And I'm so greatful you didn't permanently zot me last year.
Posted on 03/25/2017 6:22:09 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Free Republic stands for God, family, country. We generally look to Judeo-Christian* guidance on issues of law, morality, justice, freedom, life, family and civil society. And we have a Christian self-governing, self-reliant, individual accountability & responsibility, you gotta work if able-bodied and want to eat attitude on cultural and societal issues. And a Christian pro-Constitution, original intent, pro-liberty, pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, restricted government, small government, states rights, individual rights, free enterprise position on political and civil matters.
*Note: I say Judeo-Christian because Jesus was a Jew and referred to the Ten Commandments, Jewish law, beliefs and customs and the scripture he quoted was from the Torah, ie, the Hebrew Bible and basically today's Old Testament. If you believe in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc, then you believe in our one true Judeo-Christian God.
We take the Bible, the Declaration, the Constitution and our Christian founding and heritage seriously, though we are sometimes backsliders. We the people formed our original Christian states (and they were indeed Christian as the original constitutions of all 13 states openly declared it so), and after the revolution we the people of the original Christian states established and ratified the Constitution and formed the new national government.
We the people of the original states through our ratifying representatives agreed to delegate certain enumerated powers to the new national government and limit it to just those delegated and enumerated powers, reserving all others to our existing Christian state and local governments and to we the people.
We the people of the original Christian states also included a Bill of Rights that prohibited our newly established limited national government from interfering into our God-given (per the Declaration and common understanding) inalienable rights to free speech, freedom of religion, right to keep and bear arms, right to speedy trial before our peers, etc, etc. We had just rebelled against a tyrannical king and there was no way we were going to sign on to or allow a newly formed central government to rule over us or interfere into our currently long established Christian governments and communities, or deny us our God-given rights or take our guns or lock us up on some trumped up federal charge, etc.
The God-given right to our individual freedoms (including the right to freely exercise our Christian religion) and to self-government was of paramount concern to the founders and to we the people and to our original states. We had no intent of signing away our rights to community and even state level Christian governments. The Constitution and Bill of Rights was intended to keep the newly established federal government OUT of our state and local and individual matters! It restricted the federal government not the states, ie, a community or even a state recognizing God as our Creator and source of all rights, and or communities celebrating Christmas or Easter is NOT a violation of the first amendment, nor is prayer offered from a public space.
The above is my understanding and is critical to the positions I take today. If I am proved wrong about any of the above then I may need to rethink my personal philosophy in regards to God, Christianity and the Constitution.
The primary and then the first dodged bullet.
I supported Cruz before and at the start of the primaries due to his obvious Christian constitutional conservative positions and track record of defending the Constitution. IMHO, he stood head and shoulders over Bush, Rubio, Kascich, Paul and other assorted GOPe RINOs, globalists, amnesty pushers, establishment hangers on and unknown newbies, etc. I didn't care much at all for Trump. Thought he was an untrustworthy chameleon and charlatan. Wrote him off completely.
And then I began watching his rallies and listening to him explain his positions. Build the wall, enforce the law, deport them all, end sanctuary cities, end anchor babies, slap a moratorium on Muslim immigration, cut taxes, cut spending, cut regulations, cut the government, make better trade deals, bring back manufacturing and jobs, dump the EPA and global warming, bring back coal, gas & oil, rebuild the military AND (as all the other Republican hopefuls pledged: REPEAL OBAMACARE!
Ok, so I'm impressed. The guy sounds like a Reagan conservative. But I'm still a Cruz guy. As I continue watching and listening to both and then start reading Trump's plans as he fleshes them out on his website, I get even more interested. His initial tax plan even out Reagan'd Reagan. He proposed cutting all taxes, but especially cutting the corporate tax to ZERO! Now that piqued my interest way up! What a boost to the economy and jobs that would be (unfortunately, cutting the corp tax rate to zero was later in the primary modified to 15%, I suspect after GOP bean counters got involved).
So now I have two favorites in the race. Cruz was my guy but I could be happy with Trump. If either of these guys won the primary, I'd back him to the hilt. Even thought it'd be great if they partnered up on the ticket.
And as the race progressed, it was impossible not to see that Trump was not only a great campaigner, and a great communicator, but he was also a great fighter and wasn't going to rollover for the establishment or the media. He takes his message straight to the people and does not apologize or back down.
One by one he knocks off anyone who attacks him, whether they be an opponent, a pundit, the GOP, the DEMs, the establishment or the media. We can't spare this man, he fights.
So it eventually gets down to Trump vs Cruz, but Trump is way ahead. Cruz has been holding off to this point, but now he has no choice. If he wants to win, Cruz has to take Trump head-on and the nasty battle begins. Again, Trump is the more aggressive campaigner and fighter and he pulls it out.
And the most aggressive campaigner and fighter is exactly what we needed to defeat Hillary and the democrats and the media AND the entire establishment ruling class of both major political parties.
His own party stood against him! Even FOX News and most of the so-called "conservative" media!
It was a miracle that Trump won. "He had no path to 270!" No one thought he could possibly make it. Coming down to the wire I think even Trump thought he'd lost. And then as the last handful of states were coming in, the network vote counters all agreed Trump had no path to a win. Then boom. Don't remember if it was Michigan or Wisconsin, but after Trump won whichever came in first, there was a long pregnant pause as the Network vote counters tried and tried, but couldn't calculate any clear path to 270 from the remaining states... for Hillary!
Trump won the presidency and America dodged a bullet!
And now at the risk of offending many of our dear readers and participants, I say yesterday we dodged another bullet.
We already know that the Democrat party absolutely hates our Christian founding & heritage and our Constitution and our constitutionally guaranteed God-given individual and states rights. And that they prefer a "living constitution" and an all powerful centralized Godless Marxist government with a globalized bent and a Godless Marxist judiciary unconstitutionally implementing their Godless Marxist agenda. This is a given and we also know this philosophy is infiltrating and making strong headway into our Republican party and establishment.
We all know that Obamacare is an unconstitutional, unsustainable socialist program rammed through our congress via questionable and unscrupulous processes without a single Republican vote and upheld by the opinion of an errant court doing the bidding of the aforementioned Godless Marxist government.
Why do we say Obamacare is unconstitutional?
Primarily because the power to legislate health care matters and or mandates on insurance matters to our states and or on we the people is NOT a power enumerated and delegated to the congress or the federal government by the Constitution and is therefore reserved to the states and the people.
Am I right or wrong about that?
If I am right then a health care or insurance law enacted by a Republican congress or government would be equally unconstitutional, regardless of whether it is better or worse than Obamacare.
Am I right or wrong about that?
If I am right in both cases then we dodged a second huge bullet.
If we God-fearing defenders of Constitution and Liberty join in with those who would knowingly pass unconstitutional laws for political expedience, ie, helping Trump move his agenda which is otherwise very good, then we've unwittingly shot ourselves in the foot and opened the doors to both political parties to destroy whatever is left of our Constitution and our Liberty. And they will do it if given the opportunity.
So we shot our toe off and delivered a defeat of his first legislative agenda item.
A lost toe to preserve foot and limb (or life and liberty, in this case) is much preferable to the alternative (don't ask me how I know).
If I'm confused or all wet on these matters I'm sure you will straighten me out.
(And yes, I know Trump's position evolved from repeal to repeal and replace during the primary. I supported him anyway because of the rest of his platform. I assumed cooler heads and the constitution would win out on the replace bit.)
Now we need to move on to REPEAL (along with the rest of his agenda)! Rules changes or whatever it takes, we must repeal Obamacare.
The past six months have been the most optimistic I have had
in over two decades.
It feels good to think this way again.
It used to be that every crisis was a prelude to “our side”
getting ridiculed, maligned, marginalized and just plain beat down.
Now each new furor is prelude to “How’s The Donald going
to stick it to them this time?”
I like.
...and the best part... No matter how many times they get
sucker punched they keep misunderestimating him.
And I'm so greatful you didn't permanently zot me last year.
“Now all Trump has to do is remove all the waivers for Obama’s friends and donors. Then watch the fur fly!”
That’s a GREAT idea.
Well said.
PFL
A friend’s cat went missing. Finally, it came back but it was in pitiful shape. Blood was everywhere. The bone on one leg was missing.
The vet said that, apparently, the cat had been caught in a trap. It had gnawed its own foot off in order to escape and be free.
There’s a lesson in that.
We should all pray and fast. Some who are not well may only be able to skip a meal. Some may give up food they like for a time and only eat to sustain. Some may pray and fast for a day. Some for two. Some for a week.
Everything we hope for and believe is right must come from God to be true. The LORD was the one who gave us Trump’s victory, and spared us the utter destruction of Clinton. It is He we must look to first for that which we believe we need. It is He that can cause it to come about. If we have learned anything, it must be to look to The LORD first to accomplish His good and perfect will. We must do what is necessary to do, but for there to be power in it, it must come from Him first.
Thank you, Jim. Your words are an absolute truth. Statesmen and Stateswomen are few in one’s lifetime. Praising God, America has not only a Patriot and Statesman in you. May God continue His blessings upon you and yours!!!
Ryancare was all about Ryan and his campaign money. And his DEMORAT WIFE who is as big a taker of the money as he is. It was a seriously flawed plan. DUMBOCARE LITE. Not a REPEAL. Health ins and Big Pharma have DEEP pockets. The INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONGRESS AND ALL OF THEM HAS TO BE BROKEN. It’s done through PACS. The Sherman anti-monopoly act must be use to break up these institutes for a free market to work. A retired congress critter should never be allowed in the News room, health care, or insurance industry much less financial.
Look at all the damage the clinton WH staffers who went into the news rooms have done.
Time for President Trump to clean the WH of all Obama supporters from the janitor to the chef and on up. Including all Military post or alphabet agencies.
Nothing was done to address the crap we call Medicare/VA Care or Military health ins from Champus, Tricare Prime or Tricare Life which is Medicare’s secondary. Both systems are rigged, fixed and rationed, and don’t serve the needs of seniors who paid into them and SS for 40 yrs.
My estranged DIL got on Disability in 8 months for anxiety due to breast cancer hooked on Xanax. While the man in my SS class who needed a heart transplant took 4 yrs. If you are an addict you go to the head of the line. Even FDA approved procedures are not all covered by Medicare/Tricare Life. My oil glands to the eye lids clogged, I PAID to get them cleaned open, when Medicare/Tricare should have done so, with a CO-PAY at least. Hearing aids, glasses, dental are not covered, and you can’t get an extra plan, or you lose your Tricare Life which is secondary to Medicare. Items seniors need. Set of cheap hearing aids is $3400. A co-pay would have helped with getting better quality ones. I don’t ask for it FREE, after all we did pay Medicare/SS taxes for 40 yrs. But a co-pay system would help. Options for these systems are needed.
Study: Senate Can Repeal Obamacare’s Regulations through Reconciliation, with Only 51 Votes
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/study-senate-can-repeal-obamacares-regulations-through-reconciliation-only
Sherman Antitrust Act Break UP MONOPOLIES, Big Pharma, INS and Congressional Lobbyist
https://www.britannica.com/event/Sherman-Antitrust-Act
The Big Money Behind Paul Ryan’s Political Career
Ryan’s 20 biggest backers are in the financial, insurance, or health sectors
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/14/the-big-money-behind-paul-ryans-political-career
Paul Ryan: Bankrolled by the Banksters, the Privatizers, and the Kochs
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/08/11704/paul-ryan-bankrolled-banksters-privatizers-and-kochs
How the AARP Made $2.8 Billion By Supporting Obamacare’s Cuts to Medicare
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/09/22/the-aarps-2-8-billion-reasons-for-supporting-obamacares-cuts-to-medicare/#5d182c745935
How Money From Pharmaceutical Companies Sways Doctors’ Prescriptions
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/13/doctors-receiving-pharmaceutical-money.aspx
How Much of Big Pharma’s Massive Profits Are Used to Influence ...
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33010-how-much-of-big-pharma-s-massive-profits-are-used-to-influence-politicians
I did a comparison of what Rand Paul had on his page and what I know about the Ryan bill. They are almost identical talking points but Ryans was actually better. Rand had no control on capping medic-aid and Ryan caps it with a one trillion dollar savings.
I disagree with your approach entirely. Instead of introducing a half-assed bill that was presented as a “repeal” but deliberately kept most of Obamacare in place, the better approach would be to simply address one small item at a time in stand-alone bills. Eleminate the individual mandate in one bill. Address Medicaid in another bill. Eliminate the ridiculous minimum coverage requirements in a third bill. The most effective measure of all may be the item in Rand Paul’s bill that allows people to get Obamacare waivers by creating cost-sharing cooperatives.
Bravo. I stood and clappped from my living room 25 miles from the murder capital of the United States of America, Chicago Illinois.
My level of respect for you went up another notch.
Now for my opinion: Absent a CLEAN REPEAL bill that mirrors identically that which the Republican's in the House of Representatives passed some 60+ (?) times in 8 years under Blobama I say "let it collapse under its own weight."
Let those who passed this monstrosity OWN IT, lock, stock and stinking barrel. They stood together on Friday on full public display, prominently upheld by the liberal lamestream media as HEROES for opposing President Trump.
Mark these words: those same "heroes" will be the villians by the end of this year. Premiums skyrocketing again this year, coverage "that isn't really coverage" due to the excessive premiums and out of pocket deductibles and uncontrolled costs will, I say WILL cause Blowbama care to explode on its own. Of this FACT, President Donald J. Trump has it exactly right.
I do not say let Blowbama care collapase and burn under its own weight with any glee. My PRIVATE healthcare costs have skyrocketed as I'm sure has happened to many on here. I pay $450/mo. and have to meet a $6,000 out of pocket deductible before my PRIVATE SECTOR healthcare insurance pays dime one.
It didn't used to be this way. I used to have one of those "cadillac plans" with a $300/mo. premium and a $2,000 deductible. To "comply" with Blowbamacare regulations my employer (a fortune 500 company) scaled back our healthcare and charges me MORE for less coverage.
I don't even have prescription coverage to speak of anymore! Why, if I follow our prescription coverage I'll pay 2-4x more for one drug I need, vs. going to GoodRX.Com and printing a coupon. How is that "health care coverage" when following the insurance costs MORE than printing a coupon off a website?
And yet, this is what I'm forced into under Blowbamacare. Since my employer offers healthcare coverage, I MUST take the insurance my employer offers unless I can prove I have healthcare coverage elsewhere. That's the law under Blowbamacare. My own opinion here is, if I have to suffer the consequences of Blowbamacare, then I want each and every dipwad that voted for Blowbama to suffer the consequences as well. In spades!
While I live in constant pain (as you do) and can no longer afford some of my medications thanks to Blowbama and the Democrats (who all forced Blowbamacare on the rest of us!) I hope that each and every Blowbama voter becomes broke, homeless and penniless once this monstrosity collapses and burns under its own weight. That's what they deserve for forcing this socialist/marxist monstrosity on the rest of us. That's what they deserve for making the medications I need UNAFFORDABLE under the "affordable" care act.
As for President Trump: He should've NEVER taken on Blowbamacare. The second he tried touching and "fixing" it - he became the owner. He now gets the blame for not "fixing it before it failed" independent of the fact that this albatross hangs squarely around the Democrat party's neck. This is the line that's being shopped around and push-polled as I type. I live in Illinois, I received one of those calls.
By taking on Blowbamacare, President Trump took an unnecessary risk and anyone who advised him to go that route should be hearing the words "You're Fired" soon, as should that rat RINO and lying suckbag Paul Ryan come primary time.
One last comment: The video of Nancy Pelosi gloating on Friday that Blowbama care is the law of the land and how proud she is of it needs to be played over, and over, and over once Blowbamacare crashes and burns on its own. Make the Democrats own it, shove it back down the media's throats and drive a stake through both their hearts.
Considering President Trump won the election by spending a fraction of the cost of Shrillary Clinton did and demonstrated he knows how to successfully go around the lying liberal lamestream media all he needs to do now is sit back and wait for Blowbamacare to explode on its own.
Yes, there will be pain. Necessary pain.
Thank you Jim for your well thought out and impassioned piece. Best I've seen in awhile and I'm proud to be a member of the class of '98 here on FR.
All the best.
USC.
I am going to beat this hammer again by saying tax credits for medical expenses is the key. The Feds have no right to force people to spend their money on insurance just like they have no right to force people to pay union dues. With tax credits, we don’t need insurance although that choice should still be available.. If you want insurance buy it, or not. With tax credits billions will be saved by cutting out insurance, cutting out the government bureacrats, cutting out government lawyers, and cutting out politicians. What we have now, is taxpayers being forced to pay for their families, the government bureaucrats, the government lawyers, and Cadillac insurance for able-bodied people who won’t pay a dime. Taxpayers are now also paying the medical expenses of some 20 million illegal aliens.
If you notice Jim Trump is a master at sand bagging. He let the Democrats own a bill that’s going to expire in a year. If he let Ryans bill go through it would have been just a rehash of ObamaCare. Let it expire and he can write his own.
Add in his role helping McCain, Graham, Obama and Hillary in arming jihadists in Libya and Syria and he has to go, IMHO
You're right on both counts. The entire Constitution is written under what the Founders called the Rule of Exclusion. What is not specifically IN it, is therefore excluded from it.
• § 207. XIII. Another rule of interpretation deserves consideration in regard to the constitution. There are certain maxims, which have found their way, not only into judicial discussions, but into the business of common life, as founded in common sense, and common convenience.
Thus, it is often said, that in an instrument a specification of particulars is an exclusion of generals; or the expression of one thing is the exclusion of another. Lord Bacon's remark, "that, as exception strengthens the force of a law in cases not excepted, so enumeration weakens it in cases not enumerated," has been perpetually referred to, as a fine illustration.
Justice Joseph Story on Rules of Constitutional Interpretation
----
ANY the stretching of the Commerce clause is unconstitutional as well, such in the areas of 'the general diffusion of knowledge' (public education), or 'the wages of labor' (income tax).
§ 1075 [snip]....
Can a power, granted for one purpose, be transferred to another? If it can, where is the limitation in the constitution? Are not commerce and manufactures as distinct, as commerce and agriculture? If they are, how can a power to regulate one arise from a power to regulate the other? It is true, that commerce and manufactures are, or may be, intimately connected with each other. A regulation of one may injuriously or beneficially affect the other. But that is not the point in controversy. It is, whether congress has a right to regulate that, which is not committed to it, under a power, which is committed to it, simply because there is, or may be an intimate connexion between the powers. If this were admitted, the enumeration of the powers of congress would be wholly unnecessary and nugatory. Agriculture, colonies, capital, machinery, the wages of labour, the profits of stock, the rents of land, the punctual performance of contracts, and the diffusion of knowledge would all be within the scope of the power; for all of them bear an intimate relation to commerce. The result would be, that the powers of congress would embrace the widest extent of legislative functions, to the utter demolition of all constitutional boundaries between the state and national governments.
Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution
[emphasis mine]
Agree completely.
Donald Trump, who ran a brilliant campaign -and in the process convinced me he is brilliant himself- has not suddenly become stupid as President.
Look at the results of this so-called failure: he's got nearly everybody clamoring for Ryan's head (that's one bird) and will be free, a few months from now, to introduce a full repeal of Obamacare -likely with a new Speaker leading the charge. (That's the second bird.)
Two birds, one stone. My thorough support of our President remains steadfast.
And let me add this...
“The constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it.”
“If the former part of the alternative be true, then a legislative act contrary to the constitution is not law: if the latter part be true, then written constitutions are absurd attempts, on the part of the people, to limit a power in its own nature illimitable.”
“All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void.”
Marbury vs. Madison. Source: 5 US (2 Cranch) 137, 174, 176 (1803).
The battle is in front of us, we'll need to heal and unite.
The forces arrayed against us are not getting weaker.
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