Financial fact should change debate

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August 3, 2012

Financial fact should change debate

Anonymous The Muskogee Phoenix Fri Aug 03, 2012, 12:08 AM CDT

— Election years produce too much rhetoric and not enough fact.

There are very few opportunities to look at facts and begin real discussions on the major issues of the day.

The Congressional Budget Office — the nonpartisan bean-counting arm of Congress — has reported that President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul will decrease the United States’ massive federal deficits.

This is in sharp contrast to the political multiplication of Republicans who have steadfastly argued that Obamacare would grow the deficit.

Republicans such as presidential nominee Mitt Romney are trying to scare voters into believing we are doomed to grow deficits by trillions of dollars if Obamacare is fully implemented.

The Congressional Budget Office begs to differ.

The CBO — remember it is nonpartisan — says Obamacare would cut federal costs by $84 billion.

And the CBO estimated Republican legislation to repeal the overhaul would boost the deficit by $109 billion from 2013 to 2022.

There are few sources that can be trusted during these political times. There is always someone around the corner willing to cook the books to satisfy a political stance.

Now that the CBO has come out with nonpartisan accounting, maybe we can start dealing in facts and not financial fiction.

Of course, Republicans do not like the health care overhaul.

But, maybe now we can hear real debate on its value without politicized numbers getting in the way.

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Financial fact should change debate

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