With voter confidence dropping like a rock in a pond, it is time Congress stopped this runaway train called health-care reform. It is time to take a break, take a deep breath and look at the right-of-way ahead to make sure they are not running the taxpayers, and our nation, over a cliff.
A couple of trillion for health reform, a trillion or so for climate change and trillions added to our national debt is REAL MONEY. They need to stop this juggernaut before we saddle our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren with so much debt they can't pay their bills, feed their families or save for retirement.
Our nation is just showing signs of the long awaited recovery, but families and businesses can't take higher taxes or more costs. It really is time for President Obama and Congress to banish the self-imposed deadline of passing a trillion dollar health reform bill through the Senate by Christmas and have it signed into law so the President can trumpet it at his state of the union address early next year.
The Seattle Times said it best in yesterday's lead editorial:
"The health-care dance in Washington, D.C., has gone on long enough. Congress needs to focus on the economy and set health care aside.This is a change of position for us. This page supported Barack Obama for president, enthusiastically. We have supported the health-care effort until now.
The economy is wounded. Employers are hurting. The time to think about loading employers with new burdens is when they are strong. Not now.
Right now, Congress needs to focus on the economy."
It's time that citizens insist that President Obama and senators and representatives stop, recess and go home for a Christmas and New Years for a reality check.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
