Thursday, June 27, 2013

America is Changed, Is it Over?

We are about to celebrate 237 years since independence was declared from Great Britain in 1776. The great experiment of self governance seems to be coming to an end and may have already ended.

While the cry back then was “no taxation without representation” we could almost say today, “no legislation without representation”. Our elected officials are now almost exclusively in it for themselves and themselves alone.

When it suits them they’ll quote those on “the front line” of any topic they are fighting for. Their examples of front line people aren’t always true, in fact are rarely true. Politicians have a habit of saying what certain people think without checking with them first to see if they really do think that. Well, let’s take a look at that.

Today or tomorrow the Senate is going to vote on the Amnesty Bill. Yes, I said “amnesty”. What do those on the front lines say about this bill? Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE) and from U.S. Citizenship an Immigration Service (USCIS) are asking the United States Senate not to pass this bill. They are also urging citizens to call in and tell their elected officials to vote against it.

They say that this bill will only make it easier for more illegal aliens to stay, still more to enter and that Americans will be at greater risk. These are the people that work this problem day and day out. But they have not been consulted in drafting a plan to put an end to Illegal Immigration. Those in the know, that work the border, say this bill will only ensure more illegal immigration and that it’s putting politics over American’s safety.

At last report it was a 1200 page  bill that nobody has read and it’s mostly pork.

Then we have the Supreme Court ruling yesterday. 32 states have voted on  a marriage being between a man and a woman yet the Supreme Court says the people just don’t matter.

It appears as though we are now the Government Ruled American States. It’s disappointing that Greed and self gratification cannot seem to be held off by standards and principles.

You’re welcome to comment.

Brett



Wednesday, June 12, 2013

ObamaCare: Someone Lives, Someone Dies

  


In recent weeks we’ve been hearing about Sarah Murnaghan. She’s the 10 year old Pennyslvania girl that needs a lung transplant or she’ll die within 3-5 weeks. Two elected officials from Pennsylvania, both Republicans brought this up to Kathleen Sebelius Health and Human Services Secretary. Her response was that some people live and some people die.

There is a policy in place that says that to qualify for an adult lung transplant, you must be at least 12 years old. Sarah is 10. That gap of less than two years was preventing her from getting the lung transplant. Her doctors said that she could take an adult lung, but the policy said differently. So the policy was followed. Sebelius had it within her power to suspend the policy but chose not to.

Sarah’s parents took it to court and the court ordered Sebelius to suspend the policy for Sarah and for another child that is 11 and waiting for a transplant as well. Sebelius had the policy suspended the very next day. Despite having said she couldn’t suspend the policy, she did it after the court ordered to do so. So apparently she did have the power.

Today, a lung became available and Sarah Murnaghan went into surgery. The doctors are pleased with how she did during the surgery and her recovery thus far. Their prognosis is good.

We were told that decisions about our health should be between our doctors and ourselves. But Sebelius wouldn’t allow what the doctor said was best for the child. We were told that the costs of health insurance would go down, but we’ve got announcements coming in from around the country saying just the opposite. Ohio was the latest saying premiums would rise by 80%.

We now know that the costs are going to go up and we also know that doctors and patients don’t have a say in their health treatment. Kathleen Sebelius decides.

The bulk of our population is the elderly and the ones about to be the elderly. 10,000 baby boomers a day are retiring When they go for their health care, and their doctor decides they need something done, we know it must be cleared by Sebelius. If it’s not, apparently the only way to get her to do give clearance is to go to court and have a judge order her to do it.

But, the amazing thing is that while we were warned about death panels, it was scoffed at by anyone in favor of this abomination called Obamacare (technically the Affordable Care Act). Now we have a first hand and publicized look at the death panel in action. So far it seems that the death panel consists of Kathleen Sebelius.

Their first test of it publicly has the results as Death Panelist Sebelius 0, Ten year old girl 1.

Stayed tuned to the health care issue. The craziness is just beginning.

You’re welcome to comment.


Brett

Sunday, June 9, 2013

”Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

The quote in the headline is from George Washington. In light of all that we’ve learned recently, I can’t think of a better quote.

Terrorism is winning. Not because they are on our street corners blowing people up as they walk by, although that has happened. Rather, it’s because of our reaction to being attacked. Just look at the recent years and the recent weeks.

We were attacked on September 11, 2001. From that the Patriot Act was born. It was too vague in places and the government has abused the writings of the Patriot Act.

Illegal immigration. People that come here and expect to stay because they made it. Their first act in coming to this country is to break the law yet there are those that want to allow them to stay. Meanwhile, terrorists can use that weakness in the borders to cross into the country unseen.

Then there was “Fast and Furious”. Our government arms the drug cartels and doesn’t know where the guns are at all times? In the meantime, our government, while arming drug cartels south of the border are doing everything they can to disarm our own citizens.

Now there is Benghazi, the IRS, the AP scandal, spying on American citizens using their own phone records, cell phones and even E-mails. We’re learning still newer terms that were older terms with different meanings, such as “prism” and “boundless informant”.  

In Benghazi we left behind four Americans and didn’t even try to rescue them from attack. We left them there to die! The IRS, the most intrusive of government agencies, men and women trained to look at our receipts to see that they are viable for deduction from our personal and businesses, take a trip and don’t save the receipts and they target groups that are based on politics rather than whether an entity is actually set up properly to qualify under one of the myriad of tax codes. The government watching and listening to reporters and even classifying one reporter as a conspirator for asking questions.

We now have Republicans and Democrats alike praising the snooping of our E-mails, telephone calls and text messages all in the name of protecting us from terrorism.

We are being terrorized by al queda and now because of those attacks we are being terrorized by our own government. They blame it on former President Bush. “Bush started it” or “Bush did it too”. So if you think it’s wrong that Bush did it in the first place, which may or may not be the case, is that how you justify continuing to do something you think is wrong?
I could have used the well known Ben Franklin quote “those that would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither” but chose a more potent quote from George Washington.

The quote seems to be true. Government is not reason. They just try to justify their actions with reasoning that is not sound. Government does use force either in making laws or interpreting the laws they write. Force does not have to be the use of the military. It can be forced on law abiding citizens by creating more stringent laws restricting the citizen but doing nothing to accomplish their stated reasons for the laws.

Fire is a tool or servant. It’s used for cooking, for warmth. But when it gets out of control the house burns down and sometimes lives are lost. When it’s the cause of destruction and death, it becomes the fearful master.

“The Constitution is the guide which I will never abandon” Again, George Washington. Unfortunately, our current leaders don’t come close to the ideals of our founding fathers. Our current leaders are enablers of the spread of terrorism.

You’re welcome to comment.


Brett