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Republicans have made much of the price tag tied to the Democrats’ version of health care overhaul. But the top House Republican did not know how much the GOP alternative costs.

The other night when we met, we discussed the fact that Rep. John Boehner of Ohio appears to have issues with pieces of legislation that do not fit on a 3×5 card. We now find out that the Republican party’s leader in the House also appears to have problems not only with arithmetic, but also with ‘big picture’ thinking. For all the complaints about the size and cost of the current Democratic piece of legislation in healthcare (and also despite his claim to having ‘8 or 9 better ideas’), he doesn’t appear to have a clue as to how much the much vaunted Republican plan (all 230 pages of it) costs or what it actually does. Please see CBO Trashes Republican Plan

When asked this morning about the cost of the program, Boehner said:

“Uh, I would think that we have one,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said of the amount of spending in the bill. “I would think that the numbers probably, well there is no net number.” Boehner Clueless On Plan Costs

It really is too bad that Boehner is beyond educational redemption – he’s one old dog that does not seem to have the capacity to learn any tricks (new or old). As a matter of fact, recent investigations of old scrapbooks at the Boehner household in Ohio turned up this bit of intelligence, a note from John Boehner’s teacher, written to Rep. Boehner’s mother when he was in the 6th grade:

Ayer Elementary School

Cincinnati, Ohio

Dear Mrs. Boehner,

Johnny told me that you are disappointed with the grades on his report card and that you would like an explanation.

Language Arts: Johnny got a 55 because he suffers from a short attention span. His prior teachers have passed him along since the first grade even though he refuses to read anything other or longer than "The Cat in the Hat". An inability to stay ‘on task’ in this area is going to cause Johnny a lot of heartache later on when he actually has to read classics such as Little House in the Big Woods or write a paper longer than one type written page. I would like to have a conference with you, Mr. Boehner and Johnny to discuss this; we need everyone’s commitment in this area.

Arithmetic: Johnny got a 40 this quarter because he does not seem to grasp the relationship between numbers and the size of objects or the costs of things. In our ‘consumer’ curriculum, he did not complete any of the exercises regarding ‘best value’ (by the way, Mrs. Boehner, is Johnny bringing his homework home? I’d be more than happy to send you a listing every week so that you know what to expect. I have the feeling that he is using his lunch money to pay one of his friends to do his work for him; I think this is something we need to nip right in the bud). "Cost’ versus ‘value’ is a concept he is not able to grasp; I advise you not to allow Johnny out of the house with your wallet.

Social Skills: As you know, this is an area that we do not grade per se, but provide descriptive phrases. Johnny has received "Dangerous to all living things" for three quarters in a row; we have arranged a meeting for you, Mr. Boehner and Johnny with the school psychologist next Thursday at the close of the school day. Please make sure that Johnny has relinquished any weapons or sharp objects before you enter the offices. The psychologist would appreciate it.