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The Unintended Consequences of the Affordable Health Care Act
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A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. Thomas Jefferson In the past, the intent of most House and Senate bills fell pretty much into one of four categories. They addressed routine funding for critical services, they echoed the will of the people, they fixed recently discovered problems, or they were for the greater good. The intent of most bills pushed through during the Obama administration is so fuzzy, it is hard to tell what they were designed to do. Because many of the bills proposed under his watch would, and have, radically changed the entire direction of the government, they have come under more scrutiny that those of pervious administrations. The more one looks at them, the less obvious their intent. I have always been skeptical of almost everything the government does, but since the election of President Obama, my “huh?” meter has been pegging out almost daily. Any time I hear about a new bill, especially any that are so convoluted that no one can read them, four things pop into my mind. #1: What is the intent of the bill? #2: Who stands to gain financially from the bill? #3: What are the unintended consequences of the bill? #4: Can this thing possible be constitutional? Take the healthcare bill. It was possible the most convoluted, impossible to read bill ever written. It was rushed through congress, without being read (“we have to pass it to know what is in it,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), all so that most of it can be implemented in 2014, after President Obama is out of office. Why is that? What was its inte... ... middle of paper ... ... of everything and are generally hated. With Obama pushing the U.S. toward the European system, how long before that happens here. Presumably, all it will take is to place the requirement deep in the next unreadable bill. We will learn about it after it is passed. Either that or Obama can simply nationalize all the companies that make light bulbs. The American electorate has allowed the first steps onto a very slippery slope. Only the present makeup of the Supreme Court and an upcoming election can pull us back to the top. November 2nd is a serious date. Every household should have it marked on every calendar. And until 2012, we need to pray Obama does not get to name any more Supreme Court Judges. The Constitution cannot stand any more justices who think the Constitution is just another scrap of paper; even if Obama thinks it is for the good of the people.
The Senate version of the Patriot Act, which closely resembled the legislation requested by Attorney General John Ashcroft, was sent straight to the floor with no discussion, debate, or hearings. Many Senators complained that they had little chance to read it much less analyze it before having to vote. In the House, hearings were held, and a carefully constructed compromise bill emerged from the Judiciary Committee. But then, with no debate or consultation with rank-and-file members, the House leadership threw out the compromise bill and replaced it with legislation that mirrored the Senate version. Neither discussion nor amendments were permitted, and once...
Public opinion is like this because many U.S. citizens believe that Congress is not taking the right action to help and benefit the people. Citizens believe that Congress is doing what is best for them and not for this generation and the next of U.S. citizens. A way that Congress could approve its public opinion is that Congress could ask the opinion of citizens and keep it mind. Doing so it would make the people feel like their voice is being heard. Telling the people about what a Bill entails would as well help raise the public opinion of Congress. This is going to be a bill that could affect them; citizens have the right to know what is going on within their own government.
Barrett, Andrew, and Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha. "Presidential Success on the Substance of Legislation." Political Research Quarterly. 60.1 (2007): 100-112. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Before there is a law, there is a bill – and bills have many phases to pass through before these may become laws. The course materials of week three point out that a bill can originate in the House of Representatives or in the Senate – but different versions of the same bill could begin simultaneously in both chambers of Congress (Unit 3 the Congress, 9). It is possible for the President – or someone else – to write a bill, but a member of Congress must introduce the legislation through sponsorship. New bills receive a number and receive assignment to the committee best suited to examine the bill. Project Vote Smart reveals “Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be split so that parts are sent to different committees” (Project Vote Smart 2010). If the bill passes through the committee – or committees – the bill may get a new number before passing on to floor action. But it is not necessary for the bill to receive a new number. The foregoing stages describe the initial actions of the Legislative branch in the procedure of a bill becoming law.
In the early years of 2009 to 2010 the political process pushed health care through legislation led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Health care and government, 2013). This process was extraordinarily tiring, as many defenders of the bills passing were present. Many congressional members “dug their heels in”, and wanted to slow down the process even more as confusion about the bill was posed (Health care and government, 2013). Despite opposition by many sides of the American people, a Democrat-dominated House of Representatives passed the bill and the Affordable Care Act was signed into action on March 21, 2010 (Hogberg, 2013). Indeed, all three branches of government were instrumental with the passing the Affordable Care Act into place.
Mahatma Gandhi and Thomas Aquinas were two of the most influential philosophers of their respective times. Aquinas’s theological ideas on politics, ethics, and natural law have influenced have been a great influence western civilization and he is also held in high regard within the Catholic faith tradition, being honored as a saint. Gandhi was an influential leader in the movement for India’s freedom from British rule. He preached a philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience and is held as the inspiration for civil rights leaders and non-violent activists around the world. Both philosophers sought to instruct others on how to live a virtuous life and help contribute towards the common good of all people. However, Aquinas and Gandhi hold different views on how their shared goal is to be met. When comparing the two philosophies, one finds that Thomas Aquinas’s philosophy of natural law is superior to Gandhi’s philosophy of Satyagraha since it allows individuals and countries a way to justifiably defend themselves against those who wish to do them harm.
As seen quite often in the Obama administration, legislation gets stuck and lost in Congress due to the polarization of the parties in recent years. In Obama’s case, he has frequently threatened to go around the House and Senate if they could not reach an agreement or would shoot down his plans. Cato’s Pilon points out, however, that the hurdles of Congress are no mistake. Pilot states that the framer’s of the Constitution knew what they were doing, and this was intended to keep the checks and balances as well as accountability to the public (Lyons,
One of the most unique and vital features of the American government is the establishment of a constitution. This constitution is a result of the fear of tyranny and the idea of rights that are unable to be infringed upon. The Constitution of America became the base of all law and decisions made in court. It gives us the ability to propose and pass laws, who can sit in power, what states can and can’t do under the supremacy clause, disburse funds, etc. In order to truly understand how the constitution can be implicated and interpreted, it is important to understand where it came from, and what Article One of the constitution states about governmental organization, and the Legislative branch.
Otto von Bismarck once said, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” The arduous process that a bill undergoes in order to become a law may seem grueling and pointless; however, the processes high caliber of difficulty allows for the extreme prestige and exclusivity of bills that are passed. Because the process is so exhausting, and filibusters, subsequently requiring a super-majority vote to pass a bill, have always been such a threat in Congress, historically, bills that attempt to reform sensitive issues have not fared well in the legislative branch. However, when Congress does pass controversial laws, it then also faces the task of effectively enforcing them. But, when the process is carried out to completion, laws that are enforced have significant impacts on the everyday lives of the American people—such as laws concerning abortion rights. In the United States, the government and Congress have significantly affected the rights of women with regard to abortions through laws that either restrict or guarantee their legality and availability, while the government’s capacity to do so is affected by the principle of federalism along with that of the separation of powers.
Obama tried to take on America’s toughest issue against some of the most powerful people in the country. The nation’s healthcare system was leaving millions uninsured and the US still has some of the most expensive healthcare with some of the least effective results for high-income nations. Obama originally fought for universal healthcare and then a bipartisan bill, but both represented too much change for the rigid American healthcare system. Frontline pointed out how reforming, “healthcare represents if America can still solve big problems.” Throughout the course of the film, I was left wondering if total healthcare reform was ever even possible for Obama and America, and if he was doomed from the start in his
One of the ideologies of America was that the best government was a small government. Our country was founded by settlers who wanted to get out of the grasp of Great Britain rule. These settlers wanted to have the natural rights that they felt were guaranteed to them by god. The Declaration of Independence was written to declare that the thirteen colonies were claiming themselves as independent states. Then U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were written. These important papers spell out freedoms guaranteed to Americans and the laws that protect those freedoms. They talk of a government that works for the people.
government’s ability to hold true to its true purpose, which is to establish a government
In the past, there have been laws pass that are defiantly not in the interest of the average citizens, but not all of which are necessarily unconstitutional. I often wonder if our elected officials are in touch with the needs of the masses. In touch with the ill’s that plague our country. Or only looking out for themselves and their wealthy donors. Many others wonder the same. The majority of the legislation has not reflected the best interest of the public as much as it should and in some cases not at all.
First, in the long process of a bill becoming a law is introducing a bill. After someone from Congress in either chamber has come up with an idea for a bill they must introduce it. For members of the House of Representatives this is easy. All they have to do is put their idea in a mahogany box at the front of the chamber called the hopper. Now for a Senator to introduce a bill they must either hand it to the clerk of the Senate or they must talk about it in a presentation to their peers in a floor speech. Sometimes though Senators can cut down this process by adding their bill as an amendment to legislation that is already being processed. This saves them a lot of time. Also, new ideas for bills are labeled depending on what chamber they come from. Bills from the house will always be labeled with an H.R. with its number behind it. Well bills from the Senate will always be labeled with an S. followed by its number.
West Virginia Legislature. (2011). How a bill becomes a law. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from