Are aging Democrats in Congress hampering Obama healthcare reform and agenda?

Remember the hysteria about Sen. John McCain’s age during the 2008 campaign season? What no one talks about is the advanced age of Democrat leaders in Congress—fiefdoms are most definitely entrenched within a long term political entitlement class.

But the heavy hands ruling today’s Dem Party have in essence caused mediocrity to prevail. An example is President Barack Obama’s hope for healthcare reform. Yet the most conspicuous bill, HR 3200, is a lesson in failure. Democrats appear to want to remodel America’s vast healthcare system in order to address a relatively small group of American citizens and a segment of the population one major study described as “foreign-born noncitizens.”

Most of us believe healthcare reform is necessary. But HR 3200 isn't real reform--it is an expansion of bureaucratic control of another segment of our economy and will ultimately, according to many assessments, increase the federal deficit.

We also believe reform is necessary for energy. But  Waxman-Markey, if passed by the Senate, will escalate energy and food prices as well as prices for numerous other goods. Democrats allowed no debate from scientists and experts who disagree with the concept of manmade global warming, and the bill creates a financial bubble rather than addressing climate change.

In developing countries, weak leadership has led to deforestation and pollution. Many developing countries have become so accustomed to handouts, their leaders perpetuate their own ineptitude instead of working to help their people bring about peace and develop means to feed themselves. Waxman-Markey does nothing to address any of this. The bill should rightfully go down in history as a great injustice to the American people, starting with a questionable Supreme Court decision that ruled on behalf of the statist state of Massachusetts [Massachusetts vs. EPA]. Statists believe, for instance, that when we exhale,  we pollute the planet. That alone indicates people are increasingly refusing to think for themselves because the premise and the evidence defy logic.

One effect we can count on as a result of Democratic Party policy is that we will pay more for everything we need.

Protesters have been demonized for activism against healthcare, but the criticism would be more logically directed to the Democratic Congress. Since Democrats made such an issue of Arizona senator John McCain’s age, we believe it appropriate to ask the question if those in Congress who are dealing with advancing age should move along and bring new leaders in. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are approximately 70 years old. I noticed some in Congress no longer post their birth date, possibly to avoid the type of insults Sen. McCain endured. Big spender John Murtha, congressman from Pennsylvania, is in his late 70s. Sen. Teddy Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) health is failing and he is roughly the same age as McCain. But of course Kennedy’s health is far inferior to McCain’s, possibly due to lifestyle choices.

We have to ask ourselves if these issues aren’t relevant to the lack of quality in legislation like Waxman-Markey, various healthcare proposals like HR 3200 and the monster bill HR 2997. No one’s mentioned HR 2997, but it’s likely prices for milk will rise as a result of dairy price supports ($350 million). That bill had a tortuous process throughout its history—it includes money for potato research and $101 billion in mandatory spending for farm, food and nutrition programs in 2010*. Note the $101 billion is in addition to $34 billion in discretionary spending.[*Roll Call Report, w/e 8-7-09]

Democrats shot down a requirement for offsets for the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program praised by statists. It is the height of irony Democrats are astounded when the federal government offers free money and people are eager to get their hands on it. Democrats simply cannot bring themselves to cut spending. The Party embraces a “Spend and Tax” mentality.

When questions are asked about spending, congressional Democrats target President George W. Bush. But the statist party has held Congress now for 3 years, and that party has contributed significantly to record indebtedness. Drudge linked to an Associated Press story at Yahoo. Here’s the grim revelation: “The Obama administration is projecting that when the current budget year ends on Sept. 30, the imbalance will total $1.84 trillion, more than four times last year's record-high.”

I told an Obama supporter recently his Congress will be the millstone around his neck. Problem is most of those in power won’t be around for us to pay off the debt and the economics will create the same financial disasters created by Democrat president Franklin Delano Roosevelt who so mismanaged the free market we still feel the effects today. As people starved, especially in the South, Roosevelt destroyed crops and livestock. He was all about price control. And he loved taxes more than his [alleged] mistress I do believe.

Democratic voters should take a hard look at their own party leaders. You may hope, but I wouldn’t count on change, at least not the ‘change’ voters were promised during the campaigns.

Aging congressional Democrats are likely so set in their ways they are incapable of change that will benefit the people at large.