Why I am disappointed (what we could have had)

[SHRED]

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The biggest disappointment in all of this that Congress, and the complaisant President, bent over backwards protecting Wall St. (which is no surprise).
Cynically speaking; they know who they really work for as health industry stocks soar.

As you know I favored Congress and the Executive Branch working on a plan centered on us, the PUBLIC. But instead they crafted very complicated legislation that trys to satisfy Wall St and placate Main St.
Many of us are not buying these complex half measures when all they had to do was develop a robust public option via expanding Medicare or however they worked it out.

A single-pool government issued insurance program would be good for business, labor, and our economy by removing the cost of outrageous premiums and replacing them with a far smaller tax on employee paychecks. Full dental, vision, and medical coverage. Low overhead to administer due to single source payment. Huge pool (every working American) drives down cost of individual cost. Business no longer is subject to mandatory coverage offerings and cost therein.

Especially good for small business and entrepreneurs who drive growth.

They have missed a golden opportunity to be heroically good to the American people, labor, and business. A rare three-way win.
These don't come around often.

I am willing to see what comes out now (what choice do we have) but I am still going to vent as my disillusion with this "hope and change" continues.

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[Thickasabrick]

1. Supposedly, the Pukes will pick up 3 seats in the Senate in 2010

They will not be able to do anything using the 60/40 rule after that. If they want to change anything about this bill - it better happen before then.

[SHRED]

2. This is why I don't understand...

...people who say let's get this passed and build on it.
There will be no "build on it" for decades.

But I guess if they kill this then absolutely nothing will get done for years due to Repuke obstruction.

This is a bad place to be.


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[pnwmom]

6. The key regulatory parts of HCR could only be passed in a regular bill that could be

filibustered, and so would need 60 votes.

HOWEVER, other needed elements -- a possible expansion of Medicare, reimportation of drugs, even a public option -- could be passed separately through reconciliation, as long as they reduced the deficit. Thus they would need only a majority of votes in the House and Senate.

We needed to do the regulatory parts now, while we have something close to 60 votes, assuming Lieberman doesn't jump ship. Later, getting 50 votes for the other measures won't be as difficult.

[SHRED]

8. Ineresting insight

Thanks for this.

Something to think about.


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[pnwmom]

11. I'm certainly hoping for this. I don't think anyone here is satisfied

with the Senate bill, but maybe it could be that "starter home" they were talking about.

[Thickasabrick]

9. That actually is pretty comforting. Thank you pnwmom nt

[fasttense]

3. And to think we could have had Al Gore as President if all the votes had been counted.

Thanks dancing supremes for electing our president for us.

But really just think how much better President Gore would have been than even President Obama.

[SHRED]

4. He would have been way better than both

[inthebrain]

7. And Lieberman as VP would have been a great reminder of what we dodged in Bush.

[inthebrain]

5. It's "could have" not "could of".

That one drives me bat shit crazy whenever I see it. I'm also the last person in the world to play grammar nazi as well.

[SHRED]

10. LOL...good catch