Even the most ardent liberal can't defend this

Didn't we all take a civics class in high school that taught us how a bill becomes a law in this country? I know I did, so that brings me back to health care. Regardless of your opinions on health care reform or the health insurance industry, you can't defend what Congress is doing to pass the Democrats bill into law. Don't know what I mean? Well, here's the process they are planning on using. 1. They know they don't have the votes to pass the Senate bill in the House without amendments, which they can't get under a normal legislative process because that would allow the Senate to filibuster it if they didn't like the changes (they would). Since they can't even get the Democrats to agree, they can't pass this bill into law, period. However, using the reconciliation procedure, they can bypass the will of the Senate by passing the bill, then passing the changes they want and sending those to the Senate for consideration which would then only require a 51 vote majority under the rules of reconciliation. The fact that this procedure was developed and intended and almost always only used for budgetary bills in the past notwithstanding, this is the process they need to follow, no matter how onerous we may find it.

However, they've gone a step further. They can't get 216 votes to pass the Senate bill without changes, which they can't do under reconciliation. So, how to get around that? They are going to use the Slaughter rule, which is an uncommon but not unheard of method of moving things forward in the House but which was never intended to be used to avoid voting on legislation. This is how it will work. Pelosi will attach the Senate bill to the reconciliation bill since they can get the votes on the bill to "change" the Senate bill. However, after that bill passes, she will separate the Senate bill from the changes bill and send that to the President for his signature, having deemed that the Senate bill passed the House because the reconciliation bill passed, even though they clearly don't have the votes to pass the Senate bill. This goes beyond onerous, but leaps right on into undemocratic. However, this bill, now having been deemed to have passed even though we all know it wouldn't, now goes to the President along with the Senate bill and he signs it into law, without it ever having received an up or down vote in the House. Then, maybe, the Senate will pass the reconciliation legislation, but don't count on it. Whether the Senate passes reconciliation or not, this country will now have government health care designed, not to help people, but to solidify power for the government and themselves. This means they've now jumped right on past undemocratic and into unconstitutional territory. Article 1, section 7 of the U.S. Constitution states:

"Section 7 - Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto

All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill."

The relevant statement here is that "in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be recorded on the journal of each house respectively". This means they actually have to vote on it in the House. Period. If they can't pass the Senate bill, they can't move forward on reconciliation. Period. Any other reading of this doesn't make sense, yet they want us to believe that they can just decide the bill has passed because another related bill did pass. This is the most egregious power grab in this country's great history and if we allow it to stand, we will be guilty of, not stealing from but bankrupting our children's posterity. That is the most politically immoral act this country can do, to destroy our children's future. That is what this bill is about. Period.