Friday, August 28, 2009

Real US unemployment rate at 16 pct: Fed official

Real US unemployment rate at 16 pct: Fed official

Shared via AddThis

Michael Savage on Edward Kennedy

The Real Ted Kennedy
The leftist media in this country has erupted in tributes to Ted Kennedy. Democrats praise him. Republicans praise him. Liberals praise him, conservatives praise him. And while we mourn when a man dies, does that mean that all criticism must stop? Does a man who spent his entire political life destroying the fundamental tenets of American morality become miraculously rehabilitated on his passing? Do conservatives stop being conservatives when such a man dies?No! And yet it seems that the Republicans in Congress have forgotten what Ted Kennedy did to our borders. Too many so-called conservative commentators have forgotten what Ted Kennedy did to our language. Too many fawning media lackeys have forgotten that Ted Kennedy succeeded in nearly destroying our culture.We cannot forget that he opened the borders as early as 1965. We cannot forget that he voted to destroy the flag and destroy traditional marriage. We cannot forget in spite of his death, that he voted for late-term abortion – i.e., infanticide. We can't forget that…
He voted no on a constitutional ban on flag desecration.
He voted no on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
He voted yes on adding sexual orientation to the definition of hate crimes.
He voted no on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds.
He voted yes on allowing illegals to participate in Social Security.
We cannot forget what he has done to our country.And so now the Soros-run media sets on anyone who dares disclose the truth about Ted Kennedy. As in a Soviet show trial, persecution falls on anyone who refuses to take the party line that the great lying lion of the left must be praised. We will not be silenced. Silence is death. Speak the truth about Ted Kennedy. Americans must know his reckless record of destructive social engineering.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Will 'cash for clunkers' tank the used car market? (OneNewsNow.com)

It really figures that there is a big big down side to this that will affect the economy and those who really depend on the used car market when they can't afford to buy a new car to replace an old one or a BIKE perhaps....
Will 'cash for clunkers' tank the used car market? (OneNewsNow.com)

Shared via AddThis

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Deadly Docs... Advisors want to ration care.

Emanuel: Believes in withholding care from elderly for greater good.


New York Post
Last updated: 1:13 am
July 24, 2009
Posted: 1:03 amJuly 24, 2009
THE health bills coming out of Congress would put the decisions about your care in the hands of presidential appointees. They'd decide what plans cover, how much leeway your doctor will have and what seniors get under Medicare.
Yet at least two of President Obama's top health advisers should never be trusted with that power.
Start with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has already been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research.
Emanuel bluntly admits that the cuts will not be pain-free. "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change," he wrote last year (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008).
Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, "as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others" (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).
Yes, that's what patients want their doctors to do. But Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice, such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else.
Many doctors are horrified by this notion; they'll tell you that a doctor's job is to achieve social justice one patient at a time.
Emanuel, however, believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96).
Translation: Don't give much care to a grandmother with Parkinson's or a child with cerebral palsy.
He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients: "Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years" (Lancet, Jan. 31).
The bills being rushed through Congress will be paid for largely by a $500 billion-plus cut in Medicare over 10 years. Knowing how unpopular the cuts will be, the president's budget director, Peter Orszag, urged Congress this week to delegate its own authority over Medicare to a new, presidentially-appointed bureaucracy that wouldn't be accountable to the public.
Since Medicare was founded in 1965, seniors' lives have been transformed by new medical treatments such as angioplasty, bypass surgery and hip and knee replacements. These innovations allow the elderly to lead active lives. But Emanuel criticizes Americans for being too "enamored with technology" and is determined to reduce access to it.
Dr. David Blumenthal, another key Obama adviser, agrees. He recommends slowing medical innovation to control health spending.
Blumenthal has long advocated government health-spending controls, though he concedes they're "associated with longer waits" and "reduced availability of new and expensive treatments and devices" (New England Journal of Medicine, March 8, 2001). But he calls it "debatable" whether the timely care Americans get is worth the cost. (Ask a cancer patient, and you'll get a different answer. Delay lowers your chances of survival.)
Obama appointed Blumenthal as national coordinator of health-information technology, a job that involves making sure doctors obey electronically deivered guidelines about what care the government deems appropriate and cost effective.
In the April 9 New England Journal of Medicine, Blumenthal predicted that many doctors would resist "embedded clinical decision support" -- a euphemism for computers telling doctors what to do.
Americans need to know what the president's health advisers have in mind for them. Emanuel sees even basic amenities as luxuries and says Americans expect too much: "Hospital rooms in the United States offer more privacy . . . physicians' offices are typically more conveniently located and have parking nearby and more attractive waiting rooms" (JAMA, June 18, 2008).
No one has leveled with the public about these dangerous views. Nor have most people heard about the arm-twisting, Chicago-style tactics being used to force support. In a Nov. 16, 2008, Health Care Watch column, Emanuel explained how business should be done: "Every favor to a constituency should be linked to support for the health-care reform agenda. If the automakers want a bailout, then they and their suppliers have to agree to support and lobby for the administration's health-reform effort."
Do we want a "reform" that empowers people like this to decide for us?

Monday, August 10, 2009

How's this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant.
------------------------ And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land called America, having lost their morals, their initiative, and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as "The One." He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you." My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. I shall save you with hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who proceeded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed. And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what "The One" would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed. And "The One" said "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!" And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is good!" Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats." And the people said "Sock it to them!" "And redistribute their wealth." And the people said, "Show us the money!" And the he said, " Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody." And Joe the plumber asked, " Are you kidding me? You're going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats?" And "The One" ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized. One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?" And she was banished from the kingdom! Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will he deal with radical terrorists?" And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!" And the people said, "Hallelujah. We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!" Then "The One" said, "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes." And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes." So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!" And the people said, "Hallelujah! Show us the money!" Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!" And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed. And He said. "I shall mandate employer-funded health care for every worker and raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the clinics." And the people said, "Give me some of that!" Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas." And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?" Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!" And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates." So "The One" said, Not to worry. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with the ACORN and you troubles are over!" Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bilingual signs and guaranteed housing..." And the people said, "Hallelujah!" And they made him king! And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff. The bank banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support. Then "The One" said, "I am the "the One"- The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!" But our foreign trading partners said unto Him. "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more..." And the world said, "Wait a minute. That is unfair!!" And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!" And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?" But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon The One and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed then and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built. And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, "Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!" But it was too late, and their homeland was no more. You may think this a fairy tale, but it's not. It's happening RIGHT NOW

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wise Words from Ben Stein
















The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.


My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina )... Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr. Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Congress's Own Health Care plans. They should have to use whatever they propose for the rest of us and we might get something decent.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-congress-benefits-chart2-2009aug02,0,7635564.story?track=rss

Click the above link. If Congress didn't have a Gold Plated Health Plan and couldn't exclude themselves from the Health Care system they propose for the rest of us... If they had to actually read these bills they so quickly push through... Do you think they would be acting so quickly to get rid of the private insurance sector that majority of American's are quite happy with? Very doubtful. There wouldn't be any such horrible options on the table. They don't want their elderly parents getting "end of life counseling sessions" every 5 years from the age 65. They wouldn't want their kid denied care just because he was a bad risk. They wouldn't want to deny their sister of that Cancer Therapy just because the prognosis didn't look so rosey for her. Why do they propose such awful things for the rest of us. The rest of us who are "WE THE PEOPLE" who they are supposedly representing and working for?

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Regarding the Fleecing of Disney Theme Park "guests"


This week Walt Disney Theme park tickets went up to 79.00 plus Taxes. This doesn't include the 12.00 parking we are charged before we even enter the park. These prices are horrid at best and Americans should be boycotting and fighting them. When so many American's are out of work and losing their homes, family's being ripped apart.. They go and hike an already severely overpriced ticket by 4.00 a person. By the way.. Kids tickets, 3-9 are 68.00. Big discount there! @@ Disney used to at least run resident specials where Florida residents could get somewhat of a break in the pricing but that isn't even offered any longer. There is never any savings on a single day ticket price to one park. NEVER!


We were going to try to go to Disney this year for Rob's 8th Birthday. They are offering free admission to the birthday person, which does help some. Thing is.... So we won't have to pay 68.00... Before my husband and I even get into the gate.... We have spent 180 some dollars for the two of us to enter (the park of the Elite) for just two admissions. This pricing doesn't cover the overpriced drinks and food we must also purchase throughout the day or any souveniers we might want. It's simply to walk into the fricken park. It amazes me that so many people aren't fighting against this price gouging. Disney makes a ton of money with it's merchandising, movies and everything. They could charge 50.00, keep the price there forever and still be making a big profit. It disgusts me that people have to put out this kind of money just so their kids can "enjoy" the happiest place on Earth. Not the happiest if you ask me.... Just the Most expensive, overcrowded, hot, unhappy place on earth.


I don't think we will follow through on our plans to take Rob there for his 8th. I think we might just swing over to Tampa's Busch Gardens, where we can go the entire year for about half the price it would cost to get into one day of fun at Disney Parks. Up Yours Disney Co. Walt wouldn't be happy with you guys. He wanted his park to be accessible to everyone, not just the Elite.

Maybe Congress should be forced to use Health Care Plan they propose for us.

Congress' own healthcare benefits: Membership has its privileges
Lawmakers can choose among several plans and get special treatment at federal medical facilities. In 2008, taxpayers spent about $15 billion to insure 8.5 million federal workers and their dependents.
By Mark Z. Barabak and Faye Fiore August 2, 2009
Too much, too fast, too expensive. Those are some of the objections lawmakers have voiced against the healthcare overhaul Democrats are attempting on Capitol Hill.But many Americans think Congress is out of touch. How, they wonder, can lawmakers empathize with the underinsured or those lacking insurance when they receive a benefits package -- heavily subsidized by taxpayers -- that most of us can only envy?


House panel OKs healthcare bill, setting...

How the bills compare
Obama changes healthcare tack to win over the insured
Obama's bill of consumer health insurance rights
Healthcare debate's next hurdle: abortion
FOR THE RECORD:
Healthcare benefits: An article in Sunday's Section A about congressional healthcare benefits said that Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) "has refused to accept federal healthcare benefits, making him the only member of Congress to do without." Other members have also declined federal healthcare benefits; Kagen is the only member to have no health insurance coverage whatsoever. —
Among the advantages: a choice of 10 healthcare plans that provide access to a national network of doctors, as well as several HMOs that serve each member's home state. By contrast, 85% of private companies offering health coverage provide their employees one type of plan -- take it or leave it.
Lawmakers also get special treatment at Washington's federal medical facilities and, for a few hundred dollars a month, access to their own pharmacy and doctors, nurses and medical technicians standing by in an office conveniently located between the House and Senate chambers.In all, taxpayers spent about $15 billion last year to insure 8.5 million federal workers and their dependents, including postal service employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.Generous plans are available in private industry. But the federal coverage far surpasses that enjoyed by 70 million Americans who are underinsured and at financial risk in the event of a major health crisis -- not to mention the estimated 46 million who have no medical insurance."For the average worker, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan would probably look quite attractive," said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union, a pinch-penny advocacy group.Indeed, a question often surfaces: Why can't everyone enjoy the same benefits as members of Congress? The answer: The country probably couldn't afford it -- not without reforms to bring costs way, way down.Given their choices, lawmakers can tailor coverage in a way most Americans cannot. If a child has asthma, for instance, a federal employee might opt for coverage that costs a little more but has a bigger doctor network and lower office-visit fees.The plan most favored by federal workers is Blue Cross Blue Shield, which covers a family for about $1,030 a month. Taxpayers kick in $700, and employees pay the rest. Seeing a doctor costs $20. Generic prescriptions cost $10. Immunizations are free. There is no coverage limit.Federal employees also enjoy a significant benefit denied the average American: There is no such thing as a preexisting condition, which keeps many sick people from obtaining insurance. Once hired, federal workers are eligible for coverage no matter their health, with no waiting period.Voters sense a disconnect. A recent Gallup Poll found that about half of those surveyed said they have "a good understanding" of the issues involved in the healthcare debate. By contrast, respondents believe that fewer than three in 10 members of Congress share that understanding.Lawmakers' ample benefits make a ripe target.Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sponsored an amendment requiring members of Congress to forgo their current health coverage and enroll in any government plan they pass to compete with private insurers."Let's demonstrate leadership and confidence in the system," Coburn said before his amendment squeaked through the Senate Health Committee. A similar measure was defeated in the House.A spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi demurred when asked if she would sign up for a government-run plan. The San Francisco Democrat joined President Obama in pushing unsuccessfully for passage of a healthcare bill before lawmakers headed home for their summer recess."The point is to give people a choice," said Pelosi's communications director, Brendan Daly. "If you like what you have now, you can keep it. If you don't like it, you'll have other choices that are available to you."Virtually every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has considered expanded or universal medical coverage. President Eisenhower, a famous cost-cutter, signed into law the legislation giving federal employees their generous benefits. His reasons were partly personal: His mother-in-law's illness required two years of medical care that took a steep financial and emotional toll on the president. Politically, the hope was to spur more private employers to follow the government's lead.