Health Care....whether you want it or not.....

A lot has changed in a couple of months...the most notable being the gigantic health care bill passing without a SINGLE Republican supporting it. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would see the day when a bill so controversial, so all-encompassing, and so expensive would be shoved through congress in this manner. Clearly, a majority of the American public, in poll after poll, did not support this bill. This single polarizing issue will dominate the political campaigns of the House, Senate, and gubernatorial candidates this year. Americans are fed up with a constant refusal of their elected officials to represent the wishes of their constituents...and this issue, I predict, will change the look of Congress following the November 2010 elections.

Predictably, the administration and Democrats are now scrambling to draw attention away from their (emphasize their) victory....if you can call it one...imagine a bill so 'necessary', and so 'needed', and so 'easily funded', and soooooo 'popular'....that only by using the 'reconciliation' method of passing it....did a bill which represents 1/6 of the total economy of the United States squeak through. Republicans in the Senate tried without success to hold the Democrats and President Obama true to their word by offering a amendment that would have put into law no new taxes on Americans making less than $250,000 a year...a promise Obama made numerous times during his campaign and town hall meetings. Another amendment would have required members of congress to buy into the same insurance that the American populace will be required by law to have...again...to no avail. On numerous news programs, Democrats who voted in favor of the Health Care Bill when pressed on details about coverage, cost, effects on businesses, etc...were unable to offer them. Pass it now...worry about the details later...seems to be the talking point for most in favor....unbelievable.

The fallout is coming fast...today many large American companies are discovering just how expensive complying with the Health Care mandates will be. AT&T, Verizon, Caterpillar, John Deere, among others have expressed concern that it will cost them tens of billions of dollars to comply with the new H/C laws. Democrats in the house, just today, enraged over these companies going public with these figures are now calling for hearings with the executives of these corporations and advising them to bring their books, e-mails, etc to Washington...so they can vet them....can you imagine...more to come....

I am going a different route today...Tim Tebow, and the ad that Focus on the Family will pay a fortune to broadcast during the Superbowl contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. While no one has seen the ad yet, the general content is this: Tim Tebow's mother while carrying young Tim during her pregnancy was advised by her doctors to have an abortion because her health was endangered. Ignoring this advice Tim's mother carried her baby to full term, and thus we have Tim Tebow, quaterback extra-ordinaire, and a young man who publicly, and unashamedly professes his love for Christ, which he not only speaks of with his voice, but has done numerous acts of kindness off the field as well. Now comes Gloria Allred, women's activist and lawyer, who wants to file a suit against CBS and Focus on the Family, if they do not include background details concerning the 'legality' of abortion in the Philippines...say what?? I say, kudos to both Focus On the Family and CBS for having the guts to air this commercial...I mean look at all the different commercials, and scandals that have occurred in past Super Bowls, and here we have a different type of info-mercial...one in which a life was saved. Folks, this country will one day answer for silently standing by while 50 million abortions were performed, either legally or illegally, and most for no other reason than that the baby posed an inconvenience, or embarrassment to the party involved. Thank you, Focus on the Family, and Tim Tebow...for a commercial that transcends football, and economics, and the ever increasing risque nature of this world...Pro-lifers need advocates too!

Rhetoric and Arrogance Meets Reality

For those of you who had the opportunity to watch President Obama address the Republican caucus on Friday, you were able to witness Obama in a setting that forced him to account for his actions the past year...well...sort of. This gathering of the minority party, who the Democrats have summarily dismissed as the party of (no) and devoid of ideas worthy of consideration, was in no mood to give this President a pass. Speech after speech by the President as he traveled America this past year, and spoke to hand-picked crowds, was filled with zingers about the opposite party, and, how their only agenda was the Presidents demise, at the expense of America...but those words were thrown back at him during his meeting with the Republicans on Friday afternoon.
It is hard for me to agree with some of the media who say that the President showed great fortitude and leadership by (finally) meeting with, and having a substantive conversation with his opposition. Had Obama come in a spirit of openness...and just a hint of humility...I believe many more Americans would give him credit for at least trying to act bipartisan in spirit, if not in reality.
I commend those Senators, and Representatives for not being awe-struck at the mere presence of President Obama, and sticking to their agenda of holding the President accountable for not only his progressive agenda, but on his campaign promises, and his own words. The President, for his part, when pressed to answer hard questions, virtually bristled...and became combative...in most cases without directly answering the question. This was especially true on questions of transparency (remember the promise of C-Span cameras during the health care negotiation process) and accountability for policies enacted since he took office. We were again treated to the tried and true Bush bashing. And so...WAS this a positive meeting? Yes, I believe it was, but so much more could have been accomplished by these representatives working together with the President and his party, had he met with them after his First address to congress. Instead, he arrogantly, and mistakenly, believed his victory in 2009 gave him a mandate that did not include listening to that other 47% of Americans who did not vote to elect Obama president; an error in judgement that has given the GOP 3 amazing victories recently, capped with the highly unlikely victory in Massachusetts by Scott Brown. Open the dialogue with your opponents in congress, Mr President, and for America's sake...ALL AMERICANS...lose the arrogance.

More thoughts on the State of the Union Address

I wanted to let things slow-cook in Washington today (1 day after the SOTU address) and see what rose to the top of the political 'crock' pot. Nancy Pelosi, House speaker and head Obama cheerleader, has informed the nation that the Health Care Bill WILL go through even if she has to 'parachute' it in...gee, I'm trying to get a picture of that in my mind...Nancy Pelosi in a parachute and a 2000 page Health Care Bill in hand landing in the House chamber. (?) On a serious note...they are seriously talking about leaving the Republicans out completely...and going the simple majority 'reconciliation' route. All this despite a poll today that says 61% of Americans do not want this bill. How is that for your representatives in congress REPRESENTING you, the American citizen. There were some other issues addressed in the speech that frankly, I found very disturbing. Here are just a few: 1. Re-institution of gays into the military...an olive branch to his extreme left, I suppose. 2. Just a couple minutes of dialogue on the Iraq War theater of operations...all combat troops to be home by August...we shall see, nice to let our enemies know our time line...amateurish move, at best, Mr. Obama. 3. Now Obama is ready to drill off-shore, and explore for oil, gas, and coal...could it be that wind and solar power cannot begin to power the American economy and its thirst for fuel?? Oh...and now...after more than 20 years since the last plant was built, nuclear power is now a viable option...I say full speed ahead on that idea, Mr President...but I doubt your leftist power base will vote for actually contructing them. 4. What ab out the issue of immigration? 18 million illegals sucking the life-blood out of our economy...more coming everyday...and not a mention of this huge group of people that tax-paying, hard-working American men, and women, share their bounty with....could it be that they represent a huge amount of potential, future VOTES, and are therefor untouchable?? 5. Your admonishing of the highest court in the land over their recent decision to allow businesses and corporations to donate to political parties...what arrogance on your part, Mr Obama...maybe that Harvard law professor coming out?? 6. This has to be the best yet...a spending freeze...a what?? A SPENDING FREEZE...you heard it right, a proposed spending freeze in congress...but wait...not until NEXT year...you see, we haven't quite accomplished the complete destruction of our economy yet.

A few ending thoughts...climate change is for real...Obama said so. If you have an idea for cheaper insurance premiums, let him know. And finally, the President say we must get out of the habit of constantly 'being in campaign mode'...really...could you, would you, lead the way...because as you so eloquently stated last night: "America is distrustful of government" these days...wonder why?

The country wakes up this Thursday morning, January 28, 2010 knowing without a shadow of doubt that their President has decided to continue on with his liberal, toxic agenda...despite opposition from a majority of the American populace. Head held high, jaw out, he sternly admonished the Republican minority for being the party of 'no' and for holding up the passage of his policies. You say: "we have not passed any new taxes on 95% of Americans", but you fail to say that new revenue and mandates will now be picked up the by the individual states in the form of TAXES...duh. One thing many Americans have done, Mr. President, is educate themselves about the workings of government...no longer do they march lock, stock, and barrel behind every word of politicians. No longer will many remain silent on the sidelines...the future of our very lives, our children, and grandchildren, are being impacted by the recklessness of your administration and the super majority you enjoy in congress. Thank God for the 40 senators who stood their ground!



How we ask, can you vilify the banking industry, and large companies on the one hand, and then tell (expect) them to expand, and hire new employees on the other? So...you will now take the 30 billion or so paid back by those banks that congress bailed out with taxpayer dollars and create another stimulus package...instead of paying down our debt. You create a vicious business climate forcing many companies to expand overseas, and now you talk about doubling our exports...so which way is it?? Look, you can spin the supposed positive impact of the giant 787 billion stimulus bill anyway you feel you have to...the cruel, hard facts are these...over 1 in 10 Americans are unemployed, dozens of states are facing crushing budget deficits, credit is hard to come by, the building and housing sector is taking a tremendous blow...and yet you tout the millions of jobs 'saved'...we ask, where are the jobs 'created' ? We are all sick and tired of the references to President Bush...this is your party in Washington now...even though last night during your SOTU address, you tried to portray yourself as being an outsider...really? Last I checked, your home has been the White House for the past year. I will go into more detail in another post...more to come.

As I sit here this morning watching the different pundits spin the anticipated direction of President Obama's speech, I have this overwhelming premonition that this administration still does not 'get it'. Look, a lot of people find the President likable, but it is his policies, and the progressive ideas of those that surround him that a majority of Americans are finding difficult to swallow. The common man looks at the tax and spend orgy in Washington...then looks at his own finances...and wonders...how long can this go on? The common man wants health care reform...but not at the expense of 1/6 of the American economy, and without fixing what is broke; tort issues, wasteful spending, medicare, and medicaid fraud. And while health care reform is being debated, millions of Americans are jobless...wondering when the huge stimulus bill will send relief their way. Many are wondering how you can vilify businesses, and business owners, and still expect them grow their companies, and hire new employees. And so I wait, Mr. President, in hopeful anticipation that your administration HAS felt the pulse of the majority of Americans and HAS decided to change course....we shall see.