'Impossible' to know number of agencies, commissions created by health care law
(PHOTO CREDIT: THINKSTOCK)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
A sprawling bureaucratic giant - nobody knows how big it will be. That seems to be the result of President Obama's new health care law.
According to Politico, a recent report says it's "impossible" to estimate the number of agencies, boards and commissions created by the new law.
The Congressional Research Service report points to many reasons for this. First off, the parts of the law that create new bodies vary drastically. In some cases – the law gives lots of details... in other cases, barely a mention.
Also, the law authorizes some new entities... without saying who will do the appointing, or when it will happen.
And all this means some agencies could wait indefinitely for staff and funding... while others could multiply... creating quote "an indeterminate number of new organizations."
So far this is shaping up to be exactly what the critics were afraid it would be.
For example, there's one provision in the health care law that requires six separate agencies - six - within Health and Human Services to each establish an Office of Minority Health.
One Alaska health task force was supposed to meet by May 7... it held its first meeting July 16. Another committee on breast cancer was supposed to be set up by May 22. It's August 3 and it's still reviewing nominations for committee members.
There are also questions about the ability of Congress to carry out oversight of this sprawling mess. And there are concerns about the the number of appointments the General Accounting Office gets to make - at least 83 new members to six new boards.
Here’s my question to you: How will the government manage our health care if it's "impossible" to know the number of agencies, boards and commissions created by the new health care law?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How early is too early for presidential campaign to begin?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Right now, it's all about the 2010 midterm elections... or is it? As soon as the polls close on November 2 and the winners are announced, the focus will shift to the presidential race of 2012.
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Even though that may seem far away... for some, the presidential campaign has already begun.
Potential Republican hopefuls are already logging multiple visits to key early states - like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.... he's set to make his fifth visit to Iowa next week... he's also made three trips to New Hampshire.
Pawlenty insists he won't decide whether or not to run until early next year. Maybe… but in the meantime he's working it.... big-time. Meeting local politicians, shaking hands with voters, making speeches about how to fix the country, talking about his blue-collar background, raising money for his political action committee... you get the idea.
And Pawlenty is not the only one. Far from it.
According to Radio Iowa, since the 2008 presidential race ended, the following politicians have been to Iowa multiple times: former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Also, former Governors Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and George Pataki have each been once.
It could very well be one of this crop who hopes to unseat Pres. Obama.
For the rest of us, this means before you know it… we'll be bombarded daily with polls and television ads and fund-raising pleas and debates... and all the wonderful things that go along with a presidential campaign. Wolf is positively giddy in anticipation.
Here’s my question to you: How early is too early for another presidential campaign to begin?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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