(Apologies in advance to Mr. Stevens for my mangling of “The Streak”)

There must be some disturbance here… Pardon me sir, did you see what happened? … “Yeah I Did!!!, I was minding my own business and there it come, Obamacare. I hollered at my Congressman “Don’t Vote for it!” but it was too late. They already did.”

Here it comes, (Boogity Boogity)
There it goes, (Boogity Boogity)

And it’s going leave you with no clothes…

Oh yes they call it Obamacare *whistle* (Boogity Boogity)
Fastest bill on the Hill (Boogity Boogity)
Just as proud as they can be
Of their 2000 pages of dead trees
Reid never wanted us to have a peek….

(Thankfully this video has nothing to do with The Streak or my mangling of it above)

This first year of his Presidency looks like it has taken a toll on him.

Straight party line vote. All 58 Democrats (including Evan Bayh) and two Independents (”former” Democrat Joe Lieberman and socialist Bernie Sanders) voted “Aye”. All 40 Republicans voted no.

According to C-SPAN2, the graphic on the screen indicated the vote for final passage is scheduled for 7 PM on Christmas Eve.

Will this be Evan Bayh’s vote for health care before he votes against it for final passage?

From The Daily Beast, quoting from The Hill:

A week after declaring that he would help a Republican filibuster of Democrat-sponsored health-care legislation if there were a public option, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has apparently signaled privately to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that he will not block a vote. Sources told The Hill that Lieberman has affirmed that he will vote with Democrats to end the debate, and his threat of filibuster is likely a tactic to “get some stuff for himself”—or his constituents, including several major insurance companies based out of Connecticut. Democrats want Lieberman’s support because it likely represents the necessary 60th vote that would end debate in the Senate, and many supporters of health-care reform say that he will vote with Democrats when the time comes, despite his statements to the contrary. Says Reid, simply: “I trust Sen. Joe Lieberman.”

Folks, the Indiana General Assembly finally created a system where political entities such as school boards and government bodies (ie Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, a Municipal Corporation) must hold a referendum in order to raise our property taxes instead of the former remonstrance system.

So in the case of HHC, we’re led to believe that even though we are being asked permission to raise our property taxes, they won’t. Do you believe them? I certainly don’t. Think of all the variables involved. This entire project is hinging upon splitting monies with nursing homes managed by another entity, that is leased to HHC then leased back to another entity in order to, as some claim, take advantage of increased Medicare reimbursements for government “owned” extended care facilities (aka nursing homes). Do you really believe this financial shell game will continue? Do you believe the upcoming ObamaPelosiReidCare in whatever form it takes will continue to reimburse at the rates they are reimbursing now, or will this fall under the millions of savings that ObamaPelosiReidCare proponents in DC are proclaiming in their respective bills?

Traditionally, Wishard has served the indigent and the “working poor”. However it appears under the forthcoming ObamaPelosiReidCare, the indigent and the “working poor” will be covered with comprehensive medical insurance that will be accepted at all medical facilities. So why would someone covered by ObamaPelosiReidCare go to Wishard when a hospital just north of downtown at 16th & Capitol does the same thing as Wishard? Does anyone even know what kind of reimbursements hospitals will receive under ObamaPelosiReidCare? Something tells me HHC knows what to expect in the forthcoming ObamaPelosiReidCare bills and they know the gravy train of money from the nursing homes will come to an end. This is why they want our property tax dollars in order to build their new hospital.

Never mind the arguments of previous public construction projects that turned into a boondoggle – The Central Library comes to mind. At least 6 major hospitals are operating in Marion County and many more operating or opening in surrounding counties PLUS the City of Indianapolis has just (quietly I might add) taken possession of the former Winona Hospital building, why is a new Wishard needed?

It is rather peculiar how it seems there is always one public construction project in line. This Wishard project is scheduled to break ground about the time that work on the Convention Center expansion, JW Marriott Hotel in conjunction with Lucas Oil Stadium is scheduled to wrap up. Isn’t that interesting?

Property Tax Advocate David Bond writes the following below the fold:

The most ethical congress evah!!

The audacity of arrogance this congress and their majority “leaders” is comtemptable.  The Democrats “Closed Door  Policy” has claimed to want Republican input into the health care debate, yet has shut them out on not only health care, but multiple issues throughout the year.  Let us recount the ways:

Via Human Events:

Republicans have caught the Democrats in a midnight “stimulus” power play that seeks to cut Republican conferees out of the House-Senate negotiations to resolve a final version of the Obama “stimulus” package. Staff members from the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) met last night to put together the “stimulus” conference report.

They intend to attempt to shove this $1.3 trillion spending bill through in the dead of the night without Republican input so floor action can take place in both chambers on Thursday.

Via The Hill:

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren’t present.

Towns’ action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns’s failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage’s reported sweetheart deals to VIPs.

…

A GOP committee staffer captured video of Democrats leaving their separate meeting in private chambers after the mark-up was supposed to have begun. He spliced the video to other footage of the Democrats’ empty chairs at the hearing room, set it to the tune of “Hit the Road, Jack” and posted it on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s minority webpage, where it remained as of press time.

Towns’s staffers told Republicans they were not happy about the presence of the video camera in the hearing room when they were not present. Issa’s spokesman said the Democrats readily acknowledged to Republicans that they changed the locks in retaliation to the videotape of the Democrats’ absence from the business meeting even though committee rules allow meetings to be taped.

And there’s more to this story too:

(More after the leap)

From the Indystar:

Protestors are expected today outside the Indiana Convention Center as the leader of the nation’s largest health benefits company speaks at noon about health-care reform.

Angela Braly, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based WellPoint, will discuss “elements of responsible and sustainable health-care reform,” according to a statement from Indiana Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Rebecca Patrick.

Braly will speak at the Economic Club of Indiana luncheon, which begins at noon Downtown.

The group Health Care for America Now is planning the protest on the city streets outside the center.

Health Care for America Now is a issue advocacy organization, representing more than 1,000 organizations in 46 states, according to its Web site.

Anyone able to snap some cell phone pictures and see just how many folks SEIU is bussing in for this protest?

As we reported some time ago, 2nd District congressman Joe Donnelly (D) is holding town hall meetings throughout the 2nd CD. He’s actually ATTENDING these meetings in person, not telephone or satellite or hiding behind the curtain. No word on whether there is a police security detail assigned to Congressman Donnelly at these events.

(More below the fold)

From @DerekTrovi twitter feed:

Baron Hill 2 hold townhall at IU SE 8/31. You MUST CALL NOW to get a spot 812-288-8193 ext 104 Ds already notified

Just how great is a single payer universal system of health care that President Obama advocated for long before he was president?

Think that’s bad?

Check out what’s going on in Vancouver, Canada.

(Read more after the leap)

The Final Part of “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #9:  Taxes on Health Benefits

What the bill does:  Section 1802(b) of the bill includes provisions that would finance a new Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund.  The bottom of page 835 of the bill makes clear the funding source: “CHAPTER 34—TAXES ON CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES.”

What this means for Americans:  The American people will see their health insurance taxed for the first time ever, breaking two central campaign promises made by then-Senator Obama—not to raise taxes for individuals with incomes under $250,000, and not to tax individuals’ health benefits.  The language also breaks a promise by Speaker Pelosi that, “We will not be taxing [health] benefits in any bill that passes the House.”

This also breaks a campaign promise of Obama on taxing health benefits. But Obama also said something about lobbyists that went out the window no sooner than the moving van turned off Pennsylvania Ave back in January, so I digress.

Truth #10:  Taxpayer-Funded Research Could Deny Patients Needed Health Care

What the bill does:  Section 1401 of the bill establishes a new multi-billion dollar Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research, so that the federal government can compare various health care treatments.  However, the bill contains no prohibitions on government-run health programs using such research to deny patients access to life-saving treatments, and a draft House Committee report earlier this year noted that such research funding meant that “more expensive [treatments] will no longer be prescribed.”

What this means for Americans:  The billions in federal taxpayer dollars spent on comparative effectiveness research could be used by federal health programs to deny patients access to life-saving treatments.

Part 4 of a 5 part series of  “fishy” truths about HR3200:

Truth #7:  A Giveaway to Trial Lawyers

What the bill does:  Section 153 of the bill establishes whistleblower protections for any employee who “provided, caused to be provided, or is about to provide or cause to be provided” a complaint regarding non-compliance with the bill’s provisions, or “objected to, or refused to participate in, any activity, policy, practice, or assigned task that the employee…reasonably believed” to violate the bill’s provisions.  Individuals alleging discrimination may bring suit under the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act.

What this means for Americans:  Employers will be subjected to additional lawsuits instigated by trial lawyers—possibly on the basis that an employee was “about to provide” a health insurance-related complaint at the time the business took an adverse employment action.

Truth #8:  Federal Compliance Audits on Employers—Paid for by Employers

What the bill does:  Section 142(b) of the bill requires the Health Choices Commissioner—the new insurance “czar”—to “conduct compliance audits of qualified health benefits plan compliance with Federal requirements,” including “random compliance audits and targeted audits in response to complaints.”  The bill further permits the Commissioner “to recoup from qualified health benefits plans reimbursement for the cost of such examinations.”

What this means for Americans:  Employers who offer coverage to their employees—will be subject to random audits by the insurance “czar,” who can scrutinize their paperwork looking for even inadvertent errors—and then leave the employer with the bill for the investigation.  As a result, employers may spend their time wondering if a complaint by a disgruntled worker could lead to a knock on the door by the “health care czar”—and even a dismissed complaint could lead to a charge by the federal government for the “privilege” of being cleared.