The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Tenth Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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Anyway, there’s a saying that goes somewhat along these lines:
How California goes is how the rest of the country will go.
There is some truth to that as California (along with NYC) has been the liberal forerunner over the past several decades. And California, with all its liberal “we just want to protect you from yourself” hooey and all the “punish the rich, save the field rat” tommyrot, is going belly-up. California’s money bucket has a liberal-sized hole in it. And how do they intend to fill that hole in the bucket?
That’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, isn’t it? How do they intend to cover their expenses? By withholding ten percent more than they’re entitled on each paycheck a California resident receives.Oh,you’llgetitbackinApril (maybe). (That’s a gazillion different links, folks.) Or, you might be giving California an interest-free loan for as much as a year. And it’s not your choice. It’s the liberal California government’s choice to take the interest-free loan right out of your paycheck. Got a problem with that? Need the money yourself? It’s YOUR money anyway? Tough nuggets. They’re taking it anyway.
Someone said 28 percent of the US population are wingnuts. 14 percent are right-wingnuts and 14 percent are left-wingnuts. And where did this “someone” get his information? From a Pew Research poll.
I know, I know. “What sort of poll determines who’s a wingnut?” There are polls for nearly everything these days. But somehow I doubt there would ever be a poll that would be taken seriously if it had questions like “Are you a leftist wingnut?” and “Are you a rightist wingnut?” So how did this “someone” decide there was an even 14/14 split in left-wingnuts and right-wingnuts? And what kind of poll told him that?
A poll on how the media is viewed gave him his information. Check it out.
And, for the record, I’m not part of either 14 percent he’s looking at, based on the information he’s using to decide.
Everyone’s heard of HB 3400, right? No? That’s the Republican Health Care bill. But HB 3200 weighed in at 1502 pages. And everyone knows about that one. At least everyone in the blogosphere does.
Just recently, the new Health Care bill was trotted out hauled out on a CSX freight train. At 1990 pages, it is one heavy bill.
It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.
James Madison
If you’re not interested in the opinion of the Father of the Constitution, perhaps you’re interested in other numbers. Like the number of pages of other, more important documents.
In case you have been under a rock or you have not heard the news the MSM has not provided, the Republicans have offered a health care reform plan that hits TORT reform, and hits it relatively hard. And the 1990-page Pelosi plan discusses TORT reform. The Pelosi plan says “NO!”
Section 2531, entitled “Medical Liability Alternatives,” establishes an incentive program for states to adopt and implement alternatives to medical liability litigation. [But]…… a state is not eligible for the incentive payments if that state puts a law on the books that limits attorneys’ fees or imposes caps on damages.
(emphasis Sharon)
Under the Democrat/Pelosi plan, any state that does any sort of meaningful TORT reform will be punished, and severely. And those on the left say Republicans are the ones who refuse to negotiate? Republicans are the ones who don’t want any meaningful cost-saving reforms? The Democrat/Pelosi plan is nothing but a Government power-grab and hand-outs to the power brokers already in the Democrat camp. There is nothing there for the average Joe. As the song says, it’s all taking and no giving with the Democrats.
Tell me again, liberals. When someone says “First we’re going to kill you and your immediate family. Next, we’re going to poison your extended family. And third, we’re going to make destitute all your and their friends.” Why should I negotiate with that? I mean, seriously, are you all in First Grade, where you think you can make up all the rules and complain when others “don’t wanna play”?
As for the “Party of NO” is concerned, which party changes locks so the other party can’t do things? Which party refuses to allow full and open debate of the other party’s bills? Which party refuses to allow the other party’s bills on the floor? Which party turned off the lights and the mics when the other party was still around to speak? Which party ran off when the other party was set to discuss real issues of alleged criminal activity in an oversight committee?
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), referred specifically to language on page 110 of the new bill (H.R. 3962) which explicitly authorizes the “public health insurance option” to pay for all elective abortions.
The article starts out with BHO promising such isn’t the case. Hrmmmm….
UPDATE 2:
More information on the “NO!” business of the power brokers. No amendments to the 1990-page bill in the House.
Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) has proposed an amendment that would prohibit the federal government plan from paying for abortion (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). But Speaker Pelosi intends to try to force the House to pass the 1990-page bill under a “closed rule” (a procedure that allows no amendments to be considered), reportedly because she fears that the House would adopt the Stupak Amendment if a vote were allowed.
(emphasis mine)
Pelosi won’t even let less liberal Democrats amend her monstrosity. Go figure.
[T]he House bill prohibits insurance companies from charging premiums on any rational basis. Section 213, titled “Insurance Rating Rules,” provides:
The premium rate charged for a qualified health benefits plan that is health insurance coverage may not vary except as follows:
(1) LIMITED AGE VARIATION PERMITTED.–By age (within such age categories as the Commissioner shall specify) so long as the ratio of the highest such premium to the lowest such premium does not exceed the ratio of 2 to 1.
So young people–who, remember, will now be forced to buy health insurance–will subsidize older people.
(2) BY AREA.–By premium rating area (as permitted by State insurance regulators or, in the case of Exchange-participating health benefits plans, as specified by the Commissioner in consultation with such regulators).
(3) BY FAMILY ENROLLMENT.–By family enrollment (such as variations within categories and compositions of families) so long as the ratio of the premium for family enrollment (or enrollments) to the premium for individual enrollment is uniform, as specified under State law and consistent with rules of the Commissioner.
That’s it. A lower premium for non-smokers or the non-obese? Forget about it. It’s illegal.
Under the House bill, it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that health insurance companies are no longer in the insurance business.
So, under the Pelosi/Democrat plan, insurance companies will have to ask permission from some bureaucrat, called “the Commissioner (Der Kommissar)” to set rates or to make new insurance plans. And “the Commissioner” will decide what parameters for everything the insurance companies can use.
That is one great big, fat “NO!” to free-market and to rational thinking.
No one who has ever seen the President in the company of our armed forces or their families could doubt the genuine love and respect he felt for us. And that feeling was mutual. It mattered. It gave me comfort during those long, dark months when my husband was on the other side of the world. And that’s a comfort I no longer feel from a President whose idea of supporting the troops consists of turning their homecoming into a photo op.
It is obvious to those who wear the uniform that Clinton despised them and had no respect for them. It is obvious to those who wear the uniform that Obama has less respect for them than Clinton did. And yet, those who wear the uniform still live up to their oaths and still “salute the rank”.
I already showed how idiotic the “Conservative = Republican” meme is in my article Democrat Base Just Doesn’t Understand. I have repeatedly stated GWB was no Conservative. And the idiot leftists still trot out their meme without even so much as looking at facts proving them idiots.
As I said before, I’m a Republican simply because there is no currently viable Conservative party. Plain and simple (for math students), the Democrat party is negative and the Republican party is non-negative. It just so happens that the Republican party, as it now stands, is also non-positive. You do the math.
Palin, Armey, Thompson, Santorum, and who else? Big name Republicans who are going against the Republican hand-picked candidate and supporting the Conservative candidate.
I will repeat again again again, the Tea Parties were not pro-(R); 912 in DC and elsewhere were not pro-(R); “wee-weed-up” Town Hall meetings were not pro-(R). And NY-23 is most definitely a wake-up call to RNC and NRCC. And more proof to those idiot leftists that Conservative does not equal Republican.
Get it through your heads! Do a little research instead of bloviating, idiots!
A news brief from Israel (full copy because it’s already brief):
U.S. Seeks Stronger Syria Ties
Reported: 09:39 AM – Oct/29/09
(IsraelNN.com) The United States is interested in strengthening its diplomatic ties with Syria, U.S. advisor Jeffrey Feltman reported Wednesday. However, Feltman said, America will not risk its existing relationship with Lebanon.
Feltman, formerly the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, now advises Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding Middle East affairs.
We want stronger ties with Syria but we don’t want to offend the … Lebanese?!? We want stronger ties with Syria when Syria is arming Hamas and Hezbollah in their attempt to eradicate the Jews??? We don’t want to offend the Lebanese but we are more than willing to offend the only true democratic nation in the region? We want stronger ties with a nation which is still at war with our only ally in the region?
My daughter is taking college classes in a Texas community college. And government/history has been in her studies. When, in the course of the class, the Civil War and the freeing of slaves came up, a black female was shocked. She couldn’t understand because everything was wrong.
She asked many questions and the professor was answering them but not getting anywhere. Then the professor broke it down very clearly. And she finally understood, almost.
“You mean back then the Republicans wanted to free the slaves and the Democrats didn’t?”
“Yes.”
“So, when did it get reversed?”
“Nobody wants to enslave people today.”
She has obviously been deceived by the Democrats regarding Democrat Civil Rights History. But, for a fleeting second, her eyes were opened. Perhaps that will cause her to do more research on the subject. One can hope.
James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, is known as “the father of the Constitution” and rightly so, as evidenced by the link. And he said something very important regarding the Second Amendment. That would be the right to keep and bear arms.
What did he say about the Second Amendment? I quoted him earlier on this issue. Hesaid: “Americans have the right and advantage of being armed – unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” That is a very clear statement. And any who wish to curtail legal rights to keep and bear arms must needs defeat Madison’s words.
Today, not only foreign countries are afraid of law-abiding citizens owning guns, but also a particular segment in the US. And that US segment is wholly the liberal side of things. It is the Democrat Party and liberals in general who don’t want Americans to be armed.
NYC, DC, Chicago are among the most anti-gun cities according to their laws. All owned by Democrats. All going into the social sewer. All in violation of the Constitution. And what about the crime rates and murder rates? Not so good.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the US, said “Every generation needs a new revolution” and “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.” Those Jeffersonian quotes go well with another Madison quote: “The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.” (From the above Madison quote.)
The right to keep and bear arms was clearly understood as an individual right by the framers of the Constitution. And the purpose was not for killing Bambi or Thumper, but in keeping the government in line from the threat of overthrowing it by force.
While I do not condone any militant uprising in the populace at this time (I am a firm believer in end-times prophecy, but that’s a different animal entirely), an armed society will indeed stop idiot criminals, as evidenced by my “Go, Granny, Go” article I just recently wrote.
One thing that is interesting, in case any of you missed it: Madison, the Father of the Constitution, equated today’s gun-control liberals with foreign countries who don’t trust their subjects. How does that shoe feel? Good fit?
I heard a few years ago, before my daughter joined the Army, that Starbucks was not military-friendly. That’s putting it mildly, the story I heard. While I don’t drink coffee, Starbucks has a non-coffee hot drink I definitely like. I haven’t had it since I heard the story. I have also taken part in spreading the story to people I know.
Well, it seems I was in error. JVW of Patterico’s Pontifications fame provided an old link debunking that story. If I had taken the time to do any research myself, I would’ve found it. But I was all too willing to believe what I heard without doing any research because of who told me the story.
Note to Starbucks: Expect to see me at your counter sometime soon.
Foxfier posted one of her short articles with multiple links on her Head Noises site. Check out Beware Grandmothers and Purses and in honor of Jan and Dean, grandmothers everywhere and this grandmother in particular, do some serious link-surfing.
The story she gave came from my neck of the woods, a one-hour drive away. But since I have no cable, no newspaper subscriptions, poor internet, yada yada yada, it took an article from a Washingtonian for me to find out what happened in my own back yard.
For the short of it, granny and family were staying in a Columbus, Ohio motel. 25-year-old ex-con on probation enters motel room with gun and demands stuff, including getting on floor. Granny goes down with everyone else, pulls .357 out of purse, pops back up and offs the guy.
She feels bad that this junk went down. Of course she does. Any sane person would. But I’m certain she doesn’t feel bad that she defended her family.
Of course, this has to go to a Grand Jury. Someone died. Standard Operational Procedure and stuff. And some brainless twit commentator on one of the link-surfed sites claims Columbus, Ohio law wants to punish victims of crime instead of the criminals. Living an hour’s drive away, I call hogwash. It’s SOP.
People say Capital Punishment is no deterrent. Ask that 25-year-old kid if he’ll ever commit another crime. Seems to have deterred him. People say law-abiding citizens packing is trouble. You bet it is. Ask that 25-year-old criminal. People say we need to make laws restricting guns. That 25-year-old kid who already did 7 in the joint was illegally possessing a gun, so how would further restrictions have stopped him?
Granny, you’re more than welcome to be my “second mommy” if you want. You did what I hope I can have the courage and family-defense to do should I ever come up against a horrifying choice like you did. And, granny, I got yer back.
(Any commentators, do me a solid and please do link-surf before spouting.)
I have recently added a definite liberal blog to my list of worthwhile reading. Jeff Woodhead is definitely a leftist loon. His blog Opinions Nobody Asked For is definitely part of the leftist loon crowd and, by definition, a foe of mine.
But he is not an enemy. He is a foe, but not an enemy. Why? Because he is willing to call out his “own” when they go beyond stupid. And he is apparently willing to debate issues and see value in Conservative viewpoints. While I believe he is wrong somewhere between 65 and 90 percent of the time, sometimes he is actually right.
And the biggest plus for him: He does not toe the Party line. He is an individual, who happens to be a leftist loon.
But that’s perfectly fine. That’s a position that can be debated. After all, I’m an individual. And I happen to be a right-wing kook.
This is important because, when CBS asked the states for numbers (since the CDC was refusing to tell them anything) it turned out a non-insignificant number of folks who were told they “probably” had H1N1 not only tested negative for swine flu, they tested negative for any flu. For example, Alaska had 772 tests done on those who were diagnosed as “probably” having swine flu. 93% didn’t have any flu at all, and 1% (that would be about 7) had swine flu.
Think about that for a moment. Wonder if they’re testing all the 1000 deaths, or if they just assume? How about the 20,000 hospitalizations? Somehow, I’m pretty sure they didn’t test everyone that’s hospitalized, since the CDC stopped accepting valid numbers three months ago. Yay, CBS, for investigating!
This is very important, because if you think you had the swine flu and didn’t, you will assume you’ve got immunity; if you assume you didn’t have the swine flu, get vaccinated and you actually had had it, you risk major side effects like Guillain-Barre syndrome. (Note: doing something to be on the safe side, and getting an auto-immune disease from it, would suck. Greatly.)
I don’t much like that the president has authority over where hospitals can put emergency clinics, but I really don’t like when they slide something in that declares a national disaster on Friday night, which is generally when you do stuff you don’t want all over the news.
The people she ran to, having only met them via facebook: Global Revolution Church, specifically Rev. Blake Lorenz (formerly of Kirkman Road United Methodist Church). (Oooh, scary, they’re involved with IHOP and try to follow the Bible!)
The people she ran from: Parents that liquidated their business after she ran away, who go to a mosque with terror links— not the least of which is a head pastor who is big in the Muslim Brotherhood and deals with Hamas. (But it’s ok! He did an interview where he told a newspaper that conversion will naturally happen in the US, and he denies all accusations! Oh, and the mosque is a member of “BREAD” so it must be totally mainstream, plus the mother’s lawyer says there’s nothing to the girl’s claims.)
That’s pretty much a recap of my morning…. Jordan, as usual, has something to say on the matter; unusually, he’s about 99% pissed.
Starting to feel sort of like I did when I was on the Black Pearl and the nation watched Terri Schaivo being slowly murdered by dehydration in front of us.
Oh– I forgot– the girl carries a Bible around, and prays funny. So clearly she’s lying. (I wish I was joking about that line of “reasoning.”)
I know a little about Rifqa Bary, having seen a few articles and blog postings and youtube postings regarding her and relevant topics. And I live in Ohio. I have lived in Ohio since the ’60s. NOTE TO FLORIDA: Keep Rifqa out of Ohio. I don’t want her here.
Her parents (what loving, adoring people they are) and her relatives (who only want what’s best for her) are all too willing to leave the country with her and do Providence only knows what to her, or kill her wherever they are.
And, Florida, to seek advice from a councilor provided by an unindicted co-conspirator to terrorists? Are you outside your mind? This seventeen-year-old, nearly eighteen-year-old girl is in danger for her life and her well-being but you want to play politics with her life? You absolutely, definitely, must be outside your minds.
Keep her in Florida until she’s 18. Allow her to claim asylum because her fear for her life is real. And tell her murderous family and cohorts to get out of this country and pronto!
As I said before, Head Noises is one of the limited number of blogs I follow every day. Foxfier, the owner of Head Noises, has a sidebar with a “teaser” style blogroll. Visit the site to see what I mean. I find myself daily opening new tabs from her sidebar teasers.
Just a bit ago, I opened a new tab to Pursuing Holiness due to the teaser. And I’m angry/glad that I did. Laura’s (great name, since that’s my daughter’s name) quickie article had a couple important links. One went to Michelle Malkin, where I occasionally go (more often as time goes on).
After I link-surfed a bit, I decided to post a comment on Pursuing Holiness (link above).
And this is the comment I posted there:
Thanks for this linkage. I came here via Head Noises, as I always do.
I have to say Newt had my vote for prez back in the 90s and even as late as the mid-2000s. Today, not so much. Back in the day, Newt seemed to be a true Conservative. Today, not so much. To borrow a term I’ve heard on Patterico’s Pontifications, Newt seems to be an alphabetist. He’ll support anyone with an (R) after the name, no matter how far left that person is.
And to claim a far-left loon (R) is moderate??? Give me a freakin’ break! Like I said elsewhere to a real Conservative who happens to be a pragmatist, NY-23 is the perfect time and place for Conservatives to yell out to the moderate party “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?” Perhaps, the RNC and NRCC will finally receive that wake-up call that was made many times this year.
Tea Parties across the nation were not pro-(R). 912 in DC and elsewhere were not pro-(R). “Wee-weed-up” Town Hall meetings in August of this year were not pro-(R). They were all “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?” gatherings of a few dozen (close snark at MSM) people.
The question is: Is the Grand Ol’ Party as deaf as the donkey party? NY-23 is a focal point. Reactions that follow will have their own stories to tell. As far as Newt goes, he has shown he can grow a new tale. But has he shown he can actually hear anything?
Dana Pico
DNW
Foxfier
Hube
Yorkshire
Truth Before Dishonor 