U.S. Senate is going nuclear...

[stevie_d_64]

We’all, looks like they got Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) a little while ago to announce that his little sub-committee is going to limit the mark-up phase of the Healthcare bill they have to about ten days...And that will be that...(I saw this announcement live about lunchtime today)

Obama is going to go on tonight and say that the public option is the only option now...(will have a bag of popcorn popped ready to hear the inevitable)

Sounds to me like they are going nuclear on this thing...

Like I said a while back...They think we are angry now...Standby knuckleheads...They ain’t seen angry...Matter of fact, I think it’ll be so cool, you might need to knit some sweaters!!!

I almost feel relieved that it has come to this...

[Abraham]

I'm probably the only one here who doesn't know what "limit the mark up phase of the health care bill" means.

Ah, include "public option" too.

Yes, I'm abysmally limited in my knowledge of the government take over of health care and it's unique language.

Please explain.

When the talking heads start in and bandy it about, I guess they assume the general public knows the definitions of all this arcana...

Thanks!

[TheArmedFarmer]

I'm with Abraham on this. So many new phrases are being thrown around as if everyone should know what they are. I was able to learn what "single payer" means, but what about the other terms? Please do educate us if you know the answer to these.

[Purplehood]

To me "mark-up" means jacking the price up to increase your margin. Hey, maybe thats what it is after all.

[joe817]

I'm probably the only one here who doesn't know what "limit the mark up phase of the health care bill" means.

I think what stevie_d is saying is that there is a time limit, or time restriction( while a bill is in sub-committee) that the sub-committee has to alter the wording of the bill, add items, delete items, etc. And apparently that time restriction has been shortened, which means the sub-committee has to scramble to get it done.

[The Annoyed Man]

Mark Up Phase is the time during which the language of the bill is altered to clarify it, or to add components that were missing, or to delete components. The bill is literally marked up - red pens and pencils, and all that. Limiting the mark up period keeps Republicans from mounting a popular backlash against Democrats because the bill is being rushed through committee and onto the floor for an up or down vote. With the exception of those RINOs like Olympia Snow (about 6 or so in the Senate; I don't know how many in the House), Republicans will vote as a block against it. Blue Dog Democrats are very much against it, but they are being offered "deals" by their leadership — vote for this, and we'll give you whatever you want later — so it is hard to say how some of them will vote. The Dems are counting on having enough votes to ram this down our throats, despite the overwhelming unpopularity of it. It is said that 80% of Americans like the coverage they have, if a public option is the alternative. Congress and the president would LOVE to have 80% approval ratings. They don't. Obama's is tanking, and Congress's approval rating has been in the toilet for the past 3 or 4 years. Even George W. Bush had a higher approval rating than Congress.

The "public option" means government provided health care, paid for by the taxpayers. The problem with the public option is that the way they propose to support it is to charge employers an 8% of payroll penalty to cover it for those employers who do not provide insurance coverage to their employees. Since employer provided health insurance costs far more than 8% of payroll penalty they would be assessed for not providing it, this means that employers will naturally stop offering insurance coverage entirely. The net result is that the government will be the sole health insurance provider in the nation. The other problem with the public option is that it will not be anywhere near as cushy a gig as the health insurance that congresspersons vote for themselves. The scum.

It will kill private health insurance as an industry, and it is being brought to you by an administration, and a party, and a congress, that are fundamentally mistrustful of capitalism and the freedom of personal choice — unless it is the choice to kill a baby in the womb. They will destroy the quality of health care in America. But they are commies (or "progressives" as they call themselves now), and they don't care — as long as it gives them more power over your daily life.

On the up side, wealthy Brits and Canadians will stop coming to the U.S. to get medical care that their own "public 'option'" won't provide to them. This is what we are in for.

[The Annoyed Man]

Police detectives Joe Friday and his partner educate the president about how to do his job:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=m4r6YCUtxfs[/youtube]

[WildBill]

Police detectives Joe Friday and his partner educate the president about how to do his job:

This is hilarious! I have to admit that I am a big fan of Jack Webb. I actually remember that Dragnet episode. Thanks for the post TAM.

[pdubyoo]

Police detectives Joe Friday and his partner educate the president about how to do his job:

TAM, that was just what I needed after watching the circus in DC.

Q: What's the penalty for lying before Congress?
A: Nothing if your name is Barry Obama.

[Purplehood]

That speech by those two old-codgers seems appropriate in so many different situations...some speeches are simply timeless.

[stevie_d_64]

I'm probably the only one here who doesn't know what "limit the mark up phase of the health care bill" means.

I think what stevie_d is saying is that there is a time limit, or time restriction( while a bill is in sub-committee) that the sub-committee has to alter the wording of the bill, add items, delete items, etc. And apparently that time restriction has been shortened, which means the sub-committee has to scramble to get it done.

It also means that it is unlikely, or more important, useless to introduce any changes of modifications to the bill...

Since the "speech" last night when the bogus "My door is open" claim by the President, was conditioned with his "You will be called out!" if you come to him, or anyone in this process if you are critical of "his" plan, based upon some perceived "fringe" position on some points that ARE in this bill...Pick yer poison...

Consider yourself criticised Mr. President...Bring it...

[The Annoyed Man]

Glad you all liked it.

[Chip]

Glad you all liked it.

I've already forwarded it to a half dozen people in the office, and it's starting to go viral here. Excellent posting, thanks!

As for the speech last night: well, we really need to get control of the language. This is not a battle about whether to reform health care, it's a battle about what reforms are needed and how to implement them. Obama did a good thing by pointing that out. A liberal friend posted something on her facebook about "Obama made an eloquent case for health care reform". You know, good for Obama for raising the issue (although I think that it is really lower on the priority list than, say, the economy, international terrorism, 2A infringements, Iran getting a nuclear weapon, etc). I HATE that conservatives are being painted as being "against health care reform". Personally, I'm all for improving things, I'm just against the approach outlined in HR3200. We've got an excellent health care system, let's see about fixing a few problems. This is a pretty limited scope of work, and if we took that approach, we'd be done in a few weeks.

The only other thing I'll say is that I learned something last night. Obama said something about how the public option would be run more efficiently because the government didn't have to worry about those pesky evil profits. That's news to me! I didn't realize the government could do ANYTHING efficiently.

[tempter]

This is a great video! thanks!! I've started passing it around to people I know.

[Abraham]

The Annoyed Man,

Thank you for the explanation.

These Orwellian tactics to bring about socialism in order to make the common herd more controllable by those who "know better" is frightening.

The sheer dishonesty by Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Biden, et al. reminds of the various third world socialist dictators they find so charming.

What next?

Old Russian/Saddam style posters with Obamas's face plastered everywhere?

Next, he'll be referred to as "Our Great Leader" or "Our Dear Leader For Life". (if he can swing - and I'm sure he'll try)

Of course, before this happens, he'll have to entrench his policies.

I hope America can stave off this cancer...