WADE RATHKE TO SPEAK AT UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS TONIGHT

With the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) at the center at a number of criminal investigations, it’s likely that folks would want to avoid ties with the organization, right? Wrong. Shockingly, the publicly-funded University of Memphis has actually invited ACORN founder, Wade Rathke, to speak to a group of students this evening. According to a press release on the university’s website:

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After witnessing massive opposition to House Democrats’ health care bill, it seems Senate Democrats would have taken notes and drafted a health care reform bill that would actually benefit the American people. Unfortunately, that has not happened. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has put forth another government-run health care scheme in the form of a 2,074-page bill that is going to raise premiums, raise taxes, burden states and slash Medicare benefits. This isn’t what Americans want and it certainly isn’t going to benefit Tennesseans.

Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander had this to say about the bill:

And Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker spoke about how the bill takes our country “in exactly the wrong direction”:

Following are five facts Tennesseans should know about Senate Democrats’ so-called health reform bill:

• True Cost = $2.5 Trillion – While Senate Democrats are touting an initial $849 billion price tag reported by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), further analysis of that report shows that the legislation would actually cost $2.5 trillion once it is fully implemented. A recent Forbes report explains why we should be skeptical of the $849 billion number: “[I]f you think health care reform is going to cost $849 billion, we have some beachfront property in Nebraska to sell you. This year’s efforts at health care reform have proved that numbers are highly malleable, totally speculative and provide only part of the picture.”

• Chock Full of Tax Increases & Penalties – Senate Democrats have packed their legislation chock full of tax hikes that total approximately a half trillion dollars. Shown in the CBO report and probably the most alarming is a $28 billion tax on employers that do not provide government approved health plans. And according to CNN, “[T]he bill includes a range of tax increases and new fees. The Medicare payroll tax on individuals earning $200,000 a year and couples earning $250,000 a year would increase by half a percentage point, from the current 1.45% to 1.95%. In addition, insurers providing costly health coverage — known as “Cadillac” plans — would face a 40% tax on policies worth more than $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families… The bill also includes a 5% tax on the cost of elective cosmetic surgery, as well as new fees for insurers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The total projected revenue raised by all the taxes and fees would exceed $200 billion… The bill would require individuals to buy health insurance, with a fine for non-compliance of $95 in the first year that would escalate to $750 by 2016.”

• Provides for Taxpayer-Funded Abortions – Despite public outcry against federally-funded abortions and the House voting overwhelmingly for an amendment to prohibit the practice, Senate Democrats are plowing ahead with plans to have taxpayers foot the bill for abortions for the first time ever. According to the Associated Press, “On a controversial issue that threatened to derail the House legislation, Reid would allow the new government insurance plan to cover abortions and would let companies that receive federal funds offer insurance plans that include abortion coverage.”

• Leads to Higher Premiums – According to the CBO report on Senate Democrats’ health care bill, the government plan contained in the legislation would have higher premiums. Page nine of the report states, “CBO’s assessment is that a public plan paying negotiated rates would attract a broad network of providers but would typically have premiums that were somewhat higher than the average premiums for the private plans in the exchanges.”

• Cuts Medicare & Expands Medicaid – According to the Washington Post, “Like the House bill, Reid’s proposal would be financed through billions of dollars in Medicare cuts, as well as new taxes.” According to the CBO report, Senate Dems plan to cut a half trillion in Medicare. At the same time they plan to expand Medicaid and force Tennessee and other states to spend an estimated $25 billion in additional reform costs.