The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a nonpartisan, independent office that helps estimate the fiscal impact of bills pending before Congress. That's part of why it exists.
But when the fiscal impact of bills shows a contradiction of GOP policy, something has to give, and in this case -- as in all cases -- what has to give is fiscal responsbility.
The only-for-show bill introduced to repeal the health care reform was reviewed by the CBO, and the CBO found that repealing health care reform would add $230,000,000,000 to the deficit over the next 10 years. That's $23,000,000,000 per year -- nearly two billion dollars per mont added to the deficit if Republicans get their wish to repeal health care reform.
That bears repeating.
TWO BILLION DOLLARS PER MONTH.
What does House Speaker John Boehner say about the estimate? He dismisses it as CBO's opinion, and one he doesn't believe -- this time. Although Boehner has happily touted CBO's opinions in the past, he doesn't want to listen to facts when they contradict his beliefs. Especially when the beliefs in question are making sure that the insurance companies who were his number one campaign contributor this last election get what they paid for.
The health care reform law in part provides for continued insurance coverage to the age of 26, ends lifetime caps on care for insureds, and provides other protections for people, and especially children. But the Republicans have made clear, over and over and over that they do not care about the good of the country or the good of individual people if they can line the pockets of the rich who put them in power. Worst President Ever George W. Bush threw "conservatism" out the window when he bailed out Wall Street. Congressional Republicans threatened our country's safety and withheld unemployment compensation until they got "Hey I'm Still President" Obama to agree to tax cuts for millionaires, and now Boehner is willing to spend two billions dollars per month to make sure that children don't get health care.
It all just makes me sick. Which isn't good, considering I'm not rich.
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