Figures and Words

Remember when the 42^nd President William Jefferson Blythe Clinton said, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is"? According to Clinton oral sex is not sex. Forget the fact that sex is part of the words describing the act. When you are forcing your position, you change definitions.

President Bill Clinton.

Then we have this administration continuing the trend by labeling the Ft. Hood terrorist attack as Work-Place Violence, and the Boston bombings as Man-Caused Disasters.

So is it any stretch of the imagination that now all the problems with Obamacare—wait, this signature piece of legislation that even the President embraced as Obamacare because “Obama does care” is now being referred to exclusively by the Left as the Affordable Care Act—the administration would start changing their story? We are learning they knew all along you could not keep your plan; as early as APR 2013 there would be problems with the rollout and just last week we learned 60 to 70 percent of the build was not complete. That is okay, these massive problems were focused grouped and the term deemed least alarming is the now popular word “glitches”. If only NASA would have told us Space Shuttle Challenger experienced a "glitch" we would have felt better.

This legislation that the President and his Lieutenants from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to then Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and even VP Joe Biden said time and again, “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it. Period”. The President is on record saying this 29 times, the most recent just weeks before “the law of the land” went live. Now they are saying, “Well everyone knew not all the plans would have survived the grandfather clause. Those that did not were “sub-par” and less than 5% of the population is impacted.” The numbers are insignificant. I guess, they like those odds.

If we were living in a fantasy world where “liar, liar pants on fire” was an actuality, they would be wearing asbestos undergarments, because they did not “misspeak”. The main reason Hillarycare failed in the 1990s was due to the fear people would lose their existing health insurance plans. Regardless, these same subpar insurance plans that need to be replaced are now “okay” because the President by Executive Order told the Insurance companies to un-cancel them. Sort of like having a building that is 70% demolished and the “architect” tells them to put it back the way it was and they only have 20 days to do so.

There are numerous problems with both the website and the “Affordable Care Act”, but let us focus on the 5% number the administration keeps mentioning. It is, in their opinion an insignificant amount and we should not be concerned. Imagine for a moment what 5% means—in real numbers.

The population of the US is 315,000,000. The administration argues that 30 million are without healthcare (this includes Illegal Aliens but they deny this fact, but for a moment let’s accept it). Removing 30 million from 315 million leaves 285,000,000. Now take 5% of that number. That leaves 14,250,000 with a canceled policy. Yeah, that is an insignificant number.

What if hospitals dropped 5% of new births? In 2012, there were 3,958,000 live births, so 5% means 197,900 babies dropped. Do you like those odds?

What if airlines killed 5% of passengers flying domestically each year? The past three years' daily average is 1.5 million, which yields 547,500,000/year and 5% would be 27,375,000. Do you like those odds?

What if in 1960, the total Black population only accounted for 5% instead of 10.5% of US population (18,900,000:179,300,000 vs 8,965,000:179,300,000), would the Civil Rights Movement have stalled or even failed to start because the number was deemed “insignificant”?

But wait, there is a massive movement to grant special privileges, enact hate crime legislation, and special legislation for homosexuals which only account for 3.5 to 4 percent of the population. Not even 5%. One could draw a logical conclusion it is more important to have hate crime legislation for 3.5% of the population (if they were ever involved in a violent attack towards them) than to be concerned with 5% having a product/service they chose of their own free will and believed it provided them value to be canceled because of the administration’s legislation.

Dr. Obama and Mr. Hide

Numbers make Figures. Letters make Words.  Figures and Words. This administration is minimizing each. Do not allow them to get away with this; hold them accountable. All too often we fail to hold our elected representatives accountable. Get involved locally. Write your councilman. Call your state representatives. Email your US Representative and US Senators. Tell them in clear, concise language what you think. Do not be ambiguous; no double-talk. Just get involved.

To think it all started with a two-letter word: IS.

Note: All figures quoted were obtained from Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, Gallop, and Pew.

The Era of Big Government is Over

As you wake this morning, you are undoubtedly hearing the world is ending, the sky is falling 

and there is no Santa Claus. Worse than that—if you are listening to some—the “anarchists” have shutdown the US Government and so doing they have loosed the Hounds of Hell and sent the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse on a mission to destroy the world.

What does this mean?

To many middle-aged individuals we can remember all of the shutdowns starting in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter through the last shutdown in 1996 under President Bill Clinton. In all of the previous shutdowns, all three entities (President, House of Representatives and Senate) work together to arrive at a budget for the next Fiscal Year (FY). The government’s Fiscal Year runs from 01 OCT through 30 SEP of the following year.

Our Constitution gives Congress control on how federal money is spent in an attempt to limit the power of the president. The government can only spend money “in consequence of appropriations made by law”.

United States Constitution requires Congress with the approval of the President, to authorize all federal expenditures. This is accomplished by producing a budget proposal that consists of three parts (1) Total Government expenditures (defense, social programs, federal aid to foreign entities, etc) (2) Total Government income (from taxes and other sources of income like fees and enrollment premiums) (3) Total Net Difference between the two. More income to expenses—a surplus. More expense to income—a deficit. It is important to note the Budget Process starts with the President submitting to Congress his vision of what he wants to accomplish. A Budget.

The President must submit—as required by The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (BAA)— by the first Monday of February his budget for consideration for the next FY. President Obama has missed this deadline in four of the five years of his presidency. Obama is the only President in the 92 years of BAA, to miss the deadline two years in a row and then three years in a row. He also holds the record for longest delay at 98 days.

President Barak Obama (D)

Budget Submission Required Date and Submitted Date

02 FEB 09        11 MAY 09

01 FEB 10        01 FEB 10        (Failed Senate 0-97)

07 FEB 11        14 FEB 11

06 FEB 12        13 FEB 12        (Failed House 0-414)

04 FEB 13        25 MAR 13

No budget passed since 2007.

When Congress and the President fail to pass a Budget, they then pass a Continuing Resolution or CR. What is a Continuing Resolution (CR)? Anytime government fails to pass a regular budget, it may pass legislation to fund critical aspects of government until a formal appropriations bill is signed into law. We have been operating under a CR since 2008.

Shutdowns by the Numbers

18 shutdowns since 1976 (including present)

109 total days (excluding present)

6.4 days average per shutdown (excluding present)

9 under a Democratic President

9 under a Republican President

9 where same party controlled both House and Senate

3 with Democratic President and Republican House majority

9 with Republican President and Democratic House majority

5 with Democratic President and Democratic House and Senate majority

0 with Republican President and Republican House and Senate majority

Interesting note. The Democrats are quick to remind everyone that it was Bill Clinton that provided a surplus and had a balanced budget. What they conveniently fail to say, it was because of the Republican controlled House and Senate that forced a government shutdown in an effort to have a balanced budget. After the budget battle, President Clinton moved to the center and had a good relationship with Congress. In his 1996 State of the Union Address, he said,

“We must answer here three fundamental questions: First, how do we make the American Dream of opportunity for all a reality for all Americans who are willing to work for it? Second, how do we preserve our old and enduring values as we move into the future? And, third, how do we meet these challenges together, as one America?

We know big government does not have all the answers. We know there’s not a program for every problem. We have worked to give the American people a smaller, less bureaucratic government in Washington. And we have to give the American people one that lives within its means.

The era of big government is over.”

Of specific importance is the role the President has in the budget process. It starts with him and his Budget submission and he must be involved when an impasse is reached. He must be willing to act as referee between the House and Senate and willing to negotiate when one or both disagree with his budget. President Obama has vowed he will not negotiate. He sees no reason to negotiate. In 2009, shortly after taking office in his first term Obama told Republicans during stimulus-bill discussions that “elections have consequences”. He believes that since he was elected and since re-elected, the people have spoken and want whatever he thinks is best. This is evidenced in his comment during an NPR interview yesterday when asked "What can you offer?". "What can I offer?--I shouldn't have to offer anything. They're not doing me a favor...."

In each of the other shutdowns, the sitting President negotiated; of note is President Reagan with Speaker O’Neill and President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich. As noted in the above reference to Clinton’s State of the Union Address, he worked with Congress and had great success doing so. It is important to consider his comments referencing “Big Government”. He acknowledges that Government is not the answer to all problems. Furthermore, every American should be treated fairly and have equal opportunity. Today, we have a President and Senate that believe if left to their own wisdom; the public does not have sense enough to come in from the rain and needs Government to help them in all areas of their lives.

Speaker John Boehner (R)

The sound bites from the differing representatives are on opposite ends with ACA in the middle. Republicans do not want to advance ACA when it is unfairly administered. Congress, and other government employees receive subsidies the rest of Americans do not receive. Friends of the Administration have received exemptions for their companies from the ACA, while opponents were denied. They simply want “fairness”. However, I submit this is not only a stance against unfair practices enacted by this administration; it is a stance against government intrusion into our lives. It is about spending more than we take in taxes and revenue. It is about limiting government. Sadly, I think President Clinton’s declaration “The era of Big Government is over”, was wrong. It has rebounded and is larger than ever.

Regardless, of the political debate, we are in the midst of a shutdown. True to form, President Obama and his minions are attempting to scare the public. Remember sequester? He and his administration told of all the horror stories of no TSA agents, no White House tours, National Parks closed indefinitely—he wanted the sequester to hurt. With the shutdown, they said veterans will not be able to get health care because VA hospitals will be closed. Those needing medical care and medication for PTSD will be turned away. WRONG! Single mothers will not have any money to buy groceries for her family. WRONG!

How will the shutdown impact me?

Closed or reduced Services

800,000 federal workers furloughed

National Parks and Monuments Closed

FDA routine safety inspections (except for grain)

NASA Mission controlled staffed (18,000 employees furloughed)

Veterans’ disability compensation claims delayed

FHA (new) backed mortgages new claims not processed

PX and Commissaries closed

IRS tax refunds on hold

DHS suspends E-verify program

Open or no change

Air Traffic Controllers & TSA

Passport and Visa applications

Social Security & Medicare payments

Unemployment benefits & food stamps (SNAP)

No change for US military still paid ON TIME

No change to VA benefits (funded 365 days in advance)

USPS open

National Weather Service (still issuing forecasts)

National Hurricane Center (still tracking storms)

Synopsis of Shutdowns

2013    01 OCT to Present

Pres. Obama (D) House (R) Senate (D) Speaker John Boehner, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Patrick Leahy

Republican House does not want Affordable Care Act (ACA) aka Obamacare, to be unfairly applied. Make sure every American is treated like exempt groups. Government employees get subsidies and exemptions that other Americans do not. House has presented three CR, each rejected by Senate. Speaker spoke to President in early morning and President said emphatically, he will not negotiate.

1995    16 DEC to 06 JAN 96 (21 Days)

Pres. Clinton (D) House (R) Senate (R) Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

President Clinton and Congress disagreed on which numbers to use to balance budget. CBO or OMB.

            13 NOV to 19 NOV (5 Days)

Pres. Clinton (D) House (R) Senate (R) Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Republican controlled House and Senate wanted a time-table for a balanced budget.

1990    05 OCT to 09 OCT (4 Days)

Pres. Bush (R) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tom Foley, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Robert Byrd

Pres. Bush vowed “no new taxes” and held firm and House and Senate saw the polls and agreed to deficit reduction requests.

1987    18 DEC to 20 DEC (1 Day)

Pres. Reagan (R) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Jim Wright, Senate Pres. Pro Tem John C. Stennis

Democratic House and Senate opposed funding for Contras and pushed Fairness Doctrine. Backed off the Fairness Doctrine.

1986    16 OCT to 18 OCT (1 Day)

Pres. Reagan (R) House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Compromise reached by Democratic House dropping demands in exchange for welfare package.

1984    30 SEP to 05 OCT (3 Day)

Pres. Reagan (R) House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Pres. Reagan compromised on a crime fighting package and was able to get funding for Nicaraguan Contras.

1983    10 NOV to 14 NOV (3 Days)

Pres. Reagan (R) House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Oil and gas leasing was banned in federal wildlife refuges in exchange for more funding for MX missile and reduced education funding from Federal level.

1982    17 DEC to 21 DEC (3 Days)

Pres. Reagan (R), House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Pres. Senate Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Pres. Reagan compromised on funding both the MX and Pershing II missiles (got MX) and allowed funding to continue for Legal Services Corporation.

            30 SEPT to 02 OCT (1 Day)

Pres. Reagan (R), House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Continuation of previous shutdown only to give Congress time to pass.

1981    20 NOV to 23 NOV (2 Days)

Pres. Reagan (R), House (D) Senate (R) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Strom Thurmond

Pres. Reagan stood firm until he received $8 B in cuts.

1979    30 SEP to 12 OCT (11 Days)

Pres. Carter (D), House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O'Neill, Senate Pres. Pro Tem Warren Magnuson

Problems continue between House and Senate on Medicaid funded abortions. Additionally, House sponsored a 5.5% increase in pay for congress.

1978    30 SEP to 18 OCT (18 Days)

Pres. Carter (D) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres Pro Tem James Eastland

Pres. Carter vetoed a defense for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Continuing problems for Dept. of HEW for Medicaid funding of abortions.

1977    30 NOV to 09 DEC (8 Days)

Pres. Carter (D) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres Pro Tem James Eastland

Second temporary funding agreement expired.

            31 OCT to 09 NOV (8 Days)

Pres. Carter (D) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Pres. Senate Pro Tem James Eastland

Earlier temporary funding expired.

            30 SEP to 13 OCT (12 Days)

Pres. Carter (D) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Pres. Senate Pro Tem James Eastland

Democratic House wanted to uphold ban using Medicaid money to pay for abortions. Democratic Senate wanted to expand to pay for abortions in case of rape or incest.

1976    30 SEP to 11 OCT (10 Days)

Pres. Ford (R) House (D) Senate (D) Speaker Tip O’Neill, Senate Pres. Pro Tem James Eastland

Pres. Ford vetoed appropriations bill for Dept. of Labor and Dept. of HEW

My Two Cents

This past Sunday will become a day of historical significance for all Americans. The House of Representatives passed HR 3590, Patient

President Obama signing ACA into law.

Protection and Affordable Care Act and HR 4872 Reconciliation Act of 2010 will then be sent back to the Senate needing only a simple majority vote. On Tuesday, with great pomp and circumstance, President Obama signed the Bill into Law. Many have commented on this event both prior to and after the signing; commentators ranging from personal friends to conservative talk show hosts, to political analysts; both Republican and Democrat; Conservative and Liberal. Now I would like to offer my two cents.

I have in many different venues expressed my love of country, respect for the law, and ultimate respect for the Office of President of the United States of America. My first Facebook comment was on a post sometime in September. Since then I have commented on posts by others, and many of my own. In each, I have expressed how angry I am because of the manner in which our government conducts business. Briefly, our elected leaders, and yes we are a Democratic Republic (if you do not understand what this means I suggest you do some research) and we place our confidence in the elected officials to represent our wishes and desires and to not substitute their own selfish interests. There was a time when our bicameral Congress members would debate with great enthusiasm and vigor on the floor, then go out for laughs and drinks afterward. They might have had ideological differences but there was respect for the other members and a respect for differing beliefs. Outbursts such as those by Rep. Joe Wilson (R) SC during a joint address by President Obama, and most recently from Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R) TX during a floor speech by Rep. Bart Stupach (D) MI. That era has sadly passed us by. No longer, do our elected officials vote what is best for the country, but rather what their party tells them to vote. There is little to no respect and even disdain for the person if they have a differing view. When each party attempts to “win” we, the American people lose. I believe this past week, we suffered a huge defeat. Additionally, many elected officials ran on a platform of "changing Washington" or claiming they could not be bought. I am sure they all started full of optimism but then reality sets in to get recognition, to be a part of the "in" crowd, and to preserve their jobs, they start voting for what keeps their job instead of what is best for the country. Most know voters do not take the time to read how their elected officials vote and can therefore release press statements acting as if they are fighting for the little guy, which is true if they are the little guy. This is a great reason to support term limits.

In my past posts and more importantly in my years of being a political junkie, I have involved myself in the process. I remember voting for the very first time with my dad shortly after turning 18. I am proud to say I have voted every time there was “something to vote on” since then with one exception in 1999 when I was recuperating from a spinal fusion and in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit. I also served in the United States Marine Corps taking the oath: ”I, (name) do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” 

Through the years, I have continued to pray for my country and its leaders as I am instructed in I Timothy 2:1-4 and proactively informed my city/county commissioners, School Board members, and both state and national representatives of my opinions and positions on various topics. I provide all of this as my political Curriculum Vitae; I believe I have earned the right to speak my mind.

There are some significant problems with the current healthcare system, but I do not believe that we must throw it out and start anew. Many of the problems associated with health care were not addressed. The method by which most Americans receive health care is via their employers. Have you ever wondered why our employers provide us with health insurance but not homeowners or auto insurance? What is special about health insurance? The answer originated during WWII. In the post-WWII era, many industries were beginning to boom and the talent pool was vast, but the companies were limited by the 1942 Stabilization Act which limited the wages they could offer prospective employees. They had to provide some incentive to attract the best talent. The companies chose health insurance, which later legislation and court rulings deemed both legal and provided a tax write-off for companies paying the premiums. Since then most Americans’ health insurance has been tied to their employment.

This new law has many “good” items but seriously falls short of providing the necessary reform we need. Most of the “good” items will become effective within the next 12 months, which will give the populace a “good” feeling and may not be as negative and vocal about the law. These include coverage for children until age 26, removing pre-existing clauses for children (although there are still some loopholes that will exclude some children); no longer will pre-existing illnesses prevent you from obtaining health insurance; and no longer a maximum lifetime benefit.

The “bad” items will start in a year or more (some after the next presidential election) which include: requiring every adult to purchase and maintain health insurance (more on this in a moment); employers with greater than 50 employees will be required to offer health insurance. If they do not they will be fined $2000 per employee. Health insurance companies will have to pay a fee for market percentage. This means if a company is growing and doing well through effective management and is rewarded by market share, it will be “penalized” for its success. The fee is then given to the companies that are not doing as well. This is like the student who is making high “As” for doing his homework, studying, and performing well on tests that are then required to give some of his grades to the underperformers. Or the salesman that works hard, makes new and more sales, and then has to give a percentage of his earnings to the employees that do not work as hard. This is not fair. Finally, there is the “Cadillac” health care tax on those individuals who have purchased a better plan. This tax is then redistributed to individuals who do not have the same level of coverage. Again, this is an attempt to redistribute the wealth.

Speaking of costs, the Congressional Budget Office provided its estimate or “guess” of what the program will cost over the next 10 years. The preliminary budgets have already been determined to be drastically wrong. Cost reductions and “savings” were counted twice, some expenditures were under-capitalized, and in some instances, they had no way of determining cost, so no cost was assigned. This is referenced in the footnotes but only one network is reporting this little tidbit. We have no idea of the costs, but they are far greater than what we can afford. One such cost includes providing health care to the uninsured and underinsured. President Obama in the words of Joe Wilson "lied" when he said illegal aliens would not be covered under his plan. As a "Constitution scholar" and professor he knew that they would have to be covered (even though he wants to say they will not) because of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. This clause requires the States to provide equal protection to all people in their jurisdiction. Incidentally, the number of uninsured and underinsured has risen in the past several months from a low of 25 million to now just under 50 million. Care to guess why the numbers have increased? Illegal aliens account for nearly 15 million of them. Healthcare costs for these individuals are not included in the CBO “guess.”

I know this is a long note and I will close in a moment, but there a just a few more items I must address. The new law requires all individuals to purchase health care. I do not believe the government can force or compel a person to purchase anything. Yes, all states require you to purchase automobile insurance if you wish to exercise your privilege of driving an automobile on the highway. This is to protect the property of others. Well, to circumvent this legality, they are authorizing the IRS to verify each person has complied because this “cost” is now called a tax, and depending on your income level you will either receive a deduction or pay a fee (Cadillac plans). Within hours of the passage of the bill, the IRS said it would need an additional $10 billion over the next 10 years for enforcement and compliance. Again, this was not in the CBO “guess.” Do you want the IRS involved in your health care?

In my opinion and many other conservatives, the main issues that should have been addressed in any healthcare reform are quite simple and do not require changing the entire system. These include: (1) Tort reform. We need to put an end to these junk lawsuits that contribute to higher healthcare costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it is good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued. (2) Access to insurance plans. Currently, you must purchase health insurance from a provider in the state you reside. Each state has different regulatory costs and this raises the cost of insurance. Let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines. (3) Greater state controls. We need to give the States the tools and the freedom to create their own innovative reforms that lower healthcare costs. (4) Establish health “pools.” Individuals, small businesses, churches, civic organizations, and trade associations should be allowed to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, much in the same manner large corporations and labor unions do. (5) Medicare/Medicaid. Provide greater funding to the States to cover the elderly and low-income families. (6) Pre-existing conditions. These should not preclude a person from obtaining health insurance. There should be an option for an individual to pay a premium to obtain health care. (7) Extension of benefits. Most dependents lose their coverage once they turn 19 or 21; there should be an option for extending these benefits for an additional 5 years or so, but with restrictions. This is basically all we needed to do, but that would not have allowed the Democrats to reinvent the wheel and do so in a manner that would redistribute the wealth.

You have probably noticed the increased rhetoric in the past few months from the President concerning the “evil health insurance companies.” He is saying they are the cause of skyrocketing healthcare costs and make too much money. Would you care to take a guess what their profit percentage averages? Twenty-five percent? Fifteen percent? No, 3.3%, that is it. They are ranked 40th (Fortune magazine reporting). This industry is behind the airlines (38th/3.6%), and Internet service providers (25th/7.2%), and topping the list is Network and Communications Equipment (think AT&T) at 28.8%. I know that profits are determined after all expenses and salaries are paid and one could argue that the senior management is overpaid thus reducing their profit. Check out their pay structure for yourself in their 10k financials. Insurance is not the cost driver here. There are many, but the insurance companies are not the bad guys. However, this administration wants them to be so they can take control of and eventually eliminate them and finally have a single-payer system or universal health that most socialistic countries have.

Many of you who read this will agree with me. Depending on the poll you read, between 51 and 59 percent of Americans were (are) against this law. Some of you will think I am a Limbaugh lunatic or that I have been Hannitized. I assure you I am a competent, educated individual who is capable of researching the facts and arriving at a decision. I urge you to do the same. We are living in dynamic times. This administration is doing all it can to redistribute the wealth and to take over as many companies and industries as it can. It started with the automotive industry, then banking, and now healthcare and it already has its sights set on energy companies. This is by definition socialism. Lenin remarked that socialism is just a transitional phase between Capitalism and Communism. Watch the news; see what is going on. Get involved and be a part of the solution instead of sitting on the sidelines complaining.

In closing, I would urge each of you to watch what happens between the US and Israel. Since 14 MAY 1948, we have been an ally and friend

Will these companies still be here in 10 years?

of this great nation. We have been blessed by this relationship as God promised in Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” I have wondered how this administration will act towards Israel. It has shown great respect for all the Muslim countries and little to Israel. The administration blew out of proportion Israel’s news report of building on the West Bank while Vice-President Biden was in town and most recently, when President Benjamin Netanyahu was in DC. He did not receive the red carpet treatment visiting heads of state receive when they call on the President. President Obama would not pose for pictures with him; President Obama got up and left a meeting with President Netanyahu because Israel would not commit to stop building in Eastern Jerusalem and finally President Obama did not invite him to dinner, as is the custom (one that every president has done each time an Israeli president visited). Something will come of this, but I will save that for another note.

My opinions and thoughts might not be worth much, but I offer my two cents on this subject. This legislation will cost billions in direct costs and untold billions in indirect costs (fewer full-time employees, lost productivity, interest paid on borrowed money to finance, the devalued dollar as more will be printed), but the largest cost will be to our health care system. We have the best healthcare system in the world, everyone including two-bit despots around the world, who travel here to get well. This legislation will destroy a great country; I believe that to be the ultimate intent of this administration. When this administration starts messing with an industry that represents 1/6 of the economy, education, immigration, and gun control will soon follow. We have got to make this man a one-term president.