Obama's Treatment of Israel is Shocking

Obama's Treatment of Israel is Shocking by Ed Koch

President Obama's abysmal attitude toward the State of Israel and his humiliating treatment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is shocking. In the Washington Post on March 24th, Jackson Diehl wrote, "Obama has added more poison to a U.S.-Israeli relationship that already was at its lowest point in two decades. Tuesday night the White House refused to allow non-official photographers record the president's meeting with Netanyahu; no statement was issued afterward. Netanyahu is being treated as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons but conspicuously held at arms length. Buyer's remorse? A little late.

NO NEW HEALTH CARE BILL!

We the Patients have been left out of the negotiation. All I’ve seen are meetings with doctors, lawyers, insurance company’s, pharmaceutical company’s, union bosses, and politicians (who are not affected by this disaster because they have voted themselves lifetime premium medical coverage that is not accessible to the rest of us 300 million citizens) Glaringly absent from the negotiation are any private individuals? Why is that?

Washington has forgotten what insurance is. Insurance is nothing more than a hedge against loss in the event of a catastrophe. Insurance companies do not provide health care. They do not develop new technologies or make medical advances. They simply hedge against financial ruin in the event of a major illness or injury. Here’s my thoughts on a starting place for health reform?

1. Care providers should have to post their prices for their services and should not be able to charge a different price depending on who’s paying the bill. Should a gas station charge you a higher price if you’re paying with a company gas card? If providers are forced to disclose prices and compete for your business, price comes down. In some industries “Negotiated Rates” might be referred to as collusion and is illegal. And, if I’m not mistaken there are 31 States with Anti-Price gouging laws in an emergency, why are these laws not applicable in a medical emergency? Why do we accept this from health care providers? 3rd party payer is the root of the problem why prices are so high.

2. Basic care and maintenance like check-ups, doctor visits, etc. should be paid directly by the consumer. If medical care providers have to disclose their prices and consumers are responsible to pay for their own care watch how quickly care costs come down. Look at cosmetic and Lasik surgery and veterinary medicine. Insurance doesn’t cover it so providers must find a way to compete for your business and they do this by either lowering cost or increasing services. And, If insurance companies are not responsible for every medical bill then they will lower their premiums and when individuals pay less in premiums it frees up more money to pay for regular medical care. You don’t expect your homeowners insurance to cover when your dishwasher breaks or plumbing backs up. What would your car insurance premiums be if they had to cover oil changes and tuneups? Premiums come down if insurance is only used as intended.

3. Congress should pass legislation to prohibit the “pre-existing” conditions denial of insurance and return insurance to its original intent which is a hedge against loss in a catastrophic event or illness. Think outside the box on how risk is pooled. Risk pools are arbitrary and need to be completely open in order to spread risk. Instead of mandating everyone must buy coverage, they should mandate that insurers must cover everyone. Insurers play the odds that most people live healthy lives and make money when people pay premiums for long periods of time with no incidents or claims and yes they must pay those claims when they occur but if they are receiving premiums from a huge number of people who don’t get cancer as most don’t or become injured in a fiery crash as most don’t, then they make profits and employ people and the industry contributes to the economy. But insurers don’t need to pay higher prices (“negotiated rates”) charged by care providers because all that does is raise premiums.

4. All insurance should be sold individually and not provided through employers. This way, if you lose your job you don’t lose your insurance. If an employer wants to pay an amount toward your premium as a part of a benefits package that’s between you and them and not mandatory. If you lose your job, you simply lose that employers contribution toward your premium but your next employer may pick it up as part of their benefit’s package again, that’s negotiated between you an that employer.

5. Propose a plan to END medicare and medicaid. These are unsustainable entitlements that hinder fairness and competition and fleece taxpayers out of their earnings for something they will not benefit from. I say do the hard thing now! For seniors who are currently using the system, they should continue to receive these services because they have paid into this system on the promise of receiving benefits. To reduce or remove it from them now is theft and Americans are NOT promise breakers who go back on their word. However we need a plan to phase out medicare and medicaid over a period of time so that we have something better in place by the time the next generation of seniors arrive; Something that better reflects The United States of America not The United Socialist States of America. We are NOT a socialist nation and that has served us well for some 230 years. Why fix what ain’t broken?

6. Any new bill needs to make absolutely clear that absolutely NO Abortions will be paid for with tax payer dollars. The Bill of Rights – Amendment I – states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…..” One of the ways I “freely exercise” my religion is to not kill babies, If this is true then congress can NOT pass any law forcing me to subsidize with my taxes something that violates my free exercise of my religion, which is to not kill babies.

This a good starting point in any meaningful discussion on real health care reform. Unfortunately, Washington is not interested in the truth or reasoned debate. Unfortunately, Washington is not interested in what we the people and we the patients want. Unfortunately, Washington thinks that we the people are not capable to think for ourselves.

NO, NO, NO, Hell NO!

In his State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Obama asked lawmakers to "work through our differences, to overcome the numbing weight of our politics." On Thursday, Republicans sent their answer. The Senate took a vote on extending the federal debt ceiling -- without which the United States would go into default. All 40 Republicans voted no.
Every leader in BOTH the Democratic and the Republican party should be proud to say NO to bad policy.

Either way you cut it, this guy is off is rocker.

I cringe when I hear Robertson, or other Christian leaders, say such things. As a strong Christian myself I can tell you I have nothing but compassion for the people of Haiti.
It’s moments like these that I envy atheists. They can just sit back and laugh, while I have to stand up and get associated with this jerk.

So once again after all of his attacking Republicans the President Calls for Unity

Obama has no credentials beyond walking on water, and being a ward heeler, political mafia strong arm and snake oil salesman. He can set forth on a mission to bring us together, but it will be laced with blame placing, posturing and fairy dust promises that only the unicorn crowd will hear
Do you think attacking Republicans, repeatedly criticizing your predecessor and whining about the problems you inherited (even after spending two years working so you could face those problems head-on) might have something to do with it?
If he wants to change Washington, it’s all in his hands. He can make the decision to broadcast negotiations on C-SPAN and tell Congress to eliminate the backroom deals from the bill.
Once this health care charade has played out, we the people will go to the polls and speak our minds. God grant us the strength to act with wisdom, piety and a determination to protect of our posterity.

Glenn Beck’s keynote address at next month’s Conservative Political Action Conference

Glenn Beck will be giving the keynote address at next month’s Conservative Political Action Conference and that alone could boost Republican efforts to get behind the tea party movement, lets hope that he could light a fine in our efforts. If anyone could do it, Glenn Beck can. Glenn Beck is one of the most talented and entertaining speakers ever. He has the ability to draw in an audience and hold them. I admire him a lot and know he will be a hit with the CPAC people.
Obama's Socialist-Democrats will be slaughtered in November 2010 and Obama will be looking for work in January 2013. The RINOs will not fare well, either. I doubt that McCain or any of the blue-bloods will be re-elected. Americans are just as fed up with the social liberalism of the Republicans as they are with Obama's Socialism.

Ben Nelson

Nelson, you're a liar and a coward. You are TOAST in the next election, and your abandonment of your principles and the will of the people of Nebraska (and America) is the reason. You sold out the unborn, stole from the American people with the "Cornhusker Kickback", and now you're trying to defend your slimy actions? Please.

You want to "repair damage at home"? ADMIT YOU WERE WRONG, AND VOW--oh, and actually MEAN IT this time--TO VOTE "NO" IF THIS CRAP REACHES THE SENATE AGAIN. Then you might actually stand a chance of not being utterly SHELLACKED in your next campaign. I doubt you'll actually win (cowards don't get second chances, I'm afraid) but maybe you'll at least save a little face...and possibly your actual soul.

Otherwise, you can rot on the vine with the rest of the idiots who voted in the affirmative for this thing...and burn in Hell for what you've done to the millions of unborn about to be murdered in your name. You won't even get a job as dog catcher after this crap you pulled.

Good Luck! Anyone who prostitutes himself and has to be bribed to vote for a POS like Obamacare deserves to be kicked to the curb. If Nelson was my Congressman he would be TOAST!

Nelson has proved that he is not a man of honor. He sells out his vote for a sceme that appears to be unconstitutional, and if the various Attorney's General win their promissed lawsuits the people of his state will get no special treatment. Then Nelson has the nerve to publically announce that he believes that the government should have waited on healthcare. Why did Nelson vote for the plan if he truley believed that we should have waited on the takeover of the health insurance industry.

Nelson has proven that he cares nothing about his wishes of his constituents, and he is nothing more than another liberal democrat jumping through the hoops that Harry Reid holds up in front of him. Nelson should now be known as "Harry's lap dog". Harry Reid says "bark for me Ben.. bark for me" and Ben Nelson rolls over, barks and shows the world he is little more than a puppet for the racist Harry Reid.

Terror isn't a word you'll find in President Obama's New Year message to "the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Nor is "freedom."

No, you won't hear the word "TERROR" in President Obama's Iranian New Year message to "the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Nor the word "freedom." Nor "democracy." Nor "human rights."

Nor will you find any expression of solidarity with the people of Iran--though you'll find plenty of solicitude for their rulers. The president bends over backwards to reassure the mullahs that our government wishes them well.

You'll find a paragraph addressed to "the people and leaders of Iran," as if the people and leaders were in harmony, and shared a need to be reassured that we seek "a future with .  .  . greater opportunities for partnership and commerce."

You'll find two paragraphs devoted to speaking directly to Iran's leaders. Obama reassures them of his commitment to diplomacy, and to an engagement grounded in "mutual respect." Of course expressions of respect for the people of Iran are nothing new--President Bush reiterated our respect for the people of Iran many times, including a year ago on the occasion of Nowruz, as they call their New Year. No, what's distinctive about Obama's statement is his respect for the "leaders," the clerical dictatorship.

Ten New Year's Resolutions Obama Should Have

10. Quit blaming George W. Bush for everything. For Harry Truman, the buck stopped with him. Of course, thanks to massive government debt sales under Obama, a “buck” is now worth less but the concept is the same.

09. Quit blaming the CIA for everything. You can’t simply say the CIA “dropped the ball” on the one hand then release terrorists to Yemen and politicize the War on Terror on the other and expect positive results.

08. Quit spending so much damn taxpayer money! Governments aren’t the most efficient way to create jobs… private businesses and individuals are. Stop trying to change this truth.

07. Stop acting as if you are “above the fray” on issues like healthcare, Cap and Trade, and terrorism. You can’t keep telling people you are simply trying to help Congress send the bills the country needs to your desk when you are, in fact, the one who can set the tone as to what is sent to your desk and what is not.

06. Stop holding massive taxation over the heads of Americans. Cap and Trade would impose a $,1600.00 tax on each and every American family. Businesses would pay more. See Resolution #08 for more information.

05. Stop trying to appease foreign countries that hate us. They are tougher and more experienced than you. Being president isn’t amateur hour.

04. Don’t tell our armed forces you support them and order them to possibly die on the battlefield on the one hand but tell your Liberal base “we’ll be pulling out soon” because it’s not going to work on either side and you’re only going to send Americans to death neeedlessly.

03. You’re unpopular… deal with it and stop acting like everybody loves you so you can sign anything you want into law. More Americans think you’re doing a crummy job than a good one… time to start governing like it.

02. Stop watering down everything so as to enlist the help of the Europeans. Europe has always waited for the U.S. to take the lead and always will because it’s the easier political route for them to take. Doing what’s right is the order of the day and trying to make things more palatable to them will only result in our objectives not being met and we still won’t get their support in the end. See Resolution #05 for more info.

01. Quit betraying our allies… I’m thinking mainly of selling out Eastern Europe to the Russians with SDI. America can’t afford to send those countries that have steadfastly supported us down the river for the hope of help from whatever country you are trying to win over with “goodwill” gestures

Will It Be A Happy New Year For Barack Obama

On Obama's plus side, the media is still firmly on Obama's side and will continue to blame George W. Bush for everything until at least 2011. The media, in general, has a lot invested in the new president and will spin most events his way. That gives President Obama some public relations room. He'll have a few months before any pressure from the media comes directly at him. Heck, if the liberal press didn't scream about the conservative preacher Rick Warren praying at the inauguration, you know the fix is in.

Also, Congress is now dominated by pro-Obama Democrats, and it will do pretty much what the new president wants, so that will make Obama's life a lot easier.

On the downside, Congress simply does not know what it is doing. The financial crisis caught our lawmakers by surprise, and the continuing chaos clearly demonstrates that these people have no idea how to deal with the recession. So Americans are just going to have to tough it out and pray the president and Congress don't make things even worse.

On the terrorism front, some Americans, including this one, are worried for a number of reasons, beginning with Obama selecting Eric Holder to be attorney general. This almost defies belief. In addition to lobbying for the pardon of uber tax cheat Marc Rich, Holder was part of the Janet Reno gang that made it impossible for the feds to investigate terror-related activities inside the USA.

You'll remember that then Attorney General Reno, with her assistant Holder's guidance, actually ordered the FBI not to share information with the CIA. Thus, the 9/11 hijackers were free to roam this country until doing their deadly deeds.

A New Year, A New Decade

While going to the gym this morning, I was pleasantly reminded that it is the first weekend of the New Year, New Decade. Yup, the gym was PACKED! Many resolutions began to take a reality and I was glad people were taking ACTION! In the grand scheme of things, how we handle one aspect of our lives has a "trickle-down" affect into other areas too. For example, how we handle our personal lives has bearing into our professional decisions. How we take care of our spiritual lives can manifest into our mental, physical or even financial being.I was encouraged this morning by such a packed gym to write down some thoughts that can help encourage a continued journey

How is your new year’s resolution going?

With New Year's Day being my first day of blogging, I’m wondering, how many of you have kept your new year’s resolution? And are your resolutions the same ones that you broke last year?