RUTHFULLY YOURS

Just when you think that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) can’t say anything dumber she surprises us once again.

Jackson Lee who once wasted the Congresses time with a piece of legislation to honor the late Michael Jackson (A Tribute to an American Legend and Musical Icon) that made the accused child molester seem like Mother Teresa. Then there was the time she stood on the floor of the house  discussing how North and South Vietnam are living peacefully side by side, even though there hasn’t been a North and South Vietnam since Gerald Ford was President. That was more proof that Jackson Lee might have received a lobotomy and no one noticed.

But Ms Jackson-Lee’s latest statement takes the cake, heck it takes the cake’s cake.  She told the House Judiciary Committee yesterday that the “penalty” that the health-care law enacted last year by Congress imposes on individuals who do not buy health insurance is not in fact a penalty.

The law itself states: “If an applicable individual fails to meet the requirement of subsection (a) [having a government-approved health-insurance policy]… there is hereby imposed a penalty with respect to the individual.”

Elsewhere, in a section entitled “Payment of Penalty,” it says that individuals failing to carry a government-approved health insurance policy must pay a maximum penalty of $750.

But in Sheila Jackson-Lee’s twisted logic, a penalty is not a penalty even when it’s called a penalty.

“I would make the argument, one, that instead it is an incentive to do right–that it is not penalizing because penalty is punishment,” Jackson-Lee told the Judiciary Committee.

“You’re not punished if you have health insurance, in fact. And so you are, in fact, incentivized to have health insurance, rather than take the negative which is to suggest that because we have a penalty you are being punished,” Rep. Jackson-Lee said.

She even found a way to bring race into the argument….

“I am helping you. I am helping you not to have 26 percent un-insurance in the state of Texas. I’m helping children be insured. I’m helping diverse minorities be insured,” said Rep. Jackon-Lee. “And I know during the civil rights argument–even though we were arguing under the Constitution–there were many policy statements being made: Do we want to live in a nation that discriminates against a person because of the color of their skin? In addition to the constitutional argument, do we want to live in a nation where there are people being uninsured causing catastrophic costs unto the nation and others have to pay. I think that is the question that needs to be considered by the courts.”

Confused yet….wait there is more….

“But I also need to say whether or not it is more an incentive than it is a punishment,” said Rep. Jackson-Lee. “I am more inspired by incentive. And I welcome it being a parking ticket. We get parking tickets all the time, and no one complains about being required to do the right thing.”

Here is an audio version of the Congresswoman’s rant.  She doesn’t sound as though she is pretending

See what I mean? Either Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is part of some sick prank or the woman was part of some secret CIA experiment in Artificial Stupidity, nobody can be this stupid naturally..can they?