How Simple is Life?

In my reading of articles and magazines, so many writers are bemoaning how complicated life is and how we need to return to a simpler lifestyle. Today's economic situation, the coming higher taxes and surcharges, and the rising unemployment (thanks a lot, Congress!)make a return to the simpler life and a lifestyle of less consumption increasingly attractive. The Radiant Times staff is examining our current lifestyle and looking for ways to uncomplicate our lives. There will always the reality of long commutes and job requirements, but we are beginning to develop a method whereby we can live healthier and more simply.

Sitting in their Ivory Palace

So now it is finally released - the hulking form of the House Health Care Bill. Incomprehensible, incomplete, impractical, oppressive, and Congress excluding, this onerous piece of legislation will be voted on next week!

And from her gilded Ivory Palace Nancy Pelosi peered down upon the lowly and ignorant masses (at least those she had deemed lowly and ignorant) and declared that only those in Congress knew what was best for the American People. Alas, Congress had long since become insensitive to the cries of their constituents. They were now sycophantic and self serving, with a false assumption of royalty. They had forgotten the wisdom of the people. They had forgotten restraint. They had forgotten humility and the sacred trust of the office they held. Instead, members of Congress became drunk on the money they were trusted to spend for the betterment of the nation. They, though mere elected officials, grasped the power of their office as a birthright. And truly, some of the people, their constituents, were so ill informed or so cowed and coerced or bribed or outright lied to with promises of entitlements that perpetuate dependency, that certain of their number - such notables as Barney Frank, Charles Rangel, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Barbara Mikulski, Chris Dodd, Steny Hoyer, Benjamin Cardin, and many others - continued to be re-elected.

How does the travesty end? How does the modern reign of those who believe in the Divine Right of Representatives and Senators end? There are two possibilities.

1. The nation falls under the weight of its own bloat. Inflation rises, national debt rises, taxes rise, and the people continue to suffer more and more to the point of violent rebellion, or secessions as states fall away from the malignant pieces of legislation birthed from viewpoints opposed to the original intentions of the founders of the nation.

2. The people peacefully rise up, become informed of the acts of the great high Pelosi and those like her and seek to remove them from office. The will protest, and they will run for office themselves - the most capable among them - and they will win district by district. And common sense and wisdom will prevail in the land, and the people will see it and rejoice and be satisfied.

Rise up people! Peacefully protest! Call your Representatives and Senators!
Dethrone those who have made Congress an Ivory Palace.

Biden speaks truth to life

ABC News’ Karen Travers reports:

Vice President Joe Biden said today that if Democrats were to lose 35 House seats they currently hold in traditionally Republican districts, it would mean doomsday for President Obama’s agenda.

Biden said Republicans are pinning their political strategy on flipping these seats.

“If they take them back, this the end of the road for what Barack and I are trying to do,” the vice president said at a fundraiser for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) today in Greenville, Delaware.

Republicans need to pick up 40 seats next November to take back control of the House.

OK troops! There's your challenge! Teapartiers, Independents, Republicans, Libertarians! Let's make Biden's words a self fulfilling prophecy! Not too difficult given the current actions and seeming incompetence of our President.

Let's make it happen. Less talk, more action.

Chicago Tribune Cartoon from 1934

Hello readers! Have a look at this old cartoon! Look familiar? Remind you of NOW?

Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it!



Thanks to Rex the Terrible for this picture.

What's in the Healthcare Bill?

For those of you who don't have time to read the bill, especially you Congressmen and women!
This is the bill as it stands in the house. Thanks to nutopia on LGF for posting this list!

Line by line provisions of the Obama Healthcare Plan.
Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) is reading it and has been posting on Twitter his findings . This is from his postings (Note: All comments are Fleckman's)

Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!

Pg 30 Section 123 of HC Bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get

Pg 29 Lines 4-16 of the HC Bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!

Pg 42 of the HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose YOUR HEALTHCARE Benefits for you. You have no choice!

Pg 50 Section 152 of the HC Bill - HEALTHCARE will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise

Pg 58 of the HC Bill - Government will have real-time access to individuals finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued!

Pg 59 Lines 21-24 of the HC Bill - Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic fund transfers

Pg 65 Section 164 of the HC Bill - Payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & Community Organizations (ACORN)

Pg 72 Lines 8-14 of the HC Bill - Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control

Pg 84 Section 203 of the HC Bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange Pg 85 Line 7 of the HC Bill - Specs of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your HC!

Pg 91 Lines 4-7 of the HC Bill - Government mandates linguistic appropriate services - Example: Translation for illegal aliens

Pg 95 Lines 8-18 of the HC Bill - The Government will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Government HC plan

Pg 102 Lines 12-18 of the HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No Choice

Pg 124 Lines 24-25 of the HC Bill - No company can sue the Government on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Government Monopoly

Pg 127 Lines 1-16 of the HC Bill - Doctors/AMA - The Government will tell YOU what you can make

Pg 145 Lines 15-17 of the HC Bill - An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE

Pg 126 Lines 22-25 of the HC Bill - Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families

Pg 149 Lines 16-24 of the HC Bill - ANY Employer with a payroll of $400k and above who does not provide the Public Option must pay 8% tax on all payroll

PG 150 Lines 9-13 of the HC Bill - Businesses with payrolls between $251k and $ 400k that don't provide the Public Option must pay 2-6% tax on all payroll

Pg 167 Lines 18-23 of the HC Bill - ANY individual who doesnt have acceptable HC according to Government will be taxed 2.5% of income

Pg 170 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay)

Pg 195 of the HC Bill - Officers and Employees of HC Administration (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans financial/personal records

Pg 203 Lines 14-15 of the HC Bill - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax". Yes, it says that

Pg 239 Lines 14-24 of the HC Bill - Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected

Pg 241 Lines 6-8 of the HC Bill - Doctors, doesnt matter what specialty you have, will all be paid the same

Pg 253 Lines 10-18 of the HC Bill - Government sets the value of Doctor's time, professional judgement, etc. Literally value of humans

Pg 265 Section 1131 of the HC Bill - Government mandates and controls productivity for private HC industries

Pg 268 Section 1141 of the HC Bill - Federal Government regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs

Pg 272 Section 1145 of the HC Bill - TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients, welcome to rationing!

Pg 280 Section 1151 of the HC Bill - The Government will penalize hospitals for what the Government deems preventable readmissions

Pg 298 Lines 9-11 of the HC Bill - Doctors that treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission - The Government will penalize you

Pg 317 Lines 13-20 of the HC Bill - OH MY GOD!!! - PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. The Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own

Pgs 317-318 Lines 1-3 and 21-25 of the HC Bill - PROHIBITION on expansion - Government is mandating that hospitals cannot expand

Pg 321 Lines 2-13 of the HC Bill - Hospitals have opportunigy to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!!

Pg 335 Lines 16-25 and Pgs 336-339 of the HC Bill - Governmtent mandates establishment of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing

Pg 341 Lines 3-9 of the HC Bill - Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advanced Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into the Government Plan

Pg 354 Section 1177 of the HC Bill - Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people!

Pg 379 Section 1191 of the HC Bill - Government creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory Committee. Can you say HC by phone?

Pg 425 Lines 4-12 of the HC Bill - Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consultant. Think Senior Citizens and the end of their life!
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 of the HC Bill - Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory!

Pg 425 Lines 22-25 and Pg 426 Lines 1-3 of the HC Bill - Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you into death

Pg 427 Lines 15-24 of the HC Bill - Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends

Pg 429 Lines 1-9 of the HC Bill - An "advanced care planning consultant" will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates

Pg 429 Lines 10-12 of the HC Bill - "advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOVERNMENT!

Pg 429 Lines 13-25 of the HC Bill - The Government will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order

Pg 430 Lines 11-15 of the HC Bill - The Government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life

Pg 469 of the HC Bill - Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit Organizations. Hello, ACORN Medical Services has arrived!!!
Pg 472 Lines 14-17 of the HC Bill - PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. 1 monthly payment to a community based organizations. ACORN?

Pg 489 Section 1308 of the HC Bill - The Government will cover Marriage and Family therapy. Which means they will insert Government into your marriage

Pgs 494-498 of the HC Bill - Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services

Dear President Obama

Sir,

You told our lawmakers to "buck up" and pass health care legislation quickly. I am very concerned about your haste in wanting out nation to again spend money we do not have on a program that will be as unsuccessful as the universal health programs of Europe.

If this legislation passes, the people who will suffer are those who are the weakest among us - the elderly and those on fixed incomes. A rationed health care program does not benefit the health of a nation. It demotivates research for cures and causes needless suffering for those who have to wait for health care.

You want to tax the wealthy and employers heavily for this health care. Do you not see that you are making our nation unfriendly to businesses? Do you not see that you are promoting the transfer of business, jobs and wealth to other countries? Do you not see that your programs will cause greater dependency on the Government, and that our country will not be able to bear the bloated cost of providing for every person?

Why are you pushing so much change in this early part of your presidency? You have, with the stroke of your pen, already quadrupled our national deficit. You have taken over General Motors and you demand complicity with the Waxman/Markey Cap and Trade bill. I thought you did not want to raise taxes on those who earn less than $250,000 a year? Waxman/Markey is the biggest indirect tax on all energy consumers.

I question your wisdom, Mr. President. You who rose to your position of great power dependent on Government provisions, Government grants and even Government Affirmative Action programs. Is your goal to make everyone like you.....dependent on and provided for by the Government? God forbid. You are taking our nation down a dangerous path. Our enemies see us as weak because of you. Chinese students laugh at your Treasury Secretary when he claims the dollar is "safe". I hope the people of our nation will rise and oppose your plans and goals. I pray that many in Congress who approve of your reckless agenda will be replaced in 2010, and that our nation will have that beautiful bloodless coup to replace you in 2012, if you are not impeached before then.

Are you seeing this, too?

Our President appears to be doing everything he can to weaken our economy and make us less able to defend ourselves. Like Jimmy Carter, Obama looks like he is doing everything he can to weaken our military and financial sectors, making us a little less competitive and a little more vulnerable to attack every day. Not only that, he and the Democratic controlled Congress are eroding the liberties granted us by our founding fathers by massive over spending of the federal budget, forcing a crackpot science global warming based energy agenda upon this nation what will lead to the greatest energy tax increases of all time, forcing a universal health care system on our nation, which is a system of health rationing, cutting back defense at a time when we are at war with an enemy that would like to send the head of your son or daughter home in a hat box, and by limiting freedom of speech through encouraging the passage of the "Fairness Doctrine" and promoting "hate crimes" legislation.

On domestic policy, it seems that everything being done is forcing workers to pay for the wants, needs and benefits for non workers. The wealthiest among us are being taxed to the point of leaving the country, and those less wealthy who are business men and woman, those who create jobs in this country, are threatened with higher taxes if they make more than $250,000/year. That kind of policy does not encourage production and enterprise.

Is Obama's chief goal to drive the unemployment rate to over 20% in the next six months to a year? He's well on his way by his approval of the 'tax and spend' policies of the liberally controlled Congress. Is he seeking to create a nation of those who are dependent on the government for their every need? There are those voters who will always vote for more benefits, no matter how much it hurts the economy.

At the current rate of "CHANGE" our government policies will be unsustainable and financially we will collapse, much like Germany before the rise of the National Socialist Party, when inflation became rampant because of the unsustainability of the government policies. Our standard of living will drop and American citizens will become poor and poorer. Those least able to care for themselves would bear the brunt of the Obama economic policies. Those still employed would be stiffly taxed in a futile attempt to fill the rapidly draining coffers of the bloated government.

Are you seeing this? Are you talking about it? Are you going to just let it happen?

Why should I pay?

Obama has proposed a huge mortgage bailout that begs the question:

Should hardworking, faithful mortgage paying Americans pay for the bailout of mortgages of those who unwisely chose a home more expensive than they could afford?

I say "Let them lose their homes and fall on their butts financially until they get it! Bad choices have bad consequences! Time to learn personal responsibility!"

Bad choices have bad consequences? Hmmmmm......Stimulus package? Bailout of banks and the car industry? Mortgage Bailout? Delayed market correction?

America, watch out! Your leaders (Congress and the President) are making bad choices!

I'm not thinking about the Economy!

Those in the Obama camp think all the electorate is thinking about is the economy.

I'm not.

I'm thinking about Obama being weak on national defense. So much so that we may possibly lose a city because our enemies being emboldened. Maybe El Paso because it has a large strategic military base, and the border is so near and very open. Fort Huachuca is also near the border and is of strategic importance.

I'm thinking about an Obama tax plan that cripples small business. the backbone of the US Economy.

I'm thinking about Obama's rich and obvious heritage of Marxist/Socialist philosophy.

I'm thinking about Obama's dubious connections. The ones he used to get ahead and then cast aside when they were not useful any more - Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, William Ayers. ACORN....etc.

I'm thinking about an Obama health care plan that continues to pay for illegals and conscious slackers.

I'm thinking about an Obama that openly supported his Communist cousin Odingo, whose followers burned Christians alive in a church.

I'm thinking about the sharp left turn the United States will make with a Far Left Democratic Triumverate in the Presidency, the House with Pelosi at the helm and the Senate with Reid reigning proudly. The Supreme Court won't be far behind as Obama will push through far left liberal justices and there won't be a damn thing we can do about it.

I'm NOT thinking about the Economy. I'm thinking about the Future of America.

Pelosi still not saving the planet!

Today, August 1, 2008, Pelosi and the Democrats turned off the lights and microphones and adjourned the House while the Republicans were still debating the drilling issue. Please view the Video update.

Rep. John Culberson reports on the debate on the need for an energy plan, which the Democrats ignore. All they want is a vote, but Pelosi must know that most Democrats would agree to drilling.

UPDATE: Rep. Culberson is using Twitter to keep the world informed about the historic debate.

Rush Limbaugh is not News

Rush Limbaugh is not news. What is news is the loss of common sense and dignity in Congress.

Congress, the current Democratic Congress, has the lowest approval rating of any Congress in the history of the United States. They are rivaling the kind of demagoguery and outright partisanship for their own selfish ambitions that led to the Civil War. This Congress can be compared to the Pre-Civil War Congress where they were so morally weak and indecisive that they allowed the "Great Compromise" - that some states should be slave states and some should be free. I fear that we could be on the edge of another civil war with such incompetent and self serving leadership.

On both sides, we have clear and open evidence of pettiness, viciousness, corruption, bribery and sexual perversion. When the top leaders of our country act like animals, selfish children and whiny brats – attempting to screw strangers in public bathroom stalls, hiding money in freezers, using native Americans for their own corrupt political purposes, sleeping and drooling and ranting on public TV the American public knows its time for a change. (I’ll let you guess who they are. They are from both sides of the House and Senate and they have one thing in common – they love themselves and money more than they love the American they are hired to serve and defend.)

Most in Congress on both sides have an attitude of extreme treachery toward the very military THEY desperately need to keep their "candy asses" from being blown sky high on the way to work. The Carpetbagger from New York is using her senatorial office for no other reason than to run for president (and yes, she'll probably win - I believe the American people are overall just that stupid). Under this current Congress, which has put off any meaningful debate about illegal aliens and protection of our homeland, murderous illegal aliens can get more health and government benefits than a Hardworking US citizen who has paid their dues all their life, it is possible that freedom is not just being eroded, but is being destroyed.

In our country, we have laws - Don't murder. Don't steal. Don't lie.. The list goes on. But then we have our Congress and our political leaders decrying the "Two Americas", where, in reality, "if you are rich and famous you can break all the laws you want, maybe write a book, and get a ton of cash for it. But woe to you if you are a poor person of color! One false step and you are going down for 20 years because you felt sorry for yourself one day and just had to steal a bike.

According to God's Word, the true sign of the end times is that people would be evil, and this is how we would know what evil is - very simply: people would be lovers of themselves, and call what is evil good and what is good evil. I believe our Congress is in that camp and that they should all resign. Every last one of them. When people who represent our freedoms sacrifice them for their own power lust and personal ambition, are we really safe?

More Government Welfare From Pelosi

I am very disappointed in the performance of our current Speaker of the House. It seems that the directions Nancy Pelosi and her cronies are trying to take Congress are disasterous, and the approval ratings for Congress is now lower (the approval rating for Congress stands lower than Mr. Bush's, at 23%) than those for President Bush. And that is no mean feat!

Nancy Pelosi's latest act of entitlement is to demand that lawmakers’ adult children tag along on taxpayer-funded travel for free. And why should this be, seeing that you have to be very rich to be a member of Congress, and thus able to afford the occasional airline trip for your family members? Mike Soroghan of The Hill gives the answer:

Pelosi wants them to be able to fill the role of lawmakers’ spouses when the latter are unable to make a trip because of health issues or work commitments.

What the Heck! We did not elect the spouses and adult children of lawmakers to Congress! We elected the Representatives and Senators for who they were and for their expertise and ability to make wise decisions and legislate.

Pelosi is only seeking more perks from the government. She has almost all the power she ever dreamed of having (short of being president), and she is using her power to soak the government, believing it is her due. It is part of her socialist beliefs in a cradle to grave welfare state.

Expect congressional approval ratings to continue to drop as Pelosi and her cohorts repeatedly push for more undeserved and unnecessary government benefits.

Shortsighted View of History

The Financial Times published an article today titled "History Leaves Bush and Blair Behind".

I don't know if it is because I'm not a 20 something gal, or what, but that title seems awfully shortsighted to me. I believe that ten years from now the worst thing we will have to say about Bush and Blair is that they did too little and too late.

The British would understand the "too little, too late" concept well. Neville Chamberlain did his best to make peace with Hitler and his radical Nazi regime. He even signed a treaty in good faith with Hitler that was supposed to keep Britain out of any conflict with Germany. Didn't do any good.

The Americans have also been bitten even though they tried to isolate themselves from conflict with the radical German Nazi regime. American merchant ships were continually attacked by German Sea Wolf raids, even though the merchant sailors were civillians and America was not at war with Germany. This happened in the 30s years before the official start of WWII. Economic sanctions against the Nazis were tried, but it only gave them more time to perfect their war machine.

Take note that Hitler's "Mein Kampf" is the highest selling book in Iran today under the title "My Jihad". They like it in Egypt, too.

More recently, look at the Vietnamization program under Lyndon Baines Johnson in the late 60s and early 70s during the Vietnam conflict (read "war"). The program was partially successful, but ironically a Republican candidate by the name of Richard Milhouse Nixon won the election in '72 by being the "anti-war" candidate. When Congress finally forced him to keep his campaign promises and pull the troops out of Vietnam, our enemies were immediately emboldened. And not just in Vietnam, either. They learned from us. They learned that if they could make the casualties high enough, and sustain the war long enough, that the Congress would wail like little children and clamor to bring the troops home in order to save their jobs. Sound Familiar?

History will show that there are always consequences for abandoning your allies in the middle of a conflict after you tell them stupid things like "we'll stay the course no matter what."

It is too early to decide that Bush and Blair are on the ash heap of history. The whining children we call our political leaders are reliving history.....again.