I can't stand Nancy Pelosi. I'm not happy with the cap & trade bill. I want healthcare legislation and I want single payor. I have lived in countries that have much lower standards of living and yet, much better healthcare than America. So I'm all for that. But like you say, this is a far cry from transparency.
On Jun 29, 10:35 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > From: *Travis* > Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009 > Subject: Pelosi Won't Give Public a Chance to Review Text of Health-Care > Bill Before House Votes on It. > > Of course not...that would be too democratic for the arrogant bitch! > > B > > http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=... > > Pelosi Won't Give Public a Week to Review Text of Health-Care Bill Before > House Votes on It > Monday, June 29, 2009 > By Marie Magleby and Monica Gabriel > > *(CNSNews.com) *- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) will not give the > public a week to review the final text of a health-care reform bill before > it is voted on later this year. > > Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) has also declined to commit to > giving the public a week to read and consider the final health-care bill. > > At her press briefing on Thursday, Pelosi was asked whether the health-care > bill would be handled differently than the stimulus bill, which came up in > February. The 1,071-page final text of that bill was posted on the House > Appropriations Committee’s Web site late on a Thursday night and then voted > on the next day. > > “When the stimulus bill came out earlier this year, members and citizens had > less than two days to review the final version that came out of the > conference committee before it was voted on,” CNSNews.com asked Pelosi on > Thursday. “Will you commit to giving Americans at least a week to review the > full conference version of the health care bill before it is voted on? And > also will you commit to submitting the final version to the CBO > [Congressional Budget Office] so that they can report the cost to the > public?” > > Pelosi would not commit to giving the public a week to review the bill, and > did not respond to the question of having the CBO report on the cost of the > final bill. > > “Well, we will abide by the regular order. You heard the question,” she > said. “It was about having the health care bill out there a week in advance. > We will have the regular order in terms of the appropriate amount of time, > 48 hours in advance for amendments before you file the bill, another day > before you can take up the bill. > > “But this bill is something that has been unfolding before the American > people for a long time now. The areas of controversy are well known,” said > Pelosi. > > “The issue of a public option is probably the most significant debate that > we will have in the House on the legislation, as I see it now. But the bill > will come forth under the regular order, and that's why the three chairmen > put out the draft now,” she said. “They put out some principles earlier on. > The President put out his principles. We had a month before the Memorial Day > break for everyone to see what was happening there to take ideas from our > members. > > “So it was in the public domain, but not as a bill,” said Pelosi, continuing > to respond to the question of whether she would give the public a week to > review the final bill. “Now they have put out this draft which has been well > received, and I'm very proud of the work. It's a well managed approach to > how we go forward. And when we are ready with a draft then we will put that > forth, but as I say, it will be under the regular order.” > > The three House committees working on the health-care plan have released > what they call a “discussion draft” of the legislation. It is 850 pages > long. > > The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has produced its > own 615-page draft that is missing key sections, including the section that > would explain the “public option”—or government-run health insurance > organization. > > After the House and Senate actually pass bills, the two versions of the > legislation will go to a House-Senate conference committee where they will > be reconciled and where entirely new provisions can be added. The final > version of the bill that emerges from this conference committee will be > voted on by both houses, and if passed, sent to the president for his > signature before it can become law. > > This final bill is likely to be well over 1,000 pages long and will include > mandates and regulations that could permanently transform the U.S. health > care system. > > Like Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also said last week that he > would not commit to giving the public a week to review the final text of the > health-care bill. > > “We are going to follow the rules and do the best we can so that the new > rules we have for transparency will be effective,” Reid said at his own > Thursday news briefing when asked about giving the public a week to read the > final health-care bill. > > “We have been putting things online. We’re doing so much more than we did > just a year or two ago, so I think there’s no secrets, we try to be as > upfront as we can, give everyone as much opportunity as we can to move > forward,” he said. > > House and Senate rules differ slightly, but basically the House allows a > vote three calendar days after the conference committee’s report is posted > and the Senate allows a vote after 48 hours. > > House Rule XIII, section 4. (a)(1), says: “. . . it shall not be in order to > consider in the House a measure or matter reported by a committee until the > third calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays except > when the House is in session on such a day) on which each report of a > committee on that measure or matter has been available to Members, > Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner.” > > Senate rules allow a voted 48 hours after the conference committee version > of the bill has been posted. > > Senate Rule XXVIII, Section 9. (a)(1) says: “It shall not be in order to > vote on the adoption of a report of a committee of conference unless such > report has been available to Members and to the general public for at least > 48 hours before such vote.” > > In February, lawmakers had less than 48 hours to review the final conference > report on the economic stimulus bill before voting for it. > > President Obama is pushing for both houses of Congress to vote on > health-care legislation before they take a recess in August. He wants the > bill on his desk by October. Republicans argue that such a sweeping reform > should not be rushed. > > “This is much more serious than the rushed and ill-conceived stimulus > legislation,” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said last week. “If we fail to do > this the right way in order to simply check the health reform box, we will > all suffer the consequences for the rest of our lives.” > > One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or > else shut up. -- Arthur Koestler > > __,_._,___ > > -- > *~@):~{> > > -- > *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
