Gov. Rendell’s take on State’s Rights and Health Care

Written by Roberta Biros

Regardless of who wins the General Election in November, we can all look forward to Ed Rendell’s reign as Governor ending at the end of 2010. Can I hear an Amen!

Let’s be honest. Governor Rendell is nothing short of a Socialist. Please realize that “Socialist” isn’t a term that I’ve ever used in this blog to describe ANYONE. The term was only used once, and it was used by the Chairman of the Mercer County Democrat Committee (Bob Lark) to describe ME (for a good laugh and some insight on my political background on this topic read HERE), but I’ve never used it to describe anyone else. So understand that I don’t make this remark light-heartedly. I make the statement today in direct response to an interview that Governor Rendell had on Fox News this morning, March 29, 2010.

The topic of the interview on Fox and Friends was “Is it unconstitutional for the Federal Government to mandate that people buy insurance?” Governor Rendell’s response was as follows (and I quote):

“There is no legal question. These lawsuits are frivolous. There is no legal
merit. It’s just grandstanding by Attorney Generals. Why would you want to take
the immediate short-term benefits away from your citizens.”

Governor Rendell went on to explain that this is just a political game being played by the Attorney Generals across the country and in his own state.

If I could talk to Governor Rendell directly I would say . . . “No legal merit? What about the laws that are defined in the single most important document of law in the Country.” I would ask . . . “have you ever heard of the Constitution?” I would probably need to be more specific and expand on my question with . . . “have you ever heard of the 10th Amendment to the Constitution?” While you would think that the Governor would be familiar with the Bill of Rights, you really can’t “assume” anything in this case. If I could talk to Governor Rendell I would offer him a pocket edition of the Constitution for reference.

What the Governor fails to understand is that it is the RESPONSIBILITY of our state lawmakers to defend the rights of their constituents in our state. Failure to do so would be a breach of their “contract” with us as our elected officials. His only argument against the constitution is a reference to “short-term benefits”. “Short-term benefits” is the only carrot he could find for his stick. In an attempt to lure people away from the Constitution, Governor Rendell is offering “short-term benefits”.

I am hopeful that after this storm blows through, the Constitution survives . . . intact. Not for the “short-term benefits”, but for the long-term freedom of the people of the United States.

.

Freedomworks announces that it headed back to DC again

FreedomWorks has announced that they are going back up to the DC Capitol on 03-21-2010 for another rally...Here is the announcement http://twitter.com/FreedomWorks stay tuned this is a fluid situation but is a necessary step to prevent Obamacare.

Congressman Murtha's Death Will Make It More Difficult For Democrats To Pass Health Care Reform

The American Specter has a great article on how Congressman Murtha's death will impact Speaker Nancy Pelosi's ability to pass the democrats health care reform through the House of Representatives. Back in November the House passed the health care bill 220 to 215 margin, with 39 Democrats voting against it.

To pass the bill at some point in the next few months, she'll need to flip a Democrat who is already on record voting against the bill. This doesn't even take into account the pro-life Democrats led by Bart Stupak who are prepared to vote "no." While there's been talk that Pelosi had some votes in reserve the first time around, the point is that any of those members felt the needed to vote against the bill -- and the political environment has deteriorated substantially for Democrats since then. Click Here To Read More

The results of the looming special election for Murtha's seat will also impact the mood in the House of Representatives. If a republican wins the special election in the way Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special election for Senator Ted Kennedy's seat, many conservative democrats in purple districts will no doubt be thinking twice about supporting the bill the second time around.

Backroom Deals Cast A Dark Shadow Over Democrat Health Care Reform Efforts

Like many Americans I have grown tired of all the Health Care Reform talk in Washington D.C. these days. I just feel like the debate has been reduced to the background noise on a TV or radio. Yes, I am already preparing for the passage of some kind of reform. I know that my own health care premium will go up and that my income taxes will increase soon after.

This entire Congressional debate over Health Care Reform simply shows the American people how out of touch the Democratic Leadership in Washington D.C. really is. While we are worrying about whether or not we have a job and how to pay the next bill, they are focusing on how to gain more control over our lives by taking over the Health Care industry in this country.

Although I think there is nothing we can do at this point to stop things, I have to say that the following backroom deals giving handouts to states whose Democratic Senators were hesitant to vote for the the Reid bill really must piss people off.

The Following Are The Deals Given Out By The Democratic Leadership in the Senate:

Sen. Nelson wasn't the only senator to be bought off by Majority Leader Reid. More than a dozen other states received special goodies, including:

* Louisiana-$300 million in additional Medicaid funding

* Vermont-2.2% FMAP increase for 6 years for Vermont Medicaid program
-$600 million in additional Medicaid funding (CBO)

* Massachusetts-0.5% FMAP increase for 3 years for their entire program
-$500 million in additional Medicaid funding (CBO)

* Hawaii-Restores DSH funding eliminated in the past to expand Medicaid eligibility

* Michigan-Adjusts payments to hospitals according to local wage levels, which when adjusted aids Michigan Exemption for non-profit insurers in the state from large excise tax

* Connecticut-$100 million earmark for construction of a University of Connecticut hospital

* Montana-Medicare coverage for individuals exposed to environmental health hazards in or around the geographic area of Libby, Mont., subject to an emergency declaration as of 6/17/09

* South Dakota , North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana
Adds 1% hospital wage index
Adds 1% practice index for physicians to cover geographic cost differences

All of this backroom dealing has shifted a greater % of the tax burden to people from other states. This is just shameful in my mind. We can no longer put up with this anymore. I say vote them all out in 2010. Just walk in the booth and pull the anti-incumbent lever.