Who writes the bills? Who is the Apollo Alliance? A high school student asks Congressman Steve Buyer – if HR 3200 passes, and salaries for physicians are capped, what motivation does he have to enter med school?

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August 20, 2009

Senator Bayh,

After reading the attached letter to you from a fellow Hoosier (Whom I have never met), I need to remind you how I feel as well regarding H.R. 3200 “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act” and any similar bill.  My wife and I have written and called Rep Peter Visclosky, Senator Lugar and your self on various topics during 2008 and 2009.  We have received responses from your office and appreciate them.  Since you represent us, we need to understand what you stand for and what you are doing in Washington.

Concern is growing daily over the direction our current President and Congress are taking us.

As a CPA, I believe in small, medium and large business based on my experiences.  Businesses have adjusted extremely quickly to the recession during the last 9 months.  We have cut cost in order to be able to service our customers, pay our vendors and employ as many people as we can considering the current environment.  We are making these changes so that we can return to creating wealth which can be used to reinvest back into our people and communities.  Those that have not been able to adjust because their business models completely broke down have the Bankruptcy System to re-employ the remaining assets into new productive structures.  It would take years for the US Government to adjust operations/spending the way that American Businesses have already been able to. 

My experience also tells me that the smaller businesses can adjust much more quickly than the very large ones.  That is why growing the US Federal Government with Deficit Spending and unavoidable Increased Taxes is UNACCEPTABLE.  Like AIG and GM etc, the US Government is also not TOO BIG TO FAIL.  Like the US Taxpayer Bailouts of AIG and GM only the US Tax Payer will be able to save the US Government causing extreme pain to those Tax Payers.

I say all this to say that the average tax paying Hoosier is against Government Run Health Care in whatever form or language Congress uses.  The larger the US Government grows the less freedom individual Americans have.  The Doctor expressed this very well.

We ask you to vote against any form of Government Run Health Care and any form of Health Care Reform that increases deficits or raises taxes.

Most importantly, whether you vote for or against Government Run Health Care doesn’t really matter.  What matters is if Government Run Health Care passes.  If it passes than you did not do enough to stop it!  Our only alternative than will be to vote you out of office and replace you with someone who represents us.  My family is prepared to spend our time and resources to see that we are represented in Congress now and in the future. 

No we are not a large special interest, we are Americans!  Our individual voice is small but we have remembered how to use it, and there are many of us.  Please hear us and act on our behalf.

Sincerely

Daniel  XXX, CPA

Hoosier Tax Payer and Voter

They are stealing THEIR MONEY!

They are stealing THEIR MONEY!

Dear Senator Bayh,

In reviewing your voting record over the past few years I was brought to question your current “Nay” vote on the 3.5 trillion dollar budget. In the past politicians (note I do not use the word statesman) in this country figure their constituents look at the last year of their voting record (if at all). You are a smart man. You realize Hoosiers are really a pretty conservative bunch of people who by nature want to work hard and be left alone. Here is my beef with your “Nay” vote on this budget… it comes across as disingenuous when you look at the fact that you are the supposed leader of the “blue dog democrats”. If you really felt that this budget was yet another step in bankrupting our country I would think you would have used your influence to join up with the GOP and at least created a filibuster to this atrocious, socialistic, illogical, spending bill. Do not get me wrong sir, I believe the GOP is at much fault as anyone for this progressive idea that growing the government is a good idea.

You are a professional politician. I am dedicating myself to see you unseated in 2010. I will work as hard as I can to bring a statesman to power. Someone who will not pull punches or waste any influence they have. As you thumb you lapels about how “smart” you were to simply vote “nay” on a bill you knew would get passed and then garner the vote of the conservative Hoosier, know this, there are many like me who are ready to see your kind lose their power over “We the People”. “We the People” are waking up. I attended the April 15th Tea Party at the State Capitol. It was the first political rally I have ever attended. I am now helping organize a July 4th rally. I wonder if your fellow Democrats and our President will continue to make fun of Americans who participate in these events failing to realize that this is not a GOP event, not just republicans, not just libertarians, not just democrats, not just “right wing extremists”, but rather angry Americans who still believe that they have a right to earn a decent wage and keep it for themselves and not be forced to share it with someone who has made BAD choices. These are people who realize that this is punishing good behavior and rewarding bad behavior.

On November 3, 2010 when you wake up wondering what just happened you might want to save this letter and put a note on it that reminds you to “Read me if I lose in 2010”. I might be dreaming that someone as powerful and manipulative as yourself can actually lose with your long history in the state. Rest easy, I am sure you will be fine and I am sure this is just a rant. I am sure you succeeded and fooled all the Hoosiers with your “Nay” vote. You and all the incumbents are going to be fine. Americans really are happy with how things are going. The GOP is not even going to back a candidate in any significant way in Indiana in 2010. They have basically already conceded defeat. It is doubtful that there really is an undercurrent of anger that is brewing and could boil over and wash away many of the politicians who have gotten America into this mess. The funny thing is people keep on talking about how the GOP needs to be rebuilt and how the democrats are on the right track. I find this funny because it seems to me that you all are in the same bed with big business, big lobbyists, and each other in many respects. I find it funny because I (and I pretty sure I am the only one who thinks this so rest easy) have been thinking that both parties need to be scrapped. The players must be replaced. Our liberty must be restored.

So maybe a “thank you” for your “nay” vote on a bill so heinous and destructive that it has the potential of driving our country into a ditch is in order. I for one will withhold my thanks realizing that it was rather easy for a “Blue Dog” in an election year to push the “nay” button knowing that the success of the bill was a foregone conclusion. I have to run and let Mr. Lugar know what I think of his “nay” vote. My sentiment is the same. Once again rest easy… all is well… you are a shoo-in come 2010.

Regards,

Jeff Petersen

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Only a few people are going to show up

Only a few people are going to show up

They seem happy with how things are going

They seem happy with how things are going

I work from 6 am till 2:30 pm. I drove from my job up on 75th and Binford Blvd to downtown. After a small stop at the leather supply shop on South and Illinois, I drove down to the Circle Center Mall’s parking garage on Illinois. After parking, I walked the long way down Maryland and came at the State House Lawn from the southwest. I was almost sad at the few people I saw as I came with in the view of the state house.

“It’s still early,” I told myself, “There will be more people.”

I walked around, some. I saw a homemade coffin leaning against a tree just south west of the steps. There was quite a bit of writing on it complaining about what has happened in the country. That was about the time that I heard the first horn. “Oh, gods, please say that we don’t have people out blocking traffic during rush hour.” Must to my relief, when I looked, it was just people driving by and honking their encouragement to this line of people standing on the edge of the state house lawn on Washington St. Where the people had come from I don’t know. One minute there was no one there, next, there’s people out on the edge of the lawn.

I finally made my way around to the medical area to say hi to Lori and reassure her that I had no intention of catching fire and that I didn’t even bring any matches. When I missed her the first time and started another “orbit” of the stage, there were more people. “Wow, its going to be a pretty good turn out.” (At this time, I had not quite noticed that people were coming in from the south east corner of the lawn.)

I walked around the lawn again, looking at some of the people, getting some pictures of the statues and people there. Gotta say, there were some pretty hot looking college girls there supporting the cause. I did hear some guy saying how Obama was going to repeal the constitution and declare martial law. We were all doomed. This guy just seemed like he was interested in talking to his friends, not pushing his beliefs on everyone else.

Then the music started. I found myself singing along with all of them. (Much like everyone else was. I have to say that the Wright Brothers were very good. I wish I had heard of them sooner.

It seems like I blinked and there were more people. I stopped to get pictures of the reinactors. One of who told me, “That will be a dollar, capitalism and all,” I responded, “Sorry, I am broke.” Another guy spoke up, “I know where you might get a loan.” There was laughter all around.

Once again, I actually looked at the number of people. There were people all down the walk to Washington street and all down the walk to Washington & capitol streets. The noise was getting louder and the people were starting to get excited. And the temp suddenly dropped.

I made two or three more orbits back and forth looking at the people there, reading their signs shaking my head at some of them, laughing at some of them, seeing others as “acorn plants” and wondering what the rest of them were thinking. Flags were being handed out (I still have mine as well as the don’t tread on me flag that I bought which will get put up in my van eventually).

I ended up almost in a line from the stage to the south west corner of the lawn as they called for everyone’s attention. I listened to Laura and Richard speak, applauding and waving my flags every so often. Then they announced the immigrant from Pakistan (a naturalized American citizen) who was going to give the invocation. I noticed that quite a few people were stunned when they heard him talk, till he started talking about Jesus and his experiences in American and his love for the country. I could feel the crowd warming up to him in an amazing way. When he actually started the prayer, I bowed my head. (While I am not Christian, I still believe in showing respect if nothing else to the founding fathers that were Christian and would have bowed their heads as well.) The prayer was very moving and I could tell that he greatly cared for his new home country and the religion that I am pretty sure he was not born to.

A young girl was next up and she led the Pledge of allegiance. It reminded me of every day in elementary school and middle school, the pledge would be read by one student at random each morning over the p.a. system at school. I think this is the first time I have taken the pledge of allegiance in nearly 25 years I think.

Mr. Garrison spoke after that. I listen to him once in a while in the morning (when time and work permit). I agree with what he said and enjoyed listening to him. I have to say that I was worried for a moment that he was going to turn it into a political speech but he really didn’t.

More people spoke, I am sorry I don’t remember them all. I had started walking again moving around the crowd getting pictures again and looking at the crowds. When “Thomas Payne” began to speak it was quite in thrilling. I agreed with him entirely. The crowd also seemed to love him as well. Other than one small group encouraging everyone to get their lifetime gun permits and get their guns. I think they were trying to get people to rise to action but I missed some of what they were saying as I was trying to get closer to the speakers to hear Mr. “Payne”.

Once his speech was over, I decided to head out. I needed to go to my parents and do a few things there before I went home. It was funny though. On my drive out of downtown, I saw at least 1/2 a dozen people who either by carrying flags or just a look about them, that I could tell had been to the event. Maryland Street waving a huge don’t tread on me flag. It was good to see it and to see the reaction of people who were not at the event as they passed by.

If you made it to here, you are way more patient than I would have been. Just my thoughts and time at the party.

Shawn B.

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