Providing For Consideration Of Senate Amendments To H.R. 3590, Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act Of 2009, And Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 4872, Health Care And Education Reconciliation Act Of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health bill.

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Mr. Speaker, I support the principles of Thomas Jefferson who stated ``I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.''

I rise today to express my disappointment not only with the provisions in the irresponsible health care takeover, but with the process that was used to secure votes. Speaker Pelosi promised the most ethical and honest Congress in history and the President said eight times on the campaign trail that health care negotiations would be televised and transparent. Unfortunately we haven't seen anything that even remotely resembles this rhetoric.

It is outrageous that in 2010, with all the new media tools of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, blogging, and Skype that Congress, lawmakers and the Administration have at their disposal that the American people are still shut out of this debate. This is a bill that impacts the health and safety of every American and makes up one sixth of our economy--the American people certainly deserve a seat at the table.

But the American people are being ignored. You would think after record-breaking town hall meetings, an unprecedented House Call on Washington, and the election outcomes in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Jersey, that congressional leaders and the administration would wake up and tune in.

I was grateful to host in South Carolina the largest Congressional town halls in history of 1700 in Columbia, 1500 in Lexington, 1500 in Beaufort and 1200 at Hilton Head Island along with the first Congressional town halls ever for Barnwell, North in Orangeburg, and Varnville in Hampton County. 98 percent of attendees opposed government takeover.

The majority of Americans have made it perfectly clear that they do not want a health care bill that: Mandates private citizens purchase health care, whether they need it or want it; causes millions of employers to cancel the health insurance they currently offer; and creates a health care czar to impose price controls on private health insurance.

What is even more disconcerting about this bill is that Congress and the Administration has decided to plow ahead with this before addressing the tragic employment rate that continues to cripple many communities across the Nation. Where are the jobs? That is what we should be talking about each and every day. Instead of standing down here debating a bill full of job-killing taxes and mandates, we should be debating ideas that will give employers job creation incentives and offer tax relief to hardworking families. The National Federation of Independent Business, the voice of America's small business, has revealed the takeover will kill 1.6 million jobs.

As I conclude, I'd like to take this opportunity to speak directly to the concerned citizens who fought so hard over the last year to protect the doctor-patient relationship and prevent a Federal Government takeover of health care. The provisions in the bill and the process used to secure passage were both designed to enhanced the power of politicians; you should be proud of your efforts to limit such power by town halls and tea parties.

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