GOP: No Third Party For Health Care Decisions

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

The House Republicans announced their official, common-ground position on the health care reform debate today, rejecting bureaucratic participation in their decision-making process.

House Minority Leader John Boehner said the GOP wants “A system (where) everyone has access to coverage, and a system that people can afford, and a system that focuses on quality.”

In order to achieve this, Republicans believe that there should be no third party involvement, Boehner announced.

“We want to make sure that health care decisions remain between a patient and a physician, not a bureaucrat,” said Boehner.

The debate over health care reform has intensified since the election of President Barack Obama. Health care reform has been one of the primary concerns of his campaign.

Tom Price, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said that market forces and the competition were a better alternative than the public plan.

“If the government's defining what qualifies as health insurance, that means that the bureaucrats are deciding what individuals are going to receive in their health package,” said Price.

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz) said that “This idea of having choice for individuals actually helps bring down the costs because they know that in a year they might choice another plan”, referring to the advantages of Medicare’s Plan D.

Rep. Ginni Brown-Waite (R-Fla) said: “The health care insurance as we know it would cease to exist because the government would price its product less.”

Boehner called for the Democrats’ attention on cooperating for the reform, saying “ We continue to be here, we continue to reach out to you we want this to be a bipartisan effort but in order for it to be a bipartisan effort, you need to talk to us, but that isn’t happening”

“The Most Dangerous Credit Card in the History of the World”

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

>
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called congressional voting cards “the most dangerous credit card in the history of the world”, because then enable Congress and the president to engage in reckless spending. This was not Boehner's first criticism of Obama, but his statement came on the 101st day of the Obama Administration, a time which Boehner has criticized as being pock marked with excessive borrowing, reckless spending and a massive growth in government.

Boehner said that Democrat’s “record on spending and debt is staggering, but our economy is growing weaker, and it’s not going to get any better by growing the size of the government here in Washington.”

Boehner believes that the Democratically controlled Congress has enabled and contributed to the recklessness, and thinks it is up to the Republicans to put a stop to it. Republicans must be “the party of better solutions” if they are going to stand up to the Democrats in Congress, Boehner said, adding that he hopes Democrats will be committed to a bipartisan policy approach..

Citing the elections of 2008, Boehner said “out brand has been tarnished”, but to help the party serve the American people, Republicans must stand up to the Obama Administration when disagreements arise, and to offer alternative solutions.

Leader Boehner applauded President Obama on his strategy towards Afghanistan and Iraq, but showed concern at Obama’s greater national security policy.

“The big question continues to be: what is the Administration’s overarching plan to fight terrorism? Judging from their recent decision to release 30 terrorist detainees with no plan on where to put them, it continues to beg the question,” referring to Obama’s closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center without knowing where the detainees will be sent.

Boehner Gives Obama Poor Grade For First 100 Days

By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service
Summing up President Obama’s first 100 days in office as “spending, taxing, borrowing, and ducking the hard choices,” Republican Minority Leader John Boehner (OH) said that in his eyes “the grade would not be very good.”

Boehner gave a news conference before his meeting later today President Obama and House and Senate leaders from both parties.

“The American people want us to work together, Democrats and Republicans, to deal with the issues that their confronting everyday,” he said, adding that Democrats are working strictly on their own agenda, and that “behind closed doors, they’re continuing to put their finishing touches on their budget.”

Boehner said that this Sunday marks “Debt Day,” in which the federal government revenue for this fiscal year will be gone. Boehner said that any money spent by the government after Sunday April 26th through Sep. 30th, has not been budgeted and will increase the national debt.

The money “is going to have to be borrowed from our kids and grandkids,” Boehner said.“This is the earliest debt day in history. It’s some four and a half months earlier than it was last year when it was August the 5th.”

Considering Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in the midst of the economic crisis “they clearly had a lot on their plate,” said Boehner.

“You’ll continue to see us (Republicans) try to be the party of better solutions,” said Boehner. “The stimulus bill was supposed to be about jobs, and it turned into “spending, spending, and more spending.”

After Democrats released memos last week outlining torture techniques used by the Bush administration, Boehner said “I’m hopeful that Americans will begin to understand there is a bigger story here about what happened, what was done to keep America safe.”

Boehner said that both parties were briefed on the interrogation methods, “and not a word was raised at the time.”

Although he supports the President’s plan for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Boehner questions the bigger picture of what the administration is doing to keep America safe.

The world “didn’t suddenly become safer in January of 2009,” Boehner said Democrats have “decided to close the detainee base down in Cuba without having any plan for what they’re going to do with those terrorists who are hell bent on killing Americans.”

Declaration Of War On The Mid-West

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

Republican Representatives emerged from a GOP conference with continuing criticism of the Democratic budget.

This Sunday will be National Debt Day, the day on which federal spending surpasses revenue, and it occurs three and a half months earlier this year than last, said John Boehner (R-Ohio). “I attended a taxpayer tea party in Bakersfield, California; people are angry and they’re scared,” he said, “because the kind of spending and borrowing that are going on here are imprisoning their children’s future.”

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said, “As we come to the end of the first hundred days of this administration, the era of bipartisanship we’d hoped for could be improved. We do want to work together. Washington should be more thoughtful.”

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said that constituents are concerned about debt and the future of America and “The fact that we are facing $9 trillion worth of debt, and that’s going to be on the shoulders of our children and our grand-children.” She said that the Democratic budget lacks transparency and oversight. Constituents, she said, have to tighten their belts, while the federal government is “spending like crazy.”

Mary Fallin (R-Okla.) said the oil and gas producers in her fossil-fuel-rich state are very concerned about Obama’s policy of discouraging carbon-emitting energy. She said that jobs and production are already declining in anticipation of policy changes.
Fallin estimated the Cap-and-Trade taxes would hit $30 billion, working out to about $3,000 per year in increased energy costs for an average household, would fall most heavily on the poor and elderly and would cost seven million jobs.

Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that hearings on Cap-and-Trade begin this week. He said the Democrats are not providing sufficient information about the costs, though Obama has acknowledged in the past that electricity prices would rise. “The reality is the Cap-and-Trade legislation offered by the Democrats amounts to an economic declaration of war on the Mid-West by liberals on Capitol Hill,” he said.

Pence said the $3,000 per household figure came from an M.I.T. study that estimated the total carbon fees and divided them by the total number of households in America. He acknowledged that the administration had promised ways of mitigating the economic impact for those hardest hit, but said that such promises are vague and “illusory.”

Boehner agreed that we must “get serious” about reducing carbon emissions and reducing the need to import oil, but he urged increased nuclear power as the only realistic way to do that.

“The most fiscally irresponsible budget in American history"?

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va,), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) presented the broad outline of the Republican budget counter-proposal, stating that details would be forthcoming next week.
Boehner said the President’s proposal “spends, taxes, and borrows too much,” adding “I think it’s completely irresponsible. Our plan curbs spending, creates jobs, and cuts taxes, while controlling the debt.”

Pence called it “the most fiscally irresponsible budget in American history,” saying it calls for “more spending, more government, more bailouts.”

He said the “national energy tax” (Cap-and-Trade) would cost every American household more than $3,000 per year. The increase on marginal tax rates would fall most heavily on small business owners, he said. “We believe it is our obligation to offer a better solution if we are in disagreement,” he finished.

Cantor said the Republicans had presented an alternative stimulus plan and housing plan and were preparing an alternative energy plan as well. He accused the President of turning from a centrist campaign to “ambushing” and “strong-arming” Congress toward a “more ideological” agenda.

Ryan promised the details of the plan next Wednesday on the House floor, calling the president’s version “reckless and irresponsible. It’s a budget that doubles the national debt in 5 and 1/2 years, and triples it in ten and 1/2 years. It’s a budget that increases our national debt and our borrowing more than in all prior presidencies.”


The pamphlet accompanying the announcement was 18 pages long and contained no specifics, but outlined broad policies, such as promoting nuclear power, encouraging enrollment in private insurance plans, reducing spending, reducing taxes, liberalizing exploration for oil in areas currently protected for environmental reasons, and ending “bailouts.”