Let's Get Political

497 Hatch F7

Add transition relief for the excise tax on high cost insurance plans for any State with a name the (sic) begins with the letter "U"

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you an amendment added by Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-U fucking kidding me) - Utah, to Sen. Max Baucus' (D-MT) health care mark because of the likelihood that the transition would benefit states like New York, New Jersey and California where the cost of insurance is higher than Utah's.

“The transition relief provided in the chairman’s mark for the 17 states with the least affordable health care is obviously arbitrary and unfair,” Mr. Hatch wrote, explaining the rationale for his amendment. “What about the 18th state? This amendment would add further transition relief in another, but no less arbitrary way to certain states.”

Here are some other amendments added by Republicans:

Ensign 409 - Transparency in Czars.

Hatch 511 - Strike the word “fee” everywhere it appears in the bill and replace with the word “tax.”

Roberts 137 - To prevent Medicare payment policies which discourage physicians from fulfilling their Hippocratic Oath to maintain the good of their patients as their highest priority, and instead encourage the rationing of health care.

Roberts 144 - To ensure that if people like the hometown hospital they have, they can keep it.

No word yet if Republicans will be asking that states that begin with double "U" should be given the same transition relief. You know, states like Washington, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
Two versions of the same song by two great men.
Randy Newman - The Beehive State from Randy NewmanHarry Nilsson - The Beehive State from Nilsson Sings Newman
And something that just feels appropriate
The Sharades - Dumb Head