Boehner Web Video: “I’m Not a Doctor, But I Play One on TV”Posted by Kevin Boland on August 4th, 2009
Yesterday, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) released a web video, adapting the old joke “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV,” to President Obama’s proposed government takeover of health care. Leader Boehner said of the video: “This is a lighthearted video, but it underscores a serious point that Congressional Democrats are going to hear throughout August as they travel outside of Washington: Americans want lower health care costs not a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care that increases costs and lets Washington bureaucrats make decisions that should be made by doctors and patients.” To read about House Republicans’ better solutions to strengthening America’s health care, click HERE. VIDEO: Top Democrat Admits Government-Run Health Care Plan Would Lead to Single-Payer Health Care SystemPosted by Kevin Boland on July 30th, 2009
Democrats have long pushed for a single-payer health care system - but have repeatedly denied that the “public option,” their euphemism for the government-run health care plan that is the centerpiece of the their $1.5 trillion health care bill, will inevitably lead to a government-controlled health care system similar to those in Canada and the United Kingdom. In a newly unearthed video, however, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) candidly admits that the entire point of the “public option” is to force tens of millions of Americans off their private insurance plans and onto the government rolls. When confronted by a supporter of the single-payer system, Rep. Frank is blunt in his assessment of the so-called “public option,” stating that “if we get a good public option, it could lead to single-payer, and that’s the best way to lead to single-payer.” As Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has pointed out, “[t]he ‘public option’ isn’t honest. It is designed to make private insurers go away.” Americans want health care reform - and House Republicans agree - but a government takeover of the health care system isn’t the answer. There’s a better way to reform the best health care system in the world. House Republicans have a plan that will reduce costs, expand access and increase the quality of care in a way we can afford - without raising taxes on small businesses or middle class or putting the federal government in control of Americans’ health care. To read more about House Republicans’ plan, click HERE. Boehner: Government-Run Health Care Plan Flunks the Skyline Chili TestPosted by Dave Schnittger on July 30th, 2009
Americans oppose the government takeover of health care proposed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Washington Democrats, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said today — and he said he doesn’t need polls to prove it. What makes him so confident? Call it the Skyline Chili test. During his weekly press briefing in the U.S. Capitol today, Boehner invoked the name of Cincinnati’s famed delicacy as he fielded questions from the Capitol Hill press corps. An excerpt: REPORTER: ‘Mr. Leader. . .You said that August was going to be a hot summer as people, you know, debate and consider what this [health care] plan is. What makes you so convinced? You cited polls earlier, but what makes you so convinced that — that the Republicans and their opposition to this plan is going to win out. . .?’ BOEHNER: ‘This isn’t about Republicans. This is the American people’s opposition that is growing. . .I don’t need to see the polling. You know, I walk through airports. I go to Home Depot. I go to Skyline Chili. I’ve got people who stop me nonstop to voice their concerns and their outrage.’ $100 Million A Drop in the Bucket Compared to $1.8 Trillion DeficitPosted by Kevin Boland on July 29th, 2009
This week the President finally delivered on his pledge to find “$100 million” in savings. Actually, his Administration bested the $100 million mark by $2 million, proposing cuts amounting to $102 million for this year. While any savings in government waste are laudable, the Administration’s cuts pale in comparison to the mind-numbing $1.8 trillion deficit that will occur this year, in large part as a consequence of the wild spending orgy that has taken place in Washington in the months since Democrats took complete control of the federal government. In fact, as the Wall Street Journal noted this morning, these efficiencies amount to “0.006% of the estimated federal deficit.” The Wall Street Journal has the details on just what those cuts include:
These savings are paltry compared to our deficit. In fact, the Associated Press reported that the cuts “amounted to a pledge to cut about $1 for every $10,000 of the $1 trillion budget for agency budgets approved by Congress in March. That represented the equivalent of cutting a foot-long submarine sandwich from the budget of a construction worker making $60,000 a year.” In other words the cuts the President proposed won’t even make a dent in the federal deficit. After passing a $1 trillion “stimulus” that’s not working for the middle class, a $410 billion omnibus spending bill, and $3.6 trillion budget - it shouldn’t be too hard to find more government waste. After all House Republicans have proposed $375 billion in taxpayer savings over the next five years, which House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) outlined in a letter to the President earlier this year. And, led by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Republicans have also called for an alternative federal budget that includes strict annual caps on federal spending, forcing Congress to live within its means on a yearly basis - something the Democratic-controlled Congress has steadfastly refused to do. Cutting $102 million from the budget is a good start - but there’s a lot more that Congress and the President can do to return America to a path of fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately, the Democrats’ spending spree is making that task harder than ever. Democrats’ $1 Trillion “Stimulus:” Toilets in New York, Buses in New Hampshire, But Where Are the Jobs?Posted by Kevin Boland on July 28th, 2009
It’s been nearly half a year since the President signed the $1 trillion “stimulus” that was supposed to create jobs “immediately.” As recently as June, the Vice President was still defending the “stimulus,” insisting that it provided “an initial big jolt to give the economy a real head start.” In fact, on the day the Democrats rushed through their 1,100 page “stimulus,” Speaker Pelosi said: “[a]fter all of the debate, this legislation can be summed up in one word, ‘jobs’.” But with unemployment continuing to climb closer and closer to the 10 percent mark - and in 15 states, already exceeding it - the American people are asking a simple question: “where are the jobs?” The Democrats’ haven’t been able to answer that question. Instead, they’ve repeated their claim that “if we hadn’t done that stimulus package, the unemployment rate would be even higher,” as Speaker Pelosi said this past Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” - even though when the Democrats rushed the 1,100 page “stimulus” package through the Congress, they promised that the “stimulus” would keep the unemployment rate from going above 8 percent. So if the “stimulus” isn’t creating jobs, where is all that money going? Well, in New Hampshire, the “stimulus” just bought four new commuter buses, as an editorial in yesterday’s New Hampshire Union-Leader pointed out:
And in New York, “stimulus” money is being spent on new toilets, as yesterday’s New York Post reported:
The fundamental problem with the “stimulus” is that it relies on government largess, not small businesses, to create jobs - throwing literally a trillion dollars over ten 10 years at the economy in the hopes that some of it sticks. But the engine of job creation in the United States is small business, not government. And the “stimulus” does little to nothing to help small businesses get back on their feet and start creating jobs. The same folks who brought you the “stimulus” are now attempting to rush a government takeover of health care. In fact, Speaker Pelosi recently said that: “the health care bill is a stimulus package.” But after the disastrous results of the Democrats’ first “stimulus” package, Congress has an obligation to get an overhaul of health care right. As House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) recently stated: “Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues in the Democratic leadership need to scrap this costly plan” and “start over with a bipartisan bill” that will provide affordable, high quality health insurance for all Americans. House Democrats Run Scared Over House GOP Health Care ChartPosted by Kevin Boland on July 23rd, 2009
Well, the “most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history” is at it again. House Democrats, as today’s Roll Call reported, “are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority’s health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.” It’s understandable that Speaker Pelosi is nervous about letting the American people know the consequences of their government takeover of health care - but are the Democrats running so scared that they’ve decided to block House Republicans from communicating with their own constituents? Apparently so, as Roll Call notes:
Here’s the chart that’s giving the Democrats such heartburn:
The Democrats have it backwards. It’s their health care plan that’s misleading, not the chart that House Republicans have produced, which simply illustrates the confusing web of at least 31 new federal programs, agencies, commissions and mandates that are part and parcel of the Democrats’ unprecedented $1.6 trillion government takeover of health care in America. Americans want health care reform, but the Democrats’ go-it-alone, government takeover of health care isn’t the way to improve the best health care system in the world. House Republicans have a plan that will reduce costs, expand access and increase the quality of care in a way we can afford - without raising taxes on small businesses or middle class. To read more about the House Republicans’ plan, click HERE. An added benefit of the House Republican plan: it doesn’t require a chart to understand. 90 Days Later, Where are the $100 Millions in Savings?Posted by Kevin Boland on July 21st, 2009
Yesterday marked the six-month anniversary of the President taking the oath of office. It was also supposed to mark another milestone: the date which the President’s Cabinet members were to have announced the $100 million in budget cuts promised 90 days ago. As the Wall Street Journal reported:
So where are those cuts? The Journal story continues:
While the deficit has already passed the $1.1 trillion mark and expected to hit nearly $2 trillion for this fiscal year alone - it shouldn’t be too difficult to identify $100 million worth of savings. In fact, just weeks after the President announced his intention to cut a measly $100 million from a $3.6 trillion budget, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) sent a proposal to President Obama outlining $375 billion in taxpayer savings over the next five years. Led by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Republicans have also called for an alternative federal budget that includes strict annual caps on federal spending, forcing Congress to live within its means on a yearly basis - something the Democratic-controlled Congress has steadfastly refused to do. Now, the Administration is promising to rein in federal spending on health care, with the President promising recently: “I will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade.” Based on their track record on everything from a $1 trillion “stimulus” that isn’t working to a $3.6 trillion budget that doubles the national debt in five years and triples it in ten - and with Roll Call reporting today that the House Democrats’ government takeover of health care would cost at least $1.6 trillion - the Administration’s promise not to sign on to a health care bill that doesn’t add to the deficit would require the wiling suspension of disbelief. Backroom Deals in National Energy Tax Highlight Need for 72-Hour Review Period Before Voting on Government Takeover of Health CarePosted by Kevin Boland on July 20th, 2009
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has called on the Congress to adopt a mandatory 72-hour public review period for all major spending bills. The idea is simple: give the American people and their elected representatives the opportunity to actually see what is being voted on. If Leader Boehner’s proposal had been in place at the start of this Congress, it’s doubtful Congress would have voted to send $1 million to Rep. Murtha’s “Airport for No One,” millions of dollars to fund AIG bonuses, or nearly $1 million to fix up a bridge to a bar in Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey district - all of which were included in the Democrats’ 1,100 page, $1 trillion “stimulus” package that was rushed through Congress with fewer than 12 hours of review. That pattern of payoffs and late night, backroom dealing that characterized the “stimulus” package also reappeared during the debate over Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax. As today’s Los Angeles Times reported: “There were about 300 pages of last-minute amendments, many designed to make money for industries and constituencies important to fence-sitting lawmakers.” The Times continued:
Rep. Bean wasn’t alone. In fact, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) was reportedly a direct beneficiary of another such deal, as the Washington Times reported last week:
Enacting a 72-hour review period would go a long way to prevent the use of taxpayer money to buy off votes in Congress. But Democrats aren’t buying Leader Boehner’s proposal of implementing a mandatory 72-hour review period before voting on major legislation. Responding to a question posed by CNS News on “whether he supported a pledge that asks members of the Congress to read the entire bill before voting on it and also make the full text of the bill available to the public for 72 hours before a vote,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) actually laughed off the idea, as CNS News reported:
Let Freedom Ring, a non-partisan group, has a pledge which calls on Members of Congress to promise they will not vote to enact a health care bill they have not read and also proposes that they post the full text of the bill online at least 72 hours before Congress votes on it. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has signed on and has urged other Members of Congress to do so as well. As of this morning, 62 Members have officially endorsed the proposal. As the House of Representatives rushes to pass a $1.5 trillion government takeover of health care, will Speaker Pelosi give Members of Congress enough time to actually read the bill they’re voting on, or will she continue an all-too-familiar path of rushing bills through Congress? The American people - whose hard-earned money Congress is entrusted to spend wisely - deserve an answer. Democrats Continue Push Towards Government Takeover of Health CarePosted by Kevin Boland on July 17th, 2009
Early this morning - at around 2 a.m. - the Ways and Means Committee narrowly passed the Democrats’ massive $1.5 trillion government takeover of health care. The Democrats introduced their bill on Tuesday afternoon, and by Thursday evening they rushing the bill through the committee. As Ways and Means Ranking Republican Dave Camp (R-MI) put it in his opening statement last night: “In 1994, as we debated health care reform, the full Ways and Means Committee spent 17 days over six weeks conducting our markup. This year, our markup will last a day.” Why the rush? Because its become crystal clear that the Democrats’ arguments in favor of a government takeover of health care just don’t hold water. They claim that their plan will reduce costs; it won’t. Yesterday, in testimony before the Ways & Means Committee, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf debunked that notion: Newspaper Editorials Blast Democrats’ Government Takeover of Health CarePosted by Kevin Boland on July 16th, 2009
Democrats are continuing their rush to “reform” the health care system by passing a 1,018 page, $1.5 trillion bill that will force 114 million Americans to lose their current health insurance - despite the repeated promises by the President to the contrary. But this week hasn’t turned out so well for Democrats. First, House Democrats introduced a $1.5 trillion health care plan that would hike taxes on small businesses and job creators - and was quickly denounced by a Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), who said “there’s no way they can pass the current bill on the House floor. Not even close.” Next, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf denounced the Democrats’ bill, as the Washington Post reported: “On the contrary,’ Elmendorf said, ‘the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.’” And finally, in a press briefing this morning, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) pointed out that:
As Americans become aware of the details of the Democrats’ push towards government-run health care, they’re becoming increasingly alarmed - and many newspaper editorials from coast to coast have given voice to their concerns over the past week:
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