Today, at NOON EDT, BigGovernment will conduct a Twitterview with Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI). Follow @BigGovt and @ThadMcCotter or #mccotterttv for all the fun. As always, we’ll publish the full exchange later here at BigGovernment.

A tremendously important story has gone virtually untold by the media, ignored by our political leaders, and unknown to the American public. Despite the extraordinarily high price they have paid, America’s severely wounded veterans are enduring humiliating financial hardships of epic proportions. Home evictions, utility shutoffs, car repossessions, and foreclosures are commonplace.

“The Armed Forces Family Aid Concert” seeks to benefit those families suffering severe financial hardship.

The concert is scheduled to take place April 29th through May 1st on a 40 acre farm outside of Dayton, Ohio. Bands from across America and of all music backgrounds (rock, country, rap, blues, etc) will be performing, including Congressman Thad McCotter (R-MI) and his band, The Flying Squirrels!

Yours Truly will act as one of the Emcee’s.

Rep. McCotter

A Congress that thinks nothing of spending trillions on bailouts and stimulus packages has mostly turned a deaf ear on our severely disabled vets. Often times spouses of returning veterans have to give up their jobs to become caregivers, cutting family incomes in half. Most disabled vets receive much less in compensation and benefits than they did while on active duty, reducing family incomes even further. Many are too dysfunctional to hold a meaningful job, if any, because of the devastating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Some time ago I interviewed one such vet and his spouse, Mr. and Mrs. Kim Tanner. Mr. Tanner worked as a truck driver while serving with the Army, often driving 12 to 14 hours a day delivering weapons and supplies throughout Iraq. The effects of numerous blasts from exploding roadside bombs has left him suffering from severe PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Today he lives with memory loss, speech impairment, and hearing loss. He is unable to work long periods of time at his part-time post office job. (more…)

As a surgeon, at least until ObamaCare goes into effect, I have been trained to dissect issues and results into their component parts. My current focus is on the similarities between the two biggest missed political opportunities over the past two years:

1. Senator McCain’s suspension of his campaign to fly back to D.C. to work out a “Bipartisan” solution to the TARP fiasco. By compromising his fiscal principles and NOT drawing a line in the sand….he lost the Public.  It was the beginning of the end of his Presidential bid and opened the door for the election of Barrack Obama.
2. The attendance of Republican leadership ( the same leadership that supported the TARP fiasco above) at the recent” Bipartisan” Health Summit at Blair House.  This smoke and mirrors event purported to compare Republican ideas with the dogma of Obama, Pelosi and Reid.  The event confused and misled the public.  By attending the event, Republicans snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their opposition to the Obama’s use of our health care system to implement socialist reform.

Rather than being mesmerized by the “illusion” of Bipartisanship at Blair House, the GOP leadership should have walked past Blair House, marched to local clinics and hospitals, and listened to doctors, nurses and patients on the front line of health care.  This could have sent a powerful message to every American and delivered a death blow to ObamaCare.  The symbolism could have ended the debate once and for all.  Picture this:  the Democrats sequestered in a government building talking to themselves, versus The GOP hand in hand with The American People.

It should be noted that some Republicans opposed the Blair House meeting and were pushing for a grassroots frontal assault.  Congressman Thad McCotter and a handful of other GOP members advocated for this action.  I believe this approach would have brought victory to all who support Freedom and Liberty.

(more…)

Last week, Congressman Thad McCotter introduced a Bill HR 4500, The Freedom From Rationed Health Care Act, that invalidates a little known, hidden part of the Stimulus Bill. That hidden part of The Stimulus Bill created the rationing and enforcement boards.  Significantly, this “minor” fiscal trim makes the first part of ObamaCare null and void.

On November 7th, 2009, Speaker Pelosi marched to the podium and paraded her lap dogs to the microphone to proclaim “Victory” for herself, her Democratic House colleagues, and President Obama.  What about every other American? The “Victory” was the passage of the second part of ObamaCare, “The Health Care Bill.”  That’s right, the second part of ObamaCare is the 1,990 page bill that created 118 new boards, commissions, offices and bureaus. The same bill that will be paid for with (1)  $740 billion in tax increases,  (2)  a cut in Medicare to Seniors by $500 Billion, and (3)  a cost shift of $34 Billion to States in unfunded mandates.

This “Victory” was Pelosi’s and President Obama’s second victory on the health care front.  The first occurred under the cloak of darkness and obfuscation, in February 2009.  Hidden in The Stimulus Bill and passed into law were the ominous Obama, Pelosi, Reid rationing and enforcement health boards.

(more…)

It is crunch time tonight in Congress. Speaker Pelosi is moving towards a full floor vote on the Obama/Pelosi Health Care Plan up for a vote. At the time of publishing, votes are expected around 8 or 9pm EST. I received a call early this morning that my Orthopaedic Services were in demand.  Apparently, the Speaker, the President’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and their staffs have been “breaking arms of anyone and everyone in sight that is on the fence about The Bill.”  These Enforcers have put Freedom, Liberty and constituent representation aside.

Do your congressmen/women have any idea what is in this 1990 page Bill, and what it means for each and every American?  So you do not have to count, it creates 118 new boards, commissions, offices and bureaus.  Supposedly, ALL of these new entities will be selflessly looking out for your “betterment.”  Somehow, ObamaCare needs all of these levels of review and personnel to provide better and more available healthcare to more Americans, and plans to work this miracle do this at a fraction of current costs.  (Oh, and they will eliminate Medicaid fraud in the meantime.)  This has little connection with reality.

There is another option.  A different reform package has been purposed by The GOP Leadership, and every member of the minority has signed on.  In fact, before this debate is over maybe a few “Blue Dog Democrats” (now with broken arms) will sign on as well. This reform package:

(more…)