The New Math

The pace quickens on the downhill slide into socialized medicine. Majority whip, James Clyburn, declared himself "giddy" with the CBO report that the bill won't cost more than a trillion dollars for the first ten years.

That questionable landmark was listed as a must-have for the legislative debacle to move forward. Come in under a trill and you've got a winner!

But, even the CBO offered some caveats on this report:

Preliminary Numbers Only Pending a Reality Check

If the CBO won't take a stand on the reliability of the conclusions what should we learn?

Some things to consider:

1. The CBO can only deal with the language which is presented to them. They don't get to throw a flag about bad assumptions, false assertions, or duplicitous accounting.
2. The "language" they've got is a hodge-podge of a Senate bill which won't be passed and a ball-park list of changes which the House supposedly will wish for in reconciliation.
3. The Medicare fix assumes that a cut in Medicare payments to providers which has never been allowed to occur in the past will this time stand legislative muster and yield better care for more people at $500,000,000.00 less.
4. The first ten years involves ten years of taxing to pay for six years of benefits.
5. The second ten years requires accepting that a Congress eight years from now will enact a substantial tax increase.
6. The deficit neutrality of the pseudo-bill is because of the imposition of incredible tax increases, penalties and fees on anyone who owns a business or holds better than a minimum wage job.

Once again we are beginning to see the collapse of promises of transparency, responsiveness and bi-partisan process in the sequence of actions for this week-end. No taxes on 95% of Americans? Out the window. Full text of the proposal available for 72 hours prior to a vote? Apparently that is subject to change. Deficit neutral? Only with huge taxes to subsidize it. Bi-partisan? Don't make me laugh.

There shall be a reckoning soon.