CBO Warns Obama's Plan will increase costs not reduce them

I wasn’t going to discuss Health Care today but in watching the House Energy & Commerce committee and heard that the 75 page amendment that is being discussed is also being discussed by the Ways & Means and the Judiciary committees at the same time. Many of the provisions in the amendment not specifically funded while other elements are funded only for 2010 with a blank check for 2011 and so forth. The amendment being discussed as well has not been scored by the CBO.

CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said before the Senate Budget Committee that “sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount” in regards to reducing public spending on health care. CBO director Elmendorf went on to say that the bills floating through Congress “significantly expands the federal responsibility for health-care costs.” President Obama and Democrats are trying shove Health Care reform upon Congress as a means to reign in Medicaid and Medicare costs but Elmendorf retorts, “the cure is being raised” by the legislation being pushed in both houses of Congress.

The concerns by Elmendorf are echoed by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), as reported in the Washington post today, chair of the House Blue Dog Coalition’s health care task force, “There’s no way they can pass this bill on the House floor. Not even close.” Why, again I ask, is the President trying ram through health care reform and not allow Congress to read all the legislation prior to voting on it. An amendment by Rep. Sullivan is being discussed by the House Energy & Commerce committee even though it has not been fully read by all members of committee; which is the second amendment discussed this morning not been read prior. WHAT!!!!!

We all saw and heard the haste given to passing the Stimulus Bill earlier in the year when not one member of Congress read the bill prior to passage. The issue of Health Care is a large complex issue and the President wants to ram it through. Once again I ask why? What is he afraid of? Is he afraid the CBO numbers will just get worse or is he hoping for swift passage so the CBO cannot properly score the reform?

With that said, I’d like to update my readers on the topic of Maj. Cook and his lawsuit. Judge Clay Land dismissed the case after defense argued that Maj. Cook’s suit is “moot” because orders of deployment were previously revoked. While the logic applied by Judge Land is sound, it does not put to rest the central issue of the lawsuit; Obama’s eligibility to become President of the United States. A point was raised after I posted the discussion on the lawsuit as to how the Army acted so quickly to revoke deployment, I pose this question: What hand did the White House have to play in the quick revoking of deployment of Maj. Cook?