Congress, after all, can’t risk a “brain drain” by hiking premiums and risk losing public employees to the thriving private sector, where they are guaranteed the best of all health care plans, can they? I mean, who would be left to write press releases and pass laws funding Cowboy poetry festivals while banning certain shower heads?
Market Watch, which originally reported on the exemption later backtracked and tried to explain it away:
Can you believe Congress exempted itself from Obamacare? Shows how lawmakers know the law is terrible and want to protect themselves from its consequences!
That’s the general reaction to news that the Office of Personnel Management will allow the government to make contributions to the health insurance of lawmakers and their aides, as first reported by Politico.
What’s not well understood is the origin of this ruling. Uniquely, lawmakers and their aides had to get insurance “created” by the Affordable Care Act or “offered through an exchange.” This provision — stuck into the Affordable Care Act by Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, basically as an intended poison pill — only applied to Congress and to no one else.
(The poison pill didn’t really work, clearly, as the Affordable Care Act still was voted into law.)
This is what we with some knowledge of rhetoric and deflection call, simultaneously, a non sequitur and a red herring. First, the “poison pill” that only applied to Congress and no one else is part of the law. That it failed to dissuade Democrats — and only Democrats — from voting affirmatively on an enormous bill most of them hadn’t read is irrelevant. Just because they won the battle to get the law enacted doesn’t mean they are now entitled to go in and remove provisions they don’t like. Or rather, have the Executive do it for them.
In other words, the origin of the provision or the reason for its inclusion doesn’t negate its existence and the force of law it demands. Unless, of course, we live in a lawless, post-constitutional period where imperial fiat — be it declaring who must obey the law and who is exempt, or who must be subsidized and who must pay for those subsidies — is the effective law, regardless of the text of the law as written and passed.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Thursday night saying lawmakers and their staffs must enroll in an exchange by Oct. 1.
The ruling by the OPM means that the government will contribute to those plans — just as it does now, and just as most private-sector employees have their health insurance paid for, in part or in whole, by their employers.
And who are their employers? That would be you and me, the taxpayers, who subsidize them to the tune of 75% — the slippery language Marketwatch employs aside. So while we are facing increased premiums, the loss of full-time employment, and the risk of being dumped into unfinished, anarchical exchanges — even while certain businesses are exempt — we can find solace in the fact that we are paying for Congress and their staffers to have the peace of mind we don’t happen to share.
Call it Christian charity, bitterclingers. Do it for your betters.
Now. Eat your fucking peas and get to work. You have Nancy Pelosi’s Botox injections to help pay for.
Once the sovereignty of the people has been mooted (and it has been, fully, with no need that another single act should have to take place), with it goes the contract obliging any such payment to servants who are in point of fact no longer servants, but masters. As this situation dawns on the slower among us, look for more frequent tax strikes to come to pass. The bulk of the suckers will catch on eventually.
Trouble with playing Calvinball is that it gets old really, really quick.
It’s good to be the king.
(I know, one track mind today)
I am their king! I love my people! Pull! Aggggh! Blam! Nice shot sire. Thank you!
Now we’re back to Obama care as gap insurance or insurance for those who couldn’t afford insurance.
It’s not just Calvinball, it’s Calvinball played with a superhappyfunball.
Nobody wants to jump this queen, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk47saogI8o
Found it.
In the unlinkable NYT today there’s an article explaining that the SEIU is greatly annoyed about the “Cadillac Tax” that’s built into ACA to punish evil private employers who offer good plans to regular people employees. Somehow, Union employees also get (mistakenly) hit by this tax.
So, Obama’s delayed the ‘CadillacTax’ until 2018, giving Dems a chance to “fix it” so municipalities can still offer ‘Cadillac’ plans to their deserving Union employees without requiring any more hurtful Union employee contributions or deductibles.
Evil private companies having nonunion employees who are still offering ‘Cadillac Plans’ won’t be affected by the Democrat’s fixes. Because they are evil, obviously.
Waivers are at the heart of a tyranny. Special favors from the god of the State for those approved of that day. It is not “Calvinball” as that is when each player makes their own rules up on the fly. “Calvinball” is anarchy which quickly devolves into tyranny as the strongest impose their iron will on all others.
Was it, in fact, voted into law by both houses of Congress? I seem to remember some nonsense about how it was “deemed passed” (without an actual vote being taken on it), then rushed into front of the pResident for signature.
At least, I haven’t been able to find any specific vote counts…
Waivers are the new
blackTitle of Nobility.They are Bill Of Attainders in reverse, as well as, in spirit, Titles Of Nobility.
Either way, they are Tyranny.
[…] where the Obama Regime has flaunted another law [Obamacare, again], Jeff Goldstein is inspired to succinctly sum-up the current state of The United […]
Obama “personally” got those staffers and the Congressmen this exception/waiver. He now owns them.
Once you have them by the waivers, their hearts and minds will follow.