Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives

Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Ca., just donned the ski-mask, slipped a magazine into his firearm, and grabbed his aluminum bat as he targeted the insurance industry for its neutrality towards Obamacare. This congress is an absolute joke.

Insurance Industry May Want to Stay Out of Dark Alleys for a While

The Democratic Congress has clearly decided to turn the screws on the insurance industry in order to pass national health care.

First came Speaker Nancy Pelosi's warning that health insurers would be considered "villains" for their role in helping to escalate health care costs. Now Reps. Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak have sent a letter to 52 insurers warning them that the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans on "examining executive compensation and other business practices of the health industry." Mr. Waxman chairs the committee and is known for his take-no-prisoners style. Mr. Stupak chairs the committee's investigations subcommittee.

Because the letter demands extensive information be delivered to Congress by September 4 and because no other industry was targeted, many insurers see the letter as a naked attempt to bludgeon them into line -- a view shared by many who know how Congress works. "This is using the raw power of the Congress to extort information and humiliate citizens," says former Speaker Newt Gingrich. "It is a chilling example of intimidation."

What makes the Waxman letter even more disturbing is that it gives no explanation of what the information would be used for or what legitimate policy purpose would be served. "Some letters Congress sends sound like a fishing expedition is being conducted," one Hill staffer told me. "This letter reads like it was sent from a hunting party."

-- John Fund