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What were you doing 7:16 a.m. on Christmas Eve? I know I was sleeping with the thoughts of the upcoming day filtering into my head. However, the United States Senate had a different agenda and passed a health care bill in a margin of 60-39, which would cost Americans $871 billion over the next decade. This was a jumbo lump of coal in each Americans’ stocking. Of course, the Senate Democrats believes that this will solve our health care coverage woes, yet they ignore the simple facts that this will harm small businesses and implements new taxes.

In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a statement denouncing the U.S. Senate’s passage of the health care bill. Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the Chamber said,

“Despite numerous polls showing the majority of Americans are opposed to the Senate health care bill, sixty senators chose to ignore their objections. The business community has been consistent in calling for health care reform, but the bill that was passed by the Senate today is counterproductive, does little to lower the cost of health care, and it is not reform. It implements crippling new taxes, and hurts our ability to create jobs at the worst possible time for the economy.

“At every stage of the legislative process the business community has stood ready to work to improve health care legislation, but at almost every stage our concerns have been ignored.

“We recognize that the health care debate is not over yet. We are hopeful that a conference between the Senate and House can bring all stakeholders back to the table. Since employers are the ones who will be responsible for putting this reform into practice, their concerns must be addressed. It is not too late for Congress to stop this bill from becoming law and start over with the goal of truly reforming our health care system.”

This was a bill that a majority of Americans and even those in the Commonwealth did not want. Instead of listening to the concerns of those who did not want this bill, Virginia’s Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner voted along with the Senate Democrats to make this bill a reality. For their vote, they have been officially named “Scrooges of the Year.” Both Webb and Warner have been receiving calls from many opposing this legislation and asking them to stand on principle by voting against the bill. So, what was their reason for voting on the Senate health care bill?

According to the Daily Press, their reasons for voting on this bill did not make sense. They claim that the health care legislation will lower federal budget deficits.

Warner also said he was not pleased with all parts of the bill.

“While this legislation is far from perfect, I believe it will start to curb soaring health care costs for consumers and businesses, reduce our federal budget deficits over time, and extend the life of the Medicare program.”

Webb stressed the Congressional Budget Office projection that the Senate bill will help to lower the deficit by over $133 billion over the next decade. But he also faulted the Obama administration for declaring national health care ” a major domestic objective,” but not providing the Congress with a bill, leaving it to committees to generate their own. He said that led to unnecessary confusion and “contradictory information.”

It is interesting that Webb mentioned the CBO projection, as they went back and found that the Senate health care bill will not reduce the deficit dramatically.

Flawed reasoning does not justify a vote that will drive Americans further from liberty in their health care coverage. Hopefully, Virginians will remember this in 2013 (Webb’s re-election) and 2015 (Warner’s re-election).