Let's Talk News

Racist, Nazi, greedy bastard, angry mob, AstroTurf, brown-shirt, unpatriotic, goon, heathen, liar, rich, skinhead, moron, gun nut, ignorant fool, manipulator. Those are sixteen words and phrases used to describe me, used by the media, in person, on the phone, and on the Internet in response to my opposition to ObamaCare. I think that I should note that these are the ones I can publish due to the tameness of language. Of the sixteen, I find only two to be accurate: angry mob and skinhead (only because I cut my hair REALLY short). Friends and acquaintances who have seen or heard these suggest that I collect them as trophies for my efforts. Needless to say, I have a thick skin when it comes to name-calling, mostly because I know what it really means. It means only one thing: I. Am. Winning.

I am winning because I inflict pain, the most effective stimulus on the 535 Congressmen in Washington, DC. Pain is also a stimulus that is easy to administer, as I seek to influence those spineless jellyfish. As I noted in last week's podcast, my passion for activism is renewed. I see the "debate" over ObamaCare dwindle into nothing more than name-calling of its opposition, making it harder for the statists to sway the people with their talking points and eloquent, though factually void, speeches. Instead, the statists are spending their time denouncing and attacking opponents like me, who want them to know that there is a price to be paid for bad political behavior. That price is the continued application of pain until ObamaCare or BaucusCare or whatever "compromise" bill is reached rests at the bottom of the circular file.

I continue to see and hear politicians and "in the tank" media discuss about how ineffective the opposition to ObamaCare is. I also see and hear them talk about the lack of ideas from "my side." If that is the case, why has HR 3200 not yet passed? If the ideas it contains are so great, why have its supporters continually lost support, both from the people and the politicians? Remember how hard most of us fought the bailouts last year for the two or three days leading up to the vote, where our opposition was squashed handily, and we were told by some legislators that "[they] know better." The key difference between then and now: THEY HAD THE VOTES. If they had them at any point prior, the bill would have been quickly passed and signed into law before the summer recess just like President Obama's instructions.

I guess my point is this, in America, there is no real debate, only the debate by the rules of the political class. You must play by their rules, using their words, in the format they decide. If you choose not to do this, you will be marginalized, ridiculed, called names, threatened, maybe even worse. There is no point in declaring that the media is against you. There is no point in debating the merits of your ideas and pointing out the flaws in theirs. There is no point in listening to them when you are told, "That is not how we do things around here?" or "You are hurting your own cause." Those statements are used by THEM to tell US to "piss off." When you submit to their rules and listen to their criticisms, you have already lost.

     Sanford Bishop Jr., the Blue Dog Democrat representative from our very own 2nd Congressional District in Georgia agrees with H.R.1207 and a full Audit of the Federal Reserve.  As the most recent congressman to support H.R.1207 from the state of Georgia, Bishop joins the ranks of the other 11 members of the House of Representatives and Both Senators from the state to call for full transparency in the actions of the Federal Reserve; thereby leaving one lone Democrat, Representative Jim Marshall from Georgia's 8th District, to oppose the legislation.

    Bishop gave his support on October 27th, signaling his agreement with 75% of the American populace as shown in a recent Rasmussen Reports poll. His support is a victory and great step forward for all those C4L members and 2nd District citizens who spent countless hours calling, mailing, faxing his office for support then hand delivering over one thousand signed petitions in person to his several district offices.

     The Campaign For Liberty and the members of Georgia's Second Congressional District should all be very proud of this accomplishment pushed forward by their support and actions.  We need not forget to thank Congressman Bishop for his support. 

     This, however, is just the beginning.  We must not lose focus or drive to perform the actions that are needed from here on out.  We must use this victory to inspire us to keep working towards our goals to spread the message of Liberty and transparency in a constitutional government; in fact, I'm pretty sure one Representative Jim Marshall will be hearing that very message soon enough.  Perhaps, like 75% of Americans, and all his fellow Representatives and Senators from the state, he will agree.  

So you have been appointed as a County Coordinator. Chances are, you are one of the few Local Coordinators in your county, so you got the job. You're willing to serve, but unsure of exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

Allow me to introduce you to Robert McGee, the coordinator for Richmond County, Georgia. He's been appearing on local media, having regular meetings with activists, and generally making the organization known. Please see his latest posts, and get inspired!

Yours in liberty,
Ike Hall

In case you haven't noticed, the Campaign for Liberty has made Step 4 of the Local Coordinator Training available. But before you can even begin Step 4, you must first complete Step 3: Get to Know Your Elected Officials. To help you along, I have created this short guide explaining How I Completed Step 3:

1. Like most Americans, I graduated high school (and college) woefully ignorant of the basic structure of my state and local government. How many of you can even recall which state legislative district you live in, much less who your representatives are? Luckily, my Secretary of State's website has a 'poll locator' tool which lists all of the political boundaries that I live in. This information is obviously key to completing this section of the training.
2. The basic point of this section of training is for local coordinators to educate themselves on local political figures at the city, county, district, and state levels. Obviously Internet search engines are your friend. I found it beneficial to first locate the websites for my city (Atlanta), county (Fulton), and state (Georgia General Assembly/Governor) and to then dig through each website for information. Also, the Campaign for Liberty provides a great resource for identifying your US Congressional delegation.
3. The training will ask you to research details about each official's political career and most recent race results. In Georgia, the SoS website is your best resource. To find individual race results:
   1. Visit the Election Results page and select the year of interest (start with the latest results and work your way down if you are unsure).
   2. For local city/county races: Download/view the Vote Totals by Precinct information. In Georgia, this may be the only way to research results for some local races ("news" organizations typically don't report the final tally).
   3. For state-wide races. You will need to re-visit the Election Results page for state-wide results.
   4. Search for the elected official by last name. I was surprised by how many of my elected officials ran unopposed!

I hope you found this meager guide helpful. I truly believe that the Campaign for Liberty has provided us with the training and guidance that we need to achieve and defend freedom in our lifetimes. Now we just have to get to work doing it.

A letter from Saxby Chambliss concerning the PATRIOT Act and the JUSTICE Act:

Dear Mr. Adams:

Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts regarding the PATRIOT Act.  I appreciate hearing from you.

Since its passage following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act has been an integral tool  in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from the deadly plans of terrorists dedicated to destroying America and our way of life.

I believe this legislation is consistent with existing civil liberties and embodies a spirit of prevention and balance.  The PATRIOT Act streamlines anti-terrorism law so that it is consistent with other areas of criminal enforcement.  For example, the legislation allows federal agents to obtain library, medical, or financial records with a court ordered search warrant.  These kinds of searches have routinely been granted in other types of criminal investigations.  The PATRIOT Act also updated laws to reflect advances in technology.  For instance, the legislation allows intelligence officials to employ roving wiretaps. A roving wiretap follows an individual to intercept all calls made, regardless of location, in order to track individuals who change locations frequently to evade authorities.  Again, this is already legal in criminal investigations; this bill expands that authority to the intelligence community in an effort to stem terrorism.

The PATRIOT Act contains built-in reporting requirements and sunset provisions to safeguard civil liberties. Three such provisions are due to sunset on December 31, 2009: the provision which allows the government to seek a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) order from a court for an individual suspected of terrorism but who has no known connection to a terrorist organization; the  provision regarding roving wiretap authority; and Section 215, which permits the government to seek business records after a FISA court order is sought and approved. The PATRIOT Act was reauthorized in the 109th Congress, (P.L. 109-177) making critical national security provisions permanent, including those that helped in dismantling the pre-9/11 communications barriers between intelligence and law enforcement. Importantly, the reauthorization bill provided additional tools for securing our mass transportation systems and seaports. It also closed loopholes that jeopardized our ability to put a stop to terrorist financing. Finally, the reauthorization bill created a National Security Division at the Department of Justice to further safeguard America against another terrorist attack.

All of the PATRIOT Act provisions are subjected to rigorous congressional oversight.  The Department of Justice is required to submit to Congress annual reports on the various provisions in the bill, and multiple congressional committees regularly request additional information to ensure that American's civil liberties are protected and the PATRIOT Act is a useful tool for disrupting terrorism.  We have found that the PATRIOT Act has greatly curtailed terrorists' abilities to operate.  We are winning the war on terrorism, and we owe much of our success, including the fact that there has not been an attack against the homeland since September 11, 2001, to anti-terrorism legislation like the PATRIOT Act.

I supported passage of the original and reauthorized PATRIOT Act, and continue to monitor its effectiveness in our overall war on terrorism through my work on the Senate Committee on Select Intelligence and the Armed Services Committee.  I believe that it is important to equip our intelligence personnel with the means to apprehend criminals who would inflict pain and suffering on our nation.  However, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a protection that I and all Americans value highly.  I will do everything in my power to protect the civil liberties enjoyed by American citizens, while enabling the intelligence community to do its job.

By Anthony Lewis
10/10/2009

I accept this Nobel Prize on behalf of all the international organizations which seek to manipulate the American political landscape to the point that it's weary citizens relinquish their Constitutional Republic and national sovereignty to a one world government and for the betterment of all nations.

We must dispense with the old principles of Freedom, Individual Liberty, and Unalienable Rights and realize that a new progressive world requires a political and bureaucratic elite class to oversee the masses and dole out the rights it feels are supportive of its goals and withhold those it believes to be detrimental to them.

America must lead in this effort.

The ideals of reaching for the sky, being all you can be, and attempting the impossible must be put aside as relics of a bygone era. I accept this award to confirm that true achievement is a thing of the past. I accept it to show that the world will no longer tolerate those who seek to use their intelligence or physical ability to its limits and beyond.

It's no longer the role of government to recognize equality and protect the individual rights which naturally flow from it. In a new progressive world, government's role is to make everyone the same. Sovereign nations in which people decide the type of government and economic system they want are counter productive to this end.

I pledge to move this effort forward by continuing a military foreign policy which will prevent nations from governing themselves and bring the United States to its knees by removing all vestiges of self government.

The resultant zombie-like state of the world's people will bring about peace like we've never known. A docile populace will offer very little resistance to the political and bureaucratic elite.

I say to the people of the world -- sleep my children. We are in control. You no longer need to think for yourselves. We know what is best for you.

I applaud the Nobel Prize Committee for endorsing this agenda and being willing participants. I am eternally grateful to you for giving me the final approval as a member of the ruling class.

Thank you and God bless America -- ahem -- We bless our subjects.

After recently reading an opinion article about Republicans (basically naming Mike Huckabee as the "savior of the party") gaining back the advantage in Washington, I often wonder if people know what the real problems are, namely corruption and that on both sides of the aisle.

Democrats have an agenda.

So do Republicans.

It stopped being about the people of this country a long time ago. It is now about power and control and making the other party look bad. Republicans and Democrats have long ago abandoned the principles that made this country great such as limited government, a free economy and a non-interventionist foreign policy. Now the word democrat has been given a functional definition of socialism by the right and the word republican has been given the definition of warmonger by the left.
Thank goodness these two parties are not the only choices we have.

The voices of liberty and principled government are gaining volume and you are a part of this great reawakening of American ideals.

I urge you as a free American to think, to be a person of principle not political party, to use your vote based on conscience and conviction not fads or trends.

Thanks to your hard work, Representative John Lewis is now officially a co-sponsor of H.R. 1207! This means that all 3 representatives whos districts encompass some part of Fulton County are now co-sponsors of this historically important legislation.

Feel free to call your representative and thank him for doing the right thing. While you are on the phone, tell your representative that you want know what the Fed has done with your money. Demand a stand alone vote on HR 1207!

Mr. John Lewis, GA-5th (D)
(404) 659-0116
(202) 225-3801

Dr. Tom Price, GA-6th (R)
(678) 493-6176
(770) 565-4990
(202) 225-4501

Mr. David Scott, GA-13th (D)
(770) 432-5405
(770) 210-5073
(202) 225-2939

If you are unsure of who your representative is, please visit the Secretary of State's website: http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/polllocator/PollLocator.aspx

OK friends, I have the podcast links for the previous "Helen Blocker Adams' Political Dreamteam Roundtable Discussion" radio show that I appear on each Thursday.  These links are from last Thursday's show September 17th, 2009.  Topics include: Obama's Healtcare reform - HR 3200 and candidates for local races here in Augusta.

Segment 1:  00419_Helen_Blocker_Adams_Show-Thursday.mp3

Segment 2:  00420_Helen_Blocker_Adams_Show-Seg2-Thursday.mp3

**If these do not work, the main podcast page can be found here

To listen to the weekly, Thursday night, political discssuion show live online 7:00pm - 9:00pm, go to www.helenblockeradams.com, scroll down and click the "Listen to Helen live online" link, or a more direct link to the streaming player here.

Hope you all get a chance to listen in and by all means feel free to call in during the show and voice your opinion on the topics.  You can find the call-in numbers on the Helen Blocker Adams website.  I could use a little help from my fellow C4L'ers.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have some pictures with myself and the others on the panel from inside the studio during the 09-17-2009 show. 

Hope you all enjoy...

For liberty,
Robert McGee

A look at healthcare reform from a moral standpoint, link is here:

http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=34354

The message of the article is a great one, reminding us that reform can occur because of basic human goodness and morality as opposed to government interventions which will only weaken the basic dignity and liberty of us as humans.

Some good quotes to share:

Pope John Paul II wrote: "By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending." (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus #48)

Another:

Pope Benedict writes: "The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person-every person-needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. ... In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone' (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3)-a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human." (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #28)

This is a  personal favorite:

The right of every individual to access health care does not necessarily suppose an obligation on the part of the government to provide it. Yet in our American culture, Catholic teaching about the "right" to healthcare is sometimes confused with the structures of "entitlement." The teaching of the Universal Church has never been to suggest a government socialization of medical services. Rather, the Church has asserted the rights of every individual to have access to those things most necessary for sustaining and caring for human life, while at the same time insisting on the personal responsibility of each individual to care properly for his or her own health.

Over about the last 40 years health care costs have skyrocketed. Insurance costs have gotten so expensive that many have decided to risk going uninsured. Reform is obviously needed. However, in order to have good reform - to get rid of what is corrupt and defective while also lowering costs - the source of the problem must be correctly determined.

Some fail to even consider the question and only demand that government do something to fix the problem. This has been called politician's logic; "Something must be done. This is something, therefore we must do it." The question is what caused the problem, too much government intervention or too little?

The truth is that the problem stems from government intervention and so can only truly be fixed by getting government out of health care. I agree with Anthony Gregory, who recently stated, "In the 1960s, more than 80% of Americans had health insurance, and most of those who didn't saw no need for it, since health services were quite inexpensive. Doctors did house calls. Medications were affordable. A hospital visit cost a few days' pay, not a month's or year's pay. This superior system could be restored, if only the government got out of the way. Phase out Medicare, Medicaid, subsidies, licensing and the FDA and we'd be a much healthier nation."

No one knows for sure what health care reform will be enacted, but don't expect that! In Bill Huff's words, "If you want the best and least expensive anything, get the government out of your equation." Any health care reform that is not in the direction of a free market will be destined for failure, and will be used as an excuse for further government involvement. Many politicians have openly stated on video that their goal is getting legislation through that will lead to a single payer system.

Some people say the problem with the health care system is a failure of capitalism. Quite frankly, these people don't know what they're talking about. I can't put it any better than Irwin Schiff did in his book The Biggest Con:  "The American public must wake up and realize that we are now living under a system that is a combination of socialism and fascism." And that was written in 1976!

The reason prices have been rising over time is because the government's partner in crime, the Federal Reserve, creates money out of thin air. This inflation makes prices rise, but not equally across all sectors of the economy. Areas where government spends the most, like health care, see much higher price increases.

There are many reasons why more government involvement in health care is a bad idea. It is all unconstitutional, contrary to the propaganda you hear. Of course, almost everything the federal government does is unconstitutional, so its a moot point. End all the government's unconstitutional activities and with the trillions saved people would be able to fill the gaps in health care with private charity.

Another reason not to have more government involvement in health care is because the country is bankrupt! The national debt including unfunded liabilities is at least $70 trillion. Don't believe the absolute nonsense that the government plan will save money so it won't end up costing anything. Walter Williams notes, "At its start, in 1966, Medicare cost $3 billion." The Federal government predicted Medicare would cost an inflation-adjusted $12 billion by 1990. "In 1990, Medicare topped $107 billion. That's nine times Congress' prediction. How much confidence can we have in any cost estimates by the White House or Congress?"

Besides being unconstitutional, it is immoral. French economist Frederic Bastiat described it like this: "But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime.

Then abolish this law without delay, for it is not only an evil itself, but also it is a fertile source for further evils because it invites reprisals. If such a law - which may be an isolated case - is not abolished immediately, it will spread, multiply, and develop into a system.

The person who profits from this law will complain bitterly, defending his acquired rights. He will claim that the state is obligated to protect and encourage his particular industry; that this procedure enriches the state because the protected industry is thus able to spend more and to pay higher wages to the poor workingmen.

Do not listen to this sophistry by vested interests. The acceptance of these arguments will build legal plunder into a whole system. In fact, this has already occurred. The present-day delusion is an attempt to enrich everyone at the expense of everyone else; to make plunder universal under the pretense of organizing it."

We have failed to heed Bastiat's warning, but he was hardly the only person to warn us. Thomas Jefferson said,

"To preserve independence we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt...If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses, and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers."

Choose the market for health care reform. You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Please join me on Sept 24th at the Johns Creek Georgia Municipal Court at 9:00 a.m. - actually - that's my time to appear and we need to show up earlier if you want a seat. 

 Johns Creek has only existed for a couple of years.  This area used to be unincorporated Alpharetta and unincorporated Duluth.  We used Fulton County laws and services.  We were all fine.  But then a rumor started that IF we incorporated into our own city then WE would be able to keep our $$ here PLUS have the ability to say NO to every single new strip mall and subdivision that wanted to move in.  For 10 years now it seemed that every bit of green space was being mowed down and another subdivision or strip mall would be built.  We only need so many nail shops and dry cleaners and roads, runoff, schools, etc. infrastructure was never taken into account when they built a new subdivison.  Consquently, we started to have traffic problems, trailers at brand new schools and backyards that would flood when they didn't used to.  So the solution to this was to take the control away from Fulton County - because they just wanted our money.  Well - This was a bait and switch.  Our little area became a city.  Our taxes went up, subdivisions and strip malls continued to get approved, traffic became worse and this little city government is running a muck with making new rules for everything from having multiple and conflicting rules for chicken ownership to requiring permits for everything under the sun.  So, we unknowingly allowed a government to get created that is now going way beyond the bounds and of course not keeping any of those promises! 

Help me on September 24th at Johns Creek Georgia Municipal Court.  I want to explain that having more than one law on something - allowing the city to pick in choose to prohibit - is wrong and out of bounds.  If we don't stand up in the beginning, we all know how difficult it is to stand up later when they are even more powerful!

In an effort to become a little more self-sufficient and get some fresh eggs for her family, Campaign for Liberty Local Coordinator and Alpharetta Ron Paul Meetup founder Martha Mellon decided to buy a few chickens to keep in a pen in her backyard. She checked the local ordinances and located the birds 100 feet from the nearest neighboring dwelling, like the code said.

No problem, right? Except that there was a conflicting ordinance that said chickens had to be located 200 feet from the property line, and the local busybodies decided to enforce the more strict policy in order to, in the words of Community Development Director Mike Williams, "prohibit something. Since you are not in violation of the 100 foot ordinance, we use the other ordinance to prohibit chickens." There was a 900-foot rule buried in the zoning regs that they could have used as well! Martha was given a citation and will appear before the Johns Creek Municipal Courton on September 24 at 9 AM.

In a case where laws conflict, the case should automatically be decided in favor of the sovereign citizen, but no such luck...yet. She has already made the front page of Johns Creek Neighbor, CBS News and her story will be in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday. There will likely be a lot of press coverage at the hearing. So come on out and support Martha and show the City of Johns Creek that they can't get away with arbitrary enforcement!

Today I delivered yet another handful of HR 1207 petitions to Rep. John Lewis (D, GA-5). This is (at least) the 2nd such delivery, and I hope that Mr. Lewis will soon take the hint that he needs to co-sponsor the bill.

I set out from work at around 10:30am and arrived at my destination after a short ride on MARTA. Mr. Lewis' office on the 19th floor of The Equitable Building was mostly empty, as expected, but I received a friendly greeting from the one staffer on duty, Ben.

After I explained that I was there to deliver petitions encouraging Mr. Lewis to support an audit of the Federal Reserve, Ben stated that they had heard of the bill. The constiuents of the 5th District have heard of it too was my reply. Ben assured me that the petitions would be promptly delivered to Mr. Lewis. Ben also mentioned our online petitioning efforts; your voices are being heard!

I then presented Ben with a copy of End the Fed intended for Mr. Lewis. Ben noted that Mr. Lewis already had a copy of one of Ron Paul's other books. I can't help but hope that my representative is reading these books with a critical eye and an open mind.

I left soon after to make my way back to work, mission accomplished.

I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped to collect the signatures. Don't fret if you didn't make today's deadline; you can still sign the online petition (and share it with your friends): http://www.campaignforliberty.com/campaigns/auditthefed.php

Since both of our Senators have already cosponsored S.604, and ten out of thirteen Congressmen are cosponsors of H.R.1207, we concentrated on the three remaining Congressmen in Georgia: Sanford Bishop, John Lewis and Jim Marshall.

I spent the day driving along the I-75 corridor from Atlanta to Albany and back again, to meet with C4L activists in the Second and Eighth Districts and drop off copies of Dr. Paul's End the Fed as gifts to the office staff, while Nathan Adams, the Fulton County Coordinator, led the effort to deliver petitions and a copy of End the Fed to John Lewis' office in the Fifth District. His post is here.

At 10:00 am, I walked into Congressman Bishop's Albany office just in time to see Ben Bernanke addressing the Brookings Institute on C-SPAN. The office staff was very helpful and even got me some phone time with Legislative Director Jonathan Halpern. He was, of course, non-committal about whether Bishop was interested in co-sponsoring H.R. 1207, but he did say that he understood that the political independence of the Fed was a political strong point. I replied that that independence will be the ruin of our economy. The Fed has only one tool in its arsenal, I said, and that is to inflate the money supply, whether they call it M1, M2, M3, treasury debt, open market operations, you name it, it only serves to drive down the value of our money. The Fed's "independence" is actually a euphemism for "secrecy", and that whether the central bank poses as a private institution or not, it is a government agency in practice and must be accountable to Congress. He said he would discuss the bill with Congressman Bishop.

I left a copy of End the Fed with the staff member who helped me with the teleconference, and she said she would take some time to study it in detail. I ask all C4L members in the Second District to keep sending in petitions and to keep pressing the legislative staff.

At 2:00 pm, I met with several C4L activists, including Regional Coordinator Valerie Meyers, outside Congressman Jim Marshall's office in downtown Macon. We were shortly approached by a cameraman from Fox 24 to film us at Marshall's office. I made a brief statement about our purposes and what we hoped to accomplish today. We all then went to the office and gave the staff a brief statement as to why we were there and that we hoped Congressman Marshall would become a co-sponsor of H.R.1207, presented petitions and the book, thanked them and left to celebrate our media appearance at a nearby coffee shop.

(L to R: Linda, Jim, Val, Vince, and Ike)

Again, if Jim Marshall is your Congressman, keep asking for him to co-sponsor H.R.1207 and for him to insist that it be voted on separately from any other legislation.

Special thanks to Linda, Jim, Vince and Val for joining me at Congressman Marshall's office, and thanks to Nate for leading the charge in Atlanta!

By Anthony Lewis
Thursday Sept. 10, 2009
Campaign for Liberty

Back in August, I started trying to schedule a face to face meeting with my U.S. Congressman, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, to discuss my concerns with the proposed health care legislation. The staffer I was working with had failed to return my calls and messages for three weeks. Last Tuesday I happened to visit a local cafeteria for a late dinner. Well, guess who was sitting in the cafeteria having a meal. That's right - my U.S. Congressman! Can you say right place, right time? Not being one to shy away from opportunity, I walked up, introduced myself and told him my story. He looked at his calendar and and suggested we talk on Thursday (two days later). I spoke with his scheduler and, because he would be in meetings most of the day, we arranged a phone call for sometime between 1pm and 3pm. Congressman Johnson called me at approximately 2:50 pm on Thursday and we talked for an hour and a half.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to Rep. Johnson for taking the time to hear my objections to legislation he supports. We had a very pleasant and respectful conversation. It was at times very passionate and at other times subdued. There was laughter and sometimes obvious frustration. In the end, I believe we both managed to express our point of view and each of us came away with a better understanding of where the other one stands on the issue and why we hold our positions. I've had a week to reflect on our talk and I'd like to share a few of my impressions with you.

I began our conversation with the specifics of why I oppose H.R. 3200. I have four major objections to this legislation.

1. We have a 12 trillion dollar national debt and a near 2 trillion dollar budget deficit. It is great folly to put into place a public option which will increase our debt and generate unfunded liabilities for generations to come.

2. The individual is left out of the equation. Instead of empowering the individual to care for their own health, this bill aims to make them dependent on their employer or the government. It will most likely make the vast majority of Americans dependent on the government resulting in complete government control of our health care system.

3. There is no Constitutional authority for the federal government to create a government health insurance company, therefore, I feel this legislation is unconstitutional.

4. This legislation will fundamentally change our country as we know it. The public deserves at least ten days of sunlight on the completed bill before congress votes on it. There is no way our representatives should vote on this bill without knowing what we think about it.

It is my impression that Rep. Johnson supports this legislation for four main reasons.

1. There are millions of Americans without health insurance.

2. Health insurance and health care cost are high due to insurance companies being more concerned with profits than providing an affordable product.

3. Government intervention is the only way to reign in hight costs, provide insurance for more Americans and force insurance companies to provide a product average Americans can afford.

4. This change must be sweeping and not incremental.

He does not feel that HR. 3200 oversteps constitutional limits on congress or that sunlight and voter input is necessary prior to voting.

After our conversation, I was clear about one thing? Americans are on the verge of totally replacing individual liberty, ingenuity and creativity with a one size fits all government bureaucracy. Under this system, everyday personal decisions will be taken away from citizens and placed in the hands of unelected bureaucrats. This will be done for our own good.

During our talk, Rep. Johnson spoke of high insurance cost and how a government option was the only way to control these cost and help average citizens obtain good health care. I informed him that I can get health insurance for $85 - $140 a month. He asked "what are the exclusions?" I replied "there aren't any - I get everything I need." He informed me that employers aren't able to do that because they have a large pool to insure. To which I replied, "that's my point." My argument is that individuals can often do better for themselves than their employer. I gave him the example of an employer giving health insurance stipends his employees. The employees could then shop for an insurance package which best meets their needs. If the stipend doesn't cover the entire expense, the employee could make up the difference. This is basically what's going on now except the individual employee is cut out of the picture when it comes to determining the cost of premiums. Consider that average health insurance cost to an individual employee is $280 /month. Assume that is 50% of the actual costs and the employer covers the other half. That brings the total cost to $560/month. If the employer decided to give a stipend of $200/month and the employee found coverage for $300/month, everyone would save money ($80 for the employer/$180 for the employee). In addition, the problem of loosing or needing to change insurance plans due to a change in employment would go away. Obviously this wouldn't work for everyone (this is a very general example) but it may be perfect for a particular company. Under H.R. 3200 this approach would result in penalties to the employer.  It wouldn't matter that everyone in the company is happy with the arrangement.  Rep. Johnson feels that such a scenario would lead to under coverage and high prices. In other words, without government involvement insurance companies could cover whatever they wanted and charge whatever they desired.

Our entire conversation went along those lines. Rep. Johnson would say something like "lack of access to affordable insurance is why people are having health problems." I would reply with "what about illnesses resulting from lack of exercise - that's more about personal responsibility."

My only disappointment came from Rep. Johnson's refusal to agree to support putting some period of sunlight on legislation prior to a vote. I had no illusions that he would change his mind on H.R. 3200, but why wouldn't he want his constituents to know the full content of the bill before he voted on it? It is sad to see another congressional representative put the Washington D.C. elite before the people who entrusted him with the stewardship of their liberty.

Here's the bottom line. H.R. 3200 is an antithetical to the principles on which this country is founded. We can all give historical arguments about how close to or far away America has been to those principles. The fact is, the principles are here and they are changeless. If you disagree, please tell me how Freedom changes - how Unalienable Rights change - how Individual Sovereignty changes.  Where are they absent?  What does Self-Evident mean? When a government decides that it is responsible for your health, it decides that it is in control of your health (you). If you don't believe this, please read H.R. 3200 (if you haven't already). Tell me how, within this bill, does the individual take full responsibility for their health care. Yes, you can do anything you want but you will be punished if it is not within the parameters set by government.

Congressman Johnson, when talking to me about poor people, asked "don't you care about these people" (as if being against a government option means you don't care about people). In astonishment it replied - "YES!" I'd like every American to know what it feels like to be self-sufficient. I'd like us all to feel the joy and satisfaction of taking care of ourselves and our families. I'd like us all to know the self-fulfillment of giving. I'd like us to know that we are whole. In H.R. 3200, our government is telling us the opposite - that we are not self-sufficient, self-fulfilling and whole. Our government is trying to convince us that we are wanting and this approach to health care reform is their attempt to keep it that way. I ask you, who truly cares, the one who would like to see you never want or the one that wants to see you wanting?

This is not about political parties or liberal versus conservative. It's about what's right. Congressman Johnson repeatedly told me that we need to do something. I kept replying, yes we need to do something but not this. This entire health care reform scheme coming out of Washington D.C. is aimed at burdening Americans with so much government that we will never know what it is to be free.

Our health care system needs fixing. It does not need the heavy hand of government. The average American works four months a year to pay federal, state, and local taxes. If we only worked two months a year (for example) to pay those taxes, could more people afford health insurance?  Instead, our government wants to create a massive entitlement program. It will lead to more taxes but your health insurance will be paid. Does this seem backwards to anyone else?  It's unreasonable to take away from you what you need to care for yourself in order for the government to care for you?  Why not leave with the individual what he needs, what is his, and allow him the respect and honor of being self-sufficient?

Each new government entitlement is another fetter on Individual Liberty. In order to "take care" of us, the government must place limits on us.  One of my favorite lines from The Declaration of Independence is "...all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."  When will we say -- enough?  It is frightening to leave the cage of the king's protection but it is the only way to be free.

I recently spoke with a friend who supports a public option approach to health care reform. She said "you seem to have a very high opinion of humans." It's more a high opinion of Freedom as the natural state of humans and the abundance of living in our natural state.  Our government is asking us to be what we are not -- to rob ourselves of who we are -- to turn a blind eye to our own being.

They are asking the impossible.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DISTRICT DOOR-KNOCKING DAYS!

We need your help.

We have "one of our own" -- Casey Tucker, who was active in the Ron Paul for President campaign and is now the Baldwin County Coordinator for the Georgia Campaign for Liberty -- who has "stepped up to the plate" and "stepped out" with a willingness to run for political office.

This is a BOLD step to take -- and now we need to help him take it.

Let me tell you a little about his race -- then I'll tell you why he is able to WIN it, and how you and I can help make that happen.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT!

We have an exciting development in Georgia. Casey Tucker, the C4L Baldwin County Coordinator, has qualified to run in a special election for State House District 141 on November 3, 2009. Longtime representative Bobby Parham retired earlier this year and Casey is taking advantage of a great opportunity. Casey's campaign website is here.

The Campaign for Liberty does not endorse candidates for elective office. This information is provided solely as a public service to our members.

Tell Barney Frank you heard his latest Town Hall video and you are not interested in some watered down version of Ron Paul's HR 1207 legislation. Tell whoever answers the phone that you want HR 1207 passed as is, stand-alone. Ask for the legislative director if you can.

DC Phone: 202-225-5931 DC Fax: 202-225-0182

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090830/pl_nm/us_usa_fed_audits_4

Also, Nancy Pelosi needs to feel the heat as well. Call her office and tell her to bring HR 1207 to the floor, as is, without amendments.

DC Phone: 202-225-0100