House Republicans will move today to repeal the President’s “Job Killing Health Care Bill.” They say that the bill in part will cost the country 650,000 jobs and they cite the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as the source behind their claims.
The problem with their claim is the CBO said no such thing.
According to the Associated Press, what the CBO in fact did say was that the impact of the health care bill on the supply and demand for labor would be minimal. Most of the reduction in labor would come from people who no longer have to work, or can move to part-time work because they will not have to depend on their employer to obtain affordable health insurance. The AP reports that according to the CBO: “The legislation, on net, will reduce the amount of labor used in the economy by a small amount – roughly half a percent – primarily by reducing the amount of labor those workers choose to supply.”
The CBO isn’t reporting that the legislation will cost jobs. It is reporting that the bill will allow more people to stop working if they so choose because they won’t have to rely on their employer for their health insurance. There is a big difference.
Apparently that difference was lost on Speaker Boehner and his fellow Republicans. They latched onto the “half a percent reduction in labor” statement and ignored the rest; all in order to promote their political agenda.
This is politics as usual. Skew the facts to meet your needs.
So much for the Republican’s promise of transparency and honesty in government.
No comments:
Post a Comment