The US House of Representatives passed a flawed, unnecessary, unaffordable Health Care Bill a little while back. Now the Senate has found a way to take a bad thing and make it worse by stripping out the House amendment that eliminated federally-funded abortions from the plan.
Now, I know that abortion is a very sensitive issue, and even though I feel strongly about the issue, I’m not making a case for or against it here. Try, for a moment, to distance your personal feelings about abortion itself and consider simply the inclusion of federally-funded abortions in the hanging-by-a-thread healthcare
Archive for November, 2009
From Bad to Worse
November 25th, 2009 by Ronald A. RoweThe New Status Quo
November 18th, 2009 by Ronald A. Rowe
It seems as if nearly every politician running for office at any level vows to 'shake up the status quo', which in itself is an indictment of both political parties and their current, long-running inability to get anything done. But Barack Obama, inadvertent as it may have been, does seem to have managed the impossible. The status quo in Washington and around the countryreally and truly has changed in the past year.
Republicans have long been the overtly patriotic party. They wave their flags and hoot and hurrah at every victory, large or small, that the U.S. wins
Republicans have long been the overtly patriotic party. They wave their flags and hoot and hurrah at every victory, large or small, that the U.S. wins
Universal Health Care
November 11th, 2009 by Ronald A. Rowe
This weekend, the House of Representatives passed the much debated Health Care Bill. This historic and monumental legislation passed by a razor thin 220-215 vote. The passage of this bill brought to mind several points that I'd like to bring out here.
There are 257 Democrats in the House, meaning this bill passed without even the full support of the President's own party. In fact, a last minute Republican amendment is the only reason that several Blue Dog Democrats were able to tolerate the bill, meaning that the Conservatives accidentally made the passage of this bill possible. On
There are 257 Democrats in the House, meaning this bill passed without even the full support of the President's own party. In fact, a last minute Republican amendment is the only reason that several Blue Dog Democrats were able to tolerate the bill, meaning that the Conservatives accidentally made the passage of this bill possible. On
Congressional Ethics
November 4th, 2009 by Ronald A. Rowe
Ironic as it may seem, the U.S. House of Representatives actually maintains an Ethics Committee. The stated purpose of this committee is to have the Representatives police themselves to prevent or punish any unseemly behavior on the part of any members of Congress. In practice, the committee mostly has served as a vehicle for members of the majority party to antagonize troublesome members of the minority party.
You don’t hear much about the Ethics Committee because their work is shrouded in super-secrecy. They don’t do press conferences. There is no message board listing their ongoing investigations.
You don’t hear much about the Ethics Committee because their work is shrouded in super-secrecy. They don’t do press conferences. There is no message board listing their ongoing investigations.
