Pelosi’s New Pet - Blue Dog Marion Berry

by William Warren:

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ARRA News Service

Can Marion Berry Can Survive By Voting With Obama?

Well - John Brummett of Arkansas News in his analysis believes that "Marion Berry can survive in the 1st District by voting with Barack Obama and health care." Before proceeding, Brummett has been peddling the Democrat mantra in Arkansas for so long that he doesn't even mind pontificating in NW Arkansas about 1st District voters.

Rick Crawford, 1st District Republican Candidate for US Congress, was asked to respond to to the above statement. Crawford responded:

"When I first saw this, I had to read it again to make sure I read it correctly. Once I did, I realized just how out of touch those who are outside the First District are with what people like you are expressing to me about Marion Berry's vote for healthcare a few weeks back.

I also believe that an overwhelming majority of people in the First District disagree with the liberal policies of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi. It's time for a new direction and a new day for the First district of Arkansas. For too long, Marion Berry has told us he is one of us, only to then fly home to his mansion in Washington to be a pawn for Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Democrats in Congress."

In a recent letter to constituents in the 1st District, Crawford expanded his position:

Marion Berry not only voted for Nancy Pelosi's $1.1 trillion government takeover of health-care, he voted for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill, which has failed to create jobs, and only added to our exploding federal deficit.

We need to grow the economy and create jobs, while eliminating wasteful spending and reducing the national debt to keep the American dream alive for hard-working Arkansans.

I am a small business owner who understands what it means to live the American dream. I am also a veteran of the United States Army and have fought for our country and our freedoms.

Arkansans resoundingly oppose the liberal agenda of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Marion Berry, and I stand ready to be a check and balance on the Obama-Pelosi-Berry agenda.

The Perfect Storm

As we head towards the end of 2009 and look towards 2010, there is a perfect storm brewing in regards to our nation’s economy that should cause us all to have great pause. As we have seen so far this year, our national debt has ballooned at a quicker pace than we have seen in decades. What has happened as well is the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates at or near zero percent for much of this duration.

These interest rates will remain low only for a short time. Necessity will demand they go higher. Foreign countries, namely China, have continued to purchase our debt but the interest they are earning on that debt has been minimal and they will more than likely look to increase that very soon. And when China and other countries want that to happen, we will have to oblige their request because if we don’t, we will have even greater economic problems to deal with.

That is where the perfect storm comes in to play. Not only will we have to increase the interest payments to those who hold our debt, but we will have to start to raise our interest rates here at home. As reported in the New York Times today, the storm looks to be very menacing:

“With the national debt now topping $12 trillion, the White House estimates that the government’s tab for servicing the debt will exceed $700 billion a year in 2019, up from $202 billion this year, even if annual budget deficits shrink drastically. Other forecasters say the figure could be much higher.

In concrete terms, an additional $500 billion a year in interest expense would total more than the combined federal budgets this year for education, energy, homeland security and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

When you put in perspective — our interest payments in proportion to our overall federal budget — it is troubling what is looming on the horizon for our country.  If the Federal Reserve does not act precisely in tandem with the White House and Congress to address these upcoming issues, we could be in for a prolonged period of economic distress that shows no signs of turning around. But there are solutions we can deploy that would not cost taxpayers and would restore our economy at a much more advanced pace while also curing many other ills.

Where our Congress has failed miserably over the last three years has been in its desire to create more programs that spend money we do not have. So to counteract that, we need to cut government spending and taxes for individuals and corporations so we can put more money back in the private sector. The private sector needs more of its own money now than it has in the last twenty plus years. The Obama-Pelosi-Berry agenda is to raise taxes in all areas of our country to pay for programs we do not need and that are not fiscally responsible. 

We also need to restore the dollar so we can keep its prominence in the world as the reserve currency. When we have a strong dollar all nations prosper. If we do not have a strong dollar, our nation suffers. By employing fiscally responsible economic policy we can restore many segments of our economy and more people will be able to go back to work to good paying jobs.

There are common sense solutions that we can use and have ready for the perfect storm that is ahead. If we chose not to have leaders in Washington who will draft legislation that will reinforce these principles, then what is coming will hurt us even worse than what is going on right now. If we chose to send people to Washington who want to cut federal spending, who want to restore our economy through conservative fiscal policy and cutting taxes, I believe we can turn our economy around.

We need people in Washington who are not afraid to act and act decisively when it comes to our nation’s economic future. The Arkansas First District has this opportunity to Boot Berry and to Send Rick Crawford to Washington, D.C. as our new voice to see that these things come to fruition.

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Four Measures to Remake America - Marion Berry Votes for Big Government

by Michael G. Franc, National Review Online: In the House these last ten months, four votes stand out for the historians and political scientists to ponder and dissect — the final votes on the $787 billion economic stimulus plan, the fiscal-year 2010 budget resolution, the cap-and-trade legislation, and, of course, health reform.

If signed into law, collectively these four measures would remake America. Arguably, none of our previous major public-policy upheavals — not the New Deal of the 1930s or Great Society of the 1960s on the political left, nor the 1980s Reagan Revolution or the short-lived 1990s Republican Contract with America on the right — would rival this one for the extent to which it would permanently alter the relationship between the federal government and ordinary Americans.

Why? These bills call for new and unprecedented levels of taxation, spending, regulation, and debt (total federal debt, for example, would triple in the next decade alone); they would usher in an entitlement crisis measurably worse than even the most jaded budget experts previously thought possible; environmentally based trade protectionism in the form of carbon tariffs would undermine the post–World War II consensus that international trade is good and must be as free and open as possible; regulations on the production and use of energy would squeeze the budgets of American families and threaten the existence of millions of small businesses; and, finally, the federal welfare state and all its pathologies would extend far into the reaches of a formerly self-reliant middle class, and in so doing limit the ability of future generations to equal or exceed the achievements of previous ones.

Few lawmakers have cast so many important votes in such a short period of time. House Republicans have been virtually unanimous in their opposition to this agenda, but House Democrats have been divided in important ways.

One would expect, for example, that the members of the über-liberal House Progressive Caucus would robustly embrace this agenda. And 75 of its members voted for all four of these measures; the four who cast any dissenting votes presumably did so because the proposal in question wasn’t liberal enough. . . . But what about those members who are more centrist in their orientation, or who represent districts where the voters are more suspicious of Big Government initiatives?

First, let’s look at the Blue Dogs. The 52-member Blue Dog Coalition proudly touts its commitment to the principles of fiscal conservatism on its website. One icon simply states: “restoring fiscal responsibility to the federal government.” The coalition, we learn on its history page, has been particularly active on “balancing the budget and ridding taxpayers of the burden the debt places on them” and “protecting that achievement from politically popular ‘raids’ on the budget.”

. . . So what have these “fiscally conservative” lawmakers done on these four Big Government bills? In large part, signed on. . . . Perhaps most surprisingly, a total of 30 Blue Dogs tilted to the side of Big Government at least three out of four times, including Reps. Marion Berry of Arkansas, Allen Boyd of Florida, Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Bart Gordon of Tennessee, and Ben Chandler of Kentucky. . . . [Full Article]

Blue Dogs - Including Berry, Lincoln & Pryor - Pee on Constituents

by Lisa Benson

What Others Are Saying About Berry's Vote for Nationalized Healthcare

The National Review: Remaking America, Pelosi Style
"Perhaps most surprisingly, a total of 30 Blue Dogs tilted to the side of Big Government at least three out of four times, including Reps. Marion Berry of Arkansas, Allen Boyd of Florida, Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Bart Gordon of Tennessee, and Ben Chandler of Kentucky." (read more)

'Yes' Votes On Health Plan Put Some House Dems On Defensive
"Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., expected all along that he would vote against the Democrats' health care bill. But Saturday morning he changed his mind.
'I made the decision that this issue is just too important to the American people ...for us to stop working on it at this point',"
"Sometimes you just have to do what you think is the right thing to do and take the heat," (read more)

Who Took A Risk By Voting For The Health Care Bill?
"The Democrat from the most pro-McCain district who voted for the health care bill was Marion Berry of Arkansas, who's in his seventh term representing an area that gave McCain 59 percent of the vote. Of the 15 Democrats from the most pro-McCain districts who voted for the measure, Berry was the only "yes" vote." (read more)

AUFC, AFSCME, SEIU Defend Dems on Healhcare Vote
"Backed by SEIU, the groups say they'll put a total of $1.75 million behind the ads defending Baron Hill (IN-9), Brad Ellsworth (IN-8), Joe Donnelly (IN-2), Chris Murphy (CT-5), Joseph Cao (LA-2), Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL), Marion Berry (AR-1), Vic Snyder (AR-2), Tom Perriello (VA-5), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Paul Hodes (NH-2), Michael Michaud (ME-2) and Dina Titus (NV-3)" (read more)

Not Looking Forward to New Laws
"I am so proud of my 1st Arkansas district representative, Marion Berry, voting for this health care disaster that I will work tirelessly to see that he is retired in 2010. I am so proud of him that I will invest my hard-earned money (which otherwise would be sent to the U.S. Government) to help with his glorius defeat in November 2010." (read more)

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A REAL ALTERNATIVE - TIME TO BOOT BERRY

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Health Care Turncoat Marion Berry

by Sam Batkins, Center for Individual Freedom: What do you get when you mix political expediency, prevarication, “moderate” rhetoric and a desire to avoid the wrath of Nancy Pelosi? A “Blue Dog” Democrat.

During last Saturday’s midnight vote in the House of Representatives on ObamaCare, nowhere was the scent of political fear stronger than on the tails of self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats.

At one point this year, more than 69 Democrats publically expressed opposition to the many troubling provisions within the House health care bill, H.R. 3962. Those Democrats rightly balked at legislation that would tax the middle class, create a government-run public option and cut Medicare by hundreds of billions of dollars.

During the vote on Saturday night, however, 36 of them heard Speaker Pelosi’s footsteps and bowed to her will, voting for final passage and sending the 2,000-page-plus bill, complete with its $1.3 trillion price tag, to the Senate. . .

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One of the health care turncoats, was Marion Berry from Arkansas 1st District! Berry "wasn’t the only House member made out to be a liar last Saturday night. One by one, nearly three dozen of his “moderate” Democrat colleagues, all once pledging opposition to government-run health care and fidelity to fiscal responsibility, went back on their word and marched to the Speaker’s heavy drum."

Eventually, Blue Dog Democrats like Berry will feel the wrath of the voters who will dole out their punishment. Berry "backtracked on their opposition to ObamaCare" in a state that John McCain won in 2008 by almost 20% over Barack Obama and "no crafty rhetoric or folksy campaign commercial" will save him from voters in 2010.

Help Rename Blue Dog Democtats - Pick or Make-Up Your Choice

The Blinders - Jihad at Ft Hood

Old stream media has PC blinders on. Read the "Jihad at Fort Hood" series for non-Politically Correct insights into the background on the murder of "14" and wounding of 30 American military and civilians at Ft Hood, Texas.

Follows is an insightful cartoon by William Warren

[Source]

Don't Copy Europe's Mistakes: Less Government Is the Right Way to Fix Healthcare

Eline van den Broek explains that government interference is driving up healthcare costs in America and warns that European style health "reform" will make the situation even worse. Based on what has happened in Europe, she explains that universal health coverage is not the same as universal healthcare, that insurance mandates mean more government control, and that price controls simply do not work.

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America, You Asked for It!

Happy Veterans Day

This Veterans Day please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our nations heroes and their families. When our nation called they answered and we will forever be in their debt.

[Video] The quote is from Judge William S. Sessions, former FBI Director and Captain – United States Air Force 1951-1955 - and read by his son, NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions.

Democrats' Health Care Plan

by Lisa Benson

20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. It is a great day for Liberty that should not be forgotten. For those of us who remember that day, we remember the lesson that Communism does not work. For those who are too young to remember it first-hand, please take time to watch this video.

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by Fred Smith, CEI President: On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came crashing down. Today marks the twentieth anniversary of that great day – one of the greatest in the history of human freedom. Communism in Germany finally collapsed, setting off a domino effect that would reach Moscow within two years. Families torn apart for nearly three decades came together in tearful, happy reunions as the world watched. The Cold War was finally, mercifully, ending.

Many historians cite World War I as the twentieth century’s opening act. Sixteen million souls died in that war over nothing. Two of the nations it toppled became the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Communist and fascist governments would combine to kill more than one hundred million people over the next seven decades. Those needless deaths are the twentieth century’s legacy, every bit as much as the transistor or rock ‘n roll.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was that short, bloody century’s coda. November 9, 1989 was also the start of something better. It was a nation’s way of saying that it was ready to move on to better times. To a new world defined not by oppression, ideology, and servitude, but by freedom. Sweet, precious, fragile freedom. Seeing the footage on the news was like witnessing something being born. The hope and potential that surround every birth were glimmering in people’s eyes. It was beautiful.

What Berlin’s people did on that day also inspired half a continent to send the same message to their leaders. What a noble achievement. How worthy of commemoration, now that twenty years have passed. What a shame, then, that this milestone has been treated more like a millstone by the media. Reporters more concerned with today’s news cycle are giving at best perfunctory attention to a day that showed us all that is good about humanity.

To partially right that wrong, CEI has produced a short video [posted above] commemorating what the Berlin Wall’s fall symbolizes. . . . Of course, it is hard to convey in a few short minutes what the people living in that Wall’s shadow went through for 29 long years. So put yourself in their shoes. Think what they thought. Look right in the eyes of those separated families as they try to catch glimpses of each other over that wall. And the people who risked their lives escaping. And the soldier carrying back the body of someone who didn’t make it. What was going through his mind as he carried out his grisly task? That might give you an idea of what the Berlin Wall meant.

We all need to remember the Berlin Wall. We need to say to each other, “Never again.” And we have to mean it.

Comply with Pelois Healthcare Plan or Go to Jail

by Publius, BigGovernment.com: Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-MI) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail.

The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail.  It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years. [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties. The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.

“The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration. Speaker Pelosi’s decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates. Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare,” said Camp.

According to the Congressional Budget Office the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

Rick Crawford Statement on Rep. Marion Berry Voting for Pelosi Health Care Bill

Updated 11/8/09 (9;00am):  by Rick Crawford: “Tonight we saw history made where a liberal congress decided they know how to deal better with health care decisions than the American people do. Marion Berry voted in favor of this legislation and in doing so, completely ignored what his constituents wanted. Marion Berry proved again how he is nothing more than a Yes vote for Nancy Pelosi and her liberal agenda.”

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Representative Marion Berry released this statement in support of H.R. 3962, the Pelois National Health Care Plan with the misnomered title of The Affordable Health Care for America Act:

“I vote for this bill today to move the process forward, not to endorse its entire content. This bill is not perfect; however, it represents significant progress in achieving more affordable and better quality health care. This legislation represents compromise among a wide variety of voices from vastly different regions of the country. It prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions, prohibits federal funding for abortion, and bars illegal immigrants from receiving federal benefits under the bill. In addition, I fought for and was successful in including several priorities for health care reform in this bill, including provisions to provide cheaper prescription drugs for seniors by requiring pharmaceutical companies to negotiate prices with Medicare and filling in the Part D “doughnut hole.” The legislation also preserves access for patients to receive durable medical equipment such as diabetic testing supplies from their local community pharmacist.

“For too long insurance companies have found ways to cheat Americans out of the lifesaving care and procedures they desperately need simply because they were more interested in boosting their quarterly profits rather than providing care. One of the most important accomplishments of the House bill is that it puts an end to these practices and ensures that doctors and patients, not insurance companies, make health care decisions. There is no doubt that reform is needed to control rising health care costs, increase quality and value, and to improve access to coverage and care. This legislation is the next step toward that goal.”

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Editorial note: Berry failed to mention the increased burden on the debt, higher taxes, the reduction of medical benefits to medicare recipients and the criminalization of American Citizens including fines and prison for failing to buy approved health insurance policies approved by the Federal Government. Information on this will be in a separate post.