United States of Fail.

Let me be clear.

I absolutely do not think we failed by voting in a health care reform bill. While I am confident that it has flaws, I also know that legislation, sausage, blah blah blah, and frankly the American healthcare system is completely fucked and I don't mind the idea of something being done. Maybe we are making it worse, but in that case perhaps we should just make the system so bad that it foments a revolution. Whatever.

Here's my first problem.

Guess what this is:

"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes."

I'll give you a hint.

I just talked about it.

Yeah, it's the title of the health care reform bill.

That's a fucking embarrassment. How bad has our political system gotten that this sort of bullshit, mislabeling, disinformation newspeak is allowed?

The destruction of language marks the downfall of society as an institution and as a place for civilized discourse, and this is a prime example. Words have power.

It is always worth being careful with our words. Nothing has spoken more clearly to me of the growing irrelevancy of our elected senate than the title of this bill.

Second problem.

H.R.4314.

Title: "To permit continued financing of Government operations."

Guess what that is, boys and girls?

I'll give you a hint, it's how we're going to cover the gargantuan costs associated with our little "IRS modification bill" above. We voted it in this morning.

Yup. This is the bill that increases the public debt limit from $12.104 trillion to $12.394 trillion.

That's 290 BILLION dollars.

The government just gave itself permission to put you personally ANOTHER THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DEBT and NO-ONE IS REPORTING IT. I note with chagrin that even the senate website has not yet published the vote count. It's currently just listed as "passed". You can bet your broke ass that there are a few republican names on it though, who have been clamouring against all the "waste" in health care reform for months, but who are happily thumbs up on the idea of being able to ream us all further on government spending.

Why aren't we hearing about this? Why aren't we grumbling about it? because it's not news, the Senate does that shit all the time. When else would you approve such a measure if not the same day as your historic health care bill? After all, that's going to get all the attention, isn't it. And it's not like we could fund health care reform by cutting the budget of wasteful government programs, could we?

Indeed, this is the perfect day for it.

Merry Christmas USA, your gift from the senate this year was a pack of mislabeled government drivel and another Pecuniary Jenga Block on the teetering tower that is our current economic state.

Think this'll be the one?