Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Tell Me Again How A Petard Works?


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The Democrats weren't that concerned when they found out that the healthcare bill they hadn't bothered to read failed to deliver promised care for kids with pre-existing conditions. But now, they've discovered that the bill also creates hardships for a far more important group: themselves.

The arcane and heretofore uninspected language of Obamacare can be interpreted to take away health coverage for members of congress and their staffs immediately...better still, they're then forced to buy their health insurance from the very "insurance exchanges" they intended the rabble to use...but there aren't any "insurance exchanges" yet!

Stunningly, the NY Times sums up the situation best, saying: “If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?”

But this is no time for rhetorical questions. The answer (in case the NY Times would like to quote us) is: "No, they didn't fully grasp the details because they didn't give a rat's ass about the lives of other Americans."

And so, the Democrats have been hoist with their own petard. And when they decide to look up what that means, they can also check the definition of "Schadenfreude."

15 comments:

drjim said...

Yeah......I wonder how long it will take them to "rectify" that error.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I know another good word that relates to the current health care law: defenestrate! As in, "Congress would like to defenestrate whoever left their health insurance out of the bill."

Pete(Detroit) said...

Useless tools - use that abortion of a bill as a litmus test. Voted for it? OUT!

Tempting to toss ALL incumbents, but that would not quite be fair to the 15 or 20 decent folks on the hill..

Connecticut Yankee said...

Poetic justice!

alan markus said...

We have to keep this "top-of-mind" and make sure that any attempts to rectify this aren't done "under the radar", such as an earmark on an unrelated bill.

Bloggers should title posts on this topic "Congressional Reps & Staff Join the Ranks of the Uninsured!"

Suzy said...

Its the only good irony I've seen so far this term....

Anonymous said...

Let them eat cake.

Philip said...

48 Percent for Obama, 46 Percent For... George W. Bush?!?

Philip said...

Red flag for a sinking Obama: Americans now prefer Hillary Clinton

Suzy said...

I was listening to the radio the other day and the talk show host was playing back quotes from Reagan, of course to disprove the trash they are saying that "Obama is like Reagan" (wherever THAT idea came from, I can't begin to guess...). It made me feel so sad, almost, to hear Reagan's calm, patient, serious, but sympathetic and determined voice and mentally compare it to the nutcase we have in the White House today with the shifty eyes.... :-(

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

Philip- The polls aren't surprising. If an election was held between Hillary and Barack, I'd race to the polls to vote for Hillary. Granted, I'd drop to all fours immediately afterwards and throw up until I passed out...but it would still be an improvement.

Suzy- Everyone should go back and listen to Reagan from time to time, to help remind us how far this country's values and definition of leadership have fallen.

KHarn said...

My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

KHarn- It's about time we got some Gilbert & Sullivan around here! Seriously, that's a wonderfully appropriate quotation!

Buzz Bannister said...

Well done KHarn...all I know are dirty jokes and sophomoric limericks. Nice to see somebody 'class" the place up.

Anonymous said...

Now all we have to do is make them pay social security and take their 100% pay for life pension after only five years of service away and we'll actually feel good. Well, at least I'd feel a lot better. Afterwards there's only one additional request I have and that would be take the presdients $300K a years pension for life away and most impotatantly his secret service protects. Now that would be justice.