Senate Proceeding 07-13-09 on Jul 13th, 2009 :: 1:05:55 to 1:14:15
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1:05:53 to 1:06:13( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. a senator: i ask that the quorum call be sra eu indicated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wicker: thank you, as more americans become familiar with the details of the democrats' proposal for a washington takeover of our health care system, the wheels are beginning to fall off, and

1:05:55 to 1:14:15( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Roger F. Wicker

1:06:14 to 1:06:34( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: for good reason. it's no longer just the republicans who are sounding the alarm. it's independents and centrist democrats who are showing generous -- are who are showing genuine concern. we still do not have a good answer about the cost of the two

1:06:35 to 1:06:55( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: major senate proposals, one from the finance committee and the other from the "help" committee. but we do know that it will be enormously expensive once they're finally scored. there's also the house proposal from speaker pelosi and chairman waxman which is believed to cost $1 trillion over a ten-year period.

1:06:56 to 1:07:17( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: you know, mr. president, one great aspect of our representative democracy here in the united states is that elected officials still listen to the people who sent us here. even senators with six-year terms go bk to their respective states often and have their fingers on the pulse of public opinion.

1:07:18 to 1:07:40( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: what they heard over the recent independence day break was alarm over the amount of money the federalovernment is spending in such a short period of time and over the monstrous debt we're incurring. we also heard from the voters. we heard from the taxpayers that they are concerned over the direction health care legislation is heading.

1:07:41 to 1:08:01( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: a recent cnn poll found that a broad majority o concluded that their health care costs would go up -- not down -- under the democrats' plan. the poll found that 54% say their member insurance costs will increase if the democrat

1:08:02 to 1:08:22( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: democrat plan is adopted while only 17% of americans feel their costs will decrease. only one out of five said their family would be better off if the democrats' refor enacted. this lack of enthusiasm for democrats' plans isn't just driven by partisan oosition.

1:08:23 to 1:08:45( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: a recent rasmussen survey found skepticism is also high among independent voters with a plurality -- some 39% of those not affiliated with eit party -- strongly opposed -- strongly opposed -- to the democrats' plan. mr. president, i want health care reform enacted this year. as a matter of fact, i wanted health care reform enacted in the last congress.

1:08:46 to 1:09:07( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: but i wan to president obama's campaign promise of last year, one that allows americans to keep their insurance plans if they are satisfied with them and one that actually saves money american economy. last year candidate obama said the united states is spending

1:09:08 to 1:09:29( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: too much money on medical care and he vowed to put forth a plan to save money. i want to see that proposal. i want to see a would save money, not one that would spend another $1 trillion, $2 trillion or $3 trillion that we don't have, that we'll have to borrow from our grandchildren

1:09:30 to 1:09:50( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: and from our great-grandchildren. and i hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will not characterize these legitimate concerns as scare tactics. the figures that have the americans frightened are ones publ budget office, not from some right-of-center think tank here

1:09:51 to 1:10:11( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: in washington, d.c. in addition, the suggestions about how to pay for this gigantic scheme for federal takeover are just as troubling. the kennedy bill, for example, includes a $58 billion tax on workers that would be imposed to create a government insurance

1:10:12 to 1:10:32( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: program for long-term care. the bill also includes an additional $36 penalties on individuals for not purchasing a government-approved health coverage policy. another $52 billion would come from new taxes on employers.

1:10:33 to 1:10:53( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: the house is considering a $540 billion proposal to put a 1% to 3% surtax on small businesses. there are also plans to tax beverages that contain sugar and proposals to place payroll taxes on capital gains earnings. and all of these tax increases

1:10:54 to 1:11:15( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: would come during a recession and would still not be enough. there will have to be hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to the medicare program. in essence, to finance this scheme, we will have to agree to tax workers, we'll have to agree to tax job creators and to cut benefits for senior citizens.

1:11:16 to 1:11:37( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: two opinion pieces from "the washington post" last friday provide clear evidence of honest concerns over the way the democratic legislation is heading. in its own editorial, "the washington post," hardly a right-wing publication, noted discouraging developments on capitol hill. among other this, "the

1:11:38 to 1:11:58( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: washington post" expressed disagreement over the democrats' continued insistence on a public option. the editorial went on to say -- quote -- "restructuring the health care system is risky enough that the democrats would be well -- would be wise not to try to accomplish it entirely on their own." end of quote.

1:11:59 to 1:12:19( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: this isound advice from a leading newspaper that endorsed senator obama when he was running for president last year. in another op-ed on the same topic, columnist michael kinsley points out that -- quote -- "people, even liberals, are starting to get unnerved by the

1:12:20 to 1:12:41( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: cost of all this." he cites two risks for health care reform. one is that it won't pass, and an opportunity will be lost. the second is that if it passes, it won't work. and i ask my colleagues this, mr. president: if we pass a $1 trillion or $3 trillion plan

1:12:42 to 1:13:02( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: that doesn't work, how will we ever reverse that mistake? how will we get the genie back in the bottle? mr. kinsley rightly urges the president to slow things down on health care reform in order to get it right. and then mr. kinsley goes on to suggest that the president not try for a total overhaul of

1:13:03 to 1:13:23( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: health care, but instead seek smaller successes or low-hanging fruit. he advocates medical malpractice reform, outcomes research and eliminating paperwork and waste as a starting position. i believe such an approach is

1:13:24 to 1:13:44( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: sound and could be on the president's desk by the end of september. when michael kinsley and "the washington post" editorial board begin asking advocates of an enormous washington takeover to pause and reflect, i submit it's time for all americans, from the

1:13:45 to 1:14:05( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: left, from the right, and from the political center to sit up and take notice. the good news from these developments is this, we now have a better opportunity for health care reform that doesn't break the bank. i hope that the congressional leadership will go back to the drawing board and write a targeted bill that addresses the

1:14:06 to 1:14:17( Edit History Discussion )

Roger F. Wicker: real problem, such as, coverage for the uninsured. congress should listen to michael kinsley. congress should listen to "t washington post" editorial board