Do We Have "Government of the People, by the People, for the People"?

In November 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Lincoln expressed his goal in leading the nation through a very dangerous time in our history; namely, that the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Today, however, President Obama is pursuing his major goal by urging the Congress of the United States to pass landmark legislation, which will transform 17% of the nation's economy, without any input from House members representing the American people who live in 182 Congressional districts.

The major legislation now under consideration will significantly reform the country's health care system and, in so doing, establish a massive expansion of federal entitlement programs that provide medical coverage for low to moderate income children and adults, the unemployed, the disabled and the elderly. To pay for this expansion of government programs, the bills being considered will impose additional taxes and fees on certain segments of our society, such as insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, tanning salon users, higher income taxpayers and those Americans who choose not to buy health insurance. The bills also include significant cuts in spending for Medicare.

I used the term "bills" under consideration because the procedure to be employed in the House of Representatives will be essentially to vote on two bills at once: the bill that passed the US Senate on Christmas Eve and a "reconciliation" bill that includes amendments to the Senate bill. This procedure is known as the "Self Executing Rule", "Deem and Pass" or the "Slaughter Procedure". The last description comes from the name of the Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, Louise Slaughter.

The amendments to the Senate bill came, for the most part, from the White House in order to scrub out many of the special deals handed out to certain Senators in order to assure passage of the Senate bill before the end of last year. These "high-minded deals" have been described as the "Louisiana Purchase", the "Cornhusker Kickback", "Gator Aid" and other glowing terms that express the very special focus given to certain states represented by Senators who seemed to hold out long enough to get the best they could for their constituents before agreeing to vote for the President's signature legislative objective.

Unfortunately, in order to bypass the Republicans in the Senate, the House must now pass the Christmas Eve Senate bill in addition to the White House amendments.... not as one amended bill, but as two separate bills, even though the special Slaughter House rules will allow this to occur with only ONE VOTE. This means that the President will be able to sign the Senate bill into law (with all those special unsavory deals) before the Senate takes up the amendments.

Since many members of the voting public have made known their objections to the backroom deals included in the Senate bill, as well as other objections to the legislation, many members of the House are not sure they want to vote on the Senate bill that has acquired such a tainted image. It was partly to reassure these uncertain House members that President Obama arranged for the White House to work with Congressional leaders to write the amendments that would result in a cleaner bill that could attract a majority of votes in both houses of Congress.

Of course, there are also many House Democrats who intend to vote against the amended bill due to other objections, such as pro-life Democrats who do not believe that the restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortions is sufficient in the amended bill; fiscally conservative Democrats who oppose the size of this new entitlement program, and very liberal Dems who do not like the absence of a public option in the amended bill.

Furthermore, Senate procedures are also being contorted to assure passage of the amendments to its Christmas Eve bill without the need for any Republican votes. Passing a new amended bill in the Senate normally requires 60 votes to overcome potential filibusters by the minority, but the voters of Massachusetts wiped out the 60 Democratic votes in the Senate in January when they elected Republican Scott Brown to replace the Democratic placeholder appointed after the death of the long-time Democratic "Lion of the Senate" Ted Kennedy. This unforeseen event required the President and the Congressional Democrats to devise a strategy that would allow them to pass the major overhaul of the nation's health care system without any Republican votes in either house of Congress!

This reality has now led to pursuit of the "reconciliation" process that is about to begin in the House over the weekend and then move up Pennsylvania Avenue for the President's signature on the backroom-deal filled Senate bill. As noted above, it is only after the Christmas Tree Senate bill actually becomes law that the Senate will consider the amendments passed by the House under its special Slaughter House rules

By eliminating Republicans from the process and rushing through this major legislation with the votes of only one political party, Americans in 182 Congressional districts have no voice in this historic legislative process. The 182 districts include the 178 districts represented by Republican House members and four districts that currently have vacancies (three due to resignations of their Democratic Representatives and one vacancy due to the death of John Murtha).

President Obama is so intent on making his mark on history with this health care legislation that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get it passed, even without Congressional input from the full range of representatives that would assure that the government continues to be "of, by and for the people". Instead, we have one party rule. That type of government is usually called something else.......

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