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A Republican Happy Holiday: Revenge |
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Revenge is an ugly trait. It’s especially odious during this season of good will toward humans. But Republicans just couldn’t leave office without giving more payoffs to their Big Business backers and exacting retribution in the wake of their massive electoral losses Nov. 7. Two examples, one each at the federal and state levels, highlight such greed and mean-spiritedness.
In one of his final acts as Speaker of the House, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) used the tax bill to create a major change in Medicare policy eagerly sought by a few health insurers, in particular a company headquartered in his home state.
This from the 3-million member Alliance for Retired Americans:
According to The New York Times, the provision “showed up mysteriously after House and Senate negotiators had finished writing the bill,” and was “added by the House Rules Committee, just a few hours before the bill went to the House floor.” Aon Corporation, which is headquartered in Chicago, stands to benefit the most from the change, which permits certain Medicare Advantage plans, but not others, to enroll people throughout the year. An Aon lobbyist admitted that his company was “actively involved in consideration of this piece of legislation.”
Says Alliance Executive Director Edward Coyle:
Right up until the bitter end, the 109th Congress was on the side of insurance and drug companies but not doing enough for seniors. We look forward to a refreshing change next year with the 110th Congress.
In Ohio, where Republicans lost a Senate seat, the governorship and key House seats, the Cincinnati Post reports yesterday that “Republicans’ parting gift to Gov.-elect Ted Strickland” included attacking the ability of unions to raise funds for political action and changed language of a minimum wage initiative Ohio voters passed Nov. 7.
Says AFL-CIO lobbyist Tim Burga:
The campaign-finance bill is just very punitive, vindictive to unions and working people. The minimum-wage one is not only a slap in the face to the 3 million Ohioans who voted for it, but to the rule of democratic principle. When you vote on something, the results should stand.
Working families strongly backed Strickland, who becomes Ohio’s first Democratic governor in 16 years when he takes office next month.
According to the Cincinnati Post:
The minimum-wage provision adjusted the wording of a November ballot issue that increased the minimum wage and gave third-party groups access to private payroll records to prove the new wage was being paid properly. The final bill clarifies that only the employee or a designated party, such as a lawyer, can get the records.
In campaign-finance legislation, the House approved a change the Senate had inserted to restrict the ability of union PACs to make political contributions by defining collective bargaining agreements as similar to state vendor agreements.
The bill sets political contributions at $2,000 from businesses seeking government contracts and reduces contribution limits by unions engaged in collective bargaining at the state or local level from $10,000 to $2,000.
Republican Gov. Robert Taft, mired in the scandal that resulted in Ohio Rep. Bob Ney pleading guilty to corruption charges related to influence peddling of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, hasn’t decided whether to sign the minimum wage bill, spokesman Mark Rickel said. Taft supports the general spirit of the campaign finance bill, but wants to review its details before committing to it, Rickel said.
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