Since it appears more and more likely that we will be stuck with ObamaCare in the near future, there is one thing we can to do to give Floridians a chance to fight back: Put a Healthcare Freedom amendment on the ballot in 2010.
This amendment will accomplish two things: First, it will send an unmistakable signal to Washington that we don't want their nationalized health care schemes. Second, it will set up a potential supreme court challenge under the 10th Amendment. Arizona recently passed just such a bill, and there are 5 other states (not including Florida) that have begun a similar effort.
Please get involved and help us out.
The website has just been put up at: http://FLHealthCareFreedom.org It is still under development and we could use your feedback. Links to the Arizona effort can also be found there. We are up on Twitter and Facebook, too.
A big 'thank you' to everyone who showed up for the sign waving at Senator Nelson's office, too!
Today's letter was to the President, my two Senators and my Representative:
I learned from an article (http://snipr.com/jrsq4) in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) today that up to 10 banks will be 'allowed' to repay up to $68 Billion in TARP funds. Since this money was borrowed from our children and grand-children, I think--as I suggested in an article (http://snipr.com/jrtpu) that I wrote back in 2008--we should apply it against the National Debt instead of simply putting it into the General Fund where it can be wasted by our profligate and irresponsible government. I am certain that the Congress can write legislation to that effect.
I was also given to understand that the Treasury is contemplating an open market sale of the 'warrants' which allowed the government to purchase shares at a fixed price for a period of 10 years. Any profits from this, combined with any dividends, stock sale profits, etc should also be sequestered for use against the National Debt. Again, this was borrowed money and should be used for nothing other than removing the debt from the backs of our posterity.
Here is my latest (I send an average of about two per business day, nowadays) letter to Obama, my Senators and my Representative:
Please stop spending the stimulus--cancel what has not already been committed. That should save us about $1.5 Trillion over the next 18 months.
A couple of facts:
The average US recession (negative GDP) has lasted for 14 months. The longest was about 16 months. This recession started in December 2007, which means we are about 18 months into it. The preponderance of economic indicators indicate that this recession is ending (employment is a lagging indicator, of course).
Anyone who has taken Economics 101 in college since about 1950 knows that Keynesian macroeconomic Government-spending-to-stimulate-aggregate-demand theory has been totally discredited. Empirically, it has *never* worked. FDR's own Treasury Secretary stated that "government spending never worked." Even Bush's idiotic 2007 $150 billion tax rebate did nothing. Specifically regarding the Obama and Bush stimulus plans, let me remind you that even Keynes' theory did *not* include long-term deficit spending.
The only thing that has worked--every time--to stimulate the economy (and increased gross tax revenues)--is tax cuts, epsecially at the top. From Coolidge to Kennedy to Reagan it works.
So this recession is about to end or has already ended. Less than 20% of the Obama stimulus funds have been expended. I personally think that all the ridiculous gyrations of the government actually extended this recession, because you have made the same mistake that FDR made by implementing change too rapidly; Few knew what the next surprise was, and so held on to their money. One proof of this is the same proof given during the great depression: a wildly fluctuating stock market. In short, as always, government meddling has harmed America and Americans.
So please stop the idiocy. We don't need 600,000 new government jobs. The cost of government is far to high already. Stop the stimulus, stop the rapid socialization of this country: The massive debt and radical changes are scaring the very people who create growth and new jobs.
Sincerely,
Not that it will do any good. But, at least I can say I tried!
Today Obama identified another group that according to his twisted logic, has for too long not paid their 'fair share' of taxes. This time it is businesses. Just because we have about the highest business tax rate in the world (with Federal, State and Local, approximately 39%) does not count. Just because we tax businesses on foreign profits--which few to no other countries do--means nothing. They have been slackers. Just because they provide the vast majority of jobs and wealth in this country doesn't count a bit. Obama is now making sure that they will either pay what he determines is a fair tax rate, or they can leave. What do you think they will do? No company would choose Ireland, for example which only has a 10% business tax rate, over the US, right?
This is not the first time Obama has chosen to use class warfare to dupe the idiotic American public, think of his 'tax cut for 95% of Americans'. Well since less than 50% of Americans actually pay any taxes, that is a neat trick. A tax cut for those who don't pay Federal taxes is what again, exactly? And I won't even mention the 60 cents a pack the millions of smokers have to pay to fund his SCHIP program. Or the billions in new energy taxes his cap and trade scheme will collect from every single American that uses any source of energy.
And of course, all the 'rich' who make over $250,000 a year is the other group of tax cheats. They haven't been pulling their weight, either, right? I am waiting for just how much Obama thinks is a fair share of the money they work for every day. No matter how many years they scrimped and saved, how many years they went without, the high school dropout, drug dealer, welfare queen, homeless person down the street is now just as equal to the fruits of their labor. This is Obama's promise: 'a vote for me is a vote for the fruits of other peoples' sweat.'
But hasn't Obama forgotten the 50% of Americans who don't pay any federal income taxes at all? Why aren't they contributing? They use the vast majority of government services, but pay nothing? Seems to me that if it is free--as it is to them--they won't value it very much. Seems to me they have not been paying their 'fair share' for quite some time. Why exactly is it again that they should benefit from my hard work? Shouldn't they reap the benefits of their own efforts? Stealing the benefits of my sweat from me, to give to them, just makes them not try harder, and makes me no want to put forth the effort to achieve. And besides, shouldn't they have to pay something for all those goodies they get, like free health care (medicaid, SCHIP) free money (earned income tax credit) and the thousands of other ways Obama spends taxpayers money--my money--on them to buy their vote for him?
As you can see from the above, I have begun posting essentially raw thoughts. The collectivists are doing so many things to destroy America so fast, that I can't spend the time to wordsmith.
Obama is quietly ramping up his war on the U.S. Constitution the Washington Times reports today by "quielty ending the federal firearms program." Although there have been no substantive problems reported with the nearly 12,000 Federal Flight Deck Officers--as the armed pilots are called--Obama is shifting funding to 'increasing supervisory positions'.
Airline pilots carried weapons up until 1987, and there are no documented problems either historically or with the current program which was initiated in response to the 9/11 hijackings.
As I look around, it seems that liberty in America is facing greater and greater threats from tyrannous Government at all levels: Local, State and Federal. They are multiplying too rapidly at all levels for any single individual to fight against all of them. With the shear volume and rapidity of the growing threat in mind, I have decided to start a section of this site that is solely dedicated to identifying the various threats.
Although there are innumerable threats coming from the federal level with our latest overtly fascist/socialist government, we cannot forget the threats coming at the local and state level. Especially now that the Florida legislature is in session. Witness CS/SB 462, 'Prescription Drug Validation Program' which is described as
"Prescription Drug Validation Program/DOH [SPSC]: Requires the DOH to establish a comprehensive electronic system to validate the prescribing and dispensing of certain controlled substances. Requires specified prescribing and dispensing information to be reported to the electronic system. Requires the DOH, in conjunction with specified organizations, to adopt by rule a reasonable-person standard appropriate for the prescription drug validation program, etc."
So essentially we have yet another Government database, this time of all your prescriptions that Government Health Officials, Doctors and Pharmacists can access. It will include all 'controlled substances' that you have had prescribed, in other words any drug the Government wants to know about. The medications which must be reported are Schedule II, III, and IV Controlled substances, which means just about any medication that is not equivalent to an aspirin.
The ostensible reason such a database is needed?
"to provide information regarding dispensed prescriptions of controlled substances in order to prevent the inadvertent, improper, or illegal use of controlled substances and shall not infringe upon the legitimate prescribing of a controlled substance by a prescribing practitioner, dispensing pharmacist, or dispensing practitioner acting in good faith and in the course of professional practice."
Now, the last I heard there is no epidemic of errors in prescriptions in Florida. In fact, there are relatively few errors simply because most pharmacists already have rather complete records of their customers various prescriptions. Without any government decree. I have actually had my Pharmacist question a new prescription because of my medication allergy history. So, why do we need another government program? In my opinion, this is just another nanny state excuse for government running my life and dictating to me what they think I should be doing or not doing. In reality there is NO good reason that they need this type of personal information.
With the state of the economy, shouldn't we be spending our scarce tax dollars on legitimate government services like roads and bridges? Write your State legislator today and tell them we don't need the Government sticking their noses into our prescription histories.
