Stuffing Stockings and Reindeer Games~ Throw a Wrench at Construction Industry

The monstrosity of a largely -unread Health Care Bill is going before the Conference Committee probably as I write this, the Senate voted for cloture and sent this devastating 2000-plus pile of paper on it’s way to become the new law of the land.

Not only does the bill include fines and prison time for American Citizens who refuse to comply with it’s egregious and unconstitutional provisions, but just today we learned that only 3 minutes prior to the cloture vote, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) added an amendment that specifically excludes the construction industry (and ONLY that industry) from the small business exemption of mandated health care insurance for 50 employees or less. In other word’s this amendment requires construction businesses with 5 employees or more to insure its employees while other small businesses with fewer than do not.

For instance, suppose a small businessman has a four year-old company that employs himself, his two sons, one son-in-law, and two others. This person, who business has dropped 60 percent in a year, is struggling to stay afloat with the current construction downturn.Now, under this Senate Bill, he somehow must find money for health care insurance for his business to meet the new government mandates. He is faced with closing his business, firing some of his employees, or paying hefty fines and even possible jail time. This mandate will likely seal the fate of this small entrepreneur, who otherwise, might be able to weather the economic storm.

And the new tax credits for small businesses, which our senators both have boasted about, are so narrowly defined that few will qualify. And if they do, the credits only last for two years, making them little more than a slow bloodletting.

Many good people will be affected. There are over 4000 licensed construction businesses in Arkansas, alone, plus who knows how many other construction subcontractors, easily representing tens of thousands of our citizens whose livelihoods hang in the balance.

This is a crippling blow to an already devastated industry with a 20 percent unemployment rate in Arkansas. As one of my Democrat friends put it: “This is a slap in the face for the Democrats. It’s [the Merkley Amendment] a back door for the Unions.”

Instead of being able to focus on our families during this sacred holiday season, we Arkansans find ourselves, along with people across this nation, having to constantly chaperone and press our senators and congressmen as they prance around Washington playing reindeer games, holding secret meetings and stuffing their own stockings.

Senators Lincoln and Pryor each have broken their promise that we would have 72 hours to read the bill and amendments.

In a conversation with Senator Pryor’s office this afternoon I was told Senator Pryor was definitely concerned with this development (the Merkley Amendment) but that enough of his criteria had been met he would be voting for the bill. When told that if this amendment should pass the state’s construction industry is likely to implode a Pryor spokesperson replied: “that’s one way to look at it”.

Meanwhile, over at Blanche Lincoln’s office, she’s reported to also have had “enough of her goals met” and that she, too, would be voting to move the bill forward. Although her spokesperson did add the senator would have some reservations if the Bill came out of committee with this amendment still attached.

Shame on them for shady, back room politics and last-minute amendments that they had not read and don’t understand. But, shame on us if we have not faxed, emailed and called constantly to stop this travesty. Remember the admonishment from Edmond Burke: “All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand idly by and do nothing.”