Arizona Update
- It was reported last week that Attorney General Eric Holder that he has not read the Arizona immigration bill (SB 1070). When asked if had read the bill he replied, "I have not had a chance to. I've glanced at it. I have not read it." That did not stop his commentary on the law: "The concern I have about the law that they have passed is that I think it has the possibility of leading to racial profiling and putting a wedge between law enforcement and a community that would, in fact, be profiled."
The bill is 10 pages long. You can read it HERE.
- Also, in response to the city of Los Angeles' threat to boycott the state of Arizona, Gary Pierce, a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission wrote a letter to Los Angeles that stated:
"If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy."
You can read the full letter HERE
Why Do Bad Things Happen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD1yv4J6ohE&NR=1
~ Voddie Baucham
The Last Hours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlJgDFFipMY
Matthew 27:27-54
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.
They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
What Just Happened
Let me get this straight.We're going to be gifted with a health care plan written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president who also hasn't read it and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke.What could possibly go wrong?
This list is a basic look at what will happen now that H.R. 3590 has passed. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has the goal of insuring all Americans. I am highlighting some key steps to make that happen.
Effective June 23, 2010
- Adults with pre-existing conditions will be eligible to join a temporary high-risk pool, which will be superseded by the health care exchange in 2014.
- Children will be permitted to remain on their parents' insurance plan until their 26th birthday.
- Insurers are prohibited from charging co-payments or deductibles for preventive care and medical screenings on all new insurance plans.
- Individuals affected by the Medicare Part D coverage gap will receive a $250 rebate, and 50% of the gap will be eliminated in 2011.
- Insurers' abilities to enforce annual spending caps will be restricted, and completely prohibited by 2014.
- Insurers are prohibited from dropping policy holders when they get sick.
- Insurers are required to reveal details about administrative and executive expenditures.
- Insurers are required to implement an appeals process for coverage determination and claims on all new plans.
- Indoor tanning services are subjected to a 10% service tax.
- All insurers are fully prohibited from discriminating against or charging higher rates for any individuals based on pre-existing medical conditions.
- All insurers are fully prohibited from establishing annual spending caps.
- Expand Medicaid eligibility; individuals with income up to 133% of the poverty line qualify for coverage
- Offer tax credits to small businesses who have fewer than 25 employees and provide health care benefits for them.
- Impose a $2000 per employee tax penalty on employers with over 50 employees who do not offer health insurance to their full-time workers.
- Impose an annual $695 fine on individuals who do not obtain health insurance; exemptions to fine in cases of financial hardship or religious beliefs.
- Creation of a new voluntary long-term care insurance program.
- Creation of tax credits for individuals who purchase private insurance policies
- Employed individuals who pay more than 9.5% of their income on health insurance premiums will be permitted to purchase insurance policies from a state-controlled health insurance option.
- Chain restaurants and food vendors with 20 or more locations are required to display the caloric content of their foods on menus, drive-through menus, and vending machines. Additional information, such as saturated fat, carbohydrate, and sodium content, must also be made available upon request.
- Establish health insurance exchanges, and subsidization of insurance premiums for individuals with income up to 400% of the poverty line, as well as single adults.
- Members of Congress and congressional staff will only be offered health care plans through the exchange or plans otherwise established by the bill (instead of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program that they currently use).
- Investment income of individuals earning $125,000 annually or couples earning $250,000 annually will be subject to Medicaid Payroll withholding.
- Medicaid Payroll withholding increases from 2.9% to 3.8% on all earned income.
- A new excise tax goes into effect that is applicable to pharmaceutical companies and is based on the market share of the company; it is expected to create $2.5 billion in annual revenue.
- Most medical devices become subject to a 2.9% excise tax collected at the time of purchase.
- Health insurance companies become subject to a new excise tax based on their market share; the rate gradually raises between 2014 and 2018 and thereafter increases at the rate of inflation. The tax is expected to yield up to $14.3 billion in annual revenue.
- All existing health insurance plans must cover preventive care and checkups without co-payment.
- A new 40% excise tax on high cost ("Cadillac") insurance plans is introduced.
A Moral Test
Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.
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THE SITUATION:
You are in Florida, Miami to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions. You are photojournalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive fury.
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THE TEST:
Suddenly you see a woman in the water. She is fighting for her life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the woman looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's Nancy Pelosi! At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take her under forever.
You have two options: You can save the life of Nancy Pelosi, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most powerful women (in her mind, at least).
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THE QUESTION:
Here's the question, and please give an honest answer.......
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Know How to Vote!
Here are some helpful links to assist you when voting.
Congrelate: Congrelate lets you view, sort, filter and share information about members of Congress and their districts
Imagine Election: An online voter guide. Just type in your zip code and find out who represents you.
On the Issues: Tired of media reports of fund-raising and poll results instead of policy issues? At On the Issues you can see the view of every candidates on every issue.
Open Congress: Brings together official government data with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind each bill.
Real Time Congress: Real Time Congress is the fast and free way to access real-time information about Congress on your iPhone
Vote Smart: Extensive nonpartisan information on elected officials' voting records and candidates' positions.
Bloody Sunday
This speech by Minority Leader John Boehner is one of the most articulate defenses of the Constitution when opposing the healthcare legislation.
Broken Promises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UErR7i2onW0
Obama admits he did not keep his word:
(To ABC News)
"You know, I think your question points out to a legitimate mistake that I made during the course of the year, and that is that we had to make so many decisions quickly in a very difficult set of circumstances that after awhile, we started worrying more about getting the policy right than getting the process right."
"But I had campaigned on process. Part of what I had campaigned on was changing how Washington works, opening up transparency and I think it is -- I think the health care debate as it unfolded legitimately raised concerns not just among my opponents, but also amongst supporters that we just don't know what's going on. And it's an ugly process and it looks like there are a bunch of back room deals.
"Now I think it's my responsibility and I'll be speaking to this at the State of the Union, to own up to the fact that the process didn't run the way I ideally would like it to and that we have to move forward in a way that recaptures that sense of opening things up more."
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/01/obama_finally_admits_he_broke.html
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