1.1 Trillion Spending/Budget Bill

Is there something wrong with the drinking water in Washington D. C.? When a politician drinks it does he/she lose his/her short term memory and become arrogant?

Why is anyone even considering this newly proposed omnibus spending/budget bill? This almost 2000 page bill was introduced two days ago. It has a price tag of 1.1 trillion dollars. Debate starts tomorrow. Senate leadership wants to vote on it tomorrow. It is laden with earmarks – special spending rewards for Congressmen and women, who vote for it. Congress has had months to pass the 2011 budget and did nothing. Now this has to be voted on immediately. It’s an emergency! Don’t read it – just vote for it.

Does the November election mean nothing to Washington? Voters told Congress that their wild, irresponsible spending must stop. This country can not afford it. Congress is destroying this country. Do not borrow anymore money to fund projects that are unwanted or unnecessary. We are 14 trillion dollars in debt. STOP the spending spree!

The other lesson of the November election was that Congress must stop ignoring the voice of the American people. You represent us. You are responsible to us!

Bills like this infuriate the American people. It is deliberately long to conceal all the nasty details you don’t want revealed until it is too late. It must be voted on quickly before anyone knows just how bad it is. It is packed with special rewards for those who vote for it. We remember the Cornhusker Kickback and Louisiana Purchase. This bill represents what the American people most dislikes about Washington.

Signed,
The Electorate

State Aid Bill

The House has been called back in session to vote on a 26 billion dollar State Aid bill. This bill is a BAILOUT for states. States that have acted responsibly will be forced to subsidize states that have acted irresponsibly. Not only is this not fair, but it will only encourage irresponsible states to continue to act irresponsibly. Governments, like private citizens, must learn to live within their means.

Each state needs to make the hard choices. They must choose what budget cuts suit their circumstances. Law enforcement, fire services, and teaching positions should be the last cuts considered. Every state has non-essential expenditures that can be cut. Each state must decide their priorities.

The purpose of this bill may or may not be to support another union. The issue is that this massive federal spending spree must STOP. The federal government must break its spending addiction.

NO MORE BAILOUTS!

Signed,
The Electorate

2011 Budget Hidden in War Bill

The House recently passed and the Senate is considering a supplemental war funding bill. Of course, Congress is adding billions in extra spending for their favorite projects, which are in no way related to war funding. This unfortunately is only Washington politics as usual.

What is really offensive is a hidden provision that was added to the bill which states that if the war funding bill is passed that the 2011 budget will “be deemed as passed”. Congress is too cowardly to openly debate and vote on next year’s budget. They know it is larger than last year’s humongous budget. This budget includes over one and a half trillion dollars of deficit spending. Congress knows the public is concerned about their outrageous spending and borrowing. The American people want the government to cut spending and reduce the debt. Congress does not want to go on record as voting for this spending binge in an election year. Hence they seek to hide the budget in another bill.

The 2011 budget should not be slipped through in a hidden provision. It needs to be openly and fully debated. Congress’ votes need to be recorded. If you support the bill, you must be willing to say so. You are responsible for your votes. The American people are tired of dirty tricks and backdoor deals. We deserve better.

Most importantly do not use our military to sneak through more outrageous spending. Anyone who uses our military to pass a bloated budget should be ashamed. This would be Washington at its devious worst.

Signed,
The Electorate

Are you "undecided" Suzanne Kosmas?

Last November you voted “No” on the health care bill. Now you are under great pressure from party leadership to change your health care vote. You were summoned to the White House to discuss the issue. The President has promised that he will reward those who support him. However you do not work for the President.

You work for the people of your district. You were elected to represent your constituents. For months we have been expressing our opinions. Have you heard us? You know where we stand. Will you keep your promise to represent us?

Your health care vote is currently listed as “undecided”. What has happened to your “No” vote? After a year’s debate you must know where you stand. The question is do you stand with your constituents or do you stand with your party?

Signed,
The Electorate

Do Politicians Support the Constitution?

The House is seriously considering a devious way to pass the health care bill without a recorded vote. No one wants to go home and tell their constituents that they voted for this terrible health care bill. The House’s answer is to pass it without actually voting for it. The method they seek to employ is called the self executing rule.

The self executing rule (Slaughter Solution) would “DEEM” the health care bill to have been passed and vote on amendments to the bill. If they approved the amendments rule, they would consider that the House passed the health care bill – without a vote. This is politics as usual in Washington – another dirty trick. It is unconstitutional to pass this bill without a recorded vote.

Article I, Section 7 of the United States Constitution states, “...the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively.”

This method has been used in the past on small matters. It was unconstitutional then – It was just not challenged. Now House leadership is seeking to change one-sixth of our economy and our very lives using an unconstitutional ploy.

The American people would go ballistic if this unwanted bill were to be passed in this manner. We are very tired of the corruption in Washington and all the “special” deals and dirty tricks that politicians employ. It is time to change Washington. Are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care: Behind Closed Doors

Again Democrats are meeting behind closed doors trying to find a way to pass this terrible health care bill. Moderate Democrats will be pressured to vote for a bill that they know their constituents do not want. They will be threatened. They will be offered bribes of special pet projects. Some will even be offered appointments if they lose their seat in their next election. All this desperation just underlines how bad this bill is.

Some Democrats say this bill should be passed because it is historic. The bubonic plague was historic. The Spanish Inquisition was historic. Historic does not mean desirable. Sometimes historic is really bad!

In the past months I have enumerated the many reasons this bill would be disastrous for this country. The economic havoc it will wreak should be reason enough to vote against this bill. You have already heard the reasons why the American public is against this bill. Is ideology the only reason it is being pushed so hard?

Don’t go down in history as someone who voted for this bill that will inflict so much misery on the American people. Don’t make the November election be about who will pledge to repeal the unwanted health care bill.

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care: Let The People Decide

On Saturday the President said that “we owe the American people an up or down vote on health care”. WHAT a marvelous idea it would be if the AMERICAN PEOPLE could actually vote on the health care bill! This bill affects one-sixth of the American economy and our very lives. Remove politics and party loyalty from the equation and let the people decide if they want this bill.

Representative democracy only works if the representatives actually represent the opinions of their constituents. The American people feel ignored. We are the forgotten souls in this debate.

For over a year the Administration and Congress have focused on health care when their primary attention should have been on jobs. Ideology has trumped need.

Most people receive health care insurance at work. Since the beginning of the recession we have lost 8.4 million jobs. If you allow three family members per job that equals about 25 million people who have lost health care insurance because they have lost their jobs. Ironically this is close to the number of people the Washington proposes to provide health insurance for in their multi-trillion dollar bill. If Washington would focus on job growth, these people could receive health care insurance from their employers at a much lower cost.

In reality the health care debate is more about the federal government securing more power and authority over our lives than it is about more people obtaining health care. Time and time again the American people have told Washington that we want limited, incremental changes to our health care system. We do not want the government to take over health care. What do we have to do to get Congress to listen?

Signed,
The Electorate

Are You With The People?

This health care bill costs too much – both in money and liberties lost. The federal government is becoming a bloated monster that seeks to control all aspects of our lives. To quote Thomas Jefferson: “A government that can give you everything, can take everything away.”

Party leadership is desperate to pass the health care bill. There is nothing that they will not do or say to accomplish this. They will threaten to withdraw their support in the next election. They will promise that any pet pork project that you desire will be included in a future bill.

In the end voting for this bill will cost you more than anything you might gain by voting for it. No reward they promise will compensate for what you lose. The vast majority of the American people are strongly against this health care bill. Voting for it will cost you the support of your constituents. The politicians supporting this bill are fighting the American people.

It will take a very strong person to stand up to the pressure being exerted by party leadership. Will you stand with us or stand against us?

Signed,
The Electorate

Still A "Bad" Bill

Adding a few pages of watered down Republican suggestions to a 2700 page bill does not turn a bad bill into a good bill. It does not turn it into a bipartisan bill. The blame will not be spread around. It will rest solely on the shoulders of those who wrote and supported it. It is still an ugly bill that will produce dire consequences.

The federal government will still be able to determine what treatment is allowed and who can receive this treatment (Comparative Effectiveness Research panel).

This bill will bankrupt the country. It is Medicare and Medicaid on steroids. We already can not pay for them. Ten years of full implementation of this plan will cost well over two trillion dollars.

A portion of the bill is funded. It cuts over 500 billion dollars from Medicare (those pesky old folks) and creates 500 billion dollars of new taxes. Who in their right mind thinks it is wise to raise taxes in a recession?

The bill will force all people to buy health care insurance – whether they want it or not. Never in the history of our republic have citizens been required to buy something just because they were citizens. This is probably unconstitutional.

Public tax dollars can be used to fund abortion. Should people, who consider abortion to be wrong, be forced to pay for it? Also there is no conscience cause for health care providers.

These are only a few of the undesirable provisions of this bill. It will create a larger more intrusive government that seeks to control our lives. It will lower the quality and quantity of our health care. It will bankrupt this country as it bankrupted the nations of Europe who have socialized (universal) medicine.

We have the best health care system in the world. Why are Congress and the Administration trying to destroy it? The system should be improved not replaced by a system that has been proven not to work.

Congress knows the American people do not want this bill. If this bill is passed, the Fall election will be decided by who voted for the bill and who will vote to repeal it.

Signed,
The Electorate

We Do Not Consent!

Congress has a comprehension problem. For many, many months the American people have been telling Congress that we do not want these health care bills that you are trying to push down our throats. We do not want the federal government to run or control our health care. In great detail we have expressed a plethora of reasons why we do not want these bills. There is so much to dislike about these bills. Can Congress not hear our voices! Congress is either not listening to their constituents or they just don’t care what our opinions are. In their arrogance they say that they know what is best for us. They infer that we are so stupid that we do not know what we really need.

Congress is supposed to govern with the consent of the governed. You do not have our consent. I will speak as clearly and concisely as I can. I will speak slowly and use small words.

SCRAP. THE. BILLS!

START. FROM. SCRATCH!

Signed,
The Electorate

A Year After The Stimulus Bill

Today is the first anniversary of the Stimulus Bill. Politicians are making the rounds telling us how well this bill has worked. Repeating an untruth frequently does not make it true. The American people know the bill has not worked. The polls all agree on this. Unemployment has increased dramatically after the passage of this bill. The stock market is shaky and most of this country’s retirement funds are invested in 401 (k)s. Every day we see examples of just how bad the economy is. Do NOT tell us the recession is over for it isn’t.

Do these proponents of the Stimulus Bill really think that if they tell us that the Stimulus Bill has worked magnificently, we will suddenly ignore all facts and believe them? What kind of unreal world do they live in? The American public is not gullible or stupid. All these “spinners” are doing is destroying their own credibility.

If Congress really seeks to help the economy and reduce the deficit, they should not implement the remainder of the bill. Over 500 billion dollars of this bill have not yet been spent. This money should be applied to reducing the national debt. The unused or repaid TARP funds should also be applied to reducing the national debt. The TARP bill stated that these funds would be so used. Why is TARP money being used as a slush fund?

Can Congress not repeat last year’s mistakes? The only proven method of improving or ending an economic recession is broad-based tax cuts for individuals and large and small businesses. This year we must leave the world of theory behind and implement policies that history has shown us many, many times do work.

Signed,
The Electorate

Bi-Partisan Health Care Meeting

I have serious doubts about the scheduled bi-partisan health care meeting. Health care discussions must start from the beginning. Starting any discussion with bills that have already been rejected by the American public is a foolish waste of time. The House bill is toxic. The Senate bill is toxic. What little is known of a joint bill is compromised beyond redemption. The American public wants a simple bill that will cut costs and not infringe upon their rights to control their own health care. We do not want a convoluted monster where quicksand traps are hidden in the details.

Some Democrats are saying that people really liked the health care bills. They just did not like all the special backroom deals that the bills contained. This is not true. Before the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, and the special deals for unions, the American people were against the bills. Poll after poll supports this. To believe something that is so patently untrue is delusional. To quote a past Democrat – “You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.”

I believe that this bi-partisan meeting is intended to be a dog and pony show for the American public. The President believes he can use his oratory skills to convince the American people that anything is true. He thinks he will lift his golden voice and the scales of ignorance will fall from people’s eyes. They will see that he is right. Birds will sing; the clouds will part; and rays of sunshine will illuminate his head. This health care bill is a magnificent bill. It must be for he says so.

When you are selling snake oil, only the gullible will buy.

If this meeting is to be productive – if it is not just a political gimmick – attendees must approach it as honest brokers with open minds. Any health care bill that will be accepted by the American people must start again from the beginning. This country has the best health care system in the world. We want to improve the system not destroy it.

Signed,
The Electorate

Senator Bill Nelson: "Special" Perks for Florida

You missed the point of my correspondence concerning the special benefits that Florida would receive in the Senate’s proposed health care bill. I knew that the Medicare Advantage exception that Florida would receive would apply throughout the entire state. I thought it would be grandfathered in. What I objected to was that other states – states which would not be allowed to retain Medicare Advantage – would be forced to pay for our Medicare Advantage. I do not want to profit at the expense of others. It is not right or fair. You sought this special exception for Florida. Do you think it is right or fair? If you do, you would be wise to engage in some self-examination.

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care: Please Explain

If the proposed health care bill is so good why do so many groups have to be exempted from its provisions before they will support it?

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care: A Bad Bill

Only a few people know what’s exactly in the new proposed Senate health care bill, but there are some things we do know. The only positive thing we know is that preexisting exclusions are prohibited. Everything else we know is undesirable.

Medicare will be cut by about 500 billion dollars. This will cause rationing and lower quality care for seniors and fewer doctors who are willing to accept Medicare. Seniors will be drastically affected. The government will not deem them “cost effective”.

Taxes will be raised. About one-half the funding for this bill will come from new taxes, fees, and penalties. Raising taxes in a recession is beyond foolish.

This bill will cost almost one trillion dollars. Health insurance is extended to only about thirty million more people. Using simple mathematics this means that it will cost over thirty thousand dollars per person. Might I suggest that the government provide ten thousand dollars to each person and let them select their own insurance? This would dramatically reduce the cost of this bill.

Medicaid will be extended to include about 15 million more people. This is one-half of the new people covered. States pay about half of Medicaid costs. The states can not afford these new mandates. This means new taxes on the state level or drastic cuts in other state services.

Insurance premiums will cost more. If Medicare further reduces the rate of reimbursement to hospitals and doctors, the private sector will have to pick up the difference and pay more. There will be new taxes applied to insurance and this will cause premium costs to rise even more.

For the first time in our history citizens will be forced to purchase an item – even if they do not want to do so. Car insurance is not the same as this requirement. Driving is a privilege not a right and drivers are required to carry insurance to cover the damage to other drivers. If you do not buy health insurance you are subject to a fine. If you do not pay this fine you can be jailed.

The fine is so low that it is not a deterrent. A young healthy person would pay the fine and only purchase insurance if they were injured or became ill.

Many new government bureaucracies are created by this bill. Controls over private insurance would be great. Our choices would disappear. How is this an improvement of health care? It is government control of our health care by another name. We do not want the government to control our health care and our very lives. Stop this bill! Vote NO!

Signed,
The Electorate

Appropriations Bill

You can not spend your way out of a recession. It has NEVER been done. The wasteful spending of Congress and this Administration is extending the recession. Washington tells us the recession is over. It’s not.

Friday the House passed a 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill filled with over 5,000 earmarks. Budgets were raised by over ten percent. The Senate passed this bill on Sunday. This bill was written behind closed doors – again – and passed with little debate. The country does not have this money! Is this really the time for more pork barrel spending?

Congress just doesn’t get it. What world does Congress live in? Obviously it is not the real world. This is not a difficult concept. Stop throwing away money we do not have! Stop wasteful spending! Stop earmarks! Stop pork barrel spending! Cut or freeze all discretionary spending! When this bill was passed, Congress spit in the eye of the American public.

Signed,
The Electorate

Please Represent Floridians

To Senator Bill Nelson:

You have to know that the majority of Floridians oppose this health care bill. They have told you this, time after time. What must we do to get you to listen? You have to know this bill would adversely effect the quality and availability of health care for Floridians. Yet you seem bound and determined to support the party line and vote for this BAD health care bill. You were elected to represent Florida - not the Democratic party. You ran as a moderate, but you vote as a liberal. We must judge you by your actions, not your words. I, for one, am not pleased.

Signed,
The Electorate

No Reconciliation

Before the scheduled Saturday vote to bring the Health Care Bill to the Senate floor, we need absolute assurances that if this bill is brought to the floor the majority leadership will not seek to pass this bill by reconciliation. If such assurances are not made, then don’t let this bill be sent to the Senate floor.

If this bill were to be passed by reconciliation, the country would be tore apart. The American public is already irate, because they feel legislators are not listening to them. Reconciliation would absolutely drive people up the walls. It would be like holding a lit match to tender. Reconciliation must not be even considered.

Signed,
The Electorate

Health Care Bills are Travesties

The House and Senate health care bills are simply a redistribution of health care. The 85% of Americans who now have health care insurance will receive a lower quality of health care and will be forced to pay more for that health care. About half of those who do not have health care will receive mediocre health care. Approximately thirty million people will still not have health care coverage.

The purpose of health care reform was to provide high quality, lower costing health care to all. Instead, this country will spend trillions of dollars, which we do not have and can not afford, to reduce the quality of health care. We must also pay more for the privilege of receiving this inferior health care. We must submit to massive government controls and regulation of our health care. Why are those in Washington surprised that we think this is a really bad deal? Why can Washington not recognize that we do not want their health care bills? The American public is not stupid.

Neither the House’s health care bill nor the Senate’s health care bill deserves a single vote. They are travesties. They are massive spending and taxing bills. They gut Medicare. They will bankrupt this country.

I hope both Florida senators vote “No” on the Senate bill. If there is a joint bill I hope all three of my legislators vote against it. Do not force this monstrosity on your constituents and this country.

Signed,
The Electorate

The True Cost of the Health Care Bill

Recently someone in the administration stated that accounting was not an exact science. Excuse me, it most certainly is an exact science – at least it is out here in the real world. Apparently in Washington it is not. The Senate’s new health care bill is a fine example of this.

It was announced that over ten years it would cost 849 billion dollars and would have a surplus of 127 billion dollars. This sounds good until you observe the creative accounting tricks that are used. The rules of mathematics are suspended in Washington. One does not have to equal one. It can equal anything that politicians desire. Mathematical facts are deliberately obscured in this new health care bill.

The bill is paid for by over 400 billion dollars in cuts in Medicare. Old people are not popular in Washington. Old people will remember this in the next elections. At some point politicians may decide that it is against their interest to make these cuts. The bill is also paid for by taxes, fines and fees. Do you remember that there is a recession going on in this country? Individuals and companies can not afford more taxes.

This bill is paid for by taxing Americans and slashing Medicare for ten years. The benefits are received for only six years – some parts for less than that. A true cost analysis should be for ten years of payment and ten years of program. It has been estimated that ten years of the program would cost 2.5 trillion dollars. Let’s stop comparing apples and oranges.

This bill does not address the doctor fix. This will cost an additional 250 – 300 billion dollars. Oops, there goes the surplus.

This bill applies another accounting trick. This bill greatly increases the number of people on Medicaid. The federal government only pays about half the costs of Medicaid. States are required to pay the rest. This is an unfunded state mandate. The public will have to pay higher taxes at the federal level and pay for it again at the state level.

Can we not at least be honest about what this bill will actually cost? Congress needs to stop trying to fool the public. This is a BAD bill. Please don’t vote for it.

Signed,
The Electorate