Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are declaring political victory for getting their health reform bill through Congress just before the stroke of midnight on Saturday, but they’ve gone against the will of the American people who believe overwhelmingly, and correctly, that it would increase their health costs, threaten the quality of care they receive, and lead to a flood of unfunded entitlement spending.

Democratic leaders have convinced themselves — and enough of their rank and file to pass the bill — that they know what is best for the country, even if the American people aren’t smart enough to see their far-sighted wisdom.

But it’s the American people who are right in fearing the massive House bill which  would  turn  our  health  sector into a nightmare of government bureaucracy.

Many Democratic House members were strong-armed into voting for a bill that they know violates the basic freedoms upon which this country was founded, but they didn't want to be the ones to hand defeat to their president or party.

Now they will head home to answer to constituents who will be learning more and more of the details about the bill their elected officials voted for — the jobs-killing mandates on businesses; higher taxes on the middle class as well as the rich; higher health costs; government intrusion into personal medical decisions; federal dictates about the kind of health insurance Americans must have to avoid federal penalties; cuts in Medicare; a dramatic expansion of government entitlement programs; and much more.

Members also will have to explain the false promises that the president made to win passage of the bill. In his statement Saturday, Mr. Obama said:  "The bill that the House has produced will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don't; and lower costs for American families and American businesses.” In fact, the bill the House passed violates every one of those promises, as numerous independent studies have proven.

And members will have to explain to their constituents why they supported legislation that dramatically changes the relationship between the American people and their government — forcing them to relinquish freedom over health care decisions for themselves and their families to the political will of Washington.

It is a mistake for political leaders to ignore Americans who are deeply concerned about the growing size and reach of government and trillions of dollars in deficit spending. They are not going to be swayed by flowery rhetoric.  They are going to want real answers because it’s their future that is at stake.

Now the battle heads back to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid still is wrestling in back rooms with the Congressional Budget Office to get a favorable price tag on a bill he’s trying to craft to garner 60 votes.
The president yesterday insisted he get a bill through the Senate before Christmas.

Confusion has reigned in the health reform debate, with the American people assured the bill will offer them all gain and no pain, while independent analyses show just the opposite.

Many people don’t know who to believe, especially since coverage of the debate  is  obscured  by  bewildering  terms like the “public option,”
“guaranteed issue,” and “sustainable growth rates.” All the while, people are being told it’s too soon to form an opinion because no one knows yet what’s going to be in the bills.

Well, we do know.  The House bill is a federal take-over of our health sector, as evidenced by the 118 new programs and bureaucracies it will create. The Senate bill will be cut from the same cloth.

The  mainstream  media covers the speeches and the news conferences by Democratic leaders but gives short shrift to the facts and analysis that show the true impact of their health reform plans.

The fact is that their plans would mean higher heath insurance costs, a loss of private options for coverage, higher taxes, and huge new federal spending commitments that won’t be paid for by the fake funding schemes.

Please continue to follow what we and all of our free-market friends and colleagues are writing and saying at www.HealthReformHub.org.  This battle is far from over.

******************
This commentary was combined from two pieces I wrote for National Review Online over the weekend.

Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are declaring political victory for getting their health reform bill through Congress just before the stroke of midnight on Saturday, but they’ve gone against the will of the American people who believe overwhelmingly, and correctly, that it would increase their health costs, threaten the quality of care they receive, and lead to a flood of unfunded entitlement spending.

Democratic leaders have convinced themselves — and enough of their rank and file to pass the bill — that they know what is best for the country, even if the American people aren’t smart enough to see their far-sighted wisdom.

But it’s the American people who are right in fearing the massive House bill which  would  turn  our  health  sector into a nightmare of government bureaucracy.

Many Democratic House members were strong-armed into voting for a bill that they know violates the basic freedoms upon which this country was founded, but they didn't want to be the ones to hand defeat to their president or party.

Now they will head home to answer to constituents who will be learning more and more of the details about the bill their elected officials voted for — the jobs-killing mandates on businesses; higher taxes on the middle class as well as the rich; higher health costs; government intrusion into personal medical decisions; federal dictates about the kind of health insurance Americans must have to avoid federal penalties; cuts in Medicare; a dramatic expansion of government entitlement programs; and much more.

Members also will have to explain the false promises that the president made to win passage of the bill. In his statement Saturday, Mr. Obama said:  "The bill that the House has produced will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don't; and lower costs for American families and American businesses.” In fact, the bill the House passed violates every one of those promises, as numerous independent studies have proven.

And members will have to explain to their constituents why they supported legislation that dramatically changes the relationship between the American people and their government — forcing them to relinquish freedom over health care decisions for themselves and their families to the political will of Washington.

It is a mistake for political leaders to ignore Americans who are deeply concerned about the growing size and reach of government and trillions of dollars in deficit spending. They are not going to be swayed by flowery rhetoric.  They are going to want real answers because it’s their future that is at stake.

Now the battle heads back to the Senate where Majority Leader Harry Reid still is wrestling in back rooms with the Congressional Budget Office to get a favorable price tag on a bill he’s trying to craft to garner 60 votes.
The president yesterday insisted he get a bill through the Senate before Christmas.

Confusion has reigned in the health reform debate, with the American people assured the bill will offer them all gain and no pain, while independent analyses show just the opposite.

Many people don’t know who to believe, especially since coverage of the debate  is  obscured  by  bewildering  terms like the “public option,”
“guaranteed issue,” and “sustainable growth rates.” All the while, people are being told it’s too soon to form an opinion because no one knows yet what’s going to be in the bills.

Well, we do know.  The House bill is a federal take-over of our health sector, as evidenced by the 118 new programs and bureaucracies it will create. The Senate bill will be cut from the same cloth.

The  mainstream  media covers the speeches and the news conferences by Democratic leaders but gives short shrift to the facts and analysis that show the true impact of their health reform plans.

The fact is that their plans would mean higher heath insurance costs, a loss of private options for coverage, higher taxes, and huge new federal spending commitments that won’t be paid for by the fake funding schemes.

Please continue to follow what we and all of our free-market friends and colleagues are writing and saying at www.HealthReformHub.org.  This battle is far from over.

******************
This commentary was combined from two pieces I wrote for National Review Online over the weekend.