[UPDATE: 6/26/09]
According to reports, Vern Ehlers remains "on the fence" on this job killing legislation - cap and trade.

Please call or fax his office now and tell him to vote against HR 2454 - the Cap and Trade legislation.

voice (202) 225-3831
fax (202) 225-5144

DCuz

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

6/24/09
In yet the latest sign long-time West Michigan Congressman Vern Ehlers needs to retire (now!), there are reports he's prepared to raise your taxes and lower your standard of living by voting in favor of the liberal's "Cap and Trade" legislation coming to a vote this Friday.

According to reports, "In an indication that Democrats lack the necessary votes to pass it [Cap & Trade] on their side of the aisle, [House Speaker] Pelosi and other party leaders have met with centrist Republicans seeking their support."

Seems Ms. Pelosi considers our congressman a supporter and one who would vote in favor of this capitalism-destroying legislation.

It's time Vern Ehlers had a challenger in the Republican primary. 

But in the meantime, if you are as alarmed by this news as we are, please contact Representative Ehlers NOW to voice your concern:

Congressman Vern Ehlers
Washington Office
2182 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
voice (202) 225-3831
fax (202) 225-5144
hours 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Once this matter is behind us, let's start focusing on replacing this ineffective "centrist" with someone who actually shares West Michigan's values.

DCuz

        

As we continue to hear about healthcare and "reform" and "solutions" from President Obama, I want to refer you to an earlier post we had on the subject:

Healthcare

Or

just watch the video below and ask yourself how a public option health insurance plan gets at the issue of health care costs and how a 3rd party paying for something is both efficient and effective use of dollars spent on health care.

        

Is America waking up?

Possibly. A string or recent polling data suggests that most Americans are becoming increasingly alarmed by Washington's hard turn to the left.

The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that independent voters are those who appear most alarmed at present. In April, 46% of independents identified President Obama as a liberal. This month, 68% of independents view Obama as a lib. Given the avalanche of far left legislation being proposed by Obama, passed by his overwhelmingly liberal Congress, and praised by Obama's stenographers in the press corps, it's little wonder the independents are finally beginning to understand what their votes bought last November.

Later this week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the "cap-and-trade" legislation that is effectively a huge energy tax that will be passed along and paid by you and me. And it will be paid for with much higher prices on everything along with many of our jobs. The strain on our already abysmal economy will push it down even further.

Next up, ObamaCare. Many are speculating that Obama's dream of a "government plan" is now considered just too toxic and won't become law. I'm not as confident of that. It would come as little surprise that enough liberals on Capitol Hill will cram this legislation through. The impact on the economy and your own health won't be felt immediately but it will be felt soon enough. It'll be introduced as simply another option from which to choose along with other non-public plans. But many employers will find irresistable the thought of dumping their current health care plans thereby forcing their employees to choose the government "option." And no doubt the tax-payer subsidized government plan will be cheaper than those in the private sector making them seem very attractive. Before you know it, private sector health care insurance will no longer exist and Washington's coverage will be your only choice. And just like state laws on auto insurance, expect the Feds to make having health insurance mandatory for everyone.

Then, in about a year or so - likely December 2010 after the mid-term elections - expect a huge push for the Value Added Tax (VAT). Many in the know expect Obama and his comrades in the Congress to pass a 10 to 15% VAT that will apply to everything and at every stage of its production (from raw materials to the finished product). This would be a huge revenue generator - at first. The impact such a tax would have on our economy would be enormously destructive.

One year ago when we were paying in excess of $4 per gallon of gas, I thought then that such high fuel prices would lead to a serious economic recession. For most, $4 per gallon meant they had much less or no extra cash to spend on other consumables. Fewer trips to the mall, to the restaurant, vacations canceled, etc. Money that could've been spent elsewhere in the economy was instead being poured into our gas tanks just to get us to and from work every day.

It was like a perfect storm: Extremely high gas prices depressing economic activity. Then the crash of the financial market hit in early fall. We went from economic slow down to economic melt down within a few months.

So what's in our future? With the proposals being offered by Obama and his Congress, there is no realistic, sustainable upturn on the horizon. Michigan's 14.1% unemployment rate will continue to rise even higher. There are no legislative proposals on the table either in Washington or in Lansing that will do a thing to improve the economy. To the contrary. Every liberal fantasy is being fulfilled and you and your kids and your grandkids will have the honor of paying for it for a very long time and in many different ways.

Let's hope the trend in current polling showing the independents are finally waking up is a good sign that Americans will put the adults back in charge come November 2010.

DCuz

        

The state of California is having huge budget problems. Voters "emphatically rejected" the legislators' ballot proposals to spike taxes upward to cover their huge deficit.

I thought this perspective published in the Los Angeles Times was amusing:

Mark Baldassare, pollster for the Public Policy Institute of California, disputes the thesis that it [massive voter rejection of tax raising ballot proposals] was an anti-tax message, calling the notion "really a stretch." Voters were mostly confused, he says.

Moreover, he asserts, the outcome "doesn't reflect the will of the people" because only a puny 28% of registered voters cast ballots.

The arrogance of the Left continues taking my breath away. Who the hell do these b*stards think they are???  And, more importantly, when are we going to bounce them out of positions of power? How far down the toilet does California and the rest of America have to go before we wake up?

DCuz

        

        

WARNING: This article will either leave you cheering or really ticked off. Consider yourself warned.

Here is one statement you won't hear from any of the Republicans running for governor of the once-great state of Michigan: "Michigan needs to be a Right to Work State and, if elected, I will do everything I can to make that a reality."

Why won't you hear that declarative sentence from any of the GOP gubernatorial candidates? Because the assumption is Michigan is a big union state and the voters love the unions and to make such a statement would be political suicide.

Well, since I'm not running for governor, I'll just speak plainly. I hate unions. They were a contributing factor in what killed the domestic automotive industry and have left the state of Michigan in tatters. They are the primary reason so many manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to other countries. Remember when the US once had a thriving textile industry? No more. Where have all the manufacturing jobs gone? Overseas. Why? Unions.

Yes, I'm well-acquainted with the old arguments that unions were needed to prevent The Man from taking advantage of the Little Guy. Left to their own devices, The Man would pay the Little Guy next to nothing, make him work in sweat shops, and force him to spend his measly paycheck at the Company Store. Yada, yada, yada. But this isn't the late 1900's or early 20th century and if all unions disappeared tomorrow, we would never return to the days of virtual slave labor.

I've simply never understood the mindset of anyone who wanted to be a member of a labor union - unless they knew they wanted to be a slacker.

It's really simple. Let's say you're NOT a slacker. You show up to work on-time every day. You work your tail off 8+ hours every day. You're one of the most productive employees on the line. Yet Joe, the guy working next to you who's employed to do the same work, only shows up when he wants and when he does, he's hung-over, does a lousy job, and the only thing he's productive at is being unproductive. But he makes the same wage as you and for all intents and purposes cannot be fired. What is your motivation to continue being a valuable employee? Especially when your co-workers are more like Joe than like you and they're openly hostile towards your work ethic? Over time, you'll just become another Joe - an unproductive, unhappy, disgruntled union worker who blames all his woes on The Man.

I believe in individualism. You should get paid what you're worth to the employer. If you're excellent at what you do, your employer needs you as much as you need them and in order to keep you on the payroll, your employer will compensate you accordingly. This isn't theory. It's reality for millions of Americans.

GM should have been allowed to file under normal bankruptcy, reorganize, dump the UAW, relocate in a Right to Work State and start over. They would've gone on to become the most successful car company in the world producing vehicles the world wants to buy. Instead, GM is now Government Motors. Barack Obama is the CEO and his union thugs are running the show. The only cars they will sell are those the government will buy. They will eventually die but only after billions (if not trillions) of your tax dollars are squandered making the UAW bosses unbelievably rich.

If the state of Michigan (or the United States for that matter) is to not only survive but flourish once again, unions need to go away replaced by rugged individualism. We know the recipe of success: a daily commitment to excellence and dedication to hard work. It never fails.

DCuz

        

6/15/09

Dear Mr. Westin:

As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC's astonishing decision to exclude opposing voices on this critical issue on June 24, 2009. Next Wednesday, ABC News will air a primetime health care reform “town hall” at the White House with President Barack Obama. In addition, according to an ABC News report, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, WORLD NEWS, NIGHTLINE and ABC’s web news “will all feature special programming on the president’s health care agenda.” This does not include the promotion, over the next 9 days, the president’s health care agenda will receive on ABC News programming.

Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party's views to those of the President's to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. Our request was rejected. I believe that the President should have the ability to speak directly to the America people. However, I find it outrageous that ABC would prohibit our Party's opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

Respectfully,
Ken McKay
Republican National Committee
Chief of Staff

        

Why do I hear the "Imperial March" in my head when I read this article?

I could not even come close to summing up the issues with Obama's plan for health care as well as Ronald Bailey did, so I won't even try.

It does, however, express my sentiments exactly.


Here are the highlights:

The Lewin Group crunched the numbers through their health care model and found that premiums for the public option plan would be 30 to 40 percent lower than private plans. Sounds great, right? But these lower premiums are essentially achieved by imposing price controls. The Lewin Group assumed that the public option plan will pay doctors and hospitals at the same rates they currently receive from Medicare. And Medicare reimbursements already run 71 percent and 81 percent below what private health plans pay hospitals and doctors, respectively.

First, the somewhat good news. Lower public option premiums and an increase in Medicaid coverage would attract 28 million of the 48 million Americans who currently are not covered by health insurance. Now the bad news. The lower premiums would encourage employers to drop private health insurance and put their employees into the public plan. Overall, the Lewin Group estimates that if Medicare reimbursement rates are imposed, the number of Americans with private health insurance would decline by almost 120 million, leaving only 50 million Americans in the private insurance market.

The best result of creating a parallel public insurance scheme is that the United States would end up with an explicit two-tier medical system in which privately insured Americans have better access to better medical care. Such two-tier health care systems already exist in countries with national health care schemes such as the United Kingdom and Germany. In the United Kingdom, more and more Britons are opting for private health insurance instead of remaining with that country's National Health Service. Privately insured Americans would get higher quality health care, but because the market for medical innovation would be smaller, everybody will get worse care than they would otherwise have received had most health care not been nationalized.

The worst case scenario is that the public option plan would eventually absorb what remains of the private health care system. This could happen as the political constituency for private health care and insurance shrinks while more and more Americans become covered by government insurance. In addition, it will be hard for politicians to resist forcing wealthier patients to join the government plan as a way to make up for eventual shortfalls in revenues.

        

I used to highly respect David Letterman. No, wrong word. Not respect. I used to love David Letterman. I have very fond memories of staying up well past my bedtime at age 15 to watch him after Johnny Carson. His dry, sarcastic, sometimes sardonic wit fit my sense of humor perfectly. While not quite as talented (or certainly as classy) as Johnny, Letterman was the perfect after-dinner drink following Carson's gourmet meal.

Over time, it became apparent to viewers that Letterman, like most comics, had a dark, often nasty side. He developed a reputation for rudeness towards his show's guests. After NBC snubbed Dave by giving The Tonight Show to Jay Leno instead of the heir-apparent, one of the many reasons referenced was that Dave was caustic, abrasive and NBC wasn't confident he could maintain Carson's ratings. Leno was kinder and gentler and more palatable to a wider audience. Letterman left NBC in a huff to start up his own 11:35 pm chat show on CBS. He remained consistently in second place to Leno in the ratings.

We all realize that in the business of show, the overwhelming number of entertainers lean left. Letterman is no exception. He's just another leftist showbiz personality. No biggie. It's what we've come to expect out of that industry. And anyone who dares wander from the leftist script will find themselves unemployed in the entertainment industry.

But unlike his idol, Johnny Carson, Letterman has allowed his personal political beliefs to seep into his show. Often disguised as comedy, his anti-Republican/conservative remarks have grown less funny and far more biting as time has gone by. Within the past year, Letterman has been flat out hostile to anyone associated with Republican politics.

The most recent example came in Letterman's Tuesday night monologue when referring to Sarah and Todd Palin's 14-year old daughter being raped by a New York Yankee's ball player. Said Letterman, "during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."

There's just nothing funny about that and Letterman knows it. But his Palin-derangement-syndrome has clearly wiped out his understanding of what crosses the line. He's simply become a mean, bitter, rich old man.

One could make the case that the hostility shown by Letterman and almost all members of the leftist congregation toward Sarah Palin clearly demonstrates they're scared to death of her. They know she resonates with voters. If they didn't see her as a threat, they wouldn't be spending so much of their time still trying to destroy her image with at the majority of American voters.

Meanwhile, perhaps it's time David Letterman call it a night and enjoy his remaining days in retirement.

DCuz

        

Here are some good articles on inflation and why it's the cruelest tax of all:


Get ready for higher inflation.

Why inflation is so scary.


"Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man" - Ronald Reagan