Author: Michael A. Ventrella

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Why can’t we get the health care Congress gets?

I am still seeing this stupid argument, mostly from those who hate Obamacare. “We should make Congress have the same health care plan the rest of us has! How come they’re exempt?” This is so wrong for two main reasons.

First, they’re not exempt. They have to obey the law like everyone else.doctor-obama

Members of Congress have the same federal health care plan as the janitors who sweep their offices. It’s the same plan the postal workers have, and the park rangers, and all federal employees. Because there are so many people who are part of this plan, it’s very cheap for the government and it provides great benefits. It saves us taxpayers money. (After all, the way to keep premiums low is to spread the risks among a huge group. And the best way to negotiate for the best benefits is to say “Well, if you give us what you want, you’ll have 10 million new members” — something only our government can do.)

But here’s the really-stupid, I-want-to-slap-people-who-say-this part: We could have all had the same health care plan as Congress gets. We could have been given the right to buy into that great federal plan. We could have shared in those benefits and paid a small premium.

Why would anyone be against that?

Well, you can guess where this is going. You got it — the Republicans forced the “public option” provision out of Obamacare. We could have all been able to buy into the federal system if we wanted to, but now we’re not allowed to. Why not? Who would it hurt? It wouldn’t cost taxpayers a cent and would probably even save them money because the risks would be spread even greater.

But no — the GOP with its insurance company backers fought against a public option and got it removed.

So the next time some Republican flunky complains that we should have gotten the same health care as the Senators, smack them for me, because the chances are, they are the very reason we don’t.

Editorial cartoon of the day

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GOP betting the House

The GOP only won the House of Representatives in 2012 because of gerrymandering — more people voted for Democrats overall but because of the way districts are drawn, the majority didn’t win.

Thanks to the Shutdown, which most Americans correctly attribute to Republicans, there are enough Republicans in jeopardy of losing their seats that we could see Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2016.

Of course, this poll is of the “If the election were held today, who would you vote for” variety, placing the incumbent against a nameless opponent. These are tremendously unreliable because (a) anything can happen within a year; and (b) people compare their current representative with an ideal opponent of the other party, and that’s usually not what happens.

Still, this poll is important because it emphasizes what many of us have been saying: This shutdown is hurting Republicans. They are so much in a bubble that they do not see this, but the numbers don’t lie.

Editorial cartoon of the day

Editorial cartoon of the day

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Back in the bubble

It’s been said many times that the current Republican party lives in a bubble, where they only listen to people who agree with them and disregard any news that contradicts their pre-conceived notions.

That’s why they reject polls showing that people actually like Obamacare and want abortion to be legal, and why they deny evolution and climate change — these things go against what they believe, and what they believe is more important than facts.

It’s also why they were convinced up until the last minute that they were going to win the Presidential election in 2012, when in fact they lost by what, six points or so (which is fairly major in a Presidential election)?

But at least they are consistent. Republicans are convinced that the shutdown is supported by the American people, despite every single poll showing the opposite. A recent CBS poll, for instance, showed that even voters who identify themselves as Republicans were against the shutdown, but the Tea Party Republicans supported it by a large margin, and those are the ones in the bubble these days.

They’re practically giddy over it, too. They’re really happy they shut the government down, and why shouldn’t they be? They hate the government. They’ve been doing everything they can to kill it since they were formed. (Well, except for that part of government that forces everyone to follow Christian law.)

Editorial cartoon of the day

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Negotiation transcript

Republicans: We want to negotiate concerning the upcoming budget.

Obama: OK.

Republicans: We need you to completely shut down the one program that was your biggest accomplishment, that was passed by both Houses of Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, and which we have spent the last three years trying to destroy but have been unable to.

Obama: Uh, no, that’s not going to happen.

Republicans: Obama is refusing to negotiate! It’s all his fault the government has shut down!

Editorial cartoon of the day

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How democracy works

This is how democracy works: Sometimes the majority is against you and you lose. Your solution is to work to get people elected who will change the law.

Holding a temper tantrum and shutting down government until you get your way is not how democracy works.vote_ballot_box

Look, Republicans: You lost. You lost in 2008 when Obama had health care as part of his platform and you lost in 2012 after it had been enacted. Your candidate vowed to get rid of Obamacare and he lost. If it wasn’t for gerrymandering, you would have lost the House too since more people voted for Democrats. In fact, in five of the past six Presidential elections, more people voted against you than for you.

You lost. Even the lawsuit you filed to stop Obamacare lost.

Grow up and deal with it.

Senator McCain gets it. He took to the floor last night and reminded his GOP colleagues that the law passed after lengthy debate. McCain said “the people spoke” on the matter when they reelected Obama in 2012 and rejected GOP candidate Mitt Romney — whose main selling point was that he would repeal the health care law.

“We fought as hard as we could in a fair and honest manner and we lost,” McCain said. “One of the reasons was because we were in the minority, and in democracies, almost always the majority governs and passes legislation.”

So, Republicans — don’t like Obamacare? Maybe you might want to try getting the support of the American people and winning an election. I heard that works.