Monday, September 30, 2013

CONGRESS KEEPS ITS SUBSIDIES

Dateline, Washington, DC, 2 AM, 1 October 2013 -- In our earlier blog on 9/30/13, we mentioned Rep. Langford's last ditch effort to scuttle subsidies and create an even playing field for Obamacare. The idea, to impose a one year delay in the requirement of the Affordable Care Act that individuals buy health insurance, was also supposed to deny federal subsidies to MOCs (Members of Congress), to staff employees of Congressional offices, to members of the Executive Branch, to White House staff, and to both the president and vice president for the same length of time. It turns out that that was a "No Fly Zone." When asked about it, Speaker Boehner said the Constitution mandates that Congress be paid. Yes, maybe so, but there's nothing in the Constitution that says MOCs and their Capitol Hill staffers must have subsidies in addition to salaries. In a masterpiece of hypocrisy, both sides of the aisle have managed to cause a shutdown. Military is excluded and will be funded but not necessarily all of their civilian counterparts at the Pentagon. We will want to stay tuned: today's fight isn't over and the debt ceiling conflict is just around the corner.
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2 comments:

  1. Robert WeinmannOctober 1, 2013 at 9:56 AM

    I am asked if Senate Majority Harry Reid has any culpability in the current stand-off? Yes, in the opinion of this commentator. Reid refused on the Senate floor to encourage a conference committee with Speaker Boehner, "we will not go to conference with a gun to our head." Wrong answer. In fact, at such times a meeting of the minds is the only reasonable solution. Reid's bellicose refusal turns the gun against Boehner. We'd all do better were both Boehner and Reid to step down. President Obama should order such a conference. He doesn't because of the likelihood that he'd be defied by both parties. -- editor

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  2. Robert WeinmannOctober 2, 2013 at 9:27 AM

    Question: is there an alternative to a conference committee? Yes, President Obama has today called for a meeting at the White House to include John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and maybe others. Our information is that the participants should not expect a beer 'n burger summit; - editor

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