Big Government

Dems Ditch ‘Deem and Pass’

Publius — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:19:30 +0000

Top Democrats confirmed Saturday that the House would hold separate votes on the Senate healthcare bill and the reconciliation bill, making fixes to it.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), one of the chief deputy whips, Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), all of whom said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won’t use the tactic of deem and pass for healthcare reform.

The move effectively kills the “deem and pass” strategy Democrats had been eyeing to make changes to the Senate bill through a rule on the bill, which at the same time would have deemed the original Senate healthcare bill to have passed the House.

The House appears set now to move toward an up-or-down vote on the Senate healthcare bill, as well as a separate, up-or-down vote on the series of changes to that bill. There will still be a vote on the rule, as there always is for a piece of legislation, though it will not package the two bills together.

Read the whole article here.

VP Biden Says Obama Plans to ‘Control Insurance Companies’

Warner Todd Huston — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:01:55 +0000

The indispensable Jake Tapper of ABC News took an interview with Vice President Joe “Foot in Mouth” Biden that contains a nugget of information that tends to prove that Barack Obama intends to destroy America’s insurance industry and place it under the full control of the federal government.

Tapper asked VP Biden what he’d been hearing from the members of the Democrat Congress that are vulnerable over this healthcare debate and Biden’s reply let slip the administrations ultimate goal; full government control of the insurance industry. (My bold)

BIDEN: Well, I yes. Some of them I say they say, well, Joe, look, man, I mean, you know, you guys haven’t massaged this very well. And, you know, this thing has gone on so long, I don’t know. And my response is, hey, man, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I’m telling you, you know, pre-existing, they’re going to be covered. You know we’re going to control the insurance companies.

Granted Joe Biden is the court jester of the Obama Administration. He is a fool of the highest order. It would be easy to dismisshis words. However, the idea that Obama wants to take full federal control of the insurance industry fits quite nicely with Obama’s claims as a candidate — that he was for a single payer plan all along.

Barack Obama fully intends to destroy the health insurance industry and replace it with a socialist nationalized healthcare program.

Call your representatives in Congress and tell them to vote “no” on this un-American legislation.

Congress Switchboard: (202)224-3121

Why Michigan is the Worst: Moronic Governor Proclaims Today ‘Meatout Day’

Kyle Olson — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:31:59 +0000

If anyone has ever wondered why Michigan has had the worst unemployment rate in the country for nearly 50 months, or why its state government repeatedly spends more than it brings in, here’s a reason: we have morons for leaders. We really do.

I swear other governors look at Michigan’s policies and do the polar opposition, with good reason.

Adding insult to the ailing meat industry, Governor Jennifer Granholm proclaimed today, Saturday, March 20, “Michigan Meatout Day.” Apparently the Tofu Lobby got to the governor and she sided with them, instead of the farmers and meat producers of Michigan.

Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 20, 2010, Michigan Meatout Day in Michigan. In observance of this day, I encourage the residents of this state to choose not to eat meat. Eating a healthy diet can be fun. Explore the different recipes that can be created by using fresh ingredients and by having a sense of adventure.

From Michigan Information and Research Service, a daily state capitol newsletter:

Granholm Press Secretary Liz Boyd said the Governor gets hundreds of requests to make official proclamations and the office tries to be accommodating whenever possible. She said folks are reading too much into the proclamation.

“It’s March Madness this Saturday, and I’m sure there will be a lot of people eating chicken wings and burgers regardless of whatever the Governor writes in a proclamation,” Boyd said.

Then why waste the paper, governor? If you’re so accommodating, how about a proclamation acknowledging your lack of success in getting Michigan back on track? How about admitting your “jobs plan” isn’t worth the paper it’s written on?

Actually, I’ve got the perfect final proclamation idea from our illustrious governor – I’ll even provide the wording:

Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim January 1, 2011, Granholm Free Day in Michigan. In observance of this day, I encourage the residents of this state to celebrate by setting off fireworks (only those that don’t leave the ground, of course.) Celebrating the riddance of me can be fun. Explore different ways to celebrate, like cutting taxes, reducing regulations, and becoming truly business-friendly.

In case Granholm hasn’t figured it out, “Michigan Meatout Day” is a good example of why Michiganders are counting the days until we have a new governor, regardless of party affiliation.

ObamaCare: The Slaughter House Three

Dr. David Janda — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:29:38 +0000

In Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel, Slaughterhouse Five, the main character, Billy Pilgrim, is an American POW who hides in a meat cellar as Dresden is being fire bombed.

In 2010, the Slaughterhouse Three, Obama, Pelosi and Reid, shove every American in a meat cellar as they fire bomb America with their rationing-based health care plan. ObamaCare is a plan designed to strip Freedom and Liberty from every American.

Obama, Pelosi and Reid now have decided to avoid an up/down House vote on the Senate Bill and to enforce the “Slaughter House Rule”. In other words, when you do not have the votes, just change the rules, pass the changes to the bill and pretend you passed the “real” bill. Previously, the public was outraged that members of Congress did not read the bill prior to voting. This is even worse. With this latest charade, Obama, Pelosi and Reid are forcing House members to pass the bill without voting on the bill. …So much for a democratic republic and The Constitution.

The latest version of ObamaCare is troubling on many fronts. ObamaCare takes control of every American’s health care life. This plan would not improve the current system, and is fatally flawed because it:

Rations and denies access to healthcare. Denying access to healthcare is the most inhumane and unethical means of cutting costs;
Costs $1 TRILLION ( $100 Billion more than The Senate Bill) ;
Creates over 110 Federal Agencies, commissions and boards;
Creates The Health Insurance Rate Authority….a direct violation of States’ Rights;
Establishes a “ Comprehensive Database” on Americans;

Establishes Individual and Employer Mandates (Mr. Obama’s own Chair of Council of Economic Advisors has stated that this alone would cost 5.5 Million jobs….more unemployment.);
Institutes $748 Billion in new taxes;
Cuts Medicare by $500 Billion, over a period when 30% MORE Americans will be added to Medicare rolls, (You do the math…);
Imposes $136 Billion in tax hikes on working families making LESS THAN $250,000 (Americans for Tax Reform Analysis);
Ends Medicare Advantage Program for Seniors and forces them to a more expensive plan with less benefits;
Applies Medicare Tax to unearned income;
Increases Medicare Payroll Tax from 2.95 to 3.8%; and
Increases unfunded mandates on every State.
Increases Capital Gains tax rate as of 2014 to 23.8%
Creates 16,000 jobs for the IRS to implement penalties for those not buying insurance

The Slaughterhouse Three, Obama, Pelosi and Reid, have authored the legislation that will make every American a POW, strip them of their Freedoms and Liberty and shove them in a meat cellar for cold storage. So how is that Hope and Change working for you now?

Podcast: Obamacare’s Endgame

The New Ledger — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:29:34 +0000

Those of you eager to listen to this week’s Coffee & Markets will have to wait til Sunday (we want to see how things turn out on Capitol Hill), so here’s a brief podcast from TNL Editor Benjamin Domenech with a few thoughts on the eve of health care reform’s final vote, including: “Obama’s dedication to passing this spectacularly flawed and unpopular health care bill appears to be based on the assumption that the American people like a winner even if the victory comes at their expense.”

Download Podcast | iTunes | Podcast Feed

You can subscribe to the podcast by following the links above, and if you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Madame Speaker, Let Every Member Stand and Be Counted

Rep. John Boehner — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:59:12 +0000

We were elected to make tough choices, not run from them. On Thursday, House Democrats sparked widespread outrage by voting to authorize the use of the controversial “Slaughter Solution” to force amassive government takeover of health care through the House without voting on it. They voted to protect themselves instead of their constituents, who are fed up with the lack of accountability and transparency in Washington. But there is no hiding from this vote.

That’s one reason why I sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) requesting that she hold a special “call of the roll” for the final health care vote this weekend. Under this procedure, each lawmaker will be required to stand up and declare how he or she is voting on this bill. This weekend’s votes will be among the most consequential votes we will ever cast as Members of Congress. I believe the stakes are too high, and this bill too controversial, for anything less than complete transparency and accountability. It’s time to stand up and be counted. I discuss the letter and the vote this weekend in the weekly GOP address you can view here:

Democratic leaders keep telling their Members that once this bill passes, it will be more popular. They’re dead wrong. Seniors will be furious about the Medicare cuts. Small businesses will be furious about thejob-killing new taxes and mandates. Veterans will be furious that it doesn’t protect Tricare. And EVERYONE will be furious about the army of new IRS agents.

That’s why the only responsible course of action is to scrap this health care bill. Let’s start over with a clean sheet of paper.

Let’s work together on a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses. We know this vote is going to be tight. That’s why it’s important for the American people to stay engaged in this fight. Republicans can’t beat this bill, but the American people can. It’s not too late to make your voice heard.

Obama Supporter: ‘What’s Wrong With A Little Bit Of Socialism?’

Andrew Marcus — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:29:01 +0000

Yesterday, we attended an impromptu Tea Party outside the Evanston, IL office of Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Below are some photos and our in-depth video report documenting the event.

Very few people turned out, but that didn’t prevent the scene from turning dramatic as a couple of Obama supporters tossed around accusations of racism, called everyone idiots, and asked the absurd question: “What’s wrong with a little bit of Socialism?”

In the image below, the Black woman (right) and the Jewish woman (left) argue over whose people have suffered more righteously. You can see this exchange in the video embedded above.

We think that all Americans ought to be free to live their lives in whatever manner they may like, and this includes eating and drinking more than what one actually requires to maintain healthy lean body mass. As lovers of Liberty, we celebrate individuality and the diversity of lifestyles that freedom engenders.

Ironically, the people pictured above, who called the Tea Party protesters idiots and asked, “What’s wrong with a little Socialism?” (seen in the video above), will likely face steep taxes and medical scrutiny for the cost-impact their lifestyle choices will have on the very nationalized health care system for which they advocate.

The sign pictured below wins typo of the year!

For more information on this protest, please read Marathon Pundit and Backyard Conservative who were also in attendance and have filed reports as well.