Something ugly happened this week here in California’s liberal-dominated legislature: Governor Schwarzenegger’s health-care overhaul — negotiated with Democrats, successfully passed the state assembly — could not muster enough votes to get out of a key Senate committee.
This was a breakthrough plan, at a discount price. Why, for a mere 15 billion dollars — a mere pittance — 70 percent of California’s uninsured population (over 5 million people) could have had instant free health care!
Sure, government mandates would have increased; businesses, hospitals, and smokers would have faced higher taxes. But California was in a position to once again lead the way, to show the rest of America how to deliver socialized medicine to the masses.
With so much at stake, with the dream so close to being realized, why — how — couldliberal senators kill it? Democrat Sheila Kuehl, who headed the Committee, says: “It doesn’t matter if there are all these good things in the bill, if there’s not sufficient funding to pay for them.”
That’s it? That’s the excuse?
No money? This bill, which would have given hope and free health care to millions, was killed over… money? Minorities and the poor are now going to be hardest hit — again — because a few heartless, mean-spirited, shortsighted California legislators don’t want to spend the money?
When has that ever stopped them, folks?
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