February 27, 2013

Fwd: Governor, Speaker Cut Deal With Dems to Accept Obamacare Funding?



CP LOGO
Dear George,
We need you to act immediately. HB 4111, the appropriation of $30.6 million in federal "bribe" money will be voted on in the House of Representatives tomorrow, February 28, at high noon. This money is to be used for implementation of a Michigan health care exchange "partnership."
 

As stated by Americans for Prosperity: "Health care exchanges were created by the president's flawed health care law and serve to pile thousands of pages of rules and regulations while transferring control to health care bureaucrats in Washington. These bloated bureaucracies drive up the cost of insurance on hardworking families and raise taxes on businesses. 

 

Hypocrisy on this issue in the Michigan Legislature is led by Governor Snyder who on one hand says the feds need to get their budget under control, but then on the other hand seizes every last dollar of federal money possible. Even worse, the implementation of Obamacare in Michigan will hurt hardworking families."

 

Why does the governor and the legislature feel so compelled to grab this $31 million? With a state budget of over $50 billion, $31 million is a rounding error. If we ever needed to set up the technology for implementing any kind of health care program, we could surely find the dollars for it. 

 

Unfortunately however, the governor and the Speaker are going ahead with this plan, in spite of the fact that most Michiganders and the vast majority of Republicans oppose this plan. Because the votes are not there in the GOP caucus to pass the bill, the Speaker will put the bill on the floor and let 51 Democrats join him to pass it. He'll only need four of his 58 caucus members on board to win.

 

It is time RIGHT NOW melt the email and phone lines in Lansing. Call and email the Speaker's office, your state rep. and the governor. Tell them you are opposed to the $30.6 million federal "gift" to fund the Obamacare exchange partnership. Be respectful and to the point. Your phone message only needs to include your name, address, and your opposition to HB 4111. More details about this issue are below.

 

Several conservative organizations have put the legislature and the governor on notice: this is a "scored" vote which will be taken into consideration when it is time to find candidates in the primary election.

 

Stay up to date. Read The Core Principles
Gadsden Flag

Making Chicken Soup out of Chicken Poop

by Mike Shirkey

 

Shirkey The battle and debate over where our country and where our state is heading regarding health care is one of the most important issues we will address.  We have a responsibility to protect the rights and autonomy of Michigan as provided in our Constitutions.  Additionally, we have an equal obligation to not simply be obstructionists but offer real, actionable alternatives whenever possible.

 

Some of you have seen previous versions of what is outlined below.  This is intended to get us thinking about how we can offer real alternatives AND be respectful of what, indeed, is the law of the land.  We have only begun to scratch the surface of the tools and options we have available to us to both secure the rights of our state AND be proactive in proposing solutions that would be in the best interest of our fellow citizens.

  1. Here are some suggested steps:We should not take any steps to enable the implementation of Obamacare such as acceptance of the $31M supplemental to implement the Federally Facilitated exchange (FFE).
  2. If we need additional funds to address our current deficiencies in IT capabilities that would be necessary for us to interface with the FFE, then the Governor and pertinent agency representatives should make their case for additional funds to accelerate the projects to which $50M was appropriated during our last budget.
  3. We should establish that NO taxpayer money, especially Michigan taxpayer money, should be used for "planning" for implementation of Obamacare.  If we upgrade IT systems, we do so to accomplish OUR goals and objectives. 
  4. We should design our systems to not only interface with the FFE specified performance criteria but we should also plan to be prepared to provide similar access to private sector developed marketplaces or exchanges. 
  5. We should plan to submit an application to the federal government for waivers to allow for plans hosted on multiple private sector exchanges to qualify for government subsidies as long as these private sector developments are void of conflict of interest with health or health plan providers.
  6. We should limit our state's participation in any government-run exchange to only those categories typically addressed by government:  eligibility and processing for Medicare, Medicaid, VA services, etc.
  7. We should actively consider legislation that asserts and protects our rights, as provided in our Constitutions, with regards to things like:  who can advise and sell health plans (certification), prohibit limiting private entities from being required to exclusively sell on a government exchange, identify existing insurance agents as fully capable to serve in their current capacity and also serve as navigators, establish that ANY health plan or insurance sold or marketed in Michigan must still be subject to approval by our long standing insurance standards and regulations, etc. 
  8. Advocate for specific waivers to HHS such as:
    • No provision of federal law or regulation shall preclude the implementation of a state partnership featuring a public information portal pertaining to government assistance eligibility supplemented by one or more private exchanges that are able to convey government assistance eligibility information including transactional information to their customers.
    • No provision of federal law or regulation shall preclude the ability of the states from authorizing health insurance plans in accordance with state standards from being offered on one or more private exchanges. These state standards may or may not meet the minimum essential benefits threshold defined by the federal government.

Some of these would be easy to defend. Others would likely simply provide us a leverage point in the event they are challenged by the Feds.  Just remember:  our country has more than 100 years of laws and rulings clearly establishing that States have dominion over insurance sold and marketed within their domains.

The reasons for taking these positions are as follows:

  • To acknowledge that the law requires us to interface with an FFE
  • To maximize Michigan's autonomy as we comply with FFE interface requirements
  • To minimize the impact of the ACA upon hardworking Michigan taxpayers
  • To maximize the quality of healthcare offered to our citizens
  • To maximize choice in the healthcare options offered to our citizens
  • To protect the ability for the private sector to invest  and innovate in our health care industry

Additionally, we should aggressively advocate for waivers to further establish Michigan's autonomy while a respectful opposition with thoughtful and lawful suggested alternatives....making chicken soup out of chicken poop.

Serving with and for you,

 

Mike Shirkey

This email was sent to rgeorgedunn@gmail.com by jackhoogendyk@gmail.com |  
Center Right Coalition | 8607 W R Ave | Kalamazoo | MI | 49009



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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

#Michigan, we can exempt from Obamacare & do our own. #MiGop #migov #rightmi

We need to change direction and get rid of government entitlement programs. After 67 Trillion taken in DC, why would we keep doing the same thing. Privately owned, HSA/IRA with local investment an option, passed on inheritance. It will create competition and end politics of it:

http://rgeorgedunn.blogspot.com/p/obamacare-rations-senior-healthcare.html

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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

February 19, 2013

Fwd: Federal Takeover of Public Education May Affect Private and Homeschools


Citizens' Alliance for Life & Liberty

Please read this guest column from Melanie Kurdys, former candidate for State Board of Education.

 

Who do YOU think is in charge of deciding what our children learn in school K-12? You might think it is our teachers; it is not.  You might think parents have a say; most do not. You might think it is our elected school board members; it is not. The direction of what to teach our children is coming more and more from bureaucrats! And now, Michigan is part of a consortium of states moving to allow the federal government take over this job. 


I am writing you about a very important and time-sensitive issue - an issue of federalism, education quality, and fiscal impact.  It is an issue that is rapidly becoming a major nationwide cause, and we need your immediate help.

I am talking about the national Common Core Standards system, an effort of special interests and the federal government that was embedded in the 2009 Stimulus Bill and pushed onto the states without a legislative vote. 
 
The Common Core:
  • takes away the authority of Michigan and its citizens to control what children learn and who teaches it to them
  • requires the state to turn over massive amounts of private family and student information
  • imposes a huge fiscal burden on the states 
  • ushers in fuzzy math
  • eviscerates the teaching of classic literature, and
  • gives us writing standards that are poorly coordinated with its reading standards.
How did this happen?  Simply put, the people and their legislators were cut out of the process and were not even given notice of what was happening.  Given that, it is no surprise that the Common Core Standards themselves were not field-tested. The undisputed fact (even among Common Core proponents) is that Michigan's previous standards were superior.
 
House Bill 4276 sponsored by Rep. Tom McMillin would effectively end the state's participation in the program.  The bill was just submitted and will be sent to the House Education Committee Tuesday, February 19, 2013.  
 
Please take a moment to do one or both of the following:
  1. Call your representative and ask them to vote yes on Rep. McMillin's bill. Click here to find your representative. 
  2. Call Governor Rick Snyder and ask him to back Rep. McMillin's bill. (HB 4276) Phone: (517) 335-7858.
We need people to show up in Lansing over the next few weeks to speak personally to representatives.  If you "Google" Common Core, you will find many references that can help you understand what is going on.  I encourage you to look at the Heritage Foundation website. Click here for an overview. 

Be sure to check out this article about Indiana.  That effort has ignited the push back in seventeen other states!  This is shaping up to be one of the most significant efforts ever to reclaim the Constitution, and we can win it in the statehouse! This article exposes the devastating impact Common Core Standards has on literary study and analytical thinking.
 
In Liberty,
 
Melanie Kurdys
 
P.S. Rep. McMillin will be at Center Right Thursday to discuss this important bill. The meeting will be held at 2 p.m. at the Governor's Room, 121 W. Allegan St. Lansing MI

Center Right Coalition | 8607 W R Ave | Kalamazoo | MI | 49009



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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

February 18, 2013

Fwd: Center Right, Thursday, 2 p.m. Meet Legislators, Policy Makers, Conservative Leaders





CP LOGO
Dear George,
The monthly meeting of the Center Right Coalition will be held Thursday, Feb 21. 
We will be covering a number of topics including, property taxes, Medicaid, Common Core, gasoline taxes, gun bills, and more. Please note the new time, and RSVP if you plan to attend!
 
Center Right is where lawmakers, staffers, policy makers, and lobbyists meet with grass roots organizers, leaders and activists to exchange ideas and discuss how to achieve the goals of less government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility. We hope you can join us.

Center Right Coalition
Thursday, February 21, 
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Governor's Room
Karoub and Associates, 121 W. Allegan Street
Lansing, MI  48933
map
 
Tentative Agenda
  • Mark Avery - Appealing Your Property Tax Assessment
  • Jack McHugh, Mackinac - Medicaid Expansion and the $30.9 million
  • Rep. Tom McMillin - Common Core - Federal Takeover of Public Education
  • Rep. Greg MacMaster - Gun Bill, HB 4098
  • Rep. Lisa Lyons, Chair of Education Committee
  • Amy Hawkins, Citizens for Traditional Values
  • Michigan Petroleum Association - Gasoline Taxes
  • Matt Jones and Blake Edwards, candidates for Youth Chair
Please RSVP here. See you Thursday!
 
Stay up to date. Read The Core Principles
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This email was sent to rgeorgedunn@gmail.com by jackhoogendyk@gmail.com |  
Center Right Coalition | 8607 W R Ave | Kalamazoo | MI | 49009



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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

February 15, 2013

Fwd: Of acorns and co-sponsors | FairTax Friday





 

 

"I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." - Edward Everett Hale

Acorns, Cosponsors And A Hearing

I love trees, especially live oaks. When we moved to Melissa, TX our large back yard needed shade from the broiling Texas sun. Neighbors said just plant a few fast growing trees. I did, but I knew that I needed something substantial – something that could stand strong against North Texas adversities.

For years they seemed to do nothing. I watered, fertilized and don't tell anyone, but I often whispered words of encouragement. One day I realized, "they're growing." I was ecstatic.

Over the next 15 years, the weaker trees were damaged or destroyed by disease and storms. The live oaks stood strong. When we moved fifteen years later, what were once tiny acorns were now stately trees striving to reach their full potential.

The FairTax campaign reminds me of acorns. Over time we have weathered challenges and adversities and matured as a movement; all the while standing strong and firm in our resolve to see our nation realize it's full economic potential through a fair and simple tax code.

And people are taking note.

We now have one member of the Ways and Means Committee who has agreed to host an in-district, tax reform town hall.

Last week, Virginia State Director, Bob Frenzel, HR 25 co-authors Dan Mastromarco and David Burton and I participated in a meeting in Washington, D.C. with tax policy representatives from several major free market organizations. They were eager to join us in forming a coalition focused on sponsoring tax reform town halls in key Congressional districts across the country.  

Our state and district leaders are ordering FairTax billboards and implementing their district targeting plans. Two new HR 25 co-sponsors have signed on and Ways and Means hearings have begun!

Now is the time for you to redouble your efforts in communicating with your elected officials.

Did you know that both Chairman Dave Camp and the Ways and Means Committee have Facebook pages? Go there often and weigh in for the FairTax. If you haven't written to members of the Ways and Means Committee, it is critical they hear from you. Below, we have shared examples of real letters FairTax activist have already sent. We hope yours is the next one they receive.

Until next week, thank you for all you do.

 

Cynthia T. Canevaro

National Campaign Manager

Letters Submitted To Ways And Means

Last week we asked you to write to members of the House Ways and Means Committee in preparation for their hearing this week on itemized deductions and charitable contributions. Below are representative examples of the outstanding letters many of you sent the Committee.

From Lyn Grunze:

It is critical that the committee first studies and then becomes aware of the history of tax reform and the miserable failure at numerous attempts to always make the code "better, fairer, and more equitable." None of that has ever happened and never will. Tinkering, closing loopholes, etc., etc., will not and cannot fix the code. All new attempts are a further waste of our tax dollars. Charities and educational institutions do valuable work, and like the FairTax® campaign; depend on their supporter's contributions. The FairTax provides a better and more equitable plan for charitable giving. It is important that the Ways and Means Committee understands the tremendous significance of the FairTax.

1) Under the FairTax, wage earners take home their entire paycheck. For a family of modest means, whose charitable giving is often a high percentage of their income, the FairTax represents a substantial increase in available funds. Additionally, these contributions are made with pre-tax dollars. Under the current system, the charitable deduction only offsets a portion of the taxpayers tax liability. For less affluent taxpayers, who do not itemize, the price of charitable giving decreases under the FairTax because they are able to give to their church or other charitable organization from pre-tax dollars.

2) Under the FairTax, the two out of three taxpayers who currently do not itemize deductions are not taxed on charitable contributions, and for the first time since 1986, the vast majority are actually encouraged to make charitable contributions. It should be noted that even if a taxpayer itemizes, percentage ceilings limit individual contributions to <50% of adjusted gross income, and 10% for corporations. These ceilings disappear under the FairTax!

From  John Pierce:

Rather than wasting your time and the time of all taxpayers, talking about the charitable contributions tax deduction, please just take 10% of that time to look honestly at the FairTax HR 25. People don't give to charity because they get a small percentage of their taxes reduced, they give to charity because they want to.

The FairTax HR25 replaces the income tax, therefore there is no need to have a deduction against their income tax bill because there will be no income tax. The same charitable givers that give now with after tax dollars will have their entire paycheck which means before tax dollars to give to charity.

Wasting time with the present system will not increase charitable contributions at all. Take a serious and honest look at HR25, all 133 pages.

The FairTax Act In The News

What you want on taxes: more 'skin in the game'Houston Chronicle

If our elected representatives listened to the people who vote for them, we'd have a radically different tax system. That's the message from nearly 600 reader responses to a recent column...

And the solution is? A flat tax or, better still, a consumption tax. Frustrated by our current system, some readers wanted to eliminate all the deductions, preferences and exemptions that distort the proportionality of the tax system. Then they would tax every dime of income, but tax it at a single lower rate. Even more readers suggested that we morph from the complexity of taxing income, which is difficult to define, to taxing consumption.

Quite a few advocated dumping our entire tax system. They would replace it with something like the progressive national sales tax advocated by the Fair Tax organization in Houston.

The argument there is simple. Washington would no longer try to influence our decisions, at any level, with tax breaks. We'd make our choices, spend our money as we wanted and pay a sales tax to do it. That sales tax could be high enough to bring in more revenue than the current loophole-ridden hodgepodge of income, employment, corporate and estate taxes.

Why is real/true tax reform needed? - Chillicothe Gazette

We all know what taxes are, but what does tax reform mean? It means removing abuses, eliminating bad practices and change for the better…

We have regressive taxes on jobs, called payroll taxes, that are paid by the employer and the employee. Want less of something, tax it more; we have a 15.3 percent tax on jobs.

It's no wonder the number of jobs in the U.S. has decreased.

Tax lobbyists in Washington, D.C., outnumber elected officials by 32 to 1. The tax code is used by politicians, lobbyists and special interest groups to their advantage to gain tax breaks, reward their friends and campaign supporters, punish their opponents and fund their pet projects.

As a nation, we spend $450 billion per year to comply with income taxes. The IRS budget is $13 billion and it has 110,000 employees. An IRS study found code complexities alone lead to 16 percent noncompliance.

The underground economy, estimated to be $1 to $1.5 trillion, goes untaxed. This makes no sense at all.

We can have true tax reform by passing The Fair Tax bill. Contact your U.S. representative and two senators. Ask them to co-sponsor the Fair Tax bill. Learn more and get involved at www.fairtax.org

- Paul Livingston

Understanding The FairTax Webinar

With February's Special TopicPutting pressure on the Ways & Means Committee to Send HR 25 to the House for Debate

When: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Time: 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6 pm Mountain, 5 pm Pacific

Where: At your personal computer, anywhere!

Why: To provide an interactive forum for people who cannot get to local meetings to learn about the FairTax and to present special topics that are frequently misunderstood or not generally discussed.

Who: Marc Manieri, AFFT & FFTEA Webinar Producer & Host from Orlando, Florida.

Join: To participate, register here and watch for the confirmation email. For more information contact Larry Walters at repeal_16@earthlink.net.

Archive link for February, 15 2013

Featured Video:

FairTax senior strategist Denis Calabrese

How does the FairTax impact charitable giving?

 Ways to Engage:

- Contact Congress

- Engage and get updates on Facebook

- Follow us on Twitter

- Donate to the cause

- Find a local leader

- Distribute handouts

- Get FairTax gear

- Send an e-card

- Contact the media

- Join the webinar

- Get FairTax graphics

- Understand basics

FairTax Fact:

Research shows that with the FairTax, charitable giving would increase over $2,000,000,000 annually! 

Featured Paper:

The impact of the FairTax on charitable giving and nonprofit

The impact of the FairTax on charitable giving and nonprofit organizations

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FairTax Friday Archive

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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

February 12, 2013

Fwd: straight talk...




Dear Friend,

Straight talk...I can guarantee you won't hear it tonight from this President. He won't level with us that his spending has caused our national debt to skyrocket. He won't mention that because of Obamcare businesses aren't hiring new workers. And he won't admit that he is using the national tragedy of the Newtown shootings to achieve a long sought after liberal goal: strict gun control.

Well I will level with you, President Obama's ambition knows no bounds. He is attempting to remake government with executive orders, czars, new regulations, judicial appointments and left-wing policy. And if we do not stop him by returning the Senate to Republican hands and maintaining Republican control of the House we risk the end of the values we both cherish and the very prosperity of our nation.

Now more than ever, we need to elect a new generation of leaders who will fight Obama on the issues that matter: life, marriage and the size and role of government. I hope you will help me support them, by making a donation of $3 or more to Huck PAC today. Every dollar you invest will be used to elect conservatives and to stop Obama's agenda.

Sincerely,

signature

Mike Huckabee

Please use this link to make your donation today:

https://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Contribute.Home&DonorCode=FebruaryGoalSOTU


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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

Any product not ordered & received by Mail is considered a gift.

Marion Poniedzialek Chard~   "Wrote about this on my blog today, and am posting the consumer info as a head's-up. You are under no obligation to pay for any item you receive via mail, that you did not order. It is considered a gift. We ran into this problem this morning. See the FCC website for more info:


 Further info from the United States Postal Inspection Services


 Not only am I sending this info via mail to the company I am dealing with, but also sent an email to them a few minutes ago. I stated that any attempted future billings would be turned over the to FFC, US Postal service and the Better Business Bureau. 

Hope you will find this info helpful in the future. It's nice to know."

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If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.

www.sdforeclosureinsider.com