AN EMAIL from Dr. John Fleming, the congressman representing Louisiana's 4th District.

Update on H.Res 615: Call on Members of Congress to Enroll in the Public Option.

Because you have previously contacted my office by email in support of H. Res. 615, my resolution calling on Members of Congress to enroll in the public option, I wanted to give you an update.

Like many of you, I am deeply concerned that Congress will press forward to enact an intrusive government administered health care plan, despite the higher costs and lowered level of care other countries with similar systems have experienced.

You will be pleased to know that more than 100 Members of Congress joined in support of H. Res. 615, my common sense measure calling on Members who vote for an intrusive government-administered health care plan to enroll in that system. Since launching this effort, nearly 3 million Americans like you have contacted my office in support of H. Res. 615. In response I offered an amendment to the Democratic Leadership health care bill to automatically enroll all Members of Congress and all Senators in the public option. Predictably, my amendment was rejected out of hand by the Majority and was not given a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Common sense seems to have failed us in the health care debate. That is why I offered a resolution asking Members of Congress to put their “money where their mouth is” and call for Members who support a public option lead by example and be required to enroll in the public option themselves. If a Member is willing to vote for such an option, why shouldn’t they enroll in it?

THE DOCTOR’S DIAGNOSIS: There is no doubt about it; health care in America must be reformed. The answer, however, is not an intrusive government administered health care plan. As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I am concerned that the kind of “reform” being debated back and forth on Capitol Hill will insert Washington bureaucrats between patients and their doctors, burden the middle class with new taxes, and raise insurance premiums for almost everyone. That is unacceptable “reform.” I will continue to work to represent you and to bring common sense back to this debate.

Why is it the "playing field" never includes Congress? ObamaCare - and a lot of other government programs - would die in an instant if it did.

BAD IDEAS delivered with just a hint of condescension.

A CALL TO ARMS: America was once a land of hope; it is becoming a land of dopes.

We must tell our kids to go outside and look at the stars, sit under a tree, read a book. We must encourage them to seek, understand and value our rich heritage and to do that -- they must study, they must read. We must teach them. We need to turn off the television and read a book of history at the dinner table; be the example. We need to revolutionize our thinking, our moral foundation and our academia.

To quote from one of my favorite forefathers, John Adams:

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

We have come full circle. We have studied painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain for too long.

Janine Turner reminds me of Robert Heinlein, speaking as as Lazarus Long: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.”

It’s politics and war, mathematics and philosophy. Quoting Lazarus Long again, “Specialization is for insects!”

A RHETORICAL PRESIDENCY: “A majority of Americans have come to doubt Mr. Obama's leadership not because he isn't overflowing with ideas or lacks for charm. They are increasingly skeptical of his performance because he has yet to follow through on some of his most basic promises.”

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY. Eugene Robinson bashes Toyota for poor quality control; Toyota apologizes and promises to do better, and the most interesting point is missed: we’ve reached the technology point where we’re going to have our cars recalled for software upgrades.

THE SNOWFALL is over, finally, and the blowing snow has just begun. I've scraped a path out to the shed a couple of times and the wind fills it back in within a half hour.


The effect reminds me of the sand dunes at the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

SNOW MUSHROOM



Growing on the back deck.

WHY ARE LIBERALS so condescending?

It's a variant of the "Those who can, do; those who can't, patronize" principle. With no record of accomplishment, condescension is the last resort.

IT'S SNOWING, and money's falling.

OBAMA SALUTES NAVY "CORPSE-MAN". Just another pathetic display of ignorance.

Ignorance can be overcome if one is willing to learn; willful ignorance cannot. In Obama's case, the ignorance is willful.

EXACTLY RIGHT.



And as punishment, it snowed some more.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: the ruler and yardstick tell me that between 4 and 5 inches fell since the snow started yesterday afternoon, which isn’t too bad.

But ... the wind is up (gusts at 40+ mph). and it’s started to snow heavily. Whiteout conditions. The radio reported that in Manassas even the snow removal trucks have been told to park for a while.

It’s going to be a long, long day.