Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of
Representatives
Bringing LIBERTY to
Capitol Hill -- 2010 OZARKS
VIRTUAL TOWN
HALL
Saturday Morning, July 17th, 2010, 10:30am
A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning
Radio Address
Click here
to listen to the July 17th, 2010 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall
Notes and Summary of the President's Weekly Radio
Address:
President Obama Says GOP Senate Leadership
Choosing to "Filibuster Our Recovery and Obstruct Our
Progress"
The
White House Press Office: – In this week’s
address, the President criticized the Republican leadership in the
Senate for opposing initiatives which that [sic]
would create jobs and strengthen the economy like cutting taxes for
small businesses and extending unemployment insurance for Americans
who have lost their jobs during the recession. Aiding small
businesses and renewing unemployment insurance are not just the right
things to do for those hit hardest by the recession, they are steps
that will help strengthen the recovery. When crises strike Main
Street, the President believes it’s important to put aside politics
and act in the best interests of American families and small
businesses. (continued below)
The federal government only has the powers granted to it --
"enumerated" -- in the
Constitution.
The "General Welfare" clause is no
exception to this principle.
"States Rights" --
most government should be carried out on a local level.
The Constitution created a federal government with
very limited powers, bound down by
the "chains of the constitution."
The Bush-Obama Regime believes it has vast, unlimited powers to
cure all diseases, fund all causes, and bring salvation.
These are the reasons given by Osama bin Laden for declaring a
"fatwah" (holy war) against the U.S.
All of these accusations are true.
All of these government actions are contrary to the
Constitution.
The biggest cause of terrorism --
and the most dangerous threat to the personal safety and
security of ordinary Americans like you and me -- is the Federal
Government of the United States.
America's Founders envisioned the American people, acting as
businessmen, humanitarians, and missionaries, engaging in
commercial and charitable activities around the world, bringing
peace and receiving the admiration of the world.
"The great rule of conduct for us, in
regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial
relations to have with them as little political
connection as possible."
— Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s
emphasis]
"I deem [one of] the essential
principles of our government, and consequently [one] which
ought to shape its administration,…peace, commerce, and
honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances
with none."
— Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801)
Bush's unconstitutional military invasion
of Iraq has destroyed Christianity in that country.
Under Saddam Hussein's secular government, Christians in
Iraq had greater freedom than in most other Arab nations,
and one of the largest Christian populations in the Muslim
world was in Iraq.
Iraq is now an Islamic theocracy under Sharia law. The
Christian population has been destroyed. Christian Churches
are burned and terrorized with impunity.
Obama is following in Bush's unconstitutional, anti-Christian
footsteps.
This money-creation system is immoral and unconstitutional. It
steals from the poor and elderly.
America's Founding Fathers would conclude that The First
Amendment had been repealed
There is no freedom of religion: the U.S. is officially atheistic.
There is no freedom of the press: the media is the lapdog of
"the Establishment."
Everyone who signed the Constitution, if they were here today,
would urge the repeal of the Constitution and the abolition
of the government created by that document.
This week, many of our largest
corporations reported robust earnings – a positive sign of
growth.
But too many of our small
business owners and those who aspire to start their own small
businesses continue to struggle, in part because
they can’t get the credit they need to start up, grow,
and hire. And too many Americans whose livelihoods have
fallen prey to the worst recession in our lifetimes – a
recession that cost our economy eight million jobs – still
wonder how they’ll make ends meet.
That’s why we
need to take new, commonsense steps to help small businesses, grow
our economy,
and create jobs – and we
need to take them now.
For months, that’s what we’ve
been trying to do. But too often, the Republican leadership
in the United States Senate chooses to filibuster our recovery and
obstruct our progress. And that has very real consequences.
Consider what that obstruction
means for our small businesses – the growth engines that create
two of every three new jobs in this country. A lot of small
businesses still have
trouble getting the loans and capital they need to keep
their doors open and hire new workers. So we proposed steps
to get them that help: Eliminating
capital gains taxes on investments. Establishing a
fund for small lenders to help small businesses. Enhancing
successful SBA programs that help them access the capital they
need.
Haven't the
Republicans been supporters of eliminating capital gains taxes?
What's the real reason Republicans are opposing the
President's proposals?
But again and again, a partisan
minority in the Senate said “no,” and used procedural tactics
to block a simple, up-or-down vote.
Think about what these stalling
tactics mean for the millions of Americans who’ve lost their
jobs since the recession began. Over the past several weeks,
more than two million of them have seen their unemployment
insurance expire. For many, it was the only way to make ends
meet while searching for work – the only way to cover rent,
utilities, even food.
Here's the answer:
cutting taxes was tied to expanding government welfare.
See DownsizeDC.org's "One
Subject at a Time Act"
Three times, the Senate has tried
to temporarily extend that emergency assistance. And three
times, a minority of Senators – basically the same crowd who
said “no” to small businesses – said “no” to folks
looking for work, and blocked a straight up-or-down vote.
Some Republican leaders actually
treat this unemployment insurance as if it’s a form of welfare.
They say it discourages folks from looking for work. Well,
I’ve met a lot of folks looking for work these past few years,
and I can tell you, I haven’t met any Americans who would rather
have an unemployment check than a meaningful job that lets you
provide for your family. And we all have friends, neighbors,
or family members who already knows [sic] how hard it is to land a
job when five workers are competing for every opening.
Now in the past, Presidents and
Congresses of both parties have treated unemployment insurance for
what it is – an emergency expenditure. That’s because an
economic disaster can devastate families and communities just as
surely as a flood or tornado.
Suddenly, Republican leaders want
to change that. They say we shouldn’t provide unemployment
insurance because it costs money. So after years of
championing policies that turned a record surplus into a massive
deficit, including a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans,
they’ve finally decided to make their stand on the backs of the
unemployed. They’ve got no problem spending money on tax
breaks for folks at the top who don’t need them and didn’t
even ask for them; but they object to helping folks laid off in
this recession who really do need help. And every day this
goes on, another 50,000 Americans lose that badly needed lifeline.
Well, I think these Senators are
wrong. We can’t afford to go back to the same misguided
policies that led us into this mess. We need to move forward
with the policies that are leading us out of this mess.
The fact is, most economists
agree that extending unemployment insurance is one of the single
most cost-effective ways to help jumpstart the economy. It
puts money into the pockets of folks who not only need it most,
but who also are most likely to spend it quickly. That
boosts local economies. And that means jobs.
Helping the
unemployed and eliminating the government middleman is
even more cost-effective. And more Constitutional.
More jobs would be created by eliminating the government
middleman. A true leader educates, inspires, and empowers local
personal responsibility, not not create more government
bureaucracies.
Increasing loans to small
business. Renewing unemployment insurance. These steps
aren’t just the right thing to do for those hardest hit by the
recession – they’re the right thing to do for all of us.
And I’m calling on Congress once more to take these steps on
behalf of America’s workers, and families, and small business
owners – the people we were sent here to serve.
Michael D. Tanner
writes:
That is not to say that anyone is
getting rich off unemployment, or that unemployed people are lazy.
But it is simple human nature that people are a little less
motivated as long as a check is coming in.
Who says so? Well, among others, no
less than Nobel Prize-winning economist and liberal icon Paul
Krugman. He wrote in Microeconomics:
"Public policy designed to
help workers who lose their jobs can lead to structural
unemployment as an unintended side effect. ... In other countries,
particularly in Europe, benefits are more generous and last
longer. The drawback to this generosity is that it reduces a
worker's incentive to quickly find a new job. Generous
unemployment benefits in some European countries are widely
believed to be one of the main causes of 'Eurosclerosis,' the
persistent high unemployment that affects a number of European
countries."
In fact, roughly a third of those
unemployed in the United States find work almost immediately when
their benefits expire, according to a study by Stepan Jurajda and
Frederick Tannery in Industrial and Labor Relations Review.
Most find jobs in a matter of weeks.
Because when storms strike Main
Street, we
don’t play politics with emergency aid. We
don’t desert our
fellow Americans when they fall on hard times. We
come together. We
do what we
can to help. We
rebuild stronger, and we
move forward. That’s what we’re
doing today. And I’m absolutely convinced that’s how we’re
going to come through this storm to better days ahead.
If
"we...Americans" really are helpful, then why take our
help, send it to Washington D.C., let politicians take most of it
and attach politically-correct strings to the rest and send it
back to us?
Why not eliminate the middleman?
Because "we...Americans" are greedy and stupid. Only
"we politicians" can be trusted to do the
right thing with the money of "we...Americans."
“Why
Americans Should
Celebrate Christmas
365 Days
a Year”
The word "Christ" means "King." The Message
of Christmas and the Principles set forth by the Christ (the
Messiah) who came that first Christmas are the real solution to
America's problems. The Federal Government is at war with Christmas
and "The
Way of Peace" announced by the Prince
of Peace. The Government should be on His
shoulders (Isaiah
9:6-7). Abolishing a Messianic State
is the only appropriate way to honor the Messiah. Otherwise
Christmas becomes mass hypocrisy.
The Word became flesh. The Creator of the universe
becomes a human being. He came to His own, but His own did
not receive Him, preferring darkness rather than light.
John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah, as
prophesied of Elijah.
As you read the
Gospel accounts, ask yourself how you would react if you knew
these accounts were really true. Not just true in some
"religious" sense, but reported in the New York
Times, proven in a court of law, or acknowledged by your
personal hero. (How do you know something
is true? Do you even have any "heroes?") How should
you change your life if your Creator became a human being? How
should Washington D.C. react if this human being claimed to be
the true Ruler?
The Prophet Micah predicted
that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus'
parents lived in Nazereth. Therefore God predestined
Caesar to issue a decree (probably relating to taxes) that
would bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem before Jesus was
born.
Bush claims the same global
power of confiscation and migration as Caesar did. Thousands
of Christians have been forced to move out of Iraq to make way
for Bush's Islamic Theocracy.
An army of angels announces the birth of the Messiah,
saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace to
those with whom He is pleased!”
Man's chief
end is to glorify God and live in
peace. The Bush Administration's chief end is to erect a
"wall of separation"
between God and government so that the State gives no glory to
God, and to wage war, thereby "stimulating the
economy."
“Now when they had seen Him, they made widely
known the saying which was told them concerning this
Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things
which were told them by the shepherds.”
When Herod got word of the birth of a rival king, he
behaved in a perfectly logical way (for someone who wants
to protect his power): he massacred all male babies
the age of Jesus. Herod recognized that Jesus was a threat
to Herod's power.
Every day in America 4,000
unborn babies are murdered. These babies must threaten
something.
Millions of Americans who call themselves Christians, on
the other hand, are no threat to tyranny.
None of them are being killed. Bush has killed a thousand
times more human beings than Herod did, and confiscated a
billion times more wealth than Herod did.
Herod's son Antipas played a small role in the execution
of Jesus Christ. But Jesus rose from the dead, was
enthroned on the throne of David at the right hand of God,
and assumed the rightful role of King over all nations.
"Beginning today and
culminating on Sunday morning, Christians will celebrate with
their families the resurrection of Christ, His victory over
death. We will remember that He gave His body and His
blood—washing clean the faults and the
shortcomings of the world. In our rejoicing we will renew
the hope that is ours through the risenLord." Ronald
Reagan: Statement on the Celebration of Passover and Easter
Every American could be born with a comfortable
inheritance for education, a first home, or medical care; instead,
every American is born in great debt.
Washington D.C. central planning increases debt, does not create
the "Vine &
Fig Tree" life.
I’m Pat Roberts – and I am
very proud to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate. I’ve had
the privilege of serving the people of my state as both a
senator and a congressman.
And much of my work in Congress
has focused on healthcare, and especially the needs and concerns
of patients -- whether in a rural hospital in my hometown of
Dodge City or in a major metropolitan area like Kansas City.
And no matter where I go,
patients tell me they are very worried that the new healthcare
law – Obamacare -- will cost more, hurt their quality of care,
and keep them from seeing their doctor that they know and trust.
Now as you know, Republicans
fought against holding the healthcare debate behind closed
doors. We fought against the parliamentary gimmicks used to pass
the bill against the wishes of a majority of Kansans and
Americans. Now, as we all return to work after our Independence
Day celebrations, we learn President Obama – again – has
gone behind closed doors to appoint a healthcare czar without
public debate.
President Obama gave a recess
appointment – avoiding a public hearing and a vote in the
Senate – to Dr. Donald Berwick, making him the administrator
for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
It is ironic that the president
chose Independence Day for this action, avoiding the Senate’s
constitutional check on executive power, to appoint Dr. Berwick.
Now, upon learning of this
move, the chairman of the Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus, a
Democrat from Montana, said, "I’m troubled that, rather
than going through the standard nomination process, Dr. Berwick
was recess appointed."
I could not agree more with my
Democrat colleague.
Without a public confirmation
hearing on Dr. Berwick’s nomination, the Senate and the
American people do not have the opportunity to learn about the
man who will control one-third of all healthcare spending in
America.
So a lot is at stake.
His influence will extend
beyond Medicare and Medicaid, affecting nearly every
American’s care, because Medicare sets the course for private
insurers.
As part of the new healthcare
law, Dr. Berwick will have to a cut half a trillion dollars from
Medicare, obviously limiting seniors’ choices.
Now, as a result of the recess
appointment, Dr. Berwick will take office through the back door
without any formal public vetting as prescribed by the
Constitution.
The Constitution
does not prescribe "vetting" "the man who will
control one-third of all healthcare spending in America."
No such czar is considered in the Constitution.
Now
this flies in the face of what was promised to be the most
transparent administration in our nation's history.
So – what do we know about
how Dr. Berwick will administer your healthcare? Lets look at
his own statements.
He said, "Any healthcare
funding plan ... must — must — redistribute wealth from the
richer among us to the poorer and less fortunate."
Well, the obvious fear is Dr.
Berwick will in fact use this position to redistribute the
wealth in our country, cementing Obamacare as a giant, but
stealthy, income transfer machine.
Dr. Berwick has spoken very
favorably about the British national health service, calling it
‘not just a national treasure, [but] a global treasure’ as
well.
Unfortunately, the British
system rations care to contain costs.
The following disturbing
statement of Dr. Berwick speaks for itself: "Most people
who have serious pain do not need advanced methods; they just
need the morphine and counseling that has been around for
centuries."
Now is this the person we want
making healthcare decisions for us, for our parents, our
grandparents, our children, grandchildren?
Dr. Berwick has proposed
similar rationing ideas for the American healthcare system,
saying, "The decision is not whether or not we will ration
care — the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes
open."
Clearly the president’s plan
is to have Dr. Berwick’s use of rationing cut that half a
trillion dollars from Medicare.
Americans will not know how
much saving a life is worth until Dr. Berwick is calling the
shots. There should be a public forum where he must address who
should make medical decisions-- your doctor? The patient? The
family? Or the government?
We urge the president to
reconsider his recess appointment of Dr. Berwick and encourage
the Finance Committee to at least hold a public hearing now.
The president’s healthcare
plan – the most sweeping overhaul of healthcare in our
lifetime – cannot be implemented behind closed doors. This is
a warning! Your healthcare and the care of your loved ones now
hangs in the balance. Americans deserve answers.
####
The men who threw tea into the Boston Harbor over a tax of 3 pence
per pound would not be happy with a tax ten times greater on
every gallon of gas. Those who took up muskets over a total tax burden
of less than 3% would not be happy with
the fact that the federal government now takes more
than half of everything you earn.
Today it is illegal for public school teachers to teach their
students that the Declaration of Independence is really true (and not
just an outdated historical document). The federal government is
clearly at war with everything the Founding Fathers stood for.
America's greatest Americans would abolish
today's federal government.
Muskets are Not an Option
There are two reasons why we should not take up arms to pull off
the violent overthrow of the federal
government, even if America's Founders would surely do so. First, the
feds have nukes. Second, violent revolution is unChristian and
unBiblical. We must beat our swords into
plowshares and use persuasion to
abolish tyranny. This is time for a
revolution of ideas.
Revolution Won't Come in a Day
John Adams once wrote that the American
Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis
began legal challenges to the Writs
of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American
independence," Adams wrote, "was
then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15
years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence
(1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a
Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the
Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And
Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20
years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince
Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government
schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal
Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."
GeorgeWashingtonCoaching.com
Every great athlete has a coach.
If you want to be a great American you need a coach.
If you want to achieve great things for your country, you need a
coach.
Imagine what you could do if George Washington, "the Father of
his Country,"
could travel through time and be your personal coach.
The results could be extraordinary.
Find out why you need a personal coach, and why GeorgeWashingtonCoaching.com
is the foundation for an extraordinary life.
Contact Congress --
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make a critical difference on important issues.
Help End the Mexican Civil
War
Black-market profits caused by drug prohibition fund a civil
war in Mexico that's threatening to spill over our borders.
Drug profits also fuel the terrorists who are killing U.S.
soldiers in Afghanistan. It's time to dry up the black-market
profits. It's time to end drug prohibition.
Make
Congress Read Their Bills Before Voting
Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before
they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor
DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA).
End
the FED
The Federal Reserve System constantly inflates and deflates the
supply of money and credit, causing booms and busts. It's time
to get off this roller-coaster. It's time to end the Fed.
No
Bailouts!
No government money, whether borrowed or taxed, should ever be
used to bailout private financial interests. If you agree,
please send Congress a message telling them so.
TWIC
- A Backdoor Real ID Card
Real ID is dying. But the Department of Homeland Security has a
new plan to subject every American to a national ID card anyway.
They plan to pick off one occupational field at a time, starting
with the maritime industry. One man is fighting back. Meet him,
and help stop this backdoor Real ID plan.
Stop
the Killer Horse Hormones
The FDA "outlawed" the use of Estriol, an estrogen
medication that's bio-identical to human estrogen. Doctors must
now prescribe animal-derived estrogen instead. Are bio-identical
hormones dangerous, while animal-derived hormones are safe? No.
The practice of medicine is moving to chemically identical to
human hormones and away from animal hormones. Learn why the FDA
decided to endanger women's health in this way, and take action.
End
Asset Forfeiture
If the government suspects you used your house or car in a
crime, they can take it and sell it at auction. They don't even
have to prove your guilt. They call this practice civil asset
forfeiture, but it's really theft. It violates the 4th, 5th,
6th, 8th, 9th and 14th Amendments. It also encourages law
enforcement to put profits before justice. Tell Congress to end
civil asset forfeiture.
Support
an Iraq Referendum
Americans keep debating when, how, or if to leave Iraq. Maybe
we should ask the Iraqi people what they want. After all, it's
their country. Tell Congress to request that the Iraqi
government hold a public referendum on the U.S. occupation. Learn
more »
Make Congress read every word of
every bill they create before they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor
DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA).
Unelected bureaucrats create
tens-of-thousands of new dictates each year. Making rules is
the job of Congress, not bureaucrats.
DownsizeDC.org has drafted the “Write the Laws Act” to
end bureaucratic “legislation without representation.”
Click here . . .
"Cap
and Trade" is not the way
The politicians seem to be unifying around "cap and
trade" as a way to cut CO2 emissions. If they take this
step it may be the largest increase in the size, scope, and
intrusiveness of government since the creation of Medicare.
Worse still, it may not even achieve its purpose. Please
tell Congress to oppose "cap and trade." Learn
more »
Iraq
Waste
Big government prospers through failure. Each new failure is
used to justify more spending and new powers. Wasteful spending
in Iraq is the latest example. One way to change this is to hold
government accountable. A new bill in Congress seeks to provide
some of the needed accountability. Please support it. Learn
more »
Stop
the War for Terror U.S. policy has inflamed the Middle East. It has made
terrorism more likely rather than less. We seem to be fighting
a war for terror, rather than on
terror. This policy must stop. The place to start stopping is
with Iran. We must not attack Iran. War with Iran
would devastate our economy, disrupt world oil supplies, and
recruit more terrorists. Click
here to stop this war before it starts.
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