For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the "labor loophole."
The nation's labor unions have reportedly cut a deal with House Democrats: Labor will drop its opposition to the so-called Cadillac tax - an excise tax on high-cost employer-provided health-care plans - if Congress will carve out an exemption for plans provided under collective-bargaining agreements. Even after all the unsavory bargains and rotten deals that have characterized the rush to get this thing passed (the "Louisiana Purchase," the "Cornhusker Kickback," etc.) the "Labor Loophole" surely takes the prize. A few Democrats in the Senate already tried this trick and were laughed out of the smoke-filled room, so nakedly obvious was the special-interest favoritism at work. That the Democratic party is seriously reconsidering this deal is a sign of how desperate it has become to pass a bill - any bill - that shoves the federal foot through the waiting-room door.
Can Democrats still they can deride Washington's "special interests" without blushing?
