A few months ago I had no idea who Dede Scozzafava and Doug Hoffman were.  I still have no idea how to pronounce Scozzafava’s name.  However it’s hard not to pay attention when people like Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey are so vocal about their disagreement with one another.  Gingrich is a seasoned politician who led one of the most revolutionary movements in the history of our union.  That’s why it hurts me to have to say that he is DEAD WRONG in his support of Dede Scozzafava.  I’ve read quite a bit recently about Scozzafava and it is clear to me that she represents exactly what is wrong with the Republican Party.  Yes, there is nothing I want more than to see Princess Pelosi lose her job as Speaker, but at what cost.  We must ask ourselves; what kind of damage has been done recently to our party by liberal republicans.  How many times in the past few years have the likes of Snowe, Collins, Bono, and yes, “Benedict Arnold” himself Arlen Spector, given centrist democrats cover to vote for bad bills in the spirit of bi-partisanship.  With friends like this, who needs enemies?  It’s time to start putting a little more thought in the selection of candidates that the republicans are going to support.  I’m not saying they should be in lock step with the ultra conservative wing of the party.  Of course there is a large group of Americans who consider themselves moderate conservatives (more than likely the largest group).  The Republican Party should be attracting those people.  However, there should never be an endorsement of a LIBERAL candidate just because they have an “R” next to their name.   I have even heard a rumor that Scozzafava has plans to pull a “Spector” once in office (just a rumor).  Since her politics align more closely with the Democratic Party, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise.  You know how persuasive those guys can be.

Doug Hoffman is a true conservative.  His election as an independent would have tremendous implications for November 2010.  It would wake up a part of America that has lost faith in both political parties because of their mismanagement of OUR (NOT THEIR) resources.  It would energize conservative candidates who previously thought they had no chance against the power of the two behemoth political parties.   A victory by Hoffman would be huge!  A victory by Scozzafava would only be slightly better than that of Bill Owens, the democratic contender.

 

Senators Jim Webb and John Warner were two of the 13 democrat senators who did not stand with Harry Reid on Wednesday on the vote to carve out $247 billion from the healthcare bill for a “doc fix”.  “Doc bribe” would be a much better description of this attempt to not only urge acceptance of Obamacare by medical professionals, but to help make the overall healthcare package deficit neutral.  This would give the president cover when he signs the bill that WILL literally break the banks of every American citizen.  This particular vote hit Reid pretty hard because he was assured by the AMA (who like the AARP has no regard for what is in the hearts of the people they claim to represent) that there were enough republican votes to gain cloture.   Sure on the surface this looks good for the docs, but I think most doctors realize that this would have been the first step down that single payer road to nowhere.  You can bet Reid is livid with the 12 dems plus the semi-dem, Lieberman.  These gimmicks will continue and the test will be to see what kind of intestinal fortitude the likes of Webb and Warner have.  Will they listen to their constituents who want nothing to do with the bills that are being one-sidedly negotiated?  My prediction is that Warner will be the first to bend under the pressure.  He has shown himself to be a follower, and the group he is following is leading him straight out of office.  Once McDonnell has a few years to get the Commonwealth back on track, and Obama has a few years to run the country further into the ground, the Democratic Party will not have quite the luster it did during the “Kool-Aid drunk” election of 2008.  The so-called “blue dogs” who fight the leftward shift in the party may survive.  History could quickly repeat itself.  Just look at the period between 1994 and 2006.  The re-discovered Republican Party of 1994 went from a fiscally responsible party for the people to a bunch of corrupt, power hungry, spending fools.  It set up last year’s election that was one of the single most damaging events to ever happen to this country.  Everywhere you look there is “buyer’s remorse”.  And YES, I blame the Republican Party for losing their way.

On Saturday Sarah Palin pulled together a comprehensive analysis of most of the arguments (which are many) against the senate finance committee’s healthcare reform bill.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=155230603434&id=24718773587&ref=mf

Her main points were:

1)       To pay for a comprehensive program that cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, everyone is forced to buy insurance (which I may add is unconstitutional).  However the fines are much less than the cost of the policy.  People who don’t want coverage will simply wait until they get sick to buy, since they will not be denied coverage.

2)      The plan will impose heavy taxes on “Cadillac Plans”.  Those costs will be passed on to the consumer through higher premiums or lower wages.  Hardest hit:  Obama’s favorite group of constituents – those making less than $200k.  With friends like Obama; who needs enemies.

3)      Her counter to Obama’s pledge to not sign anything if “it adds one dime to the deficit over the next decade”, is so logical it’s almost laughable.  How many times have administration estimates on what something will cost, or its effects have been sorely off the mark?  Let me make my question a little easier.  How many times have they been right?  ZERO!

4)      Of course we’ve all seen the clips of “Campaign Obama” talking about transparency.  C-SPAN is still sitting by the phone waiting to be called into the negotiating room.  Don’t hold your breathe.  I heard that yesterday the Republicans were literally locked out of the room where negotiations were taking place.  Yes, they actually locked the doors.  We’ve sent a bunch of children to Capitol Hill to run our government.

5)      She posed the question that has all of us very concerned.  Will we actually know what’s in the bill before it is voted on?  And will our representatives vote on something they haven’t read.  That remains to be seen.

6)      Last, we all heard Obama mention tort reform in his speech given before the joint session of congress.  What happened to that?  Why should we believe anything that has been said when there have already been so many lies?

Sarah Palin got it right.  She has spent her time since leaving office finding her voice for the American people.  It’s amazing that there are still those who continue to belittle this woman of immense talent.  POLITICO called her piece “tough but wonky”.  Wonky?  (One-sided and weak)  Who uses that word?  Since the declaration of war on Fox News, I’ve noticed a more “controlled message” from almost all other media outlets.  It’s as though there is a concerted effort to marginalize any critics.  That’s dangerous and why the calm analysis that Palin gives is so important right now.

This week we’ve been given proof that Obamacare will not work the way they say it will.  On Wednesday the president in his “Nobel Peace Prize Laureate” compassion said that HE is going to send $250 to every senior citizen who receives Social Security because there will be no COLA next year.  This is one of countless blatantly political moves that this president continues to make.  He actually thinks he will be able to buy the good graces and support of the elderly (who are fighting mad about Obamacare) with a mere $250.  Please tell me it won’t work.  Quality elderly care is worth much more than $250!

However, the aspect of it that every conservative should be jumping on is how this proves that one of the keys to paying for Obamacare will not work when left to the politicians to implement.  There is no way they will make the cuts necessary in Medicare pay for the program.  No politician will alienate such a large constituency when the time comes to actually do it.  They will just blow a hole in the budget like they always do and the constituency that does not vote (our children and grandchildren) will be the ones to pay.  Perhaps Obama’s move on Wednesday was his “wink and nod” to the seniors.

I’m not saying this because I hate senior citizens.  My mom, who I love dearly, is one.  I’m saying this because the COLA was put in place for a reason.  The cost of living has not gone up enough to merit an increase in social security.  So why is it necessary to throw money around that simply isn’t there? 

The republicans must be ready to uncover all of the hidden little gimmicks that will surely be tried to get this catastrophe passed.  It’s time to earn the right to work for us!  And it’s time for the democratic “blue dogs”, some of whom must he scratching their heads over this lurch to the left, to stand up and take back their party.  I would love to see the “old” party of Patrick Moynihan and Sam Nunn.  I didn’t always agree with their politics, but they were and are honorable men.

Never in my life have I been more concerned about the future of my country.  That’s a pretty bold statement having lived through those horrible days just after 9-11.  The big difference; I knew then that my president loved our country and would do everything in his power to preserve our freedom.  Today it is our government that is single-handedly taking away that freedom that most of us hold so dear.  Case in point; why do the leaders at the white house and congress feel the need to do everything in private; especially the negotiations on the most important piece of legislation in 30 years.  Why has no one made our president answer this simple question?  Mr. President, what has changed in the past year that makes it necessary to take away the transparency on which you so passionately campaigned?  Many voted for you because they were tired of an “out-of-control” Washington.  Well what we have gotten is the “old” Washington on steroids!

My friends it is time that we start taking back our government.  We should be demanding that our representatives be held accountable for their actions.  We should demand that they tell us what they are doing!  Why can’t the American people see what is going on in these negotiations so we can let our representatives know how we feel about it?   I have pledged to call my representatives daily to 1) complain about the way they conduct their business and 2) scrap all current healthcare legislation and bring everyone to the table including the American people.  We all need to flood the phone-lines  at the Capitol every day until they listen.  We need to become ONE VOICE.

One thing is clear to me.  Barack Obama wants the United States to become just one of many nations in this world.  Surprising; you would think with an ego the size of the universe he would be a little more imperialistic.  But then it would be about the United States and not about him.  Barack Obama doesn’t even want to share the stage with his own country.  It’s my opinion that if he wants to go down this road, the first thing he should do is have us become an “equal” partner in the United Nations.  We currently contribute about $4 billion a year to this corrupt organization that does nothing but criticize our country for just being us.  This four billion makes up about 22% of the UN’s operating budget and 26% of the peacekeeping budget.  That’s not to mention the hundred of millions we give to the various UN humanitarian efforts like the World Food Bank, UNICEF, etc.  Then there is the 18 acres of prime real estate in east Manhattan which houses this foolishness; along with all of the red carpet we roll out for the various diplomats that, though they speak of us with distain, love living here. 

Why don’t we scale back our contributions equal to that of other countries in the world?  Why don’t we scale back our humanitarian efforts equal to everyone else?  Why don’t we scale back our peacekeepers to an amount equal to everyone in the world?  Why don’t we suggest that they go someplace else; like Brussels?

Why not?  Because if we did, this world would be in much worse shape than it is right now.  The countries of the UN rail against the United States every chance they get, but when a disaster hits and help needed, out go the hands.  Barack Obama’s worldwide fame is at the expense of this country, because he puts up with this, and has even become our number one critic.  The world needs a super power that is also compassionate.  The United States for many years has fit that bill.  Removing this country from that station by weakening it (as our president is doing), is a very dangerous thing for the world.  The void will ultimately be filled by much less scrupulous characters.  It won’t be a pretty sight.  Thank you Mr. President.

Just a few of the many questions that perplex me:

Why was Charlie Rangel’s job as Chief Tax Law Writer saved by the democrats yesterday; after Nancy Pelosi swept into the Speaker’s office in 2007 talking about how hers would be the most ethical House?

Why are democrats fighting ”full disclosure” of the healthcare bill by trying to block putting it on the internet for 72 hours before the vote?

Why does the president insist upon putting a date on the closing of Gitmo, when, first of all Gitmo works, and second of all putting those “bad guys” in our prisons would be asking for home grown terrorist activity?  Who cares if he promised to do it…he’s broken all of the other promises.

Why did it take two sub-thirty amateur investigative reporters to bring down one of the most corrupt organizations in the country?  Where were those high-paid investigative reporters at the major news outlets?

Why do the democrats insist on continuing the TARP “slush fund” while “Turbo Tax” Tim Geithner travels the world speaking about how we need make sacrifices and start tightening our belts?  Newsflash Tim, we’re already doing it…you guys are the ones that need to stop spending OUR money.

Why are the democrats still ramming through healthcare, “cap and tax”, and “card check” after the people spoke all summer long?

Why is it taking Obama so long to make a decision to help out our young soldiers who are in harm’s way, when the stimulus plan (which incidentally hasn’t worked) was just too important to allow anyone any time to read it...including the people who voted on it?  Makes a lot of sense especially to the families of those in the military.

Why is our president still campaigning and not leading ten months after taking office?

Why is our president breaking practically every promise he made during the REAL campaign?

Why are the democrats pushing a healthcare plan that hasn’t worked anywhere it has been tried?

Why is Creigh Deeds still in the Va Governor’s race, when he has given us no reason to vote for him?

Why do democrats have so much contempt for small businessmen who are the backbone of working America?

Why is the US government embracing the likes of Iran and Russia, and turning our backs on our historic friends like Israel, Poland and Czechoslovakia?

Why does our president insist on surrounding himself with individuals who have very questionable backgrounds?

Why is it not yet November 2010?

Why do we continue to fight this every day?  Because we love our country!

It seems that every piece of legislation that comes out of congress these days is aiming at a huge target on the backs of the small businessman.  Look at "Cap and Trade", "Card Check", and even the many forms of the healthcare bill.  Whether it be through onerous taxes, or additional regulation the federal government is doing their best to squeeze the small businessman out of the market.  There are only two explanations for this.  First, big business has a lot of money to throw around and frequently throws it towards our friends in congress.  Two, the stimulus proves that there are those in congress and the white house who would love to see all of us working for the government; since the only sector of business that has increased its job force since the stimulus was enacted is the federal government.

The latest in this line of battles for the small businessman is called The Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act (ITLEAA), introduced by Carl Levin, first in 2006 and again this past May.  This piece of legislation is being tagged as the "Sarbanes-Oxley" of small business.  It would subject small businesses to additional complicated reporting requirements that would more than likely drive some out of business, but worse act as a barrier to new people entering the market.  The result would be to line the pockets of accounting and legal firms and empty the pockets of our country's entrepreneurs.  All for the purpose of discouraging criminal activity that is rare and would not be alleviated by this law.

The Heritage Foundation does a wonderful analysis of the ITLEAA and what damage it could do to the backbone of this country.  Something we can ill-afford in these economic times.  Check it out at http://www.heritage.org/Research/LegalIssues/lm0048.cfm

Friends we must act to save the small businessman.  Write your senators and congressmen and express your opposition to the ITLEAA.  Here is a great example of a letter: 
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?letter_id=4044181646

Did you know that small businesses:

• Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.

• Employ just over half of all private sector employees.

• Pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll.

• Have generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years.

• Create more than half of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).

• Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers).

• Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises.

• Made up 97.3 percent of all identified exporters and produced 30.2 percent of the known export value in FY 2007.

• Produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms; these patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and International Trade Admin.; Advocacy-funded research by Kathryn Kobe, 2007 (www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs299tot.pdf) and CHI Research, 2003 (www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs225tot.pdf); U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

I heard an interesting analysis of the Barack Obama/Olympic fiasco yesterday from Dick Morris.  He suggested that Obama’s handlers may have taken into consideration the fact that the Olympics bid might fail, and thought it would be a “no-lose” situation.  He said they predicted the people on the right would be just a little too giddy over Obama’s failure and that would ignite the passion of the “Obama Lovers” on the left.  Morris cited new polling figures which show Obama at a 52% approval vs. last week’s low of 48%.  So perhaps there is something to what Morris says.  I consider myself to be a very patriotic person, and I have always had the utmost respect for “the office of the Presidency”.  However, there have been a few occasions in my lifetime when the man who held the office did nothing to earn my respect short of being elected to it.  Though I was young when Watergate happened it was hard not to lose respect for Richard Nixon; Jimmy Carter just never inspired me as a leader; Bill Clinton was a buffoon from day one; and now there is Barack Obama, a man who I truly believe holds great contempt for our country and our military.  So was Barack Obama’s personal failure something I relished in; perhaps, BUT only because I consider him and his policies to be very dangerous for my country.   My hope was that his failure could delay the very damaging legislation (healthcare, cap and trade, card check, to name a few) that is being rammed through Congress, until next November when, hopefully, the election will partially remedy this mess.  So is Morris correct?  Will this episode actually work in Obama’s favor?  Who knows, but the short attention span of the American people has certainly shifted.  I fear we are losing our focus.  Who cares if Obama was embarrassed?  That will be forgotten in a few months.  Passage of government-run healthcare will plague us and our children for the rest of our lives.  The next year will be a long and grueling battle, and the people around Obama will use every trick in the book to change the subject.  Because let’s face it; it was a heck of a lot easier to get things done in Washington when the American people were not paying attention.  We must be strong in our resolve.

Ouch!!!  Yes, yesterday was one of those days that Barack Obama would just as soon forget.  That fall back to earth to dwell amongst the mere mortals must have really hurt.  However, I'm not saying ouch for him.  I'm saying it for our country.  Who in the world would have guessed that our president would shirk his duties and spend millions in taxpayer dollars to travel to Copenhagen if he didn't already have that deal wrapped up.  I have heard many call him a narcissist, but have always thought that to be a little harsh.  Ok I have been convinced.  And because of it right now he looks like an idiot, but worse than that, it's just another in a line of things done by Barack Obama to damage the status of our country.  I'm waiting to see how he is going to blame this one on George Bush.  He continues to cheapen the office of the president by his constant apologies for this terrible country he represents.  Why would the Olympics want to come here?  He's spent the better part of nine months telling everyone why they shouldn't.  Well, I for one am sick of it!  Hey Barry, knock it off!!!  Maybe no one has told you, but you work for the American people!  Maybe you have true contempt for this country, but for the next three and one half years you need to hide that contempt and start representing us as a president should.  I honestly feel as if I am in Bazarro world.  How in the world did this guy fool so many people into voting for him?  Let's just hope the Kool-Aid has worn off, so we can go about the business of repairing the damage that this guy has done.

The longer we wait to take strong action against Iran, the more difficult the task is going to be.  The mood is right within the Iranian borders for a regime change.  All they need is an outside commitment from the governments of the freedom-loving nations of the world.  The question is…Who are the freedom-loving nations of the world?  Does the United States government (note: I say government; not people) make that list?  When our president is scolded by the president of FRANCE for being too soft, one has to worry.

In the very short term the nations of the world should stop all imports of refined petroleum into the country.  Currently Iran imports 40% of its refined petroleum.  This would increase internal strife and perhaps weaken the hold of the government on its people.  Unfortunately, many who know a lot more about this than I, say that the time for these sanctions have come and gone.  Unless there is an unlikely coalition between al l of the surrounding governments, ie the UN Security Council, an embargo would be very difficult to enforce.  In absence of sanctions, action against Iran would be to forcefully put an end to their efforts.  Unfortunately, our new president has shown no indication that he has the spine to even consider this option.

It’s almost as if the question about Iran has shifted.  It used to be…Are we willing to allow Iran to become a nuclear nation?  Now it’s becoming…How are we going to deal with an ultimately nuclear Iran?  That, my friends, is a scary question.

While all of our attention has been turned toward things like healthcare, the unveiling of yet another environmental bill, ACORN, SEIU, czars, and yes, the Olympics; congress has been quietly ramming through (the vote was once again very close to party lines) HR 2918, the 2010 Legislative Appropriations bill.  You know the bill that makes sure they get paid their salaries and all of the millions of dollars in perks (Trains, Planes & Automobiles) that come with their offices.  This was done while very little action has been taken on appropriations for the business of the people; such as defense, financial services, and homeland security.   In addition every amendment that the republicans offered in conference was voted down on a party-line vote.  The amendments were as follows…remember, all were rejected by the democrats:

·         Stop the closing of Guantanamo Bay and stop Mirandizing detainees in Afghanistan.

·         Prohibit funding for ACORN or its affiliates for the entire fiscal year.  The current order is temporary.

·         Eliminate TARP on 12-31-2009, so it doesn’t become a $700 billion slush fund.

·         Allow states to keep $8 billion in highway and transportation funds that are due to be returned to the federal government on 12-31-2009.

·         Stop payments for unelected and unconfirmed “czars “ for the White House unless they respond to congressional requests to report on their activities.

I started reading through HR 2918 so I could get a feel for what it costs to run this inept legislative branch and the numbers are staggering.  Salaries and expenses alone for the senate are $179 million and for the house $1.37 billion!  It’s no wonder our representatives quickly lose sight of their purpose when they step foot inside the beltway.  There’s just way too much money flying around up there! 

If that’s not bad enough, their desire to be re-elected every two or six years is not only to serve their constituents.   In fact it’s my opinion that servitude really has very little to do with it.  You see first of all our friends in congress are lucky enough to have jobs in which they control their own rate of pay, with no merit oversight.  Back in 1989 they decided that it was unseemly to have to vote on a yearly pay raise, so they passed a resolution that automatically gives them a cost of living increase.  They actually have to vote to stop it.  Sweet deal!

The second reason for their desire to get re-elected at any cost is the hefty pension plan available to this exclusive group of elitists.  Fully vested congressmen receive an average of their three highest paid years in congress or 80% of the final year, whichever is lower.  In other words at their current level of pay a fully vested pension would be at least $139,200.  Vesting takes place at 25 years, 20 years and age 50, or 5 years and age 62.  In 2006 the congressional research service said we had 290 people receiving pensions of an average of $60,972 and 123 receiving an average of $35,952.  Those numbers are going to rise exponentially in coming years since congressional pay has ballooned over 75% since 1990.  Did I mention this plan is partially funded by you and me?

Term limits are looking better all of the time.  Don’t you think?