Shona Holmes, a Canadian citizen who is against American health care reform, says that Canadians rely on U.S. health care because the Canadian government does not take care of its citizens (0:28).
House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) says President Obama is presenting Americans a false choice with respect to government-run health care, and argues that there is another way (0:45).
House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) says that a payroll tax within the Democrats’ health care proposal will eliminate 5 million additional U.S. jobs (0:34).
By Joseph Russell – Talk Radio News Service
Republican leaders in the House called for “smart reform” at a press conference Thursday. The new Health Solutions Group, comprised of House Republicans from committees dealing with health care reform, said that as more Americans raise objections to a government take-over of health care, President Obama becomes less specific.
“The president really presented the American people with a false choice,” House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said. “There are only two ways, either the status quo or a government health care plan. We’re here to say that there really is a third way.”
The Health Solutions Group heard testimony from Canadian citizens and British doctors like Shona Holmes who claimed her life was saved by leaving Canada and coming to the U.S. for treatment. Holmes said that 5 million people in Canada go without a family doctor, a percentage that would equal “the same population as in the State of California.”
House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was more focused on the impact Obamacare, if passed, will have on small businesses. “Either you offer health insurance to your employees or you pay an eight percent payroll tax,” Boehner said. “What this is going to do is raise the cost of employment, which is going to mean less employees in America. . . according to their bill, they’re going to lose about five million jobs.”
House GOP leaders said that growing bipartisan disapproval for a government run health care bill is going to make it difficult for House Democrats to continue to ignore Republicans, who argue that they have been left out of the process. Though unlikely, the Democratic health care proposal, over 1,100 pages long, may still be voted on before the Congressional recess in August.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler recommends two new “regimes” to regulate the financial market and oversee derivatives. (0:24).
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) says before financial reform is passed, members of Congress need to evaluate its purpose to ensure it is done right (0:21)
By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) seemed to be a bit distracted Wednesday during the committee’s testimony on financial regulatory reforms proposed by the Obama administration.
Frank read a newspaper, fell asleep, and then left early during testimony from Chairman Mary Schapiro of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Chairman Gary Gensler of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Frank’s lack of attention highlighted the disapproval shared by Republicans on the committee that the Obama administration’s proposals do not address the specific needs of financial regulatory reform, and vastly expand the SEC’s power.
“Perhaps an even more fundamental question needs to be asked here,” said Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ). “Will standardized business be significantly related to the recent meltdown of our financial markets? And if not, why are we prescribing cure for a non-existing ailment.”
The Obama administration has proposed a broad spectrum of reforms that would expand the U.S. financial regulatory system. The administration’s plan calls for derivatives and hedge funds to be regulated, a stiffening of securities and futures regulation, and regulation of the credit rating agencies by the SEC. This committee meeting was the first of several that will examine these proposals.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says that even though the heath care bill was never read, it passed through the Ways and Means Committee. Ryan says there was not nearly enough time to read the bill in its entirety, nor was the committee able to conclude how much it would cost (0:15).
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says that the current version of health care reform is being rushed through Congress and goes against free market principles. Ryan stresses that health care reform should guarantee human dignity and individual choice (0:42)
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says there is an alternative to the health care reform legislation proposed by congressional Democrats. Ryan praises a proposal made by Republicans, the Patient’s Choice Act, which he says will spend funds more wisely and more effectively (0:31).
