Tea Party Patriots Ordinary citizens reclaiming America's founding principles.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Action Alert: Senate Grinch Forcing Health Care Through


Dear Fellow Tea Party Patriots,

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatens to be the Grinch who stole Christmas. Sen. Reid is saying that he will keep the Senate in session to shove government takeover of health care down our throats on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

This is an outrage! It shows the an absolute disrespect to the most sacred Christian holiday. In an era of political correctness, it is stunning that the Senate Majority Leader is willing to disregard the most sacred of Christian holidays.

In addition to shunning the Christians of America, he is preventing the Senate staff members on the Hill in DC from going home for the holidays. The staff members in Senate district offices will also have to pull longer hours. This will prevent them from being able to spend the Christmas holiday with their families around the country.

Unfortunately it appears Senator Ben Nelson folded. We just received notice from Senator David Vitter (LA) that the main Senate Grinch, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has his 63 votes and intorduced the Health Care bill on the floor this morning. Efforts are in place to have the bill read in its' entirety. We do not yet know who the 3 turncoats are.

If this bill passes the Senate in 2009, the taxes on the health care bill will go into effect on January 1, 2010 but the benefits do not go into effect for another four years. How can it be so important to pass the bill in the next few days when benefits do not begin for years? How can the Senate be so disrespectful to Americans?

It is time to again call the below listed Senators to express your frustration about these actions.

If you have trouble calling the DC offices, call the district offices. You are making a difference showing up at demonstrations and melting the phone lines. Do not let the pressure off and do not ease up the intensity of your passion. Keep up the good work! We are so proud to stand beside you in this battle. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you!

Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska

DC Office Number: 202-224-6551, DC Fax Number: 202-228-0012

Omaha Office Tel: (402) 391-3411 Fax: (402) 391-4725
Zip Code: 68114

Lincoln Office Tel: Tel: (402) 441-4600 Fax: (402) 476-8753
Zip Code: 68508

Scottsbluff Office Tel: (308) 631-7614

Kearney Office Tel: (308) 293-5818

South Sioux CityTel: (402) 209-3595

Sen. Jim Webb, Virginia

DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-4024, DC Fax Number: 202-228-6363

Danville Office Tel: Phone: 434-792-0976 Fax: 434-972-0978
Zip Code: 24541

Hampton Roads Office Tel: Phone: 757-518-1674 Fax: 757-518-1679
Zip Code: 23462

Northern Virginia Office Tel: Phone:703-573-7090 Fax:703-573-7098
Zip Code: 22042

Norton Office Tel: Phone: 276-679-4925 Fax: 276-679-4929
Zip Code: 24273

Richmond Office Tel: Phone: 804-771-2221 Fax: 804-771-8313
Zip Code: 23219

Roanoke Office Tel: Phone: 540-772-4236 Fax: 540-772-6870
Zip Code: 24018

Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia

DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-2023, DC Fax Number: 202-224-6295
Abingdon Office Tel: Phone Number: 276-628-8158 Fax Number: 276-628-1036
Zip Code: 24210

Norfolk Office Tel: Phone Number: 757-441-3079 Fax Number: 757-441-6250
Zip Code: 23510

Richmond Office Tel: Phone Number: 804-775-2314 Fax Number: 804-775-2319
Zip Code: 23219

Vienna Office Tel: Phone: 703-442-0670 Fax: 703-442-0408
Zip Code: 22182

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut

DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-4041, DC Fax Number: 202-224-9750

D.C. Code Red Rally After-Action Report

This is an update on the D.C. Code Red Rally held on 12/15/09. Several of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots took a van down to the event and met up with our friends in the Zainesville Tea Party Patriot group. It was also a nice surprise to hear that we had quite a few members drive down separately.


Patriots from across the U.S. - AGAIN - gathered in D.C. not only to speak out against the country killing bill that will allow a government take over of our health care system and 1/6th of our economy, but to also ask....

Throughout the day Patriots participated in the Government Waiting Rooms protest that was held. In this stage of the event Patriots went to the offices of our 13 targeted Senators, who are somehow never there when Tea Party Patriots or 9.12 members show up. Since the off-the-clock Senators were not in -- people 'waited' for them in their office -- hence the "Government Waiting Rooms." The highlight or lowlight of this event was when Mark Meckler and a couple other national coordinators for the Tea Party Patriots were escorted out of Senator Joe Liebermans office.

While the Government Waiting Rooms were being staged many Patriots went to their local Senators offices. The Ohio contingent of Tea Party Patriots were denied their scheduled meeting with Senator Sherrod Brown legislative aide because of a technicality in the appointment process. Although Mike P, who coordinated the trip for us, grabbed a Brown staffer in the hallway and was able to squeeze out 5 minutes of their time to express the Tea Party sentiments about the proposed Senate health care bill. ( You get two guesses how that went).

Of course these staffers claimed Senator Brown was unavailable. But we know, and you will soon read here how one of our Cleveland Tea Party Patriots DID run into Senator Brown in the hallway. It is understood that when Senator Brown was approached by our member and her feeling on the health care bill were expressed, Senator Brown stated, "I've already made up my mind," turned his back on her and walked away. Senator Brown was then joined by his wife, PD Columnist Connie Schultz, who came walking out of his office, as he continued walking away and ignoring his constiuents from Ohio. ( It sounds as if only lobbyists and union thugs are allowed to talk with Senator Brown).

That afternoon, anywhere from 10,000 - 15,000 patriots from across the U.S., gathered at Upper Senate Park for a rally staged by the Tea Party Patriots, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, National Tax Payers Union and Americans for Prosperity....

Addressing this country-wide contingent of Patriots was Mark Meckler & Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots, Tim Phillips of Americans for Prosperity, Senator Tom Colburn (R-Okla.), Jim DeMint (R-SC), and other Senators favoring “Kill the Bill”, Rick Scott, Chairman, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, Laura Ingraham (Click here for video of Ingraham's speech)
and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann...

Isn't remarkable that two Obama supporting tourists can unexpectedly get breakfast with the President, two Reality TV wannabes attend a black tie event at the Red Shed on the Hill, but voters wanting to excercise their First Amendment rights are escorted out of a Senators office or are forced to jump through hoops backwards for a meeting with their Senators?

What I find equally remarkable and telling is that the main stream liberal media will devote non-stop attention to Tiger Woods indiscretion(s) (the same indiscretions that they defended Bill Clinton over) yet they fail to report a rallly of over 10,000 people speaking out about health care. The Gay Rights rally held in D.C. earlier this year, which had a paltry attendence, made the front page of the New York Times -- and the only thing we got from a 3rd Patriot trip to D.C. is this blog post!

Don't worry Patriots, even though the politicians & Connie Shultz-like media hacks try to ignore us, polls show the American public is waking up to the Tea Party Patriot movement. It is through the American public and voters that we gain our strength. Remember.... politicians can and will be replaced -- the good Americans across the U.S. joining our ranks can't be!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Laura Ingraham at D.C. Code Red Rally

From Washington News Observer

Finally, Someone is Discussing the Constitution

Kevin Price
From Facebook

The term "crisis" is thrown around rather liberally today, but there should be no question that our nation is in a desperate situation today. Our problem is not merely fiscal, but political and cultural. Our deficits and growing debt are driven by a government that is no longer constrained by the rule of law.

Generally speaking, most politicians are on the bandwagon of supporting an increase in government power and spending. On the political left, the argument is that the government's spending should be unchecked, it is the people and business that needs to be watched. For the vast majority of those on the right in Congress, the answer is a sad response of "yes, government can spend where it wants... the only question is how much." They fight back with pleas of, "this amount of spending may be dangerous," when they should be declaring that we are committing economic and political crimes.

On the political landscape today, it is hard to find members of Congress who are willing to speak with honesty about the direction our nation is going, one of the few exceptions is Ted Poe of Texas. Poe has been a frequent guest on my radio show and he voted against bailouts and TARP even when the conventional wisdom was that they were necessary. Recently, he has become aggressive in his disdain for a government that is out of control.

Congressman Poe has introduced House Resolution 959 which expresses the sense that many member of Congress "challenge the authority of the federal government to require by law that Americans purchase health insurance, or any goods or services." Substantively, bills like this have little importance. If a majority pass it, there will be no actual change in the law. However, there has been little discussion of all on what the limits of government are, so I find this action very refreshing.

Congressman Poe notes that "Any bill that requires Americans to buy something under the guise of a tax or pay a fine, violates House procedural rules. This legislation is based on the premise that such a bill is an unconstitutional exercise of legislative taxing authority. Thus any such bills brought to the floor would be ruled out of order."

There is a growing movement towards the restoration of the federal system established by the Founding Fathers and it is based on Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which states: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States."

The Congressman goes on to describe the direction this nation is drifting towards: "It is a very slippery slope to allow Congress to expand this authority for the purpose of forcing American citizens to buy health insurance or anything else," Congressman Poe continued. "We must heed the confines of our Constitution, not ignore it in a mad rush to expand the federal government or reinterpret its meaning to serve a political purpose."

I, for one, am only interested in supporting candidates of Congress who share a similar view. The Constitution is the law of the land and every member who swears to defend it should be bound to that reasonable standard.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tribute to a Historic Year 2009

This was forwarded to us in an email from CeCe Dettore. The video was made by a young lady (JZ) that we hope will soon be blogging here.

"The Problem with HealthCare Reform" by R. Randall Sukman, M.D.

This speech on HealthCare Reform was given by Dr. R. Randall Sukman at the November 21st Branson TEA Party:


This represents Nancy Pelosi's gift to the american people. A 2,000 page, 1.3 trillion dollar new bureaucracy for healthcare. This is CECIL'S TEXT BOOK FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE. If you read this (CECIL'S TEXT BOOK FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE), you may be an internist. If you read this (2,000 BILL), you are likely an insomniac.

We have the best healthcare in the world. When Canadians, who by the way hate socialized medicine, need a knee replacement or timely treatment, they come to the United States. We have the mecca of healthcare, Mayo's Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, M.D. Anderson Cancer Treatment Facility, Barnes Hospital-Missouri. We have university hospitals which train not only American doctors but many of the doctors that practice all over the world. We have emergency rooms, hospitals and clinics in almost every town. I bet you would be hard pressed to find a person, with or without health insurance, that couldn't find a provider to care for them at times of need.

Yes, Mr. Obama, I will see an indigent patient for free and NO, Mr. Obama, I will not take out a child's tonsils just for a bigger reimbursement.

Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Our system may not be perfect, but I'm worried. It's about to get a whole lot worse.

THE CASE AGAINST "OBAMACARE"

The plan is to require employers to either provide "government approved" health coverage to all employees or pay a stiff penalty (a tax). Now I run a small business-it just happens to be a medical clinic. We have 10 salaried employees, including myself. We are a non-profit clinic. At the end of the year, hopefully we break even financially. Now the government says I must supply my employees with health insurance-lets say $500 per month per employee, that's $60,000 per year. Where does the money come from? I have a choice:

1. I can raise my price-but I can't since the government sets my prices.
2. I can lay off an employee-adding 1 more to the already 4million who have lost their job since Obama took office.
3. I can sell my clinic to a larger system,Skaggs, Cox, St. Johns-just another casualty of "Obamacare".

And I represent many other small businesses. Yesterday, I was practicing this talk at the Quick-Mart on Mount Branson. Another Mom & Pop business struggling to survive in today's economy. This becomes very personal to their employees when they realize, with the addition of healthcare they may have insurance, but they won't have jobs. And by the way, if you don't carry insurance you may be sent to prison. I can see it now-3 prisoners in the yard "I was convicted for killing a family of 3"; "I was convicted of armed robbery and arson"; and "Well, you have nothing on me-I didn't have health insurance".

SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS PLAN?

I'm not much of an economist, but this I understand:

<---------|-----------|----------|-----------|--->
Slave 25 50 75 100
Socialism Free

If one makes $100 and goes to a store where everything cost $100 or less, they are free to choose anything in that store. But if someone takes 25% away, they have less freedom, less choice to choose. If one takes 50% from them, they have even less freedom, less choice...and 75%...and if one works all day, and at the end of the day, all of the money they earned is taken from them...they have no choice, no freedom. They are now a slave.

In the United States there are two types that can take our money from us without our permission. The thief comes, sticks a gun in our ribs and demands our pay. We hand him the envelope and he takes the money. Or, the thief comes, sticks a gun in our ribs demanding our pay. We hand him the envelope. When he opens it, it is already empty. He says, Uncle Sam has beat me to you.

This plan is going to be expensive! Nancy Pelosi says this is a 1.3 trillion dollar plan. I suspect this is code talk for 2 to 3 trillion dollars. And that figure doesn't even include the 300 million dollars in pork Louisiana's senator, Mary Landreau, was paid for her vote.

Just to give you a handle on the size of these numbers:

1 million seconds = 11 1/2 days
1 billion seconds = 31 1/2 years
1 trillion seconds = 32,000 years

It is estimated we will need $750 billion dollars in new taxes to pay for this-much of this falling on small business. We are also going to tax the very wealthy-people making $250,000 per year. Now we already take Federal, State, Property taxes, plus taxes on gas, food, ect., ect....., let's say 50% of ones income. So the very rich now make $125,000 per year. Now we are going to tax them some more. We can also tax "cadillac" health plans-except of course if you belong to a union, or if you are a senator or congressman. Now wait a minute, if this plan is supposed to be so good for all of us, but it is not good enough for our elected officials? No it is not. They have exempted themselves from this and will continue to get their "beyond cadillac" plans.

Mr. Obama promises there will be no increase in taxes on the poor or middle class, but we can have a "sin" tax on cigarettes, alcohol, and soft drinks. Who does he think consumes these products. There is even a proposal to tax plastic surgery like BOTOX. Finally, even Nancy Pelosi will have to contribute.

Obama says he wants government to "compete with private insurance companies" to drive down the cost of healthcare and if you like your current health insurance, you may keep it. But the reality is , there is no such thing as the government competing with private insurance companies. Because government writes the rules and is funded through taxation. Private industry focuses on revenue.

Government creates a large Bureaucracy enables it to enforce it's own rules and regulations. Bureaucracies by nature cost a lot of money. The obvious comparison is the Post Office competing with Federal Express and UPS. The Post Office is less efficient, slower, far more expensive to run and always looses your mail. Like the Post Office, if government mismanages or miscalculates their health care plan, they raise taxes or ration benefits. If private insurance or Federal Express or UPS mismanage, they go out of business. The ultimate end game is a one payer system--SOCIALIZATION OF HEALTH CARE.

RATIONING OF HEALTH CARE

The debate of abortion comes down to one thing, when does life begin--is it:

1. At conception?
2. When the heart first beats?
3. When the fetus is viable?
4. When the baby is out of the birth canal? or
5. 1 week or 1 year after birth?

The flip side of this debate is when does death occur?

1. When you quit breathing and your heart quits beating?
2. When your cost outweigh your assets?
3. When you are no longer productive to society?
4. At age 85, 75 or 65?

The corner stone of "Obamacare" is to impose a "global budget" on medicare. A fifteen member board, appointed by the President, will dictate what is covered and how it will be paid for. The committee will have to meet certain budget targets every year. Starting in 2015, medicare may not grow more rapidly on a per capita basis than by a measure of inflation. By the way this plan has been touted as not adding to the national debt. This is because we start paying for it in 2010, but the benefits of insurance don't begin until 2015. That is, we collect for 10 years and only pay for 5 years. After 2019, it could only grow at the same rate as GDP + 1%. These hard budget caps means there is only so much money to be divided up for care, with no account for demographic changes, longer life spans, higher incidence of diabetes, heart disease, cancer or other diseases. It leaves little room for medical innovation. The commission is mandated to go after "sources of excess cost growth", meaning treatments which are too expensive.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU

Just this week we then heard about the new recommendation that women not needing mammograms until the age of 50 and them not yearly. According to this month's Internal Medicine News, "Breast Cancer Deaths Higher without Routine Screening." Did you know your doctor will be penalized financially if they order too many referrals or too expensive tests on you? "If it bothers you, but you aren't going to die from it, please just live with it." It means you may wait weeks or months to get an appointment with your primary care provider, and specialty care-it will be a long time. As President Obama put it in June, "Maybe you are better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller".

The Medicare Commission will function much like the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which rations care in England, or a similar board in Washington state created in 2003 to control costs. The Washington Commission, called Health Technology Assessment, is composed of eleven bureaucrats, including a chiropractor and a naturopath. If they determine something isn't cost effective, it isn't covered. This year it is targeting frivolous luxuries like knee replacement, spinal cord stimulators, specialized care for autism, MRI of the abdomen, pelvis and breast for cancer patients.

I'm also frustrated by the AMA (American Medical Association). I have never belonged to the AMA, and I know few physicians who do. The AMA does not speak for me any more than AARP does.

FINALLY, I DO BELIEVE OUR HEALTH INSURANCE NEEDS TO BE REFORMED:

First we need to allow small businesses to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower costs, jut like corporations and labor unions do.

Second, we need to establish access programs allowing individuals with pre existing conditions access to quality, affordable coverage.

Third, we need to be allowed to purchase health insurance across state line, just like we purchase auto insurance, thus allowing competition for insurance companies.

Fourth, we need to promote increased patient accountability through healthcare savings accounts.

Fifth, there must be malparactice reform--protecting doctors and hospitals from frivolous lawsuits.

The only way to take the politics out of health care is to give the individual more power to control medical dollars. And the first step should not be to create even more government spending commitments. The core problem with government run health care is that it doesn't make decisions in the best interest of patients, but in the best interest of government.

This ends the formal presentation I prepared, but someone in the crowd asked me: "Why with the majority of Americans opposing Nancy Pelosi's healthcare plans, do they continue to push them so hard?" Just a thought, Social Security was the greatest Ponzi scheme ever perpetrated on the Atmerican people. Bernie Madoff doesn't have anything on our government. All entitlement programs are basically Ponzi schemes-medicare, medicaid, welfare, ect.....Maybe we are just out of money to continue paying for these, so now we need a new Ponzi scheme.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Lieberman Staffer Threatens to have Tea Party Patriot Coordinators Arrested

Below is an article written by Mark Meckler about one of the lowlights at the "Government Waiting Rooms" at the Code Red Rally in D.C. today.

Mark is one of the National Coordinators for the Tea Party Patriots.

From Parcbench --

Today, Tea Party Patriots from across the nation spent most of the day in DC visiting a variety of Senator’s offices to express our opinion that they should not pass the health care reform bill currently before the Senate. Most staffers were polite enough, though usually we were not permitted any time to speak with a Senator or senior staff. However, clearly the Tea Party Patriots were making their presence known in the Senate office buildings as we executed operation Government Waiting Rooms. As we sat waiting to speak to Senators who wouldn’t show their faces, we got the feeling of what it would be like in government controlled health care system; lots of waiting and no results.

The day turned far more interesting when we heard that Senator Joe Lieberman was on the fence. Three of us decided to head up to the seventh floor to see if the Senator would spare a few minutes and speak with us about his position on the pending bill. Accompanied by fellow Tea Party Patriot National Coordinator Sally Oljar, and California Patriot Michael Greer, I entered Lieberman’s office and we asked to speak with him. We were advised that he wasn’t there, but as we had done in all the previous offices we had visited, we indicated that we’d be happy to wait for him.

Unfortunately, Sen. Lieberman’s staff reacted quite differently than all the other staff we had encountered. The gentleman who appeared to be in charge told us that we had to leave the Senator’s office. He kept repeating that the Senator would not be meeting with us, and that he wanted us to leave. As we sat peacefully in the small waiting room, I simply responded to him by telling him that we were happy to wait. When he again insisted we leave, we engaged in a civil discussion where we advised him that as citizens, we felt we had a right to be there, in a building which we pay for. Finally, he threatened to call the Capitol Police and have us arrested for “loitering.;” We advised him to do whatever he needed to do, but that we weren’t leaving.

Eventually, six armed Capitol Police arrived. One officer entered the waiting room and advised us that the staffer was asking us to leave, and that if we didn’t leave, we’d be arrested. I asked the officer if it was a police request that we leave, and told him that we were law abiding citizens and would leave if he asked us to. He seemed hesitant to do so, and ultimately left the room to speak with the staffer without asking us to leave. After several minutes of pow-wow between the officers and the staffer, we decided to leave before the situation escalated further. It was clear, with six officers on hand, they did intend to arrest us.

All across the country, Senators refuse our calls, ignore our emails, throw away our letters and refuse to meet with us.. Today — in the Senate office building — Senate staff literally threatened to arrest three members of the Tea Party Patriots, including two National Coordinators. When one of the most “moderate” Senators threatens to have well groomed, quiet, cooperative tea partiers arrested simply for sitting in the office waiting to meet with a Senator, it is clear that representative democracy is on
its death bed in this country.


Sound too outrageous to believe? Watch the video and see your government at work.