Originally posted on 02/08/2010 at Conservative.Compass.com

President Obama's meeting with Republicans two weeks ago has garnered a lot of attention from the Left.  Progressives and Liberals seemingly can't get enough of telling us all how the President schooled Republicans.  How he debated them into submission, and sent them running with their collective tails between their legs.  Yeah, right.  The truth is, a month ago before the Massachusetts Senate election, President Obama wasn't giving Republican lawmakers the time of day, much less a face to face meeting.

The political landscape changed overnight with the election of Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts. It is also apparent that between twenty and forty seats in Congress will shift to the right this coming November, not to mention an untold number of Governorships.  Rather than working toward a give and take with Republicans, Obama is, in fact laying the foundation of cooperation to enable his survival with the heavily Republican Congress he is about to face at the end of this year.

This was no meeting of reconciliation or compromise.  Progressives do not compromise, they play for keeps, and Obama has always had a "my way, or the highway" approach to cooperation.  This was a meeting of necessity, from a position of weakness, calculated to keep his foot in the door, and his badly damaged programs and agenda alive.  When Pelosi and Reid are gone, as they surely will be, President Obama will find himself with no strong champions in Congress and a Supreme Court that he has managed to insult and disenfranchise.

By inviting the President to speak at their meeting, Republicans showed a commendable amount of benevolence.  They gave Obama another photo op, with the appearance of "reaching out" for compromise and concession.  They gave him the opportunity to continue looking tough and Presidential while scoring rhetoric points on the nightly news, and they gave him an additional opportunity to lie about giving consideration to Republican input and amendments to the health care bill.  If you doubt that, check the Congressional record of proceedings.  Republicans were essentially shut out of any meaningful participation.

Most pundits have explained the meeting as Obama's attempt to win back independents that have been abandoning his administration and its Progressive agenda for several months.  Certainly he was trying to energize a besieged, weary Democratic Congress that is about to give up on legislation and concentrate on surviving the upcoming elections.  However with his shaky coalition in the House and loss of the majority in the Senate, clearly the only reason Obama was talking to Republicans is because, now he has to.

Originally posted on 02/05/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

In a movie some years ago, a distraught elderly lady is being comforted by an arriving police officer.  "My kitty cat is in the tree, and it can't get down!" she pleads.  "Don't worry ma'am" he says in an official tone,  "I'll get your cat out of the tree."  Then the little old lady's hope turns to horror as the officer pulls out his service revolver and shoots the cat which immediately drops to the ground.  I mention this darkly humorous scene because it is sadly similar to the situation many Americans find themselves in now with regard to President Obama and his administration.

President Obama as a candidate in 2009, promised to do many things for America.  Tax breaks for middle America, tuition assistance, mortgage relief, green energy, jobs creation, affordable health care, lowering of the oceans and so on.  All laudable intentions, very attractive to the masses.  The problem was that most people had no real idea how he intended to accomplish those things.  Many of us who were paying close attention to what he was saying, had a suspicion of what was to come.  The promise to "fundamentally change America" in retrospect was particularly chilling.

Who could have imagined that this President's plan would hinge upon running up massive, unsustainable debt?  Who could have imagined that billions would be poured down a black hole to "save or create" jobs while sustained unemployment topped 10%?  Who could have imagined that Obama would essentially nationalize General Motors and large sectors of the banking industry, picking winners and losers, and deciding unilaterally how much employees in the private sector should be paid for their service.

The candidate Obama, never said anything about tinkering with my insurance, or turning my health care over to the Government bureaucracy.  He didn't tell me that I would have to pay more for virtually everything because of increased regulation, taxes and energy costs to American businesses.  He didn't tell me that he intended to take my tax dollars and use them to help others buy a new car, or pay their mortgage, or to forgive student loans.

Do you suppose that candidate Obama would have been elected if he told us that during the first 20 months of his administration, he intended to increase the public debt $3.3 trillion?  It took "mister big spender" President Bush eight years to run up that amount of debt.  How about doubling the national debt in five years and tripling it in ten?  Within the foreseeable future, interest payments on that debt will become the largest single line item in the budget.  What then?

Critics on the Left are fond of saying that Conservatives like myself have some personal issue with President Obama.  Nothing could be further from the truth, although candidly, given his prominent place in history I had hoped he would be better.  Regardless of how well intentioned the final result, I disagree with his method.  I would disagree with any President of any party that attempted to enact similar legislation and  policies, or who showed such disregard for the will of the people.  We find ourselves in our current situation because after eight years of President Bush, the majority of Americans were so desperate for a change in direction and an end to politics as usual, they forgot to ask one important question:  Just how the young candidate actually intended to "get the cat out of the tree".

Originally posted on 01/30/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

The game changing upset by Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race has essentially brought Obamacare to a screeching halt.  Democrat leaders are hunkered down, worrying more about their political future than the well-being of their constituents.  Hopefully the events of the past two weeks haven't misled Americans in their perception of Conservative philosophy on health care today.  There is now an opportunity to bring fiscally responsible, meaningful change to our health care system.  Conservatives and Liberals alike should not squander this moment.  The time is now for real bi-partisan health care reform.

I don't believe even the most strict Conservative is so cold that they don't recognize a need for modification and improvement in the way we take care of our citizens.  Having said that, it is important to acknowledge that nearly 80% of insured Americans are happy with their coverage, and don't want it to change.  It is also important to acknowledge that each year, many Americans are financially drained by catastrophic illness.  It is inconceivable that this County cannot figure out a way to help citizens who face ruin because of unmanageable medical bills.  We support many entitlement programs from food stamps to rent subsidies to school lunches and tuition assistance.  Certainly a catastrophic medical entitlement could be managed without looting the Treasury, and would be widely supported by the citizens of this Country.

Health insurance is not the problem.  The cost of health care is.  Insurance companies are not evil.  They are businesses operating with the goal of generating revenue and profits for their shareholders, and no one is forced to buy insurance (at least not yet).  These companies provide a service to their customers at an agreed upon price, just like an attorney or accountant.  When Government seeks to meddle in a business transaction between buyer and seller, the free market suffers.  If Government steps in and pays insurance premiums with taxpayer money, the laws of cost and demand are violated and providers are no longer encouraged to keep prices down.

It would be far better to work on the causes of high health care costs.  Tort reform to limit the cost of malpractice insurance would shave millions of dollars.  Working to limit uninsured, non-urgent care in hospital emergency rooms would significantly lower expenses that are normally passed on to insured patients.  Allowing importation of lower priced drugs and the ability to shop for insurance in other states would lessen the financial burden on Americans as well.

Finally we must agree that certain diagnostic and treatment measures are by their nature expensive.  America has the best medical care in the world, but it comes at a price.  Research and innovation is costly, and when exported to countries that limit what can be charged, the only way to recoup investment is through higher prices domestically.  This Administration is always keen on pursuing "what is fair".  How about making the rest of the world pay its fair share for technologies being subsidized by the American people?  Under such a requirement, their socialized medical systems would probably collapse within a couple years.

The point of all this is that there are a ton of valid ideas to make healthcare more affordable and available to the American people, that won't destroy our current system or cost us trillions of dollars.  The ill-conceived juggernaut of Democrat health care reform is now at a standstill and in danger of total failure.  That multi-thousand page quagmire of regulation, new bureaucracy and pork deserves nothing better than removal from life support, but if we let health care reform crash and burn never to be resurrected, it will be nearly as bad as passing Obamacare.  There are things that can and should be proposed, and now is the opportunity for the "best and the brightest" in Washington to get to work on it regardless of their Party.  Now that the insane rush to pass Obamacare is off, it truly is time for fiscally responsible, common sense,  bipartisan health care reform.

Originally posted on 01/26/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

So now President Obama wants to talk about jobs.  Didn't he call a "Jobs Summit" last month?  What was the result of that gathering of business leaders?  Free lunch I think.  Why the sudden concern for putting Americans back to work?  He has squandered a year on Obamacare, he has traveled the world making a failed bid for the Chicago Olympics, and to hold the hands of European climate alarmists.  All the while, in spite of the multi billions spent on the "stimulus", joblessness has soared to over 10% (17% real).  Why now all the concern about American unemployment?  Do you suppose it was the unthinkable loss of the Kennedy seat in Massachusetts?  Could it be that with the Conservatives against him and the Liberals jumping ship, the only faction he has left to court is independents?  You better believe it.  This is a President  coming off the ropes and trying to re-invent his  image with America's Independents.  Hopefully they will continue to be as smart in the future as they have been over the last several months.

This President seems baffled by the reluctance of America's businesses to hire or retain employees.  Why do you suppose that would be?  Could employers be concerned about a whole slew of costly regulations and taxes proposed by this administration? Could they be worried about increased medical insurance premiums or a punitive tax for lack of employee coverage?  Might they be nervous about Bush era tax cuts being eliminated?  Could it be that onerous cap and trade regulations would increase their cost of doing business with higher energy and supply costs?  Are they absorbing higher costs passed on to them by their banks for the privilege of borrowing working capital?

If business owners in America, many of which operate as S-Corporations, co-mingling their business and personal income, suddenly find themselves in "at risk" tax brackets, why would they be in a mood to expand?  It would be an interesting statistic showing how many people are unemployed not because they were laid off, but because their company gave up and closed it's doors. This President and Congress are about as anti-free market as any I have seen in my lifetime.  It's no great wonder that businesses in this Country are running scared.

This new found empathy for the American worker is a charade.  Obama is continuing his pattern of bob and weave.  When one issue hits the wall as Obamacare did, he immediately moves on to the next thing, leaving the carcasses of his supporters in the ruins.  In truth, if this President was really concerned about jobs lost, he would have been dealing with it in June when it surpassed 1.7 million, or in May when it hit 2.2 million, or maybe even in October when it topped 2.5 million, leaving 15 million Americans without work.

Clinton campaign strategist James Carville said "It's the economy, stupid".  He was right then, and he is right now.  Many of us have known it all along.  If you can't support your family, nothing else matters.  Obama is a day late and a dollar short on this one and I think the majority of the American people will recognize this.  This President is spending his political capital at the same pace his is increasing the national debt and he is in danger of becoming politically impotent for the remainder of his long, long single term.  Underestimating the American people is a mistake no President can afford to make.

Originally posted on 01/24/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

I knew it would come to this when I read that teachers could no longer grade papers with red ink, because that would hurt student self-esteem.  It was decided that purple, a gentle mixture of blue and red, is a much more positive way of defining correct and almost correct responses (there is no wrong answer).  I was further troubled when I noted my own kid's classes evolved from A through F to Pass/Fail, and finally to "Participated".  I am convinced that this is the only grading criteria that could have possibly come into play when President Obama recently awarded himself a B+ for his first year in office.  It appears that he stuck with the old fashioned letter grade because "pass/fail" would have been too painful, and "participated" is too similar to voting "present" as a Senator.  Under any circumstance he seems to have a rather skewed perception of his accomplishments during this stormy first term.

He couldn't deliver on his key initiative, heath care (insurance) reform.  Not that I am disappointed, but a large number of Americans hoped that valuable Congressional time would have been spent on more pressing issues like the economy and jobs. It's not as if he didn't have the resources to accomplish his goals.  Few Presidents have the luxury of both House and Senate majorities, and to squander that advantage on a bill that is so pitifully wrong for America is inexcusable.  In my grade book that would be an "F".

Two trips to Copenhagen yielded nothing.  No Olympics for Chicago, no substantive agreement on the hoax of manmade climate change. Again, I am far from disappointed.  The only infuriating thing about these events is that Americans shelled out plenty for transportation, security and accommodations during those trips, while it could be argued that the President would have better spent his time in Washington dealing with more important domestic issues.  In my grade book that would be a generous "D" minus.

Close Gitmo, end warrant-less wiretaps and stop rendition of prisoners to other countries.  No, no and no.  Well past the deadline set by Obama to close Guantanamo Bay, it looks as if it not only will stay open, but will do so for some time to come. The Obama administration also has continued if not expanded the program of warrant-less wire tapping for security reasons, and maintained the so called rendition program, outsourcing interrogation of hostile nationals to countries where constitutional rights don't stand in the way of obtaining useful intel.  Thank God I can give him an "F" on these points.

Campaign promises broken are almost too numerous to mention.  All that stimulus money to stop increasing job loss did nothing but expand government while at 10%, unemployment has slowed simply because companies are running out of employees to fire and many people have stopped looking for work.  Cutting taxes for 95% of Americans is difficult to understand even if you use new math.  Increased costs of regulation and business taxes are always passed on the consumer, and credits to people who pay no income tax in the first place is not a tax cut, it is welfare.  Openness, transparency and the end of special  interests in Washington.  Well, you saw the health care fiasco.  Need I say more?  A big, fat "F" on all  counts.

I could continue, but it would just be piling on.  The point is, this President is out of touch.  His self evaluation exposes a politician completely disconnected from the people.  As a group, we have been sending the message loud and clear for months.  The polls, the town hall meetings and the marches on Washington couldn't be more eloquent.  Democratic losses in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts should be like a blow to the head, and this administration still doesn't get it.  The media says the President will now be "feisty" as he pursues his goals.  More like "punch drunk".

Obama can delude himself into believing that his performance rates a B+, but until he realizes that he is an employee of the citizens of this Country, and as such answers to us, he is in for a massive attack on his self-esteem, and no amount of purple ink or euphemisms for inadequate performance will save his Presidency.

Originally posted on 01/19/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

Quick, drop something to see if it falls up.  The unimaginable has happened.  The Senate seat held since 1962 by the Democrat "Lion of the Senate", Ted Kennedy has been won by a Republican.  I almost expect Massachusetts to slide into the sea and I am sure there are many Democrats who would prefer the State's demise to loss of the "Kennedy Seat".  In a fair and balanced world, this would mean the end of the health care bill being pushed by Congress.  Scott Brown's win robs Democrats of the 60 votes they need for passage, but now the fun begins.  Now we will be schooled in all the delays, obstructions and parliamentary gymnastics under the sun, as Senator Reed and Speaker Pelosi attempt to ram the legislation through before Brown can be seated.  They will do literally anything to deliver this one victory to the President, so buckle up, its going to be a bumpy ride.

For weeks they have been scrambling to forge an agreement on Obamacare so they can send something, anything to the President for his signature.  Increasingly it appeared as if they were running out of time.  The Democrat candidate for the seat, once thought to be a shoe in, was becoming less and less attractive as she "phoned in" her campaign and blurted out serious gaffs that made her look inattentive if not incompetent.  In contrast, Brown was striking a chord with Republicans and Independents alike by saying all the right things and as a result, raising millions of dollars during the last week of the race.

Much was made of the Republican Gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey, but this is the real deal.  This is a true referendum on the President and his initiatives.  Voters were acutely aware that sending Brown to the Senate would all but doom the health care bill's chance of becoming law, a point proven by Obama's last minute pep rally trip to Massachusetts.  This is the American people speaking their minds loud and clear.  This is the beginning of the 2010 midterms, an ominous preview of things to come.

All that remains now is to see what Democrat lawmakers have in mind to subvert the will of the people by forcing Obamacare through.  Will they attempt to delay Brown's seating in the Senate?  Although the Democrat Secretary of State in Massachusetts, could take his time certifying the election, it would be tough on his political career.  In 1962 Ted Kennedy was sworn in within hours of his election, a point we all need to remember.

Will Pelosi attempt to force acceptance in the House of the Senate bill with no modifications?  Perhaps, but doing that will likely blow off at least 40 Democrat Representatives who are concerned about the abortion provisions, and who may never support her again.  She's too vain to self-destruct her power base, even for the President.  Having said that, we can't forget that Democrat leaders have been doing things all year that defy logic and self preservation.  I can hardly wait to see what they pull out of the hat. 

The American people are no longer being fooled.  They've seen the payoffs to Louisiana, Florida and Nebraska.  They've seen the concessions to Big Labor.  They know what is right and wrong, and they know when they are being hoodwinked.  The election results in Massachusetts, when a Republican wins in the bluest of blue states, the bluest of blue seats, is ample proof of that.

Originally posted on 01/17/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

The earthquake in Haiti is one of those things that come along from time to time, that reminds us how trivial most of our problems really are.  It is truly a cruel joke of nature that takes everything from those who had nothing to begin with.  As usual, when disaster strikes, the American people and our Government have responded with massive shipments of aid in the form of food, water and money.  Ironically, many if they receive rations, will eat better than they did before the quake.  It is hard to imagine such poverty.  That is the reality for eighty percent of the Haitian population.

Having said that, let's remember that within our own Country, large numbers of citizens live below the poverty level.  Many face their own day to day disaster, lack of adequate food, loss of shelter and the emotional toll of being unable to provide for their families.  We just experienced a holiday season with 17% real unemployment, food banks stripped to the bare shelves and charity organizations exhausting resources.  The generosity of the American people seems boundless with regard to foreign relief, and we should do what we can, but it is important to remember our own citizens as well.

It is also important to remember that charity is a luxury of strong economies.  You can't give what you don't have, and those Countries that would love to see the American economy crumble, would do well to ponder where aid might originate in the case of their own natural disaster.  Who do you call, France?  Tell that to the people of Haiti.

Originally posted on 01/09/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

Today, I want to share with you an old story I heard many years ago about presidential politics.  I'm going to have to paraphrase it, and I hope my memory can do it justice.  It was not about any particular president, but seems to me, appropriate to today's situation.  It speaks to the patience of the American people.

On inauguration day, the newly elected President is speaking with the outgoing Chief Executive who had just weathered a wild and contentious single term.  The weary ex-President says:  "I'd like to give you some advice.  I have left for you, in the top right drawer of the Oval Office desk, three envelopes containing three letters."

"When big challenges to your administration come, as they surely will, and when you have critics at every corner and don't know what to do" he continued, "open one of the envelopes and follow the instructions inside."

It wasn’t' long before the new President was forced to defend his administration and its handling of important issues.  Embattled and no longer knowing what to do, he went to the drawer, withdrew the envelope marked #1 and opened it.  Inside, the letter was short and to the point.  "Blame the previous administration" it said and he did just that.  The public cut him some slack and the criticism died down.

A little further into his term, the new President was again under fire, and was again desperate to save his administration from the scrap heap of history.  He went to the desk and withdrew the second envelope.  Inside, the letter said simply:  "Blame the system."  Once again the critics were silenced, and the President moved forward.

Inevitably, the President found his administration in turmoil again.  Friend and foe alike were joining together in a chorus of criticism, and the public was vocal in their displeasure.  The new President however wasn't concerned.  After all, he had the answer to his problems in that desk drawer, within the envelope marked #3.

Confident that the solution to his latest round of problems was at hand, the President opened the last  envelope and read the contents.  It said simply:  "Write three letters."

The moral of the story is this: Mr. President, the American people are reasonable, understanding and patient.  Their patience is however not infinite, and at some point in time, you have to step up, and own your administration and the effect it is having on this Country and its citizens.  The words "I", "me" and "we" so prevalent during your campaign, need to return to your vocabulary now that you are President, not only in the context of accomplishment but also in the assignment of responsibility.

Frankly, the way things have gone during the first year of your administration, you might also need to sit down and write three letters.

Originally posted on 01/06/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

Another promise falls by the wayside.  President Obama, has insisted on as many as eight occasions, that the final negotiations of his proposed health care reform would be carried out with complete transparency.  He went to great lengths to outline how it "all would be carried on C-Span for everyone to see".  He said he "wanted all Americans to see who was for it and who was against it".  He said he wanted everyone to see the shady tactics, backdoor deals and pork attached to the bill.  OK, the last one is an exaggeration, but you get my point.

Today we see that the President and Democrat leaders are hammering out the details of the House-Senate compromise in secret, behind closed doors.  An article in the Washington Post describes how the whole thing is coming down:

In a White House meeting Tuesday evening, Obama and Democratic leaders agreed on a fast-track alternative to the traditional House-Senate conference committee. The informal approach would still require the House and Senate to pass identical bills but would minimize the opportunity for Senate Republicans -- who united in opposition to the legislation -- to slow the process. Under the plan, the House would pass the Senate bill amended with new compromise provisions, then send the package back to the Senate for one final vote.

Notice that they are running an end around to avoid any possibility of delay or intervention.  The normal procedure of a House-Senate conference to iron out differences is being eliminated to hide all the baloney from the American people.  They are still trying to get this done fast (even though the supposed benefits won't appear until 2014), and we all need to be asking "why the rush?"  We also need to ask why the majority party of both houses need to seal this deal without allowing a single Republican in the room?  That's certainly not a representative democracy.

I've been saying all along that this thing can't stand the light of day and the behavior of our lawmakers proves my assertion.  On December 30, in a letter to House and Senate leadership, the Network Chairman of C-Span himself implored them to make good on Obama's promise and allow broadcast of the proceedings.  So far, at least, the request has fallen on deaf ears.  In fact today when questioned about the letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snidely remarked: "A lot of promises are made during campaigns".  Yeah, like that one to serve the people.

This almost opaque administration that promised so much openness and transparency, constantly amazes with policies and political moves that are murky at best.  The most stunningly expensive and life changing legislation ever proposed is moving toward law behind a wall meant to shut out Americans and eliminate any dissent.  This is the same kind of transparency that was perfected by the Soviet Union and 20 years later, we all see how well that worked.

Originally posted on 01/01/2010 at ConservativeCompass.com

After the 2008 Presidential election, when all independents combined could muster barely 3% of the popular vote, it became clear that any positive change in our political system would have to come through the two major parties.  As much as I hate to admit it, Independents are probably wasting their time hoping for salvation in the form of strong third party candidates.  For now, the best we can do is to support those major party players who most closely represent our Conservative philosophy of small government and fiscal responsibility.  Unfortunately, those people are becoming more and more difficult to find, on either side of the aisle.  The primary agenda of both R's and D's alike is not so much the prosperity and well-being of their constituents, but rather the continuation of cashflow for, and
longevity of, their own term in office.

Finance Reform
In my opinion, the campaign finance reform we have enacted was not the right way to go, and in fact has worked against the original intention of separating money from legislation.  The onerous record keeping and regulation has done nothing to stop special interests from "buying" votes or benefiting from special treatment.  In fact, I believe it has only made lawmakers more acutely aware of who they are beholding to when it comes time to weigh in on various bills.

A much better approach would be to make all contributions completely anonymous.  Campaign contributions should be made to one large fund to be split among all viable candidates.  We already have public financing in affect, and this would just mask any special interest giving, so it would be impossible to pay back favors for monetary support.  An added benefit would be the leveling of the playing field for qualified but not so wealthy candidates.  The sinful amount of money raised for the 2008  Presidential campaign, (Over $1 billion) should be a world wide embarrassment for this Country.  With the incentive of  political favors eliminated, anonymous financing would certainly reduce the amount of money contributed, and therefore curtail overall campaign spending.  I can't help believing all that extra money could be better spent in the private sector.

Our lawmakers clearly can't be trusted with other people's money.  My solution is to give them less of it, and don't let them know where it came from.

Term Limits
The other half of this symbiotic political duo is tenure and the concept of term limits.  I did not always favor limiting the length of time anyone can hold office.  In my state, for many years, residents reaped the benefits of re-electing the most senior of Senators Warren G. Magnuson and Henry M. Jackson.  Seniority is power in DC.  Unfortunately it seems, that power is being used less and less for the good of constituents, and more for the benefit of the individual lawmaker.  An undue amount of time, energy and money is now expended on staying in office, regardless of the needs, concerns and will of the people.  All lawmakers should be limited to two consecutive terms.  I would support an additional two terms after at least one intervening full term by someone else.  This would serve all of our citizens by bringing fresh blood, new ideas and renewed energy to the political process more often.  If they serve a second term, lawmakers could spend time actually fulfilling their responsibilities instead of running for re-election.  An added benefit would be to  minimize party sweeps of one direction or the other.  That could only be good for America.

Congress was wise enough to see the value of term limits when they passed the 22nd amendment to limit Presidential tenure.  If it is good enough for the President, why not all politicians?  I would look at the Supreme Court as well.  No one deserves a lifetime governmental job, no one.

All politicians it seems once they attain office, are focused on staying there as long as possible.  The main vehicle for that is, of course the campaign contribution.  Cashflow transcends performance or success.  Money and longevity are inextricably entwined in Washington.  One begets the other.  If we reign in one, the other will follow, bringing with it many additional benefits for our citizens.  It is clearly time to give these two concepts another look and another assessment from the American people.

Originally posted on 12/23/2009 at ConservativeCompass.com

It's not over 'til it's over.  On Thursday at 7:00 am Washington time, the Senate will vote Harry Reid's healthcare train wreck one step closer to reality.  The Republicans let the majority off the hook by agreeing to allow an early vote so everyone could go home for the Christmas holiday.  I'm glad the Conservatives are being so accommodating.  We wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone.  After all it's just a matter of changing healthcare, jobs and taxes FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!

Thankfully, as in a Wagnerian tragedy, this thing isn't over until the fat lady sings, and she hasn't even taken the stage yet.  There is still time to get to these people, both Senators and Representatives.  Each house will need to vote this travesty into law, so we have more potential targets to receive our ire.  We aren't able to lavish millions of dollars on our lawmakers as Harry Reid did, so the only way we can get their attention is through the ballot.  We can withhold votes and send these carpetbaggers packing.  We need to make them acutely aware that we intend to do so, and we have to do it a lot over the next several weeks.

Luckily, there is a web site that will help you do just that.  If you follow this link , it will make contacting your lawmakers dirt simple.  Just input your name and address, and it will set up a message screen that will directly e-mail your Representatives and Senators.  There is a thoughtfully pre-written letter, or you can add and revise as you desire.  I urge you to do it now and do it often.  Even the dimmest politician has to eventually acknowledge the shifting tide of opinion and the wishes of the people.  The Democrats are riding high on the adrenaline rush of winning a skirmish.  When the realization finally hits that they will stand alone before the electorate, and be judged by their vote, the Liberal fortress may start to crumble.

This Christmas holiday, as you enjoy and do things for your family and loved ones, take a few moments to do something for their future.  Contact your lawmakers and remind them what a colossal mistake this legislation is.  Remind them that you are not a fool and you know when you are being hoodwinked.  Remind them that this bill got where it is with the thinnest of margins, bribery and backroom deals.  Remind them that it only  takes a few individuals to stand up and oppose this disaster.  Most of all, remind them that there is still room in Washington for heroes.

Originally posted on 12/20/2009 at ConservativeCompass.com

'Tis the season of giving, and no one gets into the generosity better than our lawmakers in Washington.  By the time you have your morning coffee on Monday, they will have laid the groundwork to spend over $2 trillion of your own dollars on you.  As Nancy Pelosi said, just call it a Christmas gift for the American people.  All I can say is:  "Thanks, but you shouldn't have.  No, really, you shouldn't have.

We started the week with the Omnibus 2010 spending bill, followed by the Dept. of Defense budget and jobs bill, and topped it off  like a cherry with the Health Care Bill they intend to pass regardless of how unpopular it might be.

According to the Heritage Foundation , the 2010 spending bill contained many brightly wrapped packages for Americans such as:

    * Provides an 8 percent discretionary spending hike for the third consecutive year;
    * Provides these spending hikes in addition to $311 billion in earlier stimulus funding for these discretionary programs; and
    * Includes approximately 5,224 earmarks, bringing the FY 2010 total to 8,939, with a pork-laden defense bill expected to push the final total over 10,000.

Assuming passage of the omnibus bill and a separate defense appropriations bill, the three-year-old Democratic congressional majority will have:

    * Spent $561 billion more than the baseline level for discretionary programs;
    * Pushed up the 2011-20 discretionary spending baseline by $1.7 trillion--nearly $1,500 per household annually; and
    * Been responsible for three of the five highest earmark years in American history.  Despite a $1.4 trillion budget deficit, this bill includes:

    * A 120 percent increase for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program;
    * A 30 percent increase for the Corporation for National and Community Service;
    * A 22 percent increase for the controversial Essential Air Service; and
    * A 9 percent increase for Amtrak.

Even before the omnibus bill was unveiled, the five appropriations bills that passed in October and November included:

    * A 67 percent increase for the Environmental Protection Agency's State and Tribal Assistance Grants;
    * A 38 percent increase for International Food Aid;
    * A 20 percent increase for the Transportation Security Administration;
    * An 8.4 percent increase for Lawmakers' Office Allowances;
    * An 8.1 percent increase for the National Endowment for the Arts; and
    * An 8.1 percent increase for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Just a quick reminder for those with a short memory:

President Obama promised to reduce earmarks down to the 1994 level of 1,318. He then signed into law most of the 10,160 earmarks for FY 2009 and appears set to sign over 10,000 earmarks into law for FY 2010.

The President also pledged to veto defense earmarks and eliminate all earmarks with "no legitimate public purpose." Yet the President has not threatened to veto the pork-laden defense bill and is not known to have tried to eliminate a single earmark.

House Democrats pledged to reduce earmark spending to 1 percent of all discretionary appropriations (or approximately $11 billion).  However, the appropriations bills have already topped $11 billion in earmarks even before the defense bill is expected to add several billion dollars more.

House Democrats also promised to require that all House Members post their earmark requests online.  Dozens of lawmakers failed to do so by the deadline.  Many who did post their earmarks buried them in obscure parts of their office Web sites.

The crowning jewel of this spending orgy will occur in the dark of night when the Senate passes the health care reform bill in the wee small hours of Monday, December 21st.  They are doing so regardless of lack of public support and bipartisan criticism from both ends of the political spectrum.  They've got to give something, anything to President Obama to prove that they still can govern.  The fact that it will ultimately hurt the American people and that it accomplishes none of the original stated goals has become irrelevant.  After spending all this time, and committing all this money, it is better to pass lousy legislation than none at all, and the American people will be the beneficiaries of this holiday spirit of giving.  Merry Christmas!

Originally posted on 12/14/2009 at ConservativeCompass.com

If you think Senate Republicans are doing everything they can to stop Harry Reid's insane healthcare bill, think again.  Erick Erickson at RedState.com, in his blog post "Fight" lays out many different procedural tactics they could use to delay and derail this legislation.  Yet they are meekly presenting amendments and whining about being excluded from the process.  Excluded? Hell, who wants to be a part of this?

Erickson states in his blog post:  "The Senate, unlike the House of Representatives, has parliamentary rules and procedures that give the minority the ability to stall legislation. In fact, unlike the House, the minority have the ability to virtually paralyze the Senate."  You'd never know it by the way they have been conducting  themselves.

I am often perplexed when I see politicians do things that don't make sense.  The Republicans cozying up to this healthcare plan is lunacy to the Nth degree.  Rather than working to stop it, they seem willing to let it move forward with the addition of inconsequential Republican amendments.  Why would they do such a thing?  Erickson, in his post describes many ways that this thing could be stopped in its tracks, and at very minimum delayed until next year.  It is a must read for all Conservatives who think their interests are being served by Republicans in DC.

I believe that many Republicans want to change the political landscape in America for the next 20 years or more, and they intend to use this healthcare legislation as a vehicle for that change.  They are protesting and posturing, but ultimately, they are allowing the bill to slip toward approval.

The Democrats are turning a blind eye toward the more than obvious negative consequences of Reid's bill, and Republican Senators are more than happy to allow that to occur.  They won't put their names on it, but they won't ultimately stand in its way either.  There is nothing the Republicans would love more than to say "I  told you so" when it dawns on the American public that they have been had, and they are salivating at the thought of Democrats crapping and stepping in it.  Unfortunately, what's good for Republicans, is bad for America and it is time for our lawmakers to decide where their allegiance lays.

This unholy alliance will not work.  When you sleep with dogs, you wake up with fleas.  Conciliation, cooperation and participation will only backfire on those who are now putting their own interest above that of our citizens.  Republicans must demand a quorum, 51 Senators on the floor, and not allow dispensing with the rules.  They must insist upon roll call votes and motions of cloture on each and every amendment brought to the floor.  If this bill is passed before the Christmas recess, all is lost.  We need more time, and the only way to get it is to invoke parliamentary procedure at every juncture.

If you care about your healthcare and your wallet, contact Republican Senators at this website .  Not just your own, but all of them and especially the leadership of McConnel , Kyl , McCain , Grassley , DeMint and Inhofe .  It wouldn't be a bad idea to barrage Snowe and Collins either.  Tell them to step up and do their jobs for the American people.  If this bill passes, it won't mean a free ride for Republicans.  Rather, it will be obvious that they did not do everything in their power to prevent it, and they will share responsibility for its disastrous effects for years to come.

Originally posted on 12/12/2009 at ConservativeCompass.com

The past few months have brought us unprecedented federal spending with commitments for much more to come.  This Congress and Administration are hemorrhaging taxpayer money at a rate unsustainable for any country on earth.  And yet, we are not bashful about borrowing money from other countries to fill our insatiable capital need.  Our National Debt rolled over to 12 trillion, and there is no end in sight.  No one can possibly look at this situation and foresee improvement.  Regardless of partisanship, common sense should raise questions about the end game.  What happens when taxpayers are uniformly broke? What happens when our international creditors say "no more"?  What happens when the well runs dry? 

Omnibus bill
On Sunday (when no one is looking), the Senate will vote on the 2010 Omnibus Spending bill.  It is a travesty of waste and earmarks that will cost over one trillion dollars.  In a radio interview with Glenn Beck on Friday, Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah said:

I don't know how to put enough descriptors about how insane this process is, but they took six agencies, their appropriations, meshed them into one big, bad omnibus bill, I mean, this is seriously this is bad government at its worst. When the bill was originated, it was 1,088 pages, and it has to go to the rules committee before we as members of congress in the rank and file here can actually see it. It ended up being more than 2500 pages, and we voted on it roughly 24 hours after we got it. It represents half of the entire discretionary budget for the entire federal government, $446 billion, 2500 pages. There are 5,000 earmarks and at its baseline represents a 12% increase in spending for their base budgets, not counting the stimulus and all the other crap, a 12% increase over the base budget from just last year.

Examples of ridiculous waste cited by Chaffetz include: $17 million to Ireland "This was started by Tip O'Neill because we somehow as a country had to help Ireland", $3 million for bike racks in Washington DC (how many bicycles do you suppose there are in DC, and do they outnumber the limousines?), $600,000 for Sunset Boulevard beautification in California, $500,000 for the Elvis Presley Boulevard improvement in Tennessee and $1,948,000 is going to go to the Fish Lake Trail completion in the State of Washington (for those who don't know, that is a 23 mile mountain bike trail near Spokane).

Health Care Bill
Only in DC would they take a program like Medicare that is fundamentally broke and plan to expand it.  Only in DC would they tell the American people that this will lower healthcare costs and improve the level of care.  Only in DC would they try to convince us that Medicare is not really a government run program (here's a hint: it's broke).  This is just a stepping stone to the full blown Government option which will certainly eliminate private health insurance policies for all, to the tune of multi-trillions of taxpayer dollars.  If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until our Government runs it.

Cap and Trade
Those who are paying attention call it "Cap and Tax", because it will tax every American for their basic needs: food, shelter and transportation.  Once again, the poor will pay disproportionately, unless of course our Government decides to subsidize their expenses with more taxpayer money from everyone else.  An added bonus will be the increased price if items exported to other countries.  There is nothing like putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world.  Just another example of this Administration's economic death wish.

Climate Change Reparations
Follow the money to Copenhagen.  All these international bandits want is more money, preferably from  America.  Wherever repressive governments have inflicted poverty, famine, and poor health upon their people, the universal solution is more money from the United States.  Call it reparations for 200 years of success born of a Constitution that guarantees freedom to our citizens.  Freedom to innovate, freedom to prosper, and yes freedom to fail.  Climate change is eternal (can you say: 1930's dustbowl and Iceage?).  Only by releasing the human ability to adapt to natural change can we hope to survive, and lining the pockets of despots and international criminals has nothing to do with that.

The ability to be a steward of the Earth, the ability to be charitable and the ability to face down evil are all predicated on internal prosperity.  We can't help others if we can't help ourselves first.  This Country is well down the path of financial ruin, which should bring no comfort to the rest of  the world.  They like us, are hugely dependent upon the economic engine of America.  In the end, when the money has all been squandered, what will they and we do when the well has finally run dry?

Originally posted on 12/06/2009 at ConservativeCompass.com

Senator Harry Reid is kicking the debate of his health care bill into high gear.  Knowing full well that his Democrat colleagues are not accustomed to working through both Saturday and Sunday, he figures after an entire weekend of work, they'll likely agree to anything.  The Republicans, no less subject to debate fatigue at least seem to be holding the line, fighting for more time and forcing the Dems to vote on some politically volatile amendments.  The Senate minority it turning up the heat on the Dems, but not nearly enough.

Republicans have been forcing Democrats to openly deal with the Medicare payment cuts that will be necessary to finance this health insurance reform they so desperately want.  The amendments in general, would protect billions in Medicare payments that Dems know must be sacrificed to help fund their "reform".  So far, the Democrats have defeated two such amendments, essentially voting to cut Medicare benefits, and a third is on the way.  Republican leadership is making them squirm, and these votes will help put many Dems out of office, but Conservatives in the Senate will need more than that to defeat this bill.

If the Republicans want to bring this thing to a screeching halt, all they have to do is force a vote on an amendment to make the "reform" effective immediately.  The Dems can't possibly agree to that for two reasons:  First, if they can't spread the expense of an eight year program over 10 years, the actual costs will become apparent for all to see.  Second the real results of this program, like employers dropping employee insurance plans in favor of paying a less expensive fine, won't be seen until after the 2012 presidential election.  If this bill's consequences were to become apparent immediately, Democrats will experience an election bloodbath in 2012 unprecedented in this Country.

If the Democrats defeat such an amendment, they are then in the position of having to explain to the American people why such a good, noble and necessary reform should be delayed four years, while another “million a year lose their health insurance” and scores of others “go bankrupt or die for lack of it”.  This is a case where they can't have their cake and eat it too.  Maybe they are just hoping to have been thrown out of office by the time the crap hits the fan.

It is virtually certain that Reid will attempt to force bill passage before allowing Senators to go home for the Christmas recess.  We need more time.  The American people aren't as dim as our lawmakers want to believe, and given enough time they are beginning to see this legislation for the stunningly expensive Government take over that it is.  Nowhere does it address reducing medical costs, it simply picks up the check using taxpayer money, and that is not good for anyone in this Country.

Polls show that the majority of Americans don't support this reform, (Gallup , Rasmussen ) yet Dems doggedly refuse to acknowledge that fact.  If they hope to stop this juggernaut, Conservatives in the Senate have to keep the heat on.  It is not enough for Democrats to simply own the bill, they have to also own all of its nuance and consequences.  It is time to crank the heat up to "high".