[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26052]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. FLEMING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, as a doctor for over 30 years, I have 
become a pretty good judge of truth telling. We have heard Democratic 
leadership try to convince us that ObamaCare is going to pass, and with 
a ``robust'' public option.
  It has become obvious there are not enough votes in Congress, and 
suddenly, the terms are changing. Within a few days, a whole new 
vernacular has emerged to describe the public option. This includes the 
opt-in and the opt-out option; the trigger--no offense to Roy Rogers' 
horse; the competitive option; and finally, the consumer option. Mr. 
Speaker, this is not a marketing problem; it is an idea problem.
  To my Democrat colleagues, let me suggest a frequently spoken idiom: 
if you put lipstick on porcine, it is still porcine. Or if you prefer a 
Louisiana colloquialism: this dog won't hunt.
  This bill will add 750 billion real dollars to the deficit, not to 
mention taxes and higher premiums on the middle class, all while 
covering relatively few more Americans. Fortunately, there are enough 
Democrats in both Houses who see past this sham and fear their voters 
more than their leadership, as they well should.

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