More thoughts of the day....

So, even the lefties are getting sick of the Obamessiah.....

So this is it, folks.

Change you can believe in?

More like bullshit you can take a bath in, if you ask me.

From here.

Thought of the day......

This country was founded and then fostered by people who valued liberty highly: immigrant generations and their immediate children. As time has passed, Americans have become more removed from that overwhelming concern. The majority of earlier generations (or their parents) had direct personal experience of what lack of liberty felt like, and therefore were willing to defend liberty at almost any cost.

Perhaps too many Americans today have grown accustomed to the blessings of liberty, and do not feel it to be threatened. Perhaps there is no way to transmit that original fierce love of liberty to succeeding generations who have not personally felt the pain of its absence. Such Americans appear very susceptible to the idea that a vast country such as ours has the moral responsibility to guarantee health care to all its citizens as an additional inalienable right — whether they can pay or not, whether the country as a whole can afford it or not, whether it will cause substandard care for the majority or not, and whether it will end our ability to make our own medical decisions or not — and that only government is equipped to do this, even if it means taking from each according to his ability, and giving to each according to his needs, and even if the entire endeavor is impossible to carry off.

Have Americans decided that liberty is passé, and that equality and fraternity — or the pretense of both — are far more important? To paraphrase Churchill’s famous statement about Munich, in which he is purported to have said that “the government had to choose between war and shame. They chose shame. They will get war, too.”

Our government has had to choose between liberty and social justice. They chose social justice. They will get neither.

From here.

Creation of a new right, through the guarantee of healthcare for all Americans will not only be impossible to deliver but also done so poorly and only prove to be the end of all rights that Americans have enjoyed for over 2 centuries. Our liberties as Americans are now gone and replaced by the dead hand of a gigantic government.

Bad science, bad bad scientists.....

Anti-abortionists are fooling themselves....

If anti-abortionists think that they will ultimately prevail in not allowing federal funding for abortion, then they are not thinking. As the Democrats march forward with the socialization of healthcare in the US, it will be impossible to not allow federal funding for the procedure.

As time goes by, the nation will eventually become a single payer system where all healthcare will be determined, administered and paid for out of government funds. The current 'healthcare' plan passed by Congress is just the first step in nationalization of health care in the country. In that environment, it will be impossible to not allow for abortions since it is not something that is illegal. Also, there will be no effective way to fight against this in future Congresses since it is something that is currently allowed and covered under some health plans. Remember, abortion currently, is not illegal and will ultimately be allowed under the planned single payer system since it will be argued that since the only options for the 'poor' or anyone else is delivering it inside the government system since it is the only system available to people. Abortions will ultimately be provided by and paid for though government paid for healthcare and will be offered to everyone, paid for by everyone.

As far as I am concerned, it is not worth fighting against. The best option for people is to leave. Besides, Americans will eventually be getting their private healthcare outside of the US probably in South America or here in Asia since abortion will be provided but many other things will not. This will all end up being a complete and total disaster and mess.

Communist Party of the USA is achieving its goals of American socialism through the Democrats and Republicans....

From the Communist Party website....

The CPUSA constitution and program

According to its 2001 Constitution, the party operates on the principle of democratic centralism, its highest authority being the quadrennial National Convention. Article VI, Section 3 of the 2001 Constitution lays out certain positions as non-negotiable: "struggle for the unity of the working class, against all forms of national oppression, national chauvinism, discrimination and segregation, against all racist ideologies and practices… against all manifestations of male supremacy and discrimination against women… against homophobia and all manifestations of discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people…" CPUSA Constitution Amended July 8, 2001 at the 27th National Convention, Milwaukee, WI. Accessed online 29 August 2006.

Among the points in the party's "Immediate Program" are a $12/hour minimum wage for all workers, national universal health care, and opposition to privatization of United States Social Security. Economic measures such as increased taxes on "the rich and corporations," "strong regulation" of the financial industry, "regulation and public ownership of utilities," and increased federal aid to cities and states; opposition to the Iraq War and other military interventions; opposition to free trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); nuclear disarmament and a reduced military budget; various civil rights provisions; campaign finance reform including public financing of campaigns; and election law reform, including Instant Runoff Voting.

Bill of Rights socialism

The Communist Party USA emphasizes a vision of socialism as an extension of American democracy. Seeking to "build socialism in the United States based on the revolutionary traditions and struggles" of American history, the CPUSA promotes a conception of "Bill of Rights Socialism" that will "guarantee all the freedoms we've won over centuries of struggle, and also extend the Bill of Rights to include freedom from unemployment" as well as freedom "from poverty, from illiteracy, and from discrimination and oppression." Program of the Communist Party Reiterating the idea of property rights in socialist society as it's outlined in Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, the Communist Party emphasizes that "Many myths have been propagated about socialism. Contrary to right-wing claims, socialism wouldn't take away the personal private property of workers," but "the private ownership of major industries, financial institutions, and other large corporations, and the excessive luxuries of the super-rich."

Rather than making all wages entirely equal, the Communist Party USA holds that building socialism would entail "eliminating private wealth from stock speculation, from private ownership of large corporations, from the export of capital and jobs, and from the exploitation of large numbers of workers."

Freedoms in the USA have not been the result of struggle, they are something that all people are born with and are granted by the creator. Governments are those that are charged with adjudicating these rights since the exercise of one's rights may overlap with the rights of others. For example, one is not allowed to build a home or cut down a tree for firewood on someone else's property. So people through history have devised mechanisms to adjudicate these rights and they have been efficiently embodied in the duties of governments.

But as we can see from the above, that such things as universal healthcare, the elimination of free trade among nations, an extraordinary focus on issues surrounding homosexuals, opposition to privatization of the bankrupt Social Security system, and a host of other things lead me to believe that the USA is mostly there in meeting the platform of the Communist Party. It also appears as if these things that the Communists are trying to achieve are remarkably similar to what Democrats support and have foisted on the American public in recent decades.

As far as I am concerned, the United States in on the slippery slope of Communism and it will lead to political repression, a command and control economy, elimination of freedom of expression, centralized schooling so that children are indoctrinated in socialism and the elimination of economic freedom. Most decisions in economic and social issues will be decreed out of Washington and there will be little latitude left to people to decide on their own and almost no economic opportunity. Economic opportunity will naturally flow to outside the US. Just look at the success of Communism in 20th century Russia, North Korea, 1960's China, post WWII Eastern Europe, etc. Why do we want to emulate these disasters?

The historic healthcare bill passed,.....

Good luck USA, this will kill more people than all the wars that the USA was in, combined.

Merry Christmas........

Merry Christmas to all and to all the believers as we remember this day that marks the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. God's grace shines on us.

Prayer for all of you Godless Democrats....

Our Father, Barack Obama, who art in Washington, hallowed be thy name.
Thy United States come, thy tax increases be done, on earth as we also plan to do in heaven (if it exists),
Give us this day our daily handout.
And forgive us our squandering the toil of Americans for our narrow purposes,
as we forgive those who fight against us (Maybe not).
And lead us not into good governance,
but deliver us from Fox News.
For Obama is the kingdom, the power and the glory. For ever and ever. Amen

I will post my progress on the quest to give up my American citizenship here for everyone to see.....

Here was the second email that I sent to the US Consulate regarding going about the process of giving up my American citizenship. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Hong Kong authorities to get a roadmap of how to get a Chinese citizenship. However, there are many other issues involved surrounding giving up the USA. First and foremost to me, is trying to find out what exactly I am giving up. I have paid over US$200,000 in Social Security and Medicare taxes up to this point and I need to find out what I am entitled to as a former citizen. Secondly, the US Government in its infinite wisdom has larded up the process with many different filings and requirements for filings that stretch as long as a decade into the future. Ergo, my questions....

Consulate General of Hong Kong,

I am a US born citizen now a permanent resident of Hong Kong. I am in process at trying to obtain citizenship here, which as you know is gaining citizenship of China. I am aware of the risks and the timing issues involved, but I need some answers from you before I decide to proceed since I will be required to give up my American citizenship.

Previously, I requested that the Consulate provide me with some info on giving up my citizenship. However, the only information that I have received involves the actual procedure of giving up citizenship but I have also hear that there are such issues as exit taxes and tax filing requirements that can last as long as a decade that will also have to be addressed. Additionally, I have a couple of IRA’s, have paid into Social Security and Medicare for a lifetime. I want to know how these programs are treated and what benefits that I give up upon relinquishing my citizenship.

If there is an officer that I could talk to on these issues, I would be very grateful.

Regards,
Glenzo

I received this back from the Consulate today.....

Dear Mr. Glenzo,

Thank you for your inquiry.

We do not have an IRS attaché in Hong Kong, but for your IRS-related and IRA/tax questions, you can take a look at the IRS website for international taxpayers at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/index.html. It has general information and links to frequently asked questions. To ask specific questions, the contact information for the IRS office in Philadelphia that covers U.S. taxpayers in Hong Kong is

Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 920
Bensalem, PA 19020

Or you may telephone or FAX the Philadelphia Service Center office at:
Tel: 215-516-2000 (not toll-free)
Fax: 215-516-2555
Phone service available from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm (EST) M-F

If you are unable to get your questions answered there, you can send an e-mail to the tax attaché who covers Hong Kong who is in Beijing: Chinchie.C.Killfoil@irs.gov. While her primary role is to liaise foreign governments on tax-related issues, she has offered to assist U.S. taxpayers in Hong Kong. If your questions require specific recommendations, you may wish to consult an attorney that specializes in expat tax issues. Lists of attorneys are available on our website at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_attorneys.html .

In regards to Social Security and Medicare benefits, please see the Social Security Administration international programs website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/index.html, specifically the publication Social Security--Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States. This publication will help you determine if you will still be eligible to receive benefits if you give up your U.S. citizenship. Eligibility for Medicare is determined by Social Security eligibility, but Medicare benefits are only available in the United States, so you would not be able to get Medicare benefits in Hong Kong even if you are eligible. If after consulting the Social Security website, you still have questions related to your specific situation, please call our Federal Benefits Unit at 2841-2483.

We hope that this information answers your inquiry. However, if it does not, or if we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to e-mail us again or call us at the phone numbers below.

Sincerely,

American Citizen Services
US Consulate General
26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong
acshk@state.gov
Tel. 2841-2211, 2841-2225, 2841-2323

This is not going to be easy, but I think that I need to do it. I cannot bear any longer to see my formerly great nation become just another sclerotic socialist Euro state. Its fantastically embarrassing and honestly not worth fighting for. Better to move and say goodbye.

Who are you to question the scientific research behind global warming.....

This guy is always asking questions, and these people just basically have him tossed out.

Breathless headline... "President Obama: Federal Government 'Will Go Bankrupt' if Health Care Costs Are Not Reined In"....

This guy, the President of the US, is complete and total idiot and he is trying to make an idiot out of each and every one of you. He is arguing that the nation needs to socialize healthcare in order to avoid bankruptcy of the nation. Huh? The old spend more to save more thingy. However, the problem with the neo-communist solution that the Democrats are promising to pass does almost nothing to cut costs and in addition, also creates massive new Federal bureaucracies, huge new taxes, gigantic increases in insurance premiums, unfunded mandates to the states, individuals, and employers and incentives for people to use more healthcare not less. The moron speaks....

President Obama told ABC News’ Charles Gibson in an interview that if Congress does not pass health care legislation that will bring down costs, the federal government “will go bankrupt.”

The president laid out a dire scenario of what will happen if his health care reform effort fails.

Gibson Obama “If we don't pass it, here's the guarantee….your premiums will go up, your employers are going to load up more costs on you,” he said. “Potentially they're going to drop your coverage, because they just can't afford an increase of 25 percent, 30 percent in terms of the costs of providing health care to employees each and every year. “

The president said that the costs of Medicare and Medicaid are on an “unsustainable” trajectory and if there is no action taken to bring them down, “the federal government will go bankrupt.”

“This actually provides us the best chance of starting to bend the cost curve on the government expenditures in Medicare and Medicaid,” Obama said.

Hello...Medicare and Medicaid are already government run programs and if the government is all that efficient and effective in managing healthcare, then why are they on an unsustainable trajectory? From here. How can the government save money for people. A clue for you people that are messianiac believers in big government, IT CANNOT BE DONE. For those that believe the silky opiate but nonsensical words of this moron, you are just as idiotic as this clown.

Also, just have a look at this, Medicare subsidizes the healthcare of elderly citizens and it has had to pay for residencies of new doctors to keep the teaching hospitals afloat that service these patients. But since Medicare is going bankrupt, they have reduced or capped funding for this program since 1997 and it has not kept pace with the need for doctors.....

Last year, there were 16,721 fewer primary-care doctors than needed in inner city and rural areas, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Residencies, the hospital based-training doctors undergo before they can practice medicine on their own, have been capped by Congress at about 90,000 since 1997 as a way to curb rising medical costs.

“Do the math,” said Safyer, president and chief executive officer at the New York hospital, in a telephone interview. “You give millions more people insurance, and it adds up to a much worse shortage.”

The doctor crunch is a result of an aging population and a rising demand for specialists, according to the federal health department. By 2025, the nation as a whole will confront a shortfall of as many as 159,300 doctors of all varieties, said Ed Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies at the Washington-based medical college association.

From here. Hahaha. I can just imagine that you folks that think that you will be able to see a doctor when you need it. You will be screwed since neo-communist healthcare run the government will never work and it will become much much worse than what the nation has now.

I went and got my citizenship application papers in order to apply for citizenship in a nation that is becoming more free, not less free like the US. I hope that I can extricate myself from that idiotic place.

Wine, regulation and the value of competition......

From Instapundit.

This piece on the rise of the California wine industry is a textbook example of people, when unshackled by government regulation, can take simple assets and make them into something more valuable. In this case, California in the 1970's and 80's were able through innovation and experimentation, beat the French in producing interesting and great wines.

While the Americans were not shackled by regulation, the French are required by law through a raft of regulation to grow certain grapes, produce wines within pre-ordained formulas and even have government taste testers to determine quality. This 'old' way of doing things from certain perspectives may be OK for the French, however, it does not provide for changing tastes of customers or shifts on demand around the world.

A bad healthcare bill is much much worse than no bill at all......