Does congress limit current and/or support authentic representation as it is currently structured? My answer to this question is that congress, as it is currently structured, limits authentic representation. Today, congressmen and senators tell the people what they want to hear in hopes of winning reelection, and catching the next flight out to D.C. for another two or six years.
One of the most disturbing ways that Congress limits authentic representation is by all the back room deals that go on to pass bills.
This is from www.atr.org
Cornhusker Kickback: Perhaps the most well known in the Senate bill, the provision, included at the behest of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), ensures that Nebraska would be the only state to have the full amount of its increased Medicaid costs paid for by the federal government.
The Louisiana Purchase: The Senate bill provides extra Medicaid funding for any state in which every county has been declared a disaster area. Because of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana is the only state that would qualify for the money. The $300 million provision for Louisiana was slipped in late in the process to persuade Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to support the health care takeover.
Gator Aid: At the request of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl), the Senate bill includes a formula for protecting certain Medicare Advantage enrollees from billions in cuts. The formula would only apply to five states, most notably to Florida in which 800,000 of the state's one million Medicare Advantage users would be exempt from cuts.
New England Handouts: In addition to the $100 million included in federal Medicaid payments for Nebraska, the bill provides two New England states with even more money Medicaid funding. According to CBO, the Senate bill now contains about $600 million in extra Medicaid cash to Vermont, and about $500 million in additional money for Medicaid to Massachusetts, making these three states the only to receive such funding. Despite claims that these cushy extras for a few states would be scaled back, reports indicate that the White House is still making deals so these states can keep the handouts.
The Dodd Clinic: Section 10502(a) of the bill provides $100 million for construction at an unnamed "health care facility" affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in a state with only one public academic medical and dental school. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) later sent a press release saying that he was securing the money for the University of Connecticut, and then Dodd bragged that, "These provisions will bring millions of dollars to the state so that Connecticut's residents can receive quality, affordable health care."
Montana Medicare Earmark: A provision slipped into the Senate bill by Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT), Section 1881A(b)(2), specifically expands Medicare coverage for individuals who reside "in or around the geographic area subject to an emergency declaration made as of June 17, 2009." The area the bill refers to is an asbestos contaminated area near Libby, Montana, for which Sen. Max Baucus has been trying to secure funding for years.
Read more: http://www.atr.org/full-list-backroom-health-deals-inbr-a4672##ixzz1GUSyue00
The Louisiana Purchase: The Senate bill provides extra Medicaid funding for any state in which every county has been declared a disaster area. Because of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana is the only state that would qualify for the money. The $300 million provision for Louisiana was slipped in late in the process to persuade Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to support the health care takeover.
Gator Aid: At the request of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl), the Senate bill includes a formula for protecting certain Medicare Advantage enrollees from billions in cuts. The formula would only apply to five states, most notably to Florida in which 800,000 of the state's one million Medicare Advantage users would be exempt from cuts.
New England Handouts: In addition to the $100 million included in federal Medicaid payments for Nebraska, the bill provides two New England states with even more money Medicaid funding. According to CBO, the Senate bill now contains about $600 million in extra Medicaid cash to Vermont, and about $500 million in additional money for Medicaid to Massachusetts, making these three states the only to receive such funding. Despite claims that these cushy extras for a few states would be scaled back, reports indicate that the White House is still making deals so these states can keep the handouts.
The Dodd Clinic: Section 10502(a) of the bill provides $100 million for construction at an unnamed "health care facility" affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in a state with only one public academic medical and dental school. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) later sent a press release saying that he was securing the money for the University of Connecticut, and then Dodd bragged that, "These provisions will bring millions of dollars to the state so that Connecticut's residents can receive quality, affordable health care."
Montana Medicare Earmark: A provision slipped into the Senate bill by Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT), Section 1881A(b)(2), specifically expands Medicare coverage for individuals who reside "in or around the geographic area subject to an emergency declaration made as of June 17, 2009." The area the bill refers to is an asbestos contaminated area near Libby, Montana, for which Sen. Max Baucus has been trying to secure funding for years.
Read more: http://www.atr.org/full-list-backroom-health-deals-inbr-a4672##ixzz1GUSyue00
How can anybody who reads this list say that we have a representative Democracy and not a system of, I will let you buy my vote for this amount? This was only the health care bill and these types of things go on with every bill that comes up for a vote. Now I know that some might be saying, “What the problem, they are just doing there jobs and are trying to get there state all that they can.” No, that’s not what they are doing; they are selling themselves. More like prostituting themselves out and the sad thing is, they are doing it with your money and my money. They are voting YES on things that they might have voted NO on had they not sold their votes.
Another way that authentic representation is limited is by the filibuster rules in the Senate. No longer does a simple majority of 51 win passage of a bill. If the opposition chooses they can now use a filibuster. What is a filibuster you might be asking? According to www.senate.gov :
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So you talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and just talk and introduce motions and talk some more. Just won’t allow a vote on the matter. A filibuster can be broken up by the cloture rule, which basically states that a supermajority, 60 votes, is required to end the filibuster. Another option is what people call the nuclear option. You can read more about the nuclear option and the filibuster by doing a simple Google or Bing or Yahoo search for the two.
If you can’t stop a bill with a filibuster or anything then the new cool thing to do is to not show up for work, run away to another state and not allow a quorum to happen, so zero work can actually get done.
These are just two ways that I see congress limiting authentic representation.
Damian
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