Posts Tagged ‘obamacare’

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How stupid does Max Baucus think you are..?

October 3, 2009

Siege Warfare & Health Care Reform

Smelling what they rightly sense is their own blood in the water from the public backlash against the so-called “public option,” congressional Bolsheviks (i.e., Democrats) have retreated to lick their wounds from the loss of their erstwhile health care reform centerpiece. Or have they?

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) certainly doesn’t think so. Using a tried-and-true leftist tactic — two steps forward, one step back, gaining position under the guise of “losing” ground — Baucus re-grouped by championing his health care bill, the core of which rests on mandatory health insurance and massive Medicaid spending. How massive? Weighing in at $1 trillion, the bill is threefold the total cost of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” programs of the ’60s.

Democrats want to cover everyone up to 33 percent above the federal poverty level (about $30,000 for a family of four), adding more than 11 million new bodies to Medicaid rosters by 2019. The total covered would be 70 million people, or roughly one-quarter of America’s population. Oh yeah: “Everyone” includes illegal aliens, or so say at least 21 House Democrats who signed a statement from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus affirming the same. The Congressional Anglo Saxon Caucus has yet to weigh in.

As an added bonus, those not covered under Medicaid must purchase health insurance (the so-called “individual mandate”) or face fines up to $25,000 and/or one year in prison for tax evasion. You may recall the “individual mandate” as the “not-really-a-tax” tax (an IRS “excise tax,” to be precise), which President Barack Obama lamely defended last week when confronted by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos with his promise not to raise taxes on middle class families “by a single penny.” At $1,900 per person for the tax-that’s-not-a-tax, and not withstanding his creative wordsmithing, Obama would be into most Americans for a couple hundred thousand pennies’ worth of broken promises.

However, since entitlements are leading the charge toward national bankruptcy with the lion’s share of the nation’s $12 trillion debt and $100 plus trillion in existing un-funded liabilities, isn’t it required of citizens to ask whether more entitlement spending is warranted when we can’t even fund existing programs? This question is even more relevant at the state level, where all but two states face either substantial or severe shortfalls. Notably, Medicaid is on average the second largest element of state budgets, trailing only slightly behind K-12 education.

Let’s also not miss the salient lesson from this sordid vignette: The fight for freedom is a constant struggle against siege warfare. In this case, under the guise of health care “reform,” statists would redistribute wealth while accruing power to the government, and if they can’t accomplish their goal one way (the “public option”), they will do it another (Medicaid with the “individual mandate”). The only way to counter this constant siege against liberty is to remain vigilant and vocal against these Trojan horse ruses.

As if to punctuate this lesson, Sens. John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) both promised to raise amendments to the Baucus bill adding — you guessed it — the “public option.”

SOURCE

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Immigration, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

How Much Will The Anti-gun ObamaCare Bill Cost?‏

October 3, 2009

Senator Baucus Thinks You’re Too Dumb to Understand Legislation
— Don’t let your two U.S. Senators go along with his arrogance

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners.org


Friday, October 2, 2009

It didn’t seem like such an unreasonable request.  Before the Senate Finance Committee passes one of the most important pieces of legislation in our lifetime, we (the American people) wanted to see two things:

* First, the actual language of the latest anti-gun ObamaCare bill.

* Second, a definitive Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reading of the cost of the legislation, based on its specific language.

But, incredibly, this simple request is too much for Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, who intends to force the committee to vote on the bill with nothing but a “quickie guesstimate” of the cost — a “guesstimate” which CBO will have to reach WITHOUT EVEN HAVING ACCESS TO THE ACTUAL LEGISLATION.

That’s right.  The committee has virtually finished consideration of the health care bill — the most important in our lifetime — AND THERE IS STILL NO LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.

Shouldn’t we at least have a cost estimate that is based on what is actually in the bill?  Yes, but a full CBO cost estimate would take two weeks — and this is inconsistent with efforts by liberal Democrats to cram this bill quickly down the throats of the American people.

Moreover, don’t you realize that “legislative language is very complex” and the American people are just too stupid to understand it.

Well, are the members of the committee too stupid as well?  And what about the CBO?  Is it too stupid?

A Third World country would be embarrassed by the sleaze, corruption, and fraud being used to pass the most expansive government intrusion into health care of our lifetime.

It’s time to put an end to these disgusting tricks.

ACTION:  Call your two U.S. Senators.  Ask them to oppose any ObamaCare legislation — at least until we have two things:

1. The actual legislative language.

2. A definitive Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reading of the cost of the legislation, based on what’s in the bill.

You can call your two Senators toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.

You can also use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your senators the pre-written e-mail message below.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Senator:

I would urge you, in the strongest terms, to resist considering any health care bill from the Senate Finance Committee until we have at least two things:

* First, the actual legislative language.

* Second, a definitive Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of the cost of the legislation, based on legislative language.

It has been reported that, incredibly, this simple request is too much for Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, who intends to force the committee to vote on the bill with nothing but a “quickie guesstimate” of the cost — a “guesstimate” which CBO will have to reach WITHOUT EVEN HAVING ACCESS TO THE ACTUAL LEGISLATION.

It is unfathomable to me that the committee has virtually finished consideration of the health care bill — the most important in our lifetime — AND THERE IS STILL NO LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.

Contrary to Senator Baucus’ assumptions, the American people are not too stupid to understand legislation which will affect whether they live or die.

Neither are the members of the committee nor the CBO.

A Third World country would be embarrassed by the sleaze, corruption, and fraud being used to pass the most expansive government intrusion into health care of our lifetime.

Please vote against the legislation under these circumstances.

Sincerely,


—————————–

Olofson Update

You may recall that Gun Owners Foundation is taking David Olofson’s case to the Supreme Court.  Olofson was railroaded by the federal government.  The feds claim that when David loaned a friend a semi-auto AR-15 that malfunctioned at the range, he was guilty of illegally transfering a machine gun.  A major step on the road to the Supreme Court has now been taken, as GOF has filed its Petition for Certiorari.  You can read that document at: http://gunowners.com/Olofson-Petition-for-Certiorari.pdf

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Immigration, Law, mysandry, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

Political Economies: Command and Demand

October 2, 2009

What follows does not address the obamacare debate, however it is directly the center of what is just plain wrong with what is going on in D.C.

By Mike Rosen

Posted: 10/01/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

There they go again. The latest stop on the world anarchist tour was Pittsburgh, site of last week’s G20 summit of international finance ministers and governors of central banks.While the grownups met indoors to discuss cooperation in the global economy, goons of various persuasions and incoherent causes did their thing on the streets. OK, they weren’t all violent goons. There were also some better-behaved familiar goofballs like Cindy Sheehan and assorted greenies, pacifists and socialists.

But the anarchists were the most committed. They were a mostly youngish mob bedecked in standard revolutionary garb: faded jeans, black T-shirts, bandanas and ski masks to cover their faces. Their contribution to the world economy consisted of throwing rocks, bricks and trash cans at cops, breaking Starbucks windows and assaulting ATMs. Those whose faces were uncovered seemed to be smiling more than scowling. But, of course, this is what these people do for fun.

As anarchist festivals go, this one was relatively tame. Property damage was under $100,000 and fewer than 100 people were arrested. Small potatoes compared to the riot at the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001 and the violence in Montreal, Seattle and Turin, Italy, at other gatherings of world economic and political leaders.

One group of anarchists, apparently auditioning for “American Idol,” taunted police officers with a chorus of: “We all live in a fascist bully state,” sung to the tune of the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” They probably missed the irony. It’s only because of the civility and restraint of democratic governments like the ones these sociopaths so revile that they can get away with their antics. If they actually lived in a fascist bully state they’d have been shot, carted off to a concentration camp or a reeducation center. Icons of the world’s “People’s Democratic Republics” like Stalin, Mao, Castro and Guevara (the guy on the anarchists’ T-shirts) haven’t been so tolerant of dissent.

Anarchists have only a childish concept of what they’re against and not a clue about what they would have replace it. When better-armed anarchists break into their home, who are they going to call? Don’t bother dialing 911; nobody will be there.

In the anarchist paradise of their dreams, do they imagine that mattresses will replace banks as financial intermediaries? Political economies come in only two forms: command and demand. In a command economy, government decides what gets produced, how it’s done, who does it, and how it’s distributed. In a demand economy, the capitalist alternative, those choices are made freely in the market — with varying degrees of government intrusion. The debate among rational adults is over the degree of government intrusion. Once set in motion, government intervention and control tends to expand, becoming ever more difficult to reverse until it metastasizes into a command economy. History has shown us repeatedly and dramatically that command economies don’t work. They produce neither prosperity nor freedom.

By contrast, the tea party folks who have taken to the streets in the age of Obama understand the danger of excessively intrusive government and are trying to stand athwart it. They know what they’re for. But they’re rookies at protests and demonstrations. They’re not quite sure what to do. They certainly don’t want to break anything and they even clean up after themselves. This is not what they do for fun. Most of them would rather spend weekends with their families and are too busy earning a productive living on weekdays. When they turn out there are no face masks, no confrontations with police and no violence.

Isn’t it curious that the same Democrat politicians and liberal media types who condemned and ridiculed the law-abiding tea partiers haven’t uttered a peep in disapproval of the nasty rabble that made a ruckus and dirtied their diapers in Pittsburgh?

Mike Rosen’s radio show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on 850-KOA.

SOURCE

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 2 Comments »

Shenanigans, and Obamacare…

October 1, 2009

The so-called health care debacle, I mean debate. Is flush with partisan politics that have little if anything at all to do with health. With a fresh infusion of Chicago style politics this is becoming one of the biggest, if not most widespread scandal that has been seen in American politics in years… So what if ACORN changed it’s name?

The words is out… the game is played… the man behind the curtain has been exposed… and it’s now as plain as the nose on your face.  Obama and the leftists in Congress don’t want you to know what’s in ObamaCare… they just made it clear that they just may try to hide all the sordid details from you.

But what’s even worse, Obama and the leftists in Congress may even be trying to muzzle, and intimidate, those who dare to speak out against ObamaCare.

It’s becoming more and more apparent that Obama and the leftists in Congress don’t want the American people to know… or read… or hear anything negative about ObamaCare… and that they may be willing to shut-down debate by any means necessary.

One thing is certain, Obama and the leftists in Congress are leaving the door wide open to enact ObamaCare in the dead of night… under the cover of darkness… shove it down our throats before any of us are any the wiser.

When Senator Jim Bunning offered an amendment that would have required that the language of the bill be made available to the American people 72 hours prior to a vote, Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee squashed it.

Michael Franc, writing for the Heritage Foundation’s blog, The Foundry gives us the sordid and sickening details:

“During the Senate Finance Committee mark up of the Baucus health bill … Senator Bunning of Kentucky put forth an innovative amendment. This amendment stipulated that before voting on the measure in Committee, legislative language would have to be accessible to the public for 72 hours and that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would need to publish an official tally of how much this bill will cost the American people and what the real impact will be on health costs.”

Franc continued:

“The amendment failed 11-12 on nearly a party line vote. Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR) was the sole Democrat to support this attempt at transparency. The bottom line: when the committee completes its work on this re-make of one-sixth of our economy, Senators will have voted on a phantom – a bill that does not exist with costs that are unknowable until, that is, the unelected legislative draftsmen write the real bill in some back room on Capitol Hill.”

If nothing else that has transpired up to this point has convinced you that ObamaCare must be rejected… thrown aside… taken off the table… these shenanigans should.

It’s time to tell our elected officials that no good can come from ObamaCare… that’s it’s rotten to the core… and that it must be scrapped.

We need every person in receipt of this urgent appeal to use the button below and barrage Barack Hussein Obama and each and every Republican Member of the United States Senate with your personalized faxes. Make no mistake, you’re not going to change America with a couple of faxes or letters or phone calls only directed at your two Senators.  Each of us needs to barrage each and every one of these Republican Senators with a mountain of faxes.  They all need to see that the American people are united. Only then will they wake up and smell the coffee.

Tell them that you believe that the only thing keeping ObamaCare alive is the willingness of some Republicans to negotiate and that ObamaCare would be defeated once and for all if they all stood firm in total opposition to ObamaCare. Tell them that no amount of so-called “compromise” will make government-run health care acceptable to the American people. Let them know that if they spent the same amount of energy to defeat ObamaCare as they are spending negotiating, the job would be done. Demand, once and for all, that they stop negotiating and win this fight against socialized health care for the American people.

Sit Down And Shut Up. ObamaCare Is None Of Your Business… When We Pass It, You Can Learn To Live With It.
It’s bad enough when our federal legislators vote on bills they have not even bothered to read….

But to actually start “negotiations” on 200 pages of notes and ideas… on a bill that has not even been written….

To squash an amendment that would require them to give you 72 hours to read what will likely be thousands of pages before they vote on it… what’s going on here?

It’s as if they’re saying, We Ain’t Gonna Read It And We Don’t Want You Reading It Either.

The American people are not children to be scolded or bullied.

This is the United States… not the old-Soviet Union.

And yet, ObamaCare may actually pass because the willingness of some Republican Senators to “negotiate” is keeping it on life support.

It’s possibly the only thing keeping it alive right now.  If Republican Senators simply walked away… if they left it alone… ObamaCare would likely just wither on the vine.

You can only scratch your head and ask why?

Why negotiate over something the American people have soundly rejected?

And furthermore, in consideration of the tactics being employed by the proponents of ObamaCare, why negotiate with a bully… even a 10 year-old knows better than to do that?

But you can do something other than just scratch your head.

You can send all of these Republican Senators a loud and clear message that it’s time to stop negotiations. It’s time to stand firm in opposition to ObamaCare and defeat ObamaCare once and for all.

We need every person in receipt of this urgent appeal to use the button below and barrage Barack Hussein Obama and each and every Republican Member of the United States Senate with your personalized faxes. Make no mistake, you’re not going to change America with a couple of faxes or letters or phone calls only directed at your two Senators.  Each of us needs to barrage each and every one of these Republican Senators with a mountain of faxes.  They all need to see that the American people are united. Only then will they wake up and smell the coffee.

Tell them that you believe that the only thing keeping ObamaCare alive is the willingness of some Republicans to negotiate and that ObamaCare would be defeated once and for all if they all stood firm in total opposition to ObamaCare. Tell them that no amount of so-called “compromise” will make government-run health care acceptable to the American people. Let them know that if they spent the same amount of energy to defeat ObamaCare as they are spending negotiating, the job would be done. Demand, once and for all, that they stop negotiating and win this fight against socialized health care for the American people.

Is Obama’s Department of Health And Human Services Stomping On The First Amendment… Threatening Those Who Oppose ObamaCare.
But Obama and the leftists in Congress are not simply trying to keep you in the dark when it comes to ObamaCare.

It’s worse… they’re actually trying to squash attempts by some who dare to tell the truth about ObamaCare.

Did you hear about what just happened to Humana?

Humana published a letter to its members warning them of potential drastic cuts to Medicare (specifically the Medicare Advantage program) under ObamaCare and urged its members to contact Congress.

Specifically, Humana said; “if the proposed funding cut levels [in the current health care legislation] become law, millions of seniors and disabled individuals could lose many of the important benefits and services that make Medicare Advantage health plans so valuable.”

It was a very valid point to raise… such proposals are on the table… and it makes all the sense in the world to alert people to what is going on and motivate them to call their elected officials… but it didn’t take the long for our government to come down hard on Humana.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiated an investigation and sent an ominous gag-order to Humana:

“As we continue our research into this issue, we are instructing you to immediately discontinue all such mailings to beneficiaries and to remove any related materials directed to Medicare enrollees from your Web sites.”

And Senator Max Baucus demanded that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launch an “investigation” against Humana as well, claiming the letter put forth “false information,” Baucus rhetorically asked, “does the first amendment include lies?”

Of course, there’s just one small problem with Baucus’ ranting accusation. Humana was voicing an opinion that was well grounded in fact. Even the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) made the point.

Bob Ellis with Dakotavoice.com: “Even the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms what the White House doesn’t want to get out, with CBO head Douglas Elmendorf telling the Senate this on Tuesday.”

The Internet website Blogcritics.com, in an article titled, Obama Violates the First Amendment, goes so far as to say that the HHS action “smacks of fascism.”

“[T]his past week the Obama administration violated its oath to uphold the Constitution by issuing a decree abridging the First Amendment right to speech.”

“In a memo to private health insurers from a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Obama administration issued a decree ordering them to stop informing Medicare beneficiaries that health reform legislation before Congress could hurt them and curtail their benefits if enacted. The memo went on to say that the government might take legal action against insurers that are mobilizing opposition to the legislation by sending ‘misleading and confusing’ messages to seniors.

“Say what you will about insurance companies, this is by no means a defense of them. It is instead a rebuke of an administration that is playing fast and loose with basic rights guaranteed to all Americans, including corporations. … Humana has as much right to speak out for or against federal legislation as I do. Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court have no power to abridge Humana’s right to free speech. Obama should know this, given that he is a constitutional lawyer.”

And yet, in spite of these shenanigans, Senate Republicans are still bending over backward to play Let’s Make A Deal.  Are they under some delusion that they can somehow make ObamaCare better or soften the blow if they “negotiate?”

If so, we must disabuse them of that notion here and now. We must tell them that instead of negotiating on ObamaCare, they need to focus their efforts on stopping ObamaCare.

We need to tell them to stand firm… twist some arms… pick-off some Democrats from conservative states and bring them into the fold… dare Harry Reid to shove the reconciliation process down our throats and pass ObamaCare with a simple majority (he’ll do it at the risk of destroying his own party).

The battle to stop ObamaCare is winnable… all these Senators need is a little back-bone.

We need every person in receipt of this urgent appeal to use the button below and barrage Barack Hussein Obama and each and every Republican Member of the United States Senate with your personalized faxes. Make no mistake, you’re not going to change America with a couple of faxes or letters or phone calls only directed at your two Senators.  Each of us needs to barrage each and every one of these Republican Senators with a mountain of faxes.  They all need to see that the American people are united. Only then will they wake up and smell the coffee.

Tell them that you believe that the only thing keeping ObamaCare alive is the willingness of some Republicans to negotiate and that ObamaCare would be defeated once and for all if they all stood firm in total opposition to ObamaCare. Tell them that no amount of so-called “compromise” will make government-run health care acceptable to the American people. Let them know that if they spent the same amount of energy to defeat ObamaCare as they are spending negotiating, the job would be done. Demand, once and for all, that they stop negotiating and win this fight against socialized health care for the American people.

What If They’re Lying To Us Now… What Will Stop Them From Lying To Us Again… And Again… And Again?
It’s clear, someone is not being straight with the American people, and such a display of mendacity simply leads us to ask more questions.

Red Star Can a government that is unwilling to act with transparency… a government that initiates investigations against those with opposing views… be trusted to act in the best interests of the American people… of you… of me?

Red Star If ObamaCare is egregious now, what will it look like in a year… or two years… or five years… will they even bother to tell us… or will every change to ObamaCare be made behind closed doors in a smoke-filled room?

Red Star Do we really want to empower the same government that is fouling-up cash-for-clunkers… the same government that is fouling-up our economy by effectively taking control of private companies… the power to foul-up our health care?

Red Star Do we really want to empower that same government to determine which life-saving treatments we will receive… that our loved-ones will receive… or don’t receive?

Red Star Do we really want government end-of-life counselors who would probably exhibit the compassion of IRS agents counseling us or our loved ones on life and death decisions?

Of course not. But too many of our so-called leaders still don’t get it. They don’t see the bigger picture.

Instead of scrapping ObamaCare… throwing it onto the ash-heap of history… they’re quibbling over what type of government-run health care they believe to be best for you and your family… and no one is fighting for you… for us… for the American people.

When Baucus unveiled his new and improved (and unwritten) version of ObamaCare, legislators (Republicans and Democrats alike) piled on… in no time flat, over 560 amendments (to an unwritten bill that was nothing more than 200 pages of notes and ideas) were put forward.

Senator Lindsey Graham perhaps said it best; “we’re making this up as we go… they’re trying to buy votes… the vision here is to pass something… they don’t give a damn what it is and nobody understands what they’re doing.”

The American people for months have been sending the message loud and clear that they want no part of ObamaCare, period, regardless of what form it takes.

The American people have been telling politicians in Washington that no amount of so-called “compromise” will make Obama’s government-run health care scheme acceptable or palatable.

And yet, these politicians keep talking… they keep amending… they keep “negotiating” … they keep trying to “compromise” and reach “consensus” … in short, they continue to waste time on something that no one wants.

Is that ridiculous, or what?

We need every person in receipt of this urgent appeal to use the button below and barrage Barack Hussein Obama and each and every Republican Member of the United States Senate with your personalized faxes. Make no mistake, you’re not going to change America with a couple of faxes or letters or phone calls only directed at your two Senators.  Each of us needs to barrage each and every one of these Republican Senators with a mountain of faxes.  They all need to see that the American people are united. Only then will they wake up and smell the coffee.

Tell them that you believe that the only thing keeping ObamaCare alive is the willingness of some Republicans to negotiate and that ObamaCare would be defeated once and for all if they all stood firm in total opposition to ObamaCare. Tell them that no amount of so-called “compromise” will make government-run health care acceptable to the American people. Let them know that if they spent the same amount of energy to defeat ObamaCare as they are spending negotiating, the job would be done. Demand, once and for all, that they stop negotiating and win this fight against socialized health care for the American people.

SOURCE

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Posted in Czar Wars, Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

Get set to get rammed!

September 29, 2009

No, I’m not talking ancient naval warfare, or homosexual proclivities either. Although some may believe that what is about to happen in the Senate is in fact akin to the latter for some of the poor souls in various Graybar Hotels.

In broader terms, the big task for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is to get 60 votes in the Senate in order to block a Republican filibuster. But Reid could also implement a legislative option known as reconciliation, which would only require 51 senators.

By that method the gangsters in the Senate can get passed the opposition, and get your butt in their sling. Such shenanigans, akin to Harry Reid posing as a Second Amendment supporter in Nevada are pure dirty politics that are designed to further the political agenda of elitist, not supportive of what you, the American people want, need, or should have foisted upon them. Read about that in it’s entirety HERE.

For my part I am looking forward to “Judgment Day” 2010. They big government “Better than Thou” type’s are in for yet another wake up call. Hopefully followed by  a complete Tar & Feathering of the programs that they have forced upon this nation.

Some people just never learn. It’s a fact friends. Hence;

“‘Democrats lost Congress in 1994 because President Clinton failed to pass national health care.’ I’m not sure if this is another example of the left’s wishful-thinking method of analysis or if they’re seriously trying to trick the Blue Dog Democrats into believing it. But I gather liberals consider the 1994 argument an important point because it was on the front page of The New York Times a few weeks ago in place of a story about Van Jones or ACORN. According to a news story by Jackie Calmes: ‘In 1994, Democrats’ dysfunction over fulfilling a new president’s campaign promise contributed to the party’s loss of its 40-year dominance of Congress.’ That’s not the way I remember it. The way I remember it, Republicans swept Congress in 1994 not because Clinton failed to nationalize health care, but because he tried to nationalize health care. HillaryCare failed because most Americans didn’t want it. … But just to check my recollection, I looked up the Times’ own coverage of the 1994 congressional races. Republicans won a landslide election in 1994 based largely on the ‘Contract With America,’ which, according to the Times, promised ‘tax cuts, more military spending and a balanced-budget amendment.’ Far from complaining about Clinton incompetently failing to pass health care, the Times reported that Republicans were ‘unabashedly claiming credit for tying Congress up in knots.’ These claims were immediately followed by … oh, what was that word again? Now I remember … LANDSLIDE!” –columnist Ann Coulter

So? What should a hard left Democrat be doing in these trying times in preparation for what awaits them? Invest of course!


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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Immigration, Law, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Get set to get rammed!

An American? The answer is yes! obamacare and more…

September 23, 2009

“Obama and his commissars are labeling Americans who just happen to oppose Cap & Trade, billions for clunkers and to the havoc the leftists are trying to wreak on our health care system, as brainless sheep. Large groups of citizens rise up to voice their grievances and he calls them mobs, claims that grass roots are really made of Astroturf and tells his minions to ape the Soviets and rat out their friends and neighbors. Some people I know refer to what Obama is doing as social engineering. I think it’s something even worse: socialist engineering. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that whenever a black conservative voices an opinion, the liberal claque insists that he’s not an authentic black, and when a white conservative voices an opinion, Obama’s sycophants insist he’s not an authentic American. When Obama was running for the presidency, a few of us Paul Revere wannabes were warning you: ‘The reds are coming! The reds are coming!’ Naturally, Obama, a born and bred race hustler who learned his lessons well from Jeremiah Wright, wanted you to believe that the only reason people could possibly have for opposing him was his race. But it was never about the color of his skin. It was always about the color of his politics.” –columnist Burt Prelutsky

“I traveled on the Tea Party Express tour bus as a singer/songwriter, entertainer and spokesperson; 16 states, 34 rallies in two weeks. I experienced vicious racial verbal attacks, not from the tea party protesters. The racial hate expressed against me all came from the left, people who support President Obama’s radial socialist agenda. … These racists are outraged by my opening lines I boldly proclaimed at each rally. ‘Hello my fellow patriots! I am NOT an African-American! I am Lloyd Marcus, AMERCIAN!‘ … The tea party audience’s passionate response to my proclamation was a surprise to me. I did not know so many Americans disapproved of hyphenating pushed on us via political correctness. … Liberals’ response to my YouTube videos, columns and performances on the Tea Party Express have been extremely racist, vicious and hate-filled. In their incredible arrogance, they vilify me for loving my country and not viewing myself as a victim of white America. In the sick minds of liberals, as a black man in America, I must support President Obama regardless of his policies. I must resent white America. I must feel entitled to the earnings of other Americans. My belief that my success or failure is totally in the hands of myself and my God is anathema to them. As to the claim that the tea party protesters are racist, they are not. Quite the opposite. At every rally, with thousands in attendance, I was overwhelmingly showered with affection and thanks for standing up for America. … These protesters are not racist. They are decent hard working ordinary Americans who love their country and disapprove of the radical changes planned by the Obama administration.” –singer, songwriter and columnist Lloyd Marcus

“Hospitals across the country are going bankrupt because the federal government forces them to provide free services to illegals. This situation appears to have angered some segment of the population, in particular, American citizens who pay taxes to support the hospitals, but then are forced to spend hours writhing in pain in hospital waiting rooms. With Americans in a boiling cauldron of rage about the government’s impotent response to the tsunami of illegal immigrants, last year, both political parties ran candidates for president who favor amnesty for illegal immigrants. And now Democrats have the audacity to tell us to our faces that national health care won’t cover illegals. Not only that, but they tell us we must not be able to read if we think it does. … [S]ection [246 of the bill], which liberals keep brandishing like a DNA-stained dress, states: ‘Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.’ In other words, illegal aliens are excluded from precisely one section of the thousand-page, goodie-laden health care bill: Section 246, which distributes taxpayer-funded ‘affordability credits’ to people who can’t afford to pay for their own health care. Even this minor restriction on taxpayer largesse to illegals will immediately be overturned by the courts. But the point is: Except for vouchers, the bill does not even pretend to exclude illegals from any part of national health care — including the taxpayer-funded health insurance plan. Moreover, liberals won’t have to wait for some court to find that the words ‘nothing in this subtitle shall allow’ means ‘this bill allows,’ because the bill contains no mechanism to ensure that the health care vouchers aren’t going to illegal aliens. Nor does the bill prohibit the states from providing taxpayer-funded health care vouchers to illegals. Democrats keep voting down Republican amendments that would insert these restrictions — just before dashing to a TV studio to denounce anyone who says the health care bill covers illegal aliens.” –columnist Ann Coulter

And then we have…

“On Thursday, the administration scrapped its missile defense plans for Eastern Europe. The ‘courageous’ Czechs and Poles will have to take their chances. Did the ‘threat from Iran’ go away? Not so’s you’d notice. The dawn of the nuclear Ayatollahs is perhaps only months away, and, just in case the Zionists or (please, no tittering) the formerly Great Satan is minded to take ’em out, Tehran will shortly be taking delivery of a bunch of S-300 anti-aircraft batteries from (ta-da!) Russia. Fancy that. Joe Klein, the geostrategic thinker of Time magazine, concluded his analysis thus: ‘This is just speculation on my part. But I do hope that this anti-missile move has a Russian concession attached to it, perhaps not publicly (just as the U.S. agreement to remove its nuclear missiles from Turkey was not make public during the Cuban Missile Crisis). The Obama administration’s diplomatic strategy is, I believe, wise and comprehensive — but it needs to show more than public concessions over time. A few diplomatic victories wouldn’t hurt.’ Golly. We know, thanks to Jimmy Carter, Joe Klein and many others, that we critics of President Obama’s health care policy are, by definition, racist. Has criticism of Obama’s foreign policy also been deemed racist? Because one can certainly detect the first faint seeds of doubt germinating in dear old Joe’s soon-to-be-racist breast: The Obama administration ‘needs to show more than public concessions over time’ — because otherwise the entire planet may get the vague impression that that’s all there is. Especially if your pre-emptive capitulations are as felicitously timed as the missile-defense announcement, stiffing the Poles on the 70th anniversary of their invasion by the Red Army. As for the Czechs, well, dust off your Neville Chamberlain’s Greatest Hits LP: Like he said, they’re a faraway country of which we know little. So who cares? Everything old is new again.” –columnist Mark Steyn

SOURCE

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More on obamacare: Questions from a wise man…

September 15, 2009

In various places around the Internet and in the Main Stream Media anyone that questions the impostor in chiefs plan to destroy health care in America as we know it are called anything but intelligent. What follows are questions presented from one of the brightest bulbs out there.

“One plain fact should outweigh all the words of Barack Obama and all the impressive trappings of the setting in which he says them: He tried to rush Congress into passing a massive government takeover of the nation’s medical care before the August recess — for a program that would not take effect until 2013! Whatever President Obama is, he is not stupid. If the urgency to pass the medical care legislation was to deal with a problem immediately, then why postpone the date when the legislation goes into effect for years — more specifically, until the year after the next Presidential election? If this is such an urgently needed program, why wait for years to put it into effect? And if the public is going to benefit from this, why not let them experience those benefits before the next Presidential election? If it is not urgent that the legislation goes into effect immediately, then why don’t we have time to go through the normal process of holding Congressional hearings on the pros and cons, accompanied by public discussions of its innumerable provisions? What sense does it make to ‘hurry up and wait’ on something that is literally a matter of life and death? If we do not believe that the President is stupid, then what do we believe? The only reasonable alternative seems to be that he wanted to get this massive government takeover of medical care passed into law before the public understood what was in it. Moreover, he wanted to get re-elected in 2012 before the public experienced what its actual consequences would be. Unfortunately, this way of doing things is all too typical of the way this administration has acted on a wide range of issues.” –economist Thomas Sowell

SOURCE

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Baucus Health Care Draft to Fine Reluctant Gun Owners up to $3,800

September 12, 2009

Remember, you heard it here long ago…

By now, members of Gun Owners of America should have received pre-written postcards opposing the anti-gun health care bills that are floating around on Capitol Hill.

Please send in those postcards — as it’s very important for legislative offices to see mounds of gun owners’ mail being dumped on their desks!

Now that Congress is back in session — and the President has given his televised push on health care — it is time for us to redouble our efforts.

To review the bidding:

Every major health care bill being considered in Congress would require many (if not most) Americans to be covered by insurance policies written by the Obama administration — so-called ObamaCare.

Among other things, ObamaCare will almost certainly require, by regulation, that all gun-related medical data be fed into a federal health database — pursuant to a $20 billion program Obama insisted be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill.

So, as a gun owner who doesn’t want this data to be trolled by the BATFE from a federal database, you might say:

* “I’m not going to buy an ObamaCare policy.”

or

* “I’m going to buy the type of insurance that I want to buy.”

Well, anti-gun Democrat Max Baucus (D-MT) has a question for you:  “How would you like to pay a $3,800 a year fine?”

That’s right.  In a legislative draft released this week, Baucus would fine you up to $3,800 for not buying precisely the insurance policy which Barack Obama orders you to buy.

So, what’s going to be required under ObamaCare?  And how much is it going to cost?

Baucus isn’t going to tell you that until after the bill is passed.  We do know that, under the Baucus draft, a lower middle income family could be forced to pay up to 13% of its income to buy an ObamaCare policy. And, presumably, a middle income family would be required to spend much, much more.

Take into consideration that the Baucus draft — with its $3,800 per year fines and its ObamaCare -related gun databases — is the so-called “conservative” bill.  This is the one that they’re trying to get Republicans to sign onto because it’s so “conservative.”  The final Pelosi-written conference report will be much, much worse.

Incidentally, Obama opposed forcing Americans to purchase government-approved insurance during the campaign, but guess what?  He lied.

ACTION:

1. Write your Senators. Ask them to oppose the anti-gun Baucus draft, with its requirement that Americans purchase an Obama-approved insurance policy or pay a $3,800 annual fine.  This legislative draft has not yet been publicly released; however, several news agencies have reported on its key features — and these reviews are widely available on the Internet.

Click here to use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your legislators the pre-written e-mail message below.

2. Distribute this email far and wide. There are people that you know who should be involved in the fight against socialized health care who are just sitting on the sidelines.  Please forward this email to them and get them involved in the fight!

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Senator:

Please oppose the open-ended anti-gun mandates contained in the Baucus health draft.
Among other things, Baucus-mandated policies, which would have to be approved by the Obama administration, will almost certainly require, by regulation, that all gun¬-related medical data be fed into a federal health database — pursuant to a $20 billion program Obama insisted be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill.

So, what if a gun owner insists on buying the type of insurance he wants to buy?
Sen. Baucus would fine him up to $3,800 a year.

That’s right.  In a recently released draft, Baucus would fine gun owners up to $3,800 for not buying precisely the insurance policy which Barack Obama orders them to buy.
So, what’s going to be required by this Baucus¬-mandated policy? And how much is it going to cost?

Baucus isn’t going to tell us that until after the bill is passed. We do know that, under the Baucus draft, a lower middle income family could be forced to pay up to 13% of its income to buy an ObamaCare policy. And, presumably, a middle income family would be required to spend much, much more.

Incidentally, Obama opposed forcing Americans to purchase government-approved insurance during the campaign.

In short, please oppose the anti-gun, anti-freedom Baucus “compromise” and please let me know exactly where you stand on this issue.

Sincerely,

SOURCE

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Fines proposed?

September 8, 2009

So? The Democrats are not fascist? Yet, they are going to fine you for not goose stepping along their road to disaster, and helping them to destroy your own liberty?

Read on…

WASHINGTON – Americans would be fined up to $3,800 for failing to buy health insurance under a plan that circulated in Congress on Tuesday as divisions among Democrats undercut President Barack Obama‘s effort to regain traction on his health care overhaul.

As Obama talked strategy with Democratic leaders at the White House, the one idea that most appeals to his party’s liberal base lost ground in Congress. Prospects for a government-run plan to compete with private insurers sank as a leading moderate Democrat said he could no longer support the idea.

The fast-moving developments put Obama in a box. As a candidate, he opposed fines to force individuals to buy health insurance, and he supported setting up a public insurance plan. On Tuesday, fellow Democrats publicly begged to differ on both ideas.

Democratic congressional leaders put on a bold front as they left the White House after their meeting with the president.

“We’re re-energized; we’re ready to do health care reform,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insisted the public plan is still politically viable. “I believe that a public option will be essential to our passing a bill in the House of Representatives,” she said.

After a month of contentious forums, Americans were seeking specifics from the president in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. So were his fellow Democrats, divided on how best to solve the problem of the nation’s nearly 50 million uninsured.

The latest proposal: a ten-year, $900-billion bipartisan compromise that Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a moderate who heads the influential Finance Committee, was trying to broker. It would guarantee coverage for nearly all Americans, regardless of medical problems.

But the Baucus plan also includes the fines that Obama has rejected. In what appeared to be a sign of tension, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs pointedly noted that the administration had not received a copy of the plan before it leaked to lobbyists and news media Tuesday.

The Baucus plan would require insurers to take all applicants, regardless of age or health. But smokers could be charged higher premiums. And 60-year-olds could be charged five times as much for a policy as 20-year-olds.

He said Tuesday he’s trying to get agreement from a small group of bipartisan negotiators in advance of Obama’s speech. “Time is running out very quickly,” he said. “I made that very clear to the group.”

Some experts consider the $900-billion price tag a relative bargain because the country now spends about $2.5 trillion a year on health care. But it would require hefty fees on insurers, drug companies and others in the health care industry to help pay for it.

Just as auto coverage is now mandatory in nearly all states, Baucus would a require that all Americans get health insurance once the system is overhauled. Penalties for failing to get insurance would start at $750 a year for individuals and $1,500 for families. Households making more than three times the federal poverty level — about $66,000 for a family of four — would face the maximum fines. For families, it would be $3,800, and for individuals, $950.

Baucus would offer tax credits to help pay premiums for households making up to three times the poverty level, and for small employers paying about average middle-class wages. People working for companies that offer coverage could avoid the fines by signing up.

The fines pose a dilemma for Obama. As a candidate, the president campaigned hard against making health insurance a requirement, and fining people for not getting it.

“Punishing families who can’t afford health care to begin with just doesn’t make sense,” he said during his party’s primaries. At the time, he proposed mandatory insurance only for children.

White House officials have since backed away somewhat from Obama’s opposition to mandated coverage for all, but there’s no indication that Obama would support fines.

One idea that Obama championed during and since the campaign — a government insurance option — appeared to be sinking fast.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters a Medicare-like plan for middle-class Americans and their families isn’t an essential part of legislation for him. Hoyer’s comments came shortly after a key Democratic moderate said he could no longer back a bill that includes a new government plan.

The fast-moving developments left liberals in a quandary. They’ve drawn a line, saying they won’t vote for legislation if it doesn’t include a public plan to compete with private insurance companies and force them to lower costs.

Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., who once supported a public option, said Tuesday that after hearing from constituents during the August recess, he’s changed his mind.

“If House leadership presents a final bill that contains a government-run public option, I will oppose it,” Ross said.

House Democrats are considering a fallback: using the public plan as a last resort if after a few years the insurance industry has failed to curb costs.

Obama’s commitment to a public plan has been in question and lawmakers hoped his speech to Congress would make his position on that clear.

Baucus is calling for nonprofit co-ops to compete in the marketplace instead of a public plan.

An 18-page summary of the Baucus proposal was obtained by The Associated Press. The complex plan would make dozens of changes in the health care system, many of them contentious. For example, it includes new fees on insurers, drug companies, medical device manufacturers and clinical labs.

People working for major employers would probably not see big changes. The plan is geared to helping those who now have the hardest time getting and keeping coverage: the self-employed and small business owners.

SOURCE


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“White House Fires Back at Enzi” So what?

September 1, 2009

One of my Senators figured out that the people of Wyoming simply don’t want the federal government involved any more than absolutely necessary in our health care. Not to mention that if Senator Enzi goes over to the dark side it will be political suicide. So, despite the WaPo story some Senators might just have figured out that we, the people, are who they work for. Not the President…

President Obama’s spokesman accused congressional Republicans on Monday of “stepping away” from attempts to reach a bipartisan agreement on overhauling the U.S. health-care system.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs took issue with Sen. Mike Enzi’s national radio address Saturday, in which he warned that Democratic proposals would allow for the “intrusion of a Washington bureaucrat in the relationship between a doctor and a patient” and “will actually make our nation’s finances sicker without saving you money.”

Enzi (Wyo.) has been one of three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee negotiating a possible bipartisan health-care compromise, and Gibbs called his address “tremendously unfortunate but in some ways illuminating.”

Full Story

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