Could we please have our country back now?

Moving Day

2010-08-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

We've moved our blog over to the website for The David Madeira Show.

Lots of stuff to see and hear. Sign up and stay up to date.

Facts are stubborn things

2010-08-05T21:04:00.001-07:00

The recent flap about Chris Carney not signing on as a sponsor of a bill to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion is as predictable as it is perturbing. The story goes something like this:

Politician gets elected because previous guy is caught in scandal. Says whatever his audience wants to hear to make them like him.

Politician gets to DC and votes his true feelings when it matters, but votes the way his constituents want when it doesn't.

Politician comes home and touts his (insert universally admired quality here) in mailers paid for by taxpayers. Upstart challenger calls him out on his record, but local press reports flap as more he said/he said.

Incumbent expresses "outrage" at temerity of challenger and lies through his teeth: "The Carney camp and Carney himself have repeatedly said the congressman is pro-life and took umbrage with Marino’s assertions."

Constituents get frustrated because the truth isn't clear and vote for the devil they know. Incumbent gets reelected.

But facts are stubborn things.

Chris Carney is not remotely pro-life in his votes, his outraged rhetoric notwithstanding. But don't take my word for it. Ask the 3 top Pro-Abortion advocacy groups as reported at the non-partisan Project Vote Smart.

Chris Carney was rated 100% by National Abortion Rights Action League, 100% by Planned Parenthood, and 100% by National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association.

When it really mattered, he voted "no" on an amendment to prohibit tax dollars from going for overseas abortions.

Chris Carney is not even remotely pro-life.

Who are you?

2010-06-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like your Congressman doesn't want to listen to you or even care who you are? Perhaps this campaign commercial from U.S. "Representative" Bob Etheridge will give you some comfort. Even from his apparently alcohol-soaked stupor, his first and only concern is "Who are you?"

Apparently Representative Bob Etheridge has long been concerned with getting close to the youth of America and encouraging them to get involved with issues they care about.

Since legal action against the sitting Congressman has not been immediately forthcoming, perhaps you would like to get to know his Conservative Republican opponent Renee Ellmers and throw some support her way.

Election reform error

2010-06-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last week brought a new change to CA election law and showed that Arnold may still have some muscle. The "Top Two" primary means that the two highest vote getters in any primary race will face of in the general election. It's "run-off" elections, California style. (To be fair, the left coast has others who adopted this in 2008)

Primary elections are where members of the political parties pick their team captains. Allowing non-party members to participate is akin to allowing the Dallas Cowboy's defensive line to participate in selecting the Pittsburg Steelers QB. It's an invitation to electoral mischief.

Most election reforms claim to do one of two things that are widely popular:

1. Increase voter participation (a questionable goal at best given the political knowledge of the average "Jaywalkers").

2. Decrease the influence of money in politics.

CA Prop. 14, while it MAY increase the # of people who vote, will certainly increase the cost of campaigns dramatically and reduce the number of "average citizens" who can be candidates. In Primary elections, the number of voters that a candidate must appeal to is limited to those who regularly vote in primaries (less than 20% of party registrants in many races). Under a "Top Two Primaries" system, every candidate will have to send mail to every registered voter, causing the average primary campaign direct mail budget to increase by as much as 10 times.

"Open Primaries" are often advanced under the idea that they allow independents to participate in the electoral process, but the solution to independents not being able to participate in primaries is to make the rules for ballot access fair across the board, party membership notwithstanding. This nutty California approach gives the appearance of a "run-off" style reform, but in fact it only ensures that money and political connections will be more important than ever in California elections.

2010-05-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and political mentor, NJ State Senator John Scott, just went home to be with Jesus. He fought for liberty with every fiber of his being, despised corruption and double dealing in politics and worked harder than anyone I've ever known for what is right and good about America.

He will always be an inspiration to me and my life is so much richer for having known him.

I'll miss you my friend.

Miss Me Yet? Constitution billboard in PA10

2010-02-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

This billboard in North Eastern PA highlights the voters' concerns over elected leaders violating and ignoring the constitution. If you want to see more of these billboards going up, go to www.MadeiraForCongress.com and make a $20.10 contribution to liberty.

MadeiraForCongress.com now live

2010-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

For the last year we've been politely asking "Could we please have our country back now?"

With your help, we'll demand it be returned to "We the People" at the ballot box this May 18th and then again on Nov. 2nd.

I'll continue posting my thoughts, but I'm going to do so here at www.MadeiraFor Congress.com. Head over there and sign up so you can get updates on all that we are doing.

I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail as we take back our country.

God Bless.

David

Whistle Stop Tour Kicks Off Congressional Campaign

Dallas, PA, - February 5, 2010 – An 8 a.m. breakfast stop at Cordaro’s, a family restaurant in Honesdale is the perfect start for a multi-county tour for Congressional Candidate David Madeira. The retired chiropractor is running as a conservative Republican, and will be joined by his wife and 6 children as they make their way through several of the counties that make up the 10^th Congressional District meeting supporters.

After his 8 am start in Wayne County, he will make his way to Luzerne County to spend some time with voters at the Pierce Street Deli at noon. “I look forward to continuing the conversation I have been having with people in the district who want their government to work for them, not against them. Last summer I was asked to speak at a rally just over the river from the deli on the Square by voters who were concerned about some of the votes Chris Carney has taken.”

The last stop on his day-long tour is Zelda’s Café in Lewisburg at 7 p.m. “I get energized talking with people who care about what’s happening to our country and want to get back to ‘We The People’ “ Madeira said, “and that’s what my candidacy is all about.”

Is "Obama's seat"...

2010-02-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

...the next "People's Seat?" The NRSC is hitting hard and early to insure that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk has an early advantage in this race. Some pundits are even hinting the Republicans may win the Senate this fall.

Now that's change we can believe in.

3 months too late

2010-02-03T00:35:00.000-08:00

Only 3 days after AG Holder unveiled President Obama's plot to bring KSM to NYC for a platform to put former President Bush on trial by proxy, Liberal NY Governor David Paterson came out with his opposition to this crazy plan.

So why did it take Congressman Chris Carney the better part of 3 months to go on record opposing this insane "show trial"?

“As the only member of Congress to have interrogated detainees at Guantanamo Bay, I know full well that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terror operatives would be provided fair hearings and trying them there would protect our nation from harm,” he said.

Seems after 3 years of hiding, Chris Carney may be finding that strong voice for national security he promised to use. It must be an election year.

What happens in Vegas...

2010-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

...is unemployment. This according to U.S. Senator Harry Reid:

"Las Vegas is suffering through one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and we cannot afford for the President to bring us down any further,"

Apparently the President can't help taking pot shots at Sin City when he is not there, leaving Harry Reid to wonder if he is for him or against him. Exchanging insults and apologies is like a hobby with these two.

Early polls are becoming less relevant...

2010-02-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

..as voters learn that inevitable doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Rasmussen reports that Conservative "Tea Party" Candidate Marco Rubio has now passed the sitting Governor in the Republican Primary race for U.S. Senate.

This sort of thing just never happened, but it's quickly becoming the new norm. This August primary has the Republican Party establishment befuddled, but they better get used to it as conservative Republican's are going to be zooming past their "establishment" counterparts in primaries all over the country in 2010.

If Conservative Patrick Hughes wins tomorrow's primary battle against "Cap and Traitor" Mark Kirk, it will be another example of a last minute surge of "We the People"asserting themselves like never before.

LATE BREAKING UPDATE: Kirk won the Illinois Republican Senate primary in a 6 way race by moving to the right.

Kirk, who has taken some positions over the decade he's been in the House that have dissatisfied party conservatives, moved noticeably to the right during the primary.

Wow, it's cold!

2010-01-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

As I was running across this frozen field this morning, it occurred to me that, given all the scandals surrounding "Climate Change" perhaps it's time to to re-examing the science and economics.

Just saying...

...and here is the exclamation point!

2010-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

Fellow blogger and fiscal conservative Bob Guzzardi called my attention to a graph that puts an exclamation point on my last post.

It's from IBD and shows the projected debt curve.

Unprecedented!

IBD puts it in perspective:

And, yes, the size of the debt does matter. By 2018, at current spending trends, debt as a share of GDP will reach 85%. In 2022, it will hit 100%. And it will keep rising at least until 2038, reaching 200%.

At that level, our fast-growing, high-innovation, high-wage economy begins grinding to a permanent slowdown. The accumulated debt will become a millstone around our necks. Fleeter, less-indebted competitors in the developing world will sprint right past us.

If you don't think so, just look at Japan. It was the world's fastest-growing developed economy for most of the postwar era. But it stumbled in the late '80s and began a debt-financed binge of "stimulus" packages in the 1990s and early 2000s. Today, it has the worst of all worlds: a 200% of GDP debt load, and low or no growth.

Recent debt debacles in Dubai and Greece, both of which are near bankruptcy, show what can happen to nations when they spend too much. Now, we're on the same path.

It's no mystery why this happens. "Government borrowing reduces resources available for private investment, leading to lower productivity, wages, and economic growth," noted the Heritage Foundation in a recent study. So, yes, all this debt does matter.

Cold day in...

2010-01-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

The President's feint towards fiscal responsibility is laughable. $250 billion in "savings" over the next 10 years with plans to spend $48 trillion in the same time frame is less than a 0.58 % cut.

The equivalent for a working family that makes $50,000 a year would be like running up a one time credit card debt of $300,000. They decide to get "responsible" and tell their creditors that they don' t plan to increase their overspending and are going to make a downpayment.

They are only going to add $300,000 debt every year for the next decade and they will pay $29 a year for the next 10 years. It's a joke and clearly the American people who are tightening their belt aren't laughing.

As if to put an exclamation point on how out of touch with the American people the Democrats in Congress are, they damned the proposal with faint praise:

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): Said he likes the idea, but worries that a freeze “prevents you from doing what needs to be done,” in areas such as job creation and energy.

or flat out said NO:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): “At a time when people are going hungry and our educational system is crumbling, do we want to cut back or freeze these programs? No.”

Could this be the beginning of Obama's "triangulation"? His popularity is way above that of the Democrats.

got work?

2010-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

Make sure you watch this before the State of the Union speech tonight. It's stunning.

DE OPPRESSO LIBER

2010-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

I had every intention of going to bed early tonight, but after hearing this Dennis Miller interview of Eric Blehm, I couldn't sleep because I wanted to know more about the special men featured in the book "The Only Thing Worth Dying For."

From the book website:

...the astonishing true story of the Special Forces A-team that helped conquer the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, and bring Hamid Karzai to power. In powerfully simple prose, Eric Blehm weaves together the unbelievable chain of events that intimately expose the realities of modern unconventional warfare and international politics during the critical months after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Following Captain Jason Amerine and his ten Green Berets, Blehm puts the reader on the ground alongside Hamid Karzai and his guerrillas as the men of two very different worlds unite to seek a reckoning for the horrors haunting both of their nations…

Wow. Can't wait to get my hands on this book. "De Oppresso Liber", the special forces motto, means "to free the oppressed." Thank you God for these special people.

Declaration of Health Care Independence

2010-01-26T03:43:00.000-08:00

HopeforChangen

2010-01-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

This story from CBS about all the money elected and appointed Representatives from the US spent on the Global Warming.. er... Climate Change Summit makes me think that maybe they don't feel our pain as much as they might like us to believe.

At an average cost of $2,200 a day per person for food and rooms, I hope they had a good time while the hard-working families politicians like to ramble on about representing struggled to make monthly mortgage payments that are only half that amount.

The total bill was over $1,100,000 with more than half of that going for airfare. The story makes no mention of the carbon footprint created by all this travel, but I bet it's more carbon than you generate in your entire lifetime. And of course, this doesn't include the President's travel costs or environmental impact.

Well, at least they got a great agreement out of it to end global warming...er climate change! Or at least limit the warming to no more than 2 degrees.

Is someone hitting the snooze button?

2010-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday after the Democrats realized independent voters were fleeing them in droves, Congressman Carney said they had received a "wake-up" call.

Yesterday reactivated Presidential Advisor and 20o9 Obama campaign guru David Plouffe used the same words in an editorial in the Washington Post, but drew a very different conclusion than David Walker did when he tried to wake people up several years ago.

Congressman Carney didn't say exactly what he took that wake up call to mean (no surprise there), but every paragraph of Plouffe's editorial makes it clear that President Obama intends to double down on the agenda that has failed to produce any results other than massive job loses for the American people and Democrat politicians.

Here are the titles of each section of his advice:

Pass a meaningful health insurance reform package without delay.

We need to show that we not just are focused on jobs but also create them.

Make sure voters understand what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did for the economy.

Don't accept any lectures on spending.

"Change" is not just about policies.

Run great campaigns.

No bed-wetting.

Bottom line? Probably not the change voters in MA were hoping for.

Two wrongs don't make a right

2010-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday I wrote about Carney's awakening to the American people's attitude towards more government involvement in their everyday healthcare decisions. How unpopular is it? It's so bad that Rasmussen says it will discontinue polling Democrat's Health Care regulations regularly unless the Democrats come up with another approach.

Carney's reflexively liberal reaction to the Supreme Court decision asserting the importance of First Amendment Rights illustrates another area where he is tragically ignorant or misinformed. The Scranton Public Policy Examiner's Steve Urbanski reports Carney tried to sound deeply populist by saying:

“I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision. It puts democracy up for sale to the highest bidder and sets a very dangerous precedent that special interests and big corporations with the deepest pockets will be able to purchase their own members of Congress. This ruling throws out a century of precedent designed to keep democracy in the hands of citizens and protect the integrity of our political process."

But what was the real argument before the divided Court? What evidence did the Justices hear and decide the case on? What were the implications of the Obama Administration's position on this case?

This brief narrative printed in the Washington Post shows how outrageously anti-free speech Carney's position is and why the majority of Justices were compelled to assert the supremacy of the people's rights over the government:

When the Supreme Court first heard the case in March, Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm L. Stewart, representing the FEC, was pulled into a discussion of an issue that took him down a slippery slope: If the movie were a book, would the government ban publishing the book if it mentioned a candidate for office within the election time frame?
Stewart said that it could.
"That's pretty incredible," Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said.
Then came questions about electronic devices such as the Kindle.
"If it has one name, one use of the candidate's name, it would be covered, correct?" Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked.
"It's a 500-page book, and at the end it says, 'And so vote for X,' the government could ban that?" Roberts asked."That's correct," Stewart replied.
Bossie said this was the argument that turned a majority of the bench against the FEC and in favor of Citizens United.
"That sent a chill down the Supreme Court," Bossie said. The argument became a "point of demarcation."

Does Chris Carney really agree with Solicitor General Malcolm L. Stewart that the FEC should be able to ban books? Ideas have consequences and the Justices weighed all the evidence and the stated intentions of the government and clearly decided for the people.

But then how do we stop the corruption? Mort Zuckerman said of the way the Washington politicians cut unfair deals during the health care takeover debacle:

"It’s a bizarre form of political corruption. It’s bribery. I suppose they could say, that’s the system. He was supposed to change it or try to change it."

The solution to the government corruption is not to give the government more power to control what we read, but to limit their power to control all aspects of our lives. You can't sell influence if you don't have it.

FYI - I was looking for a picture that showed Chris Carney with either the President or Speaker of the House, both of whom he supported. Does anyone have one of these? They are rare enough to be worth something, even in these tough economic times.

Let the sun shine

2010-01-23T03:37:00.000-08:00

Two Men cut Obama in half?

2010-01-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Scott Brown election fallout is causing the committed leftists to turn against President Obama and his return to the tone he used right up to the day he got elected (which I don't trust given his affinity for Alinsky):

I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements of the package that people agree on. We know that we need insurance reform, that the health insurance companies are taking advantage of people. We know that we have to have some form of cost containment because if we don’t, then our budgets are going to blow up and we know that small businesses are going to need help so that they can provide health insurance to their families. Those are the core, some of the core elements of, to this bill. Now I think there’s some things in there that people don’t like and legitimately don’t like.

Krugman says,

I’m pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama, who seems determined to confirm every doubt I and others ever had about whether he was ready to fight for what his supporters believed in.

Zuckerman has a more moderate rationale for criticizing the President;

In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It’s now worse than it was. I’ve now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I’ve never seen before. It’s politically corrupt and it’s starting at the top. It’s revolting.

He's right. It is revolting, and that's what's driving the disaffection with the public. They want honest transparent leadership.

If the President really moderates, he might be able to hide the decline. I'm skeptical.

Carney admits to being asleep?

2010-01-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Like many Democrats who spent 2009 ignoring the clear will of the American people, Chris Carney's 2010 is coming into sharp focus as a result of the Brown victory in MA.

“I think we certainly got a wake-up call last night,” Carney, a Democrat from Dimock, said Wednesday

Ever the master of understatement, Congressman Carney went on to say:

“While reform is necessary, it needed to be a different sort of reform.”

You think?

From this point on, he said, “We need to look at what is very important.”

So would that be his re-election? He voted against the bailout before the 2008 election, then voted for the renamed bailout right after he was safely ensconced in his second term. I expect he will vote against socialized medicine till after the election this year for the same reason - he knows the people don't want it, but he does.

Someone said to me yesterday that we need to have more time between elections so Congress can get more done. This "awakening" by Congressman Carney demonstrates just how important regular elections are to our Republican form of government. Perhaps if Carney had been awake and listening to his constituents at all those "town halls" he would not have voted for this debacle in the first place.

Why so Brown?

2010-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Every pundit will have their explanation, but the empirical data is clear. The people with the most experience with "universal health care" in America say "NO", according to exit poll data collected yesterday in MA:

Fifty-two percent of Bay State voters who were surveyed as the polls closed said they opposed the federal health care reform measure and 42 percent said they cast their ballot to help stop President Obama from passing his chief domestic initiative.

It wasn't the President himself or even his policies that drove them to vote for Brown, according to pollster Tony Fabrizio:

Obama's job approval rating even stayed at a respectable 55 percent as voters trekked to the ballot box to oppose the candidate he campaigned for just two days earlier. The president even earned a passing mark on his handling of the economy (50 percent approval) and received a clear majority's support for his work in the war in Afghanistan (59 percent approval).

So it's time to scrap the current bills and keep the promise.

Brown wins!

2010-01-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

The American people have spoken. It's time for Chris Carney and the Democrats to save face and back off socialized medicine.

We're sorry dear!

For the Children...

2010-01-18T03:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I featured a clip from Stossel's expose' on Crony Capitalism with the other Carney. In todays clip, Stossel says that Salvation Army says it had to dump $100,000,000 worth of second hand toys and another $100,000,000 worth of second hand clothing to comply with new regulations.

Congressman Chris Carney proudly touts his support for these new measures on his website. We need to sunset all regulations so Congress has to review them regularly to make sure that they are counting the cost of all these good intentions.

Vote heard round the World

2010-01-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

President Obama went to MA today to promote AG Coakley's troubled campaign for US Senate.

The Tea Party Express is there for Scott Brown...

No matter how it turns out Tuesday, the "vote heard round the world" is a seminal moment in the restoration of American Liberty. The War for Independence has begun anew. Do your part.

Serious Money

2010-01-17T03:31:00.000-08:00

Carney (not Chris, Tim) said on Stossel,

"A good connection to government is the best asset a company can have, increasingly as government plays a larger role in the economy. So, whatever the criteria are that they lay out officially for "this is how you get the money", the real thing is "do you have a lobbyist?"..."

If you're not watching Stossel, you just don't know what's going on. Watch all 6 parts of this amazing program on the corruption of the free market.

My next book?

Miranda Wrongs?

2010-01-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

Acts of terror in a war are not first and foremost law enforcement problems. They are acts of war. Toomey says, "You can't make this stuff up!"

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

Non-Census

2010-01-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Census is mentioned in the Constitution in Article I. Section 9 - Limits on Congress (the concept of "Limits on Congress" has been out of vogue in DC since 1887):

No capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

The word is only mentioned one other time in the 16th Amendment, when Congress gave itself the power to tax you directly instead of having to ask your State for the money. A discussion of the problems with the 16th Amendment and the remedies needed will have to wait for another day, but Mona Charen has brought something to light that has the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.

In the midst of the worst economic time since the great depression with skyrocketing debt never before seen and unfunded liabilities totaling over $106 Trillion today, Congress is planning on spending $340 million on an advertising campaign to promote the Census.

$2.5 million will go to buy Super Bowl ads.

Mona says that they are trying to corrupt the Census and makes a great case, but $350 million? Now? Really?

No wonder Washington DC is recession-proof.

Census 2000 was the first time they used paid advertising to promote the 220 year old enumeration, but I can't find what they spent 10 years ago. If you do find out, please post it below.

Man-cession?

2010-01-10T04:45:00.000-08:00

Usually the last line of every story of economic bad news is "women and children hardest hit." Today is different.

While Obama touts more government spending to create "green jobs" (it didn't work in Spain - 2 jobs were destroyed for every job created), he tried to create the impression that hope is just around the corner:

"The road to recovery is never straight," Obama said, although he added that the trend is pointing toward an improving jobs picture.

So what about this trend that his Administration reported on Friday?

Only 80.3 percent of men age 25-54 had jobs in December -- the lowest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started collecting that data in 1948 -- at which point the figure was 94.4 percent. When the recession began in December 2007, less than 13 percent of men in this age bracket were out of work.

As long as Obama continues to focus on government as the solution, both jobs and his approval ratings will continue to plummet.

The only question is, does he have the capability to admit he was wrong and change his statist ways? Will Congress reign in his free-spending ways?

I hope so, but I doubt it.

'Hasta la vista, baby'

2010-01-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

Still don't think there is anything wrong with the national socialist health care reform bill Pelosi is sneaking through Congress? The latest defector, as reported by Real Clear Politics, is none other than the Terminator:

"While I enthusiastically support health care reform, it is not reform to push more costs onto states that are already struggling while other states get sweetheart deals. Health care reform, which started as noble and needed legislation, has become a trough of bribes, deals, and loopholes."
I guess the question is: "If your Congressman didn't get a bribe for your state in exchange for his vote, does that mean he is not doing his job or just honest? It's time to clean House (and the Senate!)

Madeira enters race

2010-01-09T05:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. I've entered the race for PA10. The Times Leader's Andrew Seder does a good job of laying out my motivations and the political realities that make me the best candidate to take on Carney in the fall.

I spent this week calling Republican leaders all across the district asking for their support. I've been very encouraged by their responses and will be announcing endorsements as the weeks go by.

In the coming weeks I'll also be laying out the policies that I think will pull us back from the brink that the current Congress seems determined to rush us over. My Facebook page is up and I'll soon be twittering.

But for now, my campaign website points to the Debt Clock!

Hope to see you on the campaign trail...

Healthy Marriage Penalty?

2010-01-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal reports that, under (a perfect word in this situation) the current health care plans being "debated" in Congress, lower and middle income couples who tie the knot will want to put cash on the bridal registry instead of Target.com.

That's because under the new rules (lots and lots of new rules), combined incomes blah blah blah....

And wealthier couples would be hit harder by the new rules because blah blah blah....

It's all very complicated, but don't worry about it because:

"Democratic staff who helped to write the bill confirmed the existence of the penalty, but said it cannot be remedied without creating other inequities."

Who could have seen that coming? What is more troubling is all the stuff we haven't yet found. Why not make a few simple changes and let the market fix what is wrong with our government-created prepaid health care financing system.

C-SPAN snub?

2010-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

C-SPAN’s head Brian Lamb has requested that leaders in both parties in both chambers follow through on then-candidate Obama's repeated pledge to air the debate on Healthcare in is public access channe. Lamb said he would “commit the necessary resources to covering all of these sessions...”

“Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American,” Lamb wrote.

[READ THE ENTIRE LETTER]

Could this have to do with that?

Epic Fail

2010-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Future of Medicare under "Reform"

2010-01-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

The real problem with central planners is that their ideas don't work in the real world. As my Sunday School teacher used to say, "There's no free lunch".

Bloomberg reports that a Mayo clinic in AZ is going to stop accepting Medicare patients because the Mayo organization overall lost $840 million last year on Medicare patients. Mayo was praised by President Obama in June as an exemplary health care provider for offering:

“the highest quality care at costs well below the national norm.”

This is just the beginning as Medicare pays about half what it cost Mayo to provide care for elderly patients.

Mayo’s move to drop Medicare patients may be copied by family doctors, some of whom have stopped accepting new patients from the program, said Lori Heim, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, in a telephone interview yesterday.

“Many physicians have said, ‘I simply cannot afford to keep taking care of Medicare patients,’” said Heim, a family doctor who practices in Laurinburg, North Carolina. “If you truly know your business costs and you are losing money, it doesn’t make sense to do more of it.”

The comments from the liberal think tank "Fellow" gloss over the basic economics (selling more services at a loss equals greater losses) and goes to the "greed" of the doctors who want to get paid enough to cover their costs:

Robert Berenson, a fellow at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said physicians’ claims of inadequate reimbursement are overstated. Rather, the program faces a lack of medical providers because not enough new doctors are becoming family doctors, internists and pediatricians who oversee patients’ primary care.

“Some primary care doctors don’t have to see Medicare patients because there is an unlimited demand for their services,” Berenson said. When patients with private insurance can be treated at 50 percent to 100 percent higher fees, “then Medicare does indeed look like a poor payer,” he said.

The next step will be for the government to find ways to force medical facilities to accept lower payments, then subsidize the failing institutions that they created. There are better ideas that involve letting people choose.

If you stand where you should...

2009-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

...history will rise to meet you.

Shelby Steele writes perhaps the most compelling tribute to Ronald Reagan I have ever read:

Reagan reached the White House through a great deal of what is called "individuating"—that is he took principled positions throughout his long career that jeopardized his popularity, and in so doing he came to know who he was as a man and what he truly believed.

He became Ronald Reagan through dissent, not conformity. And when he was finally elected president, it was because America at last wanted the vision that he had evolved over a lifetime of challenging conventional wisdom. By the time Reagan became president, he had fought his way to a remarkable certainty about who he was, what he believed, and where he wanted to lead the nation.

C U R A H E E!!!

2009-09-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Stand Alone!

Conservatives can use children too

2009-09-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted about a 9 year old boy who was being used to push a political point-of-view.

Today I feature a whole classroom doing the same thing from the other side.

"Because then everybody can be happy."

2009-09-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

Little Willy Jones provided the opening line for today's post. He made this comment connected with his participation in the nation's first full public read-through of the health care bill in Scranton PA, which only took 15 hours, not 2 days. Apparently this precocious 9 year old didn't need two lawyers to understand the health reform plan better than Congressman Conyers (D-Huh?) as he stated that it's passage will assure that "everybody can be happy."

Willy may have a future in Congress!

15 hours is about what I have been working every day to help President Obama succeed in creating jobs, so I haven't had time to post (or really even read the news). But the furor over the President speaking to all the public school children (and many private schools too) about doing better in school (and my wife's commentary - she homeschools our 6 children) got me thinking.

Why is everyone so upset that the head of the government would speak at the government schools? If the government is paying for their education, why shouldn't the head of the government speak to his students? It's what the White House wants teachers do with the students before and after the speech that I'm interested in.

The Specter of defeat

2009-08-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Senator Specter will not have any trouble with debates in 2010 because he will be able to debate himself on just about every issue.

Lollipops and Unicorns

2009-08-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Congressman Carney hosted his 33rd town hall today in a hot fire hall in Dickson City. After almost breaking his arm patting himself on the back for being a fiscally conservative Blue Dog that slowed down the bill so we could "debate" it, he continued his unbroken record of promising everyone everything they want and never talking about specifically how we are going to pay for anything.

He has this neat technique where he allows people to vent while he nods and grins approvingly. Then he picks out some non-issue to agree with them on and asks for the next question.

No confrontation of the tough issues. No real answers. Nothing on the record.

Given his abysmal performance in the only debate in the last election,

this may seem like a sound strategy, but the audience wasn't buying it. I heard several people on the way out observe that, while they admire his courage to come and face an angry crowd, they still had no idea what Carney stood for.

The perfect "moderate". All smiles. No substance.

Carney did give some insight into the rationale Nancy Pelosi told him to use to explain his eventual support for government run healthcare. He tried to focus attention on the unsustainable nature of the current inflationary costs of care and then said if the insurance companies don't solve the affordability and transportability issues, the government would be forced to step in and solve the problem.

He evoked involuntary laughter when his promise to one woman that disabled children would not be denied health care in a government-run system led her to ask "How much care would be provided to disabled children?". Carney's response? ..."to whatever you need."

Really? No limits? Lollipops and Unicorns for everyone!

President Obama has the courage to tell grandma to take a pill, but look where that has gotten him.

He did the same kind of happy evading on illegal immigrants by saying the bill specifically denies care to illegals but never addressed what would happen when the President grants amnesty next year. Mr. Carney is one of the best at playing both sides against the middle, but he better be very careful on that fence because the "middle" is getting very small indeed.

The strongest crowd reactions occured when someone derided Carney for voting in the "crazy" Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and when someone else said lawyers were the problem.

My number did not get picked, but if it had I would have liked to know who is going to feed the Unicorns. I hear they have quite an appetite.

AARP oops?

2009-08-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

I thought AARP said they were not supporting ObamaCare

Sure looks like support to me. But what do I know, misinformed stooge that I am.

The corners are going to come up.

2009-08-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Congressman Mike Roger's exposes the false choice being presented in Congress right now.

We need to have an honest discussion about reforming our healthcare financing.

Color blind or just blinded by the light?

2009-08-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Press objectivity is a fiction. Everyone brings some bias to the table. But sometimes the agenda is so transparent it leaves you wondering if they really think we are that stupid.

So who was that racist militia man?

Could this have something to do with MSNBC's ratings?

Obama accepts a demotion...

2009-08-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

...and brings on a parter. Who would be worthy of being a partner with "The One"?

Why God himself, of course. Apparently, "matters of life and death" are now in the President's pay grade.

Borrowing from the very successful "40 Days of Purpose" program by Rick Warren, the President has enlisted the aid of pastors and religious leaders all across the nation to promote his government health plan.

Thank God Rev. Barry Lynn has chosen to be consistent in his criticism of people of faith in the public arena:

"I can't imagine why it would be appropriate for a president even to suggest a partnership with God somehow was connected to his ideas for health care," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

"Whenever politicians give a message that implies that God is on their side on an issue ... this always troubles me."

God was unavailable for comment as he is making preparations his new partner on Martha's Vineyard.

Paging Dr. Kanjorski

2009-08-19T14:24:00.001-07:00

Fellow Patriots,

NEPA Tea Party, LLC. is happy to announce it has coordinated an event to picket Senator Specter & Representative Kanjorski's offices on Thursday August 20th from 4pm till 5:30pm. Conveniently, both of their offices are located in The Stegmaier Building at 7 North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard inWilkes-Barre, PA 18702. Considering NEPA is being ignored by these two congressmen, and neither of them are offering a town hall meeting in our area concerning health care reform, we need to bring our voices to them and keep our momentum strong during their August recess.

We will be picketing on the sidewalk outside the building. Parking is available on the streets nearby or in the lot caddycorner to the Stegmaier Bldg for $3.

Our signs for this event need to be clear and concise. Please make them at home.

Ideas for signs:

Hands Off My Healthcare!

Specter and Kanjorski, Your Fired!

Read the Bill!

Say no to Obamacare!

Leave us alone!

Read the Constitution!

NEPA wants a town hall meeting!

A couple things you can do. Contact the media!!! Call local talk radio shows, TV networks, & newspapers. Also, do not forget to call Specter & Kanjorski to let them know how you feel. You can visit our website for their contact information.

I hope to see you at the event. Please forward this e-mail to your friends.

Thanks,

NEPA Tea Party, LLC

Dan McGrogan

Luke Shook

Norman Wahner

You're exactly right...

2009-08-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here are two videos from the Chris Carney Town Hall yesterday. I'm beginning to think "You're exactly right." is Carney's "tell".

Last week I predicted that Carney would "artfully dodge" rather than take a firm position. Here Carney repeatedly tells his constituents to read a bill he says has not been written!

At :16 he says that Tort reform is "on the table?" What table?

Note his comments on Medicare at :50 and again at 9:00 - I recollect during his last smear campaign that he argued against fixing Social Security, saying that it was "scaring seniors" to say that Social Security was soon to be insolvent. Now he is trying to scare seniors by saying Medicare is about to take over the entire Federal Budget to give cover for his attempt to fulfill his moral obligation for "Universal Health Care."

At 1:24 Carney claims there is nothing in the bill addressing parents rights to control their children's healthcare. Doesn't he know that parents rights are already threatened and that Chuck Norris pointed out in the bill where they would be further eroded? Who is he kidding?

At 2:13 in the second video he says "I don't even know what bill it is yet... that bill has yet to be written." and at 2:40 he says HR 3200 online is "...not the bill...", but at the 4:25 he tells someone to "go back and read the bill."

Finally, at 9:07 he again says, "I encourage you to read the bill" and he says the bill is available online and that he will get anyone who wants a copy of the bill sent "directly to you." How will he do that with a bill THAT HE SAYS HAS NOT YET BEEN WRITTEN???!!!

And the "Democratics" wonder why we don't trust them?

UPDATE: Breitbart.TV just posted the video and another clip of the meeting was just added to the library.

Congressman Carney continues to pretend he is pro-life even though he voted to spend taxpayers money for abortion overseas and NARAL ranked him 100% pro-abortion in '07. Being a moderate is a wonderful thing because you can come down firmly on both sides of any issue.

Let me be clear...

2009-08-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration has a tell, and I think I figured it out!!! "Let me be clear" means "I'm bluffing" ...or LYING, for those of you who have never played poker.

Last week reporter Major Garret and Information Czar Robert Gibbs went head to head about the White House/Axelrod email that went out on healthcare, with Gibbs instructing Garret on how he should construct a question. (Helen Thomas warned us about this "pattern of controlling the press".)

Now the White House is backpeddling, saying the White House DID send unwanted emails, but it wasn't their fault.

Reminded me of this song...

So watch for the tell, and remember..."Let me be clear" means "I'm bluffing". It looks like the American people called his bluff on Healthcare this time, but it's not over...

How many jobs?

2009-08-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

When?

The largest caucus in the House of Representatives, the Republican Study Committee, has been busy charting a new course for America rooted in economic freedom and traditional values.

There's an app for that...

2009-08-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

August 4th the President released a now infamous government-run website that has been affectionately called the "snitch website". Apparently the e-mail functionality was quietly shut down because the Constitutional Lawyer in Chief forgot to check it's legality, but you can still turn your "fishy friends" in using your iPhone.

Which raises two interesting questions:

1. When the Constitutional Lawyer in Chief can't figure out what is legal, is that evidence that Cicero was right when he said "The more laws, the less justice."?

2. Wasn't this supposed to be the guy who knew how to make the internet work in politics?

Not so sure (3)...

2009-08-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Now before you say "That's just to simplistic!", remember what the President said before the dog days of summer hit.

Nancy Pelosi stands up for free speech...

2009-08-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

...when it suits her.

Pike Co Press scores again

2009-08-14T11:51:00.001-07:00

The evasive Congressman from NEPA resurfaced briefly yesterday to speak exclusively with the Pike Co Press. He practically broke his arm patting himself on the back for saving the country from a quick vote on Government run healthcare.

“I really worked hard in order to be able to buy the nation time to have the [healthcare] conversation and I am very proud of what the Blue Dogs accomplished in that regard. But it is important that we have a dialog without being shouted down; that we have the opportunity to have a fair and frank discussion.”

Carney then went on to complain about Pike Co. Commissioner Rich Caridi not throwing the press out of the courthouse. Carney really should have chosen a different Marine to pick a fight with. Caridi said,

“As Pike County Commissioner I refused to entertain the Congressman’s representative’s request to force the press to leave the county’s public meeting room and subsequently deny the media free access to the questions from the concerned group of citizens as well as the response from our Congressman.
“Perhaps the Congressman’s staff should be reacquainted with the fundamental principles of our Constitution such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom to assemble, and the freedom to petition the government for a redress of our grievances.
“After all, as elected officials, we swore an oath to protect and defend the enumerated freedoms in the Constitution of the United States. As Commissioner, it was my responsibility and my sworn duty to uphold my oath of office and the Constitution of the United States. Therefore, the media was permitted to remain and the people were permitted to be heard.”

Thank God there are still some elected officials who understand their job is to serve the people, not protect each other. My prediction is that Carney will continue his artful dodging at the townhalls and ultimately vote the way Pelosi tells him to.

A dying breed...

2009-08-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee elicits applause from her constituents for a Primary Care Physician saying, "They are hard to find."

Apparently a real Primary Care Physician is impossible to find since this "Doctor" doesn't appear to be one. Does the WhiteHouse want me to turn the Congresswoman in to the SEC for Affinity Fraud?

Morally revolting?

2009-08-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

When Sarah Palin raised the specter of "Death Panels", the left howled and a GOP Senator called her "nuts".

But there are (at least) two big problems with this "manufactured" outrage.

#1 - The President, on national television, told us we would have to make tough decisions. Some old people will just be told to "take a pill".

#2 - Lee Siegal, a major proponent of Universal Health Care who's view is:

"...that the absence of universal health care is America’s burning shame..."

says:

"...on one point the plan’s critics are absolutely correct. One of the key ideas under consideration—which can be read as expressing sympathy for limitations on end-of-life care—is morally revolting."

You think I'm taking him out of context? Try this one:

"This reeks of the Big Brother nightmare of oppressive government that the shrewd propagandists on the right are always blathering on about. Except that this time, they could not be more right."

Perhaps Obama should become more familiar with this provision on euthanasia.

Late Breaking News: Sarah Palin posted an excellent article on Facebook on the "Dealth Panel" issue.

Don't drink and watch this...

2009-08-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

This one is pretty self explanatory,

but don't say I didn't warn you...hang on to your coffee at 50 seconds in!

Let's just spare ourselves the trouble and say we are closing the first 700 public health care option centers now and have indefinitely suspended plans to open any new ones. Then the President can move on and keep his campaign promise to tackle immigration this year.

Did someone say free-fall?

2009-08-12T01:16:00.000-07:00

One month ago today I said I thought things were going to be getting a lot worse for President Obama and his agenda.

Now I'm predicting that a Carteresque "Crisis of Confidence" is coming this fall when people find out he is going to break his promise and raise taxes on the middle class.

As The Wall Street Journal pointed out earlier this year, "the feds could take 100 percent of the taxable income of everyone in America earning more than $500,000 and still have raised only $1.3 trillion even in the boom year of 2006. The rich are fewer and less rich now, while the Obama budget is nearly $4 trillion."

And to really go out on a limb, early next year we will see some "Blue Dog" Democrats in Republican Districts switch parties to hang on to their seats as the US debt mounts (YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!), the recession drags on into 2010 and Democrats lose ground in purple states because of Obama's free-fall in the polls.

The good news is that the economy will recover as the Congress forces the President to adopt a more rational, pro-business stance as elections draw near.

What is Carney's position on HR 3200?

2009-08-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Gort has an update on the schedule for Congressman Carney's Townhall listening tour. When Carney was last asked about his position on another piece of "urgent" legislation, he was less than forthcoming, but did eventually follow orders and voted for it without reading all 1071 pages. It wasn't signed into law until three days later when the President got back from his long date weekend in Chicago.

I'm delighted that Carney has decided to turn over a new leaf and listen to the people. I'm looking forward to hearing Congressman Carney explain HR 3200. I hope he brings his copy so I don't have to print out all 1017 pages.

“I came to Congress with the goal of listening to the people of Pennsylvania’s 10th District. This town hall meeting is a unique opportunity for me to explain the actions Congress is taking, how my office can help and for people to tell me about the issues that matter most to them,” said Congressman Carney. “Now more than ever, all of our citizens need to be asking questions and getting involved and these town hall meetings will allow them to do just that.”

The Liberty Counsel has an extensive review of the bill, which I'm sure Congressman Carney has read (or at least he read his portion of it after they divided it up so they could make faster decisions).

I'm actually more interested in knowing Chris Carney's position on Czar Holdren and his "Planetary Regime" for population control. Specifically, I'd like to know if Congressman Carney favors sterilizing by adding something to the drinking water or if he is more of an "implant" kind of guy.

If Carney has read (his section of) the Constitution, I'm also interested to know if he agrees with Holdren that:

"[N]either the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution mentions a right to reproduce,"

Constituent Services?

2009-08-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted some video about Congressman Chris Carney's staff refusing to talk to a group of constituents as a group with the press present.

Given the way this interaction with US Rep David Scott and his constituents went, perhaps Carney made a good choice.

I especially like the "straw man" argument the Congressman makes - "there are people.. who do not want anything changed in healthcare." When the people he is accusing of this viewpoint object to his mischaracterization, his staff threatens to shut down the meeting.

A follow-up report by the local press shows that the Doctor is a constituent and did try to set up a meeting with the Congressman, but was not given one.

I was imagining a scenario with this Doctor two years from now when his patient is being told by President Obama to "take a pain pill" because the care she needs is denied under her public option plan. He can't get a meeting because his Congressman keeps refusing to set one up and his patient dies (with an ample supply of pain medication to ease her passing).

Still nothing official posted on Congressman Carney's website on a townhall meeting, but the Pike Co. Press is reporting that:

"Congressman Chris Carney will hold a “town hall” meeting in Honesdale on Monday August 17 from 11AM-12PM. The meeting will take place at the Community Room, Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, 32 Commercial Street, Honesdale, PA, 18431."

Unruly mobs of seniors?

2009-08-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Big insurance companies are organizing mobs of dangerous seniors in Florida...

...and Texas...

...to scare Congressman away from "health insurance reform". No wonder Pelosi is trying to order up a few more big jets for a fast getaway.

NOTE: This post is a little "fishy" - you should report me here - flag@whitehouse.gov

Party School town has more significant distinction

2009-08-07T02:51:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago the Princeton Review released it's rankings and PSU is #1 - the #1 Party School that is. That makes this story in today's Collegian all the more compelling.

"People are both pleased and surprised to hear that we are the second-safest place to live in the United States of America," Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said.

In an editorial appearing in several papers, Centre Co DA Madeira credits the police and the community:

"We owe a lot to the strength of our community. We also owe much of our success to the competence and hard work of law enforcement and all who are in charge of public safety."

and most of the students:

Most students know how to make the most of their time here, without sacrificing their respect for each other and the rest of our community.
Most students know how to enjoy their free time responsibly. You don't hear as much about the responsible students, but you should. Their example is a far better one of which our community can and should be proud.

A PERSONAL MOMENT: I'm doubly proud because not only is Michael my brother (way to go Mike!), but a new website my son DJ created is up promoting the Valley's new distinction with a t-shirt and video design contest.

Not so sure (2)...

2009-08-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

It's not my job...

2009-08-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Driving through Dallas today, Tim spotted this tire.

I stopped on my way home and snapped a couple pictures.

Do you think this same motivation to do a good job will be apparent in my Doctor after the public health option passes? Will I still get the same quality care when my Doctor is working for the "public good"?

America is "Not so sure..."

2009-08-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Rural Community Organizing?

2009-08-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

The White House is now trying to tell us that community organizing is bad?

Here are a local group of people who want to talk about the healthcare proposal with their Congressman. His staff can't talk to them on camera and only 3 at a time are allowed.

I thought candidate Obama said community organizing was good.

I guess that is another Obama position that has expired.

LATE BREAKING NEWS:

The Pike Co. Press is reporting that:

Res ipsa loquitur

2009-08-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Vanity Fair - July 2008

Anonymous Viral - August 2009

Public option appeals process unveiled

2009-08-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

We all know how frustrating it can be to file an appeal of any kind.

In the interest of promoting the public health option that will NEVER turn into a single-payer program, the Obama adminsitration has released a picture of the machines they will use to process appeals if your government run health plan denies your claim.

Are you going to believe me or your lyin' eyes (2)?

2009-08-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Is the White House responding to my blog? Nah! But it did make me think about "Big Brother" for just a second.

Last month I pointed out that the Administration wants us to forget what Obama said then and listen to what he is saying now. This morning I posted on the Two Obama's positions on Health Care reform (I'm not allowed to say government-run healthcare anymore).

They shot back with this.

Now I see. The previous statements from past years have expired and I should only pay attention to what he said the last several weeks. It feels good to get my mind right! Who says I'm not persuadable?

I really do want to believe...

2009-08-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

But which Obama do I believe in?

I want to believe.

2009-08-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our Great Recession, which the experts are telling us is over - but will not have jobs coming back for 5-6 years, really is the worst in 50 years.

The President tells us he knows what he is doing and that if we just fix healthcare, everything will be OK.

I want to believe, but then why is he huddling with all 60 Senate Democrats tomorrow in a closed door meeting? Why is his visit to Elkhart also by invitation only? Is he afraid of an angry mob?

Watching the video below makes me think they don't really know what they are doing. It shows what the government is having car dealers do to disable all the cars that are brought in to the Cash for Clunkers program. I thought the point was to protect the environment?

Might it not make more sense to help someone who could work but has no car to get to work by giving the car to charity instead of intentionally destroying it? Didn't we do stuff like this during the Great Depression? The Supreme Court found the whole law unconstitutional, but not before lots of baby pigs paid with their lives.

The Memory Hole 2.0

2009-07-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted an article on censorship by the Democrats. They didn't want Republicans using "government run healthcare" in mail to constituents paid for by taxpayers.

I can see why. Time reports that...

Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they were currently covered by some kind of health insurance, and of that group 86% said they were "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with their plan.

But this remarkable story came to my attention this week from Connie Hair. Apparently they won't even let Republicans quote the President on health care. This quote was deemed "offensive" by the Franking Commission.

“The below quote is from President Obama at a recent town hall on health care, responding to a question on possible medical treatment for an elderly woman who had heart problems and received a pacemaker:

‘Look, the first thing for all of us to understand that is we actually have some -- some choices to make about how we want to deal with our own end-of-life care… we as a culture and as a society [can start] to make better decisions within our own families and for ourselves...at least we can let doctors know and your mom know that, you know what? Maybe this isn't going to help. Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller.’

I blogged this chilling video a month ago and I can understand why the Democrats don't want anyone to remember it. I wonder if this record low approval rating is related to all this Biden rubbing off on Obama?

See Matt smirk.

2009-07-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

Matt had the other Michelle on to promote her book and you can see in the last several seconds a look on his face that is just priceless.

So why have her on? One word - ratings.

Great leaders on expanding liberty

2009-07-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

This Gregory Brothers Auto-Tune remake of the famous "pay any price" Kennedy speech...

...got me thinking about the contrast with President Obama in this ABC Nightline interview with Terry Moran...

...and this speech by the greatest President of my lifetime...

Boring?

2009-07-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

Politico's Michael Calderone couldn't be more wrong when he spins the anemic ratings of President Obama's Health Care show last week.

Monday he wrote an article (5 days after the fact?) claiming that the problem is the topic without even a tip of the hat to the format being at fault. Instead he finds quotes from media experts to illustrate that Health Care is too complicated for us to understand.

Perhaps if it had been a debate instead of a monologue, the ratings would have been respectable.

Where's my reset button?

2009-07-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

I think after this week the President might send Hillary on an emergency round trip to Russia to get his reset/overcharged button back.

Who could have predicted this would happen so fast?

A plea to lawmakers?

2009-07-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Kevin Ferris wrote a great commentary in the TL today.

What is shocking is that we have to plead with our lawmakers to examine the chains they forge before they place them on our childrens' ankles.

No surprise, but "Blue Dog Democrat" Congressman Carney has chosen not to sign the pledge. What is the term "Blue Dog" supposed to mean again?

Hats off to Colin Hanna, who consistently provides useful information to those that love liberty.

UPDATE: 7/27/09 I missed this little gem:

"...just trying to keep it free."

2009-07-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

This isn't a risky move, but I'm going to predict that the next several days will be filled with stories about why, by stepping down today, Sarah Palin is now irrelevant and has no chance in 2012.

I'm not going to repeat myself, but those that count her out do so at their own peril. She will make her presence felt in 2010 and can be a major player in 2012 if she wants to.

100 posts! Gort, this one's for you.

2009-07-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is our 100th post. I started this blog to respond to an article by Gort that said Congressman "...Carney did a good job his first 2 years...".

It took me a little more than 100 days, but the compelling posts here have had such an impact on Gort that he has started to put extended clips of Ronald Reagan speeches on his site to argue against Socialized Medicine.

Good to have you back on the side of liberty Gort.

The next step for Gort (and everyone else) is to follow this call to action.

Money Watch: Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa.)
By: KEVIN MOONEY
Commentary Staff Writer
July 21, 2009
WHO: Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa.)
WHAT: Carney received the following dirty money: PMA Group (PAC) $5,000 in 2008 election cycle
WHY IT'S DIRTY: PMA Group (Paul Magliocchetti and Associates) was a defense lobbying group that is now the focus of multiple federal investigations concerning allegations of influence peddling and other corrupt activities, mostly associated with earmarks. Before it was disbanded earlier this year, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee gave current members of Congress $3.4 million between 1989 and 2008, with 79 percent of that going to Democrats, according to OpenSecrets.org.
WILL CARNEY GIVE IT BACK: Carney did not respond to The Examiner's request for comment.
THE SCORE:
Number of Democrats who have given it back: 0
Number of Republicans who have given it back: 0
YOUR TURN: You can reach Rep. Carney's Washington D.C. office at 202-225-3731
Don't know who is your congressman? Go to http://www.house.gov/ and look in the upper left-hand corner. Don't know who are your state's two senators? Go to http://www.senate.gov/ and look in the upper right-hand corner.
Dirty Money is researched and written by Kevin Mooney of the The Washington Examiner's commentary staff

Come on Gort - make the call!

Free Speech? We don't need no stinking Free Speech!

2009-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

I co-opted one of my favorite lines from The Treasure of Sierra Madre for this post to illustrate the absurdity of the Democrats attempts to muzzle the GOP.

Two weeks ago Congressman John Carter was denied the right to mail a chart illustrating the Democrat Health Plan to his constituents.

Then this week they told him he could no longer use the term "government-run health care plan" in mailers unless he paid for them himself. Now, I'm no fan of Congressman using legitimate franking privileges for obvious campaign pieces like this:

but with this kind of overreaching, it's no wonder moderate independents (and even liberals!) are leaving the Democrats on ObamaCare. Just because we have been forced to endure Europe's unemployment rates does not mean Americans are willing to accept European limits on free speech.

That's not a partisan issue, it's about liberty.

Useful Arts?

2009-07-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Back in early June I made a trek to DC to meet with some Republican leaders at the Capitol Hill Club about the current political situation in Washington and the future of the Party. While there I had a short break and took a side trip to the CVC, an amazing $621 million dollar project designed to keep the smelly tourists out of the way of the ruling class.

Finished just four years past its deadline and costing only $350 million more than it's original budget, it really is wonderful. Strange though that it should make me feel a bit skeptical about the President's predictions for the cost of his "health care reform" package.

But I digress - back to the CVC.

Conservatives like Chuck Norris have been calling attention to the attempts to de-Deify our history at the CVC, but I stumbled across a display about the Constitution that leads me to believe that God's place in our history is not the only thing being shoved down the memory hole. I place in evidence the following photo I snapped while observing the display:

It's a bit difficult to read, but inscribed in the marble across the top is a creative edit from Article I, Section 8, Clause 8

"The Congress shall have Power to... promote... useful Arts."

Underneath is a plaque that talks about how much value the Founders placed on "Knowledge" and several display cases with historical examples of the Federal Government funding the arts.

I immediately had a sinking feeling as I realized that my Constitution was being taken from me by punctuation marks. You see, while the designer of the display was using a few strategically placed periods to show that the US Constitution specifically calls for taxpayer funding of the arts, the truth is that Article I, Section 8 Clause 8 really is about intellectual property rights. The unedited version says:

"To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;"

Congress was to use its power to protect private intellectual property by patent so that scientists and writers could use the free market to make money from their creations, not so "performance artists" could bill unwilling taxpayers for whatever happened to strike their fancy.

Was it supposed to be this easy to change the Constitution?

The Sad Elephant

2009-07-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Mr. Baldwin, I hate you.

Don’t get me wrong, this was the most cleverly informative piece of writing I have had the pleasure of devouring in a very long time. It’s just that I was endeavoring to shrink my “must read” list in an attempt to follow the old adage about when to go to bed and now I have to expand that list just a little bit with your commentary at the top.

As fate would have it, I was finishing my evening Drudge web surf from my bed on my iPhone (this nightly brain snack routine creates the appearance that I am well-read in current events without having to invest to much effort) when, just as I was about to drift off, my browser stumbled across your post.

I would not have made it very far into your missive due to the lateness of the hour, but our common dislike for anonymity compelled me past the second paragraph. I was ready to drift into slumber again till I reached the end of paragraph four where you discussed your write/edit ratio.

Now I was fully awake and knew I would not be getting to bed early tonight. I laughed out loud several times (to my sleeping wife’s consternation) and enjoyed your writing lesson so much I had to get up from my bed and log on to my laptop to type a proper response. That is when I started to hate you.

The real problem is not that you made me laugh, but that you made me think. That is just what I am trying to avoid at this time of night. I’m confident that I’ll read the rest of your posts tonight and every time you post I will bring my parched brain to the trough for refreshment. Sleep is overrated, so write away!

I will also make this lesson required reading for those occasional “Megans” who want to comment on my blog and can’t understand why in the name of free speech I don’t post their diatribes. I know they won’t grasp what you have explained, but at least I will sleep with a clear conscience knowing I have thrown them a lifeline.

Thanks and good night, sleepless as it will most certainly be.

What a difference 10 weeks makes.

2009-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

When the soothsayers first looked at the PA US Senate race between Arlen Specter (D-Self) and Pat Toomey (R-Constitution) May 4th, Toomey was down 20 points. The "experts" immediately started casting about for someone "electable", someone who would fit the moderate mold they have decided leads to electoral success. Even two weeks ago they were still looking.

Today, their crystal ball says "dead heat". Ironically:

"Among independents, Toomey leads Specter 46 to 42 percent."

In just 10 weeks Congressman Pat Toomey has completely erased the polling deficit, shoveled more than $1.5 million into his campaign war chest, and received the NRSC's support.

Imagine what he will accomplish in 10 months.

The Blame Game

2009-07-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

When he was a candidate, President Barak Obama called out Senator Hillary Clinton for playing "the textbook Washington game".

Now Republicans are anticipating he will play the game he ridiculed last year.

It will be interesting to see if he does blame Republicans tonight, not that anyone will watch his "boring" speech.

Obama: "I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about."

2009-07-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

So said The One yesterday when asked about Section 102 of the House Health Care Plan when asked by a liberal blogger. The blogger was referencing an IBD story (they are doing some great reporting) that says in part:

Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:
"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.
So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised — with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

And that was only on page 16! There are almost 1000 more pages to go, but Heritage is doing a good job of reviewing it, as is former Leut. Gov. Dr. Betsey McCaughey:

The $18 million dollar website?

2009-07-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Steve Austin, move over! The government just spent $18 million to put up a website to track stimulus money and make sure it doesn't get wasted on pork. Funny thing is there is already a similarly named, private sector site that has been doing the same thing for some time, and apparently better.

Will this kind of reckless behavior be covered under Obamacare?

2009-07-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

God {sic} only knows if Peter Singer is the one making the decisions. Who is Peter Singer? He is Princeton's top "ethicist" who wrote in 2002:

“When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed … . Killing a disabled infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Often, it is not wrong at all.”

While I can find no direct connection between Singer and President Obama like the ones with Ayers or Rev. Wright, the two sound eerily similar in their rationale on life issues. I prefer ethicists who say:

`Man,' said the Ghost, `if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die. It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God. to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust.'

Are you going to believe me or your lyin' eyes?

2009-07-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

Last week I posted about how I thought Time was running out on the Obama Administration's agenda. Both the House and Senate are showing signs that they realize his agenda is not good for America (or their re-election). This week the GOP put together a good "in his own words" video that reminds us all of what the President said about the stimulus when he came into office.

YouTube is making it very tough for Winston Smith these days. Fortunately, a bipartisan effort is underway in the Senate to make sure we don't hurt ourselves with too much information.

Biden: "I see employed people"

2009-07-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

This week Vice President Biden had a secret he wanted to tell you. As a result of the stimulus, he sees employed people. Apparently they are everywhere, they just don't know they are employed.

Thanks Shifty

2009-07-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Take two minutes to be inspired and remember someone who risked everything for you.

If you wish upon a Czar

2009-07-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

One of the big criticisms from liberals, libertarians and conservatives about President Bush was that he centralized power in an unprecedented way.

The libertarians and conservatives are criticizing the new President for the same thing on steroids. I'm pleased to report that some liberals are too, and not just Senator Byrd.

Ironically, the first US Czar was appointed by Richard Nixon and he headed up what is now the Energy Department. That worked out well!

...with healthcare and empathy for all.

2009-07-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Politics is typically slow...and often mainly ignored in the summer. This summer is different. It is the "summer blockbuster" of politics, with a Supreme Court nominee hearing and the healthcare debate going on simultaneously. (although Senator Feingold [D - Daily Kos ] would like the Supremes to to replace the Sopranos).

Like the explosions and car wrecks of most summer blockbusters, it's almost to much for our sun drenched minds to handle, but these two events will have far reaching affects that could keep us hot under the collar through the cold winter months, as this quote from the NY Times points out...

"The suit (against Massachusetts) comes as Congress looks to Massachusetts as a potential model for overhauling the nation’s health care system. Even before the suit, the state’s fiscal crisis had cast doubts on the law’s sustainability."

Just imagine the lawsuits on federal level if the Presidents healthcare bill is passed in or current state of fiscal health.

In a world where the Sotomayor appointment may be a done deal it appears that opposition to healthcare may get some help from the other side of the aisle.

Here's hoping the producers of a third summer blockbuster can overcome meddling from the "distributors" and continue to beat expectations.

‘We Have to Go Spend Money...

2009-07-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

...to Keep From Going Bankrupt’

You just can't make this stuff up! Who would believe it?

Who will they swear in?

2009-07-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

The political experts tell us her confirmation is a done deal and they may be right.

The real question that arises from her dramatic change in judicial philosophy is, "Which Judge Sotomayor will they swear in?"

Think I'm overstating it? A Georgetown Law professor writes:

If she was not perjuring herself, she is intellectually unqualified to be on the Supreme Court.

Is it corruption, or is it just big government?

2009-07-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Corruption is so common in American politics it's not even a surprise anymore. This story caught my attention because while it intended to examine if the stimulus money was going to reward Obama voters, it revealed something more important in the last paragraph.

The imbalance didn't start with the stimulus. From 2005 through 2007, the counties that later voted for Obama collected about 50% more government aid than those that supported McCain, according to spending reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In other words, liberal government big spending depends on the private sector to fund it, no matter who is in charge. Liberal urban areas (blue) take money from the red sections of the country to keep their profligate spending and taxing going. That is why we limited government conservatives really just want smaller, less intrusive government.

Health Care made easy.

2009-07-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Oh Canada! 2

2009-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

I don't normally ask for this much of your time, but you have to see what "free" healthcare is like up north. Move over Michael Moore, this is real documentary film making.

The Obama Administration's push for national heath care doesn't have a leg to stand on. Literally! Perhaps her mother should have taken a pill.

Is Time running out?

2009-07-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Most of us have given up reading this publication except when we're stuck in the Doctor's waiting room. By then, it's not yesterdays news, it's last years news. The reason we don't read it is not so much that it has a left-wing, elitist slant, it's that it's not interesting or relevant.

That's why this story on the failure of the stimulus raises eyebrows - it's both interesting and relevant, and seems to leave, if only for one issue, it's hard left slant long enough to look realistically at just how bad things are with the economy - and how wrong Obama's advisors were. Have no fear, they do not lay any blame on the President.

Don't look to them to suggest real, useful solutions like tax cuts, though. That is a bridge to far.

Newsweek remains bullish, however, predicting that we are entering a "jobless recovery."

Huh?

I said on that Sunday that we are closing in on a free-fall for the President's popularity. He dropped another point to -8 and now Dick Morris confirms it:

"His chief legislative achievements, in other words, may already be behind him."

Palin in 2012? Heck Yea!

2009-07-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

I know this is my third post in a week on Sarah Palin, but I just keep hearing a voice in my head that says "The (old gray) lady doth protest too much, methinks."

If she is so 2008, why is everyone who hates her still talking about her? Apparently, Peter Heck agrees with me - their laughter regarding Palin, while meant to sound dismissive, is really a nervous laughter.