The Part of the Branstad Commercial You Didn’t See

March 28, 2010 by 5 Comments

Terry Branstad unveiled his first primary ad during the University of Northern Iowa’s NCAA tournament game.  Some argue it was a smart move on his part and I don’t disagree with that.  What makes me scratch my head, however, is why would someone who supposedly has this primary in the bag waste his war chest now and not save it for taking on Governor Culver?  Perhaps this primary is far from over and perhaps the Comeback Express is not running so smoothly…………

 

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Boswell Creates Jobs at Protest

March 22, 2010 by 11 Comments

On Thursday March 18th I attended the health care bill protest held in front of Congressman’s Boswell’s office on Locust street in Des Moines.

The protest began at 12:30 and as people started showing up to line both sides of the street to protest for and against the bill, workers from Organizing for America were there with a clipboard marking off who was there and placing them in different locations. For those of you unaware, Organizing for America is “the successor organization to Obama for America, building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to bring about an agenda of change.” Taken directly from their site. Volunteers showed up on both sides chanting, holding signs, and answering questions from the media. There were about 100 protestors, but I did not count. What I did notice was that there were more people there against the bill than were there in favor of it.

The most disturbing part of the protest was not what happened during, but what happened immediately after. At exactly 1:30, one hour after the start of the protest, ALL protestors there in favor of the bill left and went to the Organizing for America office where they were all handed an envelope containing what we were told by one of them was a check for an hours worth of work. YES! You got that right! Supporters for the health care bill were paid to be at that location for one hour. I was shocked, I shouldn’t have been, but I was. When asked why they were only there for an hour, their response was that they only got paid to be there for an hour. So my question is to you astroturf Obama supporters, do you only stand up for something if you are getting paid for it? It makes you wonder because those there protesting the bill and Boswell’s support of the bill were there NOT getting paid and most of us were either losing time from work or taking personal time away from our jobs, families, and lives to support something that we feel strongly for. So for those of you that received that large color tri-fold mailer from the office of Loenard Boswell, paid for by the taxpayers of the 3rd district, touting his plan to create jobs, well….. there you have it!

I just don’t buy the fact that these people care as much as they say they do if they are receiving a check from an organization to scream at other people and cause a disturbance for an hour. Then leaving one hour later, on the dot, as quiet as mice to go pick up a paycheck. So where is this money coming from? I am seriously DISGUSTED!!! After the supporters of the bill left to pick up their checks, We went to Boswell’s office to talk to his staffers who of course were polite, but defended Boswell and all of his actions up to this point. What I want to know now is, what Boswell is getting out of all of this? If those there in support of him are getting paid, what is his compensation?

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Ferentz, the Iowa Farm Bureau and property rights

March 17, 2010 by 7 Comments

The Iowa Farm Bureau and Hawkeye Football Coach Kirk Ferentz. Seems to be a good team and a winning combination to promote the goodness of being an Iowan and a Farm Bureau member, right?

WRONG!

The Iowa Farm Bureau has a radio ad that at first seems so positive and truthful of what Iowa Farm Bureau is all about. Great photos of farm families, a barn with a flag, fields of corn, and other great visuals of Iowa.  Ferentz  talks about the ‘quality of life’ and being ” part of a winning team”.  So far, so good.

And then Ferentz says why he supports Iowa Farm Bureau and is a member of the organization:

“and in my case, protection of individual property rights…”

It is  more than amazing and disheartening that such a well-known and respected organization like Farm Bureau could put out such a commercial that goes against what they actually are NOT doing for farmers of Clarke County!

According to the Farm Bureau Website:

“Farm Bureau is a unique and highly successful organization because it’s in business to serve members. The organization’s services, programs and benefits are developed based on the causes, concerns and needs important to members based on their beliefs and values…”

I urge readers of this post to view the ad and while you are doing so, keep in mind what the Farm Bureau professes to be about and what is promoted in this radio commercial.

The Iowa Farm Bureau dropped the ball on this one. They have not put into their efforts what their words say they stand for and support.

This commercial  is one very, very costly  fumble on the part of the Farm Bureau.

Iowans take note. Your land could be the next to be taken in eminent domain and don’t automatically  expect the Farm Bureau to help you or protect your individual property rights.

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Health Insurance bad for you?

March 12, 2010 by 10 Comments

Today I heard  IL Senator Dick Durbin state “70 people a day will die due to the lack of health insurance”, and reiterates that it is 70 a day that will die. So what verification does he have that they died due to lack of health insurance? Yet is 70 a huge number? If the rest that died every day that had good health care insurance it  seems to me that according to Senator Durbin its better to not have insurance if only 70 a day die from lack of it. And since this health care bill wont kick in for another 4-5 years over 180,000 people will have died in that time span according to Durbins numbers. Is he trying to tell us no one will die if this bill is passed ? People die every day its fact of life im sorry i have had to deal with death many times in my life. Most of my family is deceased. And they still would have died no matter what.

Its like the lyrics from the song Dust in the Wind by Kansas ” nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky it slips away and all your money won’t another minute buy” It also seems to me as i have heard a protester saying that his college education should be a right he shouldn’t have to pay for it  he should have a job guarenteed a house and free food. Well if you have a house and free food and utilities why on earth would you need the job for ? And why suddenly does health care become a right ? Then there will loads of people wanting rights to do this or that it opens a big box or worms.

Senator Durbin went on to say” and 1,040 more are denied coverage, charged a higher rate, or otherwise discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition.” I can tell you one thing the people who get denied the most for medication or services are people who have Medicare or Medicaid. My local hospital will not even accept a patient who has Medicaid anymore they have a big sign on the wall. They just don’t get it this is not what the people want right now they want Jobs !  The polls continue to go down and down on the amount of people who are for health care bill now. Congresses approval ratings have been in the basement for some time now. And Obama’s numbers have dropped like a rock since he took office just over a year ago. And he seems all to willing to throw fellow Democrats under the bus and his party under the bus just to pass this bill. That will become 16% of our yearly GDP its to big of a monster to rush through fix the small problems we have with the industry now.

I for one would like to see limits set on malpractice lawsuits. Make it so people can buy insurance from across state lines. 75% of people are happy with their insurance it seems simplier to me to try to fix the 25% than completely screw it up for everyone. Cut fraud and waste. Theres no reason a prescription for some medicine should cost over $100 bucks when insurance pays for it when it can be bought over the counter for about $30.00

I also wonder if the part that i read earlier is still in the bill now that if people do not pay for this universal health care insurance they will be fined and if they don’t pay the fine they will be imprisoned. Way i see it there would be quite a number of people who would flat out say fine me im not paying for the fine either. Guess Obama better get to building prisons cause if a mere 15% which i think would be low do not pay the fines would amount to almost 40 million people we do not have prison space for 40 million people or if just 10% didn’t that would be approx. 30 million people. I do not feel its a God given right or a right in this country. I admit something needs done but nothing this drastic.

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It’s Texting While Driving, Stupid!

March 10, 2010 by 3 Comments

It is no secret that I am an unapologetic social conservative and without those issues in my party’s platform I couldn’t stomach being a registered Republican right now and I wouldn’t spend my time being politically active.  Even though an unconstitutional move was made by the Iowa Supreme Court on April 3, 2009, and we saw the definition of marriage redefined by unelected officials, the only response from liberals and sell-outs on my side to those of us who were and still are in an uproar is, “It’s about the economy, stupid!”  Time and time again we were reminded that there were more pressing issues out there than the Supreme Court being in position to take away any of our freedoms and our legislature blocking the voice of the people when it comes to the definition of a word that our society was built on.

Well, it looks as if those people were right.  There are more pressing issues than holding the courts in check and the definition of marriage but it’s not the economy, or jobs, or our educational system slipping farther down the rat hole.  The most pressing issues in our state right now are things like puppy mills and texting while driving.  I am an animal lover and an avid fan of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and I received their mailing about their excitement over the puppy mill legislation.  My only thought was, “Good for them for knowing that a bunch of dim wits are in control of the legislature right now and that they can push their agenda through even as our state crumbles around us.”

Then there is the controversial texting while driving ban that this whole legislative session seems to hinge on.  I am glad this legislation happened, however, because it brought to light what idiots the Iowa Democrats really are.  Even though they argued that the rules in the House could not be suspended over the objection of Speaker of the House, Pat Murphy, in order to pass an Iowa Marriage Amendment that is exactly what they did in order to add an amendment to the texting while driving ban.  Not a session later, but a mere month later they pulled a move that before they said was impossible to do.  I mean, you can’t make this stuff up.  And where was the Republican outrage over this?  I haven’t heard ANYTHING but then my party is known best for throwing chances like this away.

So you see, there are more pressing issues out there than courts and definition of marriage.  But don’t expect those issues to give your spouse a job or save your grandchild from a mountain of inherited debt.

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No More Funeral-Type GOP Rallies

March 1, 2010 by 1 Comment

Team Vander Plaats made the most of Governor Mike Huckabee’s day in Iowa on February 24th.  The luncheon in Cedar Rapids brought in a roomful of large donors with a big portion of them being new to the campaign.  The guests were treated to a photo-op with Huckabee and Vander Plaats and then received a personal message from them during the luncheon.  The Governor and Bob were then flown off to an Iowa Family PAC fundraiser in Des Moines in which they were both showcased again.  (Never hurts to get in front of as many people as possible.)  The Bob VP people also used Huckabee’s visit to generate online donations which brought in quite a few new smaller donors from Iowa and across the nation as the Governor’s online network helped promote it.

The highlight and the most successful part of the day for theVander Plaats campaign was the grassroots rally back in Cedar Rapids that same evening.  Their goal was to make this event into what a rally is supposed to be………. filled with enthusiasm and inspiration and not a bunch of people sitting in chairs feebly holding up a few signs while listening to talking points.  I attended the event and would have to say Team Vander Plaats was successful.  Over 400 people came to the rally and while in the beginning they were a littly grumpy about being forced to stand-up (except for a select few who needed chairs), in the end there was no one wanting to sit down.

What amazed me first about the event is the amount of volunteers that the campaign can harvest in addition to the band coming as far as Spirit Lake, Iowa.  The band played while waiting for the speakers and Peter Teahen was the first one up as he is Bob VP’s county chair in that area.  I don’t know much about Mr. Teahen except for the fact that he was narrowly defeated in the 2008 Republican primary for that district’s congressional seat but I do know that he delivered a fiery speech that day to get things warmed-up.  He was definitely the red meat thrower of the event.  He did take time-out to publicly recognize the people at the rally who were running for office this year.  Nice touch.

Next up was Bob Vander Plaats who took the crowd through what he would do as Governor of Iowa which did include the things he would accomplish after “Day One.”  (I hate to take away from his critics’ rhetoric, but he does have a plan after Day One.)  But it is his promise of what he would do on that Day One that always lights a fire under people and this was once again true at the rally.  The response to his Executive Order putting a stay on the Supreme Court’s April 3, 2009, unconstitutional move in order to give the power back to the people and to protect our freedoms brought a response from the crowd that I can only describe as lit match in one hand and lighter fluid in the other.  Bob finished up his speech by giving a heartfelt introduction of Mike Huckabee.

It’s no secret that Governor Huckabee is hands down the best communicator the GOP currently has and he did not disappoint at the rally.  As a governor himself for almost eleven years in Arkansas he could clearly explain why he has thrown his full support behind Bob VP and the reasons why he would make a good governor.  (At this point in time the rally attendees forgot anything about wanting to sit down.)  And as only Mike Huckabee can, he transitioned his speech into playing bass in the band for three songs.  It was then that I did not know if I was at a rally or at a rock concert because the fans then took control of the event and I swear quite a few of them reverted back to their younger years.  It was a “rally” in the true sense of the word.  After the event Huckabee and Vander Plaats stuck around for photo-ops and to talk with people.

It is fully expected that Governor Huckabee will be back at least one more time before the June 8th primary to campaign with Bob Vander Plaats.

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