Success: The Forgotten Goal
By Matthew Q. Llewellyn
Hey there folks... Matthew Q. here... that's right... you guessed it. Something has completely set me off and after having a highly trained team of medical professionals bring my blood pressure down from stroke level, I'm ready to abuse the poor keys on this laptop and subject you to yet another thought from... Inside the mind of Matt.
Let's talk about success. Actually... let's talk about failure first. I think that's a good place to begin. Kind of the whole chicken and egg deal though don't you think? Anyway...
What is failure? Is it an ending? Perhaps a beginning? What do you think?... No ... I'll wait ... go ahead and think about it.
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Enough time? Well you're wrong... unless you answered "both", in which case, you're right. Failure is a two part option, being either an ending or a beginning... but never both of them at the same time. I'll explain...
Failure can do one of two things, it can teach you how not to do something, or, it can teach you that something is not possible. The choice is yours. And it is this choice that decides if you will be a failure, or a success.
You might wonder what got me all upset about this whole success/failure thing. To cure your curiosity, it was minimum wage. A classmate and I, who are friends with very differing political views, in that I'm right and he's wrong, spend our breaks debating various topics. The topic of the past few debates is obvious.
He explained how he believes every worker should receive a fair wage for an honest days work... and I agree. It's the amount we have an issue with. He believes you should not be allowed to pay any worker less than $10.00 per hour. I believe you should be able to pay them whatever you feel they are worth to you, as an employer, whether that's $25.00 or $5.00 per hour is up to you. Logic dictates that they more valuable and difficult to replace they are, the more you will pay to keep them.
What makes me right and him wrong? Good question with a good answer.
I believe in individual responsibility... he does not.
We brought up the topic of janitors within a company. Let's be honest. If I am an employer, why should I have to pay you $10.00 per hour? I can train a monkey to scrub a toilet, sweep a floor and take out the trash and pay him with bananas. Being a janitor is an unskilled/uneducated labor position. Does this mean you have no skills or education? Of course not. You might be the most intelligent man in the world. However, you are not applying for the position of most intelligent man in the world, you are applying for the position of unskilled/uneducated janitor.
Why do I consider it unskilled/uneducated? Because it is. You don't need any type of education to push a broom or clean a toilet. And as far as skill is concerned, a skill, generally, is a trade. It is a specialized amount of applicable knowledge and talent within your desired field. Emptying the trash is not a talent.
Want to learn a little about my history? Tough, I'm going to tell you anyway. I was a Janitor folks... I was an 18 year old 8th grade drop out and the only job I could obtain was Janitor. It wasn't a horrible job, it just paid horribly and was very physically hard work at times. I spent a lot of time sweating and a lot of time doing a lot of things I didn't want to do. But it was honest work, and it was what I was capable of doing. Without sounding boastful, I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent, self educated individual... but without the credentials to prove it, in the work world, I was worth nothing. I was of no value to them. Just as quickly as they had hired me, they could had have dozens and dozens of unskilled and uneducated workers lined up around the block.
So... if you know me, you know where I am today. I'm not by any means rich, in fact, I don't make that much money at all. But, I have been very successful in my career, I've achieved in a few years what takes most people 20 and 30 years to achieve. However, I'm still in school to this day. Why? Because with as much as I've done and achieved, I want to achieve bigger and better things. I'm not happy settling where I'm at. I'm the kind of person who is constantly looking for the next set of stairs or ladder. I am constantly seeking a new way to improve my current condition. The only way to improve your condition is to take action to change it. Remember... the only action produced by complacency is death.
What set me apart from other drop outs? Ambition. I wanted to be more than what I was. I wanted to excel to my greatest potential. I wanted to make a mark on the world, to make a difference. And of course, I wanted more money. Let's face it... we all want more money.
Of course lazy people want these things as well. They want more money. They want more out of life. They want bigger homes, better cars and bigger TVs. However, they don't want to work for those things. They want, but they have no ambition to get them there. They are lazy. All they see in front of them is challenge, pain, heartache and headache. I assure you, going to school nearly 40 hours per week and working 48 hours per week is no easy task. I know, I do it. Looking at that road in front of me I know what I see. Month after month becoming years of little sleep. Months after month becoming years of spending as much time at work as I do between school and study groups. I see financial hardships. I see myself watching every penny I spend. I see myself not having health insurance (which, I have opted to not have since I don't get sick so I have a larger check). I see myself not taking vacations, not going to the lake, not going on trips, concerts, etc and so on. I see myself spending my entire life between work and school. And of course, when I do take some time for myself, I will spend my time learning as much as I possibly can about the current political happenings and as I am able, sharing my thoughts with as many people as possible.
I tell you... the road in front, which I can clearly see, sucks. But, I love it. Why? Because I choose to ignore the negative and find the positive. I choose to find the irony of situations and laugh at hardships. And... most importantly... I see the end of the road. I know there will come a time when all of this is behind me and I never have to think about it again. There will be a point where I never again have to say "If I had ____ I could have jumped after that career opportunity", because I will have it. Truly... there is no such thing as luck, only opportunity met by preparation.
What's my point here? My point is this. No one just automatically deserves to take home a certain hourly pay. If you want to make more, you have to do what is required to make more. It's hard, but, nothing good in life ever comes easy. For every great reward there is first a great challenge. If the challenge was not great, the reward would not be great.
The Founding Fathers taught us, that while every American has the right to life, liberty and happiness, it is up to each of them to reach out and grab it on their own. It's not any ones responsibility to make sure you make it except your own. Sure, you might have some help along the way, possibly from family, friends, tuition, etc... but... you have to reach out and get it. You have to put in the time... you have to put in the effort. You have to make a choice to apply the time and effort required to overcome the obstacles in front of you, no matter what they are, and end up at the desired goal. It's all about choice. And just as it is your choice to achieve success, it is your choice to achieve failure. The only way you fail is if you choose to fail. Which brings our ending, back to the beginning of this little rant of mine.
If, when you fail, you learn how to not do something, then you have not failed, but rather, have learned. But, when you fail, if you chose to allow it to become an object which you can not overcome, then you are not only a failure, but you deserve the failure life which you have chosen. You don't deserve to be taken care of by hard working, achieving, successful citizens, you deserve to have us light a fire under your butt so you'll get off the couch, quit playing x-box, get an education and make something of yourself.
Henry Ford said "Whether you believe you can or can't, you're right."
Believe you can succeed and success you will become. Believe you can do nothing, likewise you shall become it. Choose to succeed then you have earned it. Choose to be nothing then you deserve it.
I bid you farewell and good day my friends.
COPYRIGHT © 2009. Matthew Q. Llewellyn. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Truth About Cash For Clunkers
The Truth About Cash For Clunkers
By Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Do you folks remember the whole Frannie/Freddie mess? You should since it's still going on. But do you remember how this whole mess started? Let me help those that do not and then, I will explain why Cash For Clunkers is another failed government program.
The democrats, always ready to "save" the "less fortunate", forced banks to give home loans to people who could not afford them. Why? Because this brings them votes. People remember those who give them free stuff. I'm sure someone will find a way to turn this into a racist comment, but, it's a good comparison... remember this one "Don't feed the stray dog because then the stray knows its home."
So... Banks were not easily grabbing onto this whole idea because they knew what would happen. Big government came in and offered them Frannie and Freddie. If someone defaulted on their loan, Fran and Fred would purchase the loan from the bank and carry it themselves. And so began a "no-threat" lending policy for banks. They could now give loans to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, because they knew the government would pay them when the person started to default.
Of course we all know how this story ended... almost everyone who received a home loan from the program defaulted, Fran and Fred went broke, the government saw it coming, realized they were in over their heads, did nothing and successfully collapsed and changed (for the worse) our entire financial infrastructure.
And now we have Part II of this unintelligent loaning policy.
We... excuse me... big government is, for the first time, giving people the ability to trade in their old cars for new ones by offering up to $4,500.00 for their "clunker".
Okay... I'm going to try to explain this as easily and clearly as I can.
People who could get a home loan before the program are the people who could afford them.
People who could get a home loan after the program were the people who couldn't afford it.
Clue... if you can't afford it before, unless your financial situation greatly increased, you still can't afford it.
Same thing with the cars folks...
If you could afford a car before the "clunker" program, then you can still afford one.
But...
If you couldn't afford a car before it, then you can't afford one now... but... you'll have one.
These people no doubt will find a way to make their payments for the first month or two... of that I have no doubt. But after that, folks, I guarantee you 90+% of the people are going to default on those loans and have their cars repossessed... I guarantee it.
Before the clunkers program, these people had no financial capability of making a monthly car payment... but... they had a car. Sure, it may not have been great, but it was a car, it worked and it required no monthly payments.
Now they are driving around... for now... in their brand new little car... which... being a new car, also requires full coverage insurance, unlike their old "clunker" which I'm sure they only carried liability insurance on.
So...
We took a bunch of people who were doing okay with their old car, making no monthly payments, paying a low liability insurance and we created a government (tax-payer) supported program to level the playing field a little. Now these people have a car payment, a much higher insurance payment... and... let's not forget tag/title/taxes... all required within 30 days of purchase.
Do you people really think big government is just running out of money for this program and wanting to end it soon for those reasons? Big government wastes trillions of dollars on these sugar coated social programs. The real truth is, these guys want to cut and run before the s*** hits the fan. Why? Because it's going to get serious pretty soon. Mark my word.
People will default their loans because they either:
a) can't afford the loan, causing the lender to repo the car.
or
b) can't afford the insurance and let it lapse, causing insurance companies to turn them in and causing the lender to repo the car.
or
c) can't afford the tag/title/taxes and start racking up tickets they can't pay until warrants are issued for their arrest, landing them in a real financial and legal pickle.
Then what happens?
Well... let's see.
A majority of these people, within a fairly short time, will be completely without a car. No new car, no clunker car.
Banks and private lenders will be stuck with hundreds of thousands of cars. They will auction them and recover around 30% of what they need to make back.
People will come crying to big government .... banks and private lenders will come crying to big government ... all of them will be crying for help... and guess what? They will get it.
And so will begin yet another government rescue/bailout plan.
It never ends folks... it never... never... ends.
I bid you good day.
By Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Do you folks remember the whole Frannie/Freddie mess? You should since it's still going on. But do you remember how this whole mess started? Let me help those that do not and then, I will explain why Cash For Clunkers is another failed government program.
The democrats, always ready to "save" the "less fortunate", forced banks to give home loans to people who could not afford them. Why? Because this brings them votes. People remember those who give them free stuff. I'm sure someone will find a way to turn this into a racist comment, but, it's a good comparison... remember this one "Don't feed the stray dog because then the stray knows its home."
So... Banks were not easily grabbing onto this whole idea because they knew what would happen. Big government came in and offered them Frannie and Freddie. If someone defaulted on their loan, Fran and Fred would purchase the loan from the bank and carry it themselves. And so began a "no-threat" lending policy for banks. They could now give loans to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, because they knew the government would pay them when the person started to default.
Of course we all know how this story ended... almost everyone who received a home loan from the program defaulted, Fran and Fred went broke, the government saw it coming, realized they were in over their heads, did nothing and successfully collapsed and changed (for the worse) our entire financial infrastructure.
And now we have Part II of this unintelligent loaning policy.
We... excuse me... big government is, for the first time, giving people the ability to trade in their old cars for new ones by offering up to $4,500.00 for their "clunker".
Okay... I'm going to try to explain this as easily and clearly as I can.
People who could get a home loan before the program are the people who could afford them.
People who could get a home loan after the program were the people who couldn't afford it.
Clue... if you can't afford it before, unless your financial situation greatly increased, you still can't afford it.
Same thing with the cars folks...
If you could afford a car before the "clunker" program, then you can still afford one.
But...
If you couldn't afford a car before it, then you can't afford one now... but... you'll have one.
These people no doubt will find a way to make their payments for the first month or two... of that I have no doubt. But after that, folks, I guarantee you 90+% of the people are going to default on those loans and have their cars repossessed... I guarantee it.
Before the clunkers program, these people had no financial capability of making a monthly car payment... but... they had a car. Sure, it may not have been great, but it was a car, it worked and it required no monthly payments.
Now they are driving around... for now... in their brand new little car... which... being a new car, also requires full coverage insurance, unlike their old "clunker" which I'm sure they only carried liability insurance on.
So...
We took a bunch of people who were doing okay with their old car, making no monthly payments, paying a low liability insurance and we created a government (tax-payer) supported program to level the playing field a little. Now these people have a car payment, a much higher insurance payment... and... let's not forget tag/title/taxes... all required within 30 days of purchase.
Do you people really think big government is just running out of money for this program and wanting to end it soon for those reasons? Big government wastes trillions of dollars on these sugar coated social programs. The real truth is, these guys want to cut and run before the s*** hits the fan. Why? Because it's going to get serious pretty soon. Mark my word.
People will default their loans because they either:
a) can't afford the loan, causing the lender to repo the car.
or
b) can't afford the insurance and let it lapse, causing insurance companies to turn them in and causing the lender to repo the car.
or
c) can't afford the tag/title/taxes and start racking up tickets they can't pay until warrants are issued for their arrest, landing them in a real financial and legal pickle.
Then what happens?
Well... let's see.
A majority of these people, within a fairly short time, will be completely without a car. No new car, no clunker car.
Banks and private lenders will be stuck with hundreds of thousands of cars. They will auction them and recover around 30% of what they need to make back.
People will come crying to big government .... banks and private lenders will come crying to big government ... all of them will be crying for help... and guess what? They will get it.
And so will begin yet another government rescue/bailout plan.
It never ends folks... it never... never... ends.
I bid you good day.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Absolute, 100% Truth About Obama's Healthcare Reform Plan
The Absolute, 100% Truth About Obama's Healthcare Plan
By Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Hi there folks... it's been a while hasn't it? I apologize for that. I've spent weeks of free time reading and re-reading the healthcare plan and haven't really had time to sit down, write, edit and distribute daily/weekly columns to you fine folks. However, I recently received an email from someone, that was actually part of a group reply, that really caught my interest. It of course, since you are reading about it here, was about Obama's Health plan. I decided, after thinking about it for a while, to pull my hundreds of pages of notes together, find the high points, and peck out a reply. After many hours, I finished what you are about to read. I have edited the name of the gentleman I sent it to, as he did not email me through the Libertarian Movement site, so I don't know if he would take kindly to having his name disclosed. I hope you enjoy reading this truth as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Attention Obama supporting sheeple. If you can disprove anything I have said here (which I already know you can't, but, for the sake of debate) I will remove this entire post, apologize to Obama and the liberal sheeple, and post the new truth. To date... I've never had to re-tract a statement I've made in my columns... I double check and triple check... I recommend you do as well.
Without further delay ... Ladies and Gentleman ... boys and girls ... I bring you ... Obama'Care: The Road to Death. (I just named it ... ha)
XX-Name edited-XX,
You are very well informed of a lot of facts and issues. Whether I agree with someone politically or not, I applaud every citizen who takes it upon themselves to actively pursue their part in helping to shape our nation's future.
As it stands today, we are in a fight for our freedom. While we are not in a war of arms, we are in a war of words. As was said in the Declaration of Independence, "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security". Those words run very deeply and say more than anyone could imagine at first glance.
The founding fathers weren't just speaking of declaring war, the were talking about the principles of men. Men like myself, my father, my uncle, and millions of Americans, we live and breathe these principles. They were talking about doing what was right, no matter what the cost. They were saying, 'when you see something that you know is wrong, and you have the ability to do something, as a man, as a citizen, it is your duty and responsibility to take whatever action is necessary to right it'.
Today, as we fight this war of words, we see ourselves at the crossroads not faced in 270 years. Do we go with the crowd for popularity? Do we take the easy road? Do we fight? Do we stand up and face whatever comes against us? What do we do?
Personally, I believe we should act much like Thomas Paine who said "If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my children may have peace."
I have no children, but I do have blood. I have my brothers and sisters, who, all but one, are old enough to vote and make choices to shape their futures. I also think of my many cousins and their children, and my brothers and sisters children. They are my family... my blood... they are my heritage. The Llewellyn blood beats proudly in their veins. Being a family of honor, I must honor those who came before me and did the same for us. Many fought with words, some fought in war, and some died in war. Some made great futures for their children which built a future for me.
Grandfather Llewellyn built a great life for his children. He was a wise businessman who was able to place my aunts in uncles in a socio-economic condition which allowed them to prosper greatly. Because he did this, my father has done the same for me, opening doors for me, and helping me move forward in my quest to forge a successful life. Because I see what they did, I do what they do.
Slowly... but surely, I work towards my PhD in Emergency Management, while everyday, serving my country at home as an emergency worker. I work hard, and I damn sure don't give up. And what I have that I couldn't earn, I only have because of what my father, and his father, and his father have done. As such, my children will benefit from what I have done. When the time comes, just as my father has done for me, I will make sure they are able to attend as much school as they desire, and open as many doors for them as I can. One day, they will look back at my legacy, as I look at my fathers and his fathers, and they will find inspiration, morals, principles and guidance. They will find hope where none can be seen ... and because I will raise them as my father did me, they will grow up and believe in patriotism, and in freedom. They will believe in following the American dream and forging their own future.
And just as I have done, and my father did, and his father did, they will not go to the government, or fellow tax-payers and say "feed me, clothe me and pay this for me too", they will ask rather of themselves, "what must I do, to ultimately, become an independent man or woman, capable of facing this world on my own?" And there... they will find themselves at the crossroad I am at ... and this country is at ... in asking ... "What do we do?"
Today, my Dad sent an email which he found great concern in. He sent it to as many people as he knew, because he wanted them, like he did, to take action. Of course, we can't always guarantee that action will be on our side, but, as I said, I am happy to know Americans are at least taking part in the process, just as you are.
I don't reply to you to create any type of animosity, as politics can often cause this. But rather, because I believe you are an intelligent man capable of analytical thought. I believe that when you, and others, are presented with the facts and logical reasoning, you will come to a logical conclusion.
Of course I don't know where you sit politically, on the left or right of the aisle, perhaps in the aisle... Personally, I am a Libertarian. I would like to invite you, and everyone else reading, to take this very short questionnaire. A lot of people are surprised by the results.
That being said, I would like to reply to the general conversation going around via email and to the actual bill itself.
I don't know how many people have read the entire bill... I have, and I have to say it's a very tough read. I doubt any single member of Congress has read even half of it. There are a number of things which concern me very deeply. I'll address these as best as possible. Also, I'll discuss historical fact pertaining to particular areas.
Let's say I told each of you, "I am going to give each of you a check for $500.00, and one of you noticed my checkbook was open, and the checks were actually made out for $100.00, would you then call me a liar?" I would hope so, as I would call myself a liar.
In the same manner, when Pres. Obama tells me one thing, but I read nearly 1,000 pages and nearly every page says something else, I have to either make the same conclusion, or, another. If he is not a liar, then indeed, he doesn't know what's in the bill either. Interesting possibility with that one... is everyone familiar with the term "plausible deniability"? That has been used more than 5,000 times within our government since Lincoln..
Moving on ...
I have Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome. It's a very rare congenital defect of the heart which occurs in less than 1% of the population. As it stands right now I have little to no problems from this. I attribute this of course to the power of God and my faith, and, to the fact that I am able to afford one of the most well respected Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist in the nation. I do not have medical insurance. I am a cash-pay patient. Interesting note here... it was the fact that I choose not to have medical insurance that has allowed me to receive the prompt treatment needed. I didn't have to wait around for approvals, etc, and so on, I just worked out a payment contract and we did it. However, they performed, when it hit its peak, the immediate interventions needed prior to that contract. Had I been using health insurance, my doctor told me, from his experience, I would have been forced to endure the effects of WPW for potentially three to six months. One of those possible effects being sudden death.
Now... I'm a young healthy male. I do have "catastrophic medical insurance", however, I refuse to pay for regular medical insurance. I am fully able to meet the payments when I need to for my cardiologist and to afford my required medication... a medication which most literally regulates the beating of my heart and keeps me alive. Without it, I would be in and out of SVT/PSVT all the time, and, because of the physical demand of my job, would be at a highly increased risk for sudden death.
So... let's assume the current healthcare plan is approved. Where would that leave me?
As we go through this, remember, this plan is supposed to be for ME to improve MY quality of life... not insured people... ME. That's what we are told ... let's move forward...
First and foremost, it leaves me in a bit of a situation which will most likely put my friends and family sitting in a room around a suit listening to the reading of my last will.
I'll start with the small stuff... but trust me... it will get worse as I go.
1: Let's assume I choose the government plan... no... that's the worst... I'll come back to it.
1: (Matt ranting on his soap box, take two...and three, two, one, action) Let's assume I choose to be responsible for my own healthcare, as I am now. I will be forced to pay a $1,000.00 annual fine to the government for not having an insurance plan.
Furthermore, this goes on to what I call vicarious punishment. This is probably one of the most devious things in the entire bill.
Anyone who has served in the military is familiar with this one...
When one guy in basic just keeps screwing up over and over, the D.I.'s punish the entire group. Eventually, the group turns on him and .. well .. we've all seen Full Metal Jacket.
This is the same thing this bill does.
Let's say you have a room-mate and they choose not to have health insurance... you, as their room-mate, will be fined an additional $1,000.00. That's right! It's not just you that gets punished for your actions, it's those around you. The bill doesn't just punish you for the family within your household, it says "... per member of the household." The definition of "member of the household" in the bill is "anyone legally residing within the domestic dwelling...". Prior to that definition, it gives "domestic dwelling" as "... a structure, independent or grouped, zoned for residential purposes."
You're understanding this right? Each member in your home, over the age of 18, will be fined $1,000.00 per individual in the household who does not have medical insurance. Perhaps you are a couple who are both young and don't want to waste your money on medical insurance. That's a $4,000.00 fine per year, $2,000.00 for you and $2,000.00 for them. (remember, you're fined for you AND them) Maybe your kid is in college with 5 other room mates and they, also, don't want to waste their money on medical insurance. That's $5,000.00 per room mate.
Let's move on...
How will this be assessed? Taxes. Your fine will be thrown on top of your federal tax liability. I wonder if this is going to greatly increase our federal prison population? People can't afford to pay that, thus... to avoid prison they will do what they are forced to do. They will either choose a private insurance plan through their employer, or, they will go with the government plan. Let's discuss those as well.
Let's say you have a plan when the bill goes into effect... great... grand... wonderful. If you quit your job you will be required by federal law to either sign up for the government plan or waive the government plan and add the annual fine to your annual tax liability. That's right... as Obama said, "...if you have a plan now you can keep it, I have no problem with that." It's nice to know our President has no problem with us governing our private lives... funny... he's the only President who has had to point that out... Moving on.
What Pres. Obama doesn't bother to tell you is that if you change employers you'll be forced by law to take his plan or take the fine. Your choice ... that's right ... your choice ... after all ... we're a free nation .... choice is important.
Furthermore...
What companies do you actually believe will still offer health insurance? First and foremost, the plan will take currently untaxed healthcare incentives paid by employers and force them to include it as earned income, forcing both employer and employee to have a tax liability on the company paid part of their healthcare plan. That means, if you have health insurance, look at your check and see how much your employer pays every week, or two weeks, whatever... Add that amount to your check, review the IRS and state chart rules for that estimated annual amount, and for each pay check in that amount, you will find your new tax liability... and of course, as will your employer.
For the average employee, this will increase their federal liability from 17.1% nationwide average to 22.4% nationwide average. So much for that 2.5% raise...
Enter another problem...
The governments healthcare plan requires no profit to be made... it's what is called a "planned loss system". Fire and police departments are planned loss systems, i.e., the government expects no return. The healthplan clearly states it is a planned loss system.
Exactly how are private insurance companies, who must profit, expected to compete with that? It's impossible. You can't beat it. You HAVE to make a profit... the other intends to make zero profit ... you lose... end of discussion.
It won't take long and we will ALL arrive at option "2" for me .... and ultimately, all of you ... government healthcare.
2: I die.
Sound extreme? Yes. But is it true? Yes.
I just know you guys are going to love this... you know ... I've been typing for a while now, checking facts, etc and so on... and I'm sure you've been reading for a while. Let's all take a 5 minute break, relax our eyes, get a drink, grab a cookie, take a smoke, drain our bladders, whatever... I'll see you in 5 minutes.
And welcome to the magic of email ... You couldn't even tell I was gone for 5 minutes could you? It's just amazing what we can do these days. Okay, back to the story.
Have you ever marked on a medical chart, anywhere, at any time, that you have used alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or had more than 3 sexual partners within the last 12 months?
If you answered "yes" to any of those then this should be very fun, and aggrivating, information from you.
If you have ever marked that you smoked, you will not be eligible to receive treatment for any condition that is related to, or shown to have increased contraction possibility with the use of tobacco. High blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, etc and so on. Tough luck.
What about alcohol? If you've ever marked yes, I hope you never develop any type of liver issues, certain G.I. issues, certain cancers, etc and so on... you won't be eligible for treatment.
Drugs? You're toast. That's pretty much all there is too it. It is the opinion of the United States government that each and every criminalized drug (unconstitutionally) can lead to about 90% of the known medical and mental problems we know about in one way or another. Their simple answer... you aren't eligible.
What about sex? Ever had more than 3 partners within a year and admitted it on a medical chart, or to a medical professional and had them document it? I hope you never get a STD from a cheating partner... you're toast. You can't get treatment.
Oh.. the best part ... if you are found ineligible for treatment, for any reason, although you may receive treatment for other things, you will still be required to pay the annual fine, the same as if you didn't. Go you! I bet you didn't even know you were an over-achiever.
So... why do I say I die? Easy.
The drug used to control my WPW is called Atenolol; a beta-blocker. Under current government descriptions it is a high blood pressure medication. Regardless of what they call it, it has the side effect of being very beneficial to people like me. Unfortunately, under the new plan, in order to prescribe it, it would have to be for the desired effect. The government plan doesn't allow drugs to be prescribed for the purpose of undesired effects. This means in order to get the drug, my doctor would have to lie and say I have high blood pressure. Once he does this, it will que up the "I'm sorry, your patient must die" screen. Why? I've marked "smoker" on a medical chart in my past. I wouldn't be eligible for high blood pressure medication. It doesn't matter that it's not intended for that.... I'm just S.O.L.
Now let's talk long term ... and when I say long term .. I'm talking to my older friends ... who of course, although young in Spirit... are.... well... old.
Under the government plan your treatment, whatever it is, must "be beneficial to the life expectency of the receipient over a projected 25 years or greater." Let me help with that one...
Since the government is paying for it ... excuse me ... since the government is taking my money at the point of a gun to pay for your healthcare, they believe that I, and the rest of society, should be able to benefit for at least 25 years from your treatment. If not, then the treatment is considered "unbeneficial and illogical to approve such treatment as the long term benefits to the country fail to exist."
Side note ... I said "taking my money at the point of a gun..." .. Is that true? Is the government really taking my money, or your money, at the point of a gun? YES! They are. They are pointing a gun at you and saying "give us your money or else!". Think I'm lying? Think I'm wrong? ... Quit paying your taxes, ignore their letters, wait for the warrant to be issued, and tell me who shows up for you. ... Point of a gun? You bet your ass. Let's proceed...
What's the current life expectency for a male in the U.S.? ... Anyone? ... Well .. it depends on who is making the numbers, but, for the government... 77.
Are you 52 years old or older? ... Yes? You are ... well ... nice knowing ya .... .... Hey everyone, look! Dead man walking!
It won't matter if you are receiving treatment now, and it won't matter how petty your condition seems, if your expectency is not 25 or greater years, you will not qualify for the treatment ... we don't even need to get into this treatment or that treatment ... simple ... easy ... regardless ... you don't qualify.
This gets worse ...
Are you considered "obese"? Not "are you obese?", but are you considered obese? Over 70% of Americans, although appearing healthy, because of their weight, are considered obese... not morbidly obese, just obese..
This is good ... You'll like this.
You can't get treatment for any condition which is related to obesity. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure... etc, etc, etc... Sorry ... this, like smoking, alcohol, drugs and sexual activity, is something that you have caused to occur to yourself.
I guess I'll just sum this whole little section up...
You will only be able to receive treatment for a condition if you do not meet one of the dozens of exemptions which are believed to lead to the cause of your condition. If you meet one or more of them, then you're just s.o.l. folks ... Remember ... you don't have to like the truth, for it to be the truth.
Now let's talk about the brass tax here ...
What will this plan cost YOU, the taxpayer? Well ... besides money ... if you are one of about 80% of Americans out there ... your life. I failed to mention that a minute ago and wanted to make sure I touched on it ... under the written government healthcare plan, once you add in all the exemptions, barring rules and compare them to national statistics, >80% of the U.S. will not be eligable for the most common medical problems known to our society.
Back to the money ...
This will cost you a fortune. The more money you have, the more you will pay... and unfairly as well. Most Americans won't have to pay a dime into the system (at first). On welfare? Don't have to pay. On unemployment? Don't have to pay. Make less than $250,000.00 per year gross? Don't have to pay.
Who does this leave paying for it? About 10% of the population.
So... exactly how are 10% of the population supposed to pay for 100% of the care? And frankly... why the hell should they?
Let me get hypothetical for a moment...
Let's say I'm a successful businessman ... I make >$250,000.00 a year, I create jobs, etc and so on. Of course, my tax liability has gone through the roof, I'm laying off employees left and right, I'm paying more for the employees I have, I have less money to invest into my company and make it bigger and better (creating more jobs), I have less money to invest into my own income... which is really a pickle, because, as a business owner, I don't pay taxes on the net income I take home, I pay taxes on the gross income of my business as is required ... forget the fact that like 91% of the business owners in this nation, that I take home <$55,000.00 per year, my tax liability is taken from the gross income of my company... which would be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now ... let's say I make widgets, and the government makes widgets. Here I am, now struggling to pay my own bills and laying off employee after employee... my company is going more and more into debt ... but ... If I shut it down right down, I can lay everyone off, pay off all the debt, and go to work for the government widget maker... and honestly, with my experience, I'm sure they'll throw me in at least a middle management position ... I'll probably make $50,000.00 a year and not have to worry about all the stuff I am now. No more paying >50% tax liability, no more worrying about debt collectors, and beautifully, now I can get my free government healthcare and not have to pay anything like I was before.
So... what do you think I will do? What do you think most people will do?
The answer is obvious and logical ... people may hold on for as long as possible, but eventually, they will come to the conclusion of "this is costing me my fortune anyway, why should I keep doing this, working harder and harder, just to end up bust? I can get out now and never worry about this again. I'm done."
Now who pays for the government healthcare?
I'm waiting...
Anyone?
No one?
Really?
Not one of you?
Seriously?
I'm really disappointed ... I thought you folks would know...
GOVERNMENT!!! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!
The government will save us!
Now we just have to figure out how to handle that whole pesky money issue...
Taxes? Print money? Hmmm... choices choices decisions decisions...
If we raise taxes we'll just have to raise them on EVERYONE now ... hmmm ...
Make more money? That causes hyperinflation ... which causes full and absolute economic collapse.
Tough call...
What do you think the answer will be?
It's really up in the air ... I don't know which one they will pick .... but rest assured ... it will be one or the other.
Let's talk about those minimum wage earners real fast ...
The plan says it targets, as what pointed out, those Americans who make minimum wage and can not afford healthcare.
So the plan is for 1% of the population? LESS... note that word... LESS than 1% of the population earns minimum wage ... LESS ... of those workers, almost all of them are teenagers in high school or young adults in college ... but even of those, less than 5% of high school and college workers make minimum wage.
To be completely honest ... unless you are one of them, and you're making minimum wage ... you're a loser. If you're 40 years old making minimum wage in a fast food chain ... unless you are mentally handicapped, you're a loser. End of discussion. Of course ... while we're on it ... the mentally handicapped already receive free medical care at the expense of tax payers, so this plan isn't for them. Remember, it's for the "uninsured."
Of course some of you unconstitutionally believe the government should be able to force employers to pay a certain wage. I believe much more logically and intelligently. I believe employees are worth $1.00 per hour from the neck down. From the neck up, they are paid for what is in their brain. Knowledge is power ... the more knowledge you have, the more power you have, the more money you can earn. The less you CHOOSE to have, the less you will earn. It's YOUR decision.
Let's talk about the uninsured.
47 million Americans do NOT have health insurance .... MY..... GOD........ Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?
Wait? Why would we think of the children?
There is not ONE... not ONE single child in this entire country that does NOT have health insurance... not ONE. The dem's are playing on words here ... they don't say, "millions of children are without healthcare" they say "millions of children are without the ability to get private insurance" .... See the play on words there?
Every single state ... make sure you catch that ... every single state, requires parents to provide minors with healthcare ... period ... end of discussion ... it's the law. Now ... it hasn't always been like this, but over the last 10 years, every single state has passed the laws and made the plans. Did I just say plans? Yes... I did.
If you can not afford private insurance for your child, then you must enroll them in the medical program of whatever state you live in ... for Oklahoma, it's called SoonerCare.
Because of these programs, not a single child in this nation is without health insurance. They aren't the 47 million Americans being mentioned. So who are they?
Well ... first of all ... they aren't Americans ... not all of them.
This country has approximately 20,000,000 criminal invaders (illegal immigrants) who have committed, literally, acts of war against our nation by invading the borders and causing social and/or property distress and/or harm. (Bet you didn't know that one.)
While they are human beings, and I'll treat them with the same level of care I do anyone, they aren't citizens, and in the world we live in, that means something. To benefit from a country's incentives you have to be a contributing citizen... illegals aren't ... they are thieves and plagues to the system. The plan specifically recognizes that illegals will be included as eligible for healthcare because they are part of the problem.
No... they ARE the problem.
Over the past 20 years, illegals were the cause of over 85% of this nation's unpaid medical debt ... that number seem high? Yes... but is it true? You bet your butt it is.
So subtract the 20,000,000 illegals and you are left with about 27,000,000 Americans who do not have health insurance? Who the hell are these people? Why can they not get health insurance?... Oh, that's right... they don't want it.
See... here is the problem with democrats, they don't tell the entire picture. Same problem with a lot of Republicans, they don't tell the entire picture. What's the problem with us Libertarians? We tell the entire picture... that makes us a problem to the democrats and republicans ... most of the time ... just the democrats.
They pulled their numbers for this from the last U.S. Census. There was a question that asked if you had medical insurance. Guess what? That wasn't the only question on there. There was also a question that asked whether you could not afford it, or chose to not have it. Interesting they don't share that part ... allow me.
Of the 27,000,000 Americans without health insurance, about 21,000,000 of them are between the ages of 19 and 29 and they marked down on the same census the information comes from, that they didn't have insurance because they chose not to have insurance. In a gallop poll of uninsured individuals between these ages, the greatest majority stated they could afford it, but were young and healthy and considered it a waste of money.... many were noted as saying "that's good beer money."
So we are left with 7,000,000 Americans who don't have health insurance. Oh crap ... guess what ... no we aren't. We are left with a few million "Native Americans" who receive Indian benefits through their tribal membership, and although their head count is included in the numbers, they don't include their tribal insurance since it is neither private insurance or U.S. government insurance... Why? Because these tribes are literally their own nations with their own "foreign" governments ... thus ... our government doesn't count it.
In reality ... there are only a few hundred thousand people in America who indeed, do not have and are not capable of obtaining health insurance. Of course... most of these are homeless people who aren't included in the numbers to begin with.
But ... let's just be hypothetical here for a minute ...
Let's say that their numbers are right and there really are 47,000,000 Americans without the ability to gain health insurance.
Fine ... so be it...
But why are we going to spend trillions of dollars to fix this? Let's cut 47,000,000 checks for $1,000,000.00 and give it to each of these people. That should cover their medical expenses for the rest of their lives and then some. If they waste it it's their own fault.
I wanted to address a few other things in your email ...
Concerning 30% of Oklahoman's spending 10% of their income on healthcare ...
My partner and I at work did a study over the course of 30 days. We watched every single person that went into a convenience store in a small town. (small towns representing the lower income earners for the most part.) Of the average 600 purchases made between the hours of 4pm and 7pm (people coming home from work), 79% of the people walked out of the door with an 18 pack or larger of beer. 40% walked out with two or more 18 packs. 39% walked out with 1 or more packs of cigarettes. When we watched on Saturdays, for just one hour, 65% of the people walked out with 2 or more 30 packs of beer. Now, let's add up some numbers.
1, 18 pack per day x 5 business days (not counting weekend beer) comes up to $15.00 x 5 = $75.00.
2, 30 packs each x 1 saturday comes up to $18.00 x 2 = $36.00
1 pack of cigarettes (assumingly 7 days per week) comes up to $5.00 x 7 = $35.00
So...
On a weekly basis, at least 39% of the population of Oklahoma we watched, spends a total of $146.00 on alcohol and tobacco.
Annually that means at least 39% of the population, in our survey, spend $7,592.00 per year on alcohol and tobacco. Of course, I left out sales tax. With sales tax that comes to ...
crunching the numbers .... $9,110.40 every year.
So... how much does health insurance cost again?
I bet once we include cheetos, pizza night, eating out constantly, etc and so on ... actually ... let's get a real number here ... a government number ... standby ...
It took me almost 30 minutes to find this ... again ... wow ... the magic of email. You didn't even know I was gone.
Oh this is GOOD ...
The average lower and middle class American, both, spend about 35% of their annual income on fast food. WOW! Really?
And democrats want me to believe citizens are in financial situations that they can't get out of? How about stop buying the smokes, beer and fast food? There's an odd thought.
And let's talk about poverty... since so many people in our nation are going "without"...
According the the Census, our government says 12.6% of Americans are considered poor and destitute... that's 35 million people. ... 35 million ... poor... and destitute. Really? Again ... let's go BACK to the SAME census and pull the rest of their answers.
43% of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
80% of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6% of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly 75% of poor households own a car; 31% own two or more cars..
97% of poor households have a color television; >50% own two or more color televisions.
78% have a VCR or DVD player; 62% have cable or satellite TV reception.
81% own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.
Poor and destitute? Really? Seriously? You expect me to buy that?
Want to use me for an up-close and personal example? I make less than $25,000.00 per year... LESS...
I have a big 2 bedroom home, own a car, own 3, count 'em, 3 color TV's, 3 DVD players, 1 top of the line digital surround sound system, digital cable and high speed cable internet, a home phone and a cell phone.. I have a microwave, a fridge full of food, a washer and dryer, air conditioning, natural gas heat... I could go on for hours. If I didn't tell you how much money I earn while going to school, would you think I was poor? In fact, if we presented the numbers above of the "poor and destitute" and did not give their income, would you consider them poor?
Of course you wouldn't ... but when it comes time for government programs ... damn near all of us are considered poor and need the government to "rescue" us.
Let's bring this very long email to an end...
What is government healthcare really going to do and ... what should we do?
Government healthcare is going to cause the collapse of private industry healthcare. It will put millions of people out of work, close hundreds of thousands of businesses, limit the income earning capability of "free" citizens, limit healthcare to less than 20% of the population, cause massive healthcare denials... denials where currently, although they are in debt because of it, they receive treatment for.
The people of the world will be effected as well, seeing as the nearly.... ready for this number? ... 25,000,000 Canadian and European citizens who come here for care every year quit bringing their money here to receive urgent healthcare that they can't get in their country ... the same country that has a health plan that is destroying it ... the same one that has caused the lowest income earners in Canada to have an annual tax obligation of 61.2%, with 45% of that being a healthcare tax ... the same healthcare plan that our government is planning on forcing us under ... despite what they say ... I've read it ... it's the same.
What will we have when all this happens? Absolute government dependency and control. After all, if you control someone's access to healthcare, you pretty much control them. The system as a whole will systematically collapse. Money becomes worth nothing, the people will either be taxed into their graves or hyperinflation, as it historically does 100% of the time, will destroy our entire economy and, as has happened 100% of the time throughout history, will open the door for a tyrannical leader to take over. Hey ... interesting thought here...
Who here has read the Communist Manifesto? Anyone? I have... it's a GOOD read. In fact, I wrote what is called "The Communist Manifesto: A Close Examination". It's a better read than the Manifesto itself, and while long, it is not nearly as long as the Manifesto. I recommend you read it.
One of the ways a leader bent on absolute control takes over a society is by controlling the healthcare... again... control the healthcare, control the people.
I want ... for just a minute ... to speak about a man who is considered by millions of people to be a hero.
This man was a great military man and later a great party leader. Ultimately, he become one of the most powerful men in the world... and one of the most respected. He promised a car in every garage ... and did it. He promised an ice box in every home ... and did it. He promised a nationwide government ran education system ... and did it. He promised a nationwide government healthcare plan ... and did it. He promised a job for every person ... and did it. Then he promised to kill every Jew in the world ... and he damn near did it.
Yeah ... millions of people consider Hitler a hero ... the other billions of us throughout the world consider him the tyrannical mad man he was.
No one remembers how he did what he did ... they just remember what he did. Of course ... it's not the fault of most Americans that they don't know this, it's the governments. Government schools do not teach how tyrannical mad men came into power and were able to force millions, hundreds of millions of people, under the control of one person. They just teach that these people were bad, U.S. government got involved, kicked ass, we won, go us! And indeed, go us! And may God lay rest and grant peace to the men who died fighting these insane leaders.
Don't look at me and say "Matt, come on, you can't really think our government believes we are so stupid as to not see what they are doing?" To which I answer... NO! They KNOW you are that stupid ... THEY EDUCATED YOU!
In conclusion ... What to do what to do what to do...
Well ... read the beginning of this email ... do what you believe is right. In the end, when your time comes, at least you'll know you did that much.
Good night... or depending on when you read this... good morning... or afternoon... whatever... How 'bout... have a good one. There... that covers it all...
I bid you good day.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
By Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Hi there folks... it's been a while hasn't it? I apologize for that. I've spent weeks of free time reading and re-reading the healthcare plan and haven't really had time to sit down, write, edit and distribute daily/weekly columns to you fine folks. However, I recently received an email from someone, that was actually part of a group reply, that really caught my interest. It of course, since you are reading about it here, was about Obama's Health plan. I decided, after thinking about it for a while, to pull my hundreds of pages of notes together, find the high points, and peck out a reply. After many hours, I finished what you are about to read. I have edited the name of the gentleman I sent it to, as he did not email me through the Libertarian Movement site, so I don't know if he would take kindly to having his name disclosed. I hope you enjoy reading this truth as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Attention Obama supporting sheeple. If you can disprove anything I have said here (which I already know you can't, but, for the sake of debate) I will remove this entire post, apologize to Obama and the liberal sheeple, and post the new truth. To date... I've never had to re-tract a statement I've made in my columns... I double check and triple check... I recommend you do as well.
Without further delay ... Ladies and Gentleman ... boys and girls ... I bring you ... Obama'Care: The Road to Death. (I just named it ... ha)
XX-Name edited-XX,
You are very well informed of a lot of facts and issues. Whether I agree with someone politically or not, I applaud every citizen who takes it upon themselves to actively pursue their part in helping to shape our nation's future.
As it stands today, we are in a fight for our freedom. While we are not in a war of arms, we are in a war of words. As was said in the Declaration of Independence, "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security". Those words run very deeply and say more than anyone could imagine at first glance.
The founding fathers weren't just speaking of declaring war, the were talking about the principles of men. Men like myself, my father, my uncle, and millions of Americans, we live and breathe these principles. They were talking about doing what was right, no matter what the cost. They were saying, 'when you see something that you know is wrong, and you have the ability to do something, as a man, as a citizen, it is your duty and responsibility to take whatever action is necessary to right it'.
Today, as we fight this war of words, we see ourselves at the crossroads not faced in 270 years. Do we go with the crowd for popularity? Do we take the easy road? Do we fight? Do we stand up and face whatever comes against us? What do we do?
Personally, I believe we should act much like Thomas Paine who said "If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my children may have peace."
I have no children, but I do have blood. I have my brothers and sisters, who, all but one, are old enough to vote and make choices to shape their futures. I also think of my many cousins and their children, and my brothers and sisters children. They are my family... my blood... they are my heritage. The Llewellyn blood beats proudly in their veins. Being a family of honor, I must honor those who came before me and did the same for us. Many fought with words, some fought in war, and some died in war. Some made great futures for their children which built a future for me.
Grandfather Llewellyn built a great life for his children. He was a wise businessman who was able to place my aunts in uncles in a socio-economic condition which allowed them to prosper greatly. Because he did this, my father has done the same for me, opening doors for me, and helping me move forward in my quest to forge a successful life. Because I see what they did, I do what they do.
Slowly... but surely, I work towards my PhD in Emergency Management, while everyday, serving my country at home as an emergency worker. I work hard, and I damn sure don't give up. And what I have that I couldn't earn, I only have because of what my father, and his father, and his father have done. As such, my children will benefit from what I have done. When the time comes, just as my father has done for me, I will make sure they are able to attend as much school as they desire, and open as many doors for them as I can. One day, they will look back at my legacy, as I look at my fathers and his fathers, and they will find inspiration, morals, principles and guidance. They will find hope where none can be seen ... and because I will raise them as my father did me, they will grow up and believe in patriotism, and in freedom. They will believe in following the American dream and forging their own future.
And just as I have done, and my father did, and his father did, they will not go to the government, or fellow tax-payers and say "feed me, clothe me and pay this for me too", they will ask rather of themselves, "what must I do, to ultimately, become an independent man or woman, capable of facing this world on my own?" And there... they will find themselves at the crossroad I am at ... and this country is at ... in asking ... "What do we do?"
Today, my Dad sent an email which he found great concern in. He sent it to as many people as he knew, because he wanted them, like he did, to take action. Of course, we can't always guarantee that action will be on our side, but, as I said, I am happy to know Americans are at least taking part in the process, just as you are.
I don't reply to you to create any type of animosity, as politics can often cause this. But rather, because I believe you are an intelligent man capable of analytical thought. I believe that when you, and others, are presented with the facts and logical reasoning, you will come to a logical conclusion.
Of course I don't know where you sit politically, on the left or right of the aisle, perhaps in the aisle... Personally, I am a Libertarian. I would like to invite you, and everyone else reading, to take this very short questionnaire. A lot of people are surprised by the results.
That being said, I would like to reply to the general conversation going around via email and to the actual bill itself.
I don't know how many people have read the entire bill... I have, and I have to say it's a very tough read. I doubt any single member of Congress has read even half of it. There are a number of things which concern me very deeply. I'll address these as best as possible. Also, I'll discuss historical fact pertaining to particular areas.
Let's say I told each of you, "I am going to give each of you a check for $500.00, and one of you noticed my checkbook was open, and the checks were actually made out for $100.00, would you then call me a liar?" I would hope so, as I would call myself a liar.
In the same manner, when Pres. Obama tells me one thing, but I read nearly 1,000 pages and nearly every page says something else, I have to either make the same conclusion, or, another. If he is not a liar, then indeed, he doesn't know what's in the bill either. Interesting possibility with that one... is everyone familiar with the term "plausible deniability"? That has been used more than 5,000 times within our government since Lincoln..
Moving on ...
I have Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome. It's a very rare congenital defect of the heart which occurs in less than 1% of the population. As it stands right now I have little to no problems from this. I attribute this of course to the power of God and my faith, and, to the fact that I am able to afford one of the most well respected Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist in the nation. I do not have medical insurance. I am a cash-pay patient. Interesting note here... it was the fact that I choose not to have medical insurance that has allowed me to receive the prompt treatment needed. I didn't have to wait around for approvals, etc, and so on, I just worked out a payment contract and we did it. However, they performed, when it hit its peak, the immediate interventions needed prior to that contract. Had I been using health insurance, my doctor told me, from his experience, I would have been forced to endure the effects of WPW for potentially three to six months. One of those possible effects being sudden death.
Now... I'm a young healthy male. I do have "catastrophic medical insurance", however, I refuse to pay for regular medical insurance. I am fully able to meet the payments when I need to for my cardiologist and to afford my required medication... a medication which most literally regulates the beating of my heart and keeps me alive. Without it, I would be in and out of SVT/PSVT all the time, and, because of the physical demand of my job, would be at a highly increased risk for sudden death.
So... let's assume the current healthcare plan is approved. Where would that leave me?
As we go through this, remember, this plan is supposed to be for ME to improve MY quality of life... not insured people... ME. That's what we are told ... let's move forward...
First and foremost, it leaves me in a bit of a situation which will most likely put my friends and family sitting in a room around a suit listening to the reading of my last will.
I'll start with the small stuff... but trust me... it will get worse as I go.
1: Let's assume I choose the government plan... no... that's the worst... I'll come back to it.
1: (Matt ranting on his soap box, take two...and three, two, one, action) Let's assume I choose to be responsible for my own healthcare, as I am now. I will be forced to pay a $1,000.00 annual fine to the government for not having an insurance plan.
Furthermore, this goes on to what I call vicarious punishment. This is probably one of the most devious things in the entire bill.
Anyone who has served in the military is familiar with this one...
When one guy in basic just keeps screwing up over and over, the D.I.'s punish the entire group. Eventually, the group turns on him and .. well .. we've all seen Full Metal Jacket.
This is the same thing this bill does.
Let's say you have a room-mate and they choose not to have health insurance... you, as their room-mate, will be fined an additional $1,000.00. That's right! It's not just you that gets punished for your actions, it's those around you. The bill doesn't just punish you for the family within your household, it says "... per member of the household." The definition of "member of the household" in the bill is "anyone legally residing within the domestic dwelling...". Prior to that definition, it gives "domestic dwelling" as "... a structure, independent or grouped, zoned for residential purposes."
You're understanding this right? Each member in your home, over the age of 18, will be fined $1,000.00 per individual in the household who does not have medical insurance. Perhaps you are a couple who are both young and don't want to waste your money on medical insurance. That's a $4,000.00 fine per year, $2,000.00 for you and $2,000.00 for them. (remember, you're fined for you AND them) Maybe your kid is in college with 5 other room mates and they, also, don't want to waste their money on medical insurance. That's $5,000.00 per room mate.
Let's move on...
How will this be assessed? Taxes. Your fine will be thrown on top of your federal tax liability. I wonder if this is going to greatly increase our federal prison population? People can't afford to pay that, thus... to avoid prison they will do what they are forced to do. They will either choose a private insurance plan through their employer, or, they will go with the government plan. Let's discuss those as well.
Let's say you have a plan when the bill goes into effect... great... grand... wonderful. If you quit your job you will be required by federal law to either sign up for the government plan or waive the government plan and add the annual fine to your annual tax liability. That's right... as Obama said, "...if you have a plan now you can keep it, I have no problem with that." It's nice to know our President has no problem with us governing our private lives... funny... he's the only President who has had to point that out... Moving on.
What Pres. Obama doesn't bother to tell you is that if you change employers you'll be forced by law to take his plan or take the fine. Your choice ... that's right ... your choice ... after all ... we're a free nation .... choice is important.
Furthermore...
What companies do you actually believe will still offer health insurance? First and foremost, the plan will take currently untaxed healthcare incentives paid by employers and force them to include it as earned income, forcing both employer and employee to have a tax liability on the company paid part of their healthcare plan. That means, if you have health insurance, look at your check and see how much your employer pays every week, or two weeks, whatever... Add that amount to your check, review the IRS and state chart rules for that estimated annual amount, and for each pay check in that amount, you will find your new tax liability... and of course, as will your employer.
For the average employee, this will increase their federal liability from 17.1% nationwide average to 22.4% nationwide average. So much for that 2.5% raise...
Enter another problem...
The governments healthcare plan requires no profit to be made... it's what is called a "planned loss system". Fire and police departments are planned loss systems, i.e., the government expects no return. The healthplan clearly states it is a planned loss system.
Exactly how are private insurance companies, who must profit, expected to compete with that? It's impossible. You can't beat it. You HAVE to make a profit... the other intends to make zero profit ... you lose... end of discussion.
It won't take long and we will ALL arrive at option "2" for me .... and ultimately, all of you ... government healthcare.
2: I die.
Sound extreme? Yes. But is it true? Yes.
I just know you guys are going to love this... you know ... I've been typing for a while now, checking facts, etc and so on... and I'm sure you've been reading for a while. Let's all take a 5 minute break, relax our eyes, get a drink, grab a cookie, take a smoke, drain our bladders, whatever... I'll see you in 5 minutes.
And welcome to the magic of email ... You couldn't even tell I was gone for 5 minutes could you? It's just amazing what we can do these days. Okay, back to the story.
Have you ever marked on a medical chart, anywhere, at any time, that you have used alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or had more than 3 sexual partners within the last 12 months?
If you answered "yes" to any of those then this should be very fun, and aggrivating, information from you.
If you have ever marked that you smoked, you will not be eligible to receive treatment for any condition that is related to, or shown to have increased contraction possibility with the use of tobacco. High blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, etc and so on. Tough luck.
What about alcohol? If you've ever marked yes, I hope you never develop any type of liver issues, certain G.I. issues, certain cancers, etc and so on... you won't be eligible for treatment.
Drugs? You're toast. That's pretty much all there is too it. It is the opinion of the United States government that each and every criminalized drug (unconstitutionally) can lead to about 90% of the known medical and mental problems we know about in one way or another. Their simple answer... you aren't eligible.
What about sex? Ever had more than 3 partners within a year and admitted it on a medical chart, or to a medical professional and had them document it? I hope you never get a STD from a cheating partner... you're toast. You can't get treatment.
Oh.. the best part ... if you are found ineligible for treatment, for any reason, although you may receive treatment for other things, you will still be required to pay the annual fine, the same as if you didn't. Go you! I bet you didn't even know you were an over-achiever.
So... why do I say I die? Easy.
The drug used to control my WPW is called Atenolol; a beta-blocker. Under current government descriptions it is a high blood pressure medication. Regardless of what they call it, it has the side effect of being very beneficial to people like me. Unfortunately, under the new plan, in order to prescribe it, it would have to be for the desired effect. The government plan doesn't allow drugs to be prescribed for the purpose of undesired effects. This means in order to get the drug, my doctor would have to lie and say I have high blood pressure. Once he does this, it will que up the "I'm sorry, your patient must die" screen. Why? I've marked "smoker" on a medical chart in my past. I wouldn't be eligible for high blood pressure medication. It doesn't matter that it's not intended for that.... I'm just S.O.L.
Now let's talk long term ... and when I say long term .. I'm talking to my older friends ... who of course, although young in Spirit... are.... well... old.
Under the government plan your treatment, whatever it is, must "be beneficial to the life expectency of the receipient over a projected 25 years or greater." Let me help with that one...
Since the government is paying for it ... excuse me ... since the government is taking my money at the point of a gun to pay for your healthcare, they believe that I, and the rest of society, should be able to benefit for at least 25 years from your treatment. If not, then the treatment is considered "unbeneficial and illogical to approve such treatment as the long term benefits to the country fail to exist."
Side note ... I said "taking my money at the point of a gun..." .. Is that true? Is the government really taking my money, or your money, at the point of a gun? YES! They are. They are pointing a gun at you and saying "give us your money or else!". Think I'm lying? Think I'm wrong? ... Quit paying your taxes, ignore their letters, wait for the warrant to be issued, and tell me who shows up for you. ... Point of a gun? You bet your ass. Let's proceed...
What's the current life expectency for a male in the U.S.? ... Anyone? ... Well .. it depends on who is making the numbers, but, for the government... 77.
Are you 52 years old or older? ... Yes? You are ... well ... nice knowing ya .... .... Hey everyone, look! Dead man walking!
It won't matter if you are receiving treatment now, and it won't matter how petty your condition seems, if your expectency is not 25 or greater years, you will not qualify for the treatment ... we don't even need to get into this treatment or that treatment ... simple ... easy ... regardless ... you don't qualify.
This gets worse ...
Are you considered "obese"? Not "are you obese?", but are you considered obese? Over 70% of Americans, although appearing healthy, because of their weight, are considered obese... not morbidly obese, just obese..
This is good ... You'll like this.
You can't get treatment for any condition which is related to obesity. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure... etc, etc, etc... Sorry ... this, like smoking, alcohol, drugs and sexual activity, is something that you have caused to occur to yourself.
I guess I'll just sum this whole little section up...
You will only be able to receive treatment for a condition if you do not meet one of the dozens of exemptions which are believed to lead to the cause of your condition. If you meet one or more of them, then you're just s.o.l. folks ... Remember ... you don't have to like the truth, for it to be the truth.
Now let's talk about the brass tax here ...
What will this plan cost YOU, the taxpayer? Well ... besides money ... if you are one of about 80% of Americans out there ... your life. I failed to mention that a minute ago and wanted to make sure I touched on it ... under the written government healthcare plan, once you add in all the exemptions, barring rules and compare them to national statistics, >80% of the U.S. will not be eligable for the most common medical problems known to our society.
Back to the money ...
This will cost you a fortune. The more money you have, the more you will pay... and unfairly as well. Most Americans won't have to pay a dime into the system (at first). On welfare? Don't have to pay. On unemployment? Don't have to pay. Make less than $250,000.00 per year gross? Don't have to pay.
Who does this leave paying for it? About 10% of the population.
So... exactly how are 10% of the population supposed to pay for 100% of the care? And frankly... why the hell should they?
Let me get hypothetical for a moment...
Let's say I'm a successful businessman ... I make >$250,000.00 a year, I create jobs, etc and so on. Of course, my tax liability has gone through the roof, I'm laying off employees left and right, I'm paying more for the employees I have, I have less money to invest into my company and make it bigger and better (creating more jobs), I have less money to invest into my own income... which is really a pickle, because, as a business owner, I don't pay taxes on the net income I take home, I pay taxes on the gross income of my business as is required ... forget the fact that like 91% of the business owners in this nation, that I take home <$55,000.00 per year, my tax liability is taken from the gross income of my company... which would be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now ... let's say I make widgets, and the government makes widgets. Here I am, now struggling to pay my own bills and laying off employee after employee... my company is going more and more into debt ... but ... If I shut it down right down, I can lay everyone off, pay off all the debt, and go to work for the government widget maker... and honestly, with my experience, I'm sure they'll throw me in at least a middle management position ... I'll probably make $50,000.00 a year and not have to worry about all the stuff I am now. No more paying >50% tax liability, no more worrying about debt collectors, and beautifully, now I can get my free government healthcare and not have to pay anything like I was before.
So... what do you think I will do? What do you think most people will do?
The answer is obvious and logical ... people may hold on for as long as possible, but eventually, they will come to the conclusion of "this is costing me my fortune anyway, why should I keep doing this, working harder and harder, just to end up bust? I can get out now and never worry about this again. I'm done."
Now who pays for the government healthcare?
I'm waiting...
Anyone?
No one?
Really?
Not one of you?
Seriously?
I'm really disappointed ... I thought you folks would know...
GOVERNMENT!!! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!
The government will save us!
Now we just have to figure out how to handle that whole pesky money issue...
Taxes? Print money? Hmmm... choices choices decisions decisions...
If we raise taxes we'll just have to raise them on EVERYONE now ... hmmm ...
Make more money? That causes hyperinflation ... which causes full and absolute economic collapse.
Tough call...
What do you think the answer will be?
It's really up in the air ... I don't know which one they will pick .... but rest assured ... it will be one or the other.
Let's talk about those minimum wage earners real fast ...
The plan says it targets, as what pointed out, those Americans who make minimum wage and can not afford healthcare.
So the plan is for 1% of the population? LESS... note that word... LESS than 1% of the population earns minimum wage ... LESS ... of those workers, almost all of them are teenagers in high school or young adults in college ... but even of those, less than 5% of high school and college workers make minimum wage.
To be completely honest ... unless you are one of them, and you're making minimum wage ... you're a loser. If you're 40 years old making minimum wage in a fast food chain ... unless you are mentally handicapped, you're a loser. End of discussion. Of course ... while we're on it ... the mentally handicapped already receive free medical care at the expense of tax payers, so this plan isn't for them. Remember, it's for the "uninsured."
Of course some of you unconstitutionally believe the government should be able to force employers to pay a certain wage. I believe much more logically and intelligently. I believe employees are worth $1.00 per hour from the neck down. From the neck up, they are paid for what is in their brain. Knowledge is power ... the more knowledge you have, the more power you have, the more money you can earn. The less you CHOOSE to have, the less you will earn. It's YOUR decision.
Let's talk about the uninsured.
47 million Americans do NOT have health insurance .... MY..... GOD........ Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?
Wait? Why would we think of the children?
There is not ONE... not ONE single child in this entire country that does NOT have health insurance... not ONE. The dem's are playing on words here ... they don't say, "millions of children are without healthcare" they say "millions of children are without the ability to get private insurance" .... See the play on words there?
Every single state ... make sure you catch that ... every single state, requires parents to provide minors with healthcare ... period ... end of discussion ... it's the law. Now ... it hasn't always been like this, but over the last 10 years, every single state has passed the laws and made the plans. Did I just say plans? Yes... I did.
If you can not afford private insurance for your child, then you must enroll them in the medical program of whatever state you live in ... for Oklahoma, it's called SoonerCare.
Because of these programs, not a single child in this nation is without health insurance. They aren't the 47 million Americans being mentioned. So who are they?
Well ... first of all ... they aren't Americans ... not all of them.
This country has approximately 20,000,000 criminal invaders (illegal immigrants) who have committed, literally, acts of war against our nation by invading the borders and causing social and/or property distress and/or harm. (Bet you didn't know that one.)
While they are human beings, and I'll treat them with the same level of care I do anyone, they aren't citizens, and in the world we live in, that means something. To benefit from a country's incentives you have to be a contributing citizen... illegals aren't ... they are thieves and plagues to the system. The plan specifically recognizes that illegals will be included as eligible for healthcare because they are part of the problem.
No... they ARE the problem.
Over the past 20 years, illegals were the cause of over 85% of this nation's unpaid medical debt ... that number seem high? Yes... but is it true? You bet your butt it is.
So subtract the 20,000,000 illegals and you are left with about 27,000,000 Americans who do not have health insurance? Who the hell are these people? Why can they not get health insurance?... Oh, that's right... they don't want it.
See... here is the problem with democrats, they don't tell the entire picture. Same problem with a lot of Republicans, they don't tell the entire picture. What's the problem with us Libertarians? We tell the entire picture... that makes us a problem to the democrats and republicans ... most of the time ... just the democrats.
They pulled their numbers for this from the last U.S. Census. There was a question that asked if you had medical insurance. Guess what? That wasn't the only question on there. There was also a question that asked whether you could not afford it, or chose to not have it. Interesting they don't share that part ... allow me.
Of the 27,000,000 Americans without health insurance, about 21,000,000 of them are between the ages of 19 and 29 and they marked down on the same census the information comes from, that they didn't have insurance because they chose not to have insurance. In a gallop poll of uninsured individuals between these ages, the greatest majority stated they could afford it, but were young and healthy and considered it a waste of money.... many were noted as saying "that's good beer money."
So we are left with 7,000,000 Americans who don't have health insurance. Oh crap ... guess what ... no we aren't. We are left with a few million "Native Americans" who receive Indian benefits through their tribal membership, and although their head count is included in the numbers, they don't include their tribal insurance since it is neither private insurance or U.S. government insurance... Why? Because these tribes are literally their own nations with their own "foreign" governments ... thus ... our government doesn't count it.
In reality ... there are only a few hundred thousand people in America who indeed, do not have and are not capable of obtaining health insurance. Of course... most of these are homeless people who aren't included in the numbers to begin with.
But ... let's just be hypothetical here for a minute ...
Let's say that their numbers are right and there really are 47,000,000 Americans without the ability to gain health insurance.
Fine ... so be it...
But why are we going to spend trillions of dollars to fix this? Let's cut 47,000,000 checks for $1,000,000.00 and give it to each of these people. That should cover their medical expenses for the rest of their lives and then some. If they waste it it's their own fault.
I wanted to address a few other things in your email ...
Concerning 30% of Oklahoman's spending 10% of their income on healthcare ...
My partner and I at work did a study over the course of 30 days. We watched every single person that went into a convenience store in a small town. (small towns representing the lower income earners for the most part.) Of the average 600 purchases made between the hours of 4pm and 7pm (people coming home from work), 79% of the people walked out of the door with an 18 pack or larger of beer. 40% walked out with two or more 18 packs. 39% walked out with 1 or more packs of cigarettes. When we watched on Saturdays, for just one hour, 65% of the people walked out with 2 or more 30 packs of beer. Now, let's add up some numbers.
1, 18 pack per day x 5 business days (not counting weekend beer) comes up to $15.00 x 5 = $75.00.
2, 30 packs each x 1 saturday comes up to $18.00 x 2 = $36.00
1 pack of cigarettes (assumingly 7 days per week) comes up to $5.00 x 7 = $35.00
So...
On a weekly basis, at least 39% of the population of Oklahoma we watched, spends a total of $146.00 on alcohol and tobacco.
Annually that means at least 39% of the population, in our survey, spend $7,592.00 per year on alcohol and tobacco. Of course, I left out sales tax. With sales tax that comes to ...
crunching the numbers .... $9,110.40 every year.
So... how much does health insurance cost again?
I bet once we include cheetos, pizza night, eating out constantly, etc and so on ... actually ... let's get a real number here ... a government number ... standby ...
It took me almost 30 minutes to find this ... again ... wow ... the magic of email. You didn't even know I was gone.
Oh this is GOOD ...
The average lower and middle class American, both, spend about 35% of their annual income on fast food. WOW! Really?
And democrats want me to believe citizens are in financial situations that they can't get out of? How about stop buying the smokes, beer and fast food? There's an odd thought.
And let's talk about poverty... since so many people in our nation are going "without"...
According the the Census, our government says 12.6% of Americans are considered poor and destitute... that's 35 million people. ... 35 million ... poor... and destitute. Really? Again ... let's go BACK to the SAME census and pull the rest of their answers.
43% of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
80% of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6% of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly 75% of poor households own a car; 31% own two or more cars..
97% of poor households have a color television; >50% own two or more color televisions.
78% have a VCR or DVD player; 62% have cable or satellite TV reception.
81% own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.
Poor and destitute? Really? Seriously? You expect me to buy that?
Want to use me for an up-close and personal example? I make less than $25,000.00 per year... LESS...
I have a big 2 bedroom home, own a car, own 3, count 'em, 3 color TV's, 3 DVD players, 1 top of the line digital surround sound system, digital cable and high speed cable internet, a home phone and a cell phone.. I have a microwave, a fridge full of food, a washer and dryer, air conditioning, natural gas heat... I could go on for hours. If I didn't tell you how much money I earn while going to school, would you think I was poor? In fact, if we presented the numbers above of the "poor and destitute" and did not give their income, would you consider them poor?
Of course you wouldn't ... but when it comes time for government programs ... damn near all of us are considered poor and need the government to "rescue" us.
Let's bring this very long email to an end...
What is government healthcare really going to do and ... what should we do?
Government healthcare is going to cause the collapse of private industry healthcare. It will put millions of people out of work, close hundreds of thousands of businesses, limit the income earning capability of "free" citizens, limit healthcare to less than 20% of the population, cause massive healthcare denials... denials where currently, although they are in debt because of it, they receive treatment for.
The people of the world will be effected as well, seeing as the nearly.... ready for this number? ... 25,000,000 Canadian and European citizens who come here for care every year quit bringing their money here to receive urgent healthcare that they can't get in their country ... the same country that has a health plan that is destroying it ... the same one that has caused the lowest income earners in Canada to have an annual tax obligation of 61.2%, with 45% of that being a healthcare tax ... the same healthcare plan that our government is planning on forcing us under ... despite what they say ... I've read it ... it's the same.
What will we have when all this happens? Absolute government dependency and control. After all, if you control someone's access to healthcare, you pretty much control them. The system as a whole will systematically collapse. Money becomes worth nothing, the people will either be taxed into their graves or hyperinflation, as it historically does 100% of the time, will destroy our entire economy and, as has happened 100% of the time throughout history, will open the door for a tyrannical leader to take over. Hey ... interesting thought here...
Who here has read the Communist Manifesto? Anyone? I have... it's a GOOD read. In fact, I wrote what is called "The Communist Manifesto: A Close Examination". It's a better read than the Manifesto itself, and while long, it is not nearly as long as the Manifesto. I recommend you read it.
One of the ways a leader bent on absolute control takes over a society is by controlling the healthcare... again... control the healthcare, control the people.
I want ... for just a minute ... to speak about a man who is considered by millions of people to be a hero.
This man was a great military man and later a great party leader. Ultimately, he become one of the most powerful men in the world... and one of the most respected. He promised a car in every garage ... and did it. He promised an ice box in every home ... and did it. He promised a nationwide government ran education system ... and did it. He promised a nationwide government healthcare plan ... and did it. He promised a job for every person ... and did it. Then he promised to kill every Jew in the world ... and he damn near did it.
Yeah ... millions of people consider Hitler a hero ... the other billions of us throughout the world consider him the tyrannical mad man he was.
No one remembers how he did what he did ... they just remember what he did. Of course ... it's not the fault of most Americans that they don't know this, it's the governments. Government schools do not teach how tyrannical mad men came into power and were able to force millions, hundreds of millions of people, under the control of one person. They just teach that these people were bad, U.S. government got involved, kicked ass, we won, go us! And indeed, go us! And may God lay rest and grant peace to the men who died fighting these insane leaders.
Don't look at me and say "Matt, come on, you can't really think our government believes we are so stupid as to not see what they are doing?" To which I answer... NO! They KNOW you are that stupid ... THEY EDUCATED YOU!
In conclusion ... What to do what to do what to do...
Well ... read the beginning of this email ... do what you believe is right. In the end, when your time comes, at least you'll know you did that much.
Good night... or depending on when you read this... good morning... or afternoon... whatever... How 'bout... have a good one. There... that covers it all...
I bid you good day.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Reporting "Fishy" Healthcare Reform Information
Let's keep this post short and sweet...
"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov." - Barack Obama's Administration
Here's Linda Douglas, Communications Director, White House Health Reform, telling us the truth about Obama's Healthcare plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0XCl6OHgiM&feature=player_embedded
Now, here's the video of Obama... words from his own mouth... words we have... that he said... that he can't erase and can't stop us from spreading. This video proves they're all a bunch of big fat liars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE&feature=player_embedded
We are all requested by Obama to report anything that seems fishy about the healthcare plan. I would say a lying President and Communications Director is pretty fishy. Being loyal Americans, please copy these URL's into a new email, address it to the above White House email address, and let's turn Obama and Linda Douglas in for their fishy behavior.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov." - Barack Obama's Administration
Here's Linda Douglas, Communications Director, White House Health Reform, telling us the truth about Obama's Healthcare plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0XCl6OHgiM&feature=player_embedded
Now, here's the video of Obama... words from his own mouth... words we have... that he said... that he can't erase and can't stop us from spreading. This video proves they're all a bunch of big fat liars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE&feature=player_embedded
We are all requested by Obama to report anything that seems fishy about the healthcare plan. I would say a lying President and Communications Director is pretty fishy. Being loyal Americans, please copy these URL's into a new email, address it to the above White House email address, and let's turn Obama and Linda Douglas in for their fishy behavior.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn, Founder
The American Libertarian Movement
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Unseen God
Websters Dictionary defines faith as a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof".
If I show you a dollar in my hand, you know you can believe I have a dollar in my hand. If I hold that same dollar in my hand but keep my hand closed, you have to have faith in my word in order for you to believe me.
Faith is a very interesting thing. A lot of us have faith that we don't even know we have... and... a lot of us lose faith that we think we have.
With God, most of us have faith when times are good and we see what we seek. But, when times are bad and what we seek we do not see, we often lose, or become weak in our faith.
A young man one time had become very lost in his ways. He was an alcoholic and a drug user. He ended up getting into some trouble and his mother worked out a deal for him. He would be able to live with a young minister on the conditions that he didn't get into any trouble and on the condition that he attended the youth service every week. Try as they might, this young man never would change.
The mother of the young minister had great faith. She kept telling the minister "Look what God is doing in him" and "Look how God is changing him." The youth minister of course was baffled at this as the only thing he saw was the same lost teen who refused to change from his ways.
This pattern went on for months. The teen continued an alcoholic and outlaw and the preachers mother kept saying "Just look at how the Lord is changing him."
Many months later during a youth service, the teen was sitting as close to the exit door as he could. A youth sitting next to him turned to him and said "I need prayer". The group immediately went to the youth sitting next to the alcoholic teen. The minister placed his hand on the knee of the lost teen as he knelt down next to the other young man who had asked for prayer. In that very moment the Spirit of God struck the lost youth and right then and there, he confessed his sins, gave up alcohol, accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and heard a calling to the ministry.
It was amazing ... no one had faith in this teen ... except for the preachers mom. You see, the preachers mom understood something that until then none of them had understood.
When you plant a crop you take a handful of seeds and throw them in the ground. You water them, and tend to the soil, but for some time, you will see no results. Although you can't see it, you know that seed is growing. When you're in the fields working and someone asks you what you're doing, you don't tell them "nothing" because you planted seeds and nothings happened, you tell them you're working the soil, waiting for your particular crop to come through.
That's how God is. Even though we don't see Him working... He is working. The preachers mother knew that. That teen never changed his ways even in the slightest, yet she kept saying "Look what God is doing" because she knew she was planting seeds and God was tending to the soil. She knew, eventually, the harvest time was coming. And when it did, it didn't just sprout a couple leaves, it erupted into a forest overflowing with life.
We plant seeds with God all the time. We ask God for this or that and when we don't see it, we just kind of lose faith in it. We need to change our mindset from having hopeful faith to having received faith.
That preachers mother knew what was coming. She never doubted it for a minute. There are things in your life that you've been praying for and because you haven't seen them, you've become discouraged. Now is the time God is telling you to start watering the seed because indeed, He is tending the soil and although you don't know when... you can guarantee your harvest is on its way.
- Matthew Q. Llewellyn
If I show you a dollar in my hand, you know you can believe I have a dollar in my hand. If I hold that same dollar in my hand but keep my hand closed, you have to have faith in my word in order for you to believe me.
Faith is a very interesting thing. A lot of us have faith that we don't even know we have... and... a lot of us lose faith that we think we have.
With God, most of us have faith when times are good and we see what we seek. But, when times are bad and what we seek we do not see, we often lose, or become weak in our faith.
A young man one time had become very lost in his ways. He was an alcoholic and a drug user. He ended up getting into some trouble and his mother worked out a deal for him. He would be able to live with a young minister on the conditions that he didn't get into any trouble and on the condition that he attended the youth service every week. Try as they might, this young man never would change.
The mother of the young minister had great faith. She kept telling the minister "Look what God is doing in him" and "Look how God is changing him." The youth minister of course was baffled at this as the only thing he saw was the same lost teen who refused to change from his ways.
This pattern went on for months. The teen continued an alcoholic and outlaw and the preachers mother kept saying "Just look at how the Lord is changing him."
Many months later during a youth service, the teen was sitting as close to the exit door as he could. A youth sitting next to him turned to him and said "I need prayer". The group immediately went to the youth sitting next to the alcoholic teen. The minister placed his hand on the knee of the lost teen as he knelt down next to the other young man who had asked for prayer. In that very moment the Spirit of God struck the lost youth and right then and there, he confessed his sins, gave up alcohol, accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and heard a calling to the ministry.
It was amazing ... no one had faith in this teen ... except for the preachers mom. You see, the preachers mom understood something that until then none of them had understood.
When you plant a crop you take a handful of seeds and throw them in the ground. You water them, and tend to the soil, but for some time, you will see no results. Although you can't see it, you know that seed is growing. When you're in the fields working and someone asks you what you're doing, you don't tell them "nothing" because you planted seeds and nothings happened, you tell them you're working the soil, waiting for your particular crop to come through.
That's how God is. Even though we don't see Him working... He is working. The preachers mother knew that. That teen never changed his ways even in the slightest, yet she kept saying "Look what God is doing" because she knew she was planting seeds and God was tending to the soil. She knew, eventually, the harvest time was coming. And when it did, it didn't just sprout a couple leaves, it erupted into a forest overflowing with life.
We plant seeds with God all the time. We ask God for this or that and when we don't see it, we just kind of lose faith in it. We need to change our mindset from having hopeful faith to having received faith.
That preachers mother knew what was coming. She never doubted it for a minute. There are things in your life that you've been praying for and because you haven't seen them, you've become discouraged. Now is the time God is telling you to start watering the seed because indeed, He is tending the soil and although you don't know when... you can guarantee your harvest is on its way.
- Matthew Q. Llewellyn
Visualization: Inspiration from Matt :-)
I was in a group interview one time and was asked an interesting question. The recruiter asked "You just arrived on scene of a mass casualty incident with 20 red (critical) patients. It's you and your partner, the supplies in your truck and bag, and what you can find around you. You have no other help available. How many people do you think you can save?"
A lot of people said they would save 3, maybe 4. One person said he probably wouldn't be able to save any because most would die during triage. Then the recruiter asked me how many I would save. Reluctantly, as I knew the response I would get, I said "All of them." The recruiter laughed for a minute and repeated what I said back to me and then said "and just how to you plan on saving all of them? That's completely unrealistic."
To which I answered ...
"When unrealistic situations become realities, it requires that unrealistic improvising become realities as well. In EMS we are taught to improvise, adapt and overcome. I'll do whatever it takes and use whatever I can find to make sure every single patient lives."
He then asked me, "And do you really believe all of them will survive?" I answered, "No one knows the future, we only know the future we visualize. When I see myself in this situation, I'm not planning for failure, I'm planning for success."
This was a lesson I learned when I was a child playing basketball at the YMCA. Some of us were having trouble putting the ball in the basket. The couch pulled us aside and said, "Guys, you can't just throw the ball and hope for the best. You have to slow down, think, and in your mind, see yourself throwing the ball and it going into the basket." Our success rate greatly improved once we mastered this.
Henry Ford said "Whether you believe you can, or can't, you are right."
Believe it or not, we all learned this as children... perhaps, we have forgotten.
A little engine worked at a train station, pulling a few cars on and off the switches. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight-cars asked a great big engine to take it over the hill. "I can't; that is too much for me," said the great engine that was built for hard work. Then the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused.
In desperation, the train asked the little engine to draw it up the mountain and down on the other side. "I think I can," puffed the little engine and it put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
As it neared the top of the mountain, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by drawing on bravery and a belief that it could, and then went on down the other side of the mountain, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could."
Are you a little engine that can or a big engine that can't?
Our outcomes are most often based on what we visualize and what we think we can do. If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can't, you can't. And as the little train taught us, if you think you're big enough and think you can, then you will.
Think big my friends... think big.
A lot of people said they would save 3, maybe 4. One person said he probably wouldn't be able to save any because most would die during triage. Then the recruiter asked me how many I would save. Reluctantly, as I knew the response I would get, I said "All of them." The recruiter laughed for a minute and repeated what I said back to me and then said "and just how to you plan on saving all of them? That's completely unrealistic."
To which I answered ...
"When unrealistic situations become realities, it requires that unrealistic improvising become realities as well. In EMS we are taught to improvise, adapt and overcome. I'll do whatever it takes and use whatever I can find to make sure every single patient lives."
He then asked me, "And do you really believe all of them will survive?" I answered, "No one knows the future, we only know the future we visualize. When I see myself in this situation, I'm not planning for failure, I'm planning for success."
This was a lesson I learned when I was a child playing basketball at the YMCA. Some of us were having trouble putting the ball in the basket. The couch pulled us aside and said, "Guys, you can't just throw the ball and hope for the best. You have to slow down, think, and in your mind, see yourself throwing the ball and it going into the basket." Our success rate greatly improved once we mastered this.
Henry Ford said "Whether you believe you can, or can't, you are right."
Believe it or not, we all learned this as children... perhaps, we have forgotten.
A little engine worked at a train station, pulling a few cars on and off the switches. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight-cars asked a great big engine to take it over the hill. "I can't; that is too much for me," said the great engine that was built for hard work. Then the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused.
In desperation, the train asked the little engine to draw it up the mountain and down on the other side. "I think I can," puffed the little engine and it put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
As it neared the top of the mountain, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by drawing on bravery and a belief that it could, and then went on down the other side of the mountain, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could."
Are you a little engine that can or a big engine that can't?
Our outcomes are most often based on what we visualize and what we think we can do. If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can't, you can't. And as the little train taught us, if you think you're big enough and think you can, then you will.
Think big my friends... think big.
Two Deputies killed in Oklahoma. What should we do with the killer?
Yesterday, a human piece of garbage, who I refuse to make popular by saying his name, shot and killed two of our finest here in Oklahoma. Deputy Chase Whitebird, 23, and Deputy Marvin Williams, 43, of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, entered a residence to arrest a suspect. Upon opening the door, the suspect opened fire, striking both deputies within seconds. One Deputy died at the scene, the other died on the way to the hospital.
Since this happened I've read the story on many sites and read comment after comment, each comment offering a prayer and/or a desire to immediately kill the suspect. Since everyone else is putting in their two cents, I thought I would offer mine as well. That said, here's what I think we should do.
As much as I would love to see immediate justice, I have to stand by the right to a jury trial for this man. However, when it's a cop killer, I think we need to go the extra mile. Instead of 12 jurors, get 36 (12 x 3). This should account for his initial trial and 2 subsequent appeals. When found guilty, and I have no doubt he will be, we go old west on his butt.
One of the reasons there was little to no crime in the old west (contrary to what Hollywood depicts) is because we had something we've done away with in modern times... Public hangings.
Once found guilty, we schedule his hanging 24 hours later. He's given his day to make amends with God, have his last meal and have his attorney copy down his last wishes and desires for his affairs. (While I believe in the death penalty, I also believe in the thing that sets us apart from the ones we put to death.)
24 hours later, in front of God and everyone, we put the rope around his neck, read the charge, read the verdict, offer him last words and drop the floor out from under him. This way, every time someone thinks about killing a cop, they can remember the image of him dropping and hanging to his death.
Rest in peace fallen brothers... Go walk your beat on Heaven's street, you've done your time in hell.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn
Since this happened I've read the story on many sites and read comment after comment, each comment offering a prayer and/or a desire to immediately kill the suspect. Since everyone else is putting in their two cents, I thought I would offer mine as well. That said, here's what I think we should do.
As much as I would love to see immediate justice, I have to stand by the right to a jury trial for this man. However, when it's a cop killer, I think we need to go the extra mile. Instead of 12 jurors, get 36 (12 x 3). This should account for his initial trial and 2 subsequent appeals. When found guilty, and I have no doubt he will be, we go old west on his butt.
One of the reasons there was little to no crime in the old west (contrary to what Hollywood depicts) is because we had something we've done away with in modern times... Public hangings.
Once found guilty, we schedule his hanging 24 hours later. He's given his day to make amends with God, have his last meal and have his attorney copy down his last wishes and desires for his affairs. (While I believe in the death penalty, I also believe in the thing that sets us apart from the ones we put to death.)
24 hours later, in front of God and everyone, we put the rope around his neck, read the charge, read the verdict, offer him last words and drop the floor out from under him. This way, every time someone thinks about killing a cop, they can remember the image of him dropping and hanging to his death.
Rest in peace fallen brothers... Go walk your beat on Heaven's street, you've done your time in hell.
Matthew Q. Llewellyn
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