Sunday, February 21, 2010

REVEREND MICHEL FAULKNER CHALLENGING CHARLIE RANGEL

I recently saw a Fox News interview with the Reverend Michel Faulkner, who is challenging incumbent Charlie Rangel for the Senate. I was very impressed with this man; he is a Conservative, and is running as a Republican. He is extremely personable and well spoken and, more importantly, his expressed beliefs represent the core values of the Tea Party Movement. He is very electable. (It doesn’t hurt that he also played a year with the Jets.)

In addition he has been very involved in the Harlem community for a number of years. He is the Pastor of the New Horizon Church which has extensive Community outreach programs. In 2005, he founded the Institute for Leadership, which is a non-profit organization that focuses on the development of leaders and leadership programs in the community.

In 2007 Rev. Faulkner, who has a Masters degree in education, brought a lawsuit against New York State because his church wanted to create a charter school in Harlem. The school was to have no religious instruction; the affiliation with the Church was in order to bring the Church’s extensive community support experience to the school. The law in New York State banned support for any school with a connection to a religious entity, no matter how tenuous. I don’t know if the suit was successful, but I could not find any evidence that the school exists. However, Rev. Faulkner expresses strong support for Charter Schools.

As far as I can tell, Rev. Faulkner always involves himself in his community in myriad positive ways that go far beyond his religious affiliations. The things he does focus on helping young people to learn how to succeed, and on developing the “marketplace” of the area. He is the true community organizer. I believe he is exactly who the people in Harlem need, and who we need in the Senate.

On a personal note; I sent a very small donation ($35), and expressed my intention to post his information on the Conservative sites of which I am a member. In reply, I received a personal email (not canned) from his Campaign Manager and a telephone call from the Reverend Faulkner himself thanking me for my comments, and my promise to spread the word. He called from the plane taking him to Haiti. This man is a class act.

I hope that you will all go to the links below, read about him, and see if you agree. If you do please consider supporting him, as we did Scott Brown. Charlie Rangel has a huge war chest.

Thanks!

http://institute4leadership.com/team.htm

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/why_challenging_charlie_rangel_lRdSP8XTHS99SPdBv1ZekL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN6MJHorV7A

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/13492/1306195?title=truveo_full_feed

http://www.gothamlegal.org/news_12062007.html

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/politics/republican-pastor-to-challenge-rangel-100212

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

THE CONTINUING TRANSFER OF POWER TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Please go to the following links! To quote a blog by Cheryl Bowman on Patriotic Resistance: "This is about the White House seeking to transfer authority over Social Security/Medicare from Congress to Executive Branch..." and "The deliberate setup for the White House power grab is built into the each of the health care bills and, if they fail, little-known twin bills called “MedPAC Reform of 2009” are waiting in the wings. The bills, S.B. 1110 and H.R. 2718, craftily amend the Social Security Act and transfer the Medicare guideline and rule setting processes, from the legislative branch to the executive branch. "

http://www.resistnet.com/group/watchdogforthehealthcarebill?commentId=2600775%3AComment%3A1837141&xg_source=msg_com_group

http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/08/a-white-house-power-grab-that-congress-and-america-doesnt-see/

Oh my God! and I do mean that as a prayer!

There is a world wide power grab coming to fruition after at least 40 years of planning. The players are billionaire financial types and most are in the shadows, with the exception of George Soros. The goal is World domination, not just the U.S.

It is an attack on all fronts, and much of it has been put in place while most of us were busy getting on with our lives and trusting our elected officials to protect us. Half the country is still in that mode. How do we get through to them?

I don't think we have time. Most of us are exhausted trying to read the gargantuan bills, and trying to fight on so many fronts at once. I fear that we cannot get enough people in place fast enough, beginning from the bottom up in local government. With the FCC working, as we speak (blog?), on control of the internet, and taking away the licenses of all Conservative Media; how will we communicate?

The whole thing sounds like a comic book scenario; "the evil rich villain and his minions scheming to take over the world". How do we cut through the placid faith of most Americans that our Government will always be "of the people and for the people", and our freedoms are inviolate no matter how much power we give to our Government? How do we do that without sounding like crazy conspiracy theorists?

Saturday, November 21, 2009

LETTER SENT TO SENATORS REF. HR 3590

Dear Senator,

We are in a vicious cycle; Congress creates a huge, government takeover, boondoggle, Health Care Reform Bill that will cost trillions. The people speak, and the bill is defeated. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid go back to the drawing board, behind closed doors. In the process, they completely shut out the loyal opposition

They labor mightily and bring forth a new bill which is basically a regurgitation of the bill that was already defeated, only worse. Oh, to be sure, there will be slight changes to convince holdouts to vote “yea” this time; changes that they will reverse in reconciliation. There will also be some bribes, a whole lot of strong arm tactics for the more recalcitrant, as well as some obvious financial accounting tricks to make the bill seem “deficit neutral”. These tricks would be laughable if the bill weren’t so dangerous.

All of the proposed bills will increase the cost of health insurance, and none of them will cover all of the uninsured so why would you vote for them? Any number of free market solutions have been proposed, which will lower the costs of Health care. Free market solutions which do exist, such as direct primary care and Health Savings Accounts, will be wiped out. In addition, we can cover those who cannot afford health insurance without spending trillions.

Given the above, the American people know that the only reasons for all these colossal bills are to move yet more control to the Executive Branch, to take away more of our personal liberties, and to further bankrupt the United States. All of them will necessitate crushing taxes on the middle class, especially the health care bills.

It does not matter what is in the Senate bill, it is merely a Trojan horse for the same old agenda. If passed, it will be combined with the House bill, all objectionable measures will be back, and the Government will have taken over the entire Health Care Industry. If the vote is allowed to proceed, this takeover will be passed with only 51 votes. That would be unforgivable!

We will either actively support, or actively campaign against every elected official, wherever they are, who facilitates the current bill in any way.


Vote against the motion to proceed; vote against cloture. The Nation is watching. Your constituents are watching.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

LETTER TO SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM REF. ENERGY BILL

Dear Senator Graham:

We support alternative fuels, wind, and solar energy. We also support more nuclear plants, clean coal technology, and offshore drilling (because if we do not drill for this oil, Russia, China, Cuba and etc. will, from just outside of the International Line). Their technology is not environmentally safe. Our technology is state of the art environmentally safe, as the lack of spills after Katrina, Ike and other major hurricanes attest.

We have studied the "global warming problem", and found that most noted Scientists (Those that are not dependent on the US or European governments for funds) agree that the planet is currently in a cooling mode. They also agree that high levels of carbon in the atmosphere follow a warming period, they do not cause it, and that man’s contribution to atmospheric carbon levels is negligible. Over the summer, approximately 30,000 scientists signed a petition disputing the claim that global warming is an anthropogenic phenomenon. http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/al_gore_global_warming/2008/05/19/97307.html

The evidence is that high sunspot activity in the sun has the closest relationship to intermittent warming periods on the earth. There is also a new book called “The Chilling Stars” by Henrik Svensmark and Nigel Calder that supports the theory that sub-atomic particles from exploded stars have more effect on the climate than manmade CO2.

However, even if we believed the extravagant claims of Al Gore, taxing carbon emissions and creating “carbon credits” will do nothing to curb carbon emissions. The carbon credits will likely become a new security that financial wonder boys will trade, ultimately creating yet another bubble.

We understand your reasoning that, if legislation is not created, the fallback will be the E.P.A., who will create, supposedly, even more onerous regulations. However, any bill that passes the Senate will be unrecognizable after Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have “reconciled” it with the House version. It will have all the worst provisions of HR 2454, will further the complete takeover of the U.S. economy by the current administration, and will have crippling taxes for the Middle Class. We know this because it has become a consistent pattern.

If you pass an energy bill in the Senate, you will open the door to the above. Whatever the E.P.A. does can be undone. When Conservatives control the Congress and Senate you can address the other issues in your op-ed piece in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11kerrygraham.html

For now, Vote “NO” to any global warming bill; for God’s sake, don’t create one!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

THE FCC IS VOTING ON NET NEUTRALITY TOMORROW, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22ND.

Thursday, October 22, the FCC will decide on whether “Net Neutrality” rules will guide the new regulations they are proposing for the internet. This is yet another grab for power, and this one is serious because it opens the door to censorship of the internet. I think we need to flood the FCC with comments opposing it.

Following is a copy of a letter I sent to the FCC’s new “Join the Discussion” site at:
http://blog.openinternet.gov/?p=1

You can also contact them at: E-mail: fccinfo@fcc.gov
Tel# (1-888-225-5322)
Fax: (1-866-418-0232)
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Dear Sirs:

Net Neutrality will result in slowing the internet down for everyone by making the use of Broadband extremely inefficient. It will stifle innovation because new enterprises will not be willing to invest in new applications when they will not be able to recoup their investment.

The following quotes are from an article by Steven Titch, a Political Analyst, from the Reason Foundation:

"An unmanaged Internet, consumed by an exaflood, endangers the ease of which smaller Web publishers, bloggers and merchants can reach users."

"The network neutrality issue has dwindled to a political agenda supported by a handful of vocal advocates at Moveon.org and Freepress.org. And while these groups may have good intentions behind their support for Internet regulation, the neutrality rules they favor will not result in what they hope for. Quite the contrary, they will lead to higher broadband prices, mediocre service and cede a lot of market power to one segment of the market. In this, network neutrality is no different from many of the radical new regulatory programs the Obama administration is introducing to the American economy, be it banking, insurance, auto manufacturing, health care or alternative energy—they allow a select group of favored companies to privatize the gains and socialize the costs. Such programs don’t encourage competition, job growth and entrepreneurship, they impede it."
http://reason.org/news/show/how-net-neutrality-regulation

Implementing "net neutrality" will destroy choice of services, and increase costs to the public because of the inefficiency and rules against banning the business practice of “Levying surcharges on content providers that are not their retail customers”. Consumers would have to pay full service rates for small and limited applications.

"Net Neutrality" is about government control and special interests. The American people know this, and will express their displeasure at the polls if it is implemented

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

CONTENT OF LATEST LETTER TO CONGRESS

Per economics Professor Martin Feldstein(1) there are three problems with the American health-care system:

1. Health-care costs are rising much faster than our incomes.
2. More than 15 percent of the population has neither private nor public insurance.
3. The high cost of health care can lead to personal bankruptcy, even for families that do have health insurance.

None of the bills that Congress is attempting to reconcile solve these problems. Their mandates will force Private Insurance to raise their rates or go bankrupt. The various taxes to pay for them will finish bankrupting the rest of us. In the rush to pass “something”, little research has been done into current free market solutions that are working.

Consider the following:

1. Direct Primary Care Practices, such as Qliance in Seattle(2), which operate outside of health insurance. Imagine; they can offer complete primary care much cheaper than the cost of health insurance plans alone; no co-pays, no maximums etc., just a flat, all inclusive, monthly fee, as little as $49.00! They can do this because they do not have the administrative costs of dealing with health insurance plans.

Their patients can use health savings accounts for such things as an MRI or a Colonoscopy. They can also buy a catastrophic health policy, and they will still pay less than those with employer subsidized complete health insurance.

Patients who are uninsured can, at least, get basic care at a very reasonable rate.

For these reasons, Direct Primary Care Practices are spreading across the country. In South Carolina we have Access Health Care.

2. Integrated Care models such as The Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation that have replaced the fee for service model. They achieve better care at lower cost.

3. Innovative insurance plans, such as those of the State of California, The University of California, and Stanford. These plans offer a choice of several plans, but only pay for the cheapest.

4. Pre-tax Health Savings Accounts, which many people with serious illnesses use to manage their disease.

The bills being considered would put all of these practices out of business. This would surely anger the millions who currently depend on them.

Congress has also not considered the following:

1. The high administrative costs of health care insurance and of government regulations are part of the problem. My doctors tell me are these are about 40% of their bottom line. All the current bills would double and quadruple those costs.

2. Medical liability is the second greatest cause of increased costs. What about tort reform? Look to Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and California for tort reform solutions. They just capped punitive damages.

3. If there are billions of dollars of fraud and waste in Medicare and Medicaid, solve those problems first. This is the true responsibility of government.

4. Every government dollar spent on health care requires $1.25 in tax dollars. Therefore the public option is the most expensive.

5. Healthcare insurance tied to employers is not portable, and creates many problems. Give individuals the same $5000 tax break as employers and let them own their own policy.

6. Health Insurance Companies have only a 3 to 5 percent profit margin(3). Without the access to the large pools that nationwide competition would provide, they cannot cover everything for everyone. If you mandate it, they will go bankrupt. The states can work together to standardize requirements.

7. Innovative ideas such as Professor Feldstein’s elegant solution, which would solve all three problems; without involving the Government in the delivery or rationing of healthcare, without increasing the National Debt, or requiring taxes to be raised.(1)

8. If there are 20 million core uninsured, we could give each of them $10,000 per year for only $200 billion. We don’t need to spend trillions!

The only reason to pass Health Reform legislation based on the models Congress is considering is to intentionally further our march toward total government control of every aspect of our lives and total destruction of the dollar and our economy. Why would you do that?

We are demanding you vote “No” to the boondoggle bill that is being created, then do your homework and create legislation that will actually solve the problems.

Remember, the American people are doing their homework, and they are watching you. There are millions of people who are becoming politically active for the first time. We are joining together and forming independent networks whose main purposes are: fiscal responsibility; defense of the Constitution; and the defeat of any members of Congress who take us further down this insane path.

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072701905.html
2. http://www.qliance.com/
3. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/52745

Monday, October 12, 2009

HEALTHCARE COSTS & SOLUTIONS; GOVERNMENT & HEALTH INSURANCE ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Following is yet another letter I have written to my Senators and Representative:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear

All of the health care bills that are being considered create multiple bureaucracies, greatly increase reporting requirements, and generally increase administrative costs to all providers. Congress is basically trying to reduce what providers can charge while, at every level, greatly increasing their operational costs.

I read a 1998 CBO study that named the three largest contributors to increasing health care cost as: technology, administrative costs, and malpractice insurance. We don’t want to stifle new technologies, which leaves tort reform, and reducing reporting and administrative burdens as the best ways to reduce costs.

A large part of the admin burden comes from health care being tied to employers. As health care costs increase, companies begin changing plans every year, trying to find the cheapest one. As every plan has different negotiated terms with providers; doctors, hospitals and other providers have to hire multiple employees (and pay their benefits) to figure out and process all the claims.

Another part of the admin burden is created by the maze of government programs. Providers need to hire trained personnel to interpret and process the myriad rules, regulations and reporting requirements.

I know that our legislators and government officials live in a bureaucratic sea, which they probably don’t think about, any more than fish in the ocean think about the water in which they swim. However, those in private industry don’t have a bevy of clerks, paid for by the taxpayers, to interpret, manage and create all the paperwork mandated for us. They have to do it themselves, at a great loss of productive time, or they have to pay someone to do it.

The massive increase in new programs, rules and regulations, layered over old programs will do to the Health Care System what “No Child Left Behind” did to education. That is, it will so burden the health care providers that many will retire early, or otherwise leave the profession, just as many teachers have. We don’t want our doctors and teachers spending all their time grappling with red tape; we want them doctoring and teaching.


Please do everything you can to block "one size fits all" mandates for health insurance that will nullify free market solutions that are working.

Consider Direct Primary Care Practices, such as Qliance in Seattle, that operate outside of health insurance(See link below.) Imagine; they can offer complete primary care much cheaper than the cost of health insurance plans alone; no co-pays, no maximums etc., just a flat, all inclusive, monthly fee, often less than $80.00!

They can do this because they do not have the administrative costs of dealing with health insurance plans.

Their patients can use health savings accounts for such things as an MRI or a colonoscopy. They can also buy a catastrophic health policy, and they will still pay less than those with employer subsidized complete health insurance.

Patients who are uninsured can, at least, get basic care at a reasonable rate.

For these reasons, Direct Primary Care Practices are spreading across the country. In South Carolina we have Access Health Care.

Mandates that require all health insurance plans to cover everything, and that require everyone to have health insurance will put these practices out of business.

Please do not create laws that destroy these solutions. Please preserve HSAs and the ability to purchase catastrophic care only. Please preserve choice.

Please consider the fact that the government and health insurance providers themselves are a huge part of the problem. Please look to Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and California for tort reform solutions. Please, if there are billions of dollars of fraud and waste in Medicare and Medicaid, solve those problems first. This is the true responsibility of government.

As for the 10 to 17 million American citizens who are uninsured for lack of money, we can figure out how to give them excellent care without spending trillions. $170 billion would give each one $10,000.

Not sinking the economy with hundreds of new taxes and fees, not to mention unsustainable debt, would allow the creation of millions of new jobs as the recession ends. This is the best solution for the uninsured.

Please do not create a huge, government takeover, boondoggle plan that will destroy our country while it rewards special interests at the expense of the elderly, minorities and disadvantaged it purports to help.

*http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2008/12/22/seattle-docs-via-qliance-aim-to-revolutionize-health-care-by-freezing-out-insurance


On behalf of your Constituents: