Cartersville UNCUT Episode #3

Okay folks...this is my newest venture. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you live in N. Georgia it airs on Comcast Channel 25 on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. If not, it is posted weekly on YouTube.

Commander-in-Chief?

Perhaps my expectations are too high, but wouldn't one assume that the top dog, highest ranking military leader in the nation, would at least know how to pronounce military ranks and titles?

I mean, come on, "corpse-man"...?

I guess the teleprompter should start using pronunctiations keys, so we don't someday hear about "Col-o-nel" Oliver North.

New Venture...Reality TV?

Well, I've been given the opportunity to participate in a local reality television show here in Cartersville. What's the plot? Not sure yet. Who's on it? Not sure yet. Will it be any good? Not sure yet.

What I am sure of is this...it should be interesting...at least for me.

It will air on Friday nights on Comcast channel 25 at 8:00 p.m. in the Northeast Georgia region. If you're in the area, tune in and let us know what you think. The first show is scheduled to air January 15th, but I'll keep you all updated if there are any changes.

Some Random Health Care Thoughts

About those “Death Panels”

In response to Sarah Palin’s alleged “death panels”…yesterday, we heard that the Senate had removed the “end-of-life” provision from the health care reform bill because it could be “easily misinterpreted” or better yet, “incorrectly implemented”. Isn't it funny how something that supposedly didn't exist had to be removed by the Senate?



About the Publicly Funded Abortions

Although we hear those on the left (who so strongly support this bill that isn't even really written yet) tirelessly denounce the accusations that the public option would cover abortions, an amendment proposed by conservative congressional members to clearly and specifically state as much was voted down by democratic members. Now, why would they be opposed to adding an amendment that prevents a practice that, according to them, won't happen anyway? If it doesn't cover abortions...then language prohibiting should only reinforce the fact. I mean, we wouldn't want anything to be "easily misinterpreted" or "incorrectly implemented" when it comes to tax payer funded abortion, would we?



The Farce of a Public Option Creating Competition in a Free Market

Isn't it funny that President Obama recently used the Post Office as an example of how well a government run program can work hand in hand, skipping through the daisies with private industries, when in fact, the government has imposed a price floor on Fed Ex and UPS so they can't charge LESS than the Postal Service. Do UPS and Fed Ex thrive anyway? Yes…because they operate efficiently. Hmmm...but imagine how much lower their prices could be if they were allowed the opportunity to truly compete.

In essence, by giving us this government plan called the Postal Service, the government is actually forcing us to pay artificially increased prices. Also, how sad is it that private companies are forced to raise their prices to meet the USPS rates, yet the postal service is so inefficient that it can only meet these prices with government subsidies.

(Isn't it ironic that price fixing is illegal...unless the government is doing the fixing? Kind of like the fact that Ponzi schemes are illegal...unless they’re called “Social Security“. But, I digress..)

Another example of a brilliant effort for government to insert artificial competition into the "free market"...Fannie and Freddie. Hmmm...that worked out well, didn't it? Let's form a government controlled secondary market lender that creates a bogus demand for high risk loans, forcing the primary lending market to supply them. Yeah, that's a great idea!

Then, there's Medicare...which Rep. Scott's associate pretty much used as a fabulous example of why a public option WILL NOT work. He explained, very clearly, how Medicare short pays the hospitals and doctors, forcing them to make up for that revenue by raising prices for everyone else...therefore raising insurance premiums.

I've heard reform proponents describe the public option as "Medicare for all"...Can you imagine how much the medical industry will have to raise the prices for everyone else then???




Regarding “Surcharges on the wealthy and big businesses”

I'd also like to point out the ridiculous suggestion that only the big, rich companies will have to pay this "surcharge" for not providing health insurance to its employees.

Although the limit has been raised from a payroll of $250K to $500K...think about it, people. That's a business that employs 10 people making $50K...or 20 people making $25K. If you impose on them an 8% surcharge, it would only make sense for them to cut salaries in an effort to be under the $500K mark...or better yet, they might just cut an employee or two to get there. That should do wonders for the unemployment rate.


Oh yeah, did anyone else notice the "unexpected mid-month spike in first-time jobless claims" this week? Isn't is strange that unemployment increased just weeks after Congress has once again raised the minimum wage rate? We didn't see that one coming, now did we?



Back to “Government Price Fixing” for a minute…

I mean, it only makes sense. If you have to pay each employee more, you'll have to employ fewer of them to maintain your expenses. Duh. Another example of government price fixing.


Let's face it...a free market only works if it is...well...free. If you keep inserting the government into it, it's going to collapse...or throw its hands up and take its money elsewhere...like Switzerland.

Obama wants you!...to tattle on your conservative friends.

This is an honest to God statement on the Obama Whitehouse website:

"If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

Here is what I think about it:

In the Obama Thugministration, they came first for the millionaires, and I didn’t speak up because I was in the middle class.

Then they came for the Rush Limbaugh, the DrudgeReport and the Fox News Channel, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a radio talk show host, a web blogger, or a journalist.

Then they came for the Tea Party protesters, and I didn’t speak up because I hadn't attended one.

Then they came for the Health Care Reform Opponents, and I didn’t speak up because I was uninformed.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up in my defense.

Bargain Bin Barack.

Today, while shopping in Big Lots, I had the best laugh I've had in a long time. I walked by this display and had to do a double take.

As if the tanking poll numbers weren't hard enough to swallow...



now merchandise lines have been do disrespectfully downgraded to the discount end caps of closeout stores!!!! Oh the humanity. How ever will our President lead this great nation if he isn't marketable???

Next, someone will try to tell me that the Obama Chia Head is being sold at the Dollar General. Oh wait...it is.

Er...this is a new low...even for Obama.

Has the Obama Administration no shame? Fund raising for health care?

Friend --

You've probably seen the headlines: Opponents of change are doing everything they can to delay health insurance reform. As a Republican strategy memo concluded, "If we slow this sausage-making process down, we can defeat it."

They're betting that as time goes by, our energy will flag, our movement will weaken, and they'll ultimately be able to block any change.

But they just don't get it -- thanks to the regular Americans who are reaching out in neighborhoods nationwide, our movement is expanding every day. In fact, over the weekend, we surpassed our big goal of 1 million people taking action for health insurance reform. And with your help, we'll keep growing and prove that our opponents' strategy of "delay, delay, delay" simply won't work.

So I want to ask you for something unusual: Can you chip in $1 each day until we pass real health insurance reform? A huge response will show the insurance companies and their allies in Congress that their delay tactics will only make our movement stronger.

Here's how it works: We'll bill your credit card for 30 days' worth of donations now and once a month until the President signs real health insurance reform into law.

The cost of inaction on health insurance reform is astounding. Every day, 14,000 more Americans lose their coverage. Premiums continue to rise at three times the rate of wages. And each day, more small businesses are forced to choose between covering their employees and keeping their doors open.

But that doesn't stop our opponents from trying to bog down the process with legislative tricks. And at the same time, they're attacking the President for "moving too fast," even though Washington has been talking about the need for comprehensive health insurance reform since the days of Harry Truman!

What they don't realize is that outside of Washington, our campaign keeps growing. We've reached our "million" milestone, but the stories behind that number are even more impressive: grassroots press conferences with small-business owners in Missouri, more than 1,200 people at an organizing meeting in Minnesota, huge events outside local Senate offices in Florida, and so much more.

That's why our dollar-a-day campaign is so important: If the few senators and representatives who are opposing reform understand that dragging their heels makes us stronger every day -- and that the grassroots pressure on them will increase -- they'll be far less willing to keep slowing down the process.

Can you help? Please donate $1 per day until we pass real health insurance reform:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dollar

Thank you,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America