Upcoming Vote on Disaster

I don't write on politics often here. Today I will because I am so worried. I am just scared, scared, scared to see what is about to come. In five to seven days there will be a vote in Washington DC to pass the Healthcare Bill. The Senate passed a bill. The House passed a bill. It cannot be law until they have negotiated the two bills and both groups agree on the contents. There is a reason for that process. The new plan totally bucks that system and they are trying to pressure our elected representatives into voting yes. They want to shove a bad bill through into law with such haste it is scary. One of the most amazing things is that they have more or less said, "we know the bill is not right so lets just pass this and then we'll FIX it LATER." Idiots. The bill is a page or two short of 2,000 pages long. So much crap is hidden in this bill it makes my blood boil. Why not fix it now? Fix it before a vote. Just Fix It. THEN VOTE. Telling me you'll fix it later tells me you will just add more later to the bill. There have been numerous sweetheart deals like Nebraska, Louisiana or Connecticut. It will never be combed through and fixed if it isn't done the right way now. The summit between the two sides, two ideas, Democrats and Republicans I thought was probably a good idea about two weeks ago. Even time for ideas. The GOP had been called out as the party of "No" and was providing nothing as an alternative to the Democratic plan. They finally stepped up. Good job. But, it turns out the idea of even time was a farce. Time wasn't split even between the two plans. Obama took a third of the time to campaign for the democrat plan in addition to the democrat leaders, thus giving one side 2/3 time and the other 1/3. On the plus side, for the first time ever they allowed some semblance of talk, debate and negotiation to be broadcast, despite the promises to do so. It was the first time I heard the Republican party present real ideas. That is key. How can the GOP expect support with no platform beyond "No." Now the current plan - It is a complete and total disaster. It creates something on the order of 140 new government agencies/offices. It will demand the people purchase insurance. What right does the Constitution give the government to demand we purchase a product? Next will they require we all buy Cheerios? Flip flops? What right do they have to do this? Insurance by definition is a gamble. You pay in hoping to "win" by having the coverage needed when you get sick. If you make the choice to gamble by NOT buying a policy, especially those in the prime of their life when risk is low, it is a personal decision. No doubt an incredibly irresponsible one, but a choice just the same. Since when do we enforce that our citizens make "good" choices? It is not our right or privilege to do that for others, no matter how stupid they may be. Government should not have that type of control over us. My biggest objection is cost. The nation is near bankruptcy. We simply cannot afford the plan however much good it might do. A one month vacation to Europe would be good for me, but I can't afford it, so I'm not going to go. Remember the Saturday Night Live skit about not buying things you cannot afford? Perfect advise for Obama right now. You CANNOT afford it!! Social security is a disaster. Medicare/Medicaid is bankrupt and twice as likely to deny a claim or care as private insurance. These are the models they plan to follow. This healthcare bill will fail and drag our country down with it. We need major cuts in government spending, not exponential increases. Do not add more spending, waste, corruption and debt. Our children cannot afford it. Our nation will crumble financially. If China calls in our debt it would threaten our nation to collapse. What will they say when we add this colossal obligation to the ledger? The democrats financial projection of saving money is a joke. They tax us five years before they provide any coverage or programs. That's how they screw with the numbers to tell us we'll save. Plus, lots of the "savings" claimed in their projections are based on cutting waste. That isn't a fair projection. There is no actual plan for that saving. If they pinpointed what specifically would be cut, I could possibly buy their claims, but it's just a fluffy non-tangible savings. They just picked a big freaking number out of the air and plugged it in. Stop venting. Okay. We must act. And by "We" I mean YOU. Call your senators. If they are a No Vote, let them know you support them. Then see who is on the fence. Target their offices with your phone calls, emails and personal visits. You are not alone. 73% of the people across the nation do not support the bill. About 50% want it stopped completely. A tiny minority is in favor of this bill at all. Our elected officials need to hear our voices of outrage. When do our leaders have the right to go against their constituency so blatantly? Never. We must stop it. I want a bill. I want change. I want it fixed. This, however, is a disaster. If you are in Virginia - call, visit and email Connolly to make him vote NO. He is a fence sitter today. Based less on the actual bill and more on the fact (in his summation) that his constituency is rich and will end up footing the bill which makes them mad. He gets it to that degree. Work him there. If you care about your future, please call. It takes two minutes. The person that answers the phone will typically be making a simple tally mark on a sheet of paper and recording your zip code so they know you are in their district. It isn't hard or scary. If you've never been involved before, make this the first political issue you take a stand on or make a phone call about. It is important for our future as a nation. Gerry Connolly http://connolly.house.gov 703-256-3071 Annandale Office 202-225-1492 DC Office UTAH PEOPLE Jim Matheson http://matheson.house.gov (877)677-9743 435-627-0880 St. George Office 202-225-3011 DC Office