Posts Tagged ‘obamacare’

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Obamacare is only a few weeks old…

May 14, 2010

Obamacare is only a few weeks old, but the evidence against it is mounting with every passing day. A small portion of that evidence is described in the open letter to Congress provided below.

Please send Congress another letter demanding that they repeal the recently passed healthcare bill.

You can copy or borrow from this sample letter:

Please take immediate action to repeal the recently passed healthcare bill. To understand just a few of the reasons why repeal is needed please read this column by Cato Institute scholar Michael Tanner: http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/health-246711-care-insurance.html

Here’s a partial summary . . .

A study by the RAND Corporation has now confirmed the warning Congress was given by the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) prior to passing the healthcare bill. Obamacare will do NOTHING to curb increases in insurance premiums. For example, RAND predicts that premiums will rise by 17% for young people.

A recent CBO report also predicts that up to 10 million workers will lose their current insurance under Obamacare, and will either have to buy new insurance through the government-run exchanges, or be forced into Medicaid.

Remember, President Obama and Congressional leaders promised us that none of us would lose our current coverage.

In addition, President Obama has criticized U.S. citizens for spending more on healthcare than any other people in the world, while also promising that Obamacare would reduce U.S. healthcare spending. But the federal government’s chief actuary, Richard Foster, is predicting that total healthcare spending will actually increase by $311 billion over the next 10 years.

Mr. Foster also doubts that the promised Medicare savings that Congress used to wrangle a good CBO spending score will really happen, but if they do happen then the likely result will be bankruptcy for up to 15% of U.S. hospitals!

Mr. Tanner’s column goes on to highlight CBO estimates about the tax increases and penalties Americans are projected to pay as a result of the healthcare bill.

But Mr. Tanner isn’t the only scholar digging into government reports to expose the true costs and dangers of the new healthcare law. The list of problems I’m sharing with you here could easily be longer, and is almost certain to grow more extensive as the months pass. How could it be otherwise . . .

Congress didn’t read the bill before passing it. This was completely irresponsible. But now that scholars are having time to do the reading that Congress should have done, the diagnosis is increasingly clear — the healthcare bill is a cancer, and REPEAL is the only remedy. Do it now.

END LETTER

You can send your letter to Congress using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System. https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/114

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Obamacare is only a few weeks old…

obama care in the crosshairs

May 13, 2010

The government of epic fail obama has tried to claim that the wholly un-Constitutional obamacare does not violate the Constitution.

Congress acted well within its power to regulate interstate commerce and to provide for the general welfare, Justice Department lawyers argued in a 46-page brief filed in federal district court in Detroit. For the courts to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature domestic legislation would amount to unwarranted interference with the policymaking authority of Congress, they added.

When will the coronation begin? So the vulcan eared phony can ram anything down the throats of the people of America? If this monstrosity was so Constitutional and good for America then why the bribes? Why did getting it passed require so many back room deals?

The case could go all the way to the Supreme Court, since more than a dozen state attorneys general have also filed suit against the legislation on broadly similar grounds. Cases are pending in federal courts in Virginia and Florida, raising the possibility that different appeals courts could issue conflicting rulings that the Supreme Court would have to resolve.

So, we the people, will once again have to bend our collective knees and adhere to the law like good little Boy Scouts? Anyone with as much as mush between their ears saw what can be expected during the Town Hall Meetings. We, the people, are fed up with overbearing government! before of all you leftist get your panties all wadded up bear in mind that the above statement applies to Republicans as well as democrat / socialist’s. Two, or more wrongs do not make a right people. Further, who does them makes not a single iota of difference.

“Under the government’s theory, they could force anyone to purchase vitamins, join a health club, or buy a General Motors vehicle, for that matter,” said Robert Muise, a lead attorney for the Thomas More Law Center, the conservative group that filed the Michigan lawsuit March 23, the same day Obama signed the law.

This country simply cannot wait for this to go to the Supreme Court. This needs to be stopped in it’s tracks. Add in the Court stacking that the current regime is doing, and this is the sort of thing that we can look forward to for quite some time.

SOURCE for the quotations above.

Additional information

And the cost?

Let’s not forget about the hidden gun control, that was stripped out, and then sneaked back in like a Lautenberg in the night.

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

Fast Tracks, Federal Slaps, Tabor and More

April 2, 2010

The Coming Battle is, well, Coming….  We are being swamped by questions about our hopeful ballot initiative to defend Colorado from Obama Care.  The short answer is we are going through the very bureaucratic process with the state before we can hit the streets with petitions.  We should be able to get petitions out there in early April, and WE NEED HELP!  If you can volunteer to gather signatures please give us your contact information here. And if you’d like to give some cash for our fight go here.

If you help, we are going to make Colorado a sanctuary state for quality health care.

Fighting Obama Care in the Courts – Must Hear Podcast: Colorado Attorney General John Suthers joins our Research Director Dave Kopel to discuss the lawsuit he and 12 others State Attorneys General have jointly filed, that claims the health care bill recently signed by President Obama is unconstitutional because it violates the 10th Amendment. AG Suthers makes a good point: if Obama Care is allowed to ride, it will be a dangerous precedent – one from which we can never return. As the AG puts it, if the Feds can punish you for NOT engaging in commerce, is there any limit to their power? To get the whole scoop, listen to the podcast on iVoices.org.

Attacking TABOR “for the kids”?: The usual suspects have lined up to float a proposal that would exempt our state legislators from having to ask voters before raising taxes to fund education. Policy Analyst Ben DeGrow explained the problem with the proposal on a recent Colorado Springs TV news story. As a result, our young blogging prodigy Eddie added in his two cents worth, too.

Unintentional Comedy at 70 mph: As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s deja vu all over again.” Remember those FasTracks lies we’ve been told for 30 years? Well, a new report from the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority makes RTD’s distortions look like child’s play. The report claims that “high speed” rail lines between Fort Collins and Pueblo, and Denver International Airport and Eagle County – I-25 and I-70, respectively – would cost over $21 billion AND not need a dime of taxpayer money. I’ll let you finish laughing before I go on….

Further, the study claims, “for every dollar of capital and operating costs, the project creates economic benefits greater than one dollar.” If true, that begs the question: Why on earth would we need government to do it if the project is both economically feasible and profitable? The fact that entrepreneurs are not jumping all over this alleged gold mine is proof enough it’s a money loser. Obviously, I don’t even need to rely on any sort of theoretical argument here. Look at the history! Look at the empirical evidence right in front of our eyes! We’ve got a FasTracks project underfunded, over-budget, and largely unbuilt that is already over 30 years in the making.

For your viewing pleasure, an additional assortment of unbelievable claims and interesting tidbits:

  • We’re supposed to believe that this passenger rail system can be maintained without taxpayer money, while Amtrak is subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of $50 per ticket.
  • The study was funded by a firm that designs rail projects and manages construction projects.
  • That people would be willing to pay $80 round trip to Vail just to go as fast as they would in their cars.
  • That $40 ticket each way is the low cost estimate. As in, “could be as low as $40 per ticket.” Wow.
  • It projects ridership upwards of 35 million passengers a year. The Boston to Washington, D.C., corridor carries around 10 million per year.
  • About that last figure, the 35 million one, Amtrak carries around 10 million per year as well. That math just doesn’t add up.

    • These great facts and figures were brought to my attention through this fantastic Denver Post editorial and Denver Daily News piece. The DDN article features our very own Senior Fellow in Transportation Randal O’Toole. Randal has been waging a war on the bogus claims made by RTD over the years and pulled no punches on this outrageous report saying, “They’re using the most optimistic assumptions imaginable and then relying on compounded optimistic assumptions.” Yeah, kind of like compounded interest. Except with compounded optimism you don’t make money, you lose a ton and go deep into debt.

    If you haven’t had the chance to hear Randal, take a few minutes and listen. His recent appearance on my TV show Independent Thinking was an opportunity to say “I told you so” with Denver Post columnist Chuck Plunkett. Randal also presented to an audience for an event here at the Institute a little while ago titled, “Mobility vs. Gridlock: Colorado’s Transportation Future.” You can view that event via YouTube playlist here.

    Leave Our State Alone: A Constitutional Path to Prosperity: It’s no secret that University of Colorado economics professor and senior fellow Barry Poulson is a prolific writer. The man cranks out a consistent bevy of works that are both substantive and interesting (the latter being something you almost never get from an economist). His latest piece is no exception. In “Restoring Federalism and State Sovereignty: A Constitutional Path to Prosperity,” Barry gives a brief overview of how we got to where we are – states becoming more and more subservient to Federal power – and the important role the Judiciary played in steering us in that direction. (I say “steering,” but Barry would probably say “pushing.”) After years of judicial abdication bolstering Federal powers and all but eviscerating Constitutional constraints, what can we do to turn the ship around? Is it too late?

    Are teachers unions to blame?: On March 16 in New York City, a panel of three union officials and supporters (including American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten) debated a panel of three union critics (including former Secretary of Education Rod Paige) on whether teachers unions are to blame for our nation’s failing schools. Watch the revealing two-hour event, and see for yourself why most of the audience ended up agreeing that unions bear the blame. If you don’t have enough time, please read our own Ben DeGrow’s insights on the Ed News Colorado blog.

    The State Board of Ed… According to Bob: Ever wonder what the Colorado State Board of Education does? I was curious myself, so I tuned in to this two- part iVoices.org podcast between Fiscal Policy Center Director Penn Pfiffner and former Congressman and current State Board of Education Chairman Bob Schaffer. In the first installment, Bob gives listeners news from the Board – what’s going on, what they’re planning, and information regarding the “Race to the Top” funds. In the second installment, Bob goes over what the Board does, its functions, its impact, and how it shapes policy for all of Colorado’s schools.

    Must See TV: It’s Obama Care and medical privacy on this week’s Independent Thinking as the Independence Institute’s Health Care Policy Center Director Linda Gorman and Colorado Transparency Project Director Amy Oliver-Cooke join me to discuss the political and policy implications for Colorado of the recently passed federal health care reform bill (otherwise known as Obama Care), and the implications for medical privacy in Colorado should the state legislature pass House Bill 1330, the All-Payer Database, which would allow the state to collect and store your personal health care information without your consent. It’s a health care double whammy this Friday at 8:30 PM on KBDI Channel 12. Re-broadcast the following Monday at 1:30 PM.

    Perspective: In this week’s op-ed, Jessica Corry takes CU to task for not exploring all options before making their decision to raise tuition rates by the maximum 9% allowed by law. If Colorado citizens have to tighten the ol’ belt, why not CU?

    Until next week…

    Straight on

    Jon Caldara

    www.independenceinstitute.org


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    Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, Local Politics Colorado, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Fast Tracks, Federal Slaps, Tabor and More

    Playing the Race card: A dead mans hand…

    April 1, 2010

    When people on the left simply cannot come up with rational arguments to use against their opponents it is inevitable that they play the race card. Often in conjunction with the “it’s for the children” card.  Sorry, but that just does not cut it anymore, we are  on to you, and those things just don’t work any longer.  But? You just keep on playing those ace’s and eights.

    Racist, or just tired of too much government?

    “Democrats last week began a well-orchestrated campaign to change the subject from Obamacare by declaring Republicans the newest terrorist threat. House Majority leader Steny H. Hoyer claimed that Democrats faced threats of violence in their home districts. He demanded that Republicans take a stand against it. ‘Silence gives consent,’ added Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, who accused Republicans of ‘aiding and abetting this kind of terrorism.’ Democrats promptly exploited their own fear-mongering by rushing out a fundraising letter. Meanwhile, a shot was fired through the window of Republican House Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s Richmond office. Instead of attempting to fill his campaign coffers over the incident, Mr. Cantor denounced Democratic recklessness in creating ‘media vehicles for political gain.’ To hear Mr. Clyburn talk, you’d think the Capitol had been bombed — like President Obama’s spiritual mentor Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground did in 1971 or the communist Revolutionary Fighting Group did in 1983. We don’t recall Republicans placing the blame on Democrats for those bona fide terror attacks committed by the Democrats’ ideological cousins. For the party’s leaders to make such insinuations now rings hollow. The Democrats and their supporters have consistently demeaned and mischaracterized the broad, nationwide, nonviolent grass-roots movement that arose in opposition to their radical agenda. A willing press establishment relays baseless claims that these protesters are violent uncritically and without investigation. … Any leftist thug is now free to toss a brick through a Democratic congressional district office window secure in the knowledge that the act of vandalism will be blamed automatically on Tea Partiers or Republicans. Such hoaxes are tickets to instant press coverage. … This victimization sideshow is meant to hide the fact that Democrats are pursuing policies that the American people oppose, and they are beginning to face a political price.” —The Washington Times

    Anger, venom and bile: “I know how the ‘tea party’ people feel, the anger, venom and bile that many of them showed during the recent House vote on health-care reform. I know because I want to spit on them, take one of their ‘Obama Plan White Slavery’ signs and knock every racist and homophobic tooth out of their Cro-Magnon heads.” –Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy

    That’s racist! “[T]he current surge of anger — and the accompanying rise in right-wing extremism — predates the entire health care debate. … If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.” –New York Times columnist Frank Rich with a tired refrain

    “[W]hat are the tea partiers really angry about? Health care reform or the fact that it was an African-American president and a woman Speaker of the House who pushed through major change?” –MSNBC host Chris Matthews

    Which one of these is not like the other? “[The ‘Don’t Tread on Me‘ flags are] the same imagery that was on [Oklahoma City bomber] Timothy McVeigh, you know? I mean, this is the kind of thing that’s worrisome to me. I don’t see how you can get away from it.” –Fox News contributor Juan Williams, trying desperately to make a connection between the Tea Parties and terrorism

    Non Compos Mentis: “Because I think there’s been very consistent strategy from the right to racialize public policies so that poor white people who are often most vulnerable or most in need of those policies will vote against it to align themselves with a certain kind of whiteness, whiteness of property. So the poor white guy in Mississippi who needs welfare votes against welfare because he thinks he’s voting against a poor black woman in Harlem.” –CNN’s Marc Lamont Hill

    It’s not fair: “[M]aybe we have reached the point where the Congress needs to equal it out. Equal out the audience. … I think that, you know, hell, if we’re going to be socialist, let’s be socialist all across the board.” –MSNBC radio host Ed Schultz, advocating for the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” simply because Rush Limbaugh has far more listeners than he does

    SOURCE

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    Establishing a “Ready Reserve Corps” : Epic fail obama’s private army

    March 31, 2010

    And you thought that obamacare was all about give away’s to special interests, and the destruction of the economy? Nope, as reported here some time back the impostor in chief has indeed slipped in a few things that have nothing at all to do with health care, and yes, obama’s private army is enshrined in it. That would be the one that I blogged here almost in real time as I had a streaming video in Colorado Springs when he announced his plan during the run up to the election. Here’s just a bit from the monstrosity that the Congress and Senate passed in bald faced defiance of the American people. Can you say “Left Wing Militia?”

    H/T fauxcajun via Texas Fred’s

    SEC. 430. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.

    Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:

    SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS.

    (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—

    (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency.

    (2) REQUIREMENT.—All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of
    1923, as amended.

    (3) APPOINTMENT.—Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and
    consent of the Senate.

    (4) ACTIVE DUTY.—Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training.

    (5) WARRANT OFFICERS.—Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the
    Service shall be considered for purposes of this Act and title 37, United
    States Code, to be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned Corps of the
    Service.

    (b) ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment of the Affordable Health Choices Act, all individuals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this section
    (as such section existed on the day before the date of enactment of such Act)
    and serving on active duty shall be deemed to be commissioned officers of the
    Regular Corps.

    (c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESERVE.—

    (1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve program) to assist
    regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and
    emergency response missions.

    (2) USES.—The Ready Reserve Corps shall—

    (A) participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;

    (B) be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;

    (C) be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and
    domestic; and

    (D) be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in section 399SS) to improve access to health services.

    (d) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Office of
    the Surgeon General for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Funds
    appropriated under this subsection shall be used for recruitment and training
    of Commissioned Corps Officers

    MULTIPLE SOURCES

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    Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hoplophobia, Law, News, Politics, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | 8 Comments »

    Congressional Reform Act of 2010

    March 23, 2010

    Once in a while someone comes up with some very good ideas what follows was commentary over at Texas Fred’s blog. Enjoy!

    Congressional Reform Act of 2010

    1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

    A. Two Six year Senate terms
    B. Six Two year House terms
    C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    2. No Tenure / No Pension:

    A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:

    All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    6. Congress looses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

    Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

    8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11 .

    BZ

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    Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hoplophobia, Immigration, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 4 Comments »

    Be of good cheer: What we think about what just happened‏

    March 23, 2010

    Leave it to Downsize D.C. to be optimistic!

    Be of good cheer. There are many silver linings in what may seem to be a completely dark cloud. Let’s think about what just happened . . .

    * Statist Democrats have waited three decades to take over healthcare
    * Their last attempt, in 1993-94, was a bust
    * And aside from those two years, they haven’t controlled Congress and the White House since the Carter years
    * Now, it’s already fairly obvious that their current control won’t last long

    After all . . .

    * The American electorate leans conservative/libertarian and libertarian/liberal, NOT Statist Liberal
    * Public dislike for Statism is why the Statist Republicans got fired in 2008, and it will likely cause many Statist Democrats to be fired too, starting this year

    We think this explains the Democrats’ suicidal determination to pass their healthcare bill now, at all costs, in spite of the massive public opposition . . .

    It was now or never!

    Even so, public pressure, including tens of thousands of letters from DC Downsizers, forced the Statist Democrats to make major changes . . .

    They had to drop their “deem and pass self-executing rule,” by which they hoped to make the Senate healthcare bill the law of the land, without ever voting for it.

    You made the House Democrats do something they didn’t want to do. You made them cast a direct vote for the hated Senate bill.

    Tax-funded bribery is also becoming a major issue. Witness the furor over the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase. Public pressure made the Statist politicians retreat on this issue as well.

    You also killed the so-called “public option,” which would have put us on the fast track to fully Socialist healthcare. As it stands now, the bill Congress actually passed more resembles Socialism’s kissing-cousin, Corporate Fascism. This is why . . .

    We find it both amusing and a bit nauseating that the Statist Democrats claim they’ve struck a blow against the health insurance industry. In reality, they’ve just forced every American to become a customer of the insurance industry! This bill is . . .

    * A bonanza for the big insurance companies, NOT a strike against them
    * A system of crony capitalism with government in control but corporations pocketing the profits
    *Which is most accurately called Corporate Fascism

    Perhaps most important, but little noted, your opposition forced the Statist Democrats to jury-rig their bill, so that various provisions start at different times. They had to do this in order to hide the bill’s true costs, but this has also left their scheme more vulnerable to repeal! In other words . . .

    * The bill may be the law now, but . . .
    * Its various programs, mandates, fines, taxes, subsidies and regulations don’t all get started now, so . . .
    * After the election, just 7 short months away, some or all of these things may be reversed

    But that’s not all. Our Constitution’s robust system of checks and balances is also about to swing into action . . .

    * Many state governments are rebelling against this corporate fascist healthcare bill
    * And many legal challenges are being crafted for the judicial branch to consider

    It could be that our country is about to have a major discussion about the proper Constitutional role of the federal government, and that could lead us to win a far larger battle than the one we think we’ve just lost. Remember . . .

    * State governments, playing their proper role in our federalist system, have so far saved us from having to carry federally controlled national id cards (under the REAL ID Act)
    * And the court system, though far from perfect, has often acted to restrain Congressional over-reach (with our recent campaign-finance victory being just one positive example)

    But that’s still not all. There’s one more major force to be considered, before any final verdict can be rendered about the ultimate fate of this Statist healthcare scheme. And that force is the most powerful one of all — the market!

    Please take note . . .

    * Moody’s has warned that the U.S. credit rating may be downgraded from AAA in response to our government’s orgy of Statist spending and borrowing
    * And the bond market is already hinting at this outcome through prices indicating that U.S. government bonds are becoming more risky than many private bonds

    Remember what Clinton’s adviser James Carville said back in 1993: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president, or the pope, or a .400 baseball hitter, but now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.”

    Carville’s point was correct then, and it applies now. The bond market can veto this scheme by raising the cost of funding it to an un-payable level. If this happens it won’t be bad news, it will be good news, because then the politicians will have to economize, just like you and I do.

    So here’s what we think. We may have lost a battle, but we’re far from losing the war. Indeed, this seeming defeat may sow the seeds of ultimate victory. Be of good cheer, and continue to fight. There are many things we must do. For instance . . .

    We need to get more candidates to adopt the Downsize DC Agenda in the coming election. If you’re a candidate running for Congress, endorsing the entire Downsize DC Agenda, we want to hear from you. FRONT-RUNNING U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul, who is having a money bomb today, endorsed four parts of the Downsize DC Agenda, in an interview with me, which you can watch at his website. Just look for the video titled, “Rand Paul and DownsizeDC.org.”

    We ALSO need to spank the current Congress for passing the healthcare bill, and pressure all of them, Republican and Democrat alike, to repeal it. Please send Congress a letter for that purpose here: https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/114

    You can borrow from or completely copy this sample letter . . .

    I’m very angry that the healthcare bill was passed. It costs too much and regulates too much. It will harm healthcare, not improve it. Please introduce legislation to repeal this bill immediately. Those who voted for it may think the issue is now settled. It is not. I will continue to pressure you until you stop COERCING me to live according to your dictates. Please obey your Constitutional oath of office. You can only do this by introducing legislation to repeal the cancerous healthcare bill that Congress just passed.

    END LETTER

    You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System.

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    Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hoplophobia, Immigration, Law, mysandry, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Be of good cheer: What we think about what just happened‏

    Repeal Anti-gun ObamaCare!

    March 23, 2010
    Help GOA Repeal Anti-gun ObamaCare!

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

    Monday, March 22, 2010

    Well, it was a long, hard fight.

    You spent nearly a year working with GOA to kill the anti-gun ObamaCare bill, even though much of the time, people were saying that its passage was inevitable … that it was going to pass no matter what we did.

    But as you know, it wasn’t inevitable, and we almost beat the anti-gun legislation that passed last night.  By 4 pm yesterday, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi still did not have enough votes to pass this monstrosity!

    If you were watching the “sausage making” on Sunday — or have been listening to the news today — you know that we narrowly lost the battle over ObamaCare.  [Click here to see how your Representative voted.]

    That’s the bad news.  The good news is that we only lost a battle… for the war is not over.  Here’s what your GOA is doing to stall ObamaCare in its tracks:

    * Gun Owners of America has been working in Virginia to pass legislation that will exempt citizens from purchasing ObamaCare.  This legislation has passed both houses and is now sitting on Governor Bob McDonnell’s desk.  He is expected to sign this bill tomorrow, making the Old Dominion the first state to take such an action.  Other states are looking to follow Virginia’s example, and you can be sure that GOA will be involved in those states, as well.

    * GOA is ready to assist the 38 states which are now planning to file suit against the anti-gun health care law as soon as the President signs it tomorrow.  Over ten years ago, GOA helped Sheriffs Richard Mack and Jay Printz sue the federal government after the Brady Law required law enforcement to run background checks.  You may remember that in Printz v. U.S. (1997), the Supreme Court ruled in our favor.  We will now try to parlay that victory and make the same case here, namely, that the federal government can not force state authorities to act on its behest.

    * Finally, GOA is committed to targeting the sell-out congressmen who turned a deaf ear to your letters, phone calls and emails.  For almost a year, Gun Owners of America has been the ONLY gun group at the national level working to kill this legislation.  Some thought this was an impossible battle… but what they don’t realize is that even though we narrowly lost, the fight has been well-worth the effort.

    Why?  Because the sleeping giant has been awakened… the American people have been radicalized and they are ready to kick the bums out of office.  This sentiment would not have happened if we had remained silent and had sat on our hands.

    So with your help, we will make legislators pay for their arrogance in November!

    But to do all of this, we are going to need your help.  Will you stand with us?

    We need 100% participation from our members to help make a difference.  We realize that times are tough, so even if you can spare only a few dollars, would you please help us take on the giant Obama-machine?

    Please go to the GOA website and tell us you’ll be part of this effort to repeal ObamaCare.  At http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm you can contribute to GOA.

    Thank you.  Every little bit helps!

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    Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hoplophobia, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Immigration, Law, mysandry, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Repeal Anti-gun ObamaCare!

    A grave marker for American liberty.

    March 22, 2010

    “Human beings will generally exercise power when they can get it, and they will exercise it most undoubtedly in popular governments under pretense of public safety.” –Daniel Webster

    Toward the Nationalization of Health Care

    The Pied Piper

    With Senate and House passage of Barack Hussein Obama’s so-called “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” liberals have now sealed the deal to nationalize the American health care system — almost 17 percent of the U.S. economy. Passage of this measure completes the “triple crown” of the Left’s Socialist agenda: Social Security, Medicare and now health care. One may conclude that nationalized health care, like Social Security and Medicare before it, will soon be bankrupt. (See how your Senator and Representative voted.)

    There is no provision in the United States Constitution giving the central government the authority to nationalize health care, but liberals have never let the Constitution stand in the way of their incremental efforts to socialize the U.S. economy.

    Remarks by the leaders of both House Republicans and Democrats demonstrate that neither Party’s leadership has sufficient regard for First Principles, for Constitutional Rule of Law.

    Most Republicans give it scant lip service, while virtually all Democrats reject Rule of Law outright.

    In his remarks about the legislation, Republican Leader John Boehner did mention the Constitution, but repeated the same worn refrains about what the American people want.

    “Today, this body, this institution, enshrined in the first article of the Constitution by our Founding Fathers as a sign of the importance they placed on this House, should be looking with pride on this legislation and our work. But it is not so. … When we came here, we each swore an oath to uphold and abide by the Constitution as representatives of the people. But the process here is broken. The institution is broken. And as a result, this bill is not what the American people need, nor what our constituents want. … We have failed to listen to America. And we have failed to reflect the will of our constituents.”

    No, Mr. Boehner. You did not take an oath to support and defend the “will of our constituents.”

    In her remarks about the legislation, Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not, of course, mention the Constitution, but she did offer this adulterated view of First Principles, an outright prevarication: “In [passing this legislation], we will honor the vows of our Founders, who in the Declaration of Independence said that we are ‘endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ This legislation will lead to healthier lives, more liberty to pursue hopes and dreams and happiness for the American people.”

    This assertion is an affront to everything our Founders embodied in our national documents of incorporation, and Pelosi, et al., know that.

    Pelosi added, “You will be joining those who established Medicare and Social Security… This is an American proposal that honors the tradition of our country.”

    Nails in the coffin!

    For his part, Obama remarked, “At a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We proved that this government, a government of the people and by the people, still works for the people. … This isn’t radical reform, but it is major reform. This is what change looks like. … This represents another stone firmly laid at the foundation of the American Dream.”

    That would be a tombstone, a grave marker for American liberty.

    SOURCE

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    What next..?

    March 22, 2010

    The dog and pony show that has become what the Congress resembles much more than an august body of statesmen displayed the arrogance of Lairds over serfs yesterday. Certainly not all of them, but the majority did. It provided a crystal clear explanation of what happens when mob rule, also known as democracy, over takes and trounce’s a constitutional republic.

    What next? Certainly the people will expect that legal challenges to the assault on freedom and liberty will take their course. I myself, having watched the Supreme Court duck and waver in many recent cases, if not flat-out ignore the Constitution have little faith in the third branch to do what is right and moral.

    What we are left with then is send the abusers of power packing in November. Then repealing the entire monstrosity with a veto proof majority vote. That will be difficult to say the least. We will have to live with this at least for the time being.

    Then, there is the bigger question. What was slipped in while no one was watching? Using what has become known as  “Lautenberging?” More ex post facto law? More sexist mysandry? More back door gun control? More sweetheart deals for those that were willing to sell their honor? Punishments for those that maintained their integrity? The devils are always in the details, and I would not put it past Pelosi, Schumer, Lautenberg and any number of aspiring despots to have slipped in things that are clearly beyond that which Congress is authorized to do.

    Make no mistake friends, what happened yesterday was the shattering of the Bill of Rights, and the prelude to dismantling the Constitution in its entirety.

    I would like to thank both of my Senators, Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, and our lone Representative Cynthia Lummis for standing firm, and not selling out the people of this nation, and honoring the oath that they took upon taking office.

    “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

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