To The CongressAre you scared?
There are so many changes happening in America.
I have to admit I am scared.
You ask me what there is to be afraid of.
If you would have asked me a few years back I would have said I am afraid of terrorism.
That seemed to be the only threat hovering over our country at the time. Or maybe I was living in a bubble of denial like a lot of Americans.
Don’t get me wrong I am still scared of terrorism but recently I have opened my eyes to a few more things.
I am scared of a single payer healthcare system.
I’m afraid of the problems that come with that system such as a lottery system just to get a primary care doctor like what some in Canada and the UK have had to deal with.
I am scared of closing Guantanamo.
I’m afraid by Obama putting some of the most hardened Al-Quedian terrorists/criminals into America’s prison system we will be opening a door and breeding new ones right in our own backyard.
I am scared of “redistributing the wealth”.
I’m afraid that if we take from the rich and give to the poor we will soon become a socialist society.
I am scared of becoming a socialist country.
I’m afraid that if we become a socialist country we will lose all of our rights and choices as free Americans as we know it.
I am scared of more tax increases.
I’m afraid as a small business owner that higher taxes will be bringing us one step closer to closing our doors and taking away jobs for many.
I am scared of our country losing sight of what our founding fathers wanted for us.
I’m afraid if we do not protect our constitution America’s government will soon crumble.
I am scared of what Americas future holds for our children.
I’m afraid that all of the government spending and bailouts has dug America so deep into debt that our children’s children won’t be able to dig America out.
This list could go on.
I read this quote and couldn’t help but to be concerned for America’s possible future.
“We can’t expect the American people to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism.”– Nikita Krushchev
The thought of this happening to America scares me.
Now some might say that I am using scare tactics and am overreacting to the issues. I beg to differ. If more Americans would get their heads out of the sand and face the reality of all of the things I mentioned they might be scared too.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be scared anymore.
So how can we use this fear and change it into something positive?
One thing is to start reading and researching.
“Knowledge dispels fear.”-Simon Walker
If we just sit back and let our government make choices without any input from the citizens then things will never change for the better.
Demand that our congressmen read the ENTIRE healthcare bill. If they won’t then we should. If we don’t like what we see then we need to let our representatives know.
Attend a tea party and let our government know we DO NOT want higher taxes.
Activism brings on empowerment. Empowerment makes us feel strong and fearless.
Using another quote, “Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind.” – Hamilton Mabie
So let’s not let the all powerful government or opposition to our beliefs dictate our fear.
There are many ways to use the fear of where our country might be headed. If we become more proactive and make our voices be heard maybe just maybe we won’t let the governments choices scare us but instead motivate us to take our country back to where our founding fathers intended it to be.
By Jodie Stephens-Quintero
New Exercise Video-Sweatin’ with the Socialists
Are you tired of exercise videos that just don’t work? Watch this one and you’re sure to shed the pounds as quickly as Obama spends your money:
It’s Not About That
© Mark Combs 8/1/2009
Its not about Bush or Obama, its not about left or right, its not about blame or credit; its about liberty and freedom.
A liberal friend of mine told me the other day that “your definition of freedom is just different from mine. We will never see things the same way.” He may be right. We may never see eye to eye on many issues, but the thought of Freedom’s definition being different bothered me. So I looked it up.
The dictionary defines Freedom as (1) the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. (2) exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. (3) the power to determine action without restraint.
So then my thoughts turned to what our Founding Fathers really meant. Did they mean freedom from any risk, or consequence? Did they mean freedom from thinking for myself, that everything will be provided for me? We don’t have to guess what the Founders really meant or envisioned, they wrote it down multiple times.
“It’s not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government.”
- Alexander Hamilton;
“The Constitution and the laws are supreme and the Union indissoluble.”
- Andrew Jackson;
“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
- John Adams;
“I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.”
- Thomas Jefferson;
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
- Thomas Jefferson.
I have yet to find one quote, one sentence, one line, or even a word that condones the recent direction of our country. I have read our Constitution, and Declaration of Independence. I have digested the writings of Jefferson, Paine, Adams, and the patriots of our birth. I have searched the Federalist Papers, but I find nothing that endorses a large invasive governing body.
So far this administration and congress have yet to consult the wisdom of our Founders, evidenced in the growth of every level of government, passing legislation without reading the bill, and a huge and growing national debt.
I did find a solid depiction of the two versions of Liberty we have to chose from, it’s from Lincoln.
“We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word many mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names -liberty and tyranny.”
I don’t care where you stand. I don’t care who you voted for. I don’t even care what you believe in. I do care about this country and our freedom. This day, you must chose the America you wish to have, Liberty or Tyranny.
Are you an “ignorant comment leaver”?
Many of us have seen it done and maybe even done it ourselves. I am speaking of the “ignorant comment leaver.” Ok, there is no such term to my knowledge but for this discussion that is what I will call it.
Recently I have been speaking out about some decisions the government is making or deciding that I don’t agree with. I have come to notice a lot of the people with the opposite opinion who are willing to jump in and speak out but they really aren’t informed. Most of them are just reiterating clips or lines they have heard their party say. I guess I am guilty of this to a certain point. I at least try to have some kind of knowledge of the subject before I speak on it.
Prime example: many of you are probably Facebook users. On Facebook a lot of users will use their status or they will post a link to something they are interested in. A lot of times it is something political such as: (I will use a fake name and status to protect the innocent)
Ben Miller says “I am scared of socialized healthcare.”
Then as you know you can leave a comment under “Bens” status statement.
I recently commented on a couple of friends status updates and a couple of links. Note these status updates and links to videos could be categorized conservative or even republican in nature. The first thing I noticed was that a couple of people commented right away with quick statements such as a degrading remark about the person speaking on the video. They might have called them a “loser” or “freak”. Many times I have found that liberals use this ridicule tactic quite regularly to discredit the opponent. Having discounted the opponent they can dismiss the argument without any trouble.
So here is their chance to speak about a very serious subject such as the government’s takeover of GM and this is the comment they leave without any explanation. I actually replied with my so called right wing/concerned American opinion to the link and got pounced on so quick it would make your head spin. Of course I got remarks from both sides of the issue but the “left” remarks always seem to be trying to put me down for having a different opinion than the theirs. I got accused of watching too much TV or even watching and only getting my information from certain TV news show.
The “left or liberal repliers” also had no real answers to logical comments. It seems as though they have a lot to say but no information to back up their statements. Many times these people will just spout off statements we have all heard too many times.
For example a recent Facebook user had their status much like “Bens” and stated how they didn’t think Socialized healthcare was the answer for America. Of course I agreed with that statement for many logical reasons but mostly because of the socialism aspect of it. Well, needless to say there were a few “left wing” or liberal comments made.
Almost all of them were statements without merit such as: “Look at Canada they have socialized healthcare and they are extremely happy”
Another one was “All Americans need to have insurance not just the elite”
Both of these statements we have all heard a million times over but they make no sense. I in turn had to leave my counter reply and state facts such as, “I have never heard that all Canadians are extremely happy with their healthcare system. Why else would a lot of them have dual citizenship and come to America for medical attention?”
Replying to the elite comment I might have said,” I didn’t know Unions or even Wal-Mart employees were considered elite.” To both statements I received no reply. Either they lost interest in the discussion or they just didn’t know what they are talking about.
I think it is the latter of the two.
My point is if you leave a statement or remark on Facebook or any other website make sure you are well informed. If not don’t leave a comment at all or you might be labeled an “ignorant comment leaver” too.
By Jodie Stephens-Quintero
Is Obama’s healthcare plan another step towards Socialism?
Webster’s defines Socialism as:
| 1. | A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole. |
| 2. | Procedure or practice in accordance with this theory. |
| 3. | (In Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles. |
Socialized health care sounds like socialism to me. It reminds me of the old saying: If it walks like a duck, talks like at duck, then it must be a duck.
His health care plan scares me for many reasons.
Never mind, the enormous $1.5 trillion estimated cost as predicted by the CBO (Congressional Budget Office). I ask you, when was the last time government came in under budget?
Next, because of the unavoidable web of government regulations, including price controls and rationing.
The most important reason I believe is the loss of making our own health care choices.
Sighting and article written by Michael Hiltzik for the LA times here is how rationing will work:
The most extensive laboratory in the field has been run by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Effectiveness, or NICE, an arm of Britain’s National Health Service, the government healthcare program.
NICE’s judgments about cost-effectiveness are based on a measure known as the quality-adjusted life year, or QALY. Get used to the acronym — you’re sure to hear it a lot more as the health-reform debate rages on.
In simple terms, QALY adjusts the length of time that a treatment might extend a patient’s life by a factor assessing the patient’s quality of life in that time ranging from 0 (death) to 1 (complete health). If a certain cancer drug would extend life by two years, say, but with such onerous side effects that those years were judged to be only half as worth living as those of a healthy person, the QALY is 1.
That’s not very objectionable, as far as it goes. But the clinical effectiveness institute judges new drugs and treatments by their cost per QALY; the institute almost always approves those that cost less than 20,000 pounds per QALY (about $33,000), and except in rare cases rejects those costing more than 30,000 pounds (about $50,000).
The pitfalls of such an approach should be obvious. This formula has been the practice in Britain and Canada already. Many times both countries have had a public outcry for change to revise such a system with so many obstacles.
Here is real life example of how this proposed health care plan could affect you.
My father in law who is suffering from Multiple Myeloma (a type of blood cancer) recently returned from a visit from his oncologist.
His doctor informed him if Obama’s plan passes then a lot of our health care choice will no longer be ours.
Obama denies this but it is inevitable with a socialized health care system.
She explained that the medication he takes for the treatment of his cancer (Revlimid) might not be available to all patients under this plan. This is where health care rationing and QALY comes into play. Reason being that this medication is very costly. She explained that this plan would limit who gets to use this treatment. The government would be the deciding factor in approving the use of medications and tests etc. For example he is a 67 year old who has been suffering from this disease for over 10 years now and has had had all of the treatments available to him at this time. This treatment is his last option for survival. The government would most likely deny such an option as it would not be in its best interest to spend money on such a risk. Pretty much saying his life is not worth spending the money on. I don’t know about you but it is a scary thought to know that my government would be playing God.
Don’t get me wrong rationing probably already exists with your insurance company. But it is your choice of who you have to insure you and your family.
Are you ready to give your freedom of choice to the government?
What we need to do is stand up and let our voices be heard. We can’t sit back and think that it can’t happen in America. If Obama’s plan passes our unalienable right to life will be rationed away as our government sees fit.
If we accept Obama’s health care plan I believe it is just taking us one government program closer to becoming a socialist society. Just like Cuba, North Korea and many other socialist countries who already have socialized health care, we will no longer have the freedom of choice.
I ask you, is nationalized health care worth the risks of becoming a socialized society?
If so the government, as in my father in laws case, could choose life or death for you.
By JSQ
My Favorite Insult
Recently I was attacked by a liberal acquaintance over one of my articles. This isn’t a rare occasion, liberals often get angry when anyone speaks the truth or brings our Founding Fathers’ intentions to the foreground. I have been called a lot of names from the angry left, Radical, bigot, extremist, and many others. I accept these labels, if you look at the true definitions. A Radical is “a person who holds or follows strong convictions”. I’ll take that, I do hold and follow strong convictions. Mostly the ones spelled out in the Constitution.
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
A Bigot is “a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.” Okay, I am intolerant of any who tries to pervert our Constitution for the sake of power or profit. I am intolerant of the creeds, beliefs, and opinions that undermine the freedoms I hold dear.
“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
– Thomas Jefferson
An Extremist is “a person who goes to extremes, esp. in political matters.” I can live with that. Isn’t our freedom worth that? As I remember the men that founded the country went to extremes to make it possible.
“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
– Barry Goldwater
But this time I was called, “Jingoistic”. An “insult” I had never heard before, naturally I looked up this unfamiliar term. To my surprise I found that it was no insult, it was actually a compliment. A Jingoist is defined as an “a person who professes his or her patriotism loudly and excessively, an outspoken patriot”. My mind instantly flashed to other great Jingoists in our history, great men like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Thomas Paine, James Madison, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and more recently Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and Oliver North. I thought about how these great men and their out spoken patriotism put their not only their careers, but some of their very lives in danger. They embodied the definition of patriotism.
“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
– Adlai E. Stevenson
They lived and died to protect the ideals that make this country great. They committed their lives to protect this country, this Constitution, these principles. I will give nothing less. It is my duty as a patriot.
“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks.”
– Samuel Adams
So yes I am an outspoken patriot. Yes, I am glad to defend our Constitution and go to extremes to do it. I am humbled to be in the company of the great men who lived their patriotism out loud. I cherish this country and all the principles that made it a beacon of freedom to the entire world. So if liberals want to call me names, they can call me anything they wish, as long as its because of my principles and my patriotism. I will not back down, I will not be silent, I will always be a patriot.
