Rep. Ignores Warning from Governor, Fellow Dem About Obamacare Costs
In a letter addressed to both Rep. Gordon and Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Governor Bredesen reported that the state is losing revenue and has already made cuts. "In this environment, for the Congress to also send along a mandatory bill for three-quarters of a billion dollars for the health care they've designed is very difficult," he wrote. "These are hard dollars--we can't borrow them--and make the management of our finances post-recession even more daunting than it already is."
Bredesen concluded by saying he wishes he could support President Obama's health care proposal, "and Lord knows that we have plenty of people in Tennessee who need help with health insurance." He continued by calling this "an extraordinary time" for the state and acknowledged that Tennessee is actually better off than many other states struggling right now. In the end, however, Obamacare is a bill Governor Bredesen says the state cannot afford to pay.
Oh, well. Today's CBO numbers are lending cover to Rep. Gordon who said today, "Finding solutions to the problems we face has been challenging, but we simply cannot sustain the status quo any longer."
In spite of his governor--a fellow Democrat--coming forward with a sobering account of the hardships Obamacare will put his state in, Tennessee Rep. Bart Gordon will vote "aye."