Earth In High-Def

Last month NASA released high resolution images of Earth, which have been heralded as the most detailed images yet. From the UK Telegraph, March 2, 2010:

"Perfectly capturing the fragility of the Earth in one remarkable shot, the composition shows the entire North American continent, Central America, the northern half of South America, Greenland and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

[Beautiful, yes! Fragile, well, see my earlier post...]

"The space agency produced the stunning series of images using thousands of satellite-based observations hundreds of miles above the planet.

"The images of the earth’s land surface, oceans, coastlines and clouds were then stitched together by scientists to create the seamless mosaic of Earth.

"Astronomers at the Goddard Space Flight Centre produced the series, called 'Blue Marble', using the Terra satellite more than 435 miles (700km) above the Earth's surface.

"They also produced an accurate example of the Earth's topography, ocean depths and Arctic and Antarctic ice.

"After capturing images every eight days – to compensate for clouds that might block the sensor’s view – the composition has even left NASA experts astonished.

"'This image is the most detailed image of Earth to date and which shows the beauty of our small planet," a NASA spokesman said.

"The imagery, which is used by Apple as the iPhone’s default icon, was compiled by NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imagining Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which is on-board the satellite Terra.

The high resolution image can be seen here.

Happy Earth Day! Ain't she a beaut?!

The Earth Is Not Fragile

Today is Earth Day - hurrah! Honestly, though, spare me all the psycho-babble about 'saving the Earth' because quite realistically, we humans are but a gnat on the arse of this great planet of ours. Probably the best perspective on this can be found in the prologue of the late Michael Crichton's best selling novel, Jurassic Park, which follows:

"You think man can destroy the planet? What intoxicating vanity. Let me tell you about our planet. Earth is four-and-a-half-billion-years-old. There's been life on it for nearly that long, 3.8 billion years. Bacteria first; later the first multicellular life, then the first complex creatures in the sea, on the land. Then finally the great sweeping ages of animals, the amphibians, the dinosaurs, at last the mammals, each one enduring millions and millions of years. Great dynasties of creatures rising, flourishing, dying away - all this against a background of continuous and violent upheaval. Mountain ranges thrust up, eroded away, cometary impacts, volcano eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving, an endless, constant, violent change; colliding and buckling to make mountains over millions of years. Earth has survived everything in its time. It will certainly survive us.

"If all the nuclear weapons in the world went off at once and all the plants, all the animals died and the earth was sizzling hot for a hundred thousand years, life would survive, somewhere: under the soil, frozen in arctic ice. Sooner or later, when the planet was no longer inhospitable, life would spread again. The evolutionary process would begin again. Might take a few billion years for life to regain its present variety. Of course, it would be very different from what it is now, but the earth would survive our folly, only we would not. If the ozone layer gets thinner, and ultraviolet radiation sears Earth, so what? Ultraviolet radiation is good for life. It's powerful energy. It promotes mutation and change. Many forms of life will thrive with more UV radiation. Many others will die out. You think this is the first time that's happened? Think about oxygen. Necessary for life now, but oxygen is actually a metabolic poison, a corrosive gas, like fluorine.

"When oxygen was first produced as a waste product by certain plant cells some three billion years ago, it created a crisis for all other life on Earth. Those plants were polluting the environment, exhaling a lethal gas. Earth eventually had an atmosphere incompatible with life. Nevertheless, life on Earth took care of itself. In the thinking of the human being a hundred years is a long time. A hundred years ago we didn't have cars, airplanes, computers or vaccines. It was a whole different world, but to the earth, a hundred years is nothing. A million years is nothing. This planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale. We can't imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven't got the humility to try. We've been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we're gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us."

Beware Of W.A.T.E.R.

Environmental activists have long sought to thwart technological advances and breakthroughs intended to improve human life on earth. The folly of their tireless campaigns is exemplified through the parody that follows. Attributed to Norman Mischler, Chairman of the British branch of Hoescht AG (now Sanofi-Aventis), the parody makes light of the extent to which 'good intentions' trump society's best interests.

"ICI has announced the discovery of a new firefighting agent to add to their existing range. Known as WATER (Wonderful And Total Extinguishing Resource), it augments existing agents such as dry powder and BCF (bromine-chlorine-fluorine) which have been in use from time immemorial. It is particularly suitable for dealing with fires in buildings, timber yards and warehouses. Though required in large quantities, it is fairly cheap to produce.

"It is intended that quantities of about a million gallons should be stored in urban areas and near other installations of high risk ready for immediate use. BCF and dry powder are usually stored under pressure, but WATER will be stored in open ponds or reservoirs and conveyed to the scene of the fire by hoses and portable pumps.

"ICI's new proposals are already encountering strong opposition from safety and environmental groups. Professor Connie Barrinner has pointed out that, if anyone immersed his or her head in a bucket of WATER, it would prove fatal in as little as three minutes. Each of ICI's proposed reservoirs will contain enough WATER to fill 500,000 two-gallon buckets. Each bucket-full could be used 100 times so there is enough WATER in one reservoir to kill the entire population of the UK. Risks of this size, said Professor Barrinner, should not be allowed, whatever the gain. What use was a fire-fighting agent that could kill men as well as fires?

"A local authority spokesman said that he would strongly oppose planning permission for construction of a WATER reservoir in this area unless the most stringent precautions were followed. Open ponds were certainly not acceptable. What would prevent people falling in them? What would prevent the contents from leaking out? At the very least the WATER would need to be contained in a steel pressure vessel surrounded by a leak-proof concrete wall.

"A spokesman from the fire brigades said he did not see the need for the new agent. Dry powder and BCF could cope with most fires. The new agent would bring with it risks, particularly to firemen, greater than any possible gain. Did we know what would happen to this new medium when it was exposed to intense heat? It had been reported that WATER was a constituent of beer. Did this mean that firemen would be intoxicated by the fumes?

"The Friends of the World said that they had obtained a sample of WATER and found it caused clothes to shrink. If it did this to cotton, what would it do to men?

"In the House of Commons yesterday, the Home Secretary was asked if he would prohibit the manufacture and storage of this lethal new material. The Home Secretary replied that, as it was clearly a major hazard, local authorities would have to take advice from the Health & Safety Executive before giving planning permission. A full investigation was needed and the Major Hazards Group would be asked to report."

- from Hazardous Cargo Bulletin

7s Seize The Day

Seven days ago the number 7 came up big time in Pennsylvania's Big 4 Drawing. Appropriately enough, the winning combination was 7-7-7-7, and it resulted in the state paying out $7.77 million to some 3,000 winners.

But the real kicker to the story is that on the same day, the state's Super 7 jackpot was $7.3 million, while the Cash 5 kitty stood at $770,000.

Divine intervention? Perhaps. Since the state paid out about $7.2 million more than it took in, this was certainly a case of "Caesar rendering unto us..." The complete story can be read here.

Oschter Haws & Other Easter Traditions

"Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!"

So goes the Christian proclamation on Easter - a holiday that is more powerful, more important to Christians than Christmas. Yet, while I know some of the history behind Christmas traditions, I've wondered about the traditions of Easter (e.g - the Easter Bunny?) Ted Olsen of Christianity Today has some historical insights to these traditions in his piece "Why Easter?" An excerpt follows:

Why 'Easter'?

"The fact of the matter is no one knows for sure, but our best bet comes from Bede ('The Venerable'), a late-seventh-century historian and scholar from Anglo-Saxon England. He says Easter's name comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, associated with spring and fertility, and celebrated around the vernal equinox. So there you go. As Christmas was moved to coincide with (and supplant) the pagan celebration of winter, Easter was likely moved to coincide and replace the pagan celebration of spring.

"And while we're at it, the Easter Bunny comes from these pagan rites of spring as well, but more from pagan Germany than pagan Britain. Eighteenth-century German settlers brought 'Oschter Haws' (never knew he had a name, did you?) to America, where Pennsylvania Dutch settlers prepared nests for him in the garden or barn. On Easter Eve, the rabbit laid his colored eggs in the nests in payment. In Germany, old Oschter lays red eggs on Maundy Thursday. If anyone knows why children in an agrarian society would believe a rabbit lays eggs, please tell us or a historian near you. We're all dying to know.

"But enough of the pagan side of Easter. You want to know about Christian history:

"Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus, getting its name from the Latin translation of Jesus' saying that evening, 'A new commandment I give to you.' It is marked by foot washing and the blessing of the oils. But in various parts of the world, it has other traditions as well. The German word 'to mourn' (grun) is very similar to the word for green (grÜn). So in Austria, Hungary, and much of Germany, today is GrÜndonnerstag: a day to eat spinach and green salad. This is not the only reason for eating greens: Passover is celebrated with karpas (a green vegetable, usually parsley) and bitter herbs. In old England, men used to shave their beards on Maundy Thursday, as this was a time to cleanse the body as well as the soul to prepare for Easter.

"Friday, of course, is Good Friday. (The Orthodox call it Great Friday, but they're not celebrating Holy week until next week.) A strange day, Good Friday. Christians commemorate Jesus' death and call it 'Good.' It used to be that Good Friday was observed even more than Easter, but for a while Protestants ignored it. Oh and by the way, hot cross buns are a Christianized pagan custom, too—from the Eostre celebrations. On one Good Friday, a nineteenth-century missionary to Bermuda had difficulty explaining the ascension of Jesus, so he launched a kite with an image of Jesus on it and cut the string. Kite-flying is now a Bermuda Good Friday tradition.

"Another Bermuda fact: it's where Easter lilies came from. They were brought to America from the island in the 1880s (and, for once, not a Christianized pagan symbol). They're now associated with Easter because it grows from a bulb that is 'buried' and 'reborn.' So this Easter, consider the lilies. And what they represent.

Palestine: The Historical Jewish Homeland

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." [Genesis 12:2-3, NIV]


As this map shows, the Arab world is more than 500 times the size of Israel, which is some 40 miles at its widest point, and roughly half the size of San Bernardino County, California. Yet, this sliver of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River has been the source of conflict for decades, despite the Jews' 3,000-year history in the land. Why?

Conventional wisdom holds that Israel has long been the obstacle for peace in the middle east, strong-arming the much weaker, hapless Palestinian minority. Unfortunately for the proponents of this charge (i.e. - the mainstream media, academia, and Muslim apologists), history does not support their oft-cited (and false) claims.

First, at no time in history has there ever been a nation of 'Palestine,' nor has there ever existed a Palestinian people. The original name of this disputed land is Judea (go figure, Jews from Judea - a possible connection?), and it was renamed 'Palestine' by the Roman Empire in its efforts to wipe out all Jewish association to the region. As Professor Bernard Lewis points out, cartographers continued to use the regional name 'Palestine' up until the birth of modern day Israel shortly after WWII.

However, counter to the League of Nations mandate, which reserved all of 'Palestine' as the "national home for the Jewish people," Great Britain subdivided the region into sections east and west of the Jordan River. Arabs were granted about 75% of the region to the east, which was named Transjordan, and is now modern day Jordan. The Jews were allotted the area to the west of the Jordan River, and they declared their independence in 1948 as the nation of Israel.

Since its founding, Israel has defended its very existence in five wars initiated by its Arab neighbors, the first of which commenced the day after declaring its independence. Nonetheless, more than 1 million Arabs currently reside in Israel (about 20% of the population), and all are granted voting rights and the ability to serve in parliament (the Knesset). Furthermore, Arabs have complete religious freedom and full access to Israel's legal, health, and educational systems. And yet, Israel has never cited its Arab population as a hindrance to lasting peace in the region.

By contrast, (ill-conceived) conventional wisdom deems the construction of Jewish 'settlements' (or 'homes' in common parlance) in East Jerusalem or the West Bank as an act of aggression and an obstacle to peace. By the numbers, this adds up to about 300,000 Jews living among some 3 million Arabs - quite the outrage, huh?

News of the latest home construction projects in East Jerusalem came to a head during Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu's recent White House visit with President Obama. British media (go figure?) reported that the icy meeting between the two allied heads of state consisted of Obama ordering Netanyahu to concede to 13 demands (which Obama could then take to his upcoming meeting with the Arab League), and when Bibi refused, Obama left him waiting to go have dinner alone, chiding him with, "Let me know if there's anything new."

Diplomacy at its best, I suppose (or as Investor's Business Daily calls it, "Oafish Diplomacy")...and with our closest ally in the middle east, no less!

Contrast this with Obama's willingness to negotiate with Iran - a sworn enemy of the United States, and whose fanatical leader has openly called for the destruction of Israel, and declared that the Holocaust is a myth! Do we live in upside-down times, or what?

Unfortunately for the beleaguered 'Palestinian refugees,' their Arab home countries refuse to repatriate them, and they have continued to remain political pawns for 70 years in the Arab effort to destroy the only democratic country in the region. Only 10 years ago, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to meet virtually every one of PLO leader Yasser Arafat's demands, making Israel only 9 miles wide at its narrowest point. Arafat refused, and initiated his infamous intifada against Israel, demonstrating that it is Arab hate towards the Jews that fuels this decades-old conflict. It is the Arabs, after all, who refer to Israel as a 'cancer on the Arab body.' I guess so-called 'land-for-peace' doesn't work either...

Drawing upon biblical teachings surrounding God's chosen people, and considering the current administration's enmity towards Israel (and its anti-American agenda as a whole), is it any wonder that a recent Harris poll found that 14% of Americans believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ?

Outrageous? Provocative? Well, yes. God's admonition, however, that "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" provides fair warning to those hell-bent on destroying this Jewish state.

Swim For Your Lives - Guam May Capsize!

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) expressed his concerns last Thursday over the U.S. Navy's planned influx of 8,000 Marines and their families to the island of Guam. His exchange with Admiral Robert Willard can be seen below:



No comment.

Rep. Johnson has now issued the following statement:

"The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island."

And this from the U.K. Telegraph:

"Sailors on the island reportedly took the comments in good humour [sic]. One is said to have shown up for his duty posting wearing a life vest 'just in case.'"

Dems Speak The Truth

"The harsh fact of the matter is when you’re going to pass legislation that will cover 300 [million] American people in different ways it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people." [Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), WJR's Paul W. Smith Radio Show, Mar. 23, 2010]

"To control the people," huh?

"I think this [health care legislation] began the transforming of the country the way the president had promised. This is what he ran on...Then we have to say the American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism when they elected President Obama." [Rev. Al Sharpton, Fox News, Mar. 21, 2010]

"The American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism," huh?

"There ain't no rules here, we're trying to accomplish something...When the deal goes down...All this talk about rules...We make 'em up as we go along." [Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), impeached Florida judge, commenting on House voting rules regarding health care bill, Mar. 21, 2010]

Say what?!

"The only way to keep [congress] out of the cookie jar is to give them no choice. Which is why, whether its balanced budget acts or pay as you go legislation or any of that - it's the only thing. If you don't tie our hands, we'll keep stealing." [Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA), speaking to Jefferson-area citizens, Mar. 16, 2010]

"If you don't tie our hands, we'll keep stealing," huh?

"You now have a proposal from me that will be in legislation, that...makes sure that people are able to get insurance even if they've got preexisting conditions...This notion that this [health care reform process] has been not transparent, that people don't know what's in the bill, everybody knows what's in the bill..." [President Barack Obama, Fox News, Mar. 17, 2010]

But wait! Try this headline:

"Whoops! ObamaCare Doesn't Cover Pre-existing Conditions After All, Until 2014" [Washington Examiner, Mar. 24, 2010]

Bizarro world continues with this latest blurb:

"Cuban Leader Applauds US Healthcare Reform Bill" [Associated Press, Mar. 25, 2010]

So Comrade Dictator Castro endorses ObamaCare - yippee! This is the same 'strongman' who had to fly a Spanish doctor into Cuba to perform his surgery...Hmmm...makes you wonder about our own prospects.

Hit or miss, Democrats can't deny their progressive, statist stripes. As former Rep. James Traficant used to exclaim, "Beam me up!"

Lost Freedoms Under ObamaCare

"People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both." [Benjamin Franklin]

So cites David Hogberg in his Investor's Business Daily column yesterday, in which he lists 20 freedoms that Americans have lost under ObamaCare. On this monstrous piece of legislation, Hogberg comments:

"...it will result in skyrocketing insurance costs and physicians leaving the field in droves, making it harder to afford and find medical care."

So true. Excerpts from his column follow:

1. You are young and don't want health insurance? You are starting up a small business and need to minimize expenses, and one way to do that is to forgo health insurance? Tough. You have to pay $750 annually for the 'privilege.' (Section 1501)

2. You are young and healthy and want to pay for insurance that reflects that status? Tough. You'll have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes three packs a day, drinks a gallon of whiskey and eats chicken fat off the floor. That's because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person's health status. (Section 2701).

5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn't allow your employees' slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough. (Section 2714).

6. You're a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You're a woman who can't have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You're a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Add your own violation of personal freedom here.) (Section 1302).

10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Sorry, can't do that. (Section 9005 (i)).

13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can't (Section 6001 (i) (1) (B). Unless, it is located in a [county] where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) (C)).

15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry...Think you, as a pharmaceutical executive, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 9008 (b)).

16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers...Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for R&D? Tough. (Section 9009 (b)).

17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies...Think you, as an insurance executive, know how to better spend that money? Tough.(Section 9010 (b) (1) (A and B).)

20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Think you know how to spend that money you earned better than the government? Tough. (Section 9017).

Hogberg's column can be viewed in its entirety here.

In the meantime, as we reflect on these new rules, let us recall Madame Pelosi's comment from two days ago wherein she referred to this bill as "an American proposal that honors the traditions of our country."

On the contrary, the contents of this legislation, and the manner in which it was passed, smacks of statism. In the forthcoming legal challenges and attempts to repeal this law (beginning with the defeat of every Democrat in the mid-term elections), we should bear in mind Benjamin Franklin's aforementioned quote.

A Middle Finger Salute To Americans

Amid chants of "Yes We Can," House Democrats approved the health care bill late last night. With Democrat pro-lifers selling out their core beliefs to grander party ideology, their Judas-votes enabled this travesty to occur. Republicans stood unanimous in their opposition to the bill. Although Obama has promised concessions to pro-life Dems, it's unclear that he has the ability to do so. Then again, with Democrats riding roughshod over the rule of law, who knows?

Commenting on the historic nature of the event, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared,

"We will honor the vows of our founders, who in the Declaration of Independence said that we are ‘endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ This legislation will lead to healthier lives, more liberty to pursue hopes and dreams and happiness for the American people. This is an American proposal that honors the traditions of our country."

Our Founders must be turning over in their graves! The Constitution specifically addresses what our government CAN'T do - it limits government powers over its citizens, so as to prevent tyranny (which is what Europeans were escaping when they immigrated to the New World). The Founders never intended the Constitution to be a laundry list of services that the government must provide for its citizens. If anything, Madame Pelosi's comments reveal her obtuseness and idiocy. She's a national embarrassment. And through this entire health care debacle the Democrat party has revealed its true colors: those of Statist Progressives.

The obligation of another $2.4 trillion in spending that this health care bill represents, now makes the U.S. the world's largest debtor nation. What with all of the spending that the Obama administration has already done, we can never - NEVER - fully repay our debts! We are now, undoubtedly, on the road to serfdom. And the world is watching. The markets are watching.

Just this morning Bloomberg is reporting that "The bond market is saying that it’s safer to lend to Warren Buffett than Barack Obama." The story includes this quote from Mitchell Stapley of Fifth Third Asset Management:

"It’s a slap upside the head of the government...It could be the moment where hopefully you realize that risk is beginning to creep into your credit profile and the costs associated with that can be pretty scary."

The story continues:

"Moody’s Investors Service predicts the U.S. will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the U.K...moving [it] 'substantially' closer to losing its AAA rating."

Real nice, huh?

What this health care vote showed was that one party - the Republicans - voted on behalf of Americans, on behalf of the country, and while they'll surely reap the rewards in the November elections, it will be challenging to undo what the Constitution-shredding Democrats have now done. After all, when has the government ever successfully rolled back an entitlement?

In the meantime, enjoy paying substantially higher taxes from here on out. But don't expect any benefits for another 4 years, which is when the supposed reforms are to go into effect. No longer will you and your doctor decide which course of treatment is best for you; rather, a government bureaucrat will decide your fate based upon your age, your current health, and what's in the best interest of society (in other words, your cost-benefit).

What the hell kind of reform is this anyway? Democrats have just "fundamentally transformed" (in the words of Obama) the best health care system in the world to an antiquated Soviet-style health care abomination. Thank you, Obama. Thank you, Democrats. Thank you, Hopium-addicted voters.

As I said, real nice, huh?

There Ain't No Rules Here

Impeached judge and current Florida Representative Alcee Hastings[D] let the cat out of the bag by revealing the Democrat strategy in passing health care reform:



Transcript: "There ain't no rules here, we're trying to accomplish something...When the deal goes down...All this talk about rules...We make 'em up as we go along."

Oops! What a revelation for this former judge, who now serves on the House Rules Committee! Did I mention that he was impeached for corruption and perjury while serving on the bench?

We can only hope that there are enough elected representatives with a moral center and a genuine commitment to follow the rule of law (as explicited stated in the Constitution) to vote down this Democrat-contrived monstrosity of a bill.

A Man Of Ideas

• Six-term Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan[R] is putting the lie to Democrat charges that the Republican party is devoid of ideas. In his 'Roadmap for America's Future,' Ryan outlines his solutions to our nation's most vexing challenges. An issue-by-issue summary of his cogent ideas include:

Health Care

• A refundable tax credit for individuals and families ($2,300 and $5,700, respectively) to purchase portable insurance policies from across state lines (which promotes competition among the country's 1,700 health insurance companies). Any remaining funds are then pocketed by the consumer.
• Enable effective comparison shopping for the consumer via transparency in health care pricing and service quality.
• Allowing small businesses to pool their resources nationally so as to better afford coverage for their employees.
• Create state-based exchanges wherein individuals and families can purchase affordable coverage without being discriminated against for pre-existing conditions.
• Offer states high risk pools so that everyone can access coverage.

None of these measures are included in Democrat reforms, which are scheduled for a vote this weekend. If you think reconsideration is in order (instead of the oft-cited reconciliation, which is a complete ruse), go to Free Our Healthcare Now and voice your opposition. But I digress...

The Roadmap continues:

Medicare/Medicaid

• Preserves the program for those currently enrolled, and for those enrolling in the next 10 years.
• Reforms the program to make it permanently solvent.
• Fully funds Medical Savings Accounts.

Social Security

• Preserves the program for those who are 55 years of age or older.
• Offers to those under the age of 55 the option of investing up to 1/3 of their social security taxes into personal retirement accounts that are fully inheritable by their beneficiaries, and are guaranteed against the loss of every dollar contributed.
• Reforms the program to make it permanently solvent.

Taxes

• Offers tax payers the option of filing their returns via the current tax code or doing so via a simplified version that is the size of a postcard.
• Adopts 2 tax rates: 10% (on income up to $100K joint; $50K single), and 25% on income above these thresholds. A generous standard deduction also applies, whereby a family of four would be exempt from the first $39K in income.
• Eliminates the AMT.
• Eliminates taxes on interest, dividends, capital gains, and death (inheritance).
• Replaces the current corporate tax (second highest in the world) with a consumption tax of 8.5%, which is half that of other industrialized nations (thereby making the U.S. all the more competitive and attractive to foreign investment).

Contrast these ideas with those peddled by the Democrats. One is based on individual freedoms and choice, while the other (bandied about by liberals and progressives) has centralized government serving as the arbiter of one's entire existence.

A cursory overview of the aforementioned Roadmap begs the question, then, "Which party is lacking in ideas?"

U.S. Health Care Second-To-None

As we approach the eleventh hour of the pending health care vote, it's crucial to understand what passage of the current health reform bill means to us all. While the oligarchs in Washington, D.C. (Obama, Pelosi, et al.), continue to push their monstrous reforms, we (the serfs) are left ignorant of their contents. But according to Madame Pelosi, we are not to worry. As she recently commented, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it..."

What we do know, however, is that every single American would be required to carry government-approved health insurance, or face fines amounting to thousands of dollars. And, yes, the bill authorizes the IRS to act as the enforcer, which would make monthly sweeps of every American's insurance status. Company payrolls would also be monitored for compliance. Those individuals and companies deemed to be in violation (read: law-breakers) would face fines that could be collected via the withholding of tax returns or wage garnishment.

And let's not forget what else such a takeover of 1/6 of the U.S. economy represents (which is an order of magnitude equal to the entire economies of Great Britain or France!): government ownership of 48% of private industry. And you thought this could only happen in Cuba or Venezuela? As Rep. Michele Bachmann has adroitly explained, adding government-run health care to the already government-owned GM, Chrysler, AIG, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the banks, brings the grand total to almost 50% of private industry. In her words, "That's the true Obama story."

Very Soviet, wouldn't you say?

No? Then perhaps you might be thinking that the ends justify the means. Well, let's examine some of those ends.

While liberals and progressives here in the U.S. laud the Canadian health care system, why do Canadians regularly cross the border to seek medical services in American hospitals? Could it be that their median wait time for surgeries or therapeutic treatments is 16 weeks? (Fraser Institute, Oct. 29, 2009) Why would Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams fly to Florida for his heart surgery? Could it be that the Canadian health system has not adopted the latest procedures that are less intrusive and provide the quickest recovery time? Or maybe it was the 16 week wait time - then again, he's 60 years old, so he's already almost dead anyway (at least in the eyes of the Canuck health care bureaucrats). How about the regular airlifts of expectant British Columbian mothers to U.S. hospitals due to bed and neonatal unit shortages?

If our health care system was so medieval, so archaic, so horrid, why the persistent influx of Canadians across our borders, hmm?

While Michael Moore glorified the Cuban health care system in his mockumentary, "Sicko", Comrade Castro flew a Spanish doctor in to perform his intestinal surgery in 2006. Makes you wonder, huh? Then again, where are all those stories about health care tourists descending en masse to that communist mecca?

Then what about Great Britain? Surely they must have a utopian health care system for its citizens. Not so. After years of government finagling with health care laws, British hospitals have begun denying treatment to patients by letting them wait in the ambulances which brought them in for treatment in the first place! Why? As long as the individual is not admitted, he does not have to be treated. Speaking of which, just last week a 22-year old patient died of thirst after 3 days of neglect - while in the hospital. No joke! You can read the UK DailyMail article for yourself. He eventually phoned the police for help, but ultimately died.

These so-called health care utopias are more akin to health care purgatory. What they all have in common is the rationing and denial of care. In their grand economic equations there can be only one variable when cost is considered. At the end of the day, hospitals, doctors, and nurses must get paid by the government, so the one who always gets the raw deal is the patient. After all, it is his treatment that can be varied or denied in the name of cost containment. But what else would you expect when you vote for the government to become a partner in your health?

Our country has the best health care in the world. If you or a family member required immediate life-saving treatment, where but the United States would you go? Our laws require that every individual who seeks treatment in a hospital gets treated. Our system is not perfect, but that is mostly due to government regulation and intrusion. The evil guy here is not the insurance company, it is government. They are to blame for the imperfections in our health care system, and it is they (Democrats) who stand in the way of true health care reform now.

As our elected leaders prepare to vote this weekend, let your voice be heard. Register your opposition to Obamacare at Free Our Healthcare Now!

My Canadian Healthcare Horror Stories

A Message for Americans

by Cathy LeBoeuf-Schouten

I was born in the same year that my government adopted socialized healthcare in Canada. I am an educated, middle-class woman and I have never known any kind of healthcare but the kind that is provided by our government-run system. It has been a nightmare for my family and me. The following stories, told in second person and based on my personal experiences with socialized healthcare in Canada, constitute my personal warning to Americans.

Imagine that you and your spouse, and three children under the age of six move to a new city and must find a family doctor. You are told at the local clinic that the doctors there are not accepting any new patients. (Canadian price controls have created shortages of everything when it comes to healthcare). The receptionist suggests that you go through the yellow pages and try to find a physician whose practice is not "full." You spend days, and weeks, doing this, and are repeatedly told "Sorry, we are not accepting new patients." You put your name on several waiting lists and persist in calling doctors’ offices.

Finally, a receptionist tells you that, while the doctor is still accepting new patients, he requires a full medical history and an interview with each family member before you can be added to his roster of patients. Based on the questions asked during the interviews, you come to understand that he is screening out sick or potentially sick people. You are all healthy, fortunately, so he takes you on as patients. Others are just out of luck.

There is a chronic shortage of doctors in Canada because price controls on doctors’ salaries have resulted in a "brain drain" where the best and brightest practice medicine in the U.S. and elsewhere, after being educated in Canada. In addition, the Canadian government cut medical school enrollment in half in the 1990s as a "cost-cutting measure," making the problem of doctor shortages much worse.

Next, imagine that all of a sudden your six-year-old begins showing what seems to be signs of an appendicitis attack, shortly after recuperating from chicken pox. You take him to a hospital emergency room and carry him in because he is unable to walk. There is no one to help you as you enter the building, so you must lumber along to the reception area. A nurse interviews you for a couple of minutes, asks you for the reason for your visit, and then takes your son’s government health card and asks you to fill out paperwork while your son writhes in pain in your lap.

You tell the nurse that your son must be seen by a doctor immediately – it’s an emergency! – as his condition is worsening by the minute. The nurse tells you, stone-faced, to go and sit in the waiting room to wait for a triage nurse. Having no choice, you do what you are told and join twenty or so others in line in front of you. You are given nothing to help make your son more comfortable – no damp facecloth, no bedpan for the vomit, nothing.

When a triage nurse finally strolls in a half hour later your son is too weak to respond to her and you begin to panic. Finally, a doctor appears and says it’s just a "bug" and that you should not be playing "armchair doctor" by "diagnosing" appendicitis. He orders some time-consuming tests anyway, because you have shown him that you are very, very angry. Six hours later the test results come back positive for appendicitis.

Your son is whisked away for an emergency appendectomy, after which the surgeon tells you that, had the surgery been delayed by another few minutes, he would probably have died. Your son’s appendix was gangrenous and on the verge of bursting. It reminds you of reading in the local news of three other people who were sent home from the emergency room, only to have their appendices burst and die. You are grateful that you were much more persistent and ornery than they apparently were.

Our Soviet-style emergency rooms have waiting rooms equipped with hard metal chairs, vending machines that sell junk food, and maybe a television in one corner. There is no access to any medical equipment, beds, or even stretchers. In the emergency room everyone passes through triage and is given a code based on a nurse’s cursory evaluation of their affliction. If you are not satisfied with the "care" that is provided there is nowhere else to go, except to an American hospital if you are close enough to the border and can afford to pay cash. Canadians know that if you call an ambulance you can bypass the 10–12 hour wait in the emergency room, but this drives up the costs of healthcare even further.

If there ever was a good fight, Americans, this is it. As we say in Canada, "Youse guys just gotta give ’er, eh!

August 11, 2009

Cathy LeBoeuf-Shouten lives in Hudson, Quebec, Canada.

Reprinted from LewRockwell.com

To put up the good fight, please visit Free Our Health Care Now!