Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Is Health Care

Yes, Oprah is annoying and Ryan Seacrest is, well, Ryan Seacrest, but both are now connected with a project that I've found myself drawn to: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, a program where the afore mentioned British chef (Oliver, not Seacrest) comes to a chubby American community in an effort to change the way it eats, from breakfast pizza at school to deep fryers at home. The show follows a similar effort by Oliver in Britain that actually resulted in a change to their school system's nutritional requirements.

Perhaps my interest in the program is sparked by the fact that it appeared on the tube just a couple weeks after I started my own Khaki food revolution, banning the likes of Coke (acola), processed foods, beer and the occasional cigar from my diet . . . OK, I still sneak the occasional cigar, but the rest of my former diet is swimming with Luca Brasi . . . well, except the beer. Anyway, Oliver's Food Revolution is a must see for any parent who has scanned the school lunch program in search of healthy offerings only to find chicken nuggets, french fries and cheese that smells suspiciously of Elmer's glue.

Oliver's message is as simple as it is critical:

I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

If you're worried about American health care, take a close look at the school lunch programs. You may not sleep for a week. If we want to make a difference in our nation's health while at the same time decreasing the cost of care, let's start by removing heart-pummeling foods from the school lunch rooms. And you can take a first step by signing this petition: America's Food Revolution Petition

Another ObamaCare Bribe

The unprecedented corruption of the Obama administration continues as yet another bribe is uncovered in the 2,400 page health care bill. According to the National Review Online:

They're already calling it the Bismarck Bribe:

The legislation contains provisions apparently designed to ensure votes from wavering Democrats. As outlined in the House version, the compromise plan would give nonprofit loan providers in several states the right to participate, along with for-profit loan companies selected through a competitive process, in helping the Education Department distribute loan money to students.

A new element, included in the plan issued on Thursday, would give a specific right to the Bank of North Dakota to issue federally subsidized student loans, meaning that it would be the only lender remaining outside of the Education Department's direct-lending system.

The Bank of North Dakota is a state-owned lender that Democratic aides described as representing the type of nonprofit entity they want to encourage. Critics of the loan bill suggested the provision was designed to win the support of a key Democrat, Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

Gee, I wonder why the president refused to fulfill his promise to have the health care dialogue "in front of the American people" on C-Span.

Democrats Attempt To Slaughter The Constitution

From The Wall Street Journal:

We're not sure American schools teach civics any more, but once upon a time they taught that under the U.S. Constitution a bill had to pass both the House and Senate to become law. Until this week, that is, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to merely "deem" that the House has passed the Senate health-care bill and then send it to President Obama to sign anyway.

Blinded by an ambition that makes Genghis Khan seem restrained, the Democrats are pressing on with their attempt to shred the constitution by passing . . . I mean "deeming" to pass a bill that is opposed by the majority of Americans. And the tool of Pelosi's subterfuge is appropriately named "Slaughter."

The House Rules Committee, Louise Slaughter (D-New York), is being asked to add a "self-executing rule" into the Senate passed bill, which means that the Congress won't actually need to vote on the bill. They'll simply add their own high-dollar pork to the already bursting bill during what is referred to by Congress as "reconciliation corrections" but Americans who are aware will recognize as bullshit.

As the Journal points out, this will allow the Democrats in Congress to send the bill on to Obama for approval while still claiming that they opposed it -- a critical need for them since "knowingly" passing this monstrosity that is sure to make insurance companies immeasurably rich and unemployment lines simply immeasurable will be political suicide.

This two-votes-in-one gambit is a brazen affront to the plain language of the Constitution, which is intended to require democratic accountability. Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution says that in order for a "Bill" to "become a Law," it "shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate." This is why the House and Senate typically have a conference committee to work out differences in what each body passes. While sometimes one house cedes entirely to another, the expectation is that its Members must re-vote on the exact language of the other body's bill.

True, this is not the first time "reconciliation" has been used, but in the past it has been reserved for expediting amendments, not a bill that would seize control of 1/6 of our country's entire economy.

Where are you Jeffersonian Democrats?

As Protests Mount, ObamaCare Sneaks With Reconciliation

The number may be debatable, but we know that at least 2,000+ people gathered in the frigid Minnesotan air last night to protest the Democrats latest shenanigans to get ObamaCare passed. And this was in Minnesota, where some people actually voted for Al Franken.

Now I will admit that, while I don't trust the left any farther than I could throw up their authoritarian policies, even I never thought they would attempt the rarely employed tactic of reconciliation to pass a bill that most Americans want to see burned on the alter of fiscal responsibility. It appears even the Khaki Elephant can misjudge the depths of their desire for power. The dominion and control offered by government managed Healthcare is simply too tempting for Democrats to hear the voice of the people.

The reconciliation process would require the House to accept the bill already shoved through by the former Senate Super Majority . . . a bill that contains millions in bribe money to be paid out to states like Lousianna and Nebraska for their Senator's support. (Democrat Bribe List I -- Democrat Bribe List II). The tactic will prevent the House and Senate from re-examining the current debacle to look at alternatives that for years have been offered by the GOP. The tactic will prevent the American people from voting these power-hungry politicians out of office before they do their damage. The tactic would "Europeanize" the health care system and introduce the chronic unemployment numbers ever present on that continent.

Say your prayers, America.

Reid Secures 60 Votes For ObamaCare

The will of the people be damned! The future of our children can go to blazes! The world's most powerful economy can collapse to Euro-standards! It appears as though the obtuse Senate leader Harry Reid has the 60 votes needed to move forward with the worst bill in America's long history.

After Sen. Mary Mary Landrieu of Louisiana sold her vote to Reid for a $100 million provision, Sens Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas became the 60th senator to agree to cast her vote in favor of this debacle. It's still unclear how much it will cost the American tax payers for Blanche's vote.

Let this be a lesson to the American people -- when you are voting for a Democrat you are not voting for a person, you are voting for a liberal agenda.

We just learned that the government run postal service lost $3.8 billion last year, and the left now wants to provide that same level of competence to the direction of America's health care system.

The Orwellian Obama administration has sealed government records, seized private corporations and now have their sites firmly set to subdue the populace through government controlled health care, despite the voice of the majority who believe the private sector is best equipped to provide medical care and advances.

Make your voice known. Contact every politician with a "D" affixed to their name and let them know that this will not stand. They have revealed their agenda of mass control and America will not stand for it!

The House Passes Obamacare (H.R. 3200)

Last night the House of Reps passed the healthcare bill that The Wall Street Journal labeled "The Worst Bill Ever" by a vote of 220-215. And while 219 Democrats supported this national disaster, there was a truly bipartisan effort to stop it as 39 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote against it. One Republican voted in favor of the bill, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, a vote purchased by Barack Obama with a "commitment from President Obama that he would work together to address the health care issues of Louisiana, including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals." Nice. Real nice. And given Obama's previous "commitments" to only raise taxes on the wealthy, provide a 72-hour review of legislation and support the 2nd amendment . . . let's just say I hope 'ol Joe has a back up plan (and hopefully another profession, come next election).



So, where do we go from here?



The fight is far from over. In fact, this is how we knew it would play out. The focus now turns to the Senate, where Harry Reid will need to score a super majority twice to proceed (a difficult task at this point) and the Republicans have vowed to read the bill in its entirety on the senate floor, which should take more time than an emergency room wait in Canada . . . though just barely. With that delay, the Senate debate will continue into next year -- an election year -- a year in which Americans can make the Democrats pay for their assault on freedom, just taxation, and the American health care machine that has produced more cures and innovation than any other in the world.

What's In That Health Care Reform Bill?

Not sure what's in the House Health Care Reform Bill? Well, you're in pretty good company: namely the majority of house members who are actually going to vote on the thing. It's a little like watching my kitchen-challenged brother compete on the Iron Chef.

But if want to treat this bill like you did Tristram Shandy in your college days (which is to say, reading a Cliffs Notes version while you drink cheap beer that you bought at the party store by writing a check for $1.27) then you should check out the summary Ric put together over at Freadom Nation. You can find the whole post here: The final healthcare bill looks SCAAARY

WSJ: ObamaCare Is The Worst Bill Ever

Washington has produced its share of terrible bills (and I will pass on the easy Bill Clinton shot . . wait, did I just do that?) but according to the Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed pages, the current Health Care bill is the "The Worst Bill Ever!" According to the article:

In a rational political world, this 1,990-page runaway train would have been derailed months ago. With spending and debt already at record peacetime levels, the bill creates a new and probably unrepealable middle-class entitlement that is designed to expand over time. Taxes will need to rise precipitously, even as ObamaCare so dramatically expands government control of health care that eventually all medicine will be rationed via politics.

Um . . .

The Journal lists four primary reasons as to why this bill is a disaster waiting to happen.

1. The spending surge: while Pelosi and company continue to contend that the bill will only cost the country a paltry $829 billion, the CBO is figuring the cost to top a cool trillion, or roughly equivalent to the gallons of botox that Nancy Pelosi has poured into her jowls to keep that sneer in place.
2. Expanding Medicaid, gutting private Medicare: In this case the democrats are looking to take money from a Medicare program that already has "unfunded liabilities" of some $37 trillion over 75 years and drop it into an even larger government behemoth. Debt to pay debt? Only possible with Obamath.
3. European levels of taxation: Were talking $572 billion dollars in new taxes that is sure to pound American businesses. There is a simple truth about taxation: if you want to stop an activity, tax it. In this case we're talking about jobs. Rest assured that European levels of taxation are always followed by European levels of unemployment (though I still believe European techno club music will remain optional).
4. The insurance takeover: "The political incentive will always be for government to expand benefits and reduce cost-sharing" which means: defined coverage levels and medical rationing will be determine by Washingon D.C. And you thought Doctor visits were a pain in the past.

Nancy Pelosi has "reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare." I'm sure that passing this "worst of" bill will spell tremendous congressional gains for the GOP, but that would be small consolation after giving our children and their children trillions in national debt, government controlled insurance and rising unemployment.

The Obama Fix Fails

As reported by the Heritage Foundation:

The White House and Democratic leaders are offering doctors a deal: They’ll freeze cuts in Medicare payments to doctors in exchange for doctors’ support of health care reform . . . [during the the secret Obamacare negotiations] the White House and Senate leaders have ordered Congress to pass a $247 billion dollar payoff to doctors groups for their support of comprehensive health care reform.

Well, in case you were out of the loop (or busy with hunting and fishing this time of year), the bribe failed on a 47-43 vote. And Dirty Harry wasn't happy:

Reid brought the $247 billion bill to the Senate floor this week as part of a deal to secure the support of doctors groups such as the AMA for passage of a separate, broader healthcare reform bill later this year. But the strategy has backfired.

…Reid told reporters on Wednesday that he was led to believe that more than two dozen Republicans would vote for the bill, though he did not mention the AMA by name.

“I was told by various people that we would have 27 Republican votes, which was pretty reasonable to assume since one of the co-sponsors of this legislation was [Sen.] Jon Kyl [Ariz.], the assistant Republican leader.

“I was stunned when I was told by his cosponsor Sen. Stabenow after we introduced this legislation that [Kyl] couldn’t support it. Even though he is a cosponsor he couldn’t support the legislation,” Reid said, making reference to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the lead sponsor of the 10-year doctor payment fix.

And while I'm ecstatic that this bill (S. 1776) failed, I still feel the need to give a shout out to fellow Michigander Debbie Stabenow who stood by her convictions and voted to bribe doctors despite its obvious ethical depravity and absolute failure. Vito Corleone is petting his kitty with pride.

Socialized Health Care Creates The Poor

How many times have you heard, "we're the richest nation in the world and we still don't have universal health care"? And those who say it as an accusation apparently lack the logical aptitude to understand the connections in what they're saying. Folks, there is one reason that the United States of America is the wealthiest nation on the planet and it's called CAPITALISM.

Yes, France, Germany and Britain have socialized medicine, along with a few additional socialized scourges, and they also have an average family living space that rivals the size of an American closet and unemployment queues that are longer than the restroom lines at a bulimia convention.

There is no such thing as free health care. I lived in Germany and saw a huge chunk of my paycheck flow to the government health care plan while what was left paid for a small one-bedroom apartment filled with a pressed wood forest of cheap furniture. Expect the same to happen here. And rest assured that a socialized health care plan will need to cover the poor because there will be a helluva lot more of them. Unemployment will rise as businesses struggle to meet the tax burden while paychecks will shrink for the same reason.

The beauty of capitalism is that it's built for success without parameters. Regardless of your current social status, economic situation, gender or life choices, if you produce a good or service that somebody wants you can be successful. No other economic model offers such inclusive opportunity. These attributes should be applied to the health care debate as well.

First, consider those who provide health care services. Ever wonder why so many medical advance come out of America? It's because the U.S. health care industry is striving for profit and to be profitable you must produce something that people want. If a competitor develops a better, more cost effective treatment then you'd better make a breakthrough or you'll soon be stirring beans at the local Taco Bell. And where all of that much ballyhooed government research kick in? Those government research labs are responsible for only 5% or so of the treatments currently on the market. But I'm sure sticking a fork in the private sector will do wonders for our health care industry (that's sarcasm, in case you missed it).

Now let's look at the other key ingredient, the uninsured poor. Barack Obama loves to claim that there are 47 million uninsured in this country, but that is simply not the case (even though it would still only figure to some 13% of the population). But the truth about the uninsured looks more like this:

Analysis of data from earlier Census Bureau and other government reports shows that roughly 7 million are illegal immigrants; roughly 9 million are persons on Medicaid; 3.5 million are persons already eligible for government health programs; and approximately 20 million have, or live, in families with incomes greater than twice the federal poverty level, or $41,300 for a family of four.

So what does the real math look like for the uninsured?

47, 000, 000.00 - 7,000,000.00 (illegal immigrants) = 40,000,000.00

40,000,000.00 -9,000,000.00 (on medicaid) = 31,000,000.00

31,000,000.00 - 3,500,000.00 (eligible for medicaid but not enrolled) = 27,500,000.00

27,500,000.00 - 20,000,000.00 (choose not to be insured) 7,500,000.00

That's right 7,500,000 (or 2% of the population) are chronically uninsured. So here's a crazy idea: rather than destroy our current system while adding taxes that will increase unemployment and decrease income for the sake of 2% of the population, why not devise a system to cover that 2%?

So why does the President skew the numbers to push his radical health care agenda rather than look at ways to tweak a system that 84% of Americans do not consider to be a problem? Look deep in your heart, you know the answer. Obamacare is not about health care. Obamacare is not about the poor. Obamacare is about power. Obamacare is about seizing control. Obamacare is about another devastating attack on the private sector in order to shift more authority to the ruling elite in Washington D.C.

John Stossel Exposes Obamacare

Another great find via Nikki!

White House Violates Anti-lobbying Statues

It took a while, but the administration finally came clean. Not so clean that you'd want to eat off of them, but they removed a bit of their murky mud to admit that they actually were behind the unsolicited email that flooded the internet on behalf of their radical health care reform agenda. According to a Fox News report:

The White House hired a private communications company based in Minnesota to distribute mass e-mails, helping to shed light on how some recipients received e-mails in support of President Obama's health care plan without signing up for them.

The company, Govdelivery, describes itself as the world's leading provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions and says its e-mail service provides a fully-automated on-demand public communication system.

It is still unknown how much taxpayer money the White House provides to Govdelivery for its services.

If taxpayer cabbage was used for this obviously agenda-driven e-barrage, then we are looking at a clear violation of anti-lobbying statutes.

The Oval Office is trying to pass of the whole sordid affair as a mistake on the part of Govdelivery massive mailings, but as reported by Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air, who took time off from his Marriage Encounter weekend to dip back into the truth (I hope his wife understands), Govdelivery is not taking the fall and dropped this exchange on their website.

Q: Where do GovDelivery clients get the email addresses and mobile phone numbers used to reach the public through the GovDelivery digital communications platform?

A: GovDelivery’s clients can offer updates on specific topics through their websites, and often include a subscription sign-up (opt-in) form. Some GovDelivery clients serving a similar audience cross-promote content (topics) from related government agencies by offering subscription items from other agencies (think of this as ‘one stop shopping’ for government information that is of interest to a particular citizen). Finally, GovDelivery allows clients to upload existing contact lists into GovDelivery. …

Q: Does GovDelivery ever share one GovDelivery client’s contact list with another organization?
A: No. GovDelivery does not share contact information collected and stored by one client with any other clients under any circumstances.

In other words, the address list of recipients for this taxpayer-funded spam was provided by the White House. Oops.

Obama Camp Caught Planting Fake Doctor & The Media Doesn't Care

Obama and his minions in the press corp have gone to great lengths claiming that the protests against socialized medicine staged by malicious conservative operatives. Meanwhile that same Obama and his minions in the press corps praise how open and honestly the administration had presented their side of the health care debate . . .

. . . well, at least until they were caught planting a fake doctor to praise Obama's plan at a townhall gathering. As reported by CNN -- wait, they didn't really cover the story. The NY Times broke the story -- nope, couldn't find much there. AARP posted a story -- oops, that story has been mysteriously wiped from the internet.

I'm not the biggest Glenn Beck fan, but at least he covered this incredible story.

Comedian (Representative) Russ Carnahan on Obamacare

Have you heard the one about the government health care plan that's going to create surplus revenue?

Here is a beautiful clip where the audience doesn't even try to contain it's laughter as Russ Carnahan proudly peddles Obama's Health care plan that will take America down the Euro-highway of marginal medical advances and eternal debt.



H/T: The amazing Michelle Malkin

Hundreds Protest Obama's Visit

According to Fox 11 in Green Bay, a crowd lined the streets protesting Obama's recent visit with boos, thumbs down and clever signs (missing were the burning effigies and chants for death that The Left charmed us with during the Bush years).

Apparently, unlike Minnesotans, the good folk of Wisconsin take umbrage with plans to strap our kids with trillions in debt for a health care system that Obama said will model "the Canadian system" . . . not to mention anger over the lost tourism revenue from Canadians who stop traveling to America for medical care.

I Guess The Plan Really Is To Nationalize Healthcare

Ever since the presidential campaign Obama apologists have scoffed at GOP allegations that their sacrosanct saint wants to nationalize health care. His teleprompter soothed Americans with sweet sound bites insisting that it was just about "affordability." His political pimps promised everyone a healthy debate, but behind the scenes they've apparently been hustling their agenda like heroine hooked whores.

Remember how Barack Obama said that he had no intention of trying to run General Motors? Well, he lied.

Remember how Barack Obama said that his health care program was not about nationalization? Well, he lied.

According to The New York Times, the President has decided that it's time for him to take control of the nation's health care agenda "after months of insisting he would leave the details to Congress." Why not, I say. With his lack of experience in the auto industry he was able to drive GM to bankruptcy and lead them to shut down more dealerships and eliminate more jobs than even the worst projections expected to see. I'm sure his expertise as a community organizer will work equally well as he tampers with the most productive medical apparatus in the world -- the American health care industry.

Hugh Hewitt drops the straight scoop on what this really means for everybody:

President Obama is going to throw himself into the "debate" on the radical restructuring of American medicine underway on the Hill . . . Except that there hasn't been any "debate" to date, just a giant head-fake that kept the GOP, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies frozen while the Obama/Pelosi/Reid march towards a "government option" (which means single payer which means rationing and interference with a patent's choice of doctors and care) was positioned for a summer jam down.

Not to mention all of the additional "benefits" we've seen with everything else the government administers: higher cost, higher taxes, less efficiency and a political agenda behind every dollar spent.

And we can expect the same kind of "bipartisanship" with health care as the administration displayed during the development and delivery of their stimulus package, which is to say: the Democrats will bar all Republicans from the discussion as they rub against one another, stoking the Obamic embers that are waiting to blaze in the hearts of the main stream media.

The GM model did show us how Obama and his comrades function. If they can seize control they will do it. And the path of ruin becomes so wide that you will be able to drive a fleet of trucks through it . . . if automotive companies are allowed to build trucks anymore.

White House Turns Back On Wounded Veterans

File this under, "I support the troops, I just don't want to give them medical support if they are wounded fighting for their country." In an unbelievable boot to the American military crotch, the President who promised to deliver health care for everybody has a plan to take it away from veterans who have been wounded in action.

As reported by CNN:

the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance. [emphasis added]

It wasn't long ago when Barack Obama took a shot at our fighting men and women by accusing them of "just air raiding villages and killing civilians." Now he wants to make them pay for their service to our country . . . literally. As if it wasn't enough for them to give an arm and a leg . . . literally.

Veterans already have to use private insurance when they receive health care from the VA for issues and conditions that are not related to service injuries, but the current administration wants to take it a step further. They want veterans to carry the financial burden of potentially catastrophic injuries that they received while fighting for freedom. Incredible! I suppose this shouldn't shock me coming from Obama, who spent as much time in military service to his country as Joe Biden . . . or Eric Holder or Hillary Clinton or Timothy Geithner or Hilda Solis or Gary Locke or Arne Duncan or Steven Chu or Janet Napolitano or Shaun Donovan or Ken Salazar or Rahm Emanuel (who did, however, graduate of the Evanston School of Ballet) or Robert Gibbs or, or, or virtually everybody else who Obama anoints as an advisor or cabinet member. But I don't want to digress into speculation as to why Obama's inner circle is proportionately deficient on veterans -- it could simply be that the president is allergic to the dander on people willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.

Naturally, those who are aware the the latest outrage from the White House and have an unaltered admiration of the American military are beginning to speak up. And veterans are stepping forward with force as CNN went on to explain.

Eleven of the most prominent veterans organizations have been lobbying Congress to oppose the idea. In the letter sent last week to the president, the groups warned that the idea "is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government's moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much."

AMEN!

As with his tax plan, perhaps Barack Obama should start thinking about those who work the hardest and sacrifice the most rather than those with whom he can exchange handouts for votes.

This Christmas, Give The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Smoke it one year and hack it up for the next 30. And now that there's another smoker heading for the White House . . . Happy Holidays!

Warning: Eating Hot Dogs May Not Be Healthy

In yet another example of crack reporting, CNN has divulged that eating too many hot dogs may be "risky for kids." According to the report by CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, eating one hot dog a day can increase your chance of cancer by 21%. The American Cancer Society currently considers nitrates in processed meat to be the primary culprit.

Not covered in the report are undocumented reports that one hot dog a day increases the chance of diarrhea by 28%, nausea by 31% and calling in sick to work by 33.37%