Bob McCarty Writes

UPDATE 11/07/09 at 11:05 a.m. Central: The House is voting on ObamaCare today! Pray that conservatism will prevail. Pray for this bill to be defeated and that righteousness and government OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE will be restored to our government, our society, and our nation!

Below is video from the Health Care House Call activities yesterday on Capitol Hill.  Tens of thousands of Americans descended upon Washington, D.C., Thursday and are staying through the weekend to tell members of Congress in face-to-face fashion that they’re opposed to government-run health care.

Nothing to do this weekend?  Spend a few hours on the phone calling “Blue Dog Democrats” and letting them know you oppose any plan that puts the federal government in charge of your health care.

Missourians who traveled to Washington, D.C., to share that message with members of Congress in face-to-face fashion informed me tonight that the House switchboard will operate through the weekend since Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is keeping the House in session for a vote on health care set for Saturday Sunday].

UPDATE 11/07/09 at 8:25 a.m. Central: I learned this morning that three members, highlighted in RED below, need extra attention as they’ve been identified by MoveOn.org as potential votes against ObamaCare.  Be sure to call them first.

For information about how to reach any of the Blue Dogs listed below, click here:

Blue Dog Leadership Team

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration Phone (202) 225-2801 Fax (202) 225-5823
Rep. Baron Hill (IN-09), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
Rep. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Blue Dog Whip

Blue Dog Members

Altmire, Jason (PA-04)
Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)
Baca, Joe (CA-43)
Barrow, John (GA-12)
Berry, Marion (AR-01)
Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)
Boren, Dan (OK-02)
Boswell, Leonard (IA-03)
Boyd, Allen (FL-02)
Bright, Bobby (AL-02)
Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)
Carney, Christopher (PA-10)
Chandler, Ben (KY-06)
Childers, Travis (MS-01)
Cooper, Jim (TN-05)
Costa, Jim (CA-20)
Cuellar, Henry (TX-28) Phone: (202)-225-1640| Fax: (202)-225-1641
Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03)
Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)
Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)
Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)
Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)
Gordon, Bart (TN-06)
Griffith, Parker (AL-05)
Harman, Jane (CA-36)
Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)
Hill, Baron (IN-09)
Holden, Tim (PA-17) Phone: (202) 225-5546 | FAX: (202) 226-0996
Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01)
McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)
Marshall, Jim (GA-08)
Matheson, Jim (UT-02)
Melancon, Charlie (LA-03)
Michaud, Mike (ME-02)
Minnick, Walt (ID-01)
Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)
Moore, Dennis (KS-03)
Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)
Nye, Glenn (VA-02)
Peterson, Collin (MN-07)
Pomeroy, Earl (ND)
Ross, Mike (AR-04)
Salazar, John (CO-03)
Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)
Schiff, Adam (CA-29)
Scott, David (GA-13)
Shuler, Heath (NC-11)
Space, Zack (OH-18)
Tanner, John (TN-08)
Taylor, Gene (MS-04)
Thompson, Mike (CA-01)
Wilson, Charles (OH-06)

If not now, when?  Make the calls!

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.)

Today, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee Dave Camp (R-Mich.) released a letter from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail.  The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said:  “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail.  It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

*****

If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

*****

Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses.  Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

When confronted with this same issue during its consideration of a similar individual mandate tax, the Senate Finance Committee worked on a bipartisan basis to include language in its bill that shielded Americans from civil and criminal penalties.  The Pelosi bill, however, contains no similar language protecting American citizens from civil and criminal tax penalties that could include a $250,000 fine and five years in jail.

“The Senate Finance Committee had the good sense to eliminate the extreme penalty of incarceration.  Speaker Pelosi’s decision to leave in the jail time provision is a threat to every family who cannot afford the $15,000 premium her plan creates.  Fortunately, Republicans have an alternative that will lower health insurance costs without raising taxes or cutting Medicare,” said Camp.

According to the the lowest cost family non-group plan under the Speaker’s bill would cost $15,000 in 2016.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE: All of the information above was taken directly from this news release.

In a post six months ago, I reported on the election prospects of Republicans according to Newt Gingrich:

During a question-and-answer session Tuesday afternoon with students at Missouri’s College of the Ozarks, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich dropped a bombshell: He predicted the rise of a third party by 2012 if Republicans don’t get their act together (The video below captures exactly what Gingrich said March 29).

After seeing how Gingrich threw his support behind liberal Dede Scozzafava — and not the true conservative, Doug Hoffman — in the race for New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat, I can only conclude that he’s trying to make his own prediction come true.

If conservatives have their way, a third party will “rise” by 2012, and it will have Gingrich as its only member.

Though the attention of most Americans has been diverted by coverage of health care reform, cap-and-trade legislation, and shootings at Fort Hood and in Orlando, at least one other dangerous piece of legislation is creeping its way around the nation’s capitol.  Thanks to a statement from the folks at the American Petroleum Institute, I’m able to share a tidbit about H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009 (a.k.a., the “Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009″) below:

“We join the agriculture, manufacturing, trucking, and other energy employers in opposing this bill.  We support a straightforward re-authorization of the current federal security standards which have been a success since they were enacted three years ago.

“If the bill passed by the House today became law, it would go beyond the current protection requirements and endanger jobs and increase the risk of our operations.  The bill would create a mandate for government-selected changes to our operations, which is not consistent with a risk-based approach.

“The Senate has the opportunity to get this right by passing a straightforward reauthorization of the current robust federal standards when it takes up the legislation.”

Again, it’s time to CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS in Washington, D.C., and demand they work to stop this bill in its tracks before the Senate can approve it.