Health Care 'Reform' Not increase deficit?

Happy New Year friends!!

I have friend named Jim who insists that ObamaCare will NOT increase the Federal Deficit, that it will NOT cause people to lose their current health care plans, that it will NOT impact national debt...

I have, alternately, insisted that it will. (How could it not?) You can check out our discussion in this comment section if you're into details, specifics; if you enjoy the minutia of the issue.

If you're like me, you enjoy details, but every so often one must take a step back & see the 'forest for the trees.' I've written before about Charles Krauthammer's brilliance; how he displays his nimble intellect every time he opens his mouth. And, true to form, Dr. K again shows us how to step back & see that there is, in fact, a forest among the tedium of trees.

Watch & learn, friends. Watch & learn (you too, Jim):



And if this isn't enough - or recent enough - take a look @ this article. Here are some quotes, just in case you're in a hurry...

"Republicans, emboldened by a new letter from the Congressional Budget Office, accused Democrats on Wednesday of 'Bernie Madoff accounting' for double counting the savings from Medicare as a means to pay for the Senate health care bill."

"The real score on this legislation is that it would cause the deficit to increase, and not be a surplus as the president has promised," Sessions told Fox News. "And a lot members of our Congress have said I won't vote for this bill unless it's deficit neutral. It's not deficit neutral. It will add to the debt. That's clear today."

"To describe the full amount of HI trust fund savings as both improving the government's ability to pay future Medicare benefits and financing new spending outside of Medicare would essentially double-count a large share of those savings and thus overstate the improvement in the government's fiscal position."

"Either you've weakened the Medicare substantially or you're going to have no money to spend on the new program that's being created," he said. "You cannot spend this money twice."

"Bernie Madoff accounting..."

"Bernie Madoff accounting..."

"Bernie Madoff accounting..."

Me? I'm not sure how it could be any more clear...You?

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Best Movies of all Time??

Alrighty, then! Let's see if we can change the subject...

Our new friend, Fredd has a recent post in which he lists - according to his opinion - the Top 10 movies of all time. Because I was intrigued I read with pleasure, then added a few of my own in his comment section. Fredd's post got a discussion going between my sweetheart & me, & here's the list we came up with: *S indicates Sus' choice, H indicates husband's choice

15) Prince of Egypt (1998) -- S

14) Driving Miss Daisy (1989) -- H

13) Top Gun (1986) -- S, H

12) Apollo 13 ( 1995) -- H

11) Beaches (1988) -- S

10) Jaws (1975)-- H

9) We Are Marshall (2006) -- S, H

8) Shawshank Redemption (1994) -- H

7) The Sound of Music (1965) -- S

6) Dirty Dancing (1987) -- S, H

5) Rocky (1976) -- S, H

4) The Patriot (2000) -- S, H

3) Braveheart(1995) -- S, H

2) Forrest Gump (1994) -- S, H

1) Schindler's List (1993) -- S

So, what would you add, subtract?

What say you?

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Work George Washington would approve of...

You've seen the Reindeer Christmas message, you have seen my Merry Christmas wishes @ other blogs, & it really is ALL about Jesus.

However, here's a message from Christmas, 1776 that we all MUST hear; because we are Americans, & we need to be about the work that George Washington would approve of...

Please watch this exquisitely articulate speech in it's entirety:


Curtsy to Joe for the video - Joe's always got good stuff!

So.

I will be one of those Americans. Will you?

Merry, Merry Christmas.

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Bedazzle them with Brilliance

My last post was lifted directly from an Americans for Prosperity letter, & provided links for contacting Congress . Today, I'm lifting a post directly from a friend's such letter to our very own Freshman Senator, Kay Hagan (D - NC). Our friend tells it like it is, & makes no apologies for his position:

Dear Senator Hagan:

"...If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS. This is especially true if you think that the general populace are idiots. All of this is straight from the DNC playbook. I hope you enjoy your time in DC; because until your office begins to understand that NC hasn't changed it's conservative, RED State views and your votes continue to be aligned with the DNC, Reid and his lackeys; your position will pass as quickly as Edwards did. You represent all of NC. Not the DNC that paid for your election.

I will make one last plea, STOP SPENDING MY CHILD'S FUTURE. I need nothing form the the Federal Government except to be left alone and a military to protect our borders. I will raise my child to do the same. This is nothing new for me or the generations before me. We stand on our own ability. What does this say about your office and the rest of the DNC that are trying to convince us that we need protecting? Not much really. I'm just preparing for the future that you are helping to create. A future that is sold out to China and everyone else that we have become indebted to. Good luck with that "change thing" that you have going on.

God help us, because you surely aren't.

Sincerely,
Concerned NC citizen


Bravo, friend! Our 'legislators' must hear from ALL of us in this manner - honest & straightforward; to the point.

Keep the pressure on.

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STOP ObamaCare! Act NOW!

Hi Friends,
Got this very important email today from Americans for Prosperity. They list concrete actions we can take against ObamaCare. PLEASE READ & take the few minutes involved in ACTION! It's now or never, folks!

Dear Susannah,

At 1:00 a.m. today, literally in the dead of night, the United States Senate on a straight party line voted to move closer to the health care takeover.

60 Democrats voted YES and 40 Republicans voted NO.

In my 25 years in the political arena I thought I had seen it all for political pay-offs, crass deal cutting, and bare-knuckle threats. But, Majority Leader Reid, and sadly, even President Obama reached a new low. To avoid the blizzard of calls from their constituents, folks like you and me, most Democrat Senators actually turned off their phones as they prepared for the dead of night vote on Monday morning.

A couple of examples:

*Senator Ben Nelson got an unprecedented deal to force federal taxpayers to pick up 100% of the cost of Nebraska's Medicaid expansion--forever.

*Connecticut's Senator, Christopher Dodd, got a $100 million earmark for a hospital at the University of Connecticut.

*Vermont Senators Pat Leahy and Bernie Sanders, who had been threatening to oppose the bill from the Left, got an extra $250 million in Medicaid funding.

*In Florida, Senator Bill Nelson got three counties carved out of Medicare Advantage cuts that will happen everywhere else in the country.

*Of course we know about the "Louisiana Purchase" where Reid and Obama paid $300 million of our taxpayer dollars to the pet projects of Senator Landrieu to secure her vote.

Yes, this is frustrating. Yes, we lost a round in the Senate and it was a tough one.

But, we cannot give up the fight. And, we're not. After Senator Nelson's cave-in on Saturday, Americans for Prosperity sponsored a rally yesterday with one day's notice in Omaha, which Mike Huckabee flew out to headline. On the last Sunday afternoon before Christmas, the press reported that over 1,800 fired-up grassroots activists showed up to tell Senator Nelson what they thought of his sellout! CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES AND STORIES.

In Virginia, where Senator Jim Webb was a key swing vote, we held a state tele-town hall call with Congressman Frank Wolf on Saturday and over 10,000 people joined the call with a full 5,000 of those folks staying on for extended periods of time. We asked people to go to TellWebbNO.com and send an email or make a call to Senator Webb and thousands did just that. He was the last Democrat to publicly announce his support for the bill, around 9:00 p.m. last night, and we will hold him accountable for caving.

Here are the next steps on the Congressional front:

The second big vote to end debate on the health care takeover bill will occur around 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

If Reid and Obama hold all 60 of their votes, then there will be one more cloture vote (to end debate) Wednesday evening and a final vote on passage of the bill sometime on Thursday.

After that, the House and Senate would have to hold a conference to work through the considerable differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

Then, the health care takeover would have to pass both chambers again. That final battle would most likely take place in early January.

It's the Holiday Season. And we've been in a long hard fight. You've done so much. Sacrificed a lot. But, I'm asking you to do two last things before these final Senate votes.

1. CLICK HERE TO Contact your Senators one more time to tell them you are fully aware of all the pork-barrel earmarks, vote buying and political corruption in this health care bill. And, that you want them to reject this kind of politics and vote NO. If your Senators are Republicans, THANK THEM for voting against this bill this morning.

2. Take a moment to email your friends/family list. YOU CAN USE THIS LINK to ask them to take action by contacting their Senators today. If we can show a frenzy of activity now -- just a few days before Christmas -- that will send a powerful message.

We're winning with the American public. Every poll shows that. This political class in Washington knows that and so they are desperately trying to get this thing done now using the Holiday Season and the dark of night as cover. Let's not let them get away with it.

One last thing. I want to hear directly from you -- in your own words -- why you're fighting this health care fight as a grassroots activist. Please email healthcare@afp-mail.com and just tell me in a few words why you're involved. I think it will be encouraging and helpful for folks around the country to hear the reasons why Americans like you are doing what you are doing.

We'll post a sampling of your words -- without using your full name -- in the next few days. In the meantime, let's keep fighting.

PS: Remember, the next Senate vote is Tuesday morning around 7 a.m. Let's make sure they hear from us again. CLICK HERE

Americans for Prosperity® (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans...
For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

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Reindeer Watch!

Hi Friends!

I'm here to touch base. We've had so much going on at our house - as most people, I'm sure. But, maybe our situation is unique...We're reindeer watching!

Our children are into Santa Claus -- ok, mainly the youngest one...Thus, they've been watching for 'sightings,' across the night skies. I've also been extremely busy with these "Reindeer Watch" responsiblilities, & have needed to put blogging aside (please humor me, my family does). Unfortunate as that is, I am extremely gratified to report that our efforts have met with success!

As a bonus, I have gleaned photographic documentation, lest any skeptics cross this path.

scroll...

Please note:
As with a Messiah from On High born in a most unlikely place, what one expects (reindeer watch included) is not always what one gets...

Oh Santa! Please wait for me!!

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Docker's GETS IT!!

I. Love. This. Ad campaign.

Congratulations, Docker's ~ You DO get it! We need Heroes.

Once you 'get' what the problem is, you're well on your way to solving it. I, for one, am terribly gratified. (And all my men are getting Docker's for Christmas.)

Since their website wouldn't let me copy the pic. (see link above), here's the message:

"ONCE UPON A TIME, MEN WORE THE PANTS, AND WORE THEM WELL. WOMEN RARELY HAD TO OPEN DOORS AND LITTLE OLD LADIES NEVER CROSSED THE STREET ALONE. MEN TOOK CHARGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, THE WORLD DECIDED IT NO LONGER NEEDED MEN. DISCO BY DISCO, LATTE BY FOAMY NON-FAT LATTE, MEN WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR KHAKIS AND LEFT STRANDED ON THE ROAD BETWEEN BOYHOOD AND ANDROGYNY. BUT TODAY, THERE ARE QUESTIONS OUR GENDERLESS SOCIETY HAS TO ANSWER FOR. THE WORLD SITS IDLY BY AS CITIES CRUMBLE, CHILDREN MISBEHAVE AND THOSE LITTLE OLD LADIES REMAIN ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BAD GUYS, WE NEED HEROES. WE NEED GROWN-UPS. WE NEED MEN TO PUT DOWN THE PLASTIC FORK, STEP AWAY FROM THE SALAD BAR AND UNTIE THE WORLD FROM THE TRACKS OF COMPLACENCY. IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY. IT'S TIME TO ANSWER THE CALL OF MANHOOD. IT'S TIME TO WEAR THE PANTS."

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The Fence Test: which side are you on?

Hi Friends! Here's a 'test' for you. Got this the other day through email. Read on & see on which 'side of the fence' you're sitting:

The Fence Test
If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.

If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed, AND he makes you turn yours in to the Police.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, she doesn't eat meat.

If a liberal is a vegetarian, she wants meat products banned for everyone, & tries to guilt you into losing your appetite.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.

A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him, AND tries to make you feel guilty for your success.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, she switches stations.

The liberal demands that those they don't like be shut down; 1st Amendment is only for them, you see.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.

A liberal non-believer wants to silence any mention of God or religion, unless it is practiced by a slim minority, of course.

If a conservative decides she needs health care, she shops for it, or chooses a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that all of us pay for hers.

If a conservative reads this, he'll smile a knowing smile & have a good laugh.

A liberal will click off in a huff, or post a snide comment it because he's "offended."

So, there's the fence. Which side are you on?

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