STAYING ENGAGED

As I have been saying for a while now, November 2^nd does not signify the end of all of your hard work .. it is only the beginning.  Getting your candidates to Washington is the easy part compared to staying engaged and keep watch over their doings in Congress.  Tony Blankley explains what could happen if we fail to keep up with our future obligations after the election ...

If the tea partiers and other liberty lovers continue to engage Washington next year, then government shutdowns can work, vetoes can be overridden and public opinion can be rallied to help defeat Obamacare, higher taxes and deficits. If our public does not stay engaged, then the ever-organized left will force the GOP back into Washington as usual politics -- and our chance to reform our government will die. Let's prove the Washington cynics in both parties wrong. As it has in the last few years, the tea party movement must continue to provide both the backbone and the vision for the Washington GOP.

You have four days, folks.  Then the REAL fun starts!

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FREE MARKET OR REGULATION ?

Here's a bulletin for The Chosen One. You know who I'm talking about ... the anti-capitalist who is currently, in his words, fundamentally transforming our country ... transforming our country by creating an economy designed by the government, rather than the private sector. Recent Rasmussen polls found that voters overwhelmingly prefer a free market economy to an economy managed by the government. Only 14% think government control of the economy is better than a free market economy. And this should tell you something, while 74% of Mainstream voters favor increased competition as a way to hold big business accountable, 70% of the Political Class prefer increased regulation. What is it with our political class - or as some call 'em "the elite" - that makes them love government? They see government as a means to controlling what they believe to be the injustices and inequalities in society. It's all about control.
YOU HAVE 6 DAYS LEFT!!!!

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THE VERY LAST FINAL PUSH!!!! YOU HAVE SEVEN (7) DAYS LEFT!!!

I AM RUNNING OUT OF THINGS TO SAY TO YOU ALL. THIS IS THE VERY LAST FINAL PUSH.
If you will remember, Barack Obama managed to turn out record numbers of voters in four different groups: black Americas, young people, independents and unions. Let's explore each of these groups and see where they stand two years later.

Black Americans: You heard me during the 2008 election .. I completely understood the reasons why black Americans would be driven to the polls to vote for the first black president. While I could not empathize, I understood based on the legacy of segregation and discrimination in this country. I can only imagine the pride some black voters felt when they cast that vote almost two years ago. Pride is one thing ... maturity is another, and it's time to understand that this particular symbol of our progress on race just did not and does not now have what it takes to be president. Look ... Barack Obama, though black, has never really felt the sting of discrimination. He grew up in the most multi-racial of American states. The problems faced by blacks stateside were virtually unknown in Hawaii. And you must admit that he has been pretty much absent on issues of race since he went to the White House. Oh, he did find the opportunity to call some police in Connecticut "stupid," but that's about it. Knowing what we know now, I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would support Barack Obama in the future, and that includes candidates running with Obama's blessing - those who will act as a rubber stamp for Obama's next two years. When it comes to these midterm elections, black voters can still make a major impact in supporting Obama and his policies by showing up and voting for Democrats. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies issued a study stating, "The extent of the Democrats' losses will depend on their ability to turn out their most loyal voters, and no voting bloc will be more important to them than African Americans .. If they can mobilize a strong Black turnout, the Democrats can significantly reduce their potential losses." Here's something you may want to think about. As long as Blacks cast automatic votes for Democrat candidates your vote will not be taken seriously. Democrats will assume you are going to vote for them, Republicans will assume they don't have your support. Now given that scenario ... why would they work particularly hard to either keep or gain your votes?

Now .. the youth vote. Voting is so not cool this year. Without a rock-star to send to Washington, young people have turned up their iPods and turned down the politics. As this college sophomore puts it, "In most midterm elections, there's not that central person for us to rally around." That's what it is all about for these young people - having a rock-star-like figure that they can all rally around. It is not about their local Congressmen .. the people with the purse-strings in their district. It is not about their local school board or ballot initiatives. Those things aren't sexy. What is sexy is being "cool" and voting for Barack Obama. With him out of the picture, fewer than three in 10 voters under age 30 say they will definitely cast ballots in the election next week.

Independent voters: The people in the middle. In the 2008 election, these people leaned toward the left. Now they are skewed in the opposite direction, big time. In fact, Republicans are holding a 14-point edge with Independents. However, one-third of voters are still undecided. So while many of them are leaning Republican, many have still not solidified their votes.

Unions: Organized labor has a particular vested interest in this election. Americans are aware of the stunt they have been pulling for years now, and when it comes to public sector unions, people are no longer willing to shell out taxpayer dollars to support union pensions, salaries or benefits. That would be why we are seeing last-minute efforts like this: The AFL-CIO has just launched its "most sophisticated" get-out-the-vote drive ever, sending out 10 million pieces of mail during the final week of the campaign. Union goon Richard Trumka wants union workers to "get mad and do something about it" next Tuesday. He wants workers to .. are you ready for this? .. "Stand up for a fair break for working families." The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has to date spent $87.5 million this election cycle, bragging that it is the "big dog." The union effort to keep Democrats in office is pathetic, but in the end it is always effective.
Also ... when talking about unions ... remember that the majority of unionized workers in this country now work for government. As government workers they have job protections and pension plans that are far better than those enjoyed in the private sector. They protect these jobs and pension plans by working to control who their bosses - the politicians - are. That's why you seem AFSCME spending over $87 million in this election. These unions have an interest only in growing and preserving the power of government. They certainly don't care about economic liberty or the future of freedom.

What Barack Obama did not have to face in 2008 was the Tea Party. This adds a new dimension of voters, some who have never been involved or even interested in politics until now. And these people will be coming to the polls in a big way, and they will not be voting for Democrats. The latest NBC News/WSJ poll found that 35% of likely midterm voters are tea party backers and they plan to vote for Republicans by a margin of 84% to 10%.
The election is in one week. I hope you're engaged; and I hope you keep your enthusiasm for seven more days. You can catch up on all your back issues of People and US Weekly next Wednesday.

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A DIFFERTENT IDEA FOR OUR FUTURE

Just days before the 2008 election, Barack Obama proclaimed that we were just five days away from fundamentally transforming America. Little did we realize what he meant by "fundamentally transforming" our country. Now, just a little over one week from the mid-term election, Obama says ...

"We've got a different idea about what the future should hold for America."

Oh really? Do tell Mr. President ... do you see a future where more Americans are more dependent on government than ever before? Because as of right now, under your rule, that is where we are headed. Or perhaps you would like an America where we put our tax code to better use "for the purposes of fairness." Maybe you would like an America where workers are collectively bargaining under the thumb of union goons who keep your party in power. Clearly you want an America where people look to the government for their healthcare. What about their retirement? Is your version of America's future one where the government overseas the retirement income of ALL Americans? Is that just another way you believe that you can make life in America more "fair?" Why, after all, should people be allowed to invest and save for their own retirement? What about the people who fail to accept that responsibility? Well ... that just wouldn't be right, would it? Is your vision for the future of America one where the government seizes all private retirement accounts so that the money can be distributed --- or would that be Redistributed - the way politicians think is best?
What other ideas do you have for America? In the future you see for America, does it include more freedom and personal responsibility or more government and dependency?
Obama is exactly right. He DOES have a different vision of what the future holds for America. His vision is where wealth is distributed on the basis of politically-determined "fairness," not as the just reward for hard work, personal responsibility and good decision making. Obama's vision for the future of America has no place for individual liberty; no place for economic freedom. His view is one of government dominance in virtually every segment of our lives. Is this the path you want to see your country pursue? Is this the life you want for your children and grandchildren?
You have EIGHT days.

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YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK.... YOU HAVE 11 DAYS LEFT!!!!

Nanny state alert. Apparently parents are not doing a good enough job of teaching their own children how to eat. Rather than considering ones eating habits to be a personal or parental matter, the government now believes it to be a federal government matter. After all .. .any good ruler is going to want to control what, where, when and how you eat ... right? Oh, and it is going to use your tax dollars in the process!
The US Department of Agriculture is giving $2 million of taxpayer money to food behavior scientists. These scientists will use the money to implement marketing tricks to encourage kids to make healthier choices in the cafeteria. According the AP, "Some of the ideas include hiding chocolate milk behind plain milk, putting the salad bar near checkout, placing fruit in pretty baskets and accepting only cash as payment for desserts."
Unbelievable. With an average tax liability of $10,000 per family, this $2 million could have stayed in the pockets of 200 families at that school. The parents of these school children would have $10,000 more in their pockets to save for their child's college education. Instead, the federal government felt it was best to take that money at the point of a gun and give it to food behavior scientists to perform tests on school children in the cafeteria.

LEARNING FROM.....BRITIAN?

Who knew that Great Britain would come out on top as the fiscally disciplined Western model, acting to gets its countries finances in order. But the British unveiled some serious budget cuts this week that promise to eliminate the country's deficit in five years. It starts by getting rid of 500,000 government workers and cutting government spending by an average of 19% per agency. Programs like public housing, welfare, prisons, higher education, flood control and sports programs will all see their budgets decrease.
We will never have meaningful entitlement reform so long as a Democrat is in the White House. The reason is simple: the moocher class is responsible for Democrats into power. As for the size of government, our bureaucracy has GROWN in the wake of our economic collapse .... slashing government jobs would be counter-intuitive to an administration that genuinely believes that more government is the answer to our problems - that American greatness comes from government.
Will we take this approach, or will we continue to cater to the moochers - continuously validating their existence and their right to live off of the efforts of the productive class? If that is the case, we will be like France in short order, with the nation paralyzed by union workers and students clamoring to the streets demanding their "birthright of privileges" and signing the Community anthem.
Think about where this country is headed. Elections have consequences.
You have 11 days.

GET READY FOR RATE INCREASES

Barack Obama has explicitly stated that his healthcare plan would lower healthcare costs for Americans.  How many of you actually bought that line?  How many of you thought that just because it is Barack Obama, somehow the laws of economics would cease to exist and we would be able to have more people covered, more regulations on private coverage and lower costs?   And how many businesses that provide health insurance to its employees tried to explain that regulations established under ObamaCare would only RAISE healthcare costs for its employees?  That happens when you increase the regulatory and tax burdens on businesses to provide healthcare .. they end up passing those costs on to their employees.  And this is exactly what we are currently seeing.  It really sucks when you start to realize that this man you worshipped as "sort of a God" is horribly flawed and completely unqualified to hold the office you handed to him, isn't it?

Details? Here you go.  In a news story from CNN Money dated just yesterday ...

It's that time of year when employers deliver bad news about next year's benefits. Chances are you'll learn that your 2011 health insurance tab will be sharply higher, as companies continue to shift the burden of rising costs onto their workers.

And it's not just premiums that are spiraling higher. You're also likely to be hit with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums as well as bigger bills for doctor's visits and drugs.

What?  You mean Obamacare is going to cost me more money?  Nooooo!  It can't be?  Obama said it wouldn't cost me any more money? 

Speaking of drugs, have you heard what is coming to you people with your Health Savings Accounts?  As of January 1^st, employees who use flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health saving accounts (HSAs), or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) will soon need a doctor's note to pay for over 15,000 over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, acid reducers, allergy medication, etc.  It gets better.  Fox News reports ...

The new rules will also prohibit the use of FSA or HRA debit cards provided by administrative plans for over-the-counter purchases, because the IRS says there's no way to prove the drugs were prescribed.

The IRS says any money removed from HSA accounts to pay for medical expenses bought without a prescription will be included as taxable income and subject to an additional tax of 20 percent.

Don't get mad at me .. get mad at yourself that you weren't more vigilant and allowed these Democrats with these dreams and schemes of government-run healthcare to gain control power in Washington.  These rules were designed to destroy your private health savings accounts.  If you haven't yet figured out that Obamacare was written to destroy the private health care market ... then you probably don't understand the workings of a pencil. 

But wait!  There's more!  Under Obamacare you will be paying more for your health benefits under ObamaCare - our imperial federal government is then going to seize more of your money to pay for ....... $30 million in grants to "help consumers see the benefits" of ObamaCare!  This includes helping consumers file appeals and grievances against their existing health insurance plans.  No I'm not making this stuff up, folks.  You have twelve days. I sure hope you're still paying attention.  Unless you're a dedicated member of the moocher class you are going to absolutely hate what happens to your health care under this plan for a government takeover. 

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