Just a short commentary:

Day after day Americans wake up to an ongoing rape of their culture, financial institutions, free market and ,as a whole, their way of life.  Our elected leaders seem to have lost the Passion to fight in the face of this great beast: many now called RINO’s apparently have already given in with short term gains in tow.  Are there any good men or women left in this nation?  Where is the rage?  Where is the legitimate anger?

I see Mitt Romney and John McCain preparing to run for the Presidency again in 2012, as if they didn’t get the message from the conservative people in 2008.   They both keep pushing towards a Presidential run, as if they don’t take orders from the electorate, but rather an old establishment of GOP insiders.  When will the people actually say enough is enough?  Will we ever?  Are we just dumb goats to follow who we are instructed too?  Sadly, I would say that this seems the case.  Many will read this small commentary and agree with the general principles, yet they lack the fortitude to follow up with extraordinary efforts to change their local representatives.

Prior to the revolutionary war colonists were taxed heavily for a French and British war and were warned not to stockpile weapons.  When Briton forced these issues, among others, shots were fired!

Today, in America, our very own President is planning to force upon his own people  very similar requirements.   Shockingly, many have already been implemented, yet conservatives, for the most part, fail to voice their opinions and make real change:  day after day after day after day this goes on.  I fear, that we, as a conservative American people, have lost our will and our resolve to maintain a well balance socially moral nation.  Because of this, a real jeopardy to the American way of life exist and nothing, but drastic measures of imprisonment to those that would change this status is necessary.  We can’t wait any longer: it is time to demand action of our elected leaders or remove them.

I would suggest that if your a conservative and love what the founders of this nation designed and set in motion that you take up their work and not just watch as a minority of radical Marxist liberals steal this nation.  If we let the President of the United States continue with his path we deserve what we get.

For those in the Pentagon or military leadership: remember Nazi Germany prior to Hitler and how Jews and Germans were  neighbors?  How easy and swift was it for a modern military command structure to become supportive of the  final solution.  Loyalty and duty are one thing, but freedom for all Americans is why America exists.  Remove it, and all is lost.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune connective tissue disease affecting small blood vessels and causing excess collagen accumulation.  The term scleroderma means “thick skin”.  There are two types of scleroderma: the systemic form (affects adults), which effects the internal organs or internal systems of the body as well as the skin, and the localized form, which affects a specific area of skin.   In systemic scleroderma, the activation of the immune system causes damage to two main body parts: the small blood vessels (called the vascular system) and the collagen-producing cells located through out the body but concentrated in the skin. In systemic scleroderma the small blood vessels tend to narrow, and sometimes the blood channel is totally closed.  This can lead to kidney damage.  On top of this, the collagen part of the disease is responsible for the thick and tight skin, the lung and heart problems, and the gastrointestinal features of this disease.  (Mayes, 2005).   There is absolutely no cure for this disease and management is by trial and error.  Everybody reacts differently to this disease; some people have hardly any problems, while others are left fighting to breathe.

As I watch the White House and Congress play Russian roulette with my health care, I started researching how it actually is working in countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Canada-I have realized that there could be lots of problems ahead for the sick children and adults of this country, not including higher payroll taxes, property taxes, sales tax, and higher city taxes for all Americans.   This is not including the huge debt of $14T (and growing) that this country has and cannot pay, but this White House and Congress is looking to add at least another trillion more (in about 10yrs) with introducing a Universal/Socialized health care plan for all Americans…how is this going to be paid for?

United Kingdom a person can get denied life saving treatments for cancer(including medications), wait for months just to see a specialist, long waiting lists, elderly are losing their homes and life savings, clinical starvation while in the hospital for treatment and the lists continues.  This is not including the fact the set up of the Department of Health which includes the National Health Services-there are 6 ministerial that help over see the Chief Medical Officer,  Permanent Secretary, the NHS Chief Executive, Research & Development department, Health Improvement & Protection, 9 Regional Public Health Groups/Directors, Finance & Operations, Policy & Strategy, Communications, Deputy CMO/Chief Gov’t Advisor in Inequalities, Chief Nursing Officer, NHS Medical Directorate, Commission & Systems Mgmt., Work Force, Commercial, NHS Finance, Performance & Operations, and Chief Info. Officer-does anybody see a problem?

In Canada, if you need to see a doctor(no choice), be ready to wait for up to 9 hours to just get into his/her office; that does not include the wait just to see a nurse who evaluates how sick or hurt you really are.  If you need a tetanus shot you might have to wait 3 days before you can receive it, because the clinic or hospital may not have it in stock.  You could go to a clinic that has been opened the day before, but it might be closed and do not ever get sick on a Sunday-nobody will be there.  Be careful having surgery, because there is a good chance the surgeon may do the wrong procedure or if you are having an amputation of one limb, could lose both.  Is this what America really wants for its future generations?

France though deemed successful by the W.H.O has its own problems and challenges.  The French national insurance system called Assurance Maladie has been running a major debt since the 1980’s, which is now upwards of $13.5B.  This in turn has led to workers paying 21 percent of their income to the national health care system, while employers pay in about 10%-11% of their income, which they blame has led to less hiring.   This has not been enough, so the French government has imposed American style “co-pays” on patients to help lower prescription drug costs and force state hospitals to lower expenses.  This has led to service cuts including closing down maternity wards in many locations that are not considered productive enough.  Many patients, doctors, and nurses are starting to accuse the government of health care rationing.  Does America want to add even more to its soaring debt and burden?

The United States of America has great health care-look around so many people from the Middle East, Africa, South America, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe come here to receive the best treatment and diagnosis at places like the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, Cedar-Sinai Hospital and so many  more.  Does any other country have such know how and the freedom of doctors to treat patients the way they need to be? No.  Is the United States health care perfect? No.  Will Universal/Socialized Health care improve health care for the over 300 million people in the United States? No.  The United States have government run/entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid and they both have been plagued by fraud and debt for many years and the White House and Congress thinks it can run a bigger health care program?  No Way!  Why do the White House and Congress want to transform the health care system for about 30 million people? That is less than 10% of the total population of this whole country. The Department of Health and Human Services has 11 agencies that are over seen by 4 people plus regional representatives and there still is not any control of the waste and fraud that is constantly happening; how does expanding government do any good? Somebody please ask the United Kingdom with their 6 ministerial(s), 9 regional public health care groups, plus 17 other departments?

I talk to people from countries like Canada and the United Kingdom with this disease and they have to wait months just to receive a CAT scan of their lungs, which they could be dead by that time.  To see a specialist like a GI doctor, rheumatologist, heart specialist, kidney specialist, could take up to 8 months and that also could prove deadly as well.  Many are denied much needed medications or oxygen because it is too expensive.  I do not want this kind of tyrannical rules to decide if I (or for future generations) live or die or not-it is not a government decision, it is between my doctor and I (of course the Lord has the final say).

What is the best path for the United States of America to take on health care?  Start by doing some “house cleaning” in Medicare and Medicaid-cut waste and fraud to under  10% and make sure all doctors are compensated in a just manner.  Next, put a cap on malpractice lawsuits, along with making it possible to purchase health insurance across state lines and nobody is denied insurance for a pre-existing condition-let free market principles actually be allowed to work.  Keep the government out of the “Health care Insurance Business” because as proven by Canada, United Kingdom, and France it really does not work in the long haul.

In conclusion, as a woman fighting Systemic/Diffuse Scleroderma I do know that the United States health care system is not perfect, but it is the best in the world and that is why so many people come to receive diagnosis and treatment.  By overhauling the health care system for 30 million uninsured people and expanding government into your health and well being, you are giving up your right to be an individual with individual health care needs. Are you ready to give away that freedom?

References

Case study: united kingdom. Denial of health care. (n.d.).  Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from http://www.giggovhealth.org/resource/case-study=united-kingdom

Crowder, S. 2009.  Obamacare yay or nay? The truth about Canada. Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com

Department of health and human services.  (n.d.).  Retrieved on March 2, 2010, from http://www.hhs.gov/about

Department of health organization chart. (n.d.) Retrieved on March 2, 2010, from

http://www.dh.gov.UK/prod_cosum_dh/groups/dkdigitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_100819.pdf

Department of health. National health service. 2009 Report. Retrieved on March 2, 2010, from     http://www.dh.gov.uk

Helen evans on the u.k. healthcare. October 2009.  Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Mayes, M.D. (Eds.). (2005). The scleroderma book (pp. 4, 6, 7). New York, N.Y. Oxford University Press

Shapiro, Joseph. Health care lessons from France. July 11, 2008. Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from http://www.npr.org

The French lesson in health care. July 9, 2007. Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_28

United kingdom. (n.d). Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from http://medhunters.com/articles/healthcareintheuk.html

United kingdom. (n.d.).  Retrieved on March 1, 2010, from

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/UK-United-Kingdom/hea-health

Villars-Gauthier, David.  France fights universal health care. August 7, 2009.  Retrieved on March 1, 2010 from http://online.wsj.com

Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of all things associated with campaigning, I question if I heard, read, or saw something in the fashion it was intended.  Every now and then I even question if it occurred at all.  This brings me to the following observational question(s):  Didn’t Barack Obama mention, several weeks back, something about “HIS” administration becoming more attentive and focused on economic matters and that the economy was priority NUMBER ONE?  I thought he did…just double-checkin’.  What have we, the people, been inundated with over 90% of the time, since that announcement?  Hmmm…an increased push and focus on HEALTH CONTROL!!!  For like the 7 th. time in the last 10 months.

Sure, we had some of the BILLIONS in unspent and unconstitutional stimulus funds diverted to a really nifty titled “Jobs Bill” (wait…wasn’t the stimulus itself supposed to create all those shovel ready jobs so unemployment wouldn’t go above 8%?).  The focus is still the same no matter how the deception is packaged – increase the central-planning nature and scope and reach of OUR federal government.

I have written many articles about the foundational purpose of this administration’s HEALTH CONTROL proposal and said from the very beginning its purpose was not helping people (that’s always the disguise), rather it was about helping government entrench itself, like a leech or some other parasite, into the lives of individuals and decisions of business.  The continued rabid push for HEALTH CONTROL in the midst of American economic decay illuminates the arrogant and deceptive nature of this ruling regime and highlights where THEIR priorities differ from OUR priorities.

Today’s unemployment numbers (first-time filers for unemployment benefits) are being touted as something positive by the majority of the media accounts I am observing…imagine that.  Just look over the numbers though…first-time filers declined by 29,000 while extended benefit recipients climbed by 200,000 over last week!!!  I guess these are the same folks who are able to understand the “job saved or created” formula.

Members of the House–Members of the Senate–Mr. President, and all of your BRILLIANT czars and advisers: It’s The Economy!!!  Look…normally I wouldn’t offer advice like this but, these are not normal times.  You would have a much better shot at getting HEALTH CONTROL if economic conditions were rosy and folks saw that economic growth was not only sustainable but might even be capable of producing a surplus every now and then.

American citizens want jobs and they want to say and believe they have confidence in government getting out-of-the-way of free-market principles and let Americans do what we do best – prosper!  Cut corporate tax rates and quit trying to implement policies and introducing regulations.  This will help alleviate the business community’s fears of YOU taking more of what WE produce.  Cut personal income tax rates immediately and introduce a consumption-based (Fair Tax) tax system that is actually FAIR and implemented equally.  The unequal confiscation of OUR property by YOU is determined by YOU, not we, the people.  Is that how America was designed to function?

All of you with Progressive (to be read as statist or socialist) tendencies, you really aren’t that bright.  The arrogance is no longer capable of being cached by repetitive talking points and teleprompter readings to elementary school kids.  The perception-deception tactics are really getting old and we can see and smell them coming long before you actually trot their tired old bones out before us.  So…stop pushing so hard for CONTROL.   We are the ones who are supposed to have that job and We are about to start pushing back.

“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” George Washington

It is fascinating to see people take on such a defensive stance for gay rights and the repeal of the military’s ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy. There are two clearly identifiable factions involved in this debate – which by the way, are not even interested in supporting the military even in general, only have their sights aimed at exacting social change – those who defend the homosexual lifestyle even though they are not gay and gay people. At no point have operational readiness and overall morale issues being considered by proponents of the repeal, including many in the higher echelons of the military. The idea of equal rights within our armed forces is very appealing to those who support gay rights, believing that personnel who practice homosexuality are overly treated with disdain and discriminated against but there is much more to this argument.

The purpose of this piece is not to determine or discuss the nature vs. nurture of the homosexual lifestyle but rather to illustrate the lack of balance in how this controversial policy may be implemented. Clearly, by leaving the most relevant points out of the public’s discussion in the media the topic of gays in the military, the fact that their sexual preference is not the most important contribution to their service to their country, will work both for and against them in the end. Moreover, by allowing yet one more social experiment to be introduced into an already burden military system is truly of a destructive nature rather than pursuant to preserving national security.

The cause du jour
Gay activists such as the lackluster TV personality Rachel Maddow attended Congressional hearings in support of gay rights in the military. It is even less relevant to the debate to have Maddow, a self-described Air Force brat and lifelong activist, to see the issue is not about gay rights. Other members of the left-side media such as columnist Dana Milibank of the Washington Post praised Admiral Mike Mullen’s courage and wished that Mullen be awarded a medal for his courage. This support could not be more misguided. The important thing about military service keeping the service member’s identity separate is to ensure unit cohesion, to name only one. This is also the best way to maintain pride and professionalism within any military unit but emphasizing the quality of its people and their mission performance. Though this may be considered to be a catch all term there is more than just being able to get along or work together well.

Old problems, new perspective
During the 1980s many changes within the U.S. Navy, a service where personnel can find themselves in close quarters onboard ships, had begun to show some impact in the ability to deploy capable units into combat. Back in the 1980s issues such as outfitting restrooms for women and dealing with male/female attitudes do not compare with the potential introduction of even more frivolous accommodations.

The crux of this debate rests on the fact that by allowing one social experiment that goes against military conduct will do nothing more than create an even more ‘protected’ or privileged class of people who can do no wrong and who will probably abuse the service. If this concept is hard to believe then let’s look at the problem with from the combat operations perspective, to include another catch-all cause of assigning women to submarines. This is hardly in concert with national security or unit readiness; just like the early issues encountered in the Navy when women began sea-shore rotations, the outfitting of submarines, which do not enjoy the luxury of room as in the surface fleet, will pose even more problems. In speaking with former submariners the idea of mixing the sexes is not really the issue; again, the ability to perform every task without worrying for personal modesty and potential cases of sexual misconduct. Submarines will have to undergo modifications that may be expensive and intrusive in the end because given a small number of female officers would have to actually share quarters refuse to go to combat on ‘moral’ grounds and disrupt unit readiness. Modesty, since men living in tight quarters will at times be forced to ignore in order to fulfill their mission, would be then cast as the priority. This is hardly training like we fight. Dare we think of a man or woman taking offense to someone’s nudity total or partial – because those pucker-factor moments won’t wait for folks to don their britches first – and choosing to focus on the uncomfortable moment rather than impending war?

There is such a thing as common sense which tells us that the personal whims of one group can easily destroy the unity and effectiveness of our armed forces. Regardless of the argument that other countries have experimented with some of this type of all-inclusiveness may show its progress in how they fight. Ultimately, what senior leadership calls diversity will turn into the open door our enemies need in order to gain strategic dominance. Do we see the Chinese, Russians and even Venezuela make drastic social changes to their services? No. Their main focus is to fight and win wars…

…not guess if that guy in your unit is like the one in The Crying Game.

The gay communities fight against the bible, God, his church and all political ideologies that have opposed the homosexual agenda are all poised upon one battle field.

Conservatism for many years while comprised of mostly God fearing members, had never really established a full set of social beliefs in writing.   Because of this oversight, militant gay activists from GALA, Go-Proud, Log Cabin Republicans, GLAAD and others decided that this oversight was their best  chance at dismantling the opposition towards their agenda.  They would do it by entering the conservative ranks and pledging loyalty to conservative fiscal ideas while down playing their progressive and Godless lifestyles:   after all their nice people

Their agenda, to split the Conservative ideology; influence young minds, and destroy all opposition to homosexuality. Their final goal is to forcibly mandate the acceptance and approval of the homosexual lifestyle.

Their use of the word homophobe, was designed as a tool to cause fear and to silence the mouths of Americans that oppose their agenda.

Just recently, The Conservative American Union, better know as CPAC a well know center for conservative ideas had their annual meeting. Go-Proud and other militant homosexual groups were able to talk CPAC’s director Lisa De Pasquale into allowing them to be event exhibitors. Ms. Pasquale knew that many conservative groups would have difficulty with this decision, yet she deliberately decided to side against them.The decision may leave one to ask if she was ever a conservative in the first place?

This tactic of infiltration upon the front lines of America’s war against God was made evident during the recent CPAC conference when Ryan Sorbba from Young Americans for Freedom publicly condemned CPAC’s decision to allow Go Proud in as an exhibitor.

In the video below, you can see, that in a conservative setting, a few in the audience began to boo Mr. Sorbba before he bagan to speak and they, as if on cue, continued until he decided to leave that podium.

Well placed pro-homosexual demonstrators, used many of the same tactics, as used with left leaning liberals including the goading of others into booing.

This militant response to a concerned American speaking out should have every conservative writing CPAC to insure that this doesn’t happen again.  Sadly, many conservatives would rather sit by and do nothing.

Homosexuality, is a right and men and women have this right, but when they endeavor to force the acceptance of their lifestyle upon others: good men and women need to fight.

Homosexuality, is a progressive idea; therefore, a Liberal idea and has no place in the Republican Party.

I have decided to speak frankly, on this subject many times, because homosexuality in America is not a cause for more baseball or apple pie, but rather a cause for the acceptance of debauchery.

Human beings have a natural desire to be accepted and this natural desire has interwoven itself with the homosexual lifestyle, as it has with adultery or fornication. The homosexual will not stop until you, your children and your grand children are either homosexual or accept homosexuality.

Keep an eye open for people who are infiltrating the Republican Party and conservative causes: progressiveness has no honor, it will steam roll over your family and your world.

This is our last battle folks, if you let Liberals infiltrate the conservative ideology with nice sounding words and promising to sell their Democratic vote, this nation is lost and we might as well remove God’s name from everything on her.

Well, the California State Legislature is scrambling, once again, to fix the state budget that is more than $20 billion out of balance.  Haven’t we seen this before?

Of course we have.  This time last year, and the year before, we were faced with historic deficits.  Each year, the legislature presented a long list of tax increases that would ‘fix’ the budget.  Last year’s $37 billion in new taxes was supposed to restore our state to fiscal solvency.

Well, guess what? It’s Groundhog Day over and over again—and our legislators seem to be surprised each time their ‘fix’ doesn’t work!

Tax increases haven’t helped, and our legislators haven’t curbed their appetite for bigger government and wasteful spending.

The fact is that we cannot tax our way out of the budget mess.  As a matter of fact, every time we raise taxes, we only make our revenue problem worse by loading even more hardships on the backs of small business owners.  Simply put:  higher taxes kill jobs and negatively impact economic growth.  The end result is even deeper economic recession.

That’s why Forbes has ranked California worst in the cost of doing business.  Small business bankruptcies increased 81% between September 2008 and 2009, compared with an average increase of 44% nationwide. From July 2008 to July 2009, 141,000 Californians left the state in search of better business and job opportunities elsewhere. If our Legislature does not act to save California businesses, there will be no end to these budget deficits.  It’s no surprise that California’s 12% unemployment rate is the third worst in the nation.

The only way we will ever stop our tax base from shrinking, and recover jobs and businesses, is to give the means for Californians to get back to work. This happens when California’s tax and regulatory environment is made tolerable, once again.  And, faced with ever-decreasing tax revenues, our state must continually scale back its expenditures.

But, just like Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day, our legislature is slow to ‘get it.’

Even now, the California Air Resources Board is planning to institute cap-and-trade in California as a means to reach the benchmarks outlined by AB 32. The Administration’s own conservative estimates state that a cap-and-trade system in California will cost the state’s economy $200 billion. How many more jobs need to flee the state before our legislators realize that the state is suffering more than just a recession? Over-taxation and over-regulation are strangling our economy.

As part of the current budget deficit fix, Democrats are seeking to reduce corporate tax benefits. Are they trying to make California even more business unfriendly? To fight a shrinking tax base by raising taxes, or shuffling the tax burden from individuals to businesses, only exacerbates the problem. It is like trying to douse a fire with gasoline.

In a few short months, taxpayers will flex their power at the polls. Our one saving grace is to elect business-minded representatives to our state Legislature. Our career politicians do not understand that small businesses are the economic engine that will pull this state out of the recession, increase our tax base, and restore funding to our state’s non-expendable services such as public safety and education.

After this next election cycle, it my hope that the career politician unemployment rate goes up so that those of us who truly understand business can step in and fix the mess they’ve created.

Economic development is my expertise. For the past six years, I have been a Member of the Santa Maria Planning Commission, serving twice as the Commission Chair. I worked as the Coordinator for the Santa Maria Valley Economic Development Commission (a project of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce) and previously I worked with the Santa Maria Valley Economic Development Association.

Working with these groups, on the public policy side with the Planning Commission and on the private sector side with the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Association, I have seen both sides of the equation. On the public side, I helped cut regulatory red tape and, on the private side, I negotiated tax breaks and other incentives—all of this to bring in business. This is the kind of action it will take to restore California’s economy.

For my staunch beliefs, I have been endorsed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association; the President of the National Tax Limitation Committee, Lew Uhler; Senator Tony Strickland; and many conservative Republican Assembly Members.

For years, I have been in the trenches fighting for businesses. This is the fight I will take to the Legislature once elected as the 33^rd Assembly District’s representative in Sacramento.

This year, let’s help our state end the Groundhog Day repetitive scenario once and for all.

Author:  Etta Waterfield