Hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing and presumed stolen from the chief fund-raising arm of House Republicans, according to party officials who described the findings of emergency internal audits.
Either that, or they're merely incompetent.
Mr. Reynolds said in a statement that he and the national Republican committee were possible victims of "an elaborate scheme resulting in financial irregularities" by a "long-serving professional staff member," a reference to Mr. Ward. "At no time were there any red flags raised," the lawmaker said.
One of the themes of today's meeting, reflected in every speech and many of the questions, was that the insurers are fiercely cognizant that their industry is about as popular as a skin lesion, and if the system collapses, it will collapse, first, atop them. People like doctors, they need hospitals, and they depend on pharmaceuticals. They don't need insurers. Blocking reform may be in their power, but if the delay only leads to an eventual catastrophe, it might also seal their eventual demise. So that was point one: Get on-board now, or risk being thrown under the bus later.
Health care reform is a top three voter interest topic for November 2008.