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Baucus claims it's too difficult to put health care bill online

By: Barbara Hollingsworth
Local Opinion Editor
09/24/09 5:49 PM EDT

A proposal by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., that would have required the Senate Finance Committee to post the final language of the $900 billion health care reform bill, as well as a Congressional Budget Office cost analysis, on the committee’s website for 72 hours prior to a vote was rejected 12-11.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., was the only Democrat to side with Bunning. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, who is not a member of the Finance Committee, said she also supported Bunning’s proposal.

Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., himself admitted that “This probably sounds a little crazy to some people that we are voting on something before we have seen legislative language.” Indeed.

Baucus’ excuse - that it would take his committee staff two weeks to post the bill online – sounds a little crazy too. Finance Committee members are the only ones who vote based on the “plain English” version of a bill, not the legally-binding language.

“Senator Baucus, do we not deserve a few extra days of your time given that you and your fellow Democrats are setting out to completely overhaul our entire health care system funded with our tax dollars?” asked Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

tiredofit

Sep 24, 2009

So what if it would take 2 weeks to put it on the net, what is the big rush? Obama promised that EVERY bill would be posted on the net 3-5 days before it was voted on so people would have time to read it. What happened to that promise? Put the bill on the net so people can read it and contact their representatives or be voted out in 2010.

wscoasty

Sep 24, 2009

Since the committee and members of congress don't know what is in the bill they sure do not want us to know! From what I have learned it sounds like a train wreck in the making!

Arcticspirit

Sep 24, 2009

We need to get this re-addressed and passed. What happened to "transparency in government"?
This is so sad, that the constituents aren't even reading the bills and they are afraid of the public challenging them on the content. And Sen. Cary was very condescending when he said that no one would understand the bills anyway.
The mark of an intelligent person is the ability to write something in a way that is understandable, even if complex.
We know that congress farms out the writing of bills, they should at least have someone do it that can write fluently and where people and legislators can understand the bills.

This should be part of the condition of the bill as well. Transparency in language.

Arcticspirit

Sep 24, 2009

What happened to "transparency in government"? This is so sad, that the constituents aren't even reading the bills and they are afraid of the public challenging them on the content. And Sen. Cary was very condescending when he said that no one would understand the bills anyway. The mark of an intelligent person is the ability to write something in a way that is understandable, even if complex. We know that congress farms out the writing of bills, they should at least have someone do it that can write fluently and where people and legislators can understand the bills. This should be part of the condition of the bill as well. Transparency in language.

bobc

Sep 24, 2009

Cut off all freebies for all politicians! We are tired of you using us as serfs!
And Montana, please fire Baucus!

ladybug

Sep 24, 2009

If Senator Baucus' staff is having trouble getting the bill online, I'm sure any high school computer wiz would be more than able to do so, and probably for pay of food and praise.

But, even if it takes 2 weeks then let them take 2 weeks to do it.

Jacalyn

Sep 25, 2009

Im insulted Baucus think's I'm too stupid to read and understand the healthcare bill. Or maybe he's having trouble with Obama's promise of transparency. After all we will have no problem reading it and finding out what's REALLY in the bill. Maybe we can make cliff notes for the dummys in congress.

Sep 25, 2009

Perhaps this is a bill that needs to be passed and signed by the President. It needs to be made simple. The concept is simple.

Shrink wrap software licenses are taken as valid even though you cannot read them before breaking package seals on packages you have purchased already.

Let's create a shrink-wrap vote. A vote on a bill is taken as an automatic assertion under penalty of authority that the voter has personally read the bill in full, twice.

If it becomes obvious that the voter has not read the bill then a suit for violation of the terms of license vor that vote can be brought and tried in a court of law as soon as congress is not in session.

Punishment is a term not to exceed the remainder of the office holder's term in office.

{^_^}

Rick

Sep 25, 2009

They don't want the people to see all the taxes that will be forced on them to cover the "40 milllion" uninusred.

Sep 25, 2009

Oh give me the bill, I'll post it for you: free of charge.

They're afraid the opposition will exceed 60% and of course if the public gets word, it will.

Sep 25, 2009

They could have it uploaded to a website within minutes. There are 6 year olds who can post to a website!!!

ZZMike

Sep 25, 2009

That's ridiculous. Does he think they have to type it in, word by word?

And what about the versions of the bill that are already online?

Are they trying to tell us they're idiots?

Texpatriate

Sep 25, 2009

I'm confused. Do a Google search on "Baucus Health Care Bill" and you get everyone from Howard Dean denouncing it, to Newsweek writing a primer on it. Baucus himself has posted a white paper about it.

So what are all these people reading?

uranus

Sep 25, 2009

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euphrosyne

Sep 25, 2009

They expect us to trust in their efficiency and competence for administering national health care when it takes them two weeks to copy and paste a document to a website?

Sep 25, 2009

Looks like Republican Congressman John Culberson figured out how to post the bill. It's posted at sharedbook and allows users to comment on the bill.

http://culberson.sharedbook.com/pilot/enterBook.do?bookId=Culberson_HealthCareBill3200

Curious

Sep 25, 2009

There seems to be no way to download the document at sharedbook.com, only to view it online.

Does anyone know of a downloadable version?

BDR

Sep 25, 2009

Does the bill include a requirement for EMR? 300 million Americans can have their medical records online - not a problem - but it is too complicated for Congress to post even one bill online. Got it.

DirtCrashr

Sep 25, 2009

They don't want to put the actual Bill up because then people will see what a really rotten stinker it is and their complaints will be legitimate - and they won't be able to fudge and dissemble.

someone who knows better

Sep 25, 2009

Presumably said bill exists in an electronic form somewhere. Simple enough to open it and print to PDF (Open Office and Wordperfect both have this feature) and upload in about 15 minutes time.

Give me a break; two weeks??

Blacque Jacques Shellacque

Sep 25, 2009

"Baucus’ excuse - that it would take his committee staff two weeks to post the bill online – sounds a little crazy too."

Baucus is really, really full of crap.

Barry

Sep 25, 2009

It's not that he thinks WE'RE too stupid to understand it, it's just the opposite. He knows he can get away with it because HIS constituents don't even know this is happening in the first place.

Laika's Last Woof

Sep 25, 2009

Transparency it would seem is subordinate to the virtue of haste.
Be wary.
Any used car salesman will tell you: if the Sell comes with a deadline or implied sense of urgency you're being ripped off.
"We can't let people read the bill! That would take 2 whole weeks! We need a bill now or else!"
Or else what exactly? People might find out what's in it?
"You don't really need your wife to approve every decision you make, do you? This is YOUR car. See that guy over there? He was looking at this very same model. In the next hour this baby's rolling off the lot with or without you!"
*shudder*

jane

Sep 25, 2009

Sad, why would any bill be too large for anyone to read or understand let alone put on the internet?? Glad people are awake and realize the cherade

Fred

Sep 25, 2009

One day a farmer walks over to his neighbor's farm and asks to borrow some rope. The neighbor says, "Sorry, I can't do that, I need my rope to tie up my milk."

The farmer thinks about this for a moment and says, "Wait, that's impossible, you can't tie up milk with a rope!"

To which the neighbor says, "Well, I know, but when a man really doesn't want to do something, one excuse is as good as another."

lynn55

Sep 25, 2009

House Healthcare Bill can be read and commented on from Congressman John Culberson's site. It can also be downloaded as a PDF for those who want to read offline. No problem with doing the same with the Baucus bill.

JoeTheJuggler

Sep 25, 2009

But the full text IS already on the internet--at least as the proposal stands now.

Here are a few links to it:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11382446/Baucus-Health-Care-Bill---Full-Text

http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/091609%20Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.pdf

http://documents.nytimes.com/baucus-proposal-to-overhaul-health-care#p=1

seniorintrouble

Sep 25, 2009

the only way we can ever fix health care and social security in this country is to make sure everyone on capital hill has to use it! I bet they fix it in a hurry.

Ron

Sep 25, 2009

Sounds like Baucus is not up to the task of representing the fine citizens of Montana. Time for him to step aside and let someone more able take over.

Pogo

Sep 26, 2009

Hey Max, next time you enter into a contract, don't read it. Just skip to the last page and sign it. Don't want you to strain that pea sized brain by actually reading something.

Sep 26, 2009

Senator Baucus - I'm amazed Montanans put up with your numbnut excuses. Surely you accommodate big pharma such transperancy. Why not accommodate the American public?! It's easy - merely forward what you scanned for pharma on that high faulutin contraption the rest of the world is using, "attach", "upload", "publish". You're not fit to chair any committee. Hopefully Montanans will get serious and put your sorry deceptive arse out to pasture. With the likes of you in office, I'm ashamed these days to call myself a democrat.

Joe

Sep 26, 2009

In other news Max Baucus is still puzzling over what the "Print" icon is and if relates somehow to that magic box in his office that periodically emits paper with writing on it.

Joe

Sep 26, 2009

I need to apologize for my insensitive remarks earlier; apparently Max Baucus does know how to use a printer and has printed the bill using increasingly smaller fonts so he can more easily get the printed bill to fit into one of those "interweb tubes".

wec

Sep 27, 2009

This is a very dangerous period because Nationalization will still occur even without an overt government run insurance plan like this "public option" provision everyone keeps fixating on - Wyden/Bennett and the Bacus bill are prime examples of this.

Here are the core elements what will be contained in the “health care reform compromise” after the so-called “public option” is in all likelihood dropped:

(a) Federal Regulation aka HEALTH CZAR/DEATH PANELS

(b) Employer/Individual Mandates aka NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

(c) Government Subsidies aka MIDDLE CLASS MEDICAL WELFARE

With the Federal Government setting the rules, forcing everyone to participate, and is paying the bills for most of the middle class through subsidies how is this anything other than Nationalization?

Nick Stuart

Sep 27, 2009

Pants on fire. If a bill actually exists, turn it into a PDF and put it on the web. I do it all the time and I don't have taxpayer money funding me.

Edwin Sineath

Sep 28, 2009

If this health care bill is passed and signed into law, it means just one thing: no elections in 2010 and probably not in 2012 either. Why? Because the congressmen/senators that vote for this bill know that they will most likely lose their seat in 2010. If they do pass it, it will be because they have been assured by the President that there will be no election in 2010.

Commonsense

Sep 28, 2009

2010 can't come soon enough!!!

Jimmy Rage

Sep 28, 2009

Step 1: Scan document
Step 2: Save As .pdf file
Step 3: Hyperlink to appropriate web site

These guys need two weeks to complete steps 1, 2, 3 but think they can operate a national healthcare system with lower costs and better service.

tommy

Sep 30, 2009

chicken thieves

Scott B in DC

Oct 1, 2009

I wish the fourth estate would also learn civics so they can teach it. Every bill, every amendment, every resolution, every snippet about a bill added to the Congressional Record is already on line. Just go to http://thomas.loc.gov and search for the bill you want. The site is run by the Library of Congress which has the mandate to publish this information from Congress, who made the rules.

Sometimes it amazes me how alleged journalists, even if the title is "Local Opinion Editor," writes publicly without all of the facts. Opinions based on incomplete facts are even worse than news stories written under similar circumstances. It is very irresponsible for any alleged news service to allow misinformation to be published under their banner!

BLADESKATER00

Oct 2, 2009

http://ampatriot.blogspot.com/

Mike Konkel

Oct 3, 2009

Ram and jam time boys and girls. I suspect anything is too tough for the weenie king baucus.

Get in line seniors...man are you going to hear that alot....panels to be empowered later, rules to be constructed later, 500 billion from medicare....bring a good book...you will be waiting in line, if they can even afford you.

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Baucus claims it's too difficult to put health care bill online

By: Barbara Hollingsworth
Local Opinion Editor
09/24/09 5:49 PM EDT