viernes, 19 de marzo de 2010

Obamacare option oppression?...

There has been nothing on the radio this week here in the good ol' US of A except multiple news and views on the coming vote on the US healthcare bill; it's all coming to a head this weekend...nobody is going home they are all staying in Washington to vote...what could be one of the most important votes, and dates, in American history. Well, that's the impression you get listening to them! I'll be there too, maybe see the fireworks! And there could be fireworks: "given the political wrangling over reform, it appears that Democratic leaders may use complex - and controversial - congressional procedures to ensure the bill's passage" [BBC Q&A] Democrat fears of not getting enough support has led to one very controversial possibility ironicly called the "Slaughter Solution":

House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct vote on the Senate overhaul bill...

Slaughter is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to the Senate version.

This wouldn't be the first time Obama has got a way round the accepted democratic channels [see Obamachart HERE] and the Slaughter Solution could well cause a spark to further problems. Certainly that's what Glenn- this-is-equivalent-to-Pearl-Harbour Beck thinks! A tad OTT Glenn but I know what you mean!

Update Tuesday, 11:30 am ET: Well I guess everyone knows how it went, I watched some of it live on Sunday night: 7 votes seperated the counts so the difference between 'win/lose' was only 4 votes; now: "The vote is over. The fight is just beginning."... ..."Repercussions from the 219-to-212 vote late Sunday in favor of the Senate's original health care bill could be enormous." [USA Today]. Listening to Joe Biden introduce Obama just now was seriously nauseous but with one bonus good for a laugh. :-)

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10 comentarios:

  1. Les Paul Junior3/19/2010 11:29 a. m.

    Would this be the same Glenn Beck who I've seen tearfully saying "I just love my country"?

    We all know what they say about patriotism......

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  2. Span Ows3/19/2010 12:56 p. m.

    That's the one...if he was a politician he'd be dangerous. A very powerful and persuasive character. If you click on the last link and read what he says on some of his shows it is incredible...some perfectly sane and true but tending to rant a bit...re patriotism...well, in the very link in my post (this is the bit I heard on the radio) he mentions armed uprising, revolution etc...this bill will affect nearly every American (if passed) and take-up over 15% of the entire US economy (mind you that's like the NHS!)

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  3. Paul3/20/2010 11:14 a. m.

    "establish an individual mandate - that is you must get health insurance"

    Very worthy, but given that the States has the largest number of lard arses in the Universe how exactly does this work without State assistance?

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  4. Span Ows3/21/2010 1:54 a. m.

    lots of deals being done, trouble is some states just can't afford what they're being told they will have to do (if the bill passes)

    Re fatties, by coincidence, on one of the too-many flights I'm doing this month, I was sitting with a slim, attractive English (Bangaldeshi family) US resident doctor and we were discussing lard-arses, and over-sized portions mainly as her specialisation is the GI tract and that is somewhat related to what I get up to too...although in a very different way.

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  5. Les Paul Junior3/21/2010 5:30 p. m.

    Funny you should mention that, Span. What do you do? I've known for a while that Paul is an accountant and I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm a Highway Engineer but I've no idea what you do apart from travel a lot.

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  6. Span Ows3/21/2010 10:11 p. m.

    I could tell you Shy, but then I'd have to kill you! hehehe

    Nothing as flash as you'd think; I just big-it-up with snippets of info. I'm in export sales* for a feed ingredient company: we manufacture probiotics, flavours, minerals, organic acids and their salts, dry fats and some other stuff...want some ;-)

    * this sometimes involves some seminars, conferences, giving talks: maybe to vets, nutritionists, farmers, other sales people or a combination of all those!...but mainly sales...

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  7. Les Paul Junior3/22/2010 8:38 p. m.

    Thanks, Span, I am enlightened. I think sales is job you can either do or you can't do. Some people seem to be able to do it naturally. I'm sure I couldn't but unless we win a contract soon goodness knows what I'll be doing!

    Bid for 5, won 0 so far : find out about the fifth this week.

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  8. Span Ows3/23/2010 4:51 p. m.

    Are they closed envelope bids or do you show up and do a presentation etc?

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  9. Les Paul Junior3/23/2010 11:12 p. m.

    They can be either envelope or both, if you know what I mean. The one we didn't get last week was both but most are, I understand, just envelope. Only it's not an envelope, it's a parcel with quite a fair amount of stuff in it. Tender assessment can be a lengthy affair these days and it's rarely down to the lowest price anymore.

    BTW, still haven't found out if we won yet.

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  10. Span Ows3/24/2010 12:35 a. m.

    "Tender assessment can be a lengthy affair these days and it's rarely down to the lowest price anymore"

    Nor whose brother/in-law/cousin etc you are/know...hehehe

    Well good luck!

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