Laurel Leader Call: Taylor: ‘Blue Dogs Have Done America A Great Favor'

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U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) received two standing ovations Tuesday from the Laurel Rotary Club as he voiced criticism of President Obama's drive to reform health care.

“The Blue Dogs (Democrats who often vote Republican) have done America a great favor by delaying the vote,” said Taylor, a member of the group, who noted he is voting against the bill. “I don't think we have the money for that. I've always thought something worth doing is worth paying for.” Taylor said the health care debate is a timely issue, adding that Americans must realize there is cost involved.

“We all have a budget to go buy clothes, a car or a house, but when it comes to health care and it's someone you love, what do you tell the doctor when something goes wrong,” he asked. “You'll do whatever it takes to make that person better.”

Taylor said Americans also think of Medicare as something that has always been there, although its origins trace back only to the 1960s.

“The tipping point for the Medicare trust fund was scheduled to be in 2019,” he said. “That's when the money collected will not be enough to cover the bills coming in. Because of the economy and medicine keeping people alive longer, that date moved to 2017 within a one year period. Obviously there's a concern, but we can't add another trillion dollars to the national debt for health care.”

Taylor said he has three main objectives for the health care overhaul including demanding generic drugs, rewriting the prescription benefit bill to include purchasing power and removing the anti-trust exemption from the insurance industry.

“Most drugs you see advertised are substantially more expensive than their generic counterpart,” he said. “For example, my pharmacy will sell you a Ambien for 50 cents, but an Ambien CR, which is not much better, is just under $6. These commercials tell you to ask for a certain drug so you'll pay extra.”

Taylor noted that the prescription benefit bill, passed under President Bush, includes language prohibiting the federal government from using their purchasing power to get the best price. “Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe's all use their purchasing power to sell you a lower priced product,” he said. “I want to repeal that language.”

Finally, Taylor said he wants to remove the anti-trust exemption from the insurance companies.

“Only two things have an anti-trust exemption — Major League Baseball, which I could live without, and insurance,” he said. “But, there's a state law that says I have to have collision insurance to operate a car in Mississippi. The federal government also requires those that live in the flood plain to have flood insurance. Removing that exemption would contribute to substantial savings.”

A former state senator, Taylor said he's also moving to have bills in Congress be presented in plain language similar to how it's done in Mississippi.

“That way the average Joe can read bills and know what we're saying,” he said. “In Mississippi, we also voted on almost everything on a 1-on-1 basis. You voted for or against something with a clear conscious. I hope we can do that in Congress. We do need to take meaningful steps towards stretching our health care dollars.”

In addition to insurance, Taylor discussed “cap-and-trade” emissions laws, which he called a Ponzi scheme, and technologies being used in the U.S. Military.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, Taylor oversees spending for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Taylor said the military is currently working on better mine-resistant vehicles to help save the lives of soldiers. He also discussed a move to make all aircraft and carriers run on nuclear power.

When pressed about Iraq, Taylor said the goal is to come out of the country “very quickly.”

“My concern is to not leave equipment behind,” he said. “But, by August 2010, the American presence in Iraq will be down substantially. Those soldiers that are there will be in the middle of nowhere.”

However, Afghanistan is a different story, Taylor added.

“You couldn't pick a worse place to fight a war,” he said. “It's a 20-day truck ride just to get food and supplies to the soldiers through Pakistan. We've lost 135 contract drivers who were just delivering food. I'm afraid we'll be there for awhile.”

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