Sunday, June 29, 2003
There have been no posts for a few days...
since I've been tied up on two major projects. One has now wrapped, allowing me more time. Thanks for stopping back to see what we're doing.
Medicare is staring at fast becoming the next Iraq—complete with cheerleading, lies and deception. Looking at Friday's vote in the House on the White House's Medicare privatization first-step bill, however, unearths an interesting fact. While the vote was 216 - 215 (denying Bush any kind of mandate on the issue, especially when they had to browbeat a couple members of Congress to do it), a relatively decent number of House members crossed party lines.
Nine Democrats and seventeen Republicans broke with their leaderships and voted with the other side. Since the Democratic party is weak and hardly a monolith, that end of it is not all that remarkable. Even if some of the Republicans are among the most solidly far right members of the House who saw this as another hated entitlement program, 17 GOPers bolting from under Tom (BugMan) DeLay's iron fist on legislation the White House deperately wants—now, that's front page news!
For the record, these 17 people have put their political careers in danger by voting "No" to a very bad bill and crossing DeLay.
Seniors everywhere salute everyone who supported trying to kill this bill, even though it passed, ultimately. This bill will destroy the current right of senior citizens to have a workable, affordable Medicare program, while offering the candy of prescription benefits. Joining with the Democrats in trying to kill this bill were:
- ARIZONA - Jeff Flake
- ARIZONA - John Shadegg
- COLORADO - Marilyn Musgrave
- COLORADO - TomTancredo
- FLORIDA - Jeff Miller
- GEORGIA - Charlie Norwood
- INDIANA - Dan Burton
- INDIANA - Steve Buyer
- INDIANA - John Hostettler
- INDIANA - Mike Pence
- KANSAS - Jerry Moran
- MICHIGAN - Nick Smith
- MINNESOTA - Gil Gutknecht
- NORTH CAROLINA - Richard Burr
- NORTH CAROLINA - Walter Jones
- SOUTH CAROLINA - Jim DeMint
- WISCONSIN - F. James Sensenbrenner
It would be a nice gesture to write to these House members supporting their actions in the failed attempt to kill this bill.
Register to Vote!
posted by Gotham 1:47 AM
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