Sometimes, we wish you could see more of what goes on behind the scenes of Herman Cain HQ. We have a lot of laughs, a lot of interesting discussions, and a fair amount of non-PC fun. You'd enjoy it. Then, there are other times when we're glad you're not around. That's usually when we're bickering about legislation, and the concept of constitutionalism vs. "conservatism."
Usually, the disagreement boils down to Dan and I yelling at each other. He screams about Rand Paul, I carp about how Republicans had eight years to craft a viable ObamaCare replacement and, instead, came up with a garbage bill at the last second.
I'm "repeal, then replace." Dan's more "take what you can get and fix it later."
The problem, of course, is that I don't believe they'll "fix it later." In fact, I believe the exact opposite. If history tells us anything, "they" will only make it worse. Whatever they pass now, if it makes government a major part of healthcare, will only metastasize, grow, and eventually kill the patient. That's the ugly truth of government. It seeks to expand at all costs.
I've been saying - for a long time - that there are a fair number of congressional Republicans who never had any real interest in getting rid of ObamaCare at all. Democrats have a legitimate point here. Republicans put on a good show when Obama was President. They knew he'd veto whatever they passed, so they didn't have to worry about the consequences. It was easy to pretend they held a constitutional stance and take pot-shots at the President.
Deep down, however, this cadre of GOP squishes never really believed in what they were doing. They like regulation, they like taxes, and (most importantly) they like it when issues go away so that they don't have to deal with them anymore. They're lazy, unprincipled, and would prefer to let the ACA stand rather that deal with the media fallout of its repeal.
To put it bluntly, they're cowards. An all-encompassing fear of being yelled at by Anderson Cooper takes precedence over whatever principles they claim to hold dear.
Of course, we know there are real, rock-solid, constitutionalists out there. They've been making it clear that the founding document gives the feds absolutely no power in the health care arena. It simply has no business inserting itself into such a matter. It's illegal, period. That's why Justice Kennedy was forced to jump through hoops and re-write the law to keep it in place.
That's why a recent bit of legislation introduced my Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks is so refreshing. It's only two pages long, and repeals ObamaCare with one sentence.
It reads:
Now.
"Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted."
There are those who will say “you can't do this." They'll also tell you that people like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and the House Freedom Caucus are a bunch of spoiled brats who saved ObamaCare simply to make a point. They'll argue that too much of the previous system was dismantled. They claim you can't go back to something that doesn't exist. They're wrong.
Stop being cowards. Pass it.
It's true that the ACA took apart the previous, infinitely-better-though-also-broken, system. ...And the insurance companies (along with the AMA) were just fine with that. Mostly, that was because they bought into a bogus promise of dollar signs. Conservatives warned that they'd be decimated by ObamaCare, but most insurers fought for the law because they thought it would bring them more customers. More customers = more money. Back when they thought it would aid their bottom line, they were thrilled with Barack's "signature law."
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Pass it, cowards, and force insurers to go back to the way things were
When they realized it would lead them to ruin, their enthusiasm faded and they began to dump the exchanges. ...So, pass this one sentence law, and let the companies repair the market they colluded to destroy. You reap what you sow, and at least the old system is a good starting point - one we all argued in favor of keeping. These are trillion-dollar mega corporations. They're not going to simply fold because things get a little difficult.
Pass it, cowards, and force insurers to go back to the way things were. Will they scream that it's "unfair?" Yes. Will the media parrot Dem talking points like the teacup Chihuahua lapdogs they are? Of course.
Do it anyway.
Then, quickly pass the "competition across state lines" law.
Then, quickly pass some sort of "existing conditions" law.
Get us back to the pre-Obama system and then, if they're necessary, bicker about repairs. The law that died last week didn't do that. It kept us at an unacceptable position, and promised nebulous, probably-non-existent course corrections in the future.
It was just a year ago that congressional Republicans last voted to repeal ObamaCare. They did so not once, but dozens of times. If they refuse to do so now, it's ONLY because they either want to keep it, or they're shaking in their media-approved boots.
Pass it, you cowards.
Here's the bill in question:
Obamacare Repeal Act by pgattis7719 on Scribd
