There is a lot of talk from Conservatives/Republicans, and Republican candidates about repealing the recently passed health care legislation. It sounds good, at the moment, but, I guess don’t see that happening, and I think it would be a mistake for Republicans to make such promises.
In the first place, the President has veto power, and there is little chance that his veto could be overridden. If a new Republican President is elected in 2012, then I suppose there is a chance, but, that is a long way off, and who knows what will happen in the mean time to divert attention from health care.
(Heck, by then, we’ll probably be bankrupt, and we’ll see the likes of Pelosi & Reid & Boxer pushing shopping carts down the streets.)
I just think it is a losing battle; better to get elected, and then work to “fix it”; after all, wouldn’t in make sense to change the bill to match the ideas of the Republicans ? And if that means gutting the bill, and starting over, so be it. Otherwise , you’ll have Obama and the Democrats scaring people into believing their health care will be taken away from them, and telling students that they won’t be able to get loans for college.
Anyway, that’s just my gut feeling at this time….
But there is another issue that I think is also very important: Budget Reconciliation; we need to get rid of it for the good of the country. It’s original function has been looped-holed to death, and it is no wonder that we are in such a mess. It is the primary reason that health care passed, and it is likely that it will cause yet untold harm in future controversial bills, like Cap and Trade.
If you think about it for a moment, one big reason that we, as a country, are in the mess that we all know is just beginning, is because our Legislators have intentionally instituted their own procedural rules, such as Budget Reconciliation, that run contrary to the wisdom and protections of the Constitution.
In the Senate, Budget Reconciliation bypasses the normal 60/100 (3/5) “super majority” vote, and, instead, institutes a “simple majority” 51/100, to pass bills. As we know, it also kills the filibuster, and it kills meaningful debate.
(I think the phrase ‘simple majority’ refers to the intellect of the voters, but I won’t swear to it…)
Budget Reconciliation, which came into being in 1974, was originally intended to serve a narrow purpose, i.e., to expedite budget reductions; it was never meant to be used as it has been, and certainly not for passing something like health care reform which, in reality, is social engineering legislation.
Both sides have subverted the process, and used technical loop holes for their own advantage, and it was just a matter of time before something like this health care mess would arise.
The Constitution specifies a super majority for some votes, such as the impeachment of a President. The idea was that a super majority, while not perfect, is good enough to be considered a “consensus”. It is difficult to achieve a consensus, but it is much more acceptable than a simple majority.
A simple majority is good in some cases because it is expedient. If you are in a club, or a classroom, etc, and need to elect a Leader, a simple majority suits the situation. Maybe in a heated election, there might be some unhappy folks, but, it’s usually inconsequential, and folks just move on. If it is more than inconsequential, then the unhappy folks can use their local rules to try to make changes in the leadership, and maybe have a new election.
But on a national level, in important endeavors, such as health care reform which is especially controversial, and hotly contested, a simple majority is not good enough. In order to keep the peace, and gain necessary cooperation from American citizens, it’s best to have as wide a winning margin as possible; a consensus is best. As we have already seen, we have a clear majority of Americans who do not support the health care bill, and are incredibly unhappy because they have been disenfranchised; their opinions do not matter. They really feel tyrannized, and what better definition is there than a majority party riding roughshod over the minority party.
We all instinctively know that a consensus vote is best; it is easier to agree with, and difficult to undo.
Because of the Budget Reconciliation Rules, our Senate has bypassed the wisdom of gaining a consensus, and their own rules, and have resorted to simple majority voting rules.
If Heath Care Reform can be passed using Budget Reconciliation, then ANYTHING can be passed. Health Care Reform is just the beginning. The majority party, i.e, the Democrats can just about pass whatever they please. And, some day, when the party in power changes, and it will, the Republicans will do the same thing; there is no reason to believe that they could not undo Health Care Reform.
We are just now embarking on a period that is bound to bring total chaos to this country, for many years to come. And who know where it will end.
I think I could make a good argument that Budget Reconciliation is largely responsible for the super bipartisanship that we are seeing. Our legislators, Democrat, Republican, and otherwise, are responsible for the current state of affairs because of laziness on their part, i.e., their unwillingness to work hard, and craft true bipartisan legislation, and not resort to the ultimate ‘simple majority’ weapon of using, or threatening to use, Budget Reconciliation when things aren’t going their way.
Think about it. Why should the Democrats cooperate with Republicans to create a bipartisan health care bill when they have the muscle to pass it using Budget Reconciliation. No reason that I can see. Last August, California Senator Barbara Boxer said that health care reform would be passed using Budget Reconciliation, so the intent to use Reconciliation has been the plan all along, and the Democratic attempts at bipartisanship were just for show; none of it was serious.
I’d like to hear a Senate candidate talk about Budget Reconciliation, and champion the drive to get rid of it; it has already caused this country great harm, and this is really only the beginning.
And that is just my opinion
Spencer Holly
0104
www.angrycalifornian.com
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Trackback URL:
http://angrycalifornian.com/budget-reconciliation-discourages-bipartisanship-get-rid-of-it-2545
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OTHER RESOURCES
Standing Rules of the United State Senate
Standing Rules of the United State Senate
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Barbara Boxer Charges Constituents for Townhall Style Access
Video of California Senator BaraBra Boxer talking about using Budget Reconciliation, in August of 2009. (Fast-Foward to about 4:10)
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Twitter: @DefeatBoxer
