Odd way of focusing on jobs and the economy...

Cory Gardner keeps talking about the economy and job creation. When is he going to start doing something about it. Since my last post, he has cosponsored 3 new pieces of legislation. Do they have anything to do with jobs and the economy? Of course not. Regardless of what he says, his actions show he places politics above the good of his district.

What is he focusing on? Cory Gardner has cosponsored yet another bill to repeal part of the health care bill, which by my count means he's cosponsored 7 different bills just dealing with the Affordable Care Act. The House already voted to repeal it, but that bill isn't going anywhere. The vast majority of these bills aren't going anywhere. It seems to me that cosponsoring every bill that gets rid of a piece of that historic legislation is a waste of time. Political posturing at the expense of productive legislating.

What part does this new bill (H.R. 605) repeal? It's the change to spending accounts (FSAs and HSAs) that prevents these tax-exempt accounts from being used for non-prescription drugs. Oh, boo hoo. You mean the 35 million people nationally that have access to these accounts can no longer buy designer sunglasses, get massages, or buy tylenol tax free?

I don't have an employer sponsored plan that would allow this. The vast majority of Americans don't have access to a plan like this. You mean that small percent that are fortunate enough to have employers providing these plans will have to pay taxes on goods that all the rest of us have always been taxed on? That seems fair to me. Not really priority number one, if you know what I mean.

Does this bill create jobs? I don't see how it could. Does it help the economy? Not really. I'm not sure who this really helps. Oh yeah, the companies that provide the plans. For a good background, I recommend this New York Times article written during the debate over the bill.

What else does this bill do? Well, it will increase the deficit by nearly $20 billion. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation (See JCX-61-09), the provisions affecting FSAs in the Affordable Care Act offset the costs of other provisions by increasing revenue by $19.6 billion. Nowhere in this new bill is there a reduction in spending. Cory Gardner apparently isn't really concerned about reducing the deficit either. "Let's increase the deficit so I can score political points!"

I'm mostly concerned, however, with Cory Gardner's lack of concern for "jobs and the economy." He has provided no solutions and can't even seem to cosponsor a single bill that has any promise. He's dancing around bills that are going nowhere and that don't accomplish anything productive. He said he had solutions. I think he's just another politician telling people what they want to hear as he moves on his personal agenda.