Dependence: It’s All About Who One is Dependent on.

According to the Census Bureau, there are more people on some sort of means-tested government benefits program then working full-time in the fourth quarter of 2011 with 108,592,000 people receiving benefits and only 101,716,000 working full-time.  (1)  As someone currently working full time, and when tax season rolls around, more than full time, I now understand why I feel like the hamster on the wheel.  I am running with all my might and seem to be going nowhere. 

These Census Bureau figures signify that we have crossed a serious line where there are now more on the dole then are paying into the system.  This trend is entirely unsustainable and must be reversed but, the longer people in our nation are dependent on some sort of government assistance, the harder it will be to reverse this dangerous trend. 

Mitt Romney took a lot of heat in the last Presidential Election when he made his 47% comment.  Here is a transcript of Romney’s comment, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.  All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.  That that’s an entitlement.  And the government should give it to them.  And they will vote for this president no matter what...

“Our message of low taxes doesn’t connect...so my job is is not to worry about those people.  I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.  What I have to do is convince the five to 10 percent in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful....” (2)   Mitt Romney did not win the election and so the unsustainable trend of the ever-expanding dependency class continues to grow.  The question now before us is how do we reverse this dangerous trend of government dependency?

We are all born as dependent creatures.  Without the help of loving parents to feed us and take care of our basic needs, we would all die soon after our birth.  As we progress in our lives, we grow and become less dependent on our parents.  However, this does not mean we are no longer dependent creatures, it means that we transfer our dependency to others.   

Some people choose the path of dependence on a career.  They go to school and attain a marketable skill and either go to work for someone else or start their own business.  This is the career path Mitt Romney chose for his life and was the perspective he was coming from when he made his comments.  Romney’s opponents believed he was poking fun at those drawing a government check and condemned him for his remarks.  However, as someone who has chosen the career path of dependence, Mitt Romney was attempting to point out how government dependence is cheating many of the opportunity to succeed as he had. 

However, like any man made program, the career path is not perfect and not everyone succeeds as Mitt Romney did.  This is because success is dependent on the abilities and ambition of the individual.  Some individuals with high level of drive and ambition are able to achieve great success while others only achieve limited success or even fail due to a lack of ambition or drive.  However, those choosing the career path retain greater control of their success because it is dependent upon how much drive and ambition they put into their pursuits.  For those that have failed in the career path, they may have to go on a government program temporarily while they discover a new career path that will lead to their success.

However, some individuals choose to place their dependency on some government official or program.  These are the people Mitt Romney was referring to in his comments about the 47%.  These individuals will always vote for someone promising more government programs to meet their needs with no consideration for what damage these programs may do to our nation.  For example, they are not concerned about Obamacare raising the debt and causing massive deficits just as long as they can receive free health care.  However, with the failure to launch of Obamacare, and the sticker shock of finding out it will cost even more than their current coverage, the 47% may be suffering from some buyer’s remorse.  (3)  Such is the plight of those choosing to be dependent on government officials and programs designed to promote the politician and not the person suckered into voting for them.  Obamacare is not about affordable health care but about giving government, and politicians more control of our personal lives through our health care. 

The answer to our dependency dilemma is a change of heart.  To achieve this requires

1)      A restoration to the Godly principles this country was founded upon.  In the words of John Adams one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence we find, “[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.  The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue.”  (4)

2)      Changing our education system from its current operation as an indoctrination system back into an education system by restoring control of the classroom back to teachers.  Of course for this to work we must rid our education system of bad teachers by eliminating tenure and abolishing teachers unions designed to protect the current indoctrination system.  We also must eliminate the current trend in education towards common core standards. 

3)      Changing the media by boycotting movies and programs promoting promiscuity and vilification of the achievers whose ambition and hard work have built our great nation. 

4)      Educating people about how our Constitution was designed to protect the God given rights of our nation’s citizens and how over the last 100 years liberal progressives have incrementally torn our constitution to shreds.  We will then propose how we can peacefully bypass the federal process and add save guards to the constitution to restore our nation to Constitution law as our founders envisioned. 

As you can see, this will not be easy but I believe the people I am speaking to are not opposed to a challenge and hard work.  Without a change of heart in our nation, I shudder to think of the kind of nation we will leave for our children and grandchildren. 

Over the next several Wednesdays, we will be looking in depth at each of these steps toward the changing of the heart of our nation.  Many of us wonder what we can do to restore our nation.  It is my hope that what we discover over the next few Wednesdays will provide some answers. 

1. Rousselle, Christine. Great: More Americans on Welfare Than Working Full Time. townhall.com. [Online] Towh Hall, October 25, 2013. [Cited: October 29, 2013.] http://townhall.com/tipsheet/christinerousselle/2013/10/25/great-more-americans-on-welfare-than-working-full-time-n1731984.

2. Sargent, Greg. Romney: I’ll never convince Obama voters to take responsibility for their lives. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, September 17, 2012. [Cited: October 29, 2013.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/romney-ill-never-convince-obama-voters-to-take-responsibility-for-their-lives/2012/09/17/0c1f0bcc-0104-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_blog.html.

3. Coca, Onan. Obamacare Fans Get Sticker Shock. eaglerising.com. [Online] Eagle Rising, October 9, 2013. [Cited: October 29, 2013.] http://eaglerising.com/2162/obamacare-fans-get-sticker-shock/.

4. Wall Builder. Importance of Morality and Religion in Government . www.wallbuilders.com. [Online] Wall Builders, January 2000. [Cited: October 30, 2013.] http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=63.

Lies, Extortion, and Religious Oppression: Just Another Week in Washington

“If you like your health insurance or your doctor, you can keep it.”  (1)  This was the mantra throughout the debate over the passage of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare or the unaffordable care act).  However with the continued failure to launch of the Obamacare exchanges these words will no doubt go down in history right alongside Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” and Bill Clinton’s “I never had sex with that woman.”  These words prove that politicians will say anything to stay in office, win elections, or have a crucial piece of legislation passed. 

The finger pointing has begun in Washington over the failure to launch of the Obamacare exchanges.  During the recent Senate hearings regarding the failure of the Obamacare website to work, the government is blaming the tech companies responsible for writing the software and running the infrastructure.  (2)  These companies are blaming the government for making last minute changes including a change not allowing people to browse different plans before providing personal information.  (3)  In fact, imbedded in the code for the software is language stating that people signing into the site have no reasonable expectation of privacy.  (4)  This means that once someone provides private information such as their Social Security number and birthdate, that information may become available to third parties, including hackers and identity thieves.  Since this information is required up front, visitors to the site expose themselves to identity theft even if they do not purchase health insurance. 

We even had one senator stating that HIPPA did not apply when applying at the exchanges because the process asks no health questions.  (4)  This may be true due to the fact insurance companies will no longer be able to consider pre-existing conditions and do not need this information.  However, have these senators ever heard of identity theft?  I guess some senators may not have heard of identity theft since they seem to have been in Washington too long and have lost touch with the American People.  No wonder many, including myself, support term limits. 

The truth is people are losing their health insurance, including 300,000 in Florida.  (5)  Doctors are retiring in large numbers (6) and people who have lost their insurance coverage will soon be flocking to emergency rooms to receive care, because the law requires the hospital to treat them, and then not paying for it.  This will place a financial strain on hospitals and possibly cause many to go broke.  (7)

It is now obvious that Obama’s promise we could keep our insurance or doctor was a lie just like Nixon’s and Clinton’s but with one exception.  This lie will affect every one of us since we are all consumers of health care at some time in our lives.  We can only hope that with these lies now revealed, voters will do a better job of checking out the candidates in the future. 

This week also saw the release of Peter Schweizer’s book Extortion:  How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Pockets.  In the book Mr. Schweizer explains how politicians introduce legislation, not because they are interested in it becoming law, but as a means of extorting money from people and organizations to protect themselves from onerous legislation becoming law.  (8)  This extortion racket helps explain how politicians are able to leave office wealthy far beyond what their legislative salaries would justify. 

According to Mr. Schweizer this scheme, known as tollbooth, works the following way.  “Here the speaker of the House or a powerful committee chairperson will create a procedural obstruction or postponement on the eve of an important vote.  Campaign contributions are then implicitly solicited.  If the tribute offered by those in favor of the bill’s passage is too small (or if the money from opponents is sufficiently high), the bill is delayed and does not proceed down the legislative highway.”  (8)  In other words, as most of us have suspected all along, those with sufficient amounts of cash can get legislation through committee and passed through the legislature or block legislation harmful to their interests. 

Along with lies and extortion, we also observed religious oppression this week and in of all places, our own military.  At a Ft. Hood briefing soldiers were reportedly told that evangelical Christians and Tea Party supporters are a threat to the United States and are “tearing the nation apart.”  (9)  As if this was not bad enough the briefing went on to tell soldiers that they could be charged with a military crime if they supported evangelical Christian or Tea Party organizations.  (9) In other words, a soldier giving his tithe to his evangelical Christian church may be subject to court martial.  By the way, this is the same Ft. Hood where a shooting by a radical Muslim extremist was excused as “workplace violence.”  I guess there is no longer religious equality in the military. 

What a travesty.  Men and women, many of them hardly out of High School, volunteer for the military and our politicians send them into harm’s way.  Many of these men and women do not come back alive and some come back with disabling injuries and missing limbs.  Many of these men and women find comfort in their faiths and to denying them comfort of their faith will significantly reduce their morale. 

I read many news reports in preparation for the pieces I write for my blog and do not recall reading of any terrorism done by evangelical Christians or Tea Party organizations and so am puzzled as to why our military would consider them a threat to our national security.  The only threat I can see from these organizations is their political threat to the liberal statist agenda. 

It was just another week of lies, extortion, and religious oppression in Washington.  Is it any wonder many are calling for the bums to be thrown out in the next election?  (10)

1. Ellerson, Lindsey. President Obama Continues Questionable “You Can Keep Your Health Care” Promise. abcnews.go.com. [Online] ABC News, July 16, 2009. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/07/president-obama-continues-questionable-you-can-keep-your-health-care-promise/.

2. Kuranda, Sarah. 'Tech Surge' Ordered To Fix Stumbling Obamacare Site. www.crn.com. [Online] CRN, October 21, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/240162913/tech-surge-ordered-to-fix-stumbling-obamacare-site.htm.

3. Cohen, Tom. Contractors blame government for Obamacare website woes . www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN Politics, October 25, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/politics/congress-obamacare-website/.

4. Martosko, David. Revealed: Obamacare subscribers have 'no reasonable expectation of privacy' and their details will be shared with 2,000 employees . www.dailymail.co.uk. [Online] Mailonline, October 24, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2475265/Obamacare-subscribers-reasonable-expectation-privacy-says-hidden-website-text-Democratic-congressman-calls-House-hearing-monkey-court.html.

5. Dixon, Matt. Florida Blue to cancel 300,000 policies over Obamacare. m.staugustine.com. [Online] Morris News Service, October 23, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://m.staugustine.com/news/florida-news/2013-10-23/florida-blue-cancel-300000-policies-over-obamacare.

6. Pipes, Sally. Thanks To Obamacare, A 20,000 Doctor Shortage Is Set To Quintuple. www.forbes.com. [Online] Forbes, June 10, 2013. [Cited: September 20, 2013.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/06/10/thanks-to-obamacare-a-20000-doctor-shortage-is-set-to-quintuple/.

7. Pinckney, Barbara. Hospitals feel financial crush from uninsured. www.bizjournals.com. [Online] Albany Business Review, January 19, 2009. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/01/19/story3.html?page=all.

8. Schweizer, Peter. POLITICIANS' EXTORTION RACKET. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 22, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/22/Politicians-Extortion-Racket.

9. Klukowski, Ken. MILITARY TRAINING DOCUMENT: ANTI-CHRISTIAN SPLC A TRUSTED SOURCE TO DEFINE 'EXTREMISM'. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 23, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/10/23/Military-Training-Doc-Anti-Christian-SPLC-a-Trusted-Source-to-Define-Extremism.

10. Montanaro, Domenico. NBC/WSJ poll: 60 percent say fire every member of Congress. firstread.nbcnews.com. [Online] NBC News, October 1, 2013. [Cited: October 25, 2013.] http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/10/20903531-nbcwsj-poll-60-percent-say-fire-every-member-of-congress.

Overcoming Obstacles to Tea Party Organization:

In my posting on Saturday October 19, 2013, I challenged Tea Party members to once again engage in the political battle facing our nation.  We discussed how we were able to achieve a great victory in 2010 when we were engaged and visible.  Then we discussed why the Tea Party mysteriously went silent in 2012 because of the time necessary to fight numerous IRS investigations.  In this posting, I want to begin addressing the obstacles that are in the Tea Party’s way.  The first obstacle we need to overcome is fear. 

As men, we like to put on fronts of fearlessness but in all honesty, there are things that cause us all to have fear.  I remember when I first met my wife in college.  I really wanted to ask her out but fear gripped me and somehow closed my mouth.  If my wife had not of asked me out, she probably would not be my wife today.  Tea Party Conservatives must ask themselves what do we fear that prevents us from effectively telling people about the conservative Constitutional foundation of this country. 

As we saw after 2010, fear of oppression from the IRS had a major impact on the Tea Party’s participation in the 2012 election.  As a tax preparer, I understand fully the very real fear of an IRS investigation.  I always make it a point to advise clients of the need to be able to document all of the income and deductions claimed on their tax return just in case they are called in for an audit.  I have actually had clients drop a deduction from their return or add additional income out of concern it will come up in an audit. 

Since our current tax code taxes income and allows certain deductions, being able to document these things is understandably something every taxpayer should be diligent to do.  However, what the IRS was doing to Tea Party organizations was a gross overstepping of their legal authority.  For example, the IRS asked one organization to reveal the content of their prayers.  (1)  The IRS also unfairly targeted 100% of organizations with the words ‘Tea Party’ in their names while granting progressive and liberal organizations almost immediate tax-exempt status.  (2)  These types of inquiries go way beyond the IRS’s authority as the nation’s tax collection agency.

Since the IRS will be heavily involved in the enforcement of the Obamacare mandate this year and with the disastrous roll out of the exchanges, the IRS will have its hands full as either they will be accessing a fine, or tax as the Supreme Court ruled it, or turning people to an exchange website that does not work.  I remember the uproar from clients last year when we had to tell of delays in the processing of their returns, and refunds because the IRS did not open up for business until January 31.  I believe that this year the IRS will be on defense instead of offence and to use a football analogy, you cannot score if you do not have the ball. 

It will be interesting to see low information voters who have not been paying attention to politics suddenly face the reality of having to pay a fine or buying health insurance through one of the exchanges.  Then they will encounter the incompetency of the government they love when they have difficulty logging onto the website.  Then, when they finally get through, they will see that the Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable.  I believe that the next government server farm and phone bank to go down will be the servers and phones at the IRS as people call to lodge their complaints.  This will definitely keep the IRS busy and serve to deflect their attention away from harassing tea party organizations.   

Then, the IRS recently admitted that it paid out up to $13.6 billion dollars on bogus refunds in 2013 and as much as $132.6 billion in the past decade.  (3)  This new allegation already has members of Congress bringing into question the IRS’s ability to administer Obamacare, which has the potential for even greater fraud as people attempt to qualify for subsidies by understating their incomes.  We need to let our Representatives and Senators know about the fraud and potential for new fraud.  They need to call the director of the IRS up and have him or her tell us what they are doing to end this fraud.  This too is a way to keep the IRS on defense. 

With the IRS on defense, the Tea Party will be free to begin its fund raising activities and rallies.  This could not occur at a better time.  What better time to be seen in the media condemning the incompetency and lies of government then when the previously uninformed voter has seen a fine assessed on their tax return, seen the incompetency of our government to set up a website, and the lies when they find out the price of the plans on the website.  That is when the Tea Party needs to be very visible presenting a better way. 

What is that better way?  Taking control of health care out of the hands of government and introducing free market competition, just as we currently do with our car insurance.  I remember when my wife lost her job and we were looking at ways of saving money.  One of the places I found savings was by shopping for more affordable car insurance.  Without any government assistance, I was able to go online and shop from websites of insurance companies, websites that actually worked.  I even found a policy that cost half of what I was previously paying with a zero deductible.  This is an example of what happens when there is no government intervention and the free market functions as a free market. 

The Tea Party has a window of opportunity to get out its message this tax season as citizens face the reality that their government does not work and is lying to them.  Let us get busy Tea Partiers and Political Avengers and do not let fear prevent us from getting the message out while we have this captive audience. 

1. Spiering, Charlie. Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers'. washingtonexaminer.com. [Online] The Washington Examiner, May 17, 2013. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://washingtonexaminer.com/congressman-irs-asked-pro-life-group-about-the-content-of-their-prayers/article/2529924.

2. Jones, Susan. IG: IRS Targeted 100% With 'Tea Party' in Name; 30% With 'Progress' or 'Progressive' - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ig-irs-targeted-100-tea-party-name-30-progress-or-progressive#sthash.T2Z7b1RT.dpuf. cnsnews.com. [Online] CNS News, June 27, 2013. [Cited: July 20, 2013.] http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ig-irs-targeted-100-tea-party-name-30-progress-or-progressive.

3. Dinan, Stephen. IRS wastes billions in bogus claims for Earned Income Tax Credit. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, October 22, 2013. [Cited: October 22, 2013.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/22/irs-paid-132B-bogus-tax-credits-over-last-decade/.

Surrender: So What Next

Washington is now open for business and has an additional trillion dollars to spend by raising the debt limit.  Before throwing a party and getting all excited, realize this is only a temporary situation and there is a possibility the doors will be boarded shut again on January 15, 2014.  Despite the valiant efforts of great men like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul who saw the disaster of Obamacare and saw an opportunity to save ordinary Americans like you and I from its destructive policies, Obamacare remains fully funded. 

The reopening of Washington occurred because the Republican establishment led by John Boehner in the House, and Mitch McConnell in the Senate caved in believing the lie that the apocalyptic end of the world would occur on October 17 when the country would default on its debt payments.  As I have written in previous posts, there was no reason to default because there is sufficient cash flowing into the treasury on a monthly basis to make these payments.  Default would have only occurred if our President had violated his Constitutional duty to make these debt payments in order to politically destroy his opposition.  The good news is that this battle is not over for the Republican establishment may have surrendered but the Tea Party did not.   

There has been talk lately about the possibility of the emergence of a third party.  Even prominent talk show host Sean Hannity spoke of the possibility of a third party being the answer to the nation’s current situation.  (1)  I understand the frustration of seeing Republicans cannibalize each other while the Democrats stood strong and united during this shutdown.  However, a third party that divides the Republican will insure Democrat majorities in both houses of Congress and control of the White House for many decades.  We saw what these people were able to accomplish with only two years of complete control and I shudder to think of what our nation would look like if they had decades of control.  (2) 

For those believing we need a third party and are willing to relinquish control of this country to liberal statists (3)  I want to offer a challenge.  In effect, the Tea Party is already functioning as a viable third party and has been able to elect many great leaders to office.  Men like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and the many conservative members of Congress who were able to gain a Republican majority in the House and relegate Pelosi to just another member of Congress are a result of the work of this effective third party.  If it is a third party you desire, join us in the tea party to help us elect more true conservatives to office. 

What the Tea Party lacks is a fund raising apparatus and national organization.  In 2010, the Tea Party was visible in the numerous rallies across this country and successfully raised funds for conservative candidates.  The Tea Party was also successful in gaining republican control in the House and eliminated the Democrat super majority in the Senate.  (4)  In 2010 the Tea Party was organized, visible, and the results were a great Republican victory. 

Unfortunately, the tea party mysteriously disappeared in 2012.  At least their disappearance was a mystery until it we discovered that tea party organizations were being rendered useless by IRS investigations.  The investigations were regarding the organizations applications for tax-exempt status.  (5)  If an organization had the words Tea Party, their application came under close scrutiny by the IRS.  The IRS did this for 100% of applications for organizations containing the words tea party and only 30% for organizations with the word progressive. 

These investigations used up any funds these organizations had for the 2012 campaign and explains why they went silent after the great victory in 2010.  The key for future Tea Party success is to discover how to end these investigations so they can raise funds to participate in the 2014 and 2016 elections.  Of course, if the Republican Party were as committed to its conservative base as it is in getting along with Democrats, the Tea Party would have ample funding for its activities through the Republican Party apparatus.  Unfortunately, the events of the last two weeks have revealed the depth of the rift between the Republican establishment and its conservative base. 

Therefore, I do not believe Tea Party conservatives will soon be able to take over the Republican Party apparatus as evidenced by how they treated Ted Cruz for only attempting to do what his constituents elected him to do.  In other words, Tea Party conservatives cannot expect any financial support from the party for its campaigns.  However, this does not mean victory is impossible. 

The strength of the Tea Party is in its grass roots nature.  The success of the Tea Party in 2010 was due to volunteers volunteering their time to make phone calls, knock on doors, and show up at rallies.  The Republican and Democrat Parties depend on contributions from their members, unions, and corporate donations.  They then use that money to buy expensive advertising. 

The Tea Party uses personal contact, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and email to get out their message.  The Tea Party also has the support of conservative talk radio so there is no reason we cannot get our message out.  This leads to the question, with all these tools at their disposal, why has the Tea Party been ineffective in getting out its message.

I believe its ineffectiveness is due to the Tea Party being a scattered group of several independent groups lacking centralized organization.  This is similar to the problems the country encountered when it was operating under the Articles of Confederation.  There must be some central organization determining which areas to target.  We can then organize activities in these areas using local Tea Party organizations. 

Using this type of central planning, the Tea Party will be more efficient in targeting races for Congress, the Senate, and key swing states in Presidential races and get out their message.  We can also use this level of organization to begin setting up the state constitutional amendment conventions to amend our Constitution and build safe guards against any future liberal progressive takeovers.  In this way, the Tea Party can effectively take over control of the Republican Party and render the current Republican establishment ineffective in promoting their democrat lite candidates. 

I am not sure how to begin forming such an organization but I know there are many highly educated and talented people in the Tea Party movement.  Now is the time for them to step up and begin the process of taking out the liberal, statist, progressive, RINO leviathan that is transforming our country into the tyranny our founders dreaded.  Use the comment section of this post to give me any ideas you may have or if you live in a state or district with a Tea Party member that is already in office, contact them to see if they have any ideas. 

We have the tools at our disposal to save our country we only lack the organization to effectively use them. 

1. Lee, Tony. HANNITY: COULD BE TIME FOR CONSERVATIVE THIRD PARTY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, october 15, 2013. [Cited: October 18, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/10/15/Hannity-Time-for-Conservative-Third-Party.

2. Howerton, Jason. Rush Limbaugh: We Must Take the GOP Over (+video). joemiller.us. [Online] Restoring Liberty, July 31, 2013. [Cited: October 18, 2013.] http://joemiller.us/2013/07/rush-limbaugh-we-must-take-the-gop-over-video/.

3. Naron, Mr. Now is it Time for a Third Party? www.rightnation.us. [Online] Right Nation, October 9, 2013. [Cited: October 18, 2013.] http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?s=9e438dd554cdf0094d35f6cd9c974d0c&app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=7.

4. Jonsson, Patrik. How the tea party helped GOP find a path to Election Day successes. www.csmonitor.com. [Online] The Christian Science Monitor, November 2, 2010. [Cited: August 2013, 2013.] http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/Tea-Party-Tally/2010/1102/How-the-tea-party-helped-GOP-find-a-path-to-Election-Day-successes.

5. Jones, Susan. IG: IRS Targeted 100% With 'Tea Party' in Name; 30% With 'Progress' or 'Progressive' . cnsnews.com. [Online] CNS News, June 27, 2013. [Cited: October 18, 2013.] http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ig-irs-targeted-100-tea-party-name-30-progress-or-progressive.

The Face of Obamacare

As Congress, the Senate, and the President continue so called negotiations over the government slowdown of 17% (1) and whether to raise the debt limit to suposedly pay debt for which the government already has the cash to pay, Obamacare seems to have gone missing.  I am not sure if we have to call the FBI, CIA, or even the park service because it seems a crime has been committed.  Perhaps we might see the face of Obamacare on a milk carton soon. 

Of course this would be impossible because Obamacare is not a person and does not have a face because it is a government program, but the fact that it does not seem to be a topic of negotiations any longer makes it appear the GOP has surrendered when it comes to stopping this failed program.  People continue to see their hours cut by their employers in an effort to prevent themselves from being required to provide insurance for their employees.  Insurance premiums are not going to decrease but are slated to become more costly since providers will now be required to cover pre-existing conditions.  This means more people forced into government run insurance exchanges that still do not work as well as having their incomes reduced or even facing the possibility of losing their job. 

This past weekend I saw the real face of Obamacare.  I was at church and a friend approached me and told me that she had received a letter from her insurance provider, telling her that her insurance is being canceled.  The letter advised her to log onto the government exchange but when she did, she was unable to set up an account.  As I looked into the eyes of my friend, I saw a look of desperation on her face as she faced the reality she would no longer have health insurance. 

The main reason for her desperation stems from the fact that my friend has diabetes.  Earlier this year she was in the emergency room (ER) because she had broken her toe.  For a person with diabetes, any injury to their feet can be serious which is why they generally need medical care at an ER.  She now faces the real possibility that she will be required to pay for her expensive insulin,  glucose meter supplies, and doctor visits out of pocket not to mention how much another visit to the ER or even being admitted to the hospital could cost. 

Another friend of mine at church faces the real possibility of losing her insurance because her employer is looking into cutting everyone’s hours below 30 hours and dropping her coverage.  This not only means a loss of insurance and the risk of being stuck with expensive out of pocket medical expenses but also a loss of 25% percent of income with a reduction of hours from 40 hours to less than 30 hours.  I also saw a look of desperation on her and her husband’s face as they faced the real possibility of not being able to pay their bills because of their loss of income. 

This past weekend we saw a glimpse of what can occur when a government entitlement program has a computer glitch.  The food stamp system went down due to a problem while the system was undergoing maintenance.  The glitch removed limits from recipients EBT cards allowing them to make unlimited purchases using the cards.  This prompted patrons of a Walmart in Springhill LA to clear off the shelves.  (2)  Now imagine you are on your way to the hospital with a potentially life-threatening emergency or worse yet in the operating room when the computer connected to the national healthcare database goes down.  Will they still be able to treat you or will they tell you to go home until the system comes back up.  Looking at how well the system is working since the roll out on October 1, I am not holding my breath that things will work as they should.

I fear the Republicans in the House are letting the opportunity to stop the failed program of Obamacare slip away.  Instead, these squishy Republicans focus on an unfounded fear that the government will default on its debt.  As I explained in great detail in my post of October 12, 2013 entitled Don’t Blink, there is no reason for our nation to default on its debt as we have more than enough cash flow to make our debt payments.  If we default on our debt payments, it will be due to President Obama’s violating his constitutional mandate to make the nation’s debt payments first before spending money on anything else.  (3)

It is time for the leadership of the GOP to stop sniping each other while Nero Obama fiddles in the White House as the nation burns.  This whole shutdown occurred because Republicans agreed to fund the entire government except for Obamacare which has now proven to be a failure.  Instead of sticking to their guns and continuing to demand defunding or delaying this failed program, the GOP has allowed itself to become sidetracked because they fear default. 

The GOP leadership must refocus and end this failed program.  Real people are being hurt due to losing their health insurance coverage and seeing their incomes cut.  By delaying or defunding Obamacare, the GOP can be known as the party that helped desperate people like my two friends.  By defunding or delaying this program, people like my friends will once again be able to get affordable coverage through their employers.  They will not have to face the possibility of seeing their incomes slashed by 25% as their employers attempt to avoid a fine assessed by the government. 

We are about to enter the third week of the government slowdown.  I still have not heard reports of where anyone has lost their life due to the slowdown, and I hope I never do.  However, my two friends, and many others like them, are facing the possibility of not receiving health care for a life threatening disease or losing their homes due to not being able to make their mortgage payments due to the mandates in Obamacare.  I urge leaders to do the right and humane thing and end this destructive program, Obamacare. 

Once again Political Avengers, it is time to light up the phones and email servers.  Use the link in the upper right portion of this page to find your Senators and Representative and let them know to reject any proposal that does not include a defunding or delay of Obamacare. 

1. Foxnews.com. Estimate shows 17 percent of government is actually shut down. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, October 07, 2013. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/07/reports-show-less-than-20-percent-fed-government-is-really-shut-down/.

2. Rayman, Noah. A Walmart Shopping Frenzy After Food Stamp Cards Malfunction. nation.time.com. [Online] Time U.S., October 14, 2013. [Cited: October 15, 2013.] http://nation.time.com/2013/10/14/a-walmart-shopping-frenzy-after-food-stamp-cards-malfunction/.

3. Palin, Sarah. OBAMA ON VERGE OF ‘IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES’. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 14, 2013. [Cited: October 15, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/14/Palin-on-Obama-s-Impeachable-Offenses.

Don’t Blink

I admit it; I am a hopeless science fiction fan.  This year one of my favorite sci-fi shows, Dr. Who, celebrated its fiftieth year.  In some of the episodes Dr. Who is battling “The Weeping Angels.”  The Weeping Angels are statues of angels and if someone makes eye contact with them and blinks, they are dead.  I believe this is a great illustration of what is going on with the current negotiations, or lack of negotiations, between Congress and The President. 

Based on past negotiations between Speaker Boehner and Obama, I am concerned that Boehner will indeed blink again and Boehner along with the citizens of our nation will be strapped with Obamacare and debt that threatens to kill our economy along with the wealth of our nation’s citizens.  My message to Speaker Boehner and the rest of the Republican leadership is don’t blink or you’re dead.  Speaker Boehner you do not even have to blink for whether you know it or not, we are winning this debate.  This is why.

There is no reason we have to default on our debt payments if Congress fails to raise the debt limit.  This is because making the debt payments is a matter of cash flow, something the Federal Government has plenty of. 

In a recent interview, Senator Paul (R-KY) stated that there is no reason for the country to default on its debt payments because the country averages $250 billion in revenues each month.  The debt payments average $20 billion leaving $230 billion to fund other necessary functions of government.  (1)  In other words, the treasury has enough money coming in each month to make the debt payments. 

The excuse currently used by liberals and RINO republicans is that Senator Paul’s numbers are averages.  The cash flow to the government is massive in months when quarterly tax payments are due and slow in other months.  This is true but the quarterly payments for the third quarter are due October 15, two days before the nation expects to default on its debt payments.  I recommend the treasury make the debt payments out of this money and set up a reserve to make the payments for the next two months until they have another windfall month when the fourth quarter payments are due.  Of course, this makes sense, something missing in Washington at this time.  However, this does not mean that there will not be a time when the country faces default so changes in the fiscal policies in Washington must change. 

This is not a debt crisis it is a spending crisis.  Our government continues to spend more money than it brings in.  Liberals use this as the reason why taxes on the rich need to be increased.  This was tried in California and resulted in a drop of 33.5 percent in revenues to government.  (2)  So we raise taxes on the rich, revenues go down and deficits will actually go up, at least that is how math works in realville.  The only way to end the continual deficits that keep increasing the debt is to cut spending. 

If we do that, children will starve, and people will die oh no.  Give me a break.  We have just gone through 11 days of government shutdown and I have not heard of people starving or dying.  Only 17 percent of the government has shut down and we survive as a nation.  (3)  This proves that a 17 percent reduction in spending would have little effect on the nation as a whole. 

Ok, but this whole shut down was not about spending, but about Obamacare, which is true but this only proves my point.  Obamacare is on course to become another unfunded mandate like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as actuaries will need to make projections for health the care needs of an aging population.  Many are not aware that that these mandates are not included in the debt figures we hear about in the media.  This is because they are long-term debts that are not due immediately and therefore are not urgent.  As of July 2012, the total debt including these unfunded mandates totaled $84 trillion.  (4)

However, as the Baby Boomers age and the few children they had have to support them, these unfunded mandates will require funding from a shrinking tax base.  (5)  This coupled with a government addicted to out of control deficit spending will accelerate the day of reckoning when the cash flows into the treasury will no longer be able to cover debt payments.  It is on this day of reckoning that the nation will have no choice but to default. 

However, we are not at the day of reckoning yet but now is the time to begin reversing the trend of out of control spending before it is too late.  By not blinking during these current negotiations, Conservatives have the best opportunity they have had since the 1995 shut down to reverse this trend.  During that shut down, the conservative controlled Congress was able to pressure the Senate and President Clinton to agree to welfare reform and spending cuts resulting in surpluses.  The only question is will this Congress have the guts to stand up to this President as the Congress in 1995 did. 

Unfortunately, the gains of 1995 were lost as the Congress returned to it’s out of control spending ways during the Bush administration and massively accelerated the process during the Obama administration.  This is why we need constitutional safeguards as I discussed in my post on October 2 but for now, we need to plug the hole in our sinking ship by getting control or our steroidal out of control spending. 

Unfortunately, it appears the Republican Leadership in the House is preparing to blink, giving Obama everything he wants.  (6)  However, this does not mean the Democrats and Obama have won for the House can reject this offer.  It is time for us to once again flood the Congressional switchboard and email accounts urging our Representatives to reject this offer.  Remind them that there is no reason to fear default because there is sufficient cash flowing into the treasury to make debt payments.  Remind them that we elected them to stop Obamacare and that this is the only way of doing it at this time.  Remind them that we elected them and put them in power to end Obamacare and the out of control spending in Washington and if they fail to live up to their promises, we will replace them with leaders who will in 2014.

This fight is far from over and even if our squeamish leadership in Congress blinks and is devoured by the liberal statist “Weeping Angels,” we the American People have not blinked and do not intend to.  This is our country and we are going to fight to preserve it. 

1. Kessler, Glenn. Rand Paul’s claim that there is ‘no reason for us to default’. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, October 11, 2013. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2013/10/11/rand-pauls-claim-that-there-is-no-reason-for-us-to-default/.

2. Dvorak, Kimberly. California’s tax revenue drops 33.5 percent exposing Sacramento’s delusion. beforeitsnews.com. [Online] Before It's News, August 21, 2012. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://beforeitsnews.com/tea-party/2012/08/californias-tax-revenue-drops-33-5-percent-exposing-sacramentos-delusion-2449544.html.

3. Foxnews.com. Estimate shows 17 percent of government is actually shut down. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, October 07, 2013. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/07/reports-show-less-than-20-percent-fed-government-is-really-shut-down/.

4. Bastasch, Michael. Report: Federal unfunded liabilities total $84 trillion. dailycaller.com. [Online] The Daily Caller, July 16, 2012. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/16/report-federal-unfunded-liabilities-total-84-trillion/.

5. USA Today. As U.S. birth rate drops, concern for the future mounts. www.usatoday.com. [Online] USA Today, February 13, 2013. [Cited: October 11, 2013.] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/12/us-births-decline/1880231/.

6. Flynn, Mike. HOUSE GOP BLINKS: WILL LIFT DEBT AND REOPEN GOVERNMENT. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 11, 2013. [Cited: October 12, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/11/House-GOP-Caves-Will-Lift-Debt-AND-Reopen-Government.

The Case of the Misplaced Priorities

It’s October 9, 2013 and the government shutdown has entered its ninth day.  If I were a mystery writer working on a novel about the current situation in Washington DC the title might be “The Case of the Misplaced Priorities.”  It would be a novel full of lies cheating and of course heroes who try to solve the great mystery.  It would involve corruption at the highest level.  In our mystery, some people would be hurt while others would benefit. 

In an attempt to help our “beloved” leaders in the Senate and White House, I would like to help them find their priorities and point out where their priorities are misplaced.  Perhaps then we can get our government back to being a government of the people, by the people, and for the people instead of being a government where citizens end up serving the elitists in DC.  Okay maybe I am a dreamer but I do believe in miracles. 

When our elected officials take office, they swear to protect the Constitution of the United States.  The Constitution they swear to defend obligates them to protect the citizens’ persons, property, and liberties.  (1)  To put it in simpler terms that the elites in Washington can understand, you are to serve us and not us serve you.  Your priorities for serving in office are contained in the Constitution but when my fellow citizens and I witness your actions during the current shutdown, it would appear you left those priorities on the copy of the Constitution you swore to protect and have misplaced your copy. 

For example, poll after poll have shown that a majority of citizens do not want Obamacare.  In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll on September 16, only 12 % of those polled believed Obamacare would have a positive impact on their families.  (2)  In the same poll, only 31% believed the law was good and only 23% claimed Obamacare would benefit the healthcare system.  Fifty-two percent believed Obamacare will cause healthcare costs to rise and 73% of those polled were satisfied with their current healthcare.  (2)

If our leaders in Congress and the White House were true to their Constitutional propriety to serve the American People, they would pay attention to these polling numbers, repeal, delay, or defund Obamacare, and fund the rest of government.  However, they have misplaced their proprieties and are no longer paying attention to those that elected them to office. 

If that is not proof that our leaders have misplaced priorities, we have Harry Reid telling fellow senators not to pay attention to their constituents for they serve the government.  (3)  Senator Reid, when you swore to defend the Constitution, you were swearing to protect a document that has as its purpose the formation of a government that serves the people.  This is why the authors of the Constitution set up a representative republic with division of power, a system of checks and balances, and a Bill of Rights that was added after ratification to clearly define the rights the newly formed government was to protect. 

Senator Reid you seem to have forgotten that and now view your purpose as majority leader in the Senate as that of serving a growing government that more times than not, steps on the rights of the citizens.  We can find plenty of examples of this in the behavior of government during this shutdown. 

Honor Flights is a program that takes World War II vets to visit their memorial in Washington DC.  The program assists veterans at the airport and with trip logistics.  The Amarillo Texas Honor Flight program raises all the money so the trip is free for vets.  (4)  Since the World War II memorial was not open to the public until April 29, 2004, these veterans, who are now in their 80’s and 90’s, were unable to visit their memorial in the prime of their lives.  Honor Flights is doing this as a way of honoring these heroes. 

Unfortunately, the leaders of the nation these veterans fought to defend do not hold these heroes with the same regard.  Instead of honoring these heroes when they arrived in Washington DC after the government shutdown, they were told they could not enter their memorial.  The good news is that these brave heroes, many in wheel chairs, stormed the memorial in a manner not unlike how many of them stormed the beaches of Normandy.  The sad news is that our current leaders wanted to use these heroes as pawns in their budget impasse with conservatives.  These heroic men deserve better from the country they fought to defend. 

The oppression of the people goes beyond just the military for ordinary citizens and even foreigners visiting our country during this shutdown have experienced gestapo like tactics when visiting our national parks.  A group of tourists found themselves inside Yellowstone Park on October 1, the day of the shutdown.  The group found themselves locked in a park hotel under armed guard.  They were forbidden to leave the hotel and go outside to see the park, including the main attraction, Old Faithful.  (5)  On the bus trip to the hotel, the group was even prevented from taking photos of a group of bison crossing the road and was told that constituted recreating which the park rangers said was forbidden. 

Many of these tourists were also foreign visitors and thought they were under arrest, which is perhaps how they are treated in their home countries.  (5)  Once again, a group of innocent citizens and foreign visitors, only looking to visit one of our most scenic national treasures, found themselves being used as pawns in a political power grab going on in Washington DC.  I would not blame the foreign visitors in the group if they were to go home and tell their friends not to visit the United States because they may be arrested for simply taking a picture of a herd of buffalo. 

I want to invite the leaders of our country that have misplaced their priorities to read the Constitution they swore to defend for in it, they will find their misplaced priorities.  Of course some of these leaders may like having their proprieties misplaced and actually may have misplaced them on purpose.  For those that like their misplaced priorities, be prepared to go home after the next election and live out of power with your misplaced priorities.

So the mystery of the misplaced priorities has been solved.  The priorities are in the Constitution and all one has to do to find them is read and follow it.  The question is will our leaders do it. 

1. Hillsdale College. The Constitution of the United States of America. [book auth.] Hillsdale College. The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. Hillsdale MI : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

2. Breitbart News. Poll: 12% Say Obamacare Will Have Positive Impact on their Family. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, September 16, 2013. [Cited: October 8, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/09/16/uninsured-obamacare.

3. Riehl, Dan. Harry Reid: Forget Constituents, We Serve the Government. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 1, 2013. [Cited: October 3, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/10/01/Harry-Reid-Forget-Constituents-We-Serve-the-Government.

4. Hawkins, Awr. UNDERSTANDING 'HONOR FLIGHTS': HOW THEY BROUGHT WWII VETS TO DC FOR OCTOBER 2. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 3, 2013. [Cited: October 8, 2013 .] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/02/Understanding-Honor-Flights-And-How-They-Brought-WWII-Vets-To-DC-For-October-2.

5. Macone, John. 'Gestapo' tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone. www.newburyportnews.com. [Online] Daily News, October 8, 2013. [Cited: October 8, 2013.] http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x1442580373/Gestapo-tactics-meet-senior-citizens-at-Yellowstone.

Shutdown Week in Review:

I almost believed Hell had frozen over this week when I heard Senator Harry Reid actually admit the truth about his philosophy of government.  However, there are no reports of any cold front moving through Hell so Harry Reid must have had a momentary lapse of remembering to spin his comments before speaking.  He also, in a Freudian slip, let us know which of his constituents he values the most and which ones are expendable. 

For a week when the government experienced a partial shutdown, it sure has been a busy week.  The good news is that even though the government did shutdown, the sun still rises, we can still breathe, and I have even been able to eat, probably more than I should.  That is because God is still in control and for those of us who have chosen to place our trust in Him, life goes on with our Heavenly Father providing for our needs. 

In a speech this week before the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told fellow senators to forget their constituents for they serve the government not them.  (1)  The voters in Nevada that voted for Senator Reid believing he had their best interests in mind might want to rethink things the next time Senator Reid runs for reelection.  Of course, conservatives in the Senate that have had to work with Senator Reid have long understood his disregard for his constituents and the citizens of this country.

However, Senator Reid usually spins his comments to hide his true agenda and tries to come off as someone with compassion.  Perhaps the stress of the shutdown is causing him to be careless when it comes to spinning his comments. 

However, this was not the end of Senator Reid’s Freudian slips this week revealing his true agenda.  In a press briefing on Wednesday October 2, 2013, a reporter asked Harry Reid about agreeing to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to allow children with cancer to receive treatment.  In his comment he said, “Why would we want to do that?  I have 1100 people at Nellis Air Force Base sitting home.  They have problems of their own.”  (2) 

Then there is the issue of the World War II veterans wanting to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington DC.  President Clinton signed the bill authorizing the construction of the memorial on May 25, 1993.  (3)  After securing a site and raising private funding, construction on the memorial began in September 2001 and the memorial opened to the public on May 29, 2004.  (3)  The memorial became part of the National Park System on November 1, 2004.  (3) 

World War II ended on August 14, 1945 (4) so these veterans, many of whom are in their 80’s and 90’s with only a few years or months left in their lives, saw this as possibly their last chance to visit the memorial honoring their service to our country.  They waited 59 years to have their memorial completed and now when they have an opportunity to visit it, The Park Service tells them that they cannot go in due to the government shutdown. 

There have been other government shutdowns in our history and the government kept the memorials open to visitors.  During the 1995 shutdown, the Lincoln Memorial was open to visitors and the government only closed the information booth because they furloughed the people that would have run it.  There is no reason why these veterans, many of whom stormed the beaches of Normandy, needed the services of the information booth for they probably knew more about the history of World War 2 then the people that would have been working the information booth.  So why would Obama order the memorials closed?  The answer is simple, he wants to cause as much chaos and panic as he can. 

President Obama, this shutdown belongs to you and Harry Reid.  We have an impasse that is similar, in your own words, to a strike between a union and management.  (5)  When a strike occurs between labor and management, the first thing both sides do is go to the bargaining table.  Both sides present everything they want and then both sides begin making concessions until they reach an agreement ending the strike. 

The Republicans have made many concessions already in this issue.  They began with calling for a total defunding of Obamacare.  They then called for a 1-year delay in implementation of Obamacare.  They then went further to call for stopping exemptions to Obamacare for members of Congress and others that received such exemptions.  It is your side Mr. President that has come to the bargaining table and stubbornly decided not to make any concessions.  Is it any wonder House Speaker Boehner walked out of the recent meeting in the Oval Office and told the press you would not negotiate?  The Republicans should refuse to make any more concessions until your side Mr. President is willing to come to the bargaining table and make some concessions.

This week was also the rollout of the health insurance exchanges and it was a disaster.  Here are some of the headlines from October 1

CNNMoney: "Obamacare enrollment stymied by exchange glitches"

Washington Post: "Signing up for ObamaCare: 'This Was Totally Disappointing"

The Hill: "Technical Problems Plague Launch of ObamaCare"

Washington Examiner: "The Glitchy, Error-Filled Misadventures of Creating an Account on HealthCare.gov"

Superior Telegram: "Navigators Not Ready for Health Care Rollout."

WBS Radio, Atlanta, GA: "Healthcare exchange websites fail security tests"

Forbes Magazine: "Healthcare.gov Crashes During First Day, Why Massachusetts Never Had This Problem"  (6)

In addition, many complained on the Obamacare Facebook page, complaining about the cost.  One woman commented, “I am so disappointed, these prices are outrageous and there are huge deductibles.  No one can afford this!”  Her comment received 169 likes.  (7)  It appears many others had a similar experience.  The government will be taking down the application part of the website this weekend but I do not think this will correct the complaints about the high cost.  (8)

This is puzzling to me since Obama told us premiums would go down if we passed Obamacare.  (9)  Mr. President I understand that you have never worked in the private sector so let me tell you what would happen if a project bombed in the private sector as badly as this one did.  We would immediately stop the project and access what went wrong.  We would fire incompetent personnel or companies hired to implement the project and hire other people to assess if the project could be made to work.  In other words, when a project fails, its implementation is delayed and if there is no way to fix it, the project is dumped. 

Therefore, in light of what has occurred this week with the implementation of the Obamacare Exchanges, I believe the Congress’ idea of a delay is in order.  We can then take time to assess the exchanges and make the necessary changes or if nothing can be done to fix the project, end it.  I understand this means possibly having to abandon the key issue you ran for election on but you also have to consider having the legacy of being the President that subjected Americans to substandard health care. 

1. Riehl, Dan. Harry Reid: Forget Constituents, We Serve the Government. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 1, 2013. [Cited: October 3, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/10/01/Harry-Reid-Forget-Constituents-We-Serve-the-Government.

2. Nolte, John. REID ON SAVING ONE CHILD THROUGH FUNDING COMPROMISE: 'WHY WOULD WE WANT TO DO THAT?'. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 2, 2013. [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/10/02/harry-reid-why-would-we-want-to-save-kids-from-cancer.

3. National WWII Memorial. www.wwiimemorial.com. WWII Memorial Facts. [Online] [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=facts.asp.

4. Ask.com. What Date Did World War 2 End. www.ask.com. [Online] [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.ask.com/question/what-date-did-world-war-2-end.

5. Shapiro, Ben. GAFFE: OBAMA CONDEMNS LABOR STRIKES WITH SHUTDOWN ANALOGY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 3, 2013. [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/03/Obama-union-workers.

6. Huston, Warner Todd. OBAMACARE DOWN: NATIONAL HEADLINES DOCUMENT INSURANCE EXCHANGE FAILURES. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 1, 2013. [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/10/01/Massive-Failure-The-Obamacare-Insurance-Exchanges-Headlines-That-Obama-Doesn-t-Want.

7. Weasel Zippers. Obamacare Facebook Page Filled With Angry Citizens Complaints Over Premium Increases. weaselzippers.us. [Online] Weasel Zippers, October 4, 2013. [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://weaselzippers.us/2013/10/04/obamacare-facebook-page-filled-with-angry-citizens-complaints-over-premium-increases/.

8. Shapiro, Ben. OBAMACARE WEBSITE CLOSED FOR REPAIRS THIS WEEKEND. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, October 4, 2013. [Cited: October 5, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/04/Obama-website-called-repairs.

9. Kessler, Glenn. President Obama’s claim that insurance premiums ‘will go down’. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, August 10, 2012. [Cited: October 4, 2013.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/president-obamas-claim-that-insurance-premiums-will-go-down/2012/08/09/424048f2-e245-11e1-a25e-15067bb31849_blog.html.