Healthcare: "Repeal and Replace"

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts: “The law needs to be repealed as soon as possible and replaced with a plan that would actually lower health care costs for all families, and prohibit cost controls that would interfere with treatment decisions between doctors and patients.”

Interesting press release: Local Chambers of Commerce throw businesses under the bus

An excerpt from a press release from the Kansas Chamber of Commerce that I found interesting:

"The Kansas Chamber of Commerce is disappointed to see a small minority of its members - 14 of 80 local chambers of commerce - send a letter to legislative leadership saying they believe their business members don't pay enough in taxes." Kansas Chamber Interim President & CEO Kent Beisner said.

Kent continued: "Our government affairs team in the Statehouse has personally witnessed first-hand many business members of local chambers appear before House and Senate Tax Committees opposing various, targeted tax hikes and it wasn't lost on them that the local chambers in question were not there in opposition, but the Kansas Chamber was.  As such, we have heard many of those business members are reconsidering their investment in their local chambers, which obviously means they feel they were 'thrown under the bus' by those very entities who are supposed to be representing them."

I don't know if Topeka's chamber is among those 14 who sent that letter, but one of the reasons I dropped my membership is that I wasn't convinced the local chamber was looking out for my best interest. Instead, I became a member of the Topeka Independent Business Association (TIBA) and have served on its board for a couple years or so.  Chambers that are supposed to represent small business should not advocate raising taxes on their members, especially during difficult economic times!

Prejudiced media

To conservatives, to use the words "liberal" and "media" in the same sentence is redundant. The reporting on political stories are tainted by the reporters' own liberal bias going into the journalistic process.

Oh, you say, that's just right-wing paranoia talking.

Oh yeah? Well, following is an inquiry posted to a service I subscribe to that feeds journalist inquiries looking for expert responses:

The GOP seems intent on bashing health care reform as an affront to freedom and democracy. There is talk of repealing the legislation, and there are threats and lawsuits. How will this affect the GOP's image among Latinos and other minorities in the low- and middle-income areas that will benefit from this reform? Are they further alienating minorities and others with this attitude? What does this say about the GOP's future in a majority-minority country?

You don't see any bias going into the story before it's even written?

10th Amendment Should Have Killed Health Bill (but who cares about the Constitution)

The lack of regard the Democrats in Congress have for the Constitution and "procedure" (even Obama who swore to defend the US Constitution in his oath of office the American people aren't concerned about procedure, only results) has been galling. The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution is not difficult to comprehend.

Hey! Is there a lawyer in the House? In fact, there's gobs of them, but it shouldn't take a lawyer to understand the Health Care Reform act is unconstitutional. It says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

If the Constitution has not delegated to the federal government the power to force Americans to buy health insurance, then Congress and the president do not have that power.

And that power is not anywhere in the Constitution. That's where it needs to be attacked, and that's why several state AG's are filing lawsuit against the Federal government. The cost to the states for unfunded mandates will be astronomical.

Sen. Orin Hatch said "If that is held constitutional -- for them to be able to tell us we have to purchase health insurance -- then there is literally nothing that the federal government can't force us to do," he said. "Nothing."

Oh, and Obama has yet to sign his meaningless executive order about funding abortions. Hmmm.

Fail: Health Care Freedom Amendment

With the stroke of his pen, President Obama set back our health care system and struck our liberties as a nation. When I heard all the cheers, I couldn't help but think of the great words by Padme Amidala, "So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."

Speaking of killing health care freedom... the Health Care Freedom Amendment failed to gain the necessary two-thirds support from the Kansas House to pass today. House Concurrent Resolution 5032 received a final action vote of 75-47, which was nine votes short of what was needed for the legislation to pass to the Senate. There is a 24-hour window of opportunity for the House to bring the legislation back up for reconsideration.

Mitt speaks on the health care bill

Quote from Mitt Romney:

"His health-care bill is unhealthy for America. It raises taxes, slashes the more private side of Medicare, installs price controls, and puts a new federal bureaucracy in charge of health care. It will create a new entitlement even as the ones we already have are bankrupt. For these reasons and more, the act should be repealed. That campaign begins today."

A time and place for everything...

On Saturday when me and many other KU fans were moaning and groaning and licking our wounds after the Jayhawks' loss, a lot of this "support group" activity was happening on Facebook.

Now, I'll say on a completely unrelated subject that I've been teetering between which Congressional candidate I would support - Tiahrt or Moran. I'm trying to figure out the difference.

I won't say which one, though, but a staffer for one of them tipped the scales in the other direction. During our darkest hour and in the midst of post after post of KU fans who were suffering at the unfortunate way the season ended, this staffer posted a non-KU related post about how proud she was of her candidate for being in touch with real Kansans. What??? You pick NOW to post such a purely political and really cheesy comment?

If you and your candidate was in touch with real Kansans, you would have been watching basketball with us on Saturday and suffering as much as we were afterward! C'mon gal!

Ok, I can be petty -- but don't tell me how in touch your candidate is and then issue a talking point unrelated to our pain and anguish!

Kansas Health Care Freedom Act

Providing health care for all is a noble cause, but if that was the mission of the health reform measure the House just signed, why wouldn't they just do that instead of messing around with everyone's health care?

They say there's going to be a trillion in savings? Sure, because Medicare and the other government health programs are run so efficiently, right? Doctors are dropping Medicare patients now because the reimbursements are less than the cost of the service.

If you insure 30+ million more people, there's going to be a greater demand for health services and thus you'll need more doctors. If doctors are getting paid less that the cost of service, you're not going to get more doctors in the market -- you'll get less, and the remaining doctors may not be the great ones.

There's just too much to hate about this bill to blog about it here. Blogs are supposed to be pithy, and I could rant for pages. Just a dark day in this nation's history if you ask me.

Listening to Obama speak on it earlier and hearing his adoring fans applaud to everything he said reminded me of the words of the great sage, Padme Amadala, who said "So this is how liberty dies...to thunderous applause."

In related news, Americans for Prosperity-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag issued the following statement:

“Today, the Kansas House sent a resounding statement to the White House and Congress in support of every individual of our great state by passing the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment. With this amendment, the Kansas Legislature hopes to fend off a dangerous Congressional bill that attacks the very fabric of which this country is made: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“The Health Care Freedom Amendment does not deny any Kansan the opportunity to take part in a federal plan. Rather, it protects their individual right to make that decision from an ever-expanding and intrusive government.

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans have asked Congress to keep government out of our health care decisions by signing AFP’s “Hands Off My Health Care” petition. Millions of Americans oppose this government takeover of our health care system, and we applaud the members of the Kansas House who recognize the need to preserve our right as individuals to make our own health care decisions, and we encourage them to vote for this amendment during tomorrow’s final vote.”

House members tentatively passed the amendment 76 to 44 during today’s debate. For final approval, the amendment must pass out of the Kansas House with 84 votes in favor.

Google Day at Washburn

Google, Kansas Day will be celebrated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, on the main level, Memorial Union, to inform Washburn University of Google students about the Google Fiber project and how it will benefit students and Topeka...err...Google.

Seriously, SERIOUSLY, Slaughtering the US Constitution

I'm as aghast as many Americans at how little Democrats in Congress care about our Constitution and freedoms in their quest for universal health care and other infringements on our freedoms. Now comes word that they may use the "Slaughter Rule" (named for the Congresswoman who proposed the nonsense).

What is the Slaughter Rule? They don't even vote on the thing. They "deem" the Senate version to have passed and then they set about passing modifications to get more of the stuff the House wants in it. It is an abject subversion of the check-and-balances of our Constitutional system!

Word on the NRO blog is that Republicans will bring forth a measure to block the Slaughter Rule from being used.

I keep hearing the White House saying the "people don't care about process, they care about results." So, I say, let's bring back lynch mobs! Who cares about due process when justice can be served so swiftly?

All Kansas Championship!

For the first time since the early 80s, it's both Kansas teams in the Big 12 conference basketball championship!

Can KU take down K-State 3x in a row? If I was a betting man, I'd say...yes!

But KU doesn't have as much to play for as KSU does, other than pride. KU is already pretty much guaranteed a 1 seed.

I just LOVE this time of year!

Google, Kansas

Change the signs on the highways as you enter our city limits (but use construction paper and duct tape). The mayor of Topeka has proclaimed the city shall be known throughout the month of March as Google, Kansas. The PR move is also aimed at encouraging Topekans to recognize and support continuing efforts to bring Google's fiber experiment here.

I previously blogged about this effort to attract Google's plans for naming Topeka as one of its test sites for uber-high speed fiber networking.

Since we'll never be able to campaign for the Olympics to come to Topeka (er, excuse me, Google), this is the first of its kind in my memory of the community (citizens and government alike) working together to get the city picked for something substantial. Let's all continue rowing together, my fellow Googlians!

Another way to drive business to Missouri

Looking for more revenue in all the wrong places, Gov. Parkinson has proposed spiking the tax on tobacco sales by 55 cents per pack. Now I'm sure everyone is thinking I'm some shill for smokers, but I don't give a hoot about smokers to be honest. It would be better for them and me and my family if they'd quit. Still, people smoke and it's their right to do so. Dramatically raising the taxes on cigarette sales will simply mean a mass exodus of consumers going to nearby states with lower cigarette taxes to purchase their death sticks (got that from Star Wars II).

Americans for Prosperity has set up a new website, StopTheWarOnSmokers.Com, to educate Kansans on the effects of tobacco tax increases on Kansas businesses.

“History has shown us that raising the cigarette tax has not increased the revenues coming into the state over the long run,” said AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag. “There may be an initial boost, but with nearby states like Missouri only adding a 17-cent tax per pack, more Kansas smokers are likely to cross the state line to purchase cigarettes.

“This means Kansas retailers are losing out on those sales, as well as the sales of other items smokers may purchase when buying tobacco products.”

I don't know if the governor has taken note or not, but we are competing with nearby states for sales, and what we gain in revenue from the new tax will be lost (or neutralized) by all those who take a short drive for cheaper cigs. I predict, at best, this being revenue neutral to the state -- but damaging to small business owners who depend on those sales.