Quote of the Day - Senator Mark Warner Edition

"Bain Capital was a very successful business. They got a good return for their investors. That is what they were supposed to do,"

Former Venture Capitalist, Senator Mark Warner.

And expect the attacks to start in 3...2...1

Democrats Solution - Everyone Work for the Government

Please join us on Monday, March 8th for a job fair in Stafford, Virginia.


U.S. Senator Mark Warner is hosting a job fair on Monday, March 8th, for Virginians looking for work in the federal government. The event is free and open to the public.

More than three-dozen federal agencies will participate, including: the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, IRS, the Office of Personnel Management, FEMA, the Peace Corps, the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Labor, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Here are the details:
DATE: Monday, March 8, 2010

TIME: 9 a.m. - Noon

LOCATION: Univ. of Mary Washington - Stafford campus

College of Graduate and Professional Studies, University Hall

125 University Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA

For more information, and to RSVP, visit: http://warner.senate.gov/jobsfair
 
Just what we need, more people working for the government, which just increases our debt. 

The AARP and The Millions To Be Made with Healthcare Reform

With the so-called healthcare reform bill on the verge of being passed, we need to take a look at who is going to profit. When it comes to politics, you always need to follow the money. Both versions of the healthcare bill are going to be allegedly financed by cuts to Medicare. One of the programs that are due to be completely eliminated or severely cut is Medicare Advantage.  

Medicare Advantage is a program that allows middle class people to get a wrap-around type policy to cover the gaps that Medicare doesn't pay that are partially subsided by the government. The costs of what is not included in Medicare can be quite costly; especially if you have to take a great deal of medication. This program has been touted as wasteful and ineffective by the democrats. This was mentioned to me by both Senator Webb and Senator Warner's staff during my visits to their offices. When these programs are gutted, the millions of people who are using this program will be forced to go out and find another policy. In walks AARP.

AARP's membership dues is low, only $16 per year. AARP certainly cannot afford its business expenses on membership dues alone. If you are 50 or older you know how much mail they send out. Those mailings costs about .30/piece and they send millions out per month. I won't bore you with how I know that information, but I do.

One of the main sources of income for them is the royalties that they get from selling insurance policies. Last year alone they made almost three quarters of billion dollars. Yes, that is a B for billion. That is an amazing amount of money. No wonder they support the cuts to this program.

The board members of AARP should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a bill that is going to cause cuts to Medicare programs. The entire point of the organization is support the needs of the senior citizens in this country. With more cuts coming down the pike, the number of hospitals and medical providers who will accept Medicare will dwindle. They will be joining the likes of the Mayo Clinic of Arizona. The people who are going to be the most hurt by this legislation is going to be the very people that they say they represent. It seems to me that the only thing they are representing is the bottom line of their profit sheets.

Flagpoles, A Medal of Honor Winner, and the HOA - Updates

Col. Barfoot has received a stay about his flagpole for at least one week.  The board has decided not to move forward with legal action at this time. 

The medal of honor winner has been drawing large support for his vertical flag pole that he placed in his front yard.  The HOA convenats do not specfically state that a vertical flag pole is against the rules.  It was determined that it is not "aesthetically pleasing".   

The 90 year old is receiving support from both Senator Mark Warner and Jim Webb as well as our missing in action governor Tim Kaine.  Senator Warner's office is working behind closed doors to work out a settlement that will allow the WWII veteran to continue to fly his flag to military specifications.  The congress did pass a federal law saying that homeowner associations cannot restrict the flying of the American flag. 

Updates

Sen. Gillibrand of NY released a statement on her vote to continue tax payer funding of ACORN

"...while Senator Gillibrand finds the actions of certain Acorn employees to be reprehensible and will ask Acorn leaders for a full investigation and plan to prevent any further abuse, the truth remains that thousands of New York families who are facing foreclosure depend on charitable organizations like Acorn for assistance.”

They can still receive assistance, Senator.

Isn't she up for re-election next year?

While I was visiting Senator Warner's office last week, his Chief Counsel gave me his business card with an email address on it. I sent him an email to thank him for taking the time to meet with me. The email came back as address unknown.

Then they wonder why we don't like them.

Just doin' my duty

This past weekend had many activities beyond the big march on Saturday. One of which was the grassroots lobbyist activity. So I figured what the heck, and went ahead.

To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting much as far as having conversations with my representatives. My question was going to be the same for all three of them. I want them to sign a pledge that they will read all bills before voting on them. In my opinion, not to much to ask.

My first stop was to the offices of my congressman. The receptionist told me he was busy, and that she would get back to me. I wrote down my name and email address. But she didn't write down my question. So I am not holding my breath on getting an answer.

I then walked the few blocks to the Senate offices to get an answer from them. I had about the same experience with Senator Webb. The only difference between the two was that Senator Webb's office didn't even ask my name. I was just told that he does read all bills. Sen. Webb was rumored to be on the short list of VP for the President. He and the president are cut from the same far left cloth, and asking him to represent or care about my views is really just a complete waste of time.

I then walked down to my other Senator's office. Senator Warner seemed like reasonable man at his town hall. I was not able to ask questions at the town hall as my number was not picked. His receptionist asked me what I wanted, and told me to take a seat. A few minutes later his Chief Counsel and Policy Director came out to speak to me. We went into another office and had a conversation.

I was told that the senator will not sign the pledge and his explanation does seem reasonable. They are asked to sign many pledges and how do they decide which they sign and which they won't? OK, I can buy that. If one thinks about it, they would end up spending all this time answering questions about which pledges he signs and which he doesn't. The staff's time should be used for more useful things than that. I didn't really like the comparison he used though. Which color canaries does he like best and reading all bills before signing them. Not really comparable in my opinion. A better analogy should be used.

I did mention that I had been calling the office in DC and the phone goes directly into voice mail. He told me that "my side" was doing a good job, and their phones are ringing off the hook. This all reminds me of the movie Postcards from the Edge when Meryl Streep's character tells Dennis Quaid that she doesn't have sides, she is one side fits all. I didn't realize that I had a side. But I digress here.

We did get to talking about the town hall. Which as I have told you before was handled very well. His staff did a good job at keeping it as civil as possible, when it is a very emotional topic on both sides. We were talking about the mis-information that is out there. I pointed out that it is on both sides and I mentioned to him that he lied at the town hall. He didn't take too kindly to me saying that, so I re-worded and said he was mistaken.

As things stand right now with the bills that are floating out there abortions will be paid for with tax payer dollars. As much as the democrats want to deny that. One of the problems is that "we the people" are becoming more educated. At least, conservative girl is. You all may be much more understanding of how these work than I. One of the things that I have done some research on is the fact that the courts have ruled almost 100% of the time is that if the bill does not specifically require or specifically disallow something all one must do is take it to court and they will get a ruling in their favor. So, unless the bills have the language that abortion cannot be paid for with tax payer dollars it will become part of health care. That is a plain and simple fact.

The explanation that I got about this is that they realize that this is red meat (again) for "our side". Regular readers of my blog may remember that on more social issues I am pretty moderate and I am a little on the fence about Roe. I am one of the few people in the country that doesn't have a strong opinion on this either way; until you start talking about tax payer funds. My money should not pay for it; easy enough. I did ask why then wouldn't the senator put up an amendment to put the language in the bill? His committee assignments means that he is not working on the writing of the bills. So, we will see if and when it ever makes it to the floor that he would then stand up and put it in.

I was given his business card with his personal email address on it. I was warned that if I spammed him that he would be forced to change it; which I have no intention in doing. Not my style. All and all, the only thing that I got out of it is getting over the fear of going. I now know where all three of their offices are. So, I can start doing some of conservative girl adventures right on sight. I am sure they are going to be thrilled.

Conservative Girl Adventures - Senator Warner Town Hall

So, tonight my Senator finally decided to give his town hall at an expo center that would hold up to 3,000 people.

First, I would like to say what a great job the Senator's staff and the police did keeping the people orderly and civil. At least as much as these can be.

I would say that ratio was about 60/40 against the public option.

I did not see any SEIU members that were all over the Moran/Dean town hall. The union members that I did see were from the Communications Workers Association. They wore their matching red shirts and hats and carried more of the union printed signs promoting a public option. These signs were the exact same signs that were handed out Moran/Dean town hall.

It is a little hard to see, but the top picture has a woman holding a sign that said that 77% of people want a public option. I don't know where the heck she got that number from.

Senator Warner was at one time our governor. Virginia has a one term limit for that office. As governor I would say he ran and governed as a fiscally responsible moderate. Personally I thought he did a decent job. I didn't agree with everything, but he did leave office with a balanced budget and a surplus.

Now that he has become Senator, his voting record has taken a turn to the left. He has for the most part followed the party line and has voted with Obama I believe 100% of the time.

One very big shock for me was that we started with The Pledge of Allegiance. Isn't that sad that I was so shocked by this?

The senator told us the following:

1. He would not vote for anything that was not budget neutral.

2. No illegal aliens will get coverage.

3. He would read the bill before voting on it.

4. Abortions will not be covered by tax payer funds.

5. President Obama is indeed a patriot would loved America. (this was an answer to a direct question/statement)

6. He does not want a single payer system and does believe in competition.

7. He does support tort reform and does feel that is a component of lowering costs.

Now lets take a couple of the above listed things.

The CBO has said that the current plans are not budget neutral, which means he would have to vote no.

The courts have ruled over and over again that if the language is not specifically disqualifying something, that means that it is included. So, unless an amendment is added abortions will be performed at tax payer expense. When he was asked if he would add an amendment on abortion he just ignored the question. So, I guess that means no.

I have called and called this man's office when I was trying to get a date for the town hall. During these conversations I have asked if he would sign the pledge to read the bill and the answer was always no. I was not picked to ask a question, so I was not able to find out why he won't sign the pledge. But, I think I may very well be making some more calls next week to get an answer on that.

Senator Warner is walking a tight rope. He is trying to please the party and still stay true to his "moderate" views. It seems to me that party is winning. Ultimately I think he will support the bill because they will find a way to tell us that it is budget neutral.

I met a very nice retired couple who have become very active in the past few years. They concentrate mainly on state issues but have joined their local 9/12 group and go around on the weekends telling people what is being voted on in the Virginia legislator. Meeting them was well worth the drive. They have both heart and passion. I hope I still have that when I am their age.