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the Value of</I></U></A><I> Nothing, by Cheryl Pass</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#health_care___energy_monopoly__" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Health Care & Energy Monopoly =</I></U></A><I> Obamanopoly, by Cheryl Pass</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#you_thought_you_knew_the_news" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">You Thought You Knew the News</I></U></A><I> by Cheryl Pass</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#what_does_it_mean_to_be_a__real" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">What does it mean to be a “Real</I></U></A><I> American?" by Cheryl Pass</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#the_curious_case_of_mr__bing" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The Curious Case of Mr. Bing</I></U></A><I> by Cheryl Pass</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#an_encounter_with_the_unhinged" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">An Encounter with the Unhinged</I></U></A><I> by Daria DiGiovanni</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#celebrating_dependence_day" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Celebrating Dependence Day</I></U></A><I> </I>by Cheryl Pass</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#female_jealousy_and_sarah_palin" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Female Jealousy and Sarah Palin</I></U></A><I> by </I>Daria DiGiovanni</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#a_letter_to_the_rnc_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A letter to the RNC.</I></U></A><I> by </I>Wilson Forbes, Jr<I>.</I></div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm#very_bad_medicine_a_surgeon_s" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U><I><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ff000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Very Bad Medicine a Surgeon's</I></U></A><I> Perspective on Nationalized Healthcare. by </I> Daria DiGiovanni</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>Guest Columns</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="#submission_guidelines" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Submission Guidelines</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="classical_progressivism_vs__american"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Classical Progressivism vs. American Exceptionalism</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <div> <A HREF="http://myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com"><U>myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Absorbing the news each week has become an overwhelming task, even for those of us who are avidly interested.  So much "you know what" has hit the fan this past year that freedom loving Americans can hardly know where to look to find solace.  And that's the goal believe me. Simply throw so much at the public at once that they will not have the time and resources to fight back. </div> <div> "Hide the decline" (a la Climate-gate), and hide the bills (legislation we have no part in), hide the truth behind the mask of crisis management blamed on previous administrations. It takes a lot of time and research to discover the underlying truths and schemes going on, and we are finding them in spite of complicit and propagandizing mainstream media outlets.  A majority of our citizens truly do not have the time, take the time, or do the research to find out the sources of the propaganda and lies.  What we now have in power in the Federal government is classical progressivism.  Progressive is a term that is defined by socialism, communism, fascism, and centralized power.</div> <div> Slow and methodical over the last century was the march of socialists / communists / fascists / progressives / collectivists / liberals (they have so many names it is even hard to keep up with that), until Obama's election when the gears went into overdrive.  Over-reaching is much too kind of a term to place on what has become a coup to completely over-throw the Constitution of the United States.  Prior to now it has been incremental, the slippery slope, the inch-by-inch erosion of unalienable rights.  Like a slow developing disease, they have gradually weakened the main body of the country, so as now the disease can just finish it off in big bites at a time; socialized health care, energy restrictions, political correctness, executive edicts without the consent of the governed, continual reductions of property rights, illegal immigration - amnesty, etc.</div> <div> The centralized power of the Federal government is in full tilt, while individual rights to pursue life, liberty and happiness are becoming a distant dream.  Communitarian ideology is the stepping stone to complete tyranny and, God forbid, you should speak out against this tyranny for you will be ridiculed, called a racist bigot, called an extremist, and a selfish, uncaring, undeserving idiot. </div> <bR> <div> From an editorial on Socialist education written by Paul Westonl: <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/socialist-propaganda-in-british-education-_-by-paul-weston" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2009/10/"><U><U>Socialist Propaganda In British Education _ By Paul Weston… « Centurean2's Weblog</U></U></A></FONT></div> <div> "Propaganda is the most powerful tool in Socialism's obsessive quest for social control and absolute power. Fear of the state is nowhere near as powerful as love of the state, and none more so when the love is conditioned from an early age."  (Think Hitler youth)  He continues, "We have surrendered any hope of a decent future for our children and grandchildren because we do not wish to be labeled racist, intolerant, xenophobic, nationalistic, or illiberal." (Think forced "diversity," as opposed to freedom of assembly. Think forced "economic justice," "social justice,” as opposed to economic liberty and equal justice.) </div> <div> Well, I'm over the name-calling and the mockery.  I've researched and studied, and I have discovered the elitists who are trying to pull off this coup in the United States are a growing but still minority of ideologues who belong somewhere within the confines of other historical tyrants / tyrannies such as the failed states of Nazi Germany, Stalin's reign in Russia, Mao's communist elimination of millions of people, Castro, and countless others.</div> <div> The policies of our current administration are just the same, though they try to cloak them in words that don't apply to real life, facts, or historical truth.  That is what tyrants do.  They gain power by convincing a lot of people who don't know history to jump onto their corrupt repetitions of historical failures.  They either marginalize or eliminate the opposition.  They use words like "reform," "change," "hope," "power to the people," "diversity," "social justice," "sustainability," "believe," economic justice,"  "let me be perfectly clear," man-caused disaster," etc.  You get the gist.  Now, if you don't go looking behind the scenes at the players and find out what they mean by these platitudes, you will not have a clue what the real agenda is.</div> <div> The fact is that over the history of civilization, America <B>is the exception</B> to all of the failed governments and tyrannies, which have come and gone.  What make America different are the "consent of the governed," and "unalienable" rights granted by God."  We the people are supposed to hold the power over our own lives, not Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, or any of the appointed Czars who are regulating without our consent.  They do not own the power.  It would be laughable that they think they do, except the situation is now too dire to be funny.</div> <div> American exceptionally represents the true "progress" over the tyrannies of the past and present, yet the Obama administration wants to use the word "progress" to downgrade America into the abyss of centralized governmental tyranny over us.  The propagandized use of words is confusing to a population who has not immersed itself in the study of history enough to understand what is being foisted upon them. </div> <div> Our country has been under assault for over a century now from "progressives," by whatever name you wish to use.  We have only held them back by snips and bits, as they ever so gradually took away our God given liberties.  But now they have a shot at the whole pie, thanks to an electorate who didn't do the research, was lied to, and didn't understand what was at stake.</div> <div> The 2010 elections are an opportunity to once again stick some fingers in the dike, but I believe it is going to take a whole lot more effort than that to save the great exception that is our America. </div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="american_absolution"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>American Absolution</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <div> <A HREF="http://myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com"><U>myteapartychronicle.blogspot.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> No doubt you are seeing the same commercials on TV that I am.  You know, the ones with the ethereal sounding voices of children, the visage of celestial iconography, and the word "Hopenhagen" floating across the screen.  I wonder if many in America have any clue what the Copenhagen Treaty proposes to do to the sovereignty of the United States.</div> <div> It all looks so Madison Avenue slick, "touchy - feely", warm and fuzzy.  Intoning a chant-like mantra designed to appeal to every new-age hippie and their children whose minds are already spinning with guilt for living on the planet, these commercials are designed to make Americans think they are part of some really big worldwide hug.  A hug called the Copenhagen Treaty.  And of course, President Obama is flitting off with his entourage and huge jets to Copenhagen to put his face all over it in order to make the world believe that he is saving the planet from whom? Us! That's who.</div> <div> For over sixty years now the left-wing propagandists have been occupied with convincing Americans that we are very bad people.  Forty years ago they grabbed hold of the schools to make sure the children were taught that Americans live on stolen land, built the country using stolen labor, have an illegitimate Constitution written by nasty old white men, and have been using up the planet's resources illegitimately and unfairly.  So now we have a population of people, some left wing zealots, some indoctrinated, and some who are just too uneducated to understand, who believe America is a travesty and has no business being more successful than the rest of the world. These people have been led into a twisted guilt trip for just being American. They think Obama will absolve them of their guilt if he just goes to Copenhagen and signs away our guilt to the rest of the world and consigns us to penance payments for decades to come.</div> <bR> <div> First I want to explain what this Copenhagen Treaty says and means, just so you know [<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/power_derives_from_lawful_auth.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/p"><U><U>American Thinker: Power Derives from Lawful Authority</U></U></A></FONT>].</div> <div> The proposed treaty authorizes the establishment of a "government" to transfer wealth from industrial nations to non-industrial nations in payment of a "climate debt", which the treaty declares industrial nations should pay for their burning of carbon-based fuels. The newly created international government is to have the authority to decide issues relating to carbon emissions in signatory nations, the power to levy carbon taxes on signatory nations and the power to enforce its levies without reference to the will of the people who live in the signatory nations.</div> <bR> <div> Thus, the proposed Climate Change Treaty demands that:</div> <bR> <div>     * An unelected international government is to be established without the American people voting on its establishment or membership.</div> <div>     * The unelected international government is to have authority to legislate how much and what kind of carbon-based activity Americans may engage in before they will be taxed on such activity.</div> <div>     * The unelected international government is to have authority to decide the amount of taxes Americans must pay for carbon-based activities, determine the people to whom the taxes will be given, and decide how those people will spend the taxes -- and none of those activities will be subject to presidential veto, congressional oversight, or review by the federal Judiciary, much less a vote by the American people;</div> <div>     * If the American people fail to abide by the legislative edicts of the unelected international government, they will be subject to international enforcement proceedings that are alien to our constitutional ideas of due process, equal protection, personal freedom and property rights.</div> <div> So, Obama wants to sign a treaty that gives some panel, not authorized by the people of the United States, the power to tax Americans and dictate to Americans just how much energy Americans are allowed to consume for their businesses and their lives.  Somehow I'm not feeling the love here.  Did Americans knowingly elect a President to sign away American sovereignty and the U.S. Constitution?  Did Barack Obama not take the oath to support, defend, and uphold the U.S. Constitution?  (The oath was botched and he was subjected to a do-over, as I recall) </div> <div> And if this isn't bad enough, did Americans actually do anything to worsen the condition of planet earth in the past forty years?</div> <div> Emails revealed last week from the Climatic Research Unit in Britain proved that the scientists feeding information to the United Nations' International Panel on Climate Change had been manipulating evidence, hiding the truth, and laughing all the way to the bank for years.  This information finally shows that lying to get funding research was the norm.  It also shows that the assertion that man is to blame for some radical shift in the climate is absurd.  It finally exposes the hoax for what it is.  It finally exposes Al Gore for what he is, a very clever snake oil salesman who also has been laughing all the way to the bank.  The entire reason for the IPCC, the Kyoto Treaty, and the Copenhagen Treaty has been a virtual shakedown of advanced industrial nations. </div> <div> And finally, this email chain of evidence proves that Americans are not to blame for ruining anyone's planet.  While America's population has risen over the past twenty years, our output of pollution has gone down.  There is no reason for Americans to feel guilty or pay through the nose for some false data put together by some extortionists for their own gain.  Americans can hold their heads up and stop feeling as if we are some type of scourge on the earth.  Americans can be proud of their track record on pollution and stewardship of the earth.  America is not a "problem" and should not be held hostage to some ridiculous ransom.</div> <div> Obama needs to get off the Climate Change train because it is heading for a very big crash.  And frankly, I think, so is he.  The lies are not "sustainable."</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="on_the_general_welfare"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>On the General Welfare</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <div> <A HREF="http://myteapartychonicle.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://myteapartychonicle.blogspot.com"><U>myteapartychonicle.blogspot.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> The power brokers in Congress and Barrack Obama are hell-bent on convincing the American public that they have the right to enact health care and energy mandates based on the General Welfare reference in the U.S. Constitution. As usual they are abusing their power and misusing the language of the Constitution to suit their own greed, and twisting words to confuse an uneducated public into becoming dependent on the federal government in ways the founders never intended.  This is tragic and a travesty against the very core of our basic rights. </div> <div> The General Welfare reference in the U.S. Constitution was meant ONLY to provide support for the individual States, to have national defense and provide a basis for the States to be able to conduct their own affairs. In the Federalist Papers, Federalist No. 14, James Madison wrote, “. . . the general [federal] government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects . . .” </div> <div> In fact, the entire purpose of the U.S. Constitution, with deliberate enumerated powers, is to protect Americans from the exact oppression that the current administration is trying to impose on us.  Nowhere in the Constitution does the President or the Congress have any of the powers they have usurped with regard to mandates over-riding the jurisdiction of the States. </div> <div> So what recourse actions do the citizens have when the federal government becomes Jabba the Hut? At this point I'm not sure if there is recourse.  Liberals/Communists/Socialists/Progressives have infiltrated most of the education system and indoctrinated three or more generations of students into the "dependent on government" mindset. Fifty-six members of Congress are proud card-carrying members of the Socialist Party. Both Republicans and Democrats have abandoned the U.S. Constitution for the sake of buying votes and padding their own bank accounts.  The corruption is massive.  The Constitution has been subverted for decades and the population is now at the mercy of treasonous politicians, whose agenda is not supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution, but solidifying their own money machines and power bases.</div> <div> Elections come and go.  The one true thing you can say is that elections have consequences.  Americans need to get smart really fast and figure out how to survive the consequences of tyranny.  While we have incrementally been losing freedoms for a very long time, the current administration is wrapping us up in chains and promising to never allow us to be free people again.  Your health, your energy use, your ability to communicate, your money system, your ability to move about, your opportunity to buy property, all of this is now being taken away from you and placed under the iron thumb of the federal government. </div> <div> When Obama said he was going to "transform" America, he wasn't kidding.  The question that needed to be asked was, "To what?"  Now you know.  His answer to all things is domination by federal government in all aspects of your life.  The irony is that, because of very clever rhetoric, Obama convinced a lot of people that the transformation was going to return America to its original intent.  The people who were fed up with government corruption voted for him thinking they were going to get a more transparent and purely American administration.  What we got instead was a Chicago style mafia, complete with Communist thugs, taking over every private industry in our country.  A very clever ruse indeed.  He could get a Nobel Prize for pulling the wool over people's eyes, if there were one. </div> <div> Your liberty was guaranteed by the Constitution, not your health care or your energy usage. "The people are the natural guardians of the Constitution," according to Alexander Hamilton.  It is now up to us to defend it from the power mad in our government.  Call congress and exert your natural rights to defend the Constitution.  Tell them, NO, NO, NO on both Obamacare and Cap and Trade.  If we don't stop them, the general welfare for all of us is lost.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="the_price_of_everything__the_value_of"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>The Price of Everything; the Value of Nothing</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <bR> <div> In Obamaland, nothing is out of reach for anyone, at least not according to him. Everything is available to everyone. Houses. Cars. Health Care. You want it . . . we can afford it, according to our messiah. So how do things get priced in an era where everyone gets everything? Arbitrarily, it would appear. This year alone, the price has gone to 1.4 trillion in additional debt on our backs.</div> <div> There is a slight problem with this. The value of the dollar is now tanking due to the Obama money policies. Simply stated, it's going to take more dollars to buy anything while the value of everything goes down.</div> <div> So let's say you get an $8,000.00 credit (first time buyers only) to buy a house. What the house was worth last year is now anywhere from 11 to 25% less than it was, thanks to the mortgage debacle set up by Congress, Carter and Clinton, called the Community Reinvestment Act. You just lost somewhere between $16,000.00 and $35,000.00 in value on the house. The $8,000.00 the Feds are giving away doesn't come close to what they took away from you. Furthermore, the $8,000.00 is coming out of taxpayers' pockets. So, not only did you lose the value of your house, but you lose the taxes that are now paying for some other person's house. And even one thing more, the $8,000.00 isn't worth what it was a year ago, due to the maniacal printing of gobs of money to supply the Federal debt.</div> <div> Hmmm . . . let's take another one. You are now owners of car companies that you, as taxpayers, had no intention of buying. Your taxes are being used to build cars you will never be able to afford, thanks to the likes of Al Gore and his Finnish car company that you also subsidize. You see, your Federal Government just granted a half billion dollar loan to Mr. Gore's Finnish car company to build a $90,000.00 sports car that will go 50 miles on a battery charge. What is the value of that to the American taxpayer? Somehow I think the value of that one landed in Gore's lap and you paid the price for it.</div> <div> How many $90,000.00 sports cars are you going to buy in this lifetime? The price is high to you and the value is nothing to you.  Research and development? You couldn't do that in the U.S. without involving Al Gore? Political payback is expensive. This is on top of the union jobs in the U.S. car industry for which you are paying, too.</div> <div> Now you are about to get hit for health care. Supposedly the price of health care is going to go down. So says the stated goal. When did you last pay less money and get more for it? Walmart? Cheap goods from China? Just on the merits, I cannot imagine that anyone in this country thinks that the quality of health care is going to either be as good as it is, or go up, while prices go down.</div> <div> This is about your personal body, folks. How much is it worth? And do you really think that taking on all of the extra people this health care is supposed to cover is going to cost less out of your pocket? Factually, this is not possible unless you diminish the quality for all of us. And, just like the mortgage credit, the money is going to come from you. Are you willing to give up quality health care to pay for poor health care for everyone? Or do you actually think you are not going to pay that price?</div> <div> Demand will go up and supply will go down or stay the same. That in itself usually pushes prices up. But the Federal Government wants to push prices down by artificial means, just like they pushed the demand up and the mortgage prices down in the housing industry. Look where that got us. They are in the process of creating another bubble, this time in the business of your private personal health care.</div> <div> The only fair arbiter of prices is supply and demand. American success was built on this premise and has been undermined by the Federal Government incrementally for years. Obama and the Federal Government are in the business of meddling, redistribution, and paying back political constituencies for votes. They are playing high stakes poker and your life is in the pot.</div> <div> The value of your life and your property are being determined by insidious means that increase the price of everything and devalue all that you are and have worked to gain. Bubbles are being blown to enrich some political buddies and you are being had in the process. Just like the Cash for Clunkers bubble burst in short order, just like the mortgage crisis bubble burst after being blown up for years and years, the health care bubble will burst in the same way. And who will pay the price? Your children and your children's children, that's who!</div> <div> Quality American health care will be ancient history. This will further bankrupt our country, which is already bankrupted thanks to the previous bubbles of social programs and centralized government. Seems to me Obama knows the price of everything, but he knows the value of nothing. That's why his sales pitches sound so hollow. He is selling a pig in a poke, a value of nothing with a very high price attached.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="health_care___energy_monopoly__"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Health Care & Energy Monopoly = Obamanopoly</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <bR> <div> Like most American school children growing up in the 50's and 60's, I was taught that Teddy Roosevelt was some kind of hero for "trust busting" and killing the monopolies. The example most often given was the Rockefeller stranglehold on oil and coal production . . . and that the Rockefellers had ruthlessly ruined their competitors and attained an energy monopoly. It's a compelling story because the Rockefeller brothers actually did some horrendous things to kill off the competition. Laws did need to be made to protect people from such actions.</div> <div> That seemed pretty good to me . . . I was told that Roosevelt had busted up the monopolies, spurred competition and saved capitalism. Hmmm . . . maybe that was too simplistic, but it worked for school children and reinforced the idea that America was a place where everyone could have an opportunity to compete in the marketplace. Good thing, no?? Well, not quite.</div> <div> The other two things we learned about TR were that he was the father of the "progressive income tax" and that he started the National Park system. All of this was taught as if TR was our hero.</div> <div> I'm older and wiser now. I have a more educated view on our government than I did as a young student. And I have a more in depth understanding of the U.S. Constitution than I had then (this reminds me to remind you . . . beware of the Obama indoctrination taking place in our schools . . . it is hideous and extremely bad for young minds who are supposed to be learning ABC's, Three R's, and critical thinking.)</div> <div> "In the political sphere, Progressivism is a synonym for socialism, and for our sect called liberalism. Socialism necessitates collectivized power at the highest levels of the political state, leaving open a pathway to totalitarianism. Teddy Roosevelt was the first President to march along that pathway. According to the blog, <I>the View from 1776, “</I>Bloody rotten news, frankly. Looks like we have been on this path since 1901, so 108 years of this has shaken the foundations to the core.”</div> <div> A federal income tax is unconstitutional, period. It involves confiscation of property by the government. (Even so, most states would agree to Federal income tax for limited reasons; national defense, protecting the borders, and preservation of the interstate highways for the sake of commerce.) The "Progressive" income tax is nothing more than class warfare and wealth distribution, which Obama likes to promote. And getting to the point of Health Care, taxing us for health care is one more thing that is unconstitutional. Teddy would be proud, along with Franklin and Eleanor, and all of the collectivists who have come since them. We've been fighting an internal parasite for 108 years (and more) and I believe we are now in critical condition. The moment of truth has come.</div> <div> The federal government is setting itself up as a monopoly with Obama's very clever edicts and his adept, sidestepping, corrupt czars. One example is the shut down of charter schools using vouchers in the DC area. Another example is the coming attempt by the FCC "diversity czar" to shut down free speech. Another example is the government ownership of car manufacturers funded with our tax dollars. Another example is government ownership of banks, also using our tax dollars. The czars have regulatory power to impose restrictions and confiscate tax money for their pet causes, i.e. redistribution of wealth for “green” stuff, restricting free speech, putting energy monitors on your homes, extracting tax money for indoctrinating school children, etc. etc.</div> <div> Obamanopoly is the result, a term I see now frequently on the web. I can't take credit for it, but I think the word is totally apropos.</div> <div> The only true monopolies are government entities, i.e. public schools, mandated utilities, etc. Breaking up private monopolies is just a ruse for creating the mother of all monopolies . . . the Federal Government. Next up is Obamanopoly Health Care. After that comes Obamanopoly Energy Police. Obamanopoly is totalitarianism at its core.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="you_thought_you_knew_the_news"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>You Thought You Knew the News</div> <div> By Cheryl Pass</div> <bR> <div> Vociferous voices on the left over the last several years have ranted and raved about the so-called corruption of profit making capitalistic ventures, as if the idea of making a living from a profitable business is an evil consort with the devil. Those "evil profiteers" are the scourge of the earth, as portrayed by such people as the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who recently proclaimed the insurance companies as "evil" for making profits. (Her family's net worth is somewhere between $15 and $55 million USD. and she owns shares in energy companies, which will gain "profits" under the Cap & Trade bill). </div> <div> How many times over the past several years have you heard the mainstream media and congress bash the oil companies for making profits? Here's a fact you should know: Oil companies make 13 cents per gallon of gasoline sold in California while government makes 58 cents per gallon. In other words, government makes four times the profit that oil companies make with none of the investment risk.</div> <div> The voices on the left want you to think that they are taking the profits out of government and decimating those dastardly special interest groups who "profit" from government. They want you to think they are doing this for your benefit. This is a blatant lie. I blame journalists for throwing away their ethical obligation to bring you unbiased news reporting. But journalism has been sold out. In fact, the whole of journalism has been usurped by leftist profiteers. Their message is so corrupt that the public is kept in the dark, not knowing whom to believe.</div> <div> So who is corrupting journalism while making profits from news? I would point to the most obvious perpetrator, General Electric, which owns MSNBC. By lying to the public to get Obama elected, GE is getting government contracts and various other gratuities to build green energy facilities and make huge profits from the government.</div> <div> “Great,” you say, “that's better than Halliburton making money from wars.”</div> <div> You're missing the point. You were lied to so government can play the corporate corruption game. On one hand, Halliburton was out-sourced by the U.S. government to defend the nation. On the other hand, GE is out-sourced using public money to make your energy prices higher and higher. You may not care about defending the nation, but do you care if you are lied to in order to enrich a corporation that makes your energy prices unaffordable? Cap and Trade will benefit GE but make life harder for everyone else, including the poorest Americans who won't be able to pay the higher energy prices.</div> <div> Environmentalists demand that you make a deal with the devil. Did MSNBC explain that to you?</div> <div> Yet another example of who is behind this journalistic bombast of lies is a profiteer couple named Herbert and Marion Sandler. You may not have heard of them because they are part of the "behind the scenes" operation funding the Democrat/Socialist Party. The Sandlers are former chief executives of Golden West, which they sold to Wachovia for $26 billion USD. They personally made around $2.4 billion from the deal. Analysts blame the near failure of Wachovia on the Sandlers' mortgage policies, which mirrored the failed practices of the CRA (Credit Reinvestment Act).</div> <div> The Sandlers made their billions from the Fannie and Freddie government policies constructed by the left with your tax dollars. Recently the Sandlers have donated to and operate a non-profit journalistic venture called ProPublica, supposedly an investigative journalism organization. They have committed $10 million USD to ProPublica and Mr. Sandler serves as chairman. The Sandlers are major donors to the Democratic Party and are top funders of ACORN, MoveOne.org, the American Civil Liberties Union and other far-leftist groups like Human Rights Watch. Along with George Soros, they are among the top three contributors to the Democrat Party.</div> <div> “So what,” you say.</div> <div> Well, the Associated Press has announced that its subscribers can publish work by ProPublica and three other leftist organizations without charge. 1500 American newspapers are subscribers to AP. Folks, AP used to be a respected news source. Now AP has decided to give you more left-wing, socialist bias and more unethically bent reporting.</div> <div> Why would you believe anything you read in any AP report from this day forward? You know from the outset that it is coming from the Democrat Party, Soros & Co., John Podesta, MoveOn.org, ACORN, and others who have no interest in ethical journalism. Their interest is in twisting the truth to make you believe their lies. Their interest is in eliminating the United States Constitution and national sovereignty, replacing it with global interests. Oh, and they like seeing your taxes fund pet projects from which they make "obscene" profit through government policies.</div> <bR> <div> What about that sweet fellow, Al Gore? He is saving the planet for you and your children, right? He left government with under $1 million USD in 2000. He is now worth in excess of $120 million USD, thanks to MoveOn.org (brought to you by George Soros and the Sandlers) and the media reporting his lies on climate change, formerly known as Global Warming, which was once called global cooling.</div> <div> His connections to MoveOn.org are common knowledge. Now do you see who is "profiteering" from our government and your taxes? Now do you see who is lying to you to further their own selfish agenda? And do you really think this is some altruistic, utopian Democrat Party that only wants great things for you and your life? Can you believe AP? Hmmm . . . I don't think so.</div> <div> So ask yourself why the media is attacking Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. Ask yourself who is really getting rich from media propaganda. An uninformed and misinformed public is the best friend of the left. Live it, love it, and eat it for breakfast with your morning newspaper.</div> <div> Read Marx's "Communist Manifesto" for lunch. And read Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" for dinner. Read George Orwell or Ayn Rand before bedtime. Keep the U.S. Constitution with you at all times. You will see things a lot clearer . . . unless you are lazy and you really don't care what disasters are lying ahead for you and your children.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="what_does_it_mean_to_be_a__real"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>What does it mean to be a “Real American?”</div> <div> By Cheryl A. Pass</div> <bR> <div> It comes to my attention through the media coverage the last several years that both sides of the political spectrum in the U.S. claim the "real American" title. And each side demonizes the other for being un-American. Politicians will stand up in front of crowds and claim that their way is the American way, that they have the true interest of Americans at heart, that it is un-American to allow people and companies to fail, un-American to have a segment of poor among us.</div> <div> The President himself prefaces statements by saying that he is a Constitutional scholar and that his policies are "American." I find that to be jabberwocky, intended to pull in uneducated people who really are clueless on the tenets of the U.S. Constitution.</div> <div> To be fair, both parties are claiming the "real American" label when, in fact, both parties have been passing laws that are completely un-American, antithetical to the U.S. Constitution.</div> <div> I have made some statements that I believe the political leftists, the Democrats, and the Obama administration is un-American. When I say this, know that I am saying that they are tearing down our Constitution. In fact, I believe that they are MORE un-American than the Republicans. But both are working against the Constitution to suit their own political gain. I do believe that more Republicans are Constitutionalists than those who reside on the political left. In short, one is worse than the other . . . but both can play this game.</div> <div> There are people in this country calling themselves "American" who either don't know the Constitution or don't care about it because they want the government to hand them benefits from other peoples' labors. I do not believe these people are “real Americans" and I am not afraid to say so. I would politely call them "pretenders," but the situation has now gotten much direr than that would imply. The situation we face today is sinister, nothing less.</div> <div> The first thing you need to know is that the only thing that is "American" is the U.S. Constitution. That document is the one thing that makes us "American." All of the other claims of Americanism, made by politicians who are intent on micro-managing our personal lives, are bogus.</div> <div> Forced diversity is not American. Affirmative Action is not American. Social Security is not American. Medicare and Medicaid are not American. Being American means believing in the U.S. Constitution as the one and only manual for our government. All we need to do is stick to it.</div> <div> The problem we are having over the Health Care debate, as well as the Cap and Tax proposals, and even the Cash for Clunkers bill, is that none of these ideas fit into the U.S. Constitution. The bailouts of the banks, the TARP, the Stimulus Bill, all are completely unconstitutional. No Child Left Behind and the Prescription Drug Bill are completely unconstitutional. The Federal Reserve is unconstitutional.</div> <div> The government of the United States is full of people who are doing things for selfish purposes and not adhering to their oath to support and uphold the Constitution. What does it mean when the oath taken says you will “defend the Constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic?” How does that oath hold up when those who take that oath are undermining the Constitution themselves? That oath has become a joke in our current government.</div> <div> In the history of civilization, tragically, there have always been poor people. What is different about being "American" is that the U.S. Constitution created a larger middle class and millions of people who have had the opportunity to rise out of that poverty.</div> <div> From a world perspective, America has been more successful at giving the poor opportunities that do not exist in other government structures. And while that is due in part to capitalism, it is due mostly to the Constitution that insures individual property rights, the rights to own the fruit of your own labors, and the pursuit of happiness. The most important rights included in the Constitution guarantee that you own your person and the gains of your hard work. That is the key to the success of America.</div> <div> No one can doubt that the Democrat Party has become more socialistic. And they have taken power with chips on their shoulders, social engineers who, evidently, aren't satisfied with opportunity for all. They don't want opportunity. They say they want egalitarian results for each life. That, in itself is completely antithetical to being "American." It is also an unachievable myth.</div> <div> What they really want is the game rigged in favor of government officials, so that individuals lose their Constitutional rights of owning themselves and are forced into giving away their opportunities, their ownership rights, their wages, and literally their own person-hoods to everyone else. Communes anyone??? In their utopian schemes, the individual owes the government (the collective) his or her life. There is nothing "American" about this.</div> <div> So the next time you hear some politician proclaim they are proposing something "American," I suggest you make them pass the Constitutional test.</div> <div> They may argue, "America must do this because we look bad to the rest of the world if we don't." Huh? Or they say things like, "My way is the American way," when in fact it isn't at all. Ask yourself if the proposal is consistent with the rights guaranteed in the Constitution? Or is it some convenient hand-out to buy off the special interests and voters?</div> <div> Our country was not built on collectivism. Our country was not created to take from the rich and give to the poor. Our country was created to give everyone the opportunity to reach their own potential. If one person's potential is “X” and another person's potential is “Y”, that is O.K. Rigging the system with government intervention is exactly what has been wrecking the system, taking “X” and “Y” down with it. Why would anyone want more of that? But that is what the last election brought us . . . more expanded unconstitutional government intervention brought to you by special interests and politicians who are rigging the system.</div> <div> If you believe in and support the U.S. Constitution you are a "real American." If you don't, then stop the meaningless proclamations. You are making liars of yourselves.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="the_curious_case_of_mr__bing"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>The Curious Case of Mr. Bing</div> <div> by Cheryl A. Pass</div> <bR> <div> I was just wondering about that gorgeous jet that brought the two so called journalists back from North Korea yesterday. It occurred to me that if this was a state department operation to retrieve the two women from the clutches of Kim Jong Il, why was the plane not a U.S. military plane? A new name popped up when I went looking for the answer: Steve Bing.</div> <div> So who is Steve Bing? According to American Thinker, Mr. Bing is one of the wealthy elite backers of the now Communist Democrat Party. You can read the entire article here: http:www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/08/guess_whose_jet.html. But here are some of the highlights.</div> <div> "He provided the airplane that flew the Clinton team in and out, with the journalists in tow on the way back."</div> <div> "Steve Bing is heir to a large real estate fortune and produces forgettable, inane movies. But, more importantly, he is (along with George Soros) one of the prime funders of 527 groups in America. These are often partisan groups posing as "activist" groups-and contributions to them are tax-deductible (though they should not be when such groups engage in politics; the IRS has never scrutinized these groups-and they certainly will not do so under Barrack Obama who relied on them to win the Presidency). MoveOn.Org is a 527 group, for example."</div> <div> More on Bing from Discover The Networks: http://discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2134</div> <div> "Today he is a close friend and associate of the billionaire financier George Soros."</div> <div> "A notorious playboy and tabloid magnet, Bing is deeply devoted to the Democratic Party and its affiliated causes. In 1998 he ranked as the 13th leading campaign donor to the Democrats. Beyond contributing $759,000 to assist individual Democratic candidates in the late 1990s, Bing provided $1 million to help bankroll the party's 2000 national convention. During the 2000 election cycle, he gave $200,000 to Democratic nominee Al Gore's presidential campaign. A report by the Center for Public Integrity further found that, between August 2000 and August 2004, Bing wrote checks totaling $15,382,555 to pro-Democratic `Section 527 organizations,' tax-exempt activist groups unofficially allied with the Democratic Party (for instance, the MoveOn Voter Fund), making Bing the third leading contributor to the Democratic party behind George Soros and Progressive Corp Chairman Peter Lewis."</div> <div> You can also find out more on Mr. Bing at: Discover The Networks</div> <div> So who actually owns the United States of America today?  The Democrat Party is a front group for a Shadow Government.  David Horowitz wrote a book not too long ago exposing this take-over of our country.  And, no, I haven't started wearing a tin foil hat.  However, I might be proud to be called a "bitter clinger."</div> <div> We have suffered what is known as a "bloodless coup."  Soros & Co. own the Democrat Party.  Soros & Co. money bought the media.  Soros & Co. money has infiltrated every branch of government. Unions and communists have taken over the public schools (and you wonder why the schools are producing such unintelligent students). The left wing political elites now own the banks and the car companies.</div> <div> They are in the process of trying to grab our health care and our energy supplies. The front men are Obama and his czars. But you need to keep asking who is behind this and why. And you need to keep asking your friends if they are willing to fight for our Constitution and win our country back from these diabolical snakes. </div> <div> The Democrat Party is not what your grandparents thought it was. The Democrat Party has long leaned toward Socialist ideology and now, after years of infiltration, it is completely off the charts into Communism, Collectivism, Marxism, Fascism, and all things un-American.</div> <div> And yes, I do mean un-American.  The rights of the individual are assaulted on all fronts by this government.  The Constitution is a mere memory. The freedoms we used to know have gradually eroded for years. Then, poof!! They are gone in 60 seconds with one very corrupt election.</div> <div> So now you know whose plane brought back Al Gore's flunkies.  What you don't know is what quid pro quo was exacted for their release, what America paid to prop up Kim Jong Il in the process. </div> <div> Even Ian Fleming couldn't write this stuff.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> (This column originally appeared on Daria DiGiovanni's blog, <A HREF="http://palin-drone.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://palin-drone.blogspot.com/"><U>http://palin-drone.blogspot.com/</U></A>.)</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="an_encounter_with_the_unhinged"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT>An Encounter with the Unhinged: Patriots vs. MoveOn, ACORN, Obama-bots Outside of Senator Nelson's Office </div> <div> by Daria DiGiovanni</div> <bR> <div> “We are proud communists!” </div> <div> So screeched a rather large, militant gentleman (yes, I use the term loosely) when confronted with a gathering of patriots outside of Senator Bill Nelson’s office in Davie, FL today. Sadly, he was not alone in his sentiment; the MoveOn.org, ACORN and Barack Obama’s “Organizing for Healthcare” protestors were angrily out-of-the-Karl-Marx closet and more than willing to shout it to the world. </div> <div> Steeped in leftist ideology, their ranks included an unhinged young school teacher who claimed she’s lived in Italy, France and Canada, and can thus attest to the superiority of their systems; the aforementioned stout man who also announced that he’d actually contemplated committing suicide to make his point about the urgency of the situation (no, really!); and a smug, self-important college professor who looked like he was straight out of Woodstock with his grey ponytail and Baby Boomer (my apologies to patriotic Boomers everywhere!) arrogance. Upon arriving on the scene, he immediately got in our faces and began yelling about “evil Republicans.” </div> <div> Not sure where this guy gets his news, but he actually had the audacity to suggest that our side (among whose ranks were my dear friends Elaine Laffey and Jessica Johnson-Dornblaser) was filled with paid volunteers! Uh, no. That would be ACORN and MoveOn.org, pal. Does the name George Soros ring a bell?</div> <div> When Elaine and I attempted to reason with the suicide proponent, he was actually thrilled about the Draconian provision in the bill that would require senior citizens to go for “counseling” every five years to learn how to die. I mean this man resonated with absolute jubilation over the prospect of coercing people to choose death over life! </div> <div> As for the practically hyperventilating school teacher, when I rightfully pointed out the need for tort reform, and the complicity of the trial lawyers and their unholy alliance with the Democrat Party – a union that is one of the biggest contributors to high insurance costs (along with skyrocketing malpractice rates) -- she condescendingly retorted that such realities are a “minor” part of the problem. Isn’t it comforting to know she’s brainwashing the next generation?</div> <div> It is quite eye-opening to realize we share this country with so many misinformed, delusional people whose motto could be "My mind is made up; please don't confuse me with the facts." I remember that slogan from tee-shirts on some of the New Jersey boardwalks, and it is an appropriate fit for the people we met today. Elaine encountered this in action when she politely laid out some hard truths about the bill to a woman who at first pretended to be interested in real debate. However, right in the middle of Elaine’s run-down, she turned on her heel and strode away. My mind is made up; please don’t confuse me with the facts.</div> <div> And let’s talk about reverse racism for a moment, shall we? My friend Jessica got into a debate with a young black woman who made the blanket assumption that because Jess happens to be white, she is a child of privilege. I believe her accusations were something along the lines of “Sure you like the free market; you can afford any plan you want!” Jessica calmly stuck to the facts and queried as to how much this woman knew about the proposed legislation. For example, was she aware that the public option really isn’t an “option” at all, because if for any reason you decided to change your private insurance, you’d be forced into the government plan?” Of course, this woman knew nothing about that, but hey, if it comes from Obama it must be good, right?</div> <div> Typically, none of them knew what was in the bill when pressed by any member of the patriot resistance. And not surprisingly, not one of them carried an American flag. They did however, break out into enthusiastic chants of "Obama" !</div> <div> We of course, countered with "USA"! I had to keep reminding myself that "we surround them", to quote Glenn Beck. I have to admit though, when you come face to face with such willful, belligerent ignorance, it is rather disturbing. Hearing them chant his name over and over and confronting the stark realities of the consequences of the 60's decade was like being in a really bad science fiction film.</div> <div> Unfortunately these people exist, as do teachers such as the young woman I described. I shudder to think of her in action in the classroom, eagerly and systematically brainwashing the next generation. If ever there was a living, breathing argument in favor of home-schooling, she’s it. She’s also a testament to the dire need to get government out of the business of education, though that’s a post for another day. Were I fortunate enough to have children, I’d definitely take the home-schooling route if unable to send them to a Catholic or private school. </div> <div> One thing I must report: unlike Congressman Wexler’s office, Nelson’s Davie location is in a strip-mall, and much more accessible to the public. And perhaps because they knew his supporters would also be there, Nelson’s staff was at least polite, allowing us to fill out forms in which we expressed our opposition to Obamacare. I was very deliberate about listing all of the free-market solutions on mine, from the ability to purchase insurance across state lines to the need for tax credits for small business owners. Unlike their lemmings, Nelson, Obama and the Democrats would do well to realize that they are dealing with informed, intelligent and independent people when engaging the opposition. If he dares reply to me with a condescending letter insulting my intelligence, he will definitely hear from me again. No one argues that there is a need for reform; but the free market is the solution, not another government takeover. Didn’t Fannie and Freddie prove that once and for all? </div> <div> Finally, thank God for all of the wonderful Tea Party Patriots, 9/12 activists and other concerned citizens we rallied with today, one of whom was a gentleman from Cuba who passionately and relentlessly argued with just about every one of them. Though some felt it was futile and possibly even hurtful to our cause, I admire his guts and determination. If only more Americans possessed the same spirit and love of freedom!</div> <div> Stay in the fight, people! Keep talking, keep protesting, keep calling Congress and keep working to get the USA back to Constitutional principles. This is it! And we can do it!</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="celebrating_dependence_day"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Celebrating Dependence Day</div> <div> by Cheryl Pass</div> <bR> <div> As the Fourth of July approaches I am finding myself perplexed at the idea of celebrating a non sequitur. The day which brought independence to a nation of self-reliant people because of the freedom it promised is now gone. The dregs are left along with a few patriots who still think independence is a good thing. The reasons for celebration are lying on the ash heap of history. The day seems more like a funeral this year than a celebration of anything.</div> <div> Evidence of this non sequitur came this week in a pamphlet from the City of Gastonia. The pamphlet is entitled, "Good News" and is brought to us in our utility bill. The entire front page is devoted to federal stimulus money being divvied up in Gastonia as if it is Manna from Heaven. The author of this front page announcement is none other than our city manager, Jim Palenick. The article touts the $6.5 million in funds that our fair city is being granted from the federal government. Aren't you deliriously happy?</div> <div> Independence Day was all about self-reliance. It was a commemoration of all that is good about freedom from oppression and being able, without government oppression, to take care of yourself and your own. We are a far cry from that freedom and self-reliance when an oppressive government puts entire towns and an entire population on the dependent list. As I read about all of the money coming into Gastonia, I thought about every town in America being usurped by a federal government gone amok.</div> <div> First the federal government and the states created policies which have undermined the free enterprise of this country through heavy regulations, taxation, illegal immigration, disallowing energy independence, and generally wrecking any semblance of sanity and common sense when it comes to fiscal policies. Then, to make sure every citizen gets the point, congress keeps passing more inane laws in order to create more dependence on the government and whip Americans into line. And the local politicians, wanting to get on the bandwagon, do more of the same. They grab the power by legislating your dependence and your unwilling cooperation.</div> <div> So now we have $2.1 million dollars of federal money to "redevelop" a building downtown, create condominiums, and redevelop other neglected properties. We have over $2 million of federal money to purchase new hybrid buses. Federal money to buy police cars. Federal money for landscaping along the insane "Thread Trail," which is some conjured up way to pretend we are celebrating a textile industry that the government has near annihilated.</div> <div> People in Wyoming are paying for Gastonia's wish list. People in Gastonia are paying for some other city in some other state's wish list. In short, no city, county, or state is apparently immune from becoming the beggar to the all, omnipresent federal government.</div> <div> And this has nothing to do with real need. It has everything to do with need created by government officials. It has everything to do with political power over our lives. This is the very antithesis of what the Fourth of July is supposed to celebrate, the marker of our freedoms. Freedoms that have been thrown out of the window because some greedy politician or city manager wants to tell you they took money from the federal coffers to landscape your downtown. And that is supposed to make you happy?</div> <div> We have "Movies on Main." We have "Rock the Avenue." What we really have are circuses and games to keep Gastonians distracted while politicians are busy taking away your economic liberty. Note in this Sunday's Gazette that five businesses within a block on Union Road are all going under. More unemployment results while we are "enjoying" that federal money.</div> <div> Dependence used to be either a sign of extreme disability or carried the shame of laziness. Self-reliance was a banner of pride and with it came the safety and confidence to know you are not depending on a totalitarian to run your life. Today, our city is waving an American flag proudly proclaiming its dependence, not its independence. This is a sad turn for Americans.</div> <div> It is no badge of courage to become dependent on the federal government or the state for anything. The very same government oppression received from King George has reared its ugly head in the form of American government wearing the costume and mask of a benevolent dictator. And believe me, there is no such thing as a "benevolent dictator." Blood spilled, lives given in the quest for liberty, independence won, but all given up for some federal, state, and local programs you don't need, while your jobs and economic freedom have been forcefully taken from you.</div> <div> So enjoy that new landscaping, downtown development and city buses. The price you have paid is higher than you think. Happy Dependence Day, Gastonia!</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="female_jealousy_and_sarah_palin"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Female Jealousy and Sarah Palin</div> <div> By Daria DiGiovanni</div> <bR> <div> If the comments on <A HREF="http://www.facebook.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.facebook.com/"><U>Facebook</U></A> and the attacks by both <A HREF="http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/30/quote-of-the-day-521/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/30/qu"><U>"GOP strategists" and former McCain staffers </U></A>are any indication, jealousy is a pervasive, ugly and -- possibly -- <I>incurable </I>disease. Let's examine some of the critiques of Palin by fellow women; I am not talking about the far-left NOW types, but females who claim to be Republican and/or conservative.</div> <div> Last night on <A HREF="http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly"><U>The O'Reilly Factor</U></A>, guest host Monica Crowley interviewed a "GOP strategist" named <A HREF="http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/06/attention-jennifer-millerwise-dyck.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/"><U>Jennifer Millerwise Dyck </U></A>about the repulsive <A HREF="http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZGJiMTYyMzU3ZmE3NDIxNGI2ZjU1N2VhMWQxODE3ODU=" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/p"><U>Vanity Fair hit-job </U></A>on Governor Palin. Normally an excellent challenger, Crowley unfortunately dropped the ball when Millerwise Dyck claimed that Governor Palin should stop engaging in "wars of words" with David Letterman and instead focus on energy issues and the business of her state. Ms. Millerwise Dyck is flat-out wrong on so many levels, it is hard to know where to start.</div> <div> I suppose the fact that Governor Palin's <A HREF="http://www.newsminer.com/weblogs/dermot-cole/2009/jun/11/exxon-transcanada-announce-deal/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newsminer.com/weblogs/dermot-"><U>natural gas pipeline </U></A>victory-“an historic achievement," to quote Palin directly-is of no consequence to out-of-touch Beltway types, nor is her recent visit to Kosovo and address to <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtt3b9kitK0" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtt3b9kit"><U>Camp Bondsteel </U></A>soldiers an example of credible leadership and foreign diplomacy. During the interview last night, I waited for Crowley to rebut Millerwise Dyck with both of these examples, but unfortunately she chose not to do so. </div> <div> Then there's the matter of Palin's <A HREF="http://www.runnersworld.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.runnersworld.com/"><U>Runner's World </U></A>magazine interview, which seems to have ticked off more than one alleged conservative female, at least on Facebook. One would think the Governor of Alaska had posed on a beach in a string bikini, or in a centerfold in Playboy the way some of these females are carrying on. Of course, these women do so under the guise of concern for Palin's "credibility" in the media. </div> <div> Oh really? Gee, I'd thought the media had already lost whatever remaining shred of credibility it had left after <A HREF="http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/theanchoress/2008/12/29/workouts-bush-creepy-obama-a-godling/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/theanch"><U>Washington Post </U></A>reporter Eli Zaslow rhapsodized over Obama's glistening pectoral muscles:</div> <bR> <div> "The sun glistened off chiseled pectorals sculpted during four weightlifting sessions each week, and a body toned by regular treadmill runs and basketball games."</div> <bR> <div> In the <A HREF="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-410--13221-0,00.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71"><U>Runner's World article</U></A>, Palin's tasteful photos include shots of her holding baby Trig, dressed in typical workout gear that admittedly demonstrates just how fit and trim this mother of five truly is. But what's wrong with that? With so many obese US citizens, we should be lauding the Governor of Alaska as a role-model who proves that women can be accomplished, strong, attractive and fit, no matter their age. There's nothing inappropriate about these pictures -- no cleavage, no provocative posing -- just the healthy image of a lifelong athlete with a passion for her preferred sport. A sport, by the way, that millions of Americans enthusiastically embrace. </div> <div> With respect to Letterman's despicable comments, Sarah Palin not only had the right, but the obligation as the mother of a 14 year-old girl to defend her honor. <I>Had Chelsea Clinton been the target of such a vile attack, would anyone have chastised Hillary for jumping to her offspring's defense? </I></div> <div> So what really gives with Sarah Palin's female critics?</div> <div> Good old-fashioned jealousy, nothing more. Despite the popular myths, not all women support each other in sisterly solidarity. And all across the political spectrum there are females who despise Sarah Palin simply because she is the embodiment of beauty and brains. </div> <div> When I was in high school, there were female classmates who absolutely hated me, whether they knew me personally or not. Since my father was a doctor, they immediately dismissed me as a "spoiled rich girl" and in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary, nothing was going to change their minds. Everything I did -- e.g. inviting them over for pool parties, helping with English homework -- was perceived as somehow "showing off" my family's alleged "excessive" wealth, and/or my own intelligence. </div> <div> With some critics, you just can't win, so the best you can do is keep living your life according to your own standards. In Sarah Palin's case, she did go back to tending to the business of Alaska once the election was over, and quite well, I might add, since her state is one of the most <A HREF="http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/04/governor-sarah-palin-is-fiscal.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/"><U>fiscally solvent </U></A>in the country. </div> <div> But back to the jealousy point: sadly, many never grow out of the immaturity of adolescence, thus the palpable female-on-female disdain for a woman who in a sane world, would be lauded as a role-model for her gender. The more things change, the more they stay the same. </div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="a_letter_to_the_rnc_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>A letter to the RNC.</div> <bR> <div> Friday, June 19, 2009</div> <bR> <div> Republican National Committee</div> <div> 310 First Street, SE</div> <div> P.O. Box 96994,</div> <div> Washington, DC  20077-7556</div> <bR> <div> To:     Whom It May Concern:</div> <bR> <div> RE:     “2009 Obama Agenda Survey”</div> <bR> <div>      Please DO NOT send me any more solicitations poorly disguised as “surveys.” I have already donated $25 for this year, and if you incompetents actually manage to do anything constructive over the next 12 months, I shall, if still solvent, send you another $25 in 2010. You're wasting paper and postage to send me your bogus “surveys.”</div> <div>      If you REALLY want to know what Republican voters are thinking, see if you can find a smarter monkey who can design REAL surveys which are well written to find out what Republicans of ALL types have on their minds. Then, once you have REAL data in your hands, see if you can inform us AND the pseudo-Republicans in Congress about what we want done.</div> <div>      For now, here is a “SURVEY” regarding what I want from my government:</div> <bR> <div> 1.   Fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets, and debt reduction.</div> <div> 2.   A strong military second to none. Maybe Homeland Security should be made a branch of the military; it might be less inept that way.</div> <div> 3.   Less damned government! Less damned federal interference with the states!</div> <div> 4.   Real control of our borders with rapid and complete “exports” of illegals.</div> <div> 5.   Government which conforms strictly with the Constitution. End the “Welfare State” for the U. S. communists; that's not provided for in the Constitution. Make sure Second Amendment freedoms are provided in The Peoples Republic of Washington, DC, as well as in the other northern and left coast “Peoples Republics.” Seat anti-gun congressmen and senators in special, reserved RED seats labeled “Anti-gun Communist.”</div> <div> 6.   Honest, ethical, responsible congressmen and senators - quite likely impossible at this point in our history. Republicans who don't act like Commucrats. Sadly, many “Republicans” (in name only) seem to think they must BUY voters just like the Commucrats have for the last 40-50 years.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Sincerely,</div> <bR> <bR> <div> _________________________</div> <div> Wilson A. Forbes, Jr.</div> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="very_bad_medicine_a_surgeon_s"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Very Bad Medicine: a Surgeon's Historical Perspective on Nationalized Healthcare</div> <div> By Daria DiGiovanni    </div> <bR> <div> When my Blog Talk Radio co-host Stephen Rhodes and I sat down to interview Dr. Alphonse J. DiGiovanni, M.D., General and Vascular Surgeon last week (yes, Dr. Al also happens to be my dad) about the Obama Administration's forceful push to nationalize medicine, I already had a fairly accurate understanding of the points the good doctor would make in defense of the free market, and the best healthcare system in the world. </div> <div> Among other troubling things, socialized medicine would jeopardize doctor-patient privilege by giving government bureaucrats the power to interfere with the proper course of treatment (e.g. usurping the doctor's authority to recommend a particular procedure or operation deemed necessary for the patient's health); potentially force mothers-to-be to abort pregnancies determined to have fetal abnormalities (and pay doctors more money to intimidate parents into choosing abortion); and deny elderly patients recommended care simply because the state decides it is not worth the time and money to preserve a life that's nearly over anyway.</div> <div> Dr. Al eloquently opined on all of the above, but he also offered a history lesson as to how it all began, having been in practice since 1965. And just to set the record straight, he is not some wealthy physician born with a silver spoon in his mouth, fighting for a doctor's right to make a lot of cash. Contrary to what liberals want Americans to believe, not every doctor was once a child of privilege. My father was born to Italian immigrant parents who came to the USA well into their 30s, in order to create a better life for their children. His dad was a humble tailor with a third-grade education; his mother a seamstress who only made it as far as the sixth grade. </div> <div> The third of only four surviving sons, Alphonse was a hard-working, gifted student and athlete with a dream of playing professional baseball. When a shoulder injury forever shattered that worthy goal, my father turned to his second love-medicine, maintaining excellent grades throughout high school, college and medical school while simultaneously managing three jobs to finance it all. So when he speaks of the horrors of socialized medicine, it is not because he hates poor people; indeed it is because he knows from experience that when the government encroaches upon any industry, the results are bad for everyone.    </div> <div> <B>Doctor, can you give us a bit of history as to how this all began?    </B></div> <div> “Actually, the first intrusion of government into medicine was the Foran Bill in 1947, which came on the heels of England's development of national healthcare when they regrettably rejected Winston Churchill. In retrospect, I am glad the Foran Bill did not pass; but at the time I was a real liberal. I'd gone to a public high school for gifted students-Central High School in Germantown, Philadelphia where the social sciences division was totally left. All I got was how bad the Republicans were, and how good the Democrats and FDR were. That was when I first heard the term <I>trickle-down</I> <I>economics</I>, long before that criticism was leveled at Ronald Reagan.</div> <div> “In college, I participated in a debating session in which I had to argue in favor of the Foran Bill, but as I immersed myself in study, I began to realize what the cons were. I still thought it was good for the country but my attitudes really changed over time with Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan's impassioned speech on his behalf. That was very telling for me, and it absolutely changed my outlook. </div> <div> “Then along came the first successful government intrusion into medicine in the form of the Medicare Act of 1969, which was President Johnson's aim for his historical legacy. And they managed to pass it by throwing an incredible amount of money at hospitals, who were then allowed to triple and quadruple their fee structures. So not only hospitals, but physicians were very well paid, thus blunting all of the adversarial components, as people who were once opposed to it softened. That is how they were able to pass Medicare.  </div> <div> From 1969 to the present-day, there's been a progressive reduction in fee structures. And from what little is known about Obama's plan, he is not going to throw the money into it that Johnson did-his plan is cradle-to-grave, purely socialistic. And there won't simply be rationing of care for the elderly and disabled, but for everyone.” </div> <div> <B>What about Obama's plan most concerns you? </B></div> <div> “Well, I can't really discuss specifics, because there's not a whole lot of information out there yet. All we know at this point is that it is a general scheme of nationalization. And by the way they are attempting to speed it up and get it out there by August my feeling is that they must already have their objectives in place, since this is a monumental undertaking. In general, I view socialized medicine as a gigantic game of Monopoly in which the government prints out a lot of money and masks the socialistic component in a euphemistic term-a `one-payer' system. I would caution all Americans to be on the lookout for that.”  </div> <div> <B>Are there any medical groups protesting this passage of this potential bill?</B></div> <div> “Although it's been fairly quiet up to this point, I think the response is going to pick up steam and medical organizations will begin to exert their influence on their representatives in D.C. As for the AMA, they've been tilting left for many years and are thus worthless, in my opinion. </div> <div> “I base that on my own experience as a physician in Pennsylvania. Back when malpractice laws were established, the state asked me to give money to capitalize the system, not the insurance itself. It was determined that as a specialist, I owed $2,168, simply to capitalize; that amount was not the insurance premium itself. </div> <div> “Originally, they'd wanted every doctor in PA to contribute $500, but the problem was that general practitioners and pediatricians balked at paying that much. Therefore, they were permitted to give just $250, while specialists like surgeons were required to cough up $2,168 to make up the difference. Again, that figure does not represent the premiums, which were very high.  <B> </B></div> <div> In 1965 when I went into practice, several values of liability coverage were available to suit an individual doctor's needs. But all of that changed, and eventually it became mandatory that you had to purchase at least $1 million in coverage. Now at first, that didn't seem so unreasonable, but by 1995 I'd already paid my annual $40,000 premium when they announced in October of that same year that I owed a supplementary charge of $16,000.  By 1996 I'd had enough and decided to shut down my surgery practice.”<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >      </FONT></div> <div> <B>If you look at Great Britain, the doctors ration in the form of quota. And once that quota is satisfied, they are free to go on vacation. Can you elaborate on that? </B></div> <div> “Sure, the British government assigns monetary priorities on healthcare; therefore so much is allocated for certain services. And when that fund is used up, that's it: the doctors have the prerogative to walk away and say `I am not going do this procedure again until next year,' regardless of what is in the best interest of the patient. It's not very good for anyone, the doctors or the patients. </div> <div> “It also varies, what services you may get, depending upon surpluses. In Germany for example, their colonoscopy fund was used up in August. So if you needed a colonoscopy, you had to wait until the New Year to get one. You were basically put back at the end of the line, with no consideration of the urgency of your particular medical situation. </div> <div> “And another thing they do in Great Britain is make patients wait to be seen by a doctor in ambulances in the parking lot, if they are unable to be looked at within four hours. Can you imagine leaving a patient out in the parking lot like that? It's deplorable. The other negative aspect I hate to admit on the part of my profession is that this system also creates lazy doctors. The free market by nature rewards those who work hard and produce quality work, and this is also true in a free-market-based healthcare system: take away incentives and quality suffers. Again, that is ultimately bad for both patients and doctors.”  </div> <div> <B>What about the effects on would-be doctors considering a career in medicine?</B></div> <div> “When you get into these excessive costs, salaries will become stagnant. Over time, the pay scale will be reduced. One of the saddest byproducts of this is that I have many, many colleagues who have discouraged their own children from going into medicine because of the looming disaster, should Obama get his way. Most of the doctors I know are really devoted people who care about doing the very best job they can-not simply based on monetary rewards but because in a free system, they have the motivation do so.”  </div> <div> <B>Do we really have a healthcare crisis?</B></div> <div> “You know, one of my biggest problems with this whole debate is this notion that poor people are denied healthcare. This is simply untrue; no one that presents themselves to an emergency room is ever denied care because of their inability to pay. What it should be rightly termed as is a crisis in health <I>insurance</I>, which is due to many factors, including the overly litigious society we are living in and the negative influence of trial lawyers; the inability of consumers to cross state lines when purchasing the plan that best meets their needs; and of course, the growing number of illegal immigrants that overburden hospitals, especially in border states-an issue our government repeatedly refuses to address. </div> <div> “Further that `47 million uninsured' is a bogus figure I've been hearing about for the last twenty years. It does not include young people who choose not to purchase insurance, people who are in-between jobs and thus transitioning into new plans; and the inflationary impact of Medicare, which has made insurance unaffordable for many. There again, far from being a solution, government interference has only created an even bigger problem.”</div> <div> <B>Doctor, what are some of the moral implications of nationalized healthcare, aside from the rationing of services?</B></div> <div> “Well as you know from Daria, I have a son with Down syndrome who is an absolutely beautiful, beautiful person. At the time of his birth in 1959, we didn't have the diagnostic tests to determine abnormalities like Down's ahead of time, but even if we had, we never would've terminated my wife's pregnancy. Over thirteen years ago, my daughter Carolyn had a scare with her firstborn son when it was determined he was at a high risk of being a Down syndrome baby, but as it turned out, my grandson Christopher was born perfectly healthy. </div> <div> “What I fear the most with a nationalized system is that doctors will be pressured to talk patients into having abortions when such diagnostic tests determine the presence of some sort of abnormality, whether it be Down syndrome or anything else. Further, the government could resort to actually paying doctors more money to perform abortions in these situations. Then at the opposite end of life, there's a high probability that we as a nation could start engaging in euthanasia, based on someone else's subjective idea of `quality of life.' So it is very troubling from a moral perspective. Who among us is God? Who among us is perfect and empowered to decide who lives or dies? That sounds very much like Josef Stalin or Adolf Hitler to me.”     </div> <div> <B>Finally doctor, what can the average person do to fight this trend?</B></div> <div> “I would encourage all Americans to make an effort to get educated, to really understand the dire implications of a nationalized system. Just look at Canada and other places, where even heads of state choose to come to America when they need major surgery. Everyday citizens from Canada regularly cross the border when they're told they have to wait six months just to have a test.</div> <div> “There's a reason why we have the best healthcare system in the world. So get the facts and don't just blindly accept the media spin. Then lobby your representatives in Washington. On the flip side, I believe it is now imperative for all doctors to inform their patients about the realities facing all of us should this horrendous bill pass. They have got to get over their fears of what their patients might think, and start speaking out. All of us have so much to lose if we don't.” </div> <div> *                                                        *                                                         *</div> <bR> <div> Dr. Alphonse J. DiGiovanni, M.D. lives in Newtown Square, PA with his wife, Rose and son, Ralph. He may be reached at <A HREF="mailto:adigiovann@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:adigiovann@aol.com"><U><U>adigiovann@aol.com</U></U></A>. </div> <bR> <div> Daria DiGiovanni is a conservative author, blogger, writer and editor who finds time to co-host several Blog Talk Radio Shows. Her work has appeared at <I>www.smartgirlnation</I>, <I>www.therepublicantemple.com</I>, and in the<I> America Coast to Coast</I> newsletter. Contact her through her website, <A HREF="http://dariaanne.wordpress.com/2009/05/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://dariaanne.wordpress.com/2009/05/"><U>http://dariaanne.wordpress.com/2009/05/</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id194_m.htm" TITLE="Guest Columns"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="submission_guidelines"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Submission Guidelines</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Contributors will not be compensated.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">I reserve the right to reject any submission for any reason.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Columns must be less than 700 words.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Include your first and last name with your submission. 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