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At the origin of America, our Founding Fathers built this country on 28 powerful principles. These principles were culled from all over the world and from centuries of great thinkers. The original 28 principles are in print in The Five Thousand Year Leap. These principles have been distilled down to the 9 basic principles.
The formation of Constitutional TEA Party is based on these principles. The TEA parties held from coast-to-coast are based on these principles of our Founding Fathers.
So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Read The 9 Principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common. Join with us at Constitutional TEA Party to spread these principles, one person at a time.
1. America Is Good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty“I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
George Washington
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.”
Thomas Jefferson
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.”
Thomas Jefferson
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.”
Thomas Jefferson
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.”
George Washington
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.”
George Washington
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.”
Thomas Jefferson
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude
Drug-Plan Costs Go UP
(By JANE ZHANG, Wall Street Journal)
Medicare beneficiaries may have to shop for a better deal on a prescription-drug plan.
The average premium seniors pay for stand-alone drug plans will rise 11% to $38.94 a month in 2010, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on health-care issues. About 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries would pay at least $10 more in monthly premiums if they remain in their current plan.
Changes are even greater for seniors receiving drug coverage as part of Medicare Advantage, private health plans subsidized by the federal government and offered through private insurers. The average monthly premium for those beneficiaries will rise by an average of 32%, to $48 a month, if they stay in their current plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In addition, health-policy analysts say some seniors will lose their Advantage plans altogether, while others could see plans reduce benefits or drop vision, dental or other benefits not covered under traditional Medicare.
Dig for Discounts
With the six-week enrollment season starting today, analysts and patient advocates are urging seniors to shop around. They should "compare plans to look for plans that provide a better deal," says Tricia Neuman, vice president and director of the Medicare Policy Project at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
For next year, insurers are offering 1,576 stand-alone drug plans and 2,314 Medicare Advantage plans, about 80% of them with drug coverage, according to the foundation.
To compare plans, go to Medicare.gov or call 1-800-Medicare. The State Health-Insurance Assistance Program offers free counseling as well.
Uncertainty about health-care overhaul and proposed cuts are likely to add to jitters this enrollment season.
President Obama and Democrats in Congress have proposed cutting more than $100 billion in payments to Medicare Advantage over 10 years to help fund coverage for the uninsured. The Obama administration has said it will cut payments to Medicare Advantage by as much as 4.5% next year.
They argue that the plans are overpaid: Advantage plans cost the federal government 14% more on average per beneficiary than traditional Medicare.
Opting Out
Also, a 2008 law requires one type of Advantage plan -- a private fee-for-service, or PFFS, plan -- to set up a network of providers by 2011, the way health-maintenance organizations and preferred-provider organizations operate. For beneficiaries, that will mean greater restrictions on which doctors or hospitals they can receive care from.
Some insurers say they would rather quit the PFFS market than spend money to meet the requirement. WellCare HealthPlans is canceling all PFFS plans for about 110,000 enrollees. Unitedhealth Group is withdrawing its PFFS plans from some markets. Medicare officials say more than 667,000 seniors will lose their Advantage plans.
Those affected can choose another Medicare Advantage plan or switch to traditional Medicare. If they fail to make a new choice by Dec. 31, they will be automatically enrolled in traditional Medicare for 2010, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that manages Medicare.
Those beneficiaries will have until Jan. 31 to enroll in a drug plan, CMS says. If they miss the deadline, they may not have a drug plan for the year.