Heavy-Handed Politics

The Coming Sedition Act?

2010-05-14T23:55:00.001-05:00

By Robert Ringer

The gangster government now in control in our nation’s capitol is a grim and repugnant reminder that freedom, at best, is ephemeral. At worst, it’s a myth. In fact, true freedom – like true capitalism – has never existed anywhere on this planet. Rest assured that those with an insatiable lust for power will never allow either to occur. Read the rest here.

2010-05-14T23:42:00.001-05:00

WE FOUND OUT WHAT'S IN IT
www.ncpa.org

Just before the House passed the health care reform bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously remarked "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it." It has been nearly six weeks now and we are finding out that what is in it is not necessarily good for health care, says Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Penn.).

We are finding that medical costs will rise nationwide: Read on.

2010-05-14T23:39:00.001-05:00

AS MEDICAID ROLLS RISE, STATE BUDGETS WILL SOAR, ACCESS WILL SINK
www.ncpa.org

Despite assurances the Medicaid expansion included in the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama in March is not an unfunded mandate foisted on the states, many states will find their budgets bloated with new Medicaid spending, says John C. Goodman, President, CEO, and the Kellye Wright Fellow of the National Center for Policy Analysis.

The Fatness Federallies

2010-05-14T23:30:00.001-05:00

The Federal Fat Police: Bill Would Require Government to Track Body Mass of American Children

(CNSNews.com) - A bill introduced this month in Congress would put the federal and state governments in the business of tracking how fat, or skinny, American children are.

2010-05-14T23:17:00.001-05:00

Plan for mosque near World Trade Center site moves ahead

A proposal to build a mosque steps from Ground Zero received the support of a downtown committee despite some loved ones of 9/11 victims finding it offensive.

Daisy Khan, of the American
Society for Muslim Advancement and Cordoba Initiative, said her group hopes construction on the project will begin by the
10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks."

Many find this offensive, including some of the 9/11 families. What's more, what's up with a "Cordoba Initiative'? Cordoba? As in Caliphate of Cordoba? And the mosque is to be named "the Cordoba House."

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphate_of_Córdoba

Hmmmmmmmmm.....

The Donut Connection

2010-05-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

Times Square terror suspect Faisal Shahzad picked up cash for plot at L.I. Dunkin' Donuts: sources

He has a black heart - and a sweet tooth.

Palin on economic and political boycotts of Arizona

2010-05-14T22:23:00.001-05:00

'Not a way to secure our borders.'
www.nydailynews.com

Oh no B.O. Say it ain't so.

2010-05-02T18:11:00.001-05:00

OBAMA CHEATING SCANDAL: SHOCKING NEW REPORTS - Celebrity News | Gossip - National Enquirer

2010-05-02T17:23:00.001-05:00

"The Constitution on which our Union rests, shall be administered by me [as President] according to the safe and honest meaning contemplated by the plain understanding of the people of the United States at the time of its adoption -- a meaning to be found in the explanations of those who advocated, not those who opposed it, and who opposed it merely lest the construction should be applied which they denounced as possible."

--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Mesrs. Eddy, Russel, Thurber, Wheaton and Smith, 1801

File this under: "Duuuhhh..."

2010-05-02T17:03:00.001-05:00

Federal Reserve Study: Economic Freedom Matters [Mackinac Center]

Federal Reserve Study: Economic Freedom Matters
By Michael D. LaFaive

A new study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, called "Economic Freedom and Employment Growth in the U.S. States," concludes that there is a link between economic freedom and employment growth. Other studies have come to the same conclusion. One of the things that makes this one different is its findings on labor markets. The authors write: "In addition, we find that less restrictive state and national government labor market policies have the greatest impact on employment growth in U.S. states."

Obamacare

2010-05-02T16:59:00.001-05:00

Obamacare: Impact on Businesses of the Health Care Reform Bill

"While President Obama continues traveling the U.S. heralding the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, businesses across the U.S. are growing more and more discontent—and for good reason."

Read more at The
Heritage Foundation.

WHY ARIZONA DREW A LINE

2010-05-02T16:45:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona signed a law -- SB 1070 -- that prohibits the harboring of illegal aliens and makes it a state crime for an alien to commit certain federal immigration crimes. It also requires police officers who, in the course of a traffic stop or other law-enforcement action, come to a "reasonable suspicion" that a person is an illegal alien verify the person's immigration status with the federal government.

Predictably, groups that favor relaxed enforcement of immigration laws insist the law is unconstitutional. However, the arguments we've heard against it either misrepresent its text or are otherwise inaccurate, says Kris W. Kobach, a law professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and Attorney General John Ashcroft's chief adviser on immigration law and border security from 2001 to 2003.

It is unfair to demand that aliens carry their documents with them:

* It is true that the Arizona law makes it a misdemeanor for an alien to fail to carry certain documents, but since 1940, it has been a federal crime for aliens to fail to keep such registration documents with them; the Arizona law simply adds a state penalty to what was already a federal crime.
* Moreover, as anyone who has traveled abroad knows, other nations have similar documentation requirements.

"Reasonable suspicion" is a meaningless term that will permit police misconduct:

* Over the past four decades, federal courts have issued hundreds of opinions defining those two words.
* The Arizona law didn't invent the concept: Precedents list the factors that can contribute to reasonable suspicion; when several are combined, the "totality of circumstances" that results may create reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed.

The law will allow police to engage in racial profiling:

* Section 2 provides that a law enforcement official "may not solely consider race, color or national origin" in making any stops or determining immigration status; in addition, all normal Fourth Amendment protections against profiling will continue to apply.
* In fact, the Arizona law actually reduces the likelihood of race-based harassment by compelling police officers to contact the federal government as soon as is practicable when they suspect a person is an illegal alien, as opposed to letting them make arrests on their own assessment.

Source: Kris W. Kobach, "Why Arizona Drew a Line," New York Times, April 29, 2010.

For text:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/opinion/29kobach.html

The source for this summary is from http://www.ncpa.org

WHAT'S KEEPING DOCTORS SO BUSY IN PRIMARY CARE?

2010-05-02T16:21:00.003-05:00

The source for this summary is from http://www.ncpa.org

Dr. Richard Baron -- an internist in a five-provider practice in Philadelphia with roughly 8,500 patients -- conducted a yearlong study using his practice's electronic health record system to evaluate the average daily workload of a primary care physician.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offer "a rare, quantitative look into the mechanics of office practice. Baron found that on an average workday, each primary care provider in his practice:

* Saw 18.1 patients.
* Handled 23.7 phone calls.
* Answered 16.8 e-mails, mostly dealing with test result interpretations.
* Dealt with 19.5 lab reports, 11.1 imaging reports and 13.9 consult reports.
* Issued 12.1 prescription refills, excluding those issued during patient visits.

Overall, the practice's physicians worked roughly 50 to 60 hours a week, Baron found.

Baron said that the results show the need for a new payment method that accurately reimburses primary care physicians for the actual work they do. According to Baron, who chaired the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2009, the study should signal to policymakers and payers that "... the way you pay us doesn't work for the work we actually need to do."

While Baron said reimbursing for each phone call or e-mail a physician handles would be impractical, he suggested that adopting capitation, in which physicians would receive an annual lump sum per patient, would better cover the amount of time primary care physicians actually spend on patients.

Source: Zach Swiss, "What's Keeping Us So Busy In Primary Care?" American Health Line, April 29, 2010; based upon: Dr. Richard J. Baron, "What's Keeping Us So Busy in Primary Care? A Snapshot from One Practice," New England Journal, Vol. 362:1632-1636, No. 17, April 29, 2010.

For text:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/362/17/1632

I can understand this strategy from the MD's perspective since they don't get paid for answering emails, phone calls, etc. But then, what job does? It goes with the territory. It's a necessary function of "your job."

More importantly, how is this going to improve the quality of care for the patient? Seems to me, this will only facilitate more the feeling of being rushed through the doctor's office. The more patients the doctor sees, the larger "the annual lump" the MD receives.

MASSACHUSETTS' SHORT-TERM CUSTOMERS BOOSTING HEALTH COSTS

2010-04-08T23:03:00.001-05:00

Will consumers game Obamacare the way they have in Massachusetts?...

Thousands of consumers are gaming Massachusetts' 2006 health insurance law by buying insurance when they need to cover pricey medical care, such as fertility treatments and knee surgery, and then swiftly dropping coverage, a practice that insurance executives say is driving up costs for other people and small businesses, says the Boston Globe.

2010-04-08T23:00:00.001-05:00

How the Left Really Plans to Pay for Obamacare

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), over half of President Barack Obama’s new $940 billion health care entitlement is paid for by price-fixing Medicare cuts. Never mind that the President’s own Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says that these cuts would cause “roughly 20 percent” of Medicare providers to go bankrupt in Obamacare’s first ten years.

NHS rationing body denies 15 life-saving drugs to cancer patients:

2010-04-03T08:21:00.001-06:00

Too Costly
Mail Online
dailymail.co.uk

Thousands of cancer patients face an early death because the NHS rationing body has rejected or only partially endorsed 15 new drugs.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence totally blocked a quarter of the cancer drugs made available since 2008 and heavily restricted others - despite Government promises to make more treatments available.

Health Reform

2010-04-02T20:35:00.001-06:00

Received this email:

Yeah, this is going to save money.
Just so everyone knows what has been done to us, here is a list of new offices, boards, bureaucracies, committees, councils, exchanges, programs, etc. created in the health care "reform" bill. Section and page number references are included for those who wish to look them up.

1. Grant program for consumer assistance offices (Section 1002, p. 37)
2. Grant program for states to monitor premium increases (Section 1003, p. 42)
3. Committee to review administrative simplification standards (Section 1104, p. 71)
4. Demonstration program for state wellness programs (Section 1201, p. 93)
5. Grant program to establish state Exchanges (Section 1311(a), p. 130)
6. State American Health Benefit Exchanges (Section 1311(b), p. 131)
7. Exchange grants to establish consumer navigator programs (Section 1311(i), p. 150)
8. Grant program for state cooperatives (Section 1322, p. 169)
9. Advisory board for state cooperatives (Section 1322(b)(3), p. 173)
10. Private purchasing council for state cooperatives (Section 1322(d), p. 177)
11. State basic health plan programs (Section 1331, p. 201)
12. State-based reinsurance program (Section 1341, p. 226)
13. Program of risk corridors for individual and small group markets (Section 1342, p. 233)
14. Program to determine eligibility for Exchange participation (Section 1411, p. 267)
15. Program for advance determination of tax credit eligibility (Section 1412, p. 288)
16. Grant program to implement health IT enrollment standards (Section 1561, p. 370)
17. Federal Coordinated Health Care Office for dual eligible beneficiaries (Section 2602, p. 512)
18. Medicaid quality measurement program (Section 2701, p. 518)
19. Medicaid health home program for people with chronic conditions, and grants for planning same (Section 2703, p. 524)
20. Medicaid demonstration project to evaluate bundled payments (Section 2704, p. 532)
21. Medicaid demonstration project for global payment system (Section 2705, p. 536)
22. Medicaid demonstration project for accountable care organizations (Section 2706, p. 538)
23. Medicaid demonstration project for emergency psychiatric care (Section 2707, p. 540)
24. Grant program for delivery of services to individuals with postpartum depression (Section 2952(b), p. 591)
25. State allotments for grants to promote personal responsibility education programs (Section 2953, p. 596)
26. Medicare value-based purchasing program (Section 3001(a), p. 613)
27. Medicare value-based purchasing demonstration program for critical access hospitals (Section 3001(b), p. 637)
28. Medicare value-based purchasing program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 3006(a), p. 666)
29. Medicare value-based purchasing program for home health agencies (Section 3006(b), p. 668)
30. Interagency Working Group on Health Care Quality (Section 3012, p. 688)
31. Grant program to develop health care quality measures (Section 3013, p. 693)
32. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 3021, p. 712)
33. Medicare shared savings program (Section 3022, p. 728)
34. Medicare pilot program on payment bundling (Section 3023, p. 739)
35. Independence at home medical practice demonstration program (Section 3024, p. 752)
36. Program for use of patient safety organizations to reduce hospital readmission rates (Section 3025(b), p. 775)
37. Community-based care transitions program (Section 3026, p. 776)
38. Demonstration project for payment of complex diagnostic laboratory tests (Section 3113, p. 800)
39. Medicare hospice concurrent care demonstration project (Section 3140, p. 850)
40. Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 982)
41. Consumer Advisory Council for Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 1027)
42. Grant program for technical assistance to providers implementing health quality practices (Section 3501, p. 1043)
43. Grant program to establish interdisciplinary health teams (Section 3502, p. 1048)
44. Grant program to implement medication therapy management (Section 3503, p. 1055)
45. Grant program to support emergency care pilot programs (Section 3504, p. 1061)
46. Grant program to promote universal access to trauma services (Section 3505(b), p. 1081)
47. Grant program to develop and promote shared decision-making aids (Section 3506, p. 1088)
48. Grant program to support implementation of shared decision-making (Section 3506, p. 1091)
49. Grant program to integrate quality improvement in clinical education (Section 3508, p. 1095)
50. Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women's Health (Section 3509(a), p. 1098)
51. Centers for Disease Control Office of Women's Health (Section 3509(b), p. 1102)
52. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women's Health (Section 3509(e), p. 1105)
53. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health (Section 3509(f), p. 1106)
54. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health (Section 3509(g), p. 1109)
55. National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (Section 4001, p. 1114)
56. Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (Section 4001(f), p. 1117)
57. Prevention and Public Health Fund (Section 4002, p. 1121)
58. Community Preventive Services Task Force (Section 4003(b), p. 1126)
59. Grant program to support school-based health centers (Section 4101, p. 1135)
60. Grant program to promote research-based dental caries disease management (Section 4102, p. 1147)
61. Grant program for States to prevent chronic disease in Medicaid beneficiaries (Section 4108, p. 1174)
62. Community transformation grants (Section 4201, p. 1182)
63. Grant program to provide public health interventions (Section 4202, p. 1188)
64. Demonstration program of grants to improve child immunization rates (Section 4204(b), p. 1200)
65. Pilot program for risk-factor assessments provided through community health centers (Section 4206, p. 1215)
66. Grant program to increase epidemiology and laboratory capacity (Section 4304, p. 1233)
67. Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (Section 4305, p. 1238)
68. National Health Care Workforce Commission (Section 5101, p. 1256)
69. Grant program to plan health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(c), p. 1275)
70. Grant program to implement health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(d), p. 1279)
71. Pediatric specialty loan repayment program (Section 5203, p. 1295)
72. Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (Section 5204, p. 1300)
73. Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program (Section 5205, p. 1305)
74. Grant program to provide mid-career training for health professionals (Section 5206, p. 1307)
75. Grant program to fund nurse-managed health clinics (Section 5208, p. 1310)
76. Grant program to support primary care training programs (Section 5301, p. 1315)
77. Grant program to fund training for direct care workers (Section 5302, p. 1322)
78. Grant program to develop dental training programs (Section 5303, p. 1325)
79. Demonstration program to increase access to dental health care in underserved communities (Section 5304, p. 1331)
80. Grant program to promote geriatric education centers (Section 5305, p. 1334)
81. Grant program to promote health professionals entering geriatrics (Section 5305, p. 1339)
82. Grant program to promote training in mental and behavioral health (Section 5306, p. 1344)
83. Grant program to promote nurse retention programs (Section 5309, p. 1354)
84. Student loan forgiveness for nursing school faculty (Section 5311(b), p. 1360)
85. Grant program to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes (Section 5313, p. 1364)
86. Public Health Sciences Track for medical students (Section 5315, p. 1372)
87. Primary Care Extension Program to educate providers (Section 5405, p. 1404)
88. Grant program for demonstration projects to address health workforce shortage needs (Section 5507, p. 1442)
89. Grant program for demonstration projects to develop training programs for home health aides (Section 5507, p. 1447)
90. Grant program to establish new primary care residency programs (Section 5508(a), p. 1458)
91. Program of payments to teaching health centers that sponsor medical residency training (Section 5508(c), p. 1462)
92. Graduate nurse education demonstration program (Section 5509, p. 1472)
93. Grant program to establish demonstration projects for community-based mental health settings (Section 5604, p. 1486)
94. Commission on Key National Indicators (Section 5605, p. 1489)
95. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6102, p. 1554)
96. Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6103(a)(3), p. 1561)
97. Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 6103(b)(3), p. 1568)
98. National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 6112, p. 1589)
99. Demonstration projects for nursing facilities involved in the culture change movement (Section 6114, p. 1597)
100. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1619)
101. Standing methodology committee for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1629)
102. Board of Governors for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1638)
103. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund (Section 6301(e), p. 1656)
104. Elder Justice Coordinating Council (Section 6703, p. 1773)
105. Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Section 6703, p. 1776)
106. Grant program to create elder abuse forensic centers (Section 6703, p. 1783)
107. Grant program to promote continuing education for long-term care staffers (Section 6703, p. 1787)
108. Grant program to improve management practices and training (Section 6703, p. 1788)
109. Grant program to subsidize costs of electronic health records (Section 6703, p. 1791)
110. Grant program to promote adult protective services (Section 6703, p. 1796)
111. Grant program to conduct elder abuse detection and prevention (Section 6703, p. 1798)
112. Grant program to support long-term care ombudsmen (Section 6703, p. 1800)
113. National Training Institute for long-term care surveyors (Section 6703, p. 1806)
114. Grant program to fund State surveys of long-term care residences (Section 6703, p. 1809)
115. CLASS Independence Fund (Section 8002, p. 1926)
116. CLASS Independence Fund Board of Trustees (Section 8002, p. 1927)
117. CLASS Independence Advisory Council (Section 8002, p. 1931)
118. Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel (Section 8002(c), p. 1938)
119. Multi-state health plans offered by Office of Personnel Management (Section 10104(p), p. 2086)
120. Advisory board for multi-state health plans (Section 10104(p), p. 2094)
121. Pregnancy Assistance Fund (Section 10212, p. 2164)
122. Value-based purchasing program for ambulatory surgical centers (Section 10301, p. 2176)
123. Demonstration project for payment adjustments to home health services (Section 10315, p. 2200)
124. Pilot program for care of individuals in environmental emergency declaration areas (Section 10323, p. 2223)
125. Grant program to screen at-risk individuals for environmental health conditions (Section 10323(b), p. 2231)
126. Pilot programs to implement value-based purchasing (Section 10326, p. 2242)
127. Grant program to support community-based collaborative care networks (Section 10333, p. 2265)
128. Centers for Disease Control Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
129. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
130. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
131. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
132. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
133. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
134. Grant program to promote small business wellness programs (Section 10408, p. 2285)
135. Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2289)
136. Cures Acceleration Network Review Board (Section 10409, p. 2291)
137. Grant program for Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2297)
138. Grant program to promote centers of excellence for depression (Section 10410, p. 2304)
139. Advisory committee for young women's breast health awareness education campaign (Section 10413, p. 2322)
140. Grant program to provide assistance to provide information to young women with breast cancer (Section 10413, p. 2326)
141. Interagency Access to Health Care in Alaska Task Force (Section 10501, p. 2329)
142. Grant program to train nurse practitioners as primary care providers (Section 10501(e), p. 2332)
143. Grant program for community-based diabetes prevention (Section 10501(g), p. 2337)
144. Grant program for providers who treat a high percentage of medically underserved populations (Section 10501(k), p. 2343)
145. Grant program to recruit students to practice in underserved communities (Section 10501(l), p. 2344)
146. Community Health Center Fund (Section 10503, p. 2355)
147. Demonstration project to provide access to health care for the uninsured at reduced fees (Section 10504, p. 2357)
148. Demonstration program to explore alternatives to tort litigation (Section 10607, p. 2369)
149. Indian Health demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (S. 1790, Section 112, p. 24)*
150. Office of Indian Men's Health (S. 1790, Section 136, p. 71)*
151. Indian Country modular component facilities demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 146, p. 108)*
152. Indian mobile health stations demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 147, p. 111)*
153. Office of Direct Service Tribes (S. 1790, Section 172, p. 151)*
154. Indian Health Service mental health technician training program (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 173)*
155. Indian Health Service program for treatment of child sexual abuse victims (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 192)*
156. Indian Health Service program for treatment of domestic violence and sexual abuse (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 194)*
157. Indian youth elemental health demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 204)*
158. Indian youth life skills demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 220)*
159. Indian Health Service Director of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment (S. 1790, Section 199B, p. 258)*_

2010-04-02T18:40:00.000-06:00

"There is no such thing as the common good, because what is good for me may be bad for you, and vice versa. Civilized people work to improve their own well-being, and they do so while respecting the rights of others to do the same."

-Robert Ringer-

The Coffee Party Enters the Fray

2010-04-02T18:35:00.001-06:00

Robert Ringer's Voice of Sanity Blog

By Robert Ringer

Last week, I caught the tail end of a television interview with Obama supporter Annabel Park, founder of the Coffee Party USA. What little I heard of the interview sounded like it was the progressives’ answer to the tea-party movement. The party’s mission statement, as posted on its Web site, is as follows:

Read more.

OBAMACARE:

2010-04-02T18:23:00.001-06:00

ALL PAIN, NO GAIN

Arguably the most important issue in the health care reform debate on Capitol Hill relates to the budget: How much will this reform cost? Will it add to the deficit? Or reduce it? Americans were also told "If you like the plan you are in, you can keep it." But that is a promise politicians cannot keep, and poll after poll has shown the public is not buying the official estimates -- nor should they, says John C. Goodman, President, CEO and the Kellye Wright Fellow of the National Center for Policy Analysis. MORE.

2010-04-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

HELPING PEOPLE VERSUS FIXING PEOPLE

Written by Dr. Joel Wade
To
The Point News

Obama talks about helping people, but his goal reflects the progressive goal of the left in general. They are not really interested in helping people, they are interested in fixing people.

That profound difference defines the conflict between the visions of right and left (as Thomas Sowell wrote about in A Conflict of Visions). To help people is to accept them as they are, to understand that we are imperfect, flawed beings, who are capable of extraordinary goodness as well as unfathomable evil.

To help people is to accept that.... Read more...

LEARNING FROM WHAT WORKS

2010-04-02T16:32:00.001-06:00

Switzerland as an Example for the World
The Brussels Journal

From the desk of Richard Rahn

Economists, political scientists, reporters and pundits spend too much of their time looking at dysfunctional societies and trying to explain why there are poverty, joblessness and hopelessness. In many ways, Haiti is easy to explain - no rule of law and 200 years of corrupt and incompetent governments. Switzerland is the polar opposite. It has almost no corruption and has the rule of law with honest, competent judges and government administrators. The question should be, "What can we learn from the Switzerlands of the world about how to do things right" rather than, "What is wrong with the Haitis of the world?" Switzerland manages to run a smaller government as a share of gross domestic product than the United States and most other countries while providing a higher level of service, security, prosperity and freedom. How does it do that?

Read more...

Linking Compassion with Aggression

2010-03-30T20:21:00.001-06:00

Robert Ringer's Voice of Sanity Blog

Millions of people are convinced that the implementation of Congress’s new People-Control Bill (a.k.a. as Obamacare) is, of and by itself, the death of liberty in the United States. There’s no question that this draconian measure is the most anti-freedom, unconstitutional, immoral piece of legislation ever ”passed” by Congress, but it would be a mistake to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. Read on.

The Coming Dictatorship

2010-03-30T20:19:00.001-06:00

Robert Ringer's Voice of Sanity Blog

I have long believed that the mathematics of an insatiable entitlement society in the U.S. guarantees a runaway inflation, which likely would be followed by anarchy and chaos – a perfect excuse for government to resort to strong-armed totalitarian measures to ”restore order.” My model has always been Germany’s Weimar Republic in the 1920s, where runaway inflation brought Adolf Hitler to power. Read on.

2010-03-29T20:29:00.001-06:00

Health premiums could rise 17 pct for young adults

CHICAGO (AP) - Under the health care overhaul, young adults who buy their own insurance will carry a heavier burden of the medical costs of older Americans—a shift expected to raise insurance premiums for young people when the plan takes full effect.

2010-03-29T20:27:00.001-06:00

Dying Patient Forced To Ring Hospital Switchboard To Get A Glass Of Water
UK News | Sky News

A formal investigation is being conducted into his death, after it was found his oxygen levels went unchecked for 11 hours and were 35% lower than recommended.

Ruth Sauter, the patient's daughter, said she was disgusted by the treatment her father had received.

2010-03-29T20:25:00.001-06:00

US & Canada - Senators form bipartisan climate bill
FT.com

Three senior US lawmakers are piecing together a sweeping bipartisan energy and climate bill, which looks set to include sweeteners to galvanise support among Republicans and industry groups.

Case against 3 SEALs weakens

2010-03-29T20:22:00.001-06:00

Hitting Captive to be Denied
Washington Times

Cracks are beginning to appear in the military's prosecution of three Navy SEALs accused of striking a most-wanted terrorism suspect they had captured in Iraq.

2010-03-29T20:18:00.001-06:00

U.S. TOPS FOR HEALTH CARE SPENDING

A recent report published by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) shows the United States spends more on heath care than any other country. In 2007, U.S. spending was $7,290 per capita, nearly two-and-a-half times the OECD average of $2,984 for other countries, says Sarah McIntosh. Referencing Linda Gorman, senior fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver, Colorado:

Obama-Reid-Pelosi-Care: Barack Obama and the Democrats own it

2010-03-29T20:05:00.001-06:00

The Law of Unintended Consequences

By Doug Patton

Obama-Reid-Pelosi-Care is now the law of the land. Most people hate it. Clearly Americans are frightened and angry about this socialist nightmare Congress and the president have forced upon the nation in the name of “health care reform.” All Congressional Republicans voted against it. Unlike any other entitlement ever passed by the United States Congress, it is entirely partisan. Barack Obama and the Democrats own it. Read more.

2010-03-29T08:17:00.001-06:00

Obama
in Rude Denial
The American Spectator

IT'S ALL A GOP PLOT

The White House political and legislative operations were said to be livid with the announcement by several large U.S. companies that they were taking multi-million or as much as a billion dollar charges because of the new health-care law, the issue was front-and-center with key lawmakers. By last Friday, AT&T, Caterpillar, Deere & Co., and AK Steel Holding Corp. had all announced that they were taking the one-time charges on their first-quarter balance sheets. More companies were expected to make similar announcements this week.

Thomas More Law Center Files Court Challenge Moments After Obama Health Care Signed Into Law

2010-03-28T22:14:00.001-06:00

Thomas More Law Center - News

ANN ARBOR, MI – Moments after President Obama signed the so-called health care reform bill into law in a televised White House ceremony, the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor Michigan, filed a federal lawsuit challenging its constitutionality in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

2010-03-28T22:10:00.001-06:00

UK Muslim Leader: Islam Not a Religion of Peace - CBN.com

CBN News traveled to London to talk with Anjem Choudary, a leading Muslim radical who says Islamic teachings are what shaped his pro-jihad message.

Although both George W. Bush and Barack Obama have declared that Islam is a religion of peace, Choudary begs to differ.

Americans need protection from absurdity of forced purchases

2010-03-28T22:03:00.001-06:00

The courts can stop Obamacare - Washington Times

By Daren Bakst

Even if Republicans take over Congress in November, they'll probably lack the numbers required to repeal Obamacare over the veto of its namesake. In the short run, then, the only way to fight this massive expansion of federal government is through the courts.

Islam On Capitol Hill

2010-03-27T23:15:00.001-06:00

In 1952, President Truman established one day a year as
a National Day of Prayer.

In 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May
of each year as the National Day of Prayer.

In June 2007, (then) Presidential candidate Barack
Obama declared that the USA was no longer a Christian nation.

In 2009, President Obama, canceled the 21st annual National
Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the rouse of "not
wanting to offend anyone".

On September 25, 2009, from 4 am until 7pm, a National Day of
Prayer for the Muslim religion was held on Capitol Hill, beside
the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims that day in DC.

Hmmmmmmmmm.....................

Don't believe it? Go here: Islam On Capitol Hill

2010-03-26T22:59:00.001-06:00

Anti-Chavez TV channel owner arrested in Venezuela - Yahoo!

"Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of Globovision, was arrested on a warrant for
remarks that were deemed "offensive" to the president, Attorney General
Luisa Ortega said.

Ortega said prosecutors are investigating Zuloaga for remarks he made during a recent Inter American Press Association meeting on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, where he joined other media executives in criticizing Chavez's government for limiting free speech and cracking down on critics." (Emphasis mine. - HH)

Arrested for complaining about lack of free speech. You gotta love it.

2010-03-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

CBO report: Debt will rise to 90% of GDP - Washington Times

2010-03-24T16:43:00.001-06:00

Obama Signs Business-Hurting, Tax Pledge-Breaking Health Care Bill into Law

In month leading to bill's passage, network evening shows failed to expose job-threatening tax increases or remind viewers of president's 'firm' promise to taxpayers.

By Julia A. Seymour
Business & Media Institute

Immigration Sellout Moves Higher on Obama Agenda

2010-03-24T16:23:00.001-06:00

Watch the media
support another initiative most Americans oppose -- amnesty for
illegals.

By Dan Gainor
The Boone Pickens Free Market Fellow
Business & Media Institute

Now what?

President Obama and congressional Democrats just spent 14 months passing an unpopular bill and spending the nation down the rabbit hole into epic debt. It’s not exactly Sun Tzu on strategy. Or as our earthy vice president might say, it could be a big _______ mistake.

The combination of justifiable anger, tea parties and predictions of Democratic disaster in November all point one direction – down. That leaves Obama only one logical option.

Buying votes. Read more.

2010-03-22T16:29:00.001-06:00

Kimberley A. Strassel: Inside the Pelosi Sausage Factory
WSJ.com

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak sold his anti-abortion soul for a toothless executive order.

The Doctors of the House:

2010-03-22T16:26:00.001-06:00

Democrats Must Take Responsibility for What Comes Next in Health Care
WSJ.com

A landmark of liberal governance whose price will be very steep.

2010-03-21T19:55:00.001-06:00

US states sue EPA to stop greenhouse gas rules
-Reuters

WASHINGTON - At least 15 U.S. states have sued the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to stop it from issuing rules controlling greenhouse gas emissions until it reexamines whether the pollution harms human health.

2010-03-21T19:52:00.001-06:00

Holder's future uncertain amid terror trial disputes
Breitbart.com

2010-03-21T19:47:00.001-06:00

Abortion compromise doesn't satisfy critics
Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – A last-minute compromise that swung a half-dozen anti-abortion Democrats behind President Barack Obama's health care bill — virtually ensuring its passage — (ed. note: it did pass) failed to placate outside activists on either side of the issue, and drew derision from Republicans.

"Make no doubt about it. There will be no public funds for abortion," Stupak said in announcing the agreement Sunday ahead of a vote on the landmark health care bill.

The National Right to Life Committee quickly issued a scathing statement disputing Stupak's claim.

"The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect. It changes nothing," the group said. "It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill."

2010-03-21T19:43:00.001-06:00

Schlafly: Health Care Vote Set to Expose the Myth of the 'Pro-Life Democrat'
Yahoo! News

"It is naive for any elected official, especially one who describes himself as 'pro-life,' to expect that a promise to issue an Executive Order that reasserts the intentions of the Hyde Amendment will be fulfilled by the most pro-abortion president to ever sit in the White House. Perhaps Mr. Stupak and his fellow pro-life Democrats forget that President Obama's first Executive Order was the repeal of the Mexico City Policy to allow for international funding of abortion."

"Not only would an Executive Order be rendered meaningless in the face of Congress passing legislation which actively provides for the massive expansion and funding of abortion services, but anyone who doubts the abortion tsunami which awaits this bill becoming law lives in a fantasy world."

2010-03-21T19:41:00.001-06:00

Obama Paying More Than Buffett as Bonds Show U.S. Losing AAA
Bloomberg.com

... the budget deficit swelled to a post-World War II-record 10 percent of the economy and raised concerns whether the U.S. deserves its AAA credit rating.

INSPIRATION

2010-03-19T19:54:00.001-06:00

"Design your own life. Never give up trying to make it on your own. Get back up when you get slapped down, and don't waste time buying into ideological nonsense. Expect - and accept - nothing from anyone else. Do it yourself.

And, after you have succeeded, share some of what you have achieved with those not as strong as you will become. That's important. Spread the self-reliance message, but also help good people when they need a hand.''

-- Bill O'Reilly, in his book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

2010-03-19T19:30:00.001-06:00

Russian oil giant begins drilling in Algeria

MOSCOW — Russia's state-owned energy monopoly has begun drilling its first well in Algeria.

2010-03-19T19:29:00.001-06:00

Hamas back on the attack with rockets from Gaza

TEL AVIV — Palestinian gunners have resumed missile and rocket fire against Israel.

2010-03-19T19:27:00.001-06:00

Senators challenge FDA ban on homosexual men donating blood

The following is based on an article by Cliff Kincaid for Accuracy in Media.

While the Obama Administration and its “progressive” supporters in Congress insist they want a federal health care bill to protect people from deadly diseases, liberal senators led by John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) have pressured the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider lifting the ban on male homosexuals donating blood.

2010-03-19T19:24:00.001-06:00

Obama blocks delivery of bunker-busters to Israel

WASHINGTON — The United States has diverted a shipment of bunker-busters designated for Israel.

The Coming Runaway Inflation

2010-03-08T19:19:00.001-06:00

By Robert Ringer

The game is over. Our unfunded liabilities and debt now total twice the amount of wealth of all individuals and corporations in the U.S. And BHO and his socialist allies in Congress are just getting started!

The days of being able to borrow limitless sums of money will soon be behind us. And even the most ardent socialist knows that there’s a limit to how much you can raise taxes. If you raise taxes too much, the economy ultimately shuts down completely.

Read the rest here.

Do you believe Barack Obama is a socialist?

2010-03-08T19:12:00.001-06:00

The Big Question

I rarely compliment BHO, but I’m obliged to say that I respect him for his unwavering Marxist beliefs. His nonstop lying about those beliefs should not be held against him. It’s just part of the Marx-Lenin-Alinsky ”ends-justifies-the-means” philosophy of bringing about the loss of liberty that all of them sincerely believed was a moral objective.

I know, I know … it sounds crazy. But that’s what they truly believed, and, giving BHO his due credit, I have no doubts that he, too, sincerely believes this stuff. Even with his college papers sealed, the man’s public statements (and his own books) make it clear that he has been consistent in his Marxist beliefs. You don’t hang out with Marxist professors in college if you’re a believer in freedom and free markets and love the American way of life.

Read the rest at Robert Ringer's Voice of Sanity Blog.

2010-03-07T20:03:00.001-06:00

Brian Miller : The Health Care Bill That Just Won't Die

Just when you think that the Democrats' Health Care Bill is dead . it rises from the grave like a zombie propelled by the sheer will of liberals in Washington who think they alone know what's best for the American people. President Obama today ordered Congress to pass the Health Care Bill in the next two weeks so that it can be written into law by a strategy called "reconciliation". The promise of bipartisanship has faded. Now, the bill will pass without Republican support.

While the Democrats in the House are busy lining up their......

2010-03-07T19:58:00.001-06:00

Thomas Sowell : Alice in Medical Care: Part IV

Some years ago, one of my favorite doctors retired. On my last visit to his office, he took some time to explain to me why he was retiring early and in good health.

Being a doctor was becoming more of a hassle as the years went by, he said, and also less fulfilling. It was becoming more of a hassle because of the increasing paperwork, and it was less fulfilling because of the way patients came to him.

He was currently being asked to Xerox lots of records from his files, in order to be reimbursed for another......

Religion of the Sword

2010-03-07T19:44:00.003-06:00

Dr. Jack Wheeler quote:

"Moslems are not really the problem, neither Moslem terrorists nor Moslem imperialists insisting on their medieval Sharia laws.

Christendom has been fighting Islam for almost fifteen centuries. The Spaniards fought 800 years to get rid of the Moslem invaders of their Christian lands. 800 years! That's how long the Reconquista took. How long have we in America been at it - two decades?

Islam is a self-identified religion of the sword. It cannot be anything else but. "Islam" is an Arabic word. It means submission. Moslems claim this means submit to Allah. What it really means is submit to them or die. Just the same as it was for the Communists of the Soviet Union.

Thus there can be no peace between Jihadi or Sharia Moslems and us, anymore than there could be with Soviet Communists. "Peace" for us means the absence of violence. "Peace" for Jihadis and Communists means the absence of disobedience. So there can be no peace, there can only be victory or submission."

New York's "enormous cigarette smuggling problem."

2010-03-07T19:36:00.001-06:00

Dr. Jack Wheeler writes:

"Richard Rahn this week discusses the economics of raising cigarette taxes in New York, and parenthetically mentions New York's "enormous cigarette smuggling problem."

One thing I learned while in the Middle East is that our military intel guys there believe that much of the cigarette smuggling operation on the US East Coast is run by Moslems working for Al Qaeda.

Someone needs to tell New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg his cigarette taxes are resulting in scores of millions of dollars funding Al Qaeda terrorism. Someone needs to tell the DHS lady, Janet Napolitano, to do something about this. You wonder why nobody has. Or maybe they just don't care to listen."

Massive fraud crackdown goes nowhere

2010-03-04T22:41:00.002-06:00

By William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

"I hope you've got a little extra in the piggy bank -- because ObamaCare is going to need a lot more help.

Don't want to pay? Tough. Don't have the money? Too bad. The key word here is sacrifice -- and you're playing the part of the lamb while the Washington party rolls on.

The little Bolsheviks behind ObamaCare claim one of the ways they'll pay for their socialist medicine scheme is through cost savings...like eliminating the $60 billion lost each year to Medicare fraud.

There's just one problem: We've either got the world's smartest crooks, or the Keystone Kops have been placed in charge of catching them.

Two years into a major crackdown on Medicare freeloaders, fraudsters and other crooks...and we've got practically nothing to show for it. Medicare fraud prosecutions were up just 2 percent last year.

That's it -- 2 percent.

Since this crackdown began under President Bush in 2007, it's proof that failure is truly a bipartisan effort. That's two different administrations who've tried -- and failed -- to rein in Medicare fraud.

And as a taxpayer, you're getting the bill three times over. The first bill is for those $60 billion in fraudulent claims paid each year. The second bill is to pay for all those Kops, investigators and prosecutors who aren't cracking down on it (I'm sure they're enjoying those nice offices in Miami, though). And the third bill will come due with ObamaCare -- when you'll be forced to pony up extra bucks because the savings never materialized.

I've done the math. For many Americans, their monthly ObamaCare bills will be the biggest cost in their household -- even more expensive than mortgage payments, and that's if you believe the numbers they're throwing around right now.

Trust me, it'll be more -- a lot more.

Remove those imaginary savings from the equation, and when the real bill comes due, no health-care system in the world will be able to ease the pain.

They can't seem to find the freeloaders and fraudsters -- but they'll sure as heck find you. And then, Obama's call for change will turn into cries of, "Buddy, can you spare some change?"

That's not the only trouble Big Brother's brewing for you... keep reading to find out how they're tracking your babies.

Baby DNA kept on file...forever

Big Brother is watching you...and he's keeping an even closer eye on your baby.

Docs routinely turn every delivery room into a CSI scene by scraping up baby DNA and sending it out for government- mandated tests without the parents' consent or knowledge.

Welcome to the Brave New World, kid -- where your future has already been written.

Think I'm exaggerating? They're already using that DNA to screen the poor thing for diseases, then sharing the results with your insurance company. These tests usually don't even reveal what the kid has -- just what he has the potential to have.

But you know insurance companies. They're always on the lookout for preexisting conditions.

Those samples are also shared with researchers. Again, don't expect to find a permission slip in the mail.

But that's not even close to the worst of it, because a recent report on CNN shows that at least nine states -- including Florida, California and Michigan -- keep those DNA samples indefinitely.

The rest store them for periods of time ranging from a few months to a few decades -- but the genie's out of this beaker. Once they have that sample, they can do whatever they want with it...for as long as they want.

If they find a disease risk, they can drug you up regardless of whether you actually have the condition. If employers get access to that data, they'll hire and fire based on what they know about your DNA. Maybe someday they'll find a criminal gene...so they can arrest you before you've committed a crime.

I know some of you are saying, "But they'd never do that!"

Hold your outrage and go get your Social Security card. Take a good look at those numbers. You probably have them memorized.

Why?

When they were created in 1935, those numbers were never meant to be used for personal identification. Now just look at this monster they've created. All you need is a name and those nine digits and you can peek into anyone's life...or ruin it.

But those are just numbers. Think of how much more they could do with your DNA.

If you're not scared yet, you should be.

Keeping watch over Big Brother.

Our Greecey Future

2010-03-04T22:37:00.001-06:00

Only immediate, drastic action can keep us from a Greek-style meltdown.

By Dan Kennedy
Business & Media Institute

On Feb. 24, ABC News announced it was cutting 300 jobs. Too bad Congress and the President refuse to join in recognizing reality.

Networks Ignore New Request for $15 Billion Bailout for Fannie Mae

2010-03-04T22:32:00.003-06:00

Mortgage-backer has bled taxpayers for more than $75 billion, but is rarely criticized by the news media

By Julia A. Seymour
Business & Media Institute

A business partly responsible for the economic downturn requested another $15.3 billion bailout last week.

It wasn’t one of the news media’s usual suspects, like the banks or insurance giant AIG – the ones they have repeatedly scorned and scrutinized for needing bailouts. It was government favorite and Democratic donor Fannie Mae, the Federal National Mortgage Association, created as a public-private hybrid in 1938 but taken over by the federal government in Sept. 2008.

DUMB AND DUMBER

2010-03-04T20:52:00.002-06:00

"Why does Barack Hussein Obama hate insurance companies? He explained why he was traumatized by one of them at the recent "Healthcare Summit." He had to buy auto insurance for a "beat up old car" when he got out of college. When he got rear-ended, he called up the insurance company to get his car repaired, and "they laughed at me."

He's hated them ever since. Especially now, when they won't cooperate with his ObamaCare program. For, as he put it, "it's one thing if you've got a beat up old car that you can't get fixed. It's another thing if your kid is sick or you've got breast cancer."

25 years ago, college-graduate Obama didn't understand - just as President Obama still doesn't understand today - the difference between liability insurance, required by law to protect other drivers from injuries or damage you may cause, and collision insurance to protect you and your car (and which he had not purchased).

So of course the insurance agent he called laughed at him. After laughing at him ourselves, we need to ask, Just how dumb is this guy?" -- Jack Kelly, columnist

Failure to admit that raising taxes reduces tax receipts is irresponsible

2010-03-04T20:45:00.001-06:00

Fraudulent tax revenue forecasts - Washington Times

By Richard W. Rahn

If New York City decided to increase its cigarette tax by another $5 per pack, would it gain more or less revenue from the extra tax?

Before you answer the question, you should......

2010-03-04T20:36:00.001-06:00

Betraying freedom in Latin America - NYPOST.com

By Ralph Peters
I was wrong. For years, I've argued that our government should pay more attention to South America. Now Hillary Clinton has -- and, boy, is it ugly.

ANOTHER DEM CALLING IT QUITS

2010-03-04T20:26:00.001-06:00

Delahunt will not seek reelection - Boston.com

By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON -- Representative William Delahunt will not seek re-election to Congress, the seven-term Democrat will announce tomorrow, ending a nearly 40-year career in elected office and giving Republicans hope of capturing the seat, which stretches from Cape Cod to the South Shore.

2010-03-03T10:10:00.000-06:00

Charles Rangel to quit key tax post - (1450 WHTC)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The embattled chairman of the tax-writing House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel, said on Wednesday he will step aside temporarily as chairman after being admonished by a House ethic panel.

2010-03-01T21:18:00.001-06:00

Al-Qaida growing in strength and numbers in Africa

WASHINGTON (AP) - Al-Qaida's terror network in North Africa is growing more active and attracting new recruits, threatening to further destabilize the continent's already vulnerable Sahara region, according to U.S. defense and counterterrorism officials.

Soros swoops in, takes another bank

2010-03-01T21:13:00.001-06:00

Accusations of favoritism swirl in deals for institutions seized by government

By Aaron Klein
WorldNetDaily

A company formed by an investor group that includes billionaire George Soros swooped in to purchase a failed California bank in the latest acquisition by the company, despite controversy surrounding some of its previous bank takeovers.

2010-03-01T21:09:00.001-06:00

FOXNews.com - Pelosi: Lawmakers Should Sacrifice Jobs for Health Care

Fannie Mae's election-year loss duty.

2010-03-01T20:47:00.001-06:00

Fannie Mae's $126.9 Billion Loss, and Counting

It was another impressive three months at Fannie Mae, as Uncle Sam's mortgage finance company reported a fourth quarter loss of $16.3 billion. That wasn't quite as strong as the third quarter loss of $19.8 billion, but give Fannie's managers credit for trying.

WSJ.com

2010-03-01T20:39:00.001-06:00

American reliance on government at all-time high

The so-called "Great Recession" has left Americans depending on the government dole like never before.

Washington Times

2010-03-01T20:37:00.001-06:00

Chinese spy buy caught on surveillance video

FBI surveillance video made public Sunday reveals details of a Chinese espionage operation to obtain secrets from the Pentagon through a group of Americans who spied for China.

Washington Times

2010-03-01T20:35:00.001-06:00

No finish in sight for 'virtual' border fence

A multibillion-dollar "virtual fence" along the southwestern border promised for completion in 2009 to protect the U.S. from terrorists, violent drug smugglers and a flood of illegal immigrants is a long way from becoming a reality, with government officials unable to say when, how or whether it will ever be completed.

Washington Times

COMMENTARY

2010-03-01T20:32:00.003-06:00

Congress Tries to Break Hawaii in Two
BY GAIL HERIOT AND PETER KIRSANOW

A racial spoils precedent that could lead to new 'tribal' demands across the U.S.

ON CULTURE

2010-03-01T20:29:00.000-06:00

"Personal responsibility is a real problem for those who want to collectivize society and take away our power to make our own decisions, transferring that power to third parties like themselves, who imagine themselves to be so much wiser and nobler than the rest of us. Aimless apologies are just one of the incidental symptoms of an increasing loss of a sense of personal responsibility -- without which a whole society is in jeopardy. The police cannot possibly maintain law and order by themselves. Millions of people can monitor their own behavior better than any third parties can. Cops can cope with that segment of society who have no sense of personal responsibility, but not if that segment becomes a large part of the whole population. Yet increasing numbers of educators and the intelligentsia seem to have devoted themselves to undermining or destroying a sense of personal responsibility and making 'society' responsible instead." --economist Thomas Sowell

Faith & Family

2010-03-01T20:25:00.000-06:00

"One of the major differences between the right and the left concerns the question of authority: To whom do we owe obedience and who is the ultimate moral authority? For the right, the primary moral authority is God (or, for secular conservatives, Judeo-Christian values), followed by parents. Of course, government must also play a role, but it is ultimately accountable to God and it should do nothing to undermine parental authority. For the left, the state and its government are the supreme authorities, while parental and divine authority are seen as impediments to state authority. ... In a nutshell, the left wants to have ever-expanding authority over people's lives through ever-expanding governmental powers. It does so because it regards itself as more enlightened than others. Others are either enemies (the right) or unenlightened masses. It is elected by demonizing its enemies and doling out money and jobs to the masses." --radio talk-show host Dennis Prager

ON INDEPENDENCE

2010-03-01T20:19:00.001-06:00

"Americans cherish their independence. One interesting aspect of the spontaneous tea party movement is the constant invocation of the Founders and the prominence of the 'Don't Tread on Me' flag. ... Americans tend to see themselves as independent doers, not dependent victims. They don't like to be told, especially by those with fancy academic pedigrees, that they are helpless and in need of government aid. That's why the politically popular American big government programs -- Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits, student loans -- all make a connection between effort and reward. You get a benefit because you've worked for it. In contrast, Americans have loathed and rejected big government programs with no nexus between effort and reward. Welfare was begun in the 1930s to help widows with children, whose plight, as Russell Baker's memoir 'Growing Up' showed, was often dismal. But when welfare became a mass program to subsidize mothers who didn't work and to excuse fathers from responsibility for their actions, it became wildly unpopular. Bill Clinton recognized this when he signed welfare reform in 1996. ... Barack Obama, who has chosen to live his adult life in university precincts, sees ... Americans generally as victims who need his help, people who would be better off dependent on government than on their own. Most American voters don't want to see themselves that way and resent this condescension."
--political analyst Michael Barone

2010-03-01T20:13:00.000-06:00

"There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism." --Alexander Hamilton

2010-03-01T20:09:00.001-06:00

Democrats Ready to Pass Health Care Reform Without Republicans

By Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press

Washington (AP) - The White House called for a "simple up-or-down" vote on health care legislation Sunday as Speaker Nancy Pelosi appealed to House Democrats to get behind President Barack Obama's chief domestic priority even it if threatens their political careers.

CNSNews.com

2010-03-01T20:02:00.001-06:00

Mexican Drug Gangs Taking Over U.S. Public Lands

By Alicia A. Caldwell and Manuel Valdes, Associated Press

Sequoia National Forest, Calif. (AP) - Not far from Yosemite's waterfalls and in the middle of California's redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them.

CNSNews.com

2010-03-01T19:57:00.000-06:00

Pence Says Obama Needs to Fire Catholic-Bashing Adviser

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) says the time is "long overdue" for President Barack Obama to fire Harry Knox from the White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships because of the "vehement anti-Catholic statements" Knox has made.

Economic Issues

2010-03-01T19:54:00.000-06:00

PROMISES TO KEEP

Extravagant promises of pensions, health care and other benefits made to an ever-growing number of government retirees means that an enormous bill looms in the not-too-distant future for states, say observers...

THE ECONOMIST

Federal Spending & Budget Issues

2010-03-01T19:53:00.001-06:00

STATE ABUSE OF THE MEDICAID PROGRAM

Since Medicaid is an entitlement with no statutory limit on spending, there is no limit to how much state officials can try to gain from the program, say Dr. Roger Stark, a policy analyst, and Colin Swanson, a research assistant...

WASHINGTON POLICY CENTER

Health Issues

2010-03-01T19:50:00.000-06:00

HEALTH REFORMERS' WORST IDEA

Price controls for insurance or anything else simply won't work, says Michael F. Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute...

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

2010-03-01T19:48:00.001-06:00

THE MASSACHUSETTS "MODEL" MOVES TO PRICE CONTROLS

Massachusetts is teaching the country a valuable lesson in how not to reform health care, if only anyone would pay attention, say observers...

"....average Massachusetts insurance premiums are now the highest in the nation; since 2006, they've climbed at an annual rate of 30 percent in the individual market."

Federal Judge Rule Teacher has Constitutional Right to Display Patriotic Banners that Mention "God"

2010-03-01T19:31:00.001-06:00

Thomas More Law Center - News

ANN ARBOR, MI – California Federal District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez ruled late this past Friday that the Poway Unified School District in San Diego, CA, violated math teacher Bradley Johnson’s constitutional rights when it ordered him to remove two patriotic banners from the walls of his classroom because they “over-emphasized” God.

2010-02-28T21:25:00.001-06:00

Obama signs Patriot Act extensions - Washington Times

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

"President Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the main U.S. counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act."

Isn't this the Patriot Act that was just horrible under GW Bush? But it is okay now under BH Obama? What gives?

2010-02-28T21:21:00.001-06:00

Bernanke delivers blunt warning on U.S. debt
Washington Times

By Patrice Hill

With uncharacteristic bluntness, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke warned Congress on Wednesday that the United States could soon face a debt crisis like the one in Greece, and declared that the central bank will not help legislators by printing money to pay for the ballooning federal debt.

2010-02-28T21:17:00.001-06:00

Israel simulation prepares for two-front war with Hamas and Hizbullah

TEL AVIV — Israel's military has been exercising for the prospect of a multi-front war.

A Senator Sees the Light

2010-02-21T20:21:00.001-06:00

By Paul Greenberg

LITTLE ROCK -- Have you noticed? The closer Election Day comes, the more conservative some blue-dog senators sound. Till they turn almost Republican red. Consider the case of Blanche Lincoln here in Arkansas. Read more @ Townhall.com

A Global Warming Snow Job

2010-02-21T20:07:00.001-06:00

By Rich Tucker

This winter, white is the new black.

“More than two-thirds of the nation’s land mass had snow on the ground,” the Associated Press reported last week, “and then it snowed ever so slightly in Florida to make it 49 states out of 50.” Only Hawaii remained snow free. So far, anyway. Read more @ Townhall.com

A New Declaration for America

2010-02-21T19:59:00.001-06:00

By Kathryn Lopez

I recently joined former Attorney General Ed Meese and a number of leaders of conservative think tanks and other groups in signing the Mount Vernon Statement. When I watched the press coverage that evening, I saw the event through the media's prism: a bunch of white guys reaffirming what some dead white guys said. Read more @ Townhall.com

2010-02-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

Newt Gingrich and John Goodman: Ten GOP Health Ideas for Obama
WSJ.com

By NEWT GINGRICH
AND JOHN C. GOODMAN

'If you have a better idea, show it to me." That was President Barack Obama's challenge two weeks ago to House Republicans regarding health-care reform. He has since called for a bipartisan forum, not to start over on health reform but to "move forward" on the "best ideas that are out there."

Read Gingrich's and Goodman's suggestions at WSJ.com

Rubio Tells CPAC: Americans See Through Obama’s Con

2010-02-20T13:04:00.001-06:00

Rubio Speech Draws Standing Ovations at CPAC

Marco Rubio, the 38-year-old son of Cuban immigrants and candidate for an open Senate seat in Florida, brought the house down with a powerful speech on American exceptionalism before thousands of conservatives, according to The Washington Post.

Read more @ Newsmax

Conservatives Pack Largest-Ever CPAC

2010-02-20T13:01:00.001-06:00

By: Ronald Kessler

This time last year, pundits were predicting the end of conservatism and the Republican Party.
Read more at Newsmax

2010-02-15T10:11:00.002-06:00

"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual -- or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country."

--Samuel Adams, in the Boston Gazette, 1781--

When Deficits Become Dangerous

2010-02-14T20:33:00.001-06:00

Michael J. Boskin - WSJ.com

Debt-to-GDP ratios over 90% have significant impact on the pace of economic growth.

BY MICHAEL J. BOSKIN

President Barack Obama's 2011 budget lays out a stunningly expensive big-government spending agenda, mostly to be paid for years down the road. He proposes to increase capital gains, dividend, payroll, income and energy taxes. But the enormous deficits and endless accumulation of debt will eventually force growth-inhibiting income tax hikes, a national value-added tax similar to those in Europe, or severe inflation.

On average, in the first three years of the 10-year budget plan, federal spending rises by 4.4% of....

Murtha's legacy

2010-02-14T20:13:00.001-06:00

Poster boy for bipartisanship Washington- Washington Times

By David Mastio

Bipartisanship may be the single most destructive force in Washington. Today, it is on the lips of the president, congressional leaders and commentators alike. They say we need a new tone in Washington. We need to work together on health care reform. We need a bipartisan commission to solve our deficit problem.

No. We. Don't. Bipartisanship saps faith in politics and government. It protects the most stupid and counterproductive federal policies. It erodes ethics. It unites America's ruling class against the ruled. And, inevitably, it leads to the growth of government power......

2010-02-14T19:56:00.001-06:00

Labor nominee blocked in Senate - Washington Times

Filibuster thwarts pro-union lawyer

By Jennifer Haberkorn

In a vivid display of President Obama's diminished clout, the Senate's newest Republican and two veteran Democrats Tuesday helped block Mr. Obama's bid to fill a key labor post with a nominee they considered too cozy with unions.

THIS ONE ALMOST SLIPPED BY ME

2010-02-14T19:33:00.001-06:00

Nealz Nuze on boortz.com

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." -- Frederic Bastiat

Why did Bernie Madoff go to prison? To make it simple, he talked people into investing with him. Trouble was, he didn't invest their money. As time rolled on he simply took the money from the new investors to pay off the old investors. Finally there were too many old investors and not enough money from new investors coming in to keep the payments going. Next thing you know Madoff is one of the most hated men in America and he is off to jail.Some of you know this .. but not enough of you . Madoff did to his investors what the government has been doing to us for over 60 years with Social Security. There is no meaningful difference ....

Gun owners in cross hairs

2010-02-14T18:17:00.001-06:00

Washington Times

EDITORIAL:
Maryland legislation requires state approval to buy or rent a firearm

The gun grabbers are at it again in Maryland. Next month, the state's House Judiciary Committee will initiate hearings on legislation forcing firearms enthusiasts to register with the state government before they can exercise their Second Amendment rights.