Call me cynical, but I’m not surprised.
What other gems are buried in the bill? For Obama, this bill helps start the process of easing the wealth inequality in the country. Don’t seem recall that as a key talking point on the interview shows.
The health care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama Tuesday requires members of Congress and their office staffs to buy insurance through the state-run exchanges it creates – but it may exempt staffers who work for congressional committees or for party leaders in the House and Senate.
Staffers and members on both sides of the aisle call it an “inequity” and an “outrage” – a loophole that exempts the staffers most involved in writing and passing the bill from one of its key requirements.
The bill requires “congressional staff” to buy insurance from the exchanges – with a stipend from the Office of Personnel Management But page 158 of the bill defines “congressional staff” narrowly, as “employees employed by the official office of a member of congress, whether in the district office or in Washington.”
The Congressional Research Service believes a court could rule that the legislation “would exclude professional committee staff, joint committee staff, some shared staff, as well as potentially those staff employed by leadership offices.”
If that’s so, staffers who work for Nancy Pelosi in her capacity as representative from California would go into the exchange program, while staffers who work for her in her capacity as speaker would stay on the government’s plan. Other Capitol employees, like those who work for the Clerk of the House or the House Historian, would be similarly exempted.
This is not the first bit of coruption we will find in this bill.
Just curious, where in the linked article does it say “Obama feels it helped ease the wealth inequality in the country”?
[Good point. It didn’t specifically say that. Reworded. — UD]
Whether Obama said it or not, the New York Times writer certainly believes it
“In Health Care Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality”.
Anyway, I’m sure Joe Biden would tell you that exempting Congressional staffers is no fucking big deal.
that’s exactly what it is, redistribution of wealth, just like he promised during his campaign
And I think the guy who writes the questions on Jeopardy should be allowed to be a contestant.
I don’t like it… but this is nothing new. Exempting congress from laws has been going on for decades.
Thanks, Arpie for sharing that cartoon!
http://i.imgur.com/reOAh.jpg
I love this “depleting resources from soundest government in the world”
… after the conservative-led government JUST CATASTROPHICALLY CRASHED THE ECONOMY!!!!!!1
This so reminds me of today. The conservatives LOST AMERICA something _18 TRILLION DOLLARS_.
EIGHTEEN TRILLION dollars American’s household wealth BLOWN DOWN A RAT HOLE by the conservatives (including much of my own hard earned savings — the bastards.)
Thanks to Obama and the Dems recovery program, about SIX TRILLION has been recovered.
Yet, these jackass conservative CARP AND WHINE that Obama is a complete fiscal failure.
Hmmm. Let me get this straight:
– Bush lost us 18 trillion.
– Obama got 6 trillion of that back.
Three quarters of economic increase under the Dems. vs CATASTROPHIC FISCAL COLLAPSE under Bush.
Yet, they demand we go back to the conservative way! And even in a bigger way!
The conservatives are blithering fools. Yet the media gives them equal time — even favors them — over common-sense, reality-driven leadership.
Read this before you flame me.
… and yes, it’s Bush lost 17.5 trillion, not eighteen. I rounded the number.
This doesn’t change the fact that conservatives are loud mouth whiners and carpers whose disastrous arrogant bungling made them lose all credibility — (not to mention a huge chunk of your and my hard-earned savings.)
If justice was done in America, Cheney, Rove and Kristo would be hanging upside down from light poles, instead they get red carpet by the media.
America, standby for targeting instructions.
Greg Allen, you partisan folks sure cook the books with funny numbers you like to believe because it supports your .
The “$17.5 trillion dollar loss” was in real estate value due to the real estate market collapse.
Partisans are hilarious, you can’t believe anything they say because there is some slant.
The last administration was probably about as responsible for the banking crisis as this administration is responsible for the high unemployment.
The problems in this country took decades of neglect and bad decision making.
I might add, only a simpleton believes the problems in this country are solely due to one part or the other.
And with partisans, you get a factory truckload of simpletons each blaming all problems on the other group and their “guy” or their “group” had nothing to do with it.
Priceless!
To Buzz re: #7
Nobody writes questions for Jeopardy, they write answers. The contestant must provide the question.
>> Hmeyers said, on March 24th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
>> Greg Allen, you partisan folks sure cook the books with funny numbers you like to believe because it supports your .
>> The “$17.5 trillion dollar loss” was in real estate value due to the real estate market collapse.
The numbers aren’t funny, at all. I gave you my source — the New York Times business section.
>> The last administration was probably about as responsible for the banking crisis as this administration is responsible for the high unemployment.
The Bush administration was responsible for BOTH the banking crisis and the high unemployment.
In the final months of the Bush administration, America was losing 650,000 jobs A MONTH. http://tiny.cc/y0aa1 This is not a “funny” number — it’s the fact.
Since Obama took office and started to competently manage the economy, the unemployment problem as gotten much better.
Even you know that employment is a trailing indicator of a healing economy and it doesn’t happen as fast as some other sectors. http://tiny.cc/sowhi
Watch who opposes a robust job bill — it’s the conservatives. It is NOT partisan to notice that! You can’t oppose Obama’s job bill and ALSO criticise him for the very slowly recovering employment situation.
And, BTW, if you think this whole Bush disaster was simply a housing crisis, then you really need to read some newspapers.
Sure, I’m a partisan — but only because the GOP have become a bunch of nutcases! As a young man, I attended Young Republican meetings and have voted a split-ticket many times. But that party no longer exists.
Since then, the GOP has spectacularly failed at everything they put their hand too. Who in their right mind can defend such horrible leadership?
OK wingnuts — as usual you need to check the facts before you start spouting. The language in the bill is mis-written, allowing some to see it as exempting certain staffers. It was clearly not the intent of the writer of that section, WHO WAS A REPUBLICAN. Next nonsense please.
A short analysis of the health care bill.
And its supposed impact on taxes (eventually).
Change I can believe in.
Surprise. Surprise. Uncle Dave spreading another shameless RWL.
Here is the wording from the bill:
– – – –
(i) REQUIREMENT.-Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this subtitle, the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are-
(I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or
(II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act).
http://tinyurl.com/yzf7qae
– – – –
Don’t hold your breath waiting for any of the Right Wingers to apologise and correct the record. Caught in lie after lie, they just move on to the next one.
PS: And make no mistake. The conservative KNEW this was a lie when they started spreading this shameless RWL. After all, IT WAS A REPUBLICAN PROVISION!
The sad fact is that “wealth inequity” has another name: freedom.
Retards don’t recognize that though.