Here is a quote directly from his e-mail -

One of the ways we can restore ownership and choice is by offering individuals the same tax breaks that big corporations get for medical expenses.  This would put health care within reach for millions more Americans and would make insurance portable from job to job.  We should drive costs down by giving individuals the option to buy insurance from any state, not just the state in which they reside.  Furthermore, less well-off Americans should have access to a prepaid, refundable tax credit – similar to a voucher – which would put a basic health care plan of their own choice within reach of every American family.

I am really positive about the statement he made that we should be able to buy insurance from any state insurance agency not just those authorized in the state in which we reside.  The duplication of overhead for the multiple Blue Cross companies and Blue Shield companies is costing billions of wasted $ each year I am sure.

I hope we can fix the broken state of our health care system using American ingenuity and that we will craft something really unique and effective for all Americans.  We don’t need a health care system that is run by a bunch of bureaucrats where the patients and doctors are simply numbers and equations.  Let’s all keep up the pressure on our representatives in Washington to get this thing right.  We can’t afford to do it wrong.

If you do a search in Bing.com for “40 Days for Health Reform” in quotes, you get 42,500,000 results.  This is small in comparison to the numbers that Rick Warren’s many 40 Days programs have generated but it is not insignificant.  They also claimed that they had 140,000 people together on a conference call that was held this last Wednesday that also was supposed to have had President Obama included.

From their History web page -

Since its official launch in 2006, Faith in Public Life has fulfilled this mission by building the movement’s media presence and capacity, providing strategic assistance to faith-based coalitions, brokering new partnerships, developing online communities, sponsoring opinion research, and amplifying the voices of emerging religious leaders. FPL has built an innovative, collaborative, strategic, results-oriented body of work in service of the faith community’s movement for the common good.

This group is actively claiming to represent the faith community.  Here is a link to their press release about their conference call -

http://faithinpubliclife.org/content/press/2009/08/140000_participate_in_historic.html

Here is the list of their Board of Directors -

Board

Rev. Meg Riley, Board President

Rev. Meg Riley is Director of Advocacy and Witness at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).

Rev. Tim Ahrens

Rev. Tim Ahrens is senior minister First Congregational Church (UCC) in downtown Columbus, Ohio and founder of We Believe Ohio.

Dr. Rebecca T. Alpert

Dr. Rebecca T. Alpert is Chair of Temple University’s Department of Religion and Associate Professor of Religion and Women’s Studies.

The Rev. Timothy Boggs

The Rev. Timothy Boggs is the Assistant Rector for Stewardship and Outreach at St. Albans Parish in Washington, D.C.

Nicole Fulgham

Nicole Fulgham is the National Director of Faith Community Relations at Teach for America.

Dr. Nazir Khaja

Dr. Nazir Khaja is a medical doctor and Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is Chairman of the Board of Islamic Information Services (IIS) in California.

Ricken Patel

Ricken Patel is Executive Director of Avaaz.org.

Sister Catherine Pinkerton

Catherine Pinkerton is a lobbyist on Capitol Hill for NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby.

Fred Rotondaro

Fred Rotondaro is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Rev. Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite

Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite is professor of theology at Chicago Theological Seminary and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Dr. Emilie Townes

Dr. Emilie Maureen Townes is the first Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology at Yale Divinity School.

 These people and the staff that work at this organization are dedicated to misrepresenting themselves as people of “Faith”  without defining what their beliefs are.  Their web site does not have any section that states – “What we believe” like most other faith-based organizations include on their web sites.  I hope that one of our conservative faith based groups is watching what this group is doing and countering their efforts to promote Health Care Reform from a faith perspective.

They do not represent my faith at all.  Pass this on to all your friends who consider themselves conscientious, conservative Christians.  Stay abreast of what they are claiming to be and what they want people to think the faith-based community stands for on Health Care Reform.

last week’s episodes. I am still reeling from the knowledge I gained that if the ObamaCare reform is passed, it won”t begin until 2013.

Have a great weekend.

How can our government allow this and what can we do as citizens to prevent this waste from continuing?  We must ask our representatives in Washington to aggressively investigate this abuse and fraud and eliminate the ability of this type of swindling to continue!!  We can’t even make the Iraqi government use its own oil revenues on reconstruction.  Check out the following web site for additional information on the investigation of these matters that is being done by Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction – www.sigir.mil

As I have taken the time to look into the information that is available through this web site, I found a report dated July 30 2009 that contains interesting data on investigations, commentary on construction efforts and even quotes from President Barack Obama that he made during a visit there in June 2009.  I would like to review these and then encourage you to check them out for yourself if you have the time.

Two hospital projects are specifically mentioned as being overdue or having severe deficiencies from the SIGIR’s oversight team’s perspective:

The Basrah Children’s Hospital, years overdue and tens of millions over cost, was generally well-constructed but will not be fully operational until 2011.

The Missan Surgical Hospital was far behind schedule, what was completed had severe deficiencies, and the Government of Iraq has not provided funds for training and equipment.

 

Then, the report goes on to highlight the following investigative cases:

the unsealing of a 23-count indictment alleging that a civilian contractor paid more than $2.8 million in bribes to a U.S. Army major working as a contracting official in Kuwait

the guilty plea by a Massachusetts-based corporation to criminal charges related to an investigation involving an $8.5 million contract for security vehicles between a British company and the former Coalition Provisional Authority

the guilty plea by a defense contractor to wire fraud and bribery in connection with security equipment contracts in Iraq (unsealed on May 27, 2009)

the sentencing of a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves to 30 months in prison for her participation in a fraud scheme

 

 

 The following quote by President Obama was included in a section relating to the Iraqi governance and reconstruction efforts.  Here is what he said:

 

 

BUT I DO HAVE AN UNYIELDING BELIEF THAT ALL PEOPLE YEARN FOR CERTAIN THINGS: THE ABILITY TO SPEAK YOUR MIND AND HAVE A SAY IN  HOW YOU ARE GOVERNED; CONFIDENCE IN THE RULE OF LAW AND THE EQUAL ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE; GOVERNMENT THAT IS TRANSPARENT AND DOESN’T STEAL FROM THE PEOPLE; THE FREEDOM TO LIVE AS YOU CHOOSE. THESE ARE NOT JUST AMERICAN IDEAS; THEY ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. AND THAT IS  WHY WE WILL SUPPORT THEM EVERYWHERE. – PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, U.S. EMBASSY BAGHDAD, JUNE 4,  2009

 

During the baking process, the pans both began to overflow.  Of course I was wrong about the divide and conquer of the mixture.  I think if we had remembered to put the walnuts in before we started filling the pans, we might have realized we would need three pans.  So, what has been the result?  We fortunately had put some aluminum foil under the pans so the overspill did not mess up the pan we were using to hold the pans on top of the oven rack.  The little amount of overspill was a good taste treat and I hope will be a good indicator of the final result.  My wife successfully removed the loaves of zucchini bread from the foil pans and I was able to enjoy a few more pieces of the delicious result from the empty pans. 

I have been encouraged to blog about this endeavor as a result of going to see a movie with my wife yesterday called Julie and Julia.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the movie having seen just a few commercials about it, no previews and no reviews.  The movie was very funny and both of the female leads were outstanding.  The husbands of both were also excellent in their portrayal of men who are committed to their wives and so supportive of their dreams.  Go see this movie with someone you love!!

While all of the cooking has been going on, Tiger Woods has been having a terrible day with his putter on the greens at Hazeltine as putt after putt barely misses the cup.  His playing partner took the lead with an eagle at the 14^th hole and is currently a stroke in the lead after both Yang and Tiger bogey the 17th hole.  If he holds on, he will be the first player to ever beat Tiger on a Sunday when Tiger started with the lead.  Tiger is 14 for14 until today.  I will wait for the hole to be finished before I close out this day’s blog.  Both players hit the fairway with their first shot.  Y. E. Yang’s second shot went past the cup and stopped about 8 -10 feet from the cup.  Tiger’s second shot ended up in the rough on the right side of the green.  It looks doubtful that he will be able to pull it out.  The 110^th player in the world is most likely going to beat the number 1 player in the world.  Tiger’s third shot went 8 feet past the hole and he two-putted from there.  Before he did, Yang holed his putt for a birdie and was the winner.  The first Asian to win a PGA event also was the first to hang with Tiger on a Sunday in a tournament.  Great golf to watch unless you are a Tiger Woods fan who believed he could never be beaten on a Sunday.

I don’t know why there is such a backlash at these townhall meetings.  Doesn’t it seem like “we should all just try to get along”?  The Health Care Reform bill has many flawed features to it.  People naturally have a desire to express their feelings that are in opposition to the beliefs of the sponsors of the Townhall meetings.  From the little I have seen on TV about the disturbances at these meetings, it seems to me that anyone who has an opposing view will be stomped on, asked to be polite, or treated like second class citizens with no rights to interrupt the proceedings so their voice can be heard.

Let’s do everything we can to support the organizations that are in the fight for us, American Values with Gary Bauer, American Family Association with Don Wildmon and the other voices that are opposing the ObamaCare health care agenda.  Barack Obama’s Townhall meetings are staged commercials for his plan.  We must not let it become our reality.  Speak up and let your feelings and concerns be heard.

With the major topics of politics being the potential approval of Judge Sotomayor and Health Care reform, I have decided to become more active in expressing my feelings about these issues to my representatives in the Senate and the House.  When you are expressing opposing views to your Senators, you get a letter that is a canned e-mail response.  Here is what I was sent from Senator Feinstein’s office -

Thank you for writing to me to express your support for proposed restrictions on private coverage of preventative services for reproductive care in health reform legislation.  Thank you for taking the time to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
 
The Senate Finance Committee is currently debating health care reform proposals. One proposal would create a Health Insurance Exchange through which individuals and small businesses could purchase health insurance. In order to assist those not able to afford health insurance, some individuals and families would receive subsidies to help pay for the health insurance. Insurers would provide an essential benefits package, which would be determined by the Department of Health and Human Services after receiving recommendations from a federal advisory committee. The Senate Finance Committee is considering restrictions on insurance packages offered in the Exchange, specifically restricting preventative services for reproductive care, including abortion.
 
I understand your opinion that private coverage of abortion services should be restricted in health reform. However, I believe that reproductive health services should be treated no differently than any other health care service or benefit. I understand that many individuals may not want to purchase health insurance that covers reproductive services, but I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to select health insurance without those services restricted.
 
I support preventative reproductive care because I believe that services such as family planning are incredibly valuable. I understand that we may disagree on this issue, but please know that I will keep your comments in mind as I continue to review health care reform legislation in the 111th Congress.
 
Again, thank you for writing. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
        United States Senator

Isn’t it interesting to hear the response framed in a way that makes it sound like my opinion counts but it really doesn’t.  And here is the response I got from Senator Boxer’s office to my letter stating my feelings about the hearings on Judge Sotomayor -

Thank you for writing to express your views about the Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process.  I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.

I congratulate President Obama for choosing Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a highly qualified woman, to sit on the United States Supreme Court.

President Obama has nominated an exemplary and compelling individual who has a history of bipartisan support.  She was first nominated to the bench by President George H.W. Bush, and she has been confirmed twice by the U.S. Senate with overwhelming support.

With eight men, one woman and no Hispanics currently sitting on the court, President Obama listened to voices like former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in recognizing that diversity on the bench is essential.

Judge Sotomayor’s life story serves as an inspiration, not just to every Hispanic and woman, but to every American, because in this country if you work hard, you can reach your dreams.

Again, thank you for writing to me.  Please feel free to contact me again about this or any other issue of concern to you.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

I am hoping that there are enough nays from other Senators to prevent her ascent to the Supreme Court.  I am sure that Obama could find a judge with a better track record than Sotomayor. 

One final note, please read the following statements from Gary Bauer that relate to ObamaCare health care reform -

• All over the country, normal citizens are exercising their God-given rights of assembly, free speech and dissent. It is important for elected members of Congress to hear from their constituents, and it is a healthy exercise for our democratic republic.
• But the reaction from some in the media and political establishment has been very disturbing. It appears as though there is a coordinated effort to delegitimize public dissent, which strikes at the heart of our constitutional guarantee of free speech. Here is a sample of statements we have collected in the past 24 hours:

One member of Congress from Texas referred to his own constituents as “a mob,” saying, “This mob…did not come just to be heard, but to deny others the right to be heard.”

From the Democratic National Committee: “Republicans and their allied groups — desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill — are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in Congressional Districts across the country.”

From a Virginia congressman: “When you look at the fervor of some of these people who are all being whipped up by the right-wing talking heads on Fox, to me, you’re crossing a line.”

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs: “I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the Astroturf nature of grass-roots lobbying. This is manufactured anger.”

CNN commentator and political strategist Donna Brazile: “They’re renting organizers. The left has done it. Now they’re doing it. This little small band of protesters are trying to stop members [of Congress] from doing their jobs.”

• The same leftists who for years applauded when demonstrators took over the streets to protest the Iraq war, amnesty for illegal aliens or who attacked churches that supported marriage remaining between a man and woman, suddenly see a few hundred retirees, small businessmen, homemakers, farmers, sales clerks and just plain folks as evidence of ‘rightwing extremism.’
• My friends, the Left believes that name-calling can intimidate you into silence. Don’t cave! As an American, you have a right to express your views to the politicians who WORK FOR YOU, even if they don’t like it.
• The fact is, you are in the majority now – not the leftists trying to push European socialism on you. The American people do not want government-run healthcare, as a new poll out today from Quinnipiac University shows. The poll found that ’52 percent of American voters disapprove of the way [the president] is handling the health-care issue and 39 percent approve.’ Here’s more from the poll: By a whopping 72%-to-21% margin, voters don’t believe healthcare reform will be paid for or be ‘deficit neutral.’ And by a 20-point margin, 57%-to-37%, voters say healthcare reform should be abandoned if it adds to the deficit.
• By the way, the Washington, D.C., newspaper The Hill reported this weekend that labor unions and leftwing organizations “will spend between $10 million and $20 million this month to twist lawmakers’ arms over the stalled healthcare reform effort in Congress” and the Employee Free Choice Act. So, ACORN, Big Labor and other groups can organize and protest in support of the liberal agenda, but how dare anyone speak up against it!
• My fear, given the stakes and emotions on both sides, is that union thugs, ACORN activists and leftwing anarchists (who ransacked the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul during last year’s Republican National Convention) will turn violent and innocent people will get hurt. If that happens, the radical Left will bear the responsibility for demonizing free speech.”

Gary Bauer, in case you don’t remember was a Presidential candidate in 2000 and he is currently the President of an organization called American Values.  Read about him here – ( http://www.amvalues.org/aboutGaryBauer.php )  We must take action as these are important issues that will affect all of us in one way or another if Barack Obama and his adminstration get their agenda pushed though Congress in the fall.  Please consider what you can personally do to show how you feel.  Comments are always welcome.

I will also try to come to understand a new Microsoft technology called Office Groove 2007.  I don’t know enough about it yet but it may play into my creative juices being expressed through my blog.  I always enjoy this kind of technical challenge.

The RNC has released a commercial about the Democratic Health Care proposal – It is called “Reforma” – check it out here — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CyZhOirPTU

I would also encourage any of you who are reading this to get active on the Health Care Reform issue and write your representatives in Congress and the Senate no matter which way you lean.  We need “government by the people” not “government to the people”.  I love this country and want the best for it.  I am not sure that all of those in power in Washington D.C. know that we feel this way out here in the grasslands.

Come on people – Get Ignited!!!

Here is an opinion of a group of folks ( The CATO Institute ) out of Washington D.C. - http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=26668999076

Here is an interesting idea I came across on how another company was thinking of using Twitter :

Before the start of summer, I had ordered over 300 branded beach balls to be used for some promotional offer with Severa Corp. While I was sweating out the heat wave with my colleagues in Severa’s Headquarters in Eastern Finland, a light bulb went off… “Hey, how about we use those beach balls to get more Twitter followers?” That sounded like a good idea. So my team including Tiina Rossi (Social Media Expert) and Henri Årgen (Art Guru) got busy to launch “Follow us on Twitter and win a beach ball campaign.” The landing page below explains the idea in more detail.

As I read the results of the campaign, I was amazed by the increase in traffic that was generated by a “beach ball campaign”!  They doubled their Twitter traffic on their web site and visitors stayed on their site longer visit times and more.  Very cool.  I will keep my eyes on the guys from Finland.  Their corporate web site is at http://www.severa.com

Okay, on the home front, I am conquering a very sleepless night and I am really looking forward to getting home after work tonight for a nap.  But I have to go out to eat first with my wife and daughter before I’ll get home.  Too bad for me.

Have a great rest of your day!!!  Before I go I just found this – check it out – (BestBuy Twelpforce) http://blog.twitter.com/2009/07/bestbuy-good-stuff.html#links