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Archive for the ‘Congress’ Category

How far are the Democrats willing to go to force their nanny-state health care program down the throats of Americans?

The drama which has unfolded before our eyes has gone from sublime to ridiculous. If this issue were not so vital in its relation to our personal freedoms, one would rate it right up there with the worst soap opera ever produced.

The very fabric of both Houses of Congress is being shredded by its occupants, and worse, any faith we may have had in our elected leaders has been shaken to its core.

One great, big, Ball of Confusion:

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While growing up on an Indian reservation in Old Town, Maine, throughout the fifties and sixties, it was not unusual to see a shiny, black car with State Troopers driving it pulling up to our house and the distinguished gentleman inside get out and come to our door.

Other kids would ask what was going on and we would just tell them the governor was there. No big deal. Everyone has the governor come to their house, right? And our congressmen always go to your houses too, right?

Well, that’s what I thought. No big deal. It happens all the time. Sometimes I’d put my ear down at the keyhole in one of the living room doors that were now closed and see if I could hear any of the conversation by the “grown-ups” in that room. If I heard it didn’t interest me enough to remember it now.

These visits occurred shortly after our island reservation was finally connected to the mainland by a one-lane bridge. This bridge saved many lives. I vaguely remember when it was being built and I have at least one memory of riding to the mainland by the ferry operated by one of our fellow tribesmen.

The bridge saved many lives because many lives were lost when Indians on our reservation would attempt to cross the river to the mainland in the spring or just after the ice started forming on the river in the winter. The ice was there but wasn’t thick enough to safely walk on it—yet it was too thick to just paddle a boat or canoe through it. If anyone from our community wanted to cross to the mainland to shop, conduct business or just see a movie, he or she had to take a chance on the ice giving out while crossing in each direction, until the ice all melted in the Spring or froze solid in the Winter.

I come from a family of very strong women. Most of them had to be strong because they were either widowed or unmarried and had to support the family, including grandchildren, nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews. They gained respect in the “white community” enough for people to know they were trustworthy and good people who were firm in their convictions.

Many members of my family were instrumental in seeing to it that they lobbied the state legislators and the governor until we were finally able to convince the Republican leaders in Maine that we should be able to purchase a bridge with our own money so our people would be safer. It was our money but we had to put our hand out to the state because we were still considered “paupers” by the state and didn’t get the right to vote until the 1950’s. We were good enough to serve in the armed forces and die for our country, but we were paupers to the state and entitled to no rights.

It was through this lobbying effort, made possible by years of building a relationship with the lawmakers, that our family became acquaintances with the political leaders in our state. That’s why we saw them at our home. If they were in the area they stopped by and chewed the fat over politics, I suppose.

As hard as that struggle was, I think the struggle for the very soul of America is even harder. Last year at this time it seemed as though God had removed His blessing entirely from this country. And who could blame Him? We’ve kicked Him out of every facet of our public lives since Madeline Murray O’Hare got the Lord’s Prayer out of schools. How many of you remember reciting the Lord’s Prayer just before the Pledge of Allegiance in public school? Fortunately I was in high school before the prayer became forbidden and I did miss it when it was taken from us.

Last year I felt as though this country was headed for disaster that could never be repaired. Then came the tea party in April and another one in July, followed by the town halls held all over this country in August and September, followed by more peaceful demonstrations by grassroots Americans who just wanted what is best for our country. Each of these events made me get a glimmer of hope, and when I saw Sen. Arlen Specter getting torn to bits verbally by some of his constituents in Pa. I began to realize I wasn’t in the minority of opinion in this country anymore. They didn’t harm anything but Specter’s feelings, or any other senator’s or congressperson’s. It was the words they didn’t like and tried to tamp down, but the people would not have it.

We had gone through TARP, Stimulus, the House passing Cap and Trade, and watching Congress rush every large spending bill through without taking the time to study the consequences, while spending trillions of our dollars. No one really knew what was in the bills unless it was the staff of the Congresspeople or Senators. Yet they voted to pass these huge spending bills because they were “crises” and as Rahm Emanuel said, “We can’t afford to waste a good crisis.”

Now they were screwing around with our health care and we finally had had enough.

Since August the Congress has known we want no part of the current health bills passed by the House or Senate. We all agree it would be good to reform some things in our health care system, but we do not want the federal government stepping in and making a huge bill that will never be able to be fixed. We want it done incrementally and studiously, so we know our money is being spent responsibly. Many things such as the “undercover patients” mentioned by doctor and Senator Tom Coburn at Thursday’s pow-wow with Democrats will cost little, if anything at all. Of course it will cost something because Congress will create a separate department along with a bureaucracy for that purpose. Reforming our tort laws will cost nothing but the plaintiff’s attorneys’ support to the Democrats in government. No money lost to the taxpayer.

The point is not to create a massive bureaucracy in Washington, but to create a good bill with the least amount of disruption to our lives and the least amount of funds to do it properly. Slim government instead of bloated government. Surely we cannot address every problem in our health care system in one huge bill. Even a blind man can see that. Go in “baby steps” as Obama calls it.

Now the Democrats have decided they will take six weeks, ostensibly for the Republicans to give them “new ideas” and work out a bipartisan health care bill, or the Democrats will go to reconciliation if they cannot get the required 60 votes to pass a bill in the Senate.

I saw a headline at Politco.com awhile ago that says Democrats are “feeling out the next step” for the health care bill. This bill has had more lives than Morris the Cat, and like a fire you think is out, keeps coming back to bite you in the butt. Just when you thought it was safe, they go at it again.

Thursday’s “summit” was nothing but a group of grouchy, majority Democrats, barely hiding their contempt (if at all) at the Republicans who were at last invited to sit at the same table with them and discuss their ideas on health care reform. You know, the ideas the Democrats have claimed they didn’t have. They had some good ideas and came ready to discuss the legislation. Naturally, if you are going to discuss something that is in writing you are going to take the text to the meeting to reference it while speaking. At least that’s what Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia thought. Obama put him straight, though, when he told Cantor he was bringing “props”. Cantor had actually marked pages to flip to so he could do his presentation, and when accused by Obama of bringing a prop for political purposes told Obama that he thought since they were discussing the Senate bill it was only appropriate to have said bill in their presence.

The Republicans brought their A team to the meeting, while the Democrats seemed as though they had decided to just go through the motions and didn’t bother to prepare to speak about the language. Instead, they seemed to have been in some sort of contest to see which one could come up with the saddest story about people who have to pay insurance premiums or who cannot afford insurance. The winner in this contest (at least in my mind) was the ridiculously off-topic statement by Rep. Louise Slaughter of NY, when she told of one of her constituents who was wearing her dead sister’s dentures because she couldn’t afford her own. I don’t know about anyone else, but dental health has nothing to do with health insurance policies. I have dental insurance which is separate from my health insurance. By her reasoning I guess we should get the government to pay for our life insurance, car insurance, homeowner’s insurance and renter’s insurance if you rent. It’s about as related to health care as dental insurance.

Try to go to an eye doctor to get a regular eye exam and try to pay for it with your Medicare. You can’t do it. I was at the eye doctor’s office in January to get my yearly diabetic exam (paid for by my health insurance after a $30 co-pay) and another lady came in to have her eyes examined and asked if Medicare would pay for it. When she was told no she just hauled out the check book and wrote a check, so I know for a fact it is not covered by Medicare. You can’t get an exam for your vision with health insurance either. For that you either use the eye care insurance and come back another day for the same exam, except they’ll refract your eyes, or you can pay the cost of the refraction separately and not fool with your eye care insurance if you do not wish to have the same eye exam twice in one week.

We hear Obama and the Democrats bemoan the fact that 30 million Americans (I guess they’re all legal citizens) do not have health insurance, but you never hear them mention the 280 million or so Americans who do have health care insurance, or can afford it but think they’re invincible so they don’t get it.

Why can’t we go back to the innocent days of my childhood when saying no meant no? Not now. Not ever. Pelosi, Reid and Obama do not recognize that word or the will of the people. Obama is willing to throw out his congressional majority for his legacy legislation, and Pelosi and Reid are gullible or power hungry enough to help him. Remember, his last words were something to the effect that they could pass the bill and if the people didn’t like it that’s why we have elections.

Ah, the days of my childhood….to be so innocent and trusting as I was then.

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The link to the following video arrived in my email box this afternoon.

Ray Stevens (of “Along Came Jones” fame), performs “We The People.” Have a listen. I think the lyrics speak well to what many of us feel about the current situation in Washington.

Enjoy!

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Hard at work.

Or in the case of Congress, not.

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We all know the longest river in the world is Denial. It appears the Democrats are taking a trip down that river.

Mounting evidence that independent voters have soured on the Democrats is prompting a debate among party officials about what rhetorical and substantive changes are needed to halt the damage.

Following serious setbacks with independents in off-year elections earlier this month, White House officials attributed the defeats to local factors and said President Barack Obama sees no need to reposition his own image or the Democratic message.

Since then, however, a flurry of new polls makes clear that Democrats are facing deeper problems with independents—the swing voters who swung dramatically toward the party in 2006 and 2008 but who now are registering deep unease with the amount of spending and debt called for under Obama’s agenda in an era of one-party rule in Washington.

A Gallup Poll released last week offered a disturbing glimpse about the state of play: just 14 percent of independents approve of the job Congress is doing, the lowest figure all year. In just the past few days alone, surveys have shown Democratic incumbents trailing Republicans among independent voters by double-digit margins in competitive statewide contests in places as varied as Connecticut, Ohio and Iowa.

[All emphasis mine~Admin~]

The quoted article goes on to say there is a “real problem of messaging” for the Democrats.

The problem isn’t a problem of messaging so much as what the message is. We have a man in the Oval Office who has traveled more than any other president at this point of his term. He is more focused on having the world love him than he is on governing this country he ran for four years to govern.

It’s not a problem of messaging with health care, when we all know the message. Pass a bill, any bill, and make sure it has universal health care with penalties for not participating, cuts in Medicare for the elderly to the point some hospitals and doctors will refuse to treat Medicare patients if this terrible bill becomes law. And don’t forget the extra taxes it will take to fund this monstrosity that was dreamed up in Nancy Pelosi’s office with no bi-partisan participation requested or wanted.

First it was TARP and, yes, President Bush took the heat for that one in order to protect Obama from having to do so. What have we received for all those billions (or is it trillions) of dollars spent on that program? We bought GM and run Chrysler, we infused money into banks that gave loans to foreign companies instead of small businesses from the United States, the government thinks it has the right to dictate salaries to every executive in every company whether or not it received TARP funds and on and on.

Next was a stimulus bill that put an even heavier weight on the taxpayers of this country so unemployment wouldn’t go higher than 8%. Unemployment is now at 10.2%, the highest it has been in 26 years and there is still no end in sight. That’s just the national average. In some states it’s approaching 20%.

We were promised this stimulus would create or save millions of jobs, only to find out in reporting out Tuesday that some people claiming new or saved jobs live in congressional districts that don’t exist. For example, someone has touted the jobs saved or created in Arizona’s 18th Congressional District, Connecticut’s 86th District and Puerto Rico’s 99th District. Going by these stats it would appear Puerto Rico is our biggest “state”. The problem is that none of these states have that many Congressional Districts. Arizona has 8 and not 18. Connecticut has 5 and not 86. Puerto Rico probably has one. And on and on it goes.

It goes without saying that if the government can be so easily fooled on such an easy topic to investigate they have no business putting the bureaucrats in charge of our health care.

The House passed a cap and trade bill and Sen. Barbara Boxer rammed it through her committee without one Republican present, as they were (rightfully) waiting for an analysis from the EPA. I doubt this bill will pass, but if it does you can watch your electric bills skyrocket as soon as it’s signed. And of course, there will be more taxes.

The Bush tax cuts are set to expire next year (thank you, Olympia Snowe) and there is no sign the Democratic Congress will extend or make them permanent. No way, because they need every cent in your pocket and everything the Chinese can lend us to implement their programs.

The big elephant in the room is the Health Care legislation making its way through Congress. The House already passed a bill that is an abomination and promised to insert language that is already the law of the land: no public funding for abortions used as birth control. Pelosi did this so she could get the moderate pro-life Democrats to vote to pass the bill, with the intention of removing it in conference. And the liberal women in the House are screaming to get this out of the bill.

We know this monstrosity of a bill will cost over 1 trillion dollars but we don’t know exactly how much more.

Obama says we can keep our health care but in five years we will be required to pick another, government plan. They don’t publicize that at all. Premiums will go up and care will go down.

Can you imagine seeing a scene in a prison where a guy asks what the others are in for? The first guy says “murder”, the second guy says “rape” and the third guy says “I didn’t buy health insurance”. This is in the bill. You can get a quarter of a million dollar fine and/or five years in prison for not participating in this plan.

But these are all side issues, which have just contributed to the independents’ anger at the Democrats. The real issue at the top of everyone’s list is the economy and the lack of good-paying jobs. Jobs that will support a family.

I was at the beauty shop Tuesday and my hair dresser was telling me she can’t afford to raise prices even though the price for her to work there is increasing. Customers and other hair dressers, including her, have husbands who are now out of work and don’t know when they will get a job.

As she said, unemployment is better than nothing, but they’d rather be working.

We’re not big on giving large expensive gifts for Christmas. We give to our grandchildren and our children, but this year we are going to cut back on the adults. We won’t disappoint the children, but we won’t be giving as much to our children and their spouses.

Bill Clinton had a sign up in his war room during his first run for the presidency. It was simple and to the point: “It’s the economy, stupid!” To which I tell Obama: “It’s still the economy, stupid!”

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To fully understand the following quoted paragraphs, please read this.

I have put men on the plane for their final journey home, and as many of you know, last month I lowered my flag to honor another good man who used to belong to me and we have politicians and a President who are plundering the Treasury and dithering while trying to impress the Eurotrash deciding on how many more Nobel Peace Prizes to award to him. And he can’t seem to fit any strategy meetings into his busy TV Speech schedule.

The Sons and Daughters of America who are braving snipers, IEDs and daily patrols through Badlands with death tugging at their elbows deserve better from this Congress and this President, and I know that I owe it to them to keep writing and to keep speaking out on their behalf.

I am growing weary of explaining that there is a difference between fighting to win and fighting to not lose to the government class that feels as if they rule, instead of govern. When the money starts to go away, the question becomes whether or not it is worth it to fight at all for someone who will disrespect your sacrifices, insult your efforts and deny you the tools to win; and then blame you for not doing the best job you could with resources they never provided.

I pray for the safety of my comrades who carry our fight to enemies of freedom far away from home and comfort and for the United States of America, because we truly now need divine inspiration and the help of the hand of the Almighty…

emphasis-admin

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Why in the world would anyone think the all knowing, all powerful, transparent Democrats in Congress would allow the proposed Baucus health care bill to be posted on line for 72 hrs. prior to being voted out of committee?

After all, who would want an angry mob of unruly teenagers perusing something which will affect their personal life?

HT: Lucianne

Jeanette adds video with this comment: It must be as Olympia Snowe says and it’s the Columbus Day recess that makes this a rush bill.

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Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the floor of the United States Senate:

“The right to free speech is at the core of our democracy. Free citizens have a First Amendment right to petition their government for a redress of grievances. This gag order on companies like Humana and those in all our states, in my view, is a clear violation of that right. It’s wrong.

“Employers that warn their customers about the effects of legislation aren’t the ones who should be getting warnings here. Senators who threaten Americans’ First Amendment rights are.”

The Democrats are headed in a very dangerous direction. Winning elections is not a mandate to run ram-shod over the Constitution and the citizens it is meant to protect.

If they lose big in 2010, they will need look no further than their own words and actions.

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It’s credibility that counts.

So says Dr. Thomas Sowell:

The most important thing about what anyone says are not the words themselves but the credibility of the person who says them.

The words of convicted swindler Bernie Madoff were apparently quite convincing to many people who were regarded as knowledgeable and sophisticated. If you go by words, you can be led into anything.

No doubt millions of people will be listening to the words of President Barack Obama Wednesday night when he makes a televised address to a joint session of Congress on his medical care plans. But, if they think that the words he says are what matters, they can be led into something much worse than being swindled out of their money.

August has proven that much of the nation does not have a great deal of faith in this administration or Congress.

From coast to coast at town hall meetings, lawmakers have fought back challenge after challenge to their massive spending and the pending health care legislation.

Citizens were often met with either arrogance or party line answers which lent itself to nothing more than further frustration with those in power.

Dr.Sowell makes an excellent point when he writes “If you go by words, you can be led into anything.” History tells us that eloquent speakers are many times not to be entrusted with power.

Becoming mesmerized by lofty rhetoric and its delivery is often dangerous in that it clouds thoughtful deliberation. With any luck, that is a lesson members of Congress will heed as they weigh the words of Mr. Obama on Wednesday evening.

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Whoa!

Representative Baird, (D-Washington), gets an earful courtesy of a Marine Corp veteran.

Not only does the gentleman tackle the health care issue, but also the name calling and socialistic tendencies of the current administration and Congress:

Via, Hot Air.

Bravo, David, bravo.

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No opposing viewpoints welcome.

That seems to be the message Senate Majority Leader Reid is relaying in his refusal to meet face to face with his constituents:

The most powerful man in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), announced on Friday that as a result of recent protests at town hall meetings he won’t hold any such political gatherings during this month’s Congressional recess.

Instead, he will only do what’s called “telephone town halls” where he and his staff have complete control over the questions being asked and who’s asking them.

It takes a great deal of courage to defend ones position or beliefs. Opposition should be welcome, as it is the only tool by which those defending alternative views have the opportunity to not only express themselves, but better understand the ideas put forth by another.

Unfortunately, what we have seen in recent months on the part of many elected officials is the tendency to place blame, call names, and work in secrecy until prepared to ram a program or mass expenditure down the public’s throat. When questioned they appear offended, as though the right is theirs alone to determine the fate of each and every citizen.

Think for a moment about this quote:

Abraham Lincoln did not go to Gettysburg having commissioned a poll to find out what would sell in Gettysburg. There were no people with percentages for him, cautioning him about this group or that group or what they found in exit polls a year earlier. When will we have the courage of Lincoln?

Robert Coles

Those speaking out against a government run health care program who are willing to go face to face with their elected representative are showing the courage of their convictions. Those who run for political cover when it gets a bit hot in the kitchen (or polls are not in their favor), not so much.

Perhaps it is time for a thorough house cleaning. Public officials who refuse to meet with those who pay their salaries should be voted out of office at the earliest possible moment.

The only thing politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to understand is the prospect of their own unemployment.

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That settles it.

Only Congress, the White House, and Andrea Mitchell “know what’s best for us.”

Ugh. I am thoroughly fed up with this administration, Congress and the press telling me how to think and what to feel. If I’m alone, so be it, but I doubt it.

Do you suppose these folks will be invited for a beer at the White House along with Senator Feinstein so they may better understand why we should all just bow down to those who are elected to serve us and their minions in the press?

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Joe Namath, Golda Meir, the Chicago 8, Arafat, Woodstock, and so much more.

These were the faces and events which defined the year 1969.

Please vote (no registration required).

MarineParents is in the running to win $3,000! They can’t do it without YOU though because the winning charity will be the one with the most votes. Voting ends at 9 p.m. Eastern Time July 21

Has Barack Obama successfully sidelined Hillary Clinton?

The Telegraph believes it to be true:

If President Obama’s goal in appointing Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State was to neutralize his biggest rival, he has certainly succeeded. Clinton looks a shadow of her former self, and has been the most low-key Secretary of State in recent times. Her immediate predecessors Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell were far more prominent figures on the world stage during their first six months in office. Clinton, in contrast, looks tired, disinterested, and largely going through the motions.

The folks at Let Freedom Ring are in the midst of a brilliant campaign to weed out those in Congress who will not commit to actually reading a health care bill prior to voting in favor of it:

Those signing on to the pledge as of yesterday are available at the link above. If your Congressperson is not on the list, give he/she a call and inquire as to why not. I’d love to hear the answers.

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Where was this oversight when the administration and their czars moved to take over a private enterprise?

Via Real Clear Politics:

:Now that the Obama administration has spent billions of dollars on the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, Congress is considering making its first major management decision at the automakers.

Under legislation that has rapidly gained support, GM and Chrysler would have to reinstate more than 2,000 dealerships that the companies had slated for closure.

The automakers say the ranks of their dealers must be thinned in order to match the fallen demand for cars. But some of the rejected dealers and their Capitol Hill supporters argue that the process of selecting dealerships for closure was arbitrary and went too far.

Since federal money has been used to sustain the automakers, they say Congress has an obligation to intervene.

emphasis-admin

Upside down. That’s what we are as a country right now.

If GM and Chrysler were failing they should have pursued the normal bankruptcy channels and either reorganized or closed their doors.

Would that have created further havoc in the job market, sure, but on the other hand it would have avoided a virtual take-over by the federal government.

The next thing we’ll hear is how many jobs were created by Congress if and when these dealerships are reopened.

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Let’s review.

Cap and Trade stopped dead in it’s tracks. Socialized medicine not very popular with the American people.

Obama’s approval numbers dropping like a stone.

What to do? First let’s leak classified information to our friends in the press and then (and here’s the easy part), we’ll tie everything to the evil Bush/Cheney administration. Never mind we’ll be addressing a CIA program which was never implemented. Who cares the cost to our National Security. The important thing here is that the American people will realize we are so much more equipped to govern than the Republican party.

Isn’t that paragraph above sad? Like heat seeking missiles, they attempt to seek and destroy to cover their own shortcomings.

This politicization of our National Security is a disgrace and frankly their tendency to put lives of our intelligence officers in jeopardy through their actions should be grounds for removal.

Here are a few excerpts from the WSJ article linked above:

One former senior intelligence official said the program was an attempt “to achieve a capacity to carry out something that was directed in the finding,” meaning it was looking for ways to capture or kill al Qaeda chieftains.

The official noted that Congress had long been briefed on the finding, and that the CIA effort wasn’t so much a program as “many ideas suggested over the course of years.” It hadn’t come close to fruition, he added.

Oh, and hold the presses:

Amid the high alert following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a small CIA unit examined the potential for targeted assassinations of al Qaeda operatives, according to the three former officials. The Ford administration had banned assassinations in the response to investigations into intelligence abuses in the 1970s. Some officials who advocated the approach were seeking to build teams of CIA and military Special Forces commandos to emulate what the Israelis did after the Munich Olympics terrorist attacks, said another former intelligence official.

“It was straight out of the movies,” one of the former intelligence officials said. “It was like: Let’s kill them all.”

The former official said he had been told that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney didn’t support such an operation. The effort appeared to die out after about six months, he said.

emphasis-admin

So Congress now wants to be briefed on programs which are in the talking stages within the intelligence agencies. Wow, the way they leak information our enemies would work at an advantage 24-7.

Liz Cheney does a terrific job explaining this latest move by the Democrats:
(Pay close attention to what she says in relation to John McCain. Instead of condemning the leaking of classified information he too seems more concerned about rehabilitating America’s image.)

These folks on both sides of the aisle are constantly campaigning to keep their seat no matter the cost to our country or her citizens.

Republicans are hiding under their desks for fear of criticizing what the press tells us is a popular president. Oh, there are a few who will defend what they believe is right and do attempt to inform us on the differences between the parties, but they are lone voices in the wind.

Becoming an registered Independent is looking ever more appealing.

*Update: Spotted this link at Instapundit which leads to an article by Michael Barone which is titled very appropriately.

*Update II Here’s a quote from Fox News:

Congress originally authorized the CIA to develop the secret counterterrorism program that is now drawing fierce criticism from House Democrats who say they were kept in the dark all along, a former senior intelligence official told FOX News on Monday….

…The former intelligence official suggested House Democrats made the demand for the sake of providing Pelosi political cover.

“If you notice, Director Panetta briefed both (the Senate and House) intelligence committees on the same day … about the same issue. Did you hear anyone from the Senate intelligence committee say anything about it?”

So, if it was shared with Congress and wasn’t operational what’s the gripe? Saving Pelosi’s butt seems to be the issue. Notice, not one senator had a problem with this. It is only a problem in the House on the Democrat side of the aisle.

Re: Update 2: Thanks Jeanette, but I thought I did recall that Senator Feinstein spoke on this issue also.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested that the Bush administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress. Feinstein said the Bush administration’s failure to notify Congress about the 8-year-old counterterrorism program “is a big problem, because the law is very clear.”

Congress should investigate the secrecy because “it could be illegal,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said.

The point is well taken that on the House side this may be cover for Pelosi but the Senate is equally guilty of making political hay out of this situation.

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All together now….awwwwww. Not!

U.S. President Barack Obama suffered a double-barreled setback in Congress on Thursday when members of his own party moved to apply the brakes on his top legislative priorities, healthcare and climate change.

Obama has demanded urgent and simultaneous attention to overhauling healthcare and addressing climate change, saying both were necessary to boost the U.S. economy, which is in a deep recession.

He has demanded that Congress send him a bill by October to cut healthcare costs and provide medical coverage to most of the 46 million uninsured Americans. The president wants climate change legislation before year’s end.

While Obama was in Italy on Thursday encouraging world leaders to intensify the fight against global warming, legislation to cut U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases suffered a delay in the Senate.

The leading Senate committee responsible for developing the climate change legislation put off for at least a month work on a bill, leaving less time for Congress to fulfill Obama’s desire to enact a law this year.

We need no implementation of programs which will cost the taxpayer (of any income level) any more money.

Many citizens are stretched to their limit now and these big ideas Obama and the Democrats have to improve America are best left undone.

(Speaking of the stimulus program, don’t miss this post..it is very enlightening).

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Riddle me this.

If no government owned health care reform passes in the Senate, will the Republicans then be considered obstructionists regardless of the fact that they have absolutely no say in writing legislation?

I’d bet on it as the winners will certainly be looking for someone to blame.

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Our tax dollars hard at work:

WASHINGTON — Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That’s a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as “codels,” has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Although complete travel records aren’t yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes — as they usually do — their spouses can fly free.

[emphasis-admin]

The country is bankrupt but congressional members along with their families and aides are traveling on the taxpayer dime so they can see the world and bond?

This must be the true definition of tax and spend.

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Michael Barone has a few thoughts regarding the health care plan the administration and Congress are touting.

Writing in The Examiner:

Still, there are some things out of kilter here. First, there are nagging questions about money. As Clinton White House deputy domestic policy adviser William Galston points out in the New Republic blog, “Congress has thus far given the cold shoulder to most of the administration’s proposals for raising revenues dedicated to health reform.” So if Democrats want to pass their health bill using the reconciliation process, which requires that they get only 50 votes in the Senate, they will have to come up with $150,000,000,000 in annual revenue or offsetting spending or else add to the $900,000,000,000 in yearly budget deficits projected by the Congressional Budget Office. As Galston points out, the CBO is unlikely to agree with administration projections of savings from comparative effectiveness research. So money is a problem.

So is public opinion. An April tracking poll conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that voters rank changing health care below strengthening the economy, stabilizing Medicare and Social Security, and reducing the federal budget deficit on a list of eight possible priorities. Democrats rank it higher, Republicans rank it at the bottom and independents, on this issue, like many others this year, look more like Republicans than Democrats. The blunt fact is that most Americans are satisfied with their health insurance and don’t believe major legislation will improve things for them. This gives opponents of the Democrats’ rush to legislate a strong talking point.

Here’s what is most interesting about Barone’s analysis:

Third, the segment of the electorate that did most to produce the Obama victory and give the Democrats large majorities in Congress is the least concerned and least informed about health care. That segment is the 18 percent of voters under 30. Young voters preferred Obama to John McCain by a 66 to 32 percent margin, according to the exit poll. Voters 30 and over preferred Obama by only a 50 to 49 percent margin. Some 63 percent of the young voted Democratic for House of Representatives. Only 51 percent of the rest of Americans did so. Without the young, the votes would clearly not be there for what the Democrats are trying to force through.

But what do the young know or care about health insurance? They have the fewest medical problems of the whole population. Their image of health care, at least until they become pregnant and have babies, is university health services. You come in if you feel like it, someone else pays, you get some pills or some counseling or whatever. As for the downside of government insurance, pollster Scott Rasmussen reports that the young favor capitalism over socialism by only a 37 to 33 percent margin. The rest of us prefer capitalism by a 57 to 17 percent margin. [emphasis-admin]

Are Congress and the White House driven to appease the 30 and under crowd?

Perhaps the balance of the population is becoming a drag on their obscene spending sprees.

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If this bill passes it remains to be seen how quickly Obama blames Bush for the strain its repercussions will put on American families:

Legislation imposing the first nationwide limits on the pollution blamed for global warming advanced in the House late Thursday, clearing a key committee despite strong Republican opposition.

The Energy and Commerce Committee approved the sweeping climate bill 33-25 after repeatedly turning back GOP attempts to kill or weaken the measure during four days of debate.

Have you ever seen an administration or a Congress which puts forth such effort to destroy the budget of both working and retired folks?

Let me put that another way. We will continue pay for elected officials to live the high life while the rest of us live in the poor house.

*What a disgrace. Congressman Waxman admits he does not know the full details of the Cap and Trade bill he co-authored.

Elections really do have consequences.

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I heard and read an interesting factoid on Monday that blew me away. It said that the federal government is spending $1 for every 50¢ it is taking in in revenues.

Most of us (all of us) live in homes and have to have some sort of budget.

If you earn $5,000 a month (after taxes) and spend $10,000 a month how long do you think your household will survive even if you draw down your savings accounts? How long before you have to declare bankruptcy? And would you be so foolish as to do that?

This is what the Obama administration is doing right now. While companies are laying people off the government is on a hiring binge, paying an average salary of $75,000+ to each new employee.

Yeah, that sounds like a lot if you don’t live in a large city and some of the people don’t. Remember this is just the average salary, meaning just as many get less as get more.

We want the world to buy bonds from our country but most of the world is saying no because we have no comprehensive plan to control our spending and deficits and they don’t want to invest money they won’t get back.

Obama said he was going to go over the budget line by line to cut waste. As David Broder said in a Washington Post editorial Sunday, “the mountain labored and brought forth a mouse.” David Broder is not exactly a conservative apologist.

Obama has spent four times as much since he’s been in office as Bush spent in the same time period last year. Yes, Republicans were not as thrifty as they should have been, but by the current administration’s own projections we are on the way to a $1.8 trillion deficit this year alone.

Awhile back someone did the calculations and said if someone were to spend $1 million from the day Christ was born every day until now you still wouldn’t be able to spend a trillion dollars. That’s mind boggling!

About 2/3 of our budget goes to items that have to be funded by law. That doesn’t leave much room for cutting, but it certainly doesn’t leave any room for new spending programs.

Now the inevitible is happening. Do you remember when George HW Bush said, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” and was tricked into increasing taxes with a promise of cuts he never got from Congress? That was his downfall.

Obama promised no tax increases for people who make less than $250,000 a year. Yesterday, on the radio, it was reported he has lowered that figure to $230,000 a year. But that’s just salaries and if you make less you may feel fine with it.

Tell me how much you are paying for federal and state taxes on gasoline, fuel oil or natural or LP gas. Has it gone up? Well, if he gets his cap and trade policy you can count on it going up even more and probably sitting in the dark freezing next winter. Can you afford for your heating bill to go up by approximately $300 per month? I can’t.

If you’re a smoker how much have your cigarettes gone up in the last month or so?

How about the cost of groceries? Has that gone up? Can you afford that with all the other taxes being passed down directly or indirectly to you? If the government doesn’t send you the bill do you blame the grocer for the higher grocery bill or do you realize it is because he and all his suppliers are being more heavily taxed by the government and are passing that along to you?

Now he wants free college education for everyone who qualifies. That’s a great goal, but where is he going to get the money? Sure, the treasury can print more money, but what is there to back up those notes?

If China called in all its chits how much cash would this country have? Enough to qualify as a third world country, that’s how much.

Elections have consequences and unfortunately we will have to live with those consequences for the rest of our lives, but certainly for at least four more years give or take a couple of months. Maybe the shine will be off Obama but the way the press fawns over him I rather doubt it.

The next president is going to have to overturn every executive order signed by Obama and work with a Congress willing to cut where spending can be cut and tell the agencies to get along with less or the same.

Our country cannot survive by spending twice as much as it takes in. Enjoy your gimme’s now because what the government giveth the government can surely taketh away.

I have noticed Obama always dresses in a black suit. I’ve said in the past he’s an empty suit. Now I tell you never to trust a man in an empty black suit. He’s getting to be more of a fascist than a socialist. He’s taking over private companies and trying to tell them how to run their businesses. That’s what they get for having their hands out. Now even the banks that want to pay back the loans with interest are not allowed to do so.

This is the new America. I hope all Obama voters are happy.

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Representative Pete Hoekstra writing in the Wall Street Journal takes the Obama administration to task on the release of formerly highly classified information defining the enhanced interrogation program:

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair got it right last week when he noted how easy it is to condemn the enhanced interrogation program “on a bright sunny day in April 2009.” Reactions to this former CIA program, which was used against senior al Qaeda suspects in 2002 and 2003, are demonstrating how little President Barack Obama and some Democratic members of Congress understand the dire threats to our nation.

George Tenet, who served as CIA director under Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, believes the enhanced interrogations program saved lives. He told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in April 2007: “I know this program alone is worth more than the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency put together have been able to tell us.”

Last week, Mr. Blair made a similar statement in an internal memo to his staff when he wrote that “[h]igh value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al Qa’ida organization that was attacking this country.”

Yet last week Mr. Obama overruled the advice of his CIA director, Leon Panetta, and four prior CIA directors by releasing the details of the enhanced interrogation program. Former CIA director Michael Hayden has stated clearly that declassifying the memos will make it more difficult for the CIA to defend the nation.

It was not necessary to release details of the enhanced interrogation techniques, because members of Congress from both parties have been fully aware of them since the program began in 2002. We believed it was something that had to be done in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to keep our nation safe. After many long and contentious debates, Congress repeatedly approved and funded this program on a bipartisan basis in both Republican and Democratic Congresses.

[emphasis-admin]

While the paragraph in bold above proves that this is nothing more than a political move aimed at appeasing a left voting block, Mr. Hoekstra’s final paragraph sums up this entire situation perfectly:

Perhaps we need an investigation not of the enhanced interrogation program, but of what the Obama administration may be doing to endanger the security our nation has enjoyed because of interrogations and other antiterrorism measures implemented since Sept. 12, 2001.

What exactly will this administration do if they are faced with an imminent attack on this country? Do they believe you can simply talk your way out of another 9-11 or worse?

As for investigations or “show trials,” either one does nothing more than embolden an enemy who under the former administration knew there would be a steep price to be paid for an attack on our homeland.

What is it they fear now?

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Sometimes, late night conversations are the best. When you can go from muffins, to education, to grandchildren, to politics, you about have it covered don’t you think?

I am taking a bit of liberty here to tell you of a talk ~J~ and I had in the wee hours of this morning.

Was I still interested in blogging was the question ~J~ posed to me. Did I want to continue or was I simply willing to go on out of some sense of obligation to a friend?

The reply was simple. I have always enjoyed working with ~J~ here at the Cafe but lately it has become increasingly difficult to find topics of interest which do not include the name Obama, and that folks is simply getting very old.

Gosh, when was the last time (not just in the past few months but the two years prior) that you went through a day without hearing the name Obama? Think quick…ah, didn’t think you could remember.

Perhaps we just don’t understand. Maybe hip and cool has indeed replaced dignity and honor. Could it be that most citizens want to have our government control most facets of their lives?

Have we come to a place where America’s strengths and her symbols are no longer what we look to in times of trouble? Instead, we crave the equivalent of a rock star (with little or no experience) to steady our ship?

Have you heard anyone in this administration express how appreciative they are to be living in the beautiful home we gratefully pay for? Last I recall, an escape was necessary, as life in the White House was too constraining.

And, on and on, and on..teleprompters, abs, fashion, Oprah, Leno, weekend vacations at Camp David, congo lines, very expensive steak, vegetable gardens and did I mention legislation which neither Congress fully read nor did Mr. Obama prior to affixing his signature to what is now law?

Long story short, we will continue to plug along here at the Cafe.
If there is something of substance which has not be addressed in a million other places (and this is speaking for me), then it will be worthy of a post, otherwise it is nothing more than regurgitated material.

It won’t be easy. There’s not much out there (mainstream media, not on-line sites) which either bashes former President Bush or showers glorious praise on Barack Obama, but with a little work I am certain it can be had.

There are no sour grapes here. Republicans did themselves no favors in the last election. There is much work to be done for them to rebuild themselves into viable contenders. I suppose they could begin by reinforcing the positives about America. We don’t hear much of that lately.

Guess what I am trying to convey is that we are both weary, not of blogging, not of attempting to show that every administration has its strengths and weaknesses, not of holding politicians feet to the fire when it is warranted.

The weariness comes from something much simpler. We are watching a transformation (in fast forward) of our country which will take generations to undo (if ever.)

So, on we go. For those who have hung in there with us, please continue to do so. We do appreciate your readership.

And, ~J~, hope you don’t mind that I laid a bit of our conversation out here for all to see.

I’ll wrap this post with a little Frank…all the way back in 1986 and while late in his career, he still sang this song with tons of feeling (it’s neat to see Ronald and Nancy Reagan too):

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Have you noticed the mood in the country recently?

Are we seeing more and more Americans who are not willing to simply hand over our country to those in Washington who have some plan to remake our great nation?

Has the press finally caught on that they facilitated the election of someone totally unqualified to be POTUS?

“You’re sitting here. And you’re— you are laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, “I mean, he’s sitting there just making jokes about money—” How do you deal with— I mean: explain. . .” Kroft asks at one point.

“Are you punch drunk?” Kroft says.

Barack Obama was going to repair America’s image around the world, remember? Yet he has managed in record time to insult and be dissed by several world leaders.

As for the bedrock of our economy, you know that little thing called capitalism, this administration, with the help of a Democratic Congress
is slowly working toward its demise.

More and more you read those who are depressed and feel helpless to remove this brand of hope and change which has been imposed upon our country.

Merle Haggard performed this piece of music back in 1983. In it he makes a number of statements which could easily be rendered appropriate today:

Let’s hope we can stop this snowball from running down the hill.
Make phone calls, send emails, attend tea parties if you can.

Inform the White House that you want a President who is accounted for in Washington once in a while.

California is nice, friendly territory, Camp David is meant as a retreat from months of sweat and toil, not an every weekend mini-vacation, and the Jay Leno show..well, very that’s just unbecoming the Office of the Presidency. Constant stories of social gatherings are tiresome when you have so many struggling to simply put food on their table.

And, for gosh sakes, why do we have to see any POTUS almost every day delivering not much more than another campaign speech. How about some quiet, honest to gosh governance?

2010 is not that far away. If you have the time give a hand to a Republican candidate who will be either challenged or the opponent in a House or Senate race. Don’t give up because of some skewed poll or a talking head who tells you the GOP has no chance…those games are getting old.

Remember when Ronald Reagan was elected. Many said he was exactly what the country needed at the time. Patriotism flowed from every vein in his body.

Does anyone see that enthusiasm for our nation or its flag exhibited now?

No, we are constantly told of all that’s wrong with America. Well, if we were so wrong up to this point, then mark me down on the side of wrong because all this change will leave this country bare and allow powerhouses such as China to continue to make major moves toward ownership of the United States.

We need a strong hand at the helm of government at this juncture in our history, not a giggling, teleprompter dependent, vacationing, party throwing individual.

There is serious work to be done, both on the domestic and foreign fronts, and its about time this administration take its responsibilities seriously.

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We did this to ourselves. We can blame Bush, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter and so on all the way back to Noah. But the plain, simple fact is we are the ones responsible for this economic mess we are now trying to clean up.

Depending on your politics there is enough blame to go around in both major political parties, from the Republican Congress going spend happy and acting like Democrats to Democrats such as Chuck Schumer, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd insisting banks were failing and causing a run on them, to insisting banks grant loans for mortgages to people who did not qualify for the loans.

We can blame ourselves individually or as a group if it makes you feel better. I’m not going to take any responsibility for it because I know how my husband and I have lived our adult lives.

We bought our first house in 1971 for $18,000, and a monthly payment (including escrow) of around $150. That was high for us and my husband worked two jobs in order for us to afford it and for me to stay home with our children.

Our children got older and money was tight so I went back to work over my husband’s objections.

We built the house we now occupy in 1979 for $39,900 and a payment of somewhere around $400-$450 a month, including escrow.

We were told we could have afforded a house for twice the amount, based on the formula the bank used, but we knew that formula was too rosy for us and we opted to build according to what we could safely afford to pay. Our house has been paid off for several years now and we never missed a payment. Nor were any payments late. We even paid an extra $100 or so a month to reduce the principal.

When interest rates dropped we refinanced. We did this twice and reduced the amount of years to pay back to fifteen at first and then ten later. Still we paid it off early.

Now we hear Obama wants to spend at least $75 billion to bail out people who over-extended themselves and are now behind on their mortgages because they were only paying interest anyway due to the prices of the homes they bought.

People like you and my husband and I are now going to be forced to subsidize mortgages for those who wanted it all and wanted it all then. No common sense; just a sense of entitlement, and now Uncle Sam is going to bail them out.

Uncle Sam is you and me. We are the ones who will foot the bill, along with our grandchildren three generations removed from us.

Congress passed the biggest spending bill in our history and is even now saying it’s not enough. We have to subsidize banks, auto companies, housing, medical care and anything else we haven’t been subsidizing before now.

According to the polls some of you think that’s just fine because you think you will benefit from the largesse. But remember, what the government giveth, the government can taketh away and can put such restrictions on it as to make you think you have touched a hot poker.

I worked for the telephone company and I lived under an umbrella of uncertainty about my job security from the time of divestiture in 1984 until my office was finally closed in 1998.

Every single time rumors floated or management threatened to close the office we would go to the drawing board and see where we were financially should I lose my job. We always had a plan and that plan did not include the possibility of me working and bringing in income for much time.

Somehow we managed to put children through college, buy new cars, pay all our bills and have some money for recreation all without having to ask anyone to help us but ourselves.

This is why I have no sympathy for those who failed to use common sense and make sure they could afford what they were getting even if their income dropped. *note* I am not referring to the people who played by the rules but had something catastrophic happen such as illness or personal circumstances that could not be foreseen.*

Obama and Biden each flew to Colorado for the stimulus bill signing, four days after it was passed in such a hurry because we were in a “catastrophe” situation.

Planes the size of AF One and Two, 757’s cost $50,000 per hour to use. Then Obama hopped aboard and flew to Arizona, where Sen. Jon Kyle says it’s a ten hour flight from there to Washington DC, all so he could tell a crowd 25 times in a single speech about housing that we are in a “crisis”. I don’t know if Biden went along for the campaign photo op or not.

TARP I was an “emergency”, stimulus was to avert a “catastrophe” even to the point of dragging Sen. Sherrod Brown away from his mother’s wake and flying him, at taxpayer expense, to Washington to cast the sixtieth aye vote. It was that “urgent”, but it took Obama four days just for staff to sort through the bill and get it all in order for him to sign with his $300 Mont Blanc pens. That and a million dollars to fly these two jokers to the west for a campaign trip.

I don’t know about anyone else, because I seem not to have a finger on the pulse of my own country anymore, but I have reached the end of my rope and it was reached as soon as I heard about this spendulus bill.

Barack Obama has already become so tired of the White House he now has to fly home to Chicago so he can go out to dinner with his wife. At the cost of $50,000 per hour for the plane (using 2004 prices for fuel) and who knows how much for his security staff to stay in or around his house to protect the family. I don’t begrudge him his time off, but in this economic “crisis” situation and for a weekend? He worked two years constantly so he could live in the White House and before he’s in office for a month he’s already complaining of how lonely it is. Should have thought about that two years ago.

They live in the White House! Couldn’t they have found a nice dining area where they could have had their chef (who was brought from Chicago because he cooks all those weird foods they like) fix them a nice meal?

This man who grew up on foodstamps eats food now I can’t even pronounce. I liked that Bush 43 ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. At least I can identify with that and he was brought up by aristocrats.

It is now time for the people of this country to tell Obama and all the people of his administration and the Congress that we are their employers and not the other way around. We get that you won and you can write the bills, but we also get that we can boot you out when you come up for re-election.

It’s up to us. Hold their feet to the fire or follow them like sheep to the slaughter. If you do the latter, America, I will not join you.

Want to see someone else express my feelings? Watch this.

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Following a link provided at Right Wing Nuthouse I discovered one of the best articles published on the stimulus package to date.

In addition to providing a comprehensive list of the projects which will move our economy forward, there’s this little gem:

Perhaps the worst part, however, appears in Section 1607 of the final bill. This section essentially says that if a governor refuses to accept stimulus funds allocated to his or her state, the state legislature can override the governor’s decision by passing a concurrent resolution. It means that governors, such as South Carolina’s Gov. Mark Sanford, who have said that they would not accept the money, could be overridden by their state legislative bodies.

Usurping the power of a states Governor is now acceptable in Washington.

What a pet project, pork filled power grab this is.

*Ms. de Rugy continues the breakdown of the bill here. It doesn’t get any better.

*Also: Dan Riehl gives us a glimpse of the topics to be addressed in the not too distant future (via CNN):

The following week, the president will host what the White House is billing as a “fiscal responsibility” summit on February 23. The goal of the summit is to begin weighing the impact of massive federal programs like Social Security and Medicare just days before the president plans to unveil his first annual budget to Congressional leaders.

Emphasis-mine

Remember when former President Bush attempted to address the size and scope of Social Security? Look no further than this:

The money quote from this video comes at approximately the 3:00 minute mark and is delivered by Senator Dick Durbin:

Do you want to saddle your children and mine with five trillion dollars of debt?

What a difference a few years makes.

.

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Sure boss, I know you’re right. Gee, please tell me more about what I should believe:

Senator Schumer has it backwards. He is duly elected by his constituents to do what is right and just by them. Oh wait, that must have been in another dream.

Add to that, Senator Specter informing us he made a commitment to someone (it sure wasn’t the American people or the folks in Pennsylvania) to vote for this monstrosity of a stimulus bill (all the while admitting he did not know the health care provisions were written in):

HT: Ed Morrissey

and you have a serious recipe for eventual citizen revolt. That is unless the right to protest is also denied under this ugly legislation.

For more on the Health Care Provisions check out Texas Rainmaker:

Get that? Your medical care will be reviewed by the federal government to determine if it’s appropriate.

Next time you call in sick to work, your boss will ask if you have a note from your government. Doesn’t it make you feel all hopenchangy?

Ah. No!

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Many thanks to reader INC for providing us the following links, each containing valuable information on the stimulus package which many of us hope to see go down in defeat:

Want read the proposed legislation (all 1588 pages) in its current form?

You may do so at ReadThe Stimulus.org.

Isn’t it interesting to read that the Congressional Budget Office believes the economy will recover on its own?

The Congressional Budget Office predicted that the current economic recession will end in the second half of 2009 without the trillion dollar stimulus.

SurgeUSA is chock full of links not only related to the stimulus bill, but to many other facets of government and other areas of interest to Americans.

Last, but perhaps the most important link, the contact information for the three Republican Senators who have at this point chosen to go along for the expensive ride proposed by the White House and the Democrats.

There’s not much time left for us to have our voices heard on this piece of legislation.

Please call, fax and/or email again today.

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Obama’s cabinet nominees are coming out of the woodwork over their tax cheating in the past couple of weeks. What the heck is going on? Doesn’t anyone vet these people? Are Obama and his Democrat Senate so confident and cocky they just know they can get any nomination through and to heck with ethics?

From The Washington Post, one of Obama’s enablers, comes the story that Obama’s Labor Secretary nominee has failed until now to pay back taxes that were as old as 16 years.

A Senate committee today abruptly canceled a session to consider President Obama’s nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to be labor secretary in the wake of a report saying that her husband yesterday paid about $6,400 to settle tax liens against his business — including liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years.

The report, by USA Today, came just before the Senate’s Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee was slated to meet to consider Solis’s nomination, which had been delayed by questions over her role on the board of the pro-labor organization American Rights at Work. A source said that committee members did not learn about the tax issue until today.

“Today’s executive session was postponed to allow members additional time to review the documentation submitted in support of Representative Solis’s nomination to serve in the important position of Labor Secretary,” read a joint statement issued by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the panel’s chairman, and Mike Enzi (Wyoming), the committee’s ranking Republican. “There are no holds on her nomination and members on both sides of the aisle remain committed to giving her nomination the fair and thorough consideration that she deserves. We will continue to work together to move this nomination forward as soon as possible.”

He nominates people who have worked hand in glove with the agencies they are supposed to oversee, such as Thomas (Sally Jessy Rafael) Daschle (think red glasses), who withdrew rather than have more dirt exposed, Timothy (Turbo-Tax didn’t tell me I owed taxes) Geithner, now withdrawn Commerce Secretary nominee Bill (I didn’t have contractors doing pay for play for me) Richardson and now Solis who is married to a man who has had liens on property for as long as 16 years and just now got them paid. Don’t even try to say she knew nothing about it.

Is it a requirement to be a tax cheat in order to get a cabinet position in this unethical and untransparent hope and change farce of an administration?

These are the best people America has to offer for these positions?

Maybe we should ask for a review of Obama’s tax returns because he might be as guilty of a “mistake” as his nominees and that’s why it never caught his eye.

I freely admit I did not vote for Obama, but I can also say that in all my years I have never been so disgusted with a new president in just two weeks. That span of time includes Jimmy Carter, so that’s saying something.

Let’s just take all the white collar criminals out of jail and give them cabinet positions. They are all so responsible to their government and in their private lives they will certainly do what’s right for the country in their new jobs.

When are these jerks and criminals (yes, tax cheating is criminal) going to be tried for their “mistakes”?

And they thought Scooter Libby committed a crime. Never mind the prosecutor knew who did announce Plame’s name and job and still went after Libby. Never mind he couldn’t properly cross-examine the now late Tim Russert to make absolutely sure his memory was perfect. Just throw the book at him. Thank God Bush was in office at the time or he’d be serving time in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, while these jokers are free and admitting their “mistakes” to anyone who will listen and will remain as free as a bird.

What hypocricy! When are you Obama voters going to finally open your eyes and realize he doesn’t care about you? He cares only about himself and his pricey food.

The next congressional election can’t come soon enough for me, but then those of you who are brainwashed or brain dead (I’m not sure what powers he has so I don’t know which is true) will probably put the crooked congress back in power to finish the destruction of this country they are only just now beginning and patting themselves on the backs for doing it.

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If I had not seen it , I would not have believed it.

Senator Lindsey Graham speaking earlier today about the bloated Stimulus Package:

Now if we could only convince the likes of Senator Specter that this is a bad bill.

I called is office and they say he won’t vote for the package if he doesn’t feel it will stimulate the economy, however, after the Super Bowl invitation the past Sunday, he seems to have moved to the Left in his thinking.

What did I say? He moved to the Left? He seems to spend a great deal of time there.

Anyhow, thanks to Senator Graham for showing courage and not accepting a bill just because the current administration needs some sort of win.

I wonder if anyone told them yet that the Democrats will own this legislation and so far public opinion is not in their camp..or maybe they just don’t care.

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