"Trashing The Congressional Budget Office"
The Congressional Budget Office calculates the official cost of legislation for Congress. The CBO is the one objective, impartial, and non partisan voice in American politics. As a result, for 35 years both parties have accepted the judgments of the CBO, accepting short- term losses for better and more fiscally responsible legislation.
The CBO initially scored the Democrat's first attempts at health reform as fiscally unsound. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was the result of Democrats going back to the drawing board and eventually receiving the CBO's seal of approval. The CBO estimated the legislation would reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first decade and $1.2 trillion in the second decade. (See http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act?wasRedirected=true.)
The CBO has ruled that H.R. 2 "Repealing The Job-Killing Health Care Law," introduced in the House January 5, 2011, would increase the deficit by $230 billion. (See http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?cat=5.)
The facts don't support the case the Republicans want to make, so they're turning their backs on the agency supplying the facts. They're
calling the CBO's scores "garbage."
Trashing the truly respected and truly neutral Congressional Budget Office may cause long term damage. What will be harmed if obtaining a positive score from the CBO no longer matters? The truth and the deficit for sure.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also a neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing For America Community Team (GOFACT.) He lives in Glendale.
Richard O. Schwab
830 Congress Ave.
Glendale, Ohio 45246
H.513-771-4397
M.513-470-4599
