GOP Chairman Michael Steele says, "If the Senate has any common sense at all, this bill won't see the light of day."

You knew House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't have called the bill if she didn't know she had the votes.

After months of contintious health-care townhall meetings across the country, the Democrat-led House of Representatives passes  the Healthcare Reform Bill; now it goes to the Senate.

Some facts and questions:

• $1.2 Trillion (what's the guess the cost will be much more than this?)
• Paid Abortions taken out
• Insurance for illegal immigrants taken out
• Americans will be forced to buy insurance polities
• Public Option-Yes
• 96% of citizens under 65 will be insured
• Will this mean we will lose our current coverage and our doctors?

VIDEO HERE

The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. In a further slap, the industry would lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price gouging, bid rigging and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private firms.

The bill is projected to expand coverage to 36 million uninsured, resulting in 96 percent of the nation's eligible population having insurance.

To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families.

GOP Chairman Michael Steele says, "If the Senate has any common sense at all, this bill won't see the light of day."

You knew House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't have called the bill if she didn't know she had the votes.

After months of contentious health-care townhall meetings across the country, the Democrat-led House of Representatives passes  the Healthcare Reform Bill; now it goes to the Senate.

Some facts and questions:

• $1.2 Trillion (what's the guess the cost will be much more than this?)
• Paid Abortions taken out
• Insurance for illegal immigrants taken out
• Americans will be forced to buy insurance policies
• Public Option-Yes
• 96% of citizens under 65 will be insured
• Will this mean we will lose our current coverage and our doctors?

VIDEO HERE

The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. In a further slap, the industry would lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price gouging, bid rigging and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private firms.

The bill is projected to expand coverage to 36 million uninsured, resulting in 96 percent of the nation's eligible population having insurance.

To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families.

GOP Chairman Michael Steele says, "If the Senate has any common sense at all, this bill won't see the light of day."

You knew House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't have called the bill if she didn't know she had the votes.

After months of contintious health-care townhall meetings across the country, the Democrat-led House of Representatives passes  the Healthcare Reform Bill; now it goes to the Senate.

Some facts and questions:

• $1.2 Trillion (what's the guess the cost will be much more than this?)
• Paid Abortions taken out
• Insurance for illegal immigrants taken out
• Americans will be forced to buy insurance polities
• Public Option-Yes
• 96% of citizens under 65 will be insured
• Will this mean we will lose our current coverage and our doctors?

VIDEO HERE

The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. In a further slap, the industry would lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price gouging, bid rigging and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private firms.

The bill is projected to expand coverage to 36 million uninsured, resulting in 96 percent of the nation's eligible population having insurance.

To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families.

Two Illinois soldiers lost their lives from the evil, criminal actions of Muslim Nidal Hasan in Texas last week.

Private Francheska Velez, 21, of West Kamerling was one of the thirteen killed by Hasan at Fort Hood Army base on Thursday.

"She was the best I have. The light of my family," Juan Velez said of his only daughter. "She was living my dream -- to be part of the military, part of the United States. To be part of something. Just to give back to the United States because this is where we are from."

Pvt. Valez was three months pregnant when she lost her life.

Also killed by this terrorist was Pvt. Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook. Pearson was training to become a bomb technician.

Screaming "Allahu Akbar," terrorist Hasan entered a medical clinic where soldiers were waiting medical exams for deployment and began to fire at anyone in his way. 13 were murdered -- actually 14 counting the baby in Velez' womb. And therein lies a problem with the reporting of this story. No one mentions the loss of life suffered by Valez' baby! It should not so easily be forgotten.

We have said a prayer for the families of victims and the tortured soul of this murdering Muslim terrorist.

It has come to this, America. Democrats have decided that if you don't agree with their policies, you are to be fined. And if you don't pay the fine, you are a criminal and will be sentenced to jail. That's right, Democrats are criminalizing dissent.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has decided to leave language in her heatlhcare bill that criminalizes and prescribes jail time for any American that does not want to buy private healthcare insurance. Think of this, America. I am telling you that the U.S. Congress has decided to force you to buy the product of a privately owned corporation! The power of the U.S. federal government has never been used to purchase something from a private company but here comes San Fran Nancy to do just that. But, let's face it. She is only taking her cue from the big guy and his "Chicago way" sort of political thuggery.

The Joint Committee on Taxation issued a letter (Download pdf file) in reply to Representative Dave Crump's inquiry about the matter of the criminal penalties of refusing to buy healthcare insurance should Pelosi's version of Obamacare pass.

In reply the JCT outlines the exact language in the bill that proves that Pelosi and her Democrat leaders want to turn YOU into a federal criminal if you don't want to buy her health insurance. Criminal penalties include:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.”

Is it Constitutional? Apparently they just don't care.

But what does it matter if the Constitution is violated by members of the Democrat Party? After all, they will rewrite the Constitution to suit their transitory criteria with which they'll pass whatever bill they want to push. The Constitution serves as no obstacle at all to their ambitions.

Here is a prime example. CNSNews asked Senator Burris if he saw this power to coerce the people to engage in preferred commerce in the Constitution:

CNSNews: Federally, if you look at it from a federal standpoint, what area specifically of the Constitution would give Congress the power to mandate an individual to have health insurance?”

Burris: Well, that’s under certainly the laws of the--protect the health, welfare of the country. That’s under the Constitution. We’re not even dealing with any constitutionality here. Should we move in that direction? What does the Constitution say? To provide for the health, welfare and the defense of the country.

So, Burris has decided that "health" is in the Constitution? Certainly the words "general welfare" appear there, but health does not. But, pffft. What do these "words" mean? Why should we let laws and tradition stand in the way of getting votes for a welfare program. With glittering jewels of ignorance like accidental Senator Burris crafting America's policies, it is no wonder we are fast losing our nation to enemies of democracy, freedom, liberty and the American way.

The Chicago Tribune has put out a few short bios of the current candidates for Illinois Senate on the GOP side of the aisle. And I do mean short. They are more like just an announcement of the candidate's campaign than a bio. They contain links to the candidates web resources, though. Nonetheless, here are the links:

John Arrington

Patrick Hughes

Mark Kirk

Tom Kuna

Don Lowery

Andy Martin

Ed Varga

Robert Zadek

Not yet covered is Kathleen Thomas' campaign.

And here is the one for the Democrats:

Alexi Giannoulias

Not yet covered for the Democrats is David Hoffman, Robert Marshall, and Jacob Meister's campaigns.