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Cover more people
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At lower cost
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Improve quality of care
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Reduce deficit
=
Baloney

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The president tonight was eloquent in his diagnosis of what most troubles America today, the economy. The trouble lies in his treatment of what ailed us this past year, the economy. For the past year, the President and the Democrats created a crisis on health care when what really was ailing our country was a very sick economy. Now all of a sudden, the president has woken up to the fact that was needs his most immediate attention is our economy. Now he has become a  champion of job creation and tax relief. Like the doctor who does not listen to the patient, this President and the Democrats ignored the People who grew increasingly impatient and disillusioned with the way they had been treated or mistreated by the very people they hoped would have the cure.

The President and Congress now wants to spend billions on a jobs bill to “get people back to work”. Will such a bill be passed with the same lack of transparency and heavy handedness as their failed stimulus bill? The President and Congress lacks credibility. The stimulus bill was forced through without anyone having read it before voting on it. The President by his own admission failed us on the economy. He promised that if the stimulus was passed unemployment would not top 8%. Unemployment today till tops 10% nationally and in many urban areas surpasses 16% or more.

The majority of State of the Union was just more of the same. He is good at telling us what our problems are, but he comes up short with regard to concrete programs or policies to solve the specific problems he identified. He calls again upon Congress to come up with biils. He offers no programs of his own. Isn’t that what got him in the mess he finds himself today? His main problem is he refuses to lead. The “Buck” doesn’t stop in the Oval Office, it just gets passed there.

The President’s first State of the Union, I found to be a warmed over re-write of the first speech he gave to a Joint Session of Congress shortly after taking office. The people want the president and Congress to focus on the economy, they want the transparency and bipartisanship they were promised, and they want government spending constrained and the deficit reduced.

Truer words were never spoken, when the president said “we face a deficit of trust”. Yes sir, your administration and the Democrats in Congress certainly do. Such was reflected in the recent setbacks your party suffered in New Jersey, Virginia and  Massachusetts.

Lastly and more importantly with regard to our security, the president was right when he said, that when those who seek to harm one American, harms us all. What he is wrong about is preventing future harm to our country by the dangerous policy of treating enemy combatants as common criminal defendants, which he and his Administration supports.

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Harry Reid should step down. What person in their right mind even has the word “negro” in their vocabulary? What right minded person would point to an African American as being more acceptable to the electorate because they were “light-skinned...with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one”? The fact that he would use the that word so matter of factly is beyond the pale. Reid has a long history of intemperate remarks but, this latest one is the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Harry Reid is not some obscure legislator, he is the leader of the Senate for Democrats and thus a leader of his party. For Democrats not to call immediately for his resignation, shows the hypocrisy of a party destined for huge set backs in the very near future. Democrats have lost complete touch with the People. I am not attacking Reid because I am a Republican, I am attacking Reid because I am an American. In America there should be zero tolerance for bigoted speech from our elected officials.

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The White House hype with regard to the governments many failures to “connect the dots” to prevent the Christmas day failed terrorist attack was bizarre. General Jones said that the revelations made today by the President  will “shock” America.

Well, I listened intently to the President’s remarks today and I was not shocked at all. It was clear to all Americans that the government failed on numerous levels to prevent the Christmas day attack. What was shocking was that the Obama Administration was slow to react to the obvious and tried to snow the American People into believing that it was an isolated incident and that all proper security and administrative  procedures were followed.

What is not clear is who told the President that this was an isolated incident? Who told the President that “all proper procedures were followed?” Who told the President that this guy was a “lone wolf” and not associated with known terrorist organizations? Why did the President not have the facts that the media was able to thread together within 24 hours of the attack? The fact that the President has finally and forcefully taken action does not excuse those who have not.

Heads need to roll.

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More often than not, Americans and the World look to American Presidents for their words. Whether a president’s words bring comfort, understanding, clarity, resolve or commitment, it is all about the message and delivery of them.

The Obama Administration started out on the wrong foot with regard to the “war of terrorism”.
 
According to then President-elect Obama and his nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, there was no “war on terrorism”. In fact they refused to even use the word terrorism in their public speak before and after taking office.
 
The consequence of this new “policy” by a new American administration of not acknowledging a continuing and dangerous threat to our country and our allies emboldened those who seek to do us harm and troubled our friends.
 
Secretary Designee Napolitano within days of Obama taking the oath of office appeared before Senate confirmation hearings at which in her prepared remarks she never once uttered the words “war on terrorism” or “terrorism”. Instead she called clear acts of organized terrorism, “man caused disasters”.

The words the President is using today, after the first domestic terror attack on his watch, are not the same words he used in the campaign or his first many months in office. The words he uses today are words of a president, any president who is confronted with an enemy that is undeniable and determined.

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We agree with Ann Coulter's solution: Search all Muslims.  These terrorists acts have ALL been at the hands of Muslims.  Profile, profile, profile or prepare the caskets for the next terrorist act.  It's coming whether you turn your head, bury it in the sand or in the fairy dust world our liberal leadership lives in.  A fantasy land of marshmallows and weasels.

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The President started out on the wrong foot with regard to the continuing threat of terrorism that faces our nation. He let our guard down when he allowed his Secretary of Homeland Security to ban the word “terrorism” and use in its stead “man caused disasters”. On March 16, 2009, Secretary Napolitano gave an interview to the German publication Spiegel, this is what she was asked and this is how she responded:

“SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word "terrorism." Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?

Napolitano: Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word "terrorism," I referred to "man-caused" disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.

SPIEGEL: This sounds quite different from what we heard from the Bush administration. How will the new anti-terror policy differ from the previous one?

Napolitano: Our policies will be guided by authoritative information. We also have assets at our disposal now that we did not have prior to 9/11. For example, we are much better able to keep track of travelers coming into the US than we were before. The third thing is to work with our international partners and allies to make sure that we are getting information and sharing information in an appropriate and real-time fashion.”

Napolitano’s early statements with regard to terrorism and her latest comments with regard to the act of terrorism aboard Northwest flight 253 make it clear she is incompetent and must go.

The President when he took office was convinced that he could unilaterally change the minds of those who seek to harm us by pandering and apologizing and taking out words like “the war on terror” and “terrorism” from our government and public speak.

Well he was wrong. It is not about changing the ‘tone” it is about defending our country. It doesn’t matter to terrorists who our president is. They hate our way of life, what we stand for and our values as a nation.

The fact that the President of the United States would wait 3 days before responding to a foiled terrorist attack on American soil on Christmas day no less, shows me, that this guy just doesn’t get it. He is weak. His staff is weak and his Secretary of Homeland Security doesn’t have a clue.

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Merry Christmas

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Our President does not get what it means to be “presidential”. He is not the Secretary of State or the head of the EPA, he is the head of state and head of government of one of the worlds greatest powers. He lowers his ability to do great things domestically and internationally when he lowers himself to that of a subordinate. He has failed to lead at home by ceding his leadership to Congress and he fails to lead internationally when he panders, apologizes, and personally participates in failed meetings. He has flip flopped on his role with regard to “global warming”. First he said he would not personally participate in a meeting that did not generate results. Then he said he would participate in the jump start of the new attempts to get an agreement. Then yet again, he changed his mind and said he would appear at the end of the new negotiations regardless of whether there was a deliverable he could agree with at the conclusion of the meeting. This is the second time the President has appeared in Copenhagen only to come home empty handed. President’s need to initiate great opportunities then step back and leave it to others to work out the details and then re-emerge to close the final deal with all the pomp and circumstance that it warrants. How many defeats and embarrassments must our president endure before he gets what it means to be the President of the United States of America?

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If I were grading Obama I would have given him a “solid” D. I would demand he get a new set of tutors and ask to speak to his parents. This is a bright fellow who is not living up to his potential. He is easily distracted, has a hard time staying focused and making decisions and does not work well with others. I would also switch him to another class to get him away from the bad influences that are around him every day, like Ms. Jarrett, Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Axelrod, Mr. Summers, Mr. Gibbs, etc.

The retreat of a Medicare public option by Democrats does not necessarily signal that they are abandoning the public option all together. It just means that they need to find another vehicle by which to package and sell it. Desperate people will do desperate things. Between the costs, the public option and abortion, Democrats will have a hard time with their own members passing a Bill this year or any other and still be able to call it “health care reform”.

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The circumstance by which President Obama found himself as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize shows the hypocrisy of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee not of our President by accepting it. There is no doubt in my mind that the Nobel Committee thought they could influence our President by honoring him. They hoped that influence would come by way of decisions the President would make with regard to the wars America is involved with. Had George Bush still been president and made the same decisions Obama made with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan,  he would have been mocked, not feted in Norway. Over all the speech was well delivered and the content straight forward and sobering. The irony is that George W. Bush could have delivered the very same speech. It was a truly an American President’s message to the World. The President rightfully stated that war can be just and in some cases inevitable because of the evil we face. President Obama made the best out of an awkward situation and turned the tables on the Europeans. They got what they had never expected and if they accept his message favorably then it was well worth it. Kudos to President Obama.

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Reid's comments are hateful, hurtful, and have no relevance what so ever to the health care debate. If "Mr. Congeniality" thinks this type of rhetoric will get him support for his plan, he is sorely mistaken. Call it what they will, between the public option, abortion funding and the high cost of Reid's health care plan, there is enough not to like to kill health care reform. The death will not come at the hands of Republicans it will be by "Democide".

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On this blessed day of Thanksgiving let us remember and pray for those who are spending it away from their families defending our freedoms.  They fight to keep us free, and while we are still free, let's fight so that their sacrifice will not be in vain.

May your day be filled with family, love, charity and faith.

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• Public Option - Government control of a socialist national health care system.
• Competition - An ant eater competing against an ant (that's the way the government would compete against insurance companies).
• Deliberations - Delaying tactics before they implement what they wanted to from the beginning (usually happens under cover of night and behind closed doors).
• Obama Statement - A pronouncement that is usually 180 degrees off the facts   (In other words, meant to be repeated by the MSM regardless of the truth).

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The Obama Administration cannot catch a break. At a time when they are desperately pushing for generational changes in health care and reassuring people that government controlled health care will not be rationed care – along comes a  “independent, government funded task force” that “recommends” that women over 40 do not need annual routine mammograms. The task force is made up of 16 “public health specialists” but not one oncologist. The task force in making this controversial recommendation did not even consult an oncologist before making their report. How can this be? Now radiologists and oncologists are accusing the task force of unethical behavior risking women's lives by such advancing such erroneous findings. Folks, this is glimpse of what is in store if the Democrats succeed in instituting a National Health Care Scheme for all Americans. The Government, their agents and “task forces” are going to dictate what medical tests and procedures an American is entitled to and it will not be on a case by case basis, it will be based on a class or pool of patients. This amounts to rationed care plain and simple. If you are a certain gender and a certain age than you get this type of care. The individual will be taken out of the equation. The Democrats health care Bills in the House and the Senate speak to government administrators and panels that will be making policy and recommendations for health care for Americans. They will dictate what tests and procedures the government will and will not cover. All I have to say is, that if you like the manner in which this federally funded and administered task force dealt with mammograms then you will love the Democrats National Health Care System. Stay well my friends.

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The Democrats health care scheme is a “shell game”. The President came up with an the artificial “magic number” of 900 billion. He proclaimed that any health care bill must be below that figure. Well the House Bill passed blew past that by a couple hundred billion, while the Senate proposed Bill is just under it. What is a few hundred billion when you have created trillions in deficit. The Obama Administration made world history this month when our national debt topped 12 trillion dollars. Divide our debt amongst our national population and that amounts to $38,974.34 for every man woman and child. The Democrats are fixated on “fixing” 1/6th of our economy, (health care) when the other 5/6th’s of our economy is what needs the most immediate attention. What good is affordable health care if you do not have a job to pay for it? The Democrats should be on a “holy war” on fixing the economy and creating jobs not nationalizing health care. The Democrats have over reached on health care reform as they did in 1994 and voters will remember it in the midterms. Between the abortion issue, the public option and the cost, the Democrats have created a crisis on health care when America has an honest to goodness crisis on the economy, jobs, foreclosures, bankruptcy’s, taxing, spending and debt that they refuse to confront.

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You would think that a President who has had such a tough year and nothing to show for it domestically would have planned a foreign trip that would have at least had some “breakthroughs” or accomplishments to show for it. The President  and his Administration have been bogged down. His economic initiatives are a disaster. The “Stimulus” is a failure. Unemployment and job losses are at record levels. His Administration has been consumed with health care reform at the expense of the greater economy. The President is “dithering” on making a decision with regard to our resolve on Afghanistan. Housing is still sluggish and foreclosures continue at a alarming rate. Consumer debt is choking the average American family. Usually when President’s decide to travel abroad during trying times at home they do so knowing that they can come home with something to crow about. This trip will bring home no concrete deliverables, just controversy and or speculation as to why he went with nothing really to show for it upon his return. In Japan there was the “bow”. In China there was the “rigged” student audience and a Press Conference where the leader of China did not allow questions. I think it is time for the President to trade in his campaign staff for people who understand how to lead and govern effectively.

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With regard to the Obama Administrations decision to try the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks in a U.S. Federal Criminal Court is an outrage not just a terrible lapse of judgment. It is outrageous to give these enemy combatant terrorists the same rights afforded to U.S. Citizens. These men were already being tried by military tribunals as are other detainees. Military Tribunals are legal and are a appropriate forum for these trails. The President made a choice to try these Terrorists as “defendants” in a civilian criminal court. Our President should be held accountable for this disgraceful act. The President touts himself as a “constitutional scholar” yet, he just trampled it. Obama sees the terrorism as a law enforcement problem. We are not sending policemen to Afghanistan and Iraq, we are sending soldiers. Our enemies do not fight in uniforms, they fight as guerrillas. They do not fight pursuant to international law and do not recognize any treaty or convention. America fights with one hand tied behind our backs because we fight pursuant to laws and convention and thus we fight at great disadvantage.  President Obama just tied another hand behind the backs of those who fight an enemy who knows no norms or decency. These trials held in U.S. Federal Criminal Court in the Southern District of New York is just blocks from Ground Zero. It will amount to show trials by these Defendants and will subject our government to the possibility of releasing still classified information that will aid those still sworn to do us harm. As someone who lost a Nephew in the attacks of 9/11 and a lawyer I am beyond outraged by the President’s decision.

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Newt Gingrich is right on. President Obama is still smarting from Germany denying Candidate Obama’s request to stage a huge campaign rally at the Brandenburg Gate back in July of 2008. Candidate Obama hoped to recreate the images of Ronald Reagan’s historic speech at the Brandenburg Gate when the Berlin Wall was up. Reagan’s visit was in July of 1987, it was during that visit that Reagan challenged Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall”. The Gate was also used as a backdrop for President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech in which he declared, “Ich bin ein Berliner”, (I am a Berliner). The German Government deemed their iconic landmark of freedom and struggle, too sacred to be used as a campaign prop for the Obama Campaign. Many Germans said it was like the Chancellor in an election going to Washington, D.C. and giving a speech on the National Mall. It would be unthinkable.

The Fact that President Obama thought it was important to Campaign at the site where the Berlin Wall fell but as President not important enough to go to Germany to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the wall is nothing short of outrageous and petty.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall was a important piece of positive World History. It was not just historic for our time it was historic for all time. It is a symbol of a peoples struggle for freedom and democracy over tyranny and oppression. The Berlin Wall went up with great blood being shed but came down with not a shot being fired. It was a great triumph for peaceful revolution yet, this American President whose country was instrumental in bringing the wall down is no where to be seen in Germany to mark the occasion of a milestone anniversary.

This is a great embarrassment to our Nation. The President will find the time to fly to Sweden to pick-up his Nobel Peace Prize but cannot find the time to celebrate the Fall of the Berlin Wall and represent America. He is wrong.

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Virginia got a lot redder tonight. A state that went for Obama just one year ago and had a Democratic Governor for the past eight years did an about face tonight by overwhelming electing Republicans, Bob McDonnell Governor, Bill Bolling, Lt. Governor and Ken Cuccinelli Attorney General.

Let¹s take a closer look at the Virginia State races:

Governor: The Republican candidate Attorney General Bob McDonnell ran against Democrat State Senator Creigh Deeds. There was no third party candidate. Bob McDonnell ran a textbook campaign. His campaign was on message disciplined and effective. He stuck to the issues of most concern to Virginians and he looked like a Governor. McDonnell concentrated on the economy, creating and keeping jobs in the state, being fiscally responsible and tackling the transportation challenges in congested Northern Virginia.

Creigh Deeds campaign was not focused and all over the map. He was a poor communicator and campaigner and he was hard to pin down as to what exactly he was for and was wishy washy with regard to increasing taxes or cutting spending to grow the economy. President Obama had no coattails for Deeds in spite of the numerous personal appearances and television ads in his behalf.

The Deeds campaign paled against the well-oiled machine that McDonnell was able to build and maintain throughout the entire campaign cycle. If McDonnell is as effective a Governor as he was a campaigner then he is someone to watch on the national stage in the very near future. There was not a single part of the Virginia that did not turn out for McDonnell. He resonated in rural, suburban and urban Virginia.

Lt Governor: Bill Bolling the incumbent Lt. Governor made a very good decision when he decided to run again for Lt. Governor and not primary Bob McDonnell for Governor and in fact agreed to support McDonnell early on.

This allowed McDonnell and Bolling to run as a team. In Virginia the Lt.

Governor and the Governor run independently. The decks are clear now for Bolling to run for Governor in four years. Bolling won handily tonight. His opponent was Democrat Jody Wagner a former member of Governor Kaine¹s Cabinet serving as Finance Secretary from 2006-2008. Ms. Wagner had little name recognition in Virginia prior to entering the race and faced with a weak top of the ticket for Governor really never had a chance against the incumbent.

Attorney General: Republican State Senator Ken Cuccinelli had an easy win over State Delegate Steve Shannon. The issues that made a difference in this race were State¹s Rights, Gun Control, Government Spending, Immigration and Crime. Cuccinelli is a strong Conservative with bright-line positions that are clear and defined. His opponent never got out of attack mode and spent more time attacking Cuccinelli than advancing his own agenda. Cuccinelli like McDonnell enjoyed a lead over Shannon for most of the campaign.

The message delivered by voters tonight in Virginia is pretty clear.

Republicans are alive and well. If Republicans field good candidates, have a clear message and execute a well thought out and comprehensive campaign plan, they will win. It is as simple as that.

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The NY Special Election to fill the vacant seat of Congressman McHugh is a mess. The district 23 seat in upstate New York has been a safe Republican seat for over a 100 years. We would not even be talking about it had Congressman McHugh not resigned to join the Obama Administration as Secretary of the Army. That is water over the dam. The Republican’s in district 23 selected Assemblywoman Scozzafava to be their candidate to fill the vacancy and she had the support of local, state and national Republican Committees. Then along comes Conservative multi-millionaire accountant Doug Hoffman who wanted to be a spoiler and challenge the socially moderate/liberal positions of the Republican nominee. Mr. Hoffman gets the attention of nationally recognized Republicans like Palin, Pawlenty and Thompson who agree to appear with him personally and in campaign ads and as a result he starts to make headway in the polls. High profile Republicans turning on their own coupled with the unlimited financial resources of the rich spoiler spelled the end to the Republican Candidate who just this past weekend dropped out of the race. But they story gets better. Not only does the Republican Scozzafava drops out but she endorses the Democrat in the race Bill Owens. Republicans need to get their act together if they are going to be able to exploit the opportunities that are available in 2010 to take back seats in the House and the Senate. Turing on their own after the primaries and selection processes for candidates has run its course will spell disaster for Republicans. For major national party leaders to come into states to campaign against Republicans should be unacceptable. I do not agree with some Republican candidates and office holders but will support them for the good of the party. You cannot sustain a party organization with a “every man for himself” strategy.

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Question: When will President Obama switch from campaign mode to governing mode?

Answer: When the President fires the campaign staff he has hired as Senior White House Staffers and Czars. The people who got the President to the White House are not necessarily the people to keep him there. The President is stuck in campaign mode. He is constantly blaming others including the former administration for all his woes. His campaign promises have yet to be delivered on and he seems to be unable to make decisions or advance policy beyond the promise. He has yet to deliver on Guantanamo. He is dithering on Afghanistan. He has flip flopped on a public option for health care. He is running the least transparent and open administration in history. He has made big promises on the economy that have not been met, specifically, the promise that the “stimulus” would prevent unemployment from rising above 8.5%. Unemployment nationally is now beyond 10% and in some urban areas in excess of 16%. He refuses to advance his own Bills on major campaign promises and leaves the heavy lifting to Congress. Saturday Night Live was correct in lampooning the President as someone who has done a lot of nothing. He needs to get off the golf course and into the Oval Office and lead. The first sign of a good leader is one who surrounds himself with people competent enough to help him govern. The campaign is over.

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I believe the medical definition for what the president and his staff are suffering from is “transference”. Regardless of the issue, they continue to blame the prior administration for their current inability to make decisions. The Obama administration yet again, went after the Bush administration on Afghanistan and accused it of ignoring Afghanistan and not having a strategy. They claimed Bush had no policy and that they are now faced with tough choices because of Bush’s inaction. The truth is that the Bush administration did a top to bottom analysis of the situation in Afghanistan prior to leaving office. They gave the incoming administration the courtesy and respect of giving the report to them and telling them of their intention to make the classified report public prior to leaving office. The Obama Transition Team asked the Bush administration not to publicly release the report and they complied. The Bush report on Afghanistan was the basis of President Obama’s  Afghan Policy that he announced in March and was the basis by which he sent thousands of U.S. Troops into Afghanistan just months ago. The Obama administration was hoping that they could get away with yet another Bush bashing because the Bush Report is still classified and they control it. I say release the report to the public and let’s see what’s in it. The reason they won’t is that it is clear that the Bush administration’s report is comprehensive and they did ask all the right questions and took into account the changing circumstances with regard to the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Obama administration is indecisive and therefore seeks to delay their duty by blaming others. It is more of a campaign tactic than a governing style. Sooner or later the president will be forced to make a decision with regard to further American involvement in Afghanistan. This president owns the economy and he will soon own Afghanistan too. There is no one else to blame.

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As a lawyer, I am very concerned with a “government official” interfering with privately made contracts, regardless of the subject matter. The facts are that these executive compensation contracts were made and absent a breach, should be honored. Freedom of contract is fundamental to a free market economy. For those companies that the government still retains a ownership interest, then, it should use all the leverage available to reduce excessive executive compensation pursuant to the contract, by-laws, etc of that corporation. The government should not gain any special rights not available to other stockholders or creditors. For those companies that the government has no ownership interest or is not owed monies, then, it should not meddle into the affairs of private corporations. It is up to the board of directors and the shareholders of corporations to govern and set policy. The federal government should be in the business of setting reasonable regulation and oversight over financial services not ownership and control. While I do not agree at all with the decisions of some corporations to generously compensate their executives, especially in these economically challenged times, I must take the side that honors contracts as written. Unless a breach of contract claim can be maintained by a party with standing to bring such a claim, then, the contract must stand and be allowed to run its course. I do not believe the U.S. Government has the standing to bring such a claim. In any event, the fact that a “Czar” is unilaterally acting with authority over private corporations without any statutory authority to do so, is more troubling to me than the wrong he seeks to right.

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The unprecedented presidential policy and efforts to undermine critics of the president and his administration are dangerous and unsettling. The fact is that we live in a divided country. Just look no further than the last few national elections and you will see how 50/50 our nation is. President Obama did not win in a landslide, over 47% if the country voted against him. The president set the tone early on when he sought to silence any opposition when he said this, “hey, I won the election, not you, we are in charge and we are going to do this, either you are going to jump on board and help us, or you are wasting your time, and ours. The American People have chosen us to lead”. Why with everything on his plate, the president would demean his office and take the time to go after FOX, Rush, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others as a presidential initiative is beyond rational behavior. His attacks only seek to galvanize support for those he is attacking and further divides an already polarized population. This was suppose to be the Administration that reaches across the aisle and was to be the most transparent in history. The attacks by those opposed to the president’s policies are based mainly on the complaint that this administration has been everything but transparent or inclusive. Bills are not available to the public online as promised before votes are taken. The process of making legislation is made behind closed doors not on C-Span as promised. Republicans are not allowed to participate in the process unless they agree to support it in advance. Legislators are called to vote on major pieces of legislation without the benefit of reading the Bills they are called to vote on. Czars have been selected to oversee important government agencies and policy within the Executive Branch without Senate Confirmation and legal  and financial disclosures or FBI background checks. The White House needs to get out of the bunker and shed the defensive posture towards their opposition. If you are taking significant time to defend then you are not leading. This Administration has it all, they have the Presidency and the House and Senate with historic majorities. They should be able to do what they want, whenever they want, but they can’t. They can’t govern effectively, not because of Republicans, but because of obstructing Democrats. They can’t turn on their own so they need boogiemen. It is a terrible strategy and one that has and will continue to hurt Democrats. In a few weeks Virginia will elect a Republican Governor and New Jersey might as well. This will be a blow that will be a indicator of things to come in the midterm elections to Democrats all across the country. Who will they blame for that?

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• Tax for ten years but only implement the plan after 4 years (the books look better this way).
• A 245 Billion dollar doctor payoff (in a separate bill with no funding so it doesn't drag down our "fuzzy" numbers)
• Insure the 45 million uninsured Americans (oops, we mean 30 million because illegal aliens were not supposed to be included). 
• After implementation of ObamaCare everyone would be covered (except for 15 plus million that would still NOT have coverage)

Ok, let's see if we have this right, in order to insure "all" Americans, we will take over one sixth of our economy, leave 15 million uninsured and destroy the best health care system in the world.  Sounds like a great plan.

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History will ultimately judge the wisdom of American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is nonsense to compare either with Viet Nam. When we left Viet Nam, the Viet Cong simply went back to their paddy fields. They had neither the desire nor the ability to come after us. That is not the case today in the Mid East if we do not subdue Islamic terrorism.

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If one is totally objective, this award was given on the promise of things to come. It could not possibly have been given on accomplishment. The World is a much more dangerous and less “peaceful” place since President Obama took office. North Korea continues to thumb its nose at the international community with regard to nuclear weapons and missile firings. Iran has stepped up their nuclear weapons program and continues to test missiles in a show of defiance. The US is slowing down our military operations is Iraq while escalating our military operations in Afghanistan. If apologies alone, are a criteria by which it gets you a medal then for sure our President deserves the “gold”. Pandering and apologizing may get you a medal but it will not get our country or the World the Peace that the Nobel Prize is suppose to stand for.

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The President and the Democrats are causing alarm by not letting General McChrystal testify before Congress. It appears that the President is stuck between Iraq and the hard place of Afghanistan. This is major decision that he and the Democrats want to control. For a President who claims to be transparent you can’t see through anything he does. The Democrats recall what happened when General Petreaus testified up on the Hill prior to the Surge. He presented himself as knowledgeable, sincere, capable and credible. They do not want a repeat of that. After Petreaus testified, it made it very difficult to attack him and he became a household name. They do not want the public to know McChrystal or to testify because he would present the same attributes as General Petreaus. It is easier to go against a man no one knows. The Democrats in Congress demanded that General Petreaus testify prior to the Surge. The Bush Administration did not seek to block his testimony because they had faith and trust in him and his abilities. The problem with this White House is they do not want McChrystal to testify precisely because of his presence and abilities. The President is dreading the heady decision he must make on Afghanistan, but, the longer he delays the worse it gets, militarily and politically.

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Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama
He said red, yellow, black and white, all are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama
Yeah! Barack Hussein Obama

The communist amongst us are showing their true colors.  Would we have heard such a song being forced upon our children about Bush?  This taken along with California's new rules to push teaching of Islamic Studies to seventh graders should cause us great concern.  In those teachings, Christianity is shown to be an intolerant and violent religion while Islam is portrayed as being for equality and peace.  They teach that women under Shariah law are respected.  What a bunch of bunk. Islamic scholar and author Nonie Darwish, who grew up Muslim in Egypt said, "I am shocked that that is what they teach," she said. "Women had more rights in Arabia before Shariah."  In fact, "wife beating is allowed under Shariah" today, she added. "It allows a woman seen without a headdress to be flogged, punishes rape victims, and calls for beheading for adultery."

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Are you kidding me? The President used a press conference to announce that Iran is building a second Uranium-Enrichment Plant?  He had a golden opportunity yesterday, as the Chair of the UN Security Council to present the case against Iran. This could have been his “moment”, ala Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, to present the irrefutable evidence that Iran in violation of international law and treaty, has been building a secret uranium-enrichment plant. Why did the President let slip away the perfect forum to bring the Iranians to task before the World Community? Isn’t that what the Security Council is suppose to be for for?  Is the case of nuclear proliferation by rogue regimes not important enough? The President most surely knew all the facts yesterday that he announced today. This should have been debated and Iran should have been called before the Council to defend itself.  The President was intentionally derelict or grossly negligent in this missed opportunity. He had the President of Iran in New York. He had most if not all of the World Leaders who make up the Security Council in New York. All members of the Security Council should have had their feet put to the fire and either condone this illegal activity or condemn it and seek serious measures to correct it. Sadly, President Obama will turn out to be the Neville Chamberlain of our time.

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UN General Assembly Speech: D-. The President of the United States once again came before an international body hat in hand. He once more apologized for America. He said in effect that an era had passed to him in which America acted recklessly and and without regard to the greater World Community and that under his watch that would change. He projected weakness and seemed ashamed our our greatness, power and duty as the leader of a freedom and humanitarian principles for all peace loving people. He refused to make declaratory statements affirming our goal in Afghanistan to wipe out the Taliban. The President’s loudest applause came when he condemned Israel’s actions with regard to West Bank Settlements. Another applause getter, was when our President announced that the United States “no longer condones torture”. We never did condone it. The UN also reacted enthusiastically to the announcement that the US will rejoin the Human Rights Council. A body that is a hodge podge of despots and cooks, that routinely acts in disregard of our Nations most fundamental principles. The President announced a “new era of engagement” that represents for him four goals, 1. Riding the World of Nuclear Weapons. It is a nice goal to have but what about in the here and now preventing rogue nations like North Korea and Iran from getting them first. 2. Preserving the planet. Certainly that is in our best interest. However, we could be the cleanest and most responsible country on the Planet and unless others, like China and India are as responsible as we are it is all for naught. 3. The pursuit of peace. This is always a goal America should strive for. However, a peace at any price policy is no peace at all. The President does not want to rock the boat and seeks to befriend everyone. America must take tough stands and stand with those who deserve our support first and foremost, like Israel and stand against those to seek to harm us and our friends and allies, like North Korea and Iran seek to do. 4. Support a Global Economy that advances opportunity for all. Who can argue with that? The problem lies with the inequity placed by others on the US that they themselves refuse to abide by.

National Security Council Chair: F. This was an historic meeting with an embarrassing result. It was the first time in the UN Security Council’s history that an American President Chaired a meeting. So you would think it to be a meeting that was important and worthy of the history it made. Quite the contrary, it was a grand display of weakness and naiveté. Instead of appearing for the United States at the UN Security Council to strongly condemn and try to halt the nuclear proliferation by two known and unabashed nation states that are actively seeking nuclear weapons, North Korea and Iran, the President and other Security Council Members unanimously passed a Resolution seeking the elimination of all nuclear weapons from the Earth. The resolution is unenforceable and not worth the paper it is written on. This is leadership? No, this is appeasement. It shows an unwillingness to stop those who flaunt international law and treaty and will only seek to embolden them and others to act in defiance. Reagan said it very well, “peace through strength”. If we are weak, peace will never be sustained or sustainable. It should have been a meeting that dealt strongly and directly with the threats posed by North Korea and Iran in meaningful and measurable ways.

In grading President Obama’s UN performance, you need look no further than the endorsements from the UN Podium from the likes of Chavez and Kahdafi that our President received, to know how he is being thought of by the most ruthless dictators on the Planet. They like him very very much.

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Why is the the Federal Government seeking to “gag” Humana?

The real question that should be asked is, did Humana break any Laws? If not, it is wholly inappropriate for the government to interfere in the contractual communications between a business and its customer. A business has every right to make their customer aware of possible legislation that will effect their insurances coverage. It is an opinion letter nothing more. The Congress, Administration and the Executive branch may not be reading the draft Bills but, I can assure you the insurance companies are. They are not only reading the Bills, they have teams analyzing every word to determine what effect its provisions will have on their businesses. Are the insurance companies suppose to remain silent? Do they not have a duty to their customers to keep them informed as to possible major changes to their coverage’s? The government spends tens of millions of tax payer dollars a year “communicating” with its constituents, why then, should private companies be prevented from doing the same thing? The Democrats are taking a very heavy handed approach with anyone or any entity that sounds the alarm or tries to educate the American People with regard to the health care they seek to enact. They demonize those who attend town hall meetings or take to the streets in protest and now they seek to silence an industry, the Democrats would like to see disappear. If Government ran health care, which is the Democrats “Holy Grail”, there would be no dissent and no recourse. You get what the Government gives you. America is not prepared for that and it is the duty of insurance companies to prevent their own demise.

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Beyond spending, what will the President and Congress have accomplished by the end of this year?

Answer: Not much. 1. Cap and Tax will not get signed and will remain a huge energy increase looming for every American. The President himself said that in order for use to be “cleaner” it will cost Americans dearly in the way of higher electric and gas bills. 2. Health Care will remain undone. The Democrats will not be able to carry the day and come up with a compromise resulting in a single Bill they can be for. 3. The President will be unable or unwilling to make the tough decisions on a surge in troops in Afghanistan and will delay making the tough decisions that need to be made. 4. The White House has no trouble appointing Czars but, cannot fill the hundreds of Senate Confirmed Executive Branch appointments that remain unfilled. 5. The Administration will have accomplished little is the oversight and regulation of our financial services sectors. They will not have cleaned house nor will they have instituted the necessary and reasonable measures to insure we do not suffer another financial disaster. 6. The President will have done nothing to make good on his promise to take a “scalpel” to our national budget and we will have seen the largest increase in spending in our Nations history. 7. For all is conciliatory rhetoric about North Korea and Iran, the World is a much more dangerous place. Both North Korea and Iran continue to thumb their noses at International Law and are proceeding to develop nuclear weapons and make statements threatening their neighbors and the World Community. 8. There is the danger that the President desperate to show some international “leadership” will get bogged down in a Middle East “Peace”. The Middle East has always been an area that President’s have gravitated to when things aren’t going their way at home. 9. There has been no leadership on Immigration beyond speeches and a promise that the 12 million illegals’ that are here will not get health care. A promise that is unenforceable. 10. By the close of 2009, America under the Obama Administration would have nationalized more GNP than our Founding Father’s could have dreamed. They will have increased our national spending by trillions and added trillions to our deficit. Their historic spending will only been matched by the reductions in revenue brought into the Treasury. 11. At a time when the economy is the number one issue with Americans across the board, we will have seen an Administration who manufactured a crisis on health care to the detriment of the real crisis and concern, the economy. 2009 has left our Nation weakened, economically, militarily, socially and spiritually.

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(Click on image for larger view)

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Democrats are decrying the need for “civility” and pleading for “calm” in all public discourse. This is a grand diversion by a failed majority to deflect attention away from themselves and their own ineptness. Where were they, when for eight long years they attacked relentlessly and recklessly all things Bush. MoveOn.org aired a commercial morphing President Bush into Adolph Hitler. How many millions of Soros and other left wing radicals dollars went into that? Let us not forget MoveOn.org’s full page “General Betrayus” ad. Where was the out cry by the Democrats for civility? When marchers organized by left wing groups fanned out across the country with signs alleging Bush and other senior officials to be Nazis and murderers, where was the Democrats condemnation? Where was the civility and decorum, when a sitting Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate called a sitting President a liar? Granted those statements were not made on the floor of their respective bodies but, they were made in government buildings and in their official capacities. All of a sudden, when things aren’t going their way and the shoe is on the other foot, the Democrats are asking to be treated differently from what they have dished out and encouraged against their opposition for years. The dissent that has been exhibited towards the President and Congress today, is a lot tamer than what they gave out. There is an old saying, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. There will be a whole host of new chefs ready to cook up just what America is hungry for in 2010. The Democrats have been handed all branches of government with high majorities and they have failed to lead to date.

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"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

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Progressive = Liberal
Progressive Health Care Bill = Liberal Health Care Bill
Public Co-op's = Public Option-Lite
Baucus Health Care Bill = Government Health Care
Government Health Care = ObamaCare

A scam by any other name is still a scam.  There are three simple steps that would lower health care costs:

1. Tort reform.

2. Allow health insurance companies to compete across state lines.

3. Allow doctors and hospitals to deduct the care that is given to people without health care insurance.

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On September 11, 2001, I was the Deputy Assistant to the President for Appointments and Scheduling, essentially the President's Gate Keeper. It was a beautiful September morning in DC. I arrived at my West Wing Office at the usual time, 6:15 am and prepared for the 7:30 am Senior Staff Meeting in the Roosevelt Room. The President and Chief of Staff Card were in Florida and Josh Bolten was the highest ranking staffer at the White House besides the Vice President. After the Senior Staff Meeting, I went back to my office on the first floor of the West Wing and began my normal office routine. As was my habit, I constantly had a news station on my office TV. I always kept volume down even during meetings, so I could immediately respond to news as it was happening. As I was doing my work, I heard reports being broadcast of a commuter plane that struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center. The story immediately grabbed my attention for several obvious and not so obvious reasons, the oddity of the accident, I am from NY and my Brother at the time, was a Commissioner of the Port Authority of NY/NJ which owns the Trade Center Towers. Needless to say, I was glued to the coverage, and I witnessed live the second plane strike the other Trade Center Tower. Like Cesar, I knew immediately at that time, that America was under attack and said so to my assistant. I immediately went into the Situation Room and heard and saw Josh Bolten swing into action. The West Wing Staff met in the White House Mess and were given instructions on evacuation and immediately after the briefing did so. I went to a off site location with about 100 plus staffers and I was the highest ranking staffer at that location. We all went to work. We wanted to know what other President's had done after the Marine Barracks Bombing in Lebanon, the Murrow Building Bombing in Oklahoma, the first World Trade Center Bombing, Etc. We wanted to compile a historical press prospective of how they reported the events and we also wanted to know what former Presidents did for a period of two weeks from the events. When did they address the Nation, who did they meet with, how did their schedules change. During the time I was leading the staff from the off site location, my brother was calling me and my sister, as my nephew Tommy Jurgens a Senior Court Officer and combat trained army medic was reported to have left his court house to respond to the scene and was missing. As it turned out, my nephew lost his life saving others. He disregarded orders from his superiors to leave the building and went back in to rescue others. At approximately 5:30 pm, I released the majority of the staff from my location and just myself a few others returned to the White House to join other Senior Staff for a meeting in the Roosevelt Room. We prepared for the President's return to the White House and his Address from the Oval Office that night. We threw out the President's planned schedule for 2 weeks and scheduled meetings and appearances as events warranted. I got home that night at Midnight and returned to work on 9/12 at 6am. I was never more proud of my Country and those who serve as I was and continue to be during this time. Everyone swung into action and went to work unselfishly with a primary focus to do whatever it takes to be helpful. Two days after 9/11, I told Andy Card that my Nephew was missing and that I may want to return to NY on the weekend. He asked me if I had told the President and I said I did not. He told me to do whatever I needed to do. Within five minutes of telling Secretary Card that my Nephew was missing the President called me on the phone and told me he is praying for the safe return of my nephew and pledged to me that he will find those responsible and bring them to justice. No sooner did I hang up the phone then the President was at my desk and repeated those statements and shook my hand. If anyone watched after 9/11 the response of our government with a critical eye it was me. I know first hand what the President, Vice President and the entire administration did to keep us safe from further attacks and to bring those responsible to justice. I am so proud to have served during this time with patriots so focused in doing the right things for the right reasons. We can second the actions taken by the Bush Administration but one thing is for sure, those who served acted with the best of intentions and were singularly focused in preventing further harm to our citizens. The proof of their efforts is without question, we have not experienced further attacks at home and abroad since 9/11 and it is principally because of the actions taken by the Bush Administration and Congress including but not limited to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, FISA, the reorganization of our intelligence services, the creation of a Intelligence Czar, and yes the legal Interrogation of our enemies.

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One of the reasons why the President and his staff chose a Joint Address to Congress for his last ditch effort to save his plans for government controlled health care was because of the reception he would get from a room controlled by his party. The trouble is he is preaching to the choir. The American People surely will see through the show we saw tonight. The President’s safe harbor has been his cronies in Congress and in union halls.  What the Democrats fail to realize is that the manufactured crisis of health care reform does not trump the real economic crisis we face today. The American People spoke out loud and clear this summer. They said to their legislators that they want jobs, not more government and more debt. They said, what good is “affordable health care”, if they cannot afford it because they do not have a job or have lost their home.
 
It was the President who set forth for an artificial deadline for health care legislation to be passed prior to the Congressional Summer Recess. He was the one who did not want debate or public input. He was the one who thought he could muscle through health care reform like he did the spending bill. He was the one who would not allow members to read, digest and debate the over 1000 page Bill that was offered in the House.
 
Now that his own Party has stopped him in his tracks on health care reforms, (out of the fear of growing government, ballooning deficits and most importantly worry over their own re-election), the President thinks style with trump substance by speechifying his way to health care legislation. It won’t work.
 
Tonight we heard nothing new. The President’s speech was the same old, same old. No news was made, just a desperate attempt to re-package a flawed policy.
 
If we are to believe the President that there is significant bipartisan agreement for 80% of the reforms he seeks, I say Mr. President, take the deal. Mr. President reform health care by instituting: 1. Tort reform; 2. Allowing portability of coverage; 3. Not allow denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions; 4. Allow insurance companies to compete in all 50 states;  and 5. Get health care costs under control by eliminating fraud, mismanagement and abuse.
 
The American People spoke loud and clear this summer. They do not want a “public option”, nor do they want the door opened to the creation of a single payer government health care system.
 
If the President wanted a game changer tonight he would have offered his own Bill. He would have said that he would fight for it and that he would succeed. Instead, he said he is open and available for consultation and that it was Congress’ job to get him a health care bill he could sign. The President’s failure to lead will ultimately mark the death nil of Democratic health care reforms.

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Democrats should be very concerned about the President’s awful poll numbers, as they should be with Reid’s and Pelosi’s as well. The Democrats in 2009 came into power with an air of invincibility. The Democrats thought could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, because they attained the “super majorities” in the House and Senate and they had a charismatic President that the People would blindly follow. Well, they could not have been more wrong. The American People are smart and did not take too kindly to the arrogance of power and incompetence of governing that the President and Congress have displayed to date. The American People are scared to death about the expansion of the federal government the ballooning budget and deficit. They are fearful of the their future, of their children’s futures and that of the Country. This is definitely not the “change” they had hoped for.

On another note: The President needs to fire Van Johnson now. His Green Czar is yet another example as to why “czars” are bad. They do not go through a  confirmation process, they report only to the President and the White House and their powers are not defined. Had Van Johnson gone through the normal vetting procedures, he would have been exposed as a person that was unfit for high government service. The man is unstable, irrational and a disgrace to the President and the Nation. The fact that the President thought it was a good idea to have him serve his Administration is troubling at best and shows yet another critical lapse in judgment on his part.

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President Obama has made more nationally televised and hyped up addresses to the Nation than any other President in modern history, at this point in his tenure as President of the United States. When he got into office he and his staff were banking on his “star power” to woo the Country into following his every directive. Well his star is fading fast and he is in danger of becoming a super nova instead of a super star. There is a saturation point to being too visible even for a President. This is the third or fourth time he has tried to sell or repackage his health care reforms. If you look back at when Presidents have chosen to address a Joint Session of Congress it it usually reserved for monumental events in our history, (FDR’s Address after the attack on Pearl Harbor or GWB’s Address after 9/11), not for restarting a failed sales job for a policy that a majority of Americans do not want.

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Hats off to Dick Cheney for not sitting on the sidelines and allowing the current Administration, Congress and the Media to use him and the Bush Administration as their punching bag and scapegoats. Cheney stayed silent and allowed the Obama Administration to get their “sea legs”. He was respectful and did not plan on opining on any of the new Administrations actions. It was only after the Obama Administration, Congress and the Media went after Cheney and the former Administration that the gloves came off. Why on earth should the former Vice President stay silent and allow others to attack and distort? He has every right and an obligation to fight back for the truth. There is no better person to push back than Cheney. He was privy to information that few others were. The attackers were hopeful that they could get away with their disinformation and that Cheney and others would remain silent. They bet wrong. I hope that Cheney and others will continue to fight back when the Obama Administration, Congress and the Media seek to destroy their legacy. If the Democrats were smart, they would realize that America does not blame the Bush Administration for keeping us safe, they applaud it. If there is another attack on America on their watch, it will likely occur because of our perceived weakness created by their actions and the affirmative steps they took to retard our abilities to stay one step ahead of those who seek to do us harm.

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The “death panel” has taken on a life of its own, and, the Democrats are to blame. Had they had a manageable Bill instead of a phone book, over 1,000 pages, that was streamlined and uncomplicated, this would not have occurred. No Member of the House could have possibly absorbed or understood H.R. 3200. The shear volume and technical language has lent itself to interpretation and speculation. The only remedy now is to kill the Bill. A vast majority of Americans do not want health care reform. They want the economy fixed, they want a job, they want the deficit reduced, and they want our national spending contained. If the Democrats were to fix the government health care they now provide, Medicare and Medicaid, and drastically reduce and eliminate the fraud mismanagement and abuse in those systems they would have done a lot. RIP H.R. 3200.

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Obama’s “Yes we can” has been tempered by “no you won’t”. The American People are suffering economically. They are strapped. A majority believes that we cannot continue to spend and spend and spend passing on debt to future generations of Americans to solve today’s problems. When the American People voted in the Democrats they hoped that they would lead but, they are finding out that although Democrats control the Presidency and Congress there is no leadership. The Democrats are so divided among themselves, between the Blue Dogs and their most liberal members, that they themselves cannot agree on what should be done on any major issue. Their focus on health care reform at a time of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression shows how out of touch they are. What good is “affordable health care” if you can’t afford it because you have no job? They manufactured a crisis when we already have a real crisis they refuse to solve. Unemployment is at 10% nationally and upwards of 16% in many urban areas. Home foreclosures, personal and business bankruptcy’s, and bank failures continue at alarming rates. Personal credit card debt consumes the average household. Uncertainty of the future has Americans worried. Inflation is looming. Gas Prices are rising. Our national debt and federal budget has exploded in the past 6 months. Yes we can solve our problems, if we put our minds to to problems that need solving first. It is not the 1/3rd of our economy that should require our most immediate attention, it is the 2/3rds. The Democrats should forget about health care and concentrate on the greater economy.

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