Democracy: The joke is on us

Washington Examiner
October 9, 2009

It turns out, the joke was on us.

This August, while thousands of Americans were dutifully attending town hall meetings to let their elected representatives know they oppose big government, big bureaucracy, high tax health care, unelected congressional staff were huddling in Washington writing their own health care bill.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill that emerged on Sept. 17 had actually been voted on by the committee two months earlier. For two months, the Democrats who control the committee refused to let anyone read the bill, not members of the committee, not other Senators, not the American people.

Now we know why. While they held the bill hostage, unelected HELP committee staff made over 70 changes to it. No votes were held as substantive parts of the bill were changed or eliminated.

Provisions that had been agreed to by the elected members of the committee - such as requiring parental consent for children to receive health services at school - were eliminated at the whim of partisan staff members.

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Comments

By involved @ Sunday, October 11, 2009 9:55 AM

I am at a loss when I continue to read about what our government is doing. With our knowledge but contrary to our desires and without our knowledge as described in this article.

I attempt to act as a responsible, accountable citizen, but continually see our elected officials as irresponsible and unaccountable to anything but their personal agendas.

It must stop and the only way I see through this is by increasing the awareness of American citizens. I am trying through my personal efforts and we must continue supporting American Solutions.

By Jennsw @ Sunday, October 11, 2009 12:09 AM

Edit to the below comment: I mentioned health care in the hands of the Department of Defense, I meant to say "Health Care in the hands of the Department of Veterans Affairs."

By Jennsw @ Sunday, October 11, 2009 12:07 AM

I believe we should care for the sick who can't care for themselves but I think Government is getting way out of hand with this Health Care Reform Bill. If they are so concerned with helping people why must so many suffer for it? I can't help but to believe that there is an ulterior motive to Health Care Reform. The Democrats must have something up their sleeves especially when were are seeing how badly run health care is in some other countries, how old people are afraid of dying at the hands of government health care ran badly, reduction of services for the elderly who are on government assistance. I've witnessed government health care in the hands of the department of defense and although there are benefits there are quite a few challenges and a number of things i can complain about. Not just my personal experiences but watching how the elderly and handicapped are treated or should i say ignored. I have a huge problem with taking from the rich and making them poor so that poor have no incentive to at least try to be better. Were setting up illegals and unemployed so that they really don't have to do anything. Why get a job when you can get food stamps, section 8 housing, free health care, and an array of other benefits depending on the state that you live in. They should draft all the unemployed into the military, i'm sure they could find something to do, then they can have all the health care they want.

By seebee @ Friday, October 09, 2009 5:53 PM

Obama is from Illinois. He watched Blagojevich and Emil Jones hold the people of Illinois and the Illinois legislature hostage for 6 years. He is just like Chicago Mayor Daley, why aren't the slums already cleaned up in Chicago? Chicago teachers are the highest paid in the country, why are Chicago schools falling apart and failing kids? Why did Obama try to get the olympics for Daley for billions of dollars to "clean up" this disgusting money pit? Where does the Chicago tax money go? Why does the rest of the state of Illinois subsidize Chicago? Just take a ride on the Chicago "El" or subway system and compare it to anywhere in Europe? Chicago is a dangerous place to visit.

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