Keller @ Large: No Good Comes From Rushing

BOSTON (CBS) - I love my doctor, because he gives it to me straight.

A couple of years ago, during my annual checkup, he asked me if I had any complaints.

"Well," I said, "sometimes when I start eating too fast, I get bad indigestion."

He considered that for a moment, then said: "Stop eating too fast."

That was good advice.

Too bad so many of us, yours truly included, don't always keep it in mind.

When we drive too fast, accidents often happen. When we get married too fast, divorce often awaits.

And when we ram major legislation through Congress in a white heat for all the wrong reasons?

Consider the latest Obamacare fiasco, in which it appears the Supreme Court may have to decide whether or not vague wording in the health care law about subsidies will prevent thousands of people from getting them, thus sticking them with sky-high medical bills.

Why was this crucial language written so sloppily?

Because the entire bill was rushed through in 2010 using special rules that let the Senate pass it with only 51 votes, rather than the 60 they would have normally needed.

This in turn was because Scott Brown, in an election that was in large part a referendum on Obamacare, had won the seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy, and the Democrats felt it was better to rush the bill through under rules that precluded fixing wording errors than to slow down, produce well-crafted legislation, and then take their chances on building support for it.

No, nothing good ever comes from rushing something.

And in this case, it might wind up giving thousands of us financial indigestion we can't afford to have.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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