[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27136]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
                        A TANGLED WEB OF DECEIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOHMERT. You know, I thought about a little limerick Sir Walter 
Scott wrote. He was around back during those years during and after the 
American Revolution. But he penned an interesting line that went, ``Oh, 
what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.'' I 
have heard that all my life, growing up as a kid. ``Oh, what a tangled 
web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.''
  Now, we had the President of the United States come into this Chamber 
right here and speak from that podium there, and he made the statement 
that there would be no abortion funded in the health care bill.
  Apparently, there are other ways that this will be done or can be 
done. On page 110 of the health care bill we are supposed to vote on 
tomorrow, Subsection B is entitled ``Abortions for which public funding 
is allowed: The services described in this subparagraph are abortions 
for which the expenditure of Federal funds appropriated for the 
Department of Health and Human Services is permitted.''
  Now, we are hearing that tonight we are being held over here, which 
is fine. I don't mind going all weekend, going the rest of the week, 
the month, whatever. It is the job. It is fine by me. I think America 
is safer when we are not in session. But that is fine.
  But we are hearing that supposedly we are in session because you have 
people browbeating Democratic Members who have taken the staunch 
position, and I think the wonderful position, a very moral position, 
that funds taken from the hands of law-abiding Americans who believe it 
is murder to kill a baby who is unborn should not go to fund abortion, 
and they are taking that wonderful, principled position. Now they are 
being told that they need to buy into this bill and do the right thing 
and vote for it.
  We have others who have taken the position that if funding is not in 
this bill for abortion, they are not going to vote for it. So those who 
are trying to twist arms and get people to vote for this massive, 
terrible thing for America, this health care monstrosity, this power 
grab, as it is, are saying that they need to do the right thing for 
America and vote for this bill.
  You have got some who believe what the President said at that podium 
right there, that there would be no funding in here for illegal aliens 
to have health insurance. And yet anybody that knows anything about the 
law knows that if there is no requirement to check the identity of 
someone who is being furnished free health insurance, then illegal 
aliens will be provided free health insurance.
  So there are those friends across the aisle, Democrats who are 
principled, saying we need language in here so the President will be 
able to keep his word and he won't look like a liar. We need the 
language in there so illegal aliens will not be getting free health 
care, just like the President promised.
  We have also been told by the President repeatedly, if you make less 
than $250,000, there will not be any tax of any kind levied on you. Yet 
we find Section 501, among many taxes in this bill that people are 
being forced and arms twisted to vote for, it is entitled ``tax on 
individuals without acceptable health care coverage.'' It turns out the 
provision basically says if you make too much money to be given free 
health insurance but you don't make enough to be able to afford to buy 
health insurance, then this Obama-Pelosi plan will tax you.
  Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. 
And that is exactly what has happened. This monstrosity of a web has 
been woven, and now it is catching so many in it as we approach this 
monstrosity of a health care plan.

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