Politics and Insights from History

Something has been lost in this country: a sense of identity and being. People are reluctant to be proud of their country. In fact, it is fashionable to be ashamed of being an American. We seem more likely to be proud of being Indian (American Indian), black, Hispanic or from any descent other than American. We are never proud to be just Americans.

There was a dream that was America. But it has been lost. Many will tell you that the American dream is owning a house with a white picket fence, having two cars, and being rich. But that is not and never was the American dream. It is much more. It started during Colonial times as settlers from Europe fled political repression looking for a better life. The Declaration of Independence sums it up stating that people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

To understand the true American dream, you must first understand her foundation for the dream is written within it. The principles that make up America’s foundation are faith, liberty, justice, and a thirst for independence.

First there is a faith, a belief not only in the Christian God but that our rights and liberties come from Him and Him alone. The Founding Fathers and Mothers acknowledged that not only did God exist, but that He guided the destiny of a nation if that nation allowed him to. They believed that He participated in the affairs of men, especially if asked. Incorporated with this belief is the notion that our rights come from God. If a people believe their rights come from other men or the government, they do not flinch when those rights disappear. But if a people believe that they are born with certain rights and that those rights come from an authority higher than man, then they are apt to fight for them.

There are those that claim that the Founders were deists. Read their writings and you will learn that these men were anything but deists. Within the last century rose the theory of Evolution and the widespread notion that there is no God and that everything is a matter of chance. This belief has permeated us as a nation to the point that Americans no longer look to God for any guidance, much less acknowledge his existence publicly. But consider this: how is it the Founders all lived in the same era so that they could come together to create a nation? Is it really coincidence that the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the participants of the Constitutional Convention, our first few presidents and ambassadors lived in the latter half the 18^th century and in the same region? Is it chance that they were all committed to freedom? Coincidence and chance only explain so much. It’s almost as if something gave this country exactly what it needed to be born.

As a people we have lost this foundation of faith. We are no longer taught Christian morality in school. The Bible has been practically banned from schools. Public prayers are virtually outlawed. Nativity scenes around Christmas time are becoming increasing rare. Atheists have managed to make the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance a crime. And we now have a president that insists we are a Muslim nation and scoffs at anyone who thinks we should return to our Judeo-Christian heritage. The American people have allowed a minority group of malcontents to dictate when and where Christians may display their faith and to strip away the Christian foundation of this country. No other religion in this country has been under such attack.

The next pillar is liberty, especially individual liberty. People are free to live their lives as they see fit, to govern themselves, and to determine their own future. A government cannot oppress a people that maintain their individual freedom. With liberty comes responsibility. Individuals must guard their freedom taking charge of their own lives. They cannot depend on any one person of governing body to provide for them.

With the growth of the welfare state, Americans are losing their individual freedom. The government continues to grow in size and liberty’s foundation erodes. People have forsaken personal responsibility and liberty for the chains of a government safety net.

There has also been this rise in the notion that the Founding Fathers did not believe in equal rights because some of them owned slaves and they did not grant rights to women. To tarnish their achievements with our pettiness insults them. To think less of them because they did not solve all of the ills of their times is wrong. They were men, human beings doing their best to achieve the unattainable. We think little of them because they did not achieve equal rights for women of blacks, but they gave us much more. They gave us a foundation of principles to allow us as a nation to achieve the rest. They gave us independence. Without it what difference would the rest make?

Another part of America’s foundation is justice. Equality before the law has always been a part of The United States’ justice system. The Founding Fathers believed that no one was above the law. It does not matter if a person is a convenient store clerk or a head of state, the law deals with them equally. The law is supposed to be blind to social stature, race, and gender.

Unfortunately this is not always the case. People being what they are sometimes cater to their own prejudices instead of justice. Charlie Rangel’s punishment for ethics violations—granting official favors (bribery), not reporting income from his villa in the Dominican Republic, etc.—is a good example of how the foundation of justice is disappearing. The only punishment Rangel received for the 11 ethics violations he was found guilty of was a censure within Congress. Now compare this to James Traficant who was also found guilty of ethics violations—taking bribes and not filing income on his taxes—within the House of Representatives. Traficant went to prison for his crimes. Both are guilty of the same transgression, yet suffer different punishments. Why?

The fourth cornerstone of America is independence. The Founders wanted American independence where the United States determined her own destiny free from foreign influence and oppression of global powers. They wanted the American people to be free from tyrants both at home and abroad. As colonists, Americans governed themselves before England decided to pay attention to her colonies. The Founding Fathers felt that America should maintain that right to self government.

American independence has been rapidly disappearing. The United Nations has actively sought the destruction of America since its inception. Each year the U.N. grows in influence resembling a global governing body instead of a mediating ground for countries to work out their disputes. President Obama is willing to sign any agreement with the U.N. sending America’s wealth abroad, shrinking our influence in the world just so he can have an excellent global image. Obama seeks to sign a treaty (G-20 summit) with other members of the U.N. that would shrink American industry and the economy while sending what little money we do have to countries that are less developed industrially. China has bought up most of our debt. One could say that since China owns our debt, it owns America. We cannot claim to be a free and independent nation while we are indebted to China, or any foreign power. All these measures threaten American sovereignty and security.

How does all of this tie in with the American dream, you might ask. The American dream harbors the same principles as her foundation. Simply put, the American dream is the provision of a place where all men and women can live free from government tyranny and oppression, to keep what they work hard to earn, worship according to conscience, and to have the opportunity to improve their lives and be more than they are. That is the American dream.

Why is it this is not taught to children in schools? Why do people not know this? The answer is simple. In the early 20^th century a group of people known as progressives rose up wanting to change America into what they think it should be. To do this, they had to chip away at America’s identity. First they wiped out America’s Christian Heritage and our belief that our liberties come from God. Then, they made us ashamed of being Americans by reminding us constantly of our more negative history, such as slavery. (The Civil War never ended the slavery issue; it is alive and well even today.) They incorporated the notion that all cultures are equal and that we should be tolerant of everyone. However, anyone that is openly proud of being an American is call bigoted, racist, and humiliated publicly. All of this has whittled away at our American identity to the point that many Americans do not know who they are.

We must imprint the American dream, and her foundation, in our hearts and our minds. Teach it to your children. This dream is a fleeting one. If we do not grab hold of it, cherish it, live it, and pass it on to future generations it will be lost to the ages.

Remember, if we do not know who we are as a nation, how can we know what our dream is? How can we know where we are headed? And what is to stop a bunch of tyrants from robbing us of our freedom and turning us into slaves?

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Now that the election is over it is clear that the Republicans are being given a second chance to prove themselves as the party that is for the Republic.  This is also their last chance.  People are fed up with the Democrats and the nonsense they have participated in for the past two years.  The bailouts, Obamacare, the Financial takeover, and continuing to rack up more and more debt has angered many Americans and woke them up to reality.  But the behavior of the Democrats is hardly surprising.  They have always been for more government and more spending.  But we expect better from Republicans.  They always run on the platform of less taxes, less government, and less spending.  This is their chance to prove they are worthy of our trust.

This is what Republicans should do after being sworn in.  I hope they are listening.

1. Institute permanent tax cuts across the board for everyone who pays taxes.

2. Repeal Obamacare.  Don’t just change a few bits and pieces of it.  Repeal the entire thing.  And do not allow anything resembling it to take its place.

3.  Pass a budget and put a permanent cap on federal spending.

4. Repeal the financial reform bill.

5. Repeal the stimulus package of January 2009 and give GM back to private ownership.

6.  Tell the unions to take a hike, along with all lobbyists.

7. Get rid of the EPA.  The EPA is an unconstitutional organization that has an extraordinary amount of power over businesses and people’s lives.

8. Get rid of the Department of Education.  It is another unconstitutional organization with way too much power over our school system.

9. Eliminate the Capital gains tax and cut taxes on corporations and business.

10.  Close the borders and deport all illegal immigrants

11.  Address the Muslim threat within our own borders as well as without.  We as a nation cannot allow Sharia law to take any hold in this country. Muslims that want to emigrate here must swear allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and adhere to Constitutional law.  They must abandon Islamic law.  This also means rooting out terrorist organizations within America and getting rid of them.

12. Privatize social security

13.  Privatize Medicare and Medicaid.

14.  Eliminate all other welfare programs and get rid of the welfare state.

15.  Repeal the current tax code and institute a flat tax of 10%.  Make sure this is a permanent rate that cannot be changed by future Congresses for a period of 200 years (2 generations).

16.  Reign in the Federal Reserve

17.  Get rid of the Country Club Republicans and all Rhinos.  The Republican party needs to return tho its conservative roost and stick by them.

18.  Institute Term limits.  It is time to get rid of career politicians.

19.  Do not, under any circumstance, compromise with Obama and the Democrats.

Now I realize they may not be able to get everything done.  But the Republicans in Congress should push for these statutes and keep pushing for them.   Don’t give up and do not Compromise.  Do not do anything in the name of bipartisanship.

And for all American voters: keep your elected officials in line.  If they fail to deliver on their promises and if they turn into the Washington establishment, get rid of them on the next election.  It is our job as free citizens to keep our elected representatives honest and replace them from time to time.
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Last week President Obama delivered a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Like most of his speeches it was full of rhetorical BS and added up to little more than pandering to a group of people for votes. The following is my breakdown of the speech. I left out the first two paragraphs because they are the typical pleasantries of thanking those present. The Speech itself can be found in its entirety at the White House website.

“I also want to acknowledge and thank all of the outstanding Latino leaders serving across my administration because I am proud that the number of Latinos I’ve nominated to Senate-confirmed positions at this point far exceeds any administration in history.  And I’m especially proud that a whole bunch of them are Latinas.  And as I’ve said before, one of my proudest moments of my presidency was the day Justice Sonia Sotomayor swore an oath and ascended to our nation’s highest court, and sparked new dreams for countless young girls all across America.”

First off, who cares if he has appointed the most Hispanics to federal office than any other president? That doesn’t mean a thing. The real issue is: are these people qualified? Take Sonya Sotomayor. She is the first Latina to be Supreme Court judge, but she is not qualified. This is a woman who is a far left ideologue, much like Obama himself. She believes that it is up to judges to legislate from the bench, or to create policy. She does not believe in individual rights or in upholding the Constitution. In her career, Sotomayor has demonstrated that she is incapable of remaining objective. To be a competent judge, you must be impartial and cannot push your own agenda.

So he has appointed the most Latinos to federal offices. How many of them are Marxists like him? How many of them are loyal to America and her Constitution?

“Now, some of you may remember I first joined you here two years ago, as a candidate for this office.  And we spoke then about how, after years of failed policies here in Washington, after decades of putting off the toughest challenges, we had finally reached a tipping point — a point where the fundamental promise of America was at risk.

We talked about how these challenges impacted the Latino community, but also about how they’re bigger than any one community.  I said then that if a young child is stuck in an overcrowded and underperforming school, it doesn’t matter if she is black or white or Latino, she is our child, and we have a responsibility to her.”

If President Obama, and other liberals, really cared about improving our schools and the quality of education, they would support the school voucher programs. Instead, Obama and his ilk have worked with the school unions to destroy the school voucher programs touting them as unfair. They continue to pour more money into a failed system. To reform the education system this is what needs to be done:

1. Get the federal Government out. Return control of schools to the state and local levels.

2. Eliminate the Department of Education and all federal funding for schools including all elementary, middle schools, high schools, and universities.

3. Eliminate the School Unions. Unions insist on keeping the substandard quality of education in this country. They are responsible for the amount of teachers that do not do their job, and some of these teachers are child molesters.

4. Repeal the measure in the Health Care law that allows the Federal Government to take control of the student loan program.

“That if millions of Latinos end up in the emergency room because they don’t have health care, it’s not just a problem for one community, it’s a problem for all of America.”

Here the President is blatantly lying. People who go to the emergency room do not do so because they have no health care. There are a couple reasons why emergency rooms are used: the person has a medical problem that only the emergency room can handle, or he is unaware that even without insurance he can go to the clinic. Also emergency rooms are popular among illegal immigrants because they can get the care they need and then walk out before they are asked for billing information or have immigration services called on them.

“When millions of immigrants toil in the shadows of our society, that’s not just a Latino problem, that is a American problem.  We’ve got to solve it.”

Why do we have immigrants “toiling in the shadows of society”? Simple. Many of these people are illegal immigrants and were smuggled into this country by people who deal in human trafficking. If we were to close the borders, crack down on illegal immigration, and punish those who smuggle people into this country we could save those who are in “the shadows of society” and eliminate most of the gang activity in the southwest. Another thing that needs to be done is destroying the drug cartels that use desperate people to smuggle their drugs into this country.

“As Dr. King told Cesar Chavez all those years ago:  Our separate struggles are really one.  And that truth became painfully clear when, less than a week after I had appeared before the CHC, some of the biggest Wall Street firms collapsed and the bottom fell out of our economy.  Millions of families across America were plunged into the deepest recession of our lifetimes.  And a Latino community that had been hard-hit before the recession was hit even harder.

So when I took office, I insisted that we could only rebuild our economy if we started growing the economy for all of our people, not just some of our people — (applause) — if we provided economic security for all of our working families all across America.  We had to renew the fundamental idea that everybody in America — everybody in America — has a chance to make it if they try no matter who they are, no matter what they look like, no matter where they come from or where they were born.”

This is mostly useless rhetoric to make Obama sound good. He is purposefully misleading people. The reason why the economy has slumped is because of democrat policies from the 1980s and 1990s. The economy continues to limp along because of Obama’s policies. When Jimmy Carter passed the Community Reivestment Act, it set the stage for Chris Dodd and Barney Frank to write legislation that forced banks to lend money to those who could not afford a mortgage. They also helped to keep Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac alive despite the corruption within these two institutions and the evidence that they were bankrupt. We were plunged into a recession because of the very policies that Obama is pushing.

President Obama talks about security, but what security is there in a government that pushes for more control over individuals, increases spending and the debt, and washes its hands of all responsibility?

“That’s the idea that drives us:  the chance to make of our lives what we will.  And I know that many of you are thinking tonight about a task that is central to that idea — and that’s our fight to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

The only immigration reform he wants is amnesty so that he can get more votes come 2012. The United States does not need immigration reform. What we need is to close our borders and enforce our current immigration laws. This means tracking down any who have stayed beyond their visa and deporting them, and punishing businesses who hire illegal immigrants. If the Federal immigration laws we currently have were enforced from the beginning, we would not have an illegal immigration problem. Besides, if we actually enforced our immigration laws, the illegal aliens would deport themselves. That is what happened in Arizona when they passed their immigration law.

“Now, I know that many of you campaigned hard for me, and understandably you’re frustrated that we have not been able to move this over the finish line yet.  I am too.  But let me be clear:  I will not walk away from this fight.  My commitment is getting this done as soon as we can.  We can’t keep kicking this challenge down the road.

There’s no doubt the debate over how to fix all this has been a fractured and sometimes painful one in this country.  And let’s face it, there are some who seek political advantage in distorting the facts and in dividing our people.  We’ve seen it before.  Some take advantage of the economic anxiety that people are feeling to stoke fear of those who look or think or worship differently — to inflame passions between “us” and “them.””

The only person infusing fear into the hearts and minds of Americans is the President himself. Obama used the fear of economic collapse to pass his stimulus bill. He used the fear of not be able to get health care to pass his health care bill. He used fear and anger to pass the financial overhaul bill. Now he is using the fear of racial division to pass another amnesty bill.

“I have news for those people:  It won’t work.  There is no “us” and “them.”  In this country, there is only “us.”  (Applause.)  There is no Latino America or black America or white America or Asian America.  There is only the United States of America — all of us.  (Applause.)  All of us joined together.  Indivisible.”

This is just Obama’s feeble attempt to appear strong.

“If we appeal to the American people’s hopes over their fears, we’ll get this done.  We already know what this reform looks like.  Just a few years ago, when I was a senator, we built a bipartisan coalition around a basic framework under the leadership of Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain and President Bush.  We rallied with leaders from the business community and the labor communities and the religious communities.  Many of you were there.  And the bill we forged wasn’t perfect.  It wasn’t what any one person might think was optimal.

But because folks were willing to compromise, we came up with a commonsense, comprehensive reform that was so far from the false debates, the notion that somehow on the one hand there’s mass amnesty or on the other hand there’s some unworkable mass deportation.  That wasn’t what we were talking about.  And the American people, I think, were ready to embrace a commonsense solution.  And we passed that bill through the United States Senate”

The bill he is referring to is the immigration bill that Ted Kennedy and John McCain worked on under Bush’s second term. This bill was nothing more than an amnesty bill. It granted amnesty to 2.7 million illegal immigrants while failing to enforce immigration laws.[i]

“But since that effort fall apart — fell apart, we have seen how broken and bitter and divisive our politics has become.  Today, the folks who yell the loudest about the federal government’s long failure to fix this problem are some of the same folks standing in the way of good faith efforts to fix it.   And under the pressures of partisanship and election year politics, most of the 11 Republican senators who voted for that reform just four years ago have backed far away from that vote today.

That’s why states like Arizona have taken matters into their own hands.  And my administration has challenged that state’s law — not just because it risks the harassment of citizens and legal immigrants, but it is the wrong way to deal with this issue.  It interferes with federal immigration enforcement.  It makes it more difficult for law — local law enforcement to do its job.  It strains state and local budgets.  And if other states follow suit, we’ll have an unproductive and unworkable patchwork of laws across the country.

We need an immigration policy that works — a policy that meets the needs of families and businesses while honoring our tradition as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.  We need it for the sake of our economy, we need it for our security, and we need it for our future.

And I understand it may not be the easy thing to do politically.  It’s easier to grandstand.  But I didn’t run for President to do what’s easy.  I ran to do what’s hard.  I ran to do what’s right.  And when I think something is the right thing to do, even my critics have to admit I’m pretty persistent.  I won’t let it go.  They can call me a lot of things, but they know I don’t give up.”

The reason Arizona passed their own immigration law is because for over 20 years the Federal Government has refused to enforce its own immigration laws and has refused to deal with the problem of illegal immigration. Also. Arizona’s law was a carbon copy of the federal immigration laws. All Arizona did was pass a state law stating that they will enforce the current federal immigration laws. They did what needed to be done.

The fact that the White House filed a lawsuit against Arizona proves that they cannot stand it when people do not follow them. It also proves that we have an out of control, oppressive government that needs to be reined in. The federal government has no right to file a lawsuit against individual states. This violates the tenth amendment and is an erosion of the rights of individual states.

The only one grandstanding here is President Obama himself. He hopes that by bashing Arizona he will garner support from the Latino community. He is also setting himself upon some pedestal of moral superiority.

“Now, the Senate is going to have a chance to do the right thing over the next few weeks when Senator Reid brings the DREAM Act to the floor.  Keep in mind, in the past, this was a bill that was supported by a majority of Democrats and Republicans.  There’s no reason why it shouldn’t receive that same kind of bipartisan support today.  I’ve been a supporter since I was in the Senate, and I will do whatever it takes to support the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ efforts to pass this bill so that I can sign it into law on behalf of students seeking a college education and those who wish to serve in our country’s uniform.  It’s the right thing to do.  We should get it done.”

Here is the payment Obama promises for any Latino that votes for him. The Dream Act was originally proposed under Bush’s tenure by Republican Senator Hatch from Illinois. He now opposes the measure, but that is of little consequence. It is most likely a political move on his part. Now the measure is a rider on the Defense Authorization Bill due to Senator Harry Reid.

The Dream Act would grant conditional citizenship to illegal immigrants up to the age of 35 who claim that they were brought into the United States while under 16. To be granted citizenship they would have to agree to join the military or enroll in a university. That is the Dream Act in a nutshell. It is nothing more than an amnesty bill.

Like every piece of legislation from this Congress, the bill is full of loopholes. Currently most states ban in state tuition to illegal aliens. The Dream Act would put an end to that. Those granted citizenship will be allowed to sponsor others for citizenship, even those who would otherwise not be granted it. Another problem is that there is anywhere between 50,000 to 70,000 illegal immigrants who graduate high school every year.[ii] All of them stand to be given U.S. citizenship. And since most of those granted citizenship by the Dream Act are considered minorities, they will have Affirmative Action helping them. This means that many of those who will benefit from this bill will be given preference in college admissions and preference in the job market; preference over American citizens who happen to be white.

There a many reasons for not passing the Dream Act.

1. It is being put as a rider on the Defense Bill because it was unable to pass through Congress on its own. Immigration is a separate issue and any bill concerning it must pass through both houses of Congress on its own; not as a rider on another piece of legislation.

2. There are enough Immigration laws on the books. We do not need more. Congress should go through the current immigration policies and repeal what is not working and enforce what does. Adding more laws upon thousands of pages of existing laws just complicates matters more and does little to solve the problem.

3. This is nothing more than an amnesty bill. Yes, there are conditions put on it and it seems reasonable, but that is the problem. Do you really expect a government that refuses to enforce the rules concerning those who have overstayed their visas to make certain that those granted citizenship under this bill hold up their end of the bargain? No. They will be given citizenship and let loose.

4. Amnesty never was, and never will be the answer. These people that will be granted amnesty are adults. They know that they are not U.S. citizens and have refused to go through the process of becoming one. Now they a rallying for the passage of the Dream Act so that they will be allowed to achieve their dreams. The Chicago Tribune wrote a sob story about an illegal immigrant who is 19, but was brought to this country while under 16 and how this bill would improve his life.[iii] This kid is 19. On the day he turned 18 he could have applied for U.S. citizenship and started the process. But he chose not to. Apparently, citizenship was of little importance to him.

The people who will benefit from the Dream Act are of voting age. This bill is a way for desperate Democrats to buy the Latino vote in this November and later in 2012. Unfortunately, these people are stupid enough to sell it to them. Since most of them are illegal they have no right vote in American elections anyway.

“Now, I want to be straight with you.  To make real progress on these or any issues, we’ve got to break the Republican leadership’s blockade.  Let’s be clear about this.  Without the kind of bipartisan effort we had just a few short years ago, we can’t get these reforms across the finish line.  Their leadership has made reaching 60 votes the norm for nearly everything the Senate has to do.  The American people’s business is on hold because, simply put, the other party’s platform has been “no.”

For example, consider the public servants I’ve nominated to carry out the people’s business.  Most of them had been supported widely and approved unanimously by Senate committees.  But they’ve been held up for months by the Republican leadership.  We can’t even get an up-or-down vote on their confirmation.  I nominated a man that you all know well.

Now, Raul has been waiting for 10 months to be the Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.  Right now, there are 21 judges who’ve been held up for months while their courts have sat empty.  Three of them are outstanding Latinos, like Judge Albert Diaz, who I nominated to the Fourth Circuit Court.  He’s been waiting for 10 months.  This is a widely respected state court judge, military judge, and Marine Corps attorney.  He was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee.  But just last month, the Senate Republican leader objected to a vote on his confirmation yet again.  And when he was asked why, he basically admitted it was simply partisan payback.  Partisan payback.

We can’t afford that kind of game-playing right now.  We need serious leaders for serious times.  That’s the kind of leadership this moment demands.  That is what we need right now.  Because when I get out of this town and I’m meeting with people, talking to folks, nobody is asking me, “Hey, Barack, which party is scoring more points?”  Nobody is saying, “Oh, don’t worry about us, I just want you to do what’s best for November.””

Once again Obama is blaming Republicans for his problems. The Republicans are unable to block anything in Congress right now. They are the minority in both houses. The Democrats hold the majority in both the House and the Senate. They also control the White House. If Obama is unable to get his agenda pushed through Congress, then he has a problem within his own party.

He is also pushing the same rhetoric of Republicans being the “party of no”. This is a favorite Democrat tactic. The reason for many Republicans saying no to Obama, is because they finally got the backbone to say no to big government. I hope they keep it up.

“What they’re interested in is how they’re going to find a job when they’ve only known one trade their whole life; how are they going to put their kids through school; how are they going to pay the bills if they get sick; how are they going to retire when their savings have plunged after this financial crisis.  They’re the folks we’re here for.  They’re the folks we’re fighting for.

That’s why we passed Wall Street reform — for every hard-working family who’s tired of taken — getting taken advantage of every time they opened their credit card bill, or mortgage payment, or tried to send a remittance — send a payment to help their parents or families abroad.

That’s why we’re reforming America’s schools so that all our children have a chance to learn the skills they need for today’s economy.  We eliminated tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies to big banks that provide student loans, and we’re taking that money to make college affordable for millions of students, including more than a hundred thousand Latino students.  That’s what the CHC did.  That’s what this administration did.

That’s why we passed health insurance reform for Americans who are sick of being gouged by insurance companies that jack up rates and deny coverage because you’ve got a preexisting condition.  Now, millions of Americans with insurance can get free preventive care.  Now, 9 million Latinos and tens of millions of Americans will be able to afford quality health care for the first time.”

The only reason why Obama pushed these so called reforms was to get his Marxist agenda through Congress while he had a chance. President Obama promised to “fundamentally change America” and that is exactly what he is doing. He is changing the United States from a Republic into a Socialist state. This is something the American people have resisted since the rise of the Progressive era.

“That’s why we cut taxes for small business owners and 95 percent of working Americans.”

Tax cuts? What tax Cuts? There have been no tax cuts since Obama took office. He gave some tax credits, but those are due to expire the end of this year. Also, tax credits are not tax cuts. Tax credits are very similar to the credits you may see on your credit card statement if they overcharged you for something. A tax cut is an actual reduction in the tax rate. This, we have not had. In fact, beginning in January of 2011 your taxes will increase because Obama is allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire at the end of this year. He has not urged Congress to extend the Bush tax cuts. Obama is lying and he knows it. He also is well aware that he will never be called on it.

“Instead of giving tax breaks to corporations to create jobs overseas, we’re cutting taxes for companies that put our people to work here at home.  Instead of tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans who don’t need them and weren’t even asking for them, we’re fighting to cut taxes for you, middle-class folks all across the country.  That’s what we’re about.  That’s what we’re fighting for.”

More lies. Taxes on corporations will increase in 2011 thanks to the health care and financial reform bills. If the president manages to get an energy/climate bill, there will be tax increases within it for both businesses and individuals. If he really intended to encourage corporations to manufacture products within the U.S., Obama would eliminate the EPA and all of their useless regulations and he would slash all corporate taxes by about 75% and even eliminate some. This would encourage businesses to come to the U.S. and recover the economy.

Take note Obama’s use of class warfare here. Earlier in his speech he talks about how we are all Americans and should not divide ourselves. Then he speaks about how the wealthy do not deserve tax cuts. This is a typical tactic of socialists. They claim they want unity, but then they divide people based on economic circumstances.

“And when it comes to just about everything we’ve tried to do, almost every Republican in Congress has folded their arms and said no.  Even where we usually agree, they say no.  They’re thinking about the next election instead of the next generation, trying to score political points instead of solving problems.  They said no to help for small businesses.  No to middle-class tax cuts.  No to making college affordable.  No to comprehensive immigration reform.  Their platform, apparently, is “no se puede.”  Is that a bumper sticker you want on your car?”

Blaming Republicans once again. It is not Republicans getting in Obama’s way. It is the American People. The majority of Americans have demonstrated, through the Tea Party Movement, that they do not want Obama’s reforms. Because of this, many Democrats have distanced themselves from Obama. But Obama cannot admit this. If he does it shows that not only do the people not trust him, but that there is distrust and division within his party. This would weaken him even further. So he continues to spread the lie that it is the Republicans fault hoping that enough people will believe it in the November elections.

“In fact, the chairman of their campaign committee said that if they take over, they’d go back to “the exact same agenda” — that’s a quote — “the exact same agenda” they had when they were in power.   They’re saying they’ll repeal Wall Street reform.  They’ll try to repeal health insurance reform.  They’ll give the special interests a pen and let them write the rules again.”

More lies. Obama is trying, desperately, to convince people that Republicans are responsible for the economic meltdown; that Republicans are responsible for the lack of recovery. He wants to connect them to special interests because the Democrats are deeply connected to special interests groups like the Unions (SEIU, ACORN), the American Medical Association, and AARP, to name a few. Now, that does not mean that there are not some Republicans that are tied to special interest groups. But Obama is purposefully trying to mislead you because he is deeply connected to groups like SEIU and ACORN. He has allowed them to influence what was written in many of his “reform” bills.

“And right now, because of that Republican blockade, those special interests — even foreign corporations — can spend tens of millions of dollars on campaign ads without even having to disclose who they are.  You’ve seen some of these ads.  You know, they call themselves “Americans for Apple Pie” or “Moms for Motherhood.”

And then they use their voice to drown out yours.  To let Wall Street write rules that take advantage of Main Street.  To let insurance companies write rules that let them cover or drop folks whenever and however they please.  To go back to that “exact same agenda.””

Remember, Republicans cannot block anything right now. They do not have enough votes. And, frankly, you want Obama’s agenda to be stopped. What he wants is not what America wants. What he wants is the destruction of America. Look at everything he has said and done for the past 21 months. He and key Democrats in Congress have actively pursued a course that violates the U.S. Constitution and violates our individual rights.

The Republican party appears to be undergoing a transformation right now in which they are returning to their conservative roots. This is what we need. We need to return to common sense values and solutions and return to Reagan conservatism. Reagan had it right. Cut government and return power back to the hands of the people, where it belongs. This was one of the fundamental beliefs that surrounded the founding of America.

“Well, tell me you something.  That agenda didn’t work out so well for the Latino community.  It didn’t work out for anybody here in America.  It is not going to solve the challenges we face.  We can’t go backwards.  We’ve got to go forwards.

So let me say this, not just to the folks who are in this room, but to the Latino community across this country.  You have every right to keep the heat on me and keep the heat on the Democrats, and I hope you do.  That’s how our political process works.

But don’t forget who is standing with you, and who is standing against you. Don’t ever believe that this election coming up doesn’t matter.  Don’t forget who secured health care for 4 million children, including the children of legal immigrants.  Don’t forget who won new Pell Grants for more than 100,000 Latino students.  Don’t forget who fought for credit card reform, a new agency to protect consumers from predatory lending, and protections for folks who send remittances back home.  Don’t forget who cut taxes for working families.  Don’t forget who your friends are.  No se olviden.  Don’t forget.

We can’t go back now.  Not when there is so much work to be done.  We’ve got to move forward.  We’ve got to move forward on jobs, and on the economy, and on immigration reform, and all the unfinished business of our time.  These are serious times.  They require serious leaders and serious citizens, and your voice matters.  Your voice can make the difference.”

This is mostly more rhetoric. Obama is pandering to the Latino Community, since they are whom he is speaking to here. He is also stating that any who do not agree with his agenda are backwards people that do not understand Americans or the people’s wants and needs. By making his opponents seem inferior and primitive, he is hoping to discredit them.

“So let me close by saying this.  Long before America was even an idea, this land of plenty was home to many peoples.  To British and French, to Dutch and Spanish, to Mexican to countless Indian tribes.  We all shared the same land.  We didn’t always get along.  But over the centuries, what eventually bound us together — what made us all Americans — was not a matter of blood, it wasn’t a matter of birth.”

This is all BS. Obama is attempting to play down the uniqueness of America. He is purposefully distorting our past. The American Colonies were British colonies subject to the crown from the day they were formed. However, for most of our colonial history Britain ignored the colonies forcing those who settled here to form their own governments and govern themselves. This is where American self-government began. There may have been some of Dutch or French origin who settled here, but that is of little importance. Those who settled in the Colonies gave up what life and allegiances they had in Europe to begin a completely new life in America. And though many Colonists thought of themselves as Englishmen, since the Colonies were still British colonies, they also referred to themselves as Americans. At the time of the Revolution it became apparent that those in England had no respect for the Colonists and viewed them as second class citizens. And that was how they were treated. So, a group of men decided to make the separation from England official since they were already separated in custom and principle.

It does not matter how many people of different origins were living in the New World before America was formed. The fact remains that the ideas that formed the United States, the ideas that propelled the Founding Fathers, are uniquely American. These principles did come from the Indians, Spain, France, or Mexico. (Mexico did not declare independence until 1810 and did not win it until 1821.) The ideas that made America came from America; they originated in America.

“It was faith and fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights:  life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

This should disturb every American. The president of the United States purposefully misquoted the Declaration of Independence, one of our key, founding documents. There is no excuse for any American misquoting the Declaration, especially if he is the President of the United States.

Already, people are making excuses for Obama. But presidential speeches are written far in advance of their delivery date so the President can practice it and make certain that the facts are correct. Also, Obama has never delivered a speech without a teleprompter. Since this was a 24 minute speech, I highly doubt that he left his teleprompter at home and delivered it by memory. The words were in front of him. All he had to do was read them.

Obama is a trained speaker, so nervousness in front of a crowd should be beyond him. When most people misspeak their mistake is fluid and they usually correct themselves immediately afterwards. But Obama’s pause was very deliberate and unnatural. He did not convey the classic signs of a person trying to remember what came next. There is no logical explanation for this mishap.

Watch the video on YouTube. (embedded below)I have watched it many times. Each time I am left with the same conclusion. He deliberately left out “the Creator”. As Obama says the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” he pauses for several seconds. Watch his face while he stands there. It scrunches up in an angry scowl. Obama knows the words. You can tell he knows the words, but is debating whether to say them or not. He chose not to.

The complete quote is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator [emphasis added] with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Why would the President of the United States leave out the part about our rights being from God? The Founding Fathers knew where our rights came from. They not only believed in God; they never questioned that our rights come from Him. That is why it was written down. So that future Americans would never forget that our liberties come from Divine Providence and this country was established with this understanding.

The fact is, Obama does not believe in God. And he certainly does not believe that our liberties come from Him. Obama, like all statists, believe that a person’s rights come from the government. That is why they always speak about entitlements. In actuality, Obama and those like him do not believe in individual rights. They believe in collective rights. Obama has spoken about the “collective” in other speeches. By grouping your individual liberties with that of a group, and by claiming they do not come from any Creator, Marxists can diminish your rights and take them away. This is what Obama has been doing from the start of his term. That is what he achieved here.

“That’s what makes us unique.  That’s what makes us strong.  The ability to recognize our common humanity; to remember that in this country, equality and opportunity are not just words on a piece of paper, they’re not just words in the mouths of politicians — they are promises to be kept.

And that is our calling now — to keep those promises for the next generation.  No matter which way the political winds shift, I will stand with you for that better future.  And if you stand with me, and if we remember that fundamental truth — that divided we fall, but united we are strong, and out of many, we are one — then you and I will finish what we have started.  We will make sure that America forever remains an idea and a place that’s big enough and bold enough and brave enough to accommodate the dreams of all our children and all our people for years to come.  Si, se puede.

Thank you.  God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.”

What makes America unique is the understanding that people establish governments so as to protect their God given rights, but we must never forget where those rights come from. What makes us strong is our ability to unite under God for the protection of our rights and the sovereignty or our nation.

Obama talks about the dreams and future of Americans while at the same moment he is destroying everything that is uniquely American and stealing what little hope for the future we have left. His method of accommodating “the dreams of our children” is by putting them on a permanent government welfare program and controlling their lives.

It is ironic that Obama would ask God to bless the United Sates moments after failing to admit that our individual rights come from Him. Though the ending of the speech is standard for any president, the irony remains and cannot be ignored.

Do words have meanings? Is it important? To some the answer is no. We are currently witnessing a change in terminology and its true denotations. Take the phrase rights, for instance. When you hear the word “rights”, what comes to mind? Do you think of life and liberty, or do you think of “the right to own a home”? What it comes down to, what is a right?

A right is an extension of our humanity; a liberty that comes from God. It does not come from man or any government body. If the government gives you something, it can easily take it away. That is why the Declaration of Independence speaks of natural rights. Many of the Founders speak of natural rights or rights from God. The Constitution was written to protect individual rights, not people’s needs or wants.

When Franklin Roosevelt spoke about the “right to own a home” in his first inaugural speech, he was purposely distorting the meaning of the word right. You do not have a right to own a home. Food, shelter, medical care, electricity: these are commodities. They are purchased and sold. You are responsible of fulfilling your own basic needs by working hard to earn the money necessary to purchase a home, or whatever you desire.

Why did F.D.R. refer to home ownership as a right? He needed public support for his New Deal programs. To acquire that support, he convinced people that they had a right to the provision of their basic needs. Since the federal government is charged with protecting people’s liberties, this left the door open for it step in and regulate sectors of the economy.

President Obama is pulling the same stunt F.D.R. did in the 1930s. Obama has said that home ownership is a right so as to justify the federal government’s action of buying people’s mortgages. When you purchase a home, you usually have to go to a bank and take out a loan, also known as a home mortgage. By doing so, the bank owns your home until the loan is paid off. You have also entered into a contract with the bank to make payments every month; and as long as you do you get to stay in your house. Within about 15-30 years you will have paid off your mortgage and the deed to the house will be transferred to you, making it, legally, your home.

Two years ago the housing market crashed and many people who overbought, found it difficult to maintain their mortgage payments. Naturally their homes were repossessed and they were without a place to live. Well, along came Obama declaring that people have a right to keep their homes even if they cannot make their payments. He signed the Recovery and Reinvestment Act (as it is called now) into law in January 2009 which bailed many people out of their mortgages. This act not only declared legal and binding contracts void, illegally by the way, but also allowed the government to claim ownership of people’s homes. Those who are overjoyed by the bailouts of mortgages should beware. When you sign an agreement with the bank, they have to follow certain legal steps before kicking you out of your home because of missed payments. The government is not bound by such legal constraints and can evict you from your house at will. Where is the security in that?

When the homosexual movement began its rise in the early 20^th century, they chose to refer to themselves as gay. This was no accident. The original meaning of the word gay is happy. (So if you read a 19^th century poem where the author talks of being gay, he is not referring to being homosexual.) By using the word gay to refer to themselves, the homosexual movement was subtly implying that their choice of lifestyle is a happy one. They did this to garner a bigger following and acceptance by those who are disgusted by this perversion of nature.

The Gay Rights activists continue to present this façade of gaiety (no pun intended) to keep their numbers up. They need to keep attracting new members because they have chosen a dead lifestyle. Besides the rise of STDs among them, shortening their lifespan, the emotional turmoil of many partners and breakups, homosexuals cannot propagate. Not naturally. So they continue to refer to themselves as gay to attract members, especially young people. Of course, the Gay Rights crowd has gone beyond the pretense of happiness to telling children that homosexuality is not only ok, but a right, that there is no right or wrong, and that straight people are homophobic.

Two other words that have been twisted by the left, and are in use quite a lot these days, are progressive and liberal. The original meaning of Progressive was someone who advocates for improvements and attains it; they are forward thinking and are for progress. Many of your progressives of the 19^th century were of this kind. They ended child labor, unsafe working conditions, and advocated for public education so that children of poor families would be allowed to learn and improve their lives. When socialism began to rise up in America in the 1880s and 1890s, they adopted the title progressive because of its positive connotations. This allowed them to infiltrate all levels of government in the early 1900s and institute their Marxist policies.

As people caught on to this in the 19 teens, the title progressive began to receive notoriety. So many of your “Progressives” adopted the title Liberal. The original many of the word liberal is someone who is noble, generous, free, open-minded, and non-traditional. The socialists, communists, and Marxists in this country used the term liberal to describe themselves and gain more influence in public policy making. It worked well in the thirties and throughout most of the 20^th century.

But now the term liberal has achieved the same notoriety that the word progressive did in the 19 teens. When people hear the word liberal, they immediately think of big government, diminished freedom, and redistribution of wealth. That is why many of those on the left, such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, are referring to themselves as progressive. It is a word game to them. The left always use words that sound good and have positive meanings to describe themselves. That is how they mislead the populace and stay alive, besides all of the money they get from unions, lobbyists, shady deals, and payoffs.

This tactic of distorting words is nothing new. It has gone on throughout the ages. It is a popular method by those who desire power. The left in this country have always altered the meaning of words. As the meaning of words changed, so did America.

“A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Ronald Reagan said these words in his 1964 speech at the Republican National Convention.

Never before have these words been more true. Can anyone name a government program that was repealed? Probably not. But I am certain that you can name government programs that are still in effect and are bankrupting this nation. And yet, Congress continues to fund them and pass more.

For those of you who hate conservatives, have we ever been wrong concerning the growth of government? In a 1961 address, Ronald Reagan warned that medicine was a way for the government to inch its way into our lives. Ask yourself this: after the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, did the government ever stop meddling in medicine? Since 1965 Congress routinely passed amendments to Medicare and Medicaid, or established new programs altogether. Funding for both programs increases each year because as always happens, the government underestimated the cost. In 1965, when Medicare was signed into law, the public was promised that funding for Medicare would not reach $9 billion until 1990. In 1990, the U.S. government spent more than $66 billion on Medicare alone.

In 1997 SCHIP—health insurance for children—(also known as CHIP) was passed. In 2009 President Obama expanded the program. Those who stood against it were labeled as insensitive and uncaring. Isn’t it uncaring for a government to force people into dependency? No decent human being desires to harm children; that is why progressives use them as a means to expand their big government agenda. But why is the government needed to provide health insurance to children? What happened to the economy to make it where parents can no longer afford medical care for their kids? The answer is simple. The government overtaxes, overspends, and over regulates thus weakening the economy by destroying the value of the dollar, lessening consumer buying power, and destroying our liberty.

In March of 2010 Congress passed the Health Care reform Bill. President Obama giddily signed it into law.  Even now Congress is discussing amendments to this bill.  This bill was supposed to solve all of our woes concerning health care.  If that is the case, then why is Congress drafting amendments for it before it has even gone into effect?

Do not let the name of the bill fool you. This health care bill will do nothing to reform the health care industry, but it will destroy it by complicating it. This bill expanded government well beyond the confines of the constitution. For the first time Congress has mandated the purchase of a commodity. This bill introduces new taxes and regulations that will further limit the freedom of patients to choose their doctors and the care they receive. It also limits the freedom of doctors to choose their patients.

The bill sets the stage for a single payer system by mandating the purchase and provision of health insurance. The exchanges that the bill establishes will kill competition and force insurance companies out of business. The government sets the rules for these exchanges. Insurance companies are to provide the same benefits at roughly the same cost. People will end up with the same benefits packages regardless of their needs: whether sick or healthy, single or married, young or old, man or woman. Insurance companies will be banned from denying coverage and dropping coverage. Being forced to provide a set standard of benefits for everyone will result in higher costs. Insurance companies will be hard pressed to meet these costs forcing them to close their business. This will make it difficult for people to comply with the insurance mandate, thus leaving the door open for the government to step in as our “savior”. The federal government will do one of three things:

1. Bailing out insurance companies, thereby indirectly taking them over and giving us the illusion that they are still independent.

2. Step in with a Public Option and slowly choke out insurance companies.

3. Declaring a National Emergency where the government proclaims that they must take over health insurance companies for the public good.

Whatever course of action the federal government chooses will ultimately close insurance companies permanently leaving us with what Washington offers. After all, what business can compete with an entity that has the power to support itself with taxes?

Reagan warned of government’s slow encroachment upon our lives. The health care sector is just one area that the government has seized control. With the passage of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act the feds took over the auto industry and the banks. They even tried taking over the individual states with the bailouts that were listed in the bill. The Financial Reform Bill of 2010 allows the government to control the financial industry. This is all done for our protection, or so they claim. But who protects the people from a government that insists on owning everything within the economy? When will we the people stop listening to the politicians in Washington and starting listening to common sense?

It is time for us, the American people, to stop looking to the government for solutions to our problems. Government is never a solution. But it is always a problem. The Founders understood this. That is why they wrote the Constitution in a way that limits the federal government’s power. These “negative rights”, as President Obama put it, are to prevent the government from becoming tyrannical. But one thing is certain: the day we stopped abiding by the U.S. Constitution was the day we signed the death warrant for the Republic. When the American people allowed progressives to step in with government programs so as to “save” them, they were inviting government to run their lives.

After a few weeks I finally got the Health Care Bill (HR4872) read. Not the “Fix It” bill. This is my breakdown of what is in the bill. The bill is over 2300 pages and very repetitive. In the instances where it repeated itself, almost word for word, I skimmed. The stuff in italics are my thoughts.

The last 300 pages of the bill deal with education. These pages concerning Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Loans, and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans lead me to conclude that the federal government will control the student loan industry.

Feel free to let me know if I missed anything in the bill. Just make sure to point out where (i.e. page number and line) in the bill it is.

· pp. 28-29: Annual Limitations

· pp. 29-30: Health Benefits Advisory Committee established. The members are to be appointed by the President of the United States.

· pp.37: “Uniform Marketing Standards” (Sounds like price fixing.)

· pp. 41: Independent agency created within the executive branch of the federal government called the Health choices Administration, which will be headed by the Health Choices Commissioner who is to be appointed by the President.

· pp. 102: Automatic enrollment of individuals into Medicaid.

· pp. 107: Special Inspector General appointed by the President

· pp. 109: Set up of a trust fund—There are several of these throughout the bill

· pp. 110: Tax on individuals who do not have adequate health insurance—The Secretary of Health & Human Services determines what adequate insurance is.

o Tax on businesses that do not provide adequate coverage

o Excise tax on those who fail to meet certain health coverage requirements

· pp. 111: States wishing to have their own insurance exchanges need approval from the Commissioner, who can also rescind his approval at any time.

· pp. 116: First mention of the Public Health Option.—Basically this is the government run insurance option.

· pp. 141: reporting significant changes in income

· pp.143: Employer responsibility—Must provide or contribute to health coverage

· pp. 162: Enforcement of Health Coverage participation requirements—Civil penalties on those who do not comply

· pp. 164 line 23: Coordination with excise tax

· pp. 167: tax on Individuals without acceptable healthcare coverage

· pp.197: Surcharge on high income individuals.

· pp. 289 line 11: Reducing Medicare payments to hospitals with readmissions.

· pp. 338: Secretary (of Health & Human Services) allowed to use audits to ensire compliance from hospitals

· pp.339 line 16-24: “INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE STUDY OF GEOGRAPHIC ADJUSTMENT FACTORS UNDER MEDICARE. IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science to conduct a comprehensive empirical study, and provide recommendations as appropriate, on the accuracy of the geographic adjustment factors established under sections”

· pp. 343 line 15: study on geographic variation in per capita health care spending among medicare & privately insured populations

· pp. 415 line 9: Grants to Medicare providers and communities with racial & ethnic minorities

o pp. 417 line 13: Community organizers seem to get priority

· pp. 434-440: Advanced Care Planning for all individuals is mandatory. And, yes, the Death Panels are still there. It is called “end of life counseling”, but the fact that this counseling is required concerns me.

· pp. 509 line 19: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices established. This is a bureaucracy where the members will be chosen by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (always referred to as “the secretary” in the bill).

· pp. 512 line 20: Establishment of Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research—to research how illnesses can be prevented. (read pp.513 lines 8-14)

· pp. 514 line 3: Establishment of Electronic Monitoring of health records & surveillance.

· pp. 519: Civil money penalties imposed on nursing facilities who do not comply with the new federal regulations. (To know all of the new regulations read the part about nursing facilities in the bill.)

· pp. 618: The secretary, Inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services given authority to set of a “pilot program” to implement an independent monitoring system to oversee interstate & large interstate chains of nursing facilities.

· pp. 631: another bureaucracy set up. The National Priorities Concerning Nursing facilities.

· pp. 646-647: Physicians who receive payment from “applicable manufacturer or distributer” has to submit to the Secretary a form with “respect to the covered recipient,the recipient’s name, business address, physician specialty, and national provider identifier…” and the list goes on.

· pp. 650 line 21: “REPORTING OF OWNERSHIP INTEREST BY PHYSICIANS IN HOSPITALS AND OTHER ENTITIES THAT BILL MEDICARE.”

· pp. 654: Special rules concerning things that are not made public.

· pp. 665: reporting of health care associated infections in hospitals & ambulatory services. (Why does the federal government need to be in charge of this?)

· pp. 671: Distribution of unused residency positions regarding Medicare Graduate Medical Education. The Secretary of Health and Human Services seems to be granted the authority to decide how many residents train at hospitals even for primary care.

· pp. 740: Billing Agents, Clearing House, or other “alternate players” required to register under Medicare

· pp. 840: Fees imposed on insured and self-insured health plans.

· pp. 846: taxes imposed on certain insurance policies.

· pp. 849: Voluntary home visitation for families with young children or expecting children. (Why is the government even talking about home visitations and what is to keep it from becoming mandatory later on?)

· pp. 868: Public Health and Workforce Development (Not sure what this is supposed to be other than another Bureacracy.)

· pp. 894: Awarding of grants to medical students. Preferences is to be given to those in primary care who are minorities, or those serving in areas experiencing “health disparities”, supporting teaching programs that address health care needs of “vulnerable populations”.

· pp. 911: Establishment of a Public Health Workforce Corps. that is supposed to ensure the adequate supply of public health professionals throughout the nation.

· pp. 926: Adapting Workforce to Addressing Health System Needs

o Part 1 is about health professions training for diversity

· pp. 932: Another bureaucracy is set up. The Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation & Assessment

· pp. 949: Task force on Clinical Prevention Services established

· pp. 956: task Force on Community Prevention Services

· pp. 977: Quality & Surveillance—supposed to ensure quality of medical care

· pp. 985: the Assistant Secretary for Health Information is required to collect data and report on the nation’s health and health care.

· pp. 993: Drug discount for rural and other hospitals. (How we are to pay for that doesn’t seem to be mentioned.)

· pp. 1005: School Based Health Clinics set up.

· pp. 1034 line 19: Public option created to compete with private plans in the Health Insurance Exchange.

o pp. 1036 line 3-6: “shared responsibility among workers, employers, and the government; so that all Americans have coverage of essential health benefits.”

· pp. 1047: Get to keep current plan as long as no changes are made in it & that it was in effect before the bill is in full effect.

· pg 1092: The Secretary will conduct a study to encourage the use of electronic health records.

· pp. 1106: reinsurance program for retirees

· pp.1136: A commissioner specifies benefits to be made available under the insurance exchange.

· pp. 1156: Appointment of a special inspector general for the health insurance exchange.

o this inspector is to be made by the President of the United States without the consent of the Senate.

· pp. 1162: Individual states can apply to the Commissioner to have their own insurance exchange that is separate from the federal one, but they have to have approval from the federal government.

· pp. 1167: Another mention of the Public Health Insurance Option to compete with private plans in these insurance exchanges.

· pp. 1174: Prescription drug rates are to be negotiated with the Secretary of Health and Human Services that are not paid for under Medicare. (This sounds a bit like price controls to keep drug prices artificially low.)

· pp. 1176 line 16-24: The authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set payment rates for physicians not under Medicare cannot be challenged by Judicial or Administrative review.

· pp. 1193 line 1-25: Individuals and families who receive credits for insurance must report to the government any changes in income

· pp. 1199: This is where the section of “Shared responsibility” starts. It appears that under this section employers and individuals are to share the responsibility of making certain that the individual has adequate and affordable health insurance.

· pp. 1212: Civil penalties for employers who fail to meet requirements in providing health care to employees. (This basically makes it mandatory that all employers, whether from big or small businesses, must provide some sort of health insurance to their employees, even if they cannot afford to.)

· pp.1215 line 20-21: Employee tax imposed on employers who do not comply with health coverage requirements. This pertains to the National Health requirements.

· pp.1216 line 4-7: Excise tax on employers who do not comply. This also pertains to the National Health Requirements that are in the bill.

· pp.1224: Tax of 2.5% imposed on individuals without acceptable coverage.

· pp. 1232: Reporting your insurance on tax returns.

· pp. 1237 line 4-13: Penalty of $100 a day for each day an employers fails to meet Health Coverage Requirements.

· pp. 1240 lines 1-8: An excise tax is to imposed on employers who choose not to participate in the Health Coverage Requirements.

· pp. 1253: Surcharge on high income individuals

o 1% on those making between $350,000-$500,000

o 1.5% on those making between $500,000-$1,000,000

o 5.4% on those making $1,000,000 or more

o Taxpayers not filing a joint return will pay:

§ 50% of each dollar amount if married and filing separately

§ 80% of dollar amount in any other case.

· pp. 1369 line 17: Physician Identification Numbers

· pp. 1447: Begins Medicare & language studies & provisions for non-English speakers.

· pp. 1476: Extended months of coverage of drugs for kidney patients. (It is interesting that there is a provision in the bill to extend coverage of drugs for kidney patients. If everything in this bill is supposed to be affordable, then why must there be a provision in here to ensure drug coverage. And not just ensure it, but extend it. Could this be the beginning of rationing.)

· pp. 1480: Another mention of Advanced Care Planning and it’s mandatory participation including the “end of life” counseling.

· pp. 1484: The frequency of individual participation in Advanced Care Planning increases as health changes.

· pp.1488: Secretary of Health and Human Services determines the quality measures for end of life care and Advanced Care Planning (referred to as ACP).

· pp.1491: Provision for the Secretary of Defense to devise a method of identifying individuals who are eligible for enrollment for Tricare, but have not enrolled and informing them of their eligibility. (If they are doing this for Tricare, what is to stop them from doing the same for other health insurance programs?)

· pp. 1499-1510: Authority given to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to promote primary care, mental health services,& coordinated care without judicial review or any challenge. (This is the second instance where the Secretary is allowed complete control over something and cannot be challenged. Sounds more like a power grab than anything else.)

· pp. 1545: Provision for Coverage for Marriage and Family Therapist Services. (Apparently the government want to make sure that beside physical health, we are also provided with mental health. However, All of the provisions for counseling can easily be used to control people.)

· pp. 1885: Fee imposed on specified insurance policies.

· pp. 1886: Fee imposed on self-insured health plans

· pp. 1893 lines 13-22: States can apply to the Secretary of Health & Human Services for a grant to provide home visitations for children and families expecting children.

· pp. 1902 line 20-24: States that receive such grants must submit reports to the Secretary of Health & Human Services concerning home visitations.

· pp. 1920: This talks about obligated service in the Primary Care Workforce. (I’m not certain who all is required to be part of this obligated service.)

· pp.1925 lines 8-14: The Secretary if Health & Human Services can set up Frontline Health Providers Loan Repayment Program

· pp. 1958 line 17-24: Establishment of Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program

· pp. 1990 lines 5-12: The Secretary (of Health &Human Services) has to provide to Congress and National Strategy of improving the Nation’s Health.

· pp. 1992: Establishment of a Task Force on Clinical Prevention Services

· pp. 2056 line 21-24: National Medical Device registry

· pp. 2098: Section of House Committee on Education And Labor begins

o This section seems to deal with Grants and financial aid to college students

· pp. 2152: Section on Student Loans—This seems to be mostly amendments to an earlier section of the bill.

· pp. 2205 line 14: Grants for Public School Facilities

o pp.2214: Alabama, Mississippi, & Louisiana get supplemental grants to improve the structure of their schools

· pp.2221 line 3: Begins a section of funding for “Green Schools”

· pp. 2227 line 7: Establishment of Advisory Council on Green, High Performing Public School Facilities.

· pp. 2241 line 19: Begins section on Early Learning Challenge Fund

pp. 2301 line 12-23: “OPEN ONLINE EDUCATION.—From the amount appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary is authorized to make competitive grants to, or enter into contracts with, institutions of higher education, philanthropic organizations, and other appropriate entities to develop,evaluate, and disseminate freely-available high-quality on

line training, high school courses, and postsecondary education courses. Entities receiving funds under this subsection shall ensure that electronic and information technology activities meet the access standards established under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d).”

Listen to this speech given by Ronald Reagan at the 1964 Republican National Convention.  Does anything in here sound familiar or remind you of today’s current events?  What Reagan said then has a lot of bearing of what is going on now.  He was right then, and is correct even now.

When are we going to quit allowing ourselves to be fooled by Liberals, or Progressive as they like to call themselves now, and their lies and so called compassion and start standing on our own feet?  When are we going to stop allowing government to take our liberties away for an imaginary safety net?  Are we so afraid of freedom that we would rather give up our God given America rights as specified within the Declaration of Independence?  Which will you choose: the safety and confines or government, or the risks and benefits of capitalism?  Slavery or freedom?

Earlier I wrote about Obama and his connections with SEIU.  Let us now look at the Apollo Alliance.

The Apollo Alliance came into existence soon after 9/11.  Though not a Union they are an environmental activist group with strong ties and influence on the federal government.  According to their website, the Apollo Alliance’s mission statement is:

“The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution that will put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of high-quality, green-collar jobs. Inspired by the Apollo space program, we promote investments in energy efficiency, clean power, mass transit, next-generation vehicles, and emerging technology, as well as in education and training. Working together, we will reduce carbon emissions and oil imports, spur domestic job growth, and position America to thrive in the 21st century economy.”

Basically, they want to do away with oil and coal energy and promote solar, wind, and anything that they deem environmentally safe. The problem is instead of finding a free market way to promote it, they chose to force taxpayers by influencing government regulation. They do so by organizing labor unions and activists for “social justice”. The Apollo Alliance, like SEIU and ACORN are using the federal government to accomplish their ends.

How is Obama connected to these people? Look at Van Jones, Obama’s former Green Jobs Czar. Jones is one of the founders and President of the group Green For All and a board member of Apollo Alliance.[i] Van Jones only resigned his post after it came out that he is an avowed communist. Van Jones is a radical Marxist whose statements brought a lot of heat on the Obama Administration. But the ties to Apollo do not end there.

There is John Podesta, co-chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project. Basically he is on Obama’s transition team and his helping to reshape the power structure in Washington. He is the President and CEO of the progressive group Center for American Progress. He is also on the board of directors for the Apollo Alliance.

On an interesting note, Gerald Hudson, who is the Executive Vice President of SEIU is also on Apollo’s board of directors. President Obama has close ties with SEIU and is in constant contact with Andy Stern. He has also given speeches at some of their conventions saying, “Your agenda has been my agenda.”

Then we have Wade Rathke who is also on the board of directors of the Apollo Alliance. He is the founder of ACORN, an organization that Obama worked for. Obama has kept close ties with ACORN. In fact, ACORN has received federal funding thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment ACT (AKA Stimulus Bill). ACORN also funds Apollo.[ii]

On another note, Jeff Jones, the director of the Apollo Alliance, was a domestic terrorist who managed to evade capture from the law for eleven years.  He also founded the Weather Underground with Bill Ayers, who happens to be in close relation with Barack Obama.

The Apollo Alliance is also helping to shape public policy. They brag about it on their website. They helped write the Stimulus Bill that Obama signed into law in January 2009. That bill promised federal money for renewable energy research, green jobs, and clean energy programs. The chairman of the Apollo Alliance said, “The recovery bill represents the focused work of labor, business, environmental and social justice organizations who developed a clear strategy about where the nation needed to go, and worked together to achieve it.”[iii] If they helped write the Stimulus Bill. What else are they trying to push through Congress?

Even Senator Harry Reid acknowledged the Apollo Alliance’s involvement with this bill. “We’ve talked about moving forward on these ideas for decades. The Apollo Alliance has been an important factor in helping us develop and execute a strategy that makes great progress on these goals and in motivating the public to support them.”[iv]

Congress is currently debating Cap and Trade, even though you will not hear about in the major news organizations. Cap and trade imposes a punitive tax on corporations and businesses for CO2 emissions. It will also be another green jobs bill, meaning that it will promote clean energy by funding and establishing green jobs. What really happens is that environmental groups get federal money and never see any jobs produced.  Who do you think will benefit from this bill? The Apollo Alliance. They have probably even helped write it. Many of their own people are a part of Obama’s administration and they continue to lobby Congress for money.

The health care bill that Obama has been promoting and demanding has been strongly influenced by SEIU. SEIU has helped write portions of it. They also have close ties to Apollo and ACORN. It is safe to assume that Apollo will be granted money in this bill along with SEIU and ACORN.

The Apollo Alliance is an organization that seems to have endless amounts of money and an incredible amount of influence on the federal government. The point is, Obama has too many ties to radical groups like Apollo Alliance, ACORN, Center for American Progress, and SEIU. Apparently all of his campaign promises about no lobbyists, no special interest groups were all a bunch of lies.

With all of the information coming out about ACORN, SEIU, and the Apollo Alliance and their connections to President Obama, one has to wonder, how deep do these connections go?  Who is really in charge of the United States?  Who is behind recent legislation being pushed through Congress?  We all know that ACORN received money from Obama’s stimulus bill, though it is not the first time they received federal funds.  SEIU has a large stake in the Health Care Bill being rammed through.  And then there is Cap and Trade which is speaking through with little to no attention from the press.  How much you want to bet that the Apollo Alliance is going to receive a tidy sum from Uncle Sam?  They promote “green” jobs.  Isn’t that what Cap and Trade is supposed to do?

First let’s explore SEIU (Service Employee’s International Union).  Andy Stern is the president of SEIU.  He is a Marxist.  SEIU’s policies fall within Marxism. (Click on the link below to watch Bill Moyers’ interview with Andy Stern.)

Bill Moyers\’ Interview with Andy Stern June 15, 2007

Notice the similarities between what Andy Stern says and what Obama says.  He talks about making government work for the unions.  Oh he speaks about individuals, but if Stern had his way everyone would be part of the union.  Stern mentioned redistributing wealth and how it mustn’t be in the hands of a few people.  Obama mentions the sam when trying to answer Joe the Plumber\’s question. Which he failed to answer.  Andy Stern wants to use political power to change the behavior of corporations like Bank of America.  Obama is using political power to force people to buy into an insurance program they do not want; to force insurance companies to provide coverage that they do not wish to provide and may be unable to provide.  Of course, this will take care of the universal health care coverage that SEIU wants.

Andy Stern has had at least 22 visits to the White House where he has talked personally with Obama in the first 6 months since the inauguration.  He has had the most visits with the president than anyone else.  That is a lot of meetings between the president of a union and the President of the United States.  Didn’t Obama pledge to end special interests?  Apparently he only wishes to end the special interests of evil corporations and their profit making.  But Obama has no qualms about SEIU, a labor union, making a profit through taxpayer money.

Watch these three videos below.  (Click on the link to access the video.)  The first two are from an SEIU conference in October 2007.  The third from the SEIU convention of 2008.  In both video Obama is addressing SEIU.  Now listen to what he says.  Listen to what he promises SEIU member.

Obama\’s SEIU Agenda is my Agenda

Does Obama Represent the Country of SEIU?

Barak Obama Adresses SEIU\’s 2008 Convention

Here Obama admits to working with SEIU members during his days as a community organizer.  Did you notice the phrase, “get everybody organized”?  Does that mean we will all be forced into a union?  Is this the setup for his civilian task force which he mentioned in another speech?  Notice he said “Your agenda is my agenda.”  That is a very clear sign that SEIU is a special interest in the Obama Administration.  His agenda is their agenda!  In the third video Obama claims, “You and I together-together you and I, we are going to change this country and we are going to change the world.”  Sounds like SEIU and its president, Andy Stern, have authority over what happens in this country and influence over Obama.  Obama is admitting right here that they will work together to change America.

It is no secret that SEIU spent at least $60 million on Obama’s campaign for the presidency.  (Do you still believe that Barak Obama has no connections to this organization?)  Obama’s political director is Patrick Gaspard.

Gaspard is a former lobbyist for SEIU. [i] He first joined SEIU in 1999 to help organize the local 1199 “March For Justice”.[ii] He remained with SEIU promoting their agenda in Congress until 2008. He only quit that job to join Obama’s campaign. That is a good seven years with the union. The fact that he went straight from SEIU to Obama, who is also well connected with the union, shows that it is unlikely that Gaspard became disillusioned with the union and quit because of such sentiments. Especially since President Obama is promoting SEIU’s agenda. Gaspard also has known ties with ACORN. It is interesting how ACORN keeps popping up in Obama’s circle of friends.

It is well documented that Obama and SEIU are connected.  Very much so.  Obama himself said that SEIU’s agenda is his agenda.  He has a former SEIU lobbyist in his administration.  Lobbyists do not change.  Even though this evidence is circumstantial, the circumstances are suspicious.