Godzilla1960 wrote:
I like the tough, principled stand the Republicans are making on reconciliation. It is terrible to ram/jam/shove (pick your favorite Fox News phallic phrase) legislation down the throats of the American people. They would never use reconciliation to pass major legislation, right?
Welllll...
The 1995 Balanced Budget Act was passed in reconciliation. The final vote was 52 to 47.
The 2001 Bush Tax Cut was passed in reconciliation. The final vote was 58 to 33.
The 2003 Bush Tax Cut was passed in reconciliation. The final vote was 50 to 50, with Dick Cheney casting the tie-breaking vote.
The 2005 Deficit Reduction Act was also passed in reconciliation with a 50 to 50 vote and a Cheney intervention.
The 2006 Tax Relief Extensions Act was passed in reconciliation. The final vote was 54 to 44.
Yet, this health care legislation has ALREADY passed the Senate with 60 votes under the normal process. The only thing that would pass under a simple majority vote (that is right, passed by MAJORITY VOTE - those evil, Stalinist Democrats are relying on the will of the majority - outrageous!) would be a series of amendments that fit comfortably under the "reconciliation" rules established to deal with money issues.
If only the American people could express their will in some sort of public referendum...you know, like a national election, or something, where candidates could present their ideas on healthcare and then the American people could decide which ideas they favored. That way the party that won this referendum could represent the will of the majority through their legislation.
Of course, that presupposes that both parties actually believe in the democratic process, which won't happen because the Republicans long ago gave up on any belief in democracy, instead favoring anything that either allows them to hold power or prevent anyone else from holding power.
I hate this argument, Zilla, because two wrongs don't make a right.
No matter how you look at it, it appears to me that this health care plan is one that most people I talk to disapprove of.
If we just supply this sort of stuff to people, then where's the incentive to work hard and go get it?
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