In an article for the Heritage Foundation entitled "
Congress's Secret Plan to pass Obamacare" authored by Brian Darling layout a four step plan for
Obamacare to hitch a ride on an existing piece of Legislation which has originated in the House using a rare parliamentary procedure.
Steps one and Two have been completed.
Mr. Darling's scenario for Step Three was to attach Obamacare to an unrelated bill - H.R 1586, a bill to impose a tax on bonuses received by certain TARP recipients. Mr. Reid has instead attached the bill to H.R. 3590, which is entitled:
"An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.''
This is the cover page from the
Christmas Eve Bill passed by the Senate:
This Act may be cited as
In the Senate of the United States,
December 24, 2009.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives
(H.R. 3590) entitled "An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.'', do pass with the following AMENDMENTS:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
2 (a) SHORT TITLE. -- This Act may be cited as the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act''.
Step Three - The Senate has stealthily passed Obamacare under a benign House Bill for cover.
This satisfies the Constitutional requirement that finance bills originate in the House of Representatives. -- Completed.
The Senate Bill does
not now need to reconcile with H.R. 3692 which is the Pelosi version of Obamacare. Therefore the Bart Stupak anti tax funded abortion rant is a useful diversion. Mr. Stupak may have some influence later on if and when the House takes up H.R. 3692 again.
This is why the Republicans have been locked out of the faux Reconciliation Conference. Look for Pelosi to pass an unchanged H.R. 3590 as soon as the House reconvenes.
Step Four - All that is now necessary is for the House to pass, by a simple majority vote to pass the Senate's reconfigured H.R. 3590 without changes and present it to President Obama for his signature.
Voila! The Democrat's 50 year old dream of government controlled healthcare is a fait d'accompli!
The United States' nightmare of Obama-Reid- Pelosi socialized medicine will just be beginning.
Sources:
heritage.org
Senate Legislative Calendar:
Senate Bill to get the entire Bill in PDF format.
House Bill: H.R. 3590:
House Bill HR- 3962:
