Target Dems: Your Summer Reading Assignment is to Read the Healthcare Bill

August 27, 2009

FYI, a version of the release below went out to the following districts: John Adler (NJ-03);  Michael Arcuri (NY-24); Tim Bishop (NY-01); John Boccieri (OH-16); Allen Boyd (FL-02); Bruce Braley (IA-01); Chris Carney (PA-10); Travis Childers (MS-01); Gerry Connolly (VA-11); Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03); Joe Donnelly (IN-02); Steve Driehaus (OH-01); Chet Edwards (TX-17); Brad Ellsworth (IN-08); Bill Foster (IL-14); Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08); Bart Gordon (TN-06); Alan Grayson (FL-08); Debbie Halvorson (IL-11); Martin Heinrich (NM-01);  Baron Hill (IN-09); Jim Himes (CT-04); Steve Kagen (WI-08); Paul Kanjorski (PA-11); Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15); Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01); Ron Kind (WI-03): Larry Kissell (NC-08); Ron Klein (FL-22); Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24); Frank Kratovil (MD-01); Dave Loebsack (IA-02); Dan Maffei (NY-25); Betsy Markey (CO-04); Jim Marshall (GA-08); Michael McMahon (NY-13); Jerry McNerney (CA-11); Harry Mitchell (AZ-05); Dennis Moore (KS-03); Glenn Nye (VA-02); Tom Perriello (VA-05); Gary Peters (MI-09); Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23); Loretta Sanchez (CA-47); Mark Schauer (MI-07);  Kurt Schrader (OR-05); Heath Shuler (NC-11); Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01); Vic Snyder (AR-02) Zack Space (OH-18);  Harry Teague (NM-02); Dina Titus (NV-03); Tim Walz (MN-01); David Wu (OR-01); and John Yarmuth (KY-03). 

Carol Shea-Porter: Your Summer Reading Assignment is to Read the Healthcare Bill

With Summer Almost Over, Will Shea-Porter Read the Democrats’ 1,018-Page Bill?

 

Washington– With two weeks left in the summer recess and one step closer to the possibility of a government- run healthcare system, has Carol Shea-Porter read the monstrosity that is the Democrats 1,018- page healthcare bill? Has she read about the job-killing, tax-hiking, and government-run mess that is HR 3200? Well, for New Hampshire residents’ sake, they better hope so.

 

“If Democrats like Carol Shea-Porter have yet to read the writing on the wall that Americans are opposed to government-run healthcare, the least they can do is promise to read their party’s unpopular bill,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Given the Democrats’ track record, a bill that large could have anything in it. Shea-Porter has a responsibility to hold her party bosses accountable for the content.  After blindly supporting a wasteful $1 trillion stimulus package, Shea-Porter owes it to her constituents to demand that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t strong-arm a massive healthcare takeover through Congress without giving lawmakers the chance to read it in its entirety.”

 

In one the worst recessions in history, the Democrats’ healthcare takeover could lead to even higher unemployment rates:

“‘Unfortunately, the House healthcare bill will do nothing to lower costs and instead will actually harm not help small business owners.  The House bill includes expensive employer mandates, punitive payroll taxes and a new government-run program that threatens the viability of private insurers. Research shows an employer mandate alone could cost 1.6 million jobs with more than 1 million of those jobs lost in the small business sector.” (Press Release, House Healthcare Bill Harms Small Businesses, Destroys Jobs,” National Federation of Independent Businesses, July 29, 2009)

 

According to studies, the Democrats’ takeover of healthcare could “worsen an already bleak budget outlook”:

 

“Instead of saving the federal government from fiscal catastrophe, the health reform measures being drafted by congressional Democrats would increase rather than reduce public spending on health care, potentially worsening an already bleak budget outlook, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this morning.

 

“Under questioning by members of the Senate Budget Committee, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said bills crafted by House leaders and the Senate health committee do not propose ‘the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount.’

 

“‘On the contrary,’ Elmendorf said, ‘the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health-care costs.’ (Lori Montgomery, “CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats’ Health Reform Measures,” Washington Post, July 16, 2009

 

And with taxpayer’s willingness to back government-run healthcare now on life support, Carol Shea-Porter owes it to New Hampshire residents to review the massive bill:

 

“A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found 57% of adults say the stimulus package is having no impact on the economy or making it worse. Even more —60% — doubt that the stimulus plan will help the economy in the years ahead, and only 18% say it has done anything to help improve their personal situation.” (Brad Heath, “Poll: 57% Don’t See Stimulus Working,” USA Today, 8/17/09)

 

With September quickly approaching, New Hampshire residents can only hope that Carol Shea-Porter completed her summer assignment by reading the 1,018 paged bill, so she doesn’t cast a vote that could potentially cost them their futures.

 

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