In This Issue• Euthanasia for Seniors??
• Abortion Amendment Passes
• Action Items
• Congress Fears Voters!
• Questions For Your Congressmen
• Beware the Delphi Technique!
• A Closing Thought
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
Health Care Alert - August 1, 2009
"Having done all . . . stand." (Eph. 6:13)
Euthanasia for Seniors??
Fred Thompson Points to P. 425: End-of-Life Counseling for Seniors
On page 425 of Obama's health care bill, the Federal Government will require EVERYONE who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every 5 years with the objective being that they will explain to them just how to end their own life earlier. (American Family Association)
To listen to Senator Thompson's interview, go here. http://tinyurl.com/mcmq6h
Abortion Amendment Passes
In Last-minute Manuever, Members of House Finance Committee APPROVE Federally Mandated, Taxpayer-Funded Abortions
Measure Passed by Only ONE Vote!
[The following report was issued yesterday by Matt Lockett, Director- Bound4LIFE & JHOP DC.
We are printing only an excerpt of Matt's remarks. For the full text of his statement, go here.
http://bound4life.com/blog/2009/07/31/bullying-blue-dogs-rep-waxman-twists-arms-and-morals
We encourage all of our readers to read this full report. Thank you.]
Bullying Blue Dogs: Rep Waxman Twists Arms and Morals
Much prayer has gone up in recent weeks for the House Blue Dogs to take a stand against the taxpayer-funded abortion mandate in this current health care reform bill. When a proposed bi-partisan amendment to reinsert "Dornan Amendment" language (prevents tax dollars from paying for abortions) was repeatedly blocked in the Appropriations Committee, it became apparent to everyone in the pro-life movement that an ominous freight train of death was rolling into the nation with an agenda cleverly shielded from the eyes of the American people.
Then a glimmer of hope was seen last week (on Friday, July 21) when the seven Blue Dog Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee began to take a stand on the issue. There were negotiations over their concerns, but last Friday the meeting exploded in anger as the Blue Dogs walked out on the Committee meeting declaring to the media that Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) had been negotiating in bad faith. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) went on to say, "I've been lied to. We have not had legitimate negotiations. Mr. Waxman has decided to sever discussions with the Blue Dogs who are trying to make this bill work for America."
Yesterday (Thursday, 7/30/09) the Energy and Commerce Committee allowed a vote on an amendment to the Health Care Bill stating:
"Health care legislation moving through Congress may not impose requirements for coverage of abortion, except in limited cases."
Extraordinarily, the amendment PASSED, and things seemed positive for the moment. But the step forward was to be short-lived.
Despite objections Chairman Waxman invoked special House rules to FORCE THE AMENDMENT TO A SECOND VOTE late Thursday night only after putting pressure on a couple of the committee members. Rep. Zack Space (D-OH), who had not voted the first time, voted "NO" on the amendment, and Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) changed his yes vote to "NO" giving Waxman his 1-vote majority. The amendment to prevent your taxpayer dollars from funding abortion was defeated 30-29.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE, but it serves a vital function. It exposes the FACT that the upper echelon of House leadership has a clear agenda to advance and expand the abortion industry. It demonstrates that they will do whatever it takes to ensure it's success. The White House has not ruled out government-funded abortions yet, and they will be hand-picking the panel of medical experts that will make the decision.
The battle lines over taxpayer-funded abortion have been made abundantly clear. In spite of the fact that 71% of Americans OPPOSE government-funded abortion, agenda-driven bureaucrats are doing everything they can to move the freight train of death forward . . . and running over anything and anyone that dares to get in their way. This bill is designed to "bail out" Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry at a time when the majority of Americans self-identify as "pro-life." Take action NOW during August Recess to stop this DEATH AGENDA that would be the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v Wade.
Action Items
Congress Returns September 8th
We Have 39 Days to Act!
1. You must call your Representatives and Senators during Recess and attend town hall meetings to tell them NOT to support the current health care reform bill. Be sure to tell them that you don't want taxpayer-funded abortion.
2. California, Tennessee and Ohio residents should call Rep. Waxman, Rep. Gordon and Rep. Space to let them know that:
a. You don't want your tax dollars to pay for abortion in a government take-over of health care, and . . .
b. They made the WRONG decision in voting in Committee to support it.
3. Pray for the Blue Dogs. NOTE: Not all of them are pro-life.
a. Pray for boldness to stand up against political pressure seeking to advance the abortion agenda and undermine their conscience.
b. Pray that they would have a revelation of the sanctity of human life in the womb and fight to defend it.
4. Pray that the voice of Planned Parenthood would be silenced in the halls of Congress and that the will of the Lord would be clearly heard.
You must aggressively start to talk about this yourself. Start your own discussions, your own Facebook threads, MySpace bulletins and blogs, letters to your local newspaper editors and comments on political blogs. Attend town hall meetings with your Representatives and engage in public debate. Talk to your pastor. Address your church. Organize church prayer groups. The time is NOW. You have 39 days to make a difference before Congress returns after Labor Day on September 8th.
READY, SET, GO!
Matt Lockett - Director- Bound4LIFE & JHOP DC
Congress Fears Voters!
Meetings in Home Districts Cancelled!
Reports are coming in today that Congressmen and Senators on Capitol Hill are so afraid of the ire of their constituents back home that they are canceling town hall meetings right and left:
On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.
The targets in most cases are House Democrats, who over the past few months have tackled controversial legislation including a $787 billion economic stimulus package, a landmark energy proposal and an overhaul of the nation's health care system.
Democrats, acknowledging the increasing unruliness of the town-hall-style events, say the hot-button issues they are taking on have a lot to do with it. . . .
The citizens are angry, and they're not going to take it anymore. Unless Democrats in particular, and a few Republicans to boot, promise the voters to back off their opportunistic attempts to change the very nature and fabric of the country in response to a few cooked up 'emergencies,' then the rage they are feeling now will only get worse. . .
Here is some advice for voters: if your Congressman or Senator even hints at not holding town hall meetings with constituents, go to their home offices and demand that they do so. And don't leave until you get their commitment to come out of hiding and face the voters.
And here is some advice for Congressmen and Senators: you may think you can hide from the people who put you in office, but we've got your number. We are watching every move you make and every word that proceeds from your mouths. And we are going to hold you totally accountable in 2010.
(Excerpts taken from The Examiner; Washington,D.C.; written by Anthony G. Martin)
To read the entire article, go here.
http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Columbia-Conservative-Examiner
Questions For Your Congressmen
It's been a very busy time here in Washington. Fighting ObamaCare has dominated our work in recent days. In fact, we've published more than a dozen items on ObamaCare in this daily report in the past two weeks. We were able to stop the march of Big Government socialism for a while. But with news that the "moderate" Blue Dog Democrats have cut a deal with liberal House leaders, ObamaCare is on the move once again. The battlefield now shifts from Capitol Hill to each congressional district, and we're calling in reinforcements - YOU!
Yesterday, President Obama conceded that there probably won't be a vote on healthcare reform until "the end of September or the middle of October." That means you have August to attend town hall meetings with your representative and senators, stop by their congressional offices, write letters to the editor and educate your friends and family members about the dangers of ObamaCare. To help you in that effort, we've produced a short list of key concerns and questions, which are copied below. You can also find them posted online here . Please share this report with like-minded folks and those who may be undecided and willing to listen. Thank you for everything you do to defend our shared values in your community!
1. ABORTION
Pro-choice groups, like NARAL and Planned Parenthood, are demanding that abortion be covered in any healthcare reform bill. In a recent interview with Politico, Laurie Rubiner, vice president for public policy and advocacy at Planned Parenthood, defends this demand by saying, "the alternative would be slashing benefits for millions of women who currently have [private] coverage for abortions. . ." In addition, key administration officials refuse to rule out abortion coverage. When asked on Fox News Sunday whether taxpayer money would go to pay for abortions, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag replied, "I am not prepared to say explicitly that right now. It's obviously a controversial issue, and it's one of the questions that is playing out in this debate."
Pro-life senators on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee forced a roll call vote on the issue when Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) attempted to add an amendment to the healthcare bill that would, in her words, "include women's health clinics that provide comprehensive services . . . deemed medically necessary or appropriate." She admitted that such "health clinics" would include Planned Parenthood. The pro-life amendment to prohibit funding of abortion lost 11-to-12.
Question for your Congressmen: Will you oppose any healthcare reform bill that uses my tax dollars to pay for abortions?
2. EUTHANASIA
In a recent New York Post column, Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York and health care expert, wrote:
"One troubling provision of the House bill compels seniors to submit to a counseling session every five years (and more often if they become sick or go into a nursing home) about alternatives for end-of-life care (House bill, p. 425-430). The sessions cover highly sensitive matters such as whether to receive antibiotics and 'the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.' This mandate invites abuse, and seniors could easily be pushed to refuse care."
Question for your Congressmen: Will you oppose any healthcare reform bill that in any way promotes euthanasia?
3. COST
The United States faces a debt crisis. According to many analysts, including Senator Judd Gregg (who is so respected by President Obama that he offered Gregg the post of Secretary of Commerce), the Obama budget will give us $11 trillion of debt at the end of five years and $17 trillion of debt at the end of ten years. (Source: PolitiFact.com)
Question for your Congressmen: Why is Congress and the president pushing through a healthcare bill that would cost another trillion dollars over the next ten years? Shouldn't we concentrate on getting the debt under control first?
4. RATIONING CARE
According to a July 15th report by The Hill, "The House bill would be paid for by roughly $500 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts. . ." These "cuts" would come as millions of Americans are retiring. Logic suggests that if we are "cutting" hundreds of billions of dollars healthcare would have to be limited or rationed in someway to accommodate more people. And seniors would be most affected by Medicare cuts.
In addition, advisors to President Obama, such as Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, have suggested that healthcare should be rationed to certain individuals. Dr. Emanuel once wrote that "services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia." (Read more)
Question for your Congressmen: How can government promise to do more with less? Will you oppose any healthcare reform bill that in any way limits my access to healthcare or medicines recommended by my doctor?
5. MORE BURDENS ON SMALL BUSINESSES
Despite a 9.5% (and rising) unemployment rate, the healthcare bill in the House imposes a new 8% payroll tax on small businesses with payrolls of $400,000 or more that don't provide health insurance for their employees. This is in addition to the current 15% payroll tax. What this means is that any employer with a payroll of $400,000 dollars or higher will have to pay at least 25% above the salary just to hire someone. Common sense tells you that any struggling small business will likely lay off workers to avoid this additional tax. On the other hand, if the tax is cheaper than the cost of health insurance, larger businesses may opt to cancel their health insurance, forcing employees into the government's "public option," and simply pay the 8% fine. (Source: Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2009)
Question for your Congressmen: Why are you imposing additional mandates and taxes on small businesses, which create the overwhelming majority of new jobs, in the middle of a severe recession?
6. QUALITY CARE
American healthcare is better than that in European countries with socialized medicine. The German breast cancer mortality rate is 52% higher than in the United States. Prostate cancer mortality is 604% higher in the United Kingdom and 457% higher in Norway than in the United States. Canadian healthcare lags behind the United States too. Canadian patients wait twice as long to see a specialist for hip surgery or cancer than we do in the United States. Most Americans say they are satisfied with the U.S. health care system, but more than 70% of Germans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and Britons say that their systems need "fundamental change" or "complete rebuilding." (Source: National Center for Policy Analysis.)
In an editorial on July 26th, the Washington Post criticized President Obama for not "leveling about the consequences of change" when it comes to healthcare costs versus quality. Here's what the Post wrote: "The Congressional Budget Office estimates that new technology accounts for about half the increase in health-care costs over the past several decades. This, for the most part, is a good thing. Adjusted for inflation, health-care spending per person is six times what it was 40 years ago. But no one today would settle for 1960s-style medicine."
Question for your Congressmen: Why are you trying to force us in the direction of more government involvement in healthcare when everywhere government-run healthcare has been tried, quality declines and care is rationed?
7. THE PEOPLE ARE BEING IGNORED
According to a recent poll, just 23% of voters believe healthcare reform legislation will lower costs, while 53% believe it will lead to more expensive care. By a margin of 50% to 23%, voters believe that "reform" legislation will make the quality of care decline. And while voters believe they will get worse care at higher costs, 78% also believe that healthcare reform will result in middle class tax hikes. In addition, a recent Fox News poll found that 91% of those surveyed have health insurance, 84% said that the quality of their health insurance was either excellent or good and 83% said the quality of health care they receive from their private insurance is either good or excellent. And only 12% of those surveyed said reforming health care was the most important issue Congress should be working on right now. (Source: Rasmussen Reports, July 28, 2009 and Fox News poll July 23, 2009.)
Question for your Congressmen: Why are you and the White House rushing this bill through Congress and ignoring the concerns of the American people?
8. LOSS OF FREEDOM
The healthcare reform legislation under consideration in the House will eventually force all Americans into a government-approved plan. After a five-year grace period, every new insurance policy will have to comply with government mandates, and any policy changes - "altering co-pays, deductibles, or even switching coverage for this or that drug" - invalidates your previous coverage and forces you to choose a government "qualified" plan. In addition, the House plan mandates coverage for every individual. If you are self-employed or choose not buy insurance for whatever reason, the bill imposes a "healthcare tax" of 2.5% of your income. (Source: CNNMoney.com, July 24, 2009 and Bloomberg.com, July 15, 2009)
Question for your Congressmen: Why do you believe bureaucrats can make better decisions than me about what kind of health insurance I should have? And will you guarantee that any healthcare reform bill passed by Congress will always allow me to choose my own doctor?
9. RACIAL PREFERENCES
Do you care about the race of a doctor who is getting ready to operate on you? Of course not. Most Americans want their doctor to be the best professional available regardless of race or ethnic background. But congressional liberals have a different idea. On page 909 of the House bill, grants to medical schools will be awarded "to entities that have a demonstrated record of the following . . . training individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or disadvantaged backgrounds." (Source: Investors Business Daily, July 27, 2009)
Question for your Congressmen: Why are you throwing affirmative action/racial set asides into a healthcare reform bill?
10. PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS
President Obama has repeatedly said that "no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition." That sounds wonderful until you apply common sense, which is in short supply in Washington. What if we made a law that allowed you to buy car insurance after you got into an accident and that required the insurance company to pay for the damage? Wouldn't many people just wait for an accident before buying insurance? Why wouldn't many Americans wait until they were sick to buy health insurance?
Question for your Congressmen: Isn't it clear that this provision would drive up the cost of health insurance for everyone? (Source: Gary Bauer; Campaign for Working Families)
Beware the Delphi Technique!
At Those Townhall Meetings: Beware the Delphi Technique!
Using the Delphi Technique to Achieve Consensus
How it is leading us away from representative government to an illusion of citizen participation
(Source: Eagle Forum)
Those who have already attended Town Hall meetings on health care are reporting that the dynamics of each meeting is based upon a Marxist teaching called The Delphi Technique.
The Delphi Technique and consensus building are both founded in the same principle - the Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, with synthesis becoming the new thesis. The goal is a continual evolution to "oneness of mind" (consensus means solidarity of belief) -the collective mind, the wholistic society, the wholistic earth, etc. In thesis and antithesis, opinions or views are presented on a subject to establish views and opposing views. In synthesis, opposites are brought together to form the new thesis. All participants in the process are then to accept ownership of the new thesis and support it, changing their views to align with the new thesis. Through a continual process of evolution, "oneness of mind" will supposedly occur.
Please study this technique, and arm yourself with the FACTS before attending any town hall meeting on this topic. To learn about the Delphi Technique, and the three steps you must use to counteract and diffuse this strategy, go here.
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1998/nov98/focus.html
A Closing Thought
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil was for good men to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke
2 Chronicles 7:14-16 - "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."
