christmas

This is something me and a lot of the opposing factors to the latest HCR bill saw coming the other night when Democrats caved to Lieberman:

Nelson's key points:

1. Asked if he would vote for cloture even if his initiative to restrict abortion were adopted, Nelson flatly said "no."
2. Nelson not only said a vote before Christmas was not feasible, he joked about it taking until next Christmas.
3. Nelson said unless the bill's Medicaid expansion provisions were made optional he would oppose cloture.
4. Nelson said the bill's revenue provisions were unacceptable because the economy was bad.
5. Nelson said because the subsidies which provide the bill's coverage expansion couldn't be paid for without additional revenue, they needed to be "scaled-back"
6. Nelson also that unless cost control were addressed first, coverage couldn't be expanded.

So if the Medicaid expansion becomes optional then what about mandates? If Ohio decides to drop out and leave our current Medicaid requirement at 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), does that means someone at 101% of the FPL will now have to fork over for insurance? And if the answer to that is yes, then how much out of pocket will they pay for it with Nelson’s desires to scale back subsidies?

Honestly I can’t blame Nelson for this move one bit. He saw Lieberman get exactly what he wanted, so why not go for what he wants. It’s the same thing any of us would do, and the result of a weak Democratic leadership who has set a precedent to cave to these types of demands. So don’t go blaming Nelson for this – blame the Democrats, including the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Talk about the duh moment to top all duh moments:

In a closed-door meeting of his caucus, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, told Democrats that Republicans were not interested in passing a bill. In effect, he prepared them for trench warfare, saying the Democrats must stick together and should be ready to work weekends to finish the bill before Christmas.

The blogs have been saying that for months. Hell even Republicans like Mitch McConnell said as much. Harry Reid is just now figuring this out? That’s some leadership there.

Then we have this lovely little tidbit:

For their part, Republicans said it was unrealistic to expect quick action on such a big bill, and they denied they were stalling.

Yeah right. That’s why the Republicans are even stalling on their own amendments. They are the obstructionist party of “No” and proving it more day by day.

It looks like some Texas charities are trying to ascertain a child’s status as a legal resident or not before allowing them to receive gifts in their toy drives:

They don't claim to know who's been naughty or nice, but some Houston charities are asking whether children are in the country legally before giving them toys.

In a year when more families than ever have asked for help, several programs providing Christmas gifts for needy children require at least one member of the household to be a U.S. citizen. Others ask for proof of income or rely on churches and schools to suggest recipients.

The Salvation Army and a charity affiliated with the Houston Fire Department are among those that consider immigration status, asking for birth certificates or Social Security cards for the children.

Because it is the children’s fault that their parents brought them here and didn’t work to become citizens. We are becoming a nation of Scrooges.

On Thanksgiving eve we have spotter the first insurgent on the “war on Christmas”. He comes in a familiar face:

Matt Drudge, in an effort to make one of his “funny” headlines, has taken Christ out of Christmas. Why does Matt Drudge hate Jesus so much?

Max Baucus, lap lizard for the insurance industry, has come up with his own plan:

Just as auto coverage is now mandatory, so would a requirement that all Americans get health insurance. Penalties for failing to get insurance would start at $750 a year for individuals and $1,500 for families. Households making more than three times the federal poverty level — about $66,000 for a family of four — would face the maximum fines. For families, it would be $3,800, and for individuals, $950.

If this some how passes through Congress then President Obama must veto it. He campaigned against mandates, and that is exactly what Baucus wants. This plan doesn’t fix health care for the public, it just gives the insurance companies a very huge Christmas present.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope your day is full of fun and surprises.

Bill and his "War on Christmas". Oh how it ends up making him look like a buffoon.

Link:

O'Reilly tries to use the Klan as an example in his argument and says that courts wouldn't allow them to make their own displays. Of course he is using MLK Day as his example in this, but let's go with Christmas. If a government allows Jewish people to display a menorah, would they allow the KKK to display a cross? By Bill's argument the answer would be no. If you go by the facts, the answer is yes, and it has been done - right here in Cincinnati.

Can you believe it's almost here? It's been such a long journey, but an historic one at that. CNN was reporting this morning that many states are reporting early voter turnout that exceeds the total turnout in 2004. Amazing! Also one the states that release early voting numbers by party affiliation, Democrats are getting 58% while Republicans are getting 42%.

It's going to be a long day, much like being a child and that day before Christmas.