Cap-and-trade bill as written will rewrite the American dream – home ownership and provide heavy tax burdens for generations. Provisions within the largest tax increase in the country’s history will change the way you buy and sell a home, use energy and shop for goods and services.
A new government bureaucracy created within the bill will force homeowners who wish to sell their homes to retrofit their houses to be “environmentally-friendly.” The costs would fall to the homeowners possibly injuring an already fragile real estate marketplace.
Potential replacement items required would range from eco-friendly hot-water heaters to windows. The homes in California have already seen values fall through the floor and homeowners see no way to recoup the expensive upgrades the state and federal government would require.
Also included in the massive 1,500-page bill is water rationing. The federal government has set up a shower manager. One website selling a shower manager calls the gadget the “Shower Nazi.” Located in section 217 of the bill and the Shower Nazi units puts a three-to five-minute limit on showers.
Controlling other aspects of your life will be seen in the mandatory 20 percent wind/solar consumption to start; this would definitely lead to energy rationing if there was not enough wind turbines and solar panels in place.
Proponents of the bill say Waxman/Markey will help consumers use less energy because costs would be too expensive to use water and electricity. The end result say the Democrats is reduced energy use equals reduced cost monthly costs.
However, according to the Heritage Foundation by 2012, the average taxpayer will see an additional increase of $436 per year and the number will eventually hit $1,241 a year plus 2.5 million in U.S. job loses.
Heritage also contends that consumers will pay hidden taxes in grocery, gas and anything manufactured because business owners will simply pass the added cost onto taxpayers.
The farming community will also pay a hefty price with cap-and-trade. They will virtually be wiped out of the food export business because their “field to market” cost will no longer be competitive with foreign countries.
As with any increase in costs the low-income families would be hit the hardest; however the government insists it will offer rebates to those hurt the most, which translates into another tax for the middleclass to pay for those rebates.
When the consumer thinks of energy they think electricity and oil consumption. This legislation will do nothing to curb our foreign-oil disease.
“Instead of reducing dependency on overseas energy suppliers, Americans would be more dependant than ever,” says Clayton Mahaffey an analyst at Redchip Co. in Florida. “They’ll be searching the globe for refined products that don’t carry the same level of carbon costs.”
Experts from the American Petroleum Institute also agree that one in six refineries would be closed by 2020 leading us towards problems similar in Iran, tons of oil, but no refineries – gas rationing.
Adding to skyrocketing energy and fuel costs, the API estimate that carbon permits would add 77 cent per gallon to the cost of gasoline.
This cost alone will slam commuters, air travelers and trucking companies. Again, ordinary Americans would eventually feel the brunt of the rising energy costs.
There are rumors floating around Washington, says Congressman Tom Campbell R-Calif that the White House offered 9-figure pork projects to entice Democrats to vote yes on the cap-and-trade bill.
The bottom line is the American dream would be placed on hold.
MIT states American families will see a $3,000 increase per year in energy taxes – all for a 2/10ths of one degree reduction in temperatures in the next 100 years.
According to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analyst Center, CDIAC, if the country wants to curtail carbon dioxide the country should be building nuclear and hydroelectric plants. “They are cheaper, carbon-neutral and 100 percent domestically sourced.”
Cap and trade legislation translates into 17 percent of the U.S. economy and health care takes up 16 percent of the economy. Worse, Washington D.C. runs the auto industry and some financial sectors as well. Where does it end?
Ed Royce, a seventh-term congressman from Orange County, CA. says, “The power grabs and political maneuvering can be as ugly as the city is impressive.”
For more stories; www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Cap-and-tax-passes-quietly-in-Congress
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Cap and tax passes quietly in Congress
The mammoth 1,500 page cap-and-trade bill passed quietly in Congress on Friday amidst the talk of health care and the death of a pseudo-pop star. Most members of the 111th Congress never read the bill which includes the largest tax increase in American history.
Once the Senate takes up the bill after the summer break, staffers are expected to unearth regulations that could place a stranglehold on all U.S. businesses causing massive new taxes.
Speaker on the House, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. scrapped together just enough votes (219-212) to get the cap-and-trade legislation to the Senate. Speaker Pelosi set herself up on this bill as the creator of “jobs, jobs, jobs.” This bill won’t allow the placement of solar panels in California’s Mojave Desert or wind turbines in the waters off the Kennedy compound.
Republicans quietly let the Democrats have this so-called victory. Looking forward to the 2010 elections, the Republican Party will be able to enlighten the public on the woes of the Waxman/Markey global warming bill.
Proponents of the bill need to look no further than Spain, where the cap-and trade concept has sent unemployment to the 20 percent mark and with every one “green job” created, they have lost 2.2 jobs. Not exactly a success story.
Another aspect that no one is talking about is the fact that Pelosi, Markey and Al Gore are positioned to make a lot of money through investments of at least $50 thousand or more in companies whose stock is worth nothing now, but will increase dramatically if cap-and-trade is passed in the Senate and signed by President Obama.
Gore is positioned to become the first global-warming billionaire. He owns multiple companies that would track carbon footprints of businesses.
The real losers here are the American people. This huge bill would tax everyone in the country and in known by insiders as the “light switch tax.” The President himself has admitted the “electricity and energy costs would necessarily skyrocket.”
In an attempt to back stop portions of the bill, Republicans tried and failed, to add three amendments: a suspension of the bill if gas hits $5 per gallon, suspend the bill if electricity prices rose more than 10 percent and suspend the bill if unemployment jumped past the 15 percent mark. All were turned down in the Democratic-written bill.
The core of the legislation is meant to play to the environmentalist lobby who has been trying for years to slow down global warming. However, the Waxman/Markey bill doesn’t get the stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, or Green Peace.
The winners of this legislation would be companies like, AIG, Goldman Sachs and GE, all stand to make billions by buying, selling and trading carbon derivatives. All these companies have been in the center of the recent financial meltdown which has sent the economy crashing.
The mood in Washington D.C. this week was spirited. According to Darrell Issa, R-Calif, most Republicans didn’t like cap-and-trade. He also admitted he talked to some Democrats who avoided the White House’s luau picnic this week, in order to avoid President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
“They didn’t want to be ushered into a back room and pressured to vote on cap-and trade,” Issa said.
The reduction of CO2 emissions, which is the goal of this bill, will most likely fail to happen due to the fact that India and China will continue to sit on the sidelines. Many environmentalists contend that without the world’s participation, the U.S.’s reduction will amount to little to no change.
Getting back to the jobs issue, House Minority leader, Mitch McConnell-R-Kentucky said, “I don’t think sending rising electricity costs is a good idea. It is only increasing the business of living in America. It is a job killer.”
He continued to say, “Putting clamps on an economy when China and India are not is wrong.”
Once the Senate takes up the bill after the summer break, staffers are expected to unearth regulations that could place a stranglehold on all U.S. businesses causing massive new taxes.
Speaker on the House, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. scrapped together just enough votes (219-212) to get the cap-and-trade legislation to the Senate. Speaker Pelosi set herself up on this bill as the creator of “jobs, jobs, jobs.” This bill won’t allow the placement of solar panels in California’s Mojave Desert or wind turbines in the waters off the Kennedy compound.
Republicans quietly let the Democrats have this so-called victory. Looking forward to the 2010 elections, the Republican Party will be able to enlighten the public on the woes of the Waxman/Markey global warming bill.
Proponents of the bill need to look no further than Spain, where the cap-and trade concept has sent unemployment to the 20 percent mark and with every one “green job” created, they have lost 2.2 jobs. Not exactly a success story.
Another aspect that no one is talking about is the fact that Pelosi, Markey and Al Gore are positioned to make a lot of money through investments of at least $50 thousand or more in companies whose stock is worth nothing now, but will increase dramatically if cap-and-trade is passed in the Senate and signed by President Obama.
Gore is positioned to become the first global-warming billionaire. He owns multiple companies that would track carbon footprints of businesses.
The real losers here are the American people. This huge bill would tax everyone in the country and in known by insiders as the “light switch tax.” The President himself has admitted the “electricity and energy costs would necessarily skyrocket.”
In an attempt to back stop portions of the bill, Republicans tried and failed, to add three amendments: a suspension of the bill if gas hits $5 per gallon, suspend the bill if electricity prices rose more than 10 percent and suspend the bill if unemployment jumped past the 15 percent mark. All were turned down in the Democratic-written bill.
The core of the legislation is meant to play to the environmentalist lobby who has been trying for years to slow down global warming. However, the Waxman/Markey bill doesn’t get the stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, or Green Peace.
The winners of this legislation would be companies like, AIG, Goldman Sachs and GE, all stand to make billions by buying, selling and trading carbon derivatives. All these companies have been in the center of the recent financial meltdown which has sent the economy crashing.
The mood in Washington D.C. this week was spirited. According to Darrell Issa, R-Calif, most Republicans didn’t like cap-and-trade. He also admitted he talked to some Democrats who avoided the White House’s luau picnic this week, in order to avoid President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
“They didn’t want to be ushered into a back room and pressured to vote on cap-and trade,” Issa said.
The reduction of CO2 emissions, which is the goal of this bill, will most likely fail to happen due to the fact that India and China will continue to sit on the sidelines. Many environmentalists contend that without the world’s participation, the U.S.’s reduction will amount to little to no change.
Getting back to the jobs issue, House Minority leader, Mitch McConnell-R-Kentucky said, “I don’t think sending rising electricity costs is a good idea. It is only increasing the business of living in America. It is a job killer.”
He continued to say, “Putting clamps on an economy when China and India are not is wrong.”
Friday, June 26, 2009
Entertaining the troops in Afghanistan proves enlightening
San Diego – Entertaining the troops in Afghanistan proved to be an eye-opening experience for professional volleyball players.
“The Fourth of July will definitely have more meaning this year,” says Matt Olson, a San Diego native and professional AVP beach volleyball player. Olson was one of four players invited by the United Service Organization, USO, to play volleyball and sign autographs for the troops stationed in Afghanistan.
The Middle East Journey was an eight-day crash course in military procedures and 100- degree temperatures in the desert.
“The troops were very gracious and appreciative. They were completely different than what I had envisioned,” Olson said. “I didn’t know what to expect and what I found to be true was awesome and reassuring.”
Olson who read previous news stories about the troops was under the impression that they were are all from the mid-west and high school dropouts; “That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” according to Olson. “They were articulate and well-educated.”
The four AVP players who made the Afghanistan June 1-10th trip were Matt Olson, Jeff Nygaard, Ryan Mariano and Brooke Hanson. Their journey began in as Sayliyah air base in Qatar. This is the gateway base where U.S. troops on break seek rest and relaxation from the daily 18-hour-a-day grind of the war zone.
From there the players were fully outfitted in “personnel body armor and helmets,” to be worn at all times while traveling inside the war zone. “Even though we had to wear the 40-pound gear, we felt safe through out our time in Afghanistan,” Olson said.
Typical days started before dawn and ended well-after midnight as the troops usually played volleyball until 2 a.m. Chow time was also much different than expected the players said. “We were treated to “surf & turf” one night and barbeque lobster another.”
The three main bases in Afghanistan are Kandahar, Gardez and Bagram. The group was ferried between the bases in C-130 cargo planes and Chinook helicopters that traveled in pairs. The military personnel were “battle ready” at all times.
“The coolest thing I did during one of the flights was hanging off the back of the Chinook helicopter and shoot a machine gun into the bare hillside,” Olson explained. “It was like a big boys club.”
Another flight Olson will never forget is the famous corkscrew landing. “The pilot puts the airplane’s nose down and corkscrews all the way to the runway in order to avoid being shot down, it was crazy.”
Once on the ground at the bases, the AVP players were given a VIP tour by the base commander who explained the duties of the base. Then the players were free to eat and play volleyball with the military personnel.
Each base had volleyball courts set up and a number of the Army personnel played on a daily basis. The AVP players played six on six in tennis shoes because the “sand” was more like “dirt.”
While the players were out mingling with the troops they were able to visit a base hospital and talk with some wounded soldiers. They were also lucky enough to be a part of a Purple Heart ceremony. “It was pretty intense,” Olson said.
“The guys in the hospital were amazing and all they wanted to do was get back to their units as soon as possible,” Olson explained. “The soldiers all wanted to be there and were anxious for us to go home and tell everyone that they were doing good things in Afghanistan. The Afghan people want us here.”
Indeed, the soldiers are fighting for the freedom of the Afghan people as well as ensuring that Americans are able to enjoy their hot dogs, cold beers and BBQ on the Fourth of July.
“The Fourth of July will definitely have more meaning this year,” says Matt Olson, a San Diego native and professional AVP beach volleyball player. Olson was one of four players invited by the United Service Organization, USO, to play volleyball and sign autographs for the troops stationed in Afghanistan.
The Middle East Journey was an eight-day crash course in military procedures and 100- degree temperatures in the desert.
“The troops were very gracious and appreciative. They were completely different than what I had envisioned,” Olson said. “I didn’t know what to expect and what I found to be true was awesome and reassuring.”
Olson who read previous news stories about the troops was under the impression that they were are all from the mid-west and high school dropouts; “That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” according to Olson. “They were articulate and well-educated.”
The four AVP players who made the Afghanistan June 1-10th trip were Matt Olson, Jeff Nygaard, Ryan Mariano and Brooke Hanson. Their journey began in as Sayliyah air base in Qatar. This is the gateway base where U.S. troops on break seek rest and relaxation from the daily 18-hour-a-day grind of the war zone.
From there the players were fully outfitted in “personnel body armor and helmets,” to be worn at all times while traveling inside the war zone. “Even though we had to wear the 40-pound gear, we felt safe through out our time in Afghanistan,” Olson said.
Typical days started before dawn and ended well-after midnight as the troops usually played volleyball until 2 a.m. Chow time was also much different than expected the players said. “We were treated to “surf & turf” one night and barbeque lobster another.”
The three main bases in Afghanistan are Kandahar, Gardez and Bagram. The group was ferried between the bases in C-130 cargo planes and Chinook helicopters that traveled in pairs. The military personnel were “battle ready” at all times.
“The coolest thing I did during one of the flights was hanging off the back of the Chinook helicopter and shoot a machine gun into the bare hillside,” Olson explained. “It was like a big boys club.”
Another flight Olson will never forget is the famous corkscrew landing. “The pilot puts the airplane’s nose down and corkscrews all the way to the runway in order to avoid being shot down, it was crazy.”
Once on the ground at the bases, the AVP players were given a VIP tour by the base commander who explained the duties of the base. Then the players were free to eat and play volleyball with the military personnel.
Each base had volleyball courts set up and a number of the Army personnel played on a daily basis. The AVP players played six on six in tennis shoes because the “sand” was more like “dirt.”
While the players were out mingling with the troops they were able to visit a base hospital and talk with some wounded soldiers. They were also lucky enough to be a part of a Purple Heart ceremony. “It was pretty intense,” Olson said.
“The guys in the hospital were amazing and all they wanted to do was get back to their units as soon as possible,” Olson explained. “The soldiers all wanted to be there and were anxious for us to go home and tell everyone that they were doing good things in Afghanistan. The Afghan people want us here.”
Indeed, the soldiers are fighting for the freedom of the Afghan people as well as ensuring that Americans are able to enjoy their hot dogs, cold beers and BBQ on the Fourth of July.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
White House set to add another issue to the agenda - immigration
Washington D.C. has a lot on the menu this week. A White House infomercial on ABC, a vote on Cap & Trade on Friday and today immigration reform discussions begin.
The health care and energy tax issues demand more than a few days of study. The bills themselves are hundreds of pages long and no one in the House or Senate has read them in their entirety.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY, Chairman of the Immigration subcommittee said “When the President asks me if congress can pass comprehensive immigration reform, I will smile and say ‘yes we can.’”
Proponents say this is straight out of a stump speech and that the issue would most likely stay on the back burner.
“Whether it’s taking over our health care or a national energy tax, somebody is going to suggest we do immigration reform,” said John Boehner, R-OH house minority leader. “How much is enough?”
The Senate leader, Harry Reid, D-NV said, “We are busy with health care and energy right now.”
However, the White House is hosting a meeting with congressional leaders to begin the lawmaking-side of immigration.
A pro-reform group, Reform Immigration for America said, “Our immigration system is hurting our economy, American families and all American workers think comprehensive immigration reform is the solution.”
They continue to say that the President supports reform, but only congress has the power to act. That comes as good news to Congressman Brian Bilbray, R-Calif. and leader of the Immigration Reform Caucus. “The White House has left us out so far.”
The Reform Immigration for America group claims if you legalize the workers here it will benefit all workers by allowing those undocumented workers the ability to join unions and increase wages and rights for all.
Those on the other side believe this would glut the employment market which is already ebbing toward the double-digit mark nationally and well-passed in some states.
A program popular with many employers continues to grow, E-Verify. The Department of Homeland Security notes the program has verified 5.5 million workers so far this year, approximately 200,000 per week.
These numbers are on par to double last years’ employee checks. Leaving the question, why has President Obama postponed the successful program until September 8th of this year?
Advocates say this Social Security number verification system is the first step to positive immigration crack downs. Plus E-Verify is cost effective and user friendly.
Bilbray put it simply, “It works!”
The health care and energy tax issues demand more than a few days of study. The bills themselves are hundreds of pages long and no one in the House or Senate has read them in their entirety.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY, Chairman of the Immigration subcommittee said “When the President asks me if congress can pass comprehensive immigration reform, I will smile and say ‘yes we can.’”
Proponents say this is straight out of a stump speech and that the issue would most likely stay on the back burner.
“Whether it’s taking over our health care or a national energy tax, somebody is going to suggest we do immigration reform,” said John Boehner, R-OH house minority leader. “How much is enough?”
The Senate leader, Harry Reid, D-NV said, “We are busy with health care and energy right now.”
However, the White House is hosting a meeting with congressional leaders to begin the lawmaking-side of immigration.
A pro-reform group, Reform Immigration for America said, “Our immigration system is hurting our economy, American families and all American workers think comprehensive immigration reform is the solution.”
They continue to say that the President supports reform, but only congress has the power to act. That comes as good news to Congressman Brian Bilbray, R-Calif. and leader of the Immigration Reform Caucus. “The White House has left us out so far.”
The Reform Immigration for America group claims if you legalize the workers here it will benefit all workers by allowing those undocumented workers the ability to join unions and increase wages and rights for all.
Those on the other side believe this would glut the employment market which is already ebbing toward the double-digit mark nationally and well-passed in some states.
A program popular with many employers continues to grow, E-Verify. The Department of Homeland Security notes the program has verified 5.5 million workers so far this year, approximately 200,000 per week.
These numbers are on par to double last years’ employee checks. Leaving the question, why has President Obama postponed the successful program until September 8th of this year?
Advocates say this Social Security number verification system is the first step to positive immigration crack downs. Plus E-Verify is cost effective and user friendly.
Bilbray put it simply, “It works!”
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Obama grilled on health care
President Obama grilled on health care at his latest press conference
San Diego – The honeymoon with the press may be coming to an end. The president was grilled by White House reporters on health care, human rights and energy. He was put on the defensive by slipping poll numbers, a worsening economy and tough rhetoric on his overly-ambitious health care and cap and trade plans. The chickens are now coming home to roost at the White House.
According to Bill Burton, White House deputy press secretary, Obama set out today to change the tone to get the health care and cap and trade plans moving forward.
This comes at a time when the president’s health care plan is running into trouble on Capitol Hill. According to a Washington Post/ABC poll 90 percent of Americans are worried about his administrations continued deficit spending.
“Unless we act to fix what’s broken in our current system, everyone’s health care will be in jeopardy. One in every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care,” Obama said.
President Obama went on to explain that health care spending is unsustainable and unacceptable – “reform is not a luxury.”
During the nearly hour-long press conference the president hammered away at the issues.
“This is legislation that must and will be paid for. We will find money through savings and inefficiencies,” the president explained. “Reform will also bring down the skyrocketing costs.”
The sticky issue within the proposed legislation seems to be the “public plan.” This particular point is a deal breaker with the current private insurance companies as well as doctors.
“The government should only be involved in thoughtful regulation of the industry,” says Dr. Gary Gonsalves. “The government should be able to regulate much like the utility companies.”
If the American people need to see a picture of government-run health care they can look no further than the Veteran’s Affairs program, says Gonsalves. “The thought of a public option even scares my liberal doctor friends away.”
However, the president couldn’t disagree more saying that the public plan is an important tool that can be used to discipline insurance companies. “I know that this issue will cause healthy debate,” Obama tersely said and quickly moved on to another reporter.
The questions continued to swirl back to the public plan issue. Reporters continued to point, out it was logical that businesses would switch to the government plan to save money.
The White House press corps did something they usually don’t do – they didn’t let the president off the hook. Jack Tapper of ABC called out the president on his promise to Americans that; “If they like their insurance company they can keep it.”
This forced the president to dance around the question. “Without reform people will have to change insurance companies anyways,” Obama claimed.
This flies in the face of the previous statements that Americans could keep their insurance plans if they want to, Tapper insisted. Experts state this portion of the bill could affect 100 million Americans currently insured with private health plans.
The nation’s health insurance providers and physicians believe that a public plan would level the playing field by making the rules and garnering the ability to run a business without having to maintain a profit margin.
Obama contends that a public plan, if it gains popularity, will force private insurers to stand up a take notice. “Maybe they will have to start using cost-saving technology that the government will use to be more competitive,” he said.
The bottom line is the health care debate is in its earliest stages and Congress has yet to bring a bill forward for the people to read.
While the White House favors a public plan, the president did acknowledge that there were legitimate concerns about the public plan eating off the public trough.
“However, if the public plan is structured to collect premiums and provide good services, then private companies should be able to compete,” Obama contended.
Doctors think regulated health insurance companies could reward healthy behavior, keep down premiums and do away with pre-existing conditions to keep the government out of this issue.
With the unemployment numbers percolating near the 10 percent figure, health care is sure to be front and center most of the summer. Whether or not reform takes place will depend on how much political capitol the president still maintains.
San Diego – The honeymoon with the press may be coming to an end. The president was grilled by White House reporters on health care, human rights and energy. He was put on the defensive by slipping poll numbers, a worsening economy and tough rhetoric on his overly-ambitious health care and cap and trade plans. The chickens are now coming home to roost at the White House.
According to Bill Burton, White House deputy press secretary, Obama set out today to change the tone to get the health care and cap and trade plans moving forward.
This comes at a time when the president’s health care plan is running into trouble on Capitol Hill. According to a Washington Post/ABC poll 90 percent of Americans are worried about his administrations continued deficit spending.
“Unless we act to fix what’s broken in our current system, everyone’s health care will be in jeopardy. One in every five dollars we earn will be spent on health care,” Obama said.
President Obama went on to explain that health care spending is unsustainable and unacceptable – “reform is not a luxury.”
During the nearly hour-long press conference the president hammered away at the issues.
“This is legislation that must and will be paid for. We will find money through savings and inefficiencies,” the president explained. “Reform will also bring down the skyrocketing costs.”
The sticky issue within the proposed legislation seems to be the “public plan.” This particular point is a deal breaker with the current private insurance companies as well as doctors.
“The government should only be involved in thoughtful regulation of the industry,” says Dr. Gary Gonsalves. “The government should be able to regulate much like the utility companies.”
If the American people need to see a picture of government-run health care they can look no further than the Veteran’s Affairs program, says Gonsalves. “The thought of a public option even scares my liberal doctor friends away.”
However, the president couldn’t disagree more saying that the public plan is an important tool that can be used to discipline insurance companies. “I know that this issue will cause healthy debate,” Obama tersely said and quickly moved on to another reporter.
The questions continued to swirl back to the public plan issue. Reporters continued to point, out it was logical that businesses would switch to the government plan to save money.
The White House press corps did something they usually don’t do – they didn’t let the president off the hook. Jack Tapper of ABC called out the president on his promise to Americans that; “If they like their insurance company they can keep it.”
This forced the president to dance around the question. “Without reform people will have to change insurance companies anyways,” Obama claimed.
This flies in the face of the previous statements that Americans could keep their insurance plans if they want to, Tapper insisted. Experts state this portion of the bill could affect 100 million Americans currently insured with private health plans.
The nation’s health insurance providers and physicians believe that a public plan would level the playing field by making the rules and garnering the ability to run a business without having to maintain a profit margin.
Obama contends that a public plan, if it gains popularity, will force private insurers to stand up a take notice. “Maybe they will have to start using cost-saving technology that the government will use to be more competitive,” he said.
The bottom line is the health care debate is in its earliest stages and Congress has yet to bring a bill forward for the people to read.
While the White House favors a public plan, the president did acknowledge that there were legitimate concerns about the public plan eating off the public trough.
“However, if the public plan is structured to collect premiums and provide good services, then private companies should be able to compete,” Obama contended.
Doctors think regulated health insurance companies could reward healthy behavior, keep down premiums and do away with pre-existing conditions to keep the government out of this issue.
With the unemployment numbers percolating near the 10 percent figure, health care is sure to be front and center most of the summer. Whether or not reform takes place will depend on how much political capitol the president still maintains.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What is a czar?
What is a czar? A wily leader that became famous in Russian government. Ivan the Terrible famously crowned himself a “Czar” in the mid-1500s. At the end of his tenure, Ivan the Terrible was shot by his own government.
Then of course, there was Czar Nicholas II, who was taken into custody along with his family in 1917 after poorly ruling the Russian people. However, by 1918 the Russians began fearing retribution for Nicholas II and the new government shot and killed the Czar’s entire family, including his children, and a few servants for good measure.
The dictionary describes a czar as;
1. An Emperor or king
2. An Autocratic ruler or leader
3. Any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field
Very interesting.
What’s next in the world of czars? Just in time for the upcoming holiday season is the “Czar Obama Russian Nesting Doll 5pc. 5” tall and available in a limited edition.” This is no joke; the Golden Cockerel has been in business since 1993 and is offering the Obama on a Russian nesting doll, dressed in Russian folk costume.
Fast forward to the present, Obama has currently appointed more than 20 czars. Apparently the cabinet members are not able to multitask because the president feels he needs more detailed advice.
What most people do not know is that a czar is appointed by the president, answers only to the president and is not accountable to either the Judicial or Legislative part of the government. If they are trotted out to Congress to testify, they will be able to invoke executive privilege and remain silent.
Many of Obama’s freshly-minted czars are managing multi-billion dollar budgets with no oversight. The taxpayer must trust that the czar and the president are looking out for their interests responsibly.
Here is a sampling of President Obama’s current czar list; drug czar, border czar, urban czar, regulatory czar, stimulus-accountability czar, TARP czar, faith czar, infotech czar, non-proliferation czar, Terrorism czar, Guantanamo-closure czar, Iran czar, Middle East czar, Afghanistan czar, Pakistan czar, bank-bailout czar, car czar, cyber-security czar, Great Lakes czar, health-care reform czar and finally a Special Master for Compensation Czar or pay czar.
Which brings up the question, how much do these czars make? That you would have to ask the White House and so far they are not letting anyone in on the taxpayer cost.
Many experts believe that the Obama Czar conundrum will not solve any of America’s problems, but that the czars only add another cumbersome layer to an already overly-slow bureaucrat process.
Some in Washington like Senator John McCain-R AZ says; “Obama has more czars than the Romanovs.” They ruled Russia for more than three centuries.
While it’s anyone’s guess as to how the czars will actually workout in the Obama administration, one thing is for sure- it never seems to end well for the czars.
For more information about the Obama Nesting Doll head to www.goldencockerel.com
Then of course, there was Czar Nicholas II, who was taken into custody along with his family in 1917 after poorly ruling the Russian people. However, by 1918 the Russians began fearing retribution for Nicholas II and the new government shot and killed the Czar’s entire family, including his children, and a few servants for good measure.
The dictionary describes a czar as;
1. An Emperor or king
2. An Autocratic ruler or leader
3. Any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field
Very interesting.
What’s next in the world of czars? Just in time for the upcoming holiday season is the “Czar Obama Russian Nesting Doll 5pc. 5” tall and available in a limited edition.” This is no joke; the Golden Cockerel has been in business since 1993 and is offering the Obama on a Russian nesting doll, dressed in Russian folk costume.
Fast forward to the present, Obama has currently appointed more than 20 czars. Apparently the cabinet members are not able to multitask because the president feels he needs more detailed advice.
What most people do not know is that a czar is appointed by the president, answers only to the president and is not accountable to either the Judicial or Legislative part of the government. If they are trotted out to Congress to testify, they will be able to invoke executive privilege and remain silent.
Many of Obama’s freshly-minted czars are managing multi-billion dollar budgets with no oversight. The taxpayer must trust that the czar and the president are looking out for their interests responsibly.
Here is a sampling of President Obama’s current czar list; drug czar, border czar, urban czar, regulatory czar, stimulus-accountability czar, TARP czar, faith czar, infotech czar, non-proliferation czar, Terrorism czar, Guantanamo-closure czar, Iran czar, Middle East czar, Afghanistan czar, Pakistan czar, bank-bailout czar, car czar, cyber-security czar, Great Lakes czar, health-care reform czar and finally a Special Master for Compensation Czar or pay czar.
Which brings up the question, how much do these czars make? That you would have to ask the White House and so far they are not letting anyone in on the taxpayer cost.
Many experts believe that the Obama Czar conundrum will not solve any of America’s problems, but that the czars only add another cumbersome layer to an already overly-slow bureaucrat process.
Some in Washington like Senator John McCain-R AZ says; “Obama has more czars than the Romanovs.” They ruled Russia for more than three centuries.
While it’s anyone’s guess as to how the czars will actually workout in the Obama administration, one thing is for sure- it never seems to end well for the czars.
For more information about the Obama Nesting Doll head to www.goldencockerel.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
Obama discusses illegal immigration at Esperanza breakfast
In a short speech at the Esperanza National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., the president spoke about the abundance of challenges America faces, including the hot button issue of immigration.
“We are a nation of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and non-believers,” President Obama opened with in his 10-minute speech to the Hispanic-American group.
The president wasted no time getting into the immigration problem this country currently faces.
“We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants and I’m committed to pass comprehensive immigration reform as President of the United States,” he announced. “The American people believe in immigration, but they also don’t want those who come in violation of the law.”
The audience went silent.
The president then went on to express that his administration would not tolerate employers who “exploited undocumented workers to drive down wages.”
Has the president heard of E-Verify? This program will solve the legality and exploitation problem by assuring workers are paid at least the state’s minimum wage rate. Perhaps one of Obama’s cabinet members, say Janet Napolitano the head of Department of Homeland Security, could urge the president to sign E-Verify instead of putting it off four different times since January.
At the prayer breakfast Obama went on to say, “We have to clarify the status of millions here illegally, many have put down roots. They should pay a penalty, pay taxes, learn English and go to the back of the line.”
This sounds a lot like amnesty. Amnesty is something the American people strongly oppose as evidenced in 2006 when former President Bush and John McCain tried to push it on the American people.
The president then assured the Esperanza audience that his way was the “fair, practical and promising way forward.”
The audience erupted with applause. Amnesty, what a surprise.
What Obama failed to recognize is the cost of state and federal public services as a result of an amnesty rush? Maybe if those in the shadows sign a document as they head to the back of the line stating they would not accept any public assistance while they’re in line and take the citizenship test in English, the American people would applaud.
“We are a nation of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and non-believers,” President Obama opened with in his 10-minute speech to the Hispanic-American group.
The president wasted no time getting into the immigration problem this country currently faces.
“We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants and I’m committed to pass comprehensive immigration reform as President of the United States,” he announced. “The American people believe in immigration, but they also don’t want those who come in violation of the law.”
The audience went silent.
The president then went on to express that his administration would not tolerate employers who “exploited undocumented workers to drive down wages.”
Has the president heard of E-Verify? This program will solve the legality and exploitation problem by assuring workers are paid at least the state’s minimum wage rate. Perhaps one of Obama’s cabinet members, say Janet Napolitano the head of Department of Homeland Security, could urge the president to sign E-Verify instead of putting it off four different times since January.
At the prayer breakfast Obama went on to say, “We have to clarify the status of millions here illegally, many have put down roots. They should pay a penalty, pay taxes, learn English and go to the back of the line.”
This sounds a lot like amnesty. Amnesty is something the American people strongly oppose as evidenced in 2006 when former President Bush and John McCain tried to push it on the American people.
The president then assured the Esperanza audience that his way was the “fair, practical and promising way forward.”
The audience erupted with applause. Amnesty, what a surprise.
What Obama failed to recognize is the cost of state and federal public services as a result of an amnesty rush? Maybe if those in the shadows sign a document as they head to the back of the line stating they would not accept any public assistance while they’re in line and take the citizenship test in English, the American people would applaud.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Health care reform is proving to be much more difficult
The reality of 100 percent coverage with health care is unsustainable. Imagine a small round table set to serve a family of four, but a last minute rush forces the table to serve four more people. Service and food portions would be rationed to all those at the table.
The current plans on the table cost in excess of $1 trillion, while only adding 16 million to the health care rolls. That’s a hefty bill.
President Obama’s health care plan wants to insure all Americas, but the reality of this “perfect world” scenario is we would be asking our over-worked doctors and nurses to provide more services with the same amount of providers and facilities.
The White House option does not mention any additional building and schooling of specialized health-care workers to take care of the rush that is likely to ensue if all were to be covered.
Another point worth mentioning is the amount of people who are not U.S. citizens in this country seeking benefits. When do Americans receive priority over non-citizens in health care?
The Congressional Budget Office, the gold standard, bi-partisan watch-dog, number cruncher says the scope of the White House plans won’t be cost effective.
In a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, the CBO says, “In one study, hospitals provided about $35 billion in uncompensated care nationwide in 2008 – less that 2 percent of national health expenditures and the estimates are much smaller for other providers.”
The CBO also contends “that large reductions in health care spending will not actually be achieved without fundamental changing in the financing and delivery of health care.
In the same letter the CBO emphasizes that even if a reform package is achieved, “a budget neutrality during its first 10 years and budget savings in the long run would not be guaranteed- even if the package included initial steps toward transforming the delivery and financing of health care that could gain momentum over time.”
That being said it seems fair to think that a key area to start with when tackling the health care mess is reform from within the industry. Currently Medicare and Medicaid are fraught with fraud. Let’s start there, hire a “Number Cruncher Czar” and follow the money.
Next, it has been said time and time again that if they want to fix the excessive patient testing issue- “tort reform.” Doctors across the country admit they administer more tests than necessary to cover themselves from potential lawsuits. Let’s set up a new “Medical Lawsuit Czar.”
And finally, the country needs to confront the illegal immigration problem. The anchor babies born in California alone have been responsible for decimating the education system and clogging the health clinics. Where’s the “Border Czar?”
So far the health care plans thrown out there by the President Obama and Dodd/Kennedy are short on details. The CBO has found the reports incomplete and estimate a cost of at least $1.5 trillion, yes trillion, for just about 1/6th of the plan.
Senator Chris Dodd-D Conn explained, “We left several sections open because they’re controversial.” He then went on to say that his committee should have this bill ready to move on by the end of next week. Again, lightning speed for a bill that will cost the taxpayers more than a trillion dollars.
Senator Judd Gregg R-N.H. and Senate Budget Committee summed up best, “The plans being offered have a lot of warts.”
Maybe we should have a “Friendly Frog” Czar too.
The current plans on the table cost in excess of $1 trillion, while only adding 16 million to the health care rolls. That’s a hefty bill.
President Obama’s health care plan wants to insure all Americas, but the reality of this “perfect world” scenario is we would be asking our over-worked doctors and nurses to provide more services with the same amount of providers and facilities.
The White House option does not mention any additional building and schooling of specialized health-care workers to take care of the rush that is likely to ensue if all were to be covered.
Another point worth mentioning is the amount of people who are not U.S. citizens in this country seeking benefits. When do Americans receive priority over non-citizens in health care?
The Congressional Budget Office, the gold standard, bi-partisan watch-dog, number cruncher says the scope of the White House plans won’t be cost effective.
In a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, the CBO says, “In one study, hospitals provided about $35 billion in uncompensated care nationwide in 2008 – less that 2 percent of national health expenditures and the estimates are much smaller for other providers.”
The CBO also contends “that large reductions in health care spending will not actually be achieved without fundamental changing in the financing and delivery of health care.
In the same letter the CBO emphasizes that even if a reform package is achieved, “a budget neutrality during its first 10 years and budget savings in the long run would not be guaranteed- even if the package included initial steps toward transforming the delivery and financing of health care that could gain momentum over time.”
That being said it seems fair to think that a key area to start with when tackling the health care mess is reform from within the industry. Currently Medicare and Medicaid are fraught with fraud. Let’s start there, hire a “Number Cruncher Czar” and follow the money.
Next, it has been said time and time again that if they want to fix the excessive patient testing issue- “tort reform.” Doctors across the country admit they administer more tests than necessary to cover themselves from potential lawsuits. Let’s set up a new “Medical Lawsuit Czar.”
And finally, the country needs to confront the illegal immigration problem. The anchor babies born in California alone have been responsible for decimating the education system and clogging the health clinics. Where’s the “Border Czar?”
So far the health care plans thrown out there by the President Obama and Dodd/Kennedy are short on details. The CBO has found the reports incomplete and estimate a cost of at least $1.5 trillion, yes trillion, for just about 1/6th of the plan.
Senator Chris Dodd-D Conn explained, “We left several sections open because they’re controversial.” He then went on to say that his committee should have this bill ready to move on by the end of next week. Again, lightning speed for a bill that will cost the taxpayers more than a trillion dollars.
Senator Judd Gregg R-N.H. and Senate Budget Committee summed up best, “The plans being offered have a lot of warts.”
Maybe we should have a “Friendly Frog” Czar too.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
E-Verify vilified as California company fires 260 undocumented workers
San Diego – Even though E-Verify has been postponed until September of this year, one California company heeded the government’s warning and put all their employees through the verification process.
A Vernon, California food processing and packaging company, Overhill Farms, Inc. fired 260 workers who had given the company fraudulent Social Security numbers. The company found in a recent Internal Revenue Services audit that approximately 260 employees’ social security numbers were invalid.
Company spokesperson and board member, Alex Auerbach said, “The IRS initiated the investigation and that they (the company) had to comply with the order. We asked these employees to correct any errors within 60 days.”
According to Auerbach, the Overhill Farm management team offered to meet with any employee to provide assistance and only 17 responded. All of the 17 acknowledged that they had provided false information to the company.
Once the decision was made to let go the unverifiable employees, Local 770 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and Mexicana Latinoamericana charged the company with racism.
This prompted 75 of the Local 770 union people to protest outside the company headquarters in Vernon, charging the company “is allegedly using discrepancies in Social Security numbers as an excuse to fire higher-paid full-time workers and replace them with cheaper part-time workers, who do not enjoy benefits under the collective bargaining agreement,” union workers said.
Auerbach finds this charge ridiculous. The company found that if they continued with the undocumented-workers employment, the company and the employees would have been subject to significant criminal and civil penalties.
On top of that Overhill Farms used the current part-time pool of employees to replace the fired workers. The company employs more than 1,000 workers and all of those workers have been put through the E-Verify screening process ensuring they are in this country legally, according to Auerbach.
The protestors also claimed that the employees terminated were Hispanic and female. However, Auerbach said they replaced the workers with “a majority of Hispanic and female workers,” essentially nullifying the argument.
“We believe the protests and false accusations are calculated solely to coerce the company to ignore the law, which of course we cannot and will not do,” he finished.
A Vernon, California food processing and packaging company, Overhill Farms, Inc. fired 260 workers who had given the company fraudulent Social Security numbers. The company found in a recent Internal Revenue Services audit that approximately 260 employees’ social security numbers were invalid.
Company spokesperson and board member, Alex Auerbach said, “The IRS initiated the investigation and that they (the company) had to comply with the order. We asked these employees to correct any errors within 60 days.”
According to Auerbach, the Overhill Farm management team offered to meet with any employee to provide assistance and only 17 responded. All of the 17 acknowledged that they had provided false information to the company.
Once the decision was made to let go the unverifiable employees, Local 770 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and Mexicana Latinoamericana charged the company with racism.
This prompted 75 of the Local 770 union people to protest outside the company headquarters in Vernon, charging the company “is allegedly using discrepancies in Social Security numbers as an excuse to fire higher-paid full-time workers and replace them with cheaper part-time workers, who do not enjoy benefits under the collective bargaining agreement,” union workers said.
Auerbach finds this charge ridiculous. The company found that if they continued with the undocumented-workers employment, the company and the employees would have been subject to significant criminal and civil penalties.
On top of that Overhill Farms used the current part-time pool of employees to replace the fired workers. The company employs more than 1,000 workers and all of those workers have been put through the E-Verify screening process ensuring they are in this country legally, according to Auerbach.
The protestors also claimed that the employees terminated were Hispanic and female. However, Auerbach said they replaced the workers with “a majority of Hispanic and female workers,” essentially nullifying the argument.
“We believe the protests and false accusations are calculated solely to coerce the company to ignore the law, which of course we cannot and will not do,” he finished.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Obama addresses the AMA to quell government-run health care concerns
San Diego – In an effort to quell fears of a government-run health care plan, President Obama addressed the American Medical Association who represents more than 800,000 of the nation’s doctors.
“The cost of health care is a threat to the economy… and is unsustainable for doctors,” the President Obama said during the speech. “If we don’t fix health care America may go the way of G.M.”
Those are strong words from the president. After listening to the president’s speech one doctor found many things to agree with. However, the deal breaker for him was the push for a government-run health care plan.
“We can definitely save money within the industry. For example, the government can do away with the $177 billion it spends on Medicare Advantage and save $75 billion with generic drugs like Canada does,” said Dr. Gary Gonsalves a doctor in the San Diego area.
“What we can’t give in on is the notion of a government-run health plan because I am convinced this is the first step to socialized medicine,” he said.
Gonsalves believes the way to reform the health care industry may be by regulating the insurance companies similar to the utility companies. “I don’t want the government to take all their profits, but they can set prices and encourage insurance companies to offer reasonable or lower-cost plans.”
Other tax advocacy groups point out the government is already running small scale “single-payer” systems. “These programs like the Veteran’s Administration are abject failures,” says Leslie Eastman of Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition LLC.
“We believe when government competes against business, government sets the rules and undercuts private enterprise. Ultimately, this results in a government monopoly,” Eastman said.
Another point that So Cal Tax Revolt Coalition makes is the free-market success of LASIK eye surgery and breast enhancements. “These complicated procedures have become more cost efficient, effective and prevalent in the past few years,” she said. “The main reason is because customers pay for them directly and need to shop around.”
Obama repeated his mantra that none of this can move forward without the medical profession turning to electronic record keeping and investing in preventative care.
Doctor Gonsalves agrees that the free-market is imperative in moving forward. Another sticky point is where the money for the estimated $1 to $2 trillion plan will come from.
The White House contends it’s already set aside a $635 billion ‘down payment’ in the budget and that this money will not add to the federal deficit. However, according to new White House estimates, the U.S. government is borrowing 50 cents on every dollar it spends. That equates to deficit spending.
Not exactly what the Obama administration promised in the speech to the AMA. He did acknowledge that taxing the “rich” to the tune of $300 billion could be on the table. This tax is similar to the one John McCain offered in his health care reform during the presidential elections.
McCain ran into steep criticism from the Democratic Party which now seems to embrace the health-care tax possibility. This tax would squarely land on the middle class as it would make health insurance deductions taxable. The Obama administration has said it doesn’t want to do that, yet the proposal remains on the table.
Senator Chris Dodd-D Conn said that, “Lawmakers should look at the $313 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid through the next 10 years.”
The president also proposed cuts in hospitalization costs. The White House Budget Director Peter M. Orszag said, “Payments to hospitals will be reduced to try and encourage them to work more productively and efficiently.”
What the president doesn’t take into account is in states saddled with millions of illegals, cutting care could put them out of business, according to Gonsalves. On this point the president also spoke about hospital readmission within 30 days.
“If the administration tries to go after this, hospitals will just have to keep patients longer in the first place adding to costs, not alleviating costs,” Gonsalves said.
Another contentious point was about ‘Tort’ reform. Doctors want the cost of their malpractice insurance lowered and “caps” put on lawsuits as a way to save on health care premiums, however, the President Obama, a lawyer himself, wouldn’t budge on that front.
Most people agree that some type of reform has to occur, but what and where need to be hammered out. Many doctors want reform, they just question the speed to which the president is trying to throw things together.
“I can say I agreed with a lot of what the president said today, but he won’t get any doctor support on any type of public government-run insurance,” Gonsalves continued.
For this reason, Gonsalves has started PEGASUSS, Physicians Encouraging Greater Accountability to Stop Unsustainable Socialized Solutions. “I hope to unite physicians to oppose national health care and promote free-market solutions.”
Explaining his motivation behind organizing such a group Gonsalves said, “As physicians we took an oath to relieve suffering and improve the quality of healthcare for our patients. Our ability to follow through on that promise is being seriously threatened by those in Washington who hope to nationalize healthcare by summer’s end.”
Most Americans just want the government to slow down and do it right.
“The cost of health care is a threat to the economy… and is unsustainable for doctors,” the President Obama said during the speech. “If we don’t fix health care America may go the way of G.M.”
Those are strong words from the president. After listening to the president’s speech one doctor found many things to agree with. However, the deal breaker for him was the push for a government-run health care plan.
“We can definitely save money within the industry. For example, the government can do away with the $177 billion it spends on Medicare Advantage and save $75 billion with generic drugs like Canada does,” said Dr. Gary Gonsalves a doctor in the San Diego area.
“What we can’t give in on is the notion of a government-run health plan because I am convinced this is the first step to socialized medicine,” he said.
Gonsalves believes the way to reform the health care industry may be by regulating the insurance companies similar to the utility companies. “I don’t want the government to take all their profits, but they can set prices and encourage insurance companies to offer reasonable or lower-cost plans.”
Other tax advocacy groups point out the government is already running small scale “single-payer” systems. “These programs like the Veteran’s Administration are abject failures,” says Leslie Eastman of Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition LLC.
“We believe when government competes against business, government sets the rules and undercuts private enterprise. Ultimately, this results in a government monopoly,” Eastman said.
Another point that So Cal Tax Revolt Coalition makes is the free-market success of LASIK eye surgery and breast enhancements. “These complicated procedures have become more cost efficient, effective and prevalent in the past few years,” she said. “The main reason is because customers pay for them directly and need to shop around.”
Obama repeated his mantra that none of this can move forward without the medical profession turning to electronic record keeping and investing in preventative care.
Doctor Gonsalves agrees that the free-market is imperative in moving forward. Another sticky point is where the money for the estimated $1 to $2 trillion plan will come from.
The White House contends it’s already set aside a $635 billion ‘down payment’ in the budget and that this money will not add to the federal deficit. However, according to new White House estimates, the U.S. government is borrowing 50 cents on every dollar it spends. That equates to deficit spending.
Not exactly what the Obama administration promised in the speech to the AMA. He did acknowledge that taxing the “rich” to the tune of $300 billion could be on the table. This tax is similar to the one John McCain offered in his health care reform during the presidential elections.
McCain ran into steep criticism from the Democratic Party which now seems to embrace the health-care tax possibility. This tax would squarely land on the middle class as it would make health insurance deductions taxable. The Obama administration has said it doesn’t want to do that, yet the proposal remains on the table.
Senator Chris Dodd-D Conn said that, “Lawmakers should look at the $313 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid through the next 10 years.”
The president also proposed cuts in hospitalization costs. The White House Budget Director Peter M. Orszag said, “Payments to hospitals will be reduced to try and encourage them to work more productively and efficiently.”
What the president doesn’t take into account is in states saddled with millions of illegals, cutting care could put them out of business, according to Gonsalves. On this point the president also spoke about hospital readmission within 30 days.
“If the administration tries to go after this, hospitals will just have to keep patients longer in the first place adding to costs, not alleviating costs,” Gonsalves said.
Another contentious point was about ‘Tort’ reform. Doctors want the cost of their malpractice insurance lowered and “caps” put on lawsuits as a way to save on health care premiums, however, the President Obama, a lawyer himself, wouldn’t budge on that front.
Most people agree that some type of reform has to occur, but what and where need to be hammered out. Many doctors want reform, they just question the speed to which the president is trying to throw things together.
“I can say I agreed with a lot of what the president said today, but he won’t get any doctor support on any type of public government-run insurance,” Gonsalves continued.
For this reason, Gonsalves has started PEGASUSS, Physicians Encouraging Greater Accountability to Stop Unsustainable Socialized Solutions. “I hope to unite physicians to oppose national health care and promote free-market solutions.”
Explaining his motivation behind organizing such a group Gonsalves said, “As physicians we took an oath to relieve suffering and improve the quality of healthcare for our patients. Our ability to follow through on that promise is being seriously threatened by those in Washington who hope to nationalize healthcare by summer’s end.”
Most Americans just want the government to slow down and do it right.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Obama care is set to be front page news all week
Let the games begin. Health care reform will be front and center this week and the Obama administration is stepping up their game by taking it to the people.
The president held a health care town-hall meeting in Wisconsin to push his massive overhaul plan and sell it to the American public. Obama said, “If private insurance companies have to compete with a public option, it will keep them honest and it will help keep their prices down.”
However, there are currently more than 1,000 insurance companies for consumers to choose from.
While in Green Bay, the president couldn’t help but take a shot at Republicans by stating that they couldn’t support any policy that included a public option. What the Obama didn’t mention is that many blue-dog Democrats wouldn’t support such a bill either.
Senator Max Baucus of Montana and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said he was in favor of a co-op style alternative. This insurance cooperative would be owned and operated for the benefit of its members, but the government would not run it.
It seems this option is gaining traction.
This weekend the public finally heard from the American Medical Association, AMA, the largest association of doctors; “We will oppose the creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan.”
The AMA is worried that private insurance companies may be pushed out of the system by the government price fixing. “The corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers,” the group said.
The Obama team claims the new health care program will be paid for through cost savings in Medicare. However, the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, says there is no way to prove any of the Obama numbers.
This is leads into the numbers game. According to the government Census Bureau, there are approximately 47 million uninsured people in this country. Of those, one third or 17 million are here illegally in this country.
The Census Bureau also reports that 8.3 million without care make between $50-75 thousand per year and another 8.75 million make more than $75 thousand per year. The Census Bureau points out that these 16 million Americans could afford to pay for health insurance if they chose to.
This leaves about 15 million or about 7 percent of the population who are uninsured. These numbers aren’t nearly as catastrophic as the Obama administration leads the public to believe.
The health care plans coming out of Washington right now are curiously short on details on whom and how the estimated $1.2 trillion program will be paid for. It will be interesting to see how the week unfolds and the health care story is told.
The president held a health care town-hall meeting in Wisconsin to push his massive overhaul plan and sell it to the American public. Obama said, “If private insurance companies have to compete with a public option, it will keep them honest and it will help keep their prices down.”
However, there are currently more than 1,000 insurance companies for consumers to choose from.
While in Green Bay, the president couldn’t help but take a shot at Republicans by stating that they couldn’t support any policy that included a public option. What the Obama didn’t mention is that many blue-dog Democrats wouldn’t support such a bill either.
Senator Max Baucus of Montana and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said he was in favor of a co-op style alternative. This insurance cooperative would be owned and operated for the benefit of its members, but the government would not run it.
It seems this option is gaining traction.
This weekend the public finally heard from the American Medical Association, AMA, the largest association of doctors; “We will oppose the creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan.”
The AMA is worried that private insurance companies may be pushed out of the system by the government price fixing. “The corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers,” the group said.
The Obama team claims the new health care program will be paid for through cost savings in Medicare. However, the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, says there is no way to prove any of the Obama numbers.
This is leads into the numbers game. According to the government Census Bureau, there are approximately 47 million uninsured people in this country. Of those, one third or 17 million are here illegally in this country.
The Census Bureau also reports that 8.3 million without care make between $50-75 thousand per year and another 8.75 million make more than $75 thousand per year. The Census Bureau points out that these 16 million Americans could afford to pay for health insurance if they chose to.
This leaves about 15 million or about 7 percent of the population who are uninsured. These numbers aren’t nearly as catastrophic as the Obama administration leads the public to believe.
The health care plans coming out of Washington right now are curiously short on details on whom and how the estimated $1.2 trillion program will be paid for. It will be interesting to see how the week unfolds and the health care story is told.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Congressmen act on non-English speaking airplane mechanics
San Diego- After learning that many airlines employed non-English reading mechanics, a number of house congressmen sent Obama’s Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood a letter voicing concerns over the safety of airline passengers.
Now that summer is underway and many families are preparing for summer vacations, anxiety about airline safety has been addressed by these congressmen.
Since English is the language in which the complex aircraft manuals are written, Congressman Brian Bilbray-R and 16 others are seeking to make sure the public is never put in danger because a mechanic cannot understand the instructions on how to repair technical aircraft.
The letter calls on the Secretary of Transportation to address this public safety issue by requiring all U.S. resident airline mechanics have an English proficiency section included in their certification exams.
Amid fears that many low-level airline mechanics are unable to read English in the aircraft manuals, congress has looked to the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for answers.
“Public safety demands that we enforce airline safety measures, and this includes language proficiency in both the cockpit and in the hanger where the aircraft are being repaired,” Bilbray said.
It has been documented that back in 2003, US Airways Express crashed after take-off killing 21 people. According to the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) found that mechanics had not connected some cables properly resulting in the crash.
The NTSB found that the mechanics in charge of repairing the cables could not read English that was written on the cables themselves.
The airlines usually hire two sets of mechanics. Certified mechanics make upwards of $25 per hour, however they are able to oversee another set of mechanics that make less than $10 per hour, many whom are unable to read English.
Fixing airplane engines takes highly trained individuals, who follow a strict step-by-step process. Once an airline decides to skimp on wages the consumer can be the one that loses, a former Navy pilot said.
“We believe the minimum fluency standard for aircraft mechanics should be that required of international pilots as set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Moreover, aircraft mechanic applicants should be required to pass their written, oral and practical examinations in English,” the letter to the Transportation Secretary said.
The FAA has declined to comment on this story.
For more stories:
Now that summer is underway and many families are preparing for summer vacations, anxiety about airline safety has been addressed by these congressmen.
Since English is the language in which the complex aircraft manuals are written, Congressman Brian Bilbray-R and 16 others are seeking to make sure the public is never put in danger because a mechanic cannot understand the instructions on how to repair technical aircraft.
The letter calls on the Secretary of Transportation to address this public safety issue by requiring all U.S. resident airline mechanics have an English proficiency section included in their certification exams.
Amid fears that many low-level airline mechanics are unable to read English in the aircraft manuals, congress has looked to the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for answers.
“Public safety demands that we enforce airline safety measures, and this includes language proficiency in both the cockpit and in the hanger where the aircraft are being repaired,” Bilbray said.
It has been documented that back in 2003, US Airways Express crashed after take-off killing 21 people. According to the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) found that mechanics had not connected some cables properly resulting in the crash.
The NTSB found that the mechanics in charge of repairing the cables could not read English that was written on the cables themselves.
The airlines usually hire two sets of mechanics. Certified mechanics make upwards of $25 per hour, however they are able to oversee another set of mechanics that make less than $10 per hour, many whom are unable to read English.
Fixing airplane engines takes highly trained individuals, who follow a strict step-by-step process. Once an airline decides to skimp on wages the consumer can be the one that loses, a former Navy pilot said.
“We believe the minimum fluency standard for aircraft mechanics should be that required of international pilots as set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Moreover, aircraft mechanic applicants should be required to pass their written, oral and practical examinations in English,” the letter to the Transportation Secretary said.
The FAA has declined to comment on this story.
For more stories:
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Oakland defies federal law and grants ID cards to illegals
Oakland is the latest city to defy federal laws and grant identification cards to those here illegally. The Oakland City Council has followed in San Francisco’s foot steps by giving illegal aliens a pathway to identification.
Those in favor of the new law say it will boost civic participation, add cooperation with local law enforcement and set out the welcome mat. “This is a city that’s always been a gateway city for immigrants,” says Jean Quan and Oakland councilmember. “We are proud of that.”
The cost to the taxpayer remains unresolved. The city is currently reviewing different plans as to how to issue the cards and who will bear the cost of this new city law. A similar law in San Francisco will cost its constituents $828,000 this year and approximately $365,000 in future years, according to the San Francisco County Clerk’s Office.
“These people are here,” Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland councilmember said. “People like us (local government) have to deal with the facts and have to deal with the impact of immigrants.”
This new law is considered a victory for the Oakland ID Card Coalition who has tried to get the measure approved for months. “Having a large community of residents who aren’t reporting crime and aren’t reporting serious housing and employment violations – it really hurts all of Oakland,” says Jesse Newmark an attorney for Centro Legal de la Raza and coalition member.
It is interesting to see this type of law pass in a time when 15 million Americans cannot find a job and more than 32.2 million Americans are on food stamps, according to the Department of Labor and Statistics.
Those who see Oakland as lawbreaking city are not alone. “The California Taxpayer Protection Act will super cede any city-issued cards to those here illegally. Taxpayers have a right to know that their tax dollars are only going to legal residents,” said Ted Hilton the author of the California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010.
“The fact that a city can pass an ID law like this is ridiculous,” Julie Johnson, a California resident said.
Another concerned citizen, Carol Derbis of OWL, has something more telling to say to the city of Oakland. “Any locality which provides ‘legal’ ID cards for those who are here illegally instead of sending ICE to deport these lawbreakers should be forced to forgo any state and federal funding of any kind.”
It remains to be seen as to the affects of this new law, especially since the golden state is under such duress that San Quentin Prisoners may have to give up its tennis courts and drama programs.
Those in favor of the new law say it will boost civic participation, add cooperation with local law enforcement and set out the welcome mat. “This is a city that’s always been a gateway city for immigrants,” says Jean Quan and Oakland councilmember. “We are proud of that.”
The cost to the taxpayer remains unresolved. The city is currently reviewing different plans as to how to issue the cards and who will bear the cost of this new city law. A similar law in San Francisco will cost its constituents $828,000 this year and approximately $365,000 in future years, according to the San Francisco County Clerk’s Office.
“These people are here,” Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland councilmember said. “People like us (local government) have to deal with the facts and have to deal with the impact of immigrants.”
This new law is considered a victory for the Oakland ID Card Coalition who has tried to get the measure approved for months. “Having a large community of residents who aren’t reporting crime and aren’t reporting serious housing and employment violations – it really hurts all of Oakland,” says Jesse Newmark an attorney for Centro Legal de la Raza and coalition member.
It is interesting to see this type of law pass in a time when 15 million Americans cannot find a job and more than 32.2 million Americans are on food stamps, according to the Department of Labor and Statistics.
Those who see Oakland as lawbreaking city are not alone. “The California Taxpayer Protection Act will super cede any city-issued cards to those here illegally. Taxpayers have a right to know that their tax dollars are only going to legal residents,” said Ted Hilton the author of the California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010.
“The fact that a city can pass an ID law like this is ridiculous,” Julie Johnson, a California resident said.
Another concerned citizen, Carol Derbis of OWL, has something more telling to say to the city of Oakland. “Any locality which provides ‘legal’ ID cards for those who are here illegally instead of sending ICE to deport these lawbreakers should be forced to forgo any state and federal funding of any kind.”
It remains to be seen as to the affects of this new law, especially since the golden state is under such duress that San Quentin Prisoners may have to give up its tennis courts and drama programs.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
President Obama promises to create or save 600,000 jobs from stimulus funds
The myth that is saved or created continues to grow while American workers continue to lose their jobs.
“We have to pass the stimulus bill or the economic crisis will worsen,” President Obama said while selling this dud of a program to the American people. Since the president took office 1.6 million Americans have lost their livelihood, yet the president wishes to take credit for 150,000 new or saved jobs.
That is still a net job loss of 1.45 million jobs. According to Charles Krauthammer, syndicated columnist, the only real number associated with the jobs saved or created doublespeak, “is the $787 billion this country is in debt for. The save or create jobs number is meaningless.”
The country’s unemployment rate was supposed to top out at 8 percent if congress passed the stimulus bill in February. The bill passed without a single Republican vote in the house and three in the senate, and unemployment continues to soar past the 9.4 percent mark.
It’s not working. The extravagant spending that was supposed to take place has only trickled into the economy. The White House contends of the $787 billion of emergency dollars the government was going to jolt the economy with only $44 billion has gone out the door.
This misstep has led the voters to voice their concerns. For the first time in his presidency, Obama and the democrats are no longer king in the world of U.S. economy, the republicans are. President Obama’s numbers are down to a 31 percent approval rating for the economy, according to the latest Rasmussen polls.
The Gallup poll also has the president’s numbers down. While 62 percent approve of the president overall, only 45 percent approve of his handling of federal spending and deficit numbers.
All this has prompted the president to up the ante in the spending arena. In a statement from the White House on Monday the president said, “I’m not satisfied. We’ve got more work to do.”
He then went on to promise 600,000 more jobs to be ‘saved or created.’ Again there is no way to prove these numbers unless we actually see a decrease in unemployment benefits, according to leading economists and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Nevertheless, over the next 100 days the Obama White House will ramp up spending in these key areas in order to slow the unemployment process.
-Enable 1,129 health centers in 50 states
-Begin work in 107 National Parks
-Begin improvement work projects at 98 airports
-Fund 135,000 education jobs
-Begin improvements at 90 veteran’s medical centers
-Hire or keep 5,000 law enforcement officers (kind of that save or create thing)
-Start 200 new waste and water systems in rural America
-Begin work at 20 ‘superfund sites’ within the EPA
-Create 125,000 temporary summer youth jobs (key word temporary)
-Initiate 2,300 construction projects at 359 military facilities
The statement the White House put out was again lean on specifics. Details like names of facilities or which teachers or law enforcement officers would keep or get new jobs was conveniently left out.
“Today’s announcement is an acknowledgement that the Democrats’ trillion-dollar stimulus is not working and the American people know it,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner. “These policies are harming the middleclass families when they can least afford it.”
No amount of White House cheerleading can encourage businesses to ramp up hiring if they are worried about hyperinflation down the road. The current federal debt is $1.8 trillion and counting.
That translates into the country borrowing 50 cents on every dollar it spends, something economists say is unprecedented in the history of this country.
Another problem that comes along with the kitchen-sink stimulus package according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is lack of oversight and the potential for fraud.
Coincidentally, a few days earlier the GAO office reported the Treasury has no real details on how Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) funds are being spent. TARP was started under the Bush Administration with $350 billion and the Obama administration quickly doubled the spending to $700 billion.
Many on the republican side of the isle believe the economy will turn on its own without any help from the federal government. However, now the American people will never know the truth and it is any one’s guess when taxpayer rights will be returned to the people.
“We have to pass the stimulus bill or the economic crisis will worsen,” President Obama said while selling this dud of a program to the American people. Since the president took office 1.6 million Americans have lost their livelihood, yet the president wishes to take credit for 150,000 new or saved jobs.
That is still a net job loss of 1.45 million jobs. According to Charles Krauthammer, syndicated columnist, the only real number associated with the jobs saved or created doublespeak, “is the $787 billion this country is in debt for. The save or create jobs number is meaningless.”
The country’s unemployment rate was supposed to top out at 8 percent if congress passed the stimulus bill in February. The bill passed without a single Republican vote in the house and three in the senate, and unemployment continues to soar past the 9.4 percent mark.
It’s not working. The extravagant spending that was supposed to take place has only trickled into the economy. The White House contends of the $787 billion of emergency dollars the government was going to jolt the economy with only $44 billion has gone out the door.
This misstep has led the voters to voice their concerns. For the first time in his presidency, Obama and the democrats are no longer king in the world of U.S. economy, the republicans are. President Obama’s numbers are down to a 31 percent approval rating for the economy, according to the latest Rasmussen polls.
The Gallup poll also has the president’s numbers down. While 62 percent approve of the president overall, only 45 percent approve of his handling of federal spending and deficit numbers.
All this has prompted the president to up the ante in the spending arena. In a statement from the White House on Monday the president said, “I’m not satisfied. We’ve got more work to do.”
He then went on to promise 600,000 more jobs to be ‘saved or created.’ Again there is no way to prove these numbers unless we actually see a decrease in unemployment benefits, according to leading economists and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Nevertheless, over the next 100 days the Obama White House will ramp up spending in these key areas in order to slow the unemployment process.
-Enable 1,129 health centers in 50 states
-Begin work in 107 National Parks
-Begin improvement work projects at 98 airports
-Fund 135,000 education jobs
-Begin improvements at 90 veteran’s medical centers
-Hire or keep 5,000 law enforcement officers (kind of that save or create thing)
-Start 200 new waste and water systems in rural America
-Begin work at 20 ‘superfund sites’ within the EPA
-Create 125,000 temporary summer youth jobs (key word temporary)
-Initiate 2,300 construction projects at 359 military facilities
The statement the White House put out was again lean on specifics. Details like names of facilities or which teachers or law enforcement officers would keep or get new jobs was conveniently left out.
“Today’s announcement is an acknowledgement that the Democrats’ trillion-dollar stimulus is not working and the American people know it,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner. “These policies are harming the middleclass families when they can least afford it.”
No amount of White House cheerleading can encourage businesses to ramp up hiring if they are worried about hyperinflation down the road. The current federal debt is $1.8 trillion and counting.
That translates into the country borrowing 50 cents on every dollar it spends, something economists say is unprecedented in the history of this country.
Another problem that comes along with the kitchen-sink stimulus package according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is lack of oversight and the potential for fraud.
Coincidentally, a few days earlier the GAO office reported the Treasury has no real details on how Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) funds are being spent. TARP was started under the Bush Administration with $350 billion and the Obama administration quickly doubled the spending to $700 billion.
Many on the republican side of the isle believe the economy will turn on its own without any help from the federal government. However, now the American people will never know the truth and it is any one’s guess when taxpayer rights will be returned to the people.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Obama administration stalls E-Verify for the 4th time leaving illegal immigration employment open
The White House announced that it would create 600,000 new jobs in the next 100 days. This is leaving many lawmakers upset that the E-Verify employee verification program has been pushed back for a fourth time to September 8.
E-Verify is an online employment verification system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The simple and effective program allows participating employers to check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee’s I-9 form against SSA and DHS databases.
Currently the program is being used by more than 100,000 employers who have checked approximately 6.5 million potential employees in the 2008 fiscal year, according to DHS.
The popularity of this free and effective program has been overwhelming, says Meg Whitman, 2010 GOP California governor front runner. Republican lawmakers believe that this program is an essential tool for employers who are committed to maintaining a legal workforce.
According to DHS, the number of new employers using the program is increasing by more than 1,000 per week. Under the Bush administration all federal contractors and subcontractors were to be required to verify all employees through the program by June 30, however, the Obama administration has delayed enforcement of the program.
“The administration needs to stop playing political games and rectify this situation immediately so taxpayer money isn’t funding illegitimate employment and hard-working citizens aren’t pushed to the back of the employment line,” House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Harold Rodgers, R-Ky. said.
At a time when jobs are hard to come by many lawmakers are questioning the reason for the DHS lagging attitude with E-Verify. “American workers should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for employment, especially taxpayer-funded federal contract jobs,” House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith said.
Echoing that sentiment is Congressman Bilbray R-Calif. “a lot of the jobs that will be created through the stimulus bill are construction-related. It is these jobs that are often taken by illegal immigrants and I think it is flat out wrong to be helping those who are not in this country legally.”
Bilbray contends that E-Verify is so easy to operate congress can use it. “Putting off this simple verification process to prevent employers from hiring illegal citizens is just wrong.”
During a speech at the Aspen Institute in Washington on June 3, the head of DHS Janet Napolitano praised the E-Verify program.
“We’ll be asking the Congress as part of our ongoing efforts in the immigration field to reauthorize E-Verify to put more money into E-Verify as part of our budget.” She went on to say that in an effort to crack down on employers DHS “ought to have mechanisms to make it easier for them (employers) to comply with the law.”
Critics of the program claim there are too many errors, however according to DHS the numbers remain under 5 percent.
Then why has the White House put off the implementation of E-Verify? Bill Wright of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is not politically motivated. “The new administration just needs an adequate opportunity to review the rule.”
One of the proponents of E-Verify is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who has filed a lawsuit challenging the rule. The case is pending within the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
In the end, delaying E-Verify will result in less enforcement and more rewards for those here illegally, according to Bilbray. “Americans citizens are the ones who will lose.”
E-Verify is an online employment verification system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The simple and effective program allows participating employers to check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee’s I-9 form against SSA and DHS databases.
Currently the program is being used by more than 100,000 employers who have checked approximately 6.5 million potential employees in the 2008 fiscal year, according to DHS.
The popularity of this free and effective program has been overwhelming, says Meg Whitman, 2010 GOP California governor front runner. Republican lawmakers believe that this program is an essential tool for employers who are committed to maintaining a legal workforce.
According to DHS, the number of new employers using the program is increasing by more than 1,000 per week. Under the Bush administration all federal contractors and subcontractors were to be required to verify all employees through the program by June 30, however, the Obama administration has delayed enforcement of the program.
“The administration needs to stop playing political games and rectify this situation immediately so taxpayer money isn’t funding illegitimate employment and hard-working citizens aren’t pushed to the back of the employment line,” House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Harold Rodgers, R-Ky. said.
At a time when jobs are hard to come by many lawmakers are questioning the reason for the DHS lagging attitude with E-Verify. “American workers should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for employment, especially taxpayer-funded federal contract jobs,” House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith said.
Echoing that sentiment is Congressman Bilbray R-Calif. “a lot of the jobs that will be created through the stimulus bill are construction-related. It is these jobs that are often taken by illegal immigrants and I think it is flat out wrong to be helping those who are not in this country legally.”
Bilbray contends that E-Verify is so easy to operate congress can use it. “Putting off this simple verification process to prevent employers from hiring illegal citizens is just wrong.”
During a speech at the Aspen Institute in Washington on June 3, the head of DHS Janet Napolitano praised the E-Verify program.
“We’ll be asking the Congress as part of our ongoing efforts in the immigration field to reauthorize E-Verify to put more money into E-Verify as part of our budget.” She went on to say that in an effort to crack down on employers DHS “ought to have mechanisms to make it easier for them (employers) to comply with the law.”
Critics of the program claim there are too many errors, however according to DHS the numbers remain under 5 percent.
Then why has the White House put off the implementation of E-Verify? Bill Wright of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is not politically motivated. “The new administration just needs an adequate opportunity to review the rule.”
One of the proponents of E-Verify is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who has filed a lawsuit challenging the rule. The case is pending within the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
In the end, delaying E-Verify will result in less enforcement and more rewards for those here illegally, according to Bilbray. “Americans citizens are the ones who will lose.”
Monday, June 8, 2009
The White House is set to discuss immigration reform
June 8, 12:15 PM · Add a Comment
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Step up to the plate, the next batter is immigration reform. In what seems like another inning in the bailout, heath care, save the planet baseball game, the White House is set to discuss immigration reform this week.
Billed as the Reform Immigration for America Campaign Summit, more than 700 groups will strategize how to promote immigration reform. In the midst of a massive recession, many are wondering if the time is right to give 12-20 million illegal aliens the chance to become U.S. citizens.
Kicking off a new week, President Obama will host immigration reform groups into a meeting of the minds. The group-think was supposed to include lawmakers on both sides of the isle, but conflicts pushed the lawmakers’ aspect of the issue back to the 17th of June.
Saddling the immigration system as an “assault on American values and ideals,” the National Council of La Raza looks forward to opening up the discussion and giving a voice to those they say are living in the shadows.
“Policies that call for SWAT-like teams to pluck people out of their beds in the middle of the night, lead to racial profiling, separate families, exploit workers and ignore due process are shamefully un-American,” the NCLR claims.
Opponents on the other side of the topical issue couldn’t disagree more and are also gathering to ensure their voices heard. Minutemen groups across the country have set up mass fax blasts to get the point across.
“If recent history is an accurate guide, amnesty in any form would only encourage a new wave of illegal aliens. Such legislation is a bad idea not only because it creates a transparent path to amnesty, but also it would reduce work opportunities, depresses wages and lowers protection for Americans,” part of the fax reads.
Indeed, states like California are strapped for cash and are reluctant to point any fingers for political reasons. Although Gov. Schwarzenegger believes illegals are not to blame for the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. The governor contends that the $5 billion spent annually on illegal aliens is only a small portion.
This ‘small portion’ tallies up to roughly 20 percent of the current problem and is reoccurring on an annual basis. Thus taxpayer advocacy groups are stepping up their mantra that if these programs were curtailed, California’s financial issues would begin to dissipate in the future.
For more stories follow the links:
www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m5d8-California-Protection-Act-of-2010
www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m6d4-Al-Qaeda-spouts-more-propaganda-on-bio-attacks-resurrecting-Mexico-border-fears
Add a Comment
ShareThis
Feed
Step up to the plate, the next batter is immigration reform. In what seems like another inning in the bailout, heath care, save the planet baseball game, the White House is set to discuss immigration reform this week.
Billed as the Reform Immigration for America Campaign Summit, more than 700 groups will strategize how to promote immigration reform. In the midst of a massive recession, many are wondering if the time is right to give 12-20 million illegal aliens the chance to become U.S. citizens.
Kicking off a new week, President Obama will host immigration reform groups into a meeting of the minds. The group-think was supposed to include lawmakers on both sides of the isle, but conflicts pushed the lawmakers’ aspect of the issue back to the 17th of June.
Saddling the immigration system as an “assault on American values and ideals,” the National Council of La Raza looks forward to opening up the discussion and giving a voice to those they say are living in the shadows.
“Policies that call for SWAT-like teams to pluck people out of their beds in the middle of the night, lead to racial profiling, separate families, exploit workers and ignore due process are shamefully un-American,” the NCLR claims.
Opponents on the other side of the topical issue couldn’t disagree more and are also gathering to ensure their voices heard. Minutemen groups across the country have set up mass fax blasts to get the point across.
“If recent history is an accurate guide, amnesty in any form would only encourage a new wave of illegal aliens. Such legislation is a bad idea not only because it creates a transparent path to amnesty, but also it would reduce work opportunities, depresses wages and lowers protection for Americans,” part of the fax reads.
Indeed, states like California are strapped for cash and are reluctant to point any fingers for political reasons. Although Gov. Schwarzenegger believes illegals are not to blame for the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. The governor contends that the $5 billion spent annually on illegal aliens is only a small portion.
This ‘small portion’ tallies up to roughly 20 percent of the current problem and is reoccurring on an annual basis. Thus taxpayer advocacy groups are stepping up their mantra that if these programs were curtailed, California’s financial issues would begin to dissipate in the future.
For more stories follow the links:
www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m5d8-California-Protection-Act-of-2010
www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m6d4-Al-Qaeda-spouts-more-propaganda-on-bio-attacks-resurrecting-Mexico-border-fears
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Al Qaeda spouts more propaganda on bio attacks, resurrecting Mexico border fears
San Diego – Resurrecting border fears, Al Qaeda spouted more propaganda on possible biological attacks in the United States. The point of entry they claim would be the border tunnels located along the San Diego corridor.
The Department of Homeland Security authenticated a recent video message played on the web and Middle East television Al Jazeera, where Kuwaiti Al Qaeda veteran recruiter Abdullah al-Nafisi claimed to be casing the San Diego border tunnels to bring in four pounds of anthrax capable of killing upwards of 330,000 Americans.
On the video al-Nafisi said they were willing to possibly work with white supremacy militia groups within the U.S. to carry out the massive attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security came out strongly against this video as something they looked into, but did not find it credible at the time.
“We can never stop being vigilant while there are individuals who seek to do harm on the American people,” Sara Kuban, DHS press secretary said.
“We continue to step up our efforts with additional personnel and better technology along the northern and southern borders and continue to strengthen our ports of entry,” she said.
While the DHS downplayed the imminent threat of this attack, San Diego local Congressman Duncan Hunter-R Calif. continues to pursue the importance of a strong offense.
“He has always viewed illegal immigration as a national security issue and continues to lead efforts for more fencing and technology, including tunnel detection equipment and additional personnel along the U.S.-Mexico borders,” said Joe Kasper press spokesman for Rep. Hunter.
He goes on to explain that the idea that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are looking to infiltrate the U.S. is nothing new. Yet despite these warnings, the U.S. has yet to take the necessary steps to adequately secure the borders.
The fact that the San Diego tunnels and Al Qaeda are reoccurring themes has seemed to force Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, into keeping their eyes open.
During the 10-minute diatribe al-Nafisi said; “There is good reason for American fears.”
Back in February of 2005, the New York Times reported that newly-minted CIA Director Porter Goss, “strongly suggested that Al Qaeda has considered infiltrating the United States through the Mexican border.”
This is just another reason for America to have a strong border fence, an issue Rep. Hunter strongly advocates.
The Department of Homeland Security authenticated a recent video message played on the web and Middle East television Al Jazeera, where Kuwaiti Al Qaeda veteran recruiter Abdullah al-Nafisi claimed to be casing the San Diego border tunnels to bring in four pounds of anthrax capable of killing upwards of 330,000 Americans.
On the video al-Nafisi said they were willing to possibly work with white supremacy militia groups within the U.S. to carry out the massive attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security came out strongly against this video as something they looked into, but did not find it credible at the time.
“We can never stop being vigilant while there are individuals who seek to do harm on the American people,” Sara Kuban, DHS press secretary said.
“We continue to step up our efforts with additional personnel and better technology along the northern and southern borders and continue to strengthen our ports of entry,” she said.
While the DHS downplayed the imminent threat of this attack, San Diego local Congressman Duncan Hunter-R Calif. continues to pursue the importance of a strong offense.
“He has always viewed illegal immigration as a national security issue and continues to lead efforts for more fencing and technology, including tunnel detection equipment and additional personnel along the U.S.-Mexico borders,” said Joe Kasper press spokesman for Rep. Hunter.
He goes on to explain that the idea that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are looking to infiltrate the U.S. is nothing new. Yet despite these warnings, the U.S. has yet to take the necessary steps to adequately secure the borders.
The fact that the San Diego tunnels and Al Qaeda are reoccurring themes has seemed to force Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, into keeping their eyes open.
During the 10-minute diatribe al-Nafisi said; “There is good reason for American fears.”
Back in February of 2005, the New York Times reported that newly-minted CIA Director Porter Goss, “strongly suggested that Al Qaeda has considered infiltrating the United States through the Mexican border.”
This is just another reason for America to have a strong border fence, an issue Rep. Hunter strongly advocates.
Democrats try to capitalize on their political clout for 2010
San Diego – In an effort to cash in on a popular president, democrats are parlaying their money into unseating republican congressmen living in perceived blue districts. Eight California candidates became the latest targets in their political fight.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chose the golden state because the it has been hit particularly hard with close to 11 percent unemployment and budget problems as far as the eye can see.
Not so fast says one of the targeted congressmen Brian Bilbray-R California. “The people in San Diego won’t fall for Chicago-style politics.”
The congressman handily won his seat in November, even though President Obama won the 50th district. “The people in San Diego have known me since I was in my 20s and know I’m looking out for them. The San Diego voters are also tired of Washington’s business as usual.”
However the DCCC claims Bilbray’s seat is up for grabs due to a shrinking republican party. What democratic officials won’t say is the democrats are also losing registered voters and it’s the independent party on the rise, validating the ‘business as usual’ problem that continues to plague Washington D.C.
In an attempt to use some of that newly minted political ideology Andrew Stone, western regional press secretary for the DCCC said; “We are holding Representative Brian Bilbray accountable for just saying ‘no’ to President Obama’s recovery act that creates or saves 400,000 California jobs, cuts taxes for the middle class families and funds critical projects.”
He goes on to say that in these tough times families are worried about their future and California voters don’t need representative’s “just saying no.”
Californians couldn’t disagree more. A few weeks ago Californians voted down new taxing and spending plans by Sacramento by landside margins.
“What people need to understand with the ‘party of no’ nonsense is the so-called stimulus bill was a package put forward in the dead of night. We were asked to sign a bill without reading it. Not only were there 9,000 pork projects included, but the AIG bonuses or extortion money was in there,” Bilbray said.
Local San Diego continuants seem to agree with the congressman.
“California said a resounding no with the latest election. Brian Bilbray is right in step with the voters in California. It’s logical to conclude that we don’t want our kids to be saddled with problems that they had no part in determining,” John Herbert of Encinitas said.
“I fully support Congressman Bilbray’s vote against the $787 billion stimulus bill, I only wish there were more elected officials like him.”
What about those 400,000 jobs that California was supposed to save or create? It looks like the jury is still out on that one as California continues to shed more jobs on a weekly basis. The democrats and Stone were oddly silent on this issue.
The numbers are also out regarding the $787 billion stimulus packages attempt to stave off a deeper recession. However, California still stands on the brink of bankruptcy with no relief in the immediate future.
“I’m standing on principals for my San Diego constituents,” Bilbray said.
If Californian’s recent vote is any indication of future house races it looks like the democrats may be overstepping on the issue of further gains in the house in 2010.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chose the golden state because the it has been hit particularly hard with close to 11 percent unemployment and budget problems as far as the eye can see.
Not so fast says one of the targeted congressmen Brian Bilbray-R California. “The people in San Diego won’t fall for Chicago-style politics.”
The congressman handily won his seat in November, even though President Obama won the 50th district. “The people in San Diego have known me since I was in my 20s and know I’m looking out for them. The San Diego voters are also tired of Washington’s business as usual.”
However the DCCC claims Bilbray’s seat is up for grabs due to a shrinking republican party. What democratic officials won’t say is the democrats are also losing registered voters and it’s the independent party on the rise, validating the ‘business as usual’ problem that continues to plague Washington D.C.
In an attempt to use some of that newly minted political ideology Andrew Stone, western regional press secretary for the DCCC said; “We are holding Representative Brian Bilbray accountable for just saying ‘no’ to President Obama’s recovery act that creates or saves 400,000 California jobs, cuts taxes for the middle class families and funds critical projects.”
He goes on to say that in these tough times families are worried about their future and California voters don’t need representative’s “just saying no.”
Californians couldn’t disagree more. A few weeks ago Californians voted down new taxing and spending plans by Sacramento by landside margins.
“What people need to understand with the ‘party of no’ nonsense is the so-called stimulus bill was a package put forward in the dead of night. We were asked to sign a bill without reading it. Not only were there 9,000 pork projects included, but the AIG bonuses or extortion money was in there,” Bilbray said.
Local San Diego continuants seem to agree with the congressman.
“California said a resounding no with the latest election. Brian Bilbray is right in step with the voters in California. It’s logical to conclude that we don’t want our kids to be saddled with problems that they had no part in determining,” John Herbert of Encinitas said.
“I fully support Congressman Bilbray’s vote against the $787 billion stimulus bill, I only wish there were more elected officials like him.”
What about those 400,000 jobs that California was supposed to save or create? It looks like the jury is still out on that one as California continues to shed more jobs on a weekly basis. The democrats and Stone were oddly silent on this issue.
The numbers are also out regarding the $787 billion stimulus packages attempt to stave off a deeper recession. However, California still stands on the brink of bankruptcy with no relief in the immediate future.
“I’m standing on principals for my San Diego constituents,” Bilbray said.
If Californian’s recent vote is any indication of future house races it looks like the democrats may be overstepping on the issue of further gains in the house in 2010.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
State-of-the-art medical facility opens for low income families
San Diego- A 28,000-square foot state-of-the-art medical facility for low income families has opened for business. For those seeking prenatal and First 5 San Diego child resources in the San Ysidro area, families will be greeted with the latest technology and top-notch health care providers.
Located about mile north of the Mexican border, the San Ysidro Health Centers new $18 million location is set to treat families living below the poverty line (roughly $17,000).
A bevy of services are offered to woman and their children including, child development, teaching kitchen, family resource center, pediatric dentistry, woman’s health, pediatric well care, WIC, public assistant services and laboratory services.
The lion’s share of the money used to build the health facility came from the First 5 Commission of San Diego. They donated an estimated $5.3 million. The center also garnered another $8 million through grants and undisclosed donations.
The new high-tech center will operate under and annual budget of $47 million, according to the clinics CEO Ed Martinez. “We will now begin the process of treating women and children who are at risk because they reside in low income households.”
The center which operates as a one-stop shopping center for healthcare contains offices for WIC and other social services like food stamps.
When asked if the center requires identification for treatment and services, Martinez replied, “No, not really. We ask for their residence and rely on their honesty to provide a nominal $10 per visit charge. These services are all provided at little to no cost to families who claim to earn less than $17,000 per household.”
“They (the families) are not looking for handouts,” Martinez said. “However, we do have another office in the building that will help those pay for the $10 co-payment if they are unable to pay it.”
This doesn’t sit well with some community members. During a time of recession in the country and especially California, spending federal, state and local tax money for patients with questionable lawful residential backgrounds is concerning to taxpayer advocate groups.
“If we continue to offer these incentives for virtually free medical care treatment, we will never get a hold of this immigration issue,” Dr. Gary Gonsalves who founded Stop Taxing Us a taxpayer advocacy group. “As a practicing doctor I have a front row seat.”
According to the center, identification is not required for services and most of the employees are Spanish speaking.
“This is where I have a problem. I would hope that the medical center is asking about lawful residency before giving out a free ride,” said Ted Hilton of Taxpayer Revolution.
The woman’s health center currently relies on area universities for doctors and dentists. “We work directly with University of California of San Diego and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) for their residency students,” Martinez said.
“It is the universities who pay the residency doctors and dentists their monthly stipends and we get valuable doctor services in return.”
The San Ysidro Health Center considers itself a “safety net” and a last resort health care provider. “Our bottom line is that we want the families to be healthy and thrive. By giving low income families care reduces disparities and provides preventative care,” Martinez said.
Now that the facility is open it will have to compete with other agencies for grants, Medi-Cal and Medicaid to keep the $47 million budget rolling every year.
This could be tough if the State enacts the California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010. This legislation will require an identification process to take place in order for the medical facility to continue to receive Medi-Cal benefits, federal and state grants.
“Skirting the state identification law would be a lot harder,” Hilton concluded.
Located about mile north of the Mexican border, the San Ysidro Health Centers new $18 million location is set to treat families living below the poverty line (roughly $17,000).
A bevy of services are offered to woman and their children including, child development, teaching kitchen, family resource center, pediatric dentistry, woman’s health, pediatric well care, WIC, public assistant services and laboratory services.
The lion’s share of the money used to build the health facility came from the First 5 Commission of San Diego. They donated an estimated $5.3 million. The center also garnered another $8 million through grants and undisclosed donations.
The new high-tech center will operate under and annual budget of $47 million, according to the clinics CEO Ed Martinez. “We will now begin the process of treating women and children who are at risk because they reside in low income households.”
The center which operates as a one-stop shopping center for healthcare contains offices for WIC and other social services like food stamps.
When asked if the center requires identification for treatment and services, Martinez replied, “No, not really. We ask for their residence and rely on their honesty to provide a nominal $10 per visit charge. These services are all provided at little to no cost to families who claim to earn less than $17,000 per household.”
“They (the families) are not looking for handouts,” Martinez said. “However, we do have another office in the building that will help those pay for the $10 co-payment if they are unable to pay it.”
This doesn’t sit well with some community members. During a time of recession in the country and especially California, spending federal, state and local tax money for patients with questionable lawful residential backgrounds is concerning to taxpayer advocate groups.
“If we continue to offer these incentives for virtually free medical care treatment, we will never get a hold of this immigration issue,” Dr. Gary Gonsalves who founded Stop Taxing Us a taxpayer advocacy group. “As a practicing doctor I have a front row seat.”
According to the center, identification is not required for services and most of the employees are Spanish speaking.
“This is where I have a problem. I would hope that the medical center is asking about lawful residency before giving out a free ride,” said Ted Hilton of Taxpayer Revolution.
The woman’s health center currently relies on area universities for doctors and dentists. “We work directly with University of California of San Diego and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) for their residency students,” Martinez said.
“It is the universities who pay the residency doctors and dentists their monthly stipends and we get valuable doctor services in return.”
The San Ysidro Health Center considers itself a “safety net” and a last resort health care provider. “Our bottom line is that we want the families to be healthy and thrive. By giving low income families care reduces disparities and provides preventative care,” Martinez said.
Now that the facility is open it will have to compete with other agencies for grants, Medi-Cal and Medicaid to keep the $47 million budget rolling every year.
This could be tough if the State enacts the California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010. This legislation will require an identification process to take place in order for the medical facility to continue to receive Medi-Cal benefits, federal and state grants.
“Skirting the state identification law would be a lot harder,” Hilton concluded.
Monday, June 1, 2009
America’s descent into Marxism gaining momentum
Over the weekend, Russia, yes Russia, laid out its argument that America has officially killed capitalism. The record speed that the Obama administration is moving away from capitalism can be seen as they gobble up car companies, insurance providers and financial institutions.
Throwing out existing board members and replacing them with unelected government workers will complete America’s uncapitalistic transformation. Nothing is sacrosanct in the United States. Contracts have been broken, monies withheld and new regulation passed in order to create the higher good.
We are now saving the economy, car companies, insurance firms, financial institutions and let’s not forget the planet. Washington D.C. is adding trillions of dollars to our debt. How much money is that? Even the president contends it’s too much. “We’re broke,” he said in a recent CSPAN interview.
Really, broke? Even though the White House acknowledges we have no money, no way to get it back, they continue the spending dash. I don’t know what it will take for every American to scream, STOP!
Government officials announced that these companies were too big to fail. The question we should be asking them is, ‘Are we (the U.S.) too big to fail? The old saying goes something like ‘Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’ Have we learned anything yet?
Let’s take the newest taxpayer pet project – General Motors. President Obama stated that he did not want to be in the car business, yet he is. Obama’s economic team is set to name all but two of the new GM board members and invest an additional $30 billion on top of the $20 billion it has already sunk into the ailing company. This sounds a lot like ownership to me.
Today GM filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and by doing so has completely wiped out the common shareholders stock. It will now be worth nothing.
Close to 40 years ago the government took over Amtrak to save it from failing. The government is still an owner. The governments’ problem with Amtrak remains its inability to control labor costs with the unions.
In the past, Amtrak was run by bureaucrats with no transit experience. Fast forward to today. The collective automobile industry experience for the new White House auto task force is – zero.
Amtrak continued to bilk the federal government for more than $30 billion and it is still taking money. In 1970, congress approved a bailout package of $340 million, telling taxpayers they would be out in five years.
In a statement from House Minority leader John Boehner, “Does anyone really believe that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporation to economic viability.”
Last year Amtrak took in $2.45 billion in revenue, however it spent more than $3.38 billion. Washington D.C. filled in the roughly $1 billion shortfall with taxpayer money.
When will the White House walk from the $50 billion it has now invested into GM’s bankruptcy deal? When is a company too big to fail?
Or is the bigger question when does America fail?
Throwing out existing board members and replacing them with unelected government workers will complete America’s uncapitalistic transformation. Nothing is sacrosanct in the United States. Contracts have been broken, monies withheld and new regulation passed in order to create the higher good.
We are now saving the economy, car companies, insurance firms, financial institutions and let’s not forget the planet. Washington D.C. is adding trillions of dollars to our debt. How much money is that? Even the president contends it’s too much. “We’re broke,” he said in a recent CSPAN interview.
Really, broke? Even though the White House acknowledges we have no money, no way to get it back, they continue the spending dash. I don’t know what it will take for every American to scream, STOP!
Government officials announced that these companies were too big to fail. The question we should be asking them is, ‘Are we (the U.S.) too big to fail? The old saying goes something like ‘Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’ Have we learned anything yet?
Let’s take the newest taxpayer pet project – General Motors. President Obama stated that he did not want to be in the car business, yet he is. Obama’s economic team is set to name all but two of the new GM board members and invest an additional $30 billion on top of the $20 billion it has already sunk into the ailing company. This sounds a lot like ownership to me.
Today GM filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and by doing so has completely wiped out the common shareholders stock. It will now be worth nothing.
Close to 40 years ago the government took over Amtrak to save it from failing. The government is still an owner. The governments’ problem with Amtrak remains its inability to control labor costs with the unions.
In the past, Amtrak was run by bureaucrats with no transit experience. Fast forward to today. The collective automobile industry experience for the new White House auto task force is – zero.
Amtrak continued to bilk the federal government for more than $30 billion and it is still taking money. In 1970, congress approved a bailout package of $340 million, telling taxpayers they would be out in five years.
In a statement from House Minority leader John Boehner, “Does anyone really believe that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporation to economic viability.”
Last year Amtrak took in $2.45 billion in revenue, however it spent more than $3.38 billion. Washington D.C. filled in the roughly $1 billion shortfall with taxpayer money.
When will the White House walk from the $50 billion it has now invested into GM’s bankruptcy deal? When is a company too big to fail?
Or is the bigger question when does America fail?
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