Have California lawmakers lost their minds?

Have California lawmakers lost their minds?
Posted by

http://www.uncoverage.net/category/government-waste/

on January 22, 2010 at 2:30pm


Update: Calif. Democrats Move to Outlaw Private Health Insurance


Posted on 21 January 2010 by admin Share

Update: Friday, January 22, 2010:

Have California lawmakers lost their minds? Day 2

Reaction from around the state and the country is rocking Sacramento statehouse Democrats who yesterday made the first move toward banning private health insurance in California and initiating a new, $225 billion a year “universal health care” plan.

Republican leaders in California say Democrats in the California Legislature’s Senate Appropriations committee are clearly out of touch with the mood of the public.

From the Contra Costa Times:

“It is incredible that once again, some of the more liberal Democrats are tone deaf to what’s going on in this nation,” said state Sen. George Runner, R-Antelope Valley. “This (California) bill is even more extreme than what’s being talked about in Washington.”

California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring said, “The Democrats’ ‘Massachusetts Meltdown’ on Tuesday proved that their idea of health care ‘reform’ is a loser.”

Democrats will find no support in the governor’s office, either.

“Any elected official that thinks it’s a good idea to strap the state with tens of billions of dollars from a government-run health care system is clearly not in touch with what voters need and deserve,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola. “The governor continues to oppose any single-payer government-run health care system.”

Tax protestors in various tea party groups around the country have begun phone-banking the California state senators who moved SB810 out of committee with no comment yesterday. (Contact information is below.)


DIDN'T THEY HEAR US?


January 21, 2010

Have Democrats in the California legislature not heard us?

Are they so arrogant, so issue-driven and so out-of-touch that they don’t care that they are bankrupting this state?

The entire country has been focused this week on Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts and its significance to the issue of national health care legislation pending in Congress. Today, just two days after Republican Scott Brown’s election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she no longer has the votes in the House to pass the Senate version of the health care bill. In effect, the plan for national health care just died today in Washington D.C.

One would think that the liberal Democrats, even in California, would take a lesson from the Massachusetts election and what it means. Instead, what happened this morning in Sacramento is a slap in the face to the citizens of California, and spit in the eye to voters nationwide. Democrats in the California Legislature’s Senate Appropriations committee, led by Sen. Mark Leno ( D-San Francisco)have voted, without any comment, to approve a bill ( SB 810 see HERE ) which will outlaw private health insurance in California and create a single-payer health insurance system in the state.

California’s non-partisan Legislative Budget Analysis Office says the bill would cost California taxpayers $200 billion a year,the bill’s language has no taxing or funding mechanism within it to pay for the proposed health care and the bill doesn’t take into consideration the ”significant” start-up costs and impact on the state’s economy: (See full budget analysis HERE.)

Legislative Budget Analysis:

For example, there would likely be significant up-front implementation costs, labor market disruptions, as well as reduced tax revenue from insurance companies. It is also possible that the provisions in this bill would make the state ineligible for federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) federal matching funds if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) do not approve waivers of federal Medicaid law. Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, and the Healthy Families Program, California’s CHIP, receive federal funds which match state General Funds to provide health care benefits to low-income individuals.


Tom Del Becarro, editor of Political Vanguard.com and Vice President of the California Republican party blasted the California Democrats in the Senate Appropriations committee for trying to shove universal health care down the taxpayer’s throats in a sneaky move:

Keep in mind that California is already amidst a chronic and prolonged budget crisis brought on by runaway spending and exorbitant taxing. Perennially listed among the worst states in our Union to do business, California features 10%+ income taxes and the highest regulatory burden around. So imposing are the costs to business in California, despite its ports and natural resources, Nevada and its desert is #1 in the Country in new business development.

Rather than make California job friendly again – and thereby increase government revenues through sales taxes and new income taxes from new jobs – California Democrats offer nothing but tax hikes and even more regulation. And now this.

The estimated cost of the Democrats California Health Care bill is over $210 billion dollars a year! Nearly 250% more than the existing state revenues. But wait – there is more – or less depending on how you think about it. The Democrats don’t even have a funding mechanism in place to pay for their bill. Instead, they want to create a committee (itself costing $1 to $2 million) to come up with a funding mechanism. Of course, that means a government committee to devise a tax scheme to pay for government bureaucracy.

Contra Costa Times reports the decision by Democrats to revive this bill was made over the objections of Republicans on the California Senate Appropriations committee:

The bill is almost identical to former Sen. Sheila Kuehl’s 2008 single-payer bill that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed.

Voting in favor of moving the bill forward this morning were Democratic sens. Christine Kehoe of San Diego, Ellen Corbett of San Leandro, Leno, Carol Liu of Pasadena, Curren Price of Los Angeles and Leland Yee of San Francisco.

In opposition were GOP sens. Dave Cox of Fair Oaks, Jeff Denham of Merced and Mimi Walters of Tustin.

With a projected budget deficit already approaching $21 billion, the highest state income and sale tax rates in the country, how can California taxpayers possibly afford any more government bureaucracies, especially one as huge as universal health care? Do California taxpayers want to have their private health insurance taken away?

Contact these Democrats and call your own state senator to make sure THEY CAN HEAR US NOW.

Here are the Democrats on the California Senate Appropriations Committee who voted today in favor of SB 810.


Chairman: Mark Leno San Francisco

Christine Kehoe, San Diego

Ellen Corbett, San Leandro

Carole Liu, Pasadena

Leland Yee, San Francisco



Here is the entire roster for the California State Senate- (hat tip: Heather Gass, Bay Area Patriots)



REPUBLICANS



Dave Cox-Phone: (916) 651-4001,Fax: (916) 324-2680



Sam Aenastad-Phone: (916) 651-4004,Fax: (916) 445-7750



Jeff Denham-Phone: (916) 651-4012,Fax: (916) 445-0773



Abel Maldonado-Phone: (916) 651-4015,Fax: (916) 445-8081



George Runner-Phone: (916) 651-4017,Fax: (916) 445-4662



Roy Ashburn-Phone: (916) 651-4018,Fax: (916) 322-3304



Tony Strickland-Phone: (916) 651-4019,Fax: (916) 324-7544



Alex Padilla-Phone: 916-651-4020,Fax: 916-324-6645



Bob Huff-Phone: (916) 651-4029,Fax: (916) 324-0922



Robert Dutton-Phone: (916) 651-4031,Fax: (916) 327-2272



Mimi Walters-Phone: (916) 651-4033,Fax: (916) 445-9754



Tom Harman-Phone: (916) 651-4035,Fax: (916) 445-9263



Dennis Hollingsworth-Phone: (916) 651-4036,Fax: (916) 447-9008



John Benoit-Phone: (916) 651-4037,Fax: (916) 327-2187



Mark Wyland-Phone: (916) 651-4038 ,Fax: (916) 446-7382





DEMOCRATS



Elaine Alquist-(916) 651-4013,(916) 324-0283 (Fax)



Ron Calderon- Phone: (916) 651-4030,Fax: (916) 327-8755



Gilbert Cedillo-Phone: (916) 651-4022, Fax: (916) 327-8817



Dave Cogdill- Phone: (916) 651-4014, Fax: (916) 327-3523



Ellen Corbett- Phone:(916) 651-4010, Fax: (916) 327-2433



Lou Correa- (916) 651-4034



Mark DeSaulnier-Phone: (916) 651-4007, Fax: (916) 445-2527



Denise Ducheny-Moreno (916) 651-4040, (916) 327-3522 fax



Dean Florez-Phone: (916) 651-4016,Fax: (916) 327-5989



Loni Hancock-Phone: (916) 651-4009, Fax: (916) 327-1997



Christine Kehoe-Phone: (916) 651-4039 Fax: (916) 327-2188



Mark Leno-Phone: (916) 651-4003, Fax: (916) 445-4722



Carol Liu-Phone: (916) 651-4021, Fax: (916) 324-7543



Allen S. Lowenthal-Phone: (916) 651-4027, Fax: (916) 327-9113



Gloria Negrete-McLeod-Phone: (916) 651-4032, Fax: (916) 445-0128



Jenny Oropeza-Phone: (916) 651-4028, Fax: (916) 323-6056



Alex Padilla-Phone: 916-651-4020, Fax: 916-324-6645



Fran Pavley-(916) 651-4023, Fax: (916) 324-4823



Curren Price-Phone: (916) 651-4026, Fax: (916) 445-8899



Gloria Romero-Phone: (916) 651-4024, Fax: (916) 445-0485



Joe Simitian-Phone: (916) 651-4011, Fax: (916) 323-4529



Darrell Steinberg-Phone: (916) 651-4006, Fax: (916) 323-2263



Patricia Wiggins-Phone: (916) 651-4002, Fax: (916) 323-6958



Lois Wolk-Phone: (916) 651-4005, Fax: (916) 323-2304



Roderick Wright- (916) 651-4025, Fax: (916) 445-3712



Leland Yee-Phone: (916) 651-4008, Fax: (916) 327-2186

It is time to get rid of the legislators who keep spending and spending and spending ….we cannot afford them.



Tags: Calif., California, Democrats, GOP, Health, Insurance, Leno, Mark, Move, Outlaw



Comment by Josie on January 22, 2010 at 3:08pm
This is insane. I didn't know this was happening!