BY: MIKE PORTER

This Monday November 9, 2009 represents the twenty year anniversary of the first time the Berlin Wall was opened in Germany. On that glorious day, it marked a significant step in the destruction of the Soviet Union and the end to the long and brutal cold war. America emerged as the lone super power in the world and surged ahead proving to the world that democracy and individual freedom had triumphed over tyranny and socialism. It was a wonderful time to be an American and an even more wonderful time to be alive. The heavy hand of government and the terrors of the Soviet Union would influence the world for the last time.

Germany became divided at the end of World War II, because the Allies could not agree as to which government should be installed after the fall of the third Reich. After much deliberation, it was decided that East Germany would belong to the Soviets and West Germany would belong to the American, British, and the French. After countless people had fled from East to West the Soviets had trouble controlling the border. Many were put in prisons and others were shot dead on the spot by Soviet border police. In 1961 it was decided by the Soviets that a more cost effective solution was necessary to stop frantic East German citizens from seeking freedom on the other side. Shooting some and putting others in prisons was very costly and thus the wall was built by the Soviets to help police the border between East and West Germany. The wall stood for many years until it was opened for the first time in 1989, and a united Germany was born.

On Monday the Germans have a huge celebration on hand to commemorate this giant accomplishment of freedom. Many will be on hand to celebrate this wonderful event including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the last Soviet chairman, Mikhail Gorbachev. Barack Obama was invited to take part in the event, but as reported by White House press secretary, his schedule does not allow him to take part in these festivities. Upon hearing this news, I was speechless. How in the world can a sitting President of the United States and leader of the free world possibly skip an event as big as this one? Aside from winning World War II, one would be hard pressed to cite a larger example of freedom’s success in modern times than the fall of this wall and the end of the Soviet Union.

Many have tried, but nobody can deny America’s assistance with bringing down the Soviet Union. America engaged in several wars and struggles to prevent other countries from falling under Soviet rule. America would help in countless ways monetarily by sending money and aid to help other countries to stand tall in defense against the red army. The end of World War II left two world super powers who’s economic philosophy were polar opposites of one another. Each would watch each other like a hawk in a brilliant “chess like” game played throughout the decades as each tried to undermine each other. Each country would stare each other down knowing a simple blink of an eye or the first sign of weakness would open an opportunity for the other. All the while, the possibility of another world war with nuclear consequences could be in the near future. The rest of the world would watch this showdown continuously as one country gaining power over the other would affect decisions their governments would make. It was Stalin who once said, “for the final victory of socialism, for the organization of Socialist production, the efforts of one country, particularly of a peasant country like Russia, are insufficient.” (3) The Soviets believed socialism needed to expand to other nations to truly be successful, but during the cold war, America was there every step of the way to slow and prevent the Soviet “domino effect” in other countries. Some of America’s decisions to prevent the spread of communism this day are viewed as controversial, but nonetheless proved effective in keeping Communism at bay all over the globe. Finally the arms race in the 1980’s lead by compassionate, yet firm Ronald Reagan furthered the demise and helped to bankrupt the once great world threat. The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of this madness.

I have not heard what Barack Obama will be doing that day instead, but nothing excuses him taking a pass on this event. He found time to fly in the last minute to make a push for the Olympics a few months ago. He flew several times to campaign for his Democratic colleagues running for Governor. He made several overseas trips and has already met with Russia. Obama is only days away from a trip to Asia, I find it remarkable he can’t pencil in some time to stop by one of our best allies for an event as big as this one. He has apologized to the rest of the world endlessly for American mistakes made throughout history, but rarely cites examples of American success. This is Barack Obama’s opportunity to set everything else aside and enjoy the success of world freedom and America’s involvement in helping establish it as such. Unfortunately, the President has someplace else he would rather be that day and is dispatching Hillary Clinton in his place. I am not sure what the President was thinking on this one, but I am extremely disappointed he refuses to show up in person to represent America and share in one of freedom’s greatest accomplishments.

(1) http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,655632,00.html
(2) http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/berlinwall-timeline.htm
(3) http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404101254.html

Since this bill seems to be getting completely ignored by just about everybody in the media and on Capitol Hill, I figured it was probably something worth looking into. Its stated purpose is to provide for incentives to encourage health insurance coverage, and for other purposes.

Download a copy of the bill:

http://www.box.net/shared/d2j4xpsak5

It's 268 pages long, which as an improvement over the 1000+ pages of the current health care reform bill. Still a long read, though.

The Table of Contents seems to be a pretty good way to summarize it:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

TITLE I—TAX INCENTIVES FOR MAINTAINING HEALTH
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Sec. 101. Refundable tax credit for health insurance costs of low-income individuals.
Sec. 102. Advance payment of credit as premium payment for qualified health
insurance.
Sec. 103. Election of tax credit instead of alternative government or group plan
benefits.
Sec. 104. Deduction for qualified health insurance costs of individuals.
Sec. 105. Limitation on abortion funding.
Sec. 106. Non-discrimination on abortion and respect for rights of conscience.
Sec. 107. Equal employer contribution rule to promote choice.
Sec. 108. Limitations on State restrictions on employer auto-enrollment.
Sec. 109. Credit for small employers adopting auto-enrollment and defined contribution
options.
Sec. 110. Require employers to disclose amounts paid for employer-provided
health plan coverage.
Sec. 111. HSA modifications and clarifications.

TITLE II—HEALTH INSURANCE POOLING MECHANISMS FOR
INDIVIDUALS
Subtitle A—Safety Net for Individuals With Pre-Existing Conditions
Sec. 201. Requiring operation of high-risk pool or other mechanism as condition
for availability of tax credit.
Subtitle B—Federal Block Grants for State Insurance Expenditures
Sec. 211. Federal block grants for State insurance expenditures.
Subtitle C—Health Care Access and Availability
Sec. 221. Expansion of access and choice through individual membership associations
(IMAs).
Subtitle D—Small Business Health Fairness
Sec. 231. Short title.
Sec. 232. Rules governing association health plans.
Sec. 233. Clarification of treatment of single employer arrangements.
Sec. 234. Enforcement provisions relating to association health plans.
Sec. 235. Cooperation between Federal and State authorities.
Sec. 236. Effective date and transitional and other rules.

TITLE III—INTERSTATE MARKET FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
Sec. 301. Cooperative governing of individual health insurance coverage.

TITLE IV—SAFETY NET REFORMS

•HR 3400 IH
Sec. 401. Requiring outreach and coverage before expansion of eligibility.
Sec. 402. Easing administrative barriers to State cooperation with employersponsored
insurance coverage.
Sec. 403. Improving beneficiary choice in SCHIP.
Sec. 404. Liability protections for health center volunteer practitioners.
Sec. 405. Liability protections for health center practitioners providing services
in emergency areas.

TITLE V—MEDICAL LIABILITY AND UNCOMPENSATED CARE
REFORMS
Sec. 501. Short title.
Sec. 502. Findings and purpose.
Sec. 503. Encouraging speedy resolution of claims.
Sec. 504. Compensating patient injury.
Sec. 505. Maximizing patient recovery.
Sec. 506. Additional health benefits.
Sec. 507. Punitive damages.
Sec. 508. Authorization of payment of future damages to claimants in health
care lawsuits.
Sec. 509. Definitions.
Sec. 510. Effect on other laws.
Sec. 511. State flexibility and protection of States’ rights.
Sec. 512. Applicability; effective date.
Sec. 513. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 514. State grants to create administrative health care tribunals.
Sec. 515. Affirmative defense based on compliance with best practice guidelines.
Sec. 516. Bad debt deduction for doctors to partially offset the cost of providing
uncompensated care required to be provided under
amendments made by the Emergency Medical Treatment and
Labor Act.

TITLE VI—WELLNESS AND PREVENTION
Sec. 601. Providing financial incentives for treatment compliance.

TITLE VII—TRANSPARENCY AND INSURANCE REFORM MEASURES
Sec. 701. Receipt and response to requests for claim information.

TITLE VIII—QUALITY
Sec. 801. Prohibition on certain uses of data obtained from comparative effectiveness
research; accounting for personalized medicine and differences
in patient treatment response.
Sec. 802. Establishment of performance-based quality measures.

TITLE IX—STATE TRANSPARENCY PLAN PORTAL
Sec. 901. Providing information on health coverage options and health care
providers.

TITLE X—PHYSICIAN PAYMENT REFORM
Sec. 1001. Sustainable growth rate reform.

TITLE XI—INCENTIVES TO REDUCE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGES

•HR 3400 IH
Subtitle A—Federally Supported Student Loan Funds for Medical Students
Sec. 1101. Federally Supported Student Loan Funds for Medical Students.
Subtitle B—Loan Forgiveness for Primary Care Providers
Sec. 1111. Loan forgiveness for primary care providers.

TITLE XII—OFFSETS
Subtitle A—Enforcing Discretionary Spending Limits
Sec. 1201. Enforcing discretionary spending limits.
Subtitle B—Repeal of Unused Stimulus Funds
Sec. 1211. Rescission and repeal in ARRA.
Subtitle C—Savings From Health Care Efficiencies
Sec. 1221. Medicare DSH report and payment adjustments in response to coverage
expansion.
Sec. 1222. Reduction in Medicaid DSH.
Subtitle D—Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
Sec. 1231. Provide adequate funding to HHS OIG and HCFAC.
Sec. 1232. Improved enforcement of the Medicare secondary payor provisions.
Sec. 1233. Strengthen Medicare provider enrollment standards and safeguards.
Sec. 1234. Tracking banned providers across State lines.
Sec. 1235. Reinstate the Medicare trigger.

Obama is trying to fast track his insane healthcare plan along with Cap & Trade so that it gets voted on by THIS WEDNESDAY so he can say in his teleprompted speech on Wednesday night that he passed these things... or at least Socialized medicine.

I KNOW you have all been hammering away at your Senators and Reps but if ANY of you have a Democratic Senator who cares anything about their constituents or country - we need your help!!!!

They are probably voting today to make it so that the Senate only needs 51 votes to pass 2 of the most DEVASTATING bills in the history of this country.

I absolutely hate sending call to actions so often but guys... no one seems to care what WE, the people, WANT... it's all about Obama and his outrageous ideologies that are screwing this country.....only WE can make a difference!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

CAP & TRADE CALL TO ACTION

You MUST call your Senators about the Cap & Trade bill that is in Congress right now. The ramifications of this bill on Americans and Businesses will overwhelmingly tax the hell out of us in more ways than one:

1. Our electric bills will rise to costs between $700 - $3,100 per year.

2. Businesses will see an even bigger rise in their electric bills.

3. When businesses see a bigger electric bill that cost will be added into the price of all consumer goods that we purchase. EVERYTHING WE BUY will be up to twice as expensive.

4. This could potentially cause job losses as businesses will have to cut somewhere and they won’t be able to cut these costs – think about factories, machine shops, the very automakers that we now own.

5. College tuition will go up even more because their electric bills will double also.

6. Public schools will have to pay more in electricity, which means higher taxes at a state level.

7. Cable companies will have to pay more – and we will pay the costs.

8. Grocery stores will be paying more in electricity which means WE will be paying even more for food.

9. Rents will go up if electricity is included. People are already having a hard times paying their rent – what will happen when their rent is increased even more?

10. Phone companies, restaurants, the Post Office, local government, pet stores, convenience stores, museums, ballparks… it affects EVERY SINGLE PERSON AND BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTRY!

The above doesn’t even include the increase in gas prices which will add ANOTHER whammy of taxes that will be paid directly by consumers and then again indirectly by businesses passing on the costs to consumer goods.

WE ARE THE ONLY COUNTRY TRYING TO SAVE THE ‘ATMOSPHERE’. No other countries are on board with this – how much of the atmosphere are WE alone really going to save????

Americans are being punished for an ideology that has not yet been proven. We are already in dire straights as a country – millions of people losing their jobs, not being able to pay their mortgages, their rent, provide food for their families and Obama wants to add THIS TAX BURDEN TO US???

This affects ALL AMERICANS, not just tax payers. The single Mom who can barely make ends meet for her family. The college kids who are already over stretched with student loans. The middle class family of four whose parents work hard and are trying to save for their kids’ college tuition. The poor welfare mother who hit hard times and just needs temporary help will never be able to climb her way off of the welfare roles.

Any of you who have Senators who are DEMOCRATS need to call, call, fax, email, write over and over again to GET THE POINT ACROSS THAT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!! No Republicans are going to vote for this insanity and some Democrats seem to have found a brain cell or two and are realizing voting for this would jeopardize their re-election and yeah maybe some of them actually care about their constituents. THESE are the ones that need to be targeted.

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

FOREIGN IMPORTERS will not be affected by this. So THEIR prices will remain lower. Businesses in this country will be put OUT of business because they will NOT be able to compete. They are already struggling in this country and fleeing. This will force MORE businesses to flee.. more jobs to be lost... the economy will delve further into the nether regions!!!!!!

Dear CU Members,

While Congress was distracting everyone with phony outrage over AIG, they were able to slip under the radar a bill designed to establish mandatory civilian labor. This is doubtless the beginning of Obama’s fascist, “national civilian security force” he spoke of during the campaign. You can read the whole story here: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92288. The title of the bill is H.R. 1388, the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act,” also know as the GIVE Act. It has already cleared the House and is headed to the Senate, where, as it happens, they are working on a similar, additional, bill that is being called the “Serve America” Act. Shockingly, 70 Republicans voted for the House bill, proving once again that most elected Republicans are tools and losers who will do whatever the Democrats want unless they are pressured otherwise. Not amazingly, the Senate's Serve America Act is being sponsored by Ted Kennedy with RINO and useful idiot, Orrin Hatch in tow as a cosponsor.

Both of these bills MUST BE STOPPED! It’s hard to overstate how important this is. Please call AND email your Senators (Democrat and Republican alike) and tell them to oppose the so-called GIVE Act that just passed the House, as well as the Serve America Act that’s being brewed up in the Senate.

As always, here is the contact info of all 100 Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

If you can, please also contact Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell and let him know he needs to get Republicans in lockstep on opposing this: http://mcconnell.senate.gov/.

Lastly, I have listed below, the names of the sell-out Republicans in the House who voted for GIVE. If you want to give them a piece of your mind, you now know who they are. There is something very rotten that is stinking up the Republican Party, and it needs to be uprooted . . . and fast. Here’s where you can get contact info for House members: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml.

Rep. Brian Bilbray [R, CA-50]
Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R, FL-9]
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [R, CA-45]
Rep. Virginia Brown-Waite [R, FL-5]
Rep. Vern Buchanan [R, FL-13]
Rep. Ken Calvert [R, CA-44]
Rep. David Camp [R, MI-4]
Rep. Anh Cao [R, LA-2]
Rep. Shelley Capito [R, WV-2]
Rep. Bill Cassidy [R, LA-6]
Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0]
Rep. Tom Cole [R, OK-4]
Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R, FL-4]
Rep. Charles Dent [R, PA-15]
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart [R, FL-25]
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart [R, FL-21]
Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R, MI-3]
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R, MO-8]
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R, NE-1]
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen [R, NJ-11]
Rep. Elton Gallegly [R, CA-24]
Rep. Jim Gerlach [R, PA-6]
Rep. Brett Guthrie [R, KY-2]
Rep. Dean Heller [R, NV-2]
Rep. Timothy Johnson [R, IL-15]
Rep. Peter King [R, NY-3]
Rep. Mark Kirk [R, IL-10]
Rep. Leonard Lance [R, NJ-7]
Rep. Thomas Latham [R, IA-4]
Rep. Steven LaTourette [R, OH-14]
Rep. Christopher Lee [R, NY-26]
Rep. Jerry Lewis [R, CA-41]
Rep. Frank LoBiondo [R, NJ-2]
Rep. Frank Lucas [R, OK-3]
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter [R, MI-11]
Rep. John McHugh [R, NY-23]
Rep. Howard McKeon [R, CA-25]
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R, WA-5]
Rep. Candice Miller [R, MI-10]
Rep. Tim Murphy [R, PA-18]
Rep. Erik Paulsen [R, MN-3]
Rep. Thomas Petri [R, WI-6]
Rep. Todd Platts [R, PA-19]
Rep. Adam Putnam [R, FL-12]
Rep. Dennis Rehberg [R, MT-0]
Rep. Dave Reichert [R, WA-8]
Rep. David Roe [R, TN-1]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, MI-8]
Rep. Harold Rogers [R, KY-5]
Rep. Thomas Rooney [R, FL-16]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R, FL-18]
Rep. Aaron Schock [R, IL-18]
Rep. John Shimkus [R, IL-19]
Rep. Michael Simpson [R, ID-2]
Rep. Christopher Smith [R, NJ-4]
Rep. Mark Souder [R, IN-3]
Rep. John Sullivan [R, OK-1]
Rep. Lee Terry [R, NE-2]
Rep. Glenn Thompson [R, PA-5]
Rep. Patrick Tiberi [R, OH-12]
Rep. Michael Turner [R, OH-3]
Rep. Frederick Upton [R, MI-6]
Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2]
Rep. Rob Wittman [R, VA-1]
Rep. Frank Wolf [R, VA-10]
Rep. Donald Young [R, AK-0]
Rep. C. W. Young [R, FL-10]

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1388/show

Sincerely,

Misha

I’m going to be as pithy as possible. In 16 days, on the 31st of March, there is going to be a special election in New York’s 20th Congressional district to replace Congresswoman, Kirsten Gillibrand. The Republican candidate is Jim Tedisco. Tedisco led the charge against Eliot Spitzer’s plan to issue New York State driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Right now, polls show Tedisco with a narrow lead over Democrat Steve Murphy, but that could change quickly with all the money the Obama machine is pouring into the contest. After all, at a time when the MSM is writing our party’s obituary, it would be quite an embarrassment for the Democrats to lose a seat they won just a matter of months ago. There is hope though. A group called The National Republican Trust PAC (GOPTrust) has mobilized an effort to put New York’s 20th district back in Republican hands.

From The National Republican Trust:

“The National Republican Trust is preparing hard-hitting television ads to make sure voters know this crucial contest is between conservative Republican Jim Tedisco and liberal Democrat Steve Murphy is on March 31. We urgently need your help to puts these hard-hitting commercials on the air.”

GOPTrust is an independent organization designed to help promote American values and support federal candidates for Congress, Senate and the Presidency who share those values. You can think of them as our own version of the left’s MoveOn.org. The National Republican Trust was instrumental in Senator Saxby Chambliss’ landslide runoff election victory in Georgia and they will be indispensible in the future as conservatives struggle against the literally unlimited funds of the Soros-Obama machine. We encourage all conservatives to support the GOPTrust in their efforts to take back New York’s 20th district. Here is the home page for those of you who would like to learn more about the group: http://nationalrepublicantrust.com/index.html. Here is the GOPTrust donation page: https://secure.yourpatriot.com/ou/tnrt/nat_repub_website/donate.aspx. I say we let it be known that the rumors of our demise were greatly exaggerated.

As you probably know, the 2009 Omnibus spending bill, which consists of over 8,500 pork projects, recently passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. The bill will cost 410 billion dollars ($410,000,000,000) of taxpayers’ money and includes items such as the following:

-$1,117,000 for grasshopper and Mormon cricket activities in Utah.

-$472,000 for beaver management and control in Mississippi.

-$2,000,000 for the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii.

-$1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa.

-$6.6 million for termite research in New Orleans.

-$1.7 million for a “honey bee factory” in Texas.

-$333,333 for a sidewalk in Texas.

-$951,500 for a “sustainable Las Vegas.”

And there are over 8,000 more pork projects like these.

Your job is easy. Call your senators ASAP and tell them to vote no on this abominable waste of taxpayer money. Ultimately, yes, the bill will pass. Politics is about numbers and, unfortunately, right now we don’t have them. We’re going to lose a lot of battles in these early days. If we can ever kill a piece of legislation, great, but right now that’s not what’s important. What’s important now is making sure that the Democrats OWN every bit of egregious legislation that works its way through the lower intestine of congress. Here’s your contact info for all 100 Senators: http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm