Liberty Action Report: The Leaderless Revolution

August 4th, 2009 Dear Liberty Activist, Members of Congress are feeling the summer heat! And it's all thanks to you! Thank you for your assistance, which has been critical to already swinging votes against ObamaCare. For example, Congressman Travis Childers (MS-CD1) told the Daily Journal in Mississippi that "I will not support it, as it's constituted today." Congressman Gene Taylor (MS-CD4) says "I am opposed to the current health care reform bills being debated in Congress." Congressman Parker Griffith (AL-CD5) is already opposed. In a recent letter to a constituent, he wrote, "I do not favor a government-sponsored health care option." These members all have one thing in common: They are Blue Dog Democrats. And although Taylor did not sign the letter of 40 Blue Dogs last month against ObamaCare, the other two did. All three have expressed great concern about the costs of the legislation coming in at $1.5 trillion. And the fact is, expanding government-run health care coverage to over 45 million more people is unaffordable. What's more, the American people absolutely do not want the government to be operating national rationing boards to determine who gets care, and who does not. And with your help, they are getting the message. Click here for the list of 40 Blue Dogs who did sign the letter against ObamaCare earlier this month, promising not to support a proposal that was not "deficit-neutral". Again, the list has been expanded to include email addresses, district office addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers. And for those of you who do not have Excel, here's the .pdf version of the same list. In today's Liberty Action Report, a leaderless revolution is erupting in a town near you, Congress is the real clunker, and Dave Bozeman makes the case against intellectuals. Plus, Appointment Watch analyzes Mercedes Marquez (HUD) and Christopher Schroder (Justice). And, the NY Post notes that health "reform" will be coming at seniors' expense. Please send your letters to the editor at Robert@getliberty.org. We publish all points of view! Today, Jim and Carol Hall of Newport News, VA write, "It was reported on the news a couple of weeks ago that Mr. Elmendorf met with President Obama, which he had no business doing. Why aren't we making a bigger deal out of this?" Thank you, Jeremy. We wrote all about it in a recent piece, "The Deficit-Neutral Blues." And as the piece notes, is a part of a larger narrative involving Obama losing credibility and public support on his proposal. To Mr. Elmendorf's credit, the CBO has not revised its cost estimates downward in light of the meeting, but should they, the entire non-partisan credibility of the CBO would be obliterated. It is a move we would most certainly condemn. For Liberty, Robert Romano ALG Senior News Editor www.getliberty.org P.S. Want to give limited government a boost? Help us out with a small donation today! Open Source & Copyright Free Editorial: The Leaderless Revolution A revolution is taking place in America that is as intangible as the whispering wind and as ineluctable as mounting gale. This Clunker "Cash for Clunkers" is so sucessful maybe the American people should look for other "clunkers" to save themselves money. The Case Against Intellectuals When Liberal talk, their wisdom knows no boundaries but when they try and appeal to the American people many times they hit a brick wall. ALG Research Appointment Watch Americans for Limited Government's top-notch research division highlights two Obama Nominees with colorful histories. Too Hot Not To Note: 'Reform' at Seniors' Expense Dick Morris and Eileen McGann show that rationing is where the current health care proposal is leading Americans. Editorial: The Leaderless Revolution A revolution is taking place in America. It's as intangible as the whispering wind. Yet as ineluctable as mounting gale. To the politicians, it's still but a passing breeze rustling the hair at the nape of the neck. To the grassroots masses, it's rushing torrent destined to sweep the elite from the Halls of Power. America is at the very incipience of a Leaderless Revolution. One could see it at the hometown Tea Parties disclaimed by politicians as ragtag assemblies and disdained by Barack Obama who speciously claimed not to have even known they even occurred. One can sense it in the polls, as one after another shows plunging support for this president and his policies. And one can hear it loud and clear in the angry outpourings at "Town Hall" meetings where sputtering politicians are driven from the podiums and forced to seek shelter behind a phalanx of guards. In New Hampshire, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter tried to defend the snails' pace of socialized medicine with the absurd claim, "Many of my constituents would love to stand in line." Maryland's Sen. Ben Cardin, when pressed by his constituents on why they should be forced to turn over their health care to government bureaucrats, yammered that Americans simply can't be trusted. (And he has now made his town meetings "by invitation only.") In Syracuse, NY, Rep. Dan Maffei had to call in the police to restore order at his health care town hall after angry protestors shouted him down. And Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY1), experiencing his own problems with outraged attendees decided just to cancel town hall meetings altogether. Ellen Sauerbrey – the courageous lady who many feel won the governorship of Maryland in 1994, only to have it snatched away by a post-election recount – recently wrote: "I have never seen people so upset and scared. The rebellion today is a true grassroots uprising of citizens that don't believe either party in Washington represents them, hears them or cares what they think. More and more I hear, 'A plague on both their houses. Throw all the bums out'." What the politicians need to learn is that insulting their constituents' intelligence, denouncing them as slackers, having them arrested, or trying to act as if they simply don't exist is not going to solve the problem of a grassroots rebellion on the ascent. Nor will trying to single out some contrived opponent to belittle and besmirch, as Barack Obama did Rush Limbaugh. The real problem the politicians face is that there is no opposition leader. In fact, there are no leaders at all. The hallmark of the grassroots uprising now befuddling and deflating the Washington political elite (and their mainstream media factotums) is that they are flying in the face of a Leaderless Revolution soundlessly inundating the very air they breathe. It is amorphous. It is dauntless. It is unyielding. And it needs no person or party to state its case or fight its cause. Carried in a purse, a brief case, or a backpack; wielded in the palm of the purveyor's hand; as easy as aps; and summed up in 140 characters or less; this is the Leaderless Revolution that Bill Gates predicted was coming at the "Speed of Thought" on the wireless wings of the wind. Unfortunately for the Washington establishment, in America today – just as in Iran, Honduras, and Moldavia -- the thought has now become an action. The words have become deeds. They have begun to sew the wind. And the tone-deaf political elitists are about to reap the whirlwind. ALG Editor's Note: Americans for Limited Government is spearheading opposition to the health care bill in the Nation's Capitol and coordinating closely with scores of groups throughout the country. Should you wish additional information about these efforts, go to GetLiberty.org, or contact Robert Romano at robert@getliberty.org. http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1434 This Clunker ALG Editor's Note: William Warren's award-winning cartoons published at GetLiberty.org are a free service of ALG News Bureau. They may be reused and redistributed free of charge. http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1433 The Case Against Intellectuals By David Bozeman To hear liberals talk, their wisdom knows no boundaries -- and yet they walk among us. Turn on the TV any hour and you'll hear some smug commentator or comedian (Bill Maher's latest pronouncement: Sarah Palin may well have a future in presidential politics, given the stupidity of the American people) deigning to solve the world's problems, sure that their academically acquired brainpower makes them uniquely qualified and their pronouncements self-evident.   Intellectual snobbery festers on the conservative side, as well (I'm talking about you, Peggy Noonan), but it is one of the left's defining traits. Note that no Democrat need ever defend his IQ. Barack Obama, who had no idea that his spiritual mentor of 20 years was spewing racist, anti-American bile, coasted to victory, in part, on the notion of his 'dazzling' intellect. Liberals have cornered the market on intellectual bravado -- Bill Clinton and Barack Obama won because they are brilliant; Adalai Stevenson lost twice to Eisenhower because he was too brilliant to connect with average voters -- while conservatives merely reply that, yes, Sarah Palin does so read newspapers. Intellectual elitism feeds on itself and its tenets spill over into mainstream thought. Those who move beyond academia into journalism, politics and government, just by the sheer weight of their conviction, mold public opinion, often before many are aware of how society has been altered. It is not by accident that the American economy is now -- as it has been, to varying degrees, for much of the past century -- under the strict oversight of silver-tongued bureaucrats like Henry Waxman and Ed Markey (of Cap and Trade legislation) and Barney Frank (overseeing American finance). If important East Coast universities are the repositories of all the world's knowledge, then Washington, DC is where it is put into practice. Liberals over-emphasize intellect as a requisite for leadership. The obvious but seldom-spoken reply is that nearly every bloody, murderous movement of the 20th Century, including, but not limited to, Socialism, Communism, various strains of Fascism and even Nazism were all backed, if not celebrated (or even concocted) by the intellectual classes. While ordinary patriots must justify every verbal faux-pas, intellectual giants such as Lillian Hellman and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Walter Duranty (later revealed to have been blackmailed by Soviet Russia) are celebrated, despite having defended Stalin long after his atrocities were revealed to the world. Norman Mailer extolled the Soviet Union, and, lest one forget, Ward Churchill, who dismissed 9/11 victims as "little Eichmans" was a university professor (and, granted, an extreme example). Furthermore, nearly every 'enlightened' theory of social order that shocks modern sensibilities was advanced by, you guessed it, the intellectual classes. Abortion and birth control, for instance, revered by the best and the brightest as sacred rights, were originally touted as methods of weeding out society's 'unfit' groups and races. Author Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged) wrote extensively on the possibilities and failures of intellectual activism: " [Intellectuals hold] the potential of being either the most productive or the most parasitical of all social groups." She also wrote that," From the early 19th Century on, American intellectuals, with rare exceptions, were the humbly obedient followers of European philosophy, which had entered its age of decadence." Contrary to Bill Maher's ridiculous comment, wisdom does lie with the American people, which is why Obama-care is teetering on the brink of defeat. One need not suffer through the tedious details to smell a massive transfer of US health care to European-style socialism. In fact, our founders envisioned a nation that would thrive, not on the edicts of an intellectual class but on the common sense of average citizens. Nothing here is written to equate Obama-care with any of the aforementioned atrocities. Simply, intellectual bravado is, at best, meaningless, and, at worst, dangerous without common sense, temperament and perspective. The great figures who secured freedom and justice for America, while undoubtedly bright, are revered by history for their courage, compassion and vision, among other traits. The Obama Administration, despite all the bouquets to his intellect, will ultimately be judged not by his silky oration but by his impact on America. In the words of the very wise (albeit fictional) Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does." David Bozeman is an ALG News Contributing Writer. http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1432 Appointment Watch: Marquez and Schroeder The mainstream media continue to ignore President Obama's appointment of bizarre personnel to run the government. Personnel is policy. That being the case the American people need to know about these appointments. This week we look another couple of Obama appointees. These are not isolated incidents or an occasional bad apple. These folks are representative of the appointments he is making with little or no push back from the Senate during the confirmation process. Mercedes Marquez, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Community Planning and Development Marquez is a Zen High Priestess and former General Manager of the L.A. Housing Department. Even though she is an "affordable housing" crusader she somehow still managed to reduce the number of affordable units available in her jurisdiction. Marquez pioneered an inspection program for rental property that cited tenants for among other things being a packrat. For the privilege of being told that you may be a packrat a tax of $35.52 was added to every rental unit. During the first round of "inspections" in this program 1.9 million citations were issued. On June 25, 2009, the Senate confirmed Ms. Marquez without one dissenting vote. Christopher Schroder, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy He is another of Obama's nominees who has a "regulate first, ask questions later" approach to governing. Schroeder doesn't like studying the costs and benefits of regulations while working on them because this slows down the regulatory process. He would punish people for what he deems risky behavior even if there is no harm caused. Schroeder believes that voluntary environmental programs are harmful and that overregulation is not a problem. The current status of his appointment is that it has been voted out of committee and is awaiting confirmation by the full Senate. These are just a sample of the people President Obama is placing in positions of power within his Administration. If you want more information on these three and many others, please visit: http://www.getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=187&contentid=187 Next week we will examine two more. Those who are interested in exclusive information before it reaches the public, please contact Don@getliberty.org http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1431 ALG Editor's Note: The following featured commentary was featured in the New York Post laying out the current health care reforms effects upon senior citizens. 'REFORM' AT SENIORS' EXPENSE By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN THE health-reform debate on Capitol Hill is skipping over the key issue: "Universal insurance" means less care for people who have coverage now -- especially the elderly. And the "compromises" now under way only make the problem worse. Here's a point that's no surprise except to the "reformers": People with insurance use more health care. President Obama seeks to cover 50 million new people. Where are the extra doctors, nurses and so on going to come from? Neither the administration nor anyone on the Hill has proposed anything to add to the supply of medical services even as they plan vastly to increase the demand. The politicians are playing a Washington game -- compromising on false or tangential issues while failing to address the central one. It doesn't matter if you reduce or eliminate the mandate for employers to provide coverage, if you're still insuring more people without adding medical personnel and other resources. Same story for whether you replace the "public option" government-run plan with government-run "co-ops." More, all the bills come up with cash to cover their huge costs by ordering cuts in Medicare -- cuts that Congress could reverse only by affirmative majority votes. Basically, the government will be paying doctors and providers even less to treat the elderly -- at a time when countless doctors are starting to refuse new Medicare patients. More demand; no added supply; Medicare cuts: It all adds up to rationing -- lower-quality medical care for most Americans, especially for the elderly. A doctor in Massachusetts -- where an Obama-style plan is already in place -- recently told us that she now has to read 60 mammograms a day in the time she once spent on 45. "It keeps me up at night," she told us, "that I might make a mistake, I am so rushed." For the elderly, it means less care, period. A federal health board will sit in judgment of medical procedures and protocols and impose guidelines on all providers for when to withhold certain kinds of care. For example, the drug Avastin is widely used in America to treat advanced colon cancer. But it costs $50,000 a year -- so Canada's national-health system doesn't permit its use. As a result, 41 percent of colon-cancer patients in Canada die each year, as opposed to 32 percent in the United States. (Canada's average eight-month wait for colonoscopies, another result of national-health rationing, also contributes to the problem.) Members of Congress will be home through August to test public opinion. It's up to us to give them an earful. http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=1430  Click here to unsubscribe from the Liberty Action Report. Americans for Limited Government 9900 Main Street, Suite 303 Fairfax, VA 22033