Scroll down to read this post.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. I keep the website clean from pop-ups and annoying demands. Instead, I depend entirely on my readers to support me. Though this means I am sacrificing some income, it also means that I remain entirely independent from outside pressure. By depending solely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, no one can threaten me with censorship. You don't like what I write, you can simply go elsewhere.

 

You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:

 

1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.

 

2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
 

3. A Paypal Donation:

4. A Paypal subscription:


5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
 
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652

 

You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.


Senate to ignore House Obamacare replacement, write its own bill

Failure theater: Senate Republicans today said in interviews that they plan to ignore the House Obamacare replacement bill, passed earlier today, and write their own bill from scratch.

A Senate proposal is now being developed by a 12-member working group. It will attempt to incorporate elements of the House bill, senators said, but will not take up the House bill as a starting point and change it through the amendment process. “The safest thing to say is there will be a Senate bill, but it will look at what the House has done and see how much of that we can incorporate in a product that works for us in reconciliation,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

“We are going to draft a Senate bill,” added Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “That is what I’ve been told.”

I have no faith in what we will get in the end, mainly because it is apparent these guys are not starting from the premise of eliminated the law and its unworkable regulations. Instead, they are proposing, as the House did, to install their own unworkable regulations.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

22 comments

  • wayne

    Roy Blunt– Conservative Review Liberty Score of 39%
    Chuck Grassley -Liberty Score of 66% (and 36 years in Washington)

  • BSJ

    “Make no mistake, this is a repeal and replace of Obama care…, make no mistake, make no mistake.”

    Because saying it over and over again makes it true…

  • Juan

    I swear I am amazed at how many feet the Republicans still have. You would think with all the times they have shot themselves in the foot over the past 8 years that they would be out of them by now.

  • Cotour

    How you know you have once again been screwed :

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-why-congress-exempted-itself-122606984.html

    When the overlords exempt themselves from the consequences of their own actions you know in the end you have once again been had. What would be productive? Actually pass a no holes law where Congress and the Senate must abide by all laws that they pass.

  • wayne

    “….once again, stabbed in the back by DJT…” (and we’re supposed to thank him for being so brilliant & wonderful.)

    Trump, Priebus, Ryan, and Mitch,– love things exactly they way they are and never intend to change anything.

  • LocalFluff

    wayne,
    Those are the guys people have elected. The Republicans is a socialist party, married with their total opposite in the shape of libertarian theoreticians. What is any president supposed to do about that? Elect another people? I think the Republicans need to split into three different parties. The communists, the libertarians and the islamist neocons. Like the Democrats should split into the communists and the social democrats.

    I don’t understand why there are only two parties in the US, all representatives and senators are elected by local majority vote. How could this not spur a multitude of political parties? There’s a huge variety of views inside of each party, much of the Democrats are to the right of much of the Republicans. Why don’t they break out?

  • wayne

    LocalFluff–
    in part, the reason we only have 2 political parties (well, only 1 in reality let’s face facts), is that they have institutionalized their power and control over our Federal government.
    It is extremely difficult for any other political party to actually get on the Ballot in places.
    (and far too many people think the 2 party system is in our Constitution.)

    Bernie, for example, he’s a self avowed Communist and not a member of the Democrat Party per se. He is allowed to caucus with the Democrats

  • Cotour: Your information is incorrect. The House specifically added legislation that stated they were not exempt from the law. See: http://freebeacon.com/issues/nyt-correspondent-falsely-reports-house-voted-exempt-themselves-gop-health-care-bill/

  • Cotour

    “Republicans are attempting to pass the AHCA through a process called reconciliation. This process, created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, allows the Senate to pass certain bills relating to the federal budget with just a simple majority. There is no need to get 60 votes — and, in this case, some Democratic support — as there is for other legislation. A variety of complex rules govern what matters may and may not be considered through reconciliation.”

    This appears to have been complicated by these procedures. I think I will wait to own up to misstating these “facts”. If in fact the Republicans have included themselves in all of the aspects of the new law then I say there may be hope. I just do not trust this procedural confusion.

    I will re comment on this at a later date when this is better understood, I trust them not, nor should you. What kind of “secret” subsidies might be included in these maneuvers where it makes it appear that they are all subject to it but in the end there is some government agency that will be paying 3/4 ers of Congresses costs for healthcare?

    With all due respect, I will wait on this one.

  • wayne

    Cotour– they specifically exempted themselves.
    Priebus, Ryan, and Mitch, aren’t confused as to procedural rules. They know exactly what sort of lies they are spinning.

  • Cotour

    The Zman seems to disagree with you.

    Like I said, I will wait this one out.

  • wayne

    Correction– my error.

    As I understand it–they remain exempt from Obamacare, under their original exemption.
    Has that changed?

    (trying to keep up on current-language, but it’s impossible for me to do so. My default is always to “they are lying.”)

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    yes, caught that.
    >My error.

    Looks like they are going to have to pass the Bill, before we know exactly what is in it.

  • Cotour

    I agree with your default position “they are lying” sans any credible evidence to the contrary. Go with the nature of the beast.

  • I think we all agree that the default position should be that “they are lying.” I also note that the separate bill that removed the Congressional exemptions is very conveniently easily forgotten when the Senate works up its version. This way, House members get their exemption but can claim they voted unanimously against it.

    I just thought it necessary, for accuracy, to note its passage.

  • wayne

    “Lying is a skill like any other…”
    Garak from Deep Space Nine
    https://youtu.be/TS1jhCrqVtg
    (1:51)

  • TimArth

    Wayne!! Quoting Garak makes you more impressive. Whenever I watch that series, I always hit the Garak episodes. And, of course, one of the best aspects of Garak is that he was the main bad guy in the first Dirty Harry movie many, many years earlier.

  • A rather premature celebration, I would say. These guys seem to have missed out on the vital civics lessons taught by Schoolhouse Rock.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFroMQlKiag

  • LocalFluff

    Very cute cartoon! But Republicans not repealing Obamacare would be like democrats voting for Trump. Republicans aren’t quite as suicidal as the Democrats. They have to support this, just because it is known as the repeal even if it really isn’t really much like it, or they will repeal themselves. They can blame any deficiencies on fixing it in the imaginary “phase 2”. The three republican senators voting for keeping Obamacare as it is would hardly find it worthwhile.

    Real reforms will start after mid-term elections when the Republicans get 60% majority, and many of them Trump loyalists. The communist/islamic politics of the Democratic party will be a disaster among the voters. In France, the socialist party which has dominated politics since WW2 with around 50% in every election, got only 7% in the presidential election a few weeks ago. The Democrats might also suddenly land on a similar number.

  • wayne

    LocalFluff–
    Schoolhouse Rock was big in the early ’70’s on American TV. (ABC network if I recall) Saturday morning’s were when the 3 networks showed cartoons.

    TimArth–
    Love me, some DS-9!
    -The entire Star Trek catalog has been re-issued in DVD.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *