$400 Billion For Medicare Delivers Little

[truthisfreedom]

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-vpisr263559578nov26,0,7560721.story?coll=ny-health-headlines

$400 Billion For Medicare Delivers Little

By Steve Israel
Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) represents the 2nd Congressional District.

November 26, 2003


Anyone who's ever seen C-SPAN is familiar with how votes are typically conducted in the House of Representatives.

A vote is called, and what previously seemed a desolate floor becomes energized. A changing tally and descending clock appear on the screen. When the time is up, usually after about 15 minutes, the gavel comes down, the vote is over, the result is announced and the House proceeds to new business.

Imagine the contention and anger on the House floor Saturday when, after the bill overhauling Medicare appeared to be defeated by two votes at 3 a.m., Republicans kept the vote open for an extra three hours - making it the longest vote in House history. If anyone had any doubts about just how bad this 678-page bill had become, that doubt should have been erased by the fact that it took three extra hours of arm-twisting (including frantic calls by President George W. Bush ) to force members of Congress to switch their votes and put this mess over the top.

<snip>

very interesting stuff. good read.

[4dsc]

1. Just wait until they read the small print

Then American will realize just what kind of debacle the rethug's passed!!

[dbt]

2. Thank God My Parents Are Dead!

Medicare and some supplemental insurance saw both of them through the ends of their lives in 1999 and 2002, with nary a financial glitch or with their having to decide between medicine and food.

For me, there will be no such assurance, thanks to the RepubLIEcans and the DemocRATS who have enabled them. And my son will live in a world where firearms and horses are necessities of "life."

Hope I die before I get old.

:hurts:
dbt

[otohara]

3. Depend On Liberal Media

to publish the "bad stuff" about horrible medicare bill after the damn thing is passed.