Health Care Reform Passes Senate Finance Only Mostly Neutered
Has anyone been following this whole health care reform issue? Probably not, because it's very boring and non-polarizing. But, just in case you're one of the dozen or so Americans with an incredibly-strong-albeit-under-informed opinion on the matter, the Senate Finance Committee just passed a draft of a bill…
Healthcare reform took a giant step closer to passage Tuesday, as the Senate Finance Committee passed its version of the legislation on a 14-9 vote.
Yes, the draft is more conservative than the legislation passed by four other committees in the House and Senate. No, there's no public option in the Finance version. Yes, there's still quite a lot of work to do. But every committee with jurisdiction over the issue has now voted on — and passed — reform legislation, something no previous reform proposal ever achieved.
How do you say "I guess it's better than nothing," in Uninsuredese?
Democrats sounded energized and ready to move forward. "Let's put an end to the status quo," Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said just before the vote.
While you're looking up that other phrase, can you also please check on how to say "Fuck you, Max Baucus," in Fuckyoumaxbaucusese?
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The NFL is a self-contained organization with voting members, who apparently are held accountable for any stupid actions that can hurt or destroy the org. The government used to work like that. Salaried workers used to oversee government-provided services. Government slackers could be held accountable and fired if necessary.
In the dumbing down of America, government workers have been replaced by megacorporations, who earn billions upon billions in government contracts to provide public services.
Because there's no government oversight, and the bible-thumping idiots that the rest of the country keeps sending to DC are clueless, it's easy for slick ad agencies and the communications departments of these mega corporations to scare illiterate pricks shitless with stupid code words like "socialism" and "big government," for example.
If the teabaggers weren't just a bunch of morons following the idiotic lead of overpaid stupid people they see on tv, they'd be protesting for the RETURN of a self-contained, self-controlled government. In screaming for smaller government, they're asking that their taxes be funneled to these billion dollar industries that their dumb asses don't even know exist.
Before Reagan, the phone company was a government-provided service that came with a free phone. Your NFL rant is not a rant at all. It is a just comparison to explain the stupidity surrounding healthcare.
If the government was a self-contained org like the NFL, dumb asses wouldn't have rushed to invade Iraq.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/03/spyagency200703
Walk through D.C. Take in its beauty. Take it all in. And remember, the whole fucking thing was built by slaves. Now, it's run by intellectual slaves.
There's only one good piece of news during this entire debate… Rush Limbaugh won't be turning the NFL into his personal plantation. The only thing better than that would be driving Dennis into a full blown seizure and reading him when Rush attempts his next endeavor — ownership of the Eggles.
Is there a Rush story here today? I haven't checked and noticed Comedy Central retweeted (just start my diprivan drip now for using that word) my call for people to read this. I love it. Rush is trying to get into a socialist league and the free market is telling him to go fuck himself. You might ask yourself, what does that have to do with health care? Everything. It's the internet.
I see your Fuckyoumaxbaucusese, and raise you two. Having worked for lobbyists, political BS writers, and war manufacturers, Trig being the ghost writer for Going Rogue wouldn't surprise me.
Little did I know the best explanation for the bill's journey through the Senate Finance Committee would be in Fuckyoumaxbaucusese.*
*Wish that was some type of joke. That was one of the best links I've seen here. Wanna know how fucked up Washington is? When I worked there in the early 90's, those stupid lobbyists wooed me for a few minutes of their time. Me. I'm a fucking dolt. With no clout. I'll never forget the first party I went to. Some lobby group for flight attendants. At least ten suits approached me just because I had some plastic I.D. — offering me drinks and pigs in a blanket. Shit. It was free food and booze; the only reason I was there. I had no clue what the hell they were talking about. I just drank their liquor, nodded, and tried to hook up with girls who were doing the same thing I was. And, back then, Republicans and Democrats in our circle weren't total dicks to one another. We were young and there was no fucking interweb.
We had to read actual newspapers, scour through Roll Call, and make sure my boss got to the floor for votes. We read real letters. Not fucking emails. Each one. I could say hi to a Member in the halls no matter what party. At the end of each day, there was a different bar for happy hour or some lobby party that had all kinds of things to eat. It was a constant barrage of wining, dining, and nodding.
There was this one bill, which never gained any traction, called FOCA — The Freedom Of Choice Act. I'd scout whomever the Life lobby was grab their free grub. They had no fucking clue who they were talking to but had kickass shrimp cocktails.
All this is at the low-level. Lord knows what went on in some offices. Bottom line, lobbyists own the town. It's a joke. And, if you're lucky enough to be a statesman and are elected into office, there is no way, none whatsoever, you're going to stay in office as a statesman. You must become a politician. Mr. Smith ain't there. Sorry. All that marble and wonder… you won't want to leave. Human nature forces one to stay there. So many perks. I was fortunate to enough to work for a self-made man. He left on his own terms and was an odd, but incredibly honest guy. He used to walk around in his office barefooted — but he read the letters. He listened to folks not even in our district because they'd write letters concerning matters in the committees effecting other regions of the country. Truly, a good guy. Couldn't give a shit about the lobbyists and a rare breed. It's true. If you get there, imagine, honestly, would you want to leave D.C.? You need the lobbyists or it's done. If you don't play the game, you're out. That's the way it will always be. Now, with the addition of USM (Urine Stream Media), how massive it is, I doubt there will ever be honest, good faith, debate in Washington again. If there ever has been.
One has to be a master of the game. The game is inextricably intertwined with the lobby groups. To say it's a vicious circle insults the mean and round alike. You think anyone knows what the fuck is going on with this health care bill? Please. I don't. We rely on others who may have read parts of it. You need a law degree, Vivarins, and a masseuse to get it. And even then, it is impossible to get en toto. I disagree with Dennis to the extent that you throw the baby out with the bathwater here, but only because intuitively I feel this is a step in the right direction. Yet, I cannot claim that with any kind of real certainty. The same way I don't think Dennis can categorically claim this bill sucks ass. I think it fair to say, we don't fucking know it all. But, we do know the lobby groups control.
The link I feel so important to watch points out conflicts of interest that aren't conflicts of interests. Words don't really matter in Washington. Interests don't conflict, they coincide. It's how you manipulate words. Guess who does that? Wordsmiths. And I wish it were some satirists and humorists instead of the loved profession I'm in who could go up there and really read the bills. Someone to get in the ear of the staff attorneys and maybe whisper, "um.. dude… are you fucking kidding me?" Even the lawyers get blinded by the voluminous nature of every bill. I'm serious. We should pay for one economist and one humorist for each Member. That's my plan. Cube 2012.
PSS. So what? Sorry that was lengthy and rambling. Sorry I'm fairly confident Satre has some type of skeletal boner right now. Sorry I didn't make some pithy comment — like revealing the ghost writer for Going Rogue was Trig.
Soon as you've updated your "little list," Bearness, as befitting The Lord High Executioner. 'Tis a pity Gilbert and Sullivan aren't around today (and also weren't American, in any case) to skewer our politicians. I Miss Molly Ivins.
Anyhow, I defer to your good judgment.
When can I apply for a job as Chief Executioner of the Death Panel?