Friday, July 31, 2009

Secret Service Draws Down on Tea Party Crowds?

Wow I haven't seen the Y-Tube videos but it sounds very scary. I suppose it was only a matter of time. Our numbers are growing in the Tea Party Movement so apparently they are seeing us as a threat now. I have seen the Secret Service in action too when they have had to protect the President but I have never heard of anything like this.

Hands Off My Health

Hands Off My Health

Shared via AddThis Sign the petition and pass it on. Sign every petition you can get your hands on. Contact your reps and visit them in person over the August break. We can't waste a single minute to try to stop this bill. We need meaningful reform we can pay for not socialized medicine!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Fannie Med?

Click on the title for a good article in the Wall Street Journal about the Senate Finance Committee's proposal for an insurance co-op plan. Such a plan would still required government oversight with beaurocrats dictating policy and could potentially lead to socialized medicine. It is the government oversight committee that worries me the most. It still represents a lack of freedom of choice.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Government Plan Could Coexist with Private Insurance

Except HR 3200 outlaws private insurance (see twitter to the right). Click on the title to read the article.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

A Chilling Comparison

Click on the title to read an article written by a Holocaust survivor about Hitler's tiered euthansia program, an extreme example of what can happen when the government controls life and death decisions and rationing of care. As a health care provider and a student of history, I get a little nervous when I hear Obama talk about establishing "an independent board of doctors and health care experts" as a signature part of Obamacare.

Five Freedoms You Will Lose Under Obamacare

Click on the title to read the article about five freedoms that will be lost under Obamacare. I know I keep hammering on the point that we the people must educate ourselves on health care reform but it is important that we are aware of what this will mean. As a nurse practitioner I know that reform is needed but I do not advocate at all government control of our health care. I believe that the current spin put out there now by the administration, House and Senate, and special interest groups such as the AMA and ANA is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst. It is indicative that no one knows what is really in these bills. So I have challenged myself to read as much of HB 3200 as I can. I have provided the link to it in yesterday's posting so I challenge all of you to do the same. If you can't bring yourself to read the whole bill at least read section 1233 about advanced directives and end of life care. It is shocking to read how they plan to ration care for the elderly and terminally ill! It is especially shocking to find that such discussions will not take place between you and your physician but between you and a government agency! But I won't spoil the plot for you. I will let you read for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I will be twittering about this in the future so click on the link to follow me.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

HB 3200

Click on the title to read the entire HB 3200. Happy summer reading!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Obamacare for Old Folks: Just Cut Your Life Short

Click on the title to read the article and check out the provisions for mandatory end-of-life care outlined in section 1233 of the Health Care Bill that deals with a government requirement for advanced care planning consultation. I am shocked that every senior citizen in the country isn't screaming in opposition to this bill as it basically mandates rationing of care and advanced directives for end of life care. Right now under the law advanced directives are voluntary but should this bill become law they will be mandatory. Every five years you would be required to meet with a medicare consultant to review your advanced directive. You will have to discuss such things as no code status or artificial nutrition even if you are against it. It doesn't come right out and say it but the language in this bill indicates that if even if you want to be fully resuscitated you will be counseledto accept other alternatives. Even if you are a healthy happy 90 year old or 100 year old you will still have to consider cutting your life short for the greater good of all. Don't take my word for it. Read the bill for yourself and see what you think. Fortunately the vote has been delayed in the House and Senate until the fall. But do not become complacent as we are not out of the woods. Make an appointment to visit with your reps when they come to town this summer. Keep up the pressure. Make yourself visible and make your voice heard. Above all, make this bill your summer reading project. Your life could depend on it!

In the meantime I have made my decision as to what I will do if this bill passes. When the counselors from Medicare show up on my doorstep they will be met with a baseball bat. Then we will see whose end-of-life decisions we will be discussing.

Inside the Health Care Bill aka HR3200

Click on the title to read excerpts from the Health Care Bill HR3200. There is also a link to the entire bill and a link to sign up for twitters. Don't take my word for it that it contains provisions for rationing of care; that it will outlaw private plans and that it will provide coverage for everyone including illegal aliens (who will not have to pay for it). Read it for yourself. Particularly chilling are the excerpts about private insurance being outlawed; employers being required to sign employees up for the public health plan and, most chilling of all, the fact that the government will have access to your bank account to withdraw premium payments.

Is this really what we want for our health care? Do we really want a White House Health Advisory Committee in charge of our personal health? Do we really want a totalitarian society such as this? By the way, Zeke Emanuel is on the White House Advisory Committee and he is one of the authors of the article in my posting yesterday about Health Care rationing for the elderly. Is this the type of person we want dictating our health care policy?

Our President has not read the bill and neither has Congress or the Senate. So it is up to us, we the people, to read it and take control of this decision. Contact your reps today and demand a moratorium on the Health Care bill until everyone has had a chance to read the entire bill and debate it thoroughly. Otherwise we will lose control of one of our most personal freedoms, that of our health care decisions, for a very long time, perhaps forever.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Centenarians' Club is Growing Due to Medical Advances

Click on the title to read a great article about the growing number of Centenarians in this country which is expected to reach about 6 million mid-century. One reason the numbers are growing due to doctors who are more willing to aggressively treat diseases in the elderly. So who is going to be the one to tell them that their care will be rationed if Obamacare passes?

He Hasn't Read the Bill

Oh good grief. The chosen one to lead the way on health care reform apparently hasn't read the bill and is unfamiliar with key precepts in it. Yep you heard me right. He hasn't read the bill. Click on the title to read more.

So if Obama hasn't read the bill, and our senators and congress reps haven't read the bill, who has? Who really knows what it contains? Why are we the people allowing our legislators to shove this thing down our throats when nobody knows what is in it? Aren't we the ones in charge here?

Time to take a stand folks before it is too late. Time to call, email, fax and petition our reps and DEMAND they defeat this bill. Or at least allow us time to read it which by the size of it may take some of us a year or two to read AND understand it.

I propose that we set aside this bill for now and allow about two years for the economy to recover. If it looks like the economy is in better shape then we can look at health care reform. In the meantime everyone should be required to read the bill and that means EVERYONE. Then we should debate the issue so thoroughly and completely that there can be no doubt in anyone's mind what kind of health care we want, what we are willing to do to get it and how we will pay for it. We the people need to make this decision, not the government, not special interest groups and not our legislators. We need to take control and make our legislators carry out our wishes for health care reform. But we can't do this unless we have an informed debate. Contact your reps today and take back your health care! The time is now!

Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions

Click on the title to read a fascinating--and chilling-- article written by Govind Persad, Alan Wertheimer and Ezekiel Emanuel (brother of Rahm Emanuel and the White House health advisor) from the Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Medicine. They discuss the different systems of allocation used currently, and then suggest an alternative one, that of the "complete lives system," which "prioritises younger people who have not yet lived a complete life, and also incorporates prognosis, saves the most lives..." No doubt about it, this article advocates rationing for the elderly and you can bet it is a cornerstone of Obamacare. It sends chills up and down my spine to think that such people as this are in charge of our health care now! Contact your reps and say no to rationing!!

Incentives Rather Than Coverage May Be More Important in Health Care Reform

Click on the title to read an article that suggests that promoting incentives to stay healthy may be more important to health care reform than providing insurance coverage. I agree, but the true key is far more fundamental than that. You can provide all the incentives you want but until people accept personal responsibility for their health you will only get so far. As the old proverb says, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink! I hear a lot of people demanding coverage for illness but I don't hear anyone talking about what they would be willing to do to stay healthy, such as stop smoking, lose weight, control their blood pressure or control their diabetes. They want coverage whether or not they are willing to do these things for themselves. The bottom line is that individual responsibility for personal health is the only way to true reform and cost control. Providing incentives will help us get there but they are not the panacea. So the real question in health care reform is once you get the horse to water how do you get him to drink?

A Reckless Congress

I never thought I would see an article like this in the Wall Street Journal! Click on the title Looks like even the liberal newspapers are waking up to what is going on. Let's hope it is not too late. Call your reps and demand they stand up to Nancy Pelosi's strong arm tactics to get these bogus cap and trade and health care bills passed before anyone has a chance to read or question them. We the people still can stop this power grab if we act now! Call, email, fax your reps today!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Senate Vote for Hate Crimes Sparks Warning

Click on the title to read a great update on the status of the Hate Crimes Bill. It was approved while we were asleep as attached to a defense bill. Although it has been approved there are procedural details to be ironed out so there is still a chance it could be amended to protect preachers. For more information check out the links www.prayinjesusname.org and www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1913/show. This has been a difficult bill to track as it has been attached to other bills to gain acceptance. If your reps voted against it contact them and thank them for standing against it. If they voted for it express your outrage and let them know their vote will not be forgotten at election time. At this point in time contact your senators TODAY by email, fax or phone and demand this bill be amended to protect preachers. If it becomes law as it is right now it will have a huge devastating impact on preachers and churches throughout the country.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance"--Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Larry Summers States Decreased Numbers of Google Searches For "Economic Depression" Indicate Improvement

Click on the title to read the article. Apparently Larry thinks that because there are less Google searches for "Economic Depression" that could indicate some improvement in our economic situation.

Or could it simply mean that less searches indicate that people now understand the meaning of the words? Hmmm......

Commerce Secretary: Americans 'Need to Pay' for Chinese Emissions

WTF??? With idiots like this running the country who needs enemies?? Click on the title to read the article. When are we going to wake up and realize this cap and trade carbon emissions stuff has nothing to do with environment protection and everything to do with taxes and money? Someone help me with this....I have a headache.

Senate OKs Bill on Hate Crimes

This action takes us one step closer to the Hate Crimes Bill becoming reality. Click on the title to read the whole article. Again this is one of those bills that looks and sounds good on the surface but that could have much darker implications for the faith community particularly preachers. It's not a done deal yet as details still have to be hammered out in committee as it was attached to a defense bill for approving the F-22 fighter jet. What do hate crimes and F-22 fighter jets have in common? Why, the "don't ask don't tell" policy concerning gays in the military of course! This is just another example of how questionable bills slip under the radar and end up getting passed when they are attached to other bills. That is why it is so difficult sometimes to track them. I haven't found any information yet about when the committee will meet to hammer out the details. There is a chance the Hate Crimes bill will be taken off the table so it is imperative you call your senators today and insist they do not support this bill whether it stands alone or is attached to another bill. Make your voice heard! The time is NOW!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Godspeed Tina!

Last night I found out that a high school classmate, Tina Marsh, passed away a few weeks ago from breast cancer. She was 55 years old. Click on the title to read her remarkable, incredible obituary. Although we moved in different circles I did sing with Tina in our high school choir. I remember Tina as our "It Girl", our Diva, the girl who seemed to have it all, whose bold, vibrant, creative personality just seemed to fill a room and embrace everyone in it. She was involved in everything from choir to pom-pom dance team to student government to homecoming queen. Her performances in our many plays and musicals were unforgettable. What an awesome beautiful voice she had! Even then she had star power. The last I heard of her was a few months after we graduated. Someone told me that Tina had been cast in the lead role in her college musical and had taken the campus by storm, something unheard of for a freshman. That was no surprise to us. We knew she would be a star some day.

Years went by, 37 to be exact, and I never heard anything more until I got the message that she had passed away. I had no idea that she was in Austin all this time, writing and performing and becoming a powerful creative force in that music community. I did a Google search and found all kinds of information about her and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra she founded and all the community outreach she had done. I went to her website and was able to hear excerpts from some of her CDs. My favorite is Inside Breaking. If anyone reading this is from the Winston Churchill High School, Potomac Maryland, Class of 1972, I recommend you listen to it especially the track "Who Knows Where or When." It is guaranteed to bring back memories of Tina performing in our school musicals. As for me, I have ordered her CD Inside Breaking and can't wait to share it with my family and friends. Tina Marsh used her gift of music to bring people together. From everything I read about her I sensed that for her it was never about money or fame. It was about creative freedom and about community, most especially her beloved community of Austin. But now I think it is time for Austin to share her with the rest of the world because Lord knows we could really use her message of community through music right about now. Check out http://www.creop.org/ to hear her music and order CDs. Share them with everyone you know so we can spread Tina's message far and wide. Somehow I think she would approve.

Go in peace Tina and thanks for sharing your gifts with us and leaving behind a wonderful legacy. Thanks for all the great high school memories. My condolences to all your friends and family and my prayers are with them all. I know that the Austin music community will continue the good work that you started there and that it will spread far and wide. Somehow I think you will be there every time the Creative Opportunity Orchestra performs and that they will feel your presence as they continue the work you started. Rest now, knowing that yours was a job well done. Godspeed!

"We Won't Have Any Protestors"

Click on the title to read the blog piece written by Mark Skoda, chairman of the Memphis Tea Party. I was a part of this group yesterday so I can attest that everything happened just as he says.

I am not by nature confrontational and I have never been one to carry signs or demonstrate even in support of an issue very important to me. I have always felt that I could contribute better by working hard, keeping my nose to the grind stone, and all that sort of thing. So the idea of picking up a sign and meeting in the front of a federal building to talk to my senator and voice my concerns is not a natural thing for me to do. When I received Mark's action alert email about meeting in front of Senator Lamar Alexander's downtown Memphis office to voice our opposition to government run health care, I struggled with myself right up until about 2 hours before we were supposed to meet. I could think of all kinds of excuses not to go, just as I had always done in the past. Just as I was thinking "it's not a good time for me today" the thought crossed my mind that it would never be a good time, it would never be convenient. If I wanted my voice to be heard and to make a difference I would have to make time. I thought of our founding fathers and mothers. What if they had said "it's not a good day for me to work on the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence?" That was it. I really had no more excuses after that.

So I got out some old school paint (nearly dry from lack of use over the years) and some magic markers and made my sign. Then I drove downtown, parked in the public parking lot across the street from the building, and boldly and bravely (maybe foolishly??) carried my sign across the street to join with about 25 other concerned citizens. The first thing I noticed when I walked toward the building was that there was a police car parked across the street and several security guards out front. I wondered if they were there all the time or if something was going on. Then I realized--WE were what was going on! Looking back on it now, it seems almost amusing. We didn't expect to be met with increased security, and they didn't expect us to be lawyers, teachers, nurses, dock workers, retirees, and even grandfathers with grand children. When we got past the initial misunderstanding with Homeland Security's Inspector Mason, the rest of our visit was very educational, productive and satisfying.

One very important thing I learned from this experience was to remain calm while not backing down. When initially we were told to disperse and later, when we were told only one at a time could go up in the elevators to the office, we could have just given up and gone home. Believe me it was an unnerving moment for me when Inspector Mason forced one protestor to leave because he expressed some of his frustrations. But we stayed and waited until we all went up a few at a time to the office to meet with Senator Lamar's wonderful Constituent Liason. By doing this we demonstrated resolve and strength of purpose and this did not go unnoticed by the security force that escorted us or the rest of the office staff. I was proud and happy that I had stayed and conquered some of my fears and trepidations. I will probably always be nervous about actively demonstrating but I know now how important it is and how important personal visits to representatives are. I left with the feeling that we had taken the first of many steps toward reclaiming our role in government--that of We the People.

Friday, July 17, 2009

CBO says Obamacare will Expand Federal Spending

Okay, so the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan government office, has just told us that Obamacare will significantly expand federal spending and, what's worse, probably not deliver the reform we need. Instead of taking this to heart, the dems and the Obama administration continue to shove this at us. It is long past time to put down the koolaid, stop taking unreality pills, grow a few pairs and stand up to these people who are about to hijack our health care system in the name of reform! Contact every single member of the Senate Finance Committee TODAY to voice your opposition! Time is of the essence!

Putting A Face On the Casualties of Obamacare

I found this on Michelle Malkin's blog today and wanted to share it. I ask you, when you look at this list of potential casualties do you see your face or the face of your company or business? If so what are you going to do about it?

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Democrat House Draft 7/14

Here it is. The Democrat House Health Care Bill, all 1000 or so pages of it. I tried to read it and got a headache so I will try again tomorrow. It is imperative that we all contact our reps and senators and demand that we all have a chance to read this bill and debate this issue before it is passed!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Schematic of the House Democrats Health Plan

Found this on Hot Air and Drudge Report. Take a look and see what you think of the Democrat plan for government-run health care reform. If you understand it, and know of any way to keep from getting a headache looking at it, please tell me.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Light bulb Craziness

Things like this make me feel like I live in Bizarro Land, the land where things are upside down and backwards. Click on the title for details.

In several of our conversations concerning this issue my sister has raised some excellent questions that we should all ponder as we debate global warming/cap and trade. For starters, how did we in America ever get to where we would think that a hideously expensive light bulb filled with one of the most hazardous chemicals known to man, beast and earth and MADE IN CHINA would be good for the environment and for our country? How does it make sense to stop using light bulbs that cost just under a dollar and are manufactured right here in America providing American jobs? How many people have read the directions on those light bulb packages as to how to dispose of them properly? How many know that if one of those bulbs breaks you can't just sweep it up and throw it in the trash? How many people know that in case of breakage a hazardous materials team is required for clean up? Last but not least, how could we let a law pass that would take away our freedom of choice concerning use of these bulbs?

I believe we got here by being too quick to pass legislation without considering all possible scenarios and long term ramifications. This bill sounded really good on the surface--I mean, we all want to save electricity right?? In reality it contained little thought of the long term consequences of the solutions proposed. It would behoove us to keep the light bulb fiasco in mind as we now debate climate control/cap and trade. We must demand that our legislators look beyond partisan politics, meaningless taxes and bad science for real solutions to our energy problems.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Reflections on Independence Day

July 4th has always been a day for me to play and to celebrate. Fireworks, picnics, trips to the beach (even with beach traffic), parades, sports events, patriotic speeches and music--can it get any better? This year though I found myself a little more serious and reflective. With the all the challenges facing us now as a nation I have to wonder how our forefathers and mothers must have felt listening to the Declaration of Independence being read for the first time. They had to know they had a difficult and uncertain path ahead of them. Where did they get the conviction that they were on the right path? Where did they get the courage and fortitude to act on their convictions?

Today we face serious, challenging, unprecedented and frightening problems but even more serious, challenging, unprecedented and frightening are the solutions we are considering to these problems. Did you ever think you would see the day when Americans would be advocating socialism as a solution to anything?? Do any of us even know or understand the "self evident" truths that our ancestors fought for so long ago? If we do, then do we believe they are still relevant and worth fighting for?

This Independence Day felt different to me this year because I truly believe more than ever before that we are at a crossroads in our history just as we were at a similar crossroads 233 years ago. Choosing the next best path will take the same passion, courage and conviction that drove our ancestors to declare independence. It will take a living, breathing, working relationship with the concepts and values reflected in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We will need a love of freedom deep within us on a cellular level. We will have to be willing to give our lives to a cause much larger than ourselves, that of preserving freedom and liberty for generations to come. We will need to know what we stand for and be willing to stand for it no matter what the cost. Above all we need to "get" that our rights and freedoms are now in grave danger and that it is up to us to defend them if we want to preserve them. Thomas Jefferson once said that "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance." This has never been more true than now. Do we have it within us to stand eternally vigilant? I pray to God we do!