Thursday, February 26, 2015

Wasting Time, Republican Style: Perfected in DC, Cloned in WV

The GOP holds the majority in both houses of West Virginia's state legislature.  Much to the legislature's dismay, history indicates that, contrary to West Virginia's "redness," the people seem to favor Democrats for governor.  Since 1989, West Virginian's have elected only two Republicans to their state's highest office, and both of those served only one term.

Fortunately for the people of WV, when the Affordable Care Act was implemented, then Governor Joe Manchin (D) made sure his state created its own healthcare exchange and took advantage of ACA funds in order to expand Medicaid.  The uninsured rate in West Virginia dropped from 17.6 percent to 10.9 percent. 

Bowing to the obvious--that current Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) has no plans to change how healthcare works in West Virginia--six members of the Republican led House of Delegates have stepped up to rally the troops for a new offensive in the GOP's anti-"Obamacare" fight.  They have created a bill that declares the ACA "invalid" in West Virginia.  

The Charleston Gazette reports that "Under HB2509, federal employees would face felony charges, while state workers would be arrested for a misdemeanor offense, if they try to administer any federal regulations under the Affordable Care Act. 

what eye thynk:   Obvious to anyone who passed Government 101, this time-and-money-wasting bill is going nowhere, but that didn't stop the West Virginia House's Health and Human Resources Committee from taking up the proposal this week. 

That's what I call "Wasting Time, Republican Style."

Or maybe we should all be envious of the degree of perfection that civilization has reached in West Virginia...a perfection so flawless that the state legislature can find no issue needing improvement on which to focus their attention, a perfection so sublime that they must fill their calendar with pointless bills in order keep themselves busy and on the public payroll.

West Virginia, a model of nirvana for us all?  Or maybe just a bunch of "wild and wonderful" Republican legislators with no real agenda of their own...just like the big boys in Washington.

No comments:

Post a Comment