Political Quotes

“this is a bad rule, it is a bad bill, it is bad legislation, it has been handled poorly, it is going to hurt the American people, it is going to raise the cost of Medicare, and it is going to be generally bad for the economy, the country, and the budget. Having said, that, Mr. Speaker, it is probably OK to proceed. I would urge my colleagues to vote this rule down. I would urge them with equal vigor and diligence to vote down the legislation. The bill is being pushed more rapidly than information is available, and more rapidly than the committee or the House is being permitted to gather the facts about what the legislation does. Initial information shows that Medicare has had its costs increased 17 percent on the average in States in which this Medicare Select Program has been made available. What that means is that senior citizens are getting less for more, and the Medicare system is getting billed more for less. This is a wonderful giveaway to the health insurance companies. It is being crafted in a fashion which defies good explanation. The rule is needed today because the Republican leadership pushed this bill through the House without adequate thought, and then rushed it to a conference which did not deserve that honorable title between the House and Senate. We had a conferees meeting, which was scheduled for 5 p.m. one day last week. It was over at 5:01 p.m.…”