What Congress Should Not Be!

I've had it with Congress, both Houses, and both Parties. I think it's time for a little REFORM we can all live with and here is a good start!

1. Congress Should Not Be Paid... any body that raises billions to be elected doesn't need millions of taxpayer dollars in salaries to survive for a term in office.

2. Congress Should Not Be the Recipient of a Benefits Package... whether a US Representative or a US Senator one term in office hardly qualifies someone for a healthy benefit package most folks have to earn over a long period of years to achieve and usually have to sacrifice a significant portion of their salary to obtain. No health care, retirement, or other benefits for being a public servant.

3. Congress Should Not Be In DC Longer Than 120 Days Per Year... Get with the program people, you have a job to do, pass the 13 appropriation bills and get the hell out of town. Don't we have enough laws? I mean really? If you need to declare a War, well sure come back for a "Special Session" but otherwise stay the hell in your district where you belong!

4. Congress Should Not Be Receiving Visits From Lobbyist While In Session... Do you get visits from sales people when you are at work, well maybe if you are a doctor, but hey maybe there are some really good drugs out there, and well maybe you will get a good box of pens and sticky notes. If Lobbyist wants to see you they can come to your District Office where your Constituents can see whose knocking at your door, not just wonder whose cozying up with you at the cloak room door where there aren't any cameras, or over at the lobby of the "Willard Hotel".

5. Congress Should Not Be Spending New Money if the Current Budget Is Not Balanced... Doesn't it just make sense that you can't spend more money you don't have if you are already spending money you don't have. Come on, how much deficit do you guys need. I don't know about you but I can't bring myself to push 2 for Spanish now and I sure as hell am not going to push 3 for Chinese...That's right and we don't even owe Mexico, South America, or Spain!

So, there you have it Congress... You Should Not Be Receiving Anything At All or Doing Anything but Your Job because YOU SUCK! YES I said it. Someone had to say it. People everywhere should be saying it. If we say it often enough and loud enough people will begin to believe it. People might even understand it and look to the Constitution for faith, guidance, and hope. At least they read the Constitution out loud in the well of the House, at least members there paid lip service to it. I don't know if the members of the Senate have a copy. Maybe they are still searching for theirs. Let's hope sooner or later the Speaker will send his copy over the Senate as a gesture of Good Will. Maybe then they will be on the same page, since it is really all on one page. Well there are some Amendments, but you get my point. It is not all that much to read. Congress needs to get it's act together and NOT BE A BUNCH OF WIMPS. DO YOUR JOB AND GO HOME!!!!

What Congress Should Not Be!

I've had it with Congress, both Houses, and both Parties. I think it's time for a little REFORM we can all live with and here is a good start!

1. Congress Should Not Be Paid... any body that raises billions to be elected doesn't need millions of taxpayer dollars in salaries to survive for a term in office.

2. Congress Should Not Be the Recipient of a Benefits Package... whether a US Representative or a US Senator one term in office hardly qualifies someone for a healthy benefit package most folks have to earn over a long period of years to achieve and usually have to sacrifice a significant portion of their salary to obtain. No health care, retirement, or other benefits for being a public servant.

3. Congress Should Not Be In DC Longer Than 120 Days Per Year... Get with the program people, you have a job to do, pass the 13 appropriation bills and get the hell out of town. Don't we have enough laws? I mean really? If you need to declare a War, well sure come back for a "Special Session" but otherwise stay the hell in your district where you belong!

4. Congress Should Not Be Receiving Visits From Lobbyist While In Session... Do you get visits from sales people when you are at work, well maybe if you are a doctor, but hey maybe there are some really good drugs out there, and well maybe you will get a good box of pens and sticky notes. If Lobbyist wants to see you they can come to your District Office where your Constituents can see whose knocking at your door, not just wonder whose cozying up with you at the cloak room door where there aren't any cameras, or over at the lobby of the "Willard Hotel".

5. Congress Should Not Be Spending New Money if the Current Budget Is Not Balanced... Doesn't it just make sense that you can't spend more money you don't have if you are already spending money you don't have. Come on, how much deficit do you guys need. I don't know about you but I can't bring myself to push 2 for Spanish now and I sure as hell am not going to push 3 for Chinese...That's right and we don't even owe Mexico, South America, or Spain!

So, there you have it Congress... You Should Not Be Receiving Anything At All or Doing Anything but Your Job because YOU SUCK! YES I said it. Someone had to say it. People everywhere should be saying it. If we say it often enough and loud enough people will begin to believe it. People might even understand it and look to the Constitution for faith, guidance, and hope. At least they read the Constitution out loud in the well of the House, at least members there paid lip service to it. I don't know if the members of the Senate have a copy. Maybe they are still searching for theirs. Let's hope sooner or later the Speaker will send his copy over the Senate as a gesture of Good Will. Maybe then they will be on the same page, since it is really all on one page. Well there are some Amendments, but you get my point. It is not all that much to read. Congress needs to get it's act together and NOT BE A BUNCH OF WIMPS. DO YOUR JOB AND GO HOME!!!!

As the Gavel passes...a new beginning in Washington...

Today the fruit of the vine ripened in Washington, DC despite the winter temperatures and the bitterness just below the surface in the new minority in the United States House of Representatives as John A. Boehner of Ohio accepted the Speaker's Gavel from Nancy Pelosi of California. The first thing on the agenda was a sweeping change in House Rules. No longer will American's have to worry that legislation in their Congress will be passed before they have a chance to have a peek at it online. Members of Congress will also have to cite the authority in the US Constitution used as a basis to draft legislation. Further, the centralized power of the Speaker's office will trickle down to the leadership and committee chairman. While these changes may appear to be over-simplification, they represent a serious change in attitude and a move to a truly transparent government. What began with the Contract with America in 1994 which was followed by the squandering of budget dollars and congressional control ending in 2006, may finally find our Congress doing the job they were sent to Washington, DC to do...

I have high hopes for Speaker Boehner and his leadership team. I believe that even though they will be forced to raise the debt ceiling over 14 trillion dollars sometime in the coming months, that real progress will be made in reigning in the sprawling footprint of the US Government and in facing the grim reality of the debt and deficit, and reforming of the entitlement programs Social Security and Medicare. This will not be an easy job and the new Speaker will have to be constantly vigilant to insure his majority stays together and gets the job done.

While going it alone is a distinct possibility as the Democrats learned in the last Congress, Speaker Boehner has already gone the extra mile to include Democrats in the first legislative effort, reforming the House Rules. He will not however receive much support when HR-2 hits the floor of the House, it is the bill to repeal the Health Care legislation passed last Christmas Eve. While House Democrats may bawk and vote NO, a majority of the American people want the whole thing scrapped and want market based reforms to replace the massive nationalization of up to 1/6th of the US economy. It will be a long two years and compromises certainly lay ahead for the House with the US Senate. Hopefully we will all be proud of what happens under the leadership of the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Mosque or no Mosque???

I've listened pretty intently for about a week now to all sides of the debate concerning the building of a Mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center now often referred to as "Ground Zero". This is a very difficult situation indeed because it raises serious questions about our ability to live up to one of our core principles in the founding of our great nation, religious tolerance.

I firmly believe that if the World Trade Towers were still standing that having a Mosque and Islamic Community Center two blocks away wouldn't cause anyone to take a deep breath or blink more than usual. I also believe that if the World Trade Center was still standing that the purchase of the property for that purpose would not have ever occurred. Putting a Mosque in that location is without question a statement of sorts and the only problem any of us has is determining what exactly that message is, so the most reasoned choice is not to go there. If you do go there you begin to look at everything from completely innocent and socio-economic motives to the building of a victory monument designed to rub it in the face of the infidels. No one really knows, all they know is that it's something they don't understand and don't really see a need for in that neighborhood. So at the risk of being intolerant of New Yorker's feelings, why even go there. There are some things you do not do simply because you can. I mean realistically the US could have nuked every Muslim country to be sure that all of the culprits of the 9/11 conspiracy were punished. Just because it's possible doesn't mean it should be, and while that is an extreme example it is nonetheless accurate.

Today there are noises of cooler heads prevailing and the Governor of New York is to be commended for offering a reasonable solution to the problem. The developer and the Imam will meet with him at some time in the near future and hopefully a deal can be struck to put the Mosque on a plot of land nearby but with a less conspicuous footprint. In that case everyone wins. No one wants to deprive the Muslim face of a place to worship or the developer an opportunity to create something that he can be proud of and profit from. So, the rest of us need to let them work things out and keep our mouths shut, from the Whitehouse on down.

"When Haste Meets Race"

The recent blow-up concerning the firing/resignation and then offer to re-hire USDA's Shirley Sherrod over comments made to a gathering of the NAACP indicates that we are not yet a "Post Racial" society. As a matter of fact, we have become so Politically Correct that hardly anyone can say anything without taking the chance that they might be accused of some sort of malicious intent toward someone. In the words of the great one (radio's Mark Levin) "There I said it". However unfortunate you might feel something is, keep your mouth shut or suffer the consequences. This however was a case where an "African American" woman made comments regarding a White Male farmer (probably a dumb redneck...but I digress) saying she had taken him to one of "his kind" a white attorney where he could get help (help that amounted to nothing as it turned out), less help than she might have otherwise been willing to give him if he had not been white. Now the moral of the story is you have to watch the entire video to understand she had an epiphany and realized she was there to help poor people regardless of the color of their skin. God opened her eyes and this was incredibly revealed to her. Given the audience she was speaking to and the context in which the entire video placed her comments, she should not have been fired because she was trying to make a point that had nothing to do with her previously held position on considering white folks in her capacity as someone from the government that was there to help.

The problem here is that no one watched the entire video, only the excerpts, even though the video in its entirety was available, and apparently a written transcript of the dialogue contained therein. The Secretary of Agriculture did not, people at the White House did not, and certainly a number of news people including commentators and contributors on Fox News did not take the time to do their due diligence in the matter and this woman was shamed out of a job. This follows on the heals of the President (Barack Obama) making a hasty comments regarding his friend Henry Louis “Skip Gates” a professor at Harvard to which he said the Cambridge Massachusetts police had acted “Stupidly” in his arrest admitting at the time he made his remarks in an East Room press conference that he did not have all of the details. This resulted in the now infamous “Beer Summit” with the President, Vice President, Mr. Gates, and Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley where little if nothing was accomplished say for a nice photo op and the potential for another meeting between the Professor and the Cop at a later time. This all begs the question, who is running our country and for God sakes what are they thinking?

The Secretary of Agriculture and the White House and several of the Fox News commentators, and the NAACP have since apologized for making asses of themselves in light of what eventually came to put Ms. Sherrod’s comments into context. Ms. Sherrod made it to NBC’s Today Show and Good Morning America and while she may have extended her proverbial 15 minutes of fame to a half hour, she did herself no favors by embellishing her positions that came off as more perplexing than the out of context commentary given the day before. She certainly harbors some animosity toward power and seemingly when it comes from someone of the Caucasian persuasion. As previously stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa) a former agriculture state governor made a maximum mea culpa for his hasty firing, and then extended a job offer to Ms. Sherrod (not the same position) at the time this is being written she graciously accepted the apology but has not decided whether to accept the new position. She has also said that legal proceedings against biggovernment.com founder and Fox News contributor Andrew Breitbart may be in the future.

I think it is clear that some old fashioned hand wringing is necessary. I think that people need to resist political correctness when they hear comments made by anyone and at least try to put things into their proper although possibly offensive context before flying off the handle and making a decision or comment that might later be regretted. I think that everyone needs to count to perhaps 50 before saying anything when there is a hot microphone, or the possibility of a hot microphone nearby. While I generally disagree with everything that comes out of the mouth of the Attorney General Eric Holder I will agree that people have been cowards when it comes to addressing “Race” in this country. If we are going to do it we must do it in a way that is not going to cause what in the 1960’s became riots in Washington, DC and the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. We must face the facts that people are different, and we must look to history to understand why people have different opinions and we must agree that in some cases we will have to disagree. We must also not be afraid to hear words that are offensive during conversations and in that way de-stigmatize them and hopefully by default remove them from our lexicon. We have to be “Grown Up’ for a change and think like “Americans” not White-Americans or African-Americans or Hispanic, Asian, Muslim, or whatever other hyphenated variety of American someone might inevitably lay claim to simply to seemingly protect their heritage.

In the United States of America everyone is from somewhere and they came here because they wanted a new life and opportunity as an American. If they did not want those things, they would have stayed where they were no hyphen required. While it is true that many blacks were brought here in the chains of Slavery, it is also true that no black in America is a slave today and no black slave owner is alive today. To blame people for the sins of the past, many generations past, is the same as blaming them for sins that may occur just because new sins are conceivable. We have to treat each other as equal and we have to make decisions based on character and merit. We have to stop promoting a culture of a perpetual under class dependent on the government and we have to concentrate on lifting everyone up by always telling the truth and taking personal responsibility for our actions. This includes but is not limited to the one core value that has been nearly destroyed, the FAMILY UNIT

Obviously I could go on forever, but the clear point here is that we must be willing to listen and listen to everything, not just to the point that we become offended. We must also be willing to accept the fact that we could be wrong about certain things we have long held as true. We don’t have to get along with everyone, but at least we need to know the facts, not some white washing or spun around set of facts…just the facts, the plain and simple truth. Is that too much to ask for? Are all of us too unwilling to listen?

Don't Blame BP Gas Station Owners....

Independent Small Business people who happen to own BP Franchises and sell Amoco brand Gasoline & Diesel fuel should not be the target of boycotts, protests, or violence. Tonight I spot to a client and friend who owns a local BP Station. His business has dropped terribly since the accident in the Gulf of Mexico that destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that was controlled by BP. He went on a trip to his native Lebanon and on the night he returned he found his bullet proof glass shattered by a gunshot. Fortunately no one was injured. BP will not pay to replace his window. He has suffered at the hands of people who do not understand that he does not work for BP.

Hardly anyone in the media bothers to remind people that purchasing BP Products from local independent business people is not the way to express discontent with the company BP. Many politicians including the President himself fail to do the same. All who do not repeat this message are complicit. All who fail to remind us that small business owners are not to blame risk repercussions at the polls when Americans finally wake up.

Boycotting BP Stations because of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico makes as much sense as boycotting The Home Depot or Lowes because the lumber in houses blown down by a hurricane or tornado, or washed away in flooding did not stand up to mother nature.

BP is the responsible party. BP has accepted responsibility and has agreed to clean up the damage and compensate all legitimately damaged parties. BP will make it right, so said their chairman. Small business owners that happen to market BP Products are not responsible and are not liable for any damages to anyone because of their actions with respect to what happened 57 days ago.

Support your local businesses and continue to trade with your local BP dealer if you have been buying BP Products in the past. Do not let anger whipped up by those who know not of which they speak push you into changing your loyalties. Be an independent thinker and a thoughtful person. Wake up!!!

When you get caught between BP & DC

BP doesn’t know what to do about their blown out oil rig that has millions of gallons of crude oil spuing into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico short of drilling a relief well. DC our all powerful and all knowing government can get their act together and has nothing to offer except photo ops, hearings, and a ban of all drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet.

Everyone agrees that this is a disaster, one that certainly could have been prevented say for the negligence of BP and a refusal of the rig owner to stand up to BP when they pushed them to keep working against the advice of on site professionals. Everyone also agrees that more needs to be done to stop more oil from reaching the shores and cleaning up the oil that has found its way into the estuaries and onto beaches.

We have a lack of leadership in Washington, DC. The Obama administration has failed miserably to demonstrate any kind of competence. Of course since January of 2009 when they assumed control of the White House we’ve seen nothing that would give us a reason to expect otherwise, and I digress. Obviously the government does not have the expertise to resolve the problems caused by this tragedy. However, they do possess the resources to mobilize manpower and materials, and they can cut red tape completely to enable the States and Private Industry to do what is necessary to mitigate the damage to the highest degree possible.

Already the major oil companies with drilling operations have joined together to try to solve the problem. Countless American citizens have offered legitimate ideas to help on a number of fronts in the effort. Offers have been made by other countries to assist with our situation and we have made no effort to give them an opportunity to make a difference.

Tonight the President addressed the nation from the Oval Office on day 57 of the Siege on the Gulf Coast. He had lofty words and then used his speech to promote his Cap and Trade legislation now in Congress. We are not looking for legislation, or fact finding missions, or hearings in the US House or Senate. We are looking for leadership and solutions. Why wasn’t this speech given the first week of the disaster and without political gamesmanship as the center. The President has failed to find the right people to advise him and as a result has failed to grasp the true issues involved. He needs to understand that the people of the Gulf Coast region are under siege from the oil floating in the waters; moreover they are being slapped down from Washington DC by his administration standing in the way.

President Obama at this point needs to leave the clean up to the States. He needs to provide a wide birth for them to bring in whoever is needed both domestically and abroad. He needs to provide whatever Federal asserts maybe asked for and most of all he needs to keep as far away from the problem as possible. He has become the problem and not the answer. The moratorium on drilling needs to be lifted immediately so the people of the Gulf Coast can go back to work and so the long term exploration and exploitation of our natural resources can be done in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Politics needs to stay out of it from now on and science needs to take the lead when it comes to making decisions that involve the livelihood of Gulf Coast residents and our National Security.

BP on the other hand needs to get to work. They need to open up any and all records for complete review. BP needs to come clean about what happened and take seriously the offers of all others to help. BP needs to provide the States with the ability to run a claims program and distribute monies to all those who have been legitimately damaged.

The people of the Gulf Coast need not to be trapped between BP and DC for another day. BP and DC need to do what is necessary to make things happen in a constructive and positive manner. BP and DC need to commit themselves to solving the problem with the States.

The New Arizona Immagration Law and Immigration Reform

The State of Arizona has enacted a law to allow local law enforcement officials to enforce United States Immigration Policy. While no person in this country has should be denied Civil or Constitutional Rights if they are in the United States legally, those who are not here legally are subject to all of the laws of the United States and the State of Arizona has the right to enforce their law. The State of Arizona has the right as a sovreign state of the United States to protect their citizens from violent crime. The State of Arizona has the right to protect their own citizens from paying for governement services that illegal aliens have no right to use.

Assimilation is why our society became referred to as a “Melting Pot”. E pluribus unum, Latin for "Out of many, one" is our national motto. Immigrants for hundreds of years have come to our shores seeking their future as part of the “American Dream”. There was never a Hyphenated American Dream (African-American, Hispanic-American, etc.) because when people came here they left behind their circumstances and to become part of something new. Immigrants came here to become Americans. Immigrants knew learning English was key to their success and being functioning part of our society. They knew that future generations would identify less and less with their foreign heritiage, and embrace being uniquely American. This was not easy because there was without question prejudices that led to widespread rejection of certain people. Irish and Chinese were sent off to build the Transcontinental Railroad because they were not considered to be equal to other immigrants. Regardless, decendants from both of those heritages are now integral part of American Society.

We have a border with two countries Canada and Mexico. The borders are poreous and it is relatively easy and simple to get into the US and out of the United States with proper identification. The United States requires its citizens to possess and present a biometric tamper resistant passport to both leave and re-enter the country at all border checkpoints. The same is true for all other countries but previously Canada and Mexico (and a handful of other countries and US Territories) required only a drivers license and a birth certificate as proof of US Citizenship for the purpose of entry to and exit from their country.

We have an embassy in nearly every country of the world. People from most of the countries where we are represented make application for Visa’s to come to the United States of America. They take a legal path to becoming American, and understand all that is required of them, including the ability to read, speak, and write in the English language, as well as an understanding of American History and the United States Constitution.

We are a sovreign country that must have safe, secure, and sustainible borders. We have to maintain a fair and reasonable immigration policy. We cannot tolerate the blatent disregard of our immigration laws, and the associated cost of providing federal, local, and state government services to those who are here illegally. We must respect the laws of other nations and the citizens of other nations must respect our laws. No other country on earth tolerates agregis disregard of borders or their immigration policies. Why should the United States be different.

Immigrants from Mexico and Central and South Ameica. Hispanic-Americans have been against the concept of “Many into One” and to giving up their heritage. They and their advocacy groups are insistant on being embraced as a protected class of immigrants. Politicians have done little to change their attitudes or thinking finding it more politically expidient to give in than to lose votes. As a result much of our governent produces documentation in both English and Spanish, and many businesses looking not to alienate a large block of purchasing power provide a Spanish translation to their customers. When you contact most any company doing business with a diverse customer base you are faced with making a choice between hearing their information in English or pressing two (2) for the Spanish translation. No assimilation is taking place anywhere in terms of immigrants from south of the border.

Persons here in the United States illegally should leave. If they are not able to leave on their own, or demonstrate why they should be allowed to stay in the United States for reasons such as political or religious persecution in their own country should be given immediate assistance to return to their country of origin. Illegals can upon their return apply to come to the United States legally, and given reasonable consideration. However, those who have made application from outside of the United States should be given consideration first.

Each and every person in this country with the exception of Native Americans (Eskimos and Indians) come from a family of immigrants from some other country. Each and every person in this country has their own proud perspective with regard to their heritage and family country of origin. However, we must all be one people, one United States of America, but none of us have a right to demand our country assimilate to our own heritage. The United States Federal Government should take heed and enforce the Federal Laws agressively and protect all of the citizens of the United States from the currently poreous borders.

WHAT A MESS...

We've come a long way in the last 15 months since President Obama took office. He promised that he would transform our country and to that end he has not disappointed. While it is absolutely true that he inherited arguably the worst economy since the Great Depression, it is also true that he and Vice President Biden were prior to taking their current offices members of the world’s most deliberative body and America's most exclusive club, the United States Senate. As Senators the condition of the US economy should not have been lost, or at least not a secret. Candidate Obama was brought into the White House along with his opponent Senator John McCain by former President Bush for a sit down meeting about the very difficult economic issues caused primarily by the failure of housing market and really bad loans made by US banks and mortgage companies. At that time (September 2008) the stock market had found its way into the toilet and Trillions of dollars in US wealth disappeared with the Dow falling from it's more than $14,000 high to less than half it's value.

Since taking office in January 2009 we’ve received the following from the Obama Administration and the Democrat controlled Congress:

1. The Troubled Asset Relief Program of 2009
2. The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
3. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
4. America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
5. The Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010

Let’s not forget that the take over of AIG, Chrysler, and General Motors all as a result of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of 2009, and the Cash for Clunkers program from funds made available in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

To date not one member of either body of Congress has made the claim they have read any of the extremely complex bills that they have passed and the White House has not made it clear that the President has done more than a cursory reading of any of the bills himself.

The President and the Congress are not done either because the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2009, and the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 are pending legislation that the Congress intends to push through for the President’s signature before the mid-term elections in November.

The legislation that has passed and been signed into law has put the United States into perhaps unrecoverable debt. The pending legislation shows no intent of providing any relief from that position; in fact, the evidence is quite to the contrary. It is unconscionable that our government could put our country in this position. It pains me to have to consider what future generations of Americans will have to contend with, especially when I recall the fall of the former Soviet Union who spent themselves into oblivion in the Cold War that ended with the fall of the Berlin wall in the George H.W. Bush Administration.

While the President has repeatedly resolved both as a candidate and since his inauguration in January 2009 not to increase taxes a single dime on individuals with incomes of less than $200,000 and married couples earning up to $250,000 there is talk of a Value Added Tax (VAT) to help get the country out of debt or provide additional revenues for not yet contemplated programs. The VAT would be in addition to the income tax which is slated to increase as tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 under the George W. Bush Administration expire. There is no pending legislation to exempt individuals and married couples under the President’s thresholds from feeling the bite of the sunsetting of the Bush tax cuts.

Our economy is extremely fragile. Unemployment is at higher levels than have been seen since the recession during the Ronald W. Reagan Administration’s first term. Fortunately massive inflation has not become reality just yet, but with the amount of money printed by the Federal Reserve it will be impossible to stave it off forever and maintain the low interest rates needed to insure a robust recovery. The housing market has begun to return in many areas, but the hardest hit places like California, Florida, and Nevada may not return for a decade or more. There is talk of another round of major repossessions in the near future when mortgages not converted from adjustable rates to fixed rates reset from below prime levels. While efforts have been made by the White House to urge lenders to work with home owners there is little hope that the majority of troubled mortgages and homes will be saved.

The Republicans in Congress with rare exception have voted unanimously “NO” on all of the legislation passed to date. Polls consistently show that the favorable ratings of the Congress are below 25% and recently the President’s own job approval rating has fallen below 50%. They show that the American people are angry because of the piles of debt that are continuing to grow, and the arrogance of the politicians voting in direct opposition to their will.

Washington, D.C. has become ground zero in the economic destruction of our country. There is no doubt that the Democrat majorities in Congress will be severely curtailed if not lost completely in the upcoming mid-term elections. Should they lose one or both houses of Congress the President will be powerless to accomplish any of his agenda because there will be a continual gridlock until his term ends in January 2013. Unfortunately the damage has been done, and reversing it may be impossible without the ability of the Congress to override a Presidential veto.

The American people must wake up and smell whatever turns them on, be it their coffee or roses in their gardens. We must learn to understand the reality of the issues and they must strive to stay informed about legislation before their elected officials. We must use whatever legal and peaceful means necessary to return our fiscal house to order, and to mandate that the Constitution be followed. Our country is too important and in our history we have never been quitters or been kept down. The tyrannical actions taken by our elected government can be stopped. We can recapture the constitutionally guaranteed rights given to us by our founding fathers. There cannot be a middle ground, we must persist and we must succeed. I know we can do it and accomplish many of the goals of the American people lost in the bizarre legislation brought to bear of late. We cannot lose faith and we must take action. Find out what you can do and get started today!

 

First Deputy Chief William "Bill" Feehan  

Project 2,996 9/11 - Remembrance 

The new media is a funny place to be, you never know what you’re going to find there, or who it might come from. Twitter is among the newer services and as a relatively new member I’ve been spending quite a lot of time reading and sending tweets. Several days ago I received a message looking for people to participate in Project 2,996 to write a tribute about one of the people lost on September 11, 2001. I thought that it would be something good to do. I hope everyone that reads this agrees.

Wow, William Feehan. This was a man who truly understood public service. He devoted his entire life to it, and on September 11, 2001 just less than three weeks from his 72^nd birthday, and only three months from his planned retirement; he gave his life attempting to save another when the 2nd Tower of the World Trade Center fell. He did not have to be there, he could have been at home watching it on television like most of the citizens of New York, the country, and the world. He could have been long retired and enjoying life without all the worries of a government bureaucracy, but he was there in the thick of things at the one place, the only place he could be ground zero.

Yes, it’s important that he was a decorated veteran of the Korean War, serving your country in the Army in combat certainly earns you some respect and gives you some perspective on life. It’s also important that he served at virtually every position in the FDNY (Fire Department New York) all the way to Commissioner of the Department under Mayor David Dinkins. What is more important is that while he was a brave hero who fought many fires, some of the most significant in the history of New York City, he did all that and came home to a loving wife and four children in Queens. Imagine how big a hero he was to them every day. He certainly set an example for his children that showed them hard work, dedication, and integrity. Every time he left home it could have been the last time they saw him, but he was lucky and so were they, and he was able to set an example for his six grandchildren. There is no doubt in my mind he was their hero too. William Feehan had two daughters, Elizabeth and Tara, and two sons John and William. His Wife of 40 years Elizabeth passed away in 1996.

William Feehan does have a professional story that needs to be told. After completing a degree in education from St. John’s University and Serving in the Army in Korea he began his 42 year career with the FDNY. He started at the bottom in 1959 on October 10^th as a Proby Firefighter, served in Division 3, Ladder 3 and the Bureau of Fire Prevention until 1963, and then was promoted to Lieutenant in 1964. He became Chief of the Department in 1991 and Deputy Fire Commissioner since 1992, though acting as Fire Commissioner in 1993 through 1994. He was First Deputy Commissioner on September 11, 2001 becoming the most senior ranking and oldest member of the department killed in the line of duty. Even though he had achieved the highest rank possible in both the Uniform Force and as a Civilian Bill Feehan never stopped fighting fires. “Any call he got in the middle of the night, he would be there. He always had his gear in the Fire Department car” his daughter Tara said. It is also important to note that Bill was a substitute teacher in the public school system for 10 years while working in the Fire Department.

So what have I learned today? I learned about a man who was selfless and a true hero in every sense of the word. I had no idea who he was before I started. I had no clue what I was going to find out if anything about him. I feel exceptionally honored to have his name to give tribute to on this 8^th Anniversary of September 11, 2001. If you have enjoyed reading this perhaps you will be inspired to participate next year.

See more Project 2996 tributes here: http:\\project2996.wordpress.com

None of us should forget what happened that day. The people who perished in New York City in the World Trade Center, on board the Airliners, and on the ground who were the first to feel the horror of that day. The people in Arlington, VA at the Pentagon and aboard that Airliner and the final flight United Airlines Flight 93 that was forced down by the brave passengers in a field near Shanksville, PA. I work close enough to the Pentagon to have been keenly aware of the events of that day. I did not personally know anyone there who perished, but the loss of any life is precious, particularly when taken in an act of terror. Take care, God Bless, and say a prayer for all those who continue to mourn the loss of their family and friends.

Before a Joint Session of Congress...

The President spoke last night for 45 minutes and outlined his plan for health care reform. What he said could have been drafted on one sheet of paper, and if that was all there was to it, most people would have been able to find common ground on enough of it to get something through congress this year. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details and if the details are all included in the 1,100 page catastrophe known as HR3200 then everything the President had to before the Joint Session of Congress was for naught. No one wants that bill. People have been telling their elected representatives for over a month back in their districts that they do not like the bill. National polling data has shown over and over again (it really doesn’t matter whose poll) that support for the House Bill as delivered was never there and quite frankly there were not enough votes in the Democrat controlled majority to pass the bill out before the public had a chance to take a look at it, and quite possibly now there may be less of a possibility of that happening. HR 3200 was scored (looked over for the purpose of determining the cost) by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and was found not to be “deficit neutral” in fact it created billions of dollars of deficits in the out years (more than 10 years out) that could not be controlled. In affect the bill could not pay for itself, certainly not with savings from Medicare and taxes on high dollar health care plans of executives. If it is going to be paid for it has to be through higher taxes.

The President is serious about getting a bill through Congress this year. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to bring the Republican votes he is going to need unless there are serious concessions made with regard to the ability of individuals and small businesses to buy insurance coverage across state lines, and allowing small businesses to band together to purchase insurance in larger groups to bring premium cost down. Republicans are also not going to support a “Public Option” plan. The President said that only 5 percent of insured would migrate to a Public Option if it were made available. It should be obvious more now than ever that the President has never run a business, certainly one that had to purchase health care for its employees. Employer’s will dump their policies in droves and send employees running to a Public Option plan and be happy to pay an 8 percent tax on their payroll not to have to deal with Insurance and all of the headaches that go with it. This is especially true for small businesses that are exempt from the President’s plan will flee from their plans. The government does not belong in any Health Care system outside of their own until they fix the one they have, just ask the VA.

I think the President needs to tell his leaders in Congress to scrap what they have and start over with the one page that was in his speech and keep it simple enough that an 8th grader can read it in a few hours. No legislation needs to be that complex. “Thou Shalt Not Kill” has been working pretty well since Moses came down from Mount Sinai. It has been translated into every language and found its way into every law book in the world. You don’t need a book to explain it. Congress doesn’t need to be involved with the number of tongue depressors that can be issued to a clinic or hospital in a single month or year. The Agency that has responsibility can write the details and Congress has oversight and can change anything it does not like. There is only one special interest group that needs to be considered and that is the American People. I would hope that Congress would remember that every time they cast a vote.

Remembering a Giant

The period of National Morning has begun, and US Flags on all Federal Buildings and Post Offices have been ordered flown at half staff by the President. The funeral plans have been announced by the family and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (d) Mass. will be buried with his brother's John and Robert at Arlington National Cemetery.

Regardless of your political leanings or what you believe happened that faithful night at Chappaquiddick one thing is certain, Senator Edward M. Kennedy was a Giant when it came to anything that happened in Washington for pretty much the last half century. He came from a family that arguably was the closest thing our country has come to Royalty since George Washington turned down the crown after accepting the surrender of the British. Like his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy who both fell to assassins bullets in the 1960's he has fought the good fight, and regardless of what anyone else thought. If he believed in something he went after it with every fiber of his being and over his career in politics accomplished many of his goals. His last battle was one he has been waging for many years; the right of all American's to have health care.

Listening to Mr. Rush Limbaugh this morning (Wednesday August 26, 2009) the generally pontificating conservative talk show host spoke with great reverence to Senator Kennedy saying something along these lines. Ironically he fell ill to a serious illness that caused him to have to use the best health care system available in the world, sparing no cost. Of course he would want no less for anyone else. The battle to win health care for all Americans carries on, and perhaps someday it will be won. Whatever we end up with should not be a disgrace to his memory. There is no doubt however his good name will be used for political gain to pass something. Mr. Limbaugh had predicted that upon the Senator's passing that the vulchers would circle and attempt to make political hay out of the misfortune of their fallen colleague. I can recall after the passing of Senator of Paul Wellstone Minnesota in October of 2002 a memorial service was held and it became so politicized that members of Senator Wellstone’s family were so offended they got up and left. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa led a roaring crowd in a chorus of "Let's do it for Paul" that included a list of everything but the kitchen sink. I was offended and I only saw a clip. I cannot even imagine the agony and embarrassment felt by the family.

The Senator's long bout with brain cancer has been no secret and this day has been coming for many months. Media outlets have had ample time to put together exposes about his life and have them at the ready. They started running some of them within minutes of the announcement that he had died. . Likely these tributes will go on for days, and no doubt television movies about his life will follow. While it is a good thing for us to remember our fallen leaders, it is also good to give some respect to their family and friends. Constant coverage, interviews, etc. can only victimize people who are going through the grieving process. Yes it is true they can turn off the television or not watch the news, but why should they have to be a part of it themselves? A 24 hour news cycle offers no real excuse here. People should be afforded the respect they deserve, and the American people really deserve the same.
I have no doubt that he was a good man. I believe whatever happened at Chappaquiddick forty years ago was not an intentional act; even though the Senator may well bear responsibility, he expressed great sorry and remorse for the loss. Mary Jo Kopechne's death cannot be undone and whatever judgment is to be found has now come to pass. Senator Kennedy’s life has been in no way perfect since that night, but he has unquestionably done a substantial amount of good. I sincerely hope that both families will find peace in due time.

While my political views are for the most part diametrically opposed to Senator Kennedy's having a voice on the other side who can present a passionate argument allows for reasonable people to find common ground that can be made acceptable for all people. No one can be right all of the time, and generally speaking no one is ever completely right any of the time. There is always a second or third approach to a problem that will achieve the same or a reasonable end. Usually the difference ends up being cost or time or both. People talk at each other and not too each other far too much. Little children don't like to share their toys and chairmen of committees rarely ever want to share their gavels. If one thing can be learned from Senator Kennedy it is that if you truly want to get something accomplished you must work with someone across the aisle not against them. He did that, not often, but when he did some important things happened. That is not that is happening right now with this Health Care debate. In his memory perhaps folks on both sides of the isle can come back from their break and be truly bi-partisan. Maybe that way something good might actually happen.

Cash for Clunkers, Things to Consider…

While the Cash for Clunkers program included in the stimulus package passed earlier this year has caused new cars, albeit mostly foreign models, to roll off the show room floors by the thousands since it went into affect in July, not everyone is happy about the apparent success of the cash giveaway.

The program was designed to take inefficient older model vehicles off the road and replace them with more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly new models. What it probably did not intend to do is rob automotive repair shops of their main business, repairs of older model cars and trucks. It also probably did not intend to create a windfall profit for salvage yards because only the engine of the Clunker has to be destroyed.

One auto repair shop owner gave an estimate to a customer to have a transmission repaired on a Chrysler minivan recently for $2,500. After some consideration the owner took the vehicle to a Hyundai dealer and traded it for a new car using the Cash for Clunkers program and received a $1,000 rebate on top of the $4,500 incentive from Uncle Sam. Now he has a new car with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty and no transmission problem and still has his $2,500 in his pocket. The auto repair shop owner has an estimate that won’t ever turn into a repair ticket. If you multiply that by the number of Clunkers traded in the loss of business to auto repair shops is in deed staggering. That is not to say that these cars and trucks would not have eventually found there way to a dealer as a trade or to a junk yard on their own in due course, but the accelerated rate has created a virtual vacuum of business for repair shops everywhere.

Another consequence, although intended in an effort to become a more Green America, is that there are fewer low priced vehicles available for people who are not in the position to either purchase a new car or finance a newer model used car. These cars are generally cars purchased by poor families, second cars for middle class families, and cars used by college students. With the number of cars taken off the road with the Cash for Clunkers program people in lower socioeconomic situations are not going to be able to find affordable transportation.

Lastly, this program amounts to a tax rebate that many families are not able to take advantage of because of their credit worthiness or general financial situation. If they can’t get a new car financed or can’t make payments even if they could, the down payment doesn’t really matter. They could better use the money to pay for rent, health insurance premiums, or maybe even to put food on the table. They are stuck driving their Clunkers with poor gas mileage and paying higher gas prices.

This is just another reason that Members of Congress have to read bills before they are voted on so that reasonable debate can take place and public input can be given before they are signed into law. I’m all for selling new cars, but at what cost and to whom? Let’s think before we pay next time, how about it Congress?

The American People Deserve An Apology Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer!

"These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades."

The quote above is taken from the joint Op Ed piece published in USA Today on Monday August 10, 2009 by Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Democrat from California and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Democrat from Maryland.

"un-American" is a term that is shocking coming from two of the highest ranking members of the Democratic Party and especially from the person third in succession to the Presidency when referring to vigorous protest of citizen who disagree not only with particular aspects of proposed legislation, but with the process by which that legislation is being crafted and pushed through the Congress.

What did Members of Congress expect to find in their districts when they returned home? Did they expect to find welcoming arms and smiling faces from lemmings willing to walk off cliffs for any measure that Congress came up with and the President signed? How could they honestly do that when they were not given an opportunity to review any of the proposed legislation before it was voted on, and sent to the President for his signature? How could they even find out the particulars of a bill when their elected representatives had not bothered to take the time to read the bills themselves before voting on them? Now Congress is trying to change something that will without question change the lives of every living American citizen and future generations as far as the mind can comprehend. Bills from 3 separate committees in the House are floating around to be reconciled into HR 3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Several versions of a similar bill in the Senate are under consideration one of which is not even out of committee. The President claims that he has a health care plan and holds town hall meetings and prime time press conferences in order to discuss it, but has sent no detailed legislation of his on to the Congress and cannot be sure of what the final legislation will look like when it gets to his desk. All of this and it was push push push to have a piece of legislation for consideration before Congress went home for the August Break. People are reading from text provided by the Congress as HR 3200 that states one thing and are being told by members that the language they read will not be in the final bill, or that anything they have heard about it has been trumped up by lies. The American people are confused and upset, and some of them are damn mad.

While it may be true that reasonable discourse cannot take place when people are yelling and screaming at each other or at Members of Congress trying to give answers to questions from their constituents, it is also true that their frustration is real and should not be dismissed out of hand. Claiming that everyone that disagrees with the proposed legislation with a more than timid voice has been put up to being their by a right wing group or special interest is a pretty sad commentary on the understanding of what grass roots politics is all about. Perhaps Members of Congress have been away from their districts in a real way for too long to remember what it was like to go door to door to try to win votes. Neighbors still talk to neighbors and conversations continue unabashed at water fountains. Bingo is played and folks go to Church and at all these places the kinds of things that affect the lives of Americans are discussed. Like it or not, not everyone is affiliated with a hate group or a organization that can be a convenient whipping boy for political purposes. Were that true the labor unions and groups like ACORN would not be struggling for membership? They would not need to have lobbyist on K Street or need to be given preferential treatment in legislation in order that there very existence is preserved.

Protest happen in America all the time. When they happen during Republican administrations they are deemed necessary or vital to getting out the truth. Freedom of Speech is never questioned and community organizing is encouraged to that end. However, now that for the first time since Jimmy Carter was President the Democrats have complete control of the government, decent of any sort is suddenly "un-American" or questionable behavior from an ungrateful or uninformed minority. The polls are consistently running against the Congress and the President on Health Care Reform and it is not simply Republicans included in that majority because they do not make up the majority of Americans. The President promised the American people transparency and to have all of the bills posted on the internet so they could be read before Congress voted on them. Gee… The Auto Bail Out Bill, The Stimulus Bill, and still no posting that I can see… There’s a Cap and Trade Bill working its way through the Senate… and of course this mess with Health Care which is posted but is meaningless because it represents nothing.

If Congress and the President decide to ram some version of Health Care Reform through on a Party Line vote or with a few token Republican votes to call it Bi-Partisan, then the one poll that does count will be in November of 2010 and that one will find them packing their bags and going back to their districts. Maybe that's a good thing. Legislation can always be undone, that's the beauty of our system of Government, nothing in law has to stay permanent given the right steps are followed.

The Speaker of the House and Majority Leader both have grossly overstepped and owe the American people a sincere apology. How likely are they to receive one... Well ask the CIA... they've been waiting a while now for an apology from the Speaker... the jury is still out on the Majority Leader, let's all hope he comes to his senses.

Why can’t you read the legislation you vote on Congress?

The grand design of the founders in crafting our constitution was to create a government that did not move too quickly. Decisions made in haste are generally wrong unless of course they are urgent and demand immediate attention as in cases of National Security or Natural Disaster. Otherwise government is supposed to simmer like stew. When all the ingredients are in and it has been properly cooked it’s ready to eat.

With that in mind, why is it so important that bills fly through congress without being read? Surely members of both houses understand it is the job of a Representative or Senator to Legislate which necessarily includes having a full understanding of what it is you are trying to turn into law. That is hardly possible if you cannot find the time to read a bill before you vote on it. If a piece of legislation is more complex than a newspaper to read then it needs to be rewritten until any reasonable person can read it in a reasonable amount of time. Legislation needs to be concise and it needs not to be filled with pages upon pages of bureaucratic nonsense that benefits no one except staff members paid to draft bills on behalf of members that are too busy to read legislation before voting on it. Citizens have a right to know what is in legislation and a degree of certainty that it can be understood by a reasonable person.

Representatives and Senators are in Washington at the behest of the voters. The voters in their Districts and States are not their meal ticket. They are sent to Washington to represent their constituents in a constitutionally limited Republic where the power remains with the people not the government. If they have forgotten that they damn well need to pick up a copy of the Constitution and remind themselves. The framers did not design Congress as a career for anyone. The framers certainly did not foresee lavish offices, large staffs, and pension plans. What they did see was a legislative branch that did their jobs and went home to their Districts and States. Originally the framers did not provide for Senators to be elected directly but rather sent by the legislatures of the several States. Later the Constitution was amended to provide for their direct election.

Congress has embellished itself, honored itself, and elevated itself to the point that they rarely require themselves to follow the same laws they pass for everyone else. Now they are too busy to take time to read the bills they write and send on the President for his signature. Citizens are not allowed an opportunity to fully understand what is included in legislation after the fact. No reading of Article 1 of the Constitution could possible bring anyone to the conclusion that this is nothing less than tyranny. The President under Article 2 has the power to Veto legislation sent to him by the Congress, which in the case of bills that have not been read one would think would be a foregone conclusion. When the President bothers not to read the bill as well and affixes his signature to make the bill a law he becomes equally complicit in tyranny.

American Style Health Care Reform That Will Work

Why are you blaming the insurance companies? You are demonizing legitimate American corporations for doing what they are supposed to do, make money for their shareholders. Regardless of whether the company is public or privately held, in a capitalist economy the bottom line is making a profit and they seem to be doing a bang up job. Contrast that with the programs that are run by the US Government like Medicare and Medicaid. Both of these programs are broken with hopelessly bloated bureaucracies and ramped with fraud and abuse from contractors and vendors alike. The US Government could take a lesson from the Insurance Companies when it comes to managing cost and personnel.

It is estimated that up to 1/7th of the US Economy is represented by some part of the health care industry. There is no possible way for any one entity to maintain control over that much money in as many delivery locations as are involved in health care. It frankly boggles the mind that any reasonable person could consider that a bureaucracy could attempt to find a way to do this even in a highly controlled environment such as the US Military. We’ve all seen what can fall between the cracks with military health care, so let’s not even go there.

The bottom line is quite simple; the US Health Care System cannot function without Insurance Companies. No Country in the industrialized world has to manage as many delivery points of health care as we do here in the US and maintain our level of quality. None of those countries have the number of citizens that the US has, and none consume as many prescription medications or take up as many hospital beds. It is a miracle that our system runs as well as it does. We rob Peter to pay Paul every day in order to absorb the cost of those who cannot pay and pass them on to those to can. Universal Healthcare is virtually present as we speak.

There is no question however that serious reform is needed. Medicare has been operating on a non-existent trust fund for decade. Medicaid is busting the budget of nearly every state. That system is woefully in need of reform and repair. It is going to cost all of us money and that has been no secret for a long time; how much money depends on what efficiencies can be found and implemented, and how quickly. Reform in the private sector cannot and will not work until the public sector issues are resolved. Once the changes take place in Medicare and Medicaid, real reforms can be made in the way health care is covered in the private sector.

The first place to start is where the cost is highest and that is in the high premiums paid for liability insurance by physicians, hospitals, and other parts of the medical community driven to a large degree by insanely high jury awards won by the Trial Lawyers. If doctors can work for a reasonable living without fear of losing everything no matter how well he or she does their job, the system cannot work.

The next area of substantial cost is in medication. There should be a standardized formulary for all States, Territories, and the District of Columbia. Doctors should be able to write a prescription for a drug by brand name or as a generic in any size or quantity regardless of where they practice. Hospitals should have the ability to purchase drugs for all of their facilities nationwide, as should pharmacies, long term care facilities, etc. This still protects the patent rights of drug companies, but it makes it much easier for volume purchases to take place across state lines and without more than 50 sets of rules and regulations to accommodate.

The next area is competition in the market place. Small businesses have to be allowed to ban together to purchase insurance in groups so that they have the same purchasing power as large companies. Small businesses often have fewer than 10 employees and many of those employees are part time or older in age. Risks have to be able to be spread more evenly, and that can only happen in more diverse groups. Association Insurance Purchasing has to become a reality in order for premiums to come down to reasonable rates and for more people to be insured.

The next area is expansion of COBRA so that no employee is left without insurance regardless of the amount of time he or she is left without a job. The insurance from the previous job follows them until they find a new job. Once new insurance is in place the COBRA ends. This solves the portability issue without having people maintain ownership of policies or forcing people to buy policies.

The next area is a program to increase the supply of primary care physicians. Medical students should be allowed to have a portion of their educational expenses deferred or excused for service in community hospitals and clinics. If they decide to opt out and go into private practice they can repay their debt to the treasury on a prorated basis. A serious commitment of at least ten years should be required of doctors. A similar program should be developed for highly skilled nurses(RN’s). They provide a huge amount of the health care burden and are depended upon by physicians and patients alike for the delivery of proper and responsible care. Nurses should be given an opportunity to receive an education for service.

Lastly, there should be a commitment to community health care and wellness centers. Hospitals should not be overburdened with insignificant non emergency cases. Lower cost community health care and wellness centers run by doctors and nurses in the program outlined above can extend primary care in both urban and rural areas so that private practices are not over run with a glut of new patients. These centers should be well equipped and focus not only on treatment but on community health education. They should work with local health departments to as part of our Homeland Security efforts and be a focal point for outbreaks of viruses and other disease.

These reforms will make our health care system work. These reforms will give our country the opportunity to remain the best hope for the world where medical science and delivery of health care is concerned. Our citizens deserve no less and they are willing to pay for a system that works. They are not willing to be taxed to death for another bureaucracy that will inevitably fail as all have before.

Dear Senator


My name is Christopher Filby and I am a 50 year old citizen of Maryland. I was born in and live in Frederick, MD and my health care insurance premium each month is nearly $650.00 for HMO coverage through my employer. This is a fringe benefit so it is not an out of pocket expense. I have tried to shop for a less expensive policy to help save my employer money but I am not able to find insurance at a lower rate due to my weight and high blood pressure. If my employer goes out of business I will be faced with the COBRA option that will require me to pay the individual rate for my policy which I will likely not be able to afford.

I don’t know how much it cost to go to my doctor because I never see a bill other than the co-payment I give them when I receive service. I know approximately what the service cost because I’ve paid cash for it in the past, but I’ve have not seen an actual in years. If citizens do not know what they pay for health care services how are they supposed to judge whether there are real savings? Real savings are savings to real people, not savings in terms of relevance to the Gross Domestic Product. Average Americans cannot begin to imagine that kind of correlation. Any attempt to sell savings that way means nothing to Joe Six Pack.

It is obvious that health care reform is needed in the United States. However, the current plans being circulated through the Congress are not the answer. They fail to address important issues. They pander to special interest and fail to help citizens be able to afford quality health care and insurance premiums that are manageable. They are so complex that no one can understand them, and quite frankly no one has even read 100% of what has been written. If Congress does not read what it votes on and hurries bills through to the President to sign into law before he reads it how can the American people have any confidence whatever in the work that is being done on Capitol Hill. Health Care represents nearly 1/5th of the US economy. It deserves more than a rush job for political expediency. If you are not going to do it right, do not do it at all. It is not fair to the people who voted to send you to represent them, and even to those who did not.

Unless you address Medical Malpractice Insurance by capping punitive awards that cause doctors to have to pay premiums that are often more than their incomes in their first year out of medical school unless they work for a group that can spread the risk. Then the doctor can spend his or her income on the debt they have incurred in medical school that they often spend as much as five or more years to retire. Unless there is Tort reform that requires Courts to reject frivolous lawsuits that cause insurance premiums for clinics, doctors, and hospitals to have overhead cost that are so high it is nearly not worth staying in business. Unless you address these things and more there can be no real health care reform. Unless you provide a safe harbor for OBGYN doctors so they are not held responsible for deliveries of children until the child reaches the age of majority in the state in which they are born there can be no real health care reform. Unless you address the abuse, fraud, and waste in the Medicare and Medicaid systems there can be no real health care reform.

None of these things cost the American people a lot of money. None of these things make life harder for anyone except perhaps the Trial Attorneys and Mal Practice Insurers. All of these things will have a MAJOR SAVINGS IMPACT on the cost of health care and health care insurance premiums for everyone. The bottom line here is that you can make a difference in the Senate because in the Senate each member can use the rules to make sure attention is given to them, that their voice is heard; this is why it is known as the Greatest Deliberative Body in the World. You have the power to make sure that Health Care is done right. That real change can be made.

Americans do not want a single payer Canadian Style or European Style health care system. Americans are not going to pay high taxes for the benefit of government run insurance or government competing in the free market. Americans are not going to stand for the lies that Taxes on the Rich will not cost the Middle Class or the Poor. It all “trickles down” whether it is from an independent business person or a major corporation through higher prices for goods and services. People eventually will pay no matter how you want to package the lie. The American people are not stupid and they are quickly losing their ignorance. It is time to do the right thing, regardless of who is in the White House and regardless of who is in the majority in Congress. Health Care should not be a political football.


Sincerely,


Christopher Filby

Taxing Sin

With more than a Trillion dollar deficit and with many states pondering over more red ink than they’ve ever seen, it is only a matter of time before our sins become taxed far beyond the use of alcohol certain amusements and entertainment venues, and tobacco. Yes our real vices, the ones no one will talk about in public much less in mixed company. The subject has been broached with guarded lightheartedness in California where everything, yes everything is on the table when it comes to raising revenue. However, even the consummate liberals there have decided not to go there, at least for now.

Nevada is the only state in the union that legalizes prostitution. It is a revenue stream for them, but falls far short of sales tax collections even on a bad day. Several states, notably Oregon have all but legalized Marijuana, but so far haven’t figured out a way to control it to the point that it can be successfully taxed. Prostitution and Illicit drugs however aren’t our biggest sins, even though every pulpit in every church would have you believe otherwise. No, our biggest sin is one we don’t think about even for a moment, and most of us have a brush with it every day. We use the internet for some personal reason not related to work, or our business, or our family life, or for any legitimate purpose other than to satisfy ourselves. Regardless of where we venture on the World Wide Web it is a gluttonous adventure to be sure and it is soon to become the biggest cash cow that Federal and State governments can put their hands on. We’re all addicted and they know it and we’re all sinners and they know it, and we’ll all pay for it and they know that too.

Your income tax may not raise a dime if you make less than $200,000 if you’re a single person or $250,000 if you’re a couple. The cost of cooling and heating your home, driving your automobile, purchasing alcohol and tobacco, and in the not too distant future your access to be able to access everything you know is going up and in a big way. Everything that is associated with these costs with respect to manufacturing and delivery of products and services will be going up as well. Your food and your clothing will cost more and so will your toilet paper. We have all of this to look forward to without factoring in inflation.

I have an idea here. How about we all try to sin a little less, spend more time with each other and our families, and pay a lot more attention to what is going on in Washington, DC. If you do not know what is going on there you need to learn about it from more than one source (yes that means hearing “both sides of the issues”) of information, rather than allow yourself to be manipulated by a national media that has done nothing but provide wrapping paper what they perceive are the gifts provided by the current administration and Congress. Make a choice to be your own person, to be an American first, not some hyphenated politically correct robot. We did not win the war that gave us the right to live under this constitutionally limited republic by sitting back and waiting for King George to send us an invitation. Get off your ass! Go fight for your rights! Make a difference for you and your family! Stop being a whipping boy for the man! Be mad as hell and not take it anymore! Don’t let them tax your sin!!!!

It's Time to Contact the Senate!

Today the President is in Europe (specifically Italy) at the G-8 Summit trying to sell the leaders of the worlds most powerful economies (where's China by the way - they hold all of our debt) that Climate Change is an issue that can no longer be ignored and like the United States it is time for them to work out their own version of Cap and Trade (Cap & Tax) in order to reduce their green house gas (carbon dioxide) production. Further that money should be given to developing countries to insure they go the "Green" way as they join the rest of the industrial world. While all of this might seem like a wonderful idea to the politically correct environmentalist crowd, it reads like a recipe for disaster for the rest of us.

WE HAVE NO MONEY MR. PRESIDENT!!! You have admitted this fact yourself on several occasions at your own town meetings. We cannot sustain these kinds of deficits into the future or something to that effect came right out of your mouth right after you said We have no money. Now I don't know how it is that every idea you have will become revenue neutral, but as the unemployment numbers rise, and the tax base disappears, you have less and less money to work with than you did when you had NO MONEY. You have to stop. You cannot do everything for everyone. You especially cannot enter into agreements with foreign governments on issues like climate change when you know that the science itself is suspect if not completely flawed. Many scientists who only a decade ago talked of rising ocean levels now have a different opinion when faced with data that shows actual global temperatures remaining the same or falling slightly. Your own EPA issued a stinging report that refutes the science behind climate change altogether, and it was conveniently omitted so that no one in the congress could consider it before voting on the Cap and Trade legislation that passed by only 7 votes in the US House of Representatives.

With the swearing in of Al Franken (of all people) as the junior Senator from Minnesota this week the Democrat party now has 60 votes that will insure all of it's legislation will eventually make it to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Fortunately, it will not guarantee passage of any particular piece of legislation be cause Senators do want to be re-elected. This Cap and Trade mess has to be stopped in its tracks and the US Senate is our last best hope. Pressure from the people can make a difference. Senators do listen to telephone calls. They can track where calls come from and know if they are being bombarded by programmed callers or actual constituents. There is a good chance that Senators in coal producing states will hear a great deal from their voters, as should those in states with any kind of manufacturing base like Michigan where we are incidentally trying to save General Motors and Chrysler and through osmosis Ford. I dread the day when someone has to say their father's Cadillac or Lincoln was made in Beijing, China. It is time to pick up a telephone, buy a postcard and a stamp, do what you have to do to contact your two state senators to stop CAP & TRADE before it stops YOU. It's a bad bill and a worse way to screw your wallet. SAY NO to this one. We have to start somewhere, and if we take a stand here, it will make saying NO to Health Care much easier.

Sixteen years ago the health care industry represented roughly 1/7 th of the economy, now that number has grown to about 1/5 th or 20%. At that time a newly elected President assigned the task of reforming our health care system to the First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton. "Hillary Care" as it came to be known was a plan drawn up in secret by a large group of experts that would modernize our health care system and guarantee coverage to every American if implemented. It was a campaign promise President Clinton had made, and one he would come to regret. A series of advertisements staring fictitious characters Harry and Louise rode rough shot over the airwaves in a campaign to put Hillary Care to bed forever, and it was so effective that it never made it to a vote in either house of congress. Americans were not ready then to give up their free will and freedom of choice when it came to their relationship with their doctor.

We find ourselves with a new President a decade and a half later having made a similar campaign promise, and who upon entering office claimed to have found himself inheriting the worst economy since the "Great Depression" and who along with majorities of his own party in both houses of congress stacked up nearly a trillion dollars in deficit spending in "economic recovery" and putting for a budget that spread red ink as far as the eye can see and the mind could imagine over the next decade (more than 13 trillion dollars) now wants to stack a health care bill, one that would represent the largest single spending bill in US History and a mandate to the States that would burden them in a fiscally impossible manner with no redress.

Harry and Louise are a bit too old to dust off and bring back, even though their message is as relevant today as it was then. The printing presses at the Treasury Department are going to collapse from the stress they are receiving. What's even more significant is the risk of inflation and high interest rates that certainly loom just over the horizon if we continue down this path. While reforms are without question necessary, and have been talked about for many years; there is no reasonable reason to toss the baby out with the bath water and reinvent the wheel.

Health Care as it is now is almost universal. The cost now pretty much reflects just how universal it has become. The price of treating the uninsured is reflected in the price charged by hospitals, clinics, and doctors offices every day. Generally speaking no one gets turned away in this country for health care. If they do, it's their own fault for now asking for help. Anyone that shows up at a Hospital Emergency Room gets seen regardless of their financial wear withal to pay. There are many free or almost free clinics in most cities. Every county in the has its own health department and offers some services to the poor. Medicaid is available to the destitute. Medicare is available to the aged and disabled. We are managing albeit at a high price.

The real problems that drive up the cost of health care are the hot button issues politicians will not touch because the lobbies put too much money in their pockets and make huge donations to their parties. The could make a start with Tort Reform (Medical Malpractice) legislation and then move on to allowing small businesses to band together to form regional alliances that produce purchasing power similar to large corporations or the Federal Government. They can work with the States to devise a standard formulary so that prescription drugs in one state can be sold for the same price in every other state. They could revise medical record keeping requirements so the cost of having a patient doesn't overwhelm the profit to a doctor.


Our health care system is the envy of the world. People travel here from all over the world to be treated for their ailments, to have surgeries that are not available or not going to be able to be scheduled for them for months or years in their own country. People gladly pay whatever it takes to have an American doctor and be treated in an American hospital. If we destroy our system by conforming with what is offered and where with they go to get good medicine? Where will the breakthroughs come from? Who will aspire to become a doctor, or to specialist in a difficult field? When the government becomes the payer of last resort it becomes the only payer because no one will want to pay more than is necessary to health care benefits. When the government becomes the only payer they sit in control of who receives what procedure and who does not. The government decides whose life is worth saving based on cost, not on medicine. What has the government ever done that they have done well?


These are real reforms that matter in significant ways that produce significant benefits in terms of cost savings. They take significant intestinal fortitude to pass. It's time for Congress to do its job and stop spending our money when they can save us some.