Voters should treat the Democrats' latest health-insurance scheme the same way they would any other sleazy deal. First, there is the very size of the HR 3962 -- misleadingly named the Affordable Health Care for America Act. (Find it online at http://healthbill.notlong.com.) It runs 1,990 pages. It's not a page-turner, either, but a bog of legalese and governmental gobbledygook. Its backers want to pass it before Veterans Day. So if you started today, you'd have to read and understand about 280 pages a day.

Good luck.

Let's put it this way: Imagine how you'd react if a traveling salesman threw down a contract that big and said, "Don't worry about reading the fine print; it's just the usual boilerplate."

You think he was trying to put one over on you. You wouldn't sign it.

Democrats are in a big rush on this because when the American people took the time to sift through previous bills, they rebelled. Democrats hope to get this deal signed before the poor customers know what hit them.

Then there's the old bait-and-switch. One deal is advertised, but when you try to buy, suddenly the special item is out of stock. There's this other product that's even better, and costs just a wee bit more ... or so you're told.

Democrat wisdom has the cost of HR 3962 at $894 billion. Since Uncle Sam has maxed out all his credit cards, it's too much right there. Yet even that $894 billion is understated.

Economics professor Donald Marron, formerly acting director of the Congressional Budget Office, explains that in addition to expanding coverage, the Democrats' legislation raises other costs. The real cost is more than $1.2 trillion, he said.

In addition, like a late-night infomercial that says you can lose weight and get six-pack abs with no sweat and no dieting, the Democrat schemes promise to do the impossible.

Up front, the bill claims that it "institutes health delivery system reforms both to increase quality and to reduce growth in health spending so that health care becomes more affordable for businesses, families, and Government."

It is impossible to fulfill those contradictory aims, any more than you can make snow hot or water dry. HR 3962 adds tens of millions of people to the insurance system. That inevitably boosts costs while diluting the quality of care.

Then the measure reduces all cost-control incentives by failing to make people responsible for their own health expenses. It rejects solutions that could help cut costs right away, such as increasing competition by allowing insurers to sell across state lines.

Finally, using the heavy hand of government to cut payments to doctors and hospitals, it stifles the drive for new technologies that could save both lives and money in the long run.

In short the American people need to just say no to this scam. And it is a scam.

Republican Jason Chaffetz of the Third District might need encouragement in standing fast against this bill, so let him know how you feel. More crucial may be the role of Rep. Jim Matheson, whose Second District covers a swath of Utah County. He's being actively courted by all the players because he's one of the so-called Blue Dog Democrats. They're supposed to hold moderate positions in an increasingly left-leaning party. The Blue Dogs could well provide the margin in the defeat or victory of this breathtaking legislation.

It's a defining moment for Matheson. If he and his fellow Blue Dogs provide enough votes to stall the measure, he'll deserve some gratitude from conservatives.

If, however, he votes to advance this stealth socialism, he'll never again be justified in calling himself a moderate or a Blue Dog -- and won't deserve the title of Utah congressman.

We encourage Utah Valley residents to call or e-mail their representatives and let them know what you think. The House bill could come up for a vote tomorrow. There's no time to lose.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz

(202) 225-7751

e-mail: http://chaffetz.notlong.com

Rep. Jim Matheson

(202) 225-3011

e-mail: http://RepMatheson.notlong.com