Perhaps William Shakespeare was incorrect when he penned the words “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
A recent poll found that while 46 percent of Americans oppose “Obamacare,” only 37 percent oppose the Affordable Care Act. The two, of course, are one and the same.
But no matter what you call it, the mammoth piece of polarizing legislature is inching ever closer to implementation. On Oct. 1, people will start to be able to purchase the new government-mandated health care plans. The legislation itself will go into effect Jan. 1.
Despite the proximity and the strong emotions the bill elicits from both sides of the fence — Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas filibustered for 21 hours in an attempt to defund the bill earlier this week — few seem to have a firm grasp on the changes the legislation will bring.
There are various reasons for this.
One is the sheer size of the bill. Around the time of its passage, the running joke had to do with a statement from then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who said, “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.”
But piles of legislative jargon pass through Congress every year, and somehow American citizens are able to make some sense of it.
Perhaps a larger reason is the literally dozens of failed attempts by Republican congressmen to repeal the legislation. And there will probably be a few more votes between now and the end of the year. Each vote has failed, and any future votes are likely to do the same.
These votes are nothing more than political posturing, and those responsible are fully aware of this. These legislators are doing a real disservice to the American people by further muddying already muddied waters, giving those who oppose the bill false hope that it will never be implemented and
leaving those who favor the bill wondering if the promises contained therein will ever come to pass.
No filibuster will stop the march of time. Jan. 1 will arrive as it does every year, so the American people should stop paying attention to the smokescreens in Washington and start concentrating on the coming changes.