The Demcare bribe list
Scroll for updates…Landrieu boasts that her payoff was $300 million, not $100 million…
The Most Transparent Administration Ever won’t keep this list.
The Most Ethical Congress ever won’t keep it either.
So we’ll do the list ourselves and shine the light on the payoffs and last-minute backroom deals being made as Demcare heads for the first test vote tomorrow. (On a procedural note, Hill folks note that “Senate Republicans started floor debate today at 11:00 a.m. and will continue until 11:00 p.m. to discuss the $2.5 trillion, 2,074-page health care bill drafted in Senator Harry Reid’s office” ahead of the Saturday cloture vote. C-SPAN’s covering.)
Here are the top five Demcare bribes. Keep an eye out on bribes/offers for Democrat Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska; Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas; and Evan Bayh of Indiana. Leave comments or e-mail any new info to add to the list.
Here we go:
1) MARY LANDRIEU AND LOUISIANA: $100 million via Jonathan Karl:
On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”
The section spends two pages defining which “states” would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that “during the preceding 7 fiscal years” have been declared a “major disaster area.”
I am told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana, the home of moderate Democrat Mary Landrieu, who has been playing hard to get on the health care bill.
In other words, the bill spends two pages describing would could be written with a single world: Louisiana. (This may also help explain why the bill is long.)
Senator Harry Reid, who drafted the bill, cannot pass it without the support of Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu.
How much does it cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million.
2) CALIFORNIA: $300 million, via LA Times:
Contained in the nearly 2,000-page House healthcare bill is a little-noticed provision — worth $300 million to California — that would increase federal Medicare payments to doctors in a wide swath of the state in response to complaints that low reimbursement rates have kept them from taking new patients.
Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel) was able to include a reimbursement calculation fix in the overhaul legislation. It was a testament to California’s political muscle in the House, where its delegation is the largest of any state and includes Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- San Francisco) and five committee chairs.
3) AARP
a) Via Philip Klein: $18 million in stimulus money
b) The Medigap royalty/kickback scheme
4) THE ABORTION LOBBY, via LifeNews:
Two leading pro-life organizations that have analyzed the new 2,000-page government-run health care bill released by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late yesterday say the legislation contains massive abortion funding and a fake amendment that does not truly ban it.
The Senate health care bill does not contain the Stupak amendment the House approved that stops abortion funding under the public option and affordability credits.
Instead, the measure contains a slightly-reworded version of the much-maligned Capps amendment, which a House committee approved on a partisan vote and which pro-life groups say is an accounting scheme to hide government-funded abortions.
“Reid has rejected the bipartisan Stupak-Pitts Amendment and has substituted completely unacceptable language that would result in coverage of abortion on demand in two big new federal government programs,” National Right to Life legislative director Douglas Johnson assured LifeNews.com late Wednesday.
“Reid seeks to cover elective abortions in two big new federal health programs, but tries to conceal that unpopular reality with layers of contrived definitions and hollow bookkeeping requirements,” he continued.
Rep. Lois Capps, whose amendment was deleted when the House adopted the Stupak language, has applauded Reid’s language.
“It appears that their approach closely mirrors my language which was originally included in the House bill,” she said in a statement.
Johnson notes that Reid’s bill establishes the public option and authorizes (on page 118) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions throughout the public option program.
“This would be federal government funding of abortion, no matter how hard they try to disguise it,” he says.
He also says the bill creates the affordability credits — new tax-supported subsidies to purchase private health plans — and that these government-funded credits can be used to purchase health insurance plans that directly pay for abortions.
Attorney Mary Harned of Americans United for Life, has also examined the abortion sections of Reid’s new measure, which she says “provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. ”
“The bill includes pro-abortion language and mirrors the false compromise Capps Amendment from the House debate — it allows the public option to include abortion coverage and provides federal subsidies for private plans which cover abortion,” she said.
5) BIG LABOR
Via Houston Chronicle, Goodies for labor tucked away in health bill:
While higher-profile aspects of health care reform drew attention, pro-union legislators slipped a variety of big benefits for labor into the proposed legislation. Quietly tucked among the proposals’ thousands of pages, these provisions have avoided much scrutiny.
One provision epitomizes the nature of this ploy. According to research firms, unions are woefully short of funds to pay their retirees’ anticipated insurance claims. Thus, under the House resolution, union leaders who have mismanaged these plans for their members could receive up to $10 billion in taxpayer-funded bailout money, innocuously referred to as a “reinsurance program.”
Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Under the proposed public option, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius would wield tremendous discretionary authority to regulate participating health care workers. She and various federal panels, where the unions would have guaranteed seats, would take the lead in recommending health care policy. Thus, labor would have considerable influence over decisions affecting most doctors, nurses and patients.
The House resolution establishes a scenario that would effectively exclude non-union employers from eligibility to work on program-funded contracts. It also requires participating health care providers to pay wages and benefits that have been collectively bargained or that union-friendly appointees determine are competitive. This is plainly a move toward coerced unionization. With guaranteed seats at the table, unions are poised to control many newly formed oversight posts and/or committees, formed in connection with new employer mandates and cooperative health care associations.
Yet another provision would establish lucrative state training partnerships that contain little or no opportunities for non-union employee organizations. Provisions in Senate proposals would exempt union-negotiated health care plans from taxes on “Cadillac” health plans.
These features all encourage more unionization. The unions know that under Canada’s nationalized system, union membership among all health care workers is 61 percent, compared to just 11 percent in the U.S.
Increasing membership similarly in this country would swell labor’s coffers with as much as another $2 billion in dues.
In fact, Senate proposals include language that could force home health workers into unions. Disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former California Gov. Gray Davis used this approach to repay political debts to the SEIU in their states. They reclassified state-reimbursed home health contractors as state employees, thus forcing them to pay union dues. Again and again, it is apparent that these union-friendly proposals have nothing do with improving our health care system.
From Mark Mix:
In the heated debates on health-care reform, not enough attention is being paid to the huge financial windfalls ObamaCare will dole out to unions—or to the provisions in the various bills in Congress that will help bring about the forced unionization of the health-care industry.
Tucked away in thousands of pages of complex new rules, regulations and mandates are special privileges and giveaways that could have devastating consequences for the health-care sector and the American economy at large.
The Senate version opens the door to implement forced unionization schemes pursued by former Govs. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois in 2005 and Gray Davis of California in 1999. Both men repaid tremendous political debts to Andy Stern and his Service Employees International Union (SEIU) by reclassifying state-reimbursed in-home health-care (and child-care) contractors as state employees—and forcing them to pay union dues.
Following this playbook, the Senate bill creates a “personal care attendants workforce advisory panel” that will likely impose union affiliation to qualify for a newly created “community living assistance services and support (class)” reimbursement plan.
The current House version of ObamaCare (H.R. 3200) goes much further. Section 225(A) grants Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius tremendous discretionary authority to regulate health-care workers “under the public health insurance option.” Monopoly bargaining and compulsory union dues may quickly become a required standard resulting in potentially hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses across the country being forced into unions.
Ms. Sebelius will be taking her marching orders from the numerous union officials who are guaranteed seats on the various federal panels (such as the personal care panel mentioned above) charged with recommending health-care policies. Big Labor will play a central role in directing federal health-care policy affecting hundreds of thousands of doctors, surgeons and nurses.
***
Update: More sweeteners…
With all 40 Republicans in lockstep opposition, all 60 members of the Democratic caucus had to vote yes — and that gave each one an opportunity to extract concessions from Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) won a promise from Reid to support his plan to expand eligibility for health insurance. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) got Reid to jettison a provision stripping health insurers of their antitrust exemption. Landrieu got the concessions for her money. And Lincoln won an extended, 72-hour period to study legislation.
And the big shakedown is yet to occur: That will happen when Reid comes back to his caucus in a few weeks to round up 60 votes for the final passage of the health bill.
Update: Wheeling & dealing: Snowe pow-wows with Obama; Landrieu, Schumer, Daschle behind the scenes.
Update: Cash for Cloture!
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I am of the mind that if there is not an absolute uprising over this, then we are forever doomed.
Duh One, Dingy Harry, and SanFranNan are bound and determined to cram this thing down our throats whether we want it or not.
Hurry up 2010!
The revolution is coming…it is going to be ugly. God Save the USA.
Duh One, Dingy Harry, and SanFranNan and a host of other vermin constitute “The Urkel Crime Family” 2010 cannot come soon enough.
This is one of the biggest grabs for power ever in our history, by one of the most corrupt governments we’ve had. If ever this thing passes, along with all the climate change bills, we will be completely under their control, in every facet of our lives. The sad part is that many Americans don’t care, dumbed-down over time, or believe in the society “enemies” that the government claims (like health insurance and the “rich”)
Lieberman has rolled over for the Obamaroids.
Remember this?
I’m afraid it ain’t gonna stop until ALL our money and freedom has been sucked away…
Yep, the unfortunately reality is that is how legislation gets passed. Everyone is looking to get their back scratched.
It does not just happen with healthcare. Sugar producers support milk producers, milk producers support peanut producers, peanut producers support corn producers, and corn producers support sugar producers.
Not saying it is correct, just saying that is how things are done.
Be interesting to find that woman who said that and find out just how much help she received. If Duh One came over every morning and filled her gas tank for her. If every month Duh One came and paid her bills for her.
I will not be surprised if the thousands of pages needed to draft the health care bill for the House and the Senate, 95% (I’m being generous here) of the pages are devoted and targeted to benefit special interest groups and the rest addresses the real purpose of the bill – health care reform -.
It’s all about POWER and CONTROL. This massive looting of the nation’s treasury and its future earnings is the means by which these corrupt administration and congress rewards the special interest groups such as SEIU, PHARMA, AARP, AMA, and etc…. for their support.
It does not make sense to completely change the current health care that’s approved and supported by the majority of Americans to benefit 15% of Americans that are uninsured. Why not just create a “safety net” to reimburse health care providers for the treatment of the uninsured. The annual cost of this program will probably in the 10′s of billions of dollars and not the eventual trillions that will cost the taxpayers if the current proposed bill is approved. It’s tantamount to the complete replacement of the car’s engine when all it requires is to replace or at worse, charge the battery.
***
What did anyone of sane mind expect? The Senate does not work for the American People–they work to enrich themselves. And like the old adage says, “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!”–aka BRIBE. Holding out gets our “representatives” bigger payoffs to sell us down the river.
***
And you ain’t seen nuttin yet. Wait until the “reconciliation process” is used to cram this C**P SANDWICH down our throats with 51 votes. There will be a bunch more “midnight amendments” slipped in at the last minute.
***
It’s time to “tea party” these turkeys over Thanksgiving when they go home. Getting voted out in 2010 and 2012 is the only thing they fear.
***
John Bibb
***
But it’s not real money, it’s Obama Money, that he gets from his stash.
Mary Landrieu reminds me of the old joke attributed to Winston Churchill. I won’t relate the whole thing, but the punchline is, “Madam, we’ve already established what you are. This is just the negotiation process.”
I’m not sure just how that crowd can stand in front of that backdrop and behind that podium with a straight face and to top it all off, there stands Dingy Harry with his hands honestly and sincerely crossed over his chest.
Harry is probably trying to keep the last scrap of integrity (as miniscule as it may be) from leaping out of his chest.
They should all be struck by lighting for striking such a pose!
PUHLEEZE!!!! Honest leadership, open government???
“Ain’t nuttin’ but a gangsta party…”–Tupac
I about fell out of my chair when Michelle linked something that supported her take from the Houston Comical. Her link was from last week and written by a local attorney that represents management in labor disputes. True to form, todays editorial extols the virtues of the house plan written by the local chapter president of the AFL-CIO. Would have been nice to see these articles side by side.
Lovely links once again, Mrs. Malkin. Thank you.
Now, there will be an advantage to obtaining precription medications, even if over-the-counter works for you. I’m curious what purpose this is supposed to serve. If I have sinus and allergy problems and I buy Advil over the counter for them, how is this not a medical expense?
Now, now, be fair. If Obama can ram his agenda through, we won’t have to worry about gas payments or mortgage payments. We won’t have cars or houses.
The Democrats are buying these votes with OUR TAX DOLLARS!!!
Anybody who votes to force this horrendous health care bill on the American people needs to be VOTED OUT OF OFFICE IN 2010!!!
We need to provide real reminders that we will vote them out of office in 2010 by actively supporting candidates who are running against them!!!
The most visible way to support conservative candidates is to donate to their campaign before the December 31 FEC reporting deadline.
Every incumbent will be looking at the 12/31 FEC reports to find out how much money the candidates who are running against them have raised.
A sudden surge in fundraising for conservative candidates before the Dec. 31 reporting deadline will send a loud and clear message to the incumbents in Washington DC!!!
This is in pursuit of our efforts to motivate the most qualified people to gravitate to the health care industry, right?
The Hill reports that Ben Nelson will vote yes on the motion to proceed on the health care bill on Saturday.
Landrieu has presumably already been bought.
It’s down to Blanche Lincoln.
If the government disapproves of the way you spend your money, they will tax extra. To add insult to injury, they seem intent on doing it in a form that violates the most privacy and creates the most paperwork possible. (If you’re going to have to pay extra tax on your surgery, the government needs to know you had it…)
Been calling Lincoln all morning…..line constantly busy.
Not fair Michelle! That pic of Dobby the house elve clutching his chest caused me to momentarily forget my Christain ethics!
With regard to Louisiana, in particular, the devastation of Katrina – Anywhere else in the country that suffered horrific losses from tornados; earthquakes, hurricanes, etc the locals have cleaned up the area and moved on with their lives. Not New Orleans. It’s still a mess I understand.
Just like refusing to leave your home when a fire breaks out until the firemen arrive to carry you out, so went the citizens of New Orleans both during and after the damage.
The nanny state only fostered total dependence for people who used to fend for themselves with a bit of common sense.
And what’s worse, the people are moving right back into the flood plain and suing the Corps Of Engineers for not maintaining the levies. No one mentions the money that was stolen by the local politicians that was supposed to be set aside for repairs over the years.
These people do not deserve any “special” amendments to further their dependence on Uncle Sugar.
I hate to say it, but “D’UH!!!” That’s only what Democrats DO with our money. That’s the ONLY thing that Democrats do with OUR money. Doing what they are currently doing with OUR money is what has made them as powerful as they are today. And in the meantime, they create a voting base that has no stakes as tax-payers, who only GET from the government dole.
The Democrats have never hurt themselves with this sort of dolling-out of our money to people who have no stake in this country and its future, so what makes you think that doing it to Senators as a bribe to get them to vote for this “health care bill” abomination is going to cause an uproar?
Not only that, but those of us who operate our own business will see our corporate taxes go up 10% and our private health insurance sky rocket. I’m spitting nails right now, I’m so mad.
Everyone in our office is calling, faxing and emailing Landrieu. Her lines have all been busy all morning. I hope it helps!
Gawd! Those banners “Honest Leadership; Open Government” make me sick!
To paraphrase the Bard, ‘A crook by any other name…’
those that have money will sooner or later leave the country while they still have $$, they will startup again elsewhere…then there won’t be any money…you can bring everybody down to a 3rd world cesspool level but you can’t raise everybody up to a 1st class nation…there will always be have’s and have’s not…it just the nature of the world…they’d best be building a lot of prisons and/or camps…hitler/mao/pol pot/castro are all seeing their legacies overtaken by this present administration and congress…God help us to rise up and stop this nonsense….
None of this is good for America.
None of it.
They are selling us out. I hope Reid chokes on his bill.
Let us not forget the bribe for trial lawyers in the House bill:
So to get the grants states that have real medical malpractice reform (like Texas) would have to repeal the laws.
zzyz; that is also how you go from 400 billion in 2008 fy, to 1.4t in 2009 fy. any damn fool can bankrupt any organization, and obama is going to prove he can bankrupt america. next name for our country, northern cuba or venezuela?
Next time the Senate wants to bribe its members, could they do it with their own money and not OURS!
It won’t.
“I know what my constituents want, but it’s the lobbyists that will make me rich.”
Since our votes, phone calls and emails don’t matter, maybe our last resort is to boycott those businesses that are a large part of the problem. Where is a leader to put some action together? I email my Senators, Feinstein and Boxer, and all I get is a letter of arrogant dismissal and phony justification for going against the polls. I feel sick to my stomach, a prisoner/slave to a modern day criminal regime.
If so, we will just have to campaign against her and vote her out. I let her know that too.
Waiting for the picture at the top of this article to burst into flames. “Honest Leadership Open Government” indeed. Can we sue for false advertising?
ECS
Add Nelson to the yes vote list.
Okay – explain this to me:
There are 100 senators, right? Two from each state?
40 Republicans + 1 Independent = 41
Leaving 59 Democrats.
Don’t they need 60 to pass cloture? How can they get it if Leiberman and the Republicans are voting NO?
So, how are the Obamacrats going to deal with not paying the prevailing fees for unionized health care workers for Obamacare, Medicaid and Medicare?
In my opinion, there has been too much focus on the cost of this behemoth and not enough focus on stranglehold it will have on our freedom and liberty.
I have not heard one word from any of the Republicans Senators–or from anyone here either. That word is ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL”, Helloooo, people where exactly is it in the Constitution where it says the Federal Government can force anyone to buy something they don’t want, or else??? Where does it say that you can be put into jail for not complying?? This bill is not only obscenely expensive but it is unCONSTITUTIONAL!!!
Health Care does not come under the enumerated powers, the “General Welfare” or the “commerce clause”. It IS a STATES RIGHTS SOVEREIGNTY issue… that would be the 10th Amendment which IS in the Constitution. Email, phone or fax your Senators and remind them of this pesky little detail…..
After seeing this video, I’ve realized that it’s going to take something tragic unfortunately to turn this country around.. There is an incredible amount of Tyranny going on in our Government, & treasonous acts are getting to be common place, Check out this video of Murtha blatantly fixing a vote, & stating that he is not to be questioned by anyone.
http://danleereport.net/2009/11/21/democrat-john-murtha-commits-the-most-deliberate-act-of-tyranny-ive-ever-seen-in-the-house/
When are We the People going to march on the Capitol and drag these “so-called patricians” out and give them what they so richly deserve? The time is now to take our country back from these thieves!
The MSM are just as much to blame for the Dems actions. They deliberate cover up the facts they the DNC doesn’t like.
It is sad when we have to consider the fact that a majority of Senators may say yes to a bill that could put Americans in Jail for not buying insurance the government likes.
These bastards need to be voted out and term limits put in place.
Actually, it applies to 2 states. People forget that Katrina hit Mississippi, not Louisiana. It just stubbed its toe on La and only affected the state from New Orleans south and east. If the levees had held NO would have just had a little minor wind damage. It made landfall in Mississippi and destroyed 1/3 of the state.
I have no doubt the section is a bribe to Landrieu since we have 2 Republican senators.
He has always been a snake but a clever snak.. He’ll vote for closure which takes 60 votes and then vote NO on the bill it’s self. He is a phony and fraud and always was: John McCain’s twin. And of course the Medicare Supplement package did not include Mississippi-they vote wrong.
The day of reckoning is coming.
Picture this under this administrations plans. You have been living in a house for 15 years and have 5 years to pay off. One day a team shows up at your house and evicts you, replacing you and your family with a family supporting the government give-away. You and your family are on the street with nothing except the clothes on your back. It is called socialism.
back door deals could sway a RHINO member or two…that’s all they need…again Steele should issue an order all GOP members will walk off the floor save 1 to issue the following statement:
This is unconstitutional, we will not participate! Have a nice day…you own it….
Where are the commentors that kept saying this would NEVER pass the Senate? Seems to me it has a better than even chance particularly when you throw in the corruption of the congresscritters.
And an earleir comment from ByCoice is correct. This is ALL unconstitutional from the very start. But when has tha ever stopped the statists before?
Lock and Load, and let’s go kill a commie for mommie. It ‘s going to come down to that.
You can all believe that somebody somewhere is going to reverse this irreversible onslaught. But you’re all just dreaming…just as you were when you thought John McCain might win, or that Obama was going to do the right thing for the Afghan war.
Or that the Czars would not try to execute beyond their powers.
Or maybe you all weren’t thinking at all.
Wake TFUp
A government that murders it’s young should be cursed by G-d.
You citizens complain too much! Be grateful for your loss of liberty, huge deficients, taxes and unemployment. Know that more is to come, so stop complaining.
And may Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri soon have something to complain about himself.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver is a half wit and always will be a half wit. Just ask most of the people in KC.
Where is the ACORN funding?
After all, there’s an election coming in less than a year.
“Where are the commentors that kept saying this would NEVER pass the Senate?”
Right here jj. And is it passsed yet?
“You can all believe that somebody somewhere is going to reverse this irreversible onslaught.”
If you think it can’t be reversed then I’d say you need to back to a basic civics class.
“That word is ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL””
You mean even if its “passed” it may not actually be enacted?
Imagine.
Lieberman said he’ll vote yes for a debate, but if the final bill contains a public option he’ll vote no. From Politico:
I cannot figure this out either. I also think that this whole congressional power grab is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Just another pork-filled, earmark-stuffed POS commie-congress power grabbing piece of crap legislation named “health bill”, the misnomer of the century. Drunk with power, our government places it’s boot at our throats and pulls the rope tight around our arms. This is the most disgusting, vomit-inducing, pile of maggot dung ever to emerge from our congressional outhouse pot hole. Our government has deceived us and it needs to be replaced. Dear congress, DON’T YOU DARE EVEN THINK ABOUT PASSING THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATIVE CRAP OR YOU WILL BE VERY VERY SORRY, I GUARANTEE IT. THIS WILL TEAR OUR NATION TO PIECES AND YOUR GOLDER GOOSE WILL BE STONE DEAD FOREVER.
This health care bill process and the fall out from that process continues to be the greatest gift that frankly was unimaginable a year ago.
Just look at what the public now knows about Obama and the left. And you can see the impact what that knowledge has done to public opinion.
2010 and 2012 keep looking better and better.
Let’s not lock and load those M16′s just yet folks……
And here’s another colateral result that is most excellent.
As short a time as maybe 9 months ago when I would say out loud that AARP sucks and its nothing more than a leftist lobbying group and do NOT support AARP folks would look at me like I was nuts.
Now they look at me and join in the dialog and are fully convinced about the true nature of AARP.
Quite the good thing.
“Monopoly bargaining and compulsory union dues may quickly become a required standard resulting in potentially hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses across the country being forced into unions.”
The unions do not control nurses. Can’t speak for doctors. But nurses and how nurses “nurse” is controled by the state via state legislatures, nurse practice act, state nursing boards, stuff like that.
Unions might impact staffing, hours worked, pay, etc., but when it comes to how nurses nurse, unions are not involved.
fg…
“Wake TFUp”
People have awakened. And the best evidence that this is so is the left’s forcing their legislation through despite knowing what it will cost them politically. Awakened people are making it clear that we do not want socialized medicine in the majority. The left knows people are awake and are acting as quickly as they can knowing they won’t have another chance.
Thing is legislation can be reversed. Its a stupid shell game they are playing and it will end up gaining them nothing and costing them a lot.
Its great to see.
Hi, jsm, I was wondering when you would bring your optimism here.
The bill hasn’t passed yet, but the odds are greater today than just a few weeks ago.
I really hope you are right.
TIME TO ABORT CONGRESS!
F@#$^%& B@$&@#%%!
Even if the bill passes jj, the world is not ending and America is not the USSR. Nothing being done today in Congress is some kind of ever lasting edict. I do not understand why “conservatives” in their rush to claim the sky is falling seem to be losing their minds about how our government works and where the power resides.
Is there work needing to be done?
Well sure.
Is our life over and we are suddenly by edict all going to be communist?
Hardly.
The brighter the light shines the more we see about the differences between the left and big government types and conservatives.
All good.
Even if the bill passes jj, the world is not ending and America is not the USSR. Nothing being done today in Congress is some kind of ever lasting edict. I do not understand why “conservatives” in their rush to claim the sky is falling seem to be losing their minds about how our government works and where the power resides.
Is there work needing to be done?
Well sure.
Is our life over and we are suddenly by edict all going to be communist?
Hardly.
The brighter the light shines the more we see about the differences between the left and big government types and conservatives.
All good.
“the odds are greater today than just a few weeks ago.”
Sorry but I disagree. Nothing has changed about the odds. Nothing has changed about the players and their points of view. What we are seeing today is exactly what has been “seen” about Obama and the left for some time.
Nothing is going to change about them either.
This is why we need to keep them out of power and out of office. Not just now but forever.
Are we playing the Ted Kennedy drinking game?
his name was just invoked by leaky leahy
jsm – you are assuming that the majority of the country still believes in limited government, that we are still a conservative nation. Maybe we are, though the recent election indicates maybe we’re not. To anyone with half a brain Obama was an open book about what he planned. 54% liked what they saw. And they gave massive power to the collectivists in Congress.
Then you have the special interest, single-issue voters. If a new law or new person in office will put more money in their pocket then these people will support the law and the new congressman, despite the consequences to the nation. (e.g. union members)
My worry is these people now outnumber the limited government crowd.
Whether this monstrosity of a bill passes, I think the true test of our future will be in November 2010. The choices will be clear. Then we will see if enough voters of this country still believe in freedom.
(By the way, I am not an advocate of giving up and running to the hills. We stay, we fight, we never give up.)
JJ,
Will the choices be clear in 2010?
People need to be active now to impact the primary races. We need to read riot
act to state parties. If people wait
until november 2010 it will be too late.
“assuming that the majority of the country still believes in limited government, that we are still a conservative nation.”
Not assuming anything. We are and most do believe in conservative ideals.
To further honor his Kennedyship leaky leahy should get cancer and die-preferably before the vote tonight: the world would be a better place if he would do this great honor.
“People need to be active now”
Yep. Work to be done now. Hope folks are getting involved.
And folks need to focus on why conservative ideals are the best way to run this country and bring prosperity to as many folks as possible. We need to focus on why conservative ideals are good. We need to stop being chicken little’s about every single piece of “news” that points out why the left is screwed up.
We need to teach and sell conservative philosphy and we can’t do that if we have no audience.
Reagan’s simple, “Well there you go again….” reply as he moved from the leftist crap and right into teaching about conservative principles and spent almost no time freaking out about the left.
The left is the left. Obama is Obama. Expect more of their crap not less. We have to stop letting them frame us and creating Pavlov dogs out of conservatives.
The way we stop is, is WE stop reacting. They are not going to stop it.
Remember when you were a kid and your parents said “If you stop getting upset your brother will stop teasing you…”
Think that might apply now to us conservatives?
We have work to do. Get busy and do it. Nothing is set in stone and we the people can undo and redo anything Obama does today, tomorrow or in the next few months.
Az,
If he would cooperate with that I shall muster a tear
Me I’d like to be under contract for producing commercials for conservatives in 2010 and 2012. Talk about an easy job that will look like it will have a huge impact.
The amount of footage the left has provided in the last year that will be used against them is mind boggling.
JS,
Totally agree as Rush says never let a lib establish the premise.
Congress wouldn’t add a clause that insisted Jews and Muslims must eat pork. As a devout Catholic, for Congress to mandate that part of MY taxes fund abortions is the equivalent.
Whew made it through the first hour of dems now the GOPers are underway for next hour.
DT,
hey now what are you a pig farmer trying to drive up cost?
beef has yet to recover from that darn atkins program.
Here’s the text of a form letter response from Evan Bayh. Can anyone read between the lines here and figure out how he’s going to vote? I can’t.
Believe it or not, there is still a possibility that the final bill that emerges from joint committee later gets vetoed.
Those warnings we heard all week about US market bubbles by China, Germany, the EU (Trichet), PIMCO’s Bill Gross, and elsewhere may at first seem irrelevant to this, but we are at the brink of an economic implosion. While the rest of the world was printing money to create jobs and clean up their banks, we have been printing money to re-inflate our equity and bond markets and prevent the real estate market from resolving its problems. The rest of the world is in shock.
Our “too big to funtion” US banks keep manufacturing toxic debt while Congress and state governments keep coming up with endless ways to destroy our economy.
It’s all about the eoonomy, the WH knows it and you can feel their panic. It may sound counter-intuitive to expect Obama to veto what is sure to be the most obnoxious joint committee version of the Obamacare bill but a “hail mary pass” may be the only option left for an administration to hold on to its power and influence.
My bet is that this bill will suffer the same fate as the amnesty bills, Cap and Tax and John McCain: defeat.
THIS IS INTERESTING!!!!!
I have called Evan Bayh’s direct number at the Senate today and first I got a message that said the call didn’t go through. I tried again and I got Ben Nelson’s voicemail (his mailbox is full) and the third time I went to the main switchboard and it asked for an extension (I didn’t have one). Finally, reached Bayh’s number and his mailbox is also full. I think the Senate phone system must be about to fry! So everyone, pick up your phones and CALL!!!!
For those of you who are sophisticated about financial markets and the global economy, take a little time to consider the implications of finding the largest economy in the world, whose currency serves as the reserve currency for the rest of the world, now serving as the central lender for the international “carry trade”.
We are creating a global economic bubble too big to even contemplate. It’s as audacious and insane as any plot from a James Bond movie.
“What comes after “trillions” Mister Bond?”
What does it even mean once that much debt explodes in our faces?
“once that much debt explodes in our faces?”
Once? As in not happening now?
Phil,
The carry trade bubble is going to burst no question. The question is who will be the PRICK that pops it?
My guess is the runt whose name starts with S and ends in S and gleefully worked for the SS….
Soupy Sales worked for Social Security?
I have been calling Landrieu’s number all morning and getting the same. Since I have no ext # I get disconnected.
Email or send FAX
dont let them shut your voice down
Is there a site that list the home address of the Senators and Representatives. They usually have at least two. It that could be published, we could carry the protest to were it counts.
Is there a provision in the house bill or senate bill where the government will have direct access to your bank accounts through electronic funds transfer? There is so much online about it, it’s hard to know what to believe.
I am beginning to wonder if they shut down the system during controversial times-Shamnesty, Cap and Tax, this-it would be unethical and immoral thus typical for congress and Fedzilla.
But call I shall and now wait with baited breath for the next Tears for Cash letter from John McCain–I have some new 5 centavo coins for the lad.
http://www.senate.gov/
In the upper right corner there’s a place to “Find your Senator.” A drop-down will appear and you choose your state. Then your two senator’s contact info will appear! GO!
While I want to encourage folks to make their voices heard IF you are thinking the reason our congressmen are supporting the government take over of health care is because those congressmen don’t know how you feel than you are mistaken.
They know how you feel. They don’t care in the face of what they think they are on the verge of doing. They think they are on the verge of doing what their little leftist hearts have desired for some time. They think they have a chance to take over your life and to take the chance that they will actually do so is worth the risk they are taking in ignoring the majority of folks in the country.
They already know most of us don’t want government run healthcare. Us telling them that again isn’t going to change their minds.
What their behavior indicates is they think the country actually runs the way they think it does. That IF they can just pass health care we will always have socialism. In the same way they act as if the President is elected to be a king.
They are wrong of course.
Telling them more and more how you feel about the health care bill isn’t going to make any difference. They already know.
What will make a difference is replacing these big government socialist in 2010 and 2012 and undoing what they are trying to do. Reminding them once again we are a republic and the power is in the citizens, not the government.
Who was it that said the day they start voting favors for themselves is the end of America?
That day is here.
I’ve been watching WWII In HD on History all week. It makes me want to cry to see how far we’ve fallen.
This is the problem that no one wants to address in the media…this has NEVER been about improving healthcare. Nothing in any of the bills that has ever been proposed has been for that puropose. It’s all payback, bribes, and pork.
If it was about lowering the costs and improving insurance coverage, Congress could simply tighten the regulations on insurance companies to prevent abuses and then make the profits on health care policies non-taxable or give a dollar for dollar credit for the additional expenses involved.
Instead, they add additional fees and taxes on both the insurance companies and medical equipment manufacturers to INCREASE the costs of health care.
Oh yeah, those death panels that aren’t in the bills, how about the HHS panel decreasing the screenings for cancer and saying not even to self check for cancer?
Oh, believe me, I remind Evan Bayh in every email I send him that I will be watching and if he votes for this monstrosity, I will devote time and money to anyone who opposes him. I always tell him that Hoosiers voted to send him to DC and we can/will vote to send him home. Furthermore, I asked him to “how dare he think he knows what’s better for Hoosiers than Hoosiers themselves.” I told him there’s NOTHING that Harry Reid can promise him and the state of Indiana that would be more valuable that the freedom they’re about to strip away from us.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET.