Friday, April 20, 2012

The 10 Best Interview Questions to Ask

The 10 Best Interview Questions to Ask
By Alison Green | U.S.News & World Report LP – Wed, Apr 18, 2012 9:04 AM


When your interviewer wraps up your job interview by asking if you have any questions, you might think that he or she is finished assessing you, but that's not quite the case. Interviewers draw conclusions about you based on the questions you ask--or don't ask. You don't want to give the impression that you're not very interested in the job, or that you're only concerned about the compensation. Instead, ask about the work, company, and team. Here are 10 great questions for your interviewer:

1. What are the biggest challenges the person in this position will face?

This question shows that you don't have blinders on in the excitement about a new job; you recognize that every job has difficult elements and that you're being thoughtful about what it will take to succeed in the position.

[Related: The 10 Fastest-Dying Industries]

2. Can you describe a typical day or week in the position?

This question shows that you're thinking beyond the interview and that you're visualizing what it will be like to do the work itself. This is different from many candidates, who appear to be focused solely on getting the job offer without thinking about what will come after that.

3. What would a successful first year in the position look like?

Asking this shows that you're thinking in the same terms that a manager does--about what the position needs to contribute to the team or company to be worthwhile. You'll also sound like someone who isn't seeking to simply do the bare minimum, but rather to truly achieve in the role.

4. How will the success of the person in this position be measured?

This question is similar to the previous one, but it will also give you more insight into what the manager really values. You may discover that while the job description emphasizes skill A or responsibility B, the manager actually cares most about skill C or responsibility D.

5. How long did the previous person in the role hold the position? What has turnover in the role generally been like?

If no one has stayed in the position very long, it might be a red flag about a difficult manager, unrealistic expectations, or some other land mine.

6. How would you describe the culture here? What type of people tend to really thrive, and what type don't do as well?

If the culture is very formal and structured and you're happiest in a more relaxed environment, or if it's an aggressive, competitive environment and you are more low-key and reserved, this job might not be a comfortable fit for you. You'll spend a large portion of your waking life at your job, so it's crucial to make sure you know what you're signing up for.

7. How would you describe your management style?

Your boss will have an enormous impact on your quality of life at work. While you can't always trust managers to accurately self-assess, you'll at least get some insight into their style by what things they choose to emphasize in response to this question.

[Related: Signs You're in the Wrong Job]

8. Thinking back to the person who you've seen do this job best, what made their performance so outstanding?

Most managers' ears will perk up at this question, because it signals that you care not just about being average or even good, but truly great. This is the question managers wish all their employees would ask.

9. Are there any reservations you have about my fit for the position that I could try to address?

This is a great way to give yourself the chance to tackle any doubts the interviewer might have about you, as well as for you to consider whether those doubts might be reasonable and point to a bad fit.

10. What is your time line for getting back to candidates about the next steps?

Always wrap up with this question, so that when you go home you know what to expect next. That way, you won't be sitting around wondering when you'll hear something.

Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. She's also the author of Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Getting Results and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Retirement savings credit doubles payoff

Retirement savings credit doubles payoff

By Kay Bell | Bankrate.com – Thu, Apr 5, 2012 3:12 AM EDT
Taxes » Tax Credits » Tax Credit For Savings Made For Retirement

Contributors to retirement plans already know the long-term tax advantages of an individual retirement account or 401(k). Taxes are deferred, and in some cases never collected, on money put away for the golden years.

Now a tax credit will let some savers reap the rewards of their retirement thrift early.

The retirement savings contributions credit, also called the saver's credit, appears on Form 1040 and Form 1040A tax returns as a way to reward lower-wage earners who sock away retirement money.

Because the tax break is a credit instead of a deduction, it's a better deal. Tax deductions reduce taxable income, but credits come into play after you calculate how much tax you owe, and they reduce your Internal Revenue Service bill dollar for dollar. For example, if you owe $500 and you are eligible for a $250 credit, the check you have to write to Uncle Sam is cut in half.

Income limits
A filer eligible for the saver's credit could shave as much as $1,000 off his or her tax bill. The actual credit amount depends on your income, filing status and just how much you put into retirement plans.

Basically, the lower your income, the bigger your credit. The income limits that determine how large a credit you can claim are adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation. The precise credit percentages for 2011 filings are found in the table below.

Retirement savings credit guidelines; earnings are adjusted gross income
Credit rate Single, widow(er) or married separate filer income limits Married, joint filer income limits Head of household filer income limits

50% Up to $17,000 Up to $34,000 Up to $25,000
20% $17,001 to $18,250 $34,001 to $36,500 $25,501 to $27,375
10% $18,251 to $28,250 $36,501 to $56,500 $27,376 to $42,375
No credit $28,251 or more $56,501 or more $42,376 or more

As the table shows, the maximum available credit is 50 percent of contributions for filers in the lower end of the earnings ranges. There is, however, a limit on the retirement plan contribution amount you can use to figure the tax break.

Although tax law allowed you to put up to $5,000 in 2011 ($6,000 if you're age 50 or older) in your IRA, only $2,000 of that will count in figuring the saver's credit. That makes it worth at most $1,000 for single taxpayers. Of course, if you're married and you and your spouse put away at least two grand toward retirement, your joint return would reflect a $2,000 credit.

Which contributions count?
Contributions to traditional and Roth IRAs as well as to employer-sponsored 401(k) plans count toward computing the credit. So does money you put into a Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees, or SIMPLE, plan; a 403(b) program; a governmental 457 plan; or a salary reduction Simplified Employee Pension, or SEP. You can only count the money you put in your workplace account, not any matching amounts your company contributed.

The credit is based on your total contributions to all your eligible retirement accounts, not for contributions to each. So if you put $2,000 into a Roth and another $2,000 into your 401(k) at work, you still can only calculate your credit on the allowable maximum of $2,000.

Enter all your retirement saving amounts on Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions, and complete the form to arrive at your exact credit rate and amount. Once you get the dollar amount, transfer it to line 50 of your 1040 or line 32 if you file the 1040A. The credit isn't available for 1040EZ filers, so you might want to consider changing your choice of returns if you've been putting away retirement cash.

If your IRA contribution is to a traditional account, you may be able to get a double tax break. In addition to the saver's credit, look into whether you're eligible to deduct your IRA contributions on the front page of your 1040 or 1040A. This tax break is one of several adjustments to income that are available to all taxpayers, regardless of whether they are itemizing or taking the standard deduction, and the IRS says you can claim the retirement savings credit and deduction for your IRA contributions.

The credit also is attractive to workers who are eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan but who earn just over one of the saver's credit income limits. By signing up for a company-sponsored account, such workers could get under the earnings cap while simultaneously boosting the potential credit amount.

Take, for example, a married employee who is the sole earner in her family and who reports adjusted gross income of $35,000 on her joint tax return. She's already eligible for a partial credit, but if she contributes $2,000 to her 401(k), she will knock her income down enough to take the maximum credit.

Some other restrictions apply
In addition to the income limits, there are a few other restrictions on who can claim the saver's credit. A taxpayer who was younger than 18 last year, a full-time student or claimed as a dependent on another's tax return can't take the retirement savings break.

The saver's credit is also what the IRS calls nonrefundable. That means you can use it to reduce your tax bill to zero, but you can't take advantage of any excess credit amount to get a refund. So if you owe no taxes, the credit is of no use to you.

Still, even if you can't take full advantage of the credit, it's not too shabby of a break when you take into account the additional tax savings you get by contributing to a retirement account in the first place.

Just remember, the key to this credit is participation in retirement accounts. If you haven't opened a retirement account yet, or have one but haven't contributed for the 2011 tax year, you have until the April tax-filing deadline to open one and put in money. The deadline is the same for either a Roth or traditional IRA.

As for your 401(k), you're locked into your credit for the 2011 tax year based on the contributions you made last year. Make sure the W-2 you got from your company reflects the correct amount of all your pension contributions so that you can get the maximum credit.

If you're not yet participating in your company plan, you can improve your future saver's credit potential by signing up as soon as you're eligible. Then contribute as much as you can afford without doing major cash-flow damage to your paycheck. It could pay off at tax-filing time as well as when you retire.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

A Dose of Nuance: ‘Surplus Jews’ By Dan Gordis

February 17, 2012 Friday 24 Shevat 5772 10:48 IST

Photo by: Courtesy/Avishai Teicher
A Dose of Nuance: ‘Surplus Jews’
By DANIEL GORDIS
17/02/2012

The phrase is used with no hint of embarrassment, no expression of responsibility.

We Jews permit ourselves degrees of intolerance towards each other that we would never exhibit toward others outside our community. The settings are numerous – theology, Halacha, denominations, politics and more.

But nowhere are the vehemence and the inability to actually listen to those with whom we disagree more pronounced than with regard to the State of Israel.

The great irony of our age is that arguments about how to safeguard the Jewish state are a significant part of what now threatens to destroy any semblance of unity among the Jewish people. It is therefore helpful to have periodic reminders of just how much is at stake in the survival and flourishing of this state.

This week affords just that opportunity, for we are just days shy of the 70th anniversary of the sinking of theSS Struma. Few people today remember the Struma or its story; the young among us cannot even imagine the Jewish existential condition that it reflected, a condition that the state has, thankfully, completely eradicated.

The story begins in 1941, when it was clear to many Eastern European Jews that they were destined for a horrific end. In Romania, several Zionist organizations, Betar among them, commissioned a Bulgarian ship to transport almost 800 Jewish passengers to Palestine – the Struma.

Like Europe, however, the Struma was a disaster waiting to happen. The ship was barely more than a floating tub, 61 meters in length and six meters wide, which had been built in 1830 for shipping cargo; it had subsequently been used to transport cattle. It was powered by a motor that had apparently been salvaged from the bottom of the Danube River. The immigrants aboard had, according to some accounts, but a single bathroom.

Their only sources of comfort were the knowledge that they were finally succeeding in fleeing a burning Europe, and that the whole trip to Istanbul, the first leg of their journey, would take merely 14 hours.

The Struma set sail on December 12, 1941, but the engine gave out almost immediately. The tugboat that had towed them out of the harbor eventually sent its navigator and engineer on board, but they would only fix the engine for a large sum of money. The passengers, however, had given all their money to the Romanian customs officials. So they parted with their gold wedding bands in return for the repairs.

Four interminable days later, the boat limped into the Istanbul harbor, where it would remain for months.

Turkey refused to allow the passengers to disembark – what country would want a boatload of homeless Jews? Nor did Britain want them to make their way to Palestine; the British were anxious to assure an increasingly restless and sometimes violent Arab resistance that limits on Jewish immigration would be enforced.

On February 12, almost two months after the boat had left Romania, the British finally acquiesced and granted Palestinian visas to the children on board. But His Majesty’s government refused to send a ship to collect them, and Turkey refused to grant them overland passage. The children thus remained on board. With negotiations between Turkey and Britain at a standstill, Turkish officials towed the disabled boat up the Bosporus Strait toward the Black Sea.

Passengers hung signs over the side that said “Save Us” in both English and Hebrew. The signs were plainly visible to people on the shores of the Bosporus, but no one, of course, did anything to help them.

When the hapless Struma reached the Black Sea, the Turks abandoned the ship, leaving it to drift. The next morning, on February 24, a Soviet submarine torpedoed the Struma, which exploded and sank. Of the 769 people on board, only one survived, by holding on to wreckage for more than 24 hours. His name was David Stoliar, and he was imprisoned in Turkey for several weeks, then admitted to Palestine. Stoliar served in the British Army during the war, and then in the IDF during the War of Independence; he later moved to Oregon.

There is much we do not know about the Struma catastrophe. Why did the Soviets sink the boat? Did they mistake it for something else? Did the British actually encourage their Soviet allies to sink the ship in order to “solve” the problem without putting pressure on Palestinian immigration? Some people believe so, but we will probably never know with certainty.

The incident, now mostly forgotten, had all the iconic elements of the Shoah. Human beings transported with equipment once used for cattle. Subhuman and unlivable conditions. Helpless Jews, whom no one wanted, with nowhere in the world to go. And finally, of course, mass death, with no graves to mark the fact that these innocent people had even existed, and had died for the simple reason that they were Jews.

Perhaps the most important element of the story to remember is to be found in a British governmental communication from 1941, referring to the Jews who were desperate to escape Europe and who, the British rightly understood, would try to make their way to Palestine despite British objections. “We should have some alternative scheme in hand for disposing of these surplus Jews, who having escaped from persecution in Europe, are going to be kept in detention camps in British colonies,” the communication stated matter-of-factly.

“Surplus Jews”: The phrase is used with no hint of embarrassment, no expression of responsibility. “Surplus Jews,” as in human beings that are, for now, a commodity – until they become literally worthless. “Surplus,” as in not needed, as in a problem that needs to be disposed of.

No one uses this phrase anymore. Not the British, nor the Turks. Not Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, nor Mahmoud Abbas. People across the globe still have their beef with us; some are justified, most are not. But whatever one might say about the State of Israel, one thing is clear – the Struma incident simply could not happen today.

It is simply impossible for today’s Jews to find themselves in a world in which no one wants them or will have them. That, perhaps most fundamentally, is the dimension of Jewish life that Israel has changed, hopefully forever. Jews may be all sorts of things, but we are no longer “surplus.”

It is worth remembering now just how much has changed in the past 70 years. And as we battle over how Judaism should be manifested in this state, what its borders should be and how we can best protect it, the memory of the Struma ought to serve as a chilling reminder of what we will lose if the stridency of our debate rips our people – and then our state – asunder.

The writer is president of the Shalem Foundation and Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. His latest book, Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War that May Never End (Wiley), won the 2009 National Jewish Book Award. His next book, The Promise of Israel: Why Its Seemingly Greatest Weakness is Actually Its Greatest Strength, will be published this August.


http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Opinion/Article.aspx?id=258124

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Paul Harvey's On Air PRAYER

Paul Harvey's On Air PRAYER!

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those Who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it Enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free.
Amen!"

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one Nation under God."

The Story of Chanukah

Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced to worship idols or to sacrifice a pig before the idol.

When the Syrian-Greek soldiers demanded that the Jews of Modiin sacrifice a swine to one of their gods, Mattitiyahu, a priest from the Hasmonean family, refused to allow this desecration to take place and slew the Jewish heretic who volunteered. Mattitiyahu, together with his sons, also attacked the Syrian-Greek soldiers. They won that battle, but they were forced to take refuge in the hills. Mattitiyahu's sons became known as the Maccabees.

Under the leadership of Judah the Maccabee, the Jews launched a guerilla war for freedom. In 165 B.C.E., the Maccabees finally succeeded in routing the vastly superior Syrian-Greeks forces and retook the Temple, but by then the Syrian-Greeks had thoroughly desecrated the holy site. The Jews immediately set to work removing the alien idols, rebuilding the altar and performing the many tasks necessary to rededicate the Temple.

Unfortunately, there was no undefiled oil left with which to light the golden menorah. The Jews searched for sealed jars of pure, consecrated oil, and finally found a single flask with its seal intact. They rejoiced and hurried to light the Menorah and rededicate the Temple.

But it was only one flask of oil, good for only one day. It would take at least another week for fresh pure olive oil to be prepared and consecrated. Not wanting to postpone performing the mitzvah, they decided to light the Menorah with what they had--and the miracle of Chanukah occurred. Despite the small quantity of oil, the menorah remained lit for the entire eight days, proclaiming to the world that God's presence had returned to the Temple.

*This Treat was originally published on December 23, 2008. It is being re-Treated to help us better understand Chanukah.

Today's Action Tell The Story
When you light the first Chanukah candle tonight, retell the story of Chanukah.

Blessings Over Food

Wine or Grape Juice/Ha'gafen
Ha'gafen is the blessing recited over wine and grape juice.

Ba'ruch Ah'tah Ah'doh'nai Eh'lo'hay'nu Melech ha'o'lam bo'ray p'ree ha'gafen.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

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Einstein Letter Warning Of Zionist Facism In Israel

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Rense.com
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Einstein Letter Warning Of Zionist Facism In Israel
Letter That Albert Einstein Sent to the NY Times in 1948,
Protesting the Visit of Menachem Begin, 11-1-4


Letters to the Editor
NY Times
December 4, 1948

TO THE EDITORS OF THE NY TIMES:

Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our times is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the "Freedom Party" (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine.

The current visit of Menachem Begin, leader of this party, to the United States is obviously calculated to give the impression of American support for his party in the coming Israeli elections, and to cement political ties with conservative Zionist elements in the United States. Several Americans of national repute have lent their names to welcome his visit. It is inconceivable that those who oppose fascism throughoutthe world, if correctly informed as to Mr. Begin's political record and perspectives, could add their names and support to the movement he represents.

Before irreparable damage is done by way of financial contributions, public manifestations in Begin's behalf, and the creation in Palestine of the impression that a large segment of America supports Fascist elements in Israel, the American public must be informed as to the record and objectives of Mr. Begin and his movement. The public avowals of Begin's party are no guide whatever to its actual character. Today they speak of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism, whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state. It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character; from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.

Attack on Arab Village

A shocking example was their behavior in the Arab village of Deir Yassin. This village, off the main roads and surrounded by Jewish lands, had taken no part in the war, and had even fought off Arab bands who wanted to use the village as their base. On April 9 (THE NEW YORK TIMES), terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants ? 240men, women, and children - and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish community was horrified at the deed, and the Jewish Agency sent a telegram of apology to King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan. But the terrorists, far from being ashamed of their act, were proud of this massacre, publicized it widely, and invited all the foreign correspondents present in the country to view the heaped corpses and the general havoc at Deir Yassin. The Deir Yassin incident exemplifies the character and actions of the Freedom Party.

Within the Jewish community they have preached an admixture of ultranationalism, religious mysticism, and racial superiority. Like other Fascist parties they have been used to break strikes, and have themselves pressed for the destruction of free trade unions. In their stead they have proposed corporate unions on the Italian Fascist model. During the last years of sporadic anti-British violence, the IZL and Stern groups inaugurated a reign of terror in the Palestine Jewish community. Teachers were beaten up for speaking against them, adults were shot for not letting their children join them. By gangster methods, beatings, window-smashing, and wide-spread robberies, the terrorists intimidated the population and exacted a heavy tribute.

The people of the Freedom Party have had no part in the constructive achievements in Palestine. They have reclaimed no land, built no settlements, and only detracted from the Jewish defense activity. Their much-publicized immigration endeavors were minute, and devoted mainly to bringing in Fascist compatriots.

Discrepancies Seen

The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party, and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party. This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs, and British alike), and misrepresentation are means, and a "Leader State" is the goal.

In the light of the foregoing considerations, it is imperative that the truth about Mr. Begin and his movement be made known in this country. It is all the more tragic that the top leadership of American Zionism has refused to campaign against Begin's efforts, or even to expose to its own constituents the dangers to Israel from support to Begin.

The undersigned therefore take this means of publicly presenting a few salient facts concerning Begin and his party; and of urging all concerned not to support this latest manifestation of fascism.

ISIDORE ABRAMOWITZ
HANNAH ARENDT
ABRAHAM BRICK
RABBI JESSURUN CARDOZO
ALBERT EINSTEIN
HERMAN EISEN, M.D.
HAYIM FINEMAN
M. GALLEN, M.D.
H.H. HARRIS
ZELIG S. HARRIS
SIDNEY HOOK
FRED KARUSH
BRURIA KAUFMAN
IRMA L. LINDHEIM
NACHMAN MAISEL
SEYMOUR MELMAN
MYER D. MENDELSON
M.D., HARRY M. OSLINSKY
SAMUEL PITLICK
FRITZ ROHRLICH
LOUIS P. ROCKER
RUTH SAGIS
ITZHAK SANKOWSKY
I.J. SHOENBERG
SAMUEL SHUMAN
M. SINGER
IRMA WOLFE
STEFAN WOLF.

NY, Dec. 2, 1948

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Upside-down Land

You know you live in Upside-down Land if:

A Muslim officer crying "Allah Akbar" while shooting up an army base is considered to have committed “Workplace Violence” while an American citizen boasting a Ron Paul bumper sticker is classified as a “Domestic Terrorist”.

Your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend more money.
...
A seven year old boy can be thrown out of school for calling his teacher “cute” but hosting a ‘sexual exploration class’ on a college campus is perfectly acceptable.

The Supreme Court of the United States can rule that lower courts cannot display the 10 Commandments in their courtroom, while sitting in front of a display of the 10 Commandments.

Children are forcibly removed from parents who appropriately discipline them while children of "underprivileged" drug addicts are left to rot in filth infested cesspools.

Working class Americans pay for their own health care (and the health care of everyone else) while unmarried women are free to have child after child on the gov’ts money while never being held responsible for their own choices.

Hard work and successes are rewarded with higher taxes and government intrusion, while slothful, lazy behavior is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid and subsidized housing.

The government's plan for getting people back to work is to provide 99 weeks of unemployment checks (to not work).

Being self-sufficient is considered a threat to the government.

Politicians think that stripping away the amendments to the constitution is really protecting the rights of the people.

The rights of the State come before the rights of the individual.

Parents believe the State is responsible for providing for their children.

You can write a post like this just by reading the news headlines.

You pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big screen TV while your neighbor defaults on his mortgage (while buying i-phones, TV's and new cars) and the government forgives his debt and reduces his mortgage (with your tax dollars).

Your government can add anything they want to your kid's water (fluoride, chlorine, etc.) but you are not allowed to give them raw milk.

Being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you "safe".

You have to have your parents signature to go on a field trip but not to get an abortion.

You can get arrested for expired tags on your car but not for being in the country illegally.

An 80 year old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a Muslim woman in a burqa is only subject to having her neck and head searched.

Using the "N" word is considered "hate speech" but writing and singing songs about raping women and killing cops is considered "art".

We are in Upside-down Land.

Oboma Care

Before I delete this article, I am resending it as a reminder....

A retired Constitutional lawyer has read the entire proposed health care bill. Read his conclusions & pass this on as u wish. This is stunning!

The Truth About the Health Care Bills-Michael Connelly, Ret. Constitutional Attorney http://www.michaelconnelly.viviti.com/

I read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health-Care-Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise: constitutional- law.

I was concerned that parts of the proposed-law being discussed may be unconstitutional.
What I found was far worse than what I heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what's been said about the law & its' implications is true, despite what Democrats & the media say.
The law does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where srs. & other citizens are involved, free health-care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services & probably medical pros' forced participation in abortions.

The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business & put everyone into a gov't. run, system. All decisions about personal health-care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats, & most won't be health care pros. Hospital admissions, payments to drs.,& allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled by the gov't.

However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface.
In fact, I've concluded that this legislation has no intent to provide affordable-health-care choices. It's a convenient,cover for the most massive, transfer of power to-the Executive Branch of gov't. that has ever occurred, or even been considered. If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will- be-the masterfully, crafted, balance-of- power between -the Executive, Legislative, & Judicial branches of the U.S. Gov't. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in many-different-areas over the lives of Americans & the businesses they own.

The irony is Congress doesn't have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with! There's nothing in the Constitution & find any authority granted to Congress to regulate health care.

This legislation also provides for access, by the appointees of the Obama administration, of all of your personal health care direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution your personal financial info, & that of your employer, dr. & hospital. All of this protects against unreasonable searches & seizures. You can also forget the right to privacy. That'll have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd & 4th Amendments may provide.

If u decide not to have healthcare insurance, or if u have private insurance that is not deemed acceptable to the Health Choices Administrator Oboma appoints by Obama, there'll be a tax imposed on u. It's called a tax v. fine to avoid the intent to avoid application of due process clause of the 5th Amendment. However,that doesn't work as there is nothing in the law that allows u to contest or appeal the tax's imposition, it's definitely depriving someone of property without due process of law.

So, there are three of those pesky, amendments the far-left hate, out the original ten in the Bill of Rights, that are effectively nullified by this law. It doesn't stop there.

The 9th Amendment that provides: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;

The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Under the provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people, or states will have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.

I'd write many, more, pages about this legislation, but u get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power & limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both Houses of Congress to "be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution." If I were a Congressional member I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it, without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway, I'd hope Americans held me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat, I suggest they consult the Constitution & Bill of Rights. There u can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas

If u don't care about our constitution, or your rights under it, do nothing.
WE MUST HOLD CONGRESS ACCOUNTABLE WHILE WE CAN.