Tea Party Express Makes Little Splash in GJ

I was watching the news recently, and saw the story about the Tea Party Express rolling into GJ. I noticed one of the picket signs said something about not supporting McCain and not supporting Obama, and the whole Movement's motto is "Vote Them Out," so that begs the question...If we vote "them" out, who will we elect to fill their place? This whole Tea Party Movement is a bit ridiculous if you ask me. It doesn't make any sense, and it just seems to be a big farce...but maybe that's just me.

Watch the footage here.

Tea Party Express Headed to GJ

The Tea Party Express is headed to our very own Sherwood Park tomorrow. The organizers are hoping to gain support for their cause of voting out the Democrats representing Colorado in Congress, including John Salazar and Michael Bennet. Even though it's a weekday and most people are working, I have a feeling the movement will get a lot of support here in conservative GJ, especially in light of the recent passage of the health care bill.

Read the history of the movement here.

Americans still divided over health care reform

So I just read that even though the health care bill has been signed into law, only 47% of Americans like the provisions it provides, while 50% dislike the entire reformation of the health care system. That's a little unsettling. Aren't our representatives supposed to be our voices and vote in the way of the majority of their constituents? If that's the case, the bill shouldn't have passed...right? I just don't know. This whole health care thing is getting under my skin and I don't know what to think anymore. Lately, though, it seems the cons outweigh the pros...

Read the MSNBC article here.

House Passes Senate's Health Care "Fixes"

Today, the House passed the Senate's provisions to the recently passed health care bill. These minor fixes included shifting government funding for student loans away from commercial breaks, and many provisions didn't affect the overall health care part of the bill. The bill has only just recently been signed into law, and already lawmakers are changing it, which begs the question, how much of the original bill will actually survive the surrounding turmoil? It's interesting to ponder. How much will really change with this new bill if alterations keep being made?

Read the CNN article here.

Hmmm...Health Care

So I've been thinking a lot about the whole health care thing. I think it's great that millions of Americans will now be insured, but was this the right way to do it? I don't want America to be like Canada, where it takes months to see a doctor when sometimes urgent care is needed. Also, this bill uses federal money to pay for abortions, which I am definitely not ok with. However, President Obama DID sign an executive order saying that federal money is to be used for abortions only in case of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger, but how strongly will this order be enforced? Finally, what about Medicare for our seniors? Their benefits are going to decrease, which is scary to think about because it seems like we're leaving them out to dry.

I know the Senate is already in the process of passing legislation to "fix" certain parts of the bill, but it just seems like we rushed through this too much to get it right. I guess we'll have to see...

Health Care: The Next Supreme Court case?

Thirteen state attorney generals (including Colorado's) have banded together to file one giant lawsuit against the US Dept. of Health and Human Services today, supplementing the individual lawsuit of Virginia's attorney general. The lawsuits call into question the legality of mandating citizens to purchase health insurance. According to the lawsuit, "The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to mandate, either directly or under threat of penalty, that all citizens and legal residents have qualifying health care coverage." The Dept. of Justice, however, says the bill is 100% constitutional, citing the commerce clause. It'll be interesting to see how this case will go, but as Mr. Coit told us, the Commerce Clause is basically a trump card, and there are no evident loopholes.

Read the article here.

Sign Here, Mr. President

The House of Representatives sent the newly-passed health care bill to the President for signing today. It passed on a 219-212 vote Sunday night. Republicans were unanimous in voting against the bill, and the attorney general of Virginia has said that he will press forward with a lawsuit against the government as soon as it's signed.

I'm not exactly sure what to think on this...I'll get back to you.

Read the MSNBC article here.

Washington D.C. Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Washington D.C. is officially one of 6 places in the national legally recognizing same-sex marriages as of today. It joins Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont on that list of places gays can marry. On the first day, 147 marriage licenses were processed for gay couples. Many were quick to jump in line for fear that their new right would be quickly abolished, which happened in California. I think it's rather symbolic that this happened on the President and Congress's doorstep, don't you?

Read the article here.

Obama looks to decrease school dropout rates

President Obama recently announced his plan to aid state governments in their goals to cut down on high school graduation rates. As of now, freshmen nationwide have a 30% chance of dropping out before graduation. Obama is offering $900 million to start the reformation. I support his plan in theory, but the fact that he is proposing all this money is slightly unnerving. Where is this endless supply of money coming from?

Read the article here.