Aug 24 Still Fishing

On Friday I wrote about Rep. Henry Waxman's fishing expedition (fishing for information on how to run a health care business).  Well according to Politico, the fishing expedition started back in July....

Now POLITICO has learned that Waxman’s recent investigation began almost a month earlier than previously thought — with letters to the insurance industry’s powerful trade group and its consultant regarding grassroots tactics.

A committee spokeswoman defended the probes — saying lawmakers need to know that private insurance money is being spent effectively as part of the effort to control costs. But the trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, is crying foul, saying Waxman is merely trying to bring it in line behind his version of the health reform bill.

“Congressional oversight is not a tool that should be used to chill dissent,” said AHIP spokesman Robert Zirkelbach. “These investigations are nothing more than politically motivated, taxpayer-financed fishing expeditions designed to intimidate and silence health plans.”

It is clear that the Democrats in DC are all about chilling dissent.  All you need to remember is the whole This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. flap to understand the depths to which the Democrats are willing to go to in order to chill dissent.  Even though when they were the ones dissenting it was the height of patriotism to dissent from "this or any administration".

Rep. Waxman's spokesperson says that the request was done in order to make sure that these private businesses are spending their money wisely, but the AHIP spokesman disagrees.....

Zirkelbach said Waxman’s letter to AHIP was sent five days after AHIP sent Waxman and two other Democratic chairmen an eight-page letter detailing concerns with the House health reform bill, including opposition to a government-run insurance option and cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.

After that letter, “the committee demanded that AHIP provide internal documents and emails regarding an isolated, three-month old incident that had already been resolved,” he said.

A month later, Zirkelbach said, Waxman asked the 52 companies for information about what meetings employees attended, where they stayed, and what they ate, and “details about employee compensation far beyond what was asked of companies participating in the TARP program.”

And yet none of these companies took TARP funds, so what business is it of the committee what meetings the employees attended, where they stayed and what they ate, much less what they were paid.....

Even supporters of Democrats are worried about the implications of this over-reach...

A prominent Democratic lobbyist, who represents health care and other interests, also called the letters “an an overreach that has the potential to backfire on Democrats. I know nobody likes the insurance industry, but to bludgeon them when you’re losing the legislative debate just looks bad.”

This bill, like Cap and Trade, is not designed to help take care of the "uninsured" as I have pointed out in the past.  It is all about unbridled, unmitigated power and anyone who was bothered by the over-reaches by the Bush Administration in such things as the Patriot Act had best be concerned about this (and Cap and Trade).  Unless, of course, your objections were fueld simply by partisanship and not by what is in the best interests of the country.

Cross posted at Ladies Logic where your comments are welcome.