A Clear Picture of Why there is a Government Shutdown

What is the government shutdown all about?

Monday (Oct.1) evening I watched C-Span for 4 hours, back and forth between the house and the senate votes and arguments. It gave me a much clearer picture than what the Nightly News was reporting to me (Sunday, Sept 30th).

Basically there are a list of things that need to be voted on to be funded. The government has bundled several of them together for whatever reason. That's in the past. Republicans don't like Obamacare and are trying to get rid of it, so they are trying to extract that from the bundle. Democrats and Obama feel like Obamacare is their baby - their creation - and realize that if they fund National Parks, VA, etc etc separately from Obamacare, that Obamacare will never get it's funding passed because they won't have their 2/3rds majority.

So, despite the Nightly News saying that Republicans are holding the United States citizens hostage over Obamacare, it is technically the Democrats who are. You disagree? Let's review the definition of a hostage. A hostage is a person held by one party in a conflict as security that specified terms will be met by the opposing party. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hostage)

Democrats are holding the funding of National parks, VA, WIC offices, and other services used and depended on by citizens of the United States to force Republicans to agree to fund Obamacare so that they can save these other services that the citizens depend on.

What citizens are saying

Did I mention I was watching tweets all evening throughout the c-span live feed video? Most people are posting how angry they are about how it's affecting their lives, or else they're cracking jokes. And about 70% of the 'facts' people are throwing around, are actually untrue rumors. I suddenly understand why my brother-in-law gets so frustrated with people who cry political victim all the time and that's because they're arguing about things that didn't happen. But at the same time, I can totally see WHY that happens. Despite all the "research papers" I was assigned to write in school, not a single one of them required me to Find An Original Source. I think only a small minority know where to find the original source. But everybody knows how to watch the Nightly News.

Obamacare is good and bad and legal and unconstitutional?

Oh, and the reason Obamacare is unconstitutional? Let me explain: the legislative branch Writes law and the Judicial Branch Interpretes law, and the Executive branch Enforces the law but Obamacare is Written AND Enforced by the legislative branch. The penalty for not following the mandates of the law is a monetary fine via IRS taxes. The IRS is under the Legislative Branch. However, the Supreme Court has decided that Obamacare IS constitutional and it is their job to Interprete the law, so by that standard it IS legal.

An Update to my Last post

After watching all the arguments pro and con for Obamacare, my perspective has become a bit more rounded. I now realize I've been focusing on all the things it could and likely would break... and ignoring all the great intentions it has. So let me list them here: (I may forget some items and may add them later, as it has been 24 hours since I heard the arguments and have forgotten some of them. I'm also expanding a little on what was said, from life experience or the reported experience I've heard from others.)

PROS:
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS ARE COVERED - Children born with major health problems can now get healthcare without sending their parents into bankruptcy. Children cannot be put onto a healthcare plan until they're officially born, so born with problems means instant uninsurability.

AFFORDABLE - Children, Teens and Adults with painful and difficult health problems can now hope to afford healthcare and receive a greater level of comfort and functionality without fear of bankruptcy.

ACCESS - Mental Illness patients can now receive help they previously had limited access to. Where previously if they couldn't afford to pay an extended mental hospital stay they were booted back on the street... now they can get continual help... assuming there are enough rooms. They can also consistently attend therapy and counseling... a vital piece to recovery.

COVERED - Young Adults and college students can be on their parents plans while they go to school or advance in a career to prepare to be in a place where they can afford to pay for their own health insurance.

COMFORT IN CRISIS - A health crisis does not cost a financial crisis or a "what should we do" crisis because people feel like they can go to the doctor without turning their whole life upside down.

CONS:
TOO EXPENSIVE - Insurance premiums will rise dramatically as they attempt to compensate for expensive prescriptions, surgical procedures and time consuming care that they are now required to cover for people they can no longer deny insurance to. Etna Health Insurance of Georgia sent a letter to the homes of their customers and to one in particular, saying, you can keep your current plan for 2013 at the current premium level of $300-something and then pick a new plan under Obamacare in 2014, OR you can enroll or be automatically enrolled into Obamacare for 2013 and pay a premium of $600-something. One 89-year-old man asked C-span after the broadcast, "Am I Worth Saving? What, I might live for an extra 3 months?"

PRIVACY BREECHES - The Health Exchange Website has now become the #1 hacking website in the United States. All of your contact information is on it. All of your financial information is on it. Your Tax information is on it (SS#). And all of your Health Information is already on it. (How do I know your health information is already on it? Have you seen a doctor? Did he put your information into a computer? Is your doctor compliant with "meaningful use"?) That means your information is on the HIE or Health Information Exchange where doctors all over the country can pull up your information and make sure you're not trying to get oxycoton from 5 different doctors in the same month. How's that for privacy? Great and frustrating for would be drug dealers; terrible if said drug dealer stole your month's stash of medication and you can't get more because every doctor in America already knows you got your months supply.

POOR SERVICE - For those of you who have waited in line at Wal-mart for a prescription have likely heard some old person freaking out at the counter trying to get Medicaid to behave because they need to start their refill TODAY! Every time I hear this, I thank my lucky stars... and God... that I don't have to be on Medicaid. If government ran like a business, everyone of them would be fired. They're inefficient and incompetent with a model of "one size fits all." If the clothing industry had that motto, we'd all be in big trouble.

WHERE'S DOC? - One of the biggest problems with Obamacare is the drop in pay that doctors receive. Doctors go through 8-12+ years of EXPENSIVE schooling to get a degree to practice medicine. They NEED a high income to CATCH UP with the rest of the middle class to pay off those loans and buy a house like an American with an American dream. The lack of pay Obama has allocated to doctors will insure that there Won't Be very many doctors in the future and has Killed one of the biggest Incentives to become one.

GOOD AND/OR BAD:
I wasn't sure where to put these points because it depends on your perspective.

SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE - Everyone has coverage and everyone has the same coverage. But no one has top quality coverage. Also, you will have to schedule everything 3 months in advance. The lack of doctors have left the doctors very busy.

In Conclusion

After all the arguments were all laid out, I realized I wasn't as opposed to Obamacare, or the IDEA of Obamacare, as I originally thought. It means well. It could be a good program. It some situations it might even be ideal. But my conclusion was still the same. America can't afford the programs it already has. Social Security has a death date at the rate it's being used. The United States can't pay it's debt without taking out another credit card (aka raising the debt ceiling - a discussion with a deadline of Oct. 15th; just 2 weeks away). And debt will catch up with the borrower... despite everyone's denial that it can't happen to a government... Especially one so "great" as the United States. (Titanic ring a bell?)

Who is Obama?

What I can't figure out is Obama's intentions. I think that he's a good Father. I think that he's a kind and civil person. I think that he is an incredibly talented public speaker. And I know he can't do basic Math. Because he gave a speech about his Math and said it works. And I did the Math with Dave Ramsey and hundreds of other Americans and his math doesn't work. He must have forgot to mention the ESW line. That stands for "Error Some Where".

But what I really can't figure out is an intention that, on the surface, looks to be of good will... but the policy implemented looks to redefine the balance of power in government.

Example #1 - Obama is credited with writing the Healthcare bill. Obama is the president of the United States. His job is the supreme decision-maker of the Executive Branch - the law enforcement branch. Previous presidents only signed bills and vetoed bills, but also directed government towards issues that particular president wanted to address. He's over-stepping his powers... to accomplish what? His immediate agenda? Or a future military takeover?

Example #2 - I just spent 10 minutes looking for it and I'll have to find it later - when it's not 2:30 in the morning. Obama passed some law and/or created a new precedent about 2 years ago, that was ambiguous but gave government the right to invade your privacy and disrupt or destroy your life on the suspicion of terrorism. It was mostly meant for national security and public safety but the allowances could give an evil man legal power to destroy the freedom of citizens in this country.

Example #3 - Obama said this week, something along the lines of, 'Raising the debt ceiling has happened 45 times and it is a Normal way of life. This is the way that government is suppose to run.'  - - - Oh, wait, this isn't a mystery of whether he believes the lie he just told - - - he does, because we've already determined that he can't do basic Math. But he is a Clever Public Speaker because he can make you feel like you are the stupid one for not understanding his math.

Done

I'm done writing. This is already too long. And I feel rambling coming on. And my best thinking left an hour ago. Be Kind. Rewind. G'night.

Presidential Election

Not that anyone cares what I think; they probably don't. I mean, elections are over, so what is there to talk about? "I'm excited!" or "I'm disappointed" in the various spectrum of emotion. But I want to Blog about it anyway.

Statements bouncing around in my head...

"6 billion dollars spent on the 2012 elections, to maintain the status quo." -KSL News

"90% of Germans supported Obama. They are happy with the results. They support his healthcare plan. They are socialists." - Aunt Emmalou (visiting in Germany during election day)

"Now Obama can blame the president of the last four years for leaving the country in a horrible economic situation with more debt than he will have a clue how to handle. Oh, wait the president of the last four years WAS Obama. Nope can't blame him. Yes, he will blame Bush because it's not Obama's fault!" -Facebook user

A husband on Facebook: "I wasn't sure we were going to survive either way, At least now no one will be able to blame the collapse on Mormons."
A wife on Facebook: "Haha. Very level-headed doomsday predictions, dear."

"A stark difference between President Obama and Governor Romney is that Romney is eager to take responsibility while Obama repeatedly pledges to take responsibility and then fakes it. ...But does Obama truly take responsibility or fake responsibility? We’ve had four years of Obama shooting messengers (including Fox News) and blaming others (before it was Romney it was President Bush, Republicans and the Tea Party). We’ve had four years of Obama insisting that he knows best and that anywhere there have been “bumps in the road” it is because of potholes and craters made by others—never by him. The president can’t have it both ways. With leadership responsibility comes leadership accountability." -Fox News

"Obama will bring 'more of the same.'" -Mitt Romney, among others

"Romney will undo everything we've worked towards in the last 4 years." -Barack Obama

"One wonders if ObamaCare's mandate is a good idea, why it was delayed? Obama and those Democratic Senators and Congressmen who voted for ObamaCare appear to think you might not be happy with what happens in 2014 and they prefer you come face to face with the non-negotiable mandate after you vote in 2012." -Fox News

"Why would anyone vote for Obama?" -Dave Allred

"Because he's bought them off and bribed them. He did it with "affordable" health insurance, mandatory coverage, Obama-phones, a new car with the 'cash for clunkers' stimulus; new appliances and windows in the name of 'energy saving' and 'green.' He saved some people's jobs by bailing out banks and car companies that deserved to fail. 

He's the "favorite parent" who bails out their kid and then spoils them. These problems are not our fault, he says. It's not his fault. It's some dead guy's fault. Or your old babysitter's fault. 

Of course people voted for him. They like parents who buy things for them... things they want and don't need. He promises to take care of everybody so that you don't have to put the effort into doing it yourself. He'll make all the hard decisions for you." -Keshia Allred (me)

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I've got an idea! Lets divide this country into 3 Nations - Republicans, Democrats, and 3rd party/moderate/"I hate politics" people. Then lets see who goes bankrupt first! And see if anyone actually survives! In fact, we should make this into a simulated computer game or an app first... how would that work? Any suggestions? Then, whichever nation survives, bails out the other two nations and unites them under a working and stable government. Any takers? 

Funny BUT True... HA HA HA!

The $50 Lesson

KYLE BECKER OCTOBER 8, 2012 8:30 AM

An unknown author’s story:

Recently, while I was working in the flower beds in the front yard, my neighbors stopped to chat as they returned home from walking their dog. During our friendly conversation, I asked their little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day.

Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, “If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?” She replied… “I’d give food and houses to all the homeless people.”

Her parents beamed with pride!

“Wow…what a worthy goal!” I said. “But you don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that!” I told her.

“What do you mean?” she replied.

So I told her, “You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and trim my hedge, and I’ll pay you $50. Then you can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out and give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.”

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, “Why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?”

I said, “Welcome to the Republican Party.” Her parents aren’t speaking to me anymore.

http://www.ijreview.com/2012/10/18386-the-50-lesson/

Taxes & Obama: I'm really upset

So, i just got this email that listed many of the things that will be in affect by January 1, 2011 or shortly there after... and a lot of it looks legitimate... And AWFUL.

It basically says that Obama will tax the crap out of everybody and give them very little credit for anything. I assume that's because he's just given us all these *bonus* stimuluses that put the country in greater debt. Funny thing is, there's a lot of people and businesses who got shafted in these stimuluses.

A small example from my life, is their appliances stimulus. Bring in your old appliance, and get a new one, on Obama's bill. Merchants jacked up their prices because there was a sudden high demand. Consequently, upon getting married, my husband and I were having trouble affording our FIRST appliance. Suck. It's frustrating all these people getting their NEW car and NEW appliance and NEW TV adapter, when we couldn't get an ORIGINAL. Secondly, if we're in so much debt, where's the justification in getting NEW stuff? "Stimulus" he says. Has the president ever had a home economics class? There's a term called TNSTAAFL. That means, There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch; or in other words, Obama spends it for us citizens - like it's a free gift to us all... but he ain't paying for it. We are... plus interest.

That's going to make it ridiculously hard for anyone to save for retirement... or anything for that matter. We're all going to spend our lives paying interest on National Debt.

It's the Health insurance that makes me the most angry. Who gave him the right to tell me what i need to buy? If I'm tight on money, i'd pick food over health insurance any day.