I just cannot believe what our REPRESENTATIVES....our EMPLOYEES have become for the most part!!!! I am so appalled by all of this UN-Constitutional behavior from them, DEMANDING, DEMANDING, DEMANDING....their healthcare bill MUST go thru with NO DISAGREEMENTS....you know the one...over 2,000 pages that none of them have read completely, then the roughly 300 page ADDITIONAL ones that Reid & his 3 cronies came up with in the wee hours of the morning....to add to it all...GIVING OUR REPS NO TIME TO READ IT BEFORE THEY HAD  TO VOTE ON IT...IN THE WEE HOUR OF THE MORNING....1a.m.!!!!   WHAT is in it all that THEY do not want ANYone to know about?!! Then...in order to get the Dems to vote real fast for it....they threw in PORK for them [translation: MORE tax dollars from us!!] so they'd vote....I may be wrong, but I have not heard of one Republican who is voting for this MONSTROSITY for Americans!! I for one do NOT want to be part of it, but....IF I refuse [if it passes]....I get fined. Yeppers. OUR government will fine you if you don't take it. They also will have access to our bank accounts!! ....I WILL close my acct., you can be sure...if this mess passes!!!!  Please update your information and read the following....then....contact your reps!!!! Just don't bury your head in the sand....that is scarey.....THIS MESS IS NOT FREE...TAX DOLLARS HAVE TO PAY FOR IT....WHERE DO THOSE COME FROM?! Lordy, lordy, lordy....we pay federal taxes,taxes on food, taxes on homes & property, taxes on vehicles, taxes on our utilities, taxes on luxury items [if you can afford them!], taxes on cigarettes & taxes on booze, taxes on tons of other stuff....and they STILL need more....I guess they need a raise cause their life style is so sub-poverty level!! I don't know about yall, but I AM SICK TO DEATH OF PAYING MORE AND MORE AND MORE TAXES ....and NOW......THEY WANT MORE SO WE CAN HAVE 'FREE' HEALTHCARE! Excuse me???? How stupid do they think we are? There is no magic healthcare fairy that will wave her magic wand & make it 'free'. Duh. These socialistic, liberal pushing greedy people are trying to cram this down our throats. There is more going on in that health care legislation BESIDES healthcare!!! I also believe that is the WHY Reid, Pelosi, & Obama do NOT want anyone to read the whole thing, but JUST VOTE ON IT....NOW!!!!!! Torques my shorts!!!!!  The following below is an email I received from an organization that sends updates on political things of interest to me:.

Two weeks, we've been leading the efforts of our members to contact every single Senator, to DEMAND that they reject Harry Reid's socialistic ObamaCare bill -- and as a result, over THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND faxes have FLOODED those Senate offices EVERY SINGLE DAY!

We've been able to keep the pressure on both Democrats and Republicans, letting them know that WE ARE WATCHING THEM and that we DEMAND they put a STOP to this radical monstrosity of a bill. And despite the fact that we lost the first votes, the good news is… we ARE having an effect on them, and WE CAN STILL DEFEAT THIS BILL!

 The bill passed through so far STILL has to clear more hurdles -- and despite the fact that all 60 Democrats and Republicans voted for the first clotures, all 60 of them have NOT committed to voting for tomorrow's cloture vote!

This means that we can STILL defeat it in the Senate -- IF we can overwhelm every Senator with our demands to STOP it!

With these early-morning votes, Harry Reid has successfully moved the Obamacare bill forward. But now, he has to survive another cloture vote to end the GOP filibuster on this bill -- and again, he's going to need all 60 votes to save the bill. But this time is our BEST chance to make sure he does NOT get them!

Remember, several of the "on the fence" Democrats were convinced to vote for Reid's clotures -- not because of their principles -- but because they were BRIBED.

YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Just take a look at the PORK that was added to this monstrosity of a bill, just to bribe enough Senators to vote for it:
With the bill hanging in the balance, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) won a provision exempting his state from paying the usual share of costs for new Medicaid patients. The deal, which critics have dubbed the "Cornhusker Kickback," is expected to cost the federal government $100 million over 10 years.

Before a close vote last month, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) won an even larger break for her state -- an estimated $300 million in extra federal spending, in a move now derisively called the "Louisiana Purchase."

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) made sure that certain insurance companies in his state are off the hook from a new $7 billion dollar tax.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) got his kickback -- a $100 million bonus for the University of Connecticut… to do with whatever they want.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) was "persuaded" to drop his concerns after Senator Reid offered his state a $10 billion grant for "community health centers"-money that could easily be funneled to facilities that perform abortions.

Three states -- Pennsylvania, New York and Florida -- all won protections for their Medicare Advantage beneficiaries at a time when the program is facing cuts nationwide.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) won a promise from Reid to support his plan to expand eligibility for health insurance.

The Senators from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming will get the "Frontier Freebie" -- they'll see an increase in Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors, because "at least 50 percent of their counties are ‘frontier counties,' defined as those having a population density less than six people per square mile."

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate health committee, got a provision inserted to increase Medicare payments to certain "low-volume hospitals" in Grinnell, Keokuk and Spirit Lake, treating limited numbers of Medicare patients.

Even the Democrats themselves are starting to complain about this obvious "Cash for Cloture" bribing going on. When Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) couldn't get past the reporters swarming Ben Nelson on her way to the cloture vote, she quipped, "I know I'm not as important as Senator Nelson. I didn't get the money for my state. I was too stupid."
The word is getting out about these OUTRIGHT BRIBES for votes. And with that public scrutiny, several Democrats are wavering in their support for this bill -- we need to ensure that they feel the heat so that they will see the light!

We MUST NOT lose this fight. Harry Reid DOES NOT have a guarantee of all 60 votes he needs to enact cloture and force a vote on his bill -- but you can BET he's doing everything he can to GET those final one or two! If we can STOP him from getting them -- that means THE BILL WOULD DIE!

We CAN still win, by keeping the Democrats from getting the 60 votes they need on the next cloture vote... but we can't do it without YOUR help!
TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH
CARE -- BETTER KNOWN AS "OBAMACARE"
TAKE ACTION: Here is the "Countdown To America's Doom" that we MUST STOP:

--WEDNESDAY, DEC 23rd -- 1 pm -- Cloture vote on overall bill -- WE CAN STOP THE BILL DEAD ON THIS VOTE!

--THURSDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE -- 7 pm -- Final passage vote on health care reform -- THEY ONLY NEED 51 VOTES TO PASS IT THEN!

 DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED -- there are still several Democrats that we know of, who STILL might not vote for cloture. At the same time, there are a few liberal GOP RINOs who might "jump ship" and vote Yes. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE SENATORS NEED TO KEEP HEARING FROM US TO BE CONVINCED!

We CANNOT let the radical liberals in Congress -- and the White House -- force this plan for socialized health care on the American people! That's why we've set up our website to enable you to send a strong message to every single member of the U.S. Senate, OPPOSING this outrageous plan.

I for one plan on contacting our one and only rep ..... AGAIN!!!! ..... who has voted for this obamacare package without reading it!

Merry Christmas, Yall.....can you believe it is almost here and then....this year will have a week til it is over?! Ohmygosh! I don't know about yall but for me, this year has blown by!! It seems like there has always been that under current of 'oh no...what next is gonna happen to our country?!' around our parts and it has been the topic of discussion at every get together with friends this year. We just keep praying and trusting. God sure knows what He's doing even if no one else does!

This time of year is so kool for me! We had our Texas best friends here with us for a couple of weeks and the four of us went to the Moose Range and tromped thru snow and very cold air to find our beautiful, gorgeous 'orphan' tree! Our trees always have a distinct personality. Usually gorgeous in one part and kinda iffy the rest of the way around.  It's covered in ornaments and poinsettias and red lights and my favorite part...that old fashioned silver tinsel. That stuff is hard to find....after it's on the tree, however, it isn't...it's usually plastered to someone's leg after they've walked near the tree! Or laying on the floor somewhere in the house. I've rehung more of that stuff this week....good exercise!  Anyway....getting my act together today to mail some things and make some cookies or bread or something. We like to give something to folks at church and it can get expensive....so it's usually a thingie of homemade treats...we all just trade. Other folks cooking and baking is GOOD to us! But! Some neat gal posted on her blog what they made this year for the very same thing....and I don't care how it tastes, it sure was perdy the way it was packaged! Simple in a clear cellopane bag with a glittery white ribbon & white ornament that said 'peace'. Very pretty!! Packaging is what sells stuff....then you might taste it and go...'bleck!', but me....I'm like a crow....I'll toss the 'bleck' part and go back to the bling bling and play with it....recycle!

Our Alaska State Senator answered one of my emails with the following and I thought, 'coming from someone who's there' it would be informative to pass along. Have a great day, yall!
 
    
 
Dear Sandy:
 
Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform. I appreciate hearing from you and having the opportunity to respond.
 
The U.S. Senate now has an opportunity to consider health care reform.  On November 21, 2009 the Senate voted 60 to 39 to proceed to debate health care legislation.  Unfortunately, the majority party has not chosen to have a bipartisan debate.
 
I voted against proceeding to debate H.R. 3590, the Service Members Ownership Tax Credit.  H.R. 3590 was a three page "shell bill" that has now been substituted by Majority Leader Harry Reid's 2,074-page, $2.5 trillion health care bill.  The new bill was drafted without public input and in the privacy of Senator Reid's office.  The majority party knows how unpopular this bill is, even among its own members.  That is why they held the procedural vote on the three page "shell bill" rather than their actual health care reform bill.
 
I cannot support this legislation.  The bill does not reflect what Alaskans have told me they want to see in health care reform.  Simply put, it is government-run health care that will raise taxes on individuals, families, and small businesses; increase health insurance premiums; and cut Medicare by one half trillion dollars. From the procedural shenanigans to the accounting gimmicks contained in this bill, we should start from scratch.
 
We need to adopt a step-by-step approach to health care reform that focuses on the solutions that nearly everyone can agree on.  My top priorities are banning lifetime caps on insurance and coverage denial based on pre-existing conditions, enacting junk lawsuit reforms, and promoting competition by allowing insurers to sell across state lines.
 
Junk lawsuit reform is one of the most important reforms lacking from this bill.  Medical malpractice insurance premiums are soaring for doctors around the country, causing doctors to increase their rates or even close their practices.  Tort reform is a proven method for lowering insurance premiums, and thereby lowering health care costs.
 
The State of California, for example, enacted strong tort reform in 1975.  From 1975 to 2004, malpractice insurance premiums in California dropped 40 percent. The effects on overall health care spending are also clear; California spends nearly $650 less on health care per capita than the national average, and health care costs are growing at a much slower rate in California than around the country.  I am confident that we can drastically improve our health care system by enacting reforms similar to California's.
 
I continue to be concerned with the majority party's continued efforts to force massive bills through Congress before Members of Congress or the public have time to read and digest what is actually being proposed.  I have taken action and cosponsored Senate Resolution 307, which would require all legislation to be posted online for at least 72 hours before being considered by the Senate.  The current legislation being considered is now available online at http://www.thomas.gov.  The House of Representatives bill is labeled H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America.  The Senate version is labeled H.R. 3590, the Service Members Ownership Tax Credit.
 
I held several town hall meetings this summer, and I was frequently asked if I would be required to participate in the proposed federally-run government health plan. You may be interested to know that I supported an amendment to the HELP Committee health care bill that would require Members of Congress and their staff to enroll in any new federally-run government plan. The amendment passed the HELP Committee by a vote of 12 to 11.  I will continue to support efforts to require lawmakers to join any new public plan they choose to create.
 
As the Senate debates health care reform, I will continue to fight for real reform that truly provides greater access to quality health care without crippling our economy in the process.
 
Again thank you for contacting me.
 
 
 

     
United States Senator

I just received this email and it gave us a glimpse of an INCREDIBLE HERO...who is 95 yrs. old now. He's lived a long time and has seen it all, I am sure. He must bless everyone ... everywhere he goes. These are some of the men the media needs to be putting on their pedestals....our children need to be learning from them, not the glamour and glitz from Hollywood and the immorality 'their' heroes broadcast. Honest...patriotic & moral values need to be 'in our faces' as far as I'm concerned. Bring America back to the America Harold Estes and alot of us knew...that the youth these days have no clue about. I was apalled when I watched Jay Leno show a picture of the Liberty Bell to a woman in her 20's probably....she thought it was a CLOCK!! He asked where she could tell the time on it....duhhhhh. No one else could tell what it was either. No one knew about the Liberty Bell? Why not? It is part of our AMERICAN HERITAGE. I also heard Glen Beck yesterday telling some of the UN-American things obama has done in the past ten months....did anyone else know that he sent the bust of Winston Churchill back to England??? They gave this to America as a GIFT after 9/11.....it obviously was a thoughtful gift for us from their country.  [least it wasn't a collection of their speeches on discs!!! how narcisstic is THAT anyway?!]. obama decided 'we' didn't need it anymore. He tried to give it back and England told him it wasn't necessary...it was a GIFT. What did our 'American' President do??? Boxed it up and sent it back to them anyway!!! I never heard about all that on his media, did you??

Well, I do want to share this email about Harold Estes with yall....it was heart warming to me.... ...and remember....he's 'been there done that & seen it all'. He knows what he is talking about. Especially when compared to someone in their 40s who has NO experience, other than hanging out with his anti-American cohorts and being a professional organizer and being a new senator who voted....or oh...I forgot...he really didn't like to take a stand when it came to voting.  It still boggles my mind how this guy got into this office....the trash that keeps happening at high speed...one thing about it....I believe we pray more!!!!!  Below is this great article.....and...I did snope.com it. IT'S TRUE.