The House Passes Obamacare (H.R. 3200)

Last night the House of Reps passed the healthcare bill that The Wall Street Journal labeled "The Worst Bill Ever" by a vote of 220-215. And while 219 Democrats supported this national disaster, there was a truly bipartisan effort to stop it as 39 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote against it. One Republican voted in favor of the bill, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, a vote purchased by Barack Obama with a "commitment from President Obama that he would work together to address the health care issues of Louisiana, including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals." Nice. Real nice. And given Obama's previous "commitments" to only raise taxes on the wealthy, provide a 72-hour review of legislation and support the 2nd amendment . . . let's just say I hope 'ol Joe has a back up plan (and hopefully another profession, come next election).



So, where do we go from here?



The fight is far from over. In fact, this is how we knew it would play out. The focus now turns to the Senate, where Harry Reid will need to score a super majority twice to proceed (a difficult task at this point) and the Republicans have vowed to read the bill in its entirety on the senate floor, which should take more time than an emergency room wait in Canada . . . though just barely. With that delay, the Senate debate will continue into next year -- an election year -- a year in which Americans can make the Democrats pay for their assault on freedom, just taxation, and the American health care machine that has produced more cures and innovation than any other in the world.

Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley: American Hero

There simply can't be enough press about Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley, the police officer who took down Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood killer who decided to shoot the infidels who defiled his take on Islam.

Civilian police Sgt. Munley, a former soldier who spent a good deal of time at Fort Hood in her own right, was called into action after a 911 call at 1:23. Within 5 minutes she had shot the gunmen.

As reported in the NY Daily News:

Just three minutes after Hasan shot up his fellow soldiers, Munley tracked him down outside a pre-deployment facility and unloaded on him at close range.

"She fired on him twice and drew the attention toward her. He immediately spun around and charged her," said Chuck Medley, director of emergency services at Fort Hood. "She fired a couple more rounds and fell back, continuing to fire."

Munley was hit in both legs and her wrist during the gun battle but stayed on her feet and kept firing at the charging gunman.

"She struck him a couple times in the upper torso and he went down," Medley said. "When she rounded that corner, she made a split-second decision to put her life at risk. If she had not responded the way she had, we would have had an extremely high number of dead and injured."

Thank you, Sgt Munley, for your act of courage in defending those who defend America.

What's In That Health Care Reform Bill?

Not sure what's in the House Health Care Reform Bill? Well, you're in pretty good company: namely the majority of house members who are actually going to vote on the thing. It's a little like watching my kitchen-challenged brother compete on the Iron Chef.

But if want to treat this bill like you did Tristram Shandy in your college days (which is to say, reading a Cliffs Notes version while you drink cheap beer that you bought at the party store by writing a check for $1.27) then you should check out the summary Ric put together over at Freadom Nation. You can find the whole post here: The final healthcare bill looks SCAAARY

WSJ: ObamaCare Is The Worst Bill Ever

Washington has produced its share of terrible bills (and I will pass on the easy Bill Clinton shot . . wait, did I just do that?) but according to the Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed pages, the current Health Care bill is the "The Worst Bill Ever!" According to the article:

In a rational political world, this 1,990-page runaway train would have been derailed months ago. With spending and debt already at record peacetime levels, the bill creates a new and probably unrepealable middle-class entitlement that is designed to expand over time. Taxes will need to rise precipitously, even as ObamaCare so dramatically expands government control of health care that eventually all medicine will be rationed via politics.

Um . . .

The Journal lists four primary reasons as to why this bill is a disaster waiting to happen.

1. The spending surge: while Pelosi and company continue to contend that the bill will only cost the country a paltry $829 billion, the CBO is figuring the cost to top a cool trillion, or roughly equivalent to the gallons of botox that Nancy Pelosi has poured into her jowls to keep that sneer in place.
2. Expanding Medicaid, gutting private Medicare: In this case the democrats are looking to take money from a Medicare program that already has "unfunded liabilities" of some $37 trillion over 75 years and drop it into an even larger government behemoth. Debt to pay debt? Only possible with Obamath.
3. European levels of taxation: Were talking $572 billion dollars in new taxes that is sure to pound American businesses. There is a simple truth about taxation: if you want to stop an activity, tax it. In this case we're talking about jobs. Rest assured that European levels of taxation are always followed by European levels of unemployment (though I still believe European techno club music will remain optional).
4. The insurance takeover: "The political incentive will always be for government to expand benefits and reduce cost-sharing" which means: defined coverage levels and medical rationing will be determine by Washingon D.C. And you thought Doctor visits were a pain in the past.

Nancy Pelosi has "reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare." I'm sure that passing this "worst of" bill will spell tremendous congressional gains for the GOP, but that would be small consolation after giving our children and their children trillions in national debt, government controlled insurance and rising unemployment.

The Obama Fix Fails

As reported by the Heritage Foundation:

The White House and Democratic leaders are offering doctors a deal: They’ll freeze cuts in Medicare payments to doctors in exchange for doctors’ support of health care reform . . . [during the the secret Obamacare negotiations] the White House and Senate leaders have ordered Congress to pass a $247 billion dollar payoff to doctors groups for their support of comprehensive health care reform.

Well, in case you were out of the loop (or busy with hunting and fishing this time of year), the bribe failed on a 47-43 vote. And Dirty Harry wasn't happy:

Reid brought the $247 billion bill to the Senate floor this week as part of a deal to secure the support of doctors groups such as the AMA for passage of a separate, broader healthcare reform bill later this year. But the strategy has backfired.

…Reid told reporters on Wednesday that he was led to believe that more than two dozen Republicans would vote for the bill, though he did not mention the AMA by name.

“I was told by various people that we would have 27 Republican votes, which was pretty reasonable to assume since one of the co-sponsors of this legislation was [Sen.] Jon Kyl [Ariz.], the assistant Republican leader.

“I was stunned when I was told by his cosponsor Sen. Stabenow after we introduced this legislation that [Kyl] couldn’t support it. Even though he is a cosponsor he couldn’t support the legislation,” Reid said, making reference to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the lead sponsor of the 10-year doctor payment fix.

And while I'm ecstatic that this bill (S. 1776) failed, I still feel the need to give a shout out to fellow Michigander Debbie Stabenow who stood by her convictions and voted to bribe doctors despite its obvious ethical depravity and absolute failure. Vito Corleone is petting his kitty with pride.

Fire Rich Rod . . . Please?

In a break from politics I have to take a moment to make an appeal to my Alma Mater:

Fire Rich Rod . . . please?

There were excuses last year, but all the crying in the world about installing a new system could never justify a 3 - 9 record while losing to Toledo at home (and do I need to remind anybody of the 42 - 7 beat down the Buckeyes delivered?)

Now the 2009 season has turned into another disaster. The Wolverines have dropped to 5-4 with a Big Ten record of 1-4. Are you kidding me? And Saturday provided a sleep depriving route at the hands of Illinois, giving the Illini their first win in weeks.

Enough is enough! This guy has turned the winningest program in the history of college football into a conference cellar dweller. RICH ROD MUST GO!!!

Campell Brown On The Obama / Fox War

My girl Nikki posted a great piece by CNN's Campell Brown concerning the Obama team's attacks on Fox News. Check it out here: Campell Brown: You Go Girl!

While I question Brown's motivation a bit with her premise that Fox is too hard, MSNBC is too soft and CNN is juuuust right, the ultimate point of her story is a bullseye. The Obama administration sees bias where ever there is criticism, but ignores intent where there is agreement.

Khaki's editorial: When you discount editorial shows like Hannity and O'Reilly, which are intended to contain bias like their editorial equivalents on other networks, it's obvious why the Obamas fear the stellar ratings at Fox and took a frightening step for an American President in attempting to silence a news agency. It is the only network that still fully investigates the White House. Fox is still the only station asking hard hitting questions about healthcare legislation, the economy, unemployment, regulatory reform, Afghanistan, and Iran . . . questions the administration would rather not answer. Questions the administration doesn't have to face on other channels. Questions that illuminate Obama to a nation that is still largely in the dark about his agenda and the damage that it has already done to this country.

Who Is Visiting The White House?

The Obama administration is attempting to continue their ruse of being a transparent administration by releasing some of the visitor records from the White House. Unfortunately, the promised transparency concerning campaign contributions, complete RNC and CBO access to proposed Health Care accounting figures, and providing a 72 hour public review of proposed legislation are still in the "monkey flying out of the ass" stage.

Close to 500 visitor records were released (far from the actual number of visitors) that include a who's who of liberal activism. Interestingly, William Ayers, Michael Moore and Jeremiah Wright appear on the list, but the White House contends that they were not that "William Ayers, Michael Moore and Jeremiah Wright." Still no word on the "actual identities" of these less familiar friends of the White House who carry those very familiar names. Doppelgangers? Just throwing out a theory.

The sad fact is that this is not the "major milestone in government transparency," which Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics, claimed it to be, but just another distraction to steer public conversation away from what the administration's left hand is up to. First, the White House is forced to admit that not every visitor's name has been released. And secondly, come on, is anybody shocked that Oprah, Kim Gandy and Andy Stern have graced the Oval Office love seat? And is it news that people who happen to have the names William Ayers, Michael Moore and Jeremiah Wright (but are not the famous William Ayers, Michael Moore and Jeremiah Wright) have stopped by to say hello?

If the Obama administration wants to talk about transparency, why not give us the type of information that really matters?

Did Jesus Name The Anti-Christ

Talk amongst yourselves.



As for me, I don't think he's the anti-christ, just a putrid president.

Barack Obama's Nobel Prize

Duck season . . . the salmon running . . . this has been a tough time for me to write with everything that's been happening in Michigan, a sportsman's paradise. But I'm back now and feel compelled to dig up some old news just so I can have my say. So, it's back to that Nobel Prize.

I have to admit that I'm not sure what the criteria is for selecting a Nobel Prize winner, but I suspect when it comes to prominent Americans nominated for the prize the prime requisite is criticizing America. Exhibit A, B, and C? Jimmy Carter blames America for racism and poverty and BAM: Nobel Prize. Al Gore blames America for destroying the earth and BAM: Nobel Prize. Barack Obama blames America for war and attacks on innocent civilians and BAM: Nobel Prize.


Of course, it's the latest Nobel Peace Prize award that is the most laughable. Barack Obama? Really? And when exactly did this nomination take place? When he had been in office for, what, two weeks? This leaves me wondering if he won this award based on the 100 days that he actually spent in the Senate, his community organizing with ACORN or the charming way that he sounds a bit like Mel Tillis when the teleprompters are off. The bottom line, which even his supporters are forced to admit, is that this guy has done absolutely nothing to deserve this honor, assuming that the soiled award can still be considered an honor.

What troubles me is that this "prize" is awarded out of Norway, the land of my blood, and we Norwegians used to be about accomplishment. Erik the Red left the homeland and crossed the ocean in a rowboat, allowing for his son to eventually make his way to the Americas. We celebrate Leif Erikson because of what he did. We acknowledge Thor Heyerdahl because of his expeditions, not because of his turn of phrase. Roald Amundsen had a great mustache, but the fact that he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles is why history remembers him. Ibsen was the father of the modern play, Munch gave us the Scream. Let's face it, Norwegians used to be about what one actually did and now . . . now, a man who has done little beyond write two memoirs and spend his nation into debt without a single notable accomplishment toward peace has a Nobel Peace Prize.

In other news: please watch for Khaki's upcoming series:
All The Reasons America Sucks.
I'd like to thank the committee for this award. I am truly humbled.

Columbus Day

I've never been a fan of Columbus, the man or the city in Ohio where Buckeyes (i.e., "worthless nuts") reside. As for Chris Columbus, the man who sailed to the Americas in 1482 not the director of a pair of Harry Potter flicks, I've always felt that the props he received over the years for "discovering" America were misplaced since the Vikings beat him by some 500 years. That said, I'm starting to grow weary of the PC Posse and their Columbus day attacks of "he couldn't discover America because people already lived here" or "he brought about the rape of paradise."

First of all, we all know what is meant by "discovering America" so can we stop the word games? Columbus came from a civilization that had a written language, so unlike the natives of the new land, he was able to communicate in perpetuity the nature of the world as he saw it without the "telephone game" of miscommunication that oral traditions create (for those of you who rely on oral traditions: Mackinac Island was never actually a giant turtle . . . and what the hell are you doing reading blogs?) Columbus gave us the vision of old America. In addition, Columbus' "discovery" brought inventions to the new world that allowed for the type of civilization that we enjoy today. Inventions like, say, the wheel. I don't know about you, but I for one am glad I can make it from my house to Montreal in a few hours, shaving off 30 days from Native American canoe trip.

Second, let's stop romanticising the "paradise" of the new world. Some Native American tribes practiced cannibalism, torched entire forests to destroy their enemies and sacrificed woman to the gods. My brother-in-law is a Native American and I have a deep respect for the many cultures and histories of America's first residents, but let's not pretend is was all love and flowers.

Finally, Columbus was Italian which means: Pizza -- perhaps God's greatest gift. So let's stop the nonsense and spend a few moments in recognition of this great adventurer.

Anne Frank Video On YouTube

The Anne Frank Museum has uploaded the only existing video footage of Anne Frank to YouTube for mass consumption. The video is only 20 seconds long with Anne appearing around the 10 second mark in a second story window as she leans out to watch a bride and groom below.

According to the museum, the scene dates to July 22, 1941, prior to the Frank family going into hiding, resulting in the powerful diary penned by a brilliant little girl. If you've read the diary then I suspect you find this clip moving with unexpected power.

Biden Never Thought Stimulus Would Work This Well

During a conference call with 55 governors, territorial officials or their designees, Vice President Joe Biden enthusiastically effused about Obama's stimulus plan: “In my wildest dreams, I never thought it would work this well.”

Really?

They promised this would prevent unemployment from reaching 8% and we are now pushing double digits. They vowed that it would not require another tax hike but we now know that was a lie. They claimed that the package would avoid special interest and pork spending, but the congressional pet projects in this spending orgy look like a sleazy Webkinz convention. They said it would not create deficit spending but the current projections calculate deficit spending over the next 10 years that is close to equalling the total deficit spending that was created over the past 200 years.

If Biden never thought the stimulus package "would work this well," I wonder what exactly they were planning for this country.

Mo' Zo: The Squirreliness of ACORN

I'm so glad that making the big time with Pajamas Media hasn't changed Zo. Here's his take on the latest ACORN debacle.

Barack Obama's Vapid UN Speech

It's amazing to hear the George Stephanopouloses . . .eses of the world still prattle on about the wisdom of Barack Obama as he dazzled at the UN. Of course, if you didn't hear Obama's vapid speech for yourself and want a clearer perspective, then I suggest you try the foreign press.

The United Kingdom's top circulating journal, The Telegraph, posed the only question a sane observer could have asked after listening to the speech: Barack at the UN: Was this Obama’s most naïve speech ever? According to journalist Nile Gardiner

It’s always a bad sign when a US president gets several rounds of heavy applause at the UN General Assembly, as Barack Obama did this morning in New York. Needless to say, the loudest cheers from the gathering of world leaders came when he condemned the actions of a close US ally, Israel, in continuing to build settlements in the West Bank. You can always rely on attacks on the Israelis to generate the biggest roars of approval at any meeting of the United Nations, and Obama dutifully obliged.

But Israel wasn't the only nation Obama attacked in his speech. I mean, no Obama speech to foreign dignitaries is complete without an attack on the good ol' U.S. of A. Of course, the president never impugns himself with these attacks. No, the Obama way is to talk about how horrible America was BEFORE he took control and led us through the darkness with his vision of light. Take this ember from the speech:

So for those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions that we have taken in just nine months. On my first day in office, I prohibited - without exception or equivocation - the use of torture by the United States of America. I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed, and we are doing the hard work of forging a framework to combat extremism within the rule of law.

All to the delight of those who hate us. Never mind that Obama's words were vapid utterances, he bathed in adoration.

But we owe it to ourselves to look at the facts. When Obama railed against "torture" he was, of course, talking about waterboarding. And how many terrorists were actually waterboarded by the pre-obama evil America? 3. That's right, only 3 all of whom where high level al Qaeda operatives, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who couldn't tell us enough about his twisted organization by the time the intelligence officers were done. (and I've always found it amusing that some of those who think this butcher should be executed are so upset that the CIA got him wet). But what's more interesting is this actually happened 6 years ago, not "9 months" as Obama implies. Obama didn't stop waterboarding, Bush did.

Then Obama threw out the applause line of closing Guantanamo Bay, but what does that mean? Is he going to free all of those prisoners? Of course not, he's going to move them to facilities within the U.S. where they are sure to be treated worse than the were at Gitmo.

So once again Obama took cheap shots at his own country to elevate his self image. To bad Joe Wilson wasn't there.

And while Obama continued to take this naive approach to foreign relations, Iran continued to ignore UN regulations with the discovery of an secret nuclear facility that could only have been built to create weapons grade uranium.