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Senior Congressional Staff EXEMPT From Health Care Bill

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  March 22nd, 2010 at 05:17 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

The New Ledger has the news thanks to Ben Domenech.

One such surprise is found on page 158 of the legislation, which appears to create a carveout for senior staff members in the leadership offices and on congressional committees, essentially exempting those senior Democrat staffers who wrote the bill from being forced to purchase health care plans in the same way as other Americans.

John Edwards was right — there are two Americas. The one the Democratic legislators live in and the one the rest of us live in.

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  • RottDawg

    It’s just one of those things that we needed to pass it so we could see whats in it!! I can hardly wait to see what other goodies they have in there for us.

  • CowboyUp4419

    The fact this didn’t surprised me speaks volumes about how atrocious this bill is.

  • melissatx

    built all around this and Federalist 57, but hit the wrong button and in my finesse erased all the data…so glad you did the same angle.

    THE third charge against the House of Representatives is that it will be taken from that class of citizens which will have least sympathy with the mass of the people, and be most likely to aim at an ambitious sacrifice of the many to the aggrandizement of the few.

    Of all the objections which have been framed against the federal Constitution, this is perhaps the most extraordinary. Whilst the objection itself is levelled against a pretended oligarchy, the principle of it strikes at the very root of republican government.

    The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.

    *snip*

    I will add, as a fifth circumstance in the situation of the House of Representatives, restraining them from oppressive measures, that they can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of the society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interests and sympathy of sentiments of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny. If it be asked, what is to restrain the House of Representatives from making legal discriminations in favor of themselves and a particular class of the society? I answer: the genius of the whole system; the nature of just and constitutional laws; and, above all, the vigilant and manly spirit which actuates the people of America?a spirit which nourishes freedom, and in return is nourished by it.

    If this spirit shall ever be so far debased as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature, as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate anything but liberty.

    ****************

    Madison vocalized what our forefathers knew….absolute power corrupts absolutely.

  • Lloyd Davis

    I wish I could say I’m surprised. I can hardly wait to see the other ways we’ve been screwed.

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

    You can lead a man to Congress, but you can’t make him think.
    - Milton Berle
    …………………………………………………………..
    No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
    - Ronald Reagan

  • louisiana

    any more pissed off, here comes this little jewel. Aren’t the D’s just so special?

  • MSU_Charles

    Though I am a scholar, I am not a Constitutional Scholar and am not even an attorney. Could this be considered a violation of Civil Rights? And if so, does it provide a basis for a Constitutional challenge separate from the challenge of Congress not having the authority to force us to purchase anything?

  • Mortimus_Squid

    … they will regret this.

    The GOP is planning to offer an amendment during the reconciliation process to include not only senior congressional staff, but the President and his staff as well.

    Let them vote against it.

  • Next93

    Does anyone truly belive that high-power politicians in places like Canada, France, and England actually languish in the same health-care rationing lines as the common folk?

    If they hadn’t carved out a legal exemption for themselves, they would have simpy created an operational exemption. Actually, they’ll probably do both.

    Like George Orwell said, “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”.

    By the way, India’s already positioning itself to be the new destination for socialized medicine refugees.

  • wolfster38

    The arrogance of these people make me sick. Not good enough for them but it’s what everyone else needs.

    Commie to Mayor
    “You flock is lucky to have a shepard such as you.”
    Red Dawn

  • skat

    surprised! Don’t they want to be part of this great medical program we’re getting? Wow, I pity them – I’m sure whatever they’re stuck with really stinks.

  • sta46

    the dems are hanging all of this on the commerce Clause. It is also my understanding that the Commerce Clause specifies that all must have/not have the same.
    Everyone should try to get a copy of the suit prepared by the AG in VA and forward it to their own state’s AG.

  • sta46

    it was only a question of which countr(ies) would do that. They will get all the doctors, too… and if they are smart they will create some kind of tax haven and every American who can buy a ticket will be on a plane.
    In the immortal words of Margaret Thatcher, “the trouble with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money”
    You watch how fast the wealthy flee this country.

  • Menlo

    So in one section it says one group of people can only get plans created by the act. Another section defines a certain group of people. I could be wrong, but what it seems to ME to be saying is that the federal government can give more options to some federal employees than to others.

    I don’t see anything that limits any other employer to a greater extent than it limits the federal government or that gives federal government an advantage. THAT is what would be interesting to see.

  • Jack_Savage

    And this should be the first one.

    Will the amendments only need to be passed by a simple majority vote?

  • Jack_Savage

    He echoed this argument, as well as the superiority of federal statute.

  • lazlor

    Im just surprised it wasn’t more blatant….

    as an aside…

    Got a call from the DCC (?!?!?) a few moments ago…
    They are doing a drive to help those in “right or center leaning districts” that voted last night for the health bill…

    I politely listened to the man, then asked some innocuous questions, dragging out the phone call… asked how they got my name/wife’s name, identified myself as an Independent, talked more… blah blah blah… finally it came out that I’m pretty much a constitutionalist and thought that the states got raped last night, that it will go to court, and if the states have their act together, it should be tossed out as a law….

    After a bit more banter, he did an abrupt about face and tried to get off the phone. Held him on for another five minutes.

    Ended up tying the guy on my phone for almost 15 minutes. I figure, the longer he talked to me, the less time he was out getting money for the Dems.

    I was happy.

  • sta46

    one to further raise the taxes on the “cadillac plans”… that should light a few fires!

  • tennreps

    all the inequities in this legislation. They have three or four talking points that they think hits the hot button of the masses, so lets start a list of all the things that make the masses mad. This is just one of them and is no surprise!

  • snowshooze

    Pelosi was right..
    Ya gotta approve this bill to see what is in it…
    I am certain there will be a seemingly endless procession of similar gems to be discovered.
    Surely, we will have a lot of fun with our new Health Care Reform law…
    I can only hope we can bring it to a quick and very painful death.
    Mark

  • merryj1

    While the ‘connected’ elite are carefully carving out their own little “exceptions,” they’re overlooking a fundamental fly in their ointment: Once their plan for the rest of us is operative, there won’t be any private carriers left in the business to provide their choice coverage.

  • Scope

    a fable with a lesson about socialism- Kenneth Kuhn

    http://www.kennethkuhn.com/writings/antisocialism/the_compassionate_squirrels.pdf

    This fits exactly with what the Obamites have done to our country.

    We WILL be the squirrels that finally get it, and turn Socialism on it’s head.

  • momofthecastle

    and the parts quoted from the bill. I doesn’t sound to me that members of the senior staff are excluded. It reads as if they are expressly NOT excluding Members and (certain) staff, since that seemed to be an issue. But everyone else must sign on. So that includes anyone not in the definition presented.

    Don’t get me wrong. It’s a terrible bill and deserves to be repealed. But let’s not copy the Democrats in giving skewed information to make the other side look bad.

  • darjon38

    It shall read::
    Congress shall make no laws that do not apply equally to the congress as it does to the people.

    By golly, we get that with term limits and we can really take back our country.

  • http://www.voteforteri2010.com teridavisnewman

    The Amish were exempted and I believe that they are still exempt from having to comply with this bill. While I haven’t given up my lifetime membership to the church of Rome, if this bill doesn’t get repealed, I promise that I will be the Charter member of the Universal Life Church’s Disenfranchised and Displaced Amish. The ULCDDA believe in technology LOL that’s why we’re displaced!!!

  • escmac

    Does anyone remember the Canadian Prime Minister, coming to America for heart surgery:

    http://politifi.com/news/My-heart-my-choice-Williams-says-defending-decision-for-US-heart-surgery-215186.html

    WHY???

    1. Wait in line for months and probably die before being seen.

    2. Jump ahead in the line and be hammered by those who have been waiting.

    3. Come to America and be treated by the best.

    Where will the members of Congress go when all this falls apart. As usual the Social Democrats never think things through. In their attempt to fix Health Care, they have ruined it for all of us and in so doing for themselves as well.

  • spicer

    That’s why it’s all designed and disguised and the current government won’t help small businesses..

  • Jack_Savage
  • leehazel

    I thought I heard that Rush Limbaugh had designated Costa Rica as the preferred Health Care destination once Obamacare was passed.

    I’m waiting to hear from some of my Canadian friends now that we have caved in and “insured” that our health care will not only be not better but may wind up worse than theirs.

    Not only must this bill be repealed but any of the other Alinsky/Obama bills such as Cap and Trade (aka Climate Change the ALGORIAN hoax), Immigration Reform (aka McNastys’ Wet Dream), and Financial Regulation Reform (aka Dodds’ rendition of the Fox and the Hen House parable. Something like putting Al Capone in charge of the Treasury Department).

    This stuff has to be halted in its tracks and then put Impeachment proceedings on the front burner to tie this maniac up until we can get rid of him in 2012.

    PC is Thought Control
    LEE

  • mutantone

    It seems to me that exempting the legislators set them apart for the people if this plan is so good for us why not them as well? Separate but equal comes to mind. Since when has America allowed elitist separation from all citizens. I for one want the same plan that they have it’s my tax dollars paying for it and I want to have the same coverage that they do, nothing less nothing more.

    ?The truth is more important than the facts.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
    ?Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.? ? Ronald Reagan

  • memez