Consent Of The Governed

Architecture In Motion

2009-11-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is really pretty cool - but not for those who suffer from motion sickness.

Using the building to produce energy from wind is also quite interesting.

And why do we have such innovations?
Capitalism, Entrepreneurial Spirit and the Desire to Solve Problems.
Investors hope to make money on this, and at $3000 per square foot - they probably will.

Saturday Satire - Two For Today

2009-11-21T06:44:00.003-05:00

From The Onion...

and this one...

Visit the Teleprompter Blog

CT Unemployment Jumps to 8.8%

2009-11-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Courant reported today that the CT State Department of Labor reported CT's October unemployment numbers up 8.8% from September's number of 8.4%. (more here)

Septembers job loss total was 6,200, and for the 12 months ending in October, the state has lost 71,100 jobs.

Things may not improve anytime soon. Aetna said yesterday it is now eliminating 160 Connecticut jobs and will lay off more by March.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in October. Of the 15.7 million Americans who are currently jobless, nearly 36 percent, or 5.6 million, have been unemployed for six months or more.

With an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent, Connecticut now has the dubious distinction of being classified by the federal government among the "high unemployment states."

That makes the state's jobless workers eligible to receive up to 93 weeks of unemployment benefits, under an extension approved by Congress earlier this month.

If the jobless rate averages 8.5 percent over three months, the extension provides an additional six weeks of benefits for a total of 99 weeks -- the current three-month average is about 8.4 percent, said Salvatore DiPillo, the state's labor statistics supervisor.

Where exactly are those green shoots we have heard so much about?

Town Will Photograph Every Vehicle Entering And Leaving

2009-11-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Tiburon Town Council (a northern suburb of San Francisco) voted on Wednesday by 4 to 0 to install cameras to photograph every single car that enters or leaves in order to "make the community safer". Funny thing is that the town doesn't enjoy high crime figures. The idea is to photograph the license plates of every car that travels Tiburon's roads and compare the information with the police's list of the stolen and suspicious vehicles.

It is on a peninsula, from which there are only two roads. Luckily for them, it won't be too costly to install a few cameras.

One might ask: Don't people have the right to move around WITHOUT being monitored by the government at all times?

Probably not.

Fight technology with technology.

One could get one of these license plate photo shields.

End The Fed Rallies - November 22nd

2009-11-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

End The Fed Rallies are happening at every Federal Reserve office across the nation this weekend - (Here is a map and addresses and other info) Closer to CT one will be in Boston at 600 Atlantic Avenue and the other in New York City at the NYC Federal Reserve building at 33 Liberty Street. Rally in New York City starts at Noon and ends at 3:00PM. For details of all cities.. go here.

Americans Deserve a Transparent Fed - by Ron Paul and Jim DeMint

For nearly a century the Federal Reserve has operated in the shadows, away from the prying eyes of Congress, journalists and the American people. Created in 1913, the Fed was given enormous responsibility to protect the value of our currency. Yet in the last 96 years the U.S. dollar has lost more than 95% of its purchasing power. The Fed's unprecedented actions over the past year in attempting to stabilize the financial system have now forced it into the spotlight, and caused millions of people around the country to question the opacity of the Fed's financial transactions....

No matter how direct the questions are, Fed chairmen answer with a vagueness common to bureaucrats. The whole process is window dressing for public consumption, not any sort of attempt to exercise oversight or gain any real insight into the Fed's actions.

What is needed is a full audit of the Fed, something that has never happened. We need to know who the Fed is giving money to, what types of securities are being purchased and what backs those securities, how much money is being paid for those securities, etc. ...( read more here. WSJ)

Audit the Fed - End the Fed.

Keep It? Or Toss It?

2009-11-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Still Tasty is an excellent website about food and its shelf life.

It supplies you with answers to questions like:

- Is Frozen Turkey still good after 6 months?
- How Long Will Thawed Ground Beef Remain Safe?
- Is it OK to Put Hot Food Directly Into the Fridge?
- Are Eggs Still Safe After the Expiration Date?

Check it out, and see if that fruitcake you got 5 years ago is still safe to eat or if that Bloody Mary mix that you have had in the liquor cabinet will still taste ok.

Best of all - it gives a real thorough explanation of expiration dates and what they mean.

(H/T Leann S.)

Barter Exchange Networks

2009-11-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I found this over at the AOCS Website and thought that I'd share it with you.

Bartering is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services without a common unit of exchange (i.e. without the use of money).

It's interesting to me that there are many barter networks set up. Some have been around for quite awhile. People buy what they need and sell what they want without using Federal Reserve Notes (which are becoming increasingly worth less in value).
So here is a sampling of what's out there:

ITEX

"ITEX is the leading marketplace for cashless business transactions. Put your cash and credit cards away and buy and sell using ITEX dollars! With ITEX dollars, money will never be the same."

Green Apple

"Green Apple has been in business for more than 17 years and has managed over $500,000,000 in barter transactions. No more one-on-one direct trades, where you must take back from the business that bought from you. Green Apple serves as a clearinghouse for its members' transactions as well as a marketing agent for their businesses, generating new business for its members. Green Apple is your partner in business."

Midwest Business Exchange

"SouthWest Michigan's premier local barter exchange."

IMS Barter Network and Trade Exchange

"Since its inception in 1985, IMS has continued to expand its membership roster by way of acquisitions and a strong program of internal growth. As a result, the company now serves a client base of more than 18,000 business and professional people. By exhibiting a high level of integrity and solid reliability, International Monetary Systems has earned a great degree of respect and has developed a reputation as a dominant player in the barter industry."

American Exchange Network

"The American Exchange Network (AMX) is one of the leading companies in the business to business trade industry. Established in 1982, today AMX has affiliates around the world with a trading network of thousands of companies worldwide. AMX is affiliated with both the National Association of Trade Exchanges and the International Reciprocal Trade Association."

There's an upcoming Barter Expo in New England in December.

Exchanging goods and services has always been around - and indeed we see it on Craigslist and other sites. So if you are short on cash - you might still be able to barter for things especially if you have a skill like designing websites or cutting hair or doing landscaping.

Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation.

Just thought you should know.

Geography Of A Recession

2009-11-17T06:30:00.002-05:00

Pretty amazing flashplayer movie of the progression of this recession based on unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Thanks to flashplayer movie creator Latoya Egwuekwe)

The maps don't take into account the latest 10.2 figures, but the progression shown in the movie linked above is quite sobering.

The Employment Situation for November 2009 is scheduled to be released on December 4, 2009, at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.

(H/T Ricky G.)

Peter Schiff - Gold & Silver Surge, Dollar Falls, Obama In Asia

2009-11-16T23:24:00.002-05:00

Schiff continues to speak common sense.
I hope you will support his campaign with the money bomb.

Tiny Mauritius Tells US To Shove Its Dollar, Buys 2 Metric Tons Of Gold From IMF At $1,115 An Ounce

The International Monetary Fund announced Monday it has sold two tons of gold to the central bank of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius for nearly $72 million.

The sale came as gold prices surged Monday to an all-time high of $1,136.72 per ounce.

- This is not a gold/silver bubble. This is flight from the US Dollar.... and it's just the beginning.

700 Sent Off To Iraq From CT

2009-11-16T07:33:00.002-05:00

CT Army National Guard deploying 700

Hartford (AP) - Two units of the Connecticut Army National Guard are sending 700 soldiers to the Middle East in the largest single deployment of Connecticut guard members since the Korean War.

A send-off ceremony is being held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford on Sunday afternoon. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is scheduled to attend.

Rell's office says the 102nd Infantry will help train Afghanistan's Army, police and border police forces. Its units are located in Norwalk, Manchester, New Britain, Branford and Southington.

The departing troops also include members of the 250th Engineer Company of New London. Their job will be to ensure safe routes for troops on the move in Iraq.

Wait... wasn't Obama supposed to bring troops home and end the war?

...Take that to the bank, yeah huh.... Which bank - the Federal Reserve?
or maybe one of the ones that went belly up this year.(123 so far in 2009)

So how's that Hope and Change working out for ya?
What a pity those 700 won't be spending the holidays with their families.

I pray they all come home safe and sound.

Oba-Mao

2009-11-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

Reuters

and this from CNN:

Hah! "The shirt might offend him"... Are you kidding me? A Maoist like Obama would welcome that kind of glorification. He will probably buy one for each member of the White House staff and force them all to wear it under their uniforms.

Communist Capitalists.. now that's Change we can believe in.

Obama Bows Down Again

2009-11-15T21:10:00.004-05:00

And before anyone says this was a cultural gesture ... No other world leaders bow to Emperor Akihito. Are all those other leaders lacking respect for Akihito? I think not.
In a proper cultural meaning that gesture would have been simultaneously returned.
It wasn't.
And for men, the hands are at the sides.
This bow wasn't even executed properly in accordance with Japanese custom.

OK - here's the full video...

By subordinating himself to other world leaders, this U.S. President has damaged the prestige of the office he holds and of the country. The press in other countries are now running stories with headlines calling him the Groveller-in Chief.

Obama did not bow to Queen Elizabeth. Michelle patted her on the back though. (hint: You don't touch the Queen)

He bowed to the Saudi King Abdullah.

Maybe Obama just grovels before people who buy our debt.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

The US President should bow down to NO ONE.

IRS And Alleged 5th Amendment Violations - Was The 16th Amendment Really Ever Ratified?

2009-11-15T09:31:00.003-05:00

Apparently, the Federal government sued William J. Benson to censor and punish his speech disclosing a major government fraud with respect to the federal income tax. Even as the Fifth Amendment protects our right to due process of law and prohibits the government from denying a person charged with illegal conduct the ability to defend himself, the government has refused to hear Benson's evidence proving government fraud!

Meanwhile, the Federal Judiciary refuses to enforce the Constitution!

The authority of the federal government to collect its income tax depends upon the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the federal income tax amendment, which was allegedly ratified in 1913. After a year of extensive research, Bill Benson discovered that the 16th Amendment was not ratified by the required 3/4 of the states, but nevertheless Secretary of State Philander Knox fraudulently announced ratification.

The ongoing litigation in U.S. v Benson is a fight for all of us ... and now includes an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

...

In 1984, William J. Benson traveled to the capitols of all forty-eight states. There he obtained official, certified, copies of each State's legislative journals pertaining to the State's activities in ratifying, or not ratifying, the proposed 16th Amendment. Benson also traveled to Washington, D.C. and obtained from the United States National Archives, certified copies of the official documents pertaining to the proposed 16th Amendment.

The legislative journals conclusively establish, that despite not having the power to do so, several States intentionally modified the language of the proposed amendment. Having done so, the States violated Article V of the United States Constitution, and their votes cannot be counted.

Benson discovered other discrepancies too. He wrote and published a book on what he discovered, The Law That Never Was, Vols 1 and 2, available on his web site at www.TheLawThatNeverWas.com . The 17,000 official, certified, documents conclusively show that less than the constitutionally required thirty-six States voted to ratify the proposed Sixteenth Amendment.

Without a validly ratified Sixteenth Amendment, the federal income tax is unconstitutional. Bill accused the government of a massive fraud and cover-up and urged the American people to exercise their rights under the First Amendment to petition the government to correct this fraud.

In 2004, the government filed a lawsuit against Bill Benson. That lawsuit alleged Bill was falsely telling people the 16th Amendment was not ratified. The government asked the United States District Court in Chicago to issue an order preventing Bill from telling people what he found and preventing him from selling the supporting information through the Internet. The lawsuit also asked for the names and addresses of everyone who obtained Bill's information.

Bill attempted to defend against the allegations that he was lying by filing with the Court the evidence which proves he is telling the truth. The government, being wholly unable to refute the fact that the documents prove Bill is telling the truth, instead asked the Court to strike Bill's evidence from the court record.

The Court struck Bill's evidence from the record, then ruled that Bill had provided no evidence to refute the government's allegations that his statements were false. The Court then issued an injunction making it illegal for Bill to tell the people what he had discovered.

Bill then filed an appeal with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Bill argued that when the District Court refused to look at and consider his evidence, he was denied fundamental due process of law. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution mandates the government give a defendant, charged with violating the law, a fair hearing in which the Court must consider the defendant's evidence.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, just like the government attorneys, refused to address this issue.

...

The 4 states listed below are among the 38 states that Philander Knox claimed ratification from.

* The Kentucky Senate voted upon the resolution, but rejected it by a vote of 9 in favor and 22 opposed.
* The Oklahoma Senate amended the language of the 16th Amendment to have a precisely opposite meaning.
* The California legislative assembly never recorded any vote upon any proposal to adopt the amendment proposed by Congress.
* The State of Minnesota sent nothing to the Secretary of State in Washington.

Attorney Jeffrey A. Dickstein, will be filing an appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and you can review the pleadings filed in this case so you can see for yourself the tyranny being practiced in our courts.

Interesting video here

Saturday Humor - Ford Unveils 2010 Car Model

2009-11-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Wheels to go from Mother-in-Laws to the Unemployment office and back .... hah!

Another chuckle from the Onion.

Judge Andrew Napolitano - Secession 10th Amendment

2009-11-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Gov. Rick Perry had some pretty strong comments about the Obama administration on Wednesday in Midland, saying, “This is an administration hell-bent on taking America towards a socialist country.”

"Washington - we don't want you mandating how to run our states" - Gov. Rick Perry

Don't mess with Texas.

Oathkeepers - Educational Care Packages - OK4Troops

2009-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a drive to put Oath Keepers educational care packages into the hands of active duty military. This drive runs from Veterans Day, November 11, 2009, to Bill of Rights Day, December 15, 2009, honoring both those who served, and what they defended.

Tyranny cannot come to America if our military members refuse unconstitutional orders. We must remind them that their oath is to the Constitution, not to any politician or party; we must teach them about the Constitution they swore to defend; and we must steel their resolve to keep that oath. If we reach enough of them, it is game over for any attempt to destroy this Republic. Whether we reach enough of them will depend on what you do.

Why This Mission is So Vital:

Like ripples in a pond, you never know what ultimate effect each care package will have. Even one could lead to a whole company or battalion being good-to-go on their oath. But the more packages we get out there the faster the message of the oath will go viral, spreading far and wide, which is exactly what the enemies of this Republic dont want (which tells you precisely what needs to happen!). Make no mistake, the enemies of our Republic do not want the brave men and women in our military to understand the Constitution, their oath, or their obligation to refuse unconstitutional and unlawful orders. Would-be tyrants prefer blind obedience. The Founders understood this, which is exactly why they made the oath to the Constitution, not to any man or office, and why they put the oath requirement right in the Constitution itself. The oath is like kryptonite to tyrants, as the Founders intended. The time has come for us to use it to its full effect.

To Donate, Please Visit: http://www.ok4troops.com

Continental Congress 2009 Convenes

2009-11-12T07:48:00.003-05:00

Convening November 11 - 22, 2009
St. Charles, IL
Pheasant Run
Broadcast Live Via Worldwide Webcast

Check out their website for live streaming video.

PURPOSE OF CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

The purpose of Continental Congress 2009 is to determine a legal and peaceful means to stop the violations of The Constitution of The United States of America and to restore Constitutional governance.

THE BROAD AGENDA

Specifically, the delegates will consider:

* The framework, content and meaning of the Constitution as originally intended;

* The provisions provided for The People to hold the government accountable to the Constitution;

* Violations to the Constitution and their devastating impacts on America and her people and resources;

* The Record of Petitions for Redress, (over fourteen years), directed to federal and state government for violations to the Constitution and government’s response;

* The Vision for America if we followed it – what would our Nation/life be like if we were wholly obedient to the Guarantees of the Constitution rather than the whims and assurances of elected officials;

* A template for transition to Constitutional governance in America;

* Peaceful and legal means through which a critical mass of The People can push back and stop the violations and restore Constitutional obedience in America.

This Continental Congress is being called by The People, not to amend our Constitution, but to defend the one we now have. This is not a Constitutional Convention.

Try to catch some of the streaming video of the proceedings - this is an historic gathering of patriots.

Follow them on their blog too. You can contact the delegates directly through this blog to have input in real time.

Judge Napolitano - Nov 10, 2009 - Pt 1 of 6

2009-11-12T06:04:00.003-05:00

Listen up class.....

Nullification.... it's coming.

Part 2

Hahahaha ... the young people who voted for Obama will get soaked with Obama's health-care legislation! Suckers... If this legislative mess passes through the Senate, they get to pay through the nose to pay for everyone else's healthcare! Gen X and Y'ers will be working 5 jobs now.... good luck finding those jobs too.

Part 3

Newspapers will now become non-profits - because they no longer make profits! When newspapers get bailed out by government you can be sure to have real fair and balanced news reporting (wink)

Part 4

The people in government and the military who knew that the Ft. Hood shooter was a ticking time bomb are to blame for those who were murdered as a result of his shooting rampage. Someone (or more than one someone) should be held accountable. Why was this guy promoted?

Part 5

News sites (like Indymedia) being asked/forced to hand over information about the visitors to their websites to the Feds?? Wow.. totalitarian snooping at its worst. Definite Violation of the Constitution.

Part 6

Judge Napolitano for President 2012!

Remember Our Veterans Today

2009-11-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

I thank my readers out there who have served this country, or still serve: This one's for you -

Veterans Day

In 1918, World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The entire world celebrated. An armistice (a truce) was signed declaring the "war to end all wars" was finally over. The next year, on November 11th, the US called the day "Armistice Day" in memory of all the men and women involved in WWI. On Armistice Day, surviving soldiers marched in parades through their home towns. Politicians and veteran officers gave speeches and had ceremonies in thanks for the peace that had been won.

From About.com :

Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.

Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead.

Please take time today to remember all those who have served our country, both living and deceased, for without them we could not benefit from the freedoms that we enjoy (or at least the ones we still have left).

Pray that those who are involved in conflict abroad come home to their loved ones safe and sound - and soon.

File This Under Extreme Public-Private Partnership Waste

2009-11-10T11:00:00.001-05:00

Fort Trumbull wasteland

Also known as Shame on YOU New London!

In the wake of Pfizer closing research facilities ... what transpired with the takings in Kelo vs. New London is a very sad chapter in our country's history indeed.

And now after all the pain and heartache placed upon those families who were literally thrown out of their homes - Pfizer is abandoning its New London offices and deciding what to do with the property it gained in the infamous Kelo v. New London land-grab!

Can this saga be any more disgusting?
Adding insult to injury is a gross understatement.

Those properties should be given back to the people who lived there and they should be made whole.

Please read more here ... as I am just too incensed to write anything more.

Stimulus Fail - Part 2

2009-11-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

You have to read this post from the Foundry.

Here's a snippet:

"On November 6, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released their Employment Situation Summary showing that the nation’s unemployment rate had soared from 9.8% to 10.2% in October.... Jobs losses in October–190,000–were higher than expected. … The unemployment rate for males is 10.7 percent while the teenage unemployment rate is 27.6 percent. These are the highest levels of unemployment for these groups since the Great Depression.

The unemployment rate increased even as 31,000 potential workers left the labor force. The labor force participation rate has now fallen to 65.1 percent–the lowest since 1986. When people reenter the labor market to find work, the unemployment rate will further increase.
…
Despite this ongoing deterioration in the job market, the Obama Administration continues to argue that the $800 billion stimulus bill has improved the economy. On October 30, the Administration released data claiming that the stimulus has created or saved 640,000 jobs. These claims are mistaken, as demonstrated by the 2.8 million jobs that have been lost since the stimulus became law. The Administration’s figures greatly exaggerate the positive effect of the stimulus"

Plus they pretty much lied about the jobs created anyway.

So how's that "Hope and Change" working for ya?

"Maybe if Congress spends another $787 billion in the name of job creation, it can get the jobless rate up to 12% or 13%." - Andrew Beyon, of Scottsdale

The Sucker Rally Continues

2009-11-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

Some are predicting that when the Dow hits above 10,300 that is when things will start to unravel. (It might even go a bit higher than that before it falls.)

One has to wonder why anyone would dump money back into the stock market when business outlooks continue to look very bad. Unemployment is still rising as we are in double digit territory.

Sprint Nextel is shedding 2,500 jobs by years end

Pfizer is closing 6 of its 20 research facilities.

120 banks have gone bust in 2009.

The dollar continues to lose its value as it dives to a 15 month low, and many are moving out of the stock market and into commodities like gold and silver.

Any businesses posting profits are not posting profits based on growth or increased sales... no, the "profits" are coming primarily from cutting expenses... and that includes workforce expenses. Pretty soon there won't be anything more to cut. Just look at what Goldman Sachs is up to (read the comments as well). Consumers aren't spending, and in fact they are paying down debt as well (if they can).

We have double digit unemployment - some say the 12% is really more like 17% and once we hit 20% - That my friends, is a depression. Here's one report, and another.

So what's up with a market rally?
Well - first there is whatever the Feds are doing to manipulate the market.
Second - Hey, I guess some people have money to throw away on over valued stocks with a hope that things will get better.

CommieCare Passes In The House

2009-11-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

What a disgrace!
The "House of Bribes" in action on a Saturday night.
The passed the $1 Trillion plus government takeover of American healthcare bill.

Pending Senate passage and Barry Obama's signature, you will now be forced to buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail; Failure to Comply, 5 Years in Prison.
Screw that - it's not even Constitutional!

Wanna see who got what in the deal?
Well, for starters here is what GOP defector Rep. Joseph Cao (La.) is getting....

Cao explained that Obama had promised to help out the lawmaker’s district still devastated from Hurricane Katrina.

“Today, I obtained a commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health care issues of Louisiana including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals,” Cao wrote.

Nice to know Obama wouldn't lend government help to Louisiana without an "Aye" vote for this healthcare travesty.

I am certain Cao wasn't the only House member one who got bribed in this manner, and I say - Americans should vote all of those bribe taking whores out of Congress in 2010!

As for those who tout the Stupak/Pitts Anti Government Dollars For Abortion Amendment that was passed 240-194 (with 64 Democrats voting yes) as a huge victory for the pro-life movement - I would just say that this was used too as a ploy to get pro-life Democrats to support this bill in the House. Do you honestly think this will prevail as this goes through the Senate and in "reconciliation"? Don't kid yourself - it was a ploy to get congressmen like Louisiana's Cao to vote for this piece of Communist trash healthcare legislation.

Bribary - And here are the organizations who supported and endorsed this bill and what they will get in the bargain:

· The American Medical Association (AMA) was facing a 21 percent cut in physicians’ reimbursements under the current law. Obama promised to kill the cut if they backed his bill.

· The AARP got a financial windfall in return for its support of the healthcare bill. Over the past decade, the AARP has morphed from an advocacy group to an insurance company (through its subsidiary company). It is one of the main suppliers of Medi-gap insurance, a high-cost, privately purchased coverage that picks up where Medicare leaves off. But President Bush-43 passed the Medicare Advantage program, which offered a subsidized, lower-cost alternative to Medi-gap. Under Medicare Advantage, the elderly get all the extra coverage they need plus coordinated, well-managed care, usually by the same physician. So more than 10 million seniors went with Medicare Advantage, cutting into AARP Medi-gap revenues.

Presto! Obama solved their problem. He eliminates subsidies for Medicare Advantage. The elderly will have to pay more for coverage under Medigap, but the AARP — which supposedly represents them — will make more money. [If this galls you, join the American Seniors Association, the alternative group; contact sbarton (at)americanseniors (dot)org ]

· The drug industry backed ObamaCare and, in return, got a 10-year limit of $80 billion on cuts in prescription drug costs. (A drop in the bucket of their almost $3 trillion projected cost over the next decade.) They also got administration assurances that it will continue to bar lower-cost Canadian drugs from coming into the U.S. All it had to do was put its formidable advertising budget at the disposal of the administration.

Everyone that could be bought was bought. And every hard-working, taxpaying person, as well as businesses are going to get soaked in the end.

This healthcare bill is historic indeed - it combines higher premiums, higher taxes, Medicare cuts and more federal debt. States will not be able to afford the required Medicaid expansion.

Let's burn the phone lines to the Senate and let them know that we will not tolerate being told what kind of healthcare to buy and for how much, and that the cost of this proposal is a burden that our children should not have to bear. More bureaucracy, more regulation and more taxes are NOT what the American people need or want.

Dear Congress:

2009-11-08T22:08:00.014-05:00

The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775 - you have had 234 years to get it right; it is broke.

Social Security was established in 1935 - you have had 74 years to get it right; it is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938 - you have had 71 years to get it right; it is broke.

The "War on Poverty" started in 1964 - you have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money has been confiscated and transferred to "the poor"; it hasn't worked and our entire country is broke.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 - you've had 44 years to get it right; they are broke.

Freddie Mac was established in 1970 - you have had 39 years to get it right; it is broke.

Trillions of dollars were spent in the massive political payoffs called TARP, the "Stimulus", the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009... and none show any signs of working (and the government is even lying about the number of jobs "created".)

And finally, to set a new record:
"Cash for Clunkers" was established in 2009 and went broke in 2009! It took good dependable cars (that were the best some people could afford) and replaced them with high-priced and less-affordable cars, mostly Japanese. A good percentage of the profits went out of the country and working cars were destroyed, and more people accumulated even more debt to pay for new cars! What a program!

American taxpayers take the hit for Congress' generosity in burning three billion more of our dollars on failed experiments.

So with a perfect 100% failure rate and a record that proves that "services" you shove down our throats are failing faster and faster, you want Americans to believe you can be trusted with a government-run health care system?

20% of our entire economy?

With all due respect,

Are you crazy?

(It looks like the answer is a resounding YES.)

(H/T Deborah N.)

Jefferson Meets America's Modern Day Rulers

2009-11-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

See more Nate Beeler Toons.