Hill jabbers on about holding down costs. But what he is doing is what the Blue Dogs always do — on ACES, on the supplemental, on the stimulus, on every other critical bill. They demand a bunch of pork in exchange for their votes. In this case, they want increased subsidies for their districts. Which if anybody is paying attention is the exact OPPOSITE of controlling costs.
Hill says a public plan will hold costs down. Then he says he wants "triggers," which he said would "allow markets to work its will." So even though he says a public plan holds costs down, he doesn’t want it to kick in unless costs aren’t held down.
These guys aren’t "fiscally responsible," they’re shake down artists.
I think we need to do an analysis of Blue Dog Pork for each bill in the 111th Congress.
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Tri-Comm Blew Dogs from the 2008 Pig Book Alphabetical Listings
2009 Pig Book Figures found here
John Barrow:
2008 – 21 projects $20.9M
2009 – 15 projects $14.6M
Barton Gordon:
2008 – 22 projects $32.2M
2009 – 14 projects $ 6.5M
Barron Hill:
2008 – 20 projects $17.6M
2009 – 21 projects $21.1M
Jim Mattheson:
2008 – 20 projects $16.4M
2009 – 20 projects $61.3M
Charles Melancon:
2008 – 23 projects $49.1M
2009 – 17 projects $20.1M
Mike Ross*
2008 – 26 Projects $7.3M
2009 – 27 projects $99.6M
Zachary Space:25
2008 – 25 projects $12.4M
2009 – 28 projects $17.1M
gave Mikie Ross his own link in the event any one wanted to look at AR delegation’s, uh, requests
Wow, he really whiffed on answering the question on how they want to control costs…only said they’re having meetings. But gotta control those costs!
Was Baron purposely ignoring the actual final CBO report which talked about how it would actually create a surplus? All he kept referencing was the pre-release which was forced just to provide cover for the Blew Dogs, just as Baron did. Mike didn’t seem aware of this either (totally understandable give the circumstances).
By the way, it’s been great watching Mike and crew grow into this role. As someone who has done exactly what they’re doing, but for BigMedia outlets, I’ve always dreamed of a time when actual journalists could do-it-themselves. They seem to be learning and getting a little better each time. A natural!
Mikie seems to be doing really well for
himselfhis constituents this year. A closer look might be really productive (or something). Also look at Mattheson’s pork.Unfortunately, we live in Indiana and know Baron Hill to be a jerk. Even more unfortunately, his voting district would vote in someone worse in half a heartbeat.
You can’t shame this guy because he has no where else to go.
The bill does not contain costs enough in its present form? Doing nothing is better? How does he plan to contain costs? Why does he think this bill won’t contain costs? Just what are his ideas?
He seems to avoid mentioning the insurance companies. The CBO costs are not under control last week? I thought a new CBO said otherwise?
Trigger markets A markets can regulate themselves Chicago Schooler is the University of Chicago the root of all Neo conEvil?
Why not tax the tax exempt corporations which operate as public charities, while acting like for profit corporations? How does a service industry operate tax exempt, “to lessen the burdens of government” while bankrupting American families everyday, while considered a Public charity???
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser, are for tax purposes exempt! If the tax code can be used to compel the citizen to purchase insurance, why can’t we use the tax code, via tax incentives to control and reduce healthcare costs? Tax exempt status within healthcare is being abused by some corporations. I cannot understand how a insurance corporation with exempt tax status is considered a public charity for tax purposes while bankrupting Americans. Meanwhile the simple use of tax incentives in the for profit health insurance services, to control cost is dismissed but a law enabled by lawmakers would now mandates individuals must have health insurance, or tax benefits, while lacking control measures to protect the taxpayer citizen insured republic, from the greed corporations. This is corporate servitude, leveraged economic slavery by corporations enabled by a “life tax,” mandated healthcare??
Let the Blue dogs and “Rethugs” continue to protect the interest(s) of “Corporate America,” to the detriment of the governed and the republic. Let the American people know the extent to which we have already subsidized….. for decades this out of control, no cost control, public charity not for profit tax exempt and for profit heath care system(s), eviscerating America!!!
http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/P…..earch.php/
Check out the tax status of your
public charityhealth insurance provider! By CLicking on the year, should you get a hit you can view the 990 tax form for the tax exempt health corporation, listed as a public charity! For example:2007 – Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States Inc (520954463)
Spend a little time on this site’s database/dataweb! Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics! It is an eyeopener…
Jane, you’ve hit another one out of the park on this one. They are, indeed, shakedown artists!
The problem with the “let the market work its will” attitude which has infected too much of congress and much of America, thanks to the Reagan revolution and the Chicago school, is that the will of the market is to screw everyone out of their money to maximize profits for the few at the top who don’t actually do anything to earn that money except devise more and more evil ways to get money for nothing. Once they got the supreme court to declare the personhood and the attached rights thereof to corporations the war was all but lost.
This attitude that the market does any good at all, let alone is the source of all good, is harmful to our future and has led to the deregulation of the markets to the point where there is no shame in unbridled and unfettered greed, hence the Obama administration’s reluctance to place any curbs whatsoever on financial institutions.
The “too big to fail” mantra is actually “so big we can threaten to take everyone else down with us if we don’t get our way” ticking bomb. We are captive to this evil mindset whether it comes to healthcare or food safety or mortgage cramdown or anything else that provides for the commonweal.
Unless and until we eradicate this market-as-omnipotent-god mindset in the bought and paid for congress and which walks hand-in-hand with the “keeping costs down” and “lower the deficit” corporate framework, we are doomed to an ever faster downward spiral regarding the good of the American people who aren’t at the top of the corporate crime syndicates and their lackeys in congress.
President Obama did allude to the “subsidized health services,” last night. Problem is people don’t realize the tax structure in healthcare has in effect shifted the cost of healthcare to the consumer taxpayer by virtue of corporate exempt tax status, for decades. Every tax dollar not collected from an exempt corporation as revenue is obtained from the “insured/taxpayer/citizen, ” hence subsidized. We have had socialized medicine for years, paid for by the taxpayer. Yet a “cost control mechanism” within the health services cannot be devised? Protect Americans and their families from corporate servitude……..
CALL AND EMAIL THEM AND TELL THEM THAT A TRIGGER MEANS WE DON’T VOTE FOR ANYONE IN 2010 OR 2012. IF THEY WANT THE REPUBLICANS TO WIN BACK CONTROL BY HELPING THEM THEN, WE’LL BE HAPPY TO DO OUR PART BY NOT VOTING!
We need to pick up a few more seats so that we can put these blue dogs back in their place! The need to be reminded that they are in the majority because of Obama, not in spite of him.
How is public option going to control costs? Since it’s going to be “very small” and “limited” (John Geyman, M.D., FDL) will it really have the market power to control costs?
The rule has been that they can support or oppose the reform, but all efforts should be to improve the final product. If all they want to do is request special favors for their district, then they’re not legislating, they’re just wasting your time by placing their personal and district interests above the nation’s.
Remember, the president’s agenda isn’t about him or party, it’s about the national good.
I think you forgot the snark tags.
I’ve been asking Bloomington friends to call Hill and ask about the CBO estimated surplus. he’s heard from constituents that he can’t BS about deficits.
As for pork – I-69 extension is a long term pork project in his district.
The blue dogs are in the pocket’s of corporate America, and corporate America is apolitical when seeking to influence policy with money to advance their agenda.
Jane, why are major insurers Like BCBS, Kaiser considered public charities with exempt tax status. Seems their lack of a tax liability insulated them from change?? What is the percentage of corporations operating tax exempt within healthcare??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
So lets use the tax code to compel the citizen to purchase a health insurance plan from a tax exempt health insurance corporations, lacking any effective cost control mechanism??? SERVITUDE BY DEFITINTION!!!
America is being played just as Dred Scott was played by the SJC to protect the business interests of the south’s plantations. Americans need healthcare and now the corporate bastards want a “life tax” levied against the people to protect their cash cows…. THEY CAN GO TO HELL!!!
How many hospitals are tax exempt???? HMO’s tax exempt…….
An omission of fact is a lie? Discussion about corporate exempt tax status in the health services is conspicuously and conveniently….. absent??? I wonder why?? Yet with this subsidy by the taxpayer, cost still escalate? I wonder why?????????
If tax exempt corporations can hold billions of dollars in assets tax free I wonder how much money is squirreled away by for profit corporations to avoid tax liabilities??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Is there anybody out there capable of understanding how the house of cards has been stacked against the American people, for the benefit of corporations? Due process and gross profit for corporations……… while American die. Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness, dictated by corporate America……….. Real Charitable!! GO to hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s by Blue Dog design. If you make the public option weak and limited then it will inevitably “fail” by the benchmarks you have imposed to measure success or failure and then it phases out and kicks health insurance back to the “free market” private health insurers.
If it isn’t designed properly, then the public option will fail. It’s likely that during their recess opponents of the public option will do their best to make sure that it is designed to fail in case they can’t defeat it outright. This is why the Blue Dogs are so critical to them. The GOP can’t defeat health care reform straight up, but the Blue Dogs can by jiggering the public option so that it fails. Then the Blue Dogs get to have it both ways. They claim credit for passing the public option while knowing it will not survive for more than a few years.
Health care costs are 17% of GDP and rising. Only universal single payer health care can ever change that ugly economic reality.