“…and that’s a dangerous place to be.”
Posted by Catherine Favazza - 03/12/09 at 11:03 amOn Tuesday, I joined a group of conservative bloggers to meet with Rep. Tom Price, congressman from Georgia and the chairman of the Republican Study Committee. A staunch conservative and a 20-year veteran of orthopedic surgery, Price met with us to discuss–appropriately–Congress’ spending spree and health care. He also took questions from the crowd of about 40 bloggers.
It’s worth noting first that Rep. Price has made it a priority to be as transparent as possible and is using technology to accomplish that goal. His meeting with us in and of itself is an obvious indication of that, but additionally, he’s using YouTube to increase the reach of his message. He showed us a video that he put together regarding the incredible amount of wasteful, pork-project spending included in the omnibus bill. Take a look:
Pretty effective video, if you ask me. It’s short and simple, yet conveys a critical message in an easy to digest way.
Those of us with complaints about Washington like to call attention to the self-serving, massive egos that get tangled up in The People’s business. That’s not the case with Price. He said yesterday, “We now have a political economy, and let me tell you, that’s a dangerous place to be.” He spoke about the way that politicians control (or attempt to control) the economy, as opposed to the market having control of the economy. He called out his Washington colleagues–particularly Barney Frank–who have worked their magic to obtain special favors, favors that hurt the overall American economy and further delay our nation’s recovery.
Price recognizes that spending in Washington has spun far out of control. He noted in the meeting yesterday that we are set to accrue more debt in the next 10 years than we have accrued in the entire history of our nation. From George Washington to George W. Bush, America did not develop a debt as high as the debt we are in the midst of creating today.
Regarding the excessive earmark requests in the bills that Congress has examined in the last 50 days, Price said, “The process is corrupt and is corrupting.” The sneaky way that lawmakers can slide their own interests into legislation must be revisited.
Because Price was an orthopedic surgeon for 20 years just outside Atlanta, health care is an issue close to his heart. “If we mandate health care,” he emphasized, “we have to define what health insurance is.” That might not sound so bad, but consider this: If politicians are the ones defining what insurance is, we’re placing important health care decisions in the hands of politicians, not doctors, or more importantly, patients. If politicians decide what health insurance everyone will use, those of us (myself included) who have sought out high deductible plans with health savings accounts might find that the plans we want are not covered under a new, nationalized system. He has an alternative solution to the health care mess that includes, among other things, incentivizing health insurance with tax credits and providing tax equity. These steps ensure that patients own and control their own plans. Such an alternative plan has been introduced in the past (H.R. 2626) and Price assured us that a version of it will be introduced soon.
Price also expressed a serious concern about the way that the stimulus bill has paved the road for universal health care by allocating $50 million to research “comparative effectiveness,” a formula right out of former Sen. Tom Daschle’s book. (The Heritage Foundation summed up the problem with such research last month, if you want to read some background information.)
When asked about President Obama’s alleged commitment to bi-partisanship, Price responded: “The bi-partisan language has been good. The bi-partisan deed has been none.” He went on to suggest that House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi “virtually refuses” to accept Republican input. Along the same lines, Price criticized the so-called “Blue Dog Democrats,” saying that the only way to get credibility in D.C. is to match your words and deeds. Many of the moderate Democrats in the House are from fairly conservative districts and were elected promising to represent them as such, but have–for the most part–failed to take a stand within their Party. “Moderate Democrats could control this Congress if only they would coalesce,” said Price. He also noted that Obama met with his conference once earlier this year–and that is one more time than Pelosi has met with them in the two years she’s been in her leadership role.
Price also spoke to the damage that the Congress has done this year. “We’ve seen a remarkable change in only 50 days,” according to Price. “I know in my gut that the American people don’t want what’s happening.”
Regarding the fragile state of the economy and the uncertainty of investors, Price said, “Why invest if the government might come in and dilute your investment or bail out the competition?” I think that one sentence sums up a major reason why the market has yet to improve and I haven’t heard anyone else articulate it so succinctly. My sincere hope is that Rep. Tom Price, and the others who have joined him in spreading this message, will get through to the other politicians in Washington–and soon. The country is depending on it.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Related posts:
- “Repair the system we’ve got!”
- “Government has no incentive to improve.”
- POLL: Is health care reform “class warfare?” You be the judge.
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