Pay or Play Law For City of Houston Contractors

So the City of Houston has passed an ordinance requiring contractors doing $100,000 or more of work with the city to provide health care for workers or pay as reported here by The Houston Comical.

Contractors with more than $100,000 of business with the city must provide their employees with health insurance or pay a penalty fee starting in July under an ordinance approved by the City Council on Wednesday.

The requirement is largely symbolic since most city contractors already provide health benefits, but officials said it will serve as an example for other employers across the city.

``(It) hopefully will encourage other public entities - and I already have my letters ready to go to Metro and to the port - to encourage them to do the same thing,'' said Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, who has pushed the measure for about a year.

``I think we can also use this as leverage to encourage the private sector to do this as well.''

As I read Councilwoman Alvarado's comments I was reminded once again what we should expect from politicians regarding health care and that is political correctness ,and always bear in mind the definition of the term.

"Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

Only one council member, Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, opposed the ordinance and hit the nail squarely on the head with these comments;

``This will only add to our costs, and the taxpayers will be paying,'' Wiseman said. ``We have no business telling businesses how to conduct their business.''

So in a week where Hugo Chavez took steps to nationalize the property of Houston Based Conoco Phillips we have more May Day symbolism from The City Council of Houston. Ah, the power of incrementalism. How long before health care becomes a basic human right in America--I bet its number 11 on this list by May 1, 2008. I think Howard Dean sees a voting bloc here.