Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, as a doctor for over 30 years, I have become a pretty good judge of truth telling. We have heard Democratic leadership try to convince us that ObamaCare is going to pass, and with a ``robust'' public option.

It has become obvious there are not enough votes in Congress, and suddenly, the terms are changing. Within a few days, a whole new vernacular has emerged to describe the public option. This includes the opt-in and the opt-out option; the trigger--no offense to Roy Rogers' horse; the competitive option; and finally, the consumer option. Mr. Speaker, this is not a marketing problem; it is an idea problem.

To my Democrat colleagues, let me suggest a frequently spoken idiom: if you put lipstick on porcine, it is still porcine. Or if you prefer a Louisiana colloquialism: this dog won't hunt.

This bill will add 750 billion real dollars to the deficit, not to mention taxes and higher premiums on the middle class, all while covering relatively few more Americans. Fortunately, there are enough Democrats in both Houses who see past this sham and fear their voters more than their leadership, as they well should.

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