From One News Now, December 23, 2009.

“Who benefits from Senate healthcare? ACORN!”

“A legal scholar says the Senate healthcare bill is not only stuffed full of racial quotas and preferences, but it also gives the disgraced liberal activist group ACORN opportunities to receive funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

 
Harry Reid’s (D-Nevada) “manager’s amendment” in the Senate healthcare bill requires that six federal agencies each establish an “Office of Minority Health.” Under that requirement, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is supposed to award grants and contracts to organizations that are “indigenous human resource providers in communities of color” and engage in “community outreach activities” — the type of work ACORN says it has been doing for years.
 
Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, says scandal-plagued ACORN — the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now — is exactly the kind of organization that will be applying for and receiving these federal funds.
 
“It illustrates this wrong assumption that’s all throughout this huge bill, and that is there are all these racial preferences and racial quotas everywhere in it,” he explains.  “There’s this whole assumption by the left that the disparities in healthcare have to do with the racial background of doctors — something that is completely untrue — and it’s these kinds of things that in fact may worsen healthcare across the country.”"

Read more:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=826068

Merry Christmas, America! You Will Now Be Formally Placed Into Bondage.

I guess with the passing of this Bill, Prostitution is now legal in our Nations Capital. What a sad day it is for the Republic.

1Dragon

The Washington Exaniner

By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
December 23, 2009

With the approval rating of Congress sinking in the polls and public opinion of their health care plan going down along with it, Democrats may have done themselves one favor too many this week when they riddled the bill with special deals for individual lawmakers.

As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., struggled to pull together his 60 Democratic-controlled votes needed to pass the bill, certain holdout lawmakers were able to carve out extra money, benefits or exemptions that senators from other states didn’t get.

Reid said the deal making is just part of how legislation gets done in the Senate.

“It’s not different from other pieces of legislation,” Reid said. “We work compromises. That’s what legislation is all about, the art of compromise.”

He added that for those senators who did not carve out something for themselves, “it doesn’t speak well of them.”

Steve Ellis, who spends his days parsing out pork barrel projects from congressional spending bills, said Reid’s response ignores public disgust over such back-room deals.

“Even if you say this is just the way it works, that doesn’t mean the public likes it,” said Ellis, who is vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group. “It stinks. And the public recognizes that.”

The high cost of health legislation Some of the special favors for powerful or hard-to-convince senators in the health bill expected to pass the Senate Thursday.

» Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. — Up to $300 million in additional federal money to pay for the state of Louisiana’s share of the proposed expansion of Medicaid.

» Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. — A commitment that the federal government will permanently pay for Medicaid expansion in the Cornhusker State at a cost of about $100 million.

» Sens. Ben Nelson and Carl Levin, D-Mich. — A provision that shelters Mutual of Omaha in Nebraska and Blue Cross Blue Shield in Michigan from a proposed $10 billion annual fee on the health insurance industry.

» Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. — Dodd, facing a re-election battle with low poll numbers, inserted a $100 million grant tailored to a proposal for a new hospital at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

» Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. — A 2.2 percent increase in federal coverage of Medicaid expansion, worth about $600 million over a decade.

» Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. — A special provision that will exempt about 800,000 senior citizens in the Sunshine State from any of the proposed cuts to the Medicaid Advantage program.

» Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. — The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a chief architect of the health care bill inserted language in the bill to provide services and benefits, including Medicare, for a group of Montana miners exposed to asbestos.

Republicans trumpeted the deals as proof the bill was too unpopular to pass on its own, as evidenced by recent poll numbers showing shrinking public support.

“Payoffs, Kickbacks, Sweetheart Deals Abound in Sen. Reid’s Government Takeover of Health Care,” read the headline on one Senate Republican press release.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called the deal making “sleazy.”

With the Internet and news saturated with accounts of the special deals secured by Nelson and others, it may be even harder than predicted for the Senate and House to return in January to pass a final bill, especially if they get an earful back home.

A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 32 percent of respondents believed the health care plan proposed by President Obama was a good idea, down from 39 percent in September. Congress fared even worse in the same poll, which found that 68 percent of those questioned disapprove of the job lawmakers are doing.

Democratic lawmakers nonetheless defended the bill on Tuesday and the special deals within it.

Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., all of whom had problems with the reform bill and were threatening to vote “no,” changed their minds around the time their states were given hundreds of billions of dollars in federal money to cover the reform bill’s proposed expansion of Medicaid.

Landrieu said she was simply ensuring that her state received a “correction to a formula that was going to distort our share,” of Medicaid dollars.

“It was not a condition for my vote,” Landrieu said.

Nelson said he secured money for Medicaid because he believed the expansion is an unfunded mandate, which he opposes.

“Many of my colleagues are already talking about getting the same deal that we have,”

Rep. Stupak: White House Pressuring Me to Keep Quiet on Abortion Language in Senate Health Bill
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said the White House and the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives have been pressuring him not to speak out on the “compromise” abortion language in the Senate version of the health care bill.

“They think I shouldn’t be expressing my views on this bill until they get a chance to try to sell me the language,” Stupak told CNSNews.com in an interview on Tuesday. “Well, I don’t need anyone to sell me the language. I can read it. I’ve seen it. I’ve worked with it. I know what it says. I don’t need to have a conference with the White House. I have the legislation in front of me here.”

The Michigan Democrat succeeded last month in getting 64 House Democrats to join him in attaching his pro-life amendment to the House version of the health-care bill. The “Stupak amendment,” as the provision is known, would prohibit the federal government from allocating taxpayer money to pay for any part of any health insurance plan that covers abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.

Stupak had contact with the White House last weekend, when the Senate voted 60 to 40 in the wee hours of Monday morning to shut off debate on the Senate version of the bill.

The current version of the Senate bill contains so-called “compromise” language crafted by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). This language does not bar taxpayer funding of health plans that cover abortion, but does create a firewall to supposedly keep federal money from being used to pay for abortions. Over the weekend, Stupak issued a statement calling the proposed Senate language “unacceptable.”

“A review of the Senate language indicates a dramatic shift in federal policy that would allow the federal government to subsidize insurance policies with abortion coverage,” said the statement.

In his interview with CNSNews.com on Tuesday, Stupak said that the White House “asked me just to hold off for awhile and not to say anything about this language. But as soon as the news broke that they had this [compromise], and they got the 60 votes, folks were asking me, and I’m not going to run from the issue I’m going to stand up and say, ‘Look, here’s my objections.’ Here – it’s not just my objections – but there’s a number of my [colleagues] who feel strongly about this issue, and these are the parts that have to be fixed.”

Stupak said he is not alone in being pressured from the White House and the House Democratic leadership – other pro-life Democratic colleagues apparently are, as well. But they plan to hold firm, he said.

“We’re getting a lot of pressure not to say anything, to try to compromise this principle or belief,” Stupak said. “[T]hat’s just not us. We’re not going to do that. Members who voted for the Stupak language in the House – especially the Democrats, 64 Democrats that voted for it – feel very strongly about it. It’s been part of who we are, part of our make up. It’s the principle belief that we have. We are not just going to abandon it in the name of health care.”

When asked if he has the votes he needs to stop the bill if, in its final version, it does not include the language of his amendment or nearly identical language, Stupak did not answer directly.

“Well, if all the issues are resolved and we’re down to the pro-life view or, I should say, no public funding for abortion, there’s at least 10 to 12 members who have said, repeatedly, unless this language is fixed and current law is maintained, and no public funding for abortion,” said Stupak. “There’s 10 or 12 of us, and they only passed the bill by 3 votes, so they’re going to be short 8 to 9, maybe 6 to 8 votes. So they [Democrats] do not have the votes to pass it in the House.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he wants a vote on a final bill before Christmas. After that, a House-Senate conference could convene in early January to merge the Senate and House versions of the bill and lead to a final vote by both chambers.

A transcript of CNSNews.com’s interview with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) follows below:

CNSNews.com: “Now, I understand that you were in contact with the White House or the White [House] was in contact with you, I guess over the weekend. What kinds of pressure are you under, let me ask you that?”

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.): “Well, from the House leadership or the White House – a lot of pressure. They think I shouldn’t be expressing my views on this bill until they get a chance to try to sell me the language. Well, I don’t need anyone to sell me the language. I can read it. I’ve seen it. I’ve worked with it. I know what it says. I don’t need to have a conference with the White House. I have the legislation in front of me here.”

Rep. Stupak: “They asked me just to hold off for a while and not to say anything about this language. But as soon as the news broke that they had this [compromise], and they got the 60 votes, folks were asking me, and I’m not going to run from the issue I’m going to stand up and say, ‘Look, here’s my objections.’ Here – it’s not just my objections – but there’s a number of my [colleagues] who feel strongly about this issue, and these are the parts that have to be fixed. There are three ways in which the bill dramatically deviates from current law.”

Rep. Stupak: “So we’re getting a lot of pressure not to say anything, to try to compromise this principle or belief, and we’re just not – that’s just not us, I mean, we’re not going to do that. Members who voted for the Stupak language in the House – especially the Democrats, 64 Democrats that voted for it – feel very strongly about it. It’s been part of who we are, part of our make up. It’s the principle belief that we have. We are not just going to abandon it in the name of health care.”

CNSNews.com: “So, to go back and ask you again, do you have the votes needed to stop the bill, if it comes to that?”

Rep. Stupak: “Well, if all the issues are resolved and we’re down to the pro-life view or, I should say, no public funding for abortion, there’s at least 10 to 12 members who have said repeatedly, unless this language is fixed and current law is maintained and no public funding for abortion, they’re not gonna’ vote for the bill. There’s 10 or 12 of us — they only passed the bill by 3 votes, so they’re going to be short 8 to 9, maybe 6 to 8 votes. So they do not have the votes to pass it in the House.”

Click here to listen to interview

Also Read: What’s the BIG DEAL? Health Care back door payoffs !

And Read: Obama sued for secret meetings on Health Care Legislation

Just in from Stubborn_Facts at Grassroots in Nebraska, December 22, 2009.

Grassroots in Nebraska
 
Stubborn_Fact-
sStubborn_Facts has invited you to the event ‘STOP the Health Care Bill Before Christmas! Rally’ on Grassroots in Nebraska!
 REMINDER!! RALLY TONIGHT AT 6PM + DON’T FORGET TO BOMBARD BEN ALL WEEK!
An interactive parking garage map of downtown has been added to the site!

 Time: December 22, 2009 from 6pm to 7:30pm
Location: Senator Ben Nelson’s Office
Organized By: Stubborn_Facts
Event Description:
NOTE ADDED 12/20 @7:00AM RALLY IS STILL ON!

For much more detail, visit THIS POST on the Grassroots in Nebraska website.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is pushing for a vote on health care before Christmas.

**So YES, it is rather NUTS to try to do a rally on 12/22 in <32 degree weather…in the evening.**

BUT…if there is ANY chance we can impact this bill, it really comes down to US in Nebraska -

Senator Ben Nelson, by all accounts is the KEY vote on this bill and has voiced his unwillingness to vote for it in its present form, including federal funding for abortion.

Sen. David Vitter (LA) an executive member of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, advised on a 12/17 conference call with grassroots organizers from several states that some large, visible rally in Nebraska with media attention may well have some impact on Senator Nelson. He is already under a lot of pressure.

He also said if we could get national media attention that would be very helpful.

The other organizers on the call offered their support by way of encouraging whoever could possibly come from their states, spreading the word, gathering national media contact information they have, and by donating money for us to run an ad campaign about the rally (see below).

Chris Comeaux from Tea Party of Louisiana has made plans to travel to Lincoln to help on Monday and Tuesday. I have heard from a couple of other organizers that they are trying to work things out so they can come also.

PLEASE – DRESS WARMLY!!

We already have….
Lights
Sound system
Gary!

So we need YOU and for you to drag as many people along as you can – and could use HELP, especially in getting the word out, and participating in flyer distribution we are arranging.

IF you want to help, leave a comment below.

If you need sign ideas, see this POST.

Facebook event
NOTICE
For this limited purpose we ARE trying to raise money to run ads on TV, radio, and print on Monday and Tuesday. There is a donate button on the Grassroots in Nebraska website for this purpose.
Once this event is over, the button will come down.

See more details and RSVP on Grassroots in Nebraska:
http://netcot.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2776060%3AEvent%3A9986&xgi=4jZ0mQbLf1CHZU&xg_source=msg_invite_event

From Grassroots in Nebraska, December 22, 2009.

A message to all members of Grassroots in Nebraska
Bombard Ben Nelson

Let’s keep the pressure on Senator Nelson through Wednesday!

Besides the rally scheduled for Tuesday (see below), we need people to call, fax, email and make personal visits to his offices. Apparently, there has been a very orchestrated effort by groups who are in favor of the bill to bombard him.

YES you will have difficulty getting through but please keep trying.
If there is anytime when we are going to exert effort in the way it is NOW.

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN COORDINATING AN ONGOING PRESENCE DURING BUSINESS HOURS (INCLUDING A PICKET LINE WITH SIGNS) AT THE LINCOLN OFFICE, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU

Contact information:

Senator Ben Nelson

Website http://bennelson.senate.gov/ (includes Email contact form)

Omaha
7602 Pacific St.
Ste 205
Omaha, NE 68114
Tel: (402) 391-3411
Fax: (402) 391-4725

Lincoln
440 North 8th Street
Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel: (402) 441-4600
Fax: (402) 476-8753

Washington, D.C.
720 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6551
Fax: (202) 228-0012

Scottsbluff
Tel: (308) 631-7614

Kearney
Tel: (308) 293-5818

South Sioux City
Tel: (402) 209-3595

This event is posted on Facebook

Tuesday’s Rally Event on…
PLEASE NOTICE FLYERS ATTACHED IF YOU HAVE TIME TODAY – PLEASE PASS SOME OUT
PLEASE Dress warmly for this evening!
Bring signs. Check out the Signs and Slogans tab on the website if you need more ideas.

Be sure to check out the YOUTUBE Video for the rally. Rally Video

This ad MAY run sometime today on radio or TV – with the situation on a short tether and so fluid, nailing pre-rally ads down has been a challenge.
If this ad doesn’t run, we will place ads for Wednesday that are generally aimed at Nelson’s decision.
Visit Grassroots in Nebraska at: http://netcot.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Snidely Whiplash

Midnight dealings and Harry Reid go together quite well. I have some general questions about all this nonsense.

First off, Reid’s actions are the end of his political career – even many Democrats acknowledge this fact. Reid is in big trouble in Nevada and this little dance is the icing on the cake. Why did he do it? Of course the ardent supporter will scream “He was true to his ideology.” Fair enough. But such leads to more questions.

Few politicians step away from the power and limelight in the height of their face time. For Reid to have done this knowing the outcome of his political future is curious, again, unless he is just an uber ideological Progressive. In my mind there is so much more going on behind the curtain.

I think this is Chicago politics as usual. I think the Chicago machine has promised to take care of him for his throwing his career under the bus for the sake of giving Obama and the Chitown cronies something to crow about. Here’s how it went down.

“Harry,” Obama told him, “Your electoral career is over – the numbers in Nevada are clear – you will lose in November. Give me this victory and we will make sure you get a cushy lobbyist position.” Believe it folks.

My second question is “Do the Congressional Democrats grasp that they will suffer a terrible defeat in November for this?” Of course they know it. Makes one wonder what deals were made to secure the needed House and Senate Democrat support for this considering all the current polling that is crystal clear the vast majority are not in favor of this health reform.

Of course we know Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu got major sweetheart deals, but what about all the anonymous Congressmen in the House who are sacrificing themselves? You can bet the Chicago machine made promises for them too!

Politics is all about “You scratch my back and I’ll screw the nation for ya,” so no news there. I am willing to bet if an observant watcher were to keep score they would find the following time line.

TO CONTINUE READING SNIDELY’S ARTICLE, CLICK HERE.
  

Claire McCaskill has turned Missouri into a vassel state. Missourians will have tax money stolen at the point of a gun in order to pay Ben Nelson’s bribe money.  Nebraska gets a free ride.  Thanks Claire.

Sen. McCaskill;

Kill the Bill.

You voted for Missouri taxpayers to be robbed of their income to pay for Ben Nelson’s and Mary Landrieu’s bribes to get them to vote for the Obamacare abomination?  Nebraska gets its Medicare paid for.  Who pays for Missouri’s?  Are we going to borrow it from China like the rest of the federal budget?

If it is not your intent to turn the United States into a stinking rotting corpse of a bankrupt third world nation ruled by corruptocrats and political payoffs, why are you supporting this?

Do you really want your legacy to be legislation so corrupt and evil it has to be passed in the middle of night so nobody can see its hideousness?

Your job is to represent your constituents who are speaking very plainly.  Kill the Bill.

My notes to the ‘good senator’ are increasingly less polite.  But then, look at what she’s doing.

Democratic Party is the Party of Whores.  Democratic Party is the Party of Slavery.  Democratic Party will be the death of the Nation.  Like every tinhorn dictator in history, they don’t care what ruin they cause as long as they are the ones ruling it.  They’ll take care of themselves first.  An that’s all that really matters.

Heaven has it’s hierarchy of angels

Angels
Archangels
Principalities
Powers
Virtues
Dominions
Thrones
Cherubim
Seraphim

Likewise, on earth we have a hierarchy of stupidity

Ignoramus
Fool
Imbecile
Moron
Idiot
Lying, Ignorant, Foolish, Imbecilic, Moronic Idiots
Congressmen

From the Washington Times, December 20, 2009.

“Sen. Whitehouse: foes of health care bill are birthers, right-wing militias, aryan groups”

“Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today took shots at those who are not supporting the health care legislation. During a floor speech, he excoriated Senate GOP members for holding up the pending health care bill and accused their supporters of being birthers and fanatics in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups. He started off by citing an editorial from the Manchester Journal Inquirer, which used the insult “lunatic fringe.”:”

“After explaining why absent GOP members who did not vote for the Department of Defense spending bill was tantamount to a “no” vote, he went on to say that Republicans and their supporters just want to “break” the momentum of President Obama.:
“Voting ‘no’ and hiding from the vote are the same result. Those of us on the floor see it. It was clear the three of them who did not cast their yes votes until all 60 Senate votes had been tallied and it was clear that the result was a foregone conclusion. And why? Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new young president.

They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama. The birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups, it is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason. It is not the only one.”"

Read more:

http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/watercooler/2009/dec/20/sen-whitehouse-foes-health-care-bill-are-birthers-/

To the good citizens of Rhode Island:

If you need any assistance removing this idiot, we will come to your aid.

From Tea Party Express III.

“Disgusted with Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid? 
Well, we at the Tea Party Express sure are, and we’ve dedicated ourselves towards defeating Reid in the upcoming 2010 congressional campaign.  Here’s our brand new TV ad to “Defeat Harry Reid” – please watch it and share it with others:”

To help get this ad broadcast on every Nevada TV station morning, noon and night, please make a donation to our “Defeat Harry Reid” campaign – HERE.

https://secure.donationsafe.com/tea/
Our goal is to raise $100,000 for this campaign in the next 5 days.  That’s $20,000 per day, so please make a contribution of any amount from as little as $5 to the maximum allowed $5,000.
To meet our fundraising goals to “Defeat Harry Reid” we’re hoping 465 people can make a contribution of $100 or more.

Or if you prefer, you can mail in a contribution to the “Defeat Harry Reid” campaign:
Our Country Deserves Better PAC
ATTN: Defeat Harry Reid Campaign
770 L Street #1020
Sacramento, CA 95814

http://www.teapartyexpress.org/home/

Much has been made of the “tough negotiations” and “compromises” which took place this month in order to move ObamaCare forward.  A 383 page package of amendments was added to the already 2,074 page piece of legislation.  Despite these Senators claims of holding out for amendments based on principles, it appears that they held out for something else entirely.

One of the striking features of this bill is the amount of money going toward home-state provisions.  Sen. Mary Landrieu secured $300 million in Medicaid benefits for Louisiana.  Max Baucus procured the funding of Medicare benefits for asbestos related illnesses in Montana.  Sen Chris Dodd (who faces an uphill re-election campaign next year) added $100 million to the bill for construction of a university hospital on behalf of the University of Connecticut.  The list goes on and on (for 383 pages to be exact), but one of the most expensive provisions is from the oh-so principled “conservative” Ben Nelson.  It appears as though Sen. Nelson was not only granted a lengthy list of smaller benefits for his home state, but he also secured a commitment from the federal government (and by federal government I mean every taxpayer who lives outside of Nebraska) to pick up the entire tab on the expansion of Medicaid for the state of Nebraska.  So there you have it.  It seems as though very little time was spent hammering out policy issues in those closed door meetings.  The real negotiations were about the price of  a United States Senator’s vote.

Jeff Schreiber does a great job over at America’s Right. Here is a great article about the rape of America that just took place while most of us were sleeping. Thanks Jeff.

“Is This For Real?

It’s 11:15 p.m. on a Sunday night. I’m in a king-size hotel room bed in Athens, GA with a snoozing wife and a three-year-old who is still singing “he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake” despite the long, fun-filled day she had. It’s late. And, yet, on one side of my sister-in-law’s fancy MacBook Pro is a live stream from the floor of the United States Senate.

It’s 11:15 p.m. on a Sunday night. And Florida Sen. Bill Nelson is speaking, right now, on the floor about the Senate’s health care reform bill, which will be voted on in a little less than two hours from now. He’s talking about how private insurance companies will be forced to spend 85 cents out of every dollar on patient health care costs. Where, may I ask, does our federal government have the authority to mandate the capital structure of private companies? Where?

Why else would the lights even be on in the Capitol building unless our government is up to no good? This is legislation which will not even come into effect until 2014, two years after the next presidential election, and yet the Democrats feel it so essential to work through the night as the last weekend before Christmas comes to a close?

Most of America is fast asleep. Most of the people whom these senators represent, even if they wanted to pay attention, are sawing logs (probably not literally, though I’m sure there are a strange few) and catching winks in advance of a working Monday tomorrow. These people have no business whatsoever working right now. It might be different if they were burning the midnight oil in an attempt to save the nation with legislation that would have an immediate impact, but they are not — instead, they’re planning the destruction of our economy and health care system through legislation which will not take effect (other than the spending aspect of it) for another four years. If this is a great bill, if it is so necessary, and if the 60 percent or so of Americans who vigorously oppose it just don’t have their facts straight, then they should be debating it during the day, when most of America is awake and attentive.

12:06 a.m.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander made an excellent point — the reason they’re working now is because Harry Reid dropped a 400-page amendment on Friday, something that has been written and kept under the cover of darkness, and that they want to have it passed as part of the bill before Americans can figure out what’s in it.

I can count on the fingers of one hand when I’ve read 400 pages of anything in one day. One was Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, which I read in the course of one night as a kid. Another was Bernie Goldberg’s Bias, which may not be 400 pages long, but was finished in the course of a single afternoon. Reading, digesting and researching 400 pages of legislative language in one day is nearly impossible.

Other things Alexander noted:
$470 billion over the next ten years will be cut out of Medicare, and about $1 trillion in total.
$548 billion in new taxes starting next year. So much for reducing joblessness. And the taxes on medical devices will be passed along to consumers, as will the increased regulation on private insurers, which will be passed along in the form of increased premiums. So much for reducing health care costs.

The CBO said that 9 million will lose employer-based insurance. So much for insuring everyone.
Changes the bi-partisan agreement not to federally fund abortion.

A political kamikaze mission toward an unfortunate mistake. Damaging to the Democrats, but worse for our country. Nicely put.”

“12:32 a.m.

Chris Dodd is up. I can’t even look at him, nonetheless listen to him, without getting irreversibly angry. The only time I want to see Christopher Dodd at 12:32 a.m., or frankly at any time of day, is if he’s wearing handcuffs. And not in a Barney Frank kind-of-way, either — I want to see Dodd being led into prison like Bernie Madoff.

More Ted Kennedy stuff. Good grief. If Ted Kennedy were a normal, everyday American in the aftermath of this legislation, he would have been cold and dead long before he passed with the benefit of the best health care that money can buy, the same health care innovation and ingenuity that the Democrats are poised to stifle, discourage and destroy.”

“12:54 a.m.

And, as if to show evidence of nothing good happening in Washington, D.C. at all, Harry Reid is up.

Every ten minutes, he says, another American dies because they don’t have health insurance. Oh, please. We have emergency rooms ready and able to care for illegal immigrants who have no identification, nonetheless insurance. What’s going to happen is that Americans are going to die because Democrats destroyed the American health care system. What’s going to happen is that Americans are going to die while waiting for six months for a biopsy.

I will dance a jig in my new living room next November when Fox News Channel calls the Nevada election for whomever is running against Reid. And then I’ll switch over to MSNBC–just for a moment–to watch them call it. In fact, I will keep champagne on ice to enjoy during his concession speech.

And, gosh darn it, health care is NOT a fundamental right. Freedom is a fundamental right, and what they are doing right now is destroying freedom in the name of the perpetuation of power.”

“1:08 a.m.

Here goes. Cloture on Reid’s amendment, and the vote which sets up a Christmas Eve vote on the destruction of American freedom and prosperity. I mean, seriously? They need to tear these people away from their families, just so Americans from coast to coast will be too busy eating dinner and enjoying their own families to notice?

Bayh is an “aye.” Burris is an “aye.” Byrd has been dusted off and wheeled in; he’s an “aye.” Bob Casey, supposedly a pro-life Democrat, is an “aye” to a bill which federally funds abortions. Susan Collins votes “no.”

Lieberman? Aye.

Lincoln? Aye.

Landrieu? Aye.

Nelson? Aye. Unreal.

Cloture passes by a vote of 60 to 40. At 1:18 a.m. Procedural votes will come at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The vote for final passage will come at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night. That’s Christmas Eve. It seems America will be getting a lump of coal in her stocking this year, and from this year on.”

This is a must read and please pass this on:

http://www.americasright.com/2009/12/is-this-for-real.html

Citizen Wells

Next election

Lieberman voted out, Aye.

Lincoln voted out, Aye.

Landrieu voted out, Aye

Reid voted out, Aye!!!!!

Thanks CW commenters.

Nebraska’s whore.

Hope he enjoys his 30 pieces of silver.  Of course he has lots of company in that respect.

I took a few minutes to write Bob Nelson.  I urge everyone to do the same!

Senator Nelson,

I started this letter a few times, Dear did not seem appropriate, neither did Mr.  A term of endearment or a sign of respect hardly seems to be appropriate for you.

You sold out to the party and the were bought by Harry Reid and Democratic Party to pass a piece of legislation that could not pass on it’s own merit.  You are a disgrace to politicians, to your constituents and America in general.

Not only will I provide monetary support to any person who opposes you in the next election but I will ensure that any Republican or Independent has my support for the rest of my natural life based on how I have seen the Democratic party conduct itself.

I have never been more disgusted with a piece of legislation, along with many other Americans.  I sit in disbelief that despite our urging you in particular sold your soul and political career for socialism in the United States.

It’s people like you that give politics a bad name.  You have done a huge disservice to your country and although your constituents won’t have to pay (as much) as the rest of us, they will indeed pay in the long for your force feeding foul legislation.  YOU put your senatorial stamp on it.  I know don’t care or you would voted otherwise.  The end justifies the means right?  You decide the greater good, but YOU are exempt from the ramifications of your decision.

Let’s hope the House has more spine than you, although the open bribery and disgusting conduct has been already illuminated there by people like Nancy Pelosi.  You are puppets in this game, how long before you realize that your puppeteer led you in the wrong direction?  Or maybe you do already and of course are following along with whoever pulls your strings or lines your pocket?

Disgusted United States Citizen,

Marcy Sowers

To all Americans.

Especially to all senior citizens, who survived the Great Depression and fought hard to save this country and keep it free.

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are ramming an unwanted Health Care Bill down our throats, a bill that cuts billions from Medicare. To do this they have bought the votes of Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson with hundreds of billions of dollars that belong to Medicare and the American taxpayers.

That is about as low as it gets. But just when you think they cannot sink any lower.

From Right March.

Harry Reid has Scheduled the ObamaCare Vote for 1:00 AM MONDAY
Click Below to Tell the Senate to VOTE NO
https://secure.conservativedonations.com/rm_obamacare3/?a=3437

ALERT: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled the vote on the ObamaCare bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” – at 1:00 AM MONDAY MORNING!.
You read that right: the liberal Democrats are preparing to sneak through their socialist health care bill… IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!
That means that TODAY, it’s up to YOU AND ME to STOP the government takeover of health care in America!
TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE
BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:
SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
 
All week long, weve been leading the efforts of our members to contact every single Senator, to DEMAND that they reject Harry Reids socialistic ObamaCare bill — and as a result, over one hundred and fifty-eight THOUSAND faxes have FLOODED those Senate offices ALL WEEK LONG!
Weve been able to keep the pressure on both Democrats and Republicans, letting them know that WE ARE WATCHING THEM and that we DEMAND they put a STOP to this radical monstrosity of a bill. And the good news is… we ARE having an effect on them!
WE CAN STILL DEFEAT THIS BILL. The bill pushed by Obama, and passed by leftist Democrats in the House, is NOT getting the full support of every Democrat in the U.S. Senate; and without all 60 of those votes, they will NOT be able to pass the NEXT cloture vote coming up soon…
Which means that we can STILL defeat it there — IF we can overwhelm every Senator with our demands to STOP it!
Harry Reid has now introduced what is called his managers amendment — the secret deal that will serve as a substitute for the decoy that was the 2,074-page bill the Senate has been debating for the past three weeks. So is this bill any better?
NO IT STINKS:
The bill slashes hundreds of billions from Medicare to fund a new government program – cuts to hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices that care for our seniors cuts that a pair of Senate Democrats voted repeatedly to reject.
The bill includes massive tax increases on American families and businesses at a time of double digit unemployment.
The bill breaks the Presidents pledge that no American earning under $250,000 would see their taxes increase under this plan.a pledge that five Democrats voted to uphold just last Tuesday.
The bill allows for the funding of abortions, violating the longstanding policy of the Hyde amendment. The language is significantly weaker than Nelson-Stupak amendment which seven Senate Democrats and 64 House Democrats supported.
The bill includes a massive new entitlement -the CLASS Act – which the Democrat chairman of the Budget Committee described as a Ponzi scheme. A bipartisan majority (including 11 Democrats) voted to strike the CLASS Act — and they should withhold their support.
The bill will impose massive burdens to many states at a time when states are already struggling. At the same time, it gives special treatment to a select few states, so that taxpayers in Virginia, Arkansas, and Ohio, will pay higher taxes to subsidize the Medicaid programs of favored few (Nebraska Massachusetts, and Vermont).
We MUST NOT lose this fight. Harry Reid STILL does not have all 60 votes he needs to enact cloture and force a vote on his bill — but you can BET hes doing everything he can to GET those final one or two! If we can STOP him from getting them — that means THE BILL WOULD DIE!
We CAN still win, by keeping the Democrats from getting the 60 votes they need on the next cloture vote, scheduled for MONDAY MORNING AT 1:00 AM… but we can’t do it without YOUR help!
TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE
BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:
SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
TAKE ACTION:Here is the Countdown To Americas Doom that we MUST STOP:

– MONDAY, DEC 21st — 1 am — Cloture vote on manager’s amendment (this is Reids secret deal that will serve as a substitute for the decoy that was the 2,074-page bill the Senate has been debating for the past three weeks)

–TUESDAY, DEC 22nd –7 am — Cloture vote on full substitute bill

–WEDNESDAY, DEC 23rd — 1 pm — Cloture vote on overall bill

–THURSDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE — 7 pm — Final passage vote on health care reform — THEY ONLY NEED 51 VOTES TO PASS IT THEN!

DONT GET DISCOURAGED — there are still at least four Democrats that we know of, who have NOT announced that they will vote for cloture. At the same time, there are a few liberal GOP RINOs who are dangerously close to voting Yes.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE SENATORS NEED TO KEEP HEARING FROM US TO BE CONVINCED!

We CANNOT let the radical liberals in Congress — and the White House — force this plan for socialized health care on the American people! That’s why we’ve set up our website to enable you to send a strong message to every single member of the U.S. Senate, OPPOSING this outrageous plan.
For about what it would cost you in time and telephone charges, you can send Blast Faxes to Democrats, Republicans, Independents — EVERYONE in the U.S. Senate, DEMANDING that they REJECT this socialized health care plan NOW!
TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE
BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:
SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
This fight CAN BE WON! Please, take action right away to STOP this bill in the U.S. Senate!

Sincerely,

William Greene, President
RightMarch.com PAC

Just in from Grassroots in Nebraska, Sunday, December 20, 2009.

A message to all members of Grassroots in Nebraska
Please see the information at the bottom of this message regrading a rally in Omaha I was told about last evening.

Our rally is ON for Tuesday.
As most of you well know, Senator Nelson announced today he will vote the health care bill forward.
Senator Nelson did a special live radio show on 1110 KFAB, explaining his rationale. You can listen by CLICKING HERE.

REGARDING SENATOR NELSON’S STATEMENTS on Saturday:

It is clear that Sen. Nelson is doing what he so frequently does on controversial or unpopular bills; he grabs a lot of media attention regarding how he cannot vote for it, threatens to support a filibuster, maneuvers for some special interest group, pet spending projects, and ultimately votes for the bill, claiming how has improved it. Generally, this goes by with little attention from Nebraska media on the end result.
In this case, he did, by all accounts little to no good in regards to protecting life, secured provisions which would benefit insurance companies, and put the rest of America on the hook to fund Nebraska’s Medicaid expenses in perpetuity.

In this case, Senator Nelson “reserved the right” to vote against the final version of the bill should the agreement he reached with Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Chuck Schumer change in a “material way”.
In other words, Senator Nelson can claim he “I voted for it, before I voted against it”.

I do NOT think Nebraskans will be as easily fooled as Senator Nelson hopes. 67% OPPOSE the Health Care Bill.

A vote “YES” for cloture (to move the bill forward) is a “YES” vote for government run health care.
WHAT YOU CAN TO DO HELP WITH THE RALLY:
If you can do any of the tasks besides passing the word, please send an email and we will make arrangements, thank you.

* Most importantly – COME to the rally – and grab some friends. DRESS WARMLY. (Yes it will be cold…did the soldiers at Valley Forge go home?)
* IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU WOULD RSVP. PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL WITH SUBJECT LINE “YES 12/22 RALLY”
* Pass the word – let’s get as many people there as possible.
* If you are on Facebook, invite people to the event.
* Print some flyers in quantities of 50 – 100 and distribute them, or give them to someone who will. Please contact me and I will send you a PDF version of the flyer as soon as its available and / or make arrangements for you to give them to someone who is willing to distribute them if you cannot.
* Offer to distribute some flyers. (We will help think of ideas of where / how if needed.)
* Offer to print some handouts for the day of the rally.
* DONATE a few dollars to the “Chip In” that has been set up on the Grassroots in Nebraska home page to pay for some radio and TV ads to get the word out about the rally. Someone has stepped forward to offer some seed money for this effort so if we all add smaller additional amounts, we will be able to get some ads on the air.
* Offer to pass around clipboards on the rally day.
* Offer to figure out some way to do some hot cocoa / hot coffee efficiently at the rally.
* Offer to do some research on the version of the bill (if we ever get to see it!).

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE…
We have a sound system, lights, Gary (music), and speakers.
We have flyers nearly complete.
Are working on media efforts.

WE WILL KEEP EVERYONE POSTED ON ADDITIONAL NEEDS AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS

** EMERGENCY RALLY IN [OMAHA] NEBRASKA **
WHAT: Rally opposing Senate Healthcare Bill and Ben Nelson’s support of it.
WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 20th, 3pm, doors open at 2pm
WHERE: Omaha Music Hall, 17th and Capitol,
WHO: Governor Mike Huckabee
Congressman Terry, Auditor Foley and Sens. McCoy, Fulton, Krist, Price, Lautenbaugh to participate as well.

Visit Grassroots in Nebraska at:

 http://netcot.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Citizen Wells

Link to emergency petition to Senator Ben Nelson to vote no:

http://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Petitions.View&Petition_id=11

How many people have Obama and his thug chief of staff Rahm Emanuel bribed and threatened already?  The list is very long now, and it is growing at a faster rate than we can research and document.  The denials on the part GambinObama and his wiseguys ring hollow now because they have no credibility.

They bribed Mary Landrieu with $300 million dollars.  They threatened and harassed Joe Lieberman by going after his wife.  Why is it so hard to believe that they would threaten Ben Nelson with closing Offutt AFB?  Not hard to believe at all.

Sen. Nelson needs to say “OK. You play that game and watch me expose you for what you’re doing.”  Doubt that will happen.

Thursday, December 17, 2009
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
WorldNetDaily

20 senators demand probe of health-care vote ‘threat’

Did White House say it would close Air Force base if Nelson didn’t play?

Posted: December 16, 2009
8:16 pm Eastern
By Joe Kovacs

Twenty senators are demanding an investigation into reports the Obama administration threatened to close Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska if that state’s Democratic senator, Ben Nelson, didn’t join other Democrats in voting for health-care reform.

The group of 20, all Republicans, today called for a hearing in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and the committee’s top Republican Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

The text of the letter states:

It has been reported that the Obama Administration threatened the closure of a U.S. military installation for political purposes, thereby bringing into question the integrity of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The BRAC process was established to remove political influence so that the decision to close or not to close a military installation could be based upon military utility. Specifically, various media reports have stated that the Obama Administration would put Offutt AFB in southeastern Nebraska on a future BRAC list because of a vote on healthcare reform. While we recognize the importance of Offutt AFB as the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command and the approximately 10,000 individuals that work there, we feel that this installation should remain open or be closed on its own merits.

Therefore, we respectfully ask that a hearing be held as to whether the BRAC process has been compromised. We do not want to see the name of a base from our state on a BRAC list and think it has been put there to settle partisan scores. We also do not want our bases to be more vulnerable to closure because political arm-twisting has taken another installation off the table. National security not partisanship should determine how BRAC decisions are made.

Weekly Standard columnist Michael Goldfarb was among those raising the issue in a post in which he said: “According to a Senate aide, the White House is now threatening to put Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesn’t fall into line” on health-care reform.

For just $29.95, you can send every member of Congress a “pink slip” with the warning: Don’t mess with my health care, our you’re outta there!

Both the White House and Nelson are denying any such threat ever existed.

“This rumor is absolutely false, as the people spreading it well know,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “This is nothing but a cynical, crass political game that is designed to maintain the status quo. Let’s be clear: the people spreading these falsehoods think nothing is wrong with a system under which families and businesses continue to bear the brunt of skyrocketing costs, insurance companies are allowed to discriminate and drop at will, and thousands of Americans lose their coverage every single day.”

Despite the denials, some WND readers have expressed outrage if a threat were indeed made.

“It is time for some spines on the Hill to impeach Obama and charge him with treason,” said reader Tom Bender.

“This is simply amazing that we the people are permitting this type of politics in our country,” noted another, Mike Kovach. “Not that this hasn’t been done before, but this administration is on a course to destroy our nation. I am beginning to wonder why there has not been calls of subversion, treason and sedition against this administration. I’m am a Democrat and I would like to see all of those in cohorts with this administration put in jail and charged accordingly.”

The Republicans signing the letter were Sens. John Ensign of Nevada, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Kit Bond of Missouri, Michael Enzi of Wyoming, George LeMieux of Florida, Pat Roberts of Kansas, David Vitter of Louisiana, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississipi, John Cornyn of Texas, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Bob Bennett of Utah, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

We, the People, of the United States of America in this year Twenty hundred and nine, given the dire and unfathomable circumstances this generation and future generations of hard-working, tax-paying, God-fearing, family-rearing and country-loving Americans  will endure, we beseech you, the Congress and President of the United States of America, to reverse the political path you plow and rest aside your personal and business pursuits not for your own benefit but for the betterment of all American citizens, today and tomorrow.  For the future of our Republic is at hand.  You, the 111^th Congress, are expressly and aggressively laying assault to The Constitution of the United States of America, and forthrightly and overtly breeching your oath of office, while abusing the powers given to you by the People.

Let the People remind you where you come from.  Our Founding Fathers, if alive today, would not recognize our country. These great principled men and women suffered under a tyrannical King, and after enough, through much debate and strife, declared its independence. The British exerted its full military power and gave warning to any treasonous citizen, they will be killed. Our forefathers, mostly ordinary folk, fought valiantly.  The motto was, are you ready for this, “Fight or Die.” They became known as Patriots. In stark contrast to you, our congressmen/women, a patriot is a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. Devotion: Do any of you remember this word? What are your values? Where did you leave your principles?  Did you ever have any?

You no longer represent the majority. Just open your eyes and listen with unbiased ears. It has been clear for some years, but never much more so than now, the current state of our body politic are pathetically absorbed with itself so much so that you endanger the very liberty our forefathers fought so hard to keep: A strong Republic. You have abused this gift.  You’ve become misdirected. You are like wondering sheep, for you have lost your way. You are void of a strong foundation built on principles to guide you.  You’ve traded these principles and values for corporate deals, earmarks, brokered favors with political organizations, received under-the-table monies in exchange for political favors and surrounded yourself with lawyers.  You don’t write your own bills, you farm them out to third-parties.  You do not read the bills you vote on. You scurry like hungry mice, pass a bill on a weekend at midnight, and move on to your next voracious meal. You’ve become absorbed with power and greatness. You want to change this great country to fit some ideological philosophy or just to be liked, perhaps both.  You want to foist your will upon us. You want to require each U.S. citizen to make a mandatory purchase of medical insurance. You, via the Cap & Trade bill, want to increase taxes and create more fees to pay for an already over-expanded government while you increasingly devalue the dollar, our savings and investments, purposely plan to increase the cost of heating and cooling our homes, cars and not to mention the further loss of jobs to come. Why are You ignoring the fact that Global Warming is a scam and a myth? The game is over.  The science does not compute and no one who perpetrates this ideology will man-up for a debate.  The mere fact that Climate Change became the new mantra tells all. Add to that, your own fellow Greener, Al Gore, was caught lying at Copenhagen. Yes, he was lying and he knows it. But You are not tasked with the same.  John Adams sums it up very well: “Be not intimidated… nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice.

If you need some reminding here are a few examples that will jog your memory.

• On October 23, CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday where the Constitution authorized Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance–a mandate included in both the House and Senate versions of the health care bill–Pelosi dismissed the question by saying: “Are you serious? Are you serious?” The reporter replied: Yes, yes I am.  She was asked again, but this time it was her spokesperson who answered: “You can put this on the record,” said Elshami. “That is not a serious question. That is not a serious question.”
• Mary Landrieu, a senator from Louisiana whose health-care vote was purchased for a mere 300 million dollars. And that’s not all, when asked, what part of the constitution do you think gives Congress the authority to mandate that individuals have to purchase health insurance? Her reply: “Well, we’re very lucky as members of the Senate to have constitutional lawyers on our staff, so I’ll let them answer that.”
• Let’s summarize: In 1994, when the health care reform plan then being advanced by President Clinton called for mandating that all Americans buy health insurance, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office studed the issue and concluded: “The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.”
• President Obama on Dec. 15, 2009, that “we must pass the health care bill and help solve the most important issue of our time for the people.”

Let us remind You of something very important.  We do not need You.  We the People wield the power. Thomas Jefferson, you may vaguely remember his name; he’s one of our Founding Fathers and the third President of the United States. He said, “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement.”  We the People think this is important for you to keep in mind each and every day of your short-lived tenure in the office you currently hold.  It is You, the 111^th Congress and Mr. President that has brought our country to her knees. You’ve taken us to the precipitous edge with your reckless and momentous spending sprees to the tune of a $12 trillion dollar debt (and growing) and $106 trillion in unfunded liabilities. And Obama, who wants to “fundamentally transform America.” No thank you.  We the People will not let you do this.  Thomas Jefferson’s words have never been so timely and appropriate, “We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude… And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for [another]… till the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery… And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.”

If You decide to take the socialist path and continue to violate the Constitution and treat the People of this Great Country as your slaves, we the People will have no other recourse than to permanently remove you from your political position and further request the new Congress to forever remove any privileges you received from tax-payer dollars. And if warranted, bring criminal charges against You and staff. At any course, it our duty and devotion to our Great Country to ensure we do not sink into wretchedness and oppression because of a greedy, self-centered and malevolent Congress and President.   In our President’s own words, “the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. Says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the federal government can’t do to you, but doesn’t say what the federal government or state government must do on your behalf.  And that hasn’t shifted” Our Founding Fathers said that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.  Those are automatic and the Constitution and other founding documents merely defined those rights so that the government could never take those away.  It is not a document of “negative liberties”.  The Constitution protects us from a tyrannical government.  Only someone who wants to lead a tyrannical government would say the above words.

Your agenda has been attempted before many times and gone down in defeat. In 1961, Ronald Reagan during his radio program spoke out about socialized medicine. “One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. We have an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.”   Back in 1927, an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for President on the Socialist Party ticket, said that the American people would never vote for socialism but he said under the name of liberalism the American people would adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

The rubber will hit the road very soon.  Untold millions of Americans stand against You. Yes, businessmen and women, tea-party goers, housewives, construction workers, professionals, truck drivers, etc.  Some of these fine folks will be running against you for office, so to clean up the mess you’ve made.  I may be one of them.  We the People carry a common goal: November 2, 2010 is “So Long” day. You vote against liberty and freedom, we throw you out of office.  After that, the 2012 election, we will mandate that the 112^th Congress and next President be guided by a strong constitution based on principles and values shared by our fathers, forefathers and Founding Fathers.

“A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.”

Thank you President Ronald Reagan.

Bribes, Threats and Healthcare Posted here with permission

By Sher Zieve Wednesday, December 16, 2009 @ Canada Free Press
The bribes issued by Sen. Harry Reid and the threats issued by the Marxist usurper and dictator-in-Chief in order to garner votes for the ObamaCare Death Plan have now reached almost legendary proportions. In order to end cloture, Reid actually had $300 Millions for Louisiana written into the Senate’s ObamaCare Death Plan version to buy Senator Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) vote.

It worked. Landrieu even bragged about it. Now, the would-be Chicago-style godfather Obama has threatened the hold-out Nebraska Democrat Senator Ben Nelson with closure of Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force base (which employs over 10,000 people and is the headquarters for the US Strategic Command) if he doesn’t play ball with him, the USA’s head mobster, and vote for the bill that will begin the ultimate slavery of the American people.

Note: Obama is so bent upon getting his way and destroying the USA that he is now openly—and in full view of all—threatening to place the country in even more jeopardy. The Communist Obama Government now has a stranglehold on the United States of America, its legislators and its people and he will NOT willingly let go. In fact, as his smile beams even more broadly he is squeezing ever tighter to end our lives and the life of our country.

In order to bring former Democrat and now Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) into line, Obama ordered his minions to go on a search-and-destroy mission against Lieberman’s wife Hadassah. After his Tuesday press conference, it appears that Sen. Lieberman may have folded like the proverbial cheap suit.

Here are only a few of the facts:

1.The ObamaCare Death Plan will gut Medicare by at least $500 Billions—in order to rid Obama & Co of Senior citizens. Seniors were forced into Medicare years ago and now they’re being told it’s time for them to die
2.The pro-abortion language, if removed for the vote, will be added back in when the Senate and House cone together to “blend” the bills
3.The government-run portion of the bill, which was ostensibly removed, will be added back in when the Senate and House cone together to “blend” the bills. Even if it isn’t now done now, the framework for all of the additional Obama-run new government agencies (over 140 of them) will remain in the Obama Death Plan
4.The Marriage Penalty remains in the Obama Death Plan. You didn’t seriously believe this was about health care—did you?
5.The Death Plan includes provisions for the Obama-run government to enter private homes in order to observe how parents are raising their children and to “counsel” said parents
There is so much wrong with this plan and the House plan—think total slavery—that it cannot be fixed. So, they will pass it anyway with a “damn the people” and “damn the Republic” attitude. When this horror passes, folks, it will mark the formal end of our Republic. We will then officially enter the beginnings of the Bondage Phase of our existence. Our rulers in Washington D.C. stopped listening to us some time back. They pay no attention to us when we march and/or question them at Town Hall meetings. Instead, Obama has found a way to ensure that he and his like-minded cohorts are never again voted out of office. The Obama has announced his plan to also shove Amnesty for Illegals and Democrat votes down our throats. Obama & Co pass one set of laws for what used to be We-the-People and another set for themselves—the ruling elite.

This is it. It’s fast approaching the now or never moment. Once more for the troops who understand: “We must no longer reason or deliberate. We only want concord and steadiness. The lot is cast. If we prove victorious, we shall be a just, free and sovereign people. If we are conquered, we shall be traitors, perjured persons and rebels.” John Adams during the American Revolution in 1777.

Dems Threaten Nelson In Pursuit of 60:
Targeting Lieberman’s Wife:
House Democrats push new comprehensive immigration bill:

Sher Zieve Most recent columns
Sher Zieve is an author, political commentator, and staff writer for The New Media Alliance. Zieve’s op-ed columns are widely carried by multiple internet journals and sites, and she also writes hard news. Her columns have also appeared in The Oregon Herald, Dallas Times, Boston Star, Massachusetts Sun, Sacramento Sun, in international news publications, and on multiple university websites. Ms. Zieve is currently working on her first political book: “The Liberal’s Guide To Conservatives.” Sher can be reached at Sher_Zieve@yahoo.com

Obama’s Communists Now Ruling the USA: Republic is Formally Dead.

Corruption maybe one of the biggest stumbling blocks for Western companies investing in the emerging markets.  Let’s face it, those of us who have been doing business in developing countries for the last couple decades, know too well that the rule of law takes a back seat when a country can barely keep above water trying to stabilize its economy, or prevent potential upheavals of national security.  Fighting corruption has only just begun to move in the forefront where countries are showing signs of economic stability and evidence of a middle class.  Some strong public statements made recently by President Dmitry Medvedev on this subject is just one indication that this issue is now taking a higher priority.    However, despite all the reforms and anti-corruption measures taken thus far throughout the region, corruption will not go away over night.  Even within the “developed” world, corruption still exists, so therefore, nobody should expect it to be wiped out completely from the emerging markets anytime soon as well.

For those of us who made the strategic decision to enter these markets, it is most important to consider how to deal with corruption in the now, rather than wait years into the future for “better times” when it may be too late causing your business to miss the opportunities that exist today.  Many of you out there already have heard or even have first hand experiences on how bad corruption is in this region.  On the other hand, there are also plenty of stories from those who have learned how to cope with it and can share more positive insight on this.   Please keep in mind that levels of corruption are different everywhere throughout the world.  Even in the U.S., the levels of corruption have been historically more evident in some certain cities than others.  In the emerging markets, this is no different.  We all know that Russia has had problems with corruption.  However, from my own experience, this varies from region to region and may differ from industry to industry.  Far as other former Soviet countries are concerned, they fare no better when it comes to high-levels of corruption, and in many cases Russia’s neighbors are even worse.  The problem here is that all too often Russia gets stereotyped as if corruption is a part of their genetic code, while the newly independent countries that have embraced Western democracy are stereotyped differently as open business havens for transparent and honest business.  This is nonsense, and if you have ever done business in some of these pro-Western “democracies,” then you know what I am talking about.   

The good news is, that despite how bad corruption is, overall it is much better now than a few years ago as the economies improve and governments have more resources to deal with it. If you were one of those first brave pioneers to attempt business in Russia, Ukraine or other CIS countries after the collapse of the USSR, chances are you probably packed up and went home frustrated.  Today, you may find a completely different environment with different conditions as compared to the wild 1990’s.  On the other hand, if you bribed the right person back then, you probably could have just about achieved anything imagined.  Today you may find it much different.  All the same, your business should expect, plan and take measures on dealing with corruption no matter where you decide to set up business overseas. 

Here are just a few solutions to consider regarding corruption.  Please keep in mind that you can apply these solutions just about anywhere keeping in mind that results vary.

Due Diligence  – You have researched the country, conducted market studies, analyzed the risks and competition;  now you have a solid plan to launch your operations.  But was corruption a part of your due diligence?  Hopefully yes, and while most companies do a good job conducting due diligence on their future partners, many forget to conduct due diligence regarding their industrial sector and location of business.  How well do you know how to navigate in the specific location where you will be registering your business?  With current intelligence and proper research, you can avoid corruption by selecting the right location.    This is why most companies prefer to set up shop in the capital cities rather than in some far off province where the ruling officials think the Soviet Union is still enforce.   Although sometimes this is not the case and the realities may vary.   And while Moscow and other big cities become over concentrated and too cost prohibitive for many operations, more opportunities are popping up in provincial areas. This means you will need to identify other places to start your market entry.

Public Relations and legal expertise – How you are perceived is very crucial when doing business.  If you are already doing business in the region, you already know full well that having the right local connections with the elites in your industry and local government are absolutely necessary to make your venture work.  More so than in developed nations, approvals are usually made at the highest levels of government, although this is starting to change in some places.   On top of all that, the locals will often have high expectations of foreign companies.  Sometimes this is OK for the overall public relations effect, but beware – often times it means the locals will think you arrived to their country with suitcases of cash.   While many companies think that they can just market themselves like they do back home, it is very important that you have expertise on not just the cultural trends, but political as well.  One of my first projects that I worked on received fierce opposition from the local trade unions.   Before you knew it, the local media was reporting that US companies were coming to take property and jobs away from the locals.  Once this story was out, we received interference from the government to carry out the project.  While understanding the root of the problem and knowing how to break through the cultural barriers, we convinced the trade unions and government officials about the benefit of our project and the jobs that it would create.  The result?  The next time they were on the news, the officials were promoting to the public that our project was their idea and not ours.  Although this is not corruption in a classic sense, there was no use going after the media for stating false information.  Instead we turned the situation around in our favor.  Bottom line, if you don’t get the buy in from both the customers and the civil authorities, you will be faced with tough obstacles ahead.

Nearly everywhere I have travelled in the region, I find that the locals have a more negative perception of their government than the foreigners.  This makes sense since with having all the memories of living their lives and trying to raise families in a corrupt system.  Even though many reforms have taken root and more rights are being established for the common person than the previous decades, the old fashion habits and plain cynicism prevents the average person from asserting their rights.  All too often, when a local official approaches a local business owner regarding a safety issue or tax error, the business owner just pays the bribe rather than challenge the official.  On the other hand, not only are most Western firms used to protecting their business interests, foreigners usually have better rights than the locals do.  And if you succeed at making friends at high levels and your business is aligned with their interests, then you need to make sure this is understood from a public relations stand point.  If the local tax inspectors perceive that your business has no “friends” then you will become vulnerable.   

A Russian businessman once told me that he loved the cartoon Tom and Jerry.  He explained that Tom represents the Russian bureaucracy and Jerry is the Russian business owner.  The locals in all these countries have been playing the game of cat and mouse for generations and they know how to play it. If you follow the temptation to do in Rome as the Romans and just pay the officials off or cook books, they will get greedy and your business will be forever under their vassalage.  Even if your local business friends advise you to play the game, don’t fall for it.  The best ammunition against the crooked inspector is to follow the laws and regulations how ever daunting this task may seem. 

Local Partners, Staff - Here is where you have to be careful.  Often companies put all their eggs into one basket.  They find a strong local partner who is well connected to the political elite and never have to worry about corruption.  Once I worked with a client in a Central Asian country on a very important project.  Our local partner had a strong and fruitful relationship with the government official responsible for making decisions.  Everything went well, and after substantial investments were made, there was a government re-shuffling and before you knew it, a new official took his place.  Despite contractual obligations and investments made, our partner was left powerless as a result.  In countries with shifting power allegiances, this is an added risk factor and you should never rely on one person to connect you to the decision makers on the top.  Here again, proper intelligence and due diligence from reliable resources and insurance can help reduce this risk.    

Managing your local staff and facilities is also crucial.  There is nothing worse than when you have invested in a local company, trained the staff and to find out they are selling your intellectual property on their own behalf or using their work hours to perform services using your equipment.  This was probably the first form of corruption I personally faced when starting up my first company.  Employee theft and internal corruption is not just a problem in the emerging markets.  It is a problem everywhere in the world if not put in check.  However, risks are much higher when much of your available human resources have grown to not trust the government, and as often is the case, they will not make a distinction between their employer and the state.  Furthermore, memories of crooked oligarchs and unpaid back wages are still in the minds of many workers.  As I mentioned earlier about my Russian friend’s analogy regarding Tom and Jerry, I prefer to have Tom represent the employer and Jerry, the local employee.  I don’t know about you, but when it is my company we are talking about, I do not want to be Tom the foolish cat.

Depending on the local security services available or type of industry you are involved in, there are many ways to put proactive measures in place to help reduce this risk.  The good news is, there is even more you can do to better manage your company.  And with the proper leadership and training, you can remove that negative perception the employees have against the ownership of the company.   If you take the time to know your local staff, study their culture and genuinely look after their interests, you will find that you have a very talented and honest team working on your behalf.

I also wish to emphasize that there is no magic wand to protect your business 100%, nor is there a perfect world in which to do business in.  I could have and will cover more in the future on how dealing with legal, tax, management and other related issues as well.  But like in all aspects of business, you minimize risk by planning for the worse, while realizing that greater the opportunity the greater the risk.  If you understand this, you can solve this challenge and find a way to succeed.   

Interested in implementing these solutions to reduce risk and corruption in your venture?  Check out more articles in this blog or contact me.  Whether you need some help with your existing operations or just need advice on planning your market entry strategy, email me at: andy.verich@missiondirectservices.com or Click here to learn more.

NOTE: WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE?  You can, as long as you complete the following statement in its entirety:  Andy Verich is an Emerging Markets Expert covering the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS.  If you are ready to empower your business with the vital tools and information to uncover the untapped emerging market opportunities, visit him now at: www.andyverich.com.

Early. Movies. Awesome. Package. Bribes. Drive. Pandora. Old school. Family. Christmas recital. Adorable. Proud. Crazy.

ObamaCard= Gives Democrats Free Unlimited Power to Fuck Taxpayers out of their money. Trillions at a time!

What do you do when you’re in debt? According to Obama, and the Democrats, you spend your way out of debt. It seems that these progressive libtards have no clue or concern.

The Senate passed a $1.1 TRILLION DOLLAR SPENDING BILL to Obama that is filled with earmarks galore. Didn’t Obama promise to go “line by line” through every bill and cut out earmarks? That was candidate Obama. Excuse me!

The Associated Press reports:

The Senate on Sunday passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill with increased budgets for vast areas of the federal government, including health, education, law enforcement and veterans’ programs.

The more-than-1,000-page package, one of the last essential chores of Congress this year, passed 57-35 and now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

What kind of wasteful spending and earmarks can be found in the bill? Well, lets take a gander shall we…

Republicans decried what they called out-of control spending and pointed to an estimated $3.9 billion in the bill for more than 5,000 local projects sought by individual lawmakers from both parties.

The Citizens Against Government Waste said those projects included construction of a county farmer’s market in Kentucky, renovation of a historic theater in New York and restoration of a mill in Rhode Island.

Want more? Here you go…

The legislation also contains numerous items not directly related to spending. It provides help for auto dealers facing closure, ends a ban on funding by the District of Columbia government for abortions and allows the district to permit medical marijuana, lets Amtrak passengers carry unloaded handguns in their checked baggage and permits detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to be transferred to the United States to stand trial, but not to be released.

The bill also approves a 2 percent pay increase for federal workers.

Doesn’t that just make you all warm and fuzzy inside? At a time when most Americans are cutting back on their spending, Obama, and the Democrats, are on a spending spree using the taxpayers are their personal credit cards. On top of that, Obama has truly created more jobs inside the federal government and they get a 2 percent raise.

Want some even better news? Here you go…

Congress must soon raise the debt ceiling, now at $12.1 trillion, so the Treasury can continue to borrow, and Democratic leaders are eyeing a new figure close to $14 trillion, pushing the issue past next November’s election.

That’s the accounting gimmick the Democrats are using. Raise the debt ceiling up just enough to allow them to make it past the next elections because they think Americans are stupid and forgetful.

Obama came into office with the national debt at $10 trillion. In one year, under Obama, the debt is going to hit $14 trillion. That means Obama, and the Donkeys, have spent $4 trillion in under a year. Want some good news? Well, here you go…

There is no good news. Obama, and the Debt-o-crats, have already spent $289 billion in the first two months of fiscal year 2010. That, in and of itself, is already a record-setter. Of course, Obama promised to cut the deficit in half in 2010. If you believe that you’re probably a progressive that believes in everything Obama has said, despite the fact that the man is a natural-born liar.

America, we are screwed until we get rid of all spend-crazy politicians in both parties.

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Get sleep. You’ll perform better on your tests with a rested mind, and you’ll retain more information more readily.
Eat. Your brain needs carbohydrates to even think properly.
Bribe your teachers. Budget cuts are hitting pretty hard, and everyone can use extra cash these days.

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