Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul Bill

On Christmas Eve, as you and I and the rest of America was spending time with their families and friends and otherwise distracted, Democrats in the Senate bent us collectively over and shoved a huge package of their own down our chimney, despite that more than 70 percent of us have made it very clear that we didn't want any presents at all (or at least nothing like the one they were offering). They just gave us the legislative equivalent of a Zune when all we wanted was an iPod.

The fact that they did it on Christmas Eve is insulting in itself. The fact that any time they pass questionable "progressive" (read: Socialist and Big Government) legislation like this they always time it on a holiday or when Americans are otherwise distracted is suspect. I supposes they're right, though. No one is going to riot on Christmas Eve.

From the NY Times:

The 60-to-39 party-line vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation, brings Democrats a step closer to a goal they have pursued for decades. It clears the way for negotiations with the House, which passed a broadly similar bill last month by a vote of 220 to 215.

The bill would require most Americans to have health insurance, would add 15 million people to the Medicaid rolls and would subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people, at a cost to the government of $871 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The budget office estimates that the bill would provide coverage to 31 million uninsured people, but still leave 23 million uninsured in 2019. One-third of those remaining uninsured would be illegal immigrants.

Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, a moderate Republican [*cough, cough RINO! cough*] who has spent years working with Democrats on health care and other issues, expressed despair.

“I was extremely disappointed,” Ms. Snowe said. After Senate Democrats locked up 60 votes within their caucus, she said, “there was zero opportunity to amend the bill or modify it, and Democrats had no incentive to reach across the aisle.”