Category Archives: Town Hall

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

Posted on September 8, 2009 | 324 comments

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

 

324 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Bailout, Budget, Citizen, Civil rights, Congress, DC, Deficit, Democrats, DNC, Election, Family, Financial crisis, First Amendment, Government, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Hospitals, indictment, Internet, Internet TV, Iraq War, Journalism, Liberalism, media, Medicare, Money, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama records, Obama taxes, Politics, press conference, Quotes, Reform, republicans, Socialists, Taxes, Television, The Case Against Barack Obama, Town Hall, TV, United States, US Constitution, US Soldier, Vermont, video, voters, Washington DC, white house, YouTube

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

Posted on September 8, 2009 | 121 comments

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.

121 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Budget, Citizen, Congress, Democrats, DNC, Election, First Amendment, Government, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Internet TV, Journalism, media, Medicare, Money, News, Politics, press conference, Reform, republicans, Taxes, Town Hall, United States, US Constitution, Vermont, video, YouTube

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Senator Bernie Sanders Vermont Labor Day speech, September 7, 2009, Health care, Burlington, VT, Vermont Workers Center, Health care a right?, Video

Posted on September 7, 2009 | 145 comments

The Citizen Wells blog covered the Senator Bernie Sanders Labor Day speech in Burlington, VT, today, Monday, September 7, 2009. The event was hosted by the Vermont Workers’ Center. Here is the announcement:

“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″

The speech is presented here unedited and without commentary. A followup article will be presented with commentary and analysis. The only comment I will make at this time is that they appeared a little surprised that I was there and that the event had the appearance of being staged. I will also state that I was treated with courtesy for the most part.

145 Comments

Posted in 2009 Stimulus Bill, Announcements, Barack Obama, Budget, Citizen, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Civil rights, Community Organizer, Congress, Democrats, drugs, Elderly, Family, Financial crisis, First Amendment, Government, Health Care for America now, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Hospitals, indictment, Internet TV, Labor Day, Law firms, Liberalism, media, Money, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama thugs, Politics, Radicals, Reform, Socialists, Tea Party, The Case Against Barack Obama, Town Hall, TV, United States, US Constitution, US economy, US Senate, video, voters, Washington DC, white house, YouTube

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

Posted on September 7, 2009 | 175 comments

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.”

     

175 Comments

Posted in 2009 Stimulus Bill, Announcements, Barack Obama, Budget, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Civil rights, Community Organizer, DC, Deficit, Democrats, drugs, Elderly, Family, Financial crisis, First Amendment, Government, Health Care for America now, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Hospitals, indictment, Internet TV, Jobs, Journalism, media, Medicare, Money, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama Nation, Obama records, Pharmaceuticals, Politics, Reform, Socialists, Talk Radio, Tea Party, Television, The Case Against Barack Obama, Town Hall, United States, US Constitution, US economy, Vermont, video, voters, Washington DC, white house

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Tea party express, Tea parties, Taxpayer revolts, Washington DC, September 12, 2009, CNN orwellian spin, grassroots tea party movement, Youtube video

Posted on September 5, 2009 | 78 comments

I don’t do it very often, it is hard to stomach. However, it is necessary to know what the enemy is up to. This morning I watched CNN, Communist News Network, for a few minutes and sure enough they were crafting their usual Orwellian spin on Obama’s speach to students and resistance to Obama’s health care agenda. They briefly interviewed 2 people for their opinion of Obama’s speach to students. The first was affiliated with a law school and he thought it was a good idea. The second was just a normal lady in a car from KY or TN. The intent was obvious. The silly regular American can’t possibly know what they are talking about. Once again, the elitist Orwellian approach is used.

They also mentioned health care reform and radicals getting media attention. These pious, biased, in Obama’s pocket jackasses do not get it. Well as Bill O’Reilly said on Fox News last night, Fox’s viewership is skyrocketing despite the attempts of liberals like Dan Rather to stem the tide.

Resistance to big government and government health care is real. It is a non partisan grass roots effort. The following video bears this out.

“This video focuses on the continuing grassroots tea party movement against our out of control government which is continuing to destroy our Constitutional Republic at a rapid pace.

The Taxpayer March on Washington D.C. – September 12th, 2009.”

 

Thanks to commenter twe.

78 Comments

Posted in 1984, American Revolution, Announcements, Barack Obama, Budget, Citizen, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Civil rights, CNN, Congress, DC, Deficit, Democrats, doublespeak, drugs, Election 2008, Elitism, Elitist remarks, Family, First Amendment, Fox news, Government, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Hospitals, Indonesia, Liberalism, media, Money, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, Obama thugs, Orwell, Orwellian, Patriotism, Radicals, Reform, Socialists, Taxes, Tea Party, Television, The Case Against Barack Obama, Town Hall, TV, United States, US Constitution, US economy, Usurper, video, voters, Washington DC, white house, YouTube

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Las Vegas Tea Party, August 31, 2009, Tea Party Express, First Amendment Rights, US Constitution, Citizen journalism, Video

Posted on September 2, 2009 | 279 comments

I have never gotten so much satisfaction assembling an article as I did producing this one. This article is the culmination of efforts of concerned Americans across this country and certainly those that participate on this blog. A special thanks goes to commenter JoyceAZ, who cared enough about this country to travel to the Las Vegas Tea Party, take photos and write a report. Thank God that she did. The story was barely touched by the local media in Las Vegas and the Main Stream media nationwide.

“CW,  We arrived at the park 8:45am.  This area was large.  The parking lot filled up by 10:30.  People were coming and going for 2-3 hrs.  People were very warm and friendly.  WE WERE UNITED. The people were from Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho…… (licenses plates that we noticed).
All day long people gave each other the thumbs up.  We The People are UNITED IN OUR MARCH TO WAKE UP THE GOVERNMENT.
We just want to be heard.  Our Freedoms are being tread on.  OUR FLAGS SAY: Don’t Tread On Me.  We will not be UNHEARD.
 
We did not see any riots.  No screaming, yelling or fighting.  We did not see any opposition,….. ACORN, SEIU, or other pro-Obama voices.
Several cars stopped and ask us what was happening,…. as they had not heard of this project on the local tv channels.  I told them that it was 98% created thru the internet and twitter and such.  The NEWS MEDIA is DEAD!  Even those would stop and go sign up for information on OUR PROJECT. 
The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted that the count was 800-900.  I truly feel is was much larger than that.  The parking lot was filled at all times….. people would be waiting for a parking spot.  People arriving faster than leaving.
I don’t think I would be exaggerating to say it was closer to 1500+.  I am sending a few articles from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  They have some interesting articles about dirty harry. He is not very popular at this time. 
 
JoyceAZ”

I hope that the actions of JoyceAZ were as inspiring to you as they are to me and will inspire more people to take action. We cannot depend on the modern day media to do so.

I sang the song that plays in the video when I was young.

It moved me deeply then and even more now.

279 Comments

Posted in 2009 Stimulus Bill, American Revolution, Announcements, Arizona, Barack Obama, Birth Certificate, Citizen, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Civil rights, COLB, Congress, DC, Declaration of Independence, Democrats, Election 2008, Election Law, Family, First Amendment, Founding Fathers, Government, Hawaii, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, History, indictment, Jobs, Journalism, Liberalism, media, Natural born citizen, Nevada, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, Obama thugs, Patriotism, Reform, Socialists, Society, Taxes, Tea Party, Television, The Case Against Barack Obama, Thomas Paine, Town Hall, TV, United States, US Constitution, US economy, US House of Representatives, US Senate, Usurper, video, voters, Washington DC, white house, YouTube

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Richard Burr, NC Senator, Health care reform, Town hall meetings, September 1, 2009, Charlotte NC, Levine Children’s Hospital, John McCain, questions from invited parties, Video

Posted on September 1, 2009 | 298 comments

Several days ago I contacted NC Senator Richard Burr’s office via email and telephone message. I received no response. I was inquiring about a health care forum that was scheduled for today, Tuesday, September 1, 2009. I discovered today by an internet search, that Senator Burr is part of a forum with John McCain and other Republicans. What concerns me is that they are fielding questions from “invited parties.” Senator Burr is against the Obama backed public option and that is good. However, why is Senator Burr not hosting town hall meetings for the public?

From News 14 in the Carolinas:

“McCain brings health care forum to N.C. children’s hospital”

“Sen. John McCain will join a group of fellow republican senators in Charlotte on Tuesday for a discussion on health care reform.

McCain, along with Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., will take questions from invited parties involved in the health care debate and discuss ways to make health care more affordable, accessible and available for American families.

The stop at Levine Children’s Hospital is part of McCain and McConnell’s cross-country tour, where they have been discussing health care and taking questions in various cities from those involved in the issue. The GOP lawmakers have challenged the plan offered by President Obama that could create a government option for health care that would compete with private insurers.

Burr’s health care plan would raise money by taxing health benefits, then use the revenue to give people tax credits to buy their own care.”

Read more:

http://news14.com/content/local_news/triad/614058/mccain-brings-health-care-forum-to-n-c–children-s-hospital/

“This is a Constitutional Town Hall Meeting in Raleigh to which Senators Kay Hagan, Richard Burr, Representatives Brad Miller, Bob Etheridge, & David Price were invited but refused the invitation to…”

From Senator Richard Burr’s website:

“Issues
Reforming the Delivery of Health Care

Today, nearly 47 million people across America do not have health insurance, and this number is growing.  In North Carolina alone, there are more than 1.5 million uninsured individuals. 

Senator Burr believes we must make health insurance more accessible and affordable so that more families can have peace of mind that they can get quality medical care.  As we search for long-term solutions, however, we must make sure people have the ability to choose their own doctor. 

While some politicians support government-run health care, Senator Burr has a different approach. In order to give individuals and families choices in their health coverage and to avoid a one-size-fits-all program, we need to give people the means to purchase their own health insurance that fits their needs and the needs of their families.  To address the growing problem of employees having limited or no access to employer-provided coverage, Senator Burr believes we should foster a broad choice of health insurance plans that stay with you through job and life changes so that you can access care when you need it.  Americans should control their own insurance and not fear losing it with job changes.

As Congress works on proposals to reform health care system, Senator Burr firmly believes that any plan must:

Guarantee that every American can get affordable coverage
Demand we get more value for our health care dollar rather than imposing a new tax or passing on a new obligation to future generations
Transform the health care system so that we focus on keeping people healthy and well instead of only treating them when they are sick
Make health coverage affordable for those with pre-existing conditions
End the current discrimination in the tax code that benefits the wealthy and corporations but fails the poor and those who cannot get coverage through their employer
Guarantee that health care is accessible when people want it, where people want it
Be sustainable so that it will be there for future generations
With these goals in mind, Senator Burr recently joined with Senator Tom Coburn and Representatives Paul Ryan and Devin Nunes to introduce the Patients’ Choice Act, a bill that delivers on the shared principles of promoting universal access to quality, affordable health care, and does so without adding billions of dollars in new debt or taxes.

The Patients’ Choice Act would transform our health care system through the following key reforms:

Puts affordable coverage and choice within reach of all Americans. This is accomplished by first ending the discrimination in the tax code that rewards corporations and employers yet offers no benefit to the unemployed or those who do not have access to coverage through their job.  Specifically, the Patients’ Choice Act would shift health care tax benefits to individuals and families, regardless of employment status, in the form of a tax credit worth about $2,200 for individuals and $5,700 for families. Americans would receive this benefit upfront, so they would not have to wait until they file their tax returns to get it.  And Americans would be eligible for this benefit regardless of how much they pay in taxes.  What’s more, under this plan, if you like the health care you have, you can keep it – but you’ll have more money in your pocket because you will still receive the tax credit.
Prevents cherry picking by guaranteeing access to coverage. The Patients’ Choice Act prevents cherry picking – when insurance companies choose to cover only healthy patients – by adjusting risk across insurance companies through an innovative reform called State Based Health Exchanges, which would be a voluntary, one-stop marketplace of insurance plans. These state exchanges — which would be open to all Americans — would offer a broad range of plans but all would be required to have the same standard benefits as those enjoyed by Members of Congress.  Through this innovative reform, no individual could be turned down based on their age or health.  This is because insurers who do cherry pick healthy patients would be penalized, and those that cover patients with pre-existing conditions and emphasize prevention and wellness would be rewarded. 
Strengthens the health care safety net. Currently, about 40 percent of doctors and hospitals do not accept Medicaid patients because payments are so low. This means that needy moms and kids may have health coverage, but poor access to health care. The Patients’ Choice Act would remove the stigma from Medicaid recipients by giving them the ability to purchase the health coverage and care they need from any provider. We also provide simple new opportunities for automatic enrollment to help people who need coverage.
The United States currently spends twice as much on health care per person than other industrialized nations, yet we are not twice as healthy.  The solution is not for the federal government to spend and tax Americans more, the answer is to get more value for our health care dollar through more choices. And this is exactly what the Patients’ Choice Act would accomplish.

Senator Burr understands the growing cost of health insurance, and as a Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, he will continue to work on solutions to this problem.”

Read more:

http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=a91c0b54-b9b6-33d2-acb9-4085dfc07a23&CFID=16458968&CFTOKEN=48821632

298 Comments

Posted in 2009 Stimulus Bill, Announcements, Barack Obama, Budget, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Congress, DC, Deficit, Democrats, drugs, Elderly, Election 2008, Family, Financial crisis, First Amendment, Government, Health Care for America now, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Hospitals, indictment, Jobs, McCain Obama, McCain speech, NC, NC voters, News, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama records, Obama taxes, Reform, republicans, Senator McCain, Socialists, Society, Speech, Tea Party, Television, The Case Against Barack Obama, Town Hall, TV, United States, US Constitution, US economy, US House of Representatives, US Senate, VA hospitals, video, voters, Washington DC, white house, YouTube

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

Posted on September 1, 2009 | 86 comments

“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

86 Comments

Posted in 2009 Stimulus Bill, Acorn voter fraud, American Revolution, Announcements, Bailout, Barack Obama, Birth Certificate, Cap and trade, Citizen, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Civil rights, Congress, Declaration of Independence, Deficit, Democrats, Election 2008, Elitist remarks, Family, Financial crisis, First Amendment, Founding Fathers, Government, Grand Jury Indictment, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, indictment, Justice, Liberalism, Marxist, media, Medicare, Military officers, Money, Natural born citizen, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, Obama thugs, Patriotism, Politics, Quotes, Reform, Second Amendment, Socialists, Society, Speech, Talk Radio, Taxes, Tea Party, The Case Against Barack Obama, Thought Police, Town Hall, United States, US Constitution, US economy, US House of Representatives, US Military, US Senate, Usurper, Voter fraud, voters, Washington DC, white house

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Las Vegas town hall meeting, Danny Tarkanian, Harry Reid challenger, Health care town hall in Nevada, August 2009, Reid sent supporters, Video

Posted on September 1, 2009 | 13 comments

From a youtube video posted August 25, 2009:

“Danny Tarkanian, Republican challenger to Harry Reid, hosted a town hall in Las Vegas, NV. He was the first person to announce that he’d host a town hall in Las Vegas. He announced that the day he formally announced his candidacy on Newsradio 840 KXNT with Heather Kydd and Casey Hendrickson. Another station heard this, and hosted their own town hall before Danny’s. It was a disaster.

Heather Kydd and Casey Hendrickson were asked to moderate the Tarkanian event, and there was no bad press. The crowd was very well behaved, professional and still passionate … on both sides. It was an amazing event, and the only one hosted by a politician so far.

Harry Reid sent people down to the event … not just supporters, but some of his people. Which was ironic given Reid’s allegation of astro turfers at town halls. The Reid people were welcomed with open arms, behaved themselves, and asked tough questions.”


13 Comments

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

Posted on August 31, 2009 | 78 comments

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

 

 

 

 
 

 

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