Do you remember how, this last summer, Republicans and right wing Democrats from the House of Representatives blasted the Democratic leadership’s health care reform legislation? Their central criticism was that the legislation would allow the government to meddle with the provisions of Americans’ private health insurance, put government regulations between patients and their doctors, rationing medical care, allowing the government to make medical decisions that patients ought to be able to make for themselves.

Last night, 64 right wing Democrats and every Republican member of the House of Representatives but one voted in favor an amendment to the health care reform legislation that creates government-controlled rationing medical. They voted for an amendment that allows the government to intrude into the relationship between patients and their doctors. They voted for an amendment that enables the government to meddle with the provisions of Americans’ private health insurance, an amendment that gives the government to make medical decisions that, up until now, patients had the ability to make for themselves.

The amendment these Republicans voted for was written by Bart Stupak. It creates the requirement that any health insurance plan involved in the new health care marketplace created by the government eliminate their present coverage for abortion – even eliminating coverage for women who pay for their own health care insurance. The amendment forces private insurance companies to reduce the health care coverage that they currently offer, and gives the government the power to meddle in legal and private medical services.

The only Republican not to vote for this rationing of medical care was John Shadegg. Mind you, Shadegg didn’t vote against Stupak’s amendment to create intrusive government rationing of health care. He merely voted “present”.

It seems that the Republicans and right wing of the Democratic Party in Congress don’t really oppose government rationing of medical care. They just want that rationing to take place on their own terms.

It seems that the right wing’s criticism