CapitolBeatOK Staff Report

Published: 29-Jul-2010

Oklahoma state Sens. Tom Adelson and Judy Eason McIntyre, both Tulsa Democrats, recently hand-delivered to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada the resolutions and bills passed in the 2010 session of the state Legislature which were aimed at opposing the new federal health care law. Words they used in delivering the measures  sparked a negative response from Matt Pinnell, the new chairman of the Grand Old Party.

The federal law has become so pervasively known as “ObamaCare” that even the press release sent to CapitolBeatok from Adelson and Easton McIntrye, both of who are Democrats, used the term.

Adelson said, “We spent so much time this past session dealing with ObamaCare we thought it would only be appropriate to make sure these meaningless pieces of paper, which cost the taxpayers of Oklahoma thousands of dollars to produce, should be hand delivered straight to the top.”

Adelson continued, “We worked hard this session to ensure Oklahomans had limited choices for affordable health care and that insurance companies would continue robbing Oklahoma families of the future they deserve, and we simply couldn’t allow Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to come to Oklahoma without informing him personally of our efforts.”

Eason McIntyre asserted Reid was somewhat confused by the bills and resolutions passed in the Oklahoma Legislature to allow Oklahomans to opt out of the national health care plan.

She asserted Reid “simply couldn’t understand,” the release reported, “why lawmakers would try to make it harder for Oklahomans to afford health care when lawmakers in Washington worked hard to stand up to greedy insurance companies and give more Oklahomans greater access to quality care without families worried their doctor bills would send them into bankruptcy.”

Eason McInyre said, “Like Senator Reid, we really don’t understand why the legislature wasted so much time passing resolutions and bills that would take health care choices away from Oklahomans and allow health insurance companies to continue discriminating against the poor and the sick, but that is exactly what happened this session. Those in charge in the Oklahoma Legislature wanted to spend their time passing resolutions and bills that took health care choices away from Oklahomans rather than focus on important issues like reining in the bad behavior of the powerful insurance lobby.”

Pinnell soon rebutted the release by the two state Senate Democrats in a release of his own, sent today (Thursday, July 29) to CapitolBeatOK: “Oklahoma voters overwhelming oppose this federal mandated legislation, and for Oklahoma Democrat legislators to call our efforts here to stop it ‘meaningless’ is disgraceful, and they should apologize for the comment.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee and House Speaker Chris Benge stated months ago that ObamaCare would impose half a trillion dollars in new taxes on American families. It would cost Oklahoma one billion dollars over the next 10 years in new spending. Coffee and Benge simply said, “The people of our state don’t want it. The taxpayers can’t afford it.”

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn has said in previous statements: “The bottom line is the typical Oklahoman can expect to pay more for lower quality health care with fewer choices.”

Pinnell concluded, “Our GOP candidates have lead the way in opposing Barack Obama’s big government agenda and saying no to ObamaCare. I’m proud to say Oklahoma voters will have an opportunity to vote for these candidates this November.”