This week, White House economic advisor Paul Volker said that the United States ought to consider imposing a European-style value added tax (VAT) to get the deficit under control. He said, “If at the end of the day we need to raise taxes, we should raise taxes.” A VAT tax is essentially a national sales tax, which would be added to existing state sales taxes. France’s VAT is nearly 20%. So just imagine all of your recent purchases costing 20% more.

That may seem outrageous to you, but Obama’s economic advisor doesn’t think so. Volker said that a VAT “was not as toxic an idea” today as it has been in the past. And just to be clear, Volker was not suggesting that we replace the income tax with a VAT tax, but that the VAT be added to the income tax. Evidently, Volker wouldn’t mind paying $7.00 a gallon for gas either, because he also recommended that we consider taxing carbon too.

Just like their love of socialized medicine, liberal politicians are drawn to the VAT like a moth to a flame. The reason is simple: If you’re going to fundamentally transform America into a Big Government, European-style welfare state, you’re going to need big, European-style taxes. Last year, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told PBS’s Charlie Rose, “Somewhere along the way, a value-added tax plays into this. …I think it’s fair to look at a value-added tax as well.”

Is a VAT tax imminent? That depends. Obama’s spending is clearly out of control. Yesterday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the deficit is the biggest threat to long-term economic growth and stability. I guarantee you that in the weeks ahead, we’ll hear from Obama about the need to get the deficit he created under control.

But there are only two ways to get the deficit under control – cut spending or increase taxes. Volker and Pelosi are clearly on the side of raising taxes, and Obama, who has already added $2 trillion to the national debt (that doesn’t even include ObamaCare), is clearly unable to restrain himself when it comes to spending. So I predict that all the rhetoric we’re going to hear about “fiscal discipline” in the days ahead will be laying the ground work for massive tax hikes down the road.

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

On the same day that President Obama signed his healthcare “reform” bill in a White House ceremony, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit to stop it in Federal District Court. Although socialists may be celebrating their so-called “victory” today, this battle has just begun!  Please read below – Mat.

Friends, I’m sure you are finding it difficult to watch giddy liberal Democrats celebrating the passage of ObamaCare. That’s because you and I know that their “win” comes at the expense of our Constitution and through the complete marginalization of the will of the American people.

Here are just a few of the realities that make this such a bitter experience:

Fact One:  ObamaCare was unconstitutional from the beginning!  Congress NEVER had the power to force Americans to buy health insurance or to force employers to provide health insurance.

Fact Two:  It is always difficult for Americans to watch cheaters win.  That’s why we insist on placing asterisks after questionable records.  And we all know this bill was passed under extreme “Chicago Rules.”

Fact Three: No Democrat has yet come up with a credible estimate of what this monstrosity is going to cost. When it comes time to actually pay for ObamaCare, Americans are going to have the biggest case of buyer’s remorse in our nation’s history.

Fact Four: All across America, men and women of good will are asking themselves how they can live with the fact that their tax dollars may soon pay for abortions.

Friends, those are just a few of the reasons why Liberty Counsel filed our lawsuit…and why it MUST succeed.

Socialists twisted the system to get their prize.

Only by using the convoluted combination of “reconciliation” (that was never meant to be applied to this sort of legislation) and the threat of using the “Slaughter House Rule” (set aside only after Democrat leaders were assured of the “Stupak Sellout”), this so-called victory was disgracefully obtained.

That’s not “sour grapes”… that’s the plain truth. And with a CNN poll taken the day after the House vote showing 59% of Americans are still in strong opposition to ObamaCare, Barack Obama has been forced to go back on the campaign trail to try to “sell” his socialization of American medicine.

That means we’re in for more, “let me do a better job of explaining why you’re going to love this plan” speeches and other condescending, arrogant assertions.  Please, Mr. President, we “get it” just fine.

Americans have lost confidence in the legislative process.

At every step of the way in ObamaCare’s long march through Congress, the liberal Democrat leaders used trickery, overt manipulation, and out-and-out vote buying to thwart the American people’s clearly expressed opposition to their socialist takeover of our medical system.

Here’s what the 111th Congress has forced down our throats:

• Abortion coverage Americans don’t want
• Exorbitant costs Americans don’t want
• Mandatory participation Americans don’t want
• New federal bureaucracies Americans don’t want
• A vast expansion of IRS power Americans don’t want

Our Constitution has been subverted right before our eyes.

Friends, the “checks and balances” our Founders gave us are being systematically overpowered and dismantled by the Obama/Pelosi/Reid power axis.  Never before has
the will of the American people been so completely marginalized.

Liberty Counsel has filed our complaint in order to protect the American people from a total government takeover.  I am not being an alarmist – the very survival of the constitutional republic our Founders gave us hangs in the balance!

ObamaCare is unconstitutional!  If Congress has the power to FORCE each person to have health insurance, then individual liberty is totally meaningless.

That’s why we need hundreds of thousands of Americans to sign our Statement of Support for this litigation. Given the sad spectacle we saw play out in the House of Representatives this weekend, we must now win this battle in a court of law.

If you haven’t done so already, please click below to sign your official Statement of Support.  If you have already signed, PLEASE forward this entire message to as many like-thinking friends as possible:

http://www.libertyaction.org/310/petition.asp?rid=23597880

ObamaCare was unlawful from its conception.

There were MANY reasons why Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi allowed no one but their closest insiders — and the White House arm twisters, of course — to participate in developing and managing ObamaCare. For one thing, its “Tooth Fairy” accounting couldn’t stand up to even mild scrutiny.

But the biggest reason was that Congress had NO AUTHORITY to force its socialist healthcare agenda on citizens and businesses in the first place!

The bill that passed the House of Representatives on Sunday night is unconstitutional because:

1. Congress has NO authority to force every American to carry insurance coverage, and,
2. Congress has NO authority to fine employers whose policies do not have the mandated coverage.

No matter the desires of Obama, Pelosi and Reid, there are some things Congress just cannot do!  And the threat to our liberty posed by ObamaCare goes FAR beyond healthcare.  If Congress can get away with this expansive power grab, then individual liberty and state sovereignty will soon vanish.

Nancy Pelosi said as much last week when she told reporters that after “kicking down the door” with ObamaCare, her Congress will push through the rest of its ultraliberal agenda.

EVERY version of the “healthcare reform” bill this Congress produced – even considering whatever “reconciliation” issues are eventually appended to the Senate version – is patently unconstitutional!

Friends, this monstrous, anti-life, anti-family healthcare bill MUST now be strongly challenged in the federal judiciary. Liberty Counsel is doing exactly that!

The battle over ObamaCare is just beginning.

Now more than ever, the socialists and abortion advocates need to understand that WE HAVE NOT GIVEN UP and will resist implementation of ObamaCare to the very end.  Now WE’LL SEE THEM IN COURT!  And we have an excellent chance of winning our federal lawsuit.

Here’s what I’m asking you to do…

1. Sign the Statement of Support for our lawsuit.  If you have already done so, please forward this message to twenty or thirty like-minded friends.

   We want to deliver hundreds of thousands of these Statements to all the key plotters behind ObamaCare.  Reid, Pelosi, Obama and all their confederates need to know they’re not going to get away with this travesty!  Go here right now:

   http://www.libertyaction.org/310/petition.asp?rid=23597880

2. Call your Representative’s and your Senators’ offices.

   Please… take a moment to call your Representative and your two Senators and let them know you are OUTRAGED by the way ObamaCare was handled.  Then let them know you will be supporting litigation against this unconstitutional bill.

   • Sen. Feinstein          202-224-3841
   • Sen. Boxer              202-224-3553
   • Rep. McClintock         202-225-2511
3. Pray for Liberty Counsel’s success in court.  Pray for God’s deliverance from being forced to pay for abortions and from the overt deceit and trickery that has become the norm from the Obama/Pelosi/Reid power axis.  PLEASE keep the heat on, especially now that the socialists have played their hand.

And, of course, this litigation is going to be very expensive.  Please prayerfully consider a significant gift to help offset Liberty Counsel’s expenses to mount a major constitutional challenge to ObamaCare.

I have appended a copy of Liberty Counsel’s official News Release about our lawsuit next to your Statement of Support. You can see it and sign your Statement of Support for litigation against ObamaCare by going here:

http://www.libertyaction.org/310/petition.asp?rid=23597880

Now is NOT the time to be silent!  Join like-minded Americans who will be putting the plotters on notice that we have filed a federal lawsuit to stop this power grab once and for all.

God bless you,

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

P.S.  This battle is NOT over, no matter how much the Pelosi/Reid/Obama power axis wants us to think that it is. Sign your Statement of Support for our lawsuit so we can win this phase of the battle in court and in the court of public opinion!

And please pray! There is always hope in God! Also, let your Senators and Representative know that you WILL hold them accountable for their decisions on ObamaCare and its outrageous handling.  WE MUST NOT SUBMIT to this tyranny! Once again, thank you for praying and speaking out.

Last night, the House of Representatives passed ObamaCare by a vote of 219-to-212. The most bi-partisan aspect of the bill was the opposition to it. Republicans voted unanimously against it and they were joined by 34 Democrats. This bill raises taxes by more than $500 billion. It imposes new taxes on investments and new fines on businesses. It imposes unconstitutional mandates on Americans and funds abortion. This is what happens when liberals get power.

In a weekend of outrageous statements, the worst was to hear Obama and Pelosi describing their takeover of nearly 20% of our economy in the language of liberty. They cloaked one of the biggest expansions of government and retractions of liberty in our nation’s history in conservative rhetoric. For example, Nancy Pelosi hailed the vote as “great act of patriotism.”

After the House vote, President Obama said, “We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people.” But the American people didn’t want this bill. The latest Rasmussen poll found that likely voters opposed it 41%-to-54%. In fact, there is not a single poll the president can point to in the past 60 days that shows public support for the legislation that passed last night.

Conservatives did everything in their power to stop socialized medicine. The reconciliation process used to circumvent conservative efforts is proof of that. And while the Left is celebrating today, it has damaged our democratic republic in the process. The bill was written behind closed doors. Committee hearings were a charade. It passed the Senate not because of the legislation’s merits, but because of special deals and kickbacks. Until the national uproar, Speaker Pelosi had planned on passing it without even voting on it.

When a Republican doesn’t vote consistently for conservative principles, he is called a RINO – a Republican In Name Only. I don’t know what you call a Democrat who betrays his core principles, but this bill should be called the “Stupak Abortion Subsidy Act.”

Rep. Bart Stupak has been elected to Congress as a Democrat since 1992 in a relatively conservative district. But he was always pro-life. Yesterday, Stupak sold out his pro-life values for an executive order from the most pro-abortion president in history. An executive order cannot override legislation. That’s why the Hyde Amendment was so important and has been reaffirmed by every Congress for more than 30 years. The Senate bill funds abortion, which is why Stupak consistently said he was a “No” vote until the very end.

My friends, this is just the beginning. Obama said recently that he was going to wear us down. The Left isn’t done. Immigration “reform” is next. This is gut check time for our values and American Values is not giving up. We have serious concerns with the constitutionality of the healthcare legislation, as do several states. We are exploring various legal avenues to continue the fight for our values in the courts.

Now if your reaction is to throw your hands up in despair, give up and walk away, then the Left has worn you down. But if your reaction is to recommit to the values we cherish and fight even harder, then it’s not too late to make America the “shining city upon a hill” our Founding Fathers envisioned. I’m not giving up and I pray you will continue to stand with me!

Today (February 17, 2010) is the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s signing of the $787 billion stimulus bill, and the administration is putting on a hard sell for the American people. There will be a White House reception today to mark the anniversary. Later this week, Vice President Joe Biden and various cabinet secretaries will fan out across the country to host dozens of rallies touting the stimulus package’s success. Exactly what are they celebrating?

• President Obama told the American people that Congress had to pass the Democrat stimulus bill in order to keep unemployment from rising above 8%. After hundreds of billions of dollars were spent, unemployment hit 10% last year and remains near that figure today. On the most critical measurement of success laid down by the president, the bill is an abject failure. STRIKE ONE!
• In promoting the stimulus, President Obama promised us that the funds would be spent on timely, “shovel ready” projects. In spite of the financial emergency that necessitated the biggest spending bill in American history, if not world history, just one third of the stimulus funds have been spent. So much for “shovel ready.” More than 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs last year, while most of the stimulus money intended to “save or create” jobs went unspent. STRIKE TWO!
• President Obama promised us that the stimulus funds would not be wasted, and he named Vice President Biden “stimulus czar.” We now know hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars were spent to create jobs overseas. We learned that thousands of jobs were created in places that don’t exist. President Obama promised that 90% of the stimulus jobs would be created in the private sector. An analysis by the New York Times found “the data suggests that well over half of the jobs claimed so far have been in the public sector.”But, wait – there’s more. USA Today reports that billions of stimulus dollars are being spent on programs so inefficient or redundant that even Barack Obama wants to cut or eliminate them! Presumably, Joe “the Stimulus Czar” Biden knows the president’s budget priorities. How did you miss that, Joe? STRIKE THREE!

I could go on, but it’s not necessary. While the administration celebrates this colossal failure, the American people know better. Last week, a New York Times/CBS News poll found that six percent of Americans thought the stimulus bill had created jobs. And, no, that’s not a typo – just six in one hundred Americans believe the $787 billion bill did what it was supposed to do.

Instead of doing a victory lap around the country on the taxpayers’ dime, Obama and Biden ought to be apologizing for the biggest boondoggle in history. Instead, they are having a Marie Antoinette moment – while millions of Americans have lost their jobs, Obama is spending their money to create jobs overseas and grow the government. Now he wants to tell us what a great deal this has been!

I know there are some signs of growth and improved economic activity — “green shoots,” as economists like to call them. This is not proof that “Obamanomics” works. No matter how badly Washington wastes your money, our economy remains very vibrant. There are millions of entrepreneurs and hard working men and women who get up every day, go to work and do their best for their families. They invest, they work hard and they succeed in spite of government, not because of it. Sadly, that is a lesson that Washington liberals seem incapable of learning.

A few days ago I expressed my strong disagreement with the Obama Administration’s gutting of the U.S. space program to go back to the moon. I believe the decision puts the U.S. further down the path of national decline.

In an excellent column by Charles Krauthammer today, I was reminded that I missed one of the most disturbing results of this decision. By the end of 2010 we will have no U.S. manned space program. We will be earth bound. Russia has agreed to ferry astronauts from other countries, including the U.S., into low-earth orbit until the end of 2012. The space race that we won under JFK and Nixon is now being conceded to Russia and China.

Krauthammer writes, “Today the manned space program will die for want of $3 billion a year – 1/300th of last year’s stimulus package with its endless make-work projects that will leave not a trace on the national consciousness… Fifty years ago Kennedy opened the New Frontier. Obama has just shut it.”

Okay, folks, you have to sit down for this one. President Obama just did an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek that was astonishing for its sheer audacity. He actually claimed that his administration has promoted a “fundamentally business-friendly agenda” and he said that he and his top officials are “fierce advocates” of free enterprise. No, this isn’t an early April Fool’s joke.

The president went on to say, “You would be hard pressed to identify a piece of legislation that we have proposed out there that, net, is not good for businesses.” Really? Not even one? I’ll take that challenge.

• How about promising to let the Bush tax cuts expire? I know Obama thinks this only hits the “rich,” but according to one report, Congress’ “Joint Committee on Taxation expects half of the revenue raised by the tax increase to fall on businesses that are taxed as individuals.”
• How about the government takeover of healthcare? House Democrats passed a socialized medicine bill that costs more than $1 trillion. It was paid for with a big tax hike that would negatively affect 60% of small businesses.
• How about cap and trade? The Obama Administration admits that this is a huge tax increase on families that would kill jobsbecause businesses would also face much higher electricity and transportation costs.
• How about his constant bashing of businesses? The CEO of Loews Corporation, which owns hotels, said Obama’s anti-business rhetoric did “a good job of killing” the travel industry. He added, “The criticism that took place of group travel was really a death knell for the industry. It’s easy for the politician to get the sound bite. What they are doing with those sound bites is putting maids and bellmen out of work.” Not to mention workers in related industries like restaurants and airlines.

I could go on, but that wouldn’t be fair. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mocked Sarah Palin during his daily press briefing by writing a “grocery list” on his hand with the words, “milk, bread, eggs, hope, change.” Maybe the rest of us should write little notes on our hands like “9.7” and “$1.6 trillion.” When folks ask us what that means, we can explain that they are “reminders of Obama’s accomplishments – 9.7% unemployment and a record budget deficit for one year.”

Surprisingly, Gibbs’ little stunt failed to impress its intended audience – the usually sympathetic White House press corps. According to an Associated Press report, “Many in the room, where President Obama had spoken just moments before about the need for bipartisanship, groaned at the political shot.” Can you imagine the reaction if any Bush administration official had been so petty?

Whatever you may think about her, Palin has clearly gotten under the White House’s skin. Notice that they’re not mocking any other prominent conservative. I wonder why this White House seems so threatened by the former governor of Alaska?

Here’s another stunning example of President Obama’s refusal to reverse course after a mistake. You may recall that the administration announced it would transfer the accused 9/11 plotters, currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from military custody to the civilian courts and hold their trial in New York City, site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. There was a tremendous backlash from the people and local politicians that had the administration back peddling fast. The notion of 9/11 terror trials near Ground Zero was seemingly put to rest.

But Couric broached the subject during her Super Bowl pre-game interview, and Obama said, “I have not ruled it out, but I think it’s important for us to take into account the practical, logistical issues involved. I mean, if you have a city that is saying no, and a police department that is saying no, and a mayor that is saying no, that makes it difficult.”

That’s just like his response to socialized medicine. Even with overwhelming liberal majorities, Congress can’t get it done. The American people said no in town hall protests last summer. They’ve said no in poll after and poll since then. And Massachusetts voters shouted “Don’t you dare!” and denied Obama his cherished Senate supermajority. But Obama hasn’t gotten the message. Far from the “audacity of hope,” that’s the audacity of arrogance.

By the way, while the president is still pursuing the idea of civilian trials for admitted terrorists, I’d like to observe again that three Navy SEALS accused of giving a high profile terrorist a fat lip are being tried in a military tribunal – the same tribunals that Obama and his allies say would be unfair for terrorists. In what bizarre world do jihadists get more constitutional rights than our brave soldiers?

Media elites and pointy-headed leftwing intellectuals are having spasms this morning over Sarah Palin. What set them off this time? A liberal blogger discovered that Gov. Palin had written some “cheat” notes on her hand to use during her speech at the Tea Party convention this weekend. Every commentator in the country is using the incident to denounce her as stupid, non-intellectual, un-presidential and unserious. By the way, the “reminders” on her palm were “Energy,” “Cut taxes” and “Lift America’s spirits.” Oh the horror!

Of course most of the media talking heads continue to think that Obama is just the smartest, coolest guy that has ever occupied the Oval Office. Most of them thought it was silly when we raised questions about why our Harvard-educated president couldn’t say “Good morning” without his co-president – the Teleprompter. And even with the teleprompter, Obama manages to display serious ignorance. In a speech last week, he told a story about a Navy corpsman apparently not realizing that the “p” and the “s” in “corpsman” are silent. Twice, with the teleprompter, Obama pronounced the word as “corpse man.” Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want.

The media and the Left desperately want America to think that only liberals are smart. I remember how Reagan was mocked unmercifully because he used note cards during his speeches. The media had nothing but contempt for Dan Quayle. And, of course, George W. Bush was constantly presented as a buffoon.

“Poor little stupid Sarah Palin,” they are all saying. She wrote “Energy” on her hand to remind herself to bring up the need for more drilling. She wrote “Cut taxes” because she believes that is how to get our economy moving. She wrote “Lift America’s spirit” because she knows America needs inspiration.

Our president doesn’t write notes on his palm. He “knows” that limiting drilling is a great idea while we grow more dependent on people who hate us. He “knows” that raising taxes on families and small businesses is just the thing to do when the economy is on the ropes. And he is too busy apologizing for America’s sins and bashing businesses to think about lifting our spirits.

So who is the stupid one?

The Obama Administration announced yesterday that it will “donate” $40 million of your tax money to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to assist the Palestinians. A recent report commissioned by the European parliament disclosed that the UNRWA labor union had selected Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, to oversee UNRWA’s Gaza facilities. As a result, Canada announced recently that it would no longer fund the UN agency. We shouldn’t be funding them either. Not $1 of your money should go directly or indirectly to jihadist groups like Hamas. If Obama is looking for some money to apply to the gargantuan budget deficit, this $40 million is an easy place to start. But we know this decision won’t be reversed, because this president still thinks “peace” can be bought in the Middle East, and he is committed to a Palestinian State no matter what the costs.