U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-MT, claims it would be too difficult for congressional staff to put the final language of a health care bill online:
A proposal by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., that would have required the Senate Finance Committee to post the final language of the $900 billion health care reform bill, as well as a Congressional Budget Office cost analysis, on the committee’s website for 72 hours prior to a vote was rejected 12-11.Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., was the only Democrat to side with Bunning. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, who is not a member of the Finance Committee, said she also supported Bunning’s proposal.
Let me help. The bill is probably a Word document. So, Sen. Baucus, open it and click on “Print as PDF.” It’s that simple. I have the 1,000-plus pages of HR 3200 in PDF on my desk top, as do millions of others. That’s how we learned about individual mandates, no enforcement against illegal immigrants getting free insurance, and the rationing procedures that became known as “death panels.” Oh, wait, maybe I see now why Baucus doesn’t want the American people to read his bill until it’s too late to do anything about it.