Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Now 'all Guns' must be listed

>>> > If you have a gun, I hope it isn't registered!
>>> >
>>> > Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal > tax
>>> > form all guns that you have or own. It will require fingerprints and a
>>> > tax of $50 per gun.
>>> > This bill was introduced on Feb.. 24, 2009, by the Omama staff. BUT . > .
>>> > this bill will only become public knowledge 30 days after the new law
>>> > becomes effective ! This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act > o
>>> > f 1986. This means that the Finance Committee has passed this without
>>> > the Senate voting on it at all. Trust Obama ? ..... you must be
>>> > kidding !
>>> >
>>> > The full text of the IRS amendment is on the U.S. Senate homepage,U.S.
>>> > Senate "
>>> > href="http://www.senate.gov/%3E"
>>> > target=_blank>"> You
>>> > can find the bill by doing a search by the bill number, SB-2099.
>>> > | You know who to call; I strongly suggest you do. Please send a copy > of
>>> > this e-mail to every gun owner you know.|
>>> >
>>> > >>> > and Record of Sale Act of 2009 - U.S.... OpenCongress
>>> >
>>> > "
>>> > href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text%3E"
>>> > target=_blank>">
>>> > |
>>> >
>>> > Obama's Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If
>>> > it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply.
>>> >
>>> > It has begun . . . Whatever Obama's secret Master Plan is....this is
>>> > just the 'tip of the iceburg!'
>>> >
>>> > Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into
>>> > the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale > Ac
>>> > t of 2009.|
>>> >
>>> > Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the government is
>>> > trying to fly it under the radar as a 'minor' IRS revision, and, as
>>> > usual, the 'political' lawmakers did not read this bill before signing
>>> > and approving it!
>>> >
>>> > To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR > 45
>>> > or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of
>>> > 2009. You will get all the information.
>>> >
>>> > Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with > a
>>> > clip or ANY pistol unless:
>>> >
>>> > -It is registered -You are fingerprinted -You supply a current > Driver's
>>> > License -You supply your Social Security # -You will submit to a
>>> > physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing -Each > update
>>> > - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported
>>> > and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to > own
>>> > a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail. -There is a child
>>> > provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access
>>> > provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.
>>> > -They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing > your
>>> > gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable
>>> > for up to 5 yrs. in prison.
>>> >
>>> > If you think this is a joke - go to the website and take your pick of
>>> > many options to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and more
>>> > people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along. Any hunters in
>>> > your family pas s this along.|
>>> >
>>> > This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and
>>> > disarming of our society to the point we have no defense - chip away a
>>> > little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone
>>> > realizes it.
>>> >
>>> > This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not..
>>> >
>>> > >>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > :
>>> >
>>> > 2009 -
>>> > U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > 2009
>>> > (GovTrack.us)
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Please.. copy and send this out to EVERYONE in the USA , whether you
>>> > support the Right to Bear Arms or are for gun control. We all should
>>> > have the right to choose.
>>> >
>>> > Verified on SNOPES . . .
>>> > http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/blairholt.asp
>>> >
>>> >

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH!

A French doctor says 'Medicine in
my country is so advanced that we can take
a kidney out of one man, put it in another,
and have him looking for work in six weeks.'

A German doctor says 'That is nothing; we can take
a lung out of one person, put it in another, and
have him looking for work in four weeks.

The Russian doctor says 'In my country, medicine is
so advanced that we can take half a heart out
of one person, put it in another, and have them both
looking for work in two weeks.'

An American doctor, not to be
outdone, says 'You guys are way behind. We
recently took a man with no brains out of Illinois ,
put him in the White House, and now half the country
is looking for work.'

Monday, September 28, 2009

Netanyahu For President

What can I say except “wow”. If only we had a President who gave good speeches in defense of civilization rather than soaring platitudes about group hugs while attacking everything great about our own country and giving legitimacy to the most undemocratic dictatorships across the globe.

Is America ready for a Jewish president yet? Don’t ask me. I never thought we were ready for a militant communist but here we are.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE BILL

READ AND QUESTION . WHY IS THE ADMINISTRATION TRYING TO JAM THIS BILL DOWN OUR THROATS???????

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas
September 12-2009

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: fhe Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the bill and its implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media are saying. The bill does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.

The bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business and put everyone into a government-run system. All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats, and most of them will not be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled.

However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface. In fact, I have concluded that
this legislation really has no intention of providing affordable health care choices. Instead, it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated. If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the United States will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. Government. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives of the American people and the businesses they own. The irony is that the Congress doesn't have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with. I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress to regulate health care.

The paragraph below is really frightening.

This legislation also provides for access by the appointees of the Obama administration of all of your personal health care information, your personal financial information, and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital. All of this is a direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. You can also forget about the right to privacy. That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have health care insurance or if you have private insurance that is not deemed "acceptable" to the "Health Choices Administrator" appointed by Obama, there will be a tax imposed on you. It is called a "tax" instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment. However, that doesn't work because since there is nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of property without due process of law.

So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much out the original ten in the Bill of Rights that are effectively nullified by this law. It doesn't stop there, though. The 9th Amendment provides, "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The 10th Amendment states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Under the provisions of this proposed bill, neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both houses of Congress to "be bound by oath or affirmation" to support the Constitution. If I were a member of Congress, I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway, I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat, I suggest they consult the source. Here is a link to the Constitution: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

And another to the Bill of Rights: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html ;

There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us, if Obama and the left wing Democrats have their way.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas
mrobertc@hotmail.com

Michael Connelly
Author: www.trafford.com/04-2710
I also teach law courses via the Internet through colleges and universities worldwide. To find a college or university near you, go to Education To Go's website at
http://www.ed2go.com/

Saturday, September 26, 2009

MSNBC's Maddow Blames Corporate Interests, Not Video of Employees Willing to Aid Illegal Prostitution Ring, for ACORN Downfall

By Jeff Poor | September 26, 2009 - 03:55

Recent videos from two investigative reporters, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, with the help of Andrew Breitbart, showed that community-group ACORN engaging in scandalous practices. But MSNBC host Rachel Maddow argued Sept. 24 that wasn't the story that mattered.

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, was hit hard by the videos showing employees giving tax avoidance advice to a "pimp" and "hooker."

But Maddow rose to the defense of ACORN which she called a right-wing "bogeyman," crusading for them on her MSNBC show. She accused corporations of going into "kill mode" against the organization which helps "poor people."

Friday, September 25, 2009

Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times

It is critical that the church in America understands the times and what
needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural
happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the
spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide
of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging
this week. First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored,
encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He
was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the
support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian
leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer
in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better
understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding but we must
have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being
invoked into our nation.

Cause for Concern

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a
Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/
). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall.
This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic
gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the
White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the
White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words.
They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble
to America.

A Divine Moment

Now one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant
throbbing moment, but when they all converge it becomes a massive
spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However,
I believe in this moment of divine providence God has raised up on the
stage of history a little “Esther” that if we pray and fast for her she
could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and
radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.

Headlines

On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the
headlines of US news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and
radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her savior. She
hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her bible
from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to
the radical Muslim community in Ohio. Rifqa’s father demanded that she
renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a
radiant believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to
Orlando where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and
family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back
under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her
story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our
sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?

A Major Sign

This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the
rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is
above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and
call upon Him with fasting and prayer then God could use what the enemy
meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in
America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.

Here is The Call

First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of
developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is
not against Muslims, it is against principalities, powers, and forces of
darkness. We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan,
from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On
Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the
courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the
best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray
for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims
would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said
that this is not about her but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We
must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and
challenged on every side. On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of
Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that
Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of
Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God
would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great
awakening that we desperately need for America.

Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment,

Lou Engle
The Call

Thursday, September 24, 2009

FCC's Diversity Czar: 'White People' Need to be Forced to 'Step Down' 'So Someone Else Can Have Power'

By Seton Motley
September 23, 2009 - 08:38 ET



One Giant Censorship Step Down For Personkind

Mark Lloyd is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s Chief Diversity Officer, a.k.a. the Diversity Czar. And he has in a recently discovered bit of archive audio goodness detailed his rather disturbing perspective on race, power and the American system.

(Audio located below the fold, courtesy of Breitbart.tv and Naked Emperor News)

This is of course in addition to Lloyd's rather disturbing perspective on the First Amendment.

"It should be clear by now that my focus here is not freedom of speech or the press. This freedom is all too often an exaggeration. At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the critical examination of other communications policies.

"[T]he purpose of free speech is warped to protect global corporations and block rules that would promote democratic governance."

And Lloyd's rather disturbing perspective on Venezuelan Communist dictator Hugo Chavez's "incredible...democratic revolution." To go with Lloyd's bizarre admiration for the thuggishly fascistic manner in which "Chavez began to take very seriously the media in his country."

We have said repeatedly that Lloyd is a man myopically focused on race. What is revealed here is more than just that. Listening to excerpts of his offerings at a May 2005 Conference on Media Reform: Racial Justice reveals a man that finds great fault with our nation's power structure - as he defines and sees it. And in his racially-warped, finite pie worldview, too many white people sit alone in the too few spots atop the heap. They're "good white people," mind you, but ...



This... there's nothing more difficult than this. Because we have really, truly good white people in important positions. And the fact of the matter is that there are a limited number of those positions. And unless we are conscious of the need to have more people of color, gays, other people in those positions we will not change the problem.

We're in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power.

So white people, good though they may be, must "step down so" "more people of color, gays" and "other people" "can have power." And thereby "change the problem" of whites running the show.

So who is "in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power?" Why, Lloyd is.

Lloyd now sits astride the FCC, which regulates and oversees a very finite world indeed. That being the radio dial, and the limited number of broadcast licenses that can be issued.

As Lloyd has said repeatedly if not exhaustively in writing, he thinks too few white people hold too many of this finite resource. And he has designed (in his 2006 book Prologue to a Farce) and co-authored (the 2007 Center for American Progress report "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio") a fee, fine and regulatory nightmare to effect a reduction in the number of the licenses they hold so that they may be redistributed to "more people of color, gays" and "other people."

This is how Lloyd wishes to "change the problem." This is his definition of "media diversity."

The tape also contains audio from a July 2007 interview Lloyd did on the very liberal Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)'s CounterSpin radio show, where he had this to say about the so-called "Fairness" Doctrine.

(Which - we will say for the umpteenth time - we KNOW he does not wish to reimpose. Members of the media and the Left [pardon the redundancy] have repeatedly inaccurately reported that we have said he does, so as to ignore our very legitimate concerns regarding Lloyd's plans for "media diversity" and "localism" enforcement.)


What we're really saying is that the Fairness Doctrine's not enough. And that having a sort of over-arching rule that says broadcasters ought to be "fair" or ought to provide issues important to communities and that they ought to do it in a fair and balanced way is simply enough. Unless you put some teeth into that and put some hard, structural rules in place that are going to result in fairness.

So in other words, as stifling, as "chilling" as the mis-named "Fairness" Doctrine was when enforced, it fell and falls way short of Lloyd's censorship intentions. Hence his book and report, the "hard structural rules" he wants to put in place to wring his definition of "fairness" out of the system.

On the tape, Lloyd has an additional gem.


The conversation about how we communicate with each other despite being aware of the clear impressions that I know that I make in rooms that I walk into, when people hear my voice, is a challenge. How much do I express the... I think really pretty obvious complaints of black Americans in rooms full of whites....

There are few things I think more frightening in the American mind than dark skinned black men. Here I am.

We told you he was myopically fixated on race.

I can think of a great number of things far more frightening than dark skinned black men. Government censorship - imposed by anyone of any color - leaps to this American mind.

The more we learn of Lloyd and his views, the more clear it becomes he has no business holding any gig at the FCC. He should forthwith join Communist "Truther" Van Jones as an ex-Administration official.

----------------------------------------------

The tape's transcript en toto:

Conference on Media Reform: Racial Justice
May 2005

During the Clinton Administration, largely because of Congress who was then very concerned about affirmative action and believed that - although affirmative action largely benefited white women - that affirmative action was largely viewed as something that was benefiting blacks. Not necessarily any of the other racial groups (his laughter) but blacks. And that blacks had gotten enough and it was time to do something about this. These affirmative action programs needed to be stopped. We have not made much improvement since we've begun to pull back (sic) from those things in the mid 1990s.

The conversation about how we communicate with each other despite being aware of the clear impressions that I know that I make in rooms that I walk into, when people hear my voice, is a challenge. How much do I express the... I think really pretty obvious complaints of black Americans in rooms full of whites.

This... there's nothing more difficult than this. Because we have really, truly good white people in important positions. And the fact of the matter is that there are a limited number of those positions. And unless we are conscious of the need to have more people of color, gays, other people in those positions we will not change the problem. We're in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power.

There are few things I think more frightening in the American mind than dark skinned black men. Here I am.

Fairness and Accuracy In Media's CounterSpin Radio
July 2007

What we're really saying is that the Fairness Doctrine's not enough. And that having a sort of over-arching rule that says broadcasters ought to be fair or ought to provide issues important to communities and that they ought to do it in a fair and balanced way is simply enough. Unless you put some teeth into that and put some hard, structural rules in place that are going to result in fairness.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Subject: 1947

REMEMBER 1947 ? ? ? (even if you don't read on....)
A very good friend sent this bit of cleverness to me but
he shall remain nameless in light of today's atmosphere.
Enjoy!
Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little
over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified
flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed
onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell , New
Mexico . This is a well known incident that many say
has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other
federal agencies and organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of
April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the
following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William J. Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer
Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses?

I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of
things for you. It did for me.

No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens!

Now You Know!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Support STICK IT TO LIBERALS!

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Analysis: Why everyone is saying no to Obama

By AMIR MIZROCH

Everybody is saying no to the American president these days. And it's not just that they're saying no, it's also the way they're saying no.


The Saudis twice said no to his request for normalization gestures towards Israel (at Barack Obama's meeting with King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia, and in Washington at meetings with Hillary Clinton). Who says no to the American president twice? What must they think of Obama in the desert kingdom?

The North Koreans said no to repeated attempts at talks, by test-launching long-range missiles in April; Russia and China keep on saying no to tougher sanctions on Iran; the Iranians keep saying no to offers of talks by saying they're willing to talk about everything except a halt to uranium enrichment; Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is saying no by refusing to meet with Binyamin Netanyahu until Israel freezes all settlement construction; the Israelis said no by refusing to agree to a settlement freeze, or even a settlement moratorium until and unless the Arabs ante up their normalization gestures. Which brings us back to the original Saudi no.

The only thing Obama did manage to get Bibi and Abbas to say yes to is a photo-op at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in NY. Mazel tov.

So why is everyone saying no to Obama?

It's the economy, stupid.


Everyone has worked it out by now: The great secret is out. America's economy has made Obama a weak president, and he will likely remain weak throughout his first term. He has about two years to pull the American economy out of its free-fall before he begins his reelection campaign. If he can do it, and that's a big if, chances are good that he'll get reelected, and in his second term he can try to pull some geopolitical strings. But for the next three years, expect to see a world that says no to Obama. No meaningful and dramatic diplomatic initiative can come out of the White House in the next three years, as long as Obama remains weak.

And that's a real pity, because there are some serious and imminent issues that need to be addressed.

Pyongyang is getting more bellicose and not being punished. The North Koreans have violated every single international agreement and norm, and nothing tangible has happened to them.

In Iran, this registers. "Look at how bad they're being," the mullahs say, "and they're getting away with it." Even so, the Iranian government is weak internally and internationally following its election fiasco.

The US and EU could tighten sanctions against Iran without the support of Russia and China, but they would need political will for that. Sanctions, such as a ban on refined oil imports, barring Iranian flights to America and Europe etc., could have a serious impact on Iran and weaken the regime further. The US and EU can act now against Iran like the US and UK did against Libya several years ago when they persuaded Gaddafi to abandon his nuclear ambitions. Back then, though, the US was much stronger. Now, the American economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea have all weakened the US.

In retaliation for increased, unilateral sanctions, Iran could turn up the heat on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will stymie Obama's plan to win and withdraw. In Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran has the US president by the kishkes, in a manner of speaking. And so do the Taliban.

So, when a president with so many problems comes asking for a favor, everyone finds it easier to just say no.

Monday, September 21, 2009

"The Proposal"

When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers must find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well.

Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.

Our government should not be immune from similar risks.

Therefore:

Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members.

Reduce Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Then, reduce their staff by 25%.

Accomplish this over the next 8 years (two steps/two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.

Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:

$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay/member/ yr.)

$97,175,000 for elimination of their staff. (estimate $1.3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)

$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.

$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion/yr).

The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country!

We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.

Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established. (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few)

Note:
Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we had 3 senators that were not doing their jobs for the 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have accepted full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.

Summary of opportunity:
$ 44,108,400 reduction of congress members.
$282,100, 000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.
$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.
$59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.
$37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.

$8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings. (that's 8-BILLION just to start!)

Big business does these types of cuts all the time.

If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits, tax payers could save a bundle.

Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Beck's World

There is perhaps no greater status signifier, no clearer guidepost of having arrived than to be featured on the cover of Time.

Of course, the headline "Mad Man" may mitigate the honor a bit.

Glenn Beck is suddenly hotter than a pistol, his ratings are soaring, and he is being hailed by many on the right and savaged by much of the left.

He was the chief cheerleader for last weekend's 9/12 protests. He forced the resignation of White House aide Van Jones. He has been pounding the drum on ACORN and those devastating hidden-camera videos of workers advising two undercover conservative activists on how to conduct a prostitution ring without getting caught.

And if he seems a little loco in the process, well, that probably helps at the box office.

Beck loudly proclaims his disdain for both parties, but the man who called President Obama a racist certainly seems to siding with the inflammatory wing of the conservative movement.

I interviewed Beck two years ago, on "Reliable Sources," when he was with Headline News. I asked him about his own interview with Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress: "What I feel like saying is, sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies, and I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy. But that's the way I feel and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

I told Beck I found that "horribly offensive."

"I can appreciate that," he said. "It was a poorly worded question. And I apologize for a poorly worded question. However, I think we're all living in denial if we are really saying to each other that a -- a world that we live in now, where we can't -- where we have to shut up because of political correctness and we can't say Muslim extremists are bad, 10 percent of Islam is extreme and want to kill us."

So how much of a cultural force is the Fox News host becoming? He didn't grant Time an interview, but here's the piece--"Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?"--by David Von Drehle:

"No one has a better feeling for this mood, and no one exploits it as well, as Beck. He is the hottest thing in the political-rant racket, left or right. A gifted entrepreneur of angst in a white-hot market. A man with his ear uniquely tuned to the precise frequency at which anger, suspicion and the fear that no one's listening all converge . . .

"His fears are many -- which is lucky for him, because Beck is responsible for filling multiple hours each day on radio and TV and webcast, plus hundreds of pages each year in his books, his online magazine and his newsletter. What's this rich and talented man afraid of? He is afraid of one-world government, which will turn once proud America into another France. He is afraid that Obama 'has a deep-seated hatred for white people' -- which doesn't mean, he hastens to add, that he actually thinks 'Obama doesn't like white people.' He is afraid that both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are deeply corrupt and that their corruption is spreading like a plague. He used to be afraid that hypocritical Republicans in the Bush administration were killing capitalism and gutting liberty, but now he is afraid that all-too-sincere leftists in the Obama administration are plotting the same. On a slow news day, Beck fears that the Rockefeller family installed communist and fascist symbols in the public artwork of Rockefeller Center . . .

"Beck mines the timeless theme of the corrupt Them thwarting a virtuous Us. This flexible narrative often contains genuinely uncomfortable truths. Some days 'they' are the unconfirmed policy 'czars' whom Beck fears Obama is using to subvert constitutional government -- and he has some radical-sounding sound bites to back it up. Some days 'they' are the network of leftist community organizers known as ACORN -- and his indictment of the group is looking stronger every day. But he also spins yarns of less substance. He tells his viewers that Obama's volunteerism efforts are really an attempt to create a 'civilian national-security force that is just as strong, just as powerful as the military.' . . . In his recent instabook -- Glenn Beck's Common Sense, a huge best seller, with more than 1 million copies moved in less than four months -- he wrote, 'Most Americans remain convinced that the country is on the wrong track. They know that SOMETHING JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT but they don't know how to describe it or, more importantly, how to stop it.' "

Oh, and this tidbit: Forbes estimates that Beck is making $23 million a year, "a ballpark figure confirmed by knowledgeable sources."

Wouldn't that tend to make you a little less mad?

I found the piece fair, though the advertiser boycott of Beck's program should have been mentioned. But Editor & Publisher's Greg Mitchell denounces it as "an apparent effort to woo the rightwing with a ludicrously 'balanced' treatment of equally dangerous and wacko 'ranting' coming from left and right.' "

The Time cover was batted around on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," as Mediaite reports.

"Scarborough summed up his thoughts. 'Glenn Beck's really taken off and despite the fact, maybe because of the fact, he said some very intemperate things,' he said. 'When you try to nail him down he'll go 'oh I'm just a rodeo clown.' Well this rodeo clown is making a lot of people very angry.'

"And Beck fans are sure to love this description from Mika Brzezinski. 'I will say that my reaction is one of real concern,' she said. 'I think it's because I feel like the conservative voice isn't being well-represented. That he's tapping into something that may not be so constructive in terms of raising the bar of the conversations and representing the conservative voice in an elegant way.' "

Oh, and Gawker has great behind-the-scenes footage of Beck looking weepy at a photo shoot.

A DNC ad about the "czars" issue is almost all footage of Beck. And CBN's David Brody debunks much of the indictment:

"The Obama administration is pushing back against conservative media outlets on the so called ' Obama Czars Controversy' and you know what? They have some legitimate points . . .

"Here's a simple fact: The Czar list compiled by Fox News and other outlets is just not fully accurate. They are listing people like Cass Sunstein, John Holdren and a few others as Czars but these folks have been confirmed by the Senate. That is significant because the main contention here is that these Czars run around unchecked and unaccountable to Congress. Their list shouldn't include them. If you want to make the argument that Sunstein and Holdren shouldn't be nominated by President Obama because of things they've either said or done in the past then fine but to add them to the Czar total is really misleading.

"Look, you can make the argument that the Obama administration has increased the number of so-called Czars and it has even concerned liberals like Senator Russ Feingold and Senator Robert Byrd. Still, if you want to bring credibility to your argument you need to get your facts straight. Conservative media outlets hurt themselves when the information they provide isn't the total picture. It may play well with Obama's staunch critics but doesn't the full truth matter?"

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Lawyer Promotes Muslim Prayer Rooms, Opposes Display of the Ten Commandments

By Rusty Weiss | September 18, 2009 - 11:05

An article in the Albany Times Union promotes a controversy brewing in local schools in upstate New York. A controversy in that schools are willing to close their doors during Christian and Jewish religious holidays - but not Muslim holidays.

Tucked away within the article is a supporting statement from Jay Worona, counsel for the New York State School Board Association (NYSSBA), in which he promotes a possible alternative to canceling classes. Worona states, "One request we have seen is for a room during Ramadan for students to pray in, and many districts are attempting to provide those."

What the reporter fails to note is that Worona, who apparently is in favor of separate prayer rooms for Muslim students, opposes the inclusion of a display containing the Ten Commandments in New York schools.

Interesting. A prayer room for Muslim students. What happened to the separation of religion and education, church and state? Or did that only apply to the assault on Christianity in our schools, the elimination of nativity scenes, the conversion of labels such as 'Christmas Break' to 'Winter Break', or the deletion of the phrase 'under God' from our Pledge of Allegiance?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Hypocrisy at its best........

Tuesday's short resolution said Wilson's conduct was a "breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House."

The Office of the House Historian said the resolution marked the first time in the 220-year history of the House that a member had been admonished for speaking out while the president was giving an address. A resolution of disapproval is less severe than other disciplinary action available to the House, including censure or expulsion.

It's OK for Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) or Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to call GWB a "liar" -- or the Dems to BOO the President during a State of the Union address -- with no official rebuke.

Decorum hasn’t always been the rule in the House, as related in Robert Remini’s 2006 history of the chamber. Debates turned especially nasty during the 1850s, in the buildup to the Civil War, wrote Remini, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a National Book Award winner.

In his book “The House,” Remini wrote that harsh words exchanged by lawmakers over slavery-related issues sparked one “melee” in which “fifty or more representatives rushed at one another. They wrestled, shoved and punched one another as the Speaker, James L. Orr of South Carolina, pleaded for order.”

“The madness finally turned to comedy,” Remini wrote, when “John F. ‘Bowie-Knife’ Potter of Wisconsin reached for the hair of William Barksdale of Mississippi and pulled off his wig. ‘I’ve scalped him,’ cried the startled Potter, which set the whole house laughing. And that ended the melee.”

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Follow this reasoning …

A vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline.
A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year.
So, the average clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.

The government claims 700,000 vehicles were traded – so that's 224 million gallons a year.

That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil.
5 million barrels of oil is about ¼ of one day's US consumption.
And, 5 million barrels of oil at $75/bbl costs around $350 million dollars.

So, we all contributed to spending $3 billion to save $350 million.
How good a deal was that?

Barry's stable of idiots will probably do a great job with health care too!

Obams's Czar List

Thought you might find this list of Barry's Czars of interest. Most of these were either poorly vetted (or not at all), and/or not confirmed by congress. You have to wonder if they decided not to go that route because Barry's early appointees had so much problem paying their taxes or had other unsavory items in their past. All of the creation of Czars appears to me to be a way around the confirmation by Congress, and keeping a low profile from public view. No matter what, it is another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy, and circumvention of Public Law, and the Constitution.


Note* Van Jones has resigned under fire last Saturday night late! He now works for George Soras.




NOTE: positions that also existed under previous administrations are indicated with an *.



1. Afghanistan Czar - Richard Holbrooke

Title: Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: State

. Will work with CENTCOM head Gen. David Petraeus to integrate U.S. civilian and military efforts in the region.
. 45 years of experience have made him a fixture of the Democrats' foreign policy establishment.
. Was U.S. ambassador to U.N., 1999-2001
. Brokered the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia
. Also served as Assistant secretary of state, East Asia and the Pacific (1976 to 1980); worked in foreign service (1962 to 1976)
. From 1972 through 1976, was the editor of Foreign Policy magazine.


2. AIDS Czar * - Jeffrey Crowley

Title: Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy
Salary: $102,000
Reports to: President Obama (as part of the Executive Office of the President's Domestic Policy Council)
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

. Coordinates HIV/AIDS policy domestically and internationally.
. Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
. Was Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS
. Has Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health


3. Auto Recovery Czar - Ed Montgomery

Title: Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Larry Summers, the president's top economic adviser, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis
Appointed: March 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Labor

. Will work to leverage government resources to support the workers, communities and regions that rely on the American auto industry.
. Was Deputy Secretary and Chief Economist at the Labor Department (1997 to 1998)
. Is Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland (2003 to present)
. Has PhD in economics from Harvard
. In 2008, made $1,200 in political donations, all of which went to Obama's presidential campaign.
. Wife is the granddaughter of a General Motors worker from Portland, Mich.
. Drives a 2000 Lincoln


4. Border Czar * - Alan Bersin

Title: Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Appointed: April 2009
Agencies that might have handled similar issues: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

. Will coordinate all of the department's border security and law-enforcement efforts.
. Essentially had the same job under President Clinton; served as Attorney General Janet Reno's special representative on border issues, a job that he held while retaining the position of U.S. attorney for San Diego.
. This time, boss will be Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who will expect him to handle illegal immigration and drug violence issues along the Mexican-American border
. Previous experience: Chairman of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority (2006 to 2009); Secretary of Education for California (2005 to 2006); Superintendent of San Diego Public Schools (1998 to 2005); U.S. Attorney for San Diego (1993 to 1998)
. Graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School
. Talking about border security shortly before he was named Clinton border czar in 1995, said he wanted to focus on suspected smugglers of both drugs and people and was not interested in prosecuting "economic migrants."
. Often tied to the 1994 border policy called "Operation Gatekeeper." The policy shifted the U.S. focus from the arresting of immigrants who actually crossed the border to an increased border presence designed to stop border crossing in the first place. When Bersin left the position in 1998, border arrests were on pace for an 18-year low of just more than 200,000. Latino groups complained that Operation Gatekeeper was immoral, saying the program monitored the border near San Diego but simply forced illegal immigrants to other, more dangerous areas.
Has given more than $50,000 to political campaigns since 1999, almost all of it to Democrats.


5. California Water Czar - David J. Hayes

Title: Deputy Interior Secretary
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
Appointed: June 2009
Confirmed by Senate (as Deputy Interior Security): May 20, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Interior

. Charged with coordinating federal agencies to ease California's water shortage
. Graduate of Stanford Law School; clerked for U.S. District Court for the D.C., has been a partner at two big D.C. law firms
. Was deputy interior secretary under Bruce Babbitt during Clinton administration
. From 1993 to 1995, was chairman of the board at the Environmental Law Institute, a non-profit research center.
. As a lobbyist, represented the Southern California Metropolitan Water District in 2001
. In August 2008, wrote a policy report while working at the Progressive Policy Institute accusing the Bush administration of leaving a "damaging legacy" in their natural resource management policies
. Donated $2,300 to Clinton during 2008 campaign; after she withdrew, donated $2,300 to Obama


6. Car Czar - Ron Bloom

NOTE: on July 13, 2009, Bloom took over as head of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, replacing Steven Rattner

Title: Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council head Larry Summers
Appointed: July 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury

. A leader of the White House task force overseeing auto company bailouts; worked on restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler LLC.
. Was special assistant to president of the United Steelworkers union from 1996-Feb 2009
. Has negotiated restructuring deals for more than 50 companies, getting major concessions from unions and companies.
. Was raised in New York in a pro-union family, which included a schoolteacher mother and unionized relatives.
. After working for the Service Employees International Union, got an MBA from Harvard University because he thought unions lacked business smarts, he said in a 1996 interview in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
. From 1985 to 1990, he worked as an investment banker with Lazard Freres & Co., which specializes in mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring, before co-founding the investment-banking firm Keilin and Bloom.


7. Central Region Czar - Dennis Ross

Title: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Central Region (encompasses the Middle East, the Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia)
Salary: unknown
Reports to: National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: State

. Spent 12 years in the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations trying to create a permanent agreement between the governments of Israel and the Palestinian territories
. In 1981, was named to President Ronald Reagan's national security staff as the director of Near East and South Asian Affairs.
. Was director of the State Department's Policy Planning office during President George H. W. Bush's term.
. 1993: appointed to the position of Middle East coordinator, making him the top negotiator for peace between Israel and Palestinian territories
. After he left government in 2000, headed up Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a hawkish think tank with a pro-Israeli bent


8. Climate Czar - Todd Stern

Title: Special Envoy for Climate Change
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Agency or department that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency; State

. Responsible for developing international approaches to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
. Served in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1999; Was Head of the Initiative on Global Climate Change (1997 to 1999) and Adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury (1999 to 2001)
. As a top aide to President Clinton, helped negotiate the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate pacts, both of which fell apart partially because of a lack of U.S. support during Bush administration.
. After Bush was elected to office, went to the Wilmer Hale law firm, where he is a partner in the regulatory and government affairs division.
. Was most recently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues.
. Has written extensively on climate change, and has called on the American government and the international community to take a series of steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
. Supports a national cap-and-trade system that would limit carbon emissions and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil
. Has law degree from Harvard


9. Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal

Title: White House adviser on Violence Against Women
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama and Vice President Biden
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

. Will advise the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.
. 2000-2006: served as the Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence
. Was an advocate for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2000 and 2005 and has assisted states and local communities with implementation of this federal legislation
. Was director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence


10. Drug Czar * - Gil Kerlikowske

Title: Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: March 2009
Confirmed by Senate: May 7, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Justice

. Directs drug-control policy in the U.S.; is expected to shift drug policy to intervention, treatment and a reduction of problem drug use.
. Was police chief for the city of Seattle from 2000-2009
. Was Deputy Director of the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (1998 to 2000); Police Chief for the city of Buffalo (1994 to 1998); Police chief of Fort Pierce, Fla. (N/A to 1994)
. A strong gun-control advocate, urged both the Washington legislature and the U.S. Congress to pass an assault-weapons ban and has worked to close the loophole that doesn't require background checks at gun shows
. 2003: admitted that busting people for personal marijuana possession was not a top priority of the Seattle police department.
. As Seattle police chief, assigned an officer full-time to the drug court, which commuted sentences of drug users who complete medical treatment in lieu of going to jail.


11. Economic Czar * - Paul Volcker

Title: Chairman of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Salary: Volcker reportedly isn't paid for his advice.
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury

. Charged with offering independent, nonpartisan information, analysis, and advice to the President as he formulates and implements his plans for economic recovery.
. Some reports say he's been marginalized by Larry Summers.
. Former Federal Reserve chairman (1979-1987)
. Was Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs, Department of the Treasury (1969 to 1974); Deputy Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs, Department of the Treasury (1963 to 1965)
. Gave Obama campaign $2,300 in 2008.


12. Energy and Environment Czar - Carol Browner

Title: Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Salary: $172,200
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: January 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: EPA

. Coordinates energy and climate policy, emphasizing regulation and conservation.
. Was Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the Clinton administration (1993-2000)
. Was Florida Secretary of the Environment (1991 to 1993)
. Founded and continues to serve as a principal of The Albright Group LLC, a global strategy firm led by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Also a principal of Albright Capital Management, an investment advisory firm that concentrates on emerging markets.
. Worked on the Socialist International's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which argues that the global community must work collectively to address environmental policies
. Described Bush administration as the "worst environmental administration ever"
. While orchestrating private discussions between the White House and auto industry officials on vehicle fuel efficiency standards, kept the talks as quiet as possible. Mary Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board, said, "We put nothing in writing, ever."
. 2003: A federal judge held the Environmental Protection Agency in contempt for destroying computer files during the Clinton administration that had been sought by a conservative legal foundation. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth also ordered the EPA to pay the Landmark Legal Foundation's legal fees and costs because the agency disobeyed his order to preserve the electronic records of Browner, the former EPA chief.

13. Faith-Based Czar * - Joshua DuBois

Title: Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Salary: $98,000
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

. Acts as a liaison between faith and secular community groups and the White House, often partnering with them to tackle social issues. Helps these groups apply for federal grants available to them.
. Is 26 years old
. Has master's in public affairs from Princeton University; served as associate pastor
. Worked for Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) as an intern and then as a fellow for Rep. Charles B. Rangel (DN. Y.).
. Hired as a legislative correspondent in Obama's Senate office in May 2005
. In 2008, at the age of 25, was appointed director of religious affairs for the Obama campaign.


14. Government Performance Czar - Jeffrey Zients

Title: Chief Performance Officer
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orzag
Appointed: April 2009
Confirmed by the Senate (as deputy director for management for the OMB): June 19, 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: OMB

. Charged with cutting costs and finding best practices throughout government.
. Has never worked in government before
. Was a chief executive and former management consultant
. Was founder of Portfolio Logic (2004 to present); Partner of the Washington Baseball Club (2004 to 2006); CEO of the Advisory Board (1998 to 2004)
. Has donated just over $90,000 to political campaigns since 1999, almost all of which went to Democratic candidates


15. Great Lakes Czar - Cameron Davis

Title: Special advisor to the U.S. EPA overseeing its Great Lakes restoration plan
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson
Appointed: June 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency

. Oversees the administration's initiative to restore the Great Lakes' environment.
. President of the Chicago-based environmentalist group Alliance for the Great Lakes
. Was a litigating attorney and served as an adjunct clinical assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
. Served with the United Nations Environment Program in Nairobi, Kenya, where he worked on the Montreal Protocol to protect the Earth's ozone layer, and U.S. EPA's Office of Regional Counsel in Chicago.


16. Green Jobs Czar - Van Jones

Title: Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Head of Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley
Appointed: March 2009
Agency or department that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency; Labor

. Will focus on environmentally-friendly employment within the administration and boost support for the idea nationwide
. Rose from near obscurity in the Oakland, Calif., grassroots organizing scene to the leader of a national movement to spur the green economy.
. Founded Green For All, an organization focused on creating green jobs in impoverished areas
. Also co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Color of Change, which includes Bay Area PoliceWatch, a group devoted to "protect[ing] the community from police misconduct"
. Published New York Times best-seller The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, in October 2008
. Started career as a prison-reform advocate in Oakland, Calif., lobbying for reform of the juvenile justice system and youth-violence prevention programs
. Has law degree from Yale
. 2007: worked on the Green Jobs Act with then-Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), who co-sponsored the bill in the House
. 1993: was arrested at the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of cops in the Rodney King beating. "I was arrested simply for being a police observer," says Jones, who had just graduated from Yale Law School and was working with the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco.
. 1999: was arrested in the 1999 Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization
. Excerpt from a Nov. 2005 interview in the East Bay Express:
Jones had planned to move to Washington, DC, and had already landed a job and an apartment there. But in jail, he said, "I met all these young radical people of color -- I mean really radical, communists and anarchists. And it was, like, 'This is what I need to be a part of.'" Although he already had a plane ticket, he decided to stay in San Francisco. "I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary." In the months that followed, he let go of any lingering thoughts that he might fit in with the status quo. "I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist." In 1994, the young activists formed a socialist collective, Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM, which held study groups on the theories of Marx and Lenin and dreamed of a multiracial socialist utopia. They protested police brutality and got arrested for crashing through police barricades. In 1996, Jones decided to launch his own operation, which he named the Ella Baker Center after an unsung hero of the civil-rights movement.


17. Guantanamo Closure Czar - Daniel Fried

Title: Special envoy to oversee the closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Appointed: March 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Justice; State

. Works to get help of foreign governments in moving toward closure of Guantanamo Bay, in fulfillment of Obama's promise to close the prison within a year of taking office.
. Was Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, State Department (2005 to 2009); Director for European and Eurasian Affairs, State Department (2001 to 2005); U.S. Ambassador to Poland (1997 to 2001)


18. Health Czar * - Nancy-Ann DeParle

Title: Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform
Salary: $158,500
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: March 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services (HHS)

. Coordinates the development of the Administration's healthcare policy agenda.
. Experience: Managing Director, CCMP Capital (since 2001); Adjunct professor (focusing on healthcare policy), Wharton School of Business (since 2001); Commissioner, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (since 2001); Fellow, Harvard Institue of Politics (2000 to 2001); Director, Healthcare Financing Administration (1997 to 2000)
. Has law degree from Harvard
. Served as the OMB's representative on health-care reform during Bill Clinton's first term
. As head of the HHS Health Care Financing Administration under Clinton, ran the largest health insurance provider in America, overseeing $600 billion in payments annually to 74 million recipients of Medicare and Medicaid
. 2001: left government to take a year-long fellowship at Harvard's Institute of Politics, where she was part of Harvard's Health Care Policy Forum and led a weekly study group on reforming Medicare.
. During Bush administration, sat on the boards of many health companies, from medical treatment producers to hospital systems
. In September 2008, donated $2,300 each to Clinton and Barack Obama.


19. Information Czar - Vivek Kundra

Title: Federal Chief Information Officer
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag
Appointed: March 2009
Agencies that might have handled similar issues: other federal agency CIOs

. Basically in charge of overseeing other federal agency CIOs and for setting technology policy across the government.
. Head of a federal technology budget that amounts to $71 billion annually
. Operation is housed in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and will likely have authority to question how money in departmental technology budgets is used
. Formerly head of the District of Columbia's technology operations
. Shortly after he joined the OMB, federal authorities raided his old District government office. They arrested two technology office managers and a subcontractor, charging them with a bribery scheme that allegedly defrauded the city out of at least $500,000. Kundra was not a suspect in the case, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
. Has a masters from Maryland in information technology.
. Experience: Washington, D.C. Chief Technology Officer (2007 to 2009); State of Virginia's Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade (2006 to 2007); CEO of computer security firm Creostar


20. Intelligence Czar * - Dennis Blair

Title: Director of National Intelligence
Salary: $197,700
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: January 2009
Confirmed by Senate: January 28, 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: CIA

. Nation's top intelligence official.
. Retired four-star admiral.
. Graduate of the United States Naval Academy, 1968; sixth-generation naval officer
. Lacks professional roots in the world of intelligence
. Held a number of prestigious Washington posts, including the Pentagon's top liaison to the CIA and director of the Joint Staff.
. Ran the non-profit Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), which focuses primarily on issues related to national security, and does a lot of work for the Defense Department. Left IDA under a cloud of controversy in mid-2006.


21. Mideast Peace Czar - George Mitchell

Title: Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: State

. Works to maintain the shaky peace between Israel and Hamas after recent hostilities
. Senate majority leader from 1989 to 1994
. Was special envoy to Northern Ireland during the Clinton administration and lead investigator into steroid use in Major League Baseball.
. 2000: led a fact-finding committee to study violence in the Middle East; 2001's Mitchell Report formed the basis for the road map for Middle East peace


22. Pay Czar - Kenneth R. Feinberg

Title: Special Master on executive pay
Salary: reportedly receiving no compensation for his work.
Reports to: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury

. Named to examine compensation practices at companies that have been bailed out more than once by the federal government
. Oversaw the payouts to the families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks
. Was the chief administrator to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which commemorates the students who died in the April 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech
. Founder and managing partner of Feinberg Rozen LLP (1992 to present), law firm specializing in mediation
. Was Chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy (1978 to 1980)
. While working with the Feinberg Group, donated over $150,000, nearly all of which has gone to Democratic candidates and political action committees. In 2007, donated $2,300 to 2008 presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani (R).


23. Regulatory Czar - Cass R. Sunstein *

Title: Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Office of Management and Budget head Peter Orszag
Appointed: January 2009
Nomination was sent to Senate on April 20, 2009 - no action yet taken
Agency that might have handled similar issues: OMB

. Will be responsible for reviewing draft regulations and assessing their costs and benefits
. Is a Harvard Law School professor; prior to that, was a professor at the Univ. of Chicago Law School (1981-2008)
. Academic specialties: constitutional law, administrative law, and regulatory policy
. Obama: "Cass is not only a valued advisor, he is a dear friend"
. Known for advancing a field called "law and behavioral economics" that seeks to shape law and policy around the way research shows people actually behave; though embraced by conservatives, critics say it fails to account for the sometimes less-than-rational aspects of human behavior.
. In his 2002 book, Republic.com, discussed the drawbacks of limitless choices on the Internet that allow people to seek out only like-minded people and opinions that merely fortify their own views; he talked about the idea of the government requiring sites to link to opposing views. He later came to realize it was a "bad idea."
. In his 2004 book, Animal Rights, suggested that animals ought to be able to bring suit, with private citizens acting as their representatives, to ensure that animals are not treated in a way that violates current law.
. In a 2007 speech at Harvard he called for banning hunting in the U.S.
. The American Conservative Union started a website, Stop Sunstein, in an effort to keep him out of the White House.


24. Science Czar - John Holdren

Title: Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: December 2008
Confirmed by Senate: March 19, 2009
Agency or department that might have handled similar issues: Energy

. Top adviser to Obama on science and technology, issues that are increasingly relevant to other issues such as homeland security, energy and environmentalism
. Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director, Program in Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (1996-2009); Harvard University Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy (1996-2009); University of California, Berkeley Professor of Energy and Resources Emeritus (1996 to present)
. Studied aerospace engineering and plasma physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - where he earned his BS and MS - and Stanford University, where he received his doctorate in 1970
. Is an outspoken advocate of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and believes the United States should sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.
. In a 2008 New York Times op-ed, Holdren called climate change skeptics "dangerous" members of a "denier fringe."
. In 1971, co-authored a paper in Global Ecology suggesting "some form of ecocatastrophe, if not thermonuclear war, seems almost certain to overtake us before the end of the century."
. Some conservative media outlets have called attention to a book Holdren co-authored in 1977 titled Ecoscience: Population, Resources, and Environment. The book reportedly includes this statement: "population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution." Holdren's office says he "does not now and never has been an advocate of compulsory abortions or other repressive measures to limit fertility."


25. Stimulus Accountability Czar - Earl Devaney

Title: Chair of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Vice President Biden
Appointed: February 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: OMB

. Leads oversight board that monitors money spent by the stimulus package
. Experience: Inspector General at the Interior Department (1999 to present); Director of criminal enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency (1991 to 1999); Special Agent at the Secret Service (1970 to 1991)
. During his tenure at Interior, uncovered the shady dealings of disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, an investigation that eventually led to Abramoff's imprisonment and the resignation of Interior's no. 2, J. Steven Griles, for lying under oath about his own role in the scandal.
. On July 8, 2009, the U.S. General Services Administration issued a press release announcing an $18 million contract for a new recovery.gov web site, which quoted Devaney as saying, "We are pleased that another major milestone has been achieved."


26. Sudan Czar - J. Scott Gration

Title: Special Envoy to Sudan
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: March 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: State

. Will coordinate U.S. role in the aftermath of the genocide in Darfur
. Experience: Supreme Allied Command, NATO (2004 to 2005); Air Force assistant deputy undersecretary for international affairs (2003 to 2004)
. Commanded all air operations during the Iraq war in 2003
. 2006: left Air Force position to join Obama's staff after traveling to Africa with the then-Senator from Illinois, even though he was a Republican
. Has won a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a Defense Superior Service Medal and 16 other awards
. Is a fluent Swahili speaker who grew up in the Congo
. Has called on the Obama administration to incentivize participation by the Sudanese government in peace talks by lifting sanctions, a position that is controversial. Also worked to position himself as the principal negotiator between the Sudanese government and its adversaries in Darfur, and is planning an international conference for September 2009
. Has M.A. in security studies from Georgetown


27. TARP Czar - Herb Allison

Title: Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury

. Leads the government's $700 billion financial rescue program in the office of financial stability
. Veteran Wall Street banker and interim head of the mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae
. Worked at Merrill Lynch for 28 years, reaching position of president and COO
. Was CEO of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund (2002 to 2008); CEO of the Alliance for Lifelong Learning (2000 to 2002)
. Has undergraduate degree from Yale and MBA from Stanford
. 2000: was John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign finance chairman
. In 2008, donated $2,300 to Obama's presidential campaign


28. Technology Czar - Aneesh Chopra

Title: Chief Technology Officer
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: April 2009
Confirmed by Senate: May 21, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Commerce

. Will lead in the effort to eliminate wasteful government programs
. Will probably work to increase broadband access nationwide and computerize medical records
. Was Virginia's secretary of technology (2005-2009)
. Has degree in public health from Johns Hopkins, Master's from Harvard in public policy
. Worked at Morgan Stanley as investment banker; also worked at Advisory Board, a health-care research and consultancy firm
. Has donated more than $24,000 since 1997 to various campaigns. With the exception of a $1,000 donation to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) in 2004, all of Chopra's contributions have gone to Democrats. From 2007 to 2008, Chopra donated $2,750 to Obama's presidential campaign.


29. Terrorism Czar - John Brennan

Title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Salary: $172,200
Reports to: National Security Adviser James L. Jones
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Homeland Security

. Under Obama's plan the homeland security adviser's office would be eliminated, and the National Security Council would take over those duties. Brennan would be responsible for guarding against natural disasters and terrorism.
. Has called for increased integration between the Departments of Commerce, State and Defense
. Graduated from Fordham University in 1977 after a year of intensive Arabic and Middle Eastern studies in Cairo. Earned his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin before joining the CIA as an intelligence director in 1980.
. Is a CIA veteran and fluent Arabic speaker
. Was CIA deputy executive director (2001 to 2003) and National Counter-Terrorism Center, Chair (2004 to 2005)
. Worked at Analysis Corp, (2005 to 2008);
. Staunch supporter of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Program; defended the use of extraordinary rendition, saying it is "an absolutely vital tool."


30. Urban Affairs Czar - Adolfo Carrion Jr.

Title: White House Director of Urban Affairs
Salary: $158,500
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Housing and Urban Development

. Job entails coordinating transportation and housing initiatives, as well as serving as a conduit for federal aid to economically hard-hit cities.
. Has undergraduate degree in world religions from Kings College; became an associate pastor at a Bronx church; earned his master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College
. Was Bronx Borough President (2001-2009); President of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (since 2007); City Council member (1998 to 2000)
. Many reporters say he has higher ambitions and will probably run for New York City mayor in the next ten years.
. Was an active campaigner for Obama, travelling across the country to speak on his behalf. He focused particularly on states with large Hispanic populations.
. The NY Daily News reported numerous developers made tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to Carrión around the same time he was considering approving their projects in the Bronx.


31. Weapons Czar - Ashton Carter

Title: Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Appointed: April 2009
Confirmed by Senate: April 23, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Defense

. Will coordinate the Pentagon's acquisitions, technology and logistics for weapons.
. Will oversee a weapons-buying system that Obama has placed at the top of his list of federal programs he wants to fix and will be asked to quickly weigh in on difficult decisions concerning at least 10 major defense programs, while also instantly dissecting the procurement system's ailments so he can advise the administration on its Pentagon acquisition reform agenda
. Is a physicist and Harvard academic whose only previous Pentagon stint was in a mid-level policy post from 1993 until 1996 under the Clinton administration
. Graduated from Yale summa cum laude; studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar and earned a doctorate in theoretical physics.
. Chair of Harvard's International Relations, Science & Security Area International Security Program within the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy (1993 to 1996); Director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School (early 1990s)
. Has donated primarily to Democratic politicians since 2000. He donated $6,900 to then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2007 and 2008. He gave the same amount to then Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) during that same span.


32. WMD Policy Czar - Gary Samore

Title: White House Coordinator for Weapons of Mass Destruction, Security and Arms Control
Salary: unknown
Reports to: National Security Advisor Gen. James L. Jones
Appointed: January 2009
Department or agency that might have handled similar issues: NSC; Defense; State

. Will coordinate issues related to weapons of mass destruction across the government. His portfolio includes proliferation, nuclear and conventional arms control, threat reduction, and terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.
. Position sits within the National Security Council.
. Is a veteran arms control negotiator.
. B.A. in sociology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his PhD in government from Harvard University in 1984.
. After brief stints with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the RAND Corporation, joined the State Department during the Reagan administration in 1987. Held several positions there, including director of the Office of Regional Non-proliferation Affairs; special assistant to the Ambassador-at-Large for Non-proliferation and Nuclear Energy Policy; and deputy to Ambassador-at-Large for Korean Affairs Robert Gallucci. Helped to negotiate the 1994 U.S.-North Korea Framework Treaty
. Joined the Clinton administration's National Security Council in 1995 as an adviser on nonproliferation. Coordinated U.S. policy on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
. Was Director, Council on Foreign Relations (2006 to 2009); Vice President for Global Security and Sustainability, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (2005); Researcher, International Institute of Strategic Studies (2001 to 2005)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Some stats & A Quick History Lesson...

The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. So they've had 234 years to make it work. It is broke.

Social Security was established in 1935. They've had 74 years to make it work. It is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938. They've had 71 years to make it work. It is broke.

Freddie Mac was established in 1970. They've had 39 years to make it work. It is broke.

The War on Poverty started in 1964. They've had 45 years to make it work. About $1 trillion of taxpayer money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor." It hasn't worked.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. They've had 44 years to make it work. They are both broke.

AMTRAK was established in 1970. They've had 39 years to make it work. Last year it had to be bailed out and today continues running at a loss.

$700 billion bailout of 2008. It has yet to create a single new private-sector job.

Cash for Clunkers in 2009 went broke after 80% of the cars purchased turned out to be produced by foreign companies.

The U.S. government has a 100% failure rate!!!

Is it any wonder why we are in favor of less, not more, government?

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Unbelievable

Maryland may prosecute O’Keefe for shooting ACORN video. No word on whether they’ll be prosecuting any ACORN people for conspiring to cover up sex slavery. They’ve got bigger fish to fry, I guess. Like … the people who exposed the people who conspired to cover up sex slavery.
This is what you get for doing the media’s job for them.
STATEMENT OF STATE’S ATTORNEYS OFFICE FOR BALTIMORE CITY RELATIVE TO THE ALLEGED BALTIMORE ACORN INCIDENT
Baltimore, MD – September 11, 2009 – We have received inquiries from citizens and the media asking whether the Baltimore City State’s Attorneys Office would initiate a criminal investigation for acts allegedly committed at ACORN offices located in Baltimore. The only information received in reference to this alleged criminal behavior was a YouTube video. Upon review by this office, the video appears to be incomplete. In addition, the audio portion could possibly have been obtained in violation of Maryland Law, Annotated Code of Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article §10-402, which requires two party consent.
If it is determined that the audio portion now being heard on YouTube was illegally obtained, it is also illegal under Maryland Law to willfully use or willfully disclose the content of said audio. The penalty for the unlawful interception, disclosure or use of it is a felony punishable up to 5 years.
Note: Most of the “inquiries” they received from citizens — although perhaps not from reporters — surely were demands that ACORN be prosecuted. So they looked at the tape … and decided to go after O’Keefe instead. The news story at the link reminds us that they went after Linda Tripp for wiretapping too, coincidentally another person who made life uncomfortable for a Democratic president. Here’s the statute. You’ll find exception after exception provided for law enforcement to shield them from liability when they tape criminals surreptitiously to serve the public interest. Kind of like how O’Keefe did here.
I’m torn between hoping they drop this so that he doesn’t go to jail and hoping that they don’t because it’ll make him a conservative cause celebre and throw a giant spotlight on ACORN’s filthiness. Exit question: What should we hope for?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care

By SARAH PALIN
Writing in the New York Times last month, President Barack Obama asked that Americans "talk with one another, and not over one another" as our health-care debate moves forward.

I couldn't agree more. Let's engage the other side's arguments, and let's allow Americans to decide for themselves whether the Democrats' health-care proposals should become governing law.

Some 45 years ago Ronald Reagan said that "no one in this country should be denied medical care because of a lack of funds." Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we stand with the weakest among us.

We also know that our current health-care system too often burdens individuals and businesses—particularly small businesses—with crippling expenses. And we know that allowing government health-care spending to continue at current rates will only add to our ever-expanding deficit.

How can we ensure that those who need medical care receive it while also reducing health-care costs? The answers offered by Democrats in Washington all rest on one principle: that increased government involvement can solve the problem. I fundamentally disagree.

View Full Image

Associated Press
Common sense tells us that the government's attempts to solve large problems more often create new ones. Common sense also tells us that a top-down, one-size-fits-all plan will not improve the workings of a nationwide health-care system that accounts for one-sixth of our economy. And common sense tells us to be skeptical when President Obama promises that the Democrats' proposals "will provide more stability and security to every American."

With all due respect, Americans are used to this kind of sweeping promise from Washington. And we know from long experience that it's a promise Washington can't keep.

Let's talk about specifics. In his Times op-ed, the president argues that the Democrats' proposals "will finally bring skyrocketing health-care costs under control" by "cutting . . . waste and inefficiency in federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid and in unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies . . . ."

First, ask yourself whether the government that brought us such "waste and inefficiency" and "unwarranted subsidies" in the first place can be believed when it says that this time it will get things right. The nonpartistan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) doesn't think so: Its director, Douglas Elmendorf, told the Senate Budget Committee in July that "in the legislation that has been reported we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount."

Now look at one way Mr. Obama wants to eliminate inefficiency and waste: He's asked Congress to create an Independent Medicare Advisory Council—an unelected, largely unaccountable group of experts charged with containing Medicare costs. In an interview with the New York Times in April, the president suggested that such a group, working outside of "normal political channels," should guide decisions regarding that "huge driver of cost . . . the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives . . . ."

Given such statements, is it any wonder that many of the sick and elderly are concerned that the Democrats' proposals will ultimately lead to rationing of their health care by—dare I say it—death panels? Establishment voices dismissed that phrase, but it rang true for many Americans. Working through "normal political channels," they made themselves heard, and as a result Congress will likely reject a wrong-headed proposal to authorize end-of-life counseling in this cost-cutting context. But the fact remains that the Democrats' proposals would still empower unelected bureaucrats to make decisions affecting life or death health-care matters. Such government overreaching is what we've come to expect from this administration.

Speaking of government overreaching, how will the Democrats' proposals affect the deficit? The CBO estimates that the current House proposal not only won't reduce the deficit but will actually increase it by $239 billion over 10 years. Only in Washington could a plan that adds hundreds of billions to the deficit be hailed as a cost-cutting measure.

The economic effects won't be limited to abstract deficit numbers; they'll reach the wallets of everyday Americans. Should the Democrats' proposals expand health-care coverage while failing to curb health-care inflation rates, smaller paychecks will result. A new study for Watson Wyatt Worldwide by Steven Nyce and Syl Schieber concludes that if the government expands health-care coverage while health-care inflation continues to rise "the higher costs would drive disposable wages downward across most of the earnings spectrum, although the declines would be steepest for lower-earning workers." Lower wages are the last thing Americans need in these difficult economic times.

Finally, President Obama argues in his op-ed that Democrats' proposals "will provide every American with some basic consumer protections that will finally hold insurance companies accountable." Of course consumer protection sounds like a good idea. And it's true that insurance companies can be unaccountable and unresponsive institutions—much like the federal government. That similarity makes this shift in focus seem like nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention away from the details of the Democrats' proposals—proposals that will increase our deficit, decrease our paychecks, and increase the power of unaccountable government technocrats.

Instead of poll-driven "solutions," let's talk about real health-care reform: market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven. As the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon and others have argued, such policies include giving all individuals the same tax benefits received by those who get coverage through their employers; providing Medicare recipients with vouchers that allow them to purchase their own coverage; reforming tort laws to potentially save billions each year in wasteful spending; and changing costly state regulations to allow people to buy insurance across state lines. Rather than another top-down government plan, let's give Americans control over their own health care.

Democrats have never seriously considered such ideas, instead rushing through their own controversial proposals. After all, they don't need Republicans to sign on: Democrats control the House, the Senate and the presidency. But if passed, the Democrats' proposals will significantly alter a large sector of our economy. They will not improve our health care. They will not save us money. And, despite what the president says, they will not "provide more stability and security to every American."

We often hear such overblown promises from Washington. With first principles in mind and with the facts in hand, tell them that this time we're not buying it.

Ms. Palin, Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election, was governor of Alaska from December 2006 to July 2009.