When the Argus reported on Sen. Carl Levin’s recent visit to Cass County, it quoted Levin as chiding TEA Party members of Congress for their distaste of compromise.

Michigan citizens should note that Sen. Levin’s legislative record on the topic of the Affordable Care Act does not show him to be a paragon of concord. The process of crafting the ACA was legendary for its lack of bipartisan involvement, exclusion of important sectors of the healthcare system, and for including a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices. That tax already has cost the U.S. medical device industry 33,000 jobs.

The Senate recognized the negative impact of the tax on the U.S. economy last March, and senators Debbie Stabenow (D – MI), Joe Donnelly (D – IN) and Al Franken (D – MN) voted among the majority to repeal the tax, while Sen. Levin was among only 20 senators who dug in and voted against repeal.

If the TEA Party decides to compile a list of best practices on compromise, it should not look to Levin’s legislative record on the ACA.

 

Daniel Brown

Edwardsburg