Atlas Shrugged Video Contest

Check out this brilliant winner of the Atlas Shrugged video contest!

By Reg Schickel

For other runner-ups look here.

-Lynnae

A Cry for Freedom from Venezuela

Today I am linking to the blog of a young woman living under the Chavez regime.

Please visit ‘The End of Venezuela As I Know It’ . I know my readers aren’t the ones that need to hear it, but I wish more Americans would take the time to glimpse a little further down the road that we are headed in if we don’t change direction. It is easier to preserve the freedoms while we have them than to let them slip away and fight to regain them.

-Lynnae

Vlademir Lenin and I

When a little girl plays house it’s all fun. You get to clink your tea set and lay your dolly in the cradle, yet you can drop it all and run out to play whenever you want.

You can do this because there is a mommy around to put the toys away and dredge up the gooey cracker crumbs from dolly’s mouth.  Someone makes it all possible and someone cleans up the mess.

This musing comes as a result of visiting a famous statue of Vlademir Lenin on a street corner in Freemont in Seattle, Washington.

The statue was originally erected in Czeckoslovakia, in collaboration with the Russians, but was quietly taken down after the revolution. An English teacher from Issaquah, Washington, found it is a refuse pile (dustheap of history???) and purchased it to bring to the states. More of the story can be read here.

Now the perpetual children in Freemont can hang out in groovy coffee shops paying extra for their organic brew, professing the sensitivity and good intentions of socialism, and even communism, and turn a blind eye to the atrocious results of those systems, because they were lucky enough to be born in a land of freedom and entrepreneurs, a justice structure and a Bill of Rights.

I have heard people spit out the word ‘Capitalism’ as if it were a slur, while they enjoy the rewards of it every day.

Capitalists don’t get rich on their own. Yes, they dream big and they take risks, but in order to expand their dreams and be productive they need people. They train workers, they purchase land, they build. They scoop up in their wake others who need a steady income, who try to be dependable though they might not have the genius, strength, or desire to start a company of their own.

Redistribution of wealth does not create wealth. It never has and never will.

Not that wealth is the most important thing. It is merely a side effect of FREEDOM.

L’eggo My Freedom

 

I am passing on the comments of one constitutional lawyer who has read the healthcare bill about to be ‘deemed’ as passed. What is our country in for? I am so saddened to see the destruction of our constitution by a power hungry government.

Anyone who thinks this will make health care better or more accessible is COMPLETELY DECIEVED.

We are just losing our freedoms in a big way, being sold as ‘good intentions’.  Sorry Kids!

-Lynnae

 The Truth About the Health Care Bills - Michael Connelly, Ret. Constitutional Attorney 

Well, I have done it!  I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law.  I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.
To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media are saying.  The law does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.
The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business, and put everyone into a government run system.  
All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats, and most of them will not be health care professionals.  
Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled by the government.
However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface.  In fact, I have concluded that this legislation really has no intention of providing affordable health care choices.  Instead it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated.
If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the United States will effectively have been destroyed.
The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. Government.  The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives of the American people, and the businesses they own.
The irony is that the Congress doesn't have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with!  I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress to regulate health care.
This legislation also provides for access, by the appointees of the Obama administration, of all of your personal healthcare in direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution information, your personal financial information, and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital.  
All of this is protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures.. You can also forget about the right to privacy.  That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.
If you decide not to have healthcare insurance, or if you have private insurance that is not deemed acceptable to the Health Choices Administrator appointed by Obama, there will be a tax imposed on you.
It is called a tax instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment.
However, that doesn't work because since there is nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of property without the due process of law.
So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much, out the original ten in the Bill of Rights, that are effectively nullified by this law  It doesn't stop there though.
The 9th Amendment that provides: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;
The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people.  Under the provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.
I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you get the idea.  This is not about health care; it is about seizing power and limiting rights. 
Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both houses of Congress to "be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution." If I was a member of Congress, I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it, without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation.  If I voted for it anyway, I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.
For those who might doubt the nature of this threat, I suggest they consult the source, the US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton , Texas

It’s a Trap

 ‘drawing’ by Lynnae Pulsipher

It’s been a while since my last post. I’m sorry about that and I’ll try to be more consistent. The reason, pure and simple, is discouragement. How long must we continue to fight these people back as they try to destroy our country?

National Health Care.

I stood in Westlake Center in Seattle and ‘booed’ Hillary Clinton off the stage when my children were little ones. Now they are entering college and we are fighting the same thing, and the scary part is that the American people seem a lot more receptive to the idea this time. We may have to fight the socialists back every ten years, but, if every time, the voters are more indoctrinated and misinformed, then it’s a loosing battle.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve reconciled myself to fighting a losing battle many times, mainly because I know God is in charge and even a loss is a temporary loss. But sometimes I still get tired. So I sketched out the little picture above to sum up my feelings (and then added three paragraphs, so much for brevity).

-Lynnae

Republican Response to State Of The Union

 

I admit I did not watch all of President Obama’s State of the Union address. I tried, a few times. Caught a little before dinner, and was able to see some more after. It doesn’t really matter though to me because most of what he says I strongly disagree with, and anything sensible he may say is probably just a lie to pander to moderates.

I did watch all of Gov. McDonnell’s response and I loved it. I kept thinking “That is a great line”, and “That is a great quote”

Before I get to that I will add that it was brilliant to do the response from the Virginia State Capitol with an audience. I’m sure this will set a precedent for Republicans and Democrats alike.

You know I love quotes, so lets get on with it-

My favorite quotes from the speech:

“Good government policy should spur economic growth, and strengthen the private sector's ability to create new jobs.

We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, so America can better compete with the world.

What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class.

It was Thomas Jefferson who called for "A wise and frugal Government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry ....and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned..." He was right.”

On the topic of health care:

“All Americans agree, we need a health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality.

But most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government.

Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform healthcare, without shifting Medicaid costs to the states, without cutting Medicare, and without raising your taxes.

We will do that by implementing common sense reforms, like letting families and businesses buy health insurance policies across state lines, and ending frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals that drive up the cost of your healthcare.

And our solutions aren't thousand-page bills that no one has fully read, after being crafted behind closed doors with special interests.”

(italics are mine)

On government over-reach:

“Here at home government must help foster a society in which all our people can use their God-given talents in liberty to pursue the American Dream. Republicans know that government cannot guarantee individual outcomes, but we strongly believe that it must guarantee equality of opportunity for all.

That opportunity exists best in a democracy which promotes free enterprise, economic growth, strong families, and individual achievement.

Many Americans are concerned about this Administration's efforts to exert greater control over car companies, banks, energy and health care.

Over-regulating employers won't create more employment; overtaxing investors won't foster more investment.

Top-down one-size fits all decision making should not replace the personal choices of free people in a free market, nor undermine the proper role of state and local governments in our system of federalism. As our Founders clearly stated, and we Governors understand, government closest to the people governs best.”

Amen!

-Lynnae

The Organ Harvesting Czar

This is from last week’s news, but I had to comment on this article from World Net Daily.

“ President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar defended the possibility of removing organs from terminally ill patients without their permission.

Cass Sunstein also has strongly pushed for the removal of organs from deceased individuals who did not explicitly consent to becoming organ donors.”

This is another example of government run health care turning the medical industry from ‘what course would make the best outcome for this patient’ to ‘What course would make the best outcome for the largest amount of patients.’ Once the government controls health care they will be able to control every area of your lives. This is just another frightening reminder, going largely unnoticed.

-Lynnae

Eugenics for the New Millennium

Who will get the health care under Obama’s programs? Will the elderly just be given a pain pill? Will time and effort be invested in those with debilitating disease when they could be used to help 100 fairly healthy people?

If it's a difficult decision, then why choose a system that forces you to make that decision? Right now anybody can obtain the care that's best for them as an individual.
This is disgusting and it all boils down to eugenics and helping the most desirable.
Who imagined our leaders would be thinking this way in the new millennium.

Comment about the 9/12 Rally and March

The following was my comment on another blog, and I decided to post it over here as well. The commenter I was responding to seemed to have the following points:

• The 9/12 protest was not a grassroots movement because it was promoted my a major news organization.
• The GOP would lose the next election if they catered to the conservative base.
• Conservatives need to do more to appeal to moderates.

With that set up, here was my response.

………… interesting comment. One thing you don't seem to understand is that to conservatives, politics isn't about picking who's going to win and getting on that team. We feel strongly about what is the right and wrong way to run this country, regardless of 'global trends'. Freedom and democracy are not global trends or historic trends, for that matter, so we are going against the flow here.
  And about your warning that we won't win in 2010, yes, we would like to win, but we won't cave on our beliefs just to win the numbers for something we don't want to happen.
  Your words--- "The GOP have yet to outline a coherent, articulate plan of action, and the 9/12 protests are the embodiment of that lack of vision. Unlike other grassroots movement, there is no end game objective that signifies what victory looks like." don't make sense to me because the 9/12 protesters for the most part are disgusted with the way the GOP is ignoring them. The fact that we are unsure of the endgame should further PROVE, not disprove, that this is a grassroots movement. We are just trying to defend what we believe in.
BTW no one told me what to say or paid me to say it.

Central Planning

I continue to marvel over the naiveté of otherwise intelligent people when it comes to the reality of what a planned economy would bring. Are people gullible or merely grabbing for power?

I liked this excerpt from my reading today in F. A. Hayek’s ‘The Road to Serfdom”. I share it with you because it really rings true.

“…We all think that our personal order of values is not merely personal but that in a free discussion among rational people we would convince the others that ours is the right one. The lover of the countryside who wants above all that it’s traditional appearance should be preserved and that the blots already made by industry on it’s fair face should be removed, no less than the health enthusiast who wants all the picturesque but insanitary old cottages cleared away, or the motorist who wishes the country cut up by big motor roads, the efficiency fanatic who desires the maximum of specialization and mechanization no less than the idealist who for the development of personality wants to preserve as many independent craftsman as possible all know that their aim can be achieved only by planning, and they all want planning for that reason. But, of course, the adoption of the social planning for which they clamor can only bring out the concealed conflict between their aims.”

Are people just so blinded by the hope of forcing others to adopt their values that they can’t see the inevitable conflict?

In the end, it will be the task of a centrally planned government to decide between opposing projects. Then it will quickly descend into a series of favors and a system of political pull being the main factor considered.