Senate Proceeding on Jul 29th, 2009 :: 1:00:55 to 1:07:35
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1:00:52 to 1:01:13( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: mr. president, before this body leaves for the mr. presiden yield mr. bennett: the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. bennett: mr. president, i listened with int friend from oregon outlined his relentss determination to get

1:00:55 to 1:07:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Robert Bennett

1:01:14 to 1:01:35( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: a solution to this problem. and i pay tribute to him for his willingness to do that, and i'm as we do our best to support what has been known cloak around the country as the -- colloquially around the country

1:01:36 to 1:01:58( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: as the wyden-bennett bill, as the bennett-wyden bill. senator and senator com here and speaks for permission in morning bus always speak about health care. and since we haven't anybody else here to speak about the bill on the floor, chairman dorgan has indulged them in that

1:01:59 to 1:02:19( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: bit of morning business. the one thread that has run through mu about health care has been, we must get rid of the present system, as if that were a debatable issue. everybody recognizes we must get rid of the present system. the proposal that senator wyden

1:02:20 to 1:02:43( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: and i have been behind gets rid of the p and coming to the floor and giving example after example of how the present system has fail americans is not the same thing as putting gitimate proposal as deal with the present system. and we discussed that a little

1:02:44 to 1:03:04( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: yesterday, so i won't go int it again. i just want to make one slight change -- one slight the comments that senator wyden made with respect to choice. when i first got here and the first lady of the united states, hillary clinton, was

1:03:05 to 1:03:25( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: health care program, one of the mantras that we heard on the street from people who would demonstrate was, we want what members of congress have. we want the plan you have. and i schussly but half seriously, i want the plan i had before i came here.

1:03:26 to 1:03:47( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: because the plan i better than the one that we got as members of congress. now, i pointed out the reason i wanted that plan is that i got to pick what that plan would be. how did i goat pick what that plan would be? i got to pick c.e.o. of the company that made the choice.

1:03:48 to 1:04:08( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: i was the only person in that company that got to pick because once i made the decision, this is what we will have in t company, e company was dependent upon my wisdom. now, senator wyden has pointed out, we do have a wide range of choices in the plan that's available to us as

1:04:09 to 1:04:30( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: employees. and i underscore when i this with people in utah, that just because i am a senator, i have the same pla at hill air force v this is the plan of all federal employees. and, yes, there are a number of choices. and, yes, i'm satisfied with it, and i like it.

1:04:31 to 1:04:53( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: but it is still true that it is my employer -- in this case, the federal government -- who designed the plan. i'm glad it's a goodlan. i don't think i would want to change it. i think i would take advantage of the promises that have been made in this debate that if you like what you've got, you can keep it. but the point is that someone

1:04:54 to 1:05:14( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: wh is an employer who has not made that available is frozen out of the opportunity for choice by virtue of the decision that the c.e.o. made. and the one sure-fire question i can ask and know will get in every town meeting i

1:05:15 to 1:05:35( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: hold on this is to of you in the group gathered either know somebody or are somebody trapped in a job he or she hates because they're afraid to lose their health care benefits? and every time i ask that question, hands go up all over the room.

1:05:36 to 1:05:56( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: that's the kind senator wyden and i are trying to change. these people are locked in a system they -- locked in a they hate because they're afraid they will lose their health care. and they are not allowed the choice of deciding what their health care dol spent for.

1:05:57 to 1:06:18( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: they are -- it is determined for them by their employer. if we go the direction in which senator wyden and employers who continue to offer plans that the will find that they are em right of choice to stay with that plan. but employers who say, no, we're

1:06:19 to 1:06:39( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: going to cut the corners a little and cut bac just because we think it would be better for our botm line if we do this will discover that, if our legislation passes, their employees will be empowed to say, we're taking our health care dollars and going someplace

1:06:40 to 1:07:00( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: else and making another choice. and that is the fundamental reason why we have been scored as having the bill that will turn the cost curve down rather than up. we change the present system in a way that will allow market forceso get into the mix and

1:07:01 to 1:07:21( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: allow people to free choice and start to save money as a consequence whereas all of the other plans that are being scored curve up do it because eliminate any power of the marketplace of individuals to

1:07:22 to 1:07:35( Edit History Discussion )

Robert Bennett: cheerexercise their choice. i wish we were and water. we seem to have turned this into a di because the other folks won't come down. i won't further. but having heard my colleague, i