Category Archives: Medicare

Washington DC Tea Party Express, September 12, 2009, Big government protest, Health care reform, Obama lies

Patriot Dreamer, a real American patriot from this blog, attended the Tea Party Express, big government protest in Washington, DC on September 12, 2009. First of all, I would like to thank Patriot Dreamer and all of the concerned Americans that voiced their displeasure with big government. Here is a YouTube video I assembled from photos taken by Patriot Dreamer. The photos are high quality and present well with the Youtube full screen option.

From commenter prairie

9.12

The Calvary has gathered,
To face the raging storm.
On the Eve of Revolution,
The enemy is warned.

Thunder echoes through the mountains,
The shore beats back the sea.
Above the cannon’s roar…
A call for Liberty.

The Calvary has mounted,
Red, White, and Blue they wave.
The wind rips at her seams,
As they cross the burning plains.

Her stars and stripes are bold,
In contrast to the sky.
Against a cloud of smoke…
Defiantly, she flies.

The Calvary advances,
Upon the Perfect Storm.
Embattled but not broken…
Patriots reborn.

A colorful horizon,
Beckons from the East.
The light of dawn is breaking…
Tyranny retreats.
                            Prairie

“Inspired by Beck- who used the phrase Saturday “The Calvary is gathering.”  I loved it and could not get it out of my head.”

Joe Wilson, Representative Wilson shouted “lie”, Will not apologize on house floor, Fox News, September 13, 2009, Wilson won’t back down

“The organization of our press has truly been a success. Our law concerning the press is such that divergencies of opinion between members of the government are no longer an occasion for public exhibitions, which are not the newspapers’ business. We’ve eliminated that conception of political freedom which holds that everybody has the right to say whatever comes into his head.”…. Adolf Hitler

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and
domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge
the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
Congressional oath of office

Decorum is not mentioned in the oath of office.

This is a warning to Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Congress and any Republicans that do not get it. We are sick of decorum and status quo. We want you to work for us and not each other. If you need to call the president a liar, and he is, or another member of Congress a liar, to protect the American public, do it. That is your job.

SC Representative Joe Wilson was interviewed on Fox News this morning, September 13, 2009.

“Wilson Defends Outburst, Says He Will Not Apologize on House Floor
Rep. Joe Wilson says he will not apologize again for his outburst during President Obama’s health care address.”

“Rep. Joe Wilson said Sunday that he will not apologize on the House floor for his outburst during President Obama’s health care address, even though Democratic leaders have threatened to formally discipline him if he does not.

Wilson noted that he already apologized directly to the White House after shouting, “You lie,” to the president during his Wednesday address to a joint session of Congress. The outburst triggered a political firestorm, but Wilson told “FOX News Sunday” that Democrats are just “playing politics” by trying to drag out the issue and force another apology.

“I’ve apologized one time. The apology was accepted by the president, the vice president. … I am not apologizing again,” he told “FOX News Sunday.” “I believe that is sufficient.”

Wilson said he would “never do something like that again,” but continued to defend himself.

The South Carolina Republican on Wednesday accused the president of lying for claiming his health care reform plan would not cover illegal immigrants.

“I believe in the truth. What I heard was not true,” Wilson explained Sunday. “I believe (Obama) was misstating the facts.”

Wilson said he felt “provoked” and attributed the outburst to a “town hall moment,” referring to the town hall meetings where constituents frequently shouted out their frustrations over health care reform.”

“Aside from his apology to the White House, Wilson also issued a written statement apologizing for his outburst on Wednesday.

But while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated immediately afterward that Wilson had done enough, Democratic leadership has since decided to seek a public apology from Wilson to his colleagues on the House floor.

If he does not, a resolution to punish him could come as early as Tuesday.”

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/13/wilson-says-apologize-house-floor-outburst/

American patriot commenter, Patriot Dreamer, attended the Washington, DC  Tea Party rally on Saturday, September 12, 2009. This is one of many photos supplied by Patriot Dreamer. Thanks for a job well done.

DC01a

Representative Joe Wilson, as you can see from the photo you have inspired millions of American to speak out. You spoke the truth before the president, Congress and the American people.

Don’t back down.

God bless Representative Joe Wilson for looking out for the American people. We are behind you 100%.

Representative  Wilson, the Citizen Wells blog is behind you and will stand beside you, whatever it takes.

Wells

Obama liar, Joe Wilson, Obama lies, Health care lies, Obama lying history, SC Representative Wilson right, Obama speech to Congress on health care reform, more Obama lies

Barack Obama is a liar. There is a long pattern of Obama lies. Representative Joe Wilson was right when he yelled out “lie” when Obama was speaking to Congress and the American people.

We need more Joe Wilsons in Congress.

This article will not address Obama’s long pattern of ties to crime and corruption in Chicago and Illinois, but of course lying and corruption go hand in hand. When I first began investigating Obama early in 2008, it was rapidly clear that Obama was steeped in lies and corruption. Here are some of the more prominent documented lies from Obama:

Obama lied on his IL bar application when he failed to list numerous traffic tickets.

Obama lied about his contact with Tony Rezko. FBI mole John Thomas revealed this during the Tony Rezko trial.

Obama lied about his ties to William Ayers.

Obama lied about his involvement with Acorn.

Obama lied about his unawareness of Jeremiah Wright’s racist, un American speeches.

In an article dated July 2, 2009, Forbes magazine exposes Obama as a liar.

“But when it comes to health care reform, with every passing day, Obama seems less God and more demagogue, uttering not transcendental truths, but bald-faced lies. Here are the top five lies that His Awesomeness has told–the first two for no reason other than to get elected and the next three to sell socialized medicine to a wary nation.”
Lie One: No one will be compelled to buy coverage.

During the campaign, Obama insisted that he would not resort to an individual mandate to achieve universal coverage. In fact, he repeatedly ripped Hillary Clinton’s plan for proposing one. “To force people to buy coverage,” he insisted, “you’ve got to have a very harsh penalty.” What will this penalty be, he demanded? “Are you going to garnish their wages?” he asked Hillary in one debate.

Yet now, Obama is behaving as if he said never a hostile word about the mandate. Earlier this month, in a letter to Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., he blithely declared that he was all for “making every American responsible for having health insurance coverage, and making employers share in the cost.””
Lie Two: No new taxes on employer benefits.

Obama took his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, to the mat for suggesting that it might be better to remove the existing health care tax break that individuals get on their employer-sponsored coverage,”

“Yet now Obama is signaling his willingness to go along with a far worse scheme to tax employer-sponsored benefits to fund the $1.6 trillion or so it will cost to provide universal coverage. Contrary to Obama’s allegations, McCain’s plan did not ultimately entail a net tax increase because he intended to return to individuals whatever money was raised by scrapping the tax deduction. Not so with Obama. He apparently told Sen. Baucus that he would consider the senator’s plan for rolling back the tax exclusion that expensive, Cadillac-style employer-sponsored plans enjoy, in order to pay for universal coverage. But, unlike McCain, he has said nothing about putting offsetting deductions or credits in the hands of individuals.”
Lie Three: Government can control rising health care costs better than the private sector.”

“But lower administrative costs do not necessarily mean greater efficiency. Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office analysis last year chastised Medicare’s lax attitude on this front. “The traditional fee-for-service Medicare program does relatively little to manage benefits, which tends to reduce its administrative costs but may raise its overall spending relative to a more tightly managed approach,” it noted on page 93.”
Lie Four: A public plan won’t be a Trojan horse for a single-payer monopoly.

Obama has repeatedly claimed that forcing private plans to compete with a public plan will simply “keep them honest” and give patients more options–not lead to a full-blown, Canadian-style, single-payer monopoly. As I argued in my previous column, this is wishful thinking given that government programs such as Medicare have a history of controlling costs by underpaying providers, who make up the losses by charging private plans more.”

“But, as it turns out, it very much is his intention. Before he decided to run for office–and even during the initial days of his campaign–Obama repeatedly said that he was in favor of a single-payer system. What’s more, University of California, Berkeley Professor Jacob Hacker, who is a key influence on the Obama administration, is on tape explicitly boasting that a public plan is a means for creating a single-payer system. “It’s not a Trojan horse,” he quips, “it’s just right there.””
Lie Five: Patients don’t have to fear rationing.

Obama has been insisting, including during his ABC Town Hall event last week, that the rationing patients would face under a government-run system wouldn’t be any more draconian than what they currently confront under private plans. This is complete nonsense.”

“By that token, Obama’s stimulus bill has set in motion rationing on a scale unimaginable in the land of the free. Indeed, the bill commits over $1 billion to conduct comparative effectiveness research that will evaluate the relative merits of various treatments. That in itself wouldn’t be so objectionable–if it weren’t for the fact that a board will then “direct financing” toward approved, standardized treatments. In short, doctors will find it much harder to prescribe newer or non-standard treatments not yet deemed effective by health care bureaucrats. This is exactly along the lines of the British system, where breast cancer patients were denied Herceptin, a new miracle drug, until enraged women fought back. Even the much-vilified managed care plans would appear to be a paragon of generosity in comparison with this.”

Read more:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/30/obama-health-care-reform-opinions-columnists-public-option-medicare.html?partner=popstories

In case some of you believe that the propensity to lie on Obama’s part is a recent trend, let’s revisit the lie list from 2008:

3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter – LIAR, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had

4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom – LIAR, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades.

5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian – LIAR, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn’t allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) My Name is African Swahili – LIAR, your name is Arabic and ‘Baraka’ (from which Barack came) means ‘blessed’ in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.

7.) I Never Practiced Islam – LIAR, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years,until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.

8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian – LIAR, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).

9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian – LIAR, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience – LIAR, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn’t even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.

11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs – LIAR, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion – LIAR, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify – your classmates said you were just fine.

13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office – LIAR, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn’t, and never did, exist.

14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life – LIAR, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn’t, and never did, exist.

15.) I Won’t Run On A National Ticket In ‘08 – LIAR, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) Present Votes Are Common In Illinois – LIAR, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

Read more:

http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/?p=62

And of course the biggest lie, many of us believe, is Obama being eligible to be POTUS based on being a natural born citizen. Obama signed a certification on the Arizona Presidential Preference Election Candidate Nomination Paper, form A.R.S. 16-242, that he is a natural born citizen. God willing, we will get a definitive answer on this soon.

Joe Wilson, SC representative Wilson, Obama speech, John McCain, Obama lies, protocol, Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Wilson calls Obama liar, Republicans, Democrats, Wilson pressured to apologize

Protocol

Be

Damned

 

Protocol, following societal norms, or marching lock step, prevented Adolf Hitler and the Japanese military from being stopped leading up to World War II. Just think, if there had been more people like SC representative Joe Wilson that had stood up and called Adolf Hitler a liar soon enough. One person for the good or evil can make a difference.

Last night, during Obama’s speech to Congress and the nation on health care reform, representative Joe Wilson called Obama a liar. Obama is a liar. That along with his Acorn thugs and other deception from the Obama camp allowed him to steal the election. More people should speak up and expose Obama for what he is.

Once again, I go back to the example of pre war Nazi Germany and compare it to the 2008 election cycle. Many Americans begged their state election officials and congressmen to speak up.

Protocol

Just imagine if one state election official, one elector, one congressman had spoken up. We would not have an illegal president trying to ramrod an unpopular health care bill down our throats. We would not have a multitude of radical, socialist, communist Czars guiding policy.

It is bad enough that our elected officials want to follow protocol, not make waves and be courteous to the opposing party. However, to criticize one for being patriotic and looking out for their constituents, that is cowardly and un American.

Apparently John McCain did not learn his lesson during the election campaign. He was more interested in following protocol and not questioning his opponent, Obama, than serving the American people.

John McCain said the following regarding Representative Wilson calling Obama a liar.

“totally disrespectful”

“no place for it in that setting or any other.”

“should apologize for it immediately.”

I want to be crystal clear about my reaction to McCain’s comments.

John McCain, your comments are cowardly, un American and show a great deal of disrespect to the American people!
Representative Joe Wilson, your comment last night deserves our respect and praise. Don’t let the protocol conscious jackasses make you back down.

Don’t back down!
I urge everyone to contact representative Joe Wilson and show your support. Urge him to continue to fight the lies from the Obama camp. Also, let John McCain and others that insulted Joe Wilson and pressured him to apologize, know what you think.

Representative Joe Wilson, God bless you.

Don’t back down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

JoeWilson2

 

DC Address:

The Honorable Joe Wilson
United States House of Representatives
212 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4002

DC Phone: 202-225-2452
DC Fax: 202-225-2455
Email Address: http://www.house.gov/formwilson/IMA/issue.htm
WWW Homepage: http://www.joewilson.house.gov/

District Offices:

903 Port Republic Street
Beaufort, SC 29902 

Voice: 843-521-2530
FAX: 843-521-2535 

 

1700 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1
West Columbia, SC 29169 
Voice: 803-939-0041
FAX: 803-939-0078 

 

Thanks commenter JJ

Obama speech to Congress, September 9, 2009, Lies, Joe Wilson, SC representative, Sarah Palin, Health care speech, Obama lies, illegal aliens covered

Obama, in his speech to Congress last night, September 9, 2009, attempted to portray the many concerns about his health care plan as lies and misrepresentations. He spoke of bogus claims by talk radio hosts and by politicians that the health care plan would set up panels of bureucrats to kill off senior citizens. At one point in the speech, SC representative Joe Wilson yelled out and called Obama a liar. Wilson apologized.

“While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable,” ” I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”
 

Representative Wilson, there is no need to apologize. Obama is and always has been a liar. We applaud you for standing up. Stick to your principles. Joe Wilson was pressured to apologize by Republicans and Democrats. Let’s inform these jackasses that they work for us and not an illegal president.
Watch this Youtube video.

“An audience member yells “liar” at Obama during his speech to Congress.
Obama also took a personal swipe at Sarah Palin during his speech.”

 

The Charlotte Observer, a liberal newspaper that gave Obama a free ride during the election, has finally produced a snippet of journalism, and though not comprehensive, is a start:

“Fact Check”

From AP

Obama: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. Period.”

THE FACTS: “House Democrats offered abill that the Congressional Budget Office said would add $ 220 billion to the deficit over 10 years.”

(Citizen Wells: This is a huge Obama lie!!!)

Obama: “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or doctor you have.”

THE FACTS: “Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they’d be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether.”

(Citizen Wells: Another Orwellian lie by Obama. Employers will begin dropping health plans and let employees sign up for government plans, thus achieving Obama’s goal of government run health care.)

Obama: “Don’t pay attention to these scary stories about how your benefits will be cut … That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”

THE FACTS: “Obama and congressional Democrats want to pay for their health care plans in part by reducing medicare payments to providers by more than $ 500 billion over 10 years.”

(Citizen Wells: Straight out of Nazi Germany and “1984” by George Orwell. Tell a big lie and repeat it often.)

With the liberal Charlotte Observer reporting this much, you can bet that lies about the Obama Health care plan are much worse than this.

 

Thanks to commenter Army D.A.V. for the video info.

Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon switches to Republican Party, September 8, 2009, Citizen Wells interview, US Navy Reserve, Iraq, Salmon CPA, Tom Salmon announcement at Vermont State Capitol, Montpelier, VT, Video

I was fortunate to be at the Vermont State Capitol in Montpelier, VT, today, Tuesday, September 8, 2009, when State Auditor, Tom Salmon announced that he was switching from the Democrat to Republican party. The Citizen Wells blog has posted a longer video coverage of the event and here is an article from Vermontbiz.com that provides more background information on Tom Salmon.

“Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon switches to Republican Party”

“Vermont Auditor of Accounts Tom Salmon, who was rebuffed by the Democratic leadership last spring, announced today that he was switching parties and will join the Republican Party. Salmon won the position of state auditor as a Democrat in 2006 when he beat one-term incumbent Republican Randy Brock. That race saw Brock apparently win re-election in a very tight race, before a re-count gave the race to Salmon by 102 votes. Salmon cited the lack of fiscal responsibility among legislative leaders during the debate over the state budget. Salmon had offered to mediate discussions between Republican Governor James Douglas and the Democratically controlled Legislature, but was turned down by Speaker of the House Shap Smith. He said the Republicans are better able to manage the fiscal matters of the state, as represented by Governor Douglas.

Salmon further said he will likely run for re-election for Auditor, but there is “a 10 percent chance,” he will run for governor or lieutenant governor instead. Several Republicans are deferring their decisions on 2010 until Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie decides what, if any, position he will run for. Dubie has indicated he is considering a run for governor. Douglas has already stated he will not seek re-election and will not run for any office in 2010. Salmon made his announcement at the State House shortly after 11 am on Tuesday September 8, 2009.

Salmon, 46, has served in Iraq for long tours of duty in the US Navy Reserve while also holding the post of auditor. Thomas M Salmon is the son of the former Vermont Governor Thomas P Salmon, who served from 1973-1977 as a Democrat. The elder Salmon served as a surrogate during his son’s re-election campaign because serving military cannot also campaign for office. Salmon met little resistance in being re-elected last year.

“Vermont Business Magazine conducted a Q&A with Tom Salmon December 2007 with Robert Smith. In that interview he explained why he ran for auditor:

“I ran for state auditor, because as a Rockingham Selectman, I had moved from a simmer to a boil about how fiscal management was occurring in the state. I really didn’t think that anyone was taking responsibility for the fiscal management of the parts of the state. Prior to being a selectman, I go back to December 2005. I’m a Navy Reservist, a Seabee, construction battalion, dirt sailors – we’re never on a ship, so when people see us in our greens they say, ‘Look mommy, it’s an Army man!’ I was in Gulfport, Mississippi, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. That situation moved me to want to commit to public service. I decided when I came home that I was going to run for the select board in Rockingham. The finances were a mess, the morale was not good, the divisive situation over buying the dam – you were here so you know.””

Here is a copy of the letter Salmon sent to his supporters:

“September 5, 2009

Dear Friend,   

It is an honor to serve  as Auditor for the State of Vermont. In 2006, I was elected as a Democrat. In 2008, I was re-elected on the Democratic/Republican ticket. 2010 will be different.

I am changing my political affiliation to align myself with the party closest to my core beliefs. It is my belief that the VT Republican party is closest to accepting the realities of our times; and is therefore the party best equipped to manage the very real and troubling economic and social conditions which confront us not only today, but in the coming decade.

As many of you know, in the face of the enormous fiscal crisis, I have sounded the alarm for new thinking, responsible budgeting, meaningful long-term planning and painful prioritization.

When I returned home from Iraq, I witnessed first-hand a budget process rife with deficiencies and dysfunction.  There was little balance in the debate.

As a Certified Public Accountant, I recently completed my required Ethics course for re-licensing.  The Professional Code of Conduct demands that I act with integrity, objectivity and independence. As Auditor, I have preached that Vermont is on an unsustainable track we cannot tax ourselves out of. 

I believe the majority of Vermonters do not want to see tax increases as a consequence of poor planning.  However, without major restructuring of human services, corrections management and public education (which together account for some 75% of our expenditures) we are going to find that situation unavoidable. Removing even greater sums of capital out of our job-creating private sector and the budgets of Vermont families will only hasten the ill effects of the current crisis. 

We all watch a healthcare reform movement focused on increased access rather than A) addressing the root causes of the problem B) fixing Medicaid and Medicare or C) promoting incentives and personal responsibility.  The big losers are our young people, the vulnerable elderly population and the viability of Vermont’s 1778 motto of “Freedom and Unity.”

I am a believer in the America of hard work and “get oneself upstream” with a combination of personal commitment and external support.  

I’m not a believer that all of our future tax dollars should go to interest on debt or “education, medication and incarceration.”  In the current form of these primarily government-controlled expenditures, this is a path leading to a dangerous imbalance of our “Freedom and Unity.”  Economic freedom is an essential component in achieving and maintaining political freedom.  Over the more than 200 years of our nation’s founding, too many of our fine soldiers have died for the protection of these freedoms. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you with full commitment and transparency. I promise to do my best to perform the job Vermonters have elected me to do.

Thomas M. Salmon CPA

Vermont State Auditor””

Read more:

http://vermontbiz.com/news/september/vermont-auditor-tom-salmon-switches-republican-party

 

Tom Salmon, Vermont State Auditor, Switches to GOP, Democratic State Auditor Salmon now Republican, September 8, 2009, Citizen Wells interview

Tom Salmon, Vermont State auditor, announced that he is switching parties and will now be a Republican. Citizen Wells was at the Vermont State Capitol building when the announcement was made. Here is an interview with Tom Salmon.

Burlington VT, Labor day celebration, September 7, 2009, Citizen Wells live coverage, Senator Bernie Sanders, Vermont, Health care a human right?, Vermont Workers’ Center

Today, Labor Day, September 7, 2009, the Citizen Wells blog will attempt to cover live, a Labor Day celebration in Burlington, Vermont. There are two major reasons that I chose to cover this event. First, Senator Bernie Sanders will be there and I hope to catch his comments on health care reform. Second, Vermont Workers’ Center, a community-based workers’ rights organization will be there to promote their stance regarding health care as a human right. I hope to clarify what they mean by human right.

To watch the Citizen Wells coverage, go to this link. When I am not broadcasting live, a video will play. Remember, this is my first attempt at this and I will be flying by the seat of my pants. A right click on the screen will allow you to zoom in for a larger viewing area.

http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/citizenwells

Here is the announcement of the event:

“Burlington Labor Day Celebration & Benefit Concert
September 7, 2009 – 12:00pm – 3:00pm
WHEN: 12 noon – 3pm, Monday, September 7
WHERE: Battery Park, Burlington
WHAT: Senator Bernie Sanders will join hundreds of working families for the 8th Annual Burlington Labor Day Celebration sharing in a community potluck, music, street theater and ice cream. This year’s celebration is being sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center, a community-based workers’ rights organization who has been building a statewide grassroots organizing campaign called the “Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign” that over that past couple of years has been redefine healthcare as a public good. There will also be a special tribute to the contributions and struggles of working families from Jennifer Henry, the President of the Fletcher Allen nurses union and United Professions of Vermont/AFT. Music will be performed local Burlington busker John Holland and Rik & Bec, a new local duo of Rik Palieri and Rebecca Padula.
“Labor Day is a day to celebrate and remember both the work we all do day in and day out and the long struggles of working people who fought hard for the eight hour day, for Social Security, the end of child labor and even the weekend,” said James Haslam, Director of the Vermont Workers’ Center. “But more than ever, use should use Labor Day as a reminder that we need to be carrying on this tradition by organizing in our workplaces and our communities. This is a time re-commit to the current struggles for more livable wage jobs, fair retirement, strong and healthy communities, and re-defining quality healthcare as a fundamental human right for everyone.”
BACKGROUND: The Vermont Workers’ Center was started in 1998 as a workers’ rights and social justice organization, and have been involved in campaigns to improve working conditions and win livable wages in hundreds of Vermont workplaces across the state. In 2008, they launched the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign to build a statewide grassroots network of Vermonters committed to redefining healthcare policy to establish healthcare as a basic public good for all.
MORE INFO: www.workerscenter.org
www.workerscenter.org/healthcare
802-861-4892″

From their website:

“Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign

The Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign, a project of the Vermont Workers’ Center (VWC), aims to change what is “politically possible” in the healthcare debate through grassroots organizing and a strategic reframing of healthcare as a basic human right and the healthcare crisis as a human rights emergency.

Our Goals

Our long-term goal is a universal system in which health care is recognized as a public good and provided collectively, rather than as a commodity sold in a marketplace, and where the human right to health of all residents of the state is fully recognized, regardless of race, gender or gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, nationality or immigration status. Financing must be based on principles of universality, equity, and social solidarity, such as a single-payer system. The only legislation that has been introduced into the Vermont State Legislature for the 2009-2010 session that meets these standards are H.100 and S.88.

What It Will Take

This will not be an easy struggle. In order to win such fundamental reform, we need a strong, statewide grassroots network that will be able to put enough pressure on the legislature and governor to force them to stand up to the insurance industry, those employers who will oppose such a system on ideological grounds, and other powerful interests vested in the status quo. This effort requires:

  • strong organizing committees throughout the state
  • diverse leadership
  • a mass base

What We’ve Done

Since the launch of this campaign in April 2008, the Workers’ Center has conducted a Human Rights Healthcare Survey of over 1400 Vermonters, over 95% of whom recognized that healthcare is a human right. We have held seven Human Rights Hearings around the state, in which hundreds of Vermonters have told their healthcare stories to panels of community and faith leaders. Based on the surveys and hearings, we have put together a report and video Voices of the Vermont Healthcare Crisis: The Human Right to Healthcare. And we organized one of the largest rallies for fundamental healthcare reform in Vermont history in Montpelier on May 1st, 2009.

Where To Go

Since May 1st, we have been working to:

  • consolidate our local organizing committees in major population centers throughout the state
  • deepen the understanding of human rights principles for healthcare throughout our base
  • strategize with local organizing committees about the best way to hold elected officials accountable to human rights principles.

If you would like to learn more or get involved in this grassroots movement contact us at info@workerscenter.org, or (802) 861-2877.

View a list of organizations endorsing “Healthcare is a Human Right”.

This campaign is supported by the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.”

     

Sleeping giant awakened, Yamamoto, Poem, America awakened, Town halls, tea parties, citizens outraged

“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant”

World war II Japanese Admiral Yamamoto

A young lady confronted Arlen Specter with this quote at a town hall meeting recently.

A poem submitted to this blog on August 30, 2009 by commenter prairie.

Awake
The air has quickly cooled,
The winds have shifted course.
Dark clouds fill the sky,
As a looming, evil force.

A flash of distant light,
Thunder cracks, the silence breaks.
With the Perfect Storm upon us,
The sleeping Giant wakes.

There is fire in his eyes,
As he looks upon the land.
He attempts to raise a fist,
With shackles on his hands.

He cries out in despair,
Yet, his voice is nearly mute.
Muffled over time,
By the censorship of truth.

His flesh is cold and wet.
His muscles sore and weak.
Still, he braces for the worst. . .
As he rises to his feet.

The mighty giant stands,
As storm waves buckle both his knees.
The wind and rain are punishing. . .
Yet, he will not retreat.

With the blood of generations,
Pumping through his veins. . .
And the will of a free people,
He breaks away the chains.

Silent now no more,
Liberty reclaimed.
Revolution brewing,
As WE THE PEOPLE WAKE.
—Prairie

Tea Party Express schedule, Washington DC, September 12, 2009, Sacramento CA to Washington DC, Tour schedule

From the Tea Party Express website, the tour schedule from Sacramento, CA to Washington, DC on September 12, 2009:

TeaPartyExpressSched

“The Tea Party Express national bus tour will host a series of tea party rallies all across the nation.  The effort will begin in California and travel eastward, building momentum as the tour reaches its final destination: the big 09.12.09 Taxpayer March on D.C.

At each stop the tour will highlight some of the worst offenders in Congress who have voted for higher spending, higher taxes, and government intervention in the lives of American families and businesses.  These Members of Congress have infringed upon the freedom of the individual in this great nation, and its time for us to say: “Enough is Enough!”

The “Tea Party Express” tour will feature leaders in the anti-tax, conservative, tea party movement along with musical performances of “American Tea Party Anthem” and “A Bailout Song” at each tea party event.  The tour delegation includes:”

Read more:

http://teapartyexpress.org/index.html

Tea Party Express – National Tour Promo Video

 REVOLUTION BREWING – August 28 Sacramento Tea Party Express 2009

Las Vegas, Nevada – August 31