Senate vote next step on what could be a long road for health care
(CNN) - If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has his way, his chamber will vote Saturday to proceed with debate on its version of the health care bill.
If he's successful, Senate Democrats can breathe a sigh of a relief momentarily - but it's too early for them to celebrate. The road to final passage of health care legislation is still long and bumpy.
Reid needs 60 votes for the procedural vote this weekend, another 60 votes to close debate - which could last for weeks - but only 51 for final passage. Reid has said he hopes to vote on the final bill before the end of the year. President Obama's original deadline for Congress was last August.
The House passed its version of health care reform two weeks ago, with 220 representatives voting in favor and 215 against. Thirty-nine Democrats opposed the plan and one Republican supported it.
But it's a tougher fight for Democrats in the Senate, where it is much easier for the GOP minority to stifle the will of the Democratic majority.
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Just keep pushing it through and get it done!
America wants this done !
The Republicans will be remembered for nothing but Obstructionism !
A bunch of those Senators need to start sending out feelers for a new job.They will find out next election we can't stop them now but we can cut their endless supply of perks they get by sitting in the Senate. When they have to work for a living they will find what the rest of the world is really about. Socialism only works when at least half of the people work. Someone figured out many years ago in the church that if you could convince 10 people to give 10 percent of their income one man would not have to work.Therefore we have a preacher and a Senator who does not have to slave everyday and worry where his next meal will come from.
If the democrats added an amendment that we would start a war with some country, I bet the republicans would support health reform.
Most Americans don't want this bill, while another large portion want the reform but really don't want to foot the taxes on this bill, leaving a small portion of Americans that will get most of the benefits and none of the burden that will be forced on the majority.
So my advice to the Senate and the Congress is, support this bill at your own risk. The bill will immediately hit everyone with taxes and restrictions and government control but it will be several years before a public option is in place to support the few that will receive it. So basically you will enter the 2010 and 2012 election season and only be able to tout to the voters that you raised their taxes and over complicated their lives but gave them nothing in return.
Mark the bill with a YES and We the voters will mark you with a big fat NO.
Senator Reid's healthcare bill is a 2,000 page abomination! It will undermine our republic and bankrupt this great nation.
The American people want real healthcare reform. Not some tax-and-spend bureaucratic nightmare.
Let's start moving!
And by December 31, 2009 they had BETTER have a decent health care bill that will work for everyone!
If not, there are going to be thousands of people like me, mostly women, walking their precincts in favor of a NEW congress, from top to bottom!
They can't pass it as it is. It's cost is based on 10 years of taxes and 5 years of actual benefits. It doesn't take a MIT grad to see that the next 10 years will be devastating to our debt. On top of that, the CBO estimates that the Democrats are touting also clearly state this will in fact raise the cost of health care both by premiums and actual delivery and the "public option" will cost more than private insurance. Please pass a bill that is good instead of just passing one so they say they passed health care reform.
The taxes they are raising leaves no room to raise revenue anywhere else and our deficit is growing faster outside of health care costs. They will have to raise taxes to European levels to ever start to wane the deficit building to already unsustainable levels
10.2% UNEMPLOYMENT and Obama and the Democrats just continue to race forward with trillion and trillion more in corrupt spending no matter that it may destroy our economy for a generation!
Senator Reid, get it open for debate and then keep the Senate in session though the holidays, even Christmas, until you get it set up right and the vote to close debate. If there are no Republican supporters on the final bill, then take off every amendment added by them. If they are only in the game to steal the ball then you don't get to be part of the celebration at the end.
NO NO NO NO that is all the republicans offer on the most important subject of our time – Health Insurance must be for every legal person in this country – no if ands or buts. I challenge all of the naysayers on the repub side to give up there health insurance until we all have it – this would be only fair since they are opposed to "government" controlled care – they sould also tell all there seniors who are oppoesd to give there's back as well – this too is only fair – we would then see what they really feel – my guess is that the repubs will only want to continue to be paid off by there insurance company bosses and not allow the rest to have affordable and public option insureance.what a pity......
How much money has been spent by the insurance companies too make sure that Americans will die without health care insurance inorder to make sure that people like Joe Liberman and 40 Republican Senators can enjoy the great kickbacks that the insurance companies buy them with? You want death panels then just ask those that are mentioned above!
Wake up America....This government seems set on their own agenda and doesn't care what's right for America. It's not what they say...it's what they do, How about the citizens having the same Health care and retirement that out Congressmen and senators have? Why does this administration like's to vote on major issues on a Saturday night?
Rush Rush Rush to pass bills that don't go into effect for 4 years. ALL MAJOR CHNAGES TO OUR SYSTEM SHOULD BE PUT ON THE BALLET AND VOTED FOR BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE.
Why isn't CNN and other news organizations not exposing these elected official's connections with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries?
If a real expose' were revealed with the tenacity and vigor continuously there would be health care reform now.
Give the coverage as though you were covering Sarah Palin.
For eight long years the Pubs were in control and offered NOTHING toward health-care. Now, the Dems are trying and suddenly the Pubs are full of ideas. So, what they offer is NO to the Democratic procedure that our fore-fathers gave us. That is called "obstructionists!"
Why does Congress feel that healthcare is our most pressing issue, soon to be followed by cap & trade, then amnesty?