YOUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK:
FIRST CARS, NOW FOREIGN OIL.
August 19, 1:10 am:
Today's Wall Street Journal contains some puzzling news for all
Americans who are impacted by high energy prices and who share the goal
of moving us toward energy independence.
For years, states rich with an abundance of oil and natural gas have
been begging Washington, DC politicians for the right to develop their
own natural resources on federal lands and off shore. Such development
would mean good paying jobs here in the United States (with health
benefits) and the resulting royalties and taxes would provide money for
federal coffers that would potentially off-set the need for higher
income taxes, reduce the federal debt and deficits, or even help fund a
trillion dollar health care plan if one were so inclined to support
such a plan.
So why is it that during these tough times, when we have great needs at
home, the Obama White House is prepared to send more than two billion
of your hard-earned tax dollars to Brazil so that the nation's
state-owned oil company, Petrobras, can drill off shore and create jobs
developing its own resources? That's all Americans want; but such
rational energy development has been continually thwarted by rabid
environmentalists, faceless bureaucrats and a seemingly endless parade
of lawsuits aimed at shutting down new energy projects.
I'll speak for the talent I have personally witnessed on the oil fields
in Alaska when I say no other country in the world has a stronger
workforce than America, no other country in the world has better safety
standards than America, and no other country in the world has stricter
environmental standards than America. Come to Alaska to witness how oil
and gas can be developed simultaneously with the preservation of our
eco-system. America has the resources. We deserve the opportunity to
develop our resources no less than the Brazilians. Millions of
Americans know it is true: "Drill, baby, drill." Alaska is proof you
can drill and develop, and preserve nature, with its magnificent
caribou herds passing by the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS),
completely unaffected. One has to wonder if Obama is playing politics
and perhaps refusing a "win" for some states just to play to the left
with our money.
The new Gulf of Mexico lease sales tomorrow sound promising and perhaps
will move some states in the right direction, but we all know that the
extreme environmentalists who serve to block progress elsewhere,
including in Alaska, continue to block opportunities. These
environmentalists are putting our nation in peril and forcing us to
rely on unstable and hostile foreign countries. Mr. Obama can stop the
extreme tactics and exert proper government authority to encourage
resource development and create jobs and health benefits in the U.S.;
instead, he chooses to use American dollars in Brazil that will help to
pay the salaries and benefits for Brazilians to drill for resources
when the need and desire is great in America.
Buy American is a wonderful slogan, but you can't say in one breath
that you want to strengthen our economy and stimulate it, and then in
another ship our much-needed dollars to a nation desperate to drill
while depriving us of the same opportunity.
This has been generated by the Tennessee Federation of Women.
It is important that we understand how “We The People”
will be affected if this health bill is passed. Please take time to
listen to the Fred Thompson interview clip and read the bullet list
below if you don't want to take time to read the 1017 pages of the
bill. It will then be time to let your Representatives and Senators
know what you think about ACTUAL BILL HR3200.
This needs the widest possible circulation.
If you don't read or listen to anything else today, listen to this.
Listen to the Betsy McCaughey interview: Unbelievable!
Interview on the Fred Thompson Show (7/16/09) from
a Patient Rights Advocate, Betsy McCaughey.
She has read all of
the bill and points out many things that you will be shocked at,
including whether or not, at our age, there's any point of having any
medical care for certain conditions to help us live longer.
It pays to take a look at what is actually in the healthcare bill
Shock: Inside the Healthcare Bill
Pg 22 of the HC Bill mandates the government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that sell insurance! Pg 30 Section 123 of HC Bill - There will be a GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get
Pg 20 Line 4-16 in the HC Bill - Your health care is RATIONED so that no one person gets 'more' or 'better' health care than another
Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you. YOU have NO choice!
Pg 58 of HC Bill - Government will have real-time access to individuals finances and a National ID health card will be issued!
Pg 59 Lines 21-24 of HC Bill - Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 of HC Bill - Government is creating a health care exchange to bring private health care plans under government control.
Pg 84 Section 203 of HC Bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private health care plans in the exchange
PG 145 Line 15-17 of HC Bill - An employer MUST auto enroll employees into public health plan. NO CHOICE.
Pg 146 Lines 22-25 of HC Bill - Employers MUST pay for health care for part time employees and their families.
Pg 149 Lines 16-24 of HC Bill - ANY employer with payroll 400k & above who does not provide public option pays 8% tax on all payroll
Pg 150 Lines 9-13 of HC Bill - Business with payroll between 251k & 400k who doesn't provide public option
pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
Pg 167 Lines 18-23 of HC Bill - ANY individual who doesn't have acceptable health care according to the government will be taxed 2.5% of income
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 of HC Bill - Any NONRESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay).
Pg 195 of HC Bill - Officers and employees of health care administration (government) will have access to ALL Americans financial/personal records.
Pg 203 Line 14-15 of HC Bill - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes it says that!
Pg 239 Line 14-24 of HC Bill - Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid, seniors, low income, and poor affected.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 of HC Bill - Doctors, it doesn't matter what specialty the have, will all be paid the same.
PG 253 Line 10-18 of HC Bill - Government sets value of doctors time, professional judgment, etc. Literally places value on humans.
PG 265 Section 1131 of HC Bill - Government mandates & controls productivity for private health care industries
Page 280 Section 1151 of HC Bill - The government will penalize
hospitals for what they deem as preventable readmission's.
Pg 298 Lines 9-11 of HC Bill - Doctors treat a patient during initial admission, then that results in a readmission- government will penalize you.
Pg 317 Lines 13-20 of HC Bill - Government TELLS doctors what/how much they can own!
Pg 341 Lines 3-9 of HC Bill - Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advanced Plans, HMOs, etc. forcing people into government plan.
Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people!
Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory comittee.
PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Think Senior Citizens end of life
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death
PG 427Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program for orders for end of life. The Govt has a say in how your life ends
Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An "advice. care planning consult" will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates
PG 429 Lines 10-12 "advice. care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from
GOV
Pg 429 Lines 13-25 - The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.
PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Govt will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life
Pg 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit organizations.
Page 472Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment to a
community-based organization. Like ACORN?
PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt into your marriage
Pg 494-498 Govt will cover Mental Health services including defining, creating, rationing those services
Actual Bill HR3200 is 1017 pages long so will take a few minutes to download.
By H. JOSEF HEBERT and DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writers H. Josef Hebert And Dina Cappiello, Associated Press Writers
–
Fri Jun 26, 7:37 pm ET
WASHINGTON – In a triumph for President Barack Obama,
the Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed sweeping legislation
Friday that calls for the nation's first limits on pollution linked to global warming and aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, yet more costly energy.
The
vote was 219-212, capping months of negotiations and days of intense
bargaining among Democrats. Republicans were overwhelmingly against the
measure, arguing it would destroy jobs in the midst of a recession
while burdening consumers with a new tax in the form of higher energy
costs.
The House's action fulfilled Speaker
Nancy Pelosi's vow to clear major energy legislation before July 4, and
sent the measure to a highly uncertain fate in the Senate.
Obama lobbied recalcitrant Democrats by phone from the White House as the debate unfolded across several hours, and Al Gore posted a statement on his Web site saying the measure represents "an essential first step towards solving the climate crisis." The former vice president won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work drawing attention to the destructive potential of global warming.
On
the House floor, Democrats hailed the legislation as historic, while
Republicans said it would damage the economy without solving the
nation's energy woes.
It is "the most important energy and environmental legislation
in the history of our country," said Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
"It sets a new course for our country, one that steers us away from
foreign oil and towards a path of clean American energy."
But Rep. John Boehner,
the House Republican leader, used an extraordinary one-hour speech
shortly before the final vote to warn of unintended consequences in
what he said was a "defining bill." He called it a "bureaucratic
nightmare" that would cost jobs, depress real estate prices and put the
government into parts of the economy where it now has no role.
The legislation would require the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions
by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by about 80 percent by
mid-century. That was slightly more aggressive than Obama originally
wanted, 14 percent by 2020 and the same 80 percent by mid-century.
U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are rising at about 1 percent a year and are predicted to continue increasing without mandatory limits.
Under
the bill, the government would limit heat-trapping pollution from
factories, refineries and power plants and issue allowances for
polluters. Most of the allowances would be given away, but about 15
percent would be auctioned by bid and the proceeds used to defray
higher energy costs for lower-income individuals and families.
"Some would like to do more. Some would like to do less," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer,
D-Md., said in advance of the final vote. "But we have reached a
compromise ... and it is a compromise that can pass this House, pass
that Senate, be signed by the president and become law and make
progress."
One of the biggest compromises
involved the near total elimination of an administration plan to sell
pollution permits and raise more than $600 billion over a decade —
money to finance continuation of a middle class tax
cut. About 85 percent of the permits are to be given away rather than
sold in a ceoncession to energy companies and their allies in the House
— and even that is uncertain to survive in the Senate.
The
final bill also contained concessions to satisfy farm-state lawmakers,
ethanol producers, hydroelectric advocates, the nuclear industry and
others, some of them so late that they were not made public until 3
a.m. on Friday.
Supporters and opponents agreed
the result would be higher energy costs but disagreed vigorously on the
impact on consumers. Democrats pointed to two reports — one from the
nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the other from the Environmental Protection Agency
— that suggested average increases would be limited after tax credits
and rebates were taken into account. The CBO estimated the bill would
cost an average household $175 a year, the EPA $80 to $110 a year.
Republicans questioned the validity of the CBO study and noted that even that analysis showed actual energy production costs
increasing $770 per household. Industry groups have cited other studies
showing much higher costs to the economy and to individuals.
The
White House and congressional Democrats argued the bill would create
millions of "green jobs" as the nation shifts to greater reliance on renewable energy sources
such as wind and solar and development of more fuel-efficient vehicles
— and away from use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.
It will "make our nation the world leader on clean energy jobs and technology," declared Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who negotiated deals with dozens of lawmakers in recent weeks to broaden the bill's support.
Pelosi,
D-Calif., took an intense personal interest in the measure, sitting
through hours of meetings with members of the rank and file and
nurturing fragile compromises.
At its heart, the bill was a trade-off, less than the White
House initially sought though it was more than Republicans said was
acceptable. Some of the dealmaking had a distinct political feel. Rep.
Alan Grayson, a first-term Democrat, won a pledge of support that $50
million from the proceeds of pollution permit sales in the bill would
go to a proposed new hurricane research facility in his district in
Orlando, Fla.
"This is revolutionary. This is a moment in history," declared Markey, a co-sponsor of the bill.
Republicans saw it differently.
This "amounts to the largest tax increase in American history under the guise of climate change," declared Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.
A new food safety bill is on the fast track
in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill
needs to be stopped.
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing
existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill
would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and
local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their
operations for the worse.
HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such
as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food
supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need
of effective regulation, but the bill does not specifically direct
regulation or resources to these areas.
(Read the section on tracing. That is NAIS, isn’t it? – highly disguised yet triggered by the word “trace.” )
Alarming Provisions:
Some of the more alarming provisions in the bill are:
* HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any
“facility” that holds, processes, or manufactures food. [isn't this
every home in the US, every garden?] Although “farms” are exempt, the
agency has defined “farm” narrowly. [What is the definition?] And
people making foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, or
breads would be required to register and pay the fee, which could drive
beginning and small producers out of business during difficult economic
times. [Yes. There are laws against this
corporate-size-destroys-the-little-guy policy, aren't there? Are home
bread or cheese or lacto-fermented vegetable makers who make for their
own families included in this?]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and
harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating
to our farmers. [This astounding control opens the door to CODEX. WTO
"good farming practices" will include the elimination of organic
farming by eliminating manure, mandating GMO animal feed, imposing
animal drugs, and ordering applications of petrochemical fertilizers
and pesticides. Farmers, thus, will be locked not only into the
industrialization of once normal and organic farms but into the forced
purchase of industry's products. They will be slaves on the land, doing
the work they are ordered to do - against their own best wisdom - and
paying out to industry against their will.
There will be no way to be frugal, to grow one's own grain to feed the
animals, to raise healthy animals without GMO grains or drugs, to work
with nature at all. Grass fed cattle and poultry and hogs will be
finished. So, it's obvious where control will take us. And weren't
these the "rumors on the internet" that were dismissed but are clearly
the case?]
* HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a
geographic area, including “prohibiting or restricting the movement of
food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or
hold such food within the geographic area.” [This - "that has been used
to transport or hold such food" - would mean all cars that have ever
brought groceries home so this means ALL TRANSPORTATION can be shut
down under this. This is using food as a cover for martial law.] Under
this provision, farmers markets and local food sources could be shut
down, even if they are not the source of the contamination. The agency
can halt all movement of all food in a geographic area. [This is also a
means of total control over the population under the cover of food, and
at any time.]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to make random warrantless searches of the
business records of small farmers and local food producers, without any
evidence whatsoever that there has been a violation. [If these bills
cover all who "hold food" then this allows for taking of records of
anyone at any time on no basis at all.] Even farmers selling direct to
consumers would have to provide the federal government with records on
where they buy supplies, how they raise their crops, and a list of
customers.
[NAIS for animals and all other foods?]
* HR 2749 charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services with
establishing a tracing system for food. Each “person who produces,
manufactures, processes, packs, transports, or holds such food” [Is
this not every home in the US?] would have to “maintain the full
pedigree of the origin and previous distribution history of the food,”
and “establish and maintain a system for tracing the food that is
interoperable with the systems established and maintained by other such
persons.” The bill does not explain how far the trace back will extend
or how it will be done for multi-ingredient foods. With all these
ambiguities, [with all these ambiguities, it is dangerous, period,
separate from the money] it’s far from clear how much it will cost
either the farmers or the taxpayers. [It is massive and absurd and
burdensome beyond the capacity of people to comply - is this not
fascism? - so it is a set up for being used to impose penalties
endlessly and/or to eliminate anyone at will.]
* HR 2749 creates severe criminal and civil penalties, including prison
terms of up to 10 years and/or fines of up to $100,000 for each
violation for individuals. [Does it include judicial review,
Congressional oversight, a defined and limited set of penalties and
punishments for a defined set of "crimes"? Or is it entirely ambiguous
and left to the whim and sole power of "the Administrator"? Who is that
person set to be? Is it Michael Taylor, Monsanto lawyer and executive,
as Food Democracy has said? That is, do these bills set up an agency by
which the entire US food supply will be turned over to the control of a
multinational corporation under WTO regulations (and not to US farmers
and not to US laws under the Constitution), with boundless freedom to
do what it wants, and one infamous for harm to farmers and lack of
safety of food?]
If it was not clear before how frightening these bills were, this small
section of provisions, should make their actual fascism clear now. It
goes way beyond “food safety” to absolute control over farms, animals,
food, and us, including our movements and access to food at all.
Action to Take:
Contact your Representative now! Ask to speak with the staffer who
handles food issues. Tell them you are opposed to the bill. Some points
to make in telling your Representative why you oppose HR 2749 include:
The bill imposes burdensome requirements while not specifically
targeting the industrial food system and food imports, where the real
food safety problems lie.
Small farms and local food processors are part of the solution to food
safety; lessening the regulatory burden on them will improve food
safety.
The bill gives FDA much more power than it has had in the past while making the agency less accountable for its actions.
HR 2749 needs to be defeated! Please take action NOW.
To contact your Representative, use the finder tool at www.Congress.org or send a message through the petition system (the petition will be on our website this evening) at http://www.ftcldf.org/petitions_new.htm. Or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
To check the status of HR 2749, go to www.Thomas.gov and type “HR 2749? in the bill search field.
Ten Things That Could Still Go Wrong with the Economy
From The Business Insider, June 11, 2009:
The recent buoyancy of the financial markets has created a sense of calm about the economy. The overall sense of panic has gone.
But there's still a wariness in the air, a feeling that the fragile
"green shoots" of the recovery might be stomped out by some new crisis.
People are waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Here we suggest 10 things that might stymie our recovery. Some are
purely financial events. Others are geopolitical. And one involves
these little piggies.
Did your favorite nightmare scenario make the cut?
1. Swine Flu Second Wave: Typically, influenza outbreaks come in waves,
getting worse with each one. The very ease with which we seem to have
survived the first wave of swine flu may make us vulnerable to a
horrific second wave.
2. Commercial Real Estate Collapse: Various commercial real estate
deals face trillions in refinancing obligations over the coming years.
But the market is practically closed, ensuring massive bankruptcies and
restructuring.
Why are lenders so freaked out? Because existing loans are going sour
at a pace unlike anything we've seen in history. Because of that, even
commercial real estate properties with strong cash flows are finding
financing extremely difficult to come by.
3. The Option Adjustable Rate Mortgage Explosion: Anyone referring to
the "subprime crisis" has got to get with the program. The subprime
wave of defaults is basically over. Now the question is, what about all
the other types of mortgages? You know, Option ARM, Alt-As and of
course, good old fashioned prime mortgage.
The big wave of Option ARM resets has yet to come, and given the drop
in home prices, refinancing won't be realistic. Let's hope the
homeowners can afford their new monthly payments.
4. Global Food Crisis: As we saw last year, the global food supply
teeters on the edge of adequacy. Any serious shock--floods in the
Midwest, a war in Asia, social unrest in China, political upheaval in
Thailand or Egypt--could result in shortages in countries that import
large amounts of their food.
5. Israel Bombs Iran: The Obama administration's openness to the
Iranian regime may have the perverse effect of emboldening its nuclear
ambitions. Very likely, the fears of the nuclear Iran are over-stated.
It would probably behave like most members of the global nuke club,
cowed by its own destructive power into behaving responsibly.
But Iran isn't the only country to worry about in the region. Israel
may not be willing to tolerate a nuclear armed Iran, and may choose to
strike out to destroy Iran's nascent nuclear capabilities. This would
obvious raise tensions throughout the Middle East. At the very least,
oil prices will likely spike and remain elevated following any military
action against Iran. This, in turn, will slow the global economy.
6. A Wave of Municipal Defaults: Historically, cities and states don't
default on their loans very much. But as Warren Buffett pointed out,
historical results don't mean jack because muni insurance wasn't
around. Unless it gets a bailout, California may go bankrupt, causing
the muni market to seize up, bringing public works and spending to a
halt, kneecapping GDP.
At that point, with no ability to borrow, the other states will rush to
default themselves, sparing their taxpayers any more pain.
7. Another Bank Run: It seems unlikely, given the government's implicit
guarantee of the banking sector, but it's always possible that
investors or lenders could lose confidence in one of the banks again,
prompting a financing run a la Bear Stearns.
If this happened, we'd be back to square one with all the confidence
and bailouts since Lehman's collapse -- only, the government would have
fewer bullets left in the gun.
8. Runaway Inflation: The Federal Reserve seems confident that it can "land the recovery." Is it right?
There's good reason to be skeptical that the Fed will be able to reduce
the monetary base before it floods out into the economy, driving up
prices and destroying savings. For one thing, the Fed has never really
been very good at doing this. By the time the Fed realizes that
inflation is taking off, it may be too late.
9. North Korean Missile Launch: Wee dictator Kim Jong II has lulled the
world to sleep, performing missile tests on a seemingly daily basis.
What was once a cause for alarm now barely merits a bulletin on CNBC.
In fact, the dollar has rallied on the nervousness.
But his neighbors in China, South Korea and Japan are freaked out and
an actual war, or genuine provocation, could wreak havoc on far eastern
trade. This might cause investors to flee towards the dollar, but it
would be terrible for markets and economic activity.
10. Chinese Financial Crisis: Most economic discussion of China these
days is about how dependent the US government has become on China
buying Treasury bonds. But China has lately learned that its own
economy is dangerously leveraged on foreign demand for Chinese
manufactured goods. The global downturn has helped expose the fragility
of the Chinese economic miracle, and worse might be coming.
A collapse of profits in China could very well spark a banking crisis,
much like the collapse of real estate prices did to US financial
institutions. Very little attention has been paid to the fragility of
the Chinese financial system, which is dominated by large, slow,
non-transparent, often corrupt state-run banks and centralized decision
making. Slowing exports could be the tide that goes out and reveals
which Chinese banks have been swimming naked. And the Chinese financial
system, which has almost no effective securitization and therefore high
concentrations of financial risk, is much less prepared to deal bank
failures than the US was.
Of course, this will be bad news for the US. Any financial crisis in
China will hurt the demand for our debt, both public and private,
driving up interest rates and slowing down the US economy. This, in
turn, would reduce demand for Chinese exports, exposing shaky banks to
risk of collapse all over again.
