Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog

Health Care Rally Photos

2009-11-05T17:11:00.001-05:00

Max Pappas of FreedomWorks sent over some pictures of today's rally at the Capitol in opposition to liberal efforts to have the federal government take over our health care system.

I'm posting the pictures because this is a tremendous turnout (especially in mid-week, with little notice, on a dank and intermittently-rainy day), and I have no faith whatsoever that the mainstream media will accurately report the full size of the crowd.

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In Case You Missed it

2009-11-04T05:22:00.000-05:00

Gallup says: "40 percent of Americans describe themselves as politically conservative, 36 percent moderate and 20 percent liberal."

So Much for That

2009-11-02T17:58:00.001-05:00

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

-Presidential oath of office

When asked if there "is any concern at all about whether it is constitutional for Congress to impose a mandate [that individual Americans must obtain health insurance]," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "no." He also said he had no reason to believe White House lawyers had ever considered the issue.

British Government Health Service Locks Man in Ambulance

2009-11-01T00:15:00.000-04:00

The British government's National Health Service has apologized to a patient and his family after an NHS ambulance driver drove him to an ambulance station and, as the BBC put it "went home and forgot about him."

The man was found five hours later after a search commenced following his failure to return to his place of residence.

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It Came From Capitol Hill....

2009-10-31T00:03:00.006-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Just in time for Halloween, Nancy Pelosi unveils a terrifying, spine-tingling, stomach-turning behemoth...

H.R. 3962!!

Mammoth tax increases! (cue taxpayer scream)

Hundreds of billions in Medicare cuts! (cue grandma scream)

Massive expansion of Medicaid! (cue states scream)

Oppressive new government mandates! (cue Liberty scream)

1,990 pages of budget busting, mind numbing legalese! (cue my eyes scream)

Read, if you dare: H.R. 3962, the scariest thing to slither out of Capitol Hill... since the Baucus Proposal.

Written by Matt Patterson, policy analyst at the National Center for Public Policy Research. Write the author at info@nationalcenter.org. As we occasionally reprint letters on the blog, please note if you prefer that your correspondence be kept private, or only published anonymously.

Deneen Borelli to Appear on Hannity

2009-10-30T17:00:00.001-04:00

Comments by Project 21 full-time fellow Deneen Borelli will be broadcast as part of a pre-recorded segment on this evening's edition of the Fox News Sean Hannity show.

The topic: The United States Department of Justice overruling a 2 to 1 vote by Kinston, North Carolina voters to end the use of party labels in local elections.

Deneen's segment is expected to run at approximately 9:45 PM ET.

E-mail comments to info@nationalcenter.org. | Subscribe to this blog's feed. | Follow the National Center for Public Policy Research on Twitter. | Download our book Shattered Lives: 100 Victims of Government Health Care.

"California's Going to Make Out Like a Bandit With This Legislation"

2009-10-29T14:46:00.001-04:00

...so says Ohio Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) regarding the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill, referring to $385 billion in transfers the bill requires some states (including Ohio) send to others (such as California).

Senator Voinovich's presentation includes a map comparing the states slated to receive funds with the votes cast in the House in favor of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill. (Let's just say he finds some similarities.)

During his presentation, Senator Voinovich asks Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara "Don't Call Me Ma'am" Boxer (D-CA), "Does your definition of bipartisan mean someone who agrees with you?"

The video clip above includes Senator (please note, Senator) Boxer's response.

Hat tip: Senator Jim Inhofe's Press Office's YouTube Channel.

Now That This Important Business Has Been Dispensed With, Perhaps Our Commander-in-Chief Could Notice Afghanistan

2009-10-28T22:04:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a bill signed into law by President Obama today, it's illegal to murder a gay person now.

What, you say? It was illegal yesterday?

Radio Day

2009-10-28T06:56:00.000-04:00

I'm having another of what I call "radio days," in which I do a lot of radio interviews -- in this instance, on the latest developments in the health care debate.

If you care to tune in, I will be on the following stations (please note, all times given are Eastern):

KURV McAllen, TX
7:11 AM ET

WFLA Tampa, FL
7:23 AM ET

KTRH Houston, TX
7:34 AM ET

WTVN Columbus, OH
7:45 AM ET

WSYR Syracuse, NY
8:06AM ET

KIDO Boise, ID
8:20 AM ET

KVI Seattle
8:35 AM ET

KCOL Fort Collins, CO
9:17 AM ET

WHLO Akron, OH
9:40 AM ET

Reuters Reports...

2009-10-24T21:16:00.001-04:00

From Ed Morrissey:

Barack Obama campaigned on restoring America's standing with its allies, accusing the outgoing Bush administration of insulting and alienating our closest friends with his alleged unilateralism. How has Obama done as President? He has repeatedly insulted the British, insisting that there is no "special relationship" and demonstrating it by denying Gordon Brown the usual joint press conference on his visit to the US. Reuters reports that another close ally has taken the measure of Obama and started looking elsewhere for cooperation...

To be fair, Reuters is a right-wing, racist rag.

Hat tip: Instapundit.

E-mail any comments to the National Center for Public Policy Research at info@nationalcenter.org.
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Nero Profited While Rome Burned

2009-10-22T13:29:00.001-04:00

Looks like the lobbying profession, taken as a group, couldn't be happier that the feds are messing up our health care system so badly.

Notice that the lobbyists quoted in the The Hill story by Jeffrey Young that I linked to above apparently did not want to be identified by name. I guess they still have enough pride to be ashamed of themselves.

Rush Should Sue

2009-10-22T00:13:00.001-04:00

Bob Parks believes Rush should sue.

I believe he should also, although I am agnostic on which individuals and/or businesses have met the legal definition of libel in this instance. (For one thing, I haven't seen everyone's comments in context.)

Aside from whatever satisfaction Rush might get from the experience (assuming that would outweigh the hassle factor), I think Rush would be doing a significant public service inasmuch as the news media is way, way too casual about throwing around false information. Yes, about conservatives, but generally as well. A few lawsuits might remind some reporters and editors that if they don't care about accuracy out of pride in a job well done, they might care about it to save their own bank balances.

Biden Commits Plagiarism Again?

2009-10-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

Speaking to the AFL-CIO's 2009 legislative conference in Atlantic City, Vice President Joe Biden said, "When a guy in Minooka is out of work, it's an economic slowdown. When your brother-in-law's out of work, it's a recession. When you're out of work, it's a depression."

Hmm... Sounds a bit familiar.

Didn't Ronald Reagan say on the campaign trail in 1980, "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his"?

I hate it when people remake a classic.

Written by David A. Ridenour, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research. Write the author at info@nationalcenter.org. As we occasionally reprint letters on the blog, please note if you prefer that your correspondence be kept private, or only published anonymously.

Medicare Confusion

2009-10-19T22:10:00.001-04:00

I'm a little confused. Maybe you can help me out. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus wants to cut $500 billion from Medicare to cover about 30 million uninsured. That's over 10 years. Handing the entire amount out to the uninsured would work out to about $6,666 annually for each family of four.

That should be sufficient for a health care plan of some kind. Presumably the resultant reduction in cost shifting would lower costs, too. So why does he plan to spend an additional 330 billion?

Hmm... Couldn't be about control, could it?

Deneen Borelli to Appear on Fox and Friends

2009-10-18T23:08:00.001-04:00

Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli will be a guest on the Fox New Channel show "Fox and Friends" Monday, October 19. She is expecting to discuss the White House war on Fox News as well as left-wing pressure on the White House to adopt a second "stimulus" package.

If you want to tune in, you can catch her at approximately 6:15 AM Eastern.

Another on Rush

2009-10-18T14:09:00.000-04:00

Another on Rush, from a Steelers fan:

Dear Amy Ridenour,

I am glad people are talking about boycotting the NFL. I have already emailed them to let them know of my intent. I almost ditched the Steelers last Super Bowl when Mr. Rooney thanked President Obama. As a huge Steelers fan myself, this was the last straw for me and the entire NFL.

Thanks.

Joseph McCoy
Oil City, PA

Another Thought About Rush

2009-10-18T08:03:00.000-04:00

Another observation about Rush and the NFL:

Unlike the opposition, Rush Limbaugh handled this situation with class. But let this be a warning! This is a good snapshot of what is happening to OUR country. How dare the left stand on their soap box and play the race card. So far their objectives and goals about Rush Limbaugh are the only transparent objectives and goals of this administration.

Best regards,

Jeanne

More on Rush Limbaugh and the NFL

2009-10-18T00:56:00.001-04:00

On Rush Limbaugh and the NFL, more from the mailbag:

When our youngest (of 3) child became a serious soccer player, he introduced us to the world of international "football" or soccer. Now twenty years old, he has announced that he will never buy an NFL ticket or another NFL jersey, and he doesn't even listen to talk radio. If you were to check out his Facebook page, you would see an appeal to free Plaxico. He is well informed about the NFL and its players and the rather uneven penalties meted out to the players depending on where they may be found "guilty", and he may still watch a Panthers game or two, but he will save his money for English Premier League, European Soccer or World Cup.

And this is where the NFL is (pardon the expression) idiotic. The world of sports viewership is now global. And as William has pointed out this week to us, you don't hear the EPL players making political statements or any of the European or African players we follow. The governing bodies of international soccer may be territorial, but they are most definitely not commenting on the politics of team owners. A Russian thug can buy an English team, but that won't affect whether we root for Chelsea FC or not (we are, in fact, Arsenal FC, another London club, fans; and they are affectionately know as the "gooners", nothing politically correct about that, despite the rampant political correctness in the UK).

So, good luck NFL, I have been introduced to the excitement of the EPL and I will now allow that to monopolize my weekend viewing. An American actually owns a piece of Arsenal, but that doesn't affect my affections one iota. I will delight in the skills of players from Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, France, England, Bosnia, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mexico, and any other country that produces Arsenal talent. And, guess what, these players even understand economics (unlike some loud mouths from the NFL who have no problem alienating me and my pocketbook) and have commented on how the increase of UK income taxes from 40% to 50% this year will affect where they choose to play and the contracts they negotiate. Witness the top player in the world leaving Manchester for a Spanish team this year.

We now live in a GLOBAL economy. The NFL has just revealed how provincial it really is. So weekdays if I'm in my car, I'll listen to Rush; and weekends I'll be tuned in to the soccer channels. I grew up on Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts. I'll relish my football memories as I savor political debate. Life is too short to waste time on Keith O's pregame show or whining football players. RIP, NFL. Your competition is global and your days are numbered. That's what they put the nets up for, regardless of the sport.

Mary Bejan
Durham, NC 27707

Quote of Note: Did Rush Really Lose?

2009-10-16T23:56:00.001-04:00

"...most of the same people who want Limbaugh ostracized are the same ones who think it is OK for Roman Polanski to drug and rape a 13 year old. These are also the same people, the white ones, who do not want Michael Vice to ever play again, or at least to make his life a living hell as long as he does play.

In the end, and to their shame, the group of potential owners caved in and removed Rush Limbaugh from the investor group saying that it was not worth it to keep Rush involved if it risked their not getting the franchise.

In the past 2 days ESPN and other media outlets have been announcing that Rush Limbaugh has been punted, and there is I am sure great rejoicing in this in many quarters, particularly in the black community and on the left. They see this as some great victory. This is very sad. Why? Because I ask the simple question, who really won and who really lost? Did Rush really lose? Did black players or even more so black Americans win?

Rush is still the most popular radio personality in America. He will still earn over $25 million a year, and he will still want Barack Obama to fail. Nothing has changed.

At the same time, will one black child do better in school? Will one less gang killing take place in Chicago, Philly LA. Will the Rams play any better? The answer is of course no. No new jobs have been created and Iran, North Korea are still feverishly building nuclear weapons.

This is a sad state for our nation. Black America in the grip of the Liberal establishment is more addicted to mediocrity than they are to 'Crack Cocaine.' They are the willing pawns in the Liberal game. This is a sad state. In the end everyone that needs to win loses."

-Eddie Huff, "NFL vs. Rush Limbaugh - Who's The Real Loser," New Black Thought, October 14, 2009

Cancelling the NFL Sunday Ticket

2009-10-16T06:26:00.000-04:00

My favorite letter of the day, and not just because it is from a Pittsburgher:

Amy,

I completely agree with your suggestion to boycott the NFL. I too am originally from Pittsburgh and know exactly what you mean when you say that you care strongly about the sport. In fact, I almost feel like someone has died now that I canceled the NFL Sunday Ticket. I can't however continue to financially support an organization that would single out a private citizen for punishment simply because they don't agree with their political views. Is NBC aware of the hateful vomit that is spewed daily from Keith Olbermann?

In addition, I wonder what sacred "standards" the Commissioner was referring to in his press conference the other day. Are they the same standards that turn a blind eye to sadistic dog killers, wife beaters, suspected murders, and other unsavory thugs? Apparently the Commissioner is fine with filling the NFL ranks with the likes of Michael Vick, Dante Stallworth, Pacman Jones, and Ray Lewis - but conservative talk radio hosts need not apply. I am a proud conservative that is appalled at what is happening to this country. Too bad the NFL doesn't like my political views. I guess they don't like spending my money either. They will never get another penny of it.

It is a sad day for America,

Leah
Pembroke Pines, FL

What's Happening Now

2009-10-16T00:51:00.000-04:00

Bob Moffit on a new way the Senate leadership is trying to deceive you.

Roundup of black conservative opinion of NFL-thinks-it-is-too-good-for-Rush-Limbaugh dustup.

Judge tosses out yet another lawsuit trying to set global warming policy in the courts instead of the legislatures.

Is the Honduran constitution negotiable?

Snow in New Jersey on October 15 does not disprove the global warming theory.

Daniel Henninger: Donald Rumsfeld was right.

Obama says the damage from Katrina was caused in part by a "breakdown of government." If gov't came make a hurricane worse, why would we want it to run health care?

Inside the Beltway on Deneen Borelli

2009-10-16T00:30:00.000-04:00

The Washington Times' popular Inside the Beltway column today is covering Project 21's Deneen Borelli's comments on Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson's attacks on Rush Limbaugh.

Written by Amy Ridenour, president of the National Center for Public Policy Research. E-mail comments to info@nationalcenter.org. | Subscribe to this blog's feed. | Follow the National Center for Public Policy Research on Twitter. | Download our book Shattered Lives: 100 Victims of Government Health Care.

The Nobel Committee's Not-So Unanimous Selection of Obama

2009-10-15T16:48:00.002-04:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Agence France Presse today reports that three of the Nobel Committee's five committee members had problems with awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama.

Nobel Committee Secretary Geir Lundestad, however, insists that the selection was unanimous.

This is doubtful, given that one of the members represents the free-market-oriented, unabashedly pro-Israel Progress Party. The party's leader, Siv Jensen, not only criticized the Nobel Committee's choice of Obama but called on its chairman, Thorbjoern Jaglund, to step down just one day after the committee's announcement. Although Jensen called for his resignation for a supposedly unrelated reason, the timing of her demand is interesting.

Lundestad wasn't being honest when he claimed "unanimous" vote as he neglected to mention that the Nobel Committee's selections are always "unanimous" -- even if such unanimity doesn't exist.

The Nobel Committee makes its decisions by "consensus" and the functionally-illiterate often use this interchangeably with "unanimous." Now you know why so many Norwegian parents are asking, "why can't Jens read?"

Just to make sure that no committee member challenges its "unanimous" claim, Nobel Committee rules prohibit them from speaking publicly about its proceedings.

Unanimous decision? It really depends on what your definition of "unamious" is.

Bill Clinton may not have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but it turns out the Nobel Committee has found another way to honor him.

Editor's note: We covered President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize previously here, here and here.

Sharpton and Jackson Attack on Rush Limbaugh a "Racist Act," Says Black Conservative

2009-10-14T19:40:00.001-04:00

It's not up on the Project 21 webpages yet, but Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli has issued a statement about the Rush Limbaugh situation that may interest readers:

Jackson & Sharpton Effort Against Rush Limbaugh is an Effort to "Get Whitie" and a "Racist Act," Says Leading Black Conservative

Statement of Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli

The left-wing jihad against Rush Limbaugh is un-fair and un-American. Rush is being targeted simply because he is a conservative and a leading critic of President Obama's wealth redistribution policies.

With conservative blood in the water, it's predictable to see the 'race card duo' -- Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton -- circling the victim. Since the election of the first black president, they have been searching for some white meat to feed on and Rush just happens to be a juicy target. Whipping up unjustified black anger is their specialty.

Frankly, I see their effort as 'get whitie' -- an inherent racist act.

It's outrageous that the 'race card duo' are worried about Rush buying a football team following a graphic example of black on black gang violence in Chicago -- Jackson's home town. As so-called black leaders they should be putting their time and effort in dealing with the human tragedies in the urban community: crime and failing schools and not a conservative exercising his right to play in the free market.

Written by Amy Ridenour. E-mail comments to info@nationalcenter.org. | Subscribe to this blog's feed. | Follow the National Center for Public Policy Research on Twitter. | Download our book Shattered Lives: 100 Victims of Government Health Care.

NFL, Rush Limbaugh & the Rams: What Conservatives Should Do

2009-10-14T19:08:00.001-04:00

In regards to potential NFL approval of Rush Limbaugh being part of a bid to purchase the NFL's St. Louis Rams, SI.com is reporting "...League sources told SI.com that Limbaugh's candidacy in any Rams bid had 'zero chance' of being approved by the league's owners."

I think conservatives have to stand up and take notice that outspoken mainstream conservatives are not welcome in the NFL. I see two possible practical responses:

1) Boycott;
2) Monitor every liberal NFL owner, coach, player, office worker or dogsbody employed directly or indirectly by the NFL and raise a huge and public stink every time they say anything remotely liberal on a public policy issue.

One way to begin #2 is for those of us so inclined to create Google Alerts covering as many of these people we have time for, and be prepared to make a fuss.

For myself, I am perfectly willing to boycott if others are. I already did it for one season after Limbaugh was treated badly the first time, and I'm from Pittsburgh, which is all that need be said about whether I care strongly about NFL football.

If mainstream conservatives aren't allowed in the NFL club, I see no particular reason why mainstream liberals ought to be, either. Leave the NFL to the unopinionated drones.