Hatch: "Back then it was standard practice not to pay for things".

[Political Junky]

Deep Thought


Republican Senators forced to defend 'back then it was standard practice not to pay for things'
Remember the 2003 medicare prescription drug benefit? The one which cost a trillion dollars and which was not paid for at all, just added to the deficit?

Today there are still 24 Republicans in the Senate who supported it, and some of their explanations for how they can be against the current health care overhaul sound strained, to say the least.

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

It has done a dubious amount of good (mainly to pharmaceutical companies' bottom line) but it's hard to suggest that a bill which clearly does much more good, extending coverage to the uninsured, is less worthy of Sen. Hatch's vote than the medicare prescription bill. And given that the CBO has projected that the current bill does in fact pay for itself and doesn't raise the deficit, how is it a defense to say that six years ago it was standard practice not to pay for things??? I mean, (pardon my French), WTF?!!?!?

OOOOPS, this belongs in Politics ...

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

It has done a dubious amount of good (mainly to pharmaceutical companies' bottom line) but it's hard to suggest that a bill which clearly does much more good, extending coverage to the uninsured, is less worthy of Sen. Hatch's vote than the medicare prescription bill.

Explain how the bill "clearly" does much more good. How is raising the cost of insurance for 85% of Americans when many are already having trouble affording it clearly doing more good? How is unconstitutionally forcing the American people to purchase a product from an unscrupulous private entity clearly doing more good?

Hatch was right to vote against it. This has nothing to do with the previous Medicare bill even though it was wrong for him to support that without it being funded.

And given that the CBO has projected that the current bill does in fact pay for itself and doesn't raise the deficit, how is it a defense to say that six years ago it was standard practice not to pay for things??? I mean, (pardon my French), WTF?!!?!?

I have been asking myself that same question as we've all seen a budget pass with almost a $2 trillion deficit this year. As far as the current health care bill being deficit neutral, only a fool would believe such a thing. The government never ever stays within budget on anything and the only reason it is deficit "neutral" is because the taxes to fund it begin next year even though the program doesn't kick in for another four years. And for the sake of argument, let's say that it actually does not add to the deficit, which it will. The country is still spending money it doesn't have. It is reckless and irresponsible to be doling out another trillion dollars in Federal spending when we are incapable of paying our current obligations.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I think Republican/conservative hypocrisy has become such a standard practice that it is almost not worth trying to shame them with it.

But it's still entertaining.

 

[uscitizen]

I think Republican/conservative hypocrisy has become such a standard practice that it is almost not worth trying to shame them with it.

But it's still entertaining.

Ohh the deflections, denials and projecting is quite entertaining.
They have the dems beat hands down on weaseling.

 

[Samson]

I think Republican/conservative hypocrisy has become such a standard practice that it is almost not worth trying to shame them with it.

But it's still entertaining.

Ohh the deflections, denials and projecting is quite entertaining.
They have the dems beat hands down on weaseling.

Bah, humbug

They trade out being hypocritical on a frequent enough basis that one APPEARS to be less weasely for 8 years.....then its the other guy's turn.

 

[uscitizen]

I think Republican/conservative hypocrisy has become such a standard practice that it is almost not worth trying to shame them with it.

But it's still entertaining.

Ohh the deflections, denials and projecting is quite entertaining.
They have the dems beat hands down on weaseling.

Bah, humbug

They trade out being hypocritical on a frequent enough basis that one APPEARS to be less weasely for 8 years.....then its the other guy's turn.

Ohh no argument there. However the right is so much better at weaseling.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Deep Thought


Republican Senators forced to defend 'back then it was standard practice not to pay for things'
Remember the 2003 medicare prescription drug benefit? The one which cost a trillion dollars and which was not paid for at all, just added to the deficit?

Today there are still 24 Republicans in the Senate who supported it, and some of their explanations for how they can be against the current health care overhaul sound strained, to say the least.

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

It has done a dubious amount of good (mainly to pharmaceutical companies' bottom line) but it's hard to suggest that a bill which clearly does much more good, extending coverage to the uninsured, is less worthy of Sen. Hatch's vote than the medicare prescription bill. And given that the CBO has projected that the current bill does in fact pay for itself and doesn't raise the deficit, how is it a defense to say that six years ago it was standard practice not to pay for things??? I mean, (pardon my French), WTF?!!?!?

OOOOPS, this belongs in Politics ...

good gawd, Ted Kennedy must be laughing in his grave. Teddy loved Orin, and here we can see why.

hahahahahahahhahahahaaaaa...

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Deep Thought


Republican Senators forced to defend 'back then it was standard practice not to pay for things'
Remember the 2003 medicare prescription drug benefit? The one which cost a trillion dollars and which was not paid for at all, just added to the deficit?

Today there are still 24 Republicans in the Senate who supported it, and some of their explanations for how they can be against the current health care overhaul sound strained, to say the least.

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

It has done a dubious amount of good (mainly to pharmaceutical companies' bottom line) but it's hard to suggest that a bill which clearly does much more good, extending coverage to the uninsured, is less worthy of Sen. Hatch's vote than the medicare prescription bill. And given that the CBO has projected that the current bill does in fact pay for itself and doesn't raise the deficit, how is it a defense to say that six years ago it was standard practice not to pay for things??? I mean, (pardon my French), WTF?!!?!?

OOOOPS, this belongs in Politics ...

good gawd, Ted Kennedy must be laughing in his grave. Teddy loved Orin, and here we can see why.

hahahahahahahhahahahaaaaa...

No doubt...and it's STILL apparent that the standard government practice is "not to pay for things".

 

[Big Black Dog]

We're going to be getting a new load of Congressmen (Democrat and Republicans) come the next couple of election cycles. Hopefully, all of the dumb-asses that are currently employed as our law makers will be leaving town and giving the new faces a chance at cleaning up their mess. Democrat and Republican Congressmen alike have screwed up this country. All of them have made this shit sandwich we all have to eat. They all need to be fired.

 

[uscitizen]

We're going to be getting a new load of Congressmen (Democrat and Republicans) come the next couple of election cycles. Hopefully, all of the dumb-asses that are currently employed as our law makers will be leaving town and giving the new faces a chance at cleaning up their mess. Democrat and Republican Congressmen alike have screwed up this country. All of them have made this shit sandwich we all have to eat. They all need to be fired.

We all did our part as well.

 

[garyd]

The only complaints the Dems, most of whom voted for that bill as well, had was that they didn't think enough was being spent on the program. And a hell of a lot of Republicans especially those of us on the outside looking in thought it was a bad idea paid for or not.

CBO also estimated that medicare would never cost more than a few billion dollars. It had exceeded all expectations and projections as to costs within it's first decade of existance. It took Bush's medicare drug benefit even less time than that to exceed projections. CBO projections on the cost of government medical programs are decidely conservative at best pollyannaish at worst.

 

[Samson]

We're going to be getting a new load of Congressmen (Democrat and Republicans) come the next couple of election cycles. Hopefully, all of the dumb-asses that are currently employed as our law makers will be leaving town and giving the new faces a chance at cleaning up their mess. Democrat and Republican Congressmen alike have screwed up this country. All of them have made this shit sandwich we all have to eat. They all need to be fired.

Agreed, except with the method.

Why bother with individuals?

A voting a Third Party Ballot would save time.

 

[Wry Catcher]

We're going to be getting a new load of Congressmen (Democrat and Republicans) come the next couple of election cycles. Hopefully, all of the dumb-asses that are currently employed as our law makers will be leaving town and giving the new faces a chance at cleaning up their mess. Democrat and Republican Congressmen alike have screwed up this country. All of them have made this shit sandwich we all have to eat. They all need to be fired.

Sure they do, and replaced by ambitious local and state pols. That's not change or reform, it's simply a talking point of zero substance.
Want reform:
Public funding of campaigns;
Real campaign finance reform;
Complete fiscal transparency of elected officials finances.

 

[Skeptik]

It's still standard practice not to pay for things. What has changed? We've gone from the big government statist party that claimed to be conservatives, to the big government statist party that doesn't claim to be conservative. Meanwhile, the debt keeps piling up, with no end in sight.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

We're going to be getting a new load of Congressmen (Democrat and Republicans) come the next couple of election cycles. Hopefully, all of the dumb-asses that are currently employed as our law makers will be leaving town and giving the new faces a chance at cleaning up their mess. Democrat and Republican Congressmen alike have screwed up this country. All of them have made this shit sandwich we all have to eat. They all need to be fired.

And the American sheeple will just keep electing more Democrats and Republicans to replace them so what will really change? The only way they are going to get a clue is for people to start electing candidates that are independent or from some other third party.