Healthcare Post Passage, Part I

So as you probably know, the US House of Non-Representatives voted by a margin of 219-212 in favor of taking over the healthcare of this country. I am perhaps most disappointed in the fact that by doing so they blatantly ignored what I and a vast majority of Americans wanted.

I want, then, to take a look at insurance. After all, this is the main reason the bill was passed- MILLIONS of Americans cannot get coverage. If you followed the debate from last year the number of uninsured dropped from 47 million to 32 million. How did that happen?

Did we change something? Did our system magically cover 15 million previously uninsured? I doubt it. More likely the reason is because the President knows the number is bogus all around. It has already been shown where the numbers come from and the real number is around 10-12 million.

Still, that is a lot of folks. An entire 4% of our population. It stands to reason why we should uproot our entire system. 96% of America is living large while these poor Four-Percenters are getting the shaft. Much better to be BROAD AND SWEEPING than FOCUSED AND TARGETED.

But I digress.

I want to discuss insurance as it has been displayed. First, the claim that the insurance companies are evil and greedy. They are out there raising rates at 40% just because they can; and at a time when America is really hurting.

Ok, so WHY did Anthem Blue Cross of California do that? Note that this was only for PRIVATE policies. No one under group (i.e. employer) plans was affected. President Obama even said it was unconscionable and chastised them for doing so. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius berate them because they raised rates after a whopping 2 BILLION dollar profit in 2009.

Wow. A profit of 2 BILLION! What was this company thinking? Taking a massive 2.2% profit while poor Americans are suffering. They are not like those wonderful guys over at McDonalds, who’s 10% profit margin is TOTALLY different. I would like to note that in the Balance Sheet of Anthem (their annual financial report) they sold a property for around 3 billion dollars. So that means (to the mathematically challenged) that Anthem actually LOST money.

Fire people or raise rates? As a business person, you have to do what is best for your business. I don’t claim to say that Anthem was right in the size of their rate increase. I am not privileged to their insider projections. But for once, just ONCE, can we quit demonizing everyone we disagree with and have a normal debate?

More tomorrow as we look at the Left comparing Healthcare mandates to driving insurance mandates.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Stimulate Me

The numbers are in and Glorious Leader’s cronies are touting the result of the $787 billion porkulus project. They say that we are in much better shape than we would have been, had we done nothing, but over at HotAir.com Ed Morrissey shows differently.

How’s about the president tout the latest Real Earnings report? Oh wait. Nothing changed.
What about how well it affected minority workers? Oh wait, they are still the hardest hit by unemployment.
What about the overall great affect it has had on the unemployment? Oh wait, it is still at 10%, with 85,000 jobs lost during the HOLIDAY season, a time when jobs usually pick up.

Watch your wallet, folks, if they think THIS is good, you know they will find a way to push through Son of Porkulus (which has already been brought up). These IDIOTS are going to kill us all dead before they are through.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Nuts Are At It Again

The entitlement generation is in constant motion. I see it in my oldest sons (twins, 17) when they refuse to do what we ask, but cry and whine and complain just as much when we do not do for them. I say that turnabout is fair play, or, do unto others as you would have done unto you, but what do I know. I also say that family is the most important group on Earth (though my time in the military took me away a LOT when they were growing up).

I have been concerned, then, over what seems to be this growing sense of entitlement in today’s America. And, it isn’t just the youth, which is to be expected. Kids are a bit selfish (in general) because we parents DO provide for them; some to extreme ends, but all of us at least for basic needs (psycho parents who dump their kids not included). But not only are the youth of today expecting to have everything handed to them, but those moving into adulthood seem to be of the same mindset.

Pushing the entitlement agenda from the root is the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). This vile group has been at the heart of corruption investigations all over the country. Its employees (and management) has been CONVICTED of fraud numerous times, and its parent organization spawns an unfollowable web of deceit and money laundering the likes of which would make Al Capone proud.

ACORN recently helped evicted homeowners break back into the homes they lost due to foreclosure and the media scarcely covered it. Some even agreed with them. Now, they are back in action. Instead of illegally cutting locks and getting people to squat in their old homes, the group is now encouraging citizens to mob financial institutions. It seems that ACORN is upset that these financial groups are not participating in a government program designed to lend people money who cannot afford it.

Huh. Funny. Isn’t that what got us into this problem? Unfortunately, for us and all concerned, ACORN could care less about that. They see a way of exploiting people’s ire at the financial groups who were portrayed as predatory and evil. ACORN does not want it known that those who took money to finance way over their heads are just as to blame; that the federal government that encouraged banks to lend to low-income families set the rules that allowed the entire system to fail.

America is on a downward spiral. All that has changed since Glorious Leader got elected is the rate at which we head toward the bottom.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Government Lies To Get Agenda Passed

The EPA recently published a report that calls Carbon Dioxide, the NATURALLY OCCURRING GAS, a dangerous gas that needs to be regulated. The entire purpose of doing this is to help buoy support for Glorious Leader’s global warming agenda, the main force being the upcoming Cap and Trade bill. I would like to note that this bill is over 900 pages long and gives the government nearly exclusive control over the Energy industry.

The projected cost of this legislation is debated, with cost-per-family ranging from $140 per year to nearly $3000. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has put the estimated cost at around $1200 per year. What people do not understand is that this tax is not a straight tax. The real deal is that everything surrounding energy- which includes trucks delivering foods, heating your home, cost of gas, etc- will be affected. So, you may not see a massive increase in your electric bill but you can be sure that everything out there will rise in cost. Don’t be fooled by the numbers being put out by the administration. They are lying.

To the point about the EPA, there was dissenting opinions that were blocked. The arguments were hidden and were not included in the published report, because it would go against the ‘administrator and the administration’. Now, however, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has put out the unfiltered version of the report. Unfortunately I think it is a bit too late. Congress will be voting on this today (Friday, June 26th 2009). The Wicked Witch of the West wants it done and off their plate before they go on vacation. Because, as we all know, pumping millions of CO2 molecules into the air as we fly from DC to California (in order to visit donors and get more bribe money) is much more vital than actually debating and coming up with a good energy policy.

Michelle Malkin has a great article and has been following the story. Check her out here, too, from an early report on the topic..

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

More Cap And Tax Omissions

If you want people to actually trust you, you have to do something worth receiving that trust. Of course, the US Government could care less about being trustworthy, as long as they are getting the opportunity to reign in more and more personal power.

Take, for example, the fact that the guy who (allegedly) wrote the upcoming Carbon Cap and Trade Bill, Henry Waxman. This guy wants us to trust him on his proposed legislation, but cannot even say for sure what is in it! Maybe, sir, if you would quit trying to bury billions of special interest crap into a 1200 page piece of crap, you might actually know what the hell your own law will mean.

Now, the government is putting the spin cycle on full force as they purposefully omit vital information from their (public-facing) numbers crunch. I imagine the real (privately held) numbers are more precise. Directly from the folks at Heritage.org:

Most problematic is their complete omission of economic damage from restricting energy use. Footnote three on page four reads, “The resource cost does not indicate the potential decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) that could result from the cap. The reduction in GDP would also include indirect general equilibrium effects, such as changes in the labor supply resulting from reductions in real wages and potential reductions in the productivity of capital and labor).” That’s a pretty big chunk of change to ignore. In The Heritage Foundation’s analysis of the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation, the GDP hit in 2020 was $161 billion (2009 dollars). For a family of four, that is $1,870 that they ignore.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

States’ Rights Now Gone The Way Of The Pontiac

For years, the 10th Amendment held that states had more power than the federal government. If a state decided that the fed had over stepped its bounds, they didn’t have to follow along.

Then there is the issue of the courts. I was under the impression that courts ruled OPINION but that it was up to the states to implement the ruling into law. States did not have to obey what the court said if they did not want to. Granted, most times the ruling was made to law, but many times it did not. Most times the court decision was followed because (I guess) people are stupid. I suppose this happens when we get away from teaching the constitution and begin to teach case law instead. It is so much more fluid and progressive.

Now comes the ultimate usurpation of a state’s rights. When the PORKULUS bill was passed, there was a section added that said if a governor elected to NOT take stimulus money, the state legislature could override him. Imagine that. The FEDERAL GOVERNMENT dictating what a STATE could do or not do.

In South Carolina, Governor Sanford refused the money. Well, actually, of the 2.8 billion coming their way, he had direct control over $700 million. He refused to take it. Bring on the idiotic liberal pinheads, including the HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT who has absolutely no idea what the hell she is talking about and a liberal court system and you have a decision that kills the right of a state to decide for itself what is best.

The court said that the governor has NO POWER to refuse ANY of the PORKULUS money. So, not South Carolina is giving up the fight and taking all of the money. As well, they are going to be strapped with all of the strings that come with that funding.

I truly feel for those who say they were going to lose their jobs because of it. Sorry. If I lose my job I will go on unemployment while looking for another. I don’t care about what kind of work. I will seek a job in my field, anywhere in the country, until I either find one or am forced to work outside my field.

The liberal mantra is always the same: we will cut services because we cannot find anywhere else to cut. So, people will cry out and scream bloody murder that those opposing the spending are hate mongers, anti-this or that or whatever other slanderous term they can think of.

I won’t say I hope that things turn from bad to worse just to spite them, that is totally against what I stand for. However, I firmly believe in the deepest part of my heart that this country is completely screwed. When the funding ends (imagine that, just in time for the 2012 elections) then we will be right in the same spot we have always been in, just a whole lot deeper in debt. Wat then? Shall we dig even deeper for even MORE money? When does the ride end?

I think the teachers that were losing their jobs SHOULD lose their jobs. NO, not ALL of them, but I have no doubt that a large portion of them spent years pressing the Progressive aganda to the hilt. Look where it has brought our country.

IDIOTS. They have killed states’ rights even further. Soon they will go the way of the Pontiac.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

A New Governmental Start-Up Business

UPDATE: Cronyism In The Dealerships Getting Closed
So your United States Government, never content with sitting on its laurels, has decided to get pro-active in this economy. According to most (in government) this is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. We need to act, act quickly, and act boldly. Which we did.

Now, however, we have taken a whole new step. We are now have our very own start-up business, called (per Michelle Malkin) GovMo. This is short for Government Motors.

Yes, folks, we now own some 70% of General Motors. As a first step we closed many dealerships. Some say we targeted those who supported the GOP more than those who supported Obama, but that is just hearsay. Well, OK, statistically, the numbers were found to be serious outliers, but the administration assures us that they were fair and equitable in determining just who got the ax. As well, those pesky GM guys who said that cutting dealerships was a bad idea (who will move our inventory?) but the White House called the shots on who got closed, should just be ignored. They are, after all, just disgruntled employees.

Add to that the notion that we have a 31-year old guy who almost graduated Yale in charge of the whole operation and you see that the current White House administration is all over this. They know what is best for you and I so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

They say that 30%-40% of new businesses fail after five years. Lucky for us we have all of this money to pump into our new start-up. Something tells me that the government will make damn sure this one does not go bankrupt. After all, the billions they put into it (because it was an emergency that we save this dying business and prevent bankruptcy) has worked wonders thus far.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Party Time, American Style

UPDATE: Check out the live tweets!

UPDATE: The pictures and videos roll in!

April 15th has traditionally been looked at with dread by many people. It is the day when the taxman cometh and taketh away all our hard earned wealth. Not to sound all EXTREMIST or anything, but has ANYONE ever found the law that says we are REQUIRED to pay Federal Income Taxes? After all, if the CONSTITUTION says that the only taxes authorized to be levied are direct (which must be apportioned- i.e. equal for all) and indirect (which are taxes on items that can be avoided, like gas and tobacco) then where are Federal Income Taxes (which are graduated, based on income) authorized?

Answer? They are not. We are not required by LAW to pay them. Of course, in saying so I shall now be toted off to a re-education camp, labeled a radical right-wing extremist and/or written off as a loon. Still, if you have the law available, may I read it? After that I will bring it to the Supreme Court, who has ruled numerous times that the Federal Income tax is not in law anywhere. Well, technically, they say that the 16th amendment never gave congress power to levy NEW forms of tax- i.e. Federal Income Tax. (And one district court judge, in 2003, commented that the amendment has never been properly ratified by the states!)

So any help you can give is appreciated. The more who visit and comment, the more I learn. So help me out here!

I hope to see you in Orlando today. It is going to be an EXTREMIST EXTREMELY great time.

Michelle Malkin has a great piece on the evolution of these events. Read the article, because you won’t find the information in the MSM anywhere (unless you are lucky).

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Make Millions By Bailing Out The Bailed-Out

A new plan by Glorious Leader’s team has come to light. Since Europe won’t help us by spending more money, the administration has hatched a plan to entice private investors to buy the troubled assets that are pulling banks down into an economic abyss. Even though they have, as yet, been unsuccessful in garnering private industry support the administration feels that these new “mutual funds” will be a great investment.

The funds, the thinking goes, would buy troubled mortgage securities from banks, enabling the lenders to make the loans that are needed to rekindle the economy. Many of the loans that back these securities were made during the subprime era. If all goes well, the funds will eventually sell the investments at a profit.

But, as with any investment, there are risks. If, as some analysts suspect, the banks’ assets are worth even less than believed, the funds’ investors could suffer significant losses. Nonetheless, the administration and executives in the financial industry are pushing to establish the investment funds, in part to counter swelling hostility against the financial industry…

…Perhaps more important than the money would be the political bonus of having thousands or even millions of taxpayers — whose portfolios have nose-dived during the crisis and whose tax dollars are financing bank bailouts and stimulus packages — profit from the toxic asset plan.

Did you notice the key line here?

there are risks. If, as some analysts suspect, the banks’ assets are worth even less than believed, the funds’ investors could suffer significant losses

I know, looking at how honest and open our government has been thus far regarding the troubled assets, there is no way in HELL I would ever partner with the likes of Bawny Fwank or Corruptible Dodd. But that is just me. Welcome to WWI redux.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Is this one of those “shovel ready” projects mentioned in the recent porkulus bill? I certainly hope not.

Between you, me and the teleprompter, I am hopeful that our city governments can find better usage of $180,000 in tax dollars. While I am all for needing to spend money to help upkeep local, state and federal buildings, putting up new art (ugly art at that) just for the sake of spending dollars is a no-go for me.

Thoughts?

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?