ObamaCare: Government Overreach

By David Lewis

With their overhaul of America’s health care system, a.k.a. ObamaCare, Democrats in Congress have mandated that American citizens purchase a form of health insurance the federal government deems acceptable; they plan to levy fines for non-compliance. Their legislation cites the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause for its underlying authority.

One could have anticipated the constitutional challenges, undertaken by numerous state attorneys general, the National Federation of Independent Business and some individual taxpayers, to ObamaCare’s insurance purchasing mandate; such challenges are well justified, and U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson has this week allowed one such suit, brought by the state of Virginia, to proceed.

The purchase of health insurance is an affirmative act, and as such is distinct from the payment of a tax or a fee. Taxes and fees are levied on separate, freely chosen activities; living and breathing have heretofore not been so classified. Yet, as we citizens live and breathe, our government intends to force each of us to engage in the affirmative act of purchasing a health insurance plan of the government’s choosing. When asked whether the U.S. Constitution actually grants Congress the authority to do this, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, America’s most powerful legislator, merely scoffed; “Are you serious?” she asked in disbelief of the question.

If our government can force us all to purchase a product of its own choosing, in this case health insurance, whether we want to or not, then what can our government not make us do?

What’s to prevent our government from mandating, for instance, that every American adult purchase a handgun? If Congress’s designated government bureaucrats decide a handgun in every household would reduce crime, reduce the number of shooting victims in emergency rooms and thus lower health care costs, then might we all be gearing up to become gun owners?

Might our government mandate that physicians in this country could no longer work in private practice? That all licensed physicians must practice medicine as part of some designated government agency? Might the private practice of medicine, a venerable institution in America, simply cease to exist?

Might government bureaucrats decide which fuel-efficient automobiles we must buy and how energy efficient our homes must be (something they’ve already attempted with ‘cap and trade’)? Might they decide to tell us how big residential front lawns must be, what type of lawn mowers we must buy, even which light bulbs -- oh yes, we’ve already been told which light bulbs to buy.

Surely, when America’s founding fathers gave Congress the power to regulate commerce “among the several states,” they could not have envisioned a federal government one day exerting control over the minutia of our lives, and over every individual’s major health care decisions.

What our nation’s founders did do, wisely, was to place ultimate control over congressional power in the hands of a voting citizenry. We citizens must exercise that vestige of power – constitutionally derived, thank you very much – while it still counts for something.

Be Careful What You Vote For . . .

By David Lewis

As we Californians, and others across the nation, consider how to cast our ballots this fall, let us not become enamored of empty slogans or mere catchphrases. Too many voters did just that the last time around. And it’s worth considering the fallout.

Supporters of President Obama, back when he had a great many of them, comprised a wide swath of opinion and political orientation. Many of those who voted for him in 2008 were voting for an idea, a concept. Others who supported candidate Obama had specifics in mind, shared his left-wing agenda and were eager to see it implemented. Obama warmly embraced the dichotomy, correctly sensing it would get him elected.

Americans were enamored, for instance, with the idea of electing an African American to be the President of the United States. Having that long held dream become a reality made us feel good about ourselves, about our nation. In fact, it still does.

Voters were also drawn in droves to the concept of ‘change,’ though many did not seriously consider what that ‘change’ might look like. Candidate Obama deftly obscured the extremities of what he intended America to endure, cloaking it with vague slogans like “yes we can” and terms such as “post-racial” and “post-partisan” – sublime and, as we have seen, meaningless.

Here’s the rub. Come inauguration day, an idea doesn’t take the oath of office. A person does. Inevitably the euphoria dies down, and difficult realities, once obscured, manifest themselves. We see that federal scale change, for its own sake, is at best a dicey proposition; when pursued as political gambit by elements of the liberal establishment, it feels threatening to many Americans.

Over the past several months, as Obama’s left-wing base clamored for him to ‘double down’ on his health care overhaul, a bigger government with bigger deficits, a politically correct war against Islamic militants, climate change and a green jobs agenda, there emerged a majority of voters clearly in favor of recalibrating the administration’s priorities.

Most of Obama’s policy decisions are now destined to upset one or another contingent that was crucial to his election. The discordant electoral appeal he so warmly embraced in 2008 is now haunting him, and will continue to do so, as many within Obama’s formerly wide swath of support increasingly proclaim, “I didn’t vote for this!”

Come this November, let us not be taken in by an attractive yet meaningless catchphrase, by a less than forthcoming politician, or by an ‘idea’ that doesn’t run for office in the first place. Let us look, instead, for sound judgment, fiscal responsibility and rhetorical integrity in the politicians we choose to support.

Is This Our Indelible Decline?

By David Lewis

I awaken gently as soft baroque chords emanate from the clock radio … I inhale the rich aroma of coffee brewing on auto-pilot as I slide out of bed and into my robe and slippers … I raise the blinds, open the window and revel in a cool ocean breeze … the sun begins its delicate task of melting the West L.A. marine layer … my day begins … and then, I remember … we’re doomed!

How could it come to this?

All of us living in California may soon become doomed, in one way or another, and most likely at the hands of shortsighted politicians and bureaucrats in Sacramento and Washington, DC. What’s at stake is neither our planet nor human existence, but a genuinely American way of life. Allow me to put this in context.

For the past two years, my wife and I lived in London, England. During that time, we traveled a good deal, enjoying frequent visits to the Continent. We witnessed cultures moored to an illustrious past, from which they continue to draw sustenance.

Lisbon, for instance, is a beautiful city and was once at the heart of the world’s political and economic order. For better or worse, it no longer is. In this storied European capital, we saw scores of buildings, some of architectural significance, that are now worn, unkempt, and have lost any luster of newness or vitality. Far removed from economic or political dominance, Lisbon seemed to us a tired place, historically significant and lovely. But weary.

By contrast, the United States has been, since its inception, a nation ascending, a can-do place of boundless energy and innovation. Driven by dreams of what can be, moored to ideals of individual liberty and self-determination, America rose among nations and has come to dominate today’s world order. At the dawn of a new century, for better or worse, here we are.

Some among us are uncomfortable with America’s dominance and wish to see it diminished. Enter Barack Obama’s fundamentally transformed America.

Much has been written and said, for instance, about Obamacare – about its promise of affordable health care for most Americans; about the dubious, partisan manner in which the Democrats passed it; about the vast social and economic impact it would have. For me, it ultimately comes down to this: if the policy mandates of Obama’s health care overhaul become fully implemented, alongside other elements of his vast left-wing agenda, America will be a nation indelibly in decline.

America’s citizens and its economy will become overwhelmed by the government’s bureaucratic dominance, overburdened by a monstrous tax regime and suffocated by deficits and debt that can never be repaid. Americans will become alienated from the government that was designed by our founders to answer to us; we will become exhausted, demoralized and vulnerable.

Eventually, our nation will be subsumed into a new world order, one likely to be dominated by powers indifferent, perhaps hostile, to American ideals of individual liberty and self-determination. Our nation will recede toward insignificance to become a bland, historic anomaly, a formerly bright beacon of hope and freedom that had once inspired people the world over. America will become weary and diminish. And so will its dream.

Please, let’s not let that happen on our watch.

Arrests in War in Hemet

A friend of mine that lives in Michigan gave me a call a couple months ago asking me, "What's going on in Los Angeles?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I hear that gangs are attacking the police, booby-trapping the police department offices, and blowing up city vehicles."

"That," I replied, "is not happening in Los Angeles. It is happening about a twenty minute drive up the road from where I live in a town called Hemet."

On December 31st natural gas was rerouted into the office of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force office, and it was rigged to explode. The attempt failed.

On February 23rd a gun attached to the gate of the office of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force was rigged to fire when the gate was opened by an officer punching in his code. The shot barely missed the officer opening the gate.

On March 5th a deadly device was affixed to an officer's vehicle, but it fell off when the officer parked the vehicle at a convenience store. The device failed to explode.

On March 23rd four Hemet code-enforcement pickups were destroyed by fire while parked at City Hall.

On April 12th the Hemet police firing range was torched in a blaze caused by arson.

On June 4th a World War II-era bazooka training rocket ignited a pallet fire. The rocket had been aimed at the roof of a market at the Hemet Police Station.

On June 28th a fire destroyed the inside of the Hemet police evidence storage facility.

The Hemet area is not historically a gang infested area, or at least not until the last decade or so. Hemet is more known for being a retirement community, instead. The joke used to be that no city had more banks and mortuaries. This is not to say Hemet hasn't had its share of difficulties. Because of the city's location, which has a tendency to get quite warm in the summer, and the city is not near any other largely populated area, prices have always stayed down, and so some parts of Hemet has attracted lower income residents. With the low-income influx came the gang elements with it.

During the housing boom the least expensive homes in Southern California, far away from the chaos of Los Angeles, were in Hemet. The city grew, but so did the lower income zone.

In Los Angeles, the Black and Hispanic gangs hate each other. In Hemet, they work together. However, the main problem seems to be Motorcycle gangs and white supremacist gangs.

Now, with the Hemet offices being in a new location, moving from Latham to Florida Ave., the gangs have decided to target the city's facilities. Some say the attacks are because Hemet has been willing to crack down on gangs.

The goal is the same as with other violent groups. They believe if they are violent enough, eventually the forces for law and order will back down. Fortunately, Hemet's law enforcement has not done such a thing. Instead, they have stepped up their efforts, and now have arrested two of the men they believe may have been orchestrating the seven attacks against Hemet's officers.

Physical evidence located at the scene of one attack linked one suspect, but he may very well have been involved in all seven attacks. The case is also being reviewed for possible federal charges.

The second suspect was arrested on a parole violation, a felon in possession of a firearm. Though there is no evidence he is connected to the attacks against Hemet police officers, he knows the first suspect, and has other incriminating connections.

Hemet Police are still searching for two other suspects.

The arrests are the result of the work of a six month investigation by the Hemet Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff, district attorney's office, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Though no one has been injured in any of the attacks, booby-traps, assassination attempts, and arsons are serious crimes, and the hunt is far from over. I have a feeling the attacks have not reached an end, either.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

2 men arrested in Hemet police attacks; 2 suspects remain at large, authorities say - Los Angeles Times

Two Arrested in Hemet Police Attacks - Press Enterprise

Obama’s “Budget Cuts”

As part of Obama’s budget cuts, he announced he would reduce the $3.5 trillion budget by $100 million. This video is a great visual representation of how big these budget cuts are.



The long and short of it is this: The seemingly large $100 million in budget cuts is actually paltry. In fact, if he were to give this money back to the American people, we would all get about 1/3 of a penny.

This video quickly went viral, with people across the country making fun of the president because $100 million is just a drop in the bucket.

While I do agree that the president has a long way to go in terms of budget cuts, I have to come out in his defense.

When it comes to cutting expenses, you have to start somewhere. I always tell my clients that if they want to create a budget, they have to start with the little expenses and go from there. If you needed to cut your budget, I would tell you to stop drinking expensive coffee, cancel your magazine subscription, and eat in for the next month. I wouldn’t tell you to sell your method of transportation unless we had reviewed other, small expenses.

And so it goes with the president. We shouldn’t expect him to simply do away with major expenses, like the Department of Transportation, overnight.

Let me be very clear: President Obama has spent excessively, and I am opposed to his massive social entitlement programs. But nonetheless, I’m still going to applaud him if he makes budget cuts. In fact, instead of mocking him, I think we should all clap our hands and tell him that this is exactly what the American people want. Then perhaps he will get our message:

Keep making budget cuts!

Hazel McCallion and Her Message of Wisdom

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be on retreat with Mayor Hazel McCallion from Mississauga Canada. Hazel McCallion is the mayor of Mississauga, Ontario. She was first elected in 1978 and has served non-stop from 1978- today.



Her message is so unique and would be a great story that the Speaker could tell when he travels the country. A few bullet points about Hazel McCallion:

• She is 88 years old.
• She is a fiscal conservative that believes in lower taxes as a method of bringing more people to her city. And guess what? Her city is completely debt free with hundreds of millions of dollars in savings.
• Because of this pro-business agenda, the population has triped in three years.
• She’s a straight talker.
• Hazel McCallion has not lost an election in 32 years.
• Mississauga, Ontario is the most crime-free city in Canada.

Here is a YouTube video featuring Hazel McCallion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY79KbCptTo

When asked about taxes, she says that her commitment is showing her constituents "value for their tax dollars." I'm sure all of us would appreciate this devotion. We don't mind paying taxes; just don't waste our money.

When I asked her what she thought was the biggest problem with government, she responded that the public is not educated about issues. Hazel McCallion’s solution? She has a Q&A television show that airs twice a month for her constituents. Genius!

Help Win Back Congress for the American People

A good friend of mine, Tim O'Brien, sent me the following email and I was so moved, that I thought it would be good to share it with you. Please read on...


Dear Friend,

Today I write to you as an American who is deeply disturbed by the process of how the health care bill was passed into law by the United States Congress and President.

I have always been careful not to express my political views on public policy issues in email blasts to my database. I recognize that many of us have differing opinions on some of the issues. However vast as our differences may be on some issues, I must assume that we as Americans are united on three core beliefs when it comes: (1) the will of the people is supreme, (2) the constitution is sacrosanct and (3) free enterprise is the engine that drives this Country.

It is against this backdrop that I offer some following thoughts below. What I say is not personal. It is simply my belief that what went on in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, March 21st, is profoundly wrong. Events like this happen in banana republics like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. Not America.

Here are seven simple, undeniable facts which surround the passage of Obamacare...

* The bill is 2700 pages long and not a single Congressperson who voted "yes" read the bill prior to voting to pass it.

* For fifteen months, the bill could not pass on its own merits so billions of dollars in bribes were necessary to secure lawmakers' votes. Bribes paid with taxpayers' own monies.

* There was not a single Republican vote in favor of the bill and 37 Democrats voted against it. If this bill was so good, the Democratic leaders certainly should have been able to get at least one moderate Republican.

* One hundred percent (100%) of this 2700 page bill was crafted behind closed doors over a matter of just days without any public discussion. Moreover, not a single Republican was allowed to participate in the drafting process.

* Congressman Parker Griffith who is a doctor was elected to his first term in 2008 as a Democrat. Disgusted with what was happening he switched to the Republican Party in the middle of the debate.

* This bill, which seeks to readjust one sixth of the American economy, was debated for a total of two hours; each member had 27 seconds to make his/her points.

* One lawmaker spearheading the effort to drive the bill through the House was Alcee Hastings, a former Federal Judge who was impeached and removed from the federal bench in 1988 for bribery. Mr. Hastings remarked in a press conference on the Saturday before the Sunday vote, "There are no rules. We're trying to get something done. We make them up as we go along."

* Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said publicly, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it."

I could go on for pages but the point is made. No one with a shred of intellect honestly can say that this is what the Founding Fathers intended when they drafted the Constitution.

For the past fifteen months an overwhelming majority of the American people have told Congress and the President in no uncertain terms that we don't want Obamacare. We told them through polls but they ignored us. Americans formed Tea Parties and attended Town Hall Meetings and they attacked us, calling us racists, fascists and tea baggers. We stayed strong, seized back the governor's mansion in Virginia, New Jersey and the senate in Massachusetts. And still, they ignored us. They simply don't care about the Constitution when it comes to their agenda.

Make no mistake about it. Today is a titanic moment in American history. The question before us is simple. Do we go away meekly or do we stand and fight? I say we stand and fight.

I have made it my mission between now and November 2nd to spend as much of my free time as possible doing what I can to help win back Congress for the American people. I will be emailing you periodically with updates on the election status of the congressmen and senators who we must defeat on November 2nd. We need to win 41 seats in the House to regain control and ten seats in the Senate to do the same. On my blog I have posted the names of the 70 targeted legislators in the House who we must defeat to start the repeal of Obamacare. Please become familiar with these targeted legislators and donate to their opponent.

I will also routinely post important information on my blog, http://www.timobriendaily.com/ which will serve to keep you current on all the key issues. If you wish to automatically receive my blog post updates just go to timobriendaily.com, type in your email address in the feed blitz box and every time I post it will be sent to your email address.

I also ask that you please provide me with the names and email addresses of five to ten of your like-minded peers who want to repeal Obamacare. I will add these folks to this distribution list. I want our email list to swell to the tens of thousands so that we become a force to be reckoned with. Again, please send me five to ten names and email addresses of people who want to be kept apprised of our plan of action and who want to do their part to repeal Obamacare.

I have been cautioned by some, "Don't send this email out. It could hurt your business." Such comments merely serve as a reminder to me of the solemn words uttered by John Adams on the eve of the American Revolution. Adams' best friend Jonathan Sewell, intimidated by the might of Great Britain, accepted the King's offer switch sides, in the fight for freedom and become the King's Attorney General of the American Colonies. Sewell who loved Adams dearly took him to a secluded hill overlooking the blue sweep of Maine's Casco Bay where he pleaded with Adams to give up the fight and not attend the Continental Congress, "The power of Great Britain is irresistible and will destroy all who stand in her way."

Despite the potential of great personal harm to he and his family, Adams remained unpersuaded telling Sewell, "The die has been cast. Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish I am with my Country. You may depend on it."

And so it is for me. I ask you to join me in this great battle for the direction of this great Country. The direction of our Nation will depend upon all of US getting involved.

Tim

Timothy O'Brien, Esq.
President & CEO
The Personal Branding Group
515 S. Figueroa St., Suite 1600
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: 213.622.0862
Fax: 213.622.0842
tob@thepersonalbrandinggroup.com

Hilarious Bloopers?

I normally use this blog to talk about unfair laws, but I’m a sucker for hilarious bloopers. When one of my employees showed me this video of Democratic Representative Hank Johnson last Thursday, I was sure it was an April Fools’ Day joke.

I waited and waited, sure that it was a joke. How could this possibly be real?

Turns out it is. Rep. Johnson is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and this happened during a March 25 hearing about the U.S. military installation on Guam.

Rep. Johnson has tried every excuse in the book: It was a joke. He was speaking in metaphors.

But watch for yourself. Seems pretty real to me.

My question is this: Really? Is this the best we can do? Are these really the people we want crafting our laws?

Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t qualify this under hilarious bloopers. This is horrifying!

Will California Ban Outdoor Smoking?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

California has been under the thumb of liberal idiots for decades. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, despite the "R" after his name, is a raging liberal (though he claimed to be a fiscal conservative - Hey, don't blame me, I voted for McClintock!!). The legislature has been dominated by liberal Democrats as long as I can remember, and thanks to the leftists of our history, the state is bankrupt, and our freedoms are few.

But the leftists aren't done yet.

Nope, now they want to start dictating to people what they can do outside - specifically, when it comes to cigarettes.

The state Assembly has been trying to pass a ban on smoking at state beaches and state parks, and so far has been unsuccessful. The ban would be enforced with a penalty of a fine that could be as high as $100.

I guess if some guy is having a cigarette on a campsite up the road they figure you will die of lung disease.

Come on, in California most of the air around the cities are already a risk to your lungs. When I was a smoker I used to say about the smog that I enjoyed having a cigarette so that I could clear my lungs out a little. About the only excuse I can see as maybe being legitimate is that such a ban would reduce the threat of wildfires.

Next, when they realize people are still flicking cigarettes out of their cars, they will zero in on you smoking in your vehicle.

Hell, Pasadena is trying to ban cigarette smoking city-wide, for God's Sake!

Don't get me wrong with all of my sarcasm. I used to smoke, and after 21 years I decided to quite. Note the "choice" part that is attached to deciding to quit.

I agree that people should be more responsible and careful, and that smokers ought to be considerate about smoking around non-smokers.

But it is not the government's place to force a law down our throats telling us we can't even smoke outside anymore!

How asinine is that?

What's next? Will bananas be banned outside because someone might slip if the peel is dropped? Will gum chewing be banned because of the gum that winds up on the bottoms of shoes? - Yeah, sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? To me, so does these bans on cigarettes.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Will California ban smoking in parks, on beaches? - Orange County Register

Curbing Voter Fraud in California

Help curb voter fraud in California
Bookworm

One of the things the last few elections has revealed is escalating voter fraud in America, fraud of the type that aligns us more closely with a banana republic than with a traditional Western nation. Thus, we know that groups such as ACORN have registered thousands of non-existent people. And because America has traditionally had an honor system at the ballot box (”If you say you’re Minnie Mouse, than I guess you’re Minnie Mouse. Please, go vote.”), little has been done to stem the impact at the ballot of those fraudulently registered voters.

There is now a ballot initiative circulating in California that officially concedes that the honor system no longer works. It will require all California voters to show photo ID at the polling place, and it mandates steps to protect against voter fraud in absentee ballots too. Lastly, as a little extra benefit, it allows an extra 15 days for votes sent in by overseas troops. In other words, the whole ballot is meant to slow down fraud and allow every vote to be counted.

I only heard about this ballot initiative today, but I can assure you that the Democrats will hate it. They’ll waffle on about the fact that poor people just can’t manage to obtain government ID, making this an impossible hurdle between themselves and democratic participation. That this argument is demeaning is obvious. It also makes no sense when one considers that these same people are able to handle the system with some level of skill when it comes to collecting government benefits. (And I speak with solid second hand knowledge about this, since someone close to me lives at that level, as do her friends. Whacked out on perpetual 60s head trips they may be, but they know how to get their welfare checks and food stamps.)

If you are a California voter who is interested in making this initiative a reality on California’s ballot, go here, print-up the petition you’ll see, sign it, and mail it to

Vote SAFE925 University AvenueSacramento, CA 95825

A couple more things: A couple more things: First, time is of the essence, since all petitions must be received 131 days before the election. Second, each petition is written so that two people from the same county can sign it. Of those two (or even if there is only one signatory), though, one must not only sign it, but also fill out the “circulator” declaration.