Catholic bishops are right on abortion, wrong on illegal immigration

It isn’t often I agree with Catholic bishops, but we’re on the same page when it comes to the health care bill…sort of. In a letter to Congress, the bishops implored representatives not to support a bill that they say will allow public money to be used for abortions.

I’m strongly pro-choice, but I don’t want a dime of taxpayer money spent on abortions, except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. If one of these conditions doesn’t exist, then the abortion is an elective procedure used to remedy irresponsible behavior. What’s next, allowing people to get taxpayer funded liposuction because because they’re too lazy to exercise and eat right? » read more

Barack Obama’s approval rating in limbo: How low will it go?

How low will Barack Obama's approval rating go?

The latest Rasmussen Poll finds that 23% of Americans strongly approve of the job Barack Obama is doing, while 44% strongly disapprove. Rasmussen also points out that the President’s approval rating drops when he pushes the health care bill. I’m not an expert, but do you think that means that most people are against the current health care reform bill? Not surprisingly, Rasmussen also found that 50% of Americans are less likely to vote for a Congressmen who supports health care reform.

It looks like conservatives won’t have to worry about throwing out the leftists in 2010 and 2012. They’re going to take care of that all by themselves. I just hope they don’t wreck the place too much before then.

So much for deficit reduction: CBO says health care bill will be $59 billion in the red

Do you remember how Democrats (rightly) criticized Republicans for passing a prescription drug plan that added to the deficit? Democrats criticized their irresponsible behavior and vowed that health care reform would not only be deficit neutral, but that it would also reduce the deficit. Well, now it looks like the Democrats are being exposed as the hypocrites they are. The Congressional Budget Office found that the proposal would be $59 billion in the red. I can’t to hear how Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama will spin this latest piece of news.

Article 1, Section 7: Can Nancy Pelosi read?

Does Nancy Pelosi understand the Constitution?

If you’ve been following the health care debacle in Washington, then you’ve probably heard about how Nancy Pelosi and her henchmen are planning on using “deem and pass” to ram through health care reform. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this procedure, it will allow the House to pass the Senate version of the bill without actually having to vote on it. What if they don’t have the votes? No problem! Of course, this method could very well be ruled unconstitutional. Here’s Article 1, Section 7 of the United States Constitution:

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. » read more

Impeach Barack Obama?

Barack Obama as The Joker. I'm not laughing.

Washington Times writer Jeffrey Kuhner has an interesting column, where he argues that Barack Obama and his gang of leftists should be impeached. Here is an excerpt from Mr. Kuhner’s column:

Mr. Obama is willing to devour his presidency, his party’s congressional majority and – most disturbing – our democratic institutional safeguards to enact it. He is a reckless ideologue who is willing to sacrifice the country’s stability in pursuit of a socialist utopia.

The Slaughter Solution is a poisoned chalice. By drinking from it, the Democrats would not only commit political suicide. They would guarantee that any bill signed by Mr. Obama is illegitimate, illegal and blatantly unconstitutional. It would be worse than a strategic blunder; it would be a crime – a moral crime against the American people and a direct abrogation of the Constitution and our very democracy. » read more

Thank you Mark Levin

Mark Levin on the cover of his latest book.

I’d like to thank talk show host Mark Levin and the Landmark Legal Foundation, who are working hard to ensure that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama don’t trample over the constitution any more than they already have. If the House uses the “Slaugher Rule” to pass the health care bill this weekend, it will be facing a serious court challenge. To read more about the potential lawsuit, go to Mark Levin’s website.

David Axelrod seems fine with illegal aliens receiving health care

In yet another bit of hypocrisy, Barack Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod went on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the health care bill. During his appearance, he criticized addressing illegal immigration and abortion in the health care bill:

“The president’s view is that this is not the vehicle to address immigration issues…this is not the place for this, this is not the place to resolve disputes over abortion,” he said. “I believe that as the week goes on, these issues will clarify themselves…We have to resolve the larger questions, which is the status of undocumented workers…we can’t resolve it within the context of this debate.”

Axelrod’s words might have had some credibility if the health care bill weren’t being used to expand the federal government’s role in higher education. Student loans have nothing to do with health care, yet they are part of the debate. On the other hand, the debates surrounding illegal immigration and abortion concern who is eligible for benefits and what procedures are covered. The last time I checked, those were both central issues that would need to be discussed in any reform plan.

In regards to the undocumented workers illegal aliens David Axelrod referred to, his position is a harbinger of things to come. By ignoring any prohibition on illegal aliens, he’s essentially hoping to extend benefits to the law-breakers. Maybe I’m wrong, but wouldn’t health care costs be reduced if we deported the 12 million or so illegal aliens who burden the United states financially?

Health care vote coming next week

The health care bill is on pace to have a vote in the House by next week. Until this point, debate has focused on a public option, the Stupak Amendment, and bribes favors given to certain Senators to secure their vote. Now, it looks like the latest disagreement might revolve around student loans. Yes, you read correctly, student loans.

You might be wondering what student loans have to do with the health care bill. If you can’t figure out how they are related, don’t feel bad, they have nothing to do with each other. Democrats are simply trying to tack on changes to the student loan program which would cut out the banks, have the government originate the loans, then use the savings to increase Pell Grants. » read more

Barack Obama’s approval rating drops and he’s taking fellow Democrats with him

How low will Barack Obama go? If you check out the latest poll by Rasmussen and follow the trends, it looks like the President’s downward spiral is continuing to pick up steam. The latest Presidential tracking poll shows that 25% of Americans strongly approve of the President’s performance, while 43% strongly disapprove. Overall, just 45% approve of the job Barack Obama is doing, while 54% disapprove.

The same poll found that nearly half of Americans believe GM will need another bailout, 61% believe Congress should drop healthcare reform, and 66% believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. It doesn’t look like American’s are fond of the Obama agenda. » read more

Scott Brown defeats Martha Coakley and the Democrats

The unthinkable has happened. Just two weeks ago, Massachusetts State senator Scott Brown trailed Martha Coakley by nearly 30 points in the polls. He was gradually able to narrow that margin, and now he is the newest member of the United States Senate. This is a groundbreaking moment for Massachusetts and the nation.

From the beginning, Scott Brown said he would vote against Obamacare, and would be the 61st Senator needed to stop the Democrats. The fact that this message resonated with one of the bluest states in the country illustrates the level of discontent with Congress and Barack Obama. This is just the latest loss for the Democrats. You might recall the huge losses for the Democrats in the November 2009 elections when both Virgina and New Jersey elected Republican governors. Some felt that those elections weren’t really much of a barometer for national sentiment. However, Scott Brown’s win leaves no doubt that the Republican party has the momentum. » read more

Scott Brown might win ‘Teddy Kennedy’s seat’

If you haven’t seen the clip where Massachusetts Senate candidate Scott Brown corrects David Gergen during a debate with Martha Coakley, you must check it out. During the debate, David Gergen asks Scott Brown about “Teddy Kennedy’s seat”, and Brown reminds him that the seat belongs to the people, not the Kennedys or the Democratic party.

Scott Brown’s campaign was seen as a long-shot at first, but he is quickly picking up momentum. As of late, he has been quite successful raising funds, and his name recognition has increased steadily. Democrats probably thought Martha Coakley would walk right over to “Teddy Kennedy’s seat” and just sit down, but Brown will have none of that. » read more

Barack Obama’s credibility continues to take a hit

In the past few days, Barack Obama has managed to break not one, but two campaign promises. The first involved his promise to have health care negotiations televised on C-Span to ensure transparency. His second was a meeting with House leaders, where he urged them to support a tax on high-end health insurance plans. Many of these plans are owned by the middle class, a group he vowed not to tax.

As far as televising negotiations, Barack Obama really doesn’t have the authority to promise such a thing. It made a great sound byte, but in the end, it was just another empty promise. With that said, he could have at least publicly expressed a desire to have a more open process. It probably wouldn’t have accomplished much, but at least it would have made him appear consistent and show that he cares about transparency. As for the tax on health plans, that’s another story. » read more

Sheldon Whitehouse’s ingnorant rant: Who is really a member of “the lunatic fringe”?

If you are in Washington, D.C. and talk about the simpleton from Rhode Island, you might automatically think of Patrick Kennedy. However, we can’t forget that Rhode Island has another simpleton in D.C.: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. In case you think my categorization is merely a partisan shot, it isn’t. While I disagree with other Democratic politicians, I wouldn’t question their intelligence. I would just recognize the fact that we see the issues differently. With Senator Whitehouse, there is a certain shallowness to his thinking, tinged with hyper-partisanship, and a heaping helping of smarminess.

There have been many comments over the years which reinforced my opinion of him, but his latest speech on health care reform illustrates his failings perfectly:

“Voting ‘no’ and hiding from the vote are the same result. Those of us on the floor see it. It was clear the three of them who did not cast their yes votes until all 60 Senate votes had been tallied and it was clear that the result was a foregone conclusion. And why? Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new young president.

They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama. The birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups, it is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason. It is not the only one.” » read more

Ben Nelson sells his health care vote to Harry Reid

Senator Ben Nelson “negotiated” some changes to the Senate Health bill that have were needed to gain his support. One change stipulated that federal money wouldn’t be used to pay for abortions, while the others are nothing but freebies for Nebraskans. Here’s a brief summary:

Nelson secured full federal funding for his state to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Other states must pay a small portion of the additional cost. He won concessions for qualifying nonprofit insurers and for Medigap providers from a new insurance tax, and was able to roll back cuts to health savings accounts.

“I know this is hard for some of my colleagues to accept and I appreciate their right to disagree,” Nelson told reporters at the Capitol, of the many changes made at his behest. “But I would not have voted for this bill without these provisions.” » read more

Tom Harkin talks about the road to single-payer health care

I’d like to thank Senator Tom Harkin for being honest about the Democrat’s plan to ram a single-payer system down the throats of the American people. In a comment aimed at his progressive colleagues, Harkin compared the current Senate health care bill to building a house:

“What we are buying here is a modest home, not a mansion. What we are getting here is a starter home. It’s got a good foundation: 30 million Americans are covered. It’s got a good roof: A lot of protections from abuses by insurance companies. It’s got a lot of nice stuff in there for prevention and wellness. But, we can build additions as we go along in the future. It is a starter home. Think about it in that way,”

» read more

Joe Lieberman is in, but is Roland Burris out?

Now that it looks like the Senate health care bill is moving away from Medicare expansion, Senator Joe Lieberman says he can support the bill. This is good news for Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is trying to be everything to everyone in order to patch together 60 votes, but things might have just become a little more difficult.

Illinois Senator Roland Burris has indicated that he will not vote for a bill if it doesn’t achieve “the goals of a public option.” Notice that he doesn’t specifically insist on a public option, merely the goals that he believes a public option would achieve. Still, it makes you wonder how many votes might be lost in this attempt to appease Joe Lieberman, and there lies the problem. » read more

The health care balancing act: Be afraid, be very afraid

It looks like Senate Democrats might be close to dropping an idea to expand Medicare for those between 55 and 64. It would be dropped in order to bring Senators like Joe Lieberman on board, but one has to wonder how progressive Democrats will react to this decision.

You would think that progressives would vehemently oppose any changes to Medicare expansion. The scary part will happen if progressives are fine with the decision to drop the expansion. If they go along with the idea, then read carefully: The bill will be guaranteed to contain even bigger costs and give-aways. » read more

The Obama Limbo: How low will his approval rating go?

A new Rasmussen poll finds that Barack Obama’s approval rating continues to fall. Just 24% of Americans strongly approve of the job he is doing, while 42% strongly disapprove. When you combine those who strongly approve and somewhat approve, the number rises to only 44%. The same poll also found that 40% of Americans approve of the current health care plan, while 56% oppose the plan. So, what does all this mean?

For one thing, it illustrates that the President’s popularity is sinking steadily, and that Congressmen will not be cast aside for disagreeing with his administration. When the $787 billion stimulus bill was passed, I had the feeling that the President’s popularity helped suppress some dissent. The President will not have that luxury in the near future. » read more

Health care bill will likely include coverage limits

When discussing health care reform, Barack Obama stated that he opposed, “some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime,” because “no one should go broke because they get sick.” Well, it looks like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid missed that speech.

The current health care bill will allow insurance companies to enforce annual coverage limits for expensive illnesses, so even if people have health insurance, they could still “go broke because they get sick”. Reid’s spokesman defended the decision to allow limits: » read more

Senator Byron Dorgan’s common sense amendment

I support health care reform in theory, but I think Democrats are going about it the wrong way. There are many low cost solutions that could be used to bring down costs. One such solution was suggested in an amendment to the Senate health care bill by Senator Byron Dorgan. The amendment would allow Americans to purchase prescriptions drugs from foreign countries in order to save money, since Americans tend to pay more for their medication.

The amendment is supported by several senators and has bipartisan support. Unfortunately, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg feels “there are significant safety concerns” if the amendment were to pass. I would love to have the Commissioner go into more detail about these safety concerns, and what they might be. I wouldn’t want medication imported from Iran or Yemen, but I’m fine with medication imported from Canada. If medication is shipped to my state from Maine, then what’s the big deal if it travels a few miles farther? Are we anticipating the Canadians trying to kill us? Is it in anyway related to U.S. teams winning too many Stanley Cups? » read more