Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Another plea to Mr. Trump

Please, Mr. Trump - do NOT 'fix' Obamacare.

This needs to be completely repealed - U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks has a simple fix. Let's just undo what Obama and Pee-lousy saddled us with.

I would make one change - instead of "Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017", let's make it "effective as of date of passage. We do NOT need the IRS fining people for buying this pig in a poke.

Personally, last year, Obamacare stole $16,000.00 from my wife and me, before taxes, so our income was that much lower when we try to get a mortgage refinance - so we could "enjoy" a plan with a $10,000.00 per person deductible. We got absolutely nothing from Obamacare but a close call with bankruptcy.

Get the DOJ and the FBI investigating health care organizations for RICO and anti-trust violations - and then most Americans will not need health insurance except for catastrophic illness and accident, because health care will be affordable again. This is not the "popular" fix, but it's the one that will actually fix the problem.

We elected you because we were sick and tired of business as usual. "Repeal and replace" will do nothing to solve the real problem.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Constitutional Carry!

We have a new bill here in the Dairy State that would make us the 14th Constitutional Carry state.

I have to thank the Wisconsin Anti-Violence people for alerting me to this. I got calls in to all my Senators and Representatives, and Governor Walker. Some of these people have not even had time to read the bill.

Fingers crossed. It took entirely too long for Wisconsin to pass concealed carry - perhaps we can get in at the beginning this time.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Continuing my harping to our "leaders"...

Sent another comment to Mr. Trump:

Please, President Trump - don't insist on fixing that which cannot work, by definition.

The true problem with health care in this country is the US government not enforcing existing anti-trust and racketeering laws flouted by hospitals, insurers, and drug companies. Protectionist laws favoring US drug manufacturers also exacerbate this.

When the CEO of a non-profit health care organization here in the Beloit, Wisconsin area can bring in over eight million dollars in salary and bonuses, something is seriously wrong. I can expect that kind of salary for a CEO in a FOR-profit business - but non=profit? Something stinks to high heaven here.

When a dose of scorpion antivenom is thousands of dollars in Arizona, and about $100.00 in Mexico just a few miles south, someone has profited by custom-made laws protecting their market.

Almost no one would need more than catastrophic and accident insurance coverage if costs were driven by the free market. It is cheaper for an American citizen to fly to Japan and have a walk-in MRI than to have one here. Once the machine is amortized, the only cost is LN2 for the magnet and electricity - not worth thousands per day by any means.

Fix the problem. Lipstick on the Obamacare pig is a waste of lipstick, and will ensure you are a one-term President - if the health industry does not bankrupt America first.

See http://market-ticker.org/ for some good analysis.

Regards,
Chuck Kuecker
Beloit, WI.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

No surprise

Tammy Baldwin Paid Clinton Lawyer $90K For Crisis Control After VA Scandal

No one should be shocked at this. Tammy Gay has done exactly nothing for the people of Wisconsin except ruin lives.

Where does a politician get $90K to pay lawyers, anyway?

Sheriff Clarke is looking better every day. I wish I could buy one of his bobble heads...


Thursday, March 16, 2017

Another message to my rep

I just got woken up by a robocall from (302) 307 1421 about cheap Medicare insurance. I pressed '1' to hear their agent and get a chance to vent at him/her, but it hung up on me. The phone number on Caller ID was spoofed.

15 minutes later, I got a call from (954) 464-6968 - a Robert Weiner, who wanted to ask about that Medicare insurance. I asked him if he had ever heard of the No Call list - he hung up on me.

So, another email to Rep. Pocan:

Dear Rep. Pocan,
Isn't it about time for Congress to address the spate of robocalls and caller ID spoofing? It's 9 PM here and I just got a robocall from 302 307 1421 'Polling Quest' - asking about if I wanted a cheap Medicare policy - just press 1. It got me out of bed. The call hung up on me after I did press 1.

15 minutes later, I got a call from 354 464 6968 'Robert Weiner' - the 'agent for this scam. Asked him if he had ever heard of the 'no call' list. He hung up. I called back - it told me the number was disconnected, but still allowed me to leave a terse message.

How about a law making these calls illegal? How about some prison time for anyone who spoofs a Caller ID signal?

I'm an electrical engineer - and I know it would be trivial for the telcos to make caller ID unspoofable. The only reason they don't is that robocallers pay their phone bills, I expect.
Do something that will have a positive effect on all Americans, instead of just knee-jerk voting' NO on everything.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Letter to Paul Ryan


Mr. Ryan won't take an email from me, since I am in Demonrat Mark Pocan's district. His voice mail box is full, and has been for the last week. 

So, FAX:
_______________________

Rep. Paul Ryan
U. S. Congress
FAX (202) 225-5117

03/14/2017

Dear Speaker Ryan,

I have the misfortune to reside in Rep. Mark Pocan's district, so cannot email you.

I not that your phone mailbox is full. I can only assume that there is an overwhelming volume of calls concerning the promised GOP repeal of Obamacare.

Obamacare must be fully repealed - not 'fixed', not replaced. The federal government has no role in health care beyond enforcing laws prohibiting price fixing and monopolistic practices across state lines. That is what RICO and anti-trust laws are for.

Please. Do not insult our intelligence. Obamacare was an unmitigated disaster, and the proposed 'fix' does nothing to address the root cause of the cost of healthcare.

Look close to home - how can the CEO of a non-profit hospital group get paid over $8,000,000.00 per year, plus bonuses? Something stinks to high heaven here, and it has been rotting for decades.

Make history. Do something to actually FIX America's healthcare, and not just put lipstick on the pig.

President Trump has done many wonderful things in the short time he has been in office - but "replacing" Obamacare without actually doing anything to fix the underlying cause of high costs will go down in history as one of the greatest betrayals of all time, and will cost him a second term.

Do you really want Hillary Clinton - or worse - in 2020?

Regards,

Chuck Kuecker
 ________________________________

At least I would have sent this - if the FAX number was a working number.

Update - got through to one of his staffers at a different phone # - (202) 225-3031. FAX: (202) 225-3393.

His  voice mail box is still full...

Monday, March 13, 2017

Shared story

Just got another email from President Trump - he wanted to hear my Jugearscare "horror story".

I obliged:

Jugearscare stole over $16,000.00 from my wife and me last year. I was laid off on December 22rd.

The contract house that was paying me did not allow the "holiday pay" for December 23rd, and paid me on December 26th - a new week - so I lost another $315.00 to Jugearscare.

I applied for Wisconsin unemployment. They asked for the gross amount of the New Years Day holiday pay I got - $370.00. But, after THAT Jugearscare deduction, I netted $15. Since Wisconsin only cares about gross pay, I lost that week's unemployment totally.

The Jugearscare "policy" we paid $315.00 per week for included a $10,000 deductible, so we did very little healthcare during the year, as whatever we did only went toward that deductible.

Also, since the deduction is pre-tax, we did not get $16,000.00 credit toward Social Security.

Repeal this horrible law - do NOT "fix" it. Fix the healthcare / insurance / drug industry that has flouted anti-trust and RICO laws for decades.

The Sunday paper here had a story about the head of a local hospital group who makes over $8,000,000.00 per year - in a non-profit organization. Something is very broken there, and a federal "health care law" won't fix it.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Email to Paul Ryan

I could not use his normal email, as I'm in Mark Pocan's district. He's a firm believer in Jugearscare and how we need to be protected from Mr. Trump.

Mr. Ryan is not pushing repeal of Jugearscare - just a polishing of that turd. Here's my comment:

We need to repeal Obamacare, not replace it. The federal government has no place in providing health care to America.

Why not use RICO and anti-trust laws to go after healthcare organizations, insurers, and drug companies that conspire to fix prices and prevent the free market from operating?

Why should scorpion venom antitoxin cost north of $1000.00 per dose in Arizona when it costs around $100.00 in Mexico? Same drug, free market.

Kill Obamacare. That's what we elected Trump to do, among other things - don't obstruct the will of America.

Sent a similar email to Mr. Pocan - got a canned response.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Letter to my senator

Tammy Gay Baldwin is under attack. She's been sending me emails frantically requesting funds to defend her Senate seat from Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County.

Here's my response to her:

Dear Senator Baldwin,

I want to thank you for bringing the candidacy of Sheriff David Clarke to my attention via your solicitations for money. I will definitely be sending whatever I can to support his campaign to unseat you.

I care not what you do in your personal life, or who you have relationships with - it's none of my business, and believe me, most Wisconsinites couldn't care less about your sexuality - but you chose to make an issue of it. So don't get offended when Sheriff Clarke mentions what you have broadcast to all in his campaigning.

You could do some good for Wisconsin in your last months as a Senator. How about a bill to criminalize spoofing or misuse of Caller ID and email? We could put a bunch of the people now actively infringing on our Second Amendment rights in the FBI NICS office and the BAT(F)E to work hunting spammers and con artists rather than harassing gun owners and buyers.

Good luck in your life as a private citizen. I'm sure you can live comfortably on your Senate pension.

Regards,
Chuck Kuecker
Beloit, WI

Sheriff Clarke's web page: http://www.sheriffclarkeforsenate.com/donate/