Health reform passes…

Harry Reid has nearly broken his arm by patting himself on the back.   Yes,  the Senate mustered the 60 votes required to move the health reform bill to conference,   with 39 Republicans voting against it.     I t would have been 40,  but retiring Sen.  Jim Bunning went home yesterday.

I suspect the “conference committee”  will consist of the Harry and Nancy show,  choreographed behind tightly closed doors.

In the face of this victory,  even the New York Times  admits that it  “would vastly expand the role and responsibilities of the federal government. ”

Robert Costa  describes my mood rather well.   How inelegant to be in a position where  lawsuits are your only hope of preserving liberty!

Obamacare double-counting…

Democrats are simply ignoring CBO’s  ruling that they have double-counted the Medicare savings by claiming those cuts would both help finance the new health care legislation and extend the solvency of Medicare.   You can have one or the other,  but not both.

It won’t be deficit-neutral in the least.    What I want to know is why the CBO wouldn’t say this until Sen. Jeff Sessions made the point.    I already know why Democrats voted against a proposal to keep the funds from Medicare cuts within the Medicare system.