August 5th,
2009
Dear Liberty Activist,
Your efforts in the grassroots to rally
opposition to ObamaCare have caught the attention of a nation, and
importantly, the controlled media and their patron at the White House,
all of whom are Hell-bent on discrediting you.
The reason, of course, is that your
vigorous efforts are effective at putting direct pressure on members in
key Congressional districts throughout the country. And that makes it
less likely that the House will be able to muster the votes necessary
to pass the onerous $1.5 trillion monstrosity.
At the least, what you do on the ground
means there will be a stiff political price to be paid should members
ignore their constituents and cave in to Barack Obama's strong-arming
tactics. They want to muscle the votes, and only you can stop them.
Washington's goal is to take over the
nation's health care system, now the best in the world. Over 200
million Americans receive health care privately, if you want it.
This is a choice you will not have if coverage becomes mandatory.
Another 80 million already receive their coverage from the government,
to which Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid propose adding
another 45 million to government rolls by guaranteeing some level of
coverage to those making $43,000 or less.
With an average premium running at $4,700,
this will likely cost more than $200 billion annually when fully
implemented, and even more as private insurance companies and medical
institutions begin going insolvent and private options dry up.
Remarkably, proponents have promised to
implement their plans without adding to the national debt—a lie on its
face. The only way to expand coverage to 45 million without adding to
the debt is to reduce care in other sectors of the population. In other
words, to ration care—which will result in the quality of everyone's
care being watered down in order to cover "all Americans."
That is not health care. That is welfare,
and wealth—and health—redistribution on its face.
The members of Congress and Barack Obama
know it, which is why they—and their willing accomplices in the
controlled media—are so intent on discrediting your efforts to expose
their sinister machinations for what they really are.
Just
yesterday DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said, "The Republicans and
their allied groups - desperate after losing two consecutive elections
and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill - are inciting angry mobs
of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street
lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health
care in America taking place in congressional districts across the
country."
So, what sorts of "unruly" questions are
you actually asking that are disrupting the Left's "thoughtful"
discussions?
In
June in NY-CD1, Congressman Tim Bishop had a town hall meeting—one
of his last—where one lady, who was opposed to the plan, asked, "I am
recently retired, I have a nice little pension, and I don't want to be
taxed to pay for other people's health care. We have 47 million
uninsured. For 35 years, I paid a percentage of my health care. And I
like it, it's good. I don't want to be shoved into a government-run
socialistic health care program. What is your position on it?"
Congressman Bishop said he understood the
lady's anger. Yet he still supported the legislation. The fact is, this
was her opportunity to tell her Congressman what she thought. And her
comments were not "thoughtless," they spoke to the concerns of several
constituents at the town hall who applauded and cheered when she spoke.
In
Largo, Maryland, Robert Broadus of Clinton in the audience of a town
hall meeting did not want to buy health care. He asked the
following, "I decided not to get the health insurance. That's working
out for me because I'm able to save that extra money and give it to my
family members and use it on myself. Senator Cardin, I want to know are
you going to tell me, an individual, that I have to buy health care or
else you're going to fine me $2,500 every year I don't get it?"
He added that, "Our founding fathers
assured us we have a Bill of Rights and I want to see you uphold that."
Senator Ben Cardin in response did not deny
that Mr. Broadus would indeed be fined. Instead, Senator Cardin asked
what would happen if Mr. Broadus got sick, accusing him of the soaking
the system at the expense of others: "You don't pay. You are part of
the population that shifts its costs over to a person who does pay, and
they're paying for you." Or, what if he just paid out of pocket,
Senator Cardin?
In Wisconsin, Congressman
Steve Kagen went so far as to accuse participants at a Green Bay
meeting of being "uncivilized." You can see for yourself portions
of the meeting, and see that while Green Bay residents are indeed
angry—and they have good reason to be—that the opposition to ObamaCare
at the town hall was absolutely overwhelming. And yet, Kagen doesn't
get it—he still supports the bill, and his only response to
constituents is to question their civility rather than address their
legitimate concerns.
You get the picture. These are not the
questions and concerns of an "uninformed," "unruly" mob. These are the
questions and concerns of highly motivated, deeply concerned citizens.
They just happen to be in opposition to government-run socialized
medicine, which makes those citizens and other critics like
yourselves—targets of the Obama Administration to be discredited
nationally as "kooky."
We need to tell members of Congress they
cannot hide from their constituents by attacking them as "uncivilized."
They have the audacity to accuse you of not listening, when it is they,
clear as day, who are not listening. Your concerns over the legality
and costs of socialized medicine are legitimate and informed. Click
here for a list of 40 Blue Dogs who signed the letter
against ObamaCare in July, promising not to support a proposal that
was not "deficit-neutral". Again, the list has been expanded to include
email addresses, district office addresses, phone numbers, and fax
numbers.
And again, for those of you who do not have
Excel, here's
a .pdf version of the same list. We're targeting these
representatives because ObamaCare will not be defeated without at least
40 Democrat votes against the bill in the House. There are only 178
Republicans there—not close to a majority—thus necessitating bipartisan
opposition.
In today's Liberty
Action Report, the Senate must not rubber-stamp radical
Obama nominees, Barack Obama more closely resembles another Batman
villain, and the Barstool Economist returns analyzing the Endangered
Species Act. Plus, the New York Times reports on ALG President Bill
Wilson's "clarion call on Monday for protests against Representative
Tom Periello."
Please send your letters to me at Robert@getliberty.org. We
publish all points of view—even when they adamantly disagree! Today,
for example, Jay Firsching of Texas writes:
"First,
let me say that despite your claims that you 'publish all points of
view,' I have yet to see you do so.
"As for
health care, one has to wonder from where you are coming with your
arguments. You don't seem to have anything constructive to offer.
"If you
are wealthy in America, you get great health care. If you are middle
class in America, you get good to adequate health care. If you are poor
in America you get crap health care. That is just the way it is… I
don't question that the issue of reforming health care is problematic.
That it will be difficult and to do so without breaking the bank will
be challenging. What I question is the total lack of rational
discussion from folks like you. I question your policy of fear
mongering, negativity and distortion. I question the fact that you
would rather launch personal attacks on the president than make
reasoned arguments for how we might protect the most vulnerable in our
nation.
"Ironically,
you go another step. Not only do you fail to offer rational and
reasoned input to solving the problem, you actually attack the very
idea of looking at the issue intellectually, with reason and careful
thought. You say that being intelligent about the way you look at
things is uppity. That it was smart people who did things like cause
the Holocaust.
"Well, the
reality is, it was smart people who manipulated stupid people to do
such bad things. I put you in that category. You are an intellectual in
knowing how to use fear, distortion, hatred and scorn to influence the
least educated in our nation. And in doing so, you hurt the very people
things like health care reform are intended to help the most."
We thank Jay for writing in, of course. And
we do publish all points of views, even when we clearly disagree, for
example, with depictions of LAR readers (including you) as "the least
educated in our nation" or likens our staff to the perpetrators of the
Holocaust.
The fact is, the American people should be
afraid of the government taking over the entire health care system. It
will break us financially and truly ruin the quality of care in our
great nation. Period.
As ALG President Bill Wilson recently
noted, Mr. Firsching has come closer than any in the Obama
Administration has to admitting this whole plan is just a welfare
scheme. We are going through this entire exercise and the nation is
being threatened so the socialists can give free health care to a small
portion of the population. This is income redistribution on a massive
scale. And the American people should not have to put up with it—or
remain silent.
And thank goodness, you aren't! Please let
me know of anything we can do for you here at ALG headquarters—and in
the meantime, please keep fighting the good fight!
For Liberty,
Robert Romano
ALG Senior News Editor
www.getliberty.org
P.S. Support Operation Private Option? Help
us out with a small donation today!
Open Source & Copyright Free
Editorial:
No Senate Rubber Stamp for Obama Nominees
Fourteen upcoming appointments definitely deserve a closer
look and dissent, not a rubber stamp.
More
Closely Resembles
Some looking at the Obama Socialism expected something much
different.
The
Barstool Economist: Endangered Species and How Honest Intentions Go
Extinct
What happens when noble intentions meet corrupt politicians?
ALG
in the News: Health Plan Opponents Make Voices Heard
The New York Times quotes ALG President Bill Wilson on the
opposition against Obamacare.
Editorial:
No Senate Rubber Stamp for Obama Nominees
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is
planning on utilizing a unanimous consent resolution on 14
controversial nominations by Barack Obama this week, just days before
the Senate leaves for its August recess. These nominees range from the
radical to those with a conflict of interest to the least experienced
politicians ever appointed to key positions.
And unless Senate Republicans object, they
will all be rubber-stamped and eased into office without any debate or
vote.
According
to the U.S. Senate website, a unanimous consent agreement is a
"unanimous consent request setting terms for the consideration of a
specified bill or other measure. These agreements are usually proposed
by the Majority Leader or floor manager of the measure, and reflect
negotiations among Senators interested in the measure."
Many are so-called "time agreements," which
limit the time available for debate and specify who will control that
time. Others state which amendments can be included, if any. Others
still contain other provisions, such as empowering the Majority Leader
to call up the measure at will or stipulating the time for
consideration.
In a press release, ALG President Bill
Wilson said, "Barack Obama has made some of the most radical
appointments in U.S. history, and these 14 nominations in particular
should be subject to a recorded vote at a minimum."
Americans
for Limited Government has published a brief background on each of the
14 nominees stating the organization's objections. Here are five
that warrant particular interest:
- Cass Sunstein (Admin. Off. Of
Information and Reg. Affairs, OMB): Favors giving animals right to sue,
favors limits First and Second Amendment limits, and "would like
another Bill of Rights to guarantee employment, food, clothing,
shelter, education, recreation, and health care."
- Arturo Valenzuela (Asst. Sec. for
Western Hemisphere Affairs): Very poor record on freedom in Latin
America (see below).
- John Fernandez (Asst. Sec. of Commerce
for Economic Development) "John Fernandez approved the spending of $1
million of taxpayers' money for the demolition of a building on private
property. He later took a job with the property's owner."
- Patricia Smith (Solicitor for Labor
Dept.): "Designed a program in NY to use community activist groups to
enforce wage and hour laws…" deputizing union officials "to shake down
employers that are organizing targets of the union."
- John Sullivan (Commission for FEC): Was
a longtime union counsel in election cases. According to the
background, "FEC regulations already strongly favor unions compared to
other entities and such concern exists about how he would push the FEC
regulations as regards issues such as 'member communications,' a
loophole that unfairly benefits unions while muzzling other entities."
While Majority Leader Reid may have a
particular political interest in expediting the confirmation of these
nominees before August, there is nothing to prevent each of them from
being subjected to roll call votes, where every member can have his or
her say on the fate of the nomination. And, equally important, the
American people can learn the full facts.
The American people have a right to know
where, for example, their Senators stand on the confirmation of Cass
Sunstein, who favors giving animals the right to sue in court and
constitutionally-guaranteed health care and education.
Or Arturo Valenzuela, who has supported the
Obama Administration's meddling in the constitutional governance of
Honduras, and even has gone as far as to serve as apologist for Hugo
Chavez's crackdown of press freedom. Chavez's record is nothing short
of appalling: he has censored some 34 radio stations, and just this
year, he
threatened to shut down Globovision because the television station
criticized the Venezuelan dictator. Globovision is the only channel
left in Venezuela where citizens can hear criticism against Chavez.
As
ALG News has previously reported, Valenzuela defended Venezuela's
crack down while serving at Freedom House, and sits on the advisory
board of Americas Watch with George Soros, a group that supports
reinstating Manuel Zelaya to power in Honduras.
Senate Republicans may not have the votes
to defeat these nominees. But they do have the right as senators to
block a grant of unanimous consent on nominees whose opposition should
be recorded forever in the pages of the Congressional record. These 14
deserve a closer look and dissent, not a rubber stamp.
http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1438
More
Closely Resembles
ALG Editor's Note: William
Warren's award-winning cartoons published at GetLiberty.org are a free
service of ALG News Bureau. They may be reused and redistributed free
of charge.
http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1437
Endangered Species and How
Honest Intentions Go Extinct
By Justin Williams
On every issue, whether its health care,
taxes, or the environment, both sides give their points and
counterpoints, the people are polled, and then comes the legislation.
After the new bill hits the President's desk and he signs it into law,
the pundits end their polls and battles and move on to a different hot
button issue.
But, of course, this is never where the
story ends.
Most people do not realize what goes on
behind the scenes after a law is enacted, and that's a major reason why
Public Choice Economics was invented. Take for example the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). This bill, passed in 1973, with the stated intent
was to protect the lives of certain important species of animals that
were supposedly "endangered."
Sounds innocent enough…even noble
Both sides usually agree that something has
to be done on the issue, but then the debate moves to whether it should
be done through private or public means. And that's where the fleecing
takes place.
The private plan would be what the United
States did with the bison that was quickly going extinct. The private
plan allowed ranchers to own, breed, and sell them just like cattle or
chicken. As a result, now there are plenty of bison all around America,
proving that the profit motive can save animals – without forcing the
taxpayers to finance bureaucrats.
The public plan through the ESA, on the
other hand, holds major negative consequences on economic activity. The
bill authorizes the government "to acquire land for the
conservation of listed species." Not to mention the many other highly
costly regulatory authority is given, including the statewide
limitations of certain pesticides in various states (below from the USDA).
But what makes the ESA especially dangerous
"solution" is that it gives government bureaucrats the power to take
land and seize property at any cost.
And that's not all.
The ESA gives the authority of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Services' (USFWS) funding to the Interior
subcommittee of the House Appropriations committee. This committee
holds substantial power over the bureaucrats who make key decisions in
the ESA program.
Economists E. Patrick Rawls and David
Laband have found
that "for the entire 28 year period of [their] analysis [states
with representation on the committee] had an estimated 46 fewer ESA
listings than a state with no representation" on that committee. In
other words, congressmen who sit on the committee use their budgetary
powers to keep the number of ESA listings down
to protect their states' economies.
What is even more interesting is that these
economists found no empirical relationship between population density
and the ESA listings, which seems counterintuitive, as conservation
groups have often blamed population growth for the extinction of
animals.
Public Choice Economics has been called "politics without romance," and
there is no doubt that the romance left a long time ago between
congressional leaders and the cuddly animals that ESA was meant to
save. Nowadays, as politicians simply are more interested in getting
reelected than standing on principle.
So whether one agrees with the ESA or not,
when a politician says "Save the Animals," the one animal whose hide he
protects is the two legged variety sitting behind the ornate desk in
his own oak-paned congressional office.
And yet there's more.
The truth is, these congressional leaders
wouldn't be caught dead proposing the highly successful privatization,
as in the case of the bison, since that would remove a powerful tool
for reelection.
So the next time there is a hotly debated
issue, the solution is not to hand important powers to Congress and
bureaucrats, since the only endangered species they really care about
is the American taxpayer – only so that they can continue to sheer them
on a daily basis.
Justin Williams is the Senior Commentary
Editor of ALG News Bureau and, as always, he accepts any questions or
comments about the Barstool Economist at Justin@getliberty.org.
http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1436
ALG Editor's Note: The
following commentary quotes Americans for Limited Government's
President Bill Wilson on the ongoing opposition to Obamacare.
Health Plan Opponents Make Voices Heard
By DAVID M.
HERSZENHORN and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON —
Senator Arlen Specter and the health and human services secretary,
Kathleen Sebelius, were heckled and booed in Philadelphia on Sunday.
In Austin on
Saturday, a throng of protesters enveloped Representative Lloyd
Doggett, Democrat of Texas, at a supermarket where he was trying to
meet constituents. They carried signs that said "No Socialized Health
Care" and chanted "Just say no!"
…
In Virginia, Bill Wilson, the president of Americans for Limited
Government, a conservative group, issued a clarion call on Monday for
protests against Representative Tom Periello, another freshman
Democrat. Mr. Wilson urged residents of Mr. Periello's district to
"hold rallies, demonstrations, tea parties and protests in opposition
to Barack Obama's insidious efforts to take over the health system."
http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1435
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