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When: Saturday, August 22, 2009 @ 9:00 AM
Where: Slope's BBQ, 1131 North Tennessee St., Cartersville, GA 30120
Speaker:
Insurance Commissioner Candidate Stephen Northington
Future
Meetings:
September 26 - Candidate for Labor Commissioner, Rep. Melvin Everson
October 24 - Candidate for Insurance Commissioner, Mayor Harold Logsdon
No monthly meetings in November due to the observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday |
The political world in America is moving so fast that it is impossible for one person to keep up with all the changes. One thing is for sure, and yes this may sound a bit odd coming from the chairman of a county Republican Party, but we need to say a big thank you to Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid. Why? Because without them and their fast moving socialistic legislation, the American people would not be waking up and becoming involved. Our country has been going in the wrong direction for a long time now, but in the past six months we have sped up the pace to the point that most Americans are finally starting to pay attention. Sometimes it takes drastic measures for people to start to pay attention and in America we have some drastic legislation going through now (please see the rest of the newsletter) and that has already gone through that could change America from the great free country that we were to something that none of us really wants to live in. The great news is that we the people are starting to take our country back, as evidenced by all of the various TEA Parties and Town Hall meetings being held around the country. This is great, but these have to be just the beginning steps to taking back our country.
First, we need to keep writing and calling our elected officials to make our opinions know, not just federal, but also state and local officials. Keep your writings and calls short and to the point, don't forget they can't read long bills (i.e. Healthcare and Stimulus) so what makes one think they would read a long letter? Make sure you only address one topic at a time so your letter gets the full attention it should. Second, attend various town hall meetings, TEA Parties and other various events whenever possible. At these events, you might actually get to ask a question or talk to your representative. If anything, you will be encouraged by the others who attend and feel the same way you do. Third, get behind good candidates in 2010, 2012, 2014, etc. (the change could take several election cycles) and help them get elected to office. Until we have true change in exchanging those who are in the current offices with those who truly believe in what this country was founded on, we will continue to have the same results. Fourth, consider running for office yourself. Qualifying for candidacy to run for office will be held the week of April 26-30, 2010.
The main thing now is to get involved and get informed. You might find that you know more than our representatives if you actually read the bill (follow this link, and be sure to read the fourth paragraph to see what I mean). |
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Town Hall Meetings  Cogressman Phil Gingrey:
Thursday, August 13th
Rome
Rome Civic Center
400 Civic Center Dr.
Rome, GA
3:00pm to 4:30pm
Wednesday, August 19th
Cedartown
Polk Co. Commissioners Chambers
GA State Patrol Post 29
73 Cline Ingram Jackson Road
Cedartown, GA
2:00pm-3:30pm
Thursday, August 20th
Kennesaw
Ben Robertson Community Center
2753 Watts Drive
Kennesaw, GA
6:30pm-8:00pm
Tuesday, August 25th
Summerville
Chattooga Co. Library
300 Farrar Drive
Summerville, GA
12:30pm-2:00pm
Tuesday, August 25th
Cartersville
Bartow Co. Senior Center
102 Zena Drive
Cartersville, GA
3:00pm-4:30pm
Senator Johnny Isakson:
There are none scheduled near or around the Bartow County area. However, he will be holding some telephone conferences and if you would like to be on the phone call, please call Senator Isakson's office at 770-763-9090 and ask to be put on the call list.
Senator Saxby Chambliss:
At the time of this publication, Senator Chambliss' office had not returned our inquiry for town hall meetings in or around the Bartow County area. |
Our 2009 Sponsors
State Senator Bill and Susan Heath
Former Rep. Jeff and Kim Lewis
State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine
John and Terry Bangert
Rep. Paul and Marijon Battles
Wanda Cagle-Gray
Susan Crockett
Ted and Gail Henry
John & Kerry Howard
Douglas and Joan Jones
Rep. Barry & Desiree Loudermilk
Become A 2009 Sponsor TODAY! |
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Become a Bartow GOP Member  If you have not joined the Bartow County Republican Party, please take the time to do so now. Click the button below to join at the $35 Family level, or you may print a PDF membership form and send it in by clicking here. All membership dues will help in electing Republicans in 2010 and informing voters of how their elected officials are representing them. Join today and be a part of the Bartow County Republican Party.
You may join at the $35 Family level now by clicking on the PayPal button or visit BartowGOP.com to become a sponsor or join for two years. |
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Greetings!
(Editor's Note: There is a lot of stuff in this newsletter; a whole lot. I've tried to summarize as much as possible and I've still left a lot of stuff out. You may need to treat this newsletter like a holiday meal...don't try to take it all in at once, let what you've taken in have time to digest, and then move on to the next course. You may have to leave the proverbial table and come back later. Enjoy...and stop eating with your hands, and keep the chair on all fours. Were you raised in a barn?!)
It is a sign of just how massive the effort has been from President Obama and the Democrats in their efforts to change the fundamental structure of our government and move us to the political left that it has become near impossible to keep up with everything that this administration and Congress has tried to either sneak past us or ram down our collective throats. With Democrats having filibuster-proof control of the House and Senate, as well as the most liberal president in the history of the republic plotting from behind the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Republicans and conservatives are at a distinct disadvantage in trying to stop the onslaught of liberal Utopianism. However, because the Democrats know that the majority of the American people would not share their views if presented honestly, we have a few weapons left in our arsenal with which to fight back. We'll lose some battles and we'll win some battles, but we'll continue our efforts to save this republic.
Last week, because of the defection that I predicted in the last newsletter (granted, this was about as difficult as predicting that Keith Olberman will have less viewers than this newsletter has readers), we have lost one battle that will have long-term effects. That loss occurred when Senator Lindsey "Gramnesty" Graham cast his vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve Justice Sonia Sotomayor for a full vote from the Senate. According to Senate rules at least one committee member of the minority party has to cast a vote in the affirmative in order to move to a full Senate vote, so theoretically Republicans could have blocked it. The good news is that I also predicted Orrin Hatch would defect, but he did not. Sonia Sotomayor was then voted on by the full Senate and confirmed as the next associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Luckily, this does not represent an ideological shift of the balance of power on the court because she replaces Souter, who was also a liberal; unfortunately, we have another justice that puts feelings before the law and which uses standards other than the Constitution to reach her decisions.
The bottom line, as we have seen all too clearly, is that elections have consequences, and Republicans have been losing a lot of elections of late. I'll cover this more extensively in an upcoming newsletter, but Republicans have an opportunity to make gains, possibly significant gains, in the 2010 elections. That will only happen with the right message and the right leadership though; and right now the Republicans are showing neither. Newt Gingrich engineered the 1994 Republican revolution which shocked the country by sweeping into office 54 freshmen Republican representatives and 8 Senators that offered a message, in the Contract With America, of personal responsibility, limited government, low taxes and a strong national defense. Republicans were swept out of office in 2006 and 2008 largely because they abandoned the mantel of fiscal responsibility (pork spending, Bridge to Nowhere, corruption scandals, etc.) and fell in love with their power. We paid for that dearly and have Obama and a Democrat-controlled Congress as a result.
If we are to regain a voice in Congress in 2010, and the presidency in 2012, we will have to be very vocal about what we expect from our elected officials. They will be asking us for our votes, our money and our time campaigning in their behalf. They need to know that it is not a given that we will support them, and we need commitments from them that they will help us return to the role of government envisioned by the Founding Fathers, which has been steadily eroded by politicians in both parties. For example, on the Cash-for-Clunkers legislation (otherwise known as "Let your neighbor make your car payment), Congressman Nathan Deal, who wants to be Georgia's next governor, twice voted "present" for this bill. If he wants to be the chief executive of the state he needs to learn to take a principled stand, even when it is not popular. And even worse, Congressman Phil Gingrey (who represents us in Bartow County, voted for the bill!
I am confident that Republicans can make significant gains in the elections next year with the right candidates and the right message. But that message can't be the watered-down, morally-equivocating, weak-kneed, whimpering, politically correct drivel that we so often hear from candidates afraid to take a principled stand for fear of alienating some interest group. It has to be moral, principled positions taken boldly and unapologetically. The country is seeing the effects of hyperliberalism and is looking for an alternative. Will the Republican Party give it to them? |
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Health Care Reform
Good news! What looked like a rampaging juggernaut, the Democrats seemingly unstoppable push to nationalize health care, has hit a snag...it seems that the more people learn the less they like what they see. Despite protestations to the contrary, this bill (several versions, actually) is a nightmare of government mandates, regulations, politics and bureaucracy that will devastate the world's best health care system if passed. Can you imagine having a heart condition, eye problems or some other serious ailment and having to deal with the medical equivalent of the DMV? These yahoos can't even get a $1 billion Cash-for-Clunkers program to run right (the government's foray into selling cars) and we are supposed to trust them with our health and 20% of the American economy?
There is no problem so bad that government involvement can't make it worse. Democrats are furious over Republicans' refusal to buy into their scheme to take over health care and blame them for a deal not yet having been reached...apparently they have forgotten that they control the presidency and both houses of Congress, including a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. They don't need a single Republican vote, yet they still can't get it done because Democrats from conservative-leaning districts are rightly afraid that, after voting for the "stimulus" and the bailouts, they are at risk of losing their jobs in the next election.
I was going to go into a detailed and lengthy diatribe on all that is frightening about the Democrats' health care "reform", but their arrogance is so astounding that they have become stupid enough to actually say what they are thinking out loud! For example:
Obama and the Democrats say now (for the masses anyway) that they are not seeking government-run, universal healthcare. However, in more friendly settings the story is a little different. Speaking before the AFL-CIO in 2003, Obama states clearly that he wants a single-payer system.
At a National Press Club luncheon, when asked if he had read the health care bill, senior Democrat John Conyers (D-MI) replied "What good is reading the bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), when asked for comment about a group circulating a petition asking all members of Congress to read the health care bill before voting on it, burst out laughing and then replied "If every member pledged to not vote for it if they hadn't read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes."
I'm not sure if this was a rare case of a politician having "mispoke" (as opposed to just trying to distance themselves from an unpopular comment), but Obama said that he's looking to bring "greater inefficiencies" to our health care system. I say, "Mr. President...Mission Accomplished!".
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) boasted that private insurers "have every reason to be frightened" by health care "reform" because it is simply a "strategy for getting [to a single-payer government system], and I believe we will."
Rep. Bonnie Fwank...sorry about that...Barney Frank (D-MA) less than two weeks ago stated plainly that he is all for a single-payer, government-run system.
Clearly, the Democrats want government-run health care in this country, and they plan to raise taxes to pay for it, and they plan to put the private insurance industry out of business. They tell us that they must do this because rising healthcare costs are crippling the economy, and that their reform will save us tens of billions of dollars. Well, that's interesting, because other than their rhetoric, the facts do not support their claims. In one of the early versions of the bill to be released, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the costs would exceed $1 trillion dollars over the next ten years, possibly as mucg as $1.5 trillion (and that is the Government's estimate!). Or the fact that employers would have to pay at least 72.5% of the cost of premiums (what will that do for job creation?). Of course, it is not a bad deal for everyone. Under the Kennedy version of the bill members of Congress and federal employees would be exempt from the restrictions imposed on the rest of us (see section 3116). And the "Cadillac plans" that Democrats are so fond of demonizing? Congress and the unions are exempt from the penalties that you and I would have to pay if we bought them. I guess it's true...all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others (gold star for you if you catch the reference).
The bottom line is that is is not about improving the quality of our health care system, increasing consumer choice or reducing costs. It is a government power grab. It is just one more way, a way with enormous leverage (you'll be a good little comrade if the price of life-saving care is obedience to dictates from on high), to have government control how you live. You think I exaggerate? Try finding anything other than a low-flow toilet at Home Depot, or a shower head that gets more than a square foot of your body wet at one time. Try getting experimental, potentially life-saving treatment through the use of new drugs not approved by the FDA. Tell me then that you are truly free.
Here are some other aspects of the health care "reform" bills that you might want to be aware of:
- Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), a Georgia doctor and chairman of the Republican Study Committee in the House, exposes the farce of Democrats' claiming the have attempted to write a bipartisan bill, and goes on to explain why their bill will be a nightmare for Americans.
- Ezekiel Emanuel, Obama's health care advisor and Rahm's brother, wrote in the January 2009 edition of the medical journal The Lancet that if health care has to be rationed, he prefers that the elderly are discriminated against (in other words, don't waste resources on the old since they will die sooner...so much for mom's hip replacement or that angioplasty that dad needs), and that health services should not be guaranteed to "individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens...[such as] patients with dementia. (Hastings Center Report)". Of course, that makes since when you consider Obama's first choice for HHS Secretary, former Senator Tom Daschle, has said health-care reform "will not be pain free.", and that seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. My question is, how in the world can the AARP support this type of legislation?
- The Senate version would require the HHS Secretary to develop "standards of measuring gender", as opposed to the "boy" and "girl" standard that I grew up with. Silly me, I thought this was pretty much cut and dry. How about this...if you are too stupid to tell the difference between a boy and a girl you should not be writing legislation. HHS Secretary Sebelius says that she has "no idea what [the reporter] is talking about".
- Learn the facts about ObamaCare, including CNN-Money's 5 Freedoms You'd Lose in Health Care Reform.
- The National Review explains that there is only two things wrong with the Democrats' plan for health care reform...the big picture and the fine print. This is an excellent summary of the dangerous details hidden in the fine print.
By the way, Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) offered a resolution (H.R. 615) stipulating that all members of the House that voted for the Democrat bill with the "public option" would have to sign up them and their families for the public plan. Not surprisingly, the resolution was defeated; Congress isn't about to give up their gold-plated plan that taxpayers pay for to get into the plan they are trying to force on us.
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The Economy, Taxes and Deficits
I'm not going to sit and try to convince anyone that our economy is in bad shape (you know that already unless you are in a coma, in a cave, or a die-hard Obamessiah supporter). However, there are many factors that are contributing to the sluggish economic recovery. Ronald Reagan inherited an economy of life support from Jimmy "even brutally oppressive, murderous dictators need love too" Carter, yet his economic policies of slashing taxes and simplifying the tax code led to an unparalleled expansion of economic growth, all while burying the Soviet Union under the rubble of fallen Communism. Democrats seem to think that political actions have no impact on the actions of the private market. Below are a few stories that outline why we are still struggling:
- As people struggle to put food on their table, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke went to China in July, claimed that the U.S. is largely responsible for global warming, and that Americans need to pay for China's greenhouse gas emissions.
- Al Gore said at a conference in the UK that theDemocrats' Cap-and-Trade bill will help bring about global governance. This means that the U.N. will be controlling our national energy policy. That means your rates skyrocket to pay for energy in Cuba and Zimbabwe.
- Last month, in a little noticed release from the Federal Reserve, the Fed predicted that under current policies there would beno net new job creation over the next five years.
- The Democrats continue to try and pass a Cap-and-Tax bill that will drastically raise U.S. energy prices,force homeowners to spend money "greening" their homes before they can sell them, and for what? A draft report written by an expert at the EPA says that we are in an 11-year decline in global temperatures and his boss,EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson admits that cap-and-tax legislation would have no impact on global emissions levels.
- House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank isthreatening banks with legislation that would allow bankruptcy judges to arbitrarily write down the amount of a person's mortgage(regardless of the terms of the mortgage contract) if they don't save more homeowners from foreclosure. Wasn't putting people in homes they could not afford what got us into this in the first place? And if this law is passed, the result will be higher rates for everyone in order for mortgage companies to cover potential losses through write-downs. This will lead to fewer homes sold because loans will be harder to get.
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A Little Good News and Comic Relief
If you watch the news or follow politics too closely, it's easy to forget how much good is in the world. There has been plenty to be happy about though, and with the constant bombardment of depressing news stories, we need to take some time to focus on the good, and laugh a little as well...
...speaking of feel-good stories, it seems that there is starting to be some backlash to the Democrat brand of socialism being forced down our throats. At town hall meetings all across the country, Democrats are getting hammered about their ultra-liberal policies. Take a look:
- a U.S. soldier, talking to a staffer for the senator, demands an apology from Senator Claire McCaskill for the her support of unconstitutional policies.
- Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) gets a hostile reception from constituents angry at his support of the Democrats' health care reform bill.
-Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MI) gets mocked and booed for his defense of ObamaCare when he claims it will create a $6 billion surplus over 10 years.
- Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) and HHS Secretary Sebelius are asked "How can you manage health care when you can't manage Cash-for-Clunkers?" At the same meeting, the crowd explodes in anger when Specter tells them that Congressmen can't take time to read the entire health care bill because "we have to make judgments very fast".
- In New York, Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) takes some heat from voters angry with his lockstep obedience to the Pelosi-Reid agenda. A veteran passionately tells how it takes him two months to see a doctor at the VA hospital.
- Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D) gets grilled by a taxpayer demanding to know where the government gets the right to fine him, an individual, if he does not buy into their health care plan. He makes a good point. Are we still sovereign individuals with government to serve us, or have the roles been switched and no we simply live to serve and obey our government masters?
- AARP workers are not comfortable with having to answer hard questions about their support for ObamaCare, and repeatedly tell members to quiet down. AARP Members were invited to a health care reform pep rally and a TEA Party broke out. The AARP workers left in frustration but the party kept going.
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Democrat vs. Republican
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.
"She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."
"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."
The man smiled and responded, "You must be an Obama Democrat"
"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault.
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What will it take for Obama to finally take the fight to the terrorists instead of telling us that there is no terrorism, just man-made disasters? We may be about to find out...
and finally, just because it made me laugh...
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Reading for Extra Credit
Keeping Up With the World of Politics, Government, and the Social Issues of the Day
Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows that one of the quickest ways to get my blood boiling is to refer to America as a democracy. We are not now nor have we ever been...we are a constitutional republic. Here is an excellent primer that explains the difference.
Speaking of the Constitution, Ted Nugent (yes, that Ted Nugent) gives in an interview a riveting defense of the 2nd Amendment and the natural right of man to defend himself or herself.Islam, the religion of peace...see what happens in Dearborn, Michigan when a non-Muslim starts asking questions at Arabfest. This is frightening.Those Russians ARE atheists, or just don't know when they are standing before diety. That would explain why Russian officials refused to shake Obama's hand.The accepted mantra in this country has become that the U.S. spends more on health care than other countries and gets less for it. However Scott Atlas, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution (and Chief of Radiology at Stanford University Medical Center), says this is patently untrue. Americans have longer lives and higher recovery rates for major diseases than any other country, and most of the new innovations in medicine originate in America. And what might ObamaCare look like? Take a look at this undercover video from Canada and see. China and India, who make up more than 40% of the world's population, have made it clear that they will not be participating in any carbon emission restrictions treaties, but will instead focus on economic growth. They will, however, be happy to let the rest of us cripple our economies pursuing that agenda.- Good ol' Joe...Biden tells AARP members that we have to keep spending in order to keep from going bankrupt. Joe is also offering a fabulous new diet plan where you lose 5 lbs. per day by doubling your food intake. Sign up now! (Results may vary) But even Obama has started to "revise" expectations for the stimulus money.- Democrats say that the stimulus isn't working because taxes were cut too much. Yeah, that's why it's not working.- Something is getting stimulated but it's not the economy...stimulus funds are being used to pay for gay porn, in the form of NEA grants.- New York has found a creative way to cut costs...buy one-way tickets for homeless people to be sent to Georgia and South Carolina. | |
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May God Bless You,
Louis DeBroux, Vice Chair of Communications
Bartow County Republican Party
Michael W. Huneke II, Chairman
Bartow County Republican Party |
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