Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, December 21, 2009
Obamacare Medicaid expansion knocks $41M hole in Hawaii State budget--but Nebraska gets free ride
By News Release @ 2:48 PM :: 8478 Views :: Energy, Environment

by Tim Phillips of Americans for Prosperity

At 1:00 a.m. today, literally in the dead of night, the United States Senate on a straight party line voted to move closer to the health care takeover. 

60 Democrats voted YES and 40 Republicans voted NO.

(RELATED:  One down, two to go: Obamacare passes first cloture vote 60-40)

In my 25 years in the political arena I thought I had seen it all for political pay-offs, crass deal cutting, and bare-knuckle threats.  But, Majority Leader Reid, and sadly, even President Obama reached a new low.  To avoid the blizzard of calls from their constituents, folks like you and me, most Democrat Senators actually turned off their phones as they prepared for the dead of night vote on Monday morning.  

A couple of examples:

  • *Senator Ben Nelson got an unprecedented deal to force federal taxpayers to pick up 100% of the cost of Nebraska's Medicaid expansion--forever.
  • *Connecticut's Senator, Christopher Dodd, got a $100 million earmark for a hospital at the University of Connecticut.
  • *Vermont Senators Pat Leahy and Bernie Sanders, who had been threatening to oppose the bill from the Left, got an extra $250 million in Medicaid funding.
  • *In Florida, Senator Bill Nelson got three counties carved out of Medicare Advantage cuts that will happen everywhere else in the country.
  • *Of course we know about the "Louisiana Purchase" where Reid and Obama paid $300 million of our taxpayer dollars to the pet projects of Senator Landrieu to secure her vote. 

(Medicaid expansion in Hawaii?  Here's the cost >>> Obamacare punches $41M hole in Hawaii State Budget.  Looks like Inouye and Akaka don't have the clout that Ben Nelson has.  Too bad they're so liberal.)

Yes, this is frustrating.  Yes, we lost a round in the Senate and it was a tough one. 

But, we cannot give up the fight.  And, we're not.  After Senator Nelson's cave-in on Saturday, Americans for Prosperity sponsored a rally yesterday with one day's notice in Omaha, which Mike Huckabee flew out to headline.  On the last Sunday afternoon before Christmas, the press reported that over 1,800 fired-up grassroots activists showed up to tell Senator Nelson what they thought of his sellout!  CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES AND STORIES.

AFP Rally in Omaha

AFP Sponsored Rally in Omaha

In Virginia, where Senator Jim Webb was a key swing vote, we held a state tele-town hall call with Congressman Frank Wolf on Saturday and over 10,000 people joined the call with a full 5,000 of those folks staying on for extended periods of time.  We asked people to go to www.TellWebbNO.com and send an email or make a call to Senator Webb and thousands did just that.   He was the last Democrat to publicly announce his support for the bill, around 9:00 p.m. last night, and we will hold him accountable for caving.

Here are the next steps on the Congressional front.

The second big vote to end debate on the health care takeover bill will occur around 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning. 

If Reid and Obama hold all 60 of their votes, then there will be one more cloture vote (to end debate) Wednesday evening and a final vote on passage of the bill sometime on Thursday. 

After that, the House and Senate would have to hold a conference to work through the considerable differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation. 

Then, the health care takeover would have to pass both chambers again.  That final battle would most likely take place in early January.

It's the Holiday Season.  And we've been in a long hard fight.  You've done so much.  Sacrificed a lot.  But, I'm asking you to do two last things before these final Senate votes.

1. CLICK HERE TO Contact your Senators one more time to tell them you are fully aware of all the pork-barrel earmarks, vote buying and political corruption in this health care bill.  And, that you want them to reject this kind of politics and vote NO.  If your Senators are Republicans, THANK THEM for voting against this bill this morning.

2. Take a moment to email your friends/family list. YOU CAN USE THIS LINK to ask them to take action by contacting their Senators today.  If we can show a frenzy of activity now -- just a few days before Christmas -- that will send a powerful message.

We're winning with the American public.  Every poll shows that.  This political class in Washington knows that and so they are desperately trying to get this thing done now using the Holiday Season and the dark of night as cover.  Let's not let them get away with it.

One last thing.   I want to hear directly from you -- in your own words -- why you're fighting this health care fight as a grassroots activist.  Please email healthcare@afp-mail.com and just tell me in a few words why you're involved.  I think it will be encouraging and helpful for folks around the country to hear the reasons why Americans like you are doing what you are doing.

We'll post a sampling of your words -- without using your full name -- in the next few days. 

In the meantime, let's keep fighting.

Tim's Signature

Tim

PS:  Remember, the next Senate vote is Tuesday morning around 7 a.m..  Let's make sure they hear from us again.  CLICK HERE

And, take a moment to share with me why you're giving of your time in this battle for our health care freedom.

Join me at Facebook by CLICKING HERE.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT