There were 3 Democrat holdouts that were poised to stop Senator Harry Reid’s version of the health care bill from getting to the floor of the Senate for a debate. One of those holdouts was Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
“Was” because she has since caved stating, “It is a vote to move forward to continue the good and essential and important and imperative work that is under way. I’ve decided that there’s enough significant reforms and safeguards in this bill to move forward but more work needs to be done.”
What she did not say was that on page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”
The section spends two pages defining which “states” would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that “during the preceding 7 fiscal years” have been declared a “major disaster area.”
This section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana
In other words, the bill spends two pages describing what could be written with a single world: Louisiana. (This may also help explain why the bill is long.) Really, you should see the actual text! This was inserted to coax Senator Landrieu to cave; she did. And what would it cost the taxpayers? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million. According to many who have figured it out: Closer to $300 million!
The first Louisiana Purchase cost the taxpayers $15 million dollars and it almost doubled the size of the country at that time (1803). It encompassed all or part of 14 current U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
The second “Louisiana Purchase” will BUY one Senator’s vote and cost about 10 times the original and then will only go to help one State; one area of one state actually, and help push through the biggest expansion of government ever attempted and the takeover of 1/6 of our economy!
In the interests of full disclosure:
1. I am a registered Republican; I vote on the Conservative line when it’s available.
2. When Ross Perot ran for President in 1992, I was against 3rd Party Candidates.
3. When the Contract with America came up in 1995, I was undecided on the Term Limits.
Seventeen years have passed (17! That long?) since we have had a serious 3rd party candidate and since term limits was discussed in the public square. I believe it is time to have real choice in our State and Federal elections by “cleaning house” and helping to elect candidates who are truly looking out for us. In addition, we need to consider imposing term limits on our representatives at the State and Federal level.
This year, as I look towards the next elections in New York and as I look towards 2012, I will be looking for candidates who are NOT incumbents, and who are standing up for reduced spending and reducing the size of State and Federal government. If that means that I have to vote for a Democrat, Republican, or some other “party”, I will do it.
It will mean that I have to do more “homework” to find out their positions on my issues and try to figure out how these people will govern. But just re-electing someone because they happen to be of my chosen party, just won’t do it for me this time. To me “incumbent” means corrupt. And until I can shake that feeling, I am breaking away from party labels.
I would also like to have a Statewide Constitutional Amendment that would impose term limits on the State Assembly, the State Senate, and the Governor’s Office. Term Limits are probably the quickest way to get rid of an entrenched political “class” of professional politicians. Fifteen state legislatures have term limits ranging form 2 to 4 year terms and can be elected to 2 or 3 consecutive terms – generally they can serve 6 to 12 years max. Governors in many states (36) have term limits, usually set at 2 consecutive 4-year terms. These are good starting points I believe.
Term limits should also apply to our federal elections as well. No more “jobs for life” for our Congressional and Senate “representatives”.
3rd Party Candidates & Term Limits – The Time has Come
Those people walking around with little bags in their hands… I like them. Unfortunately, there are not enough of those people around. At least, I don’t see them much at my end of the lake.
I know that I live in Canadice. The home of the FREE and the brave; where you can hear people say: “We don’t take kindly to those city-folks coming in and wanting to change our laws to be like Rochester’s laws.” “Why, we can’t even burn our trash in the burn barrel anymore!”
I get it. More laws = less freedom. But that was then, and this is now. Somehow, along the way from then to now, the sense of “being neighborly” has seemed to disappear from view and practice.
Back then, your dog probably ran free. Sure, you were always taking a chance that your dog could get shot while running deer, or that they would not come home because they were dead on the side of the road. But your dog was out of site – out of mind.
But now, people generally do not let their dogs run free; they take them for walks. And many of those people walk around with little bags in their hands… I like them. Unfortunately, there are not enough of those people around. At least, I don’t see them much at my end of the lake.
What I see, are people without those bags, and plenty of “dog rockets” around to prove it!
The President of the United States, Barack H. Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” during his first 12 days in office, combined with his rhetoric during the 2008 presidential campaign.
NOT for future accomplishments. No, the Swedish Academy said it was for his previous accomplishments – up to and including those first 12 days one presumes.
I have heard that Mr. Obama is also one of the finalists for the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, since he has such special chemistry during his many many speeches. (See Chris Mathews - Obama Speech Caused ‘Thrill Going Up My Leg’)
He has accepted the honor and will forever be listed as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, along with people like Jean Henry Dunant – founder of the international Red Cross, Martin Luther King and Gandhi. Of course, that list also includes Al Gore for his work on Global Warming. (I think Gore also won a second Nobel Prize for Science, because he invented the INTERNET).
And this just in, Sarah Palin has just won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her new book - Going Rogue: An American Life. Of Course, no one has read her book, as it will not be released until November 17, 2009 but it is expected to be high on the New York Times Best Seller list. Way to go Sarah!
On a side note, rumor has it that Paul David Hewson (AKA Bono of U2 fame) is on the short list for an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year, for his deep desire to make a MOVIE…lol
I think this is the end of the Nobel Peace Prize. C-Ya!
Quoting form President Obama’s – REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS ON HEALTH CARE - on September 9, 2009:
“The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies — subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but don’t improve the care of seniors. And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead.”
First, there is absolutely no legislation written in any of the Bills before Congress that says in any way on how this would be done. So I believe the President lied; To the Congress and to the American people.
Second, if these “billions of dollars in waste and fraud” exist, why are they not fixing Medicare and Medicaid (two government programs) NOW?
I get it; Congressman Joe Wilson was out of line calling the President of the United States a liar, during a joint session of Congress the other night.
But what gets me, is the President of the United States WAS lying; to Congress AND to the American people. And nobody seemed to care!
