The Benefits of Government Run Health Care

The Veterans Affairs Department erroneously told approximately 1200 military personnel that they had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a condition that general proves fatal within 5 years. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_re_us/us_disease_error_veterans Our war veterans, who have been through hell and back on teh battlefield, were put through hell again by this erroneous information. No one should have to suffer like this, but it is the fate we all will face if we are forced to deal with the incompetent bureaucracy our government will undoubtedly set up if it starts managing health care.

And, by the way, all the cost savings the government claims it can squeeze out of Medicare: 1) the cost savings will be achieved by cutting out fraud and waste our government has allowed to fester for years; and 2) the savings will be consumed by the legions of baby boomers set to start entering Medicare in 2010. Yet, the government fails to mention these two truths.

Don't let the spendthrifts in Congress rush through another thoughtless bill that will only waste your hard-earned tax-dollars.

Congressman Chris Murphy Update - There's no update

Here it is, August 24, 2009 and Connecticut's Representative for the Fifth District still shows his next meeting with his Connecticut constituents to be: August 5, 2009.
"Congress on Your Corner
Over the last few years, I have held dozens of supermarket office hour sessions, known as "Congress on Your Corner" events, across Connecticut's Fifth District. At every stop, we had the opportunity to talk about what was going on in your community, and what you wanted Congress to work on to improve our lives here in Connecticut.

I can't do my job without hearing from you, so I hope you can join me at my next "Congress on Your Corner" stop.

Simsbury
Wednesday, August 5
3-4:30pm
Stop & Shop
498 Bushy Hill Road"
http://www.chrismurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=274&Itemid=33

We know he can't be too busy meeting with his constituents, but, why can't his staff update his web page? Looks like yet another Congressperson too afraid to discuss health care and other issues (such as Congress foolishly throwing hard-earned taxpayer dollars around like drunken sailors on leave) with his constituents.

Once again voters - we need to speak up and be heard. If Congressman Murphy won't meet with his constituents, or even listen to us, he does not deserve to represent us. Please vote out all incumbents in 2010.

"Make my day"

My goodness! I don't know whether to consider this hysterically funny or pathetic.

Apparently Alec Baldwin (yes, that Alec Baldwin, he who pledged to "move to Canada" in 2000 if George W. Bush were elected President. GWB was elected President, and yet, Alec remains in the United States. So much for Alec's "campaign promises" http://www.tressugar.com/1614884 ), has now threatened the good people of the State of Connecticut. Supposedly, he wants to move to our state only in order to challenge Joe Lieberman for his Senate seat. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_el_se/us_lieberman_baldwin

Sadly, I guess Alec didn't learn any lessons from the last unqualified folks who challenged Joe. It speaks volumes about the type of challenger Mr. Baldwin would be - he chose to announce his challenge, in, of all places, Playboy magazine. Good going Alec - that should get you the Senate seat. Because we all have such respect for men who objectify women and who treat their young daughters terribly by calling them and and leaving them threatening messages and calling them pigs. http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=11&num=12839

Come 2012, I won't be voting for any folks who are fools in my opinion. So, Alec, as far as I am concerned, don't bother. You'll only embarrass yourself further in my eyes. And I certainly, to use his own words, "have no use for" Mr. Baldwin.

Connecticut's 5th District Rep still working hard - NOT!

Sigh. One would think that after almost two weeks have passed, someone in the office would be on the ball and would update things. But, nooooo! Not in Representative Murphy's case. As I wrote last week, Congressman Murphy's web page still indicates that his "next Congress on your Corner stop" is August 5, 2009 in Simsbury, CT. "I can't do my job without hearing from you, so I hope you can join me at my next "Congress on Your Corner" stop.
Simsbury
Wednesday, August 5
3-4:30pm
Stop & Shop
498 Bushy Hill Road"
http://www.chrismurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=274&Itemid=33

Remember folks, today is August 18, 2009. This says to me that he really doesn't want to hear from his constituents. Which isn't surprising, given the speed at which Congress wants to pass gargantuan spending bills. Face it folks - they don't want to hear from us. They only want us to send our tax dollars in to the IRS and to vote for them when they come up for re-election.

Frankly, as far as I am concerned, it's time to teach them all a lesson. When election time comes up, please, don't vote along party lines. If they are up for reelection, let's vote them all out. Really. There are only two things our elected representatives are interested in - themselves and doing what their party wants. We, the voters need to remind them that we elect them and they serve at our pleasure and to represent our best interests - not their own, and not their party.

If you don't believe me that our elected officials are out for themselves, then explain to me the midnight votes to increase their pay. If that doesn't bug you enough, then explain to me why these officials get the best health care coverage in the world, thanks to our tax dollars, while we poor serfs, I mean taxpayers, suffer.

Remember, if they are up for re-election - vote for their opponent. Party shouldn't be the most important thing for our elected representatives, and it shouldn't be for us either.

Connecticut's 5th District Rep really wants to hear from us! Just look at his website schedule!

Well, here we are, well into Congress' August break (don't you wish you could get a month off from work with the best health care package in the world?), when we are told our representatives want to meet with us, their constituents. Well, I have been checking the website of Congressman Chris Murphy, the Representative from Connecticut's 5th District, and, as of today's date, August 14, 2009, his website still displays the following message:
"Congress on Your Corner
Over the last few years, I have held dozens of supermarket office hour sessions, known as "Congress on Your Corner" events, across Connecticut's Fifth District. At every stop, we had the opportunity to talk about what was going on in your community, and what you wanted Congress to work on to improve our lives here in Connecticut.
I can't do my job without hearing from you, so I hope you can join me at my next "Congress on Your Corner" stop.
Simsbury
Wednesday, August 5
3-4:30pm"
http://www.chrismurphy.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=274&Itemid=33

Apparently he CAN do his job without us, as he has failed to meet with anyone so far during this August break other than those he may have seen and heard from during a 1.5 hour "meeting", if one can call it that (I tend to believe photo-op is a more apt description) in one of the more "exclusive" towns in the state a week and a half ago. And, a week and a half later, his website is not updated; there are no planned visits to any of the "working class" towns and neighborhoods in his district.

Maybe he's too busy reading all the various health care bills that the House and the Senate are working on to meet with his constituents. Yup, if I believe that I might also fall for whatever mess Congress tries to push through this fall supposedly for my own good. But, as some of the administration's unofficial spokespersons have said (yes, Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, I am quoting you) "You've got 47% of the people in our NBC/Wall Street Journal opinion poll who have health insurance who don't like what the president is doing. The problem he's got -- 47% of the people who've got coverage don't want change. They don't like what they're hearing. Now, they may not know what's good for them, but the problem is that he always knew he was going to have to persuade people with insurance, that's the largest number, not the people without insurance, for expanded coverage. So they've got a real problem." http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2009/07/31/they-may-not-know-whats-good-them

Andrea, my dear, and all the rest of the folks (seems to be mainly those of the "Democratic party" persuasion spouting such comments) who think that the American people are too stupid to "know what's good for them", let me assure you, that I and my fellow Americans are smart enough to know a great deal more than you in the press and those in Congress. First of all, and most importantly, we know better than to vote for a bill without reading it - and that means ALL of it. We also know that this Congress and Administration have been spending our hard earned tax-dollars in a drunken frenzy on foolish bank bailouts, "cash for clunkers" - really - giving someone $4,500 to buy a hummer is really good for our environment? http://climateprogress.org/2009/06/11/cash-for-clunkers-becomes-handouts-for-hummers/ http://www.bostonherald.com/business/automotive/view/20090814clunker_bucks_buy_guzzlers/srvc=business&position=recent_bullet What Congressperson thought that was a good idea? And now health care proposals that the elected officials in whom we have placed our trust can't even be bothered to read for themselves.

I have a simple health care proposal: give the American people the health care that the President and his family, Congressmen and women and their families, and the Supreme Court Justices and their families all have for life (even after retiring or being voted out of office). I can hear you saying "Too expensive" right now. Well, if that's the case, if it's too expensive for the American people as a whole, then it was too expensive, entirely inappropriate and totally self-serving for Congress to have legislated such coverage for these government officials.

So, a word to the wise: If Congress wants us to take its health care proposals seriously, its members had better be darn good and ready to give up their cushy health care coverage (paid for at our expense) for the far less cushy coverage they have in mind for us.

Chris - how about having some real discussions with your constituents sometime this August? You really need to get out and about and hear from everyone in your district - not just your supporters.

They are at it again!

You know those groups that think that if you don't think and say the things they agree with, they want, and try, to silence you? Well, a couple of them are at it again. The Southern Poverty Law Center and Media Matters for America, hardly the most unbiased groups themselves, have been trying to get CNN to pull Lou Dobbs off the air for reporting on the groups who wish to see President Obama produce his original birth certificate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_en_tv/us_tv_lou_dobbs

What is so ironic about this to me is that the Southern Poverty Law Center claims to be "internationally known for its tolerance education programs" http://www.splcenter.org/center/about.jsp , but it seems to lack tolerance for Lou Dobbs' reporting.

The Los Angeles Times characterized Media Matters as a "liberal media watchdog group." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cnn4-2009aug04,0,6766403.story

Now, I personally agree with Voltaire, who said among other things "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too" (Essay on Tolerance) and "I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write." (Voltaire letter to M. le Riche, February 6, 1770). Isn't it sad that an 18th Century philosopher appears to have had a better grasp of the principles upon which this country was founded than so-called, self-appointed watch-groups?

Now, I would never call for any sort of "gag-order" to be put on either the Southern Poverty Law Center or Media Matters, quite frankly because I believe in tolerance and the expression of diversity of opinion. Such organizations can say what they wish. I too, am free to express my opinion that such calls for the silencing of opinions with which they disagree simply show an inability to comprehend the very foundations upon which this country was established, and, quite frankly, decidedly un-American behavior. While the Constitution of the United States provides that the government shall put no restrictions upon its citizens' rights to free speach, whatever makes these organizations think that they have more power than the government to silence its citizens?

In my opinion, any person or organization who calls for the silencing or other indivduals or groups lacks any sort of reason or logic to support its position and therefore relies upon bullying to get its way. These are certainly not groups I will personally support. Such groups are way too Orwellian for me, in their efforts to tell us how to think and which people and organizations they say should benefit from the rights afforded to all citizens ("All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." Animal Farm Chapter 10; "No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?" Animal Farm Chapter 5)

I do, however, and will continue to, support Lou Dobbs, even when I disagree with him. In my opinion, he has done absolutely nothing wrong.

"Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."
- William Penn