Now, after fighting hard to get a conservative in the senate seat so long held by Ted Kennedy, those most responsible for the victory are being sold out by none other than their primary darlings. Senator-elect Brown has recorded phone ads for John McCain and Sarah Palin has announced her support for, and intention to campaign for McCain.

I will limit myself to mentioning a few with my own personal remarks. The numbers correspond to the above list.

1. Retiree Reserve Trust Fund (Section 111(d), p. 61)
Because the Social Security Trust Fund has been such a success.

4. Program of administrative simplification (Section 115, p. 76)
Just what we need, an administrative program to simplify administrative programs.

6. Health Choices Administration (Section 241, p. 131)
Since you will ultimately lose your healthcare choices, why do we need to administer those choices?

7. Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman (Section 244, p. 138)
Because we do not have enough unelected bureaucrats.

11. Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund (Section 307, p. 195)
We can always use another trust fund for Congress to plunder.

12. State-based Health Insurance Exchanges (Section 308, p. 197)
Can you say “unfunded mandate?”

14. “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 321, p. 211)
A public option will be needed after they bankrupt the entire industry.

15. Ombudsman for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 321(d), p. 213)
Bureaucrats are popping up like mushrooms after a bad rain.

16. Account for receipts and disbursements for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 322(b), p. 215)
Special account for all the wealth they will be redistributing.

17. Telehealth Advisory Committee (Section 1191 (b), p. 589)
Because the other government telephone advisory systems have been so popular.

23. Independence at home demonstration program (Section 1312, p. 718)
Who better to teach independent living than a government liberal bureaucrat?

24. Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Section 1401(a), p. 734)
Comparative Effectiveness Research? I’m more effective than you.

25. Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission (Section 1401(a), p. 738)
Of course you need an ineffective commission to research effectiveness.

26. Patient ombudsman for comparative effectiveness research (Section 1401(a), p. 753)
Another one! Sheesh!

27. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1412(b)(1), p. 784)
28. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for nursing facilities (Section 1412 (b)(2), p. 786)
I can hit both of these with the same statement: Because the federal government has such a reputation for improving performance and assuring quality in other programs.

33. Pilot program to develop anti-fraud compliance systems for Medicare providers (Section 1635, p. 978)
They have such a stellar record at preventing fraud.

34. Special Inspector General for the Health Insurance Exchange (Section 1647, p. 1000)
The head Bureaucrat-in-charge.

39. Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund (Section 1802, p. 1162)
More trust funds. Can’t you just see Pelosi salivating over all that money just lying around?

41. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 1907, p. 1198)
This will be needed because the new government health care program will squelch all other innovation.

42. Public Health Investment Fund (Section 2002, p. 1214)
They don’t even try to put the word ‘trust’ in this one.

43. Scholarships for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 1224)
No one will want to spend their own money to become a doctor when profit is illegal.

44. Program for training medical residents in community-based settings (Section 2214, p. 1236)
See above

45. Grant program for training in dentistry programs (Section 2215, p. 1240)
See above

51. Prevention and Wellness Trust (Section 2301, p. 1286)
Money, money, money!

52. Clinical Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1295)
Huh!?

53. Community Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1301)
Now they’re just getting silly.

58. Center for Quality Improvement (Section 2401, p. 1322)
Isn’t Government Quality Improvement like military intelligence?

59. Assistant Secretary for Health Information (Section 2402, p. 1330)
What’s a secretary of Health Information without an assistant?

60. Grant program to support the operation of school-based health clinics (Section 2511, p. 1352)
Kids-with-Condoms program. When that fails you only have to miss third period to have that abortion.

61. Grant program for nurse-managed health centers (Section 2512, p. 1361)
Who needs high priced doctors?

64. “No Child Left Unimmunized Against Influenza” demonstration grant program (Section 2524, p. 1391)
It’s for the children!

65. Healthy Teen Initiative grant program regarding teen pregnancy (Section 2526, p. 1398)
‘No Child Left In-uterus” program.

69. Grant program to promote positive health behaviors in underserved communities (Section 2530, p. 1422)
To undo what years of welfare has created.

71. Grant program to develop infant mortality programs (Section 2532, p. 1433)
For those who make it past the abortoriums.

74. Grant program for community-based overweight and obesity prevention (Section 2535, p. 1457)
Because fat is not your program, the government should pay for it.

86. Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1610)
87. National Women’s Health Information Center (Section 2588, p. 1611)
88. Centers for Disease Control Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1614)
89. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women’s Health and Gender-Based Research (Section 2588, p. 1617)
90. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1618)
91. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1621)
Because more women vote liberal.

94. Grant program to disseminate best practices on implementing health workforce investment programs (Section 2591, p. 1632)
There is no better arbiter of best practices in medicine than a bureaucrat.

95. Demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (Section 3101, p. 1717)
This will be needed because of all the shortages this bill will create.

97. Program of Indian community education on mental illness (Section 3101, p. 1722)
98. Intergovernmental Task Force on Indian environmental and nuclear hazards (Section 3101, p. 1754)
99. Office of Indian Men’s Health (Section 3101, p. 1765)
100. Indian Health facilities appropriation advisory board (Section 3101, p. 1774)
101. Indian Health facilities needs assessment workgroup (Section 3101, p. 1775)
102. Indian Health Service tribal facilities joint venture demonstration projects (Section 3101, p. 1809)
104. Grants to Urban Indian Organizations for diabetes prevention (Section 3101, p. 1874)
110. Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1966)
111. Committee for the Establishment of the Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1968)
These last few will be needed because of the poor performance of that little known government healthcare program: Indian Health Services.

So how is the left to rehabilitate this president’s ratings and raise his poll numbers? Simple, give him the Nobel Peace Prize—no need to produce peace or even move towards it. Of course the prize has nothing to do with producing peace—remember Jimmy Carter won it. It has more to do with making political statements and influencing public opinion. The Nobel Committee is the new PR department of Obama political machine. Do you hear that whirring sound? It’s Alfred Nobel spinning in his grave.

When this happens the insurance companies will find that they have all the customers they will ever have. They cannot expand their businesses and according to 102(a)(3) they can never raise rates on those who are covered or according to 102(a)(2) can never change what they do or do not cover. This last one also prevents them from entering into any new cost-sharing arrangements to reduce costs. The companies can never expand, or raise rates to offset inflation or higher expenses. The only time a new policy could be written is when someone with private insurance, before hand, changes policies.

Understand what this means, if this bill passes those who are not covered by private insurance will have no choice but the government system—none other can be sold. Those who have coverage can keep it until the company goes out of business or they lose or drop the coverage another way—job change or economic downturn. Once this happens they too will be on the government system, for life, and the government that has proved its inefficiency and incompetence in so many areas will be able to let us down where it matters most. Higher prices, rationing, lower quality and early death for millions will be the legacy of this president. How’s that for Change!

While the reaction of the right seems churlish, the reaction of the left is naïve. The North very successfully used this and we should admit it. Yes Bill Clinton helped these two women, but that is small in comparison to the world’s condition. The left is using this as a bludgeon against Bush, though he hasn’t been in office for months. They say this shows that diplomacy works, leaving one to assume that diplomacy should have been tried with Iraq and one can only assume with Afghanistan. First of all, we tried diplomacy for years with Iraq. With Afghanistan we acted quickly because they were supporting those who had killed so many of our citizens on 911. Since the Russians had lost to them in the 80’s they assumed we would lose as well. Of course they forgot that we were on their side in the 80’s. Now, while I have always maintained that we should not have entered Iraq when we did, that part of the discussion is over and we have been much more successful in Iraq than the left will ever admit. So let’s look at the scorecard of freed people. Bill Clinton freed two young women who stuck their necks out too far. George Bush freed two nations with populations of millions. While I am no fan of George Bush, you have to give him credit for some things.

The Obama plan would require all Americans to purchase health insurance, with government help for those who can not afford it. The problem with requiring health insurance is the same problem with state laws requiring liability insurance, the difficulty of enforcement. How do you know each family has purchased the required level of insurance? The only way to enforce this would be at the point of care, forcing Doctors and hospital staffs to act as health police. Once a person goes to get care and is discovered to not have the required coverage how are they to be handled? Are they placed on the government plan that both versions of this bill would create? This is a blatant effort to force people onto the government plan. What about costs? Once you require the purchase of anything you raise the cost. Every aspiring entrepreneur dreams of selling a product that everyone must have, because this offers the best profits through higher possible prices. Since the government plan has no need to turn a profit it could undercut prices, making up short falls through the power of taxation. In an effort to economize, people would be pressured onto the government plan. Obama’s plan would make coverage more expensive and push far more people onto the government plan,

What about illegal immigrants? Are they to be placed on the government healthcare plan? This plan will not stop them from showing up at emergency rooms around the country so something will have to be done. Health needs of illegals is one factor in the high cost of healthcare today and fixing the system will not be possible without securing our borders. If they are not to be covered on the government plan, how do we force them to pay for their own coverage? American taxpayer would be forced to subsidize those here illegally and the administration will have created one more incentive to flout our immigration laws. Illegals have been completely forgotten in this debate.

The next problem of Obamacare is the requirement that employers provide coverage to employees or pay a fee (spell that T-A-X). Like most liberals Obama, having never run a business, has no understanding of business. People create companies and hire people to turn a profit. Self-interest fuels their activities and causes them to invest their time and money. When you add requirements to this you increase the cost of doing business. A business owner will have more to consider when hiring. Many assume the choices are to pay for coverage or pay the special tax, but there are actually other options. One such option is whether to hire anyone or not. Perhaps the company will find another way to do the work without the hiring more people. Will this only apply to full-time workers? If so another option is to hire two part-time to do the old work of one full-time. Another question that must be answered, would employers still have to pay up for those who have elected the government plan. Most likely not, so employees will quickly find that they are more attractive to employers if they “opt” for the government plan.

Obama’s healthcare plan that makes coverage more expensive, forces doctors to play healthcare police, does nothing about illegals and negatively impacts business and employment. No other proof is needed that this was birthed in the delusional liberal mind.

Such legislation makes certain feelings behind a crime extenuating circumstances in the punishment of the crime. If I mug a person, I get one punishment; if I am inspired by hatred of his race, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation then I receive a stricter sentence. While this may seem like a good idea, consider the issue of justice and why we inflict punishment on a perpetrator. When one commits a crime we take away from them something (time, money, or even life) commensurate to what they cost society and the victim. Hate crimes legislation insinuates that a victim of a hate-inspired crime loses more than the victim of the same crime when inspired by something else. The other victim would probably differ with this and so should we all. A mugger is imprisoned for violating the rights of another. These were the right to their property, and the right to a reasonable sense of security. To increase the punishment for a crime because it is inspired by hate assumes that one has the right to not be hated. This may sound warm and fuzzy, but would give you right over my mind and emotions. If I think in my own mind badly about you and it inspires me to hate then I would have violated your rights. Such a right is ludicrous and indefensible. I have the right to think as I see fit. I have the right to speak as I see fit. When hatred inspires one to hurt another it is the harm, not the hatred, that is a crime.

Hate crimes legislation also belittles the loss of other victims. “This woman was raped in a hate crime so her attacker gets 25 years. Your rape is only worth 15 years.” Sentence would be based on the beliefs behind the crime instead of the details of the crime, the cost to the victim and society?

One other problem is the difficulty of defense against accusations. How disprove hatred? How can a heterosexual prove he doesn’t hate homosexuals? How can a man prove he doesn’t hate women? How can a black man prove he doesn’t hate whites? It is often said that you can not prove a negative. When I was in the Army I was stationed in Korea and served with several Korean soldiers. Most were good friends whom I would hang out with to learn the language and culture while helping them to understand ours. However, one Korean soldier and I did not get along at all. He pretended to speak less English to get out of work, refused to take initiative and seldom carried out his own duties. One day the Company Commander called me into his office. This soldier had charged me with hating Koreans and discrimination. Such a charge can end a military career in a day. I was called on to prove that I did not hate Koreans. The fact that I could speak and read the language was not enough. The fact that I loved to walk through the Korean villages well away from camp to experience the food and culture was not enough. I had only one card to play in my defense. I responded: “Sir, you signed my marriage paperwork. You know my wife is Korean and my future children will be half Korean.” The Commander went blank for a second before sending me away. He tore up the charges and I was exonerated. This is important to realize the depth of actions needed to defend against accusations of hatred. Actually, my commander was wrong in one regard. My being married did not answer the charges because there can be any number of nuances to hatred. It is possible to hate an entire people and find one among them who, for some reason, is not hated. Once we open the door to hate crimes legislation we open a Pandora’s box that will be next to impossible to shut.

If a person has a right (as this legislation insinuates) to not be hated, before long there will be a cry for hate speech legislation. When this happens we lose the most central of our freedoms—the right to speak our minds, no matter how unpopular or uncomfortable the words may be. We will be a country muzzled, afraid to speak for fear of the hate police. Religious speech will be curtailed. Political speech will be monitored. The America that set the world free will have been killed by a hateful leftist agenda—the only hatred permitted.

I planned to spend the day with every light in the house turned on and extend my usual five minute shower until the hot water ran out. In the evening I was going to clean the dishes in the dishwasher rather than by hand and use the heat dry instead of air dry the dishes. Along with this, I would idle both cars in the driveway for a couple hours to consume what I felt was an appropriate amount of fossil fuels. In short, I planned to use the maximum resources, making my carbon footprint as big as possible.

In the end I did none of this. Not because of repentance or remorse, but because I forgot it was Earth Day. I went about my day normally, working to make a living for my family and to improve the world through meaningful employment. My original plan was to show the proper amount of respect for the Earth Day holiday. In the end I succeeded more than I could have imagined, because I ignored it and went on with my life. This is exactly what such a phony, hyped ‘holiday’ deserves.

That night my daughter reminded me that it was Earth Day and I had the opportunity to tell her the truth: “Eco-fascists are using alarmism to get people to give up their rights and freedoms. When the old Socialist revolution failed, authoritarian whack-jobs had to find another vehicle to remake the world in their image. This is not an effort to save the planet, but to make us submissive sheep.”

This is the perfect way to handle Earth Day, as an opportunity to share the truth with a young person about how fleeting are our freedoms, and how susceptible the masses are to propaganda.

An important lesson for our new president is offered and hopefully learned. According to former Israeli army chief of staff Ya’alon, “In this kind of conflict, your ability to stand and be determined is more important than your firepower.” Is our own national leadership willing to stand up to the extremists and thugs of the world? With the close of Gitmo, the timetable for the pullout of troops from Iraq and the latest directive to redefine the War on Terror as an Overseas Contingency Operation one has to wonder if resolve is lacking from the American leadership. This of course, demonstrates the weakness of modern liberalism, a movement giving greater weight to sound-bites and photo ops than actual accomplishments. We can have a war on hunger and a war on poverty, but a war on terror doesn’t have that feel good ring to it. Are we fighting a war? Do we still have a determine enemy? If you believe that redefining the terms is helpful then other questions come to mind. Will people still die? Will extremists sill blow themselves up, taking our brave soldiers and their own people with them? We know they will, but dying in a Contingency Operation is not as bad as getting killed in a war, even though you’re still dead.

Within hours of being sworn in the 111th Congress changed the rules to strip the minority of an important tool in the fight against a liberal feeding frenzy. In any deliberative assembly there will be those for, against or undecided on any decision. These assemblies, when properly led take measures to restrict the power of the majority so that the minority is at least heard. The minority is allowed to speak its position and has measures it can take to cause the body to reconsider or delay the decision to allow them time to try to sway the assembly to their view. A democracy requires such protections for the minority.

One well known tactic is the filibuster. While still used in the Senate, the House did away with when when its size makes it too obstructive. In a traditional filibuster members who have unlimited time to speak in debate can prevent a vote by speaking for hours on end. Today the Senate can end a filibuster and force a vote with a vote of “cloture,” which requires 60 votes. If cloture fails the filibuster continues. For the history buffs, the record for the longest filibuster is held by Strom Thurmand when he spoke for over 24 hours.

Since the House limits the length of debate the members take other actions to slow votes. One of these has been a “motion to recommit promptly.” If this passes the bill goes back to the committee, improving good legislation or allowing bad legislation to die.

No one can be sure of their freedoms with over 500 people whose primary job is to make law. The people of this country are never more free than when the House and Senate get hopelessly deadlocked. The reason the founding fathers made it so difficult to bring a new law into being is because they knew an abundance of laws would erode our liberties. The best defense for the rights of Americans is a strong voice for the minority—regardless of who’s in the majority. This recent step empowers the majority to ram through legislation while gagging dissent. This will not improve the lives and expand the freedoms of the average American, but will warp our nation into a liberal Utopia. Such a pipe-dream society has never existed and every attempt to produce one has birthed tyranny and desolation.