Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican, is suing, in the US District Court for the Eastern district of Wisconsin challenging an October ruling by the Office of Personnel Management that essentially gave an exemption to lawmakers and some of their staff to stay out of Obamacare. While upholding the use of the exchange, the OPM ruling made it possible for members of Congress and their staffs to continue to receive Federal money contributions for their health coverage. (Search Senator Ron Johnson, Obamacare).
That is what’s making headlines regarding Senator Ron Johnson. Before all the partisan spin, this is the consideration, whether the suit is relevant to consumers, that is the subject of where you land in your consideration of the issue. And as consumers, knowing what we do at this moment in time, the lawsuit is a good thing.
Civilian governmental employees have enjoyed benefits, job security and raises that have not been a part of the experience of millions of Americans for many years. It’s outrageous that for years they have defended policies that further erode the financial well-being of non-governmental workers and citizens as they live inside their protected governmental environment.
The OPM ruling is another “special” consideration that ordinary people can’t get that renders their use of the exchange as symbolic and meaningless as that of the President’s sign up since they can still take Federal contribution to pay for their health plans.
As I’ve discussed in my posting since at least 2009, “Health Insurance: Keep it Simple: Write your Congressman,” where I said, “If we don't insist that our public employees come on into the experience that the rest of us are living there will be no change. It is time for slashing of Federal jobs, slashing of Federal benefits and a relentless expectation that our public employees start representing their public,” http://conoutofconsumer.blogspot.com/2009/02/health-insurance-keep-it-simple-write.html.
It’s about time that our lawmakers are held accountable and subjected to what they impose. For me, Senator Johnson is setting a great example especially in comparison to Democrat Harry Reid’s December antics where he, the biggest fan of Obamacare announced that his staff would be taking advantage of the ruling, and in response to accusations of hypocrisy and disloyalty merely answered, “It’s legal.”
Many Republicans are criticizing Senator Johnson, which is another good sign that the Senator is doing the right thing, since Republicans have remained woefully out of touch. One of his critics called the matter “trivial,” reflecting the thus-far losing attitude of Republicans and their all-or-nothing stances.
There is no evidence that most Republicans will, as they should, realize the wisdom Senator Johnson shows in addressing and drawing attention to the specifics of the PPACA and its implementation that work against regular citizens in this country.
As consumers this is an important step, a step where the government is finally examining itself instead of taking aim at programs, supports and non-government American citizen wallets to preserve their cocoon-like existence.
Democrats and democratic media will no doubt dig up ideas and statements made by the Senator from which they draw the conclusion that he’s a hypocrite, a liar, or a generally bad person. These are distraction.
Surely, at this point it takes a special kind of blindness to ignore the President’s own untruthful comments, questionable strategies and yes, even questionable intentions. More important is to look at the issues that are impacting us and in this case, in my opinion, Senator Johnson is doing the right thing.
