Letter from the White House

I opened up my email this morning and found a letter from Dan Pfeiffer, Senior Advisor to President Obama, previewing the State of the Union speech coming up next week by President Obama. In reading through the email a few points really concern me and should concern all Americans.

In this year of action, the President will seek out as many opportunities as possible to work with Congress in a bipartisan way. But when American jobs and livelihoods depend on getting something done, he will not wait for Congress.

President Obama has a pen and he has a phone, and he will use them to take executive action and enlist every American -- business owners and workers, mayors and state legislators, young people, veterans, and folks in communities from across the country -- in the project to restore opportunity for all.

It will be an optimistic speech. Thanks to the grit and determination of citizens like you, America has a hard-earned right to that optimism. Five years after the President inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our businesses have created more than eight million new jobs in the past 46 months, and they're primed to create more.

Within these three short paragraphs lies plans if followed through to transform our Republic form of government into something far worse; a socialist state. It is true that President Obama came into office during the worst economic conditions seen in the United States since the Great Depression and it is accurate that since he has taken office five years ago that 8 Million jobs have been filled. Despite these facts the policies of President Obama have created uncertainty in the work force resulting in over 90 Million American's leaving the job force.

President's over time have attempted to expand the use of Executive Orders to side step Congress and ignore the United States Constitution. Also, the Supreme Court has ruled on the expansion of powers with varying degree of outcomes based mainly on the prevailing ideology of the Court. Yet this is the first time in our nations history that a President is so bold and reckless in the threat of Executive Order.

The Affordable Care Act, despite not being passed as a tax was upheld by SCOTUS based on it being so, is a debacle. While elements of it are progress in dealing with the escalating health care costs it created more questions and uncertainty in the market. Without rehashing the debate, President Obama by stroke of the pen waived the mandate for the Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Big Business and Unions. Thus re-writing the ACA which is not a power the Executive Branch has; yet Americans sit idly by and allow it to happen. 

President Obama needs to understand that the Executive Branch doesn't have the power to create legislation nor re-write legislation signed into law. If the President Obama is serious about getting people back to work then remove the uncertainty of the ACA.

The other part of the email that is concerning and more than likely puts a smile on Karl Marx face is the part of " [enlisting] every American -- business owners and workers, mayors and state legislators, young people, veterans, and folks in communities from across the country -- in the project to restore opportunity for all." The government's role is not to create jobs; rather the government is to ensure employers don't exploit the employees. 

I look forward to listening President Obama speak on Tuesday. My hope is that he will finally earn that Nobel Peace Prize he was awarded after being elected.

Duck Suspension: Freedom of Speech?!?!

In a recent issue of GQ magazine(http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson), Duck Dynasty Phil Robertson discusses an array of topics but the one that landed him a suspension dealt with his answer to the question: What, in your mind, is sinful?

Phil Robertson responded, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men." It is this response that gets the air time, especially on Progressive media outlets, but Mr. Robertson didn't stop there as he referenced the Bible. Specifically he paraphrased Corinthians when he quipped, "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offends, the greedy, the drunkyards, the slanderers, the swindlers - they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz offered a response by stating, "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lie about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans - and Americans - who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such a public disdain for LGBT people and families."

Wow! Mr. Robertson is pushing "vile and extreme stereotypes" - where? In his response to the question about what is sinful - where does he push a stereotype? Perhaps its when GQ quotes Phil's thought on "modern immorality" as - "It seems like, to me, a vagina - as a man - would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical." While I don't go as far as Mr. Robertson goes to consider two men, or more, engaging in anal sex as a sin; I do understand where Mr. Robertson may come to that conclusion based on his religious beliefs. Again though I ask Wilson Cruz - where did Phil Robertson push a stereotype?

All this being said, the rub on this situation is that Phil Robertson's freedom of speech and/or religion has been violated. I am sorry to say folks there has been no government clamp down on Phil Robertson and as far as I know he is still a free man and not in jail. Question that Progressives won't answer is: What if a member of the LGBT community was suspended from a show for stating their religious view on sin?

Personally I never saw the appeal of Duck Dynasty - perhaps I am not redneck enough - nor do I watch A&E all that much to begin with. I think Brandon Ambrosino (http://ideas.time.com/2013/12/19/the-duck-dynasty-fiasco-says-more-about-our-bigotry-than-phils/) sums it up well at the end of his article when he writes: "GK Chesterton said that bigotry is "an incapacity to conceive seriously the alternative to a proposition." If he is right - and he usually is - then I wonder if the Duck Dynasty fiasco says more about our bigotry than Phil's." By "our" Brandon refers to the LGBT community as he is gay.

Progressives and Conservatives need to learn that bigotry, racism, sexism, etc...flows both ways. While Phil Robertson doesn't talk for all Christians, he does for an unknown number. Obviously Christians don't interpret the Bible all the same or we wouldn't have Catholics, Orthodox, Baptist, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopal s, Methodists, Protestants, Lutherans, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. The final point to digest - Earlier this year a major retailer got into a PR mess in Minnesota because some cashiers refused to check out pork because it was against their religion - Imagine if that retailer fired them!

Thanksgiving Day

It is another Thanksgiving Day. What better message to read than from one of our Founders that started the official holiday. George Washington proclaimed this over 200 years ago.....

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

Healthcare Insurance Bandaid

Yesterday the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3350 (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr3350eh/pdf/BILLS-113hr3350eh.pdf) that will allow health insurance companies to continue to offer insurance policies that did not meet the grandfather clause of the Affordable Care Act or the minimum standards set in place by ObamaCare. Rep Upton (R-MI) sponsored H.R 3350 that passed 261-157 with over 30 Democrats voting in favor of it. Earlier this week, President Obama acknowledged that his pledge that if you like your health insurance you can keep it was not accurate. While President Obama did not say he lied to the public, he did recognize that "We put a grandfather clause into the law but it was insufficient."

Throughout the week, the drum beat has been that this misstep to dropped coverage only applies to the 5% of the market. While that is accurate, what is not discussed or even raised is that waivers were given to the rest of market until 2015. What will happen in October of 2014 when ObamaCare provisions of the law are applied to employer based health insurance plans?

President Obama also said during his press conference this week that, "We're also requiring insurers to extend current plans to inform their customers about two things. One, that protections -- what protections these renewed plans don't include. Number two, that the marketplace offers new options with better coverage and tax credits that might help you bring down the cost." A) The Executive Branch does not have power to make/alter law that is the power of the Legislative Branch. B) Offer more coverage or options never drops the cost of anything!

Now a Bipartisan bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, which President Obama plans to veto, ought to be given a vote in the Senate. Rep. Pelosi is accurate when she stated prior to Affordable Care Act being passed when she said that once we pass this bill we will know that is in it.

Is Anarchy and Tyranny knocking at the door?

In reading Mark Levin's book The Liberty Amendments, I know that I have fallen off discussing the proposed Amendments to which I will return to them soon, I stumbled upon a curios passage Levin quotes of John Adams. The passage appears in Chapter Eight: An Amendment to Protect Private Property (p 139-140):

"Suppose a nation, rich and poor, high and low, ten millions in number, all assembled together; not more than one or two millions will have lands, houses, or any personal property; if we take into account the women and children, or even if we leave them out of the question, a great majority of every nation is wholly destitute of property, except a small quantity of clothes, and a few trifles of other movables. Would Mr. Nedham be responsible that, if all were to be decided by a vote of the majority, the eight or nine millions who have no property, would not think of usurping over the rights of the one or two millions who have? Property is surely a right of mankind as really as liberty. Perhaps, at first, prejudice, habit, shame or fear, principle or religion, would restrain the poor from attacking the rich, and the idle from usurping on the industrious; but the time would not be long before courage and enterprise would come, and pretexts be invented by degrees, to countenance the majority in dividing all the property among them, or at least, in sharing it equally with its present possessors. Debts would be abolished first; taxes laid heavy on the rich, and not at all on the others; and at last a downright equal division of every thing be demanded, and voted. What would be the consequence of this? The idle, the vicious, the intemperate, would rush into the utmost extravagance of debauchery, sell and spend all their share, and then demand a new division of those who purchased from them. The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet, " and "Thou shalt not steal," were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society, before it can be civilized or made free."

John Adams wrote that passage originally in "Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States." The United States is a Republic and not a true Democracy a concept that retards the Progressive ideals; unfortunately it doesn't eliminate them. Despite living in a free society, governed by representative rule, liberty and protections of private property are eroding. The erosion isn't a recent occurrence; yet it has been kicked into overdrive in recent decades.

Our National Debt has topped $17 TRILLION! A number trivialized by Progressives and Big Government Spending Conservatives while ignored by the vast majority of journalist ( a term I use loosely). One must hand it to Big Government types though. While Mr. Adams crafts precepts restraining the poor, idle, vicious and intemperate, Big Government has crafted precepts more enterprising; entitlements. The current continuing resolution calls for the United States Federal Government to spend $3.4 TRILLION of which, roughly, $2.5 TRILLION is entitlement spending. That $2.5 TRILLION earmark does not include the subsidies dolled out for ObamaCare.

The foundation of a free society is the right to private property free from government intervention and seizure as well as protected by the same said government from others in society. Taxation, entitlements, and willful idleness are all elements causing the erosion of ones right to private property. The rich have the means to relocate while the Middle Class and poor do not. What happens when the Rich are no longer an option? Anarchy and Tyranny will take hold - That is the legacy the Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y leave for those born in the 21st Century.

Obamacare failures is the shiny object

Over the past weeks, the Hamburg Post has been filled with blog posts reviewing the Amendments that Mark Levin proposes in his book The Liberty Amendments. Today, a break from that and a look at ObamaCare. The past week saw Congress grill various stakeholders in the development and roll out of the Federal website Healthcare.gov as it hasn't worked as advertised.

The various glitches being reported now have Democrats, that are up for re-election in 2014, asking President Obama to delay the mandate from six weeks to an entire year. First off, the President doesn't have the power to legislate which he has already done granting Congress, the Executive Branch and business exemptions from the law. The Affordable Care Act clearly states in the law the start date of the law and all of whom are to be part of it. To change this, delay or not, Constitutionally requires an act of Congress and a signature of the President.


That being said, America faces a larger problem with ObamaCare. Well it's not a problem if you enjoy being dictated to and prefer a loss of freedom. For Americans that prefer choice and freedom the current glitches are all part of the plan. In order for ObamaCare to work, it requires 7 million healthy Americans to sign up to pay premiums to cover the costs of less healthy users. Trouble is that the healthiest Americans, as a pool, are those between the age of 18-26.

Ironically the Affordable Care Act has taken these healthy American's off the payroll by allowing them to stay on their parents health care until they are 26. Without this low risk pool paying premiums, the funds will not exist to pay for higher risk pool users of the exchanges. Yet, this is just part of the complicated plan of cradle to grave nationalized health care.

Another aspect of the Affordable Care Act was to require health insurers to take on all Americans despite of their preconditions. Health care insurers, for the most part, already do this but the insurance premiums are higher for high risk pools than lower risk pools. Now with that option taken away from healthcare insurers, those of us in lower risk pools now must pay higher premiums.

Precondition pool is the Trojan Horse of the Affordable Care Act for Single Payer Nationalize healthcare system. Companies such as UPS have given notice to their employees that spouses will no longer be covered. Consulting firm Deloitte surveyed 560 companies and found that 9 percent of them plan to drop coverage over the next three years. We are also seeing a shift from full time employment to part time employment by firms to get under the 50 employee number that allows them to avoid a fine for not offering healthcare benefits.

Once the pool of preconditioned  Americans are no longer covered by employee based healthcare insurance the exchanges will be deemed a failure then the real push for Nationalized healthcare begins.

Term limits on the Supreme Court

Chapter 4 of Mark Levin's book The Liberty Amendment tackles the Judicial branch of Government( p49-50):

Section 1: No person may serve as Chief Justice or Associate Justice of the Supreme Court for more than a combined total of twelve years.

Section 2: Immediately upon ratification of this Amendment, Congress will organize the justices of the Supreme Court as equally possible into three classes, with the justices assigned to each class in reverse seniority order, with the most senior justices in the earliest classes. The terms of office for the justices in the First Class will expire a the end of the fourth year following the ratification of this Amendment, the terms for the justices in the Second Class will expire at the end of the eighth year, and of the Third Class at the end of the twelfth Year, so that one-third of the justices may be chosen every fourth Year.

Section 3: When a vacancy occurs in the Supreme Court the President shall nominate a new justice who, with the approval of a majority of the Senate, shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. Justices who fill a vacancy for longer than half of an unexpired term may not be nominated to a full term.

Section 4: Upon three-fifths vote of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Congress may override a majority opinion rendered by the Supreme Court.

Section 5: The Congressional override under Section 4 is not subject to a Presidential veto and shall not be subject to litigation or review in any Federal or State court.

Section 6: Upon three-fifths vote of the several state legislatures, the State may override a majority opinion rendered by the Supreme Court.

Section 7: The States' override under Section 6 shall not be the subject of litigation or review in any Federal or State court, or oversight or interference by Congress or the President.

Section 8: Congressional or State override authority under Section 4 and 6 must be exercised no later than twenty-four months from the date of the Supreme Court rendering its majority opinion, after which date Congress and the States are prohibited from exercising the override.

Thus far I have been on board completely with Levin as to Amendments needing to be added that will lead us to more freedom and control over our lives. When I read this chapter the first time my knee jerk reaction was yes. I do like the notion of term limits on Justices while at the same time I struggle with the notion that 9 people can make decisions that drastically impact our lives.

With our country becoming more and more polarized, we have seen - especially in my life time - the courts outcomes are not based on Constitutional limitations rather by judicial review. That judicial review has turned the courts into a defacto legislature. The fact that 9 humans cloaked in black robes will judge cases in the purview, limited by the Constitution originally and later expanded in Marbury v Madison, without error is a fallacy. Humans by our very nature are flawed thus the 9 Justices are flawed despite their education and training.

Adding another layer that gives Congress more check and balance on the Judicial system while also allowing the States that same authority is interesting. What makes this additional twist more interesting is the limitations that Congress and the States have to override a decision.