Think losing that leg or eye for your country still counts.  Well, the profligate spenders in Congress have found another way to lower the bar of decency for our new national healthcare system.  Here’s an extract from the Tea Party Patriots newsletter, and another proof of their extremist views.  We really did have to pass it to find out what’s in it – and dear reader, this road of discovery is yet long and full of surprises.

The health care overhaul passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama earlier this year contains a new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and wheelchairs. This tax, which its proponents claim will raise $20 billion over the next ten years, contains no exemption for the nation’s 22 million veterans. In fact, Senate Democrats specifically refused to exempt veterans from the tax.

On March 24 2010, Senate Democrats rejected an amendment offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to the healthcare bill. This amendment (SA 3644) would have prevented the medical device tax from hitting veterans covered by the Veterans Healthcare Program or TRICARE for Life. This amendment was rejected by a vote of 44-54. All but five Democrat senators voted in favor of retaining the tax for veterans.