Following the Congressional action taken tonight to pass the almost Trillion-Dollar bill which will ruin health care in this country, voters need to remember November is coming.
Go to: www.NovemberIsComing.com to sign the petition!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tonight's vote pits Congress against the voters
This is a sad night. 219 Democrats in the U.S. House put blind adherence to a radical government-first ideology ahead of the wishes of the American people. We will be less free tomorrow than we are today. Bureaucrats and politicians will stand between patients and doctors. And our health care will now be permanently politicized, subject to the whim of our often out of touch political class.
At least I know that we did everything we could. Every AFP activist put his or her heart and soul into this fight, and we stopped this steamroller for a year. In the end, they just didn't care. They were going to vote for it no matter what the people wanted.
Thank you everyone. We fought the good fight and we will see this through November and beyond, in the fight for real health reform that reverses this disaster and moves us toward real reform that gives us more choices and more control.
I wish I could say we can rest now, but we can't. Even if this partisan display blows up the Congress for the rest of the year. As our www.ObamaChart.com shows, this administration is pushing its extreme agenda on all fronts.
Go to www.ObamaChart.com and sign up now!
At least I know that we did everything we could. Every AFP activist put his or her heart and soul into this fight, and we stopped this steamroller for a year. In the end, they just didn't care. They were going to vote for it no matter what the people wanted.
Thank you everyone. We fought the good fight and we will see this through November and beyond, in the fight for real health reform that reverses this disaster and moves us toward real reform that gives us more choices and more control.
I wish I could say we can rest now, but we can't. Even if this partisan display blows up the Congress for the rest of the year. As our www.ObamaChart.com shows, this administration is pushing its extreme agenda on all fronts.
Go to www.ObamaChart.com and sign up now!
www.NovemberIsComing.com - sign up now!
Following the House vote on socialized health care --
‘This Fight Is Not Over,’ Says Americans for Prosperity; Praises Unprecedented Grassroots Outpouring
‘Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people’
ARLINGTON, Va. – Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the health care takeover bill:
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has risen out of its ashes: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“This battle has indeed awakened the sleeping giant, and Americans for Prosperity’s members – one million strong – will continue to put the pressure on our elected officials. More than 320,000 Americans have signed our November Is Coming petition, sending a message to their members of Congress that their days in Washington are numbered. I think we will see some historic changes in our country at the hands of these hard-working people who are taking time away from their everyday lives to start tea party groups and commit themselves to preserving liberty. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Go to: www.NovemberIsComing.com
‘This Fight Is Not Over,’ Says Americans for Prosperity; Praises Unprecedented Grassroots Outpouring
‘Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people’
ARLINGTON, Va. – Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the health care takeover bill:
“Today we have seen a critical setback for freedom in our country. The fight over this health care takeover has been long and brutal. But something hopeful has risen out of its ashes: millions of active, passionate Americans who are aware of the many threats to our freedoms and who are willing to fight.
“This battle has indeed awakened the sleeping giant, and Americans for Prosperity’s members – one million strong – will continue to put the pressure on our elected officials. More than 320,000 Americans have signed our November Is Coming petition, sending a message to their members of Congress that their days in Washington are numbered. I think we will see some historic changes in our country at the hands of these hard-working people who are taking time away from their everyday lives to start tea party groups and commit themselves to preserving liberty. This fight is not over. Today we lost in Congress, but we won with the American people.”
Go to: www.NovemberIsComing.com
Friday, March 19, 2010
Media punditry at Legislative Conference in New Braunfels
Christi Hoppe (DMN) said Gov. Perry is probably the best politician Texas has produced, and that includes LBJ.
Harvey Kronberg (Quorum Report) - Perry is in a position to virtually ignore Bill White. Aside from Tommy Merritt losing, the tea party folks didn't do much.
Ross Ramsey, mg editor Texas Tribune - Republican primary drew 1.5 million because there was a fight. Downballot voters numbered 900,000. It didn't change the Congressioal delegation, and the Democrats ave a very narrow window to take the state House.
Bill White chances in November?
Hoppe - starts out as 7 point underdog, would have to run flawless campaign. Perry's campaign hits on all cylinders and White's hands on managing of a campaign may not work.
Kronberg - White has a political base in Houston, he has money and the capacity to raise money, and he has new voters after the Obama election. White is ignoring Perry's demands for him to release his income taxes.
Ross - White starts with a disadvantage. Were White to win, it would be an upset. Perry would have to make a mistake, and voters are unhappy with Democrats. Usually the larger the R primary turn-out, the more center they are, but not so this time - Perry doesn't need to run to the middle. The larger turnout was conservative.
Victor Carillo losing as Railroad Commissioner?
Hoppe - Republicans are on borrowed time unless they learn to elect Hispanics. The leadership does well to appoint and bring in leaders.
Culture war at the SBOE?
Hoppe - It is said that for some positions, when you are in the news, it is bad. If too many people know what is going on at the SBOE, you are inn trouble. We saw moderate conservative Republians she said were moving to the "religious right."
Kronberg - When Republicans talk about smaller government, they tend to win elections. Marginal voters don't agree with the SBOE conservatives.
Ramsey - We asked recently if humans and dinosaurs lived on the planet at the same time "like the Flintstones was a documentary." When the SBOE makes a spectacle of itself, it goes too far - perhaps they should be appointed.
Kronberg - Some D's will be running against the SBOE.
(Sorry, Pundits - it is clear you just don't get it!)
Harvey Kronberg (Quorum Report) - Perry is in a position to virtually ignore Bill White. Aside from Tommy Merritt losing, the tea party folks didn't do much.
Ross Ramsey, mg editor Texas Tribune - Republican primary drew 1.5 million because there was a fight. Downballot voters numbered 900,000. It didn't change the Congressioal delegation, and the Democrats ave a very narrow window to take the state House.
Bill White chances in November?
Hoppe - starts out as 7 point underdog, would have to run flawless campaign. Perry's campaign hits on all cylinders and White's hands on managing of a campaign may not work.
Kronberg - White has a political base in Houston, he has money and the capacity to raise money, and he has new voters after the Obama election. White is ignoring Perry's demands for him to release his income taxes.
Ross - White starts with a disadvantage. Were White to win, it would be an upset. Perry would have to make a mistake, and voters are unhappy with Democrats. Usually the larger the R primary turn-out, the more center they are, but not so this time - Perry doesn't need to run to the middle. The larger turnout was conservative.
Victor Carillo losing as Railroad Commissioner?
Hoppe - Republicans are on borrowed time unless they learn to elect Hispanics. The leadership does well to appoint and bring in leaders.
Culture war at the SBOE?
Hoppe - It is said that for some positions, when you are in the news, it is bad. If too many people know what is going on at the SBOE, you are inn trouble. We saw moderate conservative Republians she said were moving to the "religious right."
Kronberg - When Republicans talk about smaller government, they tend to win elections. Marginal voters don't agree with the SBOE conservatives.
Ramsey - We asked recently if humans and dinosaurs lived on the planet at the same time "like the Flintstones was a documentary." When the SBOE makes a spectacle of itself, it goes too far - perhaps they should be appointed.
Kronberg - Some D's will be running against the SBOE.
(Sorry, Pundits - it is clear you just don't get it!)
Texas lawasuit against the EPA - if determined on the science, Texas will win
American Thinker has run some excellent articles on the EPA action to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. From this article:
Texas has filed two petitions in federal court. The first is a request for review of the endangerment finding, which is intended to examine the science behind global warming. The second is a petition for reconsideration of the finding. These court cases were brought about in the wake of the Climategate scandal. Climategate has revealed that significant portions of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) were based on fraudulent science.
The crux of the matter is that the EPA based the endangerment finding on the now-discredited IPCC report. To date, the IPCC have admitted to two significant erroneous claims. First, they admitted to the fact that the Himalayan glaciers are not melting away, and secondly, they have stated that the claim of the trends of natural disasters attributed to global warming is overstated. Subsequently, the IPCC have been prompted to publicly state that they are reviewing their own quality assurance procedures in light of these admissions.
But now all of this is going to be examined in a court of law. It should be noted that the laws of governments and the laws of science differ very significantly. For example, governments can repeal laws, like in the case of prohibition. By contrast, science cannot repeal the law of gravity. It is this kind of cold, hard fact that lawyers typically are not used to dealing with. If the case of Texas versus the EPA is decided on the scientific facts, as it should be, then the EPA will lose.
Read it all here: http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/03/global_warming_on_trial.html
Texas has filed two petitions in federal court. The first is a request for review of the endangerment finding, which is intended to examine the science behind global warming. The second is a petition for reconsideration of the finding. These court cases were brought about in the wake of the Climategate scandal. Climategate has revealed that significant portions of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) were based on fraudulent science.
The crux of the matter is that the EPA based the endangerment finding on the now-discredited IPCC report. To date, the IPCC have admitted to two significant erroneous claims. First, they admitted to the fact that the Himalayan glaciers are not melting away, and secondly, they have stated that the claim of the trends of natural disasters attributed to global warming is overstated. Subsequently, the IPCC have been prompted to publicly state that they are reviewing their own quality assurance procedures in light of these admissions.
But now all of this is going to be examined in a court of law. It should be noted that the laws of governments and the laws of science differ very significantly. For example, governments can repeal laws, like in the case of prohibition. By contrast, science cannot repeal the law of gravity. It is this kind of cold, hard fact that lawyers typically are not used to dealing with. If the case of Texas versus the EPA is decided on the scientific facts, as it should be, then the EPA will lose.
Read it all here: http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/03/global_warming_on_trial.html
More from the Legislative Conference in New Barunfels...
We cannot have homeland security if we don't have border security. Discussed the cartels and the gangs, child prostitution. From a law enforcemtn standpoint, terrorists can be moved into this country as easily as illegal workers. 31% of the people in TX prisons are illegal immigrants.
-- Steven McCraw, Director, Texas Dept of Public Safety
-- Steven McCraw, Director, Texas Dept of Public Safety
Ten Facts Every American Should Know About Democrats’ Final Government Takeover of Health Care
Illegal immigration might be a federal issue, but it is our problem. The people of Texas expect and demand us to take care of it. Texans' security is job #1. If we don't do that, there is no #2. We need to secure our border and need to secure it. I have declared war on political correctness. A nation is more than just a spot on the map, but is a shared culture and vision. We are a melting pot, but we come together as Americans, speaking English. It is a blessing to be bilingual, but it is a curse for a nation to be divided among multiple languages. Our schools have 100 languages, I remember when there was no hyphenated America. We need to be Americans. I am a grandmother of 10. This is a problem we need to deal with, take it head on and fix it.
-- TX State Rep Debbie Riddle
-- TX State Rep Debbie Riddle
10 Facts about ObamaCare bill in Congress
Ten Facts Every American Should Know About Democrats’ Final Government Takeover of Health Care
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
· $569.2 billion in tax increases
· $523.5 billion in Medicare cuts
· $48 billion more for Medicaid
1. A Job-Killing Government Takeover of Health Care. No amount of changes or legislative tricks can hide the true destructive nature of this bill: $17 billion in new taxes on Americans who do not comply with the individual mandate, $52 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide health coverage deemed “acceptable” or “affordable” by government bureaucrats, and new taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest that will further stifle economic growth and job creation.
2. New Tax on Capital Formation and Job Creation. The Medicare tax on capital gains, dividends, and other investment income gets bigger, magnifying the destructive power of this new tax. The bill increases the tax from 2.9 percent to 3.8 percent, pushing the top capital gains rate to 23.8 percent and the top rate for dividends to 43.4 percent in conjunction with tax relief expiring at the end of this year. As The Wall Street Journal editorialized this week, this tax will “permanently skew the incentives to work, save and create jobs.”
3. Democrats Continue to Say ‘I Do’ To Marriage Penalty. The bill leaves in place a massive marriage penalty, which will mean higher premiums for those that tie the knot. As highlighted in January by The Wall Street Journal, “the disparity comes about in part because subsidies for purchasing health insurance … are pegged to federal poverty guidelines.” The final bill leaves this unfair penalty on married couples in place.
4. Lower Wages and More Unemployment. The final bill imposes $52 billion in new taxes on employers, including small businesses, that cannot afford to provide health coverage or that don’t offer coverage. The effect of this type of tax, similar to a payroll tax increase, would ultimately fall squarely on workers in the form of lower wages or reduced employment. In fact, the Tax Policy Center concluded that “economists generally believe that the burden of payroll taxes is borne by workers in the form of lower wages, regardless of whether the tax is levied on the employer or the employee.” The tax proposed in this bill will likely have the same effect.
5. Employers Targeted By Even Higher Taxes to Enforce Employer Mandate. The final bill incorporated President Obama’s suggestion to rake in a little more cash to pay for a massive government-takeover of health care by nearly tripling the job-killing mandate tax on employers who do not offer health coverage to $2,000 per employee. Sure enough, the President’s suggestion raises an additional $25 billion on the backs of American employers, according to CBO.
6. Individual Mandate Tax Reduced? No, Not Really. Democrats are highlighting their generosity by lowering the amount of the tax for not complying with the mandate. But just how generous are they? Not very. Democrats propose to reduce the individual mandate tax flat payment amount by a scant 14¢ a day. And, while Democrats “reduce” the individual mandate tax flat payment amount, they actually raise $2 billion more by making other alterations to the individual mandate, according to CBO.
7. The Power to Tax Our Health Care. The Democrats’ final bill doesn’t just tax individuals and employers if they don’t comply with the complex mandates in the bill. The bill sends the IRS out to tax the very products Americans use to maintain and restore their own health. New taxes on medical devices, on prescription drugs, and on health insurance itself are all targets of the bill. And, with $10 billion in new enforcement resources, you can bet the IRS will be taking its full share out of the pockets of every American who uses any of these products or services.
8. Even More Subsidies, Even Greater Threat to the Economy. The bill increases the subsidies provided under the bill from those provided in the Senate bill by $65 billion, a significant and unsustainable increase. In fact, the Associated Press reported a warning from Massachusetts’ state treasurer, who stated that Congress will "threaten to wipe out the American economy within four years" if it adopts a health care overhaul modeled after the Bay State's.
9. Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Coverage. The final bill does not include the Stupak amendment language that would prohibit federal funds from being used to fund elective abortions. Instead, states are given the option to opt-out of providing insurance coverage of abortions. Still, taxpayers in a state that opts-out would still see their federal tax dollars fund elective abortions in other states. Additionally, each state through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) can provide access to two multi-state plans, and only one of them will exclude abortions. OPM’s current health care program – the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) – does not include any plans that cover elective abortion. For the first time, a federally funded and managed health care plan will cover elective abortions.
10. Medicaid Rolls And Waiting Lines to Swell Even More. CBO estimates that as a result of the Democrats’ bill, one million more Americans will get their coverage from Medcaid, which is plagued with financial woes and wreaks all kinds of budgetary havoc on cash-strapped states. The Democrats’ bill, as the New York Times highlighted, will push even more Americans into a program where they will have trouble finding doctors and have to wait for potentially months to receive care. That’s not meaningful reform by any measure.
BONUS: Republicans have proposed a health care bill based on common-sense reforms that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent. It is not too late to start over.
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
· $569.2 billion in tax increases
· $523.5 billion in Medicare cuts
· $48 billion more for Medicaid
1. A Job-Killing Government Takeover of Health Care. No amount of changes or legislative tricks can hide the true destructive nature of this bill: $17 billion in new taxes on Americans who do not comply with the individual mandate, $52 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide health coverage deemed “acceptable” or “affordable” by government bureaucrats, and new taxes on capital gains, dividends and interest that will further stifle economic growth and job creation.
2. New Tax on Capital Formation and Job Creation. The Medicare tax on capital gains, dividends, and other investment income gets bigger, magnifying the destructive power of this new tax. The bill increases the tax from 2.9 percent to 3.8 percent, pushing the top capital gains rate to 23.8 percent and the top rate for dividends to 43.4 percent in conjunction with tax relief expiring at the end of this year. As The Wall Street Journal editorialized this week, this tax will “permanently skew the incentives to work, save and create jobs.”
3. Democrats Continue to Say ‘I Do’ To Marriage Penalty. The bill leaves in place a massive marriage penalty, which will mean higher premiums for those that tie the knot. As highlighted in January by The Wall Street Journal, “the disparity comes about in part because subsidies for purchasing health insurance … are pegged to federal poverty guidelines.” The final bill leaves this unfair penalty on married couples in place.
4. Lower Wages and More Unemployment. The final bill imposes $52 billion in new taxes on employers, including small businesses, that cannot afford to provide health coverage or that don’t offer coverage. The effect of this type of tax, similar to a payroll tax increase, would ultimately fall squarely on workers in the form of lower wages or reduced employment. In fact, the Tax Policy Center concluded that “economists generally believe that the burden of payroll taxes is borne by workers in the form of lower wages, regardless of whether the tax is levied on the employer or the employee.” The tax proposed in this bill will likely have the same effect.
5. Employers Targeted By Even Higher Taxes to Enforce Employer Mandate. The final bill incorporated President Obama’s suggestion to rake in a little more cash to pay for a massive government-takeover of health care by nearly tripling the job-killing mandate tax on employers who do not offer health coverage to $2,000 per employee. Sure enough, the President’s suggestion raises an additional $25 billion on the backs of American employers, according to CBO.
6. Individual Mandate Tax Reduced? No, Not Really. Democrats are highlighting their generosity by lowering the amount of the tax for not complying with the mandate. But just how generous are they? Not very. Democrats propose to reduce the individual mandate tax flat payment amount by a scant 14¢ a day. And, while Democrats “reduce” the individual mandate tax flat payment amount, they actually raise $2 billion more by making other alterations to the individual mandate, according to CBO.
7. The Power to Tax Our Health Care. The Democrats’ final bill doesn’t just tax individuals and employers if they don’t comply with the complex mandates in the bill. The bill sends the IRS out to tax the very products Americans use to maintain and restore their own health. New taxes on medical devices, on prescription drugs, and on health insurance itself are all targets of the bill. And, with $10 billion in new enforcement resources, you can bet the IRS will be taking its full share out of the pockets of every American who uses any of these products or services.
8. Even More Subsidies, Even Greater Threat to the Economy. The bill increases the subsidies provided under the bill from those provided in the Senate bill by $65 billion, a significant and unsustainable increase. In fact, the Associated Press reported a warning from Massachusetts’ state treasurer, who stated that Congress will "threaten to wipe out the American economy within four years" if it adopts a health care overhaul modeled after the Bay State's.
9. Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Coverage. The final bill does not include the Stupak amendment language that would prohibit federal funds from being used to fund elective abortions. Instead, states are given the option to opt-out of providing insurance coverage of abortions. Still, taxpayers in a state that opts-out would still see their federal tax dollars fund elective abortions in other states. Additionally, each state through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) can provide access to two multi-state plans, and only one of them will exclude abortions. OPM’s current health care program – the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) – does not include any plans that cover elective abortion. For the first time, a federally funded and managed health care plan will cover elective abortions.
10. Medicaid Rolls And Waiting Lines to Swell Even More. CBO estimates that as a result of the Democrats’ bill, one million more Americans will get their coverage from Medcaid, which is plagued with financial woes and wreaks all kinds of budgetary havoc on cash-strapped states. The Democrats’ bill, as the New York Times highlighted, will push even more Americans into a program where they will have trouble finding doctors and have to wait for potentially months to receive care. That’s not meaningful reform by any measure.
BONUS: Republicans have proposed a health care bill based on common-sense reforms that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent. It is not too late to start over.
New Braunfels Legislative Conference - tidbits of info from...
Wind power and transmission: we have 9,500 mgwt of power now via wind, but we have gone through permitting and we should have 13,000-14,000 mgwt in the next five years. - Phil Wilson, Luminant
If we are going to compete in the global economy, we will send some jobs overseas. Our output in mfg has set a new record, and we make it with fewer people because we hahve greater productivity. We have been moving to get rid of lower-wage jobs and move to higher-paying jobs, wwith the world economy some countries will pay less than Americans make. Companies don't sned low-paying jobs to the US. It is part of creative destruction that outsourcing happens, but the insourcing is a net plus for workers and our economy. Our balance of trade reflects we are a net exporter of services. - economist Ray Perryman
If we are going to compete in the global economy, we will send some jobs overseas. Our output in mfg has set a new record, and we make it with fewer people because we hahve greater productivity. We have been moving to get rid of lower-wage jobs and move to higher-paying jobs, wwith the world economy some countries will pay less than Americans make. Companies don't sned low-paying jobs to the US. It is part of creative destruction that outsourcing happens, but the insourcing is a net plus for workers and our economy. Our balance of trade reflects we are a net exporter of services. - economist Ray Perryman
New Braunfels Legislative Conference - tidbits of info from...
J. Darren Rogers, President - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
with the large number of uninsured, we need to determine policies that help get more into the market, particularly the young and healther.
When asked if insurance companies are gounging the consumer, he said: insurance is expensive because health care is insurance - hospitals and doctor costs have gone up. It is a problem with health care cost containments. Health care costs increase in a recession. Physician utilization is higher.
When asked how many jobs will be lost under Obamacare (question):
Ray Perryman, economist - The Perryman Group, there are things in this bill whcih will make insurance more expensive. But insurance companies have small profit margins. This bill reduces productivity in the economy and will have adverse effects in the economy (ObamaCare). The concept of this bill got highjacked - it does not address the real issues in health care.
with the large number of uninsured, we need to determine policies that help get more into the market, particularly the young and healther.
When asked if insurance companies are gounging the consumer, he said: insurance is expensive because health care is insurance - hospitals and doctor costs have gone up. It is a problem with health care cost containments. Health care costs increase in a recession. Physician utilization is higher.
When asked how many jobs will be lost under Obamacare (question):
Ray Perryman, economist - The Perryman Group, there are things in this bill whcih will make insurance more expensive. But insurance companies have small profit margins. This bill reduces productivity in the economy and will have adverse effects in the economy (ObamaCare). The concept of this bill got highjacked - it does not address the real issues in health care.
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