Through my work on Patriot247, I have some reach into a national network because people in other states have signed up.
One of them, Jo, from Tampa, Florida, wrote in today and gave me a report from the ground:
Well 1500 people got locked out of our town hall meeting,in Tampa, people were going in the back door, but the people who were at the front door were locked out. The reporter, thank God had a camera inside before even he got locked out. He repeatedly stated there were no bus loads, all of the cars were local Florida tags, and he asked people at random who they were and why they were there. Of course our kind of people were locked out, but a few made it in. They made themselves heard and the reps were not to happy, They were also stating into the cameras, that they were not idiots and nut jobs, they were people with concerns and no explanations. people are pissed here, especially when the rep said that in Florida with so many seniors and kids, it is vital they pass the bill for them, got a big boo..loved it.
Evidently, this story is getting national play because it featured some level of physical interaction.
Here are pictures from the event, as reported by the St. Petersburg Times. The second picture in the article shows an anti-ObamaCare guy getting a little shove from a woman who is for the Obama plan.
TalkingPointsMemo is Josh Marshall's liberal web site. He says, "apparently a mob of teabaggers began to riot after some were not able to get into a townhall meeting in Tampa."
Mob. Riot. Loaded words... accurate?
Look at that picture from the event again. Barry Osteen is the picture of composure. And in the first picture from the event, while crowded, it's no riot. It's no mob.
Unfortunately, many people use TPM as a news source. It puts itself out there as a news source. But it's not pushing for accuracy. TPM pats itself on the back for the praise it receives from NYT, Columbia Journalism Review, Bill Moyers Journal, NPR, the LA Times, and others. Birds of a feather... which explains why these media outlets continue to have diminished audiences. They don't bother to acquaint themselves with the truth, or even try to do so.
ETC: The picture of this event becomes more clear. This, from Tampa Bay Online:
The meeting was organized by Reed plus the Service Employees International Union, other unions and Organizing for America, a liberal group that grew out of the Obama presidential campaign.
Some opponents accused the organizers of trying to stack the crowd by allowing early admission to those on their side. Reed denied that, saying those admitted early were organizers setting up the room.
Cute.
Here's video from the event:
The shoving at the start of the video takes place because the "organizers" are shoving people back to close the doors of the meeting.
Here's the issue: as Congress moves aggressively to bankrupt our kids, there are some selfish assholes who want all the health care they can get on the backs of our kids. Heaven forbid that they might actually pay for their own health care. Of course, we loving parents naturally oppose their push for generational theft.
Politicians today love the idea of stewarding society. Health care is 1/7 of the nation's economy. Oh the cosmic power.
My opinion about this: I'm going to show up at their events. I'm going to be civil, but firm. They might ignore me, and they might ignore every other person standing with me on this issue. But I guarantee that 2010 will see more passion than any election in history. Record turnouts. Droves. I fight for my kids, and I will go down swinging if I am to lose this fight. The White House can punch back all they'd like. The Left's passion for health care they didn't pay for themselves will not be equal to the Right's passion to protect their children.
And then in a separate incident, a union member with a "Health Care 09" t-shirt is arrested in St. Louis for attacking a black man selling "Don't Tread on Me" flags.
Isn't this exactly how public policy should emerge? Way to go, Mr. President. I suppose he would probably say that the guy selling flags acted stupidly.
"The Republicans and their allied groups desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill... are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in Congressional Districts across the country," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said in a statement.
When I was at the Boswell event the other day, an elderly woman approached me afterwards and asked me what insurance company I worked for. She'd been watching the news or something and was convinced that I was a lobbyist since I spoke out. I gave her my business card and told her that I live in West Des Moines and that I build complex web sites for a living. She nodded patronizingly. She just won't be fooled, I guess.
But for any others who have doubt, for the record, I don't work for the insurance industry and I'm not paid to speak out. I'm just a guy who loves his kids and I happen to have enough talent to perform basic math. Tough criteria, I know, but those two attributes are enough to motivate me to act without payment.
P.S. I also have a growing database of several hundred names and email of other unpaid Iowans like me who, out of love for their country and love for their kids, are fighting the juggernaut of this government. Passionate folk.
One of the problems with our current representatives in government is that politicians almost universally believe that it's their job to craft solutions in our name. The problems with this are:
the people crafting these "solutions" don't have to face market pressures like the private sector
the people crafting these "solutions" don't have to personally invest their own money into the "solution" they craft like the private sector
the people crafting these "solutions" don't have to face the customer service problems that inevitably follow the implementation of their "solutions"
The experience of building it from the inside out and living it every day, crafting a workable, efficient solution that is market-tested - this is the only way to solve problems. This kind of real world problem-solving can't happen in a closed-door meeting among lobbyists and lawyers. It happens on the streets among the entrepreneurs who take on the risks of learning what the market will buy.
Chuck Grassley believes in his heart that his job is to craft solutions in Washington, despite Washington's pathetic track record. Medicare is broke. Medicaid is broke. Social Security won't be there for you or me or our kids, yet we continue to sink money into it with every paycheck. Plainly, Washington "solutions" are a losing venture - every time they're tried. Can we call these programs "clunkers?"
What I don't hear from Chuck Grassley is that he intends to use his office to protect our liberties. The founding fathers never intended that our elected representatives would be our designated "problem solvers." What they did expect is that elected representatives would limit government. That premise was once a core plank in the Republican platform. Is it now?
I ask because it's clear that Chuck Grassley's intentions are not to limit government, but to limit the Democrats. He hopes to craft a bipartisan approach to health care "reform." I'll say this as plainly as I can: bipartisanship is just a euphemism for less freedom and higher taxes. You know - and I know - that any health care compromise with the Democrats will only increase costs and reduce the freedom of our children when they inherit this mess as adults. They'll be stuck with the bill. But here's the kicker: as I mentioned, neither you or I expect Social Security to be around. While the money we "invested" will be gone, Social Security missing from our future won't greatly detract from our lives. But health care? That's personal. If health care is diminished, as it is in other countries where health care has been socialized, then we're just as responsible as Chuck Grassley if we sit idly by and let it happen. As a parent, I won't let happen. I trust you won't either.
As my state representative, I ask what you intend to do to tell Grassley in no uncertain terms that the only acceptable health care solution is that Washington have nothing more to do with it. The only acceptable solution is a free-market solution. If the goal is to make health care more accessible, then the answer is to make it more affordable through cost control. Washington can only add layers of management onto health care costs, which will not improve the quality of health care nor will it reduce costs. The trillions borrowed to "afford" Washington solutions today will be shouldered by our children years from now, and loving parents don't burden their children with a mountain of debt.
I admire state representative Kent Sorenson's open letter to Grassley. Good for him for standing tall. I can tell you that the grassroots conservative movement is thrilled to see his principled stand. I'd like to know how you intend to stand for our children's futures. Will you send Grassley the clear message that bipartisanship on health care will bankrupt America, just like every other Washington "solution?"
More specifically, as a Republican, will you stand for limited government? This is an opportunity for you to define the GOP clearly for us voters. I urge you to re-establish for us that plank in the Republican platform. I miss it.
At lunchtime, I went to Leonard Boswell's townhall on the 2010 Census. I took video, which I'll post later.
The big discussion during the town hall was why we're not asking whether people are citizens or not. "We don't care," is what US Census representative Dennis Johnson told us. "We're just supposed to count numbers."
Here's what the Constitution says:
"Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers,... The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct."
That's his point - it says "Numbers."
Me, the troublemaker, I then asked, "So if the 'numbers' are used to determine how we citizens are represented in Congress, it's okay to include illegal aliens in that count?"
"It's a matter of interpretation. I defer to Congressman Boswell," he replied.
So I turned to Boswell. "You're okay with counting illegal aliens in the census to determine your representation of us?"
"You make a good point."
"What do you intend to do with that good point?"
"I'll take it back to Washington."
"And do what with it? What's your goal in taking that good point back to Washington?"
"I'll have to talk to others about this."
And that was it.
I was one of maybe 30 citizens there. About half were quietly motioning their applause of my questions or nodding their heads in agreement with that exchange and with a question I asked about using the census to direct "$4 trillion" back to the districts. "Who's gonna pay that back," I asked.
"Well, the president believes in 'Pay-As-You-Go.'"
"Really? Because he's ratcheting up debt faster than at any point in our history."
"Well, Bush spent over $700 billion."
"And Obama trillions. Both are wrong."
Unfortunately, my camera cut out early. Low battery. But I got the gist of their opening, but none of the back-and-forth.
I had some people come up to me afterward wanting to know who I was. I gave them my business card, but it's clear that people are looking for someone to be unafraid to speak out.
Two other facts that emerged: it's a $100 fine to only answer the question of how many are in your home. ACORN employees might be employed, but not as ACORN, per se.
They're not used to this, and it's something that we all need to do more of.
ETC: The poster is reminiscent to me of this poster:
The only way to improve the Obama poster is to put him in the nurse getup, signifying the chaos ObamaCare intends to bring to health care.
Like Joker told Harvey Dent:
"Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos, Harvey? It’s fair."
Yep. Fairness. That's the goal. Equally inefficient government crap for everyone.
There really is no way around it. It's either that or he is hell-bent to make lives of the poor in this country much, much harder.
So get this...
Cash for Clunkers, that dreamy program thought up by Obama's administration, requires the dealers to destroy the cars brought in for the program. You take your car, give it to the dealer, who gives you the money and then is required by law to destroy the engine of the car. Got that?
Now, I guess they never taught the law of supply and demand at Harvard, because if the supply drops, then what remains in the market is more expensive. Less supply, more cost to purchase.
Here's a pop quiz that only those who didn't attend Ivy League schools and didn't write best-selling books and don't have date night in Paris can answer correctly:
1: What kind of cars do the poor drive?
2: Why do the poor buy that kind of car?
If you answered "used cars" for 1 and "because they're more affordable" for 2, you win!
But Obama is out to destory the supply of the used car market, which will have the inevitable effect of making used cars more expensive.
So he's either a dunce who has no grasp of economics, or he really doesn't care about the poor. You pick. Either way, he's bad for the country.
ETC: As usual, Pale Rider is right. He says that Obama is both a dunce and doesn't care about the poor. No "or" applies.
MORE ETC: And from Kelly's insight:
It's a tax break for the rich. The poor certainly aren't trading in their used cars for new cars. Those who can afford new cars are doing it and getting a $4500 handout from Uncle Sam. Who would have thought, Dem's for the rich?
While I've been working on the 247Toolset engine, I've also been working on a client's complicated engineering app. As I write this, I'm listening by phone to the several-person, cross-country demo of the work I've done in the last four months for the client. Kinda fun to hear the remarks and the flow of it all. It's the first time that they've all seen the system from end to end.
This has been a great week. The 247Toolset engine is entering a lot of verticals. From alumni groups to business accelerators to non-profits, the 247Toolset platform proves itself adaptable to more and more purposes every week.
I've engaged a former co-worker who will help me manage the development going forward. She and I worked on a very complicated project in the past and we work very well together, with me developing and her testing and coordinating the development.
I've also brought in a professional management company in exchange for a small fraction of equity. They're the reason that I drove across Iowa this past Wednesday to demo the platform, and the reason that it was demo'd in front of an alumni group. It's starting to feel like this will blossom very fast. We have a target for the end of August to put the finishing touches on the core development. And then - sales!
When we met this morning, we postulated that four people might make their living from this work in the first quarter of next year. If so, jobs created. That after a few thousand hours of effort on my part, with no promise of reward, working toward only a possibility. A dream...
Do I have the right to enjoy the fruit of my risk? Some would say no. Some would say that if this does very well and makes a lot of money because it attracts people to it for the problems it solves, people who had nothing to do with my efforts have as much right to my reward as I do. The folks who think that way are usually those who believe in "economic fairness." Is it fair that those who had nothing to do with the unpaid and persistent effort of development should share in the success of it? That's a fairness question they don't like to answer, in my experience.
I know this much: it's a lot easier to invite yourself to the reward of someone else's efforts than it is to work for your own reward.
