You are here: Home / Archives for Steny Hoyer

Bah Humbug: Senate Passes Health Care Reform Bill

December 24, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

The Senate this morning voted to pass Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Health Care Reform bill… A.K.A. the single biggest crap sandwich ever foisted on Americans. The was 60-39 entirely along party lines with all Democrats for it and Republicans voting against it:

In a vote resonating with history, Senate Democrats early Christmas Eve morning passed their version of health care reform, advancing the issue further than ever before in the nation’s history and setting up a bruising stretch-run to get a final bill to President Obama next year.

“It’s about people, it’s about life and death in America. It’s a question of morality, of right and wrong,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. “It’s about human suffering, and given the change to relieve this suffering, we must take this chance.”

The party-line 60-39 vote is the midway point for the bill. It must now be reconciled with a very different House measure. Major sticking points remain, including how to treat federal payments for abortions, whether to force insurance companies to compete with a government-run public health plan and which taxes to raise to pay for the changes.

The good news is this turkey is still has hurdle or two to clear before becoming law, the bad news is I don’t think it matters… The Democrats have invested far to much time and political capital in jamming their so called reforms through Congress. If liberals in the House have to, they will roll over and vote for the Senate bill in toto. Never mind what the White House is saying Democrats in Congress can not let this, um, debate drag into February, or worse, March… The closer they get to election day the less likely passage becomes.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will do whatever they have to do to get health care reform the House as quickly as possible… Even if that means bribing they’re caucus into voting for the Senate bill in toto.

Related

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics Tagged With: , , , ,

Steny Hoyer: We Don’t Have the Votes… Yet.

November 6, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

From the Associated Press:

House Democrats acknowledged they don’t yet have the votes to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and signaled they may push back the vote until Sunday or early next week.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters in a conference call Friday that the make-or-break vote on President Barack Obama’s push to make health coverage part of the social safety net could face delay. Democrats were originally hoping to pass the bill on Saturday-and officially, that’s still the plan.

But Democrats have yet to resolve a intraparty disputes over abortion funding and illegal immigrants’ access to medical coverage. They cleared one hurdle Friday when liberals supporting a government-run Medicare-for-all system withdrew their demand for a floor vote.

Hoyer sought to pin the blame for any possible slippage on delaying tactics expected from Republicans, who unanimously oppose the health care remake.

Heh, of course they’re trying to pin the blame on Republicans, it can’t possibly be because of divisions in their own caucus… I mean it’s not like the Democrats have a 256 seat majority in the House or anything… oh, right, yeah, um – never mind.

Dan Perrin has the Whip list here… If you’re in any of their districts, call, fax, e-mail tell them to just say no to Obama/Pelosi care.

Filed Under: Economy, Health Care, Politics Tagged With: , ,

The Obligatory Jimmy Carter is a Tool Post

September 18, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

I wasn’t going to comment on Jimmy Carter’s asinine remarks on race because frankly they don’t deserve comment. But after America’s crazy aunt, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mumbled something about political violence in her weekly press briefing I thought I should take a moment to point out that these are two people that no sane person should take seriously.

Let’s not forget Jimmy Carter was one of the worst Presidents in American history, his term in office was marked by faltering economy, high unemployment, high interest rates, crippling inflation and an energy crisis… this is a man whose bumbling led to 53 American diplomats being held hostage in Iran for 444 days.

This is man how kissed a totalitarian on the cheek and pronounced American fears of Soviet Communism overblown.

This is a man who addressed the nation during an economic crisis and told us to more or less to get used to it.

If there is politically inspired violence it will be because people like former Pres. Carter and Speaker Pelosi irresponsibly throw around charges of racism. Never mind that her interpretation of the entire Moscone-Milk-White episode in San Francisco is just off the wall… As Ed Morrissey points out “Dan White was not a right-wing politician; he was a registered Democrat and considered a moderate. He assassinated Moscone after the mayor refused to reappoint him as supervisor, a post White had resigned but then regretted leaving. He shot Milk five times on the way out of City Hall after personal animosity between the two had erupted earlier over a zoning dispute.”

If there is anyone who is stoking racial and/or political anger is this country it’s Democrats who have lost the argument the on merits and who are trying to demonize those they disagree with. Let’s not forget it was Speaker Pelosi who along with America’s crazy uncle, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who called those who disagreed with their health care reform agenda un-American in a USA Today op-ed.

Madam Speaker, Mr. President, our opposition to Pres. Obama’s policies is not about race. We simply have fundamentally different vision of the role government and as Americans we have a God given, constitutionally protected right to disagree.

Related

Filed Under: Culture, Politics Tagged With: , , , , ,

Arrogance: Hoyer, Pelosi Call Protests Against ObamaCare “un-American”

August 10, 2009 By Jeff 2 Comments

I’ve seen politicians say more than a few amazingly stupid things in my time but this really takes the cake… For House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to take to the pages of a major American newspaper and call those who disagree with them un-American is beyond the pale:

However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted “Just say no!” drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.

These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.

Health care is complex. It touches every American life. It drives our economy. People must be allowed to learn the facts.

That type of rhetoric is as inappropriate and misplaced now as it was when some on the right used it against those who opposed the war in Iraq. It has no place in mainstream political discourse and for the Speaker of the House and House Majority Leader to resort to it raises serious questions about their qualifications for the positions they hold.

Hillary Clinton was right when she passionately declared :

“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you’re not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration.”

Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer would do well to re-read the first amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Americans had every right to question and disagree with the Bush Administration just as we have every right to question and disagree with the Obama Administration… For national political leaders to question the patriotism and/or motives of those who passionately disagree with them makes it undeniably clear that they are not interested in debate.

H/T: Cuffy Meigs via Hot Air.

Related

Filed Under: Health Care, Politics Tagged With: , , , , ,

Steny Hoyer: Idiot

July 15, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

From CNSNews.com (emphasis mine):

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that job growth and economic recovery would not be harmed by a Democratic plan to increase income taxes by $540 billion to pay for their health-care reform proposal because the tax hikes would not affect small businesses.

Hoyer also said he could not think of any small business owners who make enough money to qualify for the higher taxes.

Speaking at his weekly press briefing on Tuesday, Hoyer said that the proposed tax was merely a surcharge on wealthy individuals, explaining that the tax increases were graduated.

“This is a surcharge,” Hoyer said, “on people making over $280,000 as an individual, $350,000 [per year] as a couple and it’s graduated, it goes up as you reach $1 million in income.”

Asked by CNSNews.com whether such a tax increase would affect small businesses and job creation during a recession, Hoyer said: “I don’t know many small business men or women who are making, themselves $280,000 [per year], so I’m not sure that very many small businesses are going to be affected by this.”

With all due respect Congressman you’re wrong. I’d suggest you take a look at the Small Business Administration’s Size Standards which defines small business as follows:

A small business is an concern that is organized for profit, with a place of business in the United States, and which operates primarily within the United States or makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor.  Further, the concern cannot be dominant in its field, on a national basis.  Finally, the concern must meet the numerical small business size standard for its industry.  SBA has established a size standard for most industries in the U.S. economy.  The most common size standards are as follow:

  • 500 employees for most manufacturing and mining industries
  • 100 employees for all wholesale trade industries
  • $6.5 million for most retail and service industries
  • $31 million for most general & heavy construction industries
  • $13 million for all special trade contractors
  • $0.75 million for most agricultural industries

About one-fourth of industries have a size standard that is different from these levels.  They vary from $0.75 million to $32.5 million for size standards based on average annual revenues and from 100 to 1500 employees for size standards based on number of employees.  Several SBA programs have either alternative or unique size standards, such as the Small Business Investment Company Program.

In other words Congressman small businesses aren’t all mom and pop operations. many of them employ hundreds of people and earn significantly more $280.000 in income. The bottom line congressman is that many of these, not so, small businesses file their taxes as subchapter-S corporations or ‘sole proprietors’ and the $540 billion in new taxes you and your colleagues are proposing will ultimately result in slower economic growth and a loss of jobs.

Related

Filed Under: Economy, Health Care, Politics Tagged With: , , , , ,