How Obamacrats Are Stifling Debate To Fast-Track Socialized Healthcare!

The Left is attempting to radically transform the United States as we know it. This time their vehicle is the FY2010 Budget which contains dangerous provisions to enact socialized medicine, expensive cap and trade regulations and more government control of higher education. The Left is using what is called the “Budget Reconciliation” procedures to fast-track its pet programs with a simple majority vote in the Senate instead of the more difficult 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster. Basically, the Liberal Left are making backroom deals, behind closed doors and without the scrutiny of the American people.

Reconciliation is a legislative process of the U.S. Senate intended to allow a contentious budget bill to be considered without being subject to filibuster. Reconciliation also applies to the U.S. House, but the House regularly passes rules that constrain debate and amendments, thus the reconciliation process has less impact in the House.

In layman’s terms, the reconciliation process is a way to expedite the process of merging the first budget resolution that Congress passed at the beginning of each year with the second budget resolution. Congress passes a budget resolution at the beginning of the year and then builds the appropriations bills off of that outline. Toward the end of the year, another resolution is passed. At that point, reconciliation procedures are used to reconcile the budget resolution.

Unfortunately, the reconciliation process has drifted far from its origins and is now used as a tool to crush the minority. The budget reconciliation may have had noble purposes at one time but now the process is used to bypass "regular order" in the Senate. Regular order is the standard Senate procedures whereby there is unlimited debate on a bill and 60 votes are required to invoke "cloture" and end the debate, forcing a vote. In a Congressional climate where one party has a very strong majority -- as we currently have -- the threat of filibuster and the 60-vote cloture threshold is the only protection the minority has to total majority domination.

Here’s how it works—The Left wants to ram Universal Healthcare and Cap and Trade through the reconciliation process. Congress includes reconciliation instructions in the budget. Those instructions direct certain committees (i.e., Finance Committee, Health, Energy, Labor, and Pensions Committee) to produce health-reform legislation or a cap and trade system, hitting certain spending targets by a certain deadline. Once finished, the legislation is tossed back to the Budget Committee, which staples it together into an omnibus bill and sends it to the floor of the Senate for twenty hours of debate followed by an up or down 50-member vote.

The above example is exactly what the Democratic Majority is pushing through the budget process this week.

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Comment by Susan Russell on April 29, 2009 at 12:42pm: Called and Emailed everyone on the list and my Reps.....

Comment by Barbara Falk on April 29, 2009 at 12:17pm: Obama has lost any hope of getting conservative support on any legislation. He has shown his willingness to be a dictator. It is only a matter of a short while before he is impeached. He has already violated Article 1 Section 6 paragraph 2 of the Constitution.

Comment by Leisureal on April 29, 2009 at 10:42am: I called all 12 democratic senators and encouraged them to vote against the fast tracking. Don't know if it did any good, but at least it is one more tally for them to consider

Comment by Lynne on April 29, 2009 at 9:08am: http://www.ourcaucus.com/involved.html

sign their petition - then go back and go thru their website - sole purpose, get the corrupt incumbents out - already done in Utah

Comment by Lynne on April 29, 2009 at 9:04am: Got to get the career politicians out - great tool, go to:
www.icaucus.org

Comment by Joe on April 29, 2009 at 8:24am: Maybe we should become the bully. After all this was/is OUR country. Don't they still work for us. Or maybe that has all changed. Fire up those fax machines and phones and let these people know really who the boss is.

Comment by Ronald J Helwig on April 29, 2009 at 6:02am: We should be standing in front of the White House every day till we American found the courage that our fore father place somewhere in our blood. I hope they are watching and just maybe they will realize that we live in the greatest nation on earth and God has been here all along and just maybe they might join our ranks

Comment by Ronald J Helwig on April 29, 2009 at 5:57am: OK WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH? Is this group ever going to take off the gloves? Don't we get it? We cannot save this nation by calling these folks THEY DON'T CARE!!! I see a demand comment what do you think we have been doing? This is going to require that patriots stand up and be seen and ready to defend the constitution of the United States. Sorry but I don't see it here. We are being out voted and out talked and outmaneuvered by this radical group and they are killing the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,right before our eyes and nothing is going to change anything without some real action now. Talk is about us being scared out of our minds by a bully.

Comment by patsy burkett on April 28, 2009 at 7:52pm: what is our goverment think of, how dare they try and push this through they know that most americans do not want this but they seem to feel like what we want is not good for us like they know or minds what is wrong id DC? please vote no on this.

Comment by Billie Dickey on April 28, 2009 at 7:35pm: Assuming the Dictatorship of the Proletariat is successful in imposing socialized healthcare on US citizens, then we must DEMAND THAT CONGRESS AND ALL FEDERAL EMPLOYEES BE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN WHATEVER HEALTHCARE PLAN THEY VOTE TO FORCE ON THE REST OF US. In the meantime, Congress and families should be required to go to VA Hospitals for their healthcare. Talk about a quick cure for what ails the VA!!