Nebraska senator, Democrat Ben Nelson, is has joined the ranks of Joe Lieberman and is threatening to filibuster the senate’s version of the healthcare reform bill.   Ben Nelson’s has different issues that he wants resolved before he agrees to vote for the bill than does Joe Lieberman. While Joe Lieberman opposes the public option Ben Nelson does not want federal funds to be used for abortions.   This bill is now moving at breakneck speed through the senate. Harry Reid introduc... Read Full Story

  It is now being reported that Harry Reid will take a “test vote” on healthcare reform this Saturday. He is refusing to predict whether he will gain the 60 votes needed to pass this bill while stating that he will not use reconciliation to pass the bill with a simple majority.   The news that Harry Reid will not use reconciliation, at least not yet, is certainly good news as reconciliation would be an abuse of power. I would almost be willing to bet that Harry Reid does not yet h... Read Full Story

  The key to the 2010 elections lies in the independent voters. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out and I am not stating anything that isn’t probably widely known. But Barack Obama and the Democrats have to be concerned about the independent voters in 2010 and beyond.   The independent voters swung towards Barack Obama in the 2008 election, they are the ones who in the end got Barack Obama elected. The problem for the Democrats is the fact that independent voters... Read Full Story

  Barack Obama has finally admitted what everyone, except those on the far left, already knew; GITMO will not be closing in January or any time soon for that matter.   He is now saying that he hopes to close down the detention center sometime next year. No promises though, he is refusing to set another deadline– I guess he learned his lesson about setting unreasonable deadlines on this issue. Of course he is already claiming that it is not his fault that he may not close down GITMO next... Read Full Story

  I made the argument previously, after hearing an old man telling another man that his doctor denied him the Swine flu vaccine because of his age, that the healthcare rationing that can be expected once the government controls healthcare has already begun.   Maybe I was over-reacting to one old man’s story, but then again maybe I wasn’t. Maybe that was the beginning of healthcare rationing after all. And in light of the new government released guidelines on mammograms I have to w... Read Full Story

  The federal government seems to be reporting erroneous jobs created or saved numbers in order to make the stimulus look more succesful than it is instead of the failure that it actually is. What other conclusion can you come to after reading this article which highlights such inconsistencies as the government spending money in congressional districts that don’t exist?   This article lists millions of dollars in spending that was sent to congressional districts that do not exist creati... Read Full Story

  Senator John Thune intends to propose a bill tomorrow that would end the TARP fund bailouts. There is still $200 billion in unspent TARP money and his bill would prohibit the tax evading Timothy Geithner from extending the deadline for spending this money beyond the end of the year.   The fear is that the administration will continue to use this money in a manner that  was never intended. Thune told POLITICO that he wants to ensure that remaining TARP funds “don’t get used as a political s... Read Full Story

  When asked for a specific provision in the constitution that gives the government the power to mandate healthcare coverage Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley said it was in the  ”very first enumerated power” of the constitution.   In other words, he is using the “general welfare” clause to justify the government’s demand that all Americans buy healthcare coverage. The very first enumerated power gives the power to provide for the common defense and the general welfare... Read Full Story

  The elections from earlier this month in which Republicans made some gains are over, or are they? As I first wrote about here, the votes are still being counted in New York 23 where Doug Hoffman conceded the election to Democrat Bill Owens and the results have tightened up considerably and the final result will rest in the large number of absentee ballots. Doug Hoffman could still win this race.   When Doug Hoffman conceded the election it provided Nancy Pelosi the means to legally swear in... Read Full Story

  In the wake of the scandals that have come to light involving ACORN, congress moved to cut off additional funding for the group. ACORN is now suing to have their funding restored, claiming that congress’ actions were unconstitutional.   My first thoughts when I read this were; this is ridiculous, and are you kidding me? But now I am not so sure that ACORN doesn’t have grounds to sue.   While ACORN’s suit may seem outrageous at first glance, I think that the Supreme Court c... Read Full Story