Kratovil Watch – Page 4

Kratovil to appear in Berlin

This just in from Americans for Prosperity…

Congressman Frank Kratovil will be at a Berlin Health Care Townhall sponsored by the NAACP on Monday, November 2 at 4 PM. If you’d like further info, or to make arrangements to attend with other public option opponents, contact Dennis Evans by clicking on the link. Although we are not going as an AFP group, members will attend as individuals and concerned citizens.

Short, sweet, and to the point. I like that, so perhaps I may attend if my schedule allows. I’ll also be interested to see who else attends this townhall meeting.

Totally unrelated, but over the weekend I’m working on a piece for Red County‘s national page and keeping up with the breaking developments in the NY-23 race. That and look for another of my recent op-eds tomorrow. That is all.

House health care bill is out…

…and man is it a behemoth. Weighing in at 1,990 pages, I’m beginning to wonder if they edited it slightly to keep it from tipping the scales at 2,000-plus. They even blew by my guess on a Facebook site of 1,813 pages.

In case you’re wondering, a quick search of the document reveals the word “shall” comes up 3,424 times while the word “tort” comes up just twice, in reference to a previous Federal act. The word “tax” comes up 97 times and “fee” comes up 59 times but the phrase “fee for service” is absent.

I’m kind of curious, though. If a bill to affect 1/6 of our economy comes in at just under 2,000 pages, why is the tax code so much more than 12,000 pages? I know, it’s an aside because I suppose in theory if you take every law passed by any one recent Congress you’d run into multiple thousands of pages as well. That seems way too complex for a government which was supposed to be limited according to the intent of those who created it. No wonder Congressmen supposedly have to have such large staffs.

Better start reading this bill, Frank!

Does Frank mean what he says?

I got an interesting e-mail today from the office of our plurality Congressman, talking about health care and the factors he was weighing before making a final voting decision. I’m not going to reprint the whole thing as one excerpt should suffice:

In order to get my vote, any health care reform bill must protect and expand patient choice, rein in skyrocketing costs for consumers and businesses, and break down the barriers that prevent millions of Americans from accessing coverage. These are goals that cross party lines, and the debate over how to achieve these goals should focus not on partisan rhetoric but on a discussion of common-sense solutions that will improve health care and reduce costs for all Americans.

Last week, I led a group of my fellow Freshman Representatives in sending a letter to House Leadership urging them to take a step back and address a number of the concerns that our constituents have raised. The letter highlights many of the common sense proposals we have heard in our town hall meetings: fostering competition across state lines, reducing malpractice suits and defensive medicine, protecting small businesses, and ensuring that health care reform does not increase the deficit. The letter is available on my website if you’d like to read more about the reforms for which I am fighting.

The message I have heard from my constituents is clear: We need reform, but legitimate concerns remain about the current legislation. In my view the current House bill does not do enough to accomplish the critical goals discussed above. However, I am hopeful that we can develop a proposal that will cut costs, preserve consumer choice, protect small businesses, and increase competition. We cannot afford to let obstructionists derail this debate, but nor should we be afraid to acknowledge that many of the concerns being raised are real and legitimate. (Emphasis mine.)

The way I read this Frank is a “no” vote on HR 3200, which is the bill we debated over the summer. However, that doesn’t mean he would vote against the Baucus bill that passed committee in the Senate today.

Let me make a few “obstructionist” points about what the Congressman said though.

The best way to “protect and expand patient choice” in my humble opinion would be to get the government and its tendency toward overregulation out of the way. Unfortunately, practically any bill put out by a Congress seemingly bent on expanding federal power would have the opposite effect. If anything, we should strive toward delinking employment and health insurance, creating a market based on choices tailored to each individual case. Auto insurance is a good comparison to the ideal solution because that market has hundreds of insurance companies who tailor policies toward drivers with specific financial situations – and they sell across state lines. Opening the market may help “rein in skyrocketing costs” in conjunction with true tort reform, such as “loser pays” and caps on punitive damages.

I’d like to know just what “barriers…prevent millions of Americans from accessing coverage.” If it’s the barrier of preexisting conditions, that can be solved by regulation at the state level. At that point, insurers can choose whether or not to compete in the state’s market. If it’s a barrier of cost, then states should repeal their regulations requiring coverage of particular conditions in all policies, making it possible to sell a simple catastrophic medical insurance policy that doesn’t cover, say, mental health issues.

If I could wave a magic wand, not only would we not be discussing ways to further bring government into our lives but also marveling at the vast amount of choices and awareness consumers have about their health benefits.

The problem with having government be such a large part of life isn’t just shown in the example of hapless Detroiters standing in line for “Obama money.” It’s the fact that we’re looking to Congress to solve a problem which, for most of us, doesn’t exist. Ideally, people would be free to select the method of paying for health care that fits them best, doctors would have the freedom to work with their patients to improve their health and not have to hire staff to deal with reams of paperwork, and those who were truly in need could be assisted either at the local or state level, or even through the benevolence of faith-based organizations. For a cause like that, people would likely be even more charitable than they already are if they didn’t have the IRS to lay their hand in the till. (I don’t have a study to back me up, but I contend that the larger part of charitable giving never leads to a tax deduction.)

Instead, we are simply arguing whether the government should be both heavily in our affairs and regulating the you-know-what out of the health insurance industry or just cutting out the middleman and allowing Uncle Sam to run our lives. Either way, we lose in the end.

Friday night videos episode 9

Back to the political since I didn’t record any concerts this week. I know you’re crushed.

I’ll start with something I neglected to put in two weeks ago. Perhaps you remember that American Solutions was looking for public comment on offshore drilling. Well, they got plenty – over 90,000 to be exact – and this was their delivery to the Minerals Management Service.

And just think…if we did get back to drilling in more areas, we might have more American jobs. Hey, ask a Democrat where the stimulus jobs are and they will answer…

…oh wait, maybe not.

But there are STILL TEA Partiers out there demanding change. My blogging friend Bob McCarty covered last Friday’s effort near his Missouri home in St. Charles.

I’m bummed that I didn’t see any of my relatives there (several live in the St. Charles area) but it’s likely they were there in spirit, anyway. Nor did I see them there the next day as McCarty covered a streetside rally both for and against Obamacare. A busy guy, that Bob McCarty.

Speaking of Obamacare, my friends across the Mason-Dixon Line may want to reflect on the fact this is your Senator. It’s a different source than YouTube so I wasn’t able to revise the size of the viewing box.

Yeah, trust your Congressman or Senator for all. Well, let me amend that because I’d trust this one farther than I could throw her and that’s not true of many in Washington. Must be why the left just loves her so.

So ends edition number 9. We’ll just have to see what pops up next time on FNV.

We’re gonna ask you again: read the bill!

As a guy who likes transparency in government but seems to be greeted with an ever-increasing amount of sleight-of-hand, it’s not surprising that the discharge petition for H. Res 554 has pretty much stalled out at 181 members, including just one member of Maryland’s delegation (Roscoe Bartlett of the 6th District).

I was alerted to this discharge petition last week by Nisha Thompson of the Sunlight Foundation, who apparently reads my website (thanks Nisha!) and noticed I talked about this before:

You have posted about the idea that members of Congress should read the bill before they debate them. The Sunlight Foundation has been advocating for the passage of legislation called H. Res 554 – this is essentially Read the Bill legislation. It would change the House rules, to require that legislation be posted for 72 hours before debate so that the public and members of Congress can read the bill. If legislation is read then debate is based on what is exactly in the bill so that the quality of the legislation can be determined before it passes.

There has been a lot of momentum around this legislation and last week a member of the House filed a discharge petition that would make H. Res. 554 have to be scheduled for a floor vote. We need 218 signatures and are now at ~~178~~ 181. If everyone who supports the 72 hour rule calls their member of Congress and asks them to sign the discharge petition, we can get the Read the Bill legislation a vote!

I updated their number to the current number, and today found out that a growing coalition of groups is uniting behind this concept, particularly in light of the possibility Obamacare may be piggybacked onto another House-passed bill in order to clear the cloture hurdle in the Senate.

(In regard to) amending the Rules of Congress to require that legislation is available on the Internet for 72 hours before consideration by the House: The House and Senate Democratic Leadership apparently do not want colleagues and the public to see legislation before they vote on it.

We urge you to call your Congressman and ask that he or she sign the Discharge Petition in favor of passing a mandatory 72-hour reading period for all non-emergency legislation. Past and future bills, such as the stimulus package and healthcare legislation, should never be passed without Congressmen and citizens being able to read such bills in their entirety.

A Bipartisan bill that would require major legislation to be posted on the web for public review for 72 hours before coming to a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives is stalled. Unless Members of Congress from both parties hear from their constituents that they want it passed, it is likely that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have her way and the bill will be buried.

The coalition, which includes nearly 20 advocacy groups including Americans for Prosperity, Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, and Americans for Limited Government, among others, concluded by citing a number of polls which show a vast percentage of Americans (a recent Zogby poll placed it at 91%) want Congress to allow the public 72 hours’ access to legislation pending in Congress. Yet the group claims that:

Democrat leaders disagree. They think that if people know what is actually being proposed, they will oppose it, and they say that giving the public and their colleagues a 72 hour “reading period” will slow bills down too much – bills like the massive healthcare reform bill now winding its way through Congress.

Barack Obama campaigned last year for transparency and openness in government. Yet the House bill, sponsored by 67 Republicans and 31 Democrats, has not only not been brought to a floor vote by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but the Democrat Leadership is doing its best to keep more Democrats from joining a discharge petition to force the bill to the floor.

(But) Democrats are not the only offenders. In 2003, when Republicans controlled the Congress they jammed through the huge prescription drug entitlement bill late at night when most members had not had a chance to read it.

Damn straight we will oppose it because Americans are pretty much fed up with Congress spending trillions we don’t have on projects and programs of dubious benefit. And I don’t see the “independent” Frank Kratovil’s name on the dotted line in support of this bill yet. (Those of you across the Mason-Dixon line in Delaware should be pleased to know that Mike Castle was the third to sign. Now if someone could get his mind straight on cap-and-tax we could get somewhere, but I digress.)

Congress is in charge of creating the budget, but it is also supposed to be a body representative of the people. Maybe not every person cares about where their tax dollars are spent, but I do and there’s a huge number of Americans who agree with me and have unburied their heads out of the sand over the last few months, deciding enough is enough.

When over 90% of Americans believe that there’s a lack of transparency in Congress, that to me seems like a very bipartisan kind of majority. It seems the only people who aren’t for this are the ones who have something to hide, and the rush to get these things done with as little public discussion as possible suggests Congress is hiding a lot – as one example don’t forget the President’s original goal was to have Obamacare passed before the August recess. All for a bill which wasn’t slated to take effect until safely after his re-election campaign in 2013!

So the assignment for tomorrow, kids, is to call your Congressman and tell him or her to add their name to the discharge petition. (If they have, take the moment to thank them for doing so.) It’s highly doubtful House leaders would otherwise allow this resolution out of committee so we need to push them into action some other way.

Again, Congress, get your act together and read the bills!

A growing prosperity

Tonight's AFP meeting had the largest crowd yet crammed into a meeting room at Adam's Ribs. Photo courtesy of Nick Loffer.

The current incarnation of Americans for Prosperity has a problem most groups would like to have – more people coming to their meetings than they have room for. It’s almost surprising that the fire marshal wasn’t called in once the people rolled into the crowded back room of Adam’s Ribs. Better still, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the people were new to the group.

Nick Loffer, representing the state AFP organization, began the proceedings by providing a quick update on health care, saying “it could die.” As he handed out a petition for each attendee, Loffer told the group that the Congressional leaders need to “focus on patients, not politics.”

Julie Brewington, who is the co-leader of the local AFP group (her counterpart Joe Collins is under the weather and wasn’t there tonight), chimed in with a quick history of the local AFP chapter, where things have been happening at a “fast and furious” clip. From a start involving all four lower Shore counties, Somerset County is holding their first meeting as a separate group tomorrow and Worcester County is in the process of scheduling their own meetings as well. Only Dorchester County was a little behind the curve. AFP had a goal to “become a force in local counties” and we were already having a “big impact” at Frank Kratovil’s events.

After a copy of yesterday’s Daily Times editorial regarding nighttime County Council meetings was passed out, Julie pointed out a number of other hot-button local issues AFP was keeping an eye on as well, including the prospect of speed cameras as a revenue generator and dropping Wicomico County’s revenue cap. The fiscal and accountability issues have drawn the attention of the local paper and District 5 County Councilman Joe Holloway, a supporter of evening County Council meetings who thanked the group for its interest on that topic. Brewington asserted that, “if we can’t get control of local government, we have no hope nationally.”

Getting back to more basic needs, Julie noted that the group still seeks a secretary and a committee for a chain to call members when quick action is required. They also wanted to hear comments from audience members, and several complied. It’s noteworthy as well that one couple are becoming quite the entrepreneurs by selling AFP T-shirts. Another mentioned his experience in Florida, where a local government tried to sneak through a $75 million bond issue but was foiled by public involvement – he told the group that “politicans learn the ropes at council meetings.”

The group is also getting together a bus for the 9-12 rally in Washington, D.C. – a prospect which interested many in the gathering.

Nick Loffer came back to speak on the state and national AFP situation and review tips for effective rallying.

As a state, Maryland’s AFP was “growing by leaps and bounds” (particularly on the lower Shore) and was a “force to be reckoned with.” Loffer opined that cap-and-trade was “almost a lost cause” based on who represents Maryland in the United States Senate but “we can kill” health care in the House. Nick related that “people are waking up”, citing a crowd of 400 for a Thursday night health care rally in Annapolis and 200 people already pre-registered for a health care forum in Timonium similar to one I live-blogged a few weeks back. Loffer vowed “we will play in the General Assembly” next year – opponents are already trying to discredit the group and its key personnel.

Turning to his appointed task of speaking on rallying, Nick told the group its message in any demonstration needs to be “clean, tailored, (and) crisp” because opponents will be on the attack if the message isn’t focused. In distributing a guide to effective rallying and going over its key points, Nick stressed in particular the importance of staying on message, being tasteful and courteous, and not trying to shout down opponents (or elected officials). Passion is fine but don’t let emotion cloud the message you’re trying to get across.

A few audience members checked in with their own advice. Steve Lind, who spearheads a successful AFP letter-writing campaign, related his opinion that “politicians have to face an informed audience” while another member who was at the Kratovil meeting in Mardela Springs passed along the opinion of a Wall Street Journal reporter covering the event who said their behavior was “exemplary.” Another lady told the group she thought “angry was not bad” when attending events. Nick stressed that we should “never give a free pass to any politician.”

One comment I made was to remind the group that not only should we hold politicans accountable but we should also ask tough questions of those who seek elective office as well (like I did last night.)

After Nick wrapped up, the meeting broke up into a social period, although a couple people tried to get the attention of attendees with various comments. It seems to be the weakness of dealing with such a large group.

Upcoming events AFP will be involved in include the next Wicomico County Council meeting the morning of September 1st, the Timonium health care forum that same night, the 9-12 rally in Washington, D.C., and the Defending the American Dream Summit on October 2nd in Washington. It promises to be a busy few weeks for the group, who didn’t schedule their next meeting yet – certainly I’ll be in the loop when the date is set.

Effigy optional

Read this and ponder how much is already going on locally. This comes from Bill Wilson at Americans for Limited Government:

Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today urged more than 400,000 ALG activists nationwide to “hold rallies, demonstrations, tea parties, and protests in opposition to Barack Obama’s insidious efforts to take over the health care system and take away private health options from the American people.”

Wilson said that “Homegrown, grassroots efforts staged in front of House members’ district offices and at town hall meetings across the nation against ObamaCare are all the more imperative as Blue Dog Democrats attempt to defend the compromise they reached this week with House leadership on the language for the health care bill.”

Wilson said local efforts in Congressional districts throughout the month of August will culminate in the August 22nd “Recess Rally,” which Americans for Limited Government is co-sponsoring.

“There are going to be boots on the ground in districts across the country, and they’re not going to be happy when the politicians return home for their August recess and try to defend this mealy-mouth ‘compromise’ reached by the Blue Dogs,” Wilson promised.

The deal reached between Blue Dog lead negotiator Congressman Mike Ross (AR-CD4) and House leaders would cut $50 billion out of a bill that Kaiser Health News reports would cost more than $1.5 trillion.

Said Wilson of the deal, “96.6 percent of a catastrophe is still a catastrophe. The government-run health care legislation still creates an unsustainable entitlement that will permanently shackle taxpayers to an insurmountable burden that can never possibly be paid back.”

The House legislation proposes to cover individuals individuals up to 400 percent of the poverty level, or making approximately $43,320 or less annually, will be eligible for some level of health coverage under the plan whether through the public “option,” Medicaid, or otherwise.

“Barack Obama has promised the impossible: expanding care to 45 million without raising costs or increasing the deficit,” said Wilson.

“An average premium goes for $4,700, bringing the total cost of the additional care to 45 million more people to roughly $211.5 billion extra annually. That money is not going to grow on trees—it’s going to come off the printing press and from overseas loans from China and Japan,” Wilson explained.

Wilson instead promoted what he called the “private option” as an alternative to the bill proposed in Congress. “We desperately need entitlement reform, not an entitlement expansion. The private option means giving all Americans the option not to participate at all in any government-sponsored plan,” said Wilson.

Wilson continued, “It means unrestrained consumer choice, unrestricted insurance companies, the removal of all insurance coverage mandates, no obligatory coverage either for employers or individuals, market-set pricing instead of government-appropriated and controlled pricing, increased competition by reducing and removing those barriers to entry for insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and other health care institutions, and finally, entitlement reform.”

“Medical institutions are already in the red, and they will not emerge by permanently funding the health care system by a government that has expanded the national debt for every single year since 1958. That is a path to certain national insolvency,” Wilson concluded. (Emphasis mine.)

When you look at the political awakening which has occurred in our fair region just in the last six months (remember, the Rick Santelli rant which led to the initial April TEA parties occurred in mid-February), it’s a fascinating study in political activism. In that span we’ve had two TEA parties (April 15th and July 4th), seen the formation of a local Americans for Prosperity chapter, and had the protest that inspired the title of this post. Even the Salisbury city election occurring in the midst of the planning of the original TEA Party seemed quite sedate by comparison.

(An interesting sidebar occurs to me in reviewing the healthcare protest post because I also added the items from Melody Scalley there – how much is this grassroots awakening helping her in the Virginia House of Delegates District 100 race or the Independent Party member, Libertarian, and Republican running in a special election just across the border today in Delaware Senate District 19. From what I’ve heard, even the Democrat in that Sussex County district is running as sort of a Blue Dog.)

So I don’t know yet if we’ll have a formal event locally on August 22nd but I suspect the protest last Tuesday at Frank Kratovil’s doorstep won’t be the last one we’ll see – not by a long shot. It may even shake up the Republican Party establishment a little bit.

Late edit, Monday 10 a.m. Julie Brewington at AFP reminded me that the Congressman will be touring around the Eastern Shore this week, and he’s scheduled a number of agriculture-related events this week (probably to brag about the billion dollars he cost taxpayers in the middle of the night.) From his Congressional website, this is his official schedule for the week.

Note that:

All events listed are open to the press but RSVPs are appreciated to ensure proper accommodations.

The noose and the damage done

It’s apparent to me that my coverage of the Kratovil protest (and the health care debate in general) on Monday struck a raw nerve with a lot of people as I continue to moderate comments about it a day and a half later.

Those who already have their axe to grind with thinking Americans like me who posit the government need not expand their sphere of influence any farther into the realm of health care – or as I believe should ratchet it down several notches – look askance at the gentleman who’s holding up the effigy of Congressman Kratovil on a noose and lump him in with everyone else who shares a similar pro-liberty viewpoint.

And then I had people on my side write and text to me that I shouldn’t have included the pictures with the man in question because it demeans the argument the protestors (who they agree with as a group) are trying to make – nooses aren’t politically correct you know.

This post is intended to clear the air with both sides.

I stated early on in yesterday’s post “(l)et me say straight away that I wouldn’t have recommended the noose and effigy of Frank Kratovil. The ‘no Kratovil in 2010’ (sign)would have been effective enough.” I thought a noose as a means of expression tacky and over the top, but sometimes the First Amendment protects things I don’t agree with. I also guarantee that had the local TV channels or the Daily Times bothered to cover the protest the noose would have been the lead story. Lord knows that a number of things are written and placed on video about conservatives that hopefully those who are thoughtful cringe at too.

Having seen government intrusion break the healthcare marketplace I join millions of others who are dubious at best about what Obamacare will do. We don’t think it will make going to the doctor any more affordable but in contrast will limit our choices in the matter and eventually lead to rationed care.

Moreover, projections on entitlement spending by Fedzilla have been historically extremely low as the trend is to broaden the coverage base and expand items covered. For example, originally Medicare was only for the elderly but as time went on the disabled were added to the client base and prescription drug coverage was eventually included as part of Medicare decades after its first adoption.

Our complaint with Congressman Kratovil was based on his voting for the stimulus package after voting against it and, more recently, voting for cap-and-trade once provisions were placed in there to “protect Maryland farmers” (read: he wasn’t against it on principle but wanted some federal goodies he could brag about before his vote was sold. The price simply increased from thirty pieces of silver to a billion dollars.) I feel based on his campaign statements he’s even less likely to be a “no” vote on Obamacare despite his membership in the so-called “Blue Dog Democrat” coalition.

We have our chance to end Kratovil’s Congressional career next year, although I will once again state, just for the record, that I told you just how he would be!

As for my other point: it’s not something I had classical training in, but over the years I have done my site I consider myself (when the opportunity presents itself) to be a journalist. Certainly I agreed with the cause of the protestors and I knew that showing the Kratovil effigy and noose would pretty much garner the reaction it has, one that is arguably detrimental to my side.

But above all I strive to be an accurate depictor of events. It’s why I was feverishly scribbling down some of what I heard Kevin Lawlor and the various protestors say because my idea of event coverage is to give the reader the best chance possible through the limited means I have to know what really happened. The man with the effigy led the parade so he was pretty much unavoidable in order to give a real portrait of the protest.

To me, coverage needs to be complete and a picture atop a hastily written paragraph or two wasn’t my idea of coverage based on the importance of this event. I wouldn’t feel like I did justice to this for my readers if I tried to sugarcoat things because life in general isn’t all sweetness and light. Granted, I do take some editorial license with what I choose to report because I oftentimes have more notes than I need and I’m not shy about adding my opinion either but you know this up front.

The proof of just how effective the protests will be is in the pudding, and we’ll find out once Frank Kratovil casts that fateful vote on H.R. 3200. My bet is that he’ll go along with it but here’s to hoping I’ll be pleasantly surprised and the Obamacare initiative becomes another crashing failure – right next to the smoking wreckage of our present economy that liberal big-government policies have created.

Widespread panic (about our freedom)

Yesterday in Salisbury a band of about 30 protestors braved the humidity and threat of rain to send a message to Congressman Frank Kratovil – keep Obamacare and the government out of our lives!

The protestors began their impromptu march in the library parking lot and walked the two blocks to Congressman Frank Kratovil's Salisbury regional office.

The protestors eventually arrive at Congressman Frank Kratovil's Salisbury regional office.

Let me say straight away that I wouldn’t have recommended the noose and effigy of Frank Kratovil. The “no Kratovil in 2010” (as in the first photo below) would have been effective enough. And it’s not like the signs weren’t quite creative, like the ones in the second and third photos below.

The protestors are gathered in front of Congressman Frank Kratovil's Salisbury regional office. They had the occasional honk from Main Street traffic.

I didn't like the idea of one-sided 'I am AFP' signs but this woman took advantage to write her own message. We'll see if Frank Kratovil is rich like a lottery winner after his time in Congress is over.

More good signage. If you can't read the sign on the right it says 'Let we the people see the healthcare bill first. It's called TRANSPARENCY!'

Obviously those in the protest had concerns about Obamacare. Chief among the murmurs was coverage of illegal immigrants and the lack of tort reform while the rest of us lost our option to keep private health insurance. As one observer put it, private solutions can do a better job while another complained (correctly) that “small businesses don’t know what to do” because the federal situation is in such flux.

Eventually the group was greeted by Kevin Lawlor, who is the Communications Director for Congressman Kratovil.

Kevin Lawlor, Kratovil's Communications Director, emerges from the office to speak with the gathering.

Lawlor stressed that the Congressman was “not committed” yet on the Obamacare bill and that he has “a lot of questions and concerns” about it.

Kratovil mouthpiece Kevin Lawlor does his best to answer a slew of questions concerning the upcoming Obamacare vote as well as Frank's recent vote for cap and trade.

One criticism I would have about the organization of the protest is that the questioners strayed from topic. I think they perceived the flip-flop by Kratovil on cap-and-trade (many protestors noted Frank was originally leaning against it) as a sign of him being “Nancy Pelosi’s lap dog.” But Lawlor countered by saying a lot of people were for cap-and-trade too, and that the office averaged 500 to 600 calls a day in the heat of that debate. Moreover, Frank “doesn’t think cap-and-trade will fail”, according to Kevin.

Once the questioners got around to debating the merits of the healthcare reform bill, the remark by Lawlor that “people want to see some reform” was met by the retort that several states had tried and failed at being healthcare providers. Congressman Kratovil, noted Kevin, “supports the public option but not at the expense of private insurance” and countered that the extra taxes people were concerned about were already being paid when those uninsured can’t pay for their health care.

Lawlor also claimed that Kratovil is asking the same questions we are and “trying to change” the legislation to “make it better.”

But the sentiment among those in front of Frank’s office was one of skepticism. “Leave us alone, we’ll fix it ourselves!” cried one. Another in the crowd, which was made up primarily of seasoned citizens, asked why she was forced to give up her private insurance when she became eligible for Medicare. Kevin pledged that the Congressman “will not vote for a bill that makes people leave private insurance” and further stated that Kratovil is “doing his best to let people know why he votes the way he does.”

I found one question asked by a protester had an answer both troubling and disturbing. Since I know Frank’s office reads monoblogue, perhaps they can clarify this response.

When asked about the Constitutionality of the proposal, Lawlor responded that the Congressman “doesn’t necessarily think” this conforms to the Constitution. I guess I’d like to know where a lot of other items he’s voted for manage to conform to our founding documents.

Since I’m certain this isn’t going to be a one-shot deal, the suggestions I would make to the protestors would be to stay on topic better and designate one or two spokespeople to ask questions. Granted, this turned out to be a peaceful 45 minute dialogue but a lot of energy was wasted on items which weren’t really germaine – Frank can’t change his cap-and-trade vote (although he can vote against any version coming from a House-Senate conference.) Kevin noted that he’d addressed a similar protest in Bel Air last week and another is coming up.

Now a special treat for monoblogue readers.

A different rally occurred last Wednesday down on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. District 100 Delegate candidate Melody Scalley (a definite friend of monoblogue) sent along a few photos of the Eastern Shore Declare and Defend Rally down at the Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa and described it this way:

Excellent speakers from the Eastern Shore and East Coast! Many local Eastern Shore men and women spoke about their concerns for the Eastern Shore, Virginia and our Country. Speakers from across Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and even Washington DC came to our rally to express their concerns.

My sincere thanks to everyone who joined us for this event! We are all concerned about the direction that our Government is headed and the amount of Government spending underway.

(snip)

Following the rally over 30 people enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant, prompting someone to say that we were bringing our own private business stimulus to the Eastern Shore!

She also sent along her own photos. I have to say that she’s done it very conveniently in a nice 640×480 format – thanks Melody!

A shot of the crowd looking toward the stage. Looks like a good turnout for a weeknight event.

Judging by the sign placement, I presume this is Virginia State Senator and AG candidate Bob Cuccinelli addressing the Eastern Shore Declare=

As you can tell, the digs weren't real fancy but the rhetoric was likely top-notch.

It’s worth pointing out that the Maryland part of the Eastern Shore was well represented by Andrew Langer of Campaign for Liberty and Pocomoke City mayor and General Assembly candidate Mike McDermott, along with other local and national speakers on a variety of conservative topics.

I’m also working with Melody on something that could be a first for monoblogue, so stay tuned for that.

Finally what can I say? I hope the title gets me some extra Google hits. But the mood among many freedom-loving Americans is one of panic, albeit a restrained panic thus far. It’s why these rallies have suddenly become big news as government tries to become a bigger force in our lives.

We may have gotten a late start but that doesn’t mean we can’t fight to the finish.

Frank’s response – and where it could lead

As I mentioned yesterday I got Congressman Frank Kratovil’s response to my phone call urging him to vote no on “cap and tax”. It will make for a long post but I’m going to refute a number of points he made and try to predict his excuse for voting to nationalize health care while I’m at it. While he may have signed the “Blue Dog” letter that only committed him to voting against the bill as it was and we have no idea what 300-page amendment could be thrown in at the last second to appease him.

So here goes. Instead of blockquoting, his letter will be in italics.

Thank you for contacting my office to share your thoughts on H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act. There’s no question this is one of the most significant pieces of legislation that Congress will consider this year, and so I appreciate you taking the time to convey your opinion on this important issue.

Indeed, it is quite significant, so it’s disappointing that the bill was rushed through the House so quickly. Luckily the Senate has yet to take it up. Another significant piece of legislation will be health care “reform” (read: nationalization) and the Obama Administration is rushing that through full bore too.

Every year the United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars on foreign oil, with much of that money going to hostile or unfriendly governments. This addiction to foreign oil has put our energy security in the hands of dictators. Meanwhile, our dependence on fossil fuels has led to rising utility bills year after year and has blocked the development of innovative technologies needed to diversify our energy supply. Gas prices are fluctuating wildly, American manufacturers are falling behind the rest of the world, and big energy companies continue to post record profits at the expense of families and small businesses. It is clear that the status quo is not working.

The point is correct but you’re advocating the wrong solutions here. We spend hundreds of billions on foreign oil because the federal government, through regulations and restrictions on where drilling may take place, has made it more profitable for energy companies to go elsewhere for supply. Yet there is nothing blocking the development of innovative energy solutions except market forces which the government should stay away from. Nor should it be the concern of the federal government whether oil companies make record profits because those profits are plowed back into the business.

If you change a few words you could make this paragraph talk about health care too since certainly Frank thinks that status quo isn’t working either.

When I ran for Congress, I promised that among my top priorities would be reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, reducing gas prices, increasing investments in domestic renewable energy, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, and fighting to get our farmers the resources needed to thrive on the Eastern Shore. In thoroughly reviewing the American Clean Energy and Security Act, it became clear to me that a vote against ACES would have been a betrayal of those promises. This bill offers a balanced, comprehensive plan for ending our reliance on foreign oil and spurring innovation, investment, and job creation here at home. Furthermore, numerous changes were made to the bill to specifically address the concerns of farmers, including an amendment I authored that will make Maryland farmers eligible for approximately $1 billion in incentives for environmentally sound practices. After years of struggling with the costs of the failed status quo, ACES gives us an opportunity to move in a new direction, and so I voted with a bipartisan majority to support passage of H.R. 2454.

This is why there’s such an outcry among conservatives like me about 8 Republicans voting for the bill – it provides that “bipartisan” fig leaf for Frank’s vote. Further, this is the second instance of citing a “failed” staus quo, one which really wasn’t failing. But the new direction he voted in favor of only leads to higher energy prices and more government – witness the $1 billion carrot to Maryland farmers for particular practices. If this were a truly “balanced” bill, though, it would have made things easier for oil and natural gas exploration and taken the restrictions off areas deemed untouchable by the federal government.

Similarly, Frank only says he’s against the health care bill as it was introduced. What remains to be seen is the incentive placed into that bill to curry his favor. Methinks it won’t take much.

I understand that ratepayers, small businesses, and farmers have a number of questions and concerns about the impact this legislation may have. Like you, my own family has been faced with rising energy costs over the past several years, and I share the concern of what additional costs would mean to families and businesses here in the First District. It’s important to remember that ACES will have a varied impact on different regions of the country based on the existing state laws and the current energy portfolio of those regions. For that reason, I thought it was important in reviewing the bill to set aside the national rhetoric and the partisan talking points to look objectively at the impact that the bill will have here in Maryland.

This is key to his argument, as he talks in the next several paragraphs about Maryland’s state restrictions being stricter than the proposed federal law. But two wrongs do not make a right.

As is often the case, legitimate arguments against his position are reduced to “partisan talking points”. Similarly, the onerous federal requirements for health insurance which will eventually force people into a government insurance program is just a “talking point”.

Opponents of a cap-and-trade regulatory system need to remember that we already have cap-and-trade here in Maryland. Maryland has been part of a regional cap-and-trade initiative since 2007, which has generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the state to fund consumer rebates and energy conservation programs. In fact, Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal – a 25% reduction by 2020 – is already tougher than the 17% reduction goal called for in ACES. For this and other reasons, any rate impacts in Maryland will be considerably less than the impacts in other regions of the country. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that nationwide, the American Clean Energy and Security Act will increase costs for the average family by about $15 per month before efficiency savings are factored in. However, here in Maryland, another study projects that the ACES bill will actually save families $8 per month when efficiency savings and state-specific factors are considered.

I don’t know which study Frank cites regarding the $8 per month savings, but I can tell you the CBO study’s key flaw is that it doesn’t take into account the massive GDP loss and its effect on the mythical “average” family.

Moreover, Maryland has high electrical rates because the utilities need to recoup their costs from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The state uses much of its RGGI proceeds to assist low-income families with weatherizing their homes and defraying their utility costs – in essence, a transfer of capital which keeps a select few bureaucrats in Annapolis busy but raises costs for the rest of us. Now imagine this program times 50 because similar measures are included within Waxman-Markey.

Trust me, some wealth transfer program will be included in the health care provisions. There’s already reports of hammering the “rich” with yet another tax to pay for health care and certainly Frank will be drooling at the chance to soak them once again.

I know that there are many nightmare scenarios being thrown around regarding the costs of this legislation. I’ve heard the claims that this bill is a massive energy tax, or that it could increase costs for families by thousands of dollars a year, or that it would require homeowners to make expensive upgrades and pay for an energy audit before being allowed to sell their homes. To be blunt, these claims are simply not true. The American Clean Energy and Security Act does not increase taxes whatsoever. It does not require any sort of energy audit for existing homes, and the efficiency standards included in the bill apply only to new construction. Furthermore, the claims about the costs to families and small businesses are simply unfounded. The ACES legislation sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars worth of free emissions allowances to allow utility companies to provide direct rebates and cost reductions to customers. Tens of billions of dollars more will be directed to provide additional savings for low- and moderate-income families. Given these unprecedented cost-saving measures, and the fact that Maryland is already ahead of the curve on the deployment of clean energy technologies, it is projected that the bill may end up saving Maryland ratepayers on a monthly basis.

While the bill doesn’t overtly raise taxes, it acts the same as a tax because expenditures for the average household increase. And while Frank is technically right about not requiring an energy audit for existing homes, Section 204 of the bill spells out conditions where labeling would be required:

In adopting the model labeling program established under this section, a State shall seek to ensure that labeled information be made accessible to the public in a manner so that owners, lenders, tenants, occupants, or other relevant parties can utilize it. Such accessibility may be accomplished through–

(A) preparation, and public disclosure of the label through filing with tax and title records at the time of–

(i) a building audit conducted with support from Federal or State funds;

(ii) a building energy-efficiency retrofit conducted in response to such an audit;

(iii) a final inspection of major renovations or additions made to a building in accordance with a building permit issued by a local government entity;

(iv) a sale that is recorded for title and tax purposes consistent with paragraph (8);

(v) a new lien recorded on the property for more than a set percentage of the assessed value of the property, if that lien reflects public financial assistance for energy-related improvements to that building; or

(vi) a change in ownership or operation of the building for purposes of utility billing; or

(B) other appropriate means.

Basically, those who have energy-inefficient houses which would require more than they’re worth to comply are stuck. And it sounds like an energy audit requirement to me. The rest of the paragraph simply dictates the wealth transfer I spoke of earlier.

The next several paragraphs demonstrate where Frank was bought off to vote for the Waxman-Markey bill.

In addition to the concerns of ratepayers and small businesses, another major factor I considered in reviewing this bill was the impact it would have on Maryland’s farmers. It is important to point out that farmers will not have their emissions regulated by this bill, and will be completely exempted from the emissions caps. Furthermore, as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I worked closely with Chairman Collin Peterson to address many of the concerns the agricultural community had raised about earlier drafts of H.R. 2454. Thanks to our efforts, a number of amendments were made to the final bill to make it a better deal for farmers, including:

The bill’s agricultural and forestry offset program will be run by U.S. Department of Agriculture, instead of by the Environmental Protection Agency. Chairman Peterson successfully argued that the USDA better understands the economics of farming and is therefore more likely to provide the flexibility farmers need to benefit from these programs.

A portion of the emission allowances will be provided for free to the nation’s rural electrical cooperatives, like the Choptank Electrical Cooperative on the Eastern Shore, which will enable these co-ops to provide direct rate relief to rural customers.

The definition of “biomass” in the bill was adjusted to give agricultural and forestry entities a greater ability to participate in the offset programs and receive valuable offset credits.

Even with these changes to the bill, I only decided to support ACES after its authors accepted an amendment I offered that set aside an additional $1 billion of emissions allowances for farmers, like many in Maryland, who would otherwise be prohibited from receiving credit for their environmental practices. This amendment, along with the increased demand for biofuels that will result from this bill, will open up considerable new revenue streams for Maryland farmers.

Collectively, these changes to the bill enjoyed broad support from the agricultural community and were endorsed by organizations including the American Corn Growers Association, the American Farmland Trust, the American Farm Bureau Association, the American Soybean Association, Dairy Farmers of America, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Biodiesel Board, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Cotton Council, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Farmers Union, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Pork Producers Council, and the United Egg Producers.

While I understand that some of these organizations continued to oppose final passage of the bill even after the inclusion of the supported amendments, it is important to remember that the costs to farmers, small businesses, and family ratepayers will likely be far greater if Congress fails to act. The U.S. Supreme Court has already confirmed the EPA’s authority and obligation to proceed with its own regulatory program if Congress fails to act, an option that would wipe out all of the concessions and amendments secured for ratepayers and farmers.

It’s also noteworthy that many agricultural groups still were against Waxman-Markey even with their concerns addressed. They understood better than Frank did the negative impacts this will have on the family farm. Perhaps the corporate farm will thrive but the additional regulations sure to come will be a deeper headache for those farmers on the Shore.

I wonder how many providers Frank will listen to when he votes to nationalize health care?

By breaking our reliance on foreign oil and creating real incentives for American businesses, entrepreneurs, and farmers, the American Clean Energy and Security Act presents an incredible opportunity to spur innovation and create new green jobs. In 2007, Maryland already had 1,145 businesses working in the clean energy sector, which collectively generated more than 12,900 green jobs and attracted nearly $324 million in private investment capital. Right here in the First District, there are already a number of small businesses who are poised to reap the benefits of this bill, from solar equipment dealers and installers to geothermal energy contractors and wind power consultants. Additional entrepreneurs will also now have incentives to enter the market, creating private jobs and new economic opportunities. It is estimated that the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could generate roughly $150 billion in clean energy investments each year for the next decade, creating as many as 1.7 million jobs nationally and 26,600 here in Maryland.

All this is pure speculation, and given the track record lately of federal government predictions I predict net job losses as manufacturers and providers of “traditional” energy sources send jobs overseas to avoid the tolls placed by H.R. 2454. Government “incentives” last only as long as Fedzilla wants them to and there are ALWAYS strings attached, so buyer beware.

What “incentives” will there be for businesses to keep private health insurance when the government (who doesn’t have to make a profit) steps in?

When it comes to our nation’s energy policy, the status quo is simply not working. We can no longer afford to ship hundreds of billions of dollars overseas each year, while leaving our economic and national security in the hands of dictators. The American Clean Energy and Security Act will finally move us in a new direction by spurring investment in clean, homegrown technologies like wind, solar, and biofuels, while taking extraordinary steps to protect ratepayers and famers. After thoroughly reviewing the bill and listening to the concerns and questions of constituents on both sides of the debate, I believe that the American Clean Energy and Security Act is a balanced, thoughtful approach to ending our reliance on foreign oil and investing in America’s clean energy future.

Again, the straw man of the “status quo” is placed in play here. ACES is not “balanced” and, with 300 pages placed into the bill late in the process, I’m dubious on the “thoughtful” part as well.

Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future regarding issues that concern you. I also encourage you to visit my website in order to stay informed on the issues I’m working on in Congress. I believe that continuous communication with the residents of the First District is essential to helping me be an effective advocate for you in Congress, and I thank you again for taking the time to chare (sic) your thoughts with me.

P.S. I’ve been hearing from a number of constituents who are very concerned by some of the myths circulating about the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Let me be very direct: This bill does not increase taxes, it does not add to the federal deficit, and it does not require a home energy audit before you can sell your home. These claims are simply false.

In order to help you separate the myths from the facts, I have enclosed a short document that outlines some of the misconceptions about the bill. I hope this helps you better understand the truth about this important legislation, and I encourage you to share this information with friends or neighbors who are similarly concerned by the incorrect information being circulated about this bill.

That has many of the same arguments as the remainder of the letter.

Frank M. Kratovil, Jr.
Member of Congress

Not after 2010 if I can help it. We can do MUCH better.

We will probably go through the same charade on the health care bill, as I will contact Frank to urge his “no” vote and he’ll bow to the special interests who are writing the bill and say “yes” anyway. I give that a 90% chance of occurring.

There is always the law of unintended consequences to contend with whenever government tries to solve a problem the free market has a pretty good handle on. Those lead to yet more government intervention in order to create a “fix” for the problems begat by the original law.

Having gas prices shoot up to $4.00 a gallon made everyone good and mad at the oil companies and may have provided some additional impetus for this legislation. But you’ll notice gas prices went down about as quickly as they went up because the market corrected itself.

If the government and overzealous regulators got out of the markets for electricity, natural gas, and other energy sources we may find that prices will fluctuate but eventually return to true value. (This is why we have to have subsidies for certain energy sources and methods – the price point is otherwise unmarketable.)

Unfortunately that same “fix” Waxman-Markey creates in the energy field will be coming soon to health care – unless we stop it now. I only give Frank a 10% chance of voting the right way (as opposed to nil for our Senators) so it’s a chance we’ll have to take, at least until we can correct things in the next election.

Salisbury’s July 4th TEA Party in pictures and text

I’ll put up a long post warning before I begin…I started out with over 20 pictures and distilled it down to 16 photos. If you have the capability (I notice this doesn’t work with Firefox, more’s the pity) the captions help tell the story. Hold your mouse over the picture.

Not having a wide-angle lens, I couldn't get the full lawn of the Government Office Building in one shot. This is looking toward the Wicomico County Courthouse.

Standing in the same spot, I turned and looked toward Division Street. This was taken just before 10 a.m. and the crowd hadn't peaked yet.

There weren’t as many people at the July 4th rendition of the TEA Party as there were on April 15th despite the fact that the weather was nicer. Obviously that was countered by the fact that many had made holiday plans; however the anger and frustration was just as evident based on what many of the speakers noted in their remarks.

The Minuteman was back in full regalia, although he stayed much drier this time around. If you don't know, the flag is a 'Don't Tread On Me' flag.

This gentleman was one of the first speakers and most noteworthy among his remarks was a call to “get the statists out of office and put in those who love liberty.” He exhorted us to “get in the faces of our elected officials” and concluded that “when the people fear the government, that is tyranny (but) when the government fears the people it is liberty.” He was circulating a petition to sign and deliver personally to the front door of elected officials. (That covered the “get in their face” part.)

Mike Brewington was among a number other speakers who came up for a particular cause, his being the National Rifle Association.

Local NRA organizer and spokesman Mike Brewington derided Maryland's pitiful Second Amendment record.

Others let their signs do the talking.

At least for one day the majority wasn't so silent.

This sign has gotten plenty of play in the local media and blogosphere. So, where is that birth certificate anyway?

I think the answer is 1,000,000,000,001. That's a LOT of zeroes.

I'd love to have someone from the left argue with this one. What rights are you restoring? Photo courtesy of Sheila Fields, my thanks to her!

And this sign holder is correct. We are the government, not just the governed. The problem is the best and brightest who were supposed to represent us have devolved into the greediest and most corrupt.

Even the kids got into the act, although I can personally vouch that the sign on the left was created last Wednesday by someone really special. They're definitely tailored to Delmarva.

Our protest even spilled over as some went down to the corner of Division Street and Business Route 50 to express their viewpoint.

These concerned citizens strolled down the street to the corner to make their case for capitalism and smaller government. Photo courtesy of Sheila Fields.

Now here’s something I don’t understand, and perhaps it’s the reputation garnered by the protests on the left. You had 200 or so law-abiding citizens, so was there any need for this guy to keep an eye on us?

Isn't the idea of police work to go where the criminals are? Maybe he needs to check out a different part of town then.

Events like this don’t come together from thin air. Chris Lewis, who helped put together the original April 15th TEA Party, is now mulling a run for Congress. Looks like he has a ready-made volunteer force if he uses it wisely. Here he speaks to close the proceedings.

Chris Lewis was the final speaker. At the moment he's thinking of attempting to take Frank Kratovil's job - honestly he's more qualified to be a representative of the people than Frank is. Maybe it's a time for the return of the citizen legislator the Founding Fathers envisioned.

Also adopting the event as their own was the local Americans for Prosperity chapter. Their co-chair Julie Brewington was there early getting things underway, and had her own message for our Congressman.

The Americans for Prosperity organization had plenty of information available for those who wished to follow up their attendance with other concrete action.

AFP local co-chair Julie Brewington in front of their tent. I'm all for her sentiment because I wouldn't have hired Frank in the first place!

The gathering lasted three hours, and there were probably 20 to 30 speakers all told. Some were brief, and some seemed to go on for 15 or 20 minutes. None of them were professional politicians, and I was the only elected official to speak – part of my pitch was to hold our legislators accountable and the other part to let those there know that the GOP has a school board opening (as do the Democrats.)

As a group, it’s a pretty safe bet that we hold certain truths to be self-evident. The final picture is what it’s all about, and I’m pleased to see AFP making these available at the event.

The Constitution. It doesn't look living to me!

Probably the next big TEA Party-style gathering is a national one slated for the weekend of September 11th in Washington, D.C. While I don’t know this for a fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if there weren’t a bus chartered from Salisbury to ferry interested participants to the event – at least the September 12th gathering.

If I go I’ll be sure to have pictures!

Next up for Frank – health care

There were a lot of people who were anywhere from disappointed to outraged that our recently-elected Congressman, Frank Kratovil, was one of those who voted in favor of the Waxman-Markey “cap and trade” bill, better thought of as the “energy tax”. While 44 mostly “Blue Dog” Democrats (a group Kratovil likes to consider himself a part of) voted “nay”, Frank decided to send a bill that hadn’t even been completely put together yet on to the Senate.

Because Congress is now off on its Fourth of July recess, it’ll be a few days before Kratovil gets back to work with the next big-ticket item on the Obama agenda: his version of health care reform (read: eventual single-payer system like Great Britain or Canada). Understandably, a lot of people aren’t thrilled with the idea of nationalized health care.

In this case, though, my guess is that Kratovil isn’t even going to be one of those on the fence – he’s going to jump lock, stock, and barrel in favor of it. Does the phrase “Universal Health Care Means Universal” ring a bell? If not, let me remind you.

I can already see this three-ring circus being placed into motion. Unfortunately for those who believe in transparency and limited government, neither of those seemed to be the case on cap-and-trade and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we see hundreds of pages added to a House bill regarding health care at oh-dark-hundred the night before the vote, which will likely be set again for a day before Congress recesses. When you’re trying to allocate huge portions of the private-sector economy, speed and stealth are your friends.

Friends, it’s more important than ever that people become aware of what’s happening. What’s quite troubling to me is that news tends to focus on trivial things like the recent passing of a number of celebrities whose names history will little note nor long remember and not on the all-out assault on freedom and liberty being waged by the current Administration and Congress with the consent of the man a bare plurality of First District voters (remember, Kratovil only had 49% of the vote) sent to Washington with the understanding he would act and vote as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat.

A few days ago I was in a conversation with people my age when it was brought up that people who lived through the Great Depression had no idea they were living through such a period – they just knew things were hard economically. We don’t have the benefit of standing 20 years hence and looking back knowing what happened and assigning a name to it. All we know is that economic times are difficult and pretty much everything government’s tried to address it has only served to put America deeper in debt and more beholden to foreign creditors without much to show for it. Someone may be getting wealthy but it’s not the average guy or the family on Main Street.

At what point do we realize that the answers being tried in Washington aren’t the approach we should take? How many will tear themselves away from the unceasing news cycle mourning the death of a so-called “King of Pop” and look at someone who’s amassing the power of a king himself by appointing “czars” to take over major industries?

Once in awhile the news will speak to the unrest in Iran over their recent election or pause to speculate more recent events in the small Central American republic of Honduras, where their President wished to circumvent a constitutional restriction on his time in office (shades of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela). Those who seem to care (expressed, for example, in the TEA Party movement) are derided as kooks or worse.

When caring about my country becomes the sign of being a kook, well, I guess I just happen to have a lot of the nation’s hard-working producers on my side so I’ll take my chances. Hopefully the smooth talk of politicians like Frank Kratovil won’t work its magic the next time they’re on the ballot.