill can pass only if it wins a democratic, up-or-down majority vote. If Republicans want to vote against a bill that reduces health care costs, fills the prescription drug ‘donut hole’ for seniors and reduces the deficit, you will have every right to do so,” he said.

Obviously, Republicans would have to be a part of the legislative process; however, does anyone actually think that a single GOP amendment would really be passed to amend the bill. Furthermore, for Reid to say “a democratic, up-or-down majority vote” is simply disingenuous. Reid knows that he does indeed 60 votes to pass amendments and he is circumventing the GOP filibuster to make any further changes.

That is the bait for the House Democrats–to use the up-or-down vote, which requires only 51 votes to pass the ObamaCare bill changes. The House Democrats must trust that the Senate Democrats will hold true to their word. They also have to make certain that Obama will sign the amended legislation.

As for Obama’s track record of broken promises and bait and switch, I’d go over to Change.gov for a serious reminder of what health reform should look like and what he originally promised voters.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is bluffing here when she says:

“Yes,” Pelosi said when asked if she believed the House would end up having the votes to approve healthcare.

“If we took it up today, yes,” the speaker quickly added.

The speaker still cautioned, though, that the timing and actual vote count on the bill couldn’t be entirely set in stone until the final legislative language was finalized and until the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) delivers its score of the bill’s impact.

There is no chance Pelosi has the votes to pass ObamaCare and she knows it. If she did have the votes, she would have already had the vote and wouldn’t need the “Slaughter Solution.”

House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct vote on the Senate overhaul bill, the chairwoman said Tuesday. Slaughter is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to the Senate version. Slaughter has not taken the plan to Speaker Pelosi as Democrats await CBO scores on the corrections bill. “Once the CBO gives us the score we’ll spring right on it,” she said.

The Slaughter Solution has one very large obstacle–the Constitution Article I, Section 7–which states:

All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.  Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become 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. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Clearly, this Congress is so desperate to pass ObamaCare, despite the American people’s utter hatred of the bill and everything it represents–including the path to socialism and government control of the people. However, if this Congress continues down this path of violating the Constitution, the “people” will have a viable case, class-action or otherwise, in the US courts because it is going to be extremely difficult for a judge to ignore that the 111th Democrat-Progressive led Congress violated Article I, Section 7 to the most obscene extent.

The Senate passed the revised bill with the healthcare language in it, and now the House must revote on the deceptively gutted changed bill because, according to the Constitution, the identical bill must pass both the House and Senate in order to be signed into law.  And, once the Senate Health Care bill pass the House, President Obama will sign it right away.

The threat of reconciliation in the Senate is hollow. There isn’t going to be any reconciliation.

On January 31, 2010, before the House was set to take up the Senate bill, WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” stated:

“If the House would take up the Senate bill then that bill would go to the president’s desk,” Gibbs said.

For further confirmation, here is the audio of that exchange.  Listen from about 4:20 to 5.00 and you will here Gibbs confirm that once the House passes the Senate’s version of the healthcare bill, it’s a done deal.  No talk of reconciliation here, because reconciliation is not needed at all.

Let me be clear, if the Senate healthcare bill passes the House, it goes to directly to the President for his signature.  No reconciliation, no conference, no more negotiations, nothing.  Why?  Because they don’t have to; the healthcare takeover will be completed.  There is no more incentive for the Senate to keep its promise to the House.  And with this Congress the end definitely justifies the means.

The fact that Gibbs confirmed that Obama would sign the Senate version of healthcare bill as is should signal to Americans that he inherently doesn’t have any problems with it–even with all the bribes and abortion funding–as he has also been a huge supporter of this version.

There are still so many people talking about reconciliation.  Reconciliation of the bills is not needed for the House to pass the Senate bill. All the talk of reconciliation is to convince wavering House Democrats will soon…we promise, we swear, cross our hearts…fix all the provisions that give House members fears of November.

Stupak and the pro-life Democrats are fooling themselves–especially Kildee–who is now a confirmed “yes” vote on healthcare due to his satisfaction on the abortion language.

Once the House approves the Senate bill, all the talk of reconciliation will evaporate. The Senate health care bill provides the foundation for a government takeover of health care. Do you really think Senate Democrats are going to prolong the health care debate for weeks on end to strip abortion funding from the bill? Again, I can’t be more clear:  this is the Code Red alert for the final vote to pass healthcare.