Ben Harakel
Intro to Economics
Obamacare
Should Congress Be Exempt From Obamacare?
The partisan fight within the Senate has
been getting more and more tense because of the new bill David Vitter has
demanded a vote on. His bill would make sure that Congressmen would not be able
to exempt out of the Obamacare bill. To me this is where the whole problem
begins. Why is it that Congress was even allowed to exempt themselves from the
laws they make in the first place? Laws apply to everyone not just us that are
considered common people. This also brings into question how much confidence
Congress has in Obamacare. If the ones who make the laws don't want to stand by
them, why should I have to? The congressmen want so badly to keep their exempt
status that Democrats have started their own bill that would deny the subsidies
that Congressmen get for their healthcare to anyone who votes for Vitter's
bill. Another bill would try to "bar any lawmaker or aide found by a
congressional ethics committee to have engaged in the solicitation of
prostitution". This is obviously pointed towards Vitter who was involved
with a high end prostitution ring back in 2007. Is this really how our
nation is being run? The fact that lawmakers, especially some Senate democrats,
would turn to blackmail to try to stop their efforts from being thwarted. Are
these people really who we want guiding our country? Now I understand what
Vitter did was wrong but still, this sounds like something petty teenagers
would do, not Congressmen that run our country.
The exemption isn't the only flawed piece
of Obamacare. The biggest economic problem with it right now is the creation of
the 29 hour work week. Employers are becoming creative and dodging the part of
the act that says that they must provide healthcare for any employee who works
more than 30 hours (deemed full time). The act states that any business with
more than 50 employees who work at least 30 hours must provide healthcare for
those employees. I can't imagine that this is helping any recent college
graduate or any younger member of society trying to work to pay for college.
Not that most high schooler’s, or college grads need healthcare right away,
because they can stay on their parent's until they are 26, but it hurts the
amount of money they can make. The members of Congress in my opinion should
make the effort to help businesses so that they in turn can help their
employees. Take away the part mentioned above and I can almost guarantee that
companies would increase employee's hours.
I find the lack of cooperation in Congress
to be very disturbing. I'm not saying that Republicans are always right but in
this case Vitter's bill makes sense. What’s good for us is good for you. If I
have to follow the laws you make, you should have to follow them too.
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