Republican Pledge To America Unveiled on Healthcare Day

I was wondering about the timing that the Republicans have in holding back on releasing their “Pledge to America” until today, the day that several new healthcare reform provisions take effect.

It doesn’t have to do with taking away some of the newsprint, does it?

After all, Republicans are all opposed to “Obamacare.” “Obamacare” is so bad for the country that they all pledge to repeal the whole thing, lock, stock and barrel.

Why then, make an attempt to divert national attention from this singular day? A day when no one may be dropped from their health care plan if they get sick. Rescission is a thing of the past as of today. A day when no child may be denied healthcare benefits because of a pre-existing condition.

Those things are bad, according to Republicans. So why steal the airwaves with their “Pledge to America,” a simple rewording of Newt Gingrich’s hugely successful “Contract With America.” Couldn’t they think up a new title?

I guess not, because in looking at their pledge, it looks like they didn’t come up with any new ideas, let alone an idea for a new title.

On the national debt, the plan is full of bluster but no solutions.

“Our debt is now on track to exceed the size of our economy in the next two years. The lack of a credible plan to pay this debt back causes anxiety among consumers and uncertainty for investors and employers.”

Their credible plan? None. Absolutely none. Nada. In fact, the only thing that I have been able to fathom on their treatment of the national debt is to find ways to increase it, not that they will admit to it, or even acknowledge the disingenuousness of their “plan.” Their intention to make the Bush tax cuts permanent for the top 2% income bracket in our nation, will in fact increase the national debt by $700 billion in the next ten years, but really, there is not time limit. Since the tax cuts are permanent this source of deficit is a permanent fixture in their minds.




Their credible plan? Cut the wasteful spending. Wow, now there’s a concept. According to Republicans, if they cut the wasteful spending, trim the congressional budget, and place a hiring freeze on federal employees they say they can save a whole $100 billion in the first year alone. Maybe so, maybe so. I wonder about the sanity of having a hiring freeze in the face of a 9.6% unemployment rate. Should government emulate the private sector right now?

What about that “trickle down” thing that Republican love to point to from time to time?

And then where are those $100 billion in cuts to be? Surely not military spending. Surely not in farm subsidies. More likely in human services, right? More likely in government programs that support hundreds of thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly.

They also pledge to honor the 10th amendment. To which all I have to say is this: whatever happened to honoring the 1st through 9th? Why does the 10th get to be the trump card? Oh . . .yeah . . . Rick Perry.

Other than that, all I can see is that Republicans plan to keep interfering in the personal lives of American citizens. They plan on regulating who you can marry, whether you should decide to have, or not have, a child, and to make sure that “faith-based organizations” continue to receive their attention and support (although I would imagine that Muslims need not apply).

Overall, my reaction to this Republican Manifesto, the one that they hope to use to retake congress this year is . . .