Seniors Provide Answer to "What's Next?"

When over a million protesters angry about government spending under Bush and Obama showed up at hundreds of Tea Parties on Tax Day 2009, the big question seemed to be, "What's next?"    Thursday night I had the pleasure of speaking to Shoreline Caucus, a meetup group that began last spring as a handful of seniors meeting in a home to serve as moral support and share info about current legislation, upcoming protests, how to contact lawmakers, etc.  The group has grown exponentially; they filled a large hall at the Shoreline Senior Center, and next month's meeting (Oct. 22, 6:00-9:00) is scheduled to meet at the Edmonds Yacht Club.  Susan Hutchison, running for King County Executive, was the main speaker Thursday night and called for a return to common sense budgeting, which she proved capable of when she whipped the Seattle Symphony's budget into shape.   I will be the main speaker at the October meeting; all are welcome. 

Perhaps you have noticed the large percentage of senior citizens showing up at townhalls and protests. They are very concerned, and with good reason. For decades, they have paid into the system through their taxes, trusting that one day they would be able to get that money back through Social Security and Medicare to supplement their savings.  Many of them served America in our armed forces; many lost friends and family members in wars and police actions fighting for freedom.  They have given countless hours of community service to their churches, schools, and philanthropic clubs, and continue to do so. And now the freedom they sacrificed for is under assault. The money that they responsibly saved and invested over decades has vanished into thin air due to government meddling with the banking and housing industries. Medicaid is bankrupt. Medicare faces threats from proposed health care bills that will reduce funding and care, as the Congressional Budget Office affirmed again last week. Worse, seniors see their children and grandchildren struggling to make ends meet; according to Evergreen Freedom Foundation, Tax Freedom Day this year came on August 17, a full month later than last year. In other words, if you still have a job, on August 17 you got to start spending your income on your own budget instead of the government's. And for the first time in our nation's history, the older generation is better educated than the young adults, who are dropping out of school at the tragic national rate of 32%. 

It's no wonder our grandmas and grandpas are upset.  At a property rights meeting I attended last Tuesday, an elderly farmer with roughened hands swore in frustration and demanded of another candidate, "I want to know what you are going to DO!"  

I'm partial to seniors. My Granddad is 90 and is one of my biggest encouragers. I had the good fortune to know three of my great-grandmothers, one of whom lived to 100 and the other two well into their 90s, long enough to leave me with many stories of my family's role in creating a prosperous America, through farming, teaching, engineering (the Locks at Sioux Falls), and soldiering (Revolutionary on up, including fighting in the Civil War to free Blacks from slavery).   I spent five years teaching overseas in countries that had relatively few seniors, due to tough living conditions; I choked up when I came back to the States and saw seniors enjoying their morning coffee at McDonald's.  We need to learn from their wisdom and experience, and I am encouraged by their strong role fighting to preserve our freedoms. 

If elected, I will take office in January 2011.  I  already have a list of bills I will propose or co-sponsor to curb spending, limit federal intrusion on states' rights, increase accountability, improve education, etc.  But at the current rate of drastic change, January 2011 seems light-years away, so here's the plan:  THE ANSWER IS IN THE FOURTH AND MOST POWERFUL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT.  YOU.  By writing, blogging, posting (Facebook and blogs are the new 'pamphlets' a la Thomas Paine), emailing, calling, sending letters and faxes to legislators and newspaper editors, peacefully protesting en masse, and educating ourselves about the local candidates on the ballot this fall and supporting those who advocate smaller government, We the People are sending a very strong message to the incumbents:  Get with the program, or you will get your pink slip shortly before your term is up.  All across the country, candidates like me are rising up, and we are backed by a veritable army of supporters, including our intensely patriotic seniors who are not about to sit back and quietly watch America slide into socialism.  

And a word of encouragement: all legislation is just legislation. It can be overturned. 

Elizabeth Scott

Those 'Who Know' Oppose Single-Payer Healthcare

A majority of voters who are already covered by government health insurance are opposed to a "single-payer system" where the federal government provides healthcare for all Americans, a new poll reveals.

In the Zogby International/O'Leary Report survey of more than 4,420 likely voters covered under Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare — which provides health benefits to military personnel, retirees, and their families — a  full 44 percent said they strongly oppose a single-payer system, and  10 percent somewhat oppose it.

Only 37 percent said they strongly or somewhat support a single-payer system, and 7 percent said they are not sure.

The poll results are significant because this group is arguably in the best position to opine on government-provided healthcare, since they already receive it.

Half of all respondents in the poll said they strongly or somewhat oppose a "public option," a government health insurance plan that would compete with private health insurance plans, and 33 percent strongly support it.

And half of respondents said they agree with the statement: "Expanding government's role in healthcare will do more harm than good." -----from Newsmax.com

ERW Speech last night a hit!

 My speech went great tonight at the Evergreen Republican Women's Club! It was so fun. It was a candidates' forum; each candidate had ten minutes to speak and to take questions. Sean Salazar (running against Patty Murray) did a nice job; he has learned a lot since the first few times I saw him speak and now I am excited about him aiming to retire her tennis shoes. Patty Cooper, running for Mukilteo City Council; Dan Swank and Kerri Lonergan running for Lynnwood City Council; Mayor Joe Marine of Mukilteo; Steve Dana running for Lake Stevens City Council, and John Koster, Snohomish County Councilman all spoke.   All of us are Republicans. I was very impressed with all the City Council candidates advocating limited government, Priorities of Government for budgeting, etc. Very encouraging, as I am certain that this is happening all across the country, and all the candidates tonight said that doorbelling is totally different than they've ever seen it before; people are engaged, paying attention, and want to participate. (the silver lining to the awful things going on!) 

 
All three of the female candidates at the forum have roots in the Evergreen Republican Women's Club, a great place to get informed and involved. And yes, men join the club too as associate members, because the club is so fun and informative!

Health Care Mythology

A few questions rolling around in my mind:   

1. If the 'public option' is really about increasing competition, why are we not allowed to purchase health care from companies in all fifty states?  We buy food from all 50. We buy cars from all 50. We order items online from all 50. Why is health insurance limited by state?

2.  If 'health care reform' is really about making sure all Americans have health insurance, why don't we just insure the people who are not on another health plan, and call it good? Why does that take 1000 pages? Why don't we let health care insurance be attached to the person instead of the job? We're a mobile society; it doesn't make sense to have job-based health care.   It would make sense if we kept our own money and put it in tax-deductible Health Savings Accounts under our control, and then had catastrophic insurance as a back-up, competitive across state lines. 

3.  If 'health care' is really about 'health,' why is abortion included? Amendments prohibiting inclusion of abortion were ignored. Not every American wants to pay for abortions; in fact, most don't. Congress needs to respect the will of the American people, instead of shoving this bill down our throats.  

4. Why is it such a rush to pass this bill, when Obama himself says that his plan won't be enacted for another four years?   (You know the answer. He doesn't want the American people to have a chance to experience this plan until AFTER the next election.)

5. If this is really about lowering costs, why is Obama ignoring what the Congressional Budget Office testified would happen...  that costs would actually rise?  Why is tort reform not a part of this plan? Why can we not choose the types of coverage we want, and the level of coverage, similar to what we do with car insurance?  We know these options would lower costs.  We may not be economics professors, but the townhalls and tea parties show that the typical American is growing increasingly frustrated with politicians who seem to have slept through high school economics class.  Monopolies: bad.   Competition: good.  

I think you all know the answer to these questions. Government-run health care is about none of the above claims. It is about increasing control (1/6 of the economy), by grabbing more of citizens' money and adding layers of bureaucratic red tape.  Let's look at the track record: Social services (dot gov. expanding since LBJ's War on Poverty, which has succeeded in lowering the poverty rate from 12.8% in 1968 to ...wow, 12.5% in 2007, for a total of 11 trillion dollars, according to the U.S. Census Bureau);  education (dot gov since Carter, and with what to show for it? A dropout rate of over 30% nationwide);   banking (now .gov.), agriculture (.gov and ever-expanding control through subsidies and regulation), car companies and car dealers (.gov and still failing), health care (soon to be .gov), energy (very soon .gov; Harry Reid said today it was next on his to-do list).  With the increasing costs and regulation that expanded government health care will bring, our small businesses will go under and that crisis will 'necessitate' another 'bailout,' i.e. takeover. Let's face it, business is already well down the road to being a dot gov when the President can fire the C.E.O. of a company, select the board members, and dictate salary requirements on other officers and employees. These government intrusions are smothering production and creativity, stealing liberty, and killing jobs.

So, what can be done to stop the madness? Keep the pressure on, via letters, faxes, telephone calls to Congress.  Work to elect a new crop of officials who understand the proper role of government as laid out in our state and federal Constitutions.  Health care is an issue best handled by the states or the people, according to Article 2, Section 8 of our U.S. Constitution (and the 10th Amendment, in the Bill of Rights).  The State Legislature needs to step up to the plate and protect the health care choices of citizens by setting barriers to federal intrusion and by enacting legislation allowing increased competition.