FOXNews.com

Friday, August 21, 2009

If Democratic lawmakers thought all the furor over President Obama’s health care plan expressed this month at town hall meetings was dying down, they might be in for a surprise Saturday.

That’s when citizens are planning anti-”Obamacare” rallies across the country Saturday in all 435 congressional districts.

And their message is clear: We will not stand for socialized, government-controlled health care.

The same groups who made the “tax tea parties” possible in April are behind this weekend’s movement. American Liberty Alliance, FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity are working with The Sam Adams Alliance, among others, to stage the rallies.

 Click here for more information on the rallies.

They come as town hall clashes between Democratic lawmakers and protesters of Obama’s health care plan have captured national attention. Some Democrats have dismissed those protesters as “mobs” organized by special interests. But many protesters have said they attended the town halls out of genuine concern.

Now they can express their concerns at Saturday’s rallies.

“Obviously the idea behind this was to have a unified day for those concerned about government-controlled health care to talk outside their representatives’ offices,” said Paul Miller, spokesman for The Sam Adams Alliance, a Chicago-based political organization which is one of several groups promoting the event through new media.

Miller said this is a personal issue for many opponents, including himself, a 22-year cancer survivor. Miller, who was diagnosed with a rare cancer at the age of 14 and had his right arm amputated to save his life, says he would not have received the same specialized and speedy medical care if the government was in control.

“There isn’t this great conspiracy to say there shouldn’t be health care reform,” Miller told FOXNews.com. “People just want to make their own decisions and keep their insurance if they like. When government’s get involved, they never do anything right.”

Eric Odom, executive director for American Liberty Alliance, the lead group behind the tea parties and the new rallies told FOXNews.com that the rallies differ from the tea parties in that they are being organized from the bottom up.

“We didn’t want to try and do what we did on April 15 because the logistics was a nightmare,” he said, explaining that local organizers now have more control over the rallies and have only received basic information from the top.

“People at the local level have taken it and created their own animal with it,” he said. “This is more bottom heavy.”

Odom shrugged at the fact that most of the lawmakers won’t be present at their offices on a Saturday because he said the ultimate goal is to get more people politically engaged.

“This Saturday is symbolic,” he said, adding that his group will e-mail information to rally-goers on how to air their concerns to their representatives. “Most of these people have never done anything political in their lives.”

Phil Kerpen, director of policy for Americans for Prosperity, cautioned that it’s “impossible to predict” the turnout at these rallies “because it’s very decentralized.”

“It could be another big success,” he said, or the crowds could be scaled back. Kerpen said the packed town halls this month don’t provide much indication either.

“I think there’s no better place to make your voice heard and make an impact when you get face to face with your congressman,” he said. “The impetus is greater to show up there than here.”

Jacki Schechner, spokeswoman for Health Care for America Now (HCAN), a coalition of groups supporting Obama’s health care plan, said the rallies are a waste of time.

“There is no government-controlled health care on the table,” she said. “They’re protesting something that doesn’t exist.

“There’s a lot of people out there feeding lies and misinformation and trying to get people hyped up about something that doesn’t exist. They’re wasting their energy.”

Odom found irony in the objections raised by proponents of health care reform.

“It’s interesting that the world’s most professional organizers are upset that we’re organizing communities,” he said.

But Odom said he hasn’t gotten a lot of pushback.

“Surprisingly, I don’t think they take this very seriously,” he said. But he said what separates his organizers from many of Obama’s supporters, including Health Care for America Now (HCAN), is the passion.

“For them it’s business as usual. It’s what they’re paid to do,” he said.

Schechner said the differences between the two sides goes beyond money.

“We didn’t pop up over night,” she said, noting that the group’s campaign began last summer. “We don’t scream. We’re not angry.”

She rejected the notion that community organizers who are paid lack passion. “There are different kinds of passion,” she said.

Schechner added, “I don’t discount their passion. I don’t ever want to undermine their passion. But I really wish they would take a moment to really understand what this legislation is about, because a lot of people would be helped by it.”

But Kerpen said it’s clear that Obama’s plan would lead to a government takeover.

“Read the legislation that’s been proposed,” he said, adding that the House bill has been “designed as an achievable way to reach a single-payer system,” in which the government acts as the sole middle man with greater leverage to negotiate prices. “A lot of people are playing games, as we would expect them to.”

Senator Kohl:

Consider this:

Amendment 9 – Construction of Constitution. Ratified 12/15/1791.

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Can you show me any form of “healthcare” in the powers that We The People authorized the Government to handle in the enumerated powers “listed” in the Constitution?  I looked and I cannot find it listed.

1. Compel all healthcare providers, doctors, clinics, labs and all other medical facilities to publish their prices and success rates and any “quality” features the go with each of them.
2. Make sure ALL PEOPLE have a significant amount of “skin” (dollars) in the game.
3. Get the hell out of our way you usurping despotic scofflaws and keep your nose ONLY in the seventeen items we listed for you in LAW that we wrote, established and ordained on you in The Constitution! 
4. I know you don’t have the time to read the Constitutionally contemptuous bills you pass to enslave us but just as a novel idea why don’t you read the Constitution.  It is far less than 1000 pages.

Very truly yours in freedom,

 Capt. Karl 

From: Senator Herb Kohl [mailto:kohl_enewsletter@kohl.senate.gov]
Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 1:16 PM
To: kkoenigs@new.rr.com
Subject: A Video Message from Sen. Kohl on Health Care Reform

I hope you enjoy receiving these updates about my work on behalf of Wisconsin. It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Senate. As health care reform takes center stage in Washington, I know many of you have been following the progress we’re making. I’d like to share some additional thoughts with you about our ongoing efforts. Please view my video message at:

aging.senate.gov

Sincerely,

Herb Kohl

50 nightmares that will become realitiy by LAW should we allow the Constitutional scofflaw despots in both houses of Congress to pass the “Pubic Option” Socialized Healthcare bill:
 
 
1) Pg 22 mandates that the Government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure. So every employer in the United States will be subjected to a health insurance audit just as all taxpayers are subject to audit. Of course, we will have to pay for an entire new bureaucracy to do this–the Internal Health Revenue Service?
 
2) Pg 30, Sec 123 states that there will be a government committee that decides what treatments you are allowed and what your overall benefits are.
 
3) Pg 29, lines 4-16 basically mandates the rationing of health care as is being done in Canada.
 
4) Pg 42 recognizes the power of the Health Choices Commissioner to determine your health benefits. You will have no choice.
 
5) PG 50, section 152 states that free, taxpayer-paid health care will be given to the 30 million non-citizens in the USA, even illegal aliens.
 
6) Pg 58 states that government will have possession of all your health care records & history including finances and you will have to have a National ID Healthcard.
 
7) Pg 59, lines 21-24 gives direct access to your banks accounts to compel you to pay any out-of-pocket or premium costs electronically without your previous consent.
 
PG 65, sec 164 provides for a political payoff from the Democrats and Obama; a special subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions community groups like ACORN.
 
9) Pg 72, lines 8-14 creates a Health Care Exchange to bring private health insurance plans under government control. This part of the bill reveals Obama’s lies about being able to keep your plan if you like it. Any health insurance plan which does not completely rework itself to conform to these regulations will be dropped from the exchange and those insured will have to pick one of the plans in the exchange. This is why the Congressional Budget Office determined that over 20 million will lose the coverage they are now enjoying if Obamacare is implemented.
 
10) PG 85, line 7 provides specifics for benefit levels for all health plans, giving government the right to ration everyone’s healthcare.
 
11) PG 91, lines 4-7 mandates that doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals provide language-appropriate services, basically ordering them to hire translators at the expense of the American taxpayer.
 
12) Pg 95, lines 8-18 allows the government to hire non-profit community groups like ACORN and Americorps to sign up people for the government health plan.
 
13) PG 85, line 7 provides for specifics on benefit levels for Medicare recipients, basically rationing the care of every senior citizen I the United States.

14) PG 102, lines 12-18 mandates that all Medicaid eligible will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid based upon income and insurance status. No choice.
 
15) Pg 124, lines 24-25 states that no private company or individual can have the right to sue the federal government for medical price fixing, basically eliminating your right to seek redress in the courts regarding your medical care.
 
16) Pg 127, lines 1-16 dictates doctors’ payment and therefore income which will reduce what doctors earn and lead to greater shortages of doctors and more rationing of care.
 
17) Pg 145, line 15-17 any employer not currently insuring their employees must enroll employees into public plan option, with no choice of private insurance allowed.
 
18) Pg 126, lines 22-25 mandates that employers must pay for health insurance even for part-time workers and their families, which will certainly lead to massive layoffs.
 
19) Pg 149, lines 16-24 all employers with an annual payroll bigger than $400k who does not pay to enroll employees in public insurance option will pay an 8% tax on all payroll.
 
20) Pg 150, lines 9-13 mandates that employers with an annual payroll between $251K & $400K who does not pay to enroll employees in public insurance option will pay a 2-6% tax on all payroll.
 
21) Pg 167, lines 18-23 any individual who is self-employed and does not have health insurance will be taxed 2.5% of income and forced to accept public health insurance. So paying for health care out of pocket will be banned from the face of the earth.
 
22) Pg 170, lines 1-3 exempts non-resident aliens from the individual health care taxes, so Americans citizens will pay for these aliens, legal and illegal alike.
 
23) Pg 195 officers & employees of the new Health Care Administration will have access to all Americans personal financial records and accounts.
 
24) PG 203, line 14-15 actually says that “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it says that.
 
25) Pg 239, line 14-24 mandates that available physician services will be reduced for Medicaid recipients. Many poor people including many seniors will be affected.
 
26) Pg 241, line 6-8 mandates that all doctors receive the same pay, regardless of specialty. This will vastly reduce the number of specialists available in the United States, a common problem where medicine is socialized like Canada.
 
27) PG 253, line 10-18 allows the federal government to set the value of doctor’s time, professional judgment.
 
28) PG 265, Sec 1131 mandates and controls the productivity of all health care providers including surgeons!
 
29) PG 268, Sec 1141 regulates the rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs.
 
30) PG 272, Sec. 1145 regulates the operation of certain types of cancer hospitals, again rationing the care of cancer patients.
 
31) Page 280, Sec 1151 allows the government to penalize hospitals for what is deemed to be preventable readmissions. So instead of being sued for malpractice, the government will be the punitive body when mistakes are made.
 
32) Pg 298, lines 9-11 mandates that if a doctor treats a patient during initial admission and that result in a re-admission, the doctor will be subject to federal penalties. Gee do you think that’s going to drive up the cost of malpractice.
 
33) Pg 317, lines 13-20 will create prohibitions on ownership and investment in the health service industry for doctors.
 
34) Pg 317-318, lines 21-25, and 1-3 will prohibit the expansion of all hospitals.
 
35) pg 321, lines 2-13 allows hospitals apply for an exception to the expansion rule but they must seek community input first!
 
36) Pg335, lines 16-25, Pg 336-339 mandates the establishment of outcome based health care and insidious idea that actually limits the treatment choices made by patients with their doctors, based upon the patient’s health and condition. This will result in the oldest, weakest and sickest patients being denied treatments simply because the statistics for success in their demographic category are poor! This is a form of health care rationing that will save money at the expense of seniors to help buy insurance for the uninsured, most of whom are young and healthy!
 
37) Pg 341, lines 3-9 allows the government to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans and HMO forcing people into the government run public plan.
 
38) Pg 354, Sec 1177 will arbitrarily restrict the enrollment of special needs children and adults.
 
39) Pg 379, Sec 1191 mandates the creation of even more bureaucracy in the Telehealth Advisory Committee.
 
40) PG 425, lines 4-12 mandates “Advance Care Planning Consultation,” another insidious vehicle to save money by encouraging seniors who are in poor health to be more accepting of death rather than fighting to stay alive and healthy and with their loved ones.
 
41) Pg 425, lines 17-19 mandates that all senior patients will be consulted regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney.
 
42) PG 425, lines 22-25, 426 lines 1-3 provides an approved list of end of life resources, to help guide seniors about the process of dying!
 
43) PG 427, lines 15 mandates program for orders on the end of life, actually giving the government a say in how your life ends!
 
44) Pg 429, lines 1-9 dictates the frequency with which an Advance Care Planning Consultant will have to meet with patients as their health deteriorates.
 
45) PG 429, lines 10-12 give an Advance Care Planning Consultant the power to order end of life plans for a patient.
 
46) Pg 429, lines 13-25 will only allow certain doctors, not necessarily your own physician, to write an end of life order.
 
47) PG 430, lines 11-15 allows the government to decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life.
 
48) Pg 469 mandates “Community Based Home Medical Services” through non profits like ACORN. Happy yet that we elected a community organizer to the White House?
 
49) PG 489, Sec 1308 force taxpayers to pay for Marriage & Family therapy under the public insurance plan.
 
50) Pg 494-498 allows government to define mental illnesses and what services will be allowed to treat, again rationing this care.

Here is a video that well represents our fellow countrymen and our child marching toward the hangman’s noose of Socialism in this Healthcare bill and so many others like Cap-n-Tax:

Behold, our fellow countrymen are marched out in chains of slavery to the beat of tyranny and oppression of the economic hangman of taxation.  How will we feel when our own children and grandchildren climb the stairs to the gallows as they look up at their own economic noose, or should they fight for their God given unalienable rights a real one, and, as the IRS Agent lifts him or her on the barrel,  sing his or her last song for Freedom?  HOW MANY DID COMMUNIST / SOCIALIST REGIMES MURDER?

The Brethren will still be looking here to us, in Wisconsin, to the Black Pearl to LEAD AND for need (of encouragement).  And what will they see?  Frightened bilge rats floating on a derelict ship?  No!  NO they will see FREE  MEN!  And FREEDOM!    And what the enemy will see is the thrash of our hands, they will hear the ring of our swords AND THEY WILL KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO!  By the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs and the courage of our hearts!     GENTLEMEN,  ,  ,  ,      

HOIST THE COLORS!   

 -   Capt. Karl

 They will pay for their treason, usurpation and tyranny against our laws that we the people did establish and ordain in The Constitution on them and the death of our children’s and grandchildren’s economic future!     The Seas and the LAND be OURS ;  ;   ;  Where   WE   WILL ,   ,   ,   ,  WE  roam!   We shall NEVER DIE!

 Ready on The Guns!

Important Links On What to Know and What YOU can Do: 

• “ENUMERATED” Powers Clauses in Constitution Do NOT Authorize Federal Gov. to Handle Healthcare
•  Exploiting Public Ignorance

• WISCONSIN “RECESS RALLY” in Green Bay, WI and Other Rep. Offices <Coming to a Congressional Office Near You!

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why the U.S. doesn’t close down the border with Mexico knowing full well that it is ground zero for the outbreak of the Swine Flu epidemic that has swept Mexico and of which there are several cases already in our country.  In fact I can’t understand why the border wasn’t shut down a week ago.  So the writer of The Liberty Tree Lantern called and just got off the phone with WI Senator Herb Kohl’s office in the attempt to find out the answer to this question. 

I told the lady who answered the phone who I was and where I was from.  I then proceeded to ask a very simple and direct question:  “Considering that it has been well established that the Swine Flu outbreak makes Mexico to be ground zero, with thousands of cases and many deaths, why isn’t the boarder shut down by now?”  Her snide response for Senator Kohl was that she doesn’t have a statement from the Senator on that and that this isn’t a part of the Senator’s responsibilities.  She went on to state that this issue is to be handled by DHS.  Then I asked; “Isn’t the Senator supposed to be representing the people of Wisconsin and isn’t a Swine Flu epidemic and its prevention from spreading important to the Senator’s constituents?”  She again stated that it wasn’t his responsibility to handle this sort of issue, but that she would forward my concerns to the Senator.  I then asked; ”When will I get a response on this urgent matter?  She basically said; “When Herb gets around to it.”  I replied; “Do you mean after we have a complete pandemic covering our entire nation with Swine flu because it is too late to bother with closing the border?”  She said; “That is up to DHS.” (What, Herb Kohl’s office doesn’t care about the health and safety of Wisconsin citizens with regards to the Swine flu epidemic/pandemic ! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Sounds like the Democrats have far more important things and “agendas” to do / take care of, than care about our health and welfare folks.)

I could tell that she was fed up with Wisconsin citizens calling the Senator’s office and complaining about illegal aliens.  I had the distinct feeling that she personally supported the right of Mexicans to enter the U.S. anytime they want, for any reason they want, and to get any free services they want, right off of our paychecks in the form of Federal Withholding and transfers to pay their medical bills.  Just a feeling folks, but I really had the sense that she was fighting for the rights of Mexican illegals and, perhaps, eliminating the border entirely.

Makes me feel like singing another chorus of “We are the World, We Are The Children”.  Isn’t that special?

I responded by telling her that I write a lot in commentary on the op-ed of various newspapers and that I am associated with blogs.  I told her that I would be providing this information to my readers and asked if she might have anything further to say.  She said no.

If our Senators, who are supposed to represent us, do not care about protecting our health and our lives from something which is at least possible to try to contain than what the hell good are they?  Just because the Barack Obama Administration cares more about Mexico and Mexicans than they do about the health and welfare of United States citizens or our national sovereignty, does this mean that our Senators and representatives are supposed to ignore this current serious national health emergency?

What has our country come to?

Get on your phones people and call your representatives.  Send e-mails.  That border has to be closed RIGHT NOW no matter what THE FEDERAL RESERVE – One World Government, who collects every single nickel of our Income Taxes for their personal profit called “interest on the public debt”, has ordered the U.S. Government, who borrows every single penny they spend from as no U.S. Government dollars come from income taxes, to do.  Can you imagine how many millions of infected Mexicans are going to be trying to cross the border to escape the epidemic down there and to get “free” health care and “free” Tamiflu at our taxpayer expense?  How much Tamiflu will be left for us if illegal Mexicans get a large chunk of our inventory (at no charge)?  Our health and perhaps many of our U.S. citizen lives are at stake here. 

This is a very serious situation.  Can you imagine how our U.S. economy and our individual personal finances will be impacted if many millions of Americans are infected with this Mexican based Swine Flu epidemic?  Can we afford to place our health and our lives in the hands of a U.S. Barack Obama Government who is beholding to the New World One Government U.N. order?

Now you know how much Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl’s office cares about his constituents.  “He can’t do anything about it.”; his office tells me.  I suggest you call your Senators and Congressmen and ask them if they care about you and your family’s health enough to close the Mexican border.  I bet they don’t give a rat’s or swine’s ass, because they sure aren’t going to get off of theirs to protect yours or your families’.  After all our Congressmen and Senators have all sorts of free health care and all the Tamiflu they will ever need because we pay for it.  Mexican families and people’s health and economy are far more important than we taxpayers are.

And just think, if our Senators and Congressmen can just wait long enough, they won’t have to bother lifting a finger, it will soon, within a couple days literally, be too late for containment.  In fact, wouldn’t that be a perfect excuse right now?  I’d be willing to bet they use that excuse within the week.  Just watch!

Maybe these hundreds of Tea Parties across the nation are of even more importance than we even thought.  Does the U.S. Government, in conjunction with the owners of THE FEDERAL RESERVE company have their own agenda that really doesn’t particularly care about U.S. citizens?  Why hasn’t the U.S. Government closed the border a week ago?  You all need to be thinking about this people.  It tells a story.  Ask yourselves, are we a FREE and sovereign nation anymore, or are we a GLOBAL Communist, Socialist, Fascist hybrid under the control of a humongous globally powerful FEDERAL RESERVE “SYSTEM” (IMF a division thereof) group of 40 dominant owner bankers who owns it and is calling the U.N. style government shots in the interest of “The World” and not the interests of sovereign U.S. citizens?

Good morning, people!  It’s time to smell the coffee, oh and a, take your Tamiflu, if Illegal Mexican immigrants haven’t taken it all for “free” out of your wallet while you either suffer from ill health, financially or die.

Why hasn’t the U.S. Government closed the Mexican border a week ago?

What about the phrase, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste!”  Now who said that?  Let’s see, Oh I believe it was Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief advisor.  Now why, may I ask, aren’t they letting this one, Swine Flu, go to waste by closing the border until the epidemic runs it’s course in Mexico?  Universal Health Care application purposes, perhaps; where U.S. citizen tax dollars are placed into the system to pay for Mexican Tamiflu needs who are allowed to cross the border?  Do you suppose that they might want to link us to Mexico to be able to say that; “Well, despite what we might have done in the past that is water over the dam now, we can only look forward to curing what is ailing America.  Mexico is a part of America.  In the end we are all Americans, now.”

Do you suppose Obama is soon going to say something like; “We are all brothers and sisters of North America and now we have a common biological enemy that we must be willing to fight together as a team.  The time for arguments about sovereignty is now moot as the only way we can fight this pandemic that has affected both countries is by working together as one team, as if one coordinated State.  In addition, to resolve the economic plights of both nations, it is necessary, from a financial perspective, to combine our economic avenues to come out stronger together and, as an added benefit, to combat Mexican drug cartels.  This is a time to eliminate our so-called border and become as one nation, one people in the best and common interests of both, financially, economically and for crime control on both sides of what was the border.  Our common plight does not allow for the petty calls for selfish sovereignty for to do so would spell sickness and death for both U.S. citizens and Mexican citizens.   So it has come time to eliminate the so-called border once and for all.” – Will that be the speech by the Messiah Barack Obama?

Do you just suppose Swine Flu epidemic might be ANOTHER “serious crisis they don’t want to waste” and purpose of not closing the border to protect U.S. citizens that Obama and Emanuel are looking for in their quest to fulfill the needs of the beginning of the One World U.N. style Government in the chains and slavery of the Socialist, Communist, Fascist hybrid soup kitchens and Government built small apartments in the inner core of our cities they march us U.S. citizens toward to also lower our “carbon footprint”?  Can you imagine how poor each one of us will be if they open the border with this “serious crisis that they don’t want to waste?”  Wouldn’t that be special?  – - Capt. Karl

Isn’t it special how all the Democrats are on board and fight for open borders even in the face of a possible pandemic?  They sure are quite on this Swine Flu epidemic aren’t they?  Hmmmmm…  Time to think people.

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 – Vote Passed (74-25, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate approved a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to spend up to $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-backed securities from troubled financial institutions.

Sen. Herbert Kohl voted YES……send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Russ Feingold voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 – Vote Passed (263-171)

The House agreed to a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to spend up to $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-backed securities from troubled financial institutions.

Rep. Steve Kagen voted NO……send e-mail or see bio ]]> http://captkarl.blogivists.com/2008/10/07/emergency-economic-stabilization-act-take-2-of-2008-vote-passed-74-25-1-not-voting/feed/ 0 http://captkarl.blogivists.com/2008/06/13/does-senator-herb-kohl-care-about-your-family/ http://captkarl.blogivists.com/2008/06/13/does-senator-herb-kohl-care-about-your-family/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:26:14 +0000 Capt. Karl http://captkarl.blogivists.com/?p=16 I received the following letter from Senator Herbert Kohl (D-WI) in response to my e-mail asking him to allow the exploration for Oil and Gas in all areas possible, because the U.S. has Trillions of Barrels of oil resources (see other posts on this site) to be completely energy independent and lower the price of gasoline and energy to where it was 2 – 4 years ago and the cost to our families and the hardship is too much to bear.  I pleaded with him, in my e-mail, to open up ANWR, the oceans around our country and the thousands of square miles of federal lands to exploration and production of oil.  I also requested that he clear the way of Government red tape and expense for companies to build several refineries so that we could afford to live.  Read his reply, below, for yourself and access if he gives a damn about us.

Basically, as you can see for yourself in the copy of his letter below, he doesn’t care how expensive it gets or how bad we are hurt.  Sure, he Feingold and the rest of both houses of Congress will just vote themselves raises for the extra cost for energy and all products we need to buy for life, so that we not only pay for the increased prices on all products and gasoline that we need to live but than we will also be ‘forced’ by the IRS Agents to pay for their increased costs as well.  Such a deal!  Are we getting mad as hell yet?

We all need to act!  We honestly should be demonstrating in the streets. The Congress does not care if we loose our homes or can not afford to buy food.  Herbert Kohl doesn’t care.  Russ Feingold doesn’t care. Dave Obey doesn’t care.  Steve Kagen doesn’t care.  All four of these Congressmen are Democrats. All four of them sent me similar letters or worse.  How long are we going to take this abuse?  All they have to do is legalize the exploration and drilling for oil and gas and the prices, according to an expert commodities trader on the Rush Limbaugh program today, will come down about $30.00 – $35.00 a barrel.

Here is Senator Kohls e-mail back to me:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I value the correspondence I get from people in Wisconsin, and I welcome this opportunity to address your concerns.

Our national wildlife refuges were created in 1903 and later expanded by the Roosevelt administration. Today, our national refuges are threatened because of several laws passed in the 1960s that allowed “secondary activities” on refuges, including oil and gas drilling, timber harvesting, grazing, farming and commercial fishing.

I have been very active in protecting this pristine wilderness from drilling in the past. Most recently on May 13, 2008, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced an amendment to S. 2284, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007, which would have allowed for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and off the coasts of the United States. I voted against this proposal and the amendment failed by a vote of

42 to 56.

Additionally, I co-sponsored Senator Lieberman’s (I-CT) bill, S. 2316, which was introduced on November 7, 2007 that would designate a portion of the ANWR as a wilderness, placing a permanent ban on development. S. 2316 has been referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which I am not a member.

Please be assured I continue to support any further efforts to protect the valuable natural resources of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I oppose drilling for oil and gas in the ANWR because of the irreparable damage that would be done to its fragile ecosystem. I do not believe short-term economic considerations should take precedence over the health of the environment. In addition, it is clear that drilling in ANWR will not provide enough domestic oil supply to minimize the control that OPEC has on the petroleum market.

Even in these trying times, insulating ourselves from the world prices of oil will not come from increasing domestic production. We cannot drill ourselves out of our oil dependency, there is simply not enough oil within our borders. However, the U.S. can reduce its vulnerability to oil price shocks by decreasing its demand for oil altogether. The way to ease the impact of high oil prices on consumers is to give consumers tools to reduce their demand for oil. Prolonging our nation’s dependence on oil will continue to place our economic security at risk. Instead, I believe this debate should focus on alternative energy sources, for the economic and environmental health of our nation.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Herb Kohl

U.S. Senator