– The 2001 Bush Tax Cuts for the rich [HR 1836, 3/26/01]
– The 2003 Bush Tax Cuts for the rich [HR 2, 3/23/03]
– Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 [HR 4297, 5/11/06]
They weren't tax cuts for the rich, they were across the board. In fact, they even raised the level when you had to start paying taxes. Just wait until you owe a few thousand more next year after they expire.
Tax policy is no where near as big as nationalizing 1/6 of the economy. Yeah I know this bill doesn't do that. But it does set up the private insurance companies for certain bankruptcy, and when that happens, guess what jumps up to fill the void?
To quote democrat Sen. Robert Byrd who introduced the budgetary process known as the nuclear option "wasn't meant for health care" or to quote former Sen. Barrack Obama "you cannot do health care with 50 plus 1"
Those republicans Obama, Bidden and Byrd sure are whiners.
Here's a news flash for those who seem to misunderstand the process:
The Senate bill already passed in the full senate. The use of reconcilliation would be restricted to things that have budgetary impacts.
Prior to the Bush tax cuts, the tradition was such that it would not have been used to increase the deficit, but that precedent went out the window with the Bush tax cuts, but nobody expects the final bill to increase the deficit. In fact, the instructions in the bill for reconcilliation clearly state that changes made in reconcilliation should meet the goal to reduce the deficit by at least 1 billion a year.
Everything I have read in here so far about reconcillation if factually incorrect.
I thought Reconciliation was about budgetary and finance matters, not trying take over 1/6th of the US economy, and make it illegal to not own insurance.
At least if the libbies thwart the American people and pass this monstrous legislation, it will have to sunset in 10 years, according to the Byrd Amendment.
They're whining because health care reform is too big to push through reconciliation. Reconciliation is usually used for budgetary bills. However, I also think that the Republicans know it will give Obama a boost because a lot of what both sides agree on kicks in right away if passed. So, this may affect the Republicans negatively going into an election year if Obama succeeds in passing this legislation. Typical politics from a minority party.