Et tu, Brute?

Even members of the left are beginning to question the methods of the Obama administration. What is NOT mentioned in this clip from the left leaning Air America, is the part of the deal where pharma agrees to spend $150 million in marketing support of the Obama health care plan.




Bob Herbert of The New York Times asks:

"The president has not made it clear to the general public why health care reform is his top domestic priority when the biggest issue on the minds of most Americans is the economy. Men and women who once felt themselves to be securely rooted in the middle or upper middle classes are now struggling with pay cuts, job losses and home foreclosures — and they don’t feel, despite the rhetoric about the recession winding down, that their prospects are good." Entire article HERE

Even the Orange County Register is beginning to doubt whether the President's wardrobe has any actually cloth:

"...the president retains his formidable political skills, artfully distracting attention from his stimulus debacle with his health care debacle. But there are diminishing returns to his serial thousand-page, trillion-dollar boondoggles. They may be too long for your representatives to bother reading before passing into law, but, whatever the intricacies of Section 417(a) xii on page 938, people are beginning to spot what all this stuff has in common: He's spending your future. And by "future" I don't mean 2070, 2060, 2040, but the day after tomorrow." Article HERE

In the words of the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, "How long, o Lord, how long?"

Everyone Has a Talent

It's like I tell my kids, everyone has a God given talent. Sometimes it's not so obvious, but it's there somewhere.

You Really Are Insignificant

My wife was right, in the grand scheme of things my opinion really doesn't matter.

Where Are The Facts?

The 24 hour news media seems more interested in covering the anger and hype surrounding Universal Health Insurance and the related town hall meetings, rather then reporting on the facts of  how this bill would effect Americans.   It seems the media would rather provide air time to the weirdest/most angry person that attended the meeting, rather then any information that would add to any intelligent debate.

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A Little Change Can Go a Long Way

Being the news junkie that I am, I came across this video of the interview of the gentleman that got a little testy with Congressman Dingell:

When I saw the original video, I assumed that he was just over reacting due to what he heard on talk radio.   However this interview gave me reason for pause.  I am the parent of a handicapped child.   My 22 year old son has multiple seizures every day, he takes several medications daily and has a learning disability.   He is unable to live on his own.   So while I believed the man was over reacting, I had complete empathy for the fear that every parent has who wonders who will care for my child after I'm gone.  After watching this interview, I went and found the article in question.  

"Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has already been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research."

"Emanuel bluntly admits that the cuts will not be pain-free. "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change," he wrote last year (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008)."

"Emanuel, however, believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96)."

OK, now you have my attention.  Perhaps this gentleman has the right to be a little excited by what Democrats and the Obama administration have buried in this bill that no one has read.   Betsy McCaughey closes the article with this paragraph:

"No one has leveled with the public about these dangerous views. Nor have most people heard about the arm-twisting, Chicago-style tactics being used to force support. In a Nov. 16, 2008, Health Care Watch column, Emanuel explained how business should be done: "Every favor to a constituency should be linked to support for the health-care reform agenda. If the automakers want a bailout, then they and their suppliers have to agree to support and lobby for the administration's health-reform effort."  (Complete McCaughey article HERE.) 

Again, it brings to surface the question: why is Obama and the Democrats is such a hurry to push this change through?  Could there be a reason why they want to rush this through without providing a complete evaluation of the impact?    

YES WE CAN!

Our federal deficit grew $181 BILLION in the single month of July.  Consumer bankruptcies increased 34% in July.  President Obama has been trying to position July as "silk purse" from the "sow's ear" of not loosing jobs as fast as we were.   Obama's Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is asking Congress to increase our debt limit.   Apparently it is "critically important" that we get our Visa card limit increased above the current $12.1 TRILLION within the next two months.

The reaction from the Democrats in Congress?  

"House Democratic leaders have set up a healthcare “war room” to help their rank-and-file members navigate a tumultuous August in which they find themselves on the defensive on their signature issue."

First priority is to establish a war room to counter the angry mobs opposed to dropping $1 TRILLION over the next 10 years into expanding government entitlements for people without health insurance.    The current administration and the Democrats in Congress appear to be pushing toward a passage of Universal Health Insurance without input from Republicans, or the public.  

I am glad that Obama has been able to move the Democrat party away from that "free spending liberal" image they have been un-fairly labeled with.   

Non-Citizen Aliens to Receive 13 Seats in Congress?

Yes, my headline is a mis-representation.   But based up the Wall Street Journal's projections, the 2010 census may provide California and Texas with 13 additional seats in the house based upon the Census Bureau now counting non-citizen aliens living in those states:

"Next year’s census will determine the apportionment of House members and Electoral College votes for each state. To accomplish these vital constitutional purposes, the enumeration should count only citizens and persons who are legal, permanent residents. But it won’t.

Instead, the U.S. Census Bureau is set to count all persons physically present in the country—including large numbers who are here illegally. The result will unconstitutionally increase the number of representatives in some states and deprive some other states of their rightful political representation. Citizens of “loser” states should be outraged. Yet few are even aware of what’s going on."

Entire article HERE.  Is this why the Obama administration is moving the Census Bureau under the political umbrella of the White House?   Some believe so. 

The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is...

...the people we elect to represent us, and their minions who are blinded by the absolute certainty that their party is in sole possession of "the only way".    The same people who hated President Bush as an evil war-monger, now play the race card on those who question President Obama's plan to reform 17% of our entire economy.  

From the rightwingnuthouse.com blog:  

"I am one of those who would have supported reasonable reforms in health insurance and realistic means to bring down health care costs. The Democrats are proposing neither, and are ginning up fear and outrage - as are Republicans in opposition - to ram down the throats of the American people, without legitimate debate or discussion reforms that are antithetical to the American character and the American way of doing things. The proposals make a mockery of our First Principles, and threaten not to “remake” America” but to fundamentally alter the compact between citizens and the government." (entire article HERE)

The media runs a 24 hour news cycle on the shouting matches that greet congress members at their town hall meetings, not that any of them could actually explain the details of bills they haven't had to the time to read.  There is little factual coverage on what is actually being proposed in the bill.  O'Reily and Olbermann provide the same amount of journalistic insight on the key issues as Jerry Springer and Rosie O'Donnell.   The divide between us continues to grow.  One of the things that scares me about President Obama is the determination with which he moves to grow our government.  It's time for Americans to find something that will unite us, something that we can all agree on.  Maybe it's time for Americans to remember that congress works for us.   Rather then trying to help the 18% with Universal Health Insurance, maybe we should demand term limits, and a congress that must live by the same laws and policies they enforce on the public.   If the current administration is so eager to ram though reform legislation, let's reform congress!   If congress started supporting what is in best interest of the public, rather then what will get them re-elected, we might be surprised what could get accomplished.  And that would benefit 100% of Americans.   

White Noise

The mob is angry, gathered with their pitchforks and banners.  They circle around the monster, comprised of the dead, unthinking corpse known as "Congress".    The monster lashes out, scared that the light from the torches will illuminate the patchwork of scars.  The monster swings wildly in self defense, hitting only air.  The mob noise increases, as it becomes more vocal with every new scared voice that joins.  The monster is confused, don't these people understand he really doesn't mean any harm?

And so goes another Town Hall meeting.   There appears to be very little middle ground.  People come for their own reasons, some are asking serious questions.  Others are just protesting and trying to shout down whoever is deemed to disagree with what is seen as the obvious and only right direction.   

I believe there are currently 5 different bills involving Universal Health Insurance making the rounds through congressional committees.   Most comments coming from the right appear to be inaccurate and designed to increase the fear of government intrusion into our personal lives.  Democratic members of congress struggle to defend their position for a bill that is still being written.   It is a spirited debate, to say the least.   People on the right need to calm down and take some of their own advice, 'Read the Bill'.   Some of the horror stories being said on talk radio just are not there, at least not as they are being presented.    HOWEVER, the left must stop demanding that we must push through massive changes that effect 17% of our total economy, as well as our basic quality of life.  Yes, it is an important issue.  All the more reason to bring EVERYONE to the table to conduct reasonable discussions.   The current system is working for 82% of Americans.  Can we just step back from the edge and seek to find a compromise solution.  

I am willing to put down my pitchfork and stop yelling, if you agree to downsize your monster  and take more time putting it together so it can withstand the light of day.  You should be comfortable takimg the time to show your monster won't impose a financial burden and actually improve our quality of life.  Only then will you earn the trust of the mob.  

Point of View?

About TIME!

Finally, someone in the MSM is starting to ask some serious questions regarding the Obama plan for Universal Health Insurance.   

Time magazine starts to understand why some Americans feel the need to attend town hall meetings to ask questions and make some noise:

"Public skepticism is warranted when the President promises to cut costs while simultaneously providing coverage to nearly 50 million uninsured people. It is even more warranted when his congressional allies seek to raise taxes to pay for all the new spending that this cost-cutting entails. We aren't talking about short-term spending either; this isn't a trillion-dollar investment in a new system that will ultimately save money. The Congressional Budget Office says the leading health-care-reform proposals will increase health-care spending and make the budget harder to balance in the long run. Yet saving money is the President's principal stated rationale for reform."

Read the entire article HERE.

Hope and Change: What are the Priorities?

Five U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan 

Afghan roadside bomb is deadliest attack in '09

Wednesday, February 25th 2009, 2:48 AM

Five U.S. soldiers were killed and three wounded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan Tuesday.

Four soldiers died in southern Afghanistan after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb - the deadliest attack on American forces there this year, military officials said.

An Afghan civilian working with the soldiers was also killed.

In Iraq, two thugs wearing cop uniforms opened fired at a police station in the northern city of Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding three others. Their Iraqi interpreter was also shot dead.

The Defense Department released the names of the three soldiers who were killed in Iraq on Monday.

One of the fallen soldiers was Cpl. Michael Mayne, 21, of upstate Burlington Flats.

He and two other soldiers were killed in a gunfight in Diyala Province, one of the last Al Qaeda strongholds in the country.

Meanwhile in Saint Louis:

Democrat supports bring in union members to town hall meetings while refusing to admit anyone who might be a protester.    Police made 6 arrests, including a local news camera man who was filming the events:

St. Louis County police on Thursday arrested six people, including a Post-Dispatch reporter, outside a town hall forum held by Rep. Russ Carnahan, said Dawn Majors, a Post-Dispatch photojournalist who witnessed everything unfold.

It happened about 8:30 p.m at Bernard Middle School on Forder Road in Mehlville. Carnahan, D-St. Louis, had drawn a rowdy crowd that overflowed the school gym and left dozens of people outside. Many of those who showed up at what had been billed as a forum on aging carried signs about the national health-care debate.

Dozens of people were kept out because there was no room for them inside. Members of the local Tea Party Coalition, a movement that has emerged to counter President Barack Obama’s policies, had urged their members to attend, which in turn spurred Democrats to establish a strong presence.

The event was winding down when Majors said she saw a police squad car turn its lights on and went to see what was happening. As she approached it, her eyes started to burn.

“And that's when I realized I'd walked through  remnants of pepper spray,” Majors said.  She turned her attention to taking pictures.

She said she saw a woman in handcuffs who was complaining about the pain of the spray and asking to wash her face and eyes. The response of the officer who was arresting her was, “I warned you,” Majors said.

Majors said the woman had been speaking very loudly and passionately in support of health-care reform earlier in the evening.  US taxpayers spent almost $13 million in expense of flying members of Congress, their staff and families.  No doubt the current fleet of jets in service need to be increased in order to keep members of Congress up to the personal standards that they have become accustomed to.  

“She made herself very visible,” Majors said.

She also saw a man handcuffed and on his stomach. The man kept asking why he was being arrested, Majors said. An officer nearby said she wasn't the arresting officer, but she would let him know later. That response upset the man on the ground, she said.

Another man was sitting on the ground rubbing his knee, but was not handcuffed. Majors said she heard an officer tell him that he would be taken to jail and booked.  

She also saw Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman, who was reporting on the event and shooting video for stltoday.com. He was standing on a sidewalk, taking video.

As she photographed everything, Majors said she heard Wagman yell her name and say that he was being arrested. She turned and saw he had been handcuffed and was being put in the back of a squad car. The officer said Wagman had been interfering, Majors said.

She said she did not see what led up to his arrest.

Efforts to get the police version of what happened have been unsuccessful as of 10 p.m.

And in Tampa:

Again, union members are brought in for purpose that can only be described as "crowd control".

And in Washington DC:

 

Congress put forth plans to spend $550 milion to by eight new jets,  3 Gulfstream V and 3 Boeing 737, to add to the fleet of two dozen passenger jets maintained by the US Air Force to fly members of Congress, their staff and families.   US taxpayers spent almost $13 million in expenses last year transporting Congress around to perform their appointed duties.   

What is happening to our country?

Does Your Opinion Count?

Best quote heard from a recent town hall meeting:  If it takes 6 months for Obama to pick out a new dog for his kids, why the hurry to ram Universal Health Insurance through in 3 weeks?

Jihad in America

I guess these guys didn't get the memo regarding that whole "moderate Islam" thing:

"I love jihad.  I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah."

I have a friend who believes me to be some type of religious racist.   I don't believe that I am.  I challenged him to read the Koran, then come talk to me.  He hasn't taken me on that yet.   History is full of people who have tried to hide their hate and evil behind a shield of religion.  Islam hides it's hate and evil behind a shield tolerance.   The gift of God's grace can not be earned.  Certainly not by waging war or killing non-believers.  It is truly a "gift".   Simply ask, and it is given freely. 

I am torn, because by stating these beliefs am I really any different then them?   I really don't hate Muslims.  I just become very concerned when I evaluate the "fruit of the tree".  

I'm a Criminal, Report Me!

It appears that the current Obama administration is un-happy about all the "disinformation" being spread regarding the President's plan on Universal Health Insurance (I try to use the term "Universal Health Insurance" because that's basically what it is.  Health insurance for everyone.    As stated by the Congressional Budget Office, there is nothing in the plan to reform the actual health care system or reduce costs).  

Clearly I am misinformed due to taking all those comments made by  Obama prior to actually becoming President Obama out of context.   So let's roll the tape!

I could certainly understand how someone might take that out of context in order to spread some mis-information.    Glad we cleared that up.  

So now that we have a better understanding of President Obama's intent, let's nip this mis-information in the bud.   Here's a suggestion from the White House blog:

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

So if you believe that I have somehow mis-represented President Obama's policy or intent, please feel free to report me.  And if you are from the Obama administration (not that I believe that ANYONE actually reads this blog), please feel free to provide any corrections and I'll post them.    I don't want the White House to unleash the dogs on me. 

Buyer's Remorse

Is President Obama pushing policies that appear to be materially different then candidate Obama?  Jennifer Rubin believes so:

"Fiscal conservatives who bought the spiel that he’d go line by line through the budget have seen the most fiscally irresponsible president ever. After a $787B pork-filled stimulus, a supplemental spending measure with 9,000 earmarks, a $3.5 trillion budget, and a trillion dollar health care plan, Obama has managed to exceed the worst predictions of his critics."

After that she gets a little negative.  Entire article HERE.   Hope and Change.   Right now I'm hoping that he changes into a fiscal conservative before we bankrupt our country.  

Obama Healthcare: Is There a Long Term Agenda?

There has been much speculation that liberals have a long term agenda regarding moving our healthcare insurance reimbursement system to a "single payor" system, of course with that single payor being the US government.  To use another term: Socialized Healthcare.   

The hard social economic reality is that people without health insurance are in the minority.  Depending on whose study you which to believe, in 2007 18% of our population under the age of 65 were without health insurance.  Of course that doesn't mean they were without health care.  We have all seen the media stories about the number of people who use the community hospital emergency room for treatment of non-emergency healthcare.  Of course the public pays the bill for this through increased costs (hospitals much charge more for profitable health care cases to offset the financial losses in the ER), and increased taxes in their community to support the hospital.  This is the current status quo.  What has been stated by the Congressional Budget Office is that nothing being considered in the proposed health care "reform" will actually reduce the cost of any specific medical procedure.   So the trillion dollars the Democrats are proposing to spend over the next 10 years is to provide some type of medical insurance to that 18% minority.   The media has been very willing to point out that taking a sick baby to the ER is not an ideal use of resources, but I have seen very little mention of what the effect of adding 46 million people to our system of family practice doctors.   Many doctors limit the amount of Medicare/Medicaid patients in their practice, or simply refuse to accept those patients.  This is because the negative financial impact those patients have on their practice.   Any new plan would require doctors to accept the government's new Universal Health Insurance, requiring them to adjust the ratio of support staff to patient.   This would clearly lower the service levels a doctor could provide.   Lower reimbursement levels would also affect staffing levels at hospitals, and my force to provide the lowest cost options when it comes to medication and medical device options.   So rather then receiving the best antibiotic, instruments, heart monitor, implant, and surgical instruments for your knee replacement, yours will now be from the lowest bidder.   And there will be few people in the room during surgery, and in the recovery room to monitor your progress.   The trickle down effect of all this could be taken down to how much R&D will drug and implant companies be able/willing to fund once they are forced into competing purely on price rather then the doctors choosing what works best in their practice/patients.  

On yesterday's talking head programs, the Obama messengers were not willing to rule out tax hikes on the middle class in order to pay for his single payor (with the government being that single payor) plan.   So far, no one appears able to disclose final details on whether this new Universal Health Insurance will fund voluntary abortions (a hot topic), or what coverage and benefit (if any) will be provided to those individuals who are not US citizens.   The bottom line is that our taxes will need to increase in order to pay for all this "change".   Another broken promise by another politician.   So 82% of the US population will pay more and receive less in order to provide a better system for the 18%.    

It seems the folks who appeared in Austin Texas for Representative Lloyd Doggett's town hall meeting were from that 82% group. 

The US health care system is massive and complex.  And it is far from perfect.  But now that Obama is in office the Democrats have all the answers and are (again) in a hurry to push this through.  Why?   I would challenge that our tax system is more in need of reform then our health care system.   I don't see anyone rushing to reform that, not that Universal Health Insurance is real reform of  system.  It just expands the government control of that system.  And Universal Health Insurance will force insurance companies out of the health market.  No for-profit insurance company can compete with Uncle Sam.   How many jobs will that cost?   Of course we can just shift those jobs into the giant government bureaucracy we create.   We already know that once we go down the path of creating bureaucracy there is no going back. 

This video is a bit shaky, but you get the impression there are some in the crowd who object to his comment "...this must be done very fast".   

And with the government running your health care insurance, what could go wrong?

Again I ask "why".   What is our risk we do not do this RIGHT NOW?  Some accuse President Obama of having some sort of long term 'socialist agenda'.   Personally, I prefer to believe he's just mis-guided.  Over time the things that sounded good as a community organizer don't actually make much sense when all the facts, effects, and projections of a capitalistic, free market economy are considered by the President of the United States.    Of course the proof is in the fruit provided by the tree, and I am reserving my right to change my opinion based upon the actions of the next few months.   

Check Out Sheila Marshall

Had a chance to hear Sheila Marshall perform.   She's a bit of Susan Tedeschi/Sass Jordon/Shelby Lynn all rolled up.  Definitely worth checking out.  You can find her iTune and sample her work.   She was recently signed by Smith Music Group, and will have a new album out soon.

The Future of America?

At what point does expressing my personal opinion and beliefs cross the line into hate speech?  If I say that I believe the basic principals of Islam lead to the oppression and violence against women and people who don't share their belief, have I broken the law?    Are we moving to a society where the "rights" of others force Christians into silence and acceptance?    If I point out that Islam commands it's followers to create an Islamic government, and that they place Shari'a law over "man's law", will the Council on American-Islamic Relations (www.cair.com) file a lawsuit?   Maybe not today, but as groups continue to use our rights against us, how long will it take before we see this happening in America?

 

Yeah, what he said!

John McCain: What Might of Been...

“Never. Never have I seen such a transfer from the private enterprise system to the government of such massive scale”

Arizona Senator John McCain speaks to the Wall Street Journal regarding the current state of affairs and sheds a little insight into his Presidential campaign.   After a long silence, it would appear that the actions of the Obama administration and the direction of the current congress has caused him to find his voice of reason and fiscal conservatism and speak up.    

“Can you believe they are putting $6 million of pork into Homeland Security?”  They promised they wouldn’t do that. Ben Nelson [the Democratic senator from Nebraska] just inserted a $200,000 museum in Omaha into the legislative branch appropriations bill. These earmarks are a creeping disease. First members condemn them, then they condone, then they embrace them.  Eight or nine Republican appropriators routinely vote for this pork.  It’s killing our party.”

"I kept hearing during the campaign the stuff about McCain being weak on economics. They obsessed about this in the media. They never said Obama is weak on economics. I came to Washington as a Reaganite limited government tax cutter.”

Which is of course is very true.  Obama came to office with little experience in anything other then getting himself elected.   A review of Obama's background as a community organizer shows he taught how to protest against banks and embarrass them into lowering their lending standards and providing loans to people who otherwise wouldn't qualify.   Fiscal responsibility at it's finest.  With the most liberal voting record in congress during his very brief time in congress, Obama continues to move toward big government and expanded entitlement policies.     Obama's background and voting record (or lack of one) went mostly un-reported in the MSM, who are now very slowing starting to acknowledge that perhaps Obama is struggling in his new roll of actually having to make decisions.   The press presented Obama in such a favorable light they pretty much gift wrapped him and tied a bow around him.  The American public were so desperate for anyone who didn't look or sound like George Bush they bought it hook, line, and clunker.   

McCain also provided a rare comment regarding his running mate:

“Let’s face it, she galvanized our base in a way that I couldn’t. Everywhere she went she drew enormous and enthusiastic crowds like a rock star.” He says his only regret in selecting the Alaska governor was that no one on the campaign predicted the ferocity of the assaults against her. “To the liberal left, particularly the feminists, she is their worst nightmare.”

It would be hard to imagine anyone giving more of themselves to their country and coming back alive, or committing more themselves in the service of their country then John McCain.  Good to have you back, Senator McCain.  Now get to work and get us out of this mess.