AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE

Dear Elected by the People Senators,

As my Grandfather, James Montgomery Flagg, wrote:

I Want You..... To Do What You Were Elected to Do

How can you, in good conscience, force a law upon the American people, that you, yourselves, do not want?  What makes you any different from the hard working, tax paying people who elect you to protect us?

Those questions by themselves are enough to defund this abominable legislation, but there are so many other reasons as well:

 

    - It's destroying the 40 hour work week.

    - It's dismantling the best health care system in the world.

    - It's removing people from their current health plans and pushing Americans into a government-run, single payer system.

    - It's destroying jobs across the nation.

    - If it's bad for Congress, then it's bad for the American people.

I want the same exemption that YOU have!

Stop ObamaCare now.

Like Social Security & Medicare, it will NOT dismantle itself.

Defund ObamaCare -- Fund the Government!

This is far too important for an up or down vote.  America does NOT want this, and America is watching you.  Republicans will not support those who vote against them, and the Republican Party is very close to 'dismantling'.

Your humble boss!

A LESSON FROM CHRISTMAS OF 1776

When all appears lost, perhaps we can take a lesson from our history. This has been a week where we have seen outrageous actions by Harry Reid and his minions. It was Reid who ignored 200 years of Senate precedents. It was Reid who locked out Republican Senators from discussion. It was Reid who determined that hundreds of years of accumulated Senate parliamentary rulings have no bearing on the health care vote. But, remember, it's not over til it's over.

The most egregious of all was Reid's amendment to this abominable legislation which states 'no repeal allowed'. This changes the rules of the United States Senate, and to do that you need a two-thirds vote (67). Does that matter to Reid? Apparently not.

Hogan has a very heart-warming piece in RedState about our magnificent history, and is so appropriate at this time of year -- so, take heart, Partriots, and have a wonderful Merry Christmas and a very Happy Hanukkah:


A Lesson From Christmas of 1776
Posted by hogan, December 21, 2009

The first key vote came in last night. The Democrats got their 60. But there will be several more votes.

Yes, this Christmas, the American people face a tyrannical Congress and narcissistic President hell bent on forcing upon them - over their clear opposition - a healthcare bill that will reduce the quality of American healthcare, cost trillions of dollars, increase taxes, empower the national government to mandate what the American people must or mustn’t buy, and that will, among many other immoral things, provide federal funding for abortions.

But this is not the first Christmas Americans have faced daunting odds. The Christmas of 1776 should serve as inspiration for us:

In the winter of 1776, General George Washington and his ragged army had experienced only defeat and despair. The War for Independence was going badly, with failure following failure. In the preceding months, Washington’s campaign in New York had not gone well; the Battle of Long Island ended in a loss when the British troops managed to out-maneuver the Continental Army. A series of defeats settled around Washington as he was forced to retreat across New Jersey to Pennsylvania on December 7th and 8th.

As the harsh Pennsylvania winter set in, the morale of the American troops was at an all time low. The soldiers were forced to deal with a lack of both food and warm clothing, while Washington watched his army shrink due to desertions and expiring enlistments. Now, more than ever, a victory was desperately needed.

The original plan called for the three divisions to cross the river under the cover of darkness. The boats to be used for the crossing were gathered earlier in the month in compliance with General Washington’s orders, primarily as a defensive measure. Various types of boats were collected; most notable were the large, heavy Durham boats used to carry pig iron down the Delaware.

Fully expecting to be supported by two divisions south of Trenton, Washington assembled his own troops near McConkey’s Ferry in preparation for the crossing. By 6 PM. 2,400 troops had begun crossing the ice-choked river. The operation was slow and difficult due to the condition of the river. There was an abrupt change in the weather forcing the men to fight their way through sleet and a blinding snowstorm. These obstacles proved to be too much for the supporting divisions led by Generals Cadwalader and Ewing, ultimately preventing their crossing at southern points along the Delaware.

Against all odds, Washington and his men successfully completed the crossing and marched into Trenton on the morning of December 26, achieving a resounding victory over the Hessians.

By moving ahead with his bold and daring plan, General George Washington re-ignited the cause of freedom and gave new life to the American Revolution.

- Text taken from the website of Washington Crossing Historic Park.

Perhaps you can take a moment away from football and the family to call a few Senators (not just your own)? Maybe organize a protest? Click Here for Senate contact information. Let Democrats - especially Senators like Nelson, Lincoln, Webb, Landrieu and other red state Senators - know you will fight them and donate to their opponent. Let Republicans know they should do everything they can to stop this bill or you will support their next primary opponent. There will be at least two more votes this week requiring 60 to prevail.

It’s not over til it’s over.

3 Senators That Could Save You From Government Run Health Care

It appears Sen. Lieberman has succumbed to the Obama/Reid pressure. What price does it take to sell out your country? You can use all the rationale in the world, but common sense tells you this bill will destroy our country.

Sen. McConnell stated that the Republicans are united against this government takeover, which means we need to only need ONE lone Democrat to stand against his/her fellow Libs. Is there a brave one amongst the bunch, with a backbone to do the right thing?

The Heritage Foundation gives us some pointers:


The Three Senators That Could Save You From Government Run Health Care
December 15, 2009

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) may have announced that he expects to vote for Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) health bill this afternoon, but that leaves Reid with just 59 votes. He needs to get all three of the following holdouts to sign on the dotted line by Christmas:

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)
As we have thoroughly documented before, there are nearly two dozen abortion funding prohibitions in current federal law reflect two basic principles: 1) that, except in situations involving the life of the mother, rape and incest, the federal government will not pay for or reimburse for abortions under federal programs like Medicaid; and 2) that, with the same exceptions listed above, the federal government will not subsidize insurance plans that offer coverage for abortion. This is why the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB), military insurance through TRICARE, and the Indian Health Service all do not cover abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk.

Reid’s health bill would change all that, forcing Americans to subsidize elective abortions for the first time in more than 30 years. Nelson told Face the Nation this Sunday: “I still have the unique issue of abortion. I’ve said I can’t support the bill with the abortion language that’s there.”
Pro-abortion Democrats in the Senate are going to have to vote for a Stupak-Pitts like amendment, reaffirming our nation’s policy not to use taxpayer money for elective abortions, before Nelson will become the 60th vote.

Sen. James Webb (D-VA)
In the Winchester Star today, Webb announces that he is “still undecided” on how he will vote. Webb voted with conservatives five times for amendments that would have prevented Reid from stealing almost $500 billion from Medicare to pay for his massive new health insurance company bailout. Webb also describes himself as a “long-time supporter of Medicare Advantage programs which have, in my view, greatly improved services in rural areas of Virginia.”

Webb may want to pay particularly close attention to the latest report from the non-partisan and independent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), the agency in charge of running Medicare and Medicaid, which reads:

Lower benchmarks would reduce [Medicare Advantage] rebates to plans and thereby result in less generous benefit packages. We estimate that in 2015, when the competitive benchmarks would be fully phased in, enrollment in MA plan would by 33% (from a projected level of 13.7 million under current law to 9.2 million under the proposal).

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
McCaskill told the Associated Press this weekend: “The whole reason we’re doing this bill is to bring down cost, first for the American people in health care, and secondly for the deficit.” AP adds: “Asked if she would vote against the bill if it raised health care costs overall, she said, ‘Absolutely.’”

According to the same CMMS study mentioned above, Reid’s health care bill will not bring down the cost of health care. Instead, the bill does the opposite, raising national health expenditures by $234 billion, bending the cost curve in the wrong direction. And according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Reid bill raises health insurance premiums for millions of Americans, which is exactly what happened when similar legislation was passed in numerous states.

Finally, McCaskill is an honest Senator who recognized Reid’s attempt to separate the Medicare “doc fix” as the dishonest shell game that it was. When the cost of the doc fix is included in the Reid bill, Obamacare ends up adding $196 billion to the deficit in the first 10 years and $765 billion in the second decade.

BUTLER: The Latest Leftist Obama Judicial Nominee Pushed By Disrespectful Democratic Senators

Although I am relatively new to the 'activist' scene, current events was a big part of my life. Never before have I witnessed the rapid disintegration of our legislative process, and rapid disrespect for our democratic process. Consider the Democrat's backroom, locked door meetings [even changing the locks in the middle of the night], not to mention the interruptions and cutting short debates to their opposition.

This new wave threatens the very fiber of our democracy, and the use of a crisis to pass through drastic legislation and appoint radical leftist lifetime judicial positions will put our freedom in dire jeopardy.

RedState writes an alarming piece on this:


Butler - The Latest Leftist Obama Judicial Nominee Pushed By Disrespectful Democrat Senators
by hogan, December 3, 2009

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee just voted along party lines, 12-7, to send the nomination of liberal activist Judge Louis B. Butler Jr. to the floor of the Senate. The Democrats did so, according to friends inside the room, in a disrespectful manner… talking over Republicans who wished to voice their disapproval and tried to – heaven forbid in the U.S. Senate – actually debate the nominee. I am told Schumer and Whitehouse were on their cell phones, and a number of Democrat Senators were talking loudly during the limited debate they even allowed.

Classy.

This is the latest of an increasingly distinguished line of completely-out-of-the-mainstream, leftists who have absolutely no respect for, much less use for, the Constitution. If it weren’t so damaging to our nation’s well being, it would almost be comical how uniquely unqualified and crazy these nominees are.

Following on the heels of the nomination of admitted leftist and activist Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, someone who was overturned repeatedly, who believes judges make law, who holds sexist views and who has decided cases based on race… and then, David Hamilton, who was nominated for the 7th Circuit – someone who raised money for ACORN, who worked for ACLU, who blocked parental consent laws and who was soft on the worst of our criminals… NOW comes Louis Butler, Jr. for a Federal District Court slot in the Western District of Wisconsin… a nominee with a long track record of liberalism and activism (see Ed Whelan’s piece over at NR here).

Judge Butler was rejected by voters not once, but TWICE, for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. WISCONSIN. Butler, like Sotomayor, believes judges should base their decisions not on the law, but on their personal beliefs and policy preferences, having said, “…the background, personal beliefs and policy decisions of the justices selected will influence how they vote on the difficult cases before them… And that is the main reason I support Senator Obama.”

In his brief tenure on the Supreme Court (he was appointed by a Democrat Governor given his inability to get elected… again, in WISCONSIN), Butler distinguished himself by overturning the will of the people when he voted to strike down medical liability limits – and he earned the nickname “Loophole Louis” for his noted soft-on-crime stances, as documented in this Wall Street Journal editorial.

It is indeed a new day in America, and “change” is in the air. That change will be most notable in an Obama-planted activist judiciary ripping away what little grip the American people still have on this little democratic experiment. Nice work.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT

As the pressure increases to pass this government run health care Senate bill before Christmas, we cannot take our eye off the ball. We have so much on our plate with Christmastime just weeks away, and the desire to focus on the joy of the season, but that is what Reid is counting on. Otherwise, he would put it on hold until after the holidays. But the shark smells blood in the water!

Keep up the pressure because we are gaining on them. Check out the polls - it's invigorating. But, we need to make more of a gap between the 'for or against' this tyranny. We must keep up the fight, so please keep contacting congress until the very final vote. Senators contact info is here.

Dick Morris gives more encouragement in his recent piece:


NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT
by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, December 1, 2009

I was in the FOX News green room last night with Karl Rove, waiting to go on the Hannity Show. I asked Karl whether he thought we had a chance to defeat the health care bill. We both agreed that we did.

As this bill enters its next phase in the Senate, let's all remember that the Democrats need to win every vote. We only need to win one to kill the bill.

The debate in the Senate takes place against a backdrop characterized by two contradictory forces: public opinion is moving more and more against this bill in particular and Obama in general and at the same time, the Democratic leadership in Congress is ratcheting up the pressure on its members to stay in line and back the bill.

One top Democratic strategist conceded to me that "we are losing the message war." In fact, he implicitly conceded that they have given up on the message war and "are concentrating on holding our guys in line."

In the long run that's great for us! It means that if they eventually do pass this bill, it will be a big nail in their coffin for the 2010 election...but we can still beat this bill!

The key is to force the moderate Democratic Senators to demand amendments that move the bill so far to the right that the House can't pass it. By putting restrictions on the use of funds for abortion, modifying or eliminating the public option, reducing the subsidies for insurance premiums, cutting the penalties for not buying insurance, reducing the Medicare cuts, modifying the cuts in doctor reimbursement, cutting back the Medicaid mandate to expand coverage, and moving in a number of other areas, we can so modify the bill that the House liberals won't accept it.

We also need to buy time by fighting on each of these amendments in the Senate.

Meanwhile, we need to really pour it on in the message war. We have the public opposing this bill by 38-56 in the Rasmussen Poll of last week. If we can move those numbers to something more like 30-60, we will create irresistible political pressure. Politicians seeking re-election are not made to withstand pressure like that!

If, eventually, the bill -- in some form -- does pass the Senate, the more we have forced moderate amendments, the more the conference committee will be a long and bloody deadlock.

Obama is alienating the left by sending more troops to Afghanistan. The left will not take kindly to the moderate amendments the Senate will likely add. And the longer the bill remains in conference committee, the more public pressure can build to kill it...and the closer the 2010 elections loom. The more his popularity on the left ebbs, the more liberal Senators and Congressmen will refuse to go along with modifications of the bill.

But -- we have got to do our share. Even if you have contributed already, please give more to the League of American Voters so we can continue to run ads in swing states. Thanks to your donations, we have run almost $2 million of media in swing states and have moved the poll numbers significantly.

Please click here and give us the funding to keep on fighting!

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Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
Get Dick's new book CATASTROPHE here.

DEFEAT OBAMACARE IN DETAIL

There is going to be much bantering about in the Senate during the next month over what will be in the Baucus bill and what will not -- all above board, of course. As we go into the wonderful Holiday Season, the pressure must continue on this government run healthcare reform. Some phone and fax numbers are here.

There are so many distractions -- public option yea or nay, or opt-in, opt-out, or trigger, or pro-life, or pro choice. The one important issue is that no matter how they attempt to make it appealing, this bill is not about healthcare. It is about control, and the government moves a giant step closer to total control of our lives.

Another excellent analysis by Dick Morris:


DEFEAT OBAMACARE IN DETAIL
by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Novmber 13, 2009

Harry Reid can pass a bill in the Senate that has no public option or an easy opt-out, shallow subsidies for the uninsured, a low total cost, weak penalties for not having insurance, no coverage for abortion and no general tax increase (except for the premium and medical device taxes).

And Nancy Pelosi can pass a bill in the House (on final passage) that has a public option with no opt-out, steep subsidies for the uninsured, harsh penalties if they don't buy insurance, a higher cost, full abortion coverage and a surcharge income-tax increase.

The question is: Can either one's bill pass the other's chamber?

Probably not.

So here's how all this is likely to unfold:

Pelosi's bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. Reid is going to have to give up his insistence on the public option and pass a bill in the Senate very much like the Baucus bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee. After extensive negotiations with his liberal wing on the one side and the moderates in the Senate on the other (led by Joe Lieberman) he will eventually strike a deal. He'll let the bill pass with no public option or with a generous opt-out provision. Meanwhile, he will placate his liberals by telling them that the final version that the Conference Committee will report back to the Senate will have a robust public option, not to worry. (Just as Pelosi told her liberals that the final bill would not ban payments for abortions, not to worry.)

After weeks of negotiations, the Senate will probably pass its version of the bill as a Christmas present to America.

But...in the course of all these negotiations, Obama and the Democrats are going to look worse and worse, more divided and less focused on the ultimate objective. Public antipathy to the bills will mount and the worst-case scenario of each possible variation in the legislation will spark its own storm of opposition. By the time the Senate acts, the feminists will be angry, the uninsured will be angry, the senior citizens will be angry and the fiscal conservatives will be angry.

Support for the bill will drop week after week during November and December.

By the time Congress reconvenes in January to wrestle with the two competing versions, support for the bill will have dwindled to a perilous point. This reduced level of support will just serve to make senators and congressmen more intransigent in the negotiations. Since the bill will need 60 votes in the Senate after the conference report, Lieberman, Maine's Snowe and Collins and a handful of other moderates will each have a veto. And, collectively, the liberals in each chamber will have one as well.

Weeks and months of wrangling will ensue. The result could be the defeat of the bill or its amendment in positive ways (for those opposed to it).

Our task is to reduce public support for the bill by publicizing its provisions, notably:

1. The $400 billion cut in Medicare

2. The inevitable scarcity that will result from the addition of 35 million new patients with no new doctors or nurses

3. The fine on the uninsured of 2.5 percent of their income if they don't buy insurance

4. The high cost of these mandatory insurance policies ($15,000 per family)

5. The low level of subsidy available for the uninsured (only after they pay 8-12 percent of their incomes)

6. The likelihood of a $1,700 increase in the average family's premiums

7. The possibility of up to five years in prison for failing to buy insurance or pay the fine

8. The taxation of medical devices like pacemakers, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, etc.

9. The tax on sick people (increasing the threshold for deducting medical expenses from 7.5 percent to 10 percent of income

10. The additional fiscal burden on the states of the increase in Medicaid eligibility

11. The 40 percent tax on health insurance premiums that will affect households earning more than $75,000 by the fifth year of the plan.

Please circulate this information widely -- to friends, relatives, associates, etc.

Please click here to fund ads we can run in swing states to influence senators.

We can still win this fight!


Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
Get Dick's new book CATASTROPHE here.

A WHOLE NEW HEALTH CARE BALL GAME

A big victory for conservatives yesterday, but you had to look long and hard to find it. The New York Times reported it on their page A-25. Are they confused why they are losing money and subscribers?

This is going to be a long, hard fight but, finally conservatives have been given a ray of much needed hope. All the more reason why we cannot give up the fight. This is still a democracy, and there is still a lot of fight left in us.

The Heritage Foundation reports:


A Whole New Health Care Ball Game
October 22, 2009

You have to read all the way to page A-25 in today’s New York Times to learn about it, but the Senate took its first floor vote on Obamacare yesterday and the White House lost. Big. The NYT reports: “Democrats lost a big test vote on health care legislation on Wednesday as the Senate blocked action on a bill to increase Medicare payments to doctors at a cost of $247 billion over 10 years. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, needed 60 votes to proceed. He won only 47. And he could not blame Republicans. A dozen Democrats and one independent crossed party lines and voted with Republicans on the 53 to 47 roll call.”

As we reported on Monday and Tuesday, yesterday’s “doc fix” vote was part of a White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel strategy to smooth passage of President Barack Obama’s $1 trillion-plus health care overhaul by transferring a quarter of its cost into a separate, and completely unpaid for, bill. This transparently dishonest shell game was too much for honest Democratic Senators like Evan Bayh (D-IN), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Wyden told the NYT: “On the eve of a historic debate on health care, it’s essential to show a commitment to real reform,” which includes fiscal responsibility.

Yesterday’s vote marks a significant failure of the Left’s special interest approach to passing Obamacare. From the beginning, the White House thought that if it bought off all of the business interests involved (the American Medical Association, the drug industry, health insurers, hospitals, etc.) opposition to the plan would whither. In one sense, the plan worked. USA Today reports PhRMA, Pfizer, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and the Federation of American Hospitals have all ponied up millions of dollars for lobbying and television ads in support of Obamacare.

But all these special interest television ads failed to rid Americans of their common sense objections to Obamacare’s government takeover of health care. Gallup reports today that Americans now more than ever believe the costs their family pays for health care will get worse if Obamacare passes. And more Americans now believe that Obamacare will lower the quality of care they receive, reduce their health care coverage, and complicate the insurance company requirements they have to meet to get certain treatments covered.

Instead of the massive overhaul being pursued by the White House, a solid majority of Americans tell Gallup they want to see Congress move in the opposite direction. By 58% to 38%, Americans would generally prefer to see Congress deal with health care reform “on a gradual basis over several years” rather than “try to pass a comprehensive health care reform plan this year.” Bipartisan, fiscally responsible, reform such as equalizing the tax treatment of health insurance purchases, freeing customers to purchase health insurance across state lines, and allowing states more flexibility on Medicaid spending are readily doable. And that is what the people want.

SECRET PLAN TO PASS OBAMACARE

Putting head in hands is a frequent pose these days, especially when it comes to another example of the abuse of our Constitution. We are on the edge of anarchy in this country, and America is asleep at the wheel.

There is so much going on in our lives these days, but if we don't pay attention and engage ourselves with government, government will take over our lives. Harry Reid has just confirmed [by a slip of his imbecilic mouth] that he plans to slip government run health care through the back door.

A phone/fax list of Senators compiled by Grassfire.org here.

Go here to review the 262-page Healthcare draft that is about to be voted on.

In their continuing analysis on this health care reform, The Heritage Foundation writes:


Secret Plan to Pass Obamacare
October 7, 2009

Leaders in the House and Senate have a plan to pass President Barack Obama's sweeping health care plan by Thanksgiving without any significant participation by the American public.

The Heritage Foundation last month exposed Congress' four-step plan to pass Obamacare. Now it has been publicly confirmed and is ready to be implemented.

A new report from CNSNews.com quoting a senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) confirms "it is 'likely' that Reid will use H.R. 1586 -- a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions -- as a 'shell' for enacting the final version of the Senate's health care bill."

This story confirms the four-part scenario that would railroad the bill through the Senate using a very unusual closed-door procedure to craft the bill with no input from the American people.

Step One: Progress on the Senate Finance Committee's conceptual framework for legislation has stalled and the bill was not passed by the end of last week as planned. FoxNews.com is reporting that the Congressional Budget Office score of the bill will be released later today and a high score may further stall progress on the committee's Vapor Bill. The Senate Finance Committee's progress on passing something out of committee – INCOMPLETE.

Step Two: Next, Reid will take the final product of the Senate Finance Committee and merge it with the product of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee. CNSNews.com confirmed that "the actual final text of the legislation will be determined by Reid himself, who will consolidate the legislation approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the still-unapproved legislation from the Senate Finance Committee. Reid will be able to draft and insert textual language that was not expressly approved by either committee." Reid will write the final version of Obamacare to be considered in the Senate with no input from the American people. This is an extremely complex procedure that will not be done in public, or in the form of a hearing, or a public conference committee, and only Reid, other senators chosen by him, and Obama Administration officials will be allowed to read the bill before the Senate debate starts. Merger of the bills – IN PROGRESS.

Step Three: Reid will then move to proceed to H.R. 1586, a bill to impose a tax on bonuses received by certain TARP recipients. A senior aid to Reid confirmed that he will move to proceed to Senate Calendar No. 36, H.R. 1586, or another House-passed tax measure, so the Senate can avoid the constitutional mandate that tax bills originate in the House. Proceed to tax shell of a bill – CONFIRMED.

Step Four: As we previously reported, this scenario would most likely be implemented after the Massachusetts state legislature gave Gov. Deval Patrick the power to appoint a new senator. New Massachusetts Sen. Paul Kirk was sworn in on Sept. 25. Change law of Massachusetts to allow for interim senator – COMPLETE.

The final step in this plan is for the House to take up Obamacare, without amending the legislation, and then sending that bill directly to President Obama for his signature. CNSNews.com previously reported that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer could avoid a House-Senate conference committee and another round of votes in the House and Senate by refusing to amend the legislation. That would also avoid a new round of public scrutiny over the final text of the bill. This scenario is in the process of being implemented and, if successful, it will result in Obamacare being on the President's desk in time for Thanksgiving with minimal participation of the American public.

The San Francisco Examiner published an editorial today that exposed the fact that the American people can't see the bill. "When then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama promised not to sign major legislation until it had been posted on the Internet for public reading at least five days, trusting voters took him at his word. Now they know better. Not only is the actual language of what is likely to become the main legislative vehicle for Obama's signature health care reform not available on the Internet, it hasn't been given to members of the key Senate committees or the Congressional Budget Office." The procedure being used, in addition to the exclusion of the American people from the process, should be of grave concern to all who want to participate in democracy and have a say in Congress' health care debate that will touch one-sixth of the U.S. economy.


Despite the White House's repeated claims that Medicare beneficiaries won't see any cuts in their benefits, Heritage's Bob Moffit says that's untrue. Click here to watch Moffit give the White House a dose of reality.

Vapor Bill — What it Means, Why it Matters, How You Can Stop It

Obama's socialized health care bill is in its final stages, and set to be voted on by the Senate Finance Committe in the next 24-48 hours. The CBO is under pressure to get this "Vapor" bill scored, and they have already been forced to make a $600 MILLION error recently due to such pressure.

There is so much about this health care bill that is wrong, and a big one is the American people don't want it, and Obama knows it. His pressure is undoubtedly because of this, and wants it passed before the November elections. If the GOP wins the govenors' races in New Jersey and Virginia, that will make the Blue-Dog Democrats think twice about putting their neck on the line for a bill so unfavorable with the public.

Make sure to read important info in the link on the "Vapor Bill" - Where Is the Bill? Congress must be held accountable, and only you can make the difference.

A phone/fax list of Senators compiled by Grassfire.org here.

Go here to review the 262-page Healthcare draft that is about to be voted on.

An excellent RedState analysis:


Vapor Bill — What it Means, Why it Matters, How You Can Stop It
by Dan Perrin, October 5, 2009

What it Means: Vapor bill: A bill which moves through the legislative process in one or more houses of the U.S. Congress without legislative language. The best example of a Vapor Bill is the Senate Health Care Reform bill, which has no legislative language, but has been amended in the Senate Finance Committee. The term Vapor Bill was derived from the word Vaporware, a term coined during the dot-com era to describe all-singing-all-dancing software that was not written yet.

Here is how Brian Darling of the Heritage Foundation describes the "Vapor Bill":

President Barack Obama’s push for a sweeping health care overhaul is going to be voted upon in the Senate Finance Committee this week and nobody has read the actual bill yet. The Washington Post reported last Friday that “Senate Finance Committee Releases Its Final Text of Health-Care Bill,” yet you click on a link to the “Bill” referenced in the Post article and all you get is a 262 page description of the legislation. There still is no actual legislative language being given to Senators, Staff or the American Public. That is why many are calling it the “Vapor Bill.”

Why it Matters: A bill without legislative language cannot be accurately scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Its impact and effects cannot be judged, nor can it be accurately evaluated without the legislative language. The end of life counseling in the House bill was discovered by reading the bill — as were many other objectionable ideas and issues.

The Vapor Bill is part of a key Senate Democratic Leadership strategy to bring a blank bill before the Senate — in this particular case — the AIG Bonus bill.

How You Can Stop It: Call Your Senator’s right now and demand that the legislative language for the health reform bill be available for 72 hours before the Senate begins consideration of the bill, and that CBO Scores the bill by evaluating the legislative language — not a literary work that is not the language that will become law. The phone number for the Senate switchboard is (202) 224-3121 and if you tell the operator which state you live in, they will connect you with your Senator’s office. Call the Democratic Senator first. They are the ones that need to hear the following message:

Vote against cloture on the motion to proceed until the bill’s legislative language has been scored by CBO and the language has been available on the internet 72 hours before consideration of the bill begins.

Are we losing control of our democracy, if such far reaching legislation can be hidden from the public? If you answered yes, call your Senators NOW.

Update: The Latest on the Senate Health Care Disaster. Final Vote Next Week!

Sen. Harry Reid thinks he has pulled off another sly move by cancelling the Columbus Day break. In the guise of wanting to continue work on the government run health care bill, his real intention is to prevent constituents from voicing opposition to their representatives before the senate floor vote next week.

It seems there is nothing the radical left will not do to pass government run health care, and staying on top of their antics is critical. Eagle Forum lays out critical updates, a time line, and a course of action:


Update: The Latest on the Senate Health Care Disaster
Final Committee Vote Will Occur Next Week!
October 2, 2009

TAKE ACTION!

After two weeks of consideration and votes on amendments to the Baucus health care reform "concept" in the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has expressed his intention to get this bill to the floor for debate and a vote as quickly as possible. Although the committee markup has been completed, the final committee vote to advance the Baucus bill to the Senate floor is expected to occur next week on Tuesday, October 6th, and a floor debate and vote could happen soon after.

To wrap up what happened over the past two weeks in the Senate Finance Committee, here is a brief list of some important amendments that were REJECTED:

Grassley (R-IA) amendment to require that all immigrants, both legal and illegal, prove their identity with photo identification when signing up for federal healthcare programs.

(Please note: The Baucus bill only requires "verification" of name, place of birth, and a Social Security number. Without photo identification, these requirements are insufficient as they do nothing to prevent defrauding the government by using false or stolen identities or Social Security numbers to obtain benefits. Claims that the Baucus bill provides adequate and effective I.D. verification are false.)

• Hatch (R-UT) amendment to prohibit federal funds from being used for elective abortions and health plans that cover such abortions.
• Hatch (R-UT) amendment to ensure respect for the conscience rights of health care workers who choose not to perform abortions because of moral or religious objections.
• Bunning (R-KY) amendment to require that final legislative language and a final CBO score be made publicly available on the committee website for at least 72 hours prior to voting.
• Ensign (R-NV) amendment to require any "czar" handling health care issues to be subject to the Senate confirmation process.
• Cornyn (R-TX) amendment to ensure that nothing requires individuals or employers to change the coverage they currently have.
• Cornyn (R-TX) amendment to ensure that people could keep the same coverage they currently have through their employer without new government mandates driving up their costs.
• Enzi (R-WY) amendment to allow individuals who would otherwise be enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion of the program the right to choose to enroll in private coverage.

To make matters worse, Democrat Majority Leader Reid announced this week that he is cancelling the upcoming Columbus Day Recess (October 12th) which would have been time set aside for Senators to return to their states for interaction with their constituents-you! Reid attempted to frame his move as an act of concern for health care reform and said, "I think with health care, which is really beginning to ferment, it wouldn't be right for us to be gone."

Of course, Americans will not be easily fooled. Reid's decision to cancel the planned recess (or "district work period") is nothing more than a contrived effort to dodge the American grassroots' questions and concerns about this health care plan at Town Hall meetings.

Take Action!

Various reports are indicating that Harry Reid may try to bring the health care bill to the floor to begin debate as early as next Thursday, October 8th! The Senate Finance Committee's final vote is expected for Tuesday the 6th, so please continue targeting those Senators who sit on the committee. Please concentrate your calls on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Please call (remember, phone calls are the most effective) your Senators' Capitol Hill offices as well as their various local/state offices to voice your opposition!

THE SECRET MEDICARE CUTS

Seniors are becoming more and more aware of how much this government run health care bill will hurt them by robbing Medicare and the money seniors have paid into it over their lifetime. It's their hard earned money, paid to the government to set aside for health care of their choice.

Because of greedy government, Medicare is on shaky ground with highway robbery on the horizon. A high percentage of seniors use Medicare Advantage, which will be the sacrificial lamb if this goes through. RedState writes further:


The Secret Medicare Cuts
Posted by Dan Perrin, September 29, 2009

Republicans are in possession of a letter which asks: Where are the secret Medicare cuts going to come from?

Given that both Rasmussen and the AP polls have come up with the same answer: 59% of seniors are opposed to ObamaCare, the draft letter below has greater significance for Seniors than just the political implications for the Democrats.

Dick Morris discusses the policy implications for seniors:

“The latest poll by Scott Rasmussen not only shows national opposition to Obamacare rising - now it is 41-56 against - but also shows the elderly moving against it even more strongly, by 33-59, or almost 2:1.

And well they should! Three-quarters of ObamaCare is to be financed by slashing $500 billion from Medicare over the next 10 years. That comes to an 8 percent cut. Next year’s total Medicare spending, for example, will be about $500 billion by itself, so this is like having one year without Medicare at all! Obama’s fatuous claim that the cut will not affect care for the elderly is specious, as any thinking person would realize. We have gone through previous incarnations of those who wanted to slash Medicare and pretended that it would not affect the elderly. Newt Gingrich tried to sell this act of alchemy in 1995, and the elderly didn’t buy it then and aren’t buying it now!

It is obviously impossible to cut Medicare reimbursement without slashing the time doctors spend with patients. It is equally obvious that you cannot cover 30 million new patients without more doctors and nurses. And the Medicare cuts in doctors’ fees will, of course, cause a decrease in the number of medical professionals. Investors Business Daily conducted a poll in September that showed that 45 percent of all doctors said they would seriously consider retiring or closing their practices if the Obama bill passes. A larger number will likely refuse to treat Medicare patients. Indeed, current law provides for a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees to doctors next year and a 6 percent cut the year after. The new $500 billion in cuts are on top of these reductions! What kind of medical care do we expect our elderly to receive when the doctor they visit is getting $35 or $40 for seeing them!”

The draft letter reads, in part:

We do know that around $113 billion from reductions in entitlements will come out of Medicare Advantage, meaning that 10.2 million seniors on this program will not be able to keep the coverage they currently have.

But this leaves roughly $227.6 billion — a good chunk of the remainder of the $4-500 billion — consisting of unspecified Medicare cuts coming from reductions in payments to providers or subject to the determinations of a 15-member panel.

There are two competing dangers to these secret cuts, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive:

The first is that these Medicare unspecified cuts will lead to “rationing by underpricing.” Even accepting vague promises that benefits and eligibility will not be slashed, this leaves one central possibility: price reductions to the point at which providers fail to deliver services to Medicare recipients.

The New York Times admitted this, in an editorial Sunday morning attacking all Senate “Republicans” when it stated, with respect to “cuts in payments to hospitals and other health care providers” which would cause them to cease to serve Medicare patients: “If true, that is a problem that Congress will have to address in the future.”

If this bill, in fact, is going to cause seniors to lose access to doctors, hospitals, and services they now enjoy –- or to face “rationing by underpricing” -– that is a problem we need to face NOW.

The second possibility is that the “secret cuts” are illusory -– and that this bill will become a deficit engine which will irrevocably destroy the American economy.

Either or both of these contingencies is enough for us to pause a minute before cramming this bill down the throats of the American people in order to “make history.”

Finally, we believe that the Senate Finance Committee deserves legislative language -– and a CBO score based on legislative language.”

I wonder how many Seniors know that an unelected commission will be cutting their Medicare?