Mandating health Insurance - Obamacare

[American Patriot]

America has it's "Change"

Obama was elected on vaporous sayings like "Change" and "Hope". Something America has always lived upon anyway.

Today's society is different from the one in which I grew up during High School. Somewhere during those years a change occurred. My father, a life long democrat who fought in the Korean War and is a decorated war hero gave me the values I have today.

I believe in America, I believe in the Bill of Rights. I believe that the government hasn't any RIGHTS at all other than what we allow them to have. They have no rights to tell me what to do - and especially not to mandate I buy something I don't want, don't need, don't require.

Now we have this evil "Law" - "Health Care". What is it precisely?

It is a way for the Government to control another large portion of our economy.

The law is supposed to be signed into law tomorrow. It isn't finalized and somehow the Republicans need to stand up and stop the bad parts.

In the mean time - Americans, every, single one of you now are going to foot the bill for people you don't know, be controlled in more aspects of your life than you thought possible and if you don't do something about this in the November elections then you're all losers.

You people wanted "Change", now you've got it. You'd better "Hope" it doesn't change any more.

[Malsua]

Face it, we have to figure out how to move from being a net donater to the maw of the feds to a new recipient.

[Toad]

The taxation starts ASAP, but the actualy policies of the healthcare changes can/will take up to 4 years to ramp up and fall into place. That's a fair amount of court time for the States to pull a case(s) together.

[vector7]

Beck: Obama's plan was to 'collapse the economy' w/ObamaCare creating the new framework for 'control'

[vector7]

Stuart Varney found 2 surprises:



@ 6:40 into the interview

Quote:
1) The Big Drug Companies: Yes they are going to be taxed but...in return for that tax payment, they've now got 12 YEARS to exploit their high-priced, brand-name, exclusivity. In other words, GENERIC, LOWER-COST DRUGS CANNOT COMPETE FOR A 12 YEARS PERIOD, AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE DRUGS!

2) The second winner is health Insurance companies. Right at the last minute, the authority of the government to control private health care premiums, (price controls on the insurance companies),...THAT WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE BILL! The Parlimentarian said, "You cannot have that in the bill," so it was taken out.

So, the insurance companies who were driving up medical costs will be the financial winners in this deal.

[American Patriot]

I don't agree with Beck all the time. I'm not really happy with all the negativity all the time (but I did point out a couple of days ago, I DO believe in fighting fire with fire) - but this time I totally agree with Beck.

The Economy wasn't BAD it was talked DOWN.

When it is good for the Democrats to talk bad, they do it. Not four days ago Obama was saying "We're well into recovery now" when he signed that so-called "Jobs bill" giving tax breaks for hiring now.

Come ON, what company is going to HIRE someone NOW when they aren't making money?

When the economy has tanked, as it HAS NOW, you can't MAKE people buy stuff. If I am not out buying things, my money is staying in the bank or my pocket and I am not helping the economy, THUS companies whom I buy from aren't getting my money and THUS aren't going to HIRE people.

How STUPID is this administration?

[vector7]

Health Care - It's Just A Tax

The Democrats passed "health care" last night. But this is not about health care at all - it is about taxes - that is, REVENUE.

We'll explore the fiscal mess, entitlements, tax reform and what this nation must do - and soon - to avoid what appears to be an inescapable abyss.

Join us today at 3:30 PM; http://blogtalkradio.com/marketticker

[vector7]

History repeats itself?

Today is the anniversary of the British Parliament passing the Stamp Act in 1765.

This led to the American protests of 'taxation without representation'.

[Ryan Ruck]

Bricks Shatter Glass at NY Democratic Offices

March 22, 2010

Authorities are trying to find out who threw bricks through windows and doors at two Democratic Party offices in western New York before Sunday's health care vote.

Monroe County Democratic Committee officials say a brick shattered glass doors at the party's headquarters in Rochester on Saturday or Sunday. No one was in the building at the time. Rochester police are investigating.

A brick was thrown through a window at Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter's district office in Niagara Falls early Friday.

Slaughter's district stretches from Rochester to the Buffalo area. She has been a key supporter of the health care reform bill passed Sunday by the House.

What a shame. I sure hope this trend does not continue.

[vector7]

Originally Posted by vector7
IRS Acquiring Shotguns

"The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intends to purchase sixty Remington Model 870 Police RAMAC #24587 12 gauge pump-action shotguns for the Criminal Investigation Division. The Remington parkerized shotguns, with fourteen inch barrel, modified choke, Wilson Combat Ghost Ring rear sight and XS4 Contour Bead front sight, Knoxx Reduced Recoil Adjustable Stock, and Speedfeed ribbed black forend, are designated as the only shotguns authorized for IRS duty based on compatibility with IRS existing shotgun inventory, certified armorer and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts."

Maybe this is why they need 14" barrel 870 shotguns...

Health Care Mandate to Be Enforced by IRS ‘Bounty Hunters’

By Jim Kouri Sunday, March 21, 2010

Enforce the glut of new tax mandates and penalties included in the Democrats’ latest health care plan

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”—C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will see its largest expansion since withholding taxes were first enacted during WWII to enforce the glut of new tax mandates and penalties included in the Democrats’ latest health care plan, according to Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX)

A new analysis by the Joint Economic Committee and the House Ways & Means Committee minority staff estimates up to 16,500 new IRS personnel will be needed to collect, examine and audit new tax information mandated on families and small businesses in the ‘reconciliation’ bill being taken up by the U.S. House of Representatives this weekend, according to Brady.

“When most people think of health care reform they think of more doctors exams, not more IRS exams,” says U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady, the top House Republican on the Joint Economic Committee. “Isn’t the federal government already intruding enough into our lives? We need thousands of new doctors and nurses in America, not thousands more IRS agents.”

Scores of new federal mandates and fifteen different tax increases totaling $400 billion are imposed under the Democratic House bill. In addition to more complicated tax returns, families and small businesses will be forced to reveal further tax information to the IRS, provide proof of ‘government approved’ health care and submit detailed sales information to comply with new excise taxes.

Scores of new federal mandates and fifteen different tax increases totaling $400 billion are imposed under the Democratic House bill. In addition to more complicated tax returns, families and small businesses will be forced to reveal further tax information to the IRS, provide proof of ‘government approved’ health care and submit detailed sales information to comply with new excise taxes.

Unfortunately, according to the Center for American Progress, the structure of the IRS’ use of private agencies to collect “debts” encourages abuse. Under the current program, collectors are awarded as much as 25 cents of every dollar they collect, in addition to a $100 bonus for every account they close.

The Internal Revenue Service strategy of paying private debt collectors a 25 percent commission to collect unpaid tax debt originally met with bipartisan resistance from Congress. They claimed that the proposal jeopardized the rights and privacy of American taxpayers. Several organizations voiced their objections to the IRS proposal and have expressed their strong support for the consumer protection legislation Rep. Chris Van Hollen introduced: Citizens for Tax Justice, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Consumer Law Center, National Consumers League.

The very nature of the program provides incentives for collectors to push the limits of legality to extract a little more revenue from their targets. As part of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, Congress, fearing overly aggressive collection practices, explicitly prohibited the IRS from compensating its own collectors based on the amount of money they collect. If Congress believes that incentive-based pay will cause official IRS collectors to cross the line, why would they think private collectors would behave any differently?

Although IRS officials indicated that the purpose of the limited implementation phase was to assure readiness for full implementation using up to 12 private collection agencies, the IRS has not documented how it will identify and use the lessons learned to ensure that each critical success factor is addressed before expanding the program even further during the current atmosphere of extraordinary government spending.

Because program’s success will be affected by how well IRS makes adjustments, assessing the lessons learned in limited implementation is critical. Also, IRS has not documented criteria that it will use to determine whether the limited implementation performance warrants program expansion.

IRS officials indicated that they are considering criteria that could trigger a go/no go decision, such as the amount of penalties collected from Americans unwilling or unable to purchase health care insurance and there are some indications of PCAs abusing taxpayers or misusing taxpayer data.

Paying private debt collectors on a commission basis is costly and threatens the rights and privacy of the American taxpayers. Congress must ensure, as this resolution seeks to do, that federal tax collection functions will not be handed over to private sector bounty hunters.

Critics of the private collection agency program say that, compared with private debt collectors, whose bad apples star in countless horror stories of debtor abuse and intimidation, the IRS’s customer-service-based approach may start looking pretty good to taxpayers.

A recent Center for American Progress report noted that “19% of all complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2005 were related to debt collectors, up from 10.5% in 1999. The FTC received more complaints about debt collection in 2005 than about any other industry—66,627, a 560% increase over the last six years.” The report’s writers claim this will likely occur with private agencies working on behalf of the IRS.

IRS officials say they will have a little more than a half year to identify the lessons learned before incorporating them into the next contract solicitation, which IRS intends to release in March 2007.

Related to such decisions on expansion is IRS’s planned comparative study of using PCAs. That study is to compare using PCAs to investing IRS’s operating costs into having IRS staff work IRS’s “next best” collection cases. Under the documented study design, IRS would exclude the fees paid to PCAs from the costs and subtract those fees from the tax debts and health care penalties collected by PCAs.

While such a study might produce useful information, it will not compare the results of using PCAs with the results IRS could get if given the same amount of resources, including the fees to be paid to PCAs, to use in what IRS officials would judge to be the best way to meet tax collection goals.

Adequately designing and implementing the study is important to ensure policymakers are aware of the true costs of contracting with PCAs and know whether PCAs offer the best use of federal funds, while using the least abusive and intrusive tactics to collect tax money owed.

But taxpayer advocate Nina Olsen says that collecting tax revenue is the core job of the IRS, and it should continue to bear that responsibility while protecting taxpayer rights. IRS employees cost only 3 cents for every dollar they collect, making them many times more cost-effective than private collectors.


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IRS Comes Knocking … for Four Cents

Agents Show up at Sacramento Car Wash with Remarkably Small Bill



(CBS) With tax season reaching its peak, the IRS is looking for every cent it's owed … literally.

A Sacramento car wash owner found that out when two representatives from the Internal Revenue Service showed up to collect four cents - four cents - in unpaid taxes.

"[They] came into the car wash, handed my manager a bill, and it was from the IRS," Aaron Zeff, the owner of Harv's Metro Car Wash, told CBS station KOVR. "The amount was four cents, four pennies."

In truth, after three years of penalties and fees, the four cents actually ballooned to more than $200, but the bill still prompted some laughter.

"This is more like a parking ticket," Zeff said.

Still, the car wash feels it doesn't owe anything. Attorney Ashley West said the IRS sent the business a letter in October indicating it had filed all required taxes and owed no money.

"It was a surprise to us that they came on site and surprise to us we didn't receive and correspondence related to it," West told KOVR.

While the situation awaits resolution, Zeff continues to have fun with his tax bill. The car wash is planning a special promotion for customers who pay their taxes on time - four-cent car washes.

[American Patriot]

Four CENTS turned into two hundred dollars????????????????????????????????????

That is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS.

[vector7]

New Health-Care Taxes Help Obama ‘Spread the Wealth’

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By Ryan J. Donmoyer



March 22 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said on the campaign trail in October 2008 that he wanted to “spread the wealth around.” With Obama on the verge of signing sweeping health-care overhaul legislation, he’s about to do just that.

If the final version of the legislation passes the Senate, high-income investors will pay higher Medicare taxes, tax breaks for out-of-pocket medical deductions will be curtailed, and it will cost insurance companies more to pay executives millions of dollars. Those levies will help fund expansion of Medicaid services for the poor and subsidize health insurance to cover millions who don’t currently have benefits.

“It’s very clear that taxes are levied on the wealthy and the benefits will spread across the entire income distribution, with a lot going to expanded Medicaid distribution and expanding health insurance,” said Roberton Williams, an economist at the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research institute backed by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. “One couldn’t claim he didn’t keep that promise” to “spread the wealth around.”

In all, the bill would generate $409.2 billion in additional taxes by 2019, according to an analysis by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, a nonpartisan agency. The bill also imposes about $69 billion more in penalties for individuals and businesses who don’t meet mandates to buy insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office, another nonpartisan agency.

Higher Medicare Taxes

Most of the revenue would come from higher Medicare taxes on about 1 million individuals earning more than $200,000 and about 4 million couples filing jointly who make more than $250,000.

The legislation would for the first time apply Medicare taxes to investment income received by these households, beginning in 2013.

The 3.8 percent rate would apply to unearned income such as realized capital gains, dividends, interest, rents and royalties. It wouldn’t apply to other income subject to income taxes, including interest from municipal bonds and retirement accounts such as 401(k) plans until funds are withdrawn.

Obama’s budget proposes to allow the existing 15 percent tax rate on dividends and capital gains to rise to 20 percent in 2011 for the same high-earners. Layering a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on top of that would mean a new top rate on dividends and capital gains of 23.8 percent. The top tax rates on interest and rental income would rise to as high as about 44 percent, assuming other Obama tax increases on high-earners are enacted.

Individual’s Share

The bill also increases the individual’s share of Medicare tax currently imposed on salaries starting at $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples to 2.35 percent, from 1.45 percent currently.

The combination of the new Medicare taxes and Obama’s budget proposals, if they were in place this year, would cost a married couple with a household income of $5 million an extra $287,100 in taxes, according to analysis by the consulting firm Deloitte Tax in Washington.

The Medicare taxes superseded an earlier Senate proposal to tax high-value employer-provided insurance coverage, dubbed “Cadillac plans.” That 40 percent excise tax was delayed until 2018, when it would begin to apply to benefits over $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for couples.

Those thresholds would be indexed to inflation, which grows at a slower pace than the cost of health care, meaning more employers would likely face the levy over time.

Out-of-Pocket Costs

Other provisions likely to affect higher-income individuals would scale back tax preferences associated with paying out-of- pocket medical expenses. Starting in 2013, Americans under 65 won’t be able to deduct medical expenses until they exceed 10 percent of income, up from 7.5 percent now; retirees would keep the lower threshold.

The bill in 2011 places new restrictions on what can be purchased using special savings accounts funded with pre-tax dollars including health savings accounts. Improper withdrawals from the accounts also would be hit with a new 20 percent tax.

And the legislation for the first time would place a $2,500 limit on what can be contributed to employer-sponsored flexible spending accounts, another type of account funded with pre-tax dollars that can be used to pay for medicines, co-payments, and other expenses.

Employers currently set their own limits, typically between $3,000 and $5,000 in the absence of a government cap. This change would cost an average worker about $625 in tax savings, according to WageWorks Inc., a San Mateo, California, company that administers 1.5 million accounts.

Tanning Salons

Consumers who frequent tanning salons would pay a 10 percent excise tax, and those who buy devices such as wheelchairs would pay a 2.3 percent excise tax. Drugmakers may pass on a $3 billion annual fee. Insurance companies would be denied deductions when they pay their executives over $500,000.

Under the reconciliation bill that is now before the Senate, individuals who don’t purchase insurance would be subject to a fine of $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016. Individuals may be subject to a charge equal to as much as 2.5 percent of their income in 2016, if the total is greater than the flat payment.

Employers with 50 or more workers would pay $2,000 per worker if they don’t offer health insurance. The legislation offers a small business tax credit to help pay for employer- provided premiums.

Companies also would face more scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service for using tax shelters.

[Aplomb]

For our friends who laughed at those of us who said socialism was on the way...

[vector7]

Eyewitness to Tea Party Protest: Adding Insult to Insult

by Joel B. Pollak I was actually at the Tea Party march against the health care bill in Washington, D.C. yesterday. I don’t attend political events on the Jewish Sabbath, so I simply decided to go and observe, lending a quiet voice of protest. I was in our nation’s capital for the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and wandered down by myself to Capitol Hill after morning services at the historic 6th & I synagogue.



I saw thousands of people–fifteen thousand, I guessed at the time–gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol building. There were American flags and lots of Gadsden flags (“Don’t Tread on Me”). I noted some of the more humorous signs (“I’m not wee-wee’d up, I’m pissed off”), as well as some of the more esoteric ones (“Restoration, not Transformation”). Almost all of them were home-made with poster-board and marker.

I did not see any comparison of Obama to Hitler, nor any sign advocating violence of any kind. I did see two signs bearing a hammer-and-sickle–which I personally find just as offensive as the swastika, though it is bizarrely trendy to some Americans. There was one sign with an image of Obama and the words “undocumented worker,” which was the only hint of Birtherism I witnessed. The rest of the signs were straightforward slogans: “Kill the Bill”; “Start Over.”

The crowd was far from uniform. There were black people, white people, Hispanic people–both in the audience and on stage. One of the speakers invoked the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an inspiration–and the crowd roared its approval, as it did for mentions of Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. A few of the speakers invoked religious sentiments about abortion. That was as edgy as it got.

At one point, the crowd to the right of the stage started to boo loudly. It was impossible to see exactly why, from where I was standing, but soon a group of people–members of Congress, apparently–ascended the stairs to the Capitol. If media reports are to be believed, that was the moment when racist and homophobic language was hurled at Rep. John Lewis, and a protestor was arrested for spitting at Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

I can’t speak about what actually happened–I could not see the incident, nor did anyone else seem to know what was going on. The first I heard of it was when I turned on the news after the Sabbath. Since then, I have seen YouTube video of the event in which Rep. Lewis and others walk slowly through the crowd, and not a single epithet is heard. Presumably, if video evidence to the contrary existed, it would have been aired by now.

I don’t know why Rep. Lewis and the other members with him decided to walk right through the protestors. Did they intend to provoke the protestors? If so, few of those present seem to have taken the bait, from the video that is currently available. At least one did, though, and was arrested by Capitol Hill police–and so now the entire protest, and the entire nation’s opposition to the health care bill, is being tarnished.

Obviously, any such rhetoric and behavior is totally reprehensible and beyond the pale. It is an insult to the nation and to the Tea Party movement itself, which in my experience is made up of ordinary people from all walks of life who are opposed to the massive expansion of government we are living through at the moment. If what the media has reported is true, then an apology is certainly due to the country as a whole.

The only epithet I personally heard yesterday was the one hurled at us by two passersby: “Teabaggers.” Those who first promoted this phrase on MSNBC and who still use it today know exactly what it means. It is a crude sexual metaphor designed to denigrate ordinary people who are just standing up for their rights as best they know how, the way no party–not even the Republican party–has done in this debate.

Journalists have also contrived false accusations against protestors before–as in the case of a man who carried a rifle to one town hall meeting last year, whom MSNBC only showed from the shoulders down to hide the fact that he was black, while accusing the protestors of racism. There have also been racist attacks against black Tea Party protestors, such as Kenneth Gladney, who was assaulted outside a town hall in August.

Then there is the scandal I have personally documented–the way in which groups of paid organizers told their followers outside a town hall meeting in my own community that they should drown out residents who asked questions about the health care bill. That video, which was filmed in August, led me to uncover the strategy written by felon and Democrat strategist Robert Creamer as a blueprint for the events of the past year.

For the record, I have spent my life fighting against prejudice of any kind. I was the first white member of my high school’s Afro-American club. I interned for our nation’s first black female senator, Carol Moseley-Braun. I tutored children in one of the poorest black townships in South Africa, where many of my students lived in shacks without toilets or electricity. I lived in a Muslim community to learn more about the Islamic faith.

I don’t have to take accusations of racism and homophobia. I have spoken out against prejudice before, and I do so again today. I am glad to see the Republicans and the Tea Party leaders do so as well. What is unacceptable is that these allegations have been used to trash a movement that is made up of ordinary, fair-minded people of every race and creed who are simply standing up for their rights. That is offensive to me as well.

I look forward to the day, beyond this vote and this Congress, when Americans will be able to debate complex policy issues in a spirit of civility and open-mindedness. It is heart-breaking to feel the way this administration has set Americans against one another, a far cry from Barack Obama’s rhetoric at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I am determined to be part of the solution. That is what I believe the Tea Party stands for at its best.

Congressional Black Caucus 3 20 2010

Since this video was first posted. John Lewis and the Congressional Black Caucus have claimed they were called racial slurs by Tea Party members opposed to Obamacare.

As you can see in this video, there is no evidence of the so-called "N-word" or any other slur being used, despite the claims of the CBC and their lapdogs at CNN, NBC, MSNBC, See BS.

Will the media ignore the fact that among the Tea Partiers were people of all races? Probably not. Here's the proof.

Congressional black caucus gets soundly booed at Health Care reform protest

Watch as members of the CBC walk from the capital to their office. They were booed for their support of the Health insurance reform bill not because of the color of their skin. I never heard the "N" word where I was, and these people were treated the same as the other members of congress that supported the bill. It is another shameful example of using the "race card" to promote your agenda. Anyone that believes this crowd was made up of racist thugs is fooling themselves. The crowd was large and energetic and there is a great deal of anger and frustration over this piece of bad legislation, however no violence or destruction was evident. Conservatives just don't operate that way. If you have a video that shows what these congressman claim than post it for all to see otherwise I call BS!

[vector7]

Desperation Time: Dems Resort To Bush Bashing and Play The Race Card

[Backstop]

I watched this live, and she nailed it.

HEALTH CARE: Marsha Blackburn Speaks In The Final Debate Yesterday

[Aplomb]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...id=Bm06Nim-cxC

March 22, 2010
Bachmann introduces bill to repeal health care reform
Posted: March 22nd, 2010 05:40 PM ET

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

'The American people won't ever forget the irresponsible actions of this Administration and Democratic Majority,' Rep. Bachmann said Monday announcing her bill.

Washington (CNN) – Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, has introduced a bill to repeal Democrats' health care reform legislation, her office announced Monday.

President Obama and Democrats in Congress "have ignored the will of the people and have chosen to ram through their trillion-dollar health care bill despite the American people's overwhelming objection to it," Bachmann said in a written statement.

Despite the long odds of repeal, several prominent Republicans - including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor - have joined the chorus of those calling for the bill to be overturned.

Bachmann said "the American people won't ever forget the irresponsible actions of this Administration and Democratic Majority."

Soon after passage of the historic bill Sunday night in the House, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, also announced plans to seek to repeal the health care reform legislation.

Updated 6:49 p.m.: A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee has responded to Republican calls to repeal Democrats' health care reform legislation. “While Democrats have delivered reform that will make care more affordable and reliable, Republicans would allow insurance companies to continue to charge whatever they wanted for care and take it away when you got sick," DNC national press secretary Hari Sevugan said in a written statement. "Republicans may finally have a plan, but it quite literally is plan to go backwards, and that’s not one we can afford.”

[Aplomb]

http://w7.examiner.com/x-16044-Chris...ealthcare-bill

Ohio groups take ‘nation’s first citizen-initiated action’ challenging healthcare bill

The Ohio Liberty Council is a statewide alliance of 25 grassroots organizations which includes The Cincinnati Tea Party and The Cincinnati 9/12 group. On Monday morning the coalition released a statement in which it announced that it will propose a, “state constitutional amendment that will ‘preserve the freedom of Ohioans to choose their healthcare and healthcare coverage.’” The amendment was drafted by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law with the intent of protecting Ohioans from the financial burdens and individual mandates contained in the healthcare bill, which Obama is expected to sign into law on Tuesday.

Ohio Liberty Council also stated that, “The group filed constitutional amendment summary language and more than 3000 signatures from registered voters in 42 counties with the Ohio Secretary of State and Attorney General. The amendment language is available at http://www.ohiolibertycouncil.org. Today’s filing by the Ohio Liberty Council is the nation’s first citizen-initiated action.”

Karen Best, founder of the Cincinnati 9/12 Project said in a written statement on Sunday evening that, “As our people travel back from Washington DC, our petitions are on their way to Columbus to amend the Ohio Constitution to nullify this bill for the citizens of Ohio. They will be filed in the morning, and though 1000 signatures in the last 24 hours were all we needed, I believe we are turning in the maximum allowed…Thanks to all who circulated these (petitions) so quickly, and thanks to all who signed… In addition to that, know that many lawsuits will be filed the moment that this bill is signed by Obama. Attorneys General across this country are lining up.”

A Reuters article on Monday printed a prepared statement from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum: "The health care reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night clearly violates the U.S. Constitution and infringes on each state's sovereignty. On behalf of the State of Florida and of the Attorneys General from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alabama, if the President signs this bill into law, we will file a lawsuit to protect the rights and the interests of American citizens."

A http://www.newsmax.com article reported on Thursday that The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has said that, “twenty-six states have proposed amendments to their state constitutions that would ban the individual mandate requirement. Thirteen other states are moving to block the individual mandate by altering state statutes rather than amending their state constitutions.”

The article also stated that, “Many legal scholars assume federal law would automatically overrule any state-level legislation. But other scholars say that would not necessarily occur in the case of healthcare reform, because there is no precedent for regulating interstate commerce that isn’t already taking place.”

Interestingly, during last night’s House debates, a House Republican made it a point to explain that Obama can’t use an executive order to change the law, and that if he tries to do so, it’s only a piece of paper and not anything more.

Newt Gingrich said through his American Solutions for Wining the Future organization that, “This will not stand. No one should be confused about the outcome of Sunday's vote. This is not the end of the fight - it is the beginning of the fight. The American people spoke decisively against a big government, high tax, Washington knows best, pro-trial lawyer, centralized and bureaucratic health system. In every recent poll the vast majority of Americans opposed this monstrosity.”

He also stated that, “It is hard to imagine how much pressure they brought to bear on congressman Stupak to get him to accept a cynical, phony, clearly illegal and unconstitutional executive order on abortion. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid machine was most clearly on display in their public humiliation of Stupak.” Gingrich added that, “The real principles of the machine were articulated by Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings who was impeached and removed from the bench as a federal judge, before being elected to the House when he said, ‘There ain't no rules here, we're trying to accomplish something...All this talk about rules...When the deal goes down...we make 'em up as we go along.’"

Chris Littleton, The Ohio Liberty Council President, stated that, “The Ohio Liberty Council seeks to preserve the freedom of Ohioans to choose their healthcare and healthcare coverage. With the passage of untenable national mandates on health insurance, the federal government is trampling on the direct constitutional authority and responsibility of state legislatures. This constitutional amendment will do what our leaders in the Statehouse have failed to do – protect Ohioans from federal mandates on personal behavior.”
“Obamacare significantly erodes individual liberties because of its severe penalties for non-compliance,” said 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “The federal government – through the IRS –now has the power to levy tens of thousands of dollars in fines on individuals who do not purchase health insurance from government-sanctioned private providers. The Ohio Liberty Council’s constitutional amendment will protect Ohioans from this draconian overreach.”

The amendment provides that:

• In Ohio, no law or rule shall compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in a health care system;

• In Ohio, no law or rule shall prohibit the purchase or sale of health care or health insurance; and

• In Ohio, no law or rule shall impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of health care or health insurance.

The amendment does not:

• Affect laws or rules in effect as of March 19, 2010;

• Affect which services a health care provider or hospital is required to perform or provide;

• Affect terms and conditions of government employment; and

• Affect any laws calculated to deter fraud or punish wrongdoing in the health care industry.

Here is a complete state-by-state roll call, as compiled by the Associated Press. It details who voted yes and who voted no for this bill -- something that will certainly be remembered in November.

ALABAMA
Democrats: Bright, N; Davis, N.
Republicans: Aderholt, N; Bachus, N; Bonner, N; Griffith, N; Rogers, N.

ALASKA
Republicans: Young, N.

ARIZONA
Democrats: Giffords, Y; Grijalva, Y; Kirkpatrick, Y; Mitchell, Y; Pastor, Y.
Republicans: Flake, N; Franks, N; Shadegg, N.

ARKANSAS
Democrats: Berry, N; Ross, N; Snyder, Y.
Republicans: Boozman, N.

CALIFORNIA
Democrats: Baca, Y; Becerra, Y; Berman, Y; Capps, Y; Cardoza, Y; Chu, Y; Costa, Y; Davis, Y; Eshoo, Y; Farr, Y; Filner, Y; Garamendi, Y; Harman, Y; Honda, Y; Lee, Y; Lofgren, Zoe, Y; Matsui, Y; McNerney, Y; Miller, George, Y; Napolitano, Y; Pelosi, Y; Richardson, Y; Roybal-Allard, Y; Sanchez, Linda T., Y; Sanchez, Loretta, Y; Schiff, Y; Sherman, Y; Speier, Y; Stark, Y; Thompson, Y; Waters, Y; Watson, Y; Waxman, Y; Woolsey, Y.
Republicans: Bilbray, N; Bono Mack, N; Calvert, N; Campbell, N; Dreier, N; Gallegly, N; Herger, N; Hunter, N; Issa, N; Lewis, N; Lungren, Daniel E., N; McCarthy, N; McClintock, N; McKeon, N; Miller, Gary, N; Nunes, N; Radanovich, N; Rohrabacher, N; Royce, N.

COLORADO
Democrats: DeGette, Y; Markey, Y; Perlmutter, Y; Polis, Y; Salazar, Y.
Republicans: Coffman, N; Lamborn, N.

CONNECTICUT
Democrats: Courtney, Y; DeLauro, Y; Himes, Y; Larson, Y; Murphy, Y.

DELAWARE
Republicans: Castle, N.

FLORIDA
Democrats: Boyd, Y; Brown, Corrine, Y; Castor, Y; Grayson, Y; Hastings, Y; Klein, Y; Kosmas, Y; Meek, Y; Wasserman Schultz, Y.
Republicans: Bilirakis, N; Brown-Waite, Ginny, N; Buchanan, N; Crenshaw, N; Diaz-Balart, L., N; Diaz-Balart, M., N; Mack, N; Mica, N; Miller, N; Posey, N; Putnam, N; Rooney, N; Ros-Lehtinen, N; Stearns, N; Young, N.

GEORGIA
Democrats: Barrow, N; Bishop, Y; Johnson, Y; Lewis, Y; Marshall, N; Scott, Y.
Republicans: Broun, N; Deal, N; Gingrey, N; Kingston, N; Linder, N; Price, N; Westmoreland, N.

HAWAII
Democrats: Hirono, Y.

IDAHO
Democrats: Minnick, N.
Republicans: Simpson, N.

ILLINOIS
Democrats: Bean, Y; Costello, Y; Davis, Y; Foster, Y; Gutierrez, Y; Halvorson, Y; Hare, Y; Jackson, Y; Lipinski, N; Quigley, Y; Rush, Y; Schakowsky, Y.
Republicans: Biggert, N; Johnson, N; Kirk, N; Manzullo, N; Roskam, N; Schock, N; Shimkus, N.|

INDIANA
Democrats: Carson, Y; Donnelly, Y; Ellsworth, Y; Hill, Y; Visclosky, Y.
Republicans: Burton, N; Buyer, N; Pence, N; Souder, N.

IOWA
Democrats: Boswell, Y; Braley, Y; Loebsack, Y.
Republicans: King, N; Latham, N.

KANSAS
Democrats: Moore, Y.
Republicans: Jenkins, N; Moran, N; Tiahrt, N.

KENTUCKY
Democrats: Chandler, N; Yarmuth, Y.
Republicans: Davis, N; Guthrie, N; Rogers, N; Whitfield, N.

LOUISIANA
Democrats: Melancon, N.
Republicans: Alexander, N; Boustany, N; Cao, N; Cassidy, N; Fleming, N; Scalise, N.

MAINE
Democrats: Michaud, Y; Pingree, Y.

MARYLAND
Democrats: Cummings, Y; Edwards, Y; Hoyer, Y; Kratovil, N; Ruppersberger, Y; Sarbanes, Y; Van Hollen, Y.
Republicans: Bartlett, N.

MASSACHUSETTS
Democrats: Capuano, Y; Delahunt, Y; Frank, Y; Lynch, N; Markey, Y; McGovern, Y; Neal, Y; Olver, Y; Tierney, Y; Tsongas, Y.

MICHIGAN
Democrats: Conyers, Y; Dingell, Y; Kildee, Y; Kilpatrick, Y; Levin, Y; Peters, Y; Schauer, Y; Stupak, Y.
Republicans: Camp, N; Ehlers, N; Hoekstra, N; McCotter, N; Miller, N; Rogers, N; Upton, N.

MINNESOTA
Democrats: Ellison, Y; McCollum, Y; Oberstar, Y; Peterson, N; Walz, Y.
Republicans: Bachmann, N; Kline, N; Paulsen, N.

MISSISSIPPI
Democrats: Childers, N; Taylor, N; Thompson, Y.
Republicans: Harper, N.

MISSOURI
Democrats: Carnahan, Y; Clay, Y; Cleaver, Y; Skelton, N.
Republicans: Akin, N; Blunt, N; Emerson, N; Graves, N; Luetkemeyer, N.

MONTANA
Republicans: Rehberg, N.

NEBRASKA
Republicans: Fortenberry, N; Smith, N; Terry, N.

NEVADA
Democrats: Berkley, Y; Titus, Y.
Republicans: Heller, N.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Democrats: Hodes, Y; Shea-Porter, Y.

NEW JERSEY
Democrats: Adler, N; Andrews, Y; Holt, Y; Pallone, Y; Pascrell, Y; Payne, Y; Rothman, Y; Sires, Y.
Republicans: Frelinghuysen, N; Garrett, N; Lance, N; LoBiondo, N; Smith, N.

NEW MEXICO
Democrats: Heinrich, Y; Lujan, Y; Teague, N.

NEW YORK
Democrats: Ackerman, Y; Arcuri, N; Bishop, Y; Clarke, Y; Crowley, Y; Engel, Y; Hall, Y; Higgins, Y; Hinchey, Y; Israel, Y; Lowey, Y; Maffei, Y; Maloney, Y; McCarthy, Y; McMahon, N; Meeks, Y; Murphy, Y; Nadler, Y; Owens, Y; Rangel, Y; Serrano, Y; Slaughter, Y; Tonko, Y; Towns, Y; Velazquez, Y; Weiner, Y.
Republicans: King, N; Lee, N.

NORTH CAROLINA
Democrats: Butterfield, Y; Etheridge, Y; Kissell, N; McIntyre, N; Miller, Y; Price, Y; Shuler, N; Watt, Y.
Republicans: Coble, N; Foxx, N; Jones, N; McHenry, N; Myrick, N.

NORTH DAKOTA
Democrats: Pomeroy, Y.

OHIO
Democrats: Boccieri, Y; Driehaus, Y; Fudge, Y; Kaptur, Y; Kilroy, Y; Kucinich, Y; Ryan, Y; Space, N; Sutton, Y; Wilson, Y.
Republicans: Austria, N; Boehner, N; Jordan, N; LaTourette, N; Latta, N; Schmidt, N; Tiberi, N; Turner, N.

OKLAHOMA
Democrats: Boren, N.
Republicans: Cole, N; Fallin, N; Lucas, N; Sullivan, N.

OREGON
Democrats: Blumenauer, Y; DeFazio, Y; Schrader, Y; Wu, Y.
Republicans: Walden, N.

PENNSYLVANIA
Democrats: Altmire, N; Brady, Y; Carney, Y; Dahlkemper, Y; Doyle, Y; Fattah, Y; Holden, N; Kanjorski, Y; Murphy, Patrick, Y; Schwartz, Y; Sestak, Y.
Republicans: Dent, N; Gerlach, N; Murphy, Tim, N; Pitts, N; Platts, N; Shuster, N; Thompson, N.

RHODE ISLAND
Democrats: Kennedy, Y; Langevin, Y.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Democrats: Clyburn, Y; Spratt, Y.
Republicans: Barrett, N; Brown, N; Inglis, N; Wilson, N.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Democrats: Herseth Sandlin, N.

TENNESSEE
Democrats: Cohen, Y; Cooper, Y; Davis, N; Gordon, Y; Tanner, N.
Republicans: Blackburn, N; Duncan, N; Roe, N; Wamp, N.

TEXAS
Democrats: Cuellar, Y; Doggett, Y; Edwards, N; Gonzalez, Y; Green, Al, Y; Green, Gene, Y; Hinojosa, Y; Jackson Lee, Y; Johnson, E. B., Y; Ortiz, Y; Reyes, Y; Rodriguez, Y.
Republicans: Barton, N; Brady, N; Burgess, N; Carter, N; Conaway, N; Culberson, N; Gohmert, N; Granger, N; Hall, N; Hensarling, N; Johnson, Sam, N; Marchant, N; McCaul, N; Neugebauer, N; Olson, N; Paul, N; Poe, N; Sessions, N; Smith, N; Thornberry, N.

UTAH
Democrats: Matheson, N.
Republicans: Bishop, N; Chaffetz, N.

VERMONT
Democrats: Welch, Y.

VIRGINIA
Democrats: Boucher, N; Connolly, Y; Moran, Y; Nye, N; Perriello, Y; Scott, Y.
Republicans: Cantor, N; Forbes, N; Goodlatte, N; Wittman, N; Wolf, N.

WASHINGTON
Democrats: Baird, Y; Dicks, Y; Inslee, Y; Larsen, Y; McDermott, Y; Smith, Y.
Republicans: Hastings, N; McMorris Rodgers, N; Reichert, N.

WEST VIRGINIA
Democrats: Mollohan, Y; Rahall, Y.
Republicans: Capito, N.

WISCONSIN
Democrats: Baldwin, Y; Kagen, Y; Kind, Y; Moore, Y; Obey, Y.
Republicans: Petri, N; Ryan, N; Sensenbrenner, N.

WYOMING
Republicans: Lummis, N.

[Aplomb]

http://newmexicoindependent.com/4384...ters-pack-heat

Video: Alamogordo tea party protesters pack heat
Organizers encouraged attendees to bring firearms

By CHRIS DUDLEY 1/2/10 10:29 PM

About 300 people attended an anti-Obama rally in Alamogordo Saturday, and many of the protesters showed up at the rally armed with holstered hand-guns and loaded assault rifles.

Protesters cited a number of issues for the event, including the health care reform in Congress, taxes, gun rights, allegations that Obama is not an American citizen. One attendee cited his displeasure with what was described as an international police organization that will take control away from local police departments as a result of a recent Obama secret directive.

Those gathered to protest said they brought their guns because they wanted to draw more attention to the event, because they wanted to exercise their Constitutional Rights, to show responsible gun ownership. One protester threatened armed insurrection if steps are not taken to restore “Constitutional” governance.

The event was organized by the Otero Tea Party Patriots, the Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force and the Sons of Liberty Riders, a motorcycle rights organization. Protesters were encouraged by the organizing groups to bring their guns.

New Mexico’s Constitution allows for open carry of firearms to most public places. A permit was acquired for the protest and the police were notified of the details before the event.



Want to see more interviews with protesters in Alamogordo? Stay tuned. We’ll post more ASAP.

[Aplomb]

The video is from January 2nd...