How the Supreme Court's 'ObamaCare' ruling will affect you

This is a great article by one of the real experts on the subject. Senator Bill Frist probably knows more about the Affordable Healthcare Act than anyone else including, the Secretary of HHS.

The nation's highest court is about to judge the president's signature legislative achievement — and it's not just politicians who are invested in the outcome
Is the new health care law constitutional? You might think it doesn't matter — or at least, that it doesn't matter to you. But the fact is, the Supreme Court's decision on President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) will almost certainly affect you directly.

How, exactly? For one thing, the court's decision could play a key role in determining our next president and possibly your next congressman. If you are poor, the ruling may decide whether or not you have coverage. If you are not poor, it will impact how much you pay for health care. If you own a small business, it might determine if you must purchase health insurance for your employees. And if you work for a large business, it may determine whether you still receive your insurance from your employer. If you're a doctor, it will likely affect your reimbursement. If you're a patient, it will determine your benefits.
On March 26, 27, and 28, the Supreme Court will hear extensive oral arguments on the constitutionality of the ACA. This is the culmination of 26 states filing suits in federal district courts and opinions from seven federal appellate courts. A final written opinion likely will be delivered in June, 18 months before the individual mandate kicks in and just five months before the presidential election.

Read more here.

What I think about the Occupy Wall Streeters

I've waited several months, content to watch and learn as much as I could about the latest group to capture national attention: Occupy Wall Street. I've watched the news reports on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Sometimes, I must admit, I have felt like I was living in three different worlds, the one Fox News portrays, the one the other liberal networks choose to show, and the world I actually live in.

Here are my thoughts about the people who make up Occupy Wall Street. Some are sincere, some are just lost souls, some are professional agitators. But the truth is, none of them know exactly what they are demonstrating against.

They say they can't find jobs.

I suspect that's been true of most of our generations. I know when I graduated from high school in 1963, jobs were really hard to come by. I looked for work from June of 1963 until March of 1964, when through the efforts of an older sibling, I was lucky enough to finally get a job with a little bit of a future.

Times were tough for my family, nine kids, a dad who worked two and three jobs, a mom who stayed home to raise the kids. We grew up in the projects. Dad died when I was in 10th grade, leaving Mom to face the responsibility of providing for me and my 10 and 13 year old brothers. She only had an 8th grade education, but we survived.

They complain about the huge amount of their student loans.

College wasn't even a thought, but when my younger brothers got old enough and wanted to go, my older brother and I found a way to help them. I didn't start college until I was 29, and I did it working full time, and taking out student loans.

Yeah, it took a long time to pay them back, but that was just the luck of the draw. Sometimes, a person has to decide if something is worth sacrificing for.If you want it bad enough you will lose sleep, skip a few meals, and sacrifice any way you have to in order to achieve your goal.

They say the middle class is being destroyed and the wealthy are getting wealthier.

Well, maybe so. It took me a long time to make it to middle class. Funny thing, all of my siblings finally made it there too. None of us are rich, but most of us are doing ok. In fact, most of us are now retired and living the good life. But we don't begrudge the rich their wealth. It doesn't matter how they got their wealth - it's theirs not ours.

They say capitalism doesn't work.

They don't know what they are talking about. It works better than any other system the world has come up with. We have seen first hand what other systems are like - remember communist Russia - Nazi Germany? I'm not willing to throw away capitalism because of a few rotten eggs.

But in the end, I don't think the Occupiers have any idea about what they want. They just really want to make noise. Where are their solutions? What do they stand for?

Musings

The Republican Party is at a crossroads. I like to think that we have a big tent and accept people of different philosophies and different backgrounds and different religions. We always have. Now, we must come together as a party to accomplish a very important task - sending President Barack Obama into retirement!

Does any Republican doubt that President Obama is a danger to the country we all love so much? His policies have caused us to incur record deficits, have led to socialized healthcare, bailouts of big auto, banks and other private sector entities, stimulus spending that threw money at companies that didn't know what to do with it, or spent it as recklessly as the Administration did.

Our party is going through a rough period. As the battle for the nomination continues, all of the candidates are attacking each other mercilessly. They are giving the Obama campaign machine fodder for all of 2012. It seems that the big divide in our party is between (1) those who just want a candidate who can beat Obama (2) those who insist on a candidate that fits the "conservative" mold.

I guess my question to my Republican friends would be why can't we all focus on electing a Republican President? Life is about compromising. I know that we don't always get everything we want in life. Neither do we in politics. One thing has become apparent to me as this primary season unfolds. Turnout in each Republican primary has been low. If we don't get our act together and united behind one Republican after the Convention, we might as well concede the election right now to Barack Obama and face the fact that the America we love will be gone before 2016 rolls around.

I'm not willing to accept that! Are you? Tell me what you think.

I'm Back

Well, after a lengthy sabbatical, I'm back to posting on a regular basis on Musings of A Whiskey Rebel. I hope you can visit my site often and tell me what you think.

2012 Won't Be About Money And Organization

Chris Maiorana has an excellent blog called "2012 Won't Be About Money and Organization". It should be required reading for anyone interested in our country and the political process. http://tinyurl.com/nk8l94

Much teeth-gnashing in certain segments of the blogosphere this morning over the "importance" of organization and money in the 2012 GOP primary. It's clear that these bloggers believe that these are the most important things when it comes to running for President.

And during the 1980s and 1990s that might have been true, but 2012 will prove otherwise. The 2012 race will be about ideas and the rise of individuals and their personal networks. Money and organization are always important to spreading ideas and reaching voters but if they were the most important thing, Mitt Romney would have won the GOP nomination in a walk.

The DC media which handicaps every aspect of the run and does much to shape it, doesn't see this yet. They are still framing the race through an older lens. So Mitt Romney looks tough to beat today. But if you look back, starting I would submit in 2004 with Howard Dean, we have seen glimpses of what the future holds in terms of politics and frankly for the Mitt Romney's of the world.

Howard Dean's contribution was online fundraising to an extent but I believe his greatest contribution and the one that shaped much of what Obama did online, was his reliance on a devolved campaign infrastructure built on the strengths and weaknesses of outside groups locally organized. The campaign gave the football to its supporters and they ran downfield with it calling many of their own plays. In Iowa this strategy finally backfired on Dean.

Barack Obama's team, took Dean to the next level. They brought the groups within the campaign structure so they could harness the energy these groups created and carefully direct their actions. They provided tools to their supporters justlike Dean but each tool had a purpose in their overall strategy. The effort was grassroots in its breadth but conventionally top-down in its direction. A perfect blend and I suspect something that is hard to replicate.

So what will 2012's evolution be? The one that is the difference maker for the next winning presidential campaign? And is it something that can be bought and paid for?

In my opinion, the campaign that most effectively harnesses individuals and leverages their personal networks not as financial bundlers but as spokespersons for their ideas will win.

With social media being ubiquitous now and even moreso in 2012, it's these influentials and their networks that will carry the day. Very localized groups will still be there in the mix and very important, but you will see these online influentials rise in importance to campaigns, existing wholly outside of a traditional campaign structure, their strength derived from their use of social media platofrms like Twitter and Facebook.

And really that is a back to the future moment for politics. These new influentials are the old precinct workers of early 20th century neighborhood politics. This time around though, with the help of technology, their precincts are national and interconnected; with viral communication tools at the push of a button.

Mark my words, @socialmediamaven's network of friends that he shares his political views with multiple times a day for FREE between now and Jan 1 2011, is more important in terms of actual votes come Iowa Caucus Day than a $500,000 bundler for Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, etc who helps fund a micro-targeted GOTV plan for the Des Moines area...

So while I enjoy a good money and organization story every now and then, I worry and think about more how to reach these new influentials where they eat and sleep...on the strength of my clients ideas not their warchests...

Posted by Chris at 3:37 PM

reposted with permission of Chris Maiorana

Saving Children's Lives

Senator/Dr. Bill Frist has a commentary in the Washington Times. The following is an excerpt.

The United States is engaged in a historic debate over government's role in reforming health care. But on the continent of Africa, there is little debate that U.S. investment has reaped major rewards. Yet there, too, reforms are necessary.

By fighting measles, then AIDS and, more recently, malaria, the United States has partnered with African nations to help save millions of lives since the turn of this century. It's a remarkable achievement, and the American people have led; the American taxpayer should be proud.

However, during this same period, with little public notice or attention, more than 40 million newborn African babies and young children have died, mostly from causes such as pneumonia and diarrhea that are easy and relatively inexpensive to treat and prevent - causes that kill few children in the United States.

Tuesday, Save the Children joins national leaders across Africa, UNICEF and many other humanitarian groups in marking the Day of the African Child with a new commitment to boost child survival. On Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon, representatives from the African Union, Mali and Malawi will discuss steps they are taking - and international support they need - to help children survive and thrive.

In recent years, African leaders have formally recognized that pursuing the greatest gains for children - and thus for the continent's future - must go hand in hand with strengthening health systems that can deliver lifesaving interventions. African countries have a long way to go, but some already are demonstrating the huge difference this strategy can make...

I was pleased to hear last month that President Obama plans to maintain the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs to fight HIV/AIDS while also initiating a broader global health strategy that will increase efforts to promote maternal and child health. Now the United States must clearly articulate the strategy's details and commit to supplying the funding to meet its goals...

The health care solutions for maternal and child health are well-known, proven and cost-effective. They work, and they are cheap. Making them accessible across African communities would save millions of children's lives and transform their nations' potential for future development. What health care reformer - or taxpayer - would debate the merits of that investment.

Read Senator/Doctor Frist's full commentary in the Washington Times.

A Letter to Bret Baier and "The Hill"

Note From Paradise: This is a letter from Marilyn of Colorado to Bret Baier and "The Hill" News Magazine. Republicans everywhere should read Marilyn's letter and keep it for a resource in how to respond to the biased liberal media. It is time for we Republicans to fight back. Well done Marilyn!!



Hello Mr. Baier,

As usual i enjoyed your report yesterday.

But I was wondering about a remark from the Hill reporter. She said there
was no leadership for the Republican Party. Has she looked? I remember a
time when reporters went out and found stories. Perhaps its the rising cost
of everything that keeps her sitting at her desk. Dunno that!

With your permission here is my report to her - smile!

It is the "off year" and from the GOP national chair to state chairs to the
county chairs all are busy doing typical "off year" tasks like plotting and
planning and training central committee members and checking our voters
lists twice and having fund raising events. Precinct primaries loom!
hummmm! Just so the she and the world will know we think we have super
leadership and are excited about our candidates stepping up at all levels
for the 2010 elections.

It is great that our retired official republican players and in-seat governors
continue to find time to travel and speak on our behalf during the off year
election cycle but she is certainly welcome anytime to come check us out.

Thank you for all your information. Keep up the good work please

Marilyn, Colorado

We Can Save A Child For Just $44

By William H. Frist
For the Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Since swine flu grabbed the world's attention a month ago, 750,000 young children have died.

So you might wonder why nobody is talking about a pandemic of pneumonia or diarrhea -- the two biggest killers of these children.

One reason is that the word "pandemic" means worldwide epidemic.

In other words, there are more cases of a disease than normal, and they're occurring everywhere, even in the United States. Sadly, 25,000 children dying each day is "normal."

It's also widely unnoticed, because most of the young lives are lost in poor countries far away.

But most of these deaths are easily preventable. Why should we treat this as business as usual?

Through remarkably low-cost proven solutions and committed leadership, the United States can usher in an era where millions of mothers don't have to bury their babies within the first five years of life.

And we can accomplish the task with a smaller price tag than the well-spent money we've put toward the global fight against AIDS in the last several years.

What's grown to more than a $5 billion annual investment in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has brought life-saving treatment for and prevention of HIV to millions.

It's also brought us goodwill and a safer and more secure planet.

For just a fraction of that money, Congress can follow President Obama's cue and prevent many more needless deaths of mothers and their children, and the incalculable suffering these bring.

I congratulate the president not only for pledging to continue his predecessor's initiatives to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, but for envisioning a new comprehensive global health strategy focused on the key interventions that will safeguard the health of mothers, newborns and children.

Now the dollars to do something about it must follow. U.S.-funded programs strengthen and expand the delivery of a package of basic child health interventions that cost about $44 per year per child.

These interventions, delivered by local health workers in clinics and in communities, include immunizations, breast-feeding and newborn care counseling, and treatment for childhood killers like pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.

What a legacy for our 44th President to establish -- $44 to provide preventative and curative care to children in impoverished lands.

These affordable interventions work. If we double the $495 million the United States currently spends in this area, we could reach more than 22 million children with care and save more than a million lives each year.

Our leadership could encourage other G8 nations to make significant contributions of their own.

But our government must first commit the resources to make all of this happen.

Even as we grapple with a financial crisis and economic downturn, polling shows that the American people favor foreign aid that saves children's lives.

I've witnessed how powerful our contributions can be.

Every year I go to Africa, where I've seen expanded access to health care save lives and spread peace and goodwill.

In Sudan, men from different sides of the conflict showed up at a school where I performed surgery.

In Nairobi, I met a mother who named her young daughter America because U.S.-funded HIV treatments gave the girl a future.

Just think what wiping out millions of child deaths could mean to parents and societies around the world.

Let's lend the name of America to a new legacy that redefines normal for child mortality worldwide.
Former GOP Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, a physician, is the chairman of Save the Children's Survive to 5 campaign.

Fact Checking The "Stimulus" Spending Bill By John Boehner

May 27, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink

Today, the Administration is releasing yet another report on its trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill – one that Democrats claim will produce only half the jobs at twice the cost of the House GOP’s better stimulus solution. It’s been a full 100 days since the bill became law, and the Administration is pulling out all the stops to put a positive spin on the legislation, which has been increasingly panned by media and state and local officials as wasteful and inefficient – basically, anything but the “timely, targeted, and temporary” bill Washington Democrats promised earlier this year. As the Administration marks the 100th day of the “stimulus” spending bill, let’s take a closer look at some of the claims Democrats made about the legislation earlier this year – and how those claims stack 100 days later:

Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years.” (Remarks by the President in Elkhart, Indiana, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: “State officials have complained about the difficulty of obtaining grants for construction projects, while economists question administration claims that the effort already has saved or created 150,000 jobs.” (Adriel Bettelheim, “Tinkerbell Effect, Part 3: Obama’s Job Creation Efforts,” CQ Politics, May 27, 2009) The Associated Press reported that: “The early trend seen in the AP analysis runs counter to expectations raised by Obama, that road and infrastructure money from the historic $787 billion stimulus plan would create jobs in areas most devastated by layoffs.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)

Claim: The President claimed that it would contain, “[n]ot a single pet project. Not a single earmark.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: The “stimulus” “contains dozens of narrowly defined programs that send money to specific areas or cater to special interests.” In fact, the “stimulus” contains “$50 million for habitat restoration and other water needs in the San Francisco Bay Area” and “$62 million for military projects in Guam.” (Michael Grabell and Christopher Weaver, “In stimulus bills, earmarks by any other name,” ProPublica, Feb. 5, 2009)

Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: “Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track ‘every dime’ of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won’t have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said.” (Matt Kelley, “Details thin on stimulus contracts,” USA Today, May 6, 2009)

Claim: The President pledged that “nearly 400,000 men and women will go to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.” (Remarks by the President, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: So far “a full 99.7 percent” of money allocated to the Transportation Department remains unspent, according to The Washington Post. Perhaps an aide to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said it best: “To some extent, I think the administration oversold the transportation aspect of this…It was sold as the heart and soul of the package, and it really just isn’t.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)

Claim: Then-Senator Obama promised that was he would, “not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.” (Organizing For America, “Obama’s Stance on Ethics”)

Fact Check: Congress passed the stimulus bill on Friday, February 13; the President signed it in Denver on Tuesday, February 17 – less than the five day review period promised by the President. This troubling trend has continued throughout the year. Just last week, for example, the President waited only one day before signing the Defense Department weapons acquisition bill after Congress passed it and waited two after Congress passed the “Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act” before his signature made that bill law (Stephen Dinan, “Obama ducks promise to delay bill signings,” Washington Times, May 26, 2009); in fact, as of March, “Of the nine bills Mr. Obama has signed so far in his term, he has signed six of them less than five days after Congress sent them to him,” including the trillion-dollar “stimulus” bill. (Stephen Dinan, “Obama to sign lands bill before 5 days of comment,” Washington Times, March 30, 2009)

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV

Eric Cantor Reports on the First 100 Days of the Stimulus

"One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. These are not the results America hoped for."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the Administration issued a “recovery report” on the $787 billion stimulus bill, one hundred days after the President signed it into law:

“One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. During the debate, well before the President signed the $787 billion spending bill, House Republicans made clear our belief that any stimulus action must be laser focused on jobs. In the hundred days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over a million Americans have lost their jobs. These are not the results America hoped for.

“Even though the President himself promised to be tough on waste and just last week said that America is now ‘out of money,’ special interest projects inexplicitly are deemed worthy of taxpayer dollars. That is unacceptable, and it’s time for the majority in Congress to get serious about how tax dollars are being spent. Our priority must be on job protection, creation, and preservation.

“I hope that over the next one hundred days, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate open their eyes to not just the misdirected, but reckless and unprecedented spending that has gone on under their watch."

Ed Freeman - Medal of Honor Winner

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.
And, he kept coming back.... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.



Medal of Honor Winner
Ed Freeman!

Kuwait Votes For First Female MPS

The BBC has an interesting article about Kuwait electing its first female MPs following the country's third general election in three years. Among the winners are Aseel al-Awadhi and Rola Dashti.

First Fight For Global Health By Dr. Bill Frist

To address global poverty, first fight for global health
The Charlotte Observer
By William H. Frist


Here's the fundamental truth: Developing countries will not grow out of poverty if their citizens are sick. As a physician, I've listened to people in the clinic beds of some of the world's poorest communities. They cannot think about lifting themselves out of poverty and contributing to the economic growth of their countries as they face daunting health risks.

U.S. support for global health – especially through the innovative use of development assistance – will continue to deliver life-saving returns. Recognizing that the interconnected world demands an integrated approach to global health, President Obama unveiled a bold initiative last week to invest $63 billion over six years in a comprehensive global health strategy. This smart use of resources improves the health of the world's poorest and strengthens the global economic climate for us all.

Healthy workforce is neededEconomists would argue that one of the surest ways out of poverty is for people to increase their incomes to take care of themselves and their families. For incomes to rise, developing economies must work to generate growth opportunities through trade and commerce, reliable infrastructure, and sound policies that create and sustain jobs for the poor.

When the poor are stricken by disease and weak health, they are unable to take advantage of these opportunities. Rather than climbing out of poverty, they fall deeper into it. It's clear that economic development and human development are intertwined. Growth needs a healthy workforce. The productivity and development of communities – and their ability to participate in the global economy – rely on the physical well-being of citizens to innovate, build, harvest, and work. Sustaining such productivity requires children to learn in school, not fall behind because they are too sick to concentrate. By building healthier, hopeful, and productive communities, we build safer and more secure societies that can alleviate global poverty and contribute to global prosperity. When communities are productive and thriving they don't become breeding grounds for dangerous extremism.

We need to rethink America's global health diplomacy within this context. It is more than doctor-patient relationships or medicines to relieve immediate symptoms. To date, Congress authorized billions to combat global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to demonstrate America's commitment to this issue. These are important steps, but we must not overlook other factors that directly affect global health. Roads, for example, are essential not only to transport crops to market to generate livelihoods for farmers but also to provide them access to health clinics. Reliable water and sanitation systems are vital community services, but also reduce deadly water-borne diseases.

Development assistance through the federal government's Millennium Challenge Corporation takes a holistic approach to global health, laying the groundwork for poverty reduction and economic development. MCC awards assistance to countries already committed to practicing sound policies that invest in human development. The policy factors MCC uses to determine with whom to partner include a country's immunization rates, total public expenditure on health and commitment to combating corruption, which siphons resources away from healthcare.

Helping across the worldThese policies support results-oriented health programs, like building clinics, delivering immunizations, fighting HIV/AIDS, and expanding prevention initiatives. For instance, in Indonesia more than three million children under the age of one received measles and DPT3 vaccines. More than 3,463 participants attended awareness and prevention sessions in Cape Verde on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. MCC partners are building roads to connect communities and health clinics. Mozambique is constructing water and sanitation systems. And, coordination between PEPFAR and MCC is strengthening health systems in Lesotho. By deepening support for effective development assistance, like MCC grants, Congress stands in solidarity with the world's poor and invests in their health and productivity.

Eradicating global poverty starts with the health of the world's poor. It starts with empowering them physically to contribute to the vitality of their countries. This benefits them as much as the rest of us, who want healthy partners with which to trade and do business. This makes as much good sense for the world's poor as for our collective international economic growth.

The Killer No One Suspects

Nicholas Kristof writes about "The Killer No One Suspects in the New York Times. I was surprised when I read an article by Dr. Bill Frist several weeks ago that the number one killer of infants is not malaria, or even AIDS. Instead it is pneumonia. A disease that can easily be treated. Mr. Kristof reports "Pneumonia gets very little attention from donors or the public health community, yet it kills more than two million children a year, according to Unicef and the World Health Organization."

Wake Me When It's Over

The Conservative Outpost has a review of President Obama's first 100 days. Among the highlights:

1. Cuts in Missile Defense
2. Cuts in National Defense and New Military Hardware
3. Lax Enforcement of Immigration Laws
4. Pushing the Pending Health-Care Nightmare
5. Bailoutapalooza
6. Stimulapaloooza
7. Debtapalooza
8. More Earmarks
9. Ending Welfare Reform
10. Land Use Policies
11. Making Union Corruption Easier
12. The Apology Tour
13. Calling Conservatives "Extremists"
14. Dropping the "War on Terror"
15. Closing Guantanamo
16. Publicizing our Interrogation Procedures
17. Flirting with the Idea of Prosecuting Bush Officials
18. Air Force One Photo-Op

Neither A Souter or A Specter Be: Don't Despair Republicans

William Kristol has an interesting article in the Weekly Standard. Take a few moments to read it.

Joe Biden and the Swine Flu

It's not often that I find anything worth reading in the New York Times, but this article about Joe Biden is really funny.

LCM Strategies Shows The Way

The Tolbert Report has a story about my favorite web team LCM Strategies. Partners Chris Maiorana and Linus Catignani do a terrific job handling many political web sites. Of course, since I work for Chris and Linus, I may be a little prejudiced, but I think they are the best bosses in the world. Lots of patience with me, a novice to all this stuff, and a lot of humor. They make the work all worthwhile and fun for me to do. Read the complete Tolbert Report article here . Check out LCM Strategies here.

George W. Bush - Enjoying Life

The Washington Post has a nice story about my favorite President George W. Bush. He and Mrs. Bush are enjoying a quiet life in their new home. They have certainly earned the right to enjoy life. Thank you Mr. President. We miss you.

Huck PAC is Looking For A Few Good People

Governor Huckabee and Huck PAC have formed a national grassroots organization called "Team Huck." The purpose of Team Huck is to find and support solid Republican conservative candidates around the country. We are looking for candidates that support conservative principles - the sanctity of life, the 2nd Amendment, the FairTax, Marriage between one man and one woman, smaller government, fiscal responsibility. Mike Huckabee has a vision of creating a national grassroots organization, one that will have coordinators in all fifty states, and leaders in every county.

Team Huck is the culmination of that vision. If you are worried about the direction of government today, it is time to stand up and be counted. Get involved. Don't just stand on the sidelines. We no longer have the luxury of being the silent majority. The very fiber of the country we all love is threatened. It seems that the attacks are coming from all sides, fast and furious. Three states now recognize same sex marriages. Despite promises to decrease taxes for the middle class, it is now apparent that the Obama Administration will be increasing many taxes - taxes that will affect the middle class and the poor more than they will affect the wealthy. The Second Amendment is under attack once again, as the radical left moves to take away every American's right to own guns. Government is moving radically to take control of our lives, from cradle to grave.

Spending is out of control. The deficit is now measured in trillions, not billions, and no one in the Obama Administration seems to notice. Join Team Huck, make a difference. Together we can change the future of our country. Doing nothing and standing on the sidelines is no longer an option. If you are willing to help , leave a comment here, and we will contact you, or join the Volunteers.