Tuesday, October 29, 2013
62. Karl Marx vs. Samuel Adams
We’ve talked about how
Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements don’t cover our costs as physicians for
seeing patients, and how the Independent Payment Advisory Board will be
decreasing these payments even more.
That means that it will COST doctors to keep seeing these patients. And when states increase the number of
Medicaid patients thru Obamacare, that
means that doctors will be paying more and more money to care for people. Now that Obamacare truly is the law of the
land, it’s time to discuss what this administration is saying to physicians. They
are saying that patients have a RIGHT to make us PAY to take care of them. They are saying that it’s OK to force doctors
to practice against their free will.
Karl Marx, in his Communist
Manifesto, proposed a system wherein resources would be distributed “from each
according to his ability, to each according to his need”. In other words, those who have the ability to
make goods or money should have it taken from them and given to those who need
it. Contrast this with the words of one
of our founding fathers, Samuel Adams (and I’ll paraphrase): “If ye love government handouts more 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 you were our countrymen.” Which quote do you think represents what
America should be?
Obamacare is also saying to
taxpayers that it is OK for the government to force us to pay for the
healthcare of others. We will have no
choice but to pay additional money that we have worked hard to earn, so that
people who choose not to work can have the same healthcare choices that we
have. I’m not talking about those who
are truly needy here. I’m talking about
those who have chosen to be dependent on others. From each according to his ability, to each
according to his need. I don’t know
about you, but no one has a RIGHT to my
skill, knowledge or money. Not my
patients, not my neighbors, and not you, Mr. President.
Come Jan. 1, 2014, when the
healthcare law goes into full effect, I as a physician will have a very
difficult decision to make. Do I bow
down to the Obamacare Manifesto, or do I stand with Samuel Adams and the
“animating contest of freedom”? Which
will YOU choose?
61. Legislation I’d Like to Propose
Even though Republicans lost
the Senate and White House, I believe that they could score some major points
with the 2014 and 2016 voters if they’d propose some much needed
legislation. Of course, it will never go
further than the House, but it’d put Democrats in the Senate on the record for
refusing to take it to a vote.
First, pass a bill that
prohibits Congress from passing any law that does not apply to all members of
Congress. Actually, I think this should
be a Constitutional Amendment.
Next, pass a true Balanced
Budget Amendment.
Next, pass a bill requiring
Term Limits. This is what the founding
fathers envisioned: that citizens would
serve in office for a few years, then step aside for others to do so. No more career politicians holding
Congressional seats for 40 years. I
think this should also be a Constitutional Amendment.
Next, pass a bill that
prohibits Congress from using its taxing authority to force Americans to do or
purchase something. I’m not sure if this
can be done, but give it a try.
Now, pass a bill that
prohibits the United Nations from imposing laws on Americans that violate our
Constitution. Just for the record.
Now, pass a bill prohibiting
earmarks. How about a bill that requires
new legislation to focus on only one issue at a time instead of bills
containing completely unrelated provisions.
There should also be a bill
that requires 30 days of review and analysis for every 50 pages of
legislation. No more “let’s pass it so
we can see what’s in it”. The
Congressional Research Service should post an explanation of proposed
legislation in lay terms so Americans can understand what their representatives
are getting them into.
I think all of these bills
would be enthusiastically supported by the American people. And when these bills are passed by the House,
stage a massive marketing campaign so the American people can see who’s really
on their side…and who isn’t.
60. What Republicans Need to Do for the Next Four Years
Now that the 2012 election is
over, there are a few things I’d like to see the Republicans do over the next
four years.
First, stop compromising with
socialism! “Reaching across the aisle
sounds magnanimous”, but all it does is allow the progressives to move closer
and closer to a socialized America. You
are in office to protect our Constitution—so do it.
Next, start defending
capitalism instead of apologizing for it.
You have allowed the Democrats to stigmatize those of us who have
achieved the American Dream thru hard work for far too long.
Next, GET LOUD! The progressives control the media, the White
House, the Senate, and perhaps soon, the Supreme Court. The voice of taxpaying Americans will never
be heard without your participation. We
carried the message for you to get elected, now it’s your turn. Republicans reaped the benefits of the
Grassroots movements, now stand up and join with us in the ongoing battle for
freedom.
Next, EXPOSE the Democrats and
the mainstream media for what they are and for what they really want: they want to destroy the very essence of what
America stands for—Freedom, personal responsibility and property rights. Use the social media. Hire a bunch of third graders if you don’t
know how to do it, but get it done.
Next, DEFINE YOURSELVES for a
change! Republicans have been on the
defensive for every election. You’ve
been so preoccupied with attacking the Tea Party and each other that you’ve
lost sight of the real issues: our
Constitution and national security.
One more thing: stop talking to each other and the pundits
and try talking to the PEOPLE for a change!
Lastly, try putting your
country ahead of yourselves. We did not
send you to Washington or the state capital so you could become wealthy and
powerful, or have a lifetime career in politics. You say you love America—it’s time to prove
it.
59. The Demise of “Thanks”
Friends of ours in South
Dakota had a son who was severely injured in a rodeo accident. The family had to go to a different state for
surgery and rehabilitation treatment for several weeks. When it was time to harvest their crops
farmers throughout their community drove their combines and tractors to the
family’s farm and worked thru the night to see that their friend’s crop was
brought in. Our friends didn’t demand
that their neighbors help them and the government didn’t force anyone to do all
that extra work. Our friends were
touched and grateful, and they personally thanked their neighbors for their
generosity.
There are several groups of
healthcare workers from the US that travel to other countries to perform procedures
on children and adults that aren’t otherwise available to them. These workers donate their time and money to
these patients, no one is forcing them to do it; there are no government
mandates.
Why do people donate their
precious time and hard-earned money?
Because there is a certain sense of fulfillment, of self-worth, of
accomplishment when we are able to help someone in need. One of the unique blessings of being a
physician is the warm connection that comes from helping a patient during a
difficult time; and having them sincerely thank you. It is the interplay of giving and showing
thanks that makes charity such a symbiotic experience.
58. My Brother’s Keeper
The
Progressive Movement loves to quote the Bible when they are promoting
socialized healthcare: “we are our
brother’s keeper”. Well, it’s not
surprising that they wanted to eliminate “God” from their Democrat platform,
when they don’t seem to be able to quote the Bible accurately. For clarification: In Genesis, Cain kills his brother Abel out
of jealousy. When God asks Cain where
his brother is, Cain replies, “How should I know? Am I my brother’s keeper?”
So from
this smartalec comment, we now have an entire political movement meant to hold
Americans hostage to the notion that we are responsible for the welfare of our
fellow human beings. And somehow, the
government is supposed to be the great
arbiter of “fairness”, the modern-day Robin Hood, who justifiably takes
from the greedy, self-serving workers, and gives to the poor, less fortunate,
non-workers. Let’s say it out loud for
once—most of the “fortunate” in our country, got there, not by Luck, but by
education and hard work. And many, if
not most, of the “less fortunate” in our country, have made poor
choices that have rendered them “in need”. They are not so much “less fortunate” as they
are less motivated to be responsible
for themselves. Wow—not a politically correct
thing to say, huh? Who do I think I
am? Well, I’m someone who has spent the
last 27 years working with the “less fortunate” in the healthcare system. I’ve seen patients claiming to be unable to
work, on “disability”, that drive to the clinic in a nice car, walk in wearing
nice leather boots and coats, with acrylic nails, hair extensions, even breast
implants. We see patients in the ER with
expensive gold chains, tattoos, multiple body piercings, and diamonds imbedded
in their gold teeth, but who won’t pay their bill. Some patients are “disabled” only because
they are morbidly obese, so much so that they are unable to walk.
The
notion of Personal Responsibility is not politically profitable, but it is what
the Bible really teaches: that reward
will come from hard work. What are not commonly
quoted are the many passages of the Bible that tell us not to be careless by
lending or giving money to irresponsible and lazy people! Unless we recognize the need for personal responsibility in our society,
we will be destroyed by the demands of those who claim our property in the name
of a God that they themselves don’t believe in.
It
is beyond time to stand up for what the Bible really teaches.
57. American Dreams
Did you know that there
almost wasn’t a first Thanksgiving? The
Pilgrims that we celebrate in our schools every year, actually nearly starved
to death—because of socialism. I wasn’t
taught that in grade school—I’ll bet you weren’t either. Apparently, the Pilgrims set up a collective
farming system in 1620 after arriving in the New World. No one owned their own land, all worked
common ground, and no one was allowed to own their own crops. As a result, individuals were not motivated
to work harder than anyone else when they would receive no more for their
efforts than anyone else; and so all worked according to the laziest of them,
and they nearly died of starvation as a result.
In 1623, the Pilgrims decided
to try allotting parcels of land to individuals to farm. Whatever they grew themselves, they got to
keep. Not surprisingly, the people were
more motivated, all family members participated in the farming, and the harvest
was bountiful. The threat of starvation
was alleviated by the institution of what our children are now taught is greedy
and self-serving---private property
rights. It’s unbelievable to me that
the Progressive Movement (that is, Obama and the Democrats) still, 400 years
later, try to convince us that socialism can actually work.
America has been the land of
opportunity for the oppressed throughout the world. People don’t risk their lives to come here
because of the welfare system, or nationalized healthcare—they come because
here, in America, they have the chance to own
their acheivements, to control their destinies, to make goals for themselves
and their children. The Progressive
Movement represents the oppression that these immigrants fled. They see what is
happening in our country and they know exactly what it means and who is behind it. They’ve watched as their own countries fell
under the spell of the Utopian Ideal; only to find that, very quickly, that
ideal was only beneficial to the elite ruling
class—the Barack Obama’s, Nancy Pelosi’s and Harry Reid’s. They saw their relatives die prematurely
because of socialized medicine, they watched as the government took over
industries and private lands. They
endured crippling taxes and food shortages.
And then they risked all they had to escape it, because there was
actually a country to escape to.
Where will WE go when America
becomes a socialist country? Today, please vote Barack Obama and the
Progressive Democrats out of office! Let’s keep our American Dream alive—for America…and
the world.
56. The American Way
Hurricane Sandy lived up to
its predictions. New York, New Jersey,
and areas throughout the mid-Atlantic have been devastated by the combination
of northeastern snow and hurricane. My
heart goes out to all those affected and their families. One of the greatest aspects of American
society is her ability to respond to disaster.
Remember the tsunami in Thailand?
The earthquake in Haiti? 9/11? Americans donated millions of dollars in
private aid, their own money. Hundreds
of Americans travelled to help with relief efforts. These were individuals who donated their time and money to make a difference
in the lives of those in need. As a
people, we Americans have an amazing capacity for love and charity, a capacity
that Democrats somehow think can only come from government. They believe that only government, through
taxation and bureaucracy, can distribute charity—like some great Robin
Hood…taking from the greedy rich and giving to the downtrodden of the earth. Unfortunately, whatever goes to the government
first gets filtered through layers of agencies, to distribute as best benefits their agenda. What this storm, and other natural disasters,
should teach us is how much more efficient and
meaningful it is to us a people to be able to give of our own free will, to
those who will use the money to directly help those in need, in ways that will
be most effective. 98% or so of what the
Salvation Army takes in in private donations is used to directly help those in
need. It’s impossible to even calculate
what tiny amount of what government takes in from taxes will ever go to really
help individuals. Imagine how much more
good could be done if private charities like the Salvation Army had the
billions of dollars we give to the government each year! Milton Freidman said it well: individuals spend their money more
efficiently than other people spending their money; the least efficient is when
government spends our money. What if we
paid 10% less in taxes to our wasteful government, and instead gave that 10% to
private charities, or churches, hospitals, or needy individuals directly? That’s billions of dollars! Imagine what could be accomplished!
We don’t need government to take care of our citizens
in need. They’ve been taking our money
for decades and our needy are no better off.
We need government to let us keep more of our money so WE can take care
of our citizens in need. On Tuesday,
let’s vote Obama and his corrupt Democrats out of office. Then let’s get to work really solving the
problems of our country… the American
way.
55. The Tao of Yogi
When I was a kid I remember
seeing TV specials of Yosemite National Park.
They’d show pictures of bears walking up to visitors in their cars, and
the visitors would be feeding the bears Cheetos and pork rinds and everyone was
smiling and excited to be interacting with nature. Isn’t that nice, helping all those bears get
fattened up for the winter? Well, Guess
what happened over the next several years:
the bears got pretty fond of Cheetos and pork rinds, so they stopped
foraging for berries in the woods.
They’d hang around campsites and cars, hotels and dumpsters looking for
food. Then the park rangers started
telling people not to feed the bears anymore because it was interrupting their
natural diet, and the bears weren’t supposed
to live on Cheetos and pork rinds. So
the park put bear-proof locks on the dumpsters and had campers put their food
in lockers at the campsites. Well, the
bears by then must have figured they were entitled
to Cheetos and pork rinds, so they started ripping cars and tents open and
breaking into houses, even attacking people, looking for Cheetos and pork
rinds. Good heavens, what’s happened to
those cute, fuzzy bears?? So now, park
rangers are killing bears that intrude
into areas where there are Cheetos and pork rinds. On a recent trip to Yosemite, there were
flyers and signs posted all over saying “Don’t feed the bears! Feeding kills bears!” The flyers went on to extoll the virtues of
the bears foraging for themselves in the wild, and how humans shouldn’t
interfere in their ecosystem.
So, I have a question—If the
park rangers can figure out that it’s bad for humans to interfere with the
bears’ ecosystem by getting them hooked on Cheetos and pork rinds, why can’t
our government understand that they are destroying the natural instinct for
humans to interact in our free-enterprise system by putting them on welfare and
endless unemployment benefits. If bears
learn that begging for handouts from tourists is easier than foraging for
berries in the woods, why can’t society see that welfare and unemployment only
serve to prevent Americans from providing for themselves. Locking
our citizens into lives of dependency on government destroys their opportunity to succeed.
So next time you see riots in
Greece by citizens protesting government austerity measures, think about Yogi
the bear and what my husband calls the Occupy Jellystone Movement.
54. It’s One or the Other
Like it or not, we have a
2-party political system in this country.
Some countries divide up votes and representation among several
competing political parties, and occasionally we’ll have Independents or
Libertarians in the Congress, but it’s time to face the fact: it’s either Republican or Democrat when it
comes to control in our government. I
really like many Libertarian ideas, and there are parts of the Republican
platform that I wish weren’t there. Too
bad. Boo Hoo. Get over it.
The issue this election can
be, in my opinion, defined very simply:
either we vote to continue the path of government control over our lives
through the Progressive Movement that President Obama and the Democrats
represent; or we choose to take back responsibility for our lives and
governance. Gov. Romney was not my first
choice for President, but I know in my heart that the way to freedom in America
is NOT thru Obama and the Democrats. I
am willing to risk voting for Mitt Romney, and trust that he and Paul Ryan will
work to stop America’s decline into socialism.
Over time, we should work to identify more citizens with integrity that
will lead based on this country’s founding principles. But if we are going to change the course of
our country it must begin with this election and we have got to get the
Democrats out of power to do it. In
order for them to be out of power, Republicans must take over the majority of
the seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and they have to win
the Presidency. That is the only way that legislation can be passed to stop
Obamacare, Agenda 21, and the indoctrination of our country into socialism. And the ONLY way to do that, like it or not,
is to vote for Republicans.
If you think that it’s more
virtuous to hold to your principles as a Libertarian and cast your vote for
Gary Johnson, well guess what—you just voted for Barack Obama and the Democrats. If you just can’t bring yourself to vote for
Mitt Romney or your Republican candidate and choose to not vote at all, guess
what—you just voted for Barack Obama and the Democrats. So unless you WANT to vote for Barack Obama and
the Democrats, just this once at least, vote for Mitt Romney and the
Republicans. That’s it, that’s the way
it is, ain’t no other way, hold your nose if you must… get over it… I’m just
sayin’…
52. Review of Real Reform Ideas
Obamacare needs to be
completely repealed. Period. Just because someone likes the idea of a 26
year old kid being included on the parents’ healthcare plan—at the cost of
other Americans by the way—is NOT justification for imposing the rest of this
heinous law on the entire country. Get
rid of it—ALL of it. Start over.
First, respect the 10th
Amendment and let states decide what reforms will work best for them. It is silly to think that a bunch of
bureaucrats at the federal level can come up with a plan that will work for
everyone. Any government program works
best for the people when it is closest to those people, as local as possible. Next, get government out of the way and let
the market system operate through competition and consumer choice. Put decisions back in the hands of the
patients and their doctors.
Post prices for healthcare
services so patients can compare and choose for themselves what they will and
won’t have. Allow patients to save money
tax free for medical expenses and encourage employers to help them, like with a
401k. Separate insurance plans from the
workplace so patients can keep their plans when they change employers or quit
working. This will alleviate most of the
problems with pre-existing conditions. If patients have continuous insurance
and only change carriers, they shouldn’t be penalized for pre-existing
conditions.
Eliminate state health
insurance mandates and let patients choose what coverages they want to pay
for. Change the organization of risk
pools, so people can share risk with larger groups, maybe even nationally. Keep premium costs low for young, healthy
people so they will be able to afford the premiums.
Get the government out of the
health insurance business by privatizing Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans
Administration healthcare systems. Get
rid of all of the ridiculous unnecessary
government regulations and coding requirements that only serve to increase
healthcare costs for everyone. Some
regulation is needed, but only a small fraction of what we now have. And finally…Reform our medical malpractice
system so that patients get compensated for real damage due to negligence, but
doctors aren’t held hostage by greedy lawyers filing frivolous lawsuits that
cost everyone. WE CAN DO THIS FOLKS!! JUST GET
THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR WAY!!
51. Review of Obamacare
So now we know that under
Obamacare everyone will NOT have health insurance, in fact, even more folks may
be left without insurance. Healthcare
costs will NOT be lower; they will actually be higher. We will ALL be paying more taxes, many of
which will fall on the low and middle classes.
Employers will face new taxes and regulations, and their healthcare
costs will be much higher. This will
cost thousands, if not millions of jobs.
Doctors and other healthcare providers will face higher costs due to
skyrocketing regulations, and doctors will either sell their practices to
hospital groups, or they will close their doors entirely. Patients will have fewer choices and less
control over their own health and lives due to rationing of care and government
control over their healthcare decisions.
Insurance premiums will go up and access to quality healthcare will go
down. Medicare patients will have a
harder time finding a provider to take care of them, and they will lose the
option of Medicare Advantage. The number
of Medicaid patients will skyrocket and they will have very long wait times to
see a physician. The cost of medical
devices and pharmaceuticals will increase, and the costs of many other goods
will increase as well due to new taxes on these businesses.
The Obama administration is violating
our Freedom of Religion by requiring everyone to pay for abortion and
contraception coverage. This is NOT
about freedom of choice—this is about our Constitutional
freedoms being ignored by a Progressive Movement that believes that they
should have the authority to change our Constitution as they see fit—“a living Constitution” they call it.
And now, If the government
wants us to buy something, the Supreme Court has declared that they can force us to buy it just by taxing
us until we comply. Justice Roberts and
the liberal court justices decided this
was OK. Another example of their idea of
a “living Constitution”.
We are at a precipice, my
fellow Americans. Either we stop the
Progressives in the Democrat Party now, or we free-fall into socialism. It has been 100 years in the making, and it
will not stop with Obamacare—but that IS, I believe, the point of no
return. Remember, when the government controls your healthcare, it controls
YOU.
53. Our Last Chance
The Progressive movement has
been working diligently and in stealth for over 100 years in this country to
turn America away from its Constitution, and toward a socialist “New World
Order”. Think about it: The United Nations—a group of countries that
mostly hate us, meeting in a building that we pay for, preventing us from
protecting ourselves from our enemies;
trying to take over our Bill of Rights and our sovereignty as a nation
through Agenda 21. And Barack Obama and
the Progressive Movement love it.
Our schools, through liberal
government agencies and union influence, are indoctrinating our children by
teaching “social justice” rather than true American History; “fairness” rather
than founding Constitutional principles and property rights. Our medical students are taught to make
healthcare decisions based on “the good of society as a whole” rather than on
the good of the individual patient. Our President takes pride in “the life of
Julia”—a fictitious, but only too real, woman who lives by the grace of
government handouts thru every stage of her dependent life. We’ve watched the staged “Occupy Movement”, wherein Americans who work hard to
achieve success through great ideas and capitalism, who provide millions of
jobs for other Americans, are vilified as greedy and evil. Our children are
taught that anything “green” is good—except money. That something given by the government is better than
something earned by the individual. And guess what—they are believing it.
Over the years, Americans
have been talked into letting the government plan for their retirement through
Social Security and Medicare. And now
that these programs are failing, senior citizens are frightened about their
futures. If there are problems, we don’t look to ourselves to solve them, we
look to government. We have a capital
full of politicians that are swollen with power, no longer servants of the
people. Make no mistake folks—we have allowed all of this to happen. And only WE have the power to make it stop.
But
we may only have one more chance. If Barack Obama is re-elected, we may never
be able to control our government--ever
again.
The generation of Americans
that lived through the Great Depression and 2 World Wars has been called “The Greatest
Generation”. I agreed with that
label…until now. I believe that THIS generation of adults has
the potential to stop the Progressive Democrat Movement and save the very essence of what America stands for. If we
can do that, starting with this
election, WE will, in my opinion, be… “The Greatest Generation”.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
50. What You Can Do
50. What You Can Do
One of our founders, Samuel
Adams, said: “If ever a time should
come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government,
our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its
ruin.” For several weeks now you have
hopefully been listening to me opine about Obamacare and how this healthcare
law would affect Americans, and how it threatens the very basis of our
Constitution. Mr. Don Crawford,
President of Crawford Broadcasting, wanted to sponsor these commentaries
because he understood how important it was to educate American voters at this
crucial time in our country’s history. Now, it’s your turn!
With great knowledge, comes
great responsibility. I urge each and
every one of you to spread your knowledge about Obamacare to your family,
friends and neighbors. Don’t be afraid! I have given over 100 talks on this subject,
to many different audiences, and believe me:
everyone wants to know about
Obamacare! Even if they think it
might be a good idea based on what they’ve heard from the media and the Obama
administration, when they learn the truth,
they are astounded. I’ve even met
self-confessed diehard liberals that do not like this law! Remember that this law will affect every
single American, and in my opinion, in mostly negative ways.
So, where to start? First, the written version of my commentaries
are posted on the Crawford Broadcasting website via the home page. In addition, I now have a website that includes these commentaries, as well as
my YouTube video series and a single page flyer that you can pass out to your
friends and neighbors called “The Truth about PPACA/Obamacare”. The video series and this flyer are purely
educational—just real facts about
the law that many Americans will find interesting and illuminating. Consider posting a video, a commentary, or the
flyer on your facebook page; or distribute the link to my website to your
facebook friends. You don’t have to have
all the answers, and you don’t have to be an expert on Obamacare! Just send them the information and let the
dialogue begin! Give people the facts
and let them make their choices. If you
get stuck, just contact me thru Crawford Broadcasting or my website: jqvecchio.blogspot.com. Don’t expect others to do this work for you! You
can be the key to the outcome of this election!
As a great friend of mine said:
“It’s time to find the George Washington in all of us!” the
governance of any other.”
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
49. The Constitution is Our Protector
49. The Constitution
is Our Protector
In 1776 the American colonies
made a list of complaints about their king not respecting their laws; not
allowing them to have a say in their own governance; making them pay too much
in taxes; creating bureaucracies that harassed and burdened them; exposing them to “dangers of invasion”; and “fundamentally
altering” their forms of government.
This document was the Declaration of Independence. These men risked their lives and fortunes to
fight for the opportunity to start a new
country; one whose own citizens could
determine how they would be treated, protected and governed. They researched centuries of literature and
governments “in Order to form a more perfect Union”, establish a system of
justice, provide for the protection of the country and its citizens, allow for
personal freedom and individual rights. This
research resulted in the Constitution of the United States. Three branches of
government (Legislative, Judicial and Executive) were established in order to
provide “Checks and Balances”, so that no one entity could gain too much
control.
Let’s see how that’s going…
*We now have elected
representatives that spend their entire careers as politicians. You get “access” to your representatives by
making donations to their re-election campaigns. They use legislation to buy votes. This was never intended by our founders. Elected officials were meant to serve for a
time then go back to private life, allowing others to then serve: hence “Government
by the people”.
*Congress and the President pass
laws that violate the Consititution that they have sworn to uphold.
*Our President will not
enforce our country’s legal borders as required by our Constitution.
*We have government agencies
that are not part of the legislative branch of government, but they are making
“laws” that affect we the citizens on a daily basis; rules that “harass and
burden”.
*We have a President who is
using Executive Orders to bypass Congress and the Legislative process outlined
in our Constitution.
The Constitution is our
Protector. It was established to protect
“we the people” from a government gone awry. The Declaration of Independence asserts that
it is the duty of the citizens to get
rid of a government that no longer provides for their protection. That time has come. Barack Obama and his Progressive Democrats
must go.
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
48. Thank you Justice Roberts!
48. Thank you
Justice Roberts!
When the Supreme Court
decision on Obamacare came down, the country was dumb-struck. The political analysts and constitutional
lawyers were in a tizzy trying to decide what it meant and how to think about
it. Many defended his decision as a
brilliant long-term strategy; most declared it an indefensible case of judicial
activism. Here’s what I think: If Roberts had ruled the Individual Mandate
unconstitutional and agreed that the entire Obamacare law be struck down, I am
convinced that Americans would have gone back to sleep, politically
speaking. If he had ruled the Individual
Mandate constitutional under the
Commerce Clause, we’d have lost untold freedom as Americans and most would
never have understood what happened. But
Americans DO know what a TAX is! And
they now understand that they can’t rely on the Supreme Court to save them from
Obamacare anymore. I have a series of
YouTube videos on the internet explaining Obamacare. The number of people watching those videos quadrupled in the 2 months after the
Supreme Court decision. I used to give
talks to groups of 20-30 folks, now the groups are 100 or more. Americans are getting involved in the
political process like never before! If
Justice Roberts hadn’t ruled the way he did, I don’t think any of this would be
happening.
One of
Justice Roberts’ decisions was applauded by all who oppose Obamacare: he ruled that the federal government couldn’t
force states to expand Medicaid enrollment.
As of last August, only 11 states had decided to expand Medicaid as
required by Obamacare. Other states are
hesitating, or refusing to expand due to the millions or even billions of
dollars it will costs their taxpaying residents. If states refuse to expand their Medicaid
roles, Obamacare will not work, and millions more Americans will be unable to afford the Obamacare insurance
policies, and be left without insurance.
Of course, we are now left
with that pesky “tax” ruling that says Congress can force us to buy things we
don’t want, merely by taxing us until we comply. The way I see it, if we can get Republicans
in control of Congress and the Presidency, one of the first laws they should pass can say that Congress CANNOT use
its taxing powers to force Americans
to buy anything. That’s
why we have 3 branches of government folks!
And in the future, let’s be more careful about who we put into
office. Justice Roberts said that
too—and he was right!
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
47. Life after Obamacare
47. Life after
Obamacare
So let’s say Republicans win
the House, the Senate and the Presidency, and they’ve held to their word and
repealed Obamacare. What now?
Well, first let’s think about
what repeal might mean? The law may be
gone, but Obama and his team have had 2 ½ years to enact many parts of
it—agencies, departments, grant programs, panels, commissions, rules and regulations
that took effect as early as September 2010.
What happens to those? In January
2011, the newly Republican-controlled House passed a bill to repeal Obamacare
“as if it had never been passed”. Even
then, it would have been difficult to figure out what needed to be reversed,
and IF it could be. Once a government
program is in place, it is very difficult to get rid of it. One agency is intertwined with another, which
in turn depends on employees in another agency, and so forth. It’s like picking a burr out of a cotton
ball. That said, I’m more than willing to do whatever it
takes to destroy all remnants of this heinous beast!
Now, when it comes to
addressing legislation for real market-based healthcare reform, Congress needs
to, first and foremost, recognize and respect the 10th Amendment to
the Constitution—Whatever powers are not expressly granted to the federal
government by the Constitution, are hereby granted to the states and the people. Healthcare, remember, is not one of the
powers granted to the federal government.
In spite of that, over the years, the fed has been granted power over
Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital system.
So, in my opinion, Congress
should clearly outline what is and isn’t their responsibility when it comes to
healthcare: they get Medicare and the
VA; the individual states and We the
People get the rest. I suggest that
we privatize Medicare insurance coverage as outlined in the Ryan-Wyden plan; and
we privatize healthcare for our ex-military and veterans. We let the states decide whether they want to
have government-run healthcare or regulated free-market systems or a little of
each. Congress and the President should
get rid of the multitude of unnecessary regulations that burden healthcare providers,
businesses, and technology companies.
Allow the sale of insurance across state lines and nationally; and oh
yeah--make a law prohibiting the federal
government from forcing citizens to purchase health insurance. Thank You, Justice Roberts!
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
46. How to Repeal Obamacare?
46. How to
Repeal Obamacare?
So we’ve talked about how
laws are typically made, and how the Democrat-controlled Congress in 2010
abused that process in order to make Obamacare the “Law of the Land”. Not too many laws of this magnitude have ever
been repealed. So how do we get rid of
it?
The typical way to repeal
this law would be for the House to vote to repeal, requiring a simple majority
vote. There will likely be enough
Republicans elected to the House to accomplish this, and there may even be some
Democrats that will vote to repeal.
Next, we need 60 Senators to
vote to repeal. Unfortunately, there is
only a slim chance that enough Republicans will be elected to reach this
number, since only 1/3 of the Senate seats are up for election this year. It is possible, but doubtful, that Democrat
Senators will vote to repeal.
Finally, and absolutely
mandatory, is the election of a Republican President, since Obama will definitely
veto any attempt to repeal and there will certainly not be enough Senators to
override a Presidential veto.
So what if Republicans only
win 51 Senate seats?? How about using
the same tactics to repeal this law that were used to pass it?? Sounds fair to me! Unfortunately, there are Republican
congressmen that may not agree to do that.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court decision that the Individual
Mandate is a TAX, not a penalty, should allow the Reconciliation Rule to be used, which only requires 51 votes. But there are Republican leaders that claim
they have to have a budget in place
before they can use that rule. Really?? The Senate hasn’t approved a budget for over 3
years! There was no budget when the Democrats used that rule to pass Obamacare! What gives??
This is where We the People come in! If we put Republicans in office to repeal
Obamacare, it is their duty to
represent their constituents and do their job!!
How dare they balk at repairing the injustice the Democrats have done to
our legislative system? We need to
remind them that they work for us! And we will need to keep reminding them when it comes to ideas for real reform! It’s time to put We the People back into the legislative process!!
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
45. How Obamacare Became the “Law of the Land”
45. How
Obamacare Became the “Law of the Land”
So how did Obamacare become a
law. It’s actually pretty
interesting. If you recall, the
Democrats in the House weren’t able to pass their version of a Healthcare law. Because all revenue bills have to originate
in the House of Representatives, the Senate found a bill that met those
qualifications: HR3590, a military
housing bill. They took out
essentially all of the wording of it, and
turned it into the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,
Obamacare. It gets better.
The Senate at that time had
60 Democrats, just enough to pass Obamacare.
After the bill passed the Senate tho, Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy
died. In his place, Massachusetts
elected Republican Scott Brown. That
meant that, if the House made any changes to the bill, the Senate wouldn’t have
the necessary number of votes to pass the corrected
bill, since they knew no Republicans would vote for Obamacare. So they made a deal with the Democrat-controlled
House of Representatives: the House
would pass the Senate bill without any changes, IF the Senate agreed to pass a separate bill by the House that made
changes to the Senate version of Obamacare.
This second bill was called the Reconciliation
Act of 2010. It made a bunch of
detail changes, and added some things.
So the House passed PPACA, the Senate bill, as well as their Reconciliation Act. So now PPACA
was ready for the President to sign, but the Senate still needed to pass the
Reconciliation Act from the House.
Confused yet?
Now, remember that the Senate
only had 59 votes to pass the Reconciliation Act since Republican Scott Brown
replaced Democrat Ted Kennedy. In order
to pass the Reconciliation Act, therefore, the Democrats in the Senate decided
to change the rules. They declared that
they could use the “Reconciliation Rule”—this is a different “reconciliation”
than the House bill now. This rule was only used for budget item
approval, so that budget items could be passed with only 51 votes in the
Senate, not the usual 60. This rule was
never intended to be used for legislation of the magnitude of Obamacare. Too
bad… they used it anyway. So then
both of the “Acts” passed both houses of Congress and were then signed by
President Obama. All done by Democrats
without a single Republican vote in favor of it. To quote Democrat Rep. Alcee Hastings of the
House Rules Committee during the bill process:
“We’re making up the rules as we go along”. They certainly couldn’t have made this law
without it. How do you feel about that?
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
44. How Laws are Made
44. How Laws
are Made
Hopefully, if you’ve been
listening to my commentaries, you’re ready to get rid of Obamacare. But how does that work? How are laws made and repealed?
First, whatever party wins
control of the House or Senate gets to be in charge of all of the various
committees in Congress. That’s
absolutely key. The committee chairs get to decide what bill proposals will be
heard in the committees and what will actually be voted on. Without this crucial step, no bill can become
law. Just because a bill passes one of
the 2 houses of Congress does not mean that it is, or ever will be, a law. That’s why nothing has happened in the Senate
for the past 2 years: the Democrats
control the Senate committees, so, even though the House passes a bill, the
Democrats running the Senate will not allow Republican-supported bills to even
be voted on. So none of them has a
chance to become actual law.
Now, each new Congress that
comes in every 2 years gets to make up their own rules about how they will pass
laws. They are supposed to abide by the
Constitution of course, but the Democrat-controlled Congress that passed Obamacare
pushed the limits of that flexibility to the max. We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Typically, any bill that involves raising
money, or taxing citizens, has to originate in the House of
Representatives. If it passes the House,
and the Senate passes it, it goes to the President to be signed into law. If the Senate makes changes to the bill, then
passes it with those changes, it then goes on to a Conference Committee: this
consists of members of both parties in both houses of Congress. Here the wording of the law is reviewed and
corrected as needed. After the
Conference Committee, it goes back to the House to be voted on again, and if
passed, it goes to the Senate for a vote.
If it passes that, it goes to the President to be signed into law.
Obamacare did not go thru these typical steps—almost none of them! In addition, not a single Republican voted
for this law! That has never happened
for a law of this magnitude. Even Social
Security and Medicare had bi-partisan support.
So that’s how laws are supposed to be made in our country,
according to our Constitution. Tomorrow, we’ll see how this process was abused
to force Obamacare on We the People.
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
43. Romneycare Update
43. Romneycare
Update
Commonwealth Care in
Massachusetts, also called “RomneyCare” was passed by a Democrat-controlled
state legislature. According to Galen
Institute, then Gov. Mitt Romney tried to make several changes in the law to
increase free-market involvement, and he opposed the Individual Mandate, but
was overridden by the Democrats in his state.
Since Romneycare was passed,
healthcare costs have skyrocketed.
Massachusetts now has the highest per capita healthcare costs in the
country. So what are the Democrats in
the state legislature doing now to control these costs? According to an article in the Wall Street
Journal last August, “all Massachusetts doctors, hospitals and providers must
now register with a new state bureaucracy” in
order to get keep their licenses to practice medicine. These providers will have to do extensive reporting
on things like their financial status, compliance with “quality measures”,
market share, etc. In addition, now get this: “no registered provider is allowed to make
any material change to its operations or governance structure”. That
means that the state will have control over how providers runs their own businesses. If
a doctor is ordering too many tests, or spending too much on patient care, the
state will force them to submit a “performance improvement plan” that then has
to be approved by the commission. Oh, and it gets worse! Doctors that don’t comply with the
commission’s requirements can be fined $500,000. Apparently, the “left” in Massachusetts was
upset that the government wouldn’t have MORE control over providers!! I have a request—will the last doctor to
leave Massachusetts please turn out the lights?
Consider now that the
Democrat law called Romneycare was the template in many ways for the Democrat
law, Obamacare. Obamacare already ties
provider reimbursement to compliance with “quality measures” that government
bureaucrats will develop, and it organizes providers into Accountable Care
Organizations that will tell doctors how much care they can give their
patients.
Democrats aren’t interested in quality patient
care—they are only interested in having total control over our healthcare
system…1/6 of our economy. The only way to stop them is to vote them out
of office! A Republican House, Senate
and President is the only chance we have to get rid of this agenda.
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
42. WHO study2
42. WHO study2
We’ve been discussing the
often-quoted WHO study that ranked the US 37th among 191 countries
in healthcare. This study became the
reason that Democrats insisted that America needed Obamacare.
The overall level of
healthcare ranking was determined by using the criteria we talked about
yesterday: life expectancy, financial
fairness, and distribution of healthcare and responsiveness… and then taking into account things like
literacy and overall healthcare expenditures.
Well, consider that the US has a huge problem with malpractice. Congressman and physician Tom Price from
Georgia estimates that 25% of healthcare expenses in the US are due to
defensive medicine—tests and treatments that aren’t necessarily needed, but
that doctors order to protect themselves from malpractice lawyers. That makes our healthcare that much more
expensive. So that makes us rank lower.
The WHO also used literacy
rates, to decide what countries provided the best healthcare. So the US scored lower overall partly because
of our failing education system!
It’s funny that nowhere in
the WHO rankings was patient behavior considered. Smoking, diet, sexually transmitted
disease…none of these were considered.
The US was also penalized for all of the money we spend on keeping
premature infants alive; and for expensive cardiac bypass operations or
dialysis that save lives and keep our friends and family members active for
years. Many of the countries that ranked
higher don’t even try to save these people, some leave premature babies to die.
So the WHO study penalizes the
US for giving patients state of the art technology and treatments, beautiful
healthcare facilities and flight-for-life.
They especially don’t like the idea that we give our citizens CHOICES,
and that the US free-market allows people the ability to become wealthy enough
to take advantage of those choices.
Socialism preaches “fairness” and “equality”. What
they mean is that they want to eliminate exceptionalism and opportunity for
excellence. Think about this the next time you hear Barrack
Obama preaching about “fairness”.
(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)
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