Friday, October 30, 2009

1,990 Pages

What the fuck?!?!?!?!

Normally, I don't start out posts with expletives, but on contemplating the one thousand nine hundred ninety that the House is bringing to the floor, there is no way I can start with a more intelligent reaction.

One thousand nine hundred ninety pages.  1,990.  Ten pages short of 2,000.  Probably edited down a bit so there wasn't a 2 at the beginning.  So I'm just going to call it 2,000 pages.  Close enough for government work, as I say.

I mentioned this at the end of my last post.  Then I got to thinking about the sheer size of this.  This leads me to the question:  What all can you cram into a 2,000-page bill?

(link to the POS for the masochistic

I'm not going to go through this thing myself (I'm not paid to waste that much time).  But let's just list the possibilities. Here's a list of interesting provisions to get started.  But the bill definitely does and/or has to and/or is rumored to include:

The government option, with plenty of new government agencies to oversee the mess.
Some provision on abortion that is designed to please everybody and fails.
Something on illegal aliens that is designed to please everybody and fails.
Something about "creating competition," along with requisite regulations that eliminate said competition.
Taxes, taxes, and more taxes (because this shit ain't free), as well as cuts to Mediscare to pay for what's listed.
Numerous related pet projects and provisions designed to buy off the votes of individual congressmen.
Mandates on what is covered, what costs will be paid, and who has to pay them (with even more taxes).
Mandates to "promote" health by adding compliance costs to things the government doesn't like.
Shit that has nothing at all to do with health, health care, health insurance.

I kind of miss that tiny 1,000-page bullshit "stimulus" package right now.  At least that was a temporary mess.  I'd almost be ready to talk about the relative simplicity of a government-run system compared to this confusing monstrosity which will result in the same thing, only with more waste than a porta-pot after a chili-cooking contest.

Whatever stripe in this argument you're in, there is no way a rational person can say that this monstrosity will "fix" the health care situation.  Seriously, if you can explain how, I'd like to know.

7 comments:

Name: Soapboxgod said...

Enquiring minds wanna know. Is that 1,990 single side or double side printing?

Name: Soapboxgod said...

"Whatever stripe in this argument you're in, there is no way a rational person can say that this monstrosity will "fix" the health care situation. Seriously, if you can explain how, I'd like to know."

It can fix the healthcare situation and I am not being hyperbolic in the least when I say what it is I'm about to say.

This "fix" will prove to be a collosal failure. What remains of any semblance to private insurance will fall by the wayside; gobbled up by the perpetuity of an endless revenue stream that pays less than market value for services rendered. Employers will opt for the fine rather than continue to cover their employees thus throwing them into the public pool. The number of doctors and other healthcare providers too, failing to be compensated market value for their services, will drop significantly as will the number of MRI machines etc.

With government at the helm, lifestyle changes will be dictated and healthcare will be rationed. People will wait days, weeks, months, perhaps years for what was at once routine.

Mark my word it will be a gargantuan clusterfuck of catostrophic proportions.

BUT, it can and will save not only healthcare but Freedom and Liberty as we know it.

How?

Simple. For those who do not employ reason and logic; the same reason and logic that quite plainly show us what bangup job the government has done thus far, there is only one course for them. Consumption and imminent death by the very thing that they are forcing themselves to ignore.

It is as if these people are thrusting themselves towards earth at breakneck speed from somewhere high above the clouds with a parachute on their back. Instead of pulling the chord to open the chute they continue to evade the reality that the earth's gravitational forces will devour them.

And then there are those of us who are fully aware of the chute on our back. In fact we are so aware of it that we likely pull the chute before we even need to. Thus we descend to earth slowly and without harm only to dispose of the carnage around us and rebuild it from the ground up.

Atlas must shrug.

Carolina Kat said...

This was done so that no one will bother to read it, it's the typical leftist style.
Put out a bill in the middle of the night and stack it with 2,000 pages of boring reading.
No one will ever even know waht's in it.
I can't hepl but weep so deeply for so much that is happening in our beloved country. I pray fervently for our brave troops. I pray for Israel, our friend, because this administration is not their friend. I feel like most Americans like me sense something very sinister, yes evil, slithering through our land.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Patrick M said...

Anon: Even if I agree, that has nothing to do with the post. I'm guessing if I search some other blogs, I'll see it's spam.

Joe "Truth 101" Kelly said...

If it gets us to a single payer system, which I think is the unspoken goal and this is just a step along the way, what the hell.


It did give you a pretty good topic to display your usual entertaining, yet informative writing Patrick.

dmarks said...

And don't forget that the employees of the new government agencies will be forced to join unions against their interest and against their will.

Some will defend this by saying that it is in workers' best interest to participate in "bargaining" that they don't want anything to do with.

But there is huge money in this, especially when the workers forced into the unions will then be forced to give money to the Dems.

Want to see real erosion in Dems support for "public option", "single payer", or any other power-grab plan? Just add a provision to protect worker rights and prevent any of the aforemented problems.