Recently, Mr. William Better, former secretary of education co-wrote an OpEd called “The Hypocrisy of Congress’s Gold-Plated Health Care.” With Members of Congress complaining that Obamacare may not work at all and with parts of it being delayed weekly, due to a variety of problems, you’d like to think that the Members are making their decisions to fund and support The Affordable Care Act, based on their own experiences. But that won’t happen….again.
James Madison and the other founders of the Constitution knew that equal and unbiased application to all people, especially elected officials is essential to freedom and justice and one of the primary safeguards from oppression by a ruling class. As Mr. Madison wrote in Federalist paper number 57 “ (T)hey can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the grat mass of the society.”
Several Members of Congress – democrats and republicans – encouraged the President to take the initiative and carve out an exemption from the Affordable Care Act so all Members and their staff are exempt! By doing so, he eliminated their need to go on the record for getting the exemption. They will continue to keep their existing health-insurance plans through the subsidized Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Hypocrisy indeed!
Representative Ron DeSantis and Senators David Vitter and Michael Enzi put forth the James Madison Congressional Accountability Act in their respective Houses to end the special exemption. Check on the current status of the bill – It’s unlikely to get passed without a groundswell of public sentiment.
What do you think?