Senate bill weighs in at 2,074 pages

[scandal 951]

This is a herd of sheep. .... Now give me back my dog."

Sheep. He said Sheep.

[SuperDuper! 230]

In the Battle of the Health Bills, the Senate wins out, bulk-wise – weighing in at 2,074 pages.

The House health reform bill was a mere 1,990 pages when introduced.

That means the Senate bill -- like the one in the House -- runs more pages than War and Peace, and has nearly five times as many words as the Torah.

The table of contents alone is 14 pages.

“Read the bill!” was a rallying cry of some health reform opponents over the summer. And if Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) gets his way, senators will get a chance to hear every word of it. He’s threatening to the read the legislation from start to finish, which by some estimates could take as long as 48 hours.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=16

Go ahead, print it out and read it!

[meowmeowmeow 0]

who seriously has the time/patience/will to read/write all that?

[HAL 9000 96]

who seriously has the time/patience/will to read/write all that?

That's exactly what those that rely on media pundits for their fact sources are probably thinking.

[Niels Bohr 72]

This is a group project. If there are 14 pages worth of table of contents, then, it must be read with 14 people. Assign one page from the table of contents to one person, then another, and another...Then, assemble everyone together and tell them to summarize their pieces.

[meowmeowmeow 0]

Edited November 20, 2009 by enraptured

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Have you seen their pages?

2,074 "Congress pages" are like 200 regular Times 12-point type, letter-sized pages.

So, it's actually less than Going Rogue?

[AlHayatZween 2]

This is a group project. If there are 14 pages worth of table of contents, then, it must be read with 14 people. Assign one page from the table of contents to one person, then another, and another...Then, assemble everyone together and tell them to summarize their pieces.

Exactly!!

Why can't they do group work... #######... i want an elected official who works well in a group.

[Kevin and 10]

Why read it. They already know how they will vote. They were bribed lobbied.

[HAL 9000 96]

Shall we start chilling the sour grape whine yet??

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Shall we start chilling the sour grape whine yet??

Lots of it. They'll need it.

[Aubrey 10]

From Senate bill weighs in at 2074 pages:

"“Read the bill!” was a rallying cry of some health reform opponents over the summer. And if Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) gets his way, senators will get a chance to hear every word of it. He’s threatening to the read the legislation from start to finish, which by some estimates could take as long as 48 hours."

I find it actually quite disturbing that it's a THREAT to read this bill aloud. I'm for reforming the health care system, but saddened that our government is creating such a complicated mess to replace the current system.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

VW has probably read it already.

I'm working on it

[one...two...tree 2,762]

First Senate Health Care Vote Expected Saturday At 8PM ET

With Ben Nelson now in the "yes" column, there are now two known Democratic hold outs on tomorrow's health care vote: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).

Landrieu told reporters today that she'll likely make an announcement tomorrow morning. Lincoln, on the other hand, has been unreachable, and it's unclear if, or when, she'll announce her intent publicly before the vote, which will come at 8 p.m. tomorrow night.

It's probably a safe guess that, if at the end of the day, there's something standing between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and 60 votes on the motion to debate to his bill, he won't hold the vote. As unlikely as that is, here are the potential hangups.

• A surprise "No" from Landrieu or Lincoln: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is threatening to filibuster the bill at a later date, but he's indicated that he'll vote "yes" tomorrow. Landrieu and Lincoln, on the other hand, are biding their time.
• An unexpected absence: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) has been in Montana for a couple days, attending to his mother, who is reportedly very ill. Separately, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) has been in bad health for quite a while, and, though he's been there when he's been needed, he has also missed a number of votes this year. If either, or both men can't make it to the Capitol tomorrow, it will likely cause a (potentially very long) delay.

Those are the updates we'll be bringing you tomorrow, along, of course, with the breakdown of the vote itself. If the clerk calls the role, the outcome won't be in doubt--but we may not know until quite late.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

From Senate bill weighs in at 2074 pages:

"“Read the bill!” was a rallying cry of some health reform opponents over the summer. And if Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) gets his way, senators will get a chance to hear every word of it. He’s threatening to the read the legislation from start to finish, which by some estimates could take as long as 48 hours."

I find it actually quite disturbing that it's a THREAT to read this bill aloud.

It's considered a threat because it does nothing to help the process. Unless the Senators will sit and listen to the bill being read (which we all know they will not), what's the point of having it read aloud on the floor other than to delay the debate on the measure?

VW has probably read it already.

I'm working on it

Don't be scared, it's no more voluminous than Sarah's new book but it does have a lot more substance.

Edited November 21, 2009 by Mr. Big Dog