With the Democrats feeling the heat of America’s anger on Health Care Reform and fiscal self-indulgence with taxpayer’s money, Pres. Barack Obama is now touting morality as the reason for reform.

Problem is, logic is not Obama’s friend. Is abortion moral? Most Americans don’t think so; at least, most Americans do not think federal funds should be used to pay for abortions. But Obama has plainly said in the past that abortion will be part of Health Care Reform. And in April 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked to define reproductive care. She said, “And reproductive health includes access to abortion.”

Further, taking up the morality issue for health care reform seems to indicate that Obama and the Dems can’t defend their assertion that health care reform will be deficit neutral. Not when the Congressional Budget Office recently contradicted that assertion.

Certainly polls show that Americans do not believe that the Health Care Reform bills will save money. With his approval rating dropping fast, Obama feels the pressure to get HCR passed, something he promised to do in his campaign. Many supporters warmed to Sen. Obama’s assertion that he was in favor of a single-payer system, public health plan. But many Americans are starting to see that the so-called reform in health care will be to their detriment, and are demanding their Congressmen vote no on the Health Care Reform bill.

In the past week, I’ve heard tired talking points from liberal acquaintances, advocating health care reform. I’ve been called unChristian simply because I am against the Health Care Reform bills in Congress.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I am a Christian, and I do care about people. That’s why I’m vocally opposed to this Health Care Reform. I don’t want to see people denied health care due to inadequate funding from the government. I don’t want to hear about a woman calling the hospital begging for an ambulance, and being told to walk the ‘short’ distance there to birth her fourth child. I don’t want to hear about that same woman deciding to walk as far as she could on the sidewalk leading to the hospital in hopes that a passerby could help bring her baby into the world. That scenario actually happened this week in the UK.

Friends, do you want to hear your parent’s doctor tell you her hands are tied, that the government will not pay for the treatment needed to extend life 5-10 years because it will cost too much? Do you want to hear a doctor offer pain pills to your parents, who could live a fuller life if they received surgery?

You and fellow Americans know the U.S. government is spending too much. You know that it is not logical to expect the same high standard of medical care from the same number of doctors and nurses, expected to treat and care for a huge increase in patients under either health care co-ops or a government-run public health care plan. This expected Utopia the Dems tout falls apart when Americans question how it will work well, especially when the government promises it will cut fees to the medical providers—in the name of saving money.

Instead of Utopia, Americans rightly imagine long lines and wait time to see their doctors and rationed health care. No one denies that improvements need to be made to our current health care system. But this Health Care Reform in Congress will make the problems worse, and beggar our country. Some Democrats falsely state that there are no Republican alternatives to Health Care Reform. This kind of statement is easily refuted; look to Rep. Paul Ryan’s alternative health reform. But no. There is no true debate, and no true transparency among most Democrats in Congress.

Instead of being transparent, most of the Democrats pushing Health Care Reform are sidestepping questions on what the bill will cover and do.

Let’s look at abortion in health care. The majority of Americans do not want abortion to be subsidized by the federal government. But that is just what the Kennedy bill (as yet unnumbered) being considered in the U.S. Senate, will do. It “would result in federally mandated coverage of abortion by nearly all health plans, federally mandated recruitment of abortionists by local health networks, and nullification of many state abortion laws. It would also result in federal funding of abortion on a massive scale,” said NRLC Legislative Director Doug Johnson.

Those that claim abortion will not be part of the HCR bill are either naive or deliberately misguiding Americans.

The longer the Health Care bill lingers in Congress, the more time Americans have to read it. And this is a bill, 1000+ pages, that is not like lasagna. It doesn’t get better the longer it sits in its juices. No, this bill’s foulness is stinking it up across our great land. Americans against HCR are making their voices heard. But the fear is the Democratic majority will do whatever it takes to pass HCR, even if it is against the rules. After all, who will stop any potential Congressional rule-breakers?

Sadly, the joke is on us. HR3200, the Health Care Reform Bill currently still in the Energy and Commerce Committee, is being held up by the “Blue Dog” Democrats concerned about the cost and scope of the bill. And with good reason.

The government can claim to “save” money by providing health care for all Americans, even illegals, by obtaining cost savings (also known as rationed care).

“With managed care and now with socialized medicine coming, believe me, quality will go down, costs will go up, there will be shortages, there will be lines, and no one’s going to be happy,” Congressman Dr. Ron Paul (R-TX) said on CNN a few weeks ago.

According to Robert A. Book of the Heritage Foundation:

A public health care plan would not improve the current health care situation and would likely make matters worse. Far from saving enough to cover the uninsured, it would increase the cost of covering even the presently insured at the current standard of care. A public plan could reduce overall spending only at the cost of substantial harm to patients.

Reducing health care costs by offering a public plan will only accomplish more of what the government has done with Medicare and Medicaid: reduce payments to doctors and hospitals, and ration care. Rationed care is what the U.K. and Canada and other countries have, and it has sent some of their wealthier citizens to our country to get quality health care.

In a previous post, I stated that we are in danger of losing our freedom in this health care legislation. Shawn Tully details what the Health Care Reform will do in his article, “5 Freedoms You’d Lose in Health Care Reform.”

Do not feel safe because you have private health insurance. You will not be able to keep your health insurance, due to language to that end in HR3200. This is a fact that our own Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, either is unaware of or is ignoring.

FoxNews reports: “CBO estimates that only 11 million to 12 million people would sign up for the public plan — making it a much smaller player in the market. The government coverage would be available alongside private plans through a new kind of insurance purchasing pool called an exchange.”

Well, the number of people who would voluntarily sign up for the public health plan may be correct; 11-12 million. What the CBO is forgetting is the number of people who will be thrown into the public health plan because it will become too difficult and expensive for businesses to continue funding private health insurance for their employees under Health Care Reform.

And what the Obama administration has been trying to keep quiet is that the Health Care Reform bill, if passed, would use taxpayer money to expand abortion services. Would you be happy to pay for someone else’s abortion? Douglas Johnson, National Right to Life Committee Legislative Director points out the reality of the Health Care Reform Bill in a letter to Members of Congress:

“In its current form, this bill would predictably result in the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade, driven by mandates and subsidies emanating from multiple provisions of this bill.

The bill contains provisions that would result in federal mandates requiring inclusion of elective abortion in virtually all health insurance plans, both private plans (which would be required to conform to federal standards in order to participate in the government-operated Exchange), and the new “public plan.” Other provisions would result in health networks being required to establish new abortion providers in order to provide local access to elective abortions. State laws placing procedural requirements or other limitations on abortion ( e.g., waiting periods, or parental notification laws) would be subject to nullification by federal regulation or lawsuit.”

It’s not that hard to believe that abortion ‘rights’ and services will be greatly expanded under Health Care Reform when you consider that in order to rein in health care costs, euthanasia seems to be an option the government is considering. It’s a slippery slope America is going down, with the current legality of abortion. Since an unborn baby can be aborted, why should an older person’s life, especially one with expensive health problems, be considered any more valuable by the government?

Fred Thompson recently had Betsy McCaughey, a conservative and former NY lieutenant governor, on his radio show. McCaughey, who has read the entire 1,000+ page Health Care Reform bill, expressed outrage that the government would mandate quality of life consultations for senior citizens. Carrie Budoff Brown of Politico writes:

On Thompson’s radio show, as well as in a New York Post op-ed and other interviews during the past week, McCaughey has said the provision requires senior citizens to submit to end-of-life consultations. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity touted the New York Post article on their shows. “Congress would make it mandatory, absolutely require, that every five years, people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner,” McCaughey said to Thompson.

The bill expressly says if you get sick somewhere in that five-year period, you have to go through that session again — all to do what is in society’s best interest or your family’s best interest and cut your life short. These are such sacred issues of life and death. Government should have nothing to do with it.”

In the 1,000+ page Health Care Reform bill, ironically named H.R.3200 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, a variety of ways to cut costs are detailed. Do not be fooled by those saying you will be able to keep your private health insurance coverage. This Health Care Reform plan will make it so difficult to keep private health care insurance that the majority of people will be covered by the public health care plan. Of course, that is by design. How can the government hope to have ‘affordable’ health insurance if only a small percentage of Americans have it? Here’s the kicker. Our U.S. Senators and Representatives who ‘toil’ away for us passing laws in Washington, D.C. will not be covered by the public health care plan. Oh no. They’ll be covered by a top notch private health insurance plan.

If this is such a great plan, why wouldn’t our esteemed leaders in Washington, D.C. enroll in it pronto?

Video Source: YouTube

Americans are starting to hear some of what is in the 1000+page Health Care Reform bill, and they’re getting scared. Understandably so.

“The Health Care Bill…is going to destroy the small business sector….and is the single greatest threat to freedom and liberty,” said Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal at last week’s ALEC convention in Atlanta, Ga.

Moore noted that Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel has proposed an 8% increase in taxes on small businesses which do not provide health care insurance. A recent Wall Street Journal article underlined the difficulties small businesses will face as taxes sharply increase in a difficult recessionary environment. Payroll taxes and capital gains taxes will also be increased under Rangel’s proposal. The top tier of taxpayers will see a 58% combined federal and state tax rate, Moore noted.

“Another implication of the Rangel plan is that America’s successful small businesses would pay higher tax rates than the Fortune 500, and for that matter than most companies around the world.”

The bottom line is that Rangel’s proposal has a very ugly outlook for small businesses.

How will health care affect the regular, working American?

Heritage Foundation: “Yearly premiums for the typical American with private coverage could go up by as much as $460 per privately-insured person, as a result of increased cost-shifting stemming from a public plan modeled on Medicare.”

Would you and your older family members be happy being ‘covered’ by the public, government-run health care plan? What, you say? I have private health insurance. Yes, but if the Health Care Reform bill is passed, it is very likely you will not keep your private health insurance for long.

My friends, this is not all the Health Care Reform bill will do. The 1000+ page bill also dictates to young children, and that is an issue I will cover in a later post.

I urge you to stand up for freedom and for all Americans. As radio talk show host Herman Cain pointed out recently at the ALEC convention, “People aren’t just concerned anymore, they’re fearful.”

People are fearful of all the things that are being passed in Washington, D.C. No one has read the bills, but they’re passed anyway. Mr. Obama even said recently that he hasn’t read the Health Care Reform bill, but is out campaigning and lobbying hard to get it passed. Let me say that again. Mr. Obama has not even read the Health Care Reform bill, and he has said he is not ‘familiar’ with the bill. Yet he is very sure that it’s a great idea and he wants it passed ASAP. Does that make sense to you?

Remember the mess that resulted from people not reading their sub-prime mortgage contracts? The chickens from that debacle have already come home to roost. God help our nation if Health Care Reform passes. Health Care Reform will take away the liberties and freedom that Americans have always considered the bedrock of our culture. Only now, that bedrock is about to be cut into and disfigured by the machines of socialism.

If that isn’t what you want, it’s time to make your voice heard. My friends, we must not be discouraged from action. Listen to Mr. Cain’s words of wisdom: “We are the people in charge of this country. Our vote counts, and our voice counts.” Make sure, my friends, that your voice is heard in Washington, D.C. After seeing only a small part of what is in the Health Care Reform bill, don’t you think that we are in a legislative fight for our freedom?

According to Ben Lieberman of the Heritage Foundation, a family of four will experience the following due to the consequences of the Cap and Trade bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on June 26 and now goes to the U.S. Senate:

• $436 average increase in energy costs in 2012
• $1,241 energy bill in 2035
• Electricity costs will increase by 90% by 2035
• Gasoline costs to increase 58% by 2035
• Natural Gas costs to increase by 55% by 2035
• Total cost of Waxman-Markey to family of four: $2,979/year from 2012-2035.
• The energy costs spike to more than $4,600 by 2035.

“The cumulative higher energy costs for a family of four by then (2035) will be nearly $20,000,” Ben Lieberman, senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, said in testimony before a Senate Republican Conference recently.

Wow. I think most American families can use $20,000 more productively than the government is proposing with its Cap and Trade energy tax bill. What would you do with the $20,000 the government is planning to take from you during the years 2012-2035? Not only that, but FoxNews reported on June 29 that that the Environmental Protection Agency has reportedly ‘intentionally buried’ a study that calls into question the claims that global warming is a problem.

“My view is…there is not currently any reason to regulate carbon dioxide. Global temperatures are roughly where there were in the mid-20th century,” according to Alan Carlin, author of EPA study of climate change.

Because the Cap and Trade bill is so expansive in its energy taxation, Mr. Lieberman predicts net job loss, and notes that some jobs will disappear on the domestic front, only to show up overseas in countries that are friendlier to businesses.

“Beyond the cost impact on individuals and households, Waxman-Markey also affects employment, and especially employment in the manufacturing sector. We estimate job losses averaging 1,145,000 at any given time from 2012-2035. And note that those are net job losses, after the much-hyped green jobs are taken into account. Some of the lost jobs will be destroyed entirely, while others will be outsourced to nations like China and India that have repeatedly stated that they’ll never hamper their own economic growth with energy-cost boosting global warming measures like Waxman-Markey.”

To add to the pain, farmers will be hard hit by the Cap and Trade bill. After all, farming is by its nature a large energy consumer; think of all the farming equipment used to produce a large number of crops very efficiently. And the poor, as well as those who live in more rural areas, will experience a disproportionately larger share of the energy tax through what they pay for energy use, and what they buy at the store. Companies will of course, pass on their new energy tax to the consumer; we’ll see higher prices on items across the board.

“In addition, because the bill raises energy costs, it hurts rural America much more than urban America. Rural Americans, farmers and non-farmers, spend an average of 58 percent more on energy as a percentage of income than their urban counterparts, and those costs would go up.”

That Darn Republican posted a great piece on Cap and Trade on his blog today, noting:

“Cap & Trade will turn out to be [if passed] the single most wantonly destructive piece of legislation to come from Capitol Hill since Roe vs. Wade. House Resolution 2454 proposes some of the most sweeping and radical pro-special interest infested regulation we’ve ever had to face in our lifetimes. Did we ask for these regulations? Were there throngs of the dissatisfied so beholden and mesmerized by California Air Quality Management District [AQMD] standards that we felt we had to repress the economies of every other state in the union by having them imposed? The answer is an emphatic no. The State of California has been one thing and one thing only… it has been a leader in breeding a culture of out-and-out legislative and cultural dissidence.”

I’m still wondering why the U.S. House of Representatives passed an energy tax which will punish businesses and individuals for their energy use. Do our politicians really represent our wishes and our best interests in Washington, D.C.? Seems like some politicians need to be reminded that they represent the citizens of America, not Al Gore or the ‘green’ special interest groups.

The Cap and Trade bill is now being considered in the U.S. Senate. The trickle-down consequences of Cap and Trade: It kills jobs and decreases everyone’s spending power. This energy tax will possibly reduce the temperature of the earth by two-tenths of a degree by 2099? And there is an EPA study stating that global warming is NOT a problem? This is madness.

Have you called your senators yet to tell them you want them to vote NO on Cap and Trade?

Video Source: YouTube

We’re not sure why, but on Friday, June 26, eight Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the Waxman-Markey bill, H.R. 2454, thus ensuring its passage. The final vote for H.R. 2454 was 219-212. It is significant that 44 Democrats voted against H.R. 2454. If only those 8 Republicans had voted against the bill, commonly known as Cap and Trade, it would have died.

As the afternoon wore on that fateful day, June 26, it looked as though there weren’t going to be enough votes to pass the Cap and Trade bill. To be sure, there must have been some behind the scenes deals being made in order to get the needed votes for the bill’s passage. News reports Friday said Pres. Barack Obama was making phone calls to sway reluctant Democrats to vote for the Cap and Trade bill. Twitter conservatives were furiously tweeting late Friday afternoon, asking people to call certain U.S. House Representatives who, at the 11^th hour, had mysteriously changed their votes.

Deal-making on Capitol Hill produced results. And there are some things to ponder.

Three of the eight Republicans who voted for the Waxman-Markey bill on Friday, June 26, are from New Jersey.

Hmmm.

Do you find it interesting that of the eight Republicans who voted for Cap and Trade, three of them are from New Jersey? Is that a coincidence, or does that spell earmarks? Did these same 8 Republicans decide to vote for Cap and Trade because they truly thought the taxing bill was a great idea? When we can actually read the 1500+ page Cap and Trade bill, we may discover the answer to the niggling question of why these Republicans crossed party lines to vote for a bill Obama wants passed into law.

It’s too bad the Democrats never gave anyone a chance to read the bill before they demanded its passage. Few, if any, in the U.S. House of Representatives really know the depth and breath of what they voted for; but that’s transparency, Obama style.

The bill now moves on to the U.S. Senate, where its passage is questionable. Are Republicans across the U.S. sufficiently motivated now to demand change? Only time will tell.

Here is the contact information on the Republicans who voted yes on Cap and Trade in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday. Contact their local district office numbers, as Congressmen are on vacation for the July 4 holiday.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)

• Palm Springs District Office Phone: (760) 320-1076

• DC Phone: (202) 225-5330

Rep. Michael Castle (R- DE)

• Wilmington District Office Phone: (302) 428-1902

• DC Phone: (202) 225-4165

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL);

• Northbrook District Office Phone: (847) 940-0202

• DC Phone: (202) 225-4835

Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ)

• Westfield District Office Phone: (908) 518-7733

• DC Phone: (202) 225-5361

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)

• Mays Landing District Office Phone: (609) 625-5008

• DC Phone: (202) 225-6572

Rep. John McHugh (R-NY)

• Watertown District Office Phone: (315) 782-3150

• DC Phone: (202) 225-4611

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA)

• Mercer Island District Office Phone: (206) 275-3438

• DC Phone: (202) 225-7761

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

• Hamilton District Office Phone: (609) 585-7878

• DC Phone: (202) 225-3765

Now is the time to act. Some Blue Dog Democrats are undecided about Health Care Reform and Cap and Trade. A call to (FL) Sen. Bill Nelson’s office today revealed he has not made his mind up on these two issues. Sen. Bill Nelson is waiting to see how Health Care Reform is going be funded, and is waiting to see the final bill details on Cap and Trade, according to his office. Seems like he’s waiting to hear how his constituents want him to vote.

Make your voice heard–get on the phone, and send out letters to your Congressmen via fax. We need to contact a lot of leaders in Washington, not just those who represent our district. We need to contact leaders who represent different parts of America, because the health and integrity of America is at stake.

I’ve written many posts about the perils and huge costs (over $1 trillion now) of Health Care Reform. Other have too, including George Will, who wrote a great post, ‘Americans Will Likely Regret Health Care Fix.’ My friends and fellow Americans, the time to act is not next week or next month. It’s now.

Take a few minutes to make some calls and send some faxes. Here is a list of Blue Dog Democrats, thanks to my friend and fellow blogger Lea Sylvester. These Blue Dog Democrats need to hear how much we Americans don’t want this Health Care Reform, and why. Be nice, and be persuasive.

Home District and Washington, D.C. telephone & fax numbers

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN)   

• Minneapolis District Phone: 612-727-5220
• D.C. 202-224-3244 PH 202-228-2186 Fax

Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA)

• Baton Rouge District Phone: 225-389-0395  

• D.C. 202-224-5824 PH 202-224-9734 Fax

Ben Nelson (NE)

• Lincoln District Phone: 402-441-4600  

• D.C. 202-224-6551 PH 202-228-0012 Fax

Sen. Evan Bayh (IN)

• Indianapolis District Phone: 317-554-0750

• 202-224-5623 PH 202-228-1377 Fax

Sen. Claire McCaskill) (MO)      

• Kansas City District Phone: 816-421-1639

• 202-224-6154 PH 202-228-6326 Fax
  

Sen. Mark Begrich (AK)

• Anchorage District Phone: 907-271-5915     

• D.C. 202-224-3004 PH 202-228-3205 Fax

Sen. Mark Warner (VA)

• Midlothian District Phone: 804-739-0247

• D.C. 202-224-2023 PH 202-224-6295 Fax

Sen. Bill Nelson (FL)      

• Orlando District Phone:   407-872-7161     

• 202-224-5274 PH 202-228-2183 Fax

Sen. Mark Pryor (AR)          

• Little Rock District Phone: 501-324-6336   

• 202-224-2353 PH 202-228-0908 Fax

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH)      

• Manchester District Office: 603-647-7500

• D.C. 202-224-2841 PH

Sen. Robert P Casey, Jr (PA)           

• Harrisburg District Office: 717-231-7540

• D.C. 202-224-6324 PH 202-228-0604 Fax

Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln (AR)

• Little Rock District Office: 501-375-2993

• 202-224-4843 PH 202-228-1371 Fax

Sen. Joseph I Lieberman (Conn)       

• Hartford District Office: 860-549-8463

• 202-224-4041 PH 202-224-9750 Fax

Sen. Jon Tester (MT)      

• Helena District Office: 406-449-5401     

• 202-224-2644 PH 202-224-8594 Fax

Would you like to pay an extra $4600/year for your energy usage?

Well, that’s what some estimate it will cost you if the Cap and Trade Bill, also known as the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy bill, is passed in the House of Representatives tomorrow. If this bill is passed, everyone in America who uses electricity, and factories with ‘unclean’ energy, will get a tax smack right in their wallets. It stands to reason that this regressive bill will also force some companies to lay off employees to fund ‘clean’ energy. Some put the loss of jobs at 800,000 if the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy bill passes tomorrow. 800,000 people unemployed, all in the name of clean energy? Higher taxes levied on all Americans who use ‘unclean’ energy….like electricity? Hmmm. Does that sound like a good idea?

Obama makes no attempt to say anything differently in this video where the San Francisco Chronicle questions him about Cap and Trade. “Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket,” Obama said.

I posted about the Cap and Tax, as it is sarcastically but accurately called, back in March. Wednesday, legendary investor Warren Buffett called the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy bill a “huge tax” and “a fairly regressive tax” on CNBC, and described it as a bill in which “an awful lot of people…. they’re going to pay a lot more money for electricity.”

The Heritage Foundation calls into question the low $175/household cost touted by Democrats supporting Cap and Trade.

Both the CBO’s analysis and the subsequent legislation are troubled: The analysis grossly underestimates economic costs while the legislation will have virtually no impact on climate. Overall, there are a number of basic problems with CBO’s analysis:

• Their allowance cost numbers do not add up;

• They ignore economic costs such as the decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of the bill; and

• The analysis is an accounting analysis, not an economic analysis.

Even more troubling is the rising cost of this regressive tax over time. The Heritage Foundation’s analysis on the Cap and Trade’s cost to families:

It is also worth noting that, of the 24 years analyzed by The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis (CDA), 2020 had the second lowest GDP loss. Furthermore, the CDA found that for all years the average GDP loss was $393 billion, or over double the 2020 hit. In 2035 (the last year analyzed by Heritage) the inflation adjusted GDP loss works out to $6,790 per family of four–and that is before they pay their $4,600 share of the carbon taxes. The negative economic impacts accumulate, and the national debt is no exception. The increase in family-of-four debt, solely because of Waxman-Markey, hits an astounding $114,915 by 2035.

This bill is a huge tax, plain and simple. While we are struggling to make ends meet in the Great Recession, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans on putting the Cap and Trade bill up for a vote tomorrow, June 26.  If this bill passes, it goes on to the Senate.  Heaven help us if this regressive bill becomes law.

If you don’t want your electricity rates to skyrocket, shouldn’t you make your voice heard?

Source of Videos: YouTube

Obama bet that spending wads of taxpayer dough would make our economy better. Instead, numbers show that the government spend-a-thon has actually worsened unemployment.

Check out the unemployment graph by Innocent Bystanders, showing the unemployment rate with and without the ‘recovery plan.’ The numbers seem to point to a common sense reality: We would have been better off not spending billions of dollars we don’t have on a recovery plan.

Hmmm. Does that mean that spreading the wealth around (Obama’s favorite thing to do), promoting socialism, and attacking capitalism is bad for America and Americans?

The Wall Street Journal reports that Kennedy’s disability insurance program would automatically enroll every working American in the program, and premiums would be at most $65 per month. WSJ’s Laura Meckler also reports that those living in poverty and students who are also part of the working population would be billed just $5 per month for premiums.Now, one could opt out of the program. But those who participate in the disability insurance program could get a cash benefit of at least $50/day if they become disabled, with the understanding that participants would be eligible for benefits after 5 years.

An estimated $320 billion would be collected from the disability insurance program in one year, if every working American participated. Do a few questions come to mind? How safe would that money be from the U.S. government’s sticky hands? Would the $320 billion really be in a ‘lockbox,’ safe from greedy, spendthrift leaders in Washington? Supposedly the government could not spend this $320 billion on other programs; it would be sacrosanct.

Medical schools would also be affected by Kennedy’s plan. How? Change to the curriculum would be dictated to medical schools.

Sen. Kennedy’s plan would also reach into medical schools, according to the committee brief. “The Hippocratic Oath says: ‘First, do no harm,’” the brief says. “A reformed curriculum will teach the next generation of health care professionals: First, prevent unnecessary disease.’”

To be fair, the proposed bill also includes language to incent people in the program to remain healthy, and would attempt to rein in medical errors, as well as not allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions. S. 697 is the proposed disability insurance plan being discussed by various committee members in the U.S. Senate.

An outstanding question is, how much will such a program cost the taxpayers? $320 billion does not seem like enough money to pay disability claims to those Americans who may become disabled. And doesn’t this seem like a mini-Medicare? You know how well Medicare is doing. <grin>

As the proposed bill is written, participation in the disability insurance plan is not mandatory. Do you think every working American, from age 18 on, will participate in this plan, or will a number of workers opt out? And if a number of workers opt out of Kennedy’s disability insurance program, will the program be viable long-term, or will it eventually need a…..bailout?

Well, that’s what Pres. Barack Obama and the Democratic majority seem to think, but I’m not buying that argument. I don’t think you buy it, either. 

How do you think everyone will like paying a VAT, a 10% national sales tax? Yes, the VAT (Value-Added Tax; what a misnomer) would add a 10% tax on everything, from groceries to haircuts, from furniture to paying to get your taxes done. Ironically, Ezekiel Emanuel has been hired by White House Budget Director Peter Orszag to advise him on health care. Ezekiel is a VAT advocate and published author on health care. And yes, Ezekiel Emmanuel is the brother of Rahm Emanuel, who is White House Chief of Staff. Very cozy. Oh, but that’s not all.

How do you think people will like paying a sin tax on alcohol? The Democrats are couching this as a good thing; perhaps their thought process is consuming too much alcohol may lead to alcoholism. So Joe Smith, who likes to buy a case of beer a week, would have to pay almost $2 more for his case of beer. And those who like to indulge in a bottle of wine or two will pay even more tax; 49 cents per bottle, under the proposal being considered by the Senate Finance Committee. Taxes on sugary drinks, but not diet drinks, are also in the proposal.

So, let’s look at how things stand now. Obama has tripled the U.S. debt since he took office. The IRS just reported tax revenue was down 34% since April 2008, which equates to a $138 billion loss in federal tax revenue.  Massive job losses and pay cuts suffered by many Americans equate to less U.S. federal revenue.

Obama’s answer is to hike taxes to make up for the budget shortfall and to pay for his very expensive Health Care Reform.

How high will Congress hike taxes to try to pay for Obama's runaway spending?

Problem? With additional taxes, people will have even less discretionary income. Not only that, but think of the impact to businesses across all spectrums that will be hit by a ‘Value-Added Tax.’ The prices of products and services will increase. Businesses won’t be happy, and neither will consumers. Combine that with inflation, since the Federal Reserve keeps printing money, and what do you have? Would you call it a recipe for disaster?

Do you think more taxes will help America get out of the debt Obama keeps piling on? Or do you think we should demand Obama and Congress start slashing the federal budget, just like we have to cut some or all luxuries from our household budget in tough times to make ends meet?