Let's set aside for the moment the fact that the legislation itself is so damned butt-ugly they're having to bribe and extort members of the president's own party to vote for it.
Lets set aside for the moment the fact that the party leadership is using tactics to advance the legislation that offend the average citizen and bring to mind the term, "banana republic."
Let's just look at the fiscal impact.
That they claim it reduces the budget deficit is a statement so deceitful it offends anyone of at least average intelligence. The taxes begin as soon as the president signs it. The benefits don't begin for 4 years. That means the budget projection has 10 years of revenue and only 6 years of expenses. Only the federal government could tout that with a straight face.
Now lets take a look at at a little-reported headline from Moody's Investors Service by way of the New York Times:
Moody’s Says U.S. Debt Could Test Triple-A Rating
"The gold-plated credit rating of the United States — an article of faith across America and, indeed, around the world — may be at risk in coming years as the nation copes with its growing debts. "
That's no great surprise to anyone who has been watching. Moody's has been rattling the saber for a while. What should chill you to the bone is this comment buried deep within the body of teh article:
“Preserving debt affordability” — the ratio of interest payments to government revenue — “at levels consistent with Aaa ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion.”
They are talking about civil unrest. Do you have trouble believing that?
The federal government is poised to raise taxes a lot during a recession. At the same time it is creating a new entitlement. And when does the cost of an entitlement not spiral out of control.
We already had a debt bomb with Social Security. Health care moves the that time-line up and exacerbates it. You aren't going to have health care in 5 years. You'll be damned lucky if you have a country that you recognize in 5 years.
And it's nobody's fault but our own for letting those bastards run amok for all these years...