McHenry County Blog

This is from a participant in the Tuesday demonstration in front of 8th District Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s Schaumburg office near Woodfield. Photos of the event were also shared. I am pleased to publish both the letter and the pictures.

You can still contact Bean’s Washington office.  Phone 202-225-3711 or Fax 202-225-7830.

As an indication of the importance of the Congresswoman’s vote is my Google search for her name is that there were 28 references to her on the web at 1:31 this afternoon.

March 17, 2010

Dear Ms. Bean,

I spent my day yesterday driving the hour from my home in Spring Grove to your office in Schaumburg to stand side by side with voters from your district.

We came hoping we could voice our opinions on the healthcare bill that is currently being forced upon the country despite the vast number of polls showing America neither wants nor appreciates having our Constitution destroyed for the whims of an administration filled with narcissists.
We understand that Mr. Obama, Ms Pelosi, and Mr. Reid feel that America has a population of numbskulls full of mush who have never had to balance a budget, have a connection with reality and believe that fairy tales do come true.

Oddly, after centuries of history to look back on, we somehow feel it is a pretty good indication of what to expect when governments become too large and no longer serve the people but try to dictate to them.

I guess, perhaps, some of us grew up at a time when our school system really taught history and did not rewrite, whitewash, delete or alter the truth.

We know that this bill will destroy our high quality healthcare system we now enjoy.

We know the polls show that our doctors will drop out of their profession in numbers reaching 50 to 60%.  They currently have to deal with the government run Medicare and Medicaid and they know they will no longer be able to be productive and treat an additional 30 million people. It is an impossibility.

We know that history has shown us that government run programs NEVER function efficiently or on budget.

Let’s face it; there is no incentive for them to do so.

With the push of a button they can vote for another tax increase and once again America looses.

Not only does this healthcare bill not affect the very ones who vote for it, but it appears to us that many in your party are under the impression that the tax laws do not apply to them.

They then turn and lecture and threaten those in our country who work hard and achieve through blood, sweat and tears a successful life independent of government handouts.

Our Founding Fathers and every soldier who gave their life to preserve this great country would not understand what you have done to it.

The Constitution is now just a document, yellowed with age and ignored by the current government.  You no longer feel the need to vote on bills for passage but “deem” them into law.

How perfect for it to be called “Slaughter.”

We stood there, along with others thru out the country, begging to be heard.

We went up to your office to fill out your forms so you understand you MUST vote NO on this bill.

I heard the calls coming in as we sat there.

It was plain by your staff’s voices and responses your constituents are angry.

I asked the young man behind the counter if they really keep a tabulation of those calls. He told me they did enter them in on the computers.

I asked why you would not release the numbers of calls and the numbers for and against as Mr. Manzullo did.

He told me that it would be revealing private information about callers.

“How so?” I asked, you wouldn’t be giving out their names.

He stammered and said they received many calls about many issues. I heard that you reported to the Northwest Herald that your numbers were 2 to 1 in favor of the bill.

Oddly as I talked to the young man I looked at a yellow sticky pad next to his computer with the headers NO and YES and tabulations underneath.

Do you know the NO side had, at my best guess, 3 to 4 times the numbers of tabulations as the YES side?

When I called your office I was told you had not decided and were currently reading the bill.

You must be the ONLY person to have the bill because as far as the public is being told it is not even finished or released.

Are you REALLY undecided Ms Bean?

I have heard this from you before and you always seem to have decided to vote in line with Pelosi and her “Destroy America” agenda.

Do you really think you will be re-elected after saddling us with a bankrupt country and giving future generations no hope for a life free of extreme tax burdens?

Is this the future you want for your family?

I understand you will leave office with pensions and healthcare and perks none of us can have.

Does that seem reasonable?

Obama doesn’t want executives form private companies given payment for causing financial chaos yet he has no problem throwing Economics 101 out the window himself.

As we stood out there, 500 strong, we stood next to a group of people who someone had bused in from Chicago.

I did not know your district included the city of Chicago!

I spoke to a number of them and quite frankly all I could conclude is that they are in favor of a socialist country where population is controlled and have no understanding that they themselves if they are lucky enough to still have a job are the ones paying for this boondoggle.

Exaggerations?

They cheered at the word “socialism.”

I was told we needed population control because there aren’t enough jobs, and many told me “government “ should pay for healthcare.

This is a very sad point in America’s history.

I didn’t think my heart could break anymore than it did after 911.

Looking back, at least America was united back then.

You and your fellow Democrats have in very short time managed to rip the seams right out of our beautiful flag.

You will all go down in shame, if history is correctly written.

That is a very big “IF”.

God Bless America, she is in deep trouble,

Name  Withheld

= = = = =
You can find more information about the rally here.

The following press releases were received from 8th District GOP Congressional candidate Joe Walsh:

Bean Puts Party Politics Ahead of Constitution, Constituents:
Votes to Sanction Shady “Deem-and-Pass”

(Lake Zurich, Ill)– Yesterday, Melissa Bean voted down a bi-partisan effort that would have forced members of the House to cast their vote for or against Obamacare in the light of day.

In so doing, Melissa Bean, who voted for an even more expansive government takeover of health care last year, has endorsed the so-called “deem-and-pass” sleight-of-hand House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears intent on employing to get Obamacare passed on Sunday.

Twenty-eight Congressional Democrats joined every Congressional Republican in voting against allowing the use of this procedural gimmick.

Former U.S. Attorney Generals Ed Meese and William Barr had this to say about the “deem-and-pass,”

“The ‘deem and pass’ and similar options under consideration in the House of Representatives plainly violate at least the spirit of the Constitution’s bicameralism and presentment requirements.

“Those constitutional requirements were intended to ensure democratic transparency with a straightforward up-or-down vote in each House on all bills that become law.

“More importantly, these requirements were designed to ensure that the new national government actually followed ‘the consent of the governed,’ which the Declaration of Independence had declared before the world to be the only basis of legitimate government.”

In an age where both parties agree on the need for transparency and accountability from our government, Melissa Bean is still cutting backroom deals and obfuscating the process to put her party ahead of her district.

Melissa Bean is hiding from constituents because she cannot defend this unprecedented federal government power grab, nor can she explain the cynical political scheming she has promoted for the passage of legislation that will cost Illinois 169,000 jobs, raise taxes on small businesses, drive talented providers from the medical profession, and worsen the quality of care for Americans, the overwhelming majority of whom are content with their care. IPI Study

Whether she will listen or not, Melissa Bean needs to hear from you.

Call her office in Washington at:  202-225-3711 or email her at: Bean Email and tell her to vote her district not her party.  Her Washington Fax number is 202-225-7830.

Joe Walsh is the Republican candidate running against Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean in 2010 for the Illinois 8th Congressional District. Born and raised in North Barrington, a policy advocate, teacher, and business entrepreneur, Joe has spent his adult life advancing limited-government and conservative principles. For more information on Joe Walsh and his campaign visit www.joewalshforcongress.com.

In other news, Walsh says he intents to attend the demonstration outside Bean’s Schaumburg office.

His press release says,

“All week the Joe Walsh campaign has been calling for Melissa Bean to represent the interests of her district and vote NO on the President’s health care bill.

“Like many citizens in the 8th, Joe is angry and frustrated with Congress for trying to ram through the federal takeover of health care this Sunday.  He will be representing his beliefs in-person at the rally from 12:30 pm to 1 pm.  Come out and talk with Joe and make your voices heard!!!”

The map below shows the location of Bean’s office:

While Associated Press distributed a photo of the mainly out-of-district proponents of President Barack Obama’s health care reform, opponents are gearing up for another demonstration.

Word just in from Schaumburg Tea Party Coordinator Carrie Miller that opponents propose another rally this Saturday at noon at Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s office at 1701 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 200, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

If you can’t go, why not phone 847-517-2927 or Fax 847-517-2931. The phone probably won’t be answered over the weekend, but the Fax machine might be operational.

Incidentally, word from within Bean’s Schaumburg office is that calls are running 3-4 to one against the bill.

No wonder she is listed as undecided, even with the Daily Herald’s string of stories about Republican opponent Joe Walsh’s financial problems.

Maybe her polling is showing she is in more trouble than she has been previously.

Here’s the email’s appeal:

Many people who were not able to attend Tuesday’s rally would like to rally tomorrow.

Melissa Bean’s Office
Saturday, March 20th
12 PM

Bring your flags, signs, bullhorns!…Let your voices be heard!!!

Did you know:

• 

  If awakened Joyce Story goes to the demonstation, she will be late, because she is one of the organizers of the Patriots United Pro-Life Breakfast at D'Andrea's (southeast corner of Routes 14 &31) at 9 AM.

  Back room deals continue to be cut with Obama & Pelosi

• IRS expansion by 16,000 agents to track your HC insurance coverage
• Insurance premium increases up to 78%
• Job killing tax of $2,000 per employee on many companies
• Unfunded mandates
• Bill includes student loans…only the government can provide student loans!!!
• Walgreens will no longer accept new Medicaid customers as of April 16th
• Mayo clinic ….some of their doctors have informed their patients …should Obama Care pass they will no longer accept medicare patients
• Chicago area doctors have already begun to decline medicare patient coverage.
• 1-3 doctors will leave their practice
• 30 million people added….. no doctors to cover them….you will wait for months to get an appointment
• Prescription Drugs….how would you like to wait for those as well?

Here’s a video of the last demonstration and counter-demonstration:

Collin Corbett, a friend of McHenry County Blog, sent some photos of the Schaumburg demonstration today.

He said that over 300 participated, not counting those who honked in support as they drove by.

Health care was the issue of the day.

Channel 7 said the proponents outnumbered the opponents by 2-1.  That was before the conservatives showed up at noon.  After that, “We dwarfed their numbers,” Corbett said.

If you were there, do you agree that Corbett accurately reads the relative size of the proponents and opponents to President Barack Obama’s health care reform proposal?

Anyone who attended like to venture an opinion whether the opponents to Obamacare outnumber those in favor?

That the question the Chicago Sun-Times asked last Sunday.

The answer?

Teachers and health care workers.

Certainly teachers at Huntley School District 158. 18% on the average the first year of which we are in.

And staff at Huntley School District 158.

True, Superintendent John Burkey followed the example of some other Fox River Valley chief administrators in foregoing a salary hike this year, but he has received a $70,000 increase since he left his old job near Peoria, including $12,000 more this year than last year.

And Comptroller Mark Altmayer just got a $25,000 raise over the $105,000.

Since most health care employees don’t work for public entities, their salaries are not public information.

The following press release has been received from Republican congressional candidate Joe Walsh:

Bean Set to Vote Interests of Trial Lawyers Over Interest of Constituents

(LAKE ZURICH, IL)– With the Obamacare legislation nearing a vote, Rep. Melissa Bean (D-8) remains intent on representing the special interests that control her political party as opposed to voting the interests of 8th district families.

Bean, who received more than $31,000 in campaign contributions from trial lawyers during her 2008 re-election campaign, is set to vote for a federal government takeover of health care that, among other things, fails to meaningfully address increasing health care costs directly attributable to frivolous lawsuits and excessive jury awards.

“True health care reform requires tort reform,” said Joe Walsh, Bean’s Republican challenger.

“Unfortunately, Melissa Bean is in the pocket of trial lawyers.  She has put the interests of her large campaign donors ahead of supporting simple reforms such as caps on non-economic damages that would make health care coverage more affordable for 8th district families.”

Walsh cited a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report that concluded excessive damage awards from medical malpractice lawsuits add between $70 and $126 billion to the cost of health care borne by Americans each year.

Experts say national tort reform is estimated to save $92 to $207 billion dollars per year on health care costs.  Yet, the trillion dollar Obamacare legislation provides only $25 million to ‘projects’ and ’studies’ looking at tort reform.

“The time for ’studies’ is over,” said Walsh.  “We need action on tort reform.  This problem of lawsuit abuse is particularly acute in Illinois where medical malpractice insurance premiums in Cook County, for example, are more than twice as expensive as rates in Indiana,” said Walsh.

“The failure of the Obamacare legislation to address tort reform and Melissa Bean’s failure to embrace common sense reforms that address the problem of lawsuit abuse highlight once again why we cannot afford Obamacare and we cannot afford to have Melissa Bean in Congress.”

The following press release was received from the congressional campaign of Joe Walsh. He is incumbent Melissa Bean’s opponent this fall.

Walsh to Bean on Health Care Vote:
Vote Your District Not Your Party

(Lake Zurich, Illinois) -  8th District Republican congressional nominee Joe Walsh today called on his liberal Democrat opponent Rep. Melissa Bean to swallow her pride and vote “No” on the Obamacare federal takeover of health care legislation nearing a vote in the House.

“For the first time in a long time Melissa Bean needs to listen to her constituents and vote her district,”  said Walsh.

“A government takeover of health care is absolutely the wrong approach to fix what ails with health care in America- and 8th district voters know it.

“Melissa Bean was not elected to represent public sector unions and march in lockstep with her party.

“She was elected to represent the interests of 8th district families and support policies that speak to their very real economic insecurities.  This legislation will worsen the quality of care we have access to and increase unemployment,” Walsh said.

The proposed takeover of health care that would cost Illinois 169,000 jobs, $4,418 per person, and shrink Illinois’ economy by 5.1 percent, according to a study by the Illinois Policy Institute.  This is against the backdrop of a state with 11% unemployment.

“A vote for this health care bill is vote against the economic interests of 8th district families, plain and simple,” Walsh added.

The legislation would also drastically reduce senior citizens’ access to the popular (and private) Medicaid Advantage program.

“I’m not in the camp that says the president is overly ambitious to take on health care,” said Bean, who votedfor the federal takeover of health care  late last year that passed the House by a slim 220-215 margin despite a sizable Democrat majority.

Prior to her vote last year, Bean, unlike most members of Congress (Republicans and Democrats), declined to hold any town hall meetings or public forums where residents could weigh in and ask questions about this legislation.

“Melissa Bean has made it very clear that if she is not interested in the opinions of concerns of those she was elected to represent,” said Walsh.

In his keynote address to the McHenry Medical Society at their annual meeting, Walsh said there is no way the country can afford the trillion dollar takeover of one-sixth of our nation’s economy.

“There are other ways to reform health care without sending our children and grandchildren into even greater debt and forever altering the doctor-patient relationship,” Walsh said.

Walsh said incremental reforms such as allow the sale of insurance plans across state lines increase competition among insurers and passing meaningful tort reform are key to reducing costs while protecting quality of care.

USA Today is reporting that the 8th Congressional District’s Melissa Bean will meet with President Barack Obama this afternoon:

“…at 2:30 p.m., the leaders of the New Democrat Coalition come to the Oval Office.  Those members include Jason Altmire, Pa.; Melissa Bean, Illinois; Lois Capps, Cal.; Joseph Crowley, N.Y.; Ron Kind, Wis.; Allyson Schwartz, Pa.; and Adam Smith, Washington.”

It’s that touchy feely thing that chief executives do when they want to override the better judgment of legislators.

16th District Republican Congressman Don Manzullo comments today on the newest version of the Democratic Party’s Health Care Reform Bill in his most recent press release. You can read it below.

You may remember that the former version was about 1,100 pages.

In the video below, Manzullo points out there are no provisions to restrict medical malpractice and there are scholarships for veterinarians.

Manzullo sees no relevance between the veterinarians’ scholarships and lowering the cost of health care for human beings.

He also notes the increase in taxes on medical devices and wonders how that can lower health care costs.

Here is his press release:

Manzullo Finds Troubling Provisions in Speaker
Pelosi’s 1,990-page, $1 Trillion Health Care

Bill[WASHINGTON]  Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today started reading the Democrat’s latest health care bill — nearly twice the size as the original version — and is already finding provisions that concern him.

The 1,990-page bill costs more than $1 trillion, increases taxes, cuts Medicare, and threatens the private health insurance of millions of Americans, could be on the House floor for a vote next week. In this video, Manzullo highlights some of the troubling provisions he is finding as he reads the bill.

To watch the video, click here:

At the McHenry County College Town Hall meeting a couple of weeks ago, 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo listed nine reasons why private health insurance companies would be driven out of business by the version of the health care reform bill passed by House Democrats.

If you would rather watch and hear than read it, go here.

Below is what he said:

1. Section 221 – Requires the Secretary of HHS to establish a Public Option that is supposed to compete with and yet play by the same rules as private plans in the new Health Insurance Exchange. However, the bill requires the government to set the benefits of all the plans, including its own, creating an implicit advantage for the Public Option.

2. Section 102- Individual private plans are grandfathered and cannot enroll any new insureds (except dependents) or make any plan modifications after Jan. 1,2013. How can insurance companies stay in business if they can’t add new clients?

3. Section 161 – Private plans must remit to their insureds any excess of premium payments minus what the government determines the insurance companies should payout in benefits. This rules out any opportunity for a plan to be run in the private sector because there is no room for even the smallest amount of profit.

4. Section 223 – Public Option will not pay taxes or have large administration costs because the reimbursement rates to health care providers are Medicare rates, which are below what it costs hospitals and physicians to provide services. In fact, the average American family pays about $1,800 in additional insurance premiums each year to help subsidize the Medicare underpayment for health care providers.

There is no way a private insurance company can compete with a Public Option that doesn’t pay taxes and reimburses providers at low Medicare rates.

5. Sections 311 and 313 – An employee must offer a “qualified health benefit plan” to all employees. If an employee declines the employer’s coverage because he or she is covered by other approved insurance, the employer must nevertheless pay the equivalent of 8 percent of that employee’s income into the Health Insurance Exchange.

This means the employer will have to pay a tax (penalty) for an employee
who already has insurance.

Therefore, it’s cheaper to put all the employees in the public option because it will be the least expensive insurance and the employer won’t have to deal with two plans.

6. Section 312 – An employer must pay at least 72.5 percent of an individual’s coverage and 65 percent of family coverage, but the employer must automatically enroll an employee in the plan option with the lowest employee premium. Only the employee has the right to opt out. Since the Public Option pays no taxes and will reimburse at low Medicare rates, it will offer the lowest premium; thus, all new
employees will be enrolled in the public option. Because an employer will not want to maintain employees on two separate plans, he will likely simply chose the Public Option for all employees.

7. Section 222 – Gives $2 billion and as much money as is needed to pay claims for 90 days from the Treasury to the public option. It only requires the public option to repay the money over 10 years and without any interest payments, giving the public option an enormous capital advantage over private plans.

8. Section 223 – This section shelters the Public Option for many administrative or judicial review of any payment rate or methodology it uses. No doctor, hospital or employer can appeal the Public Option for price fixing. Private plans are subject to review and suits.

9. Section 1802- Every private health insurance plan is taxed – including self-insured plans – with money going into a trust fund to conduct comparative effectiveness research that could be used to ration care.