A note from a friend

As one of my favorite people, Rosanne Roseannadanna, often said, “It just goes to show ya, it’s always something!”  I don’t think she realized at the time that truer words were never spoken.  Every day it’s something.  I wish I could say it was something good.  It’s gotten to the point where every turn in the road leads to lies and deceit.  Are you uneasy with the state of our country?  I’m filled with disbelief that we Americans have allowed a small percentage of bureaucrats, protestors, activists, racists and political hacks to shove their agendas down our throats.

What is going on?  Are we afraid of these people?  Do we not care anymore what happens to our country?  Has eliminating God from all things important to us made our lives better?  Hello!  Is no one listening?  Take a look around you; the VA now has to cover religious statues etc. so as not to offend those who are not Christians.  In Texas, a mayor now wants to see all sermons by pastors to be sure they are not offensive to those who do not believe the words of the Bible.  There are even those who are pressing for the phrase “Under God” in our Pledge of Alliance to be replaced by “Under Allah”. 

Our present administration has had one scandal after another and yet we sit idly by and allow these crooked politicians to continue on their merry way; after all, we’re nothing but a bunch of dumb hicks who don’t care about much except free contraceptives and recreational marijuana.  Nixon was impeached for a lot less than any of these government atrocities.  It’s time to clean out the House and the Senate.  Get rid of every last one of those self-serving politicians.  None deserve to keep their seats and I’m tired of listening to their party line blathering.  I firmly believe most of us want what’s best for our country but that takes hard work and perseverance and we’ve become a nation of lazy and complacent do-nothings. 

We are now saddled with the Ebola virus and a lot of finger pointing as to who caused it.  Democrats say it’s the Republicans; Republicans say it’s the Democrats.  I say it’s OUR fault.  We have allowed our government to strip medical research funding for life threatening diseases without batting an eye.  What do we give our tax dollars to?  How about “determining if cocaine makes Japanese quail engage in sexually risky behavior;” or the “National Institute of Health spending our hard earned money to study the impact of a “genital-washing program” on men in South Africa”.  Or here’s a real pressing issue, “funds to train Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly”.  We allow our politicians to tell us that they have cut spending as much as they could; those darn superfluous programs like medical research.  President Obama continues to calm the hysteria over an Ebola outbreak by assuring us (wink, wink) that all is under control and we need not worry. 

For goodness sake, people, WAKE UP!  Is anybody home?  We’ve got mid-term elections coming up and unless we begin to voice our discontent in the voting booth, we’re going to be in for a lot worse than we’ve already encountered.  You’re right, Roseanne Roseannadanna; “It just goes to show ya, it’s always something!”

Diane L. Schabo

511 West F Street

Iron Mountain, MI  49801`

Timeline of Major Provisions in the Obamacare Package

Taken from the Ways and Means Committee

2009

 •2‐year tax credit (total cap of $1B) for new chronic disease therapy investments
•Medicare cuts to hospitals begin (long‐term care (7/1/09) and inpatient and
2009 rehabilitation facilities (FY10))

2010

•States and Federal officials review premium increases
•FDA authorized to approve "follow‐on" biologics
•Increase brand name pharmaceutical Medicaid rebate (from 15.1% to 23.1%)
•Medicare payments to physicians in  primarily rural areas increase (2 years)
•Deny "black liquor" eligibility for cellulosic biofuel producers credit
•Tax credits provided to certain small employers  for health care‐related expenses
•Increase adoption tax incentives for 2 years
•Codify economic substance doctrine and impose penalties for underpayments
(transactions on/after 3/23/10)
•Provide income exclusion for specified Indian tribe health benefits provided after
3/23/10
•Temporary high‐risk pool and high‐cost union retiree reinsurance ($5 B each for 3.5
years) (6/23/10)
•Impose 10% tax on indoor UV tanning (7/1/10)
•Medicare cuts to inpatient psych hospitals (7/1/10)
•Prohibits lifetime and annual benefit spending limits (plan years beginning 9/23/10)
•Prohibits non‐group plans from canceling coverage (rescissions) (plan years
beginning 9/23/10)
•Requires plans to cover, at no charge, most preventive care (plan years beginning
9/23/10)
•Allows dependents to stay on parents’ policies through age 26 (plan years
beginning 9/23/10)
•Provides limited protections to children with pre‐existing conditions (plan years
beginning 9/23/10)
•Hospitals  in "Frontier States" (ND, MT, WY, SD, UT ) receive higher Medicare
payments (FY11)
•Hospitals in “low‐cost” areas receive higher Medicare payments for 2 yrs ($400
million, FY11)

2011

•Medicare Advantage cuts begin
•No longer allowed to use FSA, HSA, HRA, Archer MSA distributions for over‐the‐
counter medicines
•Medicare cuts to home health begin
•Wealthier seniors  ($85k/$170k) begin paying higher Part D premiums (not indexed
for inflation in Parts B/D)
•Medicare reimbursement cuts when seniors use diagnostic imaging like MRIs, CT
scans, etc.
•Medicare cuts begin to  ambulance services, ASCs, diagnostic labs, and durable
medical equipment
•Impose new annual  tax on brand name pharmaceutical companies
•Americans begin paying premiums for federal long‐term care insurance (CLASS Act)
•Health plans required to spend a minimum of 80% of premiums on medical claims
•Physicians in "Frontier States" (ND, MT, WY, SD, UT ) receive higher Medicare
payments
•Prohibition on Medicare payments to new physician‐owned hospitals
•Penalties for non‐qualified HSA and Archer MSA distributions double (to 20%)
•Seniors prohibited from purchasing power wheelchairs unless they first rent for 13
months
•Brand name drug companies begin providing 50% discount in the Part D “donut
hole”
•10% Medicare bonus payment for primary care and general surgery (5 years)
•Employers required to report value of health benefits on W‐2
•Steps towards health insurance administrative simplification (reduced paperwork,
etc) begins (5 yr process)
•Additional funding for community health centers (5 years)
•Seniors who hit Part D “donut hole "in 2010 receive $250 check (3/15/11)
•New Medicare cuts  to  long‐term care hospitals begin (7/1/11)
•Additional Medicare cuts to hospitals and cuts to nursing homes and inpatient
rehab facilities begin (FY12)
•New tax on all private health insurance policies to pay for comp. eff. research (plan
years  beginning FY12)

2012

•Medicare cuts to dialysis treatment begins
•Require information reporting on payments to corporations
•Medicare to reduce  spending by using an HMO‐like coordinated care  model
(Accountable Care Organizations)
•Medicare Advantage plans with a 4 or 5 star rating receive a quality bonus payment
•New Medicare cuts to inpatient psych hospitals (7/1/12)
•Hospital pay‐for‐quality program begins  (FY13)
•Medicare cuts to hospitals with high readmission rates begin (FY13)
•Medicare cuts to hospice begin (FY13)

2013

•Impose $2,500 annual cap on FSA contributions (indexed to CPI)
•Increase Medicare wage tax by 0.9% and impose a new 3.8% tax on unearned , non‐
active business income for those earning over $200k/$250k (not indexed to inflation)
•Generally increases (7.5% to 10%) threshold at which medical expenses, as a % of
income, can be deductible
•Eliminate deduction for Part D retiree drug subsidy employers receive
•Impose 2.3% excise tax on medical devices
•Medicare cuts to hospitals who treat low‐income seniors begin
•Post‐acute pay for quality reporting begins
•CO‐OP Program: Secretary awards loans and grants for establishing nonprofit health
insurers
•$500,000 deduction cap on compensation paid to insurance company employees and
officers
•Part D “donut hole” reduction begins, reaching a 25% reduction by 2020

2014

•Individuals without gov't‐approved coverage are subject to a tax of the greater of
$695 or 2.5% of income
•Employers who fail to offer "affordable" coverage would pay a $3,000 penalty for
every employee that receives a subsidy through the Exchange
•Employers who do not offer insurance must pay a tax penalty of $2,000 for every full‐
time employee
•More Medicare cuts to home health begin
•States must have established Exchanges
•Employers with more than 200 employees can auto‐enroll employees in health
coverage, with opt‐out
•All non‐grandfathered and Exchange health plans required to meet federally‐
mandated levels of coverage
•States must cover parents /childless adults up to 138% of poverty on Medicaid,
receive increased FMAP
•Tax credits available for Exchange‐based coverage, amount varies by income up to
400% of poverty
•Insurers cannot impose any  coverage restrictions on pre‐existing conditions
(guaranteed issue/renewability)
•Modified community rating: individual or family coverage; geography; 3:1 ratio for
age; 1.5 :1 for smoking
•Insurers must offer coverage to anyone wanting a policy and every policy has to be
renewed
•Limits out‐of‐pocket cost‐sharing (tied to limits in HSAs, currently $5,950/$11,900
indexed to COLA)
•Insurance plans must include  government‐defined "essential benefits " and coverage
levels
•OPM must offer at least two multi‐state plans in every state
•Employers can offer some employees free choice vouchers for health insurance in the
Exchange
•Government board (IPAB) begins submitting proposals to cut Medicare
•Impose tax on nearly all private health insurance plans
•Medicare payment cuts for hospital‐acquired infections begin (FY15)
2014

2015

2015 •More Medicare cuts to home health begin

2016

2016 •States can form interstate insurance compacts if the coverage with HHS approval (2016)

2017

•Physician pay‐for‐quality program begins for all physicians
•States may allow large employers and multi‐employer health plans to purchase coverage
in the Exchange.
•States may apply to the Secretary for a limited waiver from certain federal requirements
2017

2018

•Impose "Cadillac tax on “high cost” plans, 40% tax on the benefit value above a certain
threshold: ($10,200 individual coverage, $27,500 family or  self‐only union multi‐
employer coverage)

A Resolution for Dummies

The what ifs of the above video are not what ifs at all. They are reality. The recent attempt by government to demand that religious institutions be required to offer birth control,the morning after pill and sterilizations to their employees, even if their fundamental beliefs are morally apposed, is just one more example of governments attempt to take over our lives.

We have been permitting an erosion of our liberties for many years but this administration has the most in your face implementation that I have ever seen. I hope that it has not gone so far that we are unable to retrieve them. How can we not see the damage these activities have done to Europe. How can we not see that in surrendering our rights for false security we have become less secure?

How can we keep accepting lies because we want to believe them then ignore and make excuses as the results of those lies so obviously prove them to be wrong. The Obama administration has backed off and offered a solution to the conflict that is so outrageous it is insulting. The objecting institutions won't have to pay for the the insurance to cover this any longer but the insurance companies will have to pay. What? Who pays the premiums to the insurance companies except the very people who hold the beliefs. When was the last time the government got involved with something and it costs less as they say it will.

I have to quit writing before my head blows up. Not to worry the government will take care of me. NOT!

Live Free or Choke On It

I have been remiss in my writing because I was almost catatonic. It seems like it is all to much.  The world as I know it is crashing. I have been feeling powerless. My country, the greatest on earth, is slipping both in influence and financially.  My state, county and local governments are controlled by the unions and spending is out of control.  I get so many requests for donations and phone sales in a days time that I am hanging up on them an refusing to donate to anyone.  What was happening to me?

Then I thought, when have you ever been a quitter? So here I am with renewed vigor.  Asking your help and your strength to work with me.  They want us to get worn out.  They want us to give up.  We can't let them win.  This is a great country!  We just can't let them change it to something else or convince us it is not.

When your tempted to sit back, step forward.  There won't be immediate financial benefit like there is most of the time on the other side, but you are still doing it for yourself, your children, grandchildren and (almost as important) me.  Make a phone call, write a letter or go to a political meeting. Unfortunately, you may not have someone to tell you what to do but you know what is right. If you need direction, join an organization  that will notify you when to act. Don't leave it to someone else to do. We have to keep the pressure on.  It is very important.  If you think you don't care, you will.

Declaring You Freedom Can Be Fun

Isn't it wonderful? You can have fun and sign the petition for Healthcare Freedom at the same time. We will be at the Dearborn Heights Spirit Festival and the Livonia Spree collecting signatures and your petitions.

Dearborn Heights Spirit Festival, 1801 Beech Daly, 1/2 block south of Ford Rd.

Wednesday, June 9, 5:00 to 10:00 pm
Thursday, June 10, 5:00 to 10:00 pm
Friday, June 11, 5:00 to 10:00 pm
Saturday, June 12, 2:00 to 10:00 pm
Sunday, June 13, 2:00 to 10:00 pm


Please come and enjoy yourself Friday or Saturday at the Livonia Spree event days held at Ford Field at the corner of Farmington Road and Lyndon.A limited amount of parking is available on the Spree grounds. Take Stark Road north off the I-96 service drive. Handicapped Take Stark Road north off the I-96 service drive. The police will provide direction to the handicapped parking area. Handicap permit is required. Ample parking is available at Livonia City Hall. The free Shuttle Service will operate during Spree hours of operation

FRIDAY JUNE 25, 2010 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY JUNE 26, 2010 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Please come and sign the petition and bring your registered family and friends.

Inaction Is Not An Option

I have volunteered to be one of the county coordinators for Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom.The objective is to place on the November ballot a referendum to amend the State Constitution to fight back against the Washington health care takeover.

Here is a summary of the amendment language:
• DECLARES THE RIGHT OF PERSONS TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE WITHOUT BEING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY COMPELLED BY GOVERNMENT ACTION TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
• PROHIBITS THE GOVERNMENT FROM IMPOSING PROHIBITIONS ON THE PURCHASE OR SALE OF HEALTH INSURANCE OR HEALTH COVERAGE IN PRIVATE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS.
• PROHIBITS GOVERNMENT FROM IMPOSING PENALTIES OR FINES AGAINST PERSON, EMPLOYERS, AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS FOR PARTICIPATING IN DIRECT PAY ACTIVITIES FOR LAWFUL HEALTH CARE SERVICES.
• PROHIBITS GOVERNMENT FROM CREATING ANY DISADVANTAGE AGAINST A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FOR PERMITTING A PERSON OR EMPLOYER TO PAY DIRECTLY FOR LAWFUL HEALTH CARE SERVICES OR FOR PERMITTING A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER TO ACCEPT DIRECT PAYMENT FROM A PERSON OR EMPLOYER FOR LAWFUL HEALTH CARE SERVICES
If you want more Information or locations where you may pick up or sign a petition, please contact me at 313-278-8383 or email me at wctaxpayers@comcast.net or, you may also contact Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom at www.MICHIGANHCF.COM .

If you wish to distribute petitions or know of a location that might allow us to distribute them, please let us know. In the future, information will be available on our website www.wctaxpayers.org . You can also access our blog from that site.

There Is No More Integrity

I can not believe that all that posturing that Stupak did was just for show. He lied like a man who had no quams about it. He spoke like a man of priciple and caved like a man without integrity. This video was made last year without his knowledge. He knew all along that he would vote for health care reform. Now it is our duty to teach him that he should not lie to the American people and pretend he is something he is not.

He must now be voted out of office along with all the others who are trying to transform our country into a socialized nation. The blatent disregard for the will of the people makes them all targets in the next election.

We should be embarassed that we have let things get this far before doing something. This great country has provided us with many advantages that others could only dream of and admire. We have the ability to correct our errors in a non violent way because others have fought and died for our system of government, which provides for that means.

Our duty to be vigilant and to do the work necessary to maintain our way of life does not allow us to lay back and do nothing while our freedom slips away. It is all of our responsibility. We must, while hoping to keep the fruits of our labor, not take them from others.

For too long we have allowed government to control our lives and surendered for perceived comforts which can only lead to lack of choice and a restiction of our freedom. It is not to late to take back what "the God of nature has placed in our power" - the right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness.

If we are to give up our lives, it should not be because some bureaucrat makes the decision but for the sake of liberty.

Here's the Beef

If they were meeting in private to get it right without distraction, they failed. I can not believe that they could come up with a bill that is 1992 pages long and not explained away any faults in three bill. Hold on to your hats. It is going to be a very bumpy and dangerous ride. Maybe it will be deadly for some.

If you value your health, contact your senators now that the bill has passed the House. In fact, write them, email them and fax them. Contact other senators as well.
The phone is a great invention as well. In fact, I suggest you use it early and often just like some people vote.

Maybe if we make a real nuisance their staff will quit and they won't be able to do anything.

This is not a Laughing Matter

They may think this is funny, but I don't. As we speak the intent of Congress is to vote on the health care bill this coming Saturday (tomorrow). How many times can the American people be lied to before they fire these incompetent, self righteous, self serving, destroyers of the American way.

Neither the Democratic Bill nor the Republican bill is good for the American people. Both bills take away your freedoms and give power to the government. They are destroying our system of government and the legacy for our children. They have put forth nothing to solve our problems but have only done things to exacerbate them.

How can a $460 billion dollar tax increase be expected to save people who are already unemployed. Increased taxes to small businesses will not create more jobs. The fact that you can not believe a thing they say does not help. You never know what your getting. We have compromised our liberties to long. We should make them listen or throw them out if they will not.

The American Dream Begins Again

I am writing to you from the third annual American Dream Summit in Washington DC sponsored by Americans For Prosperity. This year they have over 2000 people registered for the conference. This morning we had seminars on blogging and Grass Root training. In reality they are lessons in communication - ways to attract people to your organization and how to communicate your ideas.

In the picture above you see the attendees loading on to buses to go to a Capitol Hill town hall and news conference. After the rally they will go to meetings, organized by state delegations, to talk with legislators. Most likely they will be talking to aids or bureaucrats, as the legislators are not in session. I hope that you will get involved by calling or emailing your legislators and telling them to leave our health care alone. More later.

Not All Tea Parties Need To Be Huge

I recently read a Post by "Parcbench" indicating that it was time to stop marching and do something. While I agree it can be overdone, I do not think we should stop. Over and over again we see movements develop. Leaders emerge. They are taken over by more powerful and financially developed organizations and the people who were involved are left to feel disenfranchised.

I will grant you that the large groups get access to the media and are effective in lobbing for taxpayers through our contributions and support. We definitely need to continue to support them. But, we need to maintain our own protests and our own groups to not only remind ourselves how important we are, but also, to remind those lobbyist and politicians that we are the force that makes them possible.

It is easy for us (well maybe not these days) to write a check and let someone else do our work for us. That is how we got into this mess to begin with. We have to continue to keep ourselves informed, question what our elected officials tell us and think about the consequences of what is being done. All to often, we are sucked into party politics before we know it and who gets elected becomes more important than what they stand for.

I say, keep these tea party groups going for all levels of government. One of the things that makes them most effective is recognizing that there are others out there that feel just like you. It keeps your spirit and your enthusiasm charged. It keeps you from being lethargic and just plain lazy. It keeps you informed and allows you to know what questions to ask. Don't slip back to the way it was because we have only made a dent. We still do not have the respect of those who are elected by us and who have usurped power that is not theirs to take.

Be selective but not invisible. Keep them on their toes and in their place.

My Heart In Washington Today

I am at home today sitting in my front room watching Fox News coverage of the 9 12 project and the march on Washington. My heart is with them. It is physically impossible for me to walk the distance and stand for hours - or you can bet I would be there. I want to believe that there are millions more who share my feelings. Others are financially unable to attend.

On September 9, I attended the rally in Troy, Michigan to support the Tea Party Express which traveled from California to Washington,DC to today's rally. There enthusiasm and commitment bolstered my feelings.

We can not stop here. When the events have come an gone, we must continue to press the issues. It is difficult to keep up the momentum. But, it is even more difficult to live under an oppressive system of government. Many people have fought and died to preserve our system of government. We have been the envy of the world and rightfully so. It is far to precious to give up without a fight. We are far to smart to be seduced by lies of government saying everything is free. We know nothing is free, especially freedom.

Continue to contact your legislators,both local and federal. Let them know that their jobs are in jeopardy if they continue to violate the Constitution they swore to uphold.

Unorganized Mob

When I arrived early it was already too late to get in. Congressman Dingell's Town Hall Meeting was packed. Large numbers of union supporters were already seated in a room that holds only 150 people. The rest in attendance I can not account for. The real story is the hundreds outside the building who could not get in.



I have to give Mrs. Dingell credit. She came outside to talk to some of those standing around. So why are people so upset? They are tired of getting form letters which don't address the subject. They are tired of the phone being taken off the hook at the legislative offices. They are really tired of being called names and being described as fronts for other organizations.

As I walked up and down the line talking to people I asked some of them why they came. Most were fed up and were tired of being thought to be stupid. Some heard about it on the radio, some on the television and some from organizations to which they belong. They do not feel misinformed because they feel that even the legislators do not know what is involved.

They can do the math and know from experience that congress and presidents make mistakes and sometimes tell bold face lies to achieve their objectives. The older people know medicare is in trouble. They are upset that their benefits and services may be cut to take care of illegal aliens. They observe the poor quality of health care delivery in one payer systems and have no desire for death counseling every 5 years as a substitution for good medical care.

This discussion is far from over. Citizens are encouraged to fight back with every non-violent measure possible. Socialism does not work, fascism does not work but capitalism does. It has provided us with the best country on earth. Take time to preserve it.

Rational Health Care Reform

by John Connelly

America's doctors and medical institutions are the envy of the world. The level of expertise and the pace of innovation in U.S. health care are unmatched. Yet many Americans worry whether they will have access to medical care when they need it. The present health delivery system does have some serious issues. Many Americans lack health insurance, there are gaps in coverage, and costs are increasing at an alarming rate. Health insurance is usually not portable from job to job, and consumers have very little choice about what their insurance covers. Many of these deficiencies in the present system are the result of government regulation.

President Barack Obama has begun an intensive public relations campaign with the media and the American people, to promote his “public option”. He has asked Congress to draft the legislation, but called for it to encompass three basic principles:
1. The rising costs of health care have to be brought down.
2. Americans have to be able to chose their own doctor and their own plan.
3. All Americans need to have quality, affordable health care.
The President must know that these goals are impossible to achieve in a government run plan.

Unfortunately, most Americans don't pay much attention to the details. With the implied promise of something for nothing, and few alternative solutions offered, Obama has many supporters. Most of them are unaware that every where this has been tried, it has increased the cost of health care and lowered the quality of care. The innovation, high quality and advanced treatment techniques that characterize our current system would be degraded. Rationing of care, especially at the end of life, would become the norm.

To see government health care at work we don’t need to look at Canada, Cuba or Great Britain; fifty nine million Americans already have it. It’s called Medicaid. Medicaid was passed in 1965 to provide health care for poor Americans. Government, both federal and state, pay for it. A recent study cited by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a physician and health care expert at American Enterprise Institute, showed Medicaid patients to be 50% more likely to die after heart bypass surgery than patients with private coverage or Medicare.

Obama’s proposed plan would be an insurance program designed to compete with private insurance. It would be funded by taxpayers, administered by Washington, and open to everyone. President Obama claims people would not be forced to change their doctors or their coverage. He denies trying to push people into a government-run plan, but employers and state governments with private plans will soon realize it's less expensive to move employees into the government plan than to continue private coverage. Obama Care will soon become the single dominant health plan, which is its political purpose.

The Lewin Group, a health-care policy research and consulting firm, estimates that a public option could result in employers switching up to 120 million Americans from their current coverage to government-sponsored coverage to reduce costs. Thus a public plan, especially if combined with a mandate on employers to offer government coverage or pay a tax, would mean that millions of Americans would be pushed out of the private coverage they have today.
Like Medicare, the Obama Plan will control spending by using its purchasing clout and political leverage to dictate low prices to doctors. Physician income declines will be aggravated by regulations that will make practicing medicine more costly. Doctors will be required to employ expensive electronic prescribing tools and computerized health records, and will be encumbered with rules requiring expensive staffing and documentation to show compliance.

With last fall’s bailouts, the government spent almost $1 trillion. This year’s stimulus package cost even more. Can we now afford the price tag for an “Affordable Health Choices Act”, the name given to the recent Kennedy-Dodd health care bill? Last Monday, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of the Kennedy-Dodd health care plan at $1 trillion. Supporters of the plan complained that the estimate was based on a preliminary plan that was incomplete. Since that time the cost estimates for the plan have been upped to $1.6 trillion. The government already owns much of the banking industry and two major automakers. Do we now need to give it control of another 17% of the economy?

In a recent Wall Street Journal Opinion (June 8, 2009) the writer offered the following:
“Increasing cost-sharing would discipline the health spending curve and give it a more rational bent. As societies grow richer, it makes sense that people will invest more in their own well-being. Health is a superior good, while the utility of wealth is fairly low if you're dead. The U.S. health cost "crisis" is that we spend so much with no incentive to weigh the costs against the benefits.”

I couldn’t agree more. In 1960, the average American paid more than 60% of his health care out of pocket. Health care spending has since increased sevenfold, but the percentage that consumers pay directly is now less than 12%. It is unrealistic to believe that health care will become less expensive because the government is paying for it. When people aren't exposed to the true cost of their care they consume more care. The real solution to the health care dilemma is to give consumers more control and more responsibility for their health care choices.

D Day Dilema

I watched with appreciation the international ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D Day. It is very easy to take for granted the sacrifices the others have made for the freedoms enjoyed by the rest of us. It is also almost impossible not to be touched by the old and failing figures who were there at the ceremony. Those aging soldiers that remain are passing at a phenomenal rate and soon will be no more. We can not afford to let their memory pass with them.

Against incredible odds they landed in Normandy, France and thus began the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. With the playing of the most impressive rendition of taps that I have ever heard, speeches, a 21 gun salute and fly overs by planes of the countries of France, England, Canada and the United states we honor the courage, dedication and and the supreme sacrifice of those who fought and died.

You could see behind the eyes of the remaining soldiers the memories of their lost friends and the difficulties that they endured from that moment on, both in memory and physically. They gave up so much for our way of life, please do not let it be in vane.

Recently, we have been warned by our socialist friends about the dangers. We are on the precipice and ready to fall over. Of all the warnings, the most unsuspected was from Pravda, a Russian publication:

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into
Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a
passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century,
especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted
upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not
just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much
money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and
betters. ..........

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

I can not believe that Americans will much longer sit by and let this happen. How can we refute our history. How can we deny that our poor have been better off then in any country? How can we refute that opportunity has not been plentiful when people try to sneak into this country across the borders and across the seas? How can we so willingly turn over to our representatives control of our lives? How can we let people run our economy who have no experience, tell us what we want, tell us what we need and ,heaven forbid, what we should think?

Thank you to those who have fought and died for our country. I for one will try not to let your efforts be in vane.

It's People

It seems that national health care is as close as it has ever been to passing. It is absolutely scary to me. Not only will it mean that I may not qualify for some health care procedures because I'm getting older but it seems that those I qualify for might be beyond my reach because of the length of time I must wait. Government involvement in other countries has meant less people inclined to become doctors. Fewer doctors translates to longer waits.

As the last bastion of non socialized medicine people come here from all over the world to receive treatment. Where will we go?

I suppose we should suspect such things as we devalue life and trivialize the belief in a Supreme Being. We have people who are pro choice all the way to partial birth abortions. Why would they not think it is OK for old people to die. We could even do it real nice like in the classic movie "Soylent Green".

Unfortunately, I would still have to be like Charlton Heston at the end of the movie.