Thursday, November 26, 2009

Eaters Protection and Affordability Act

According to the USA Today’s editorial Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 49 million Americans lack dependable access to adequate food. That’s the largest number of people since numbers were first kept in 1995.

The number is suspiciously similar to the claimed number of people who are dying in the streets due to lack of assess to adequate health care. So as I peeled potatoes for the Thanksgiving dinner, I thought we could add a few more pages to the Health Reform Bills and fix this problem. After all, what is more critical, eating or sitting in queue to see your doctor?

Here’s my proposal. With some bureaucratic creativity this could be expanded to 1500 pages.

Every man, woman and child in the United States of America should have affordable food. To assure equal assess we need a universal food redistribution program. A single provider system. A universal food distribution program would create centers of food sources. They would require today’s high priced food sources such as Price Chopper, WalMart, A&P, Ralph’s, Safeway, etc to compete. We know they don't compete now. And have you every seen a Ralph's in New Hampshire? Food should be sold across state lines.

Because the government won’t have the overhead of advertisement, coupons, or promotional china give-a-ways, and shopping carts which end up under railroad trestles, food would be more affordable for all those who currently are starving in the street. (Ironically, that’s the poor and uninsured. Isn’t this the only place in the world where poor are fat and own their own shopping cart?)

And speaking of hefty, hefty, hefty. I propose a fat tax, similar to the one the airlines tried to impose on their fat flyers. As you enter the food distribution center you are weighed. All family members must be periodically weighed. Weight is entered into a national data base system for monitoring by the Bureau of Weights and Measures. Based on your weight and limits as defined in the Health Care Reform Bill (just another amendment), food will be distributed to each according to their need, or lack there of.

If you happen to be one of the rich people, who has a pantry stocked for three nuclear winters (my sister), there will be a tax imposed on this type hording. After all, why should these people have all this access to food while others have their ribs showing.

The fare at restaurants, fast food joints, and other dining establishments such as workplace roach coaches, will be taxed based on the caloric distribution on the menu and total consumption. A 40% tax on anything over 300 calories should discourage this gluttony.

Death panels? Not really. But certainly the elderly don’t need to eat that much.

To pay for the government run and controlled food redistribution program I propose taxing those people requiring high levels of caloric intact, say consumption over 2000 calories/day. So the NFL, and Michael Phelps will have to pony up. Oh yeah, and Michael Moore.

Anyone who plants a garden will be taxed. That includes Michelle Obama.

Farmer markets will be taxed.

Road side fruit stands - taxed.

Overweight people - taxed.

Any corn used for food - taxed.

Subsidies will be given to farmers who don’t grow food above the set limits, defined in the Eaters Protection and Affordability Act.

Anyone who doesn’t participate in the food redistribution program will be penalized and if participation is not reported to the IRS you will not be penalized, or face jail time. Definitely food rationing there, but adequate medical care.

Which brings me back to peeling potatoes. Damn it, I cut my finger.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

My Response

I was asked to respond to an editorial in the New York Times.

“The merged bill would cost $848 billion over the next decade and would cover some 31 million people who would otherwise be uninsured in 2019, bringing coverage to 94 percent of all citizens and legal residents below Medicare age. And it would reduce the deficit by $130 billion over the first decade and by more than half-a-trillion dollars over the next decade, putting the lie to Republican charges that the reforms would drive up deficits.”

Lies? Let’s look at what some bipartisan experts say.

Concord Coalition, a bipartisan group of budget watchdogs says, "The Senate bill is better than the House version, but there's not much reform in this bill. As of now, it's basically a big entitlement expansion, plus tax increases." I can’t disagree with that.

Here's another expert, Maya MacGuineas, the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: "While this bill does a better job than the House version at reducing the deficit and controlling costs, it still doesn't do enough. Given the political system's aversion to tax increases and spending cuts, I worry about what the final bill will look like." Yeah, me too.

MacGuineas opinion is kind of neutral considering the "budget gimmicks" that made it possible for the CBO to estimate that the Senate’s would reduce federal deficits by $130 billion by 2019. (Have you heard that the deficits are now over $12.2 Trillion?)

Here’s an example of Bernie Madoff record keeping. Perhaps the biggest of those maneuvers was Reid's decision to postpone the start of subsidies to help the uninsured buy policies from mid-2013 to January 2014 -- long after taxes and fees levied by the bill would have begun.

Even with that change, there is plenty in the CBO report to suggest that the promised budget savings may not materialize. If you read deep enough, you will find that under the Senate bill, "federal outlays for health care would increase during the 2010-2019 period.” Hum? Is that in the Bill? Yes. Not decline. The gross increase would be almost $1 trillion -- $848 billion, to be exact, mainly to subsidize the uninsured (Entitlement program). The net increase would be $160 billion.

But remember everyone in Washington can play with numbers. The best thing to do is to look at Washington’s track record. Yes, pass performance doesn’t guarantee future performance, but when Medicare was first brought on board they said that by 1990 it would cost only $10 billion. Let’s try on $65,000,000,000. What do you think that number is today? Do we need more of this?

If you seriously think this bill is going to reduce the deficient you are sadly mistaken and gross under-informed about your government. Remember the $600 screw drivers?

But here is the real gamble. You think Democrats are really going to cut Medicare by $500 billion. When the Republicans tried to do so a few years back the Democrats came unglued. A big assumption in the CBO numbers is that this will pass.. Will future Congresses actually impose the assumed $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health pro have? I doubt it.

And then there is the 40% tax on high-premium insurance policies (Cadillac plans). Let’s say that goes through. Cha-ching, cha-ching in the government coffers? Do you think any employer will hang on to these plans despite union opposition? Nope. I don’t think Congress does either. So no revenue generated there, but CBO considers this in its number crunching.

Instead, in my humble opinion, the punitive tax is to encourage employers to dump the plans forcing more people onto the government approved plans. Why?

Because this isn’t about health care.

People with insurance tend to go to the doctors. What do you think will happen when 47 million uninsured become insured? All of a sudden there is a huge demand for medical care in a system that can’t provide it. Baby, we won’t be just talking about new regulation on mammograms.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Affordable for Whom?

“I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” Remember who said that and when? That’s right President Obama said this about his Health Care Proposal” as he campaigned in September 2008.

Now let’s look at the Senate Health Care Bill, known as the Patient Protection and Affordability Act.

The Senate Health Care Reform Bill includes an individual mandate that forces any American who does not have a qualified health plan to pay an annual tax penalty of $750 per adult family member and $375 per child, with a maximum penalty of $2,250 per family. This kicks in any time you go without insurance for more than 30 days. Zappo. Report it on your income tax or else. (Wait! 50% of Americans don't file tax returns? How is that going to work? Guess what, I can't find it in the bill. Can you say loophole?)

These penalties are indexed for inflation, which means they are likely to increase nearly every year. And believe me, inflation is going to sky-rocket when this takes effect.

These taxes are fixed amounts based on family size, not income. A family of at least two adults and two children is actually worse off if they make less than $99,350 a year. The only affordability is a “hardship exemption” if the lowest available premium for a bare-bones plan is more than 8 percent of your income. But that saves you money only if your income is less than $28,125 a year. I’m there, whew!

The employer mandate is especially punitive on poor families. Firms that hire an employee from a low-income family who qualify for an insurance subsidy are charged a tax penalty of $3,000. I can’t figure that one out. It’s a job killing mandate.

So a company could save $3,000 by hiring, say, someone with a working spouse or a teenager with working parents, rather than a single mother with three children.

However, companies only have to pay $750 an employee instead of $3,000 if one quarter of employees are low-income. Think about that. This creates a situation where, if a company has a lot of low-income workers, they can actually save money by dropping their health plan and pay the penalty. Instead they just dump all their employees into the federal exchange. And now the low-income family pays a fine for not getting individual coverage. Well, not unless they are below $28,125 and then you get the bare-bone coverage. Think bare-bone coverage includes mammograms?

Small businesses employ 70% of today’s work force. Without small business operating and competing in a strong and healthy economy, unemployment is going to continue to grow. No worries. The Senate is here to help small business.

The bill tries to address this problem by including a “small business tax credit” to minimize the impact of the above mentioned job killing mandates and regulation-caused rises in private health insurance premiums. But the tax credit only lasts two years and largely excludes small business owners, small businesses with higher than average payrolls, and firms with 25 or more workers. After all exclusions, essentially the only eligible firms are those firms with 10 or fewer workers as well as those with low-income workers—the least likely to offer coverage even with a significant price reduction. So where is the credit and where is the coverage?

The bill would increase taxes on all health insurance plans, as well as on brand-name drugs and biologics, and on medical devices. These tax increases would affect anyone who buys these goods.

The bill would allow State insurance exchanges to charge assessments or user fees to participating health insurers, or to otherwise generate funding, to support its operations. That means insurers would pass these “assessments or user fees” through to consumers. Hum? Higher premiums? This would affect anyone who buys health insurance and remember under this plan you must buy insurance or pay the penalty. So you are damned if you do or damn if you don’t.

You got to love it. Oh, there is more, much more. But you can’t handle too much more truth.

Come on. Call your Senators NOW. Email your Senators NOW. The vote for debate is tomorrow night. And let the record show when they vote to discuss a bill, 97% of the time it goes through to the end. Stop the train wreck. We can't afford this kind of protection.

To contact your Senators click HERE . Tell them the debate is over. VOTE NO.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Letter to the Editor: The Saratogian

Scott Murphy Did The Right Thing

The health care reform bill recently passed by the House is complex. Republicans scare us by saying it rations grandma’s health care, cuts Medicare to the bare bone, increases taxes on everyone, vaporizes private choice, jails anyone who doesn’t get coverage, etc. Most of the scare is true and most of it is false. What?

Democrats are quick to point to their studies, which say the bill increases jobs, makes only the filthy rich pay more taxes and gives everyone a chance to have affordable health care. Most of this is false and most of it is true. What?

One side wants to ram it through so badly they don’t care what the long-term impact might be to the individual, to the employer and to the country. The other side wants to derail the process so badly that they offer an equally nebulous package.

The truth is no one really knows what the impact of this bill will be. Few people care what the impact will be unless it supports their side. So what does the American public receive? A bill that creates a monstrous entitlement program and huge new network of governmental bureaucracies that, once unleashed, will never be able to be modified, regardless of the impact.

The majority of Americans agree something has to be done to check the rising costs of health care. The trouble is, the issue has become so politicized that Congress doesn’t care what they serve up, just as long as they get their way.

It took courage for Congressman Scott Murphy to vote against the bill. Those who wish to bash him for his decision should step back and examine what he said no to before they decide to criticize him. Those from the 20th district should be glad to have a congressman who does not lock step to the party, but is truly looking out for his constituents. Few citizens are represented in Congress by such boldness and common sense.

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Ms. Perez Goes to Washington Part 4

Home Again, Home Again

Nothing is scarier than driving through a snow squall on the New York State Thruway, even early in the winter season. The bus made it back to Syracuse a little after 3 am. Snow filtered earthward from a low cloud bank that reflected the city’s light. (Ugh. When am I headed back to Hawaii?) I had expected the snow.

Since daylight would break in a couple of hours, I decide to drive back home instead of getting a hotel room. One fellow patriot even offered to take me in for the night, but I was ready to go home. I was tired but drowsiness didn’t catch up to me until I was 18 miles short of the second rest stop on the Thruway.

I pulled into the nearly vacant parking lot surrounded by an armada of tractor trailers. My feet were so swollen that I could barely wear my shoes. I put on a pair of heavy socks, wrapped a fleece blanket around my legs and tilted the Jeep’s seat as far back as it would go. Within seconds I was gone. Twenty minutes later I woke from my catnap.

I managed to cram my feet into my shoes and stumble into the rest stop’s bathroom. From the only opened shop, Roy Rogers, I ordered a cup of coffee. It had stopped snowing, but the wind bit a hole in my psyche as I crossed the still vacant parking lot. A few sips of coffee and I turned the Jeep east. Somewhere soon, I would find the sun.

I had prayed for a safe trip for all the thousands who made it to Washington. Mine was until I walked up the front ramp to the house. The door was locked. In my retreat down the wet ramp and wearing those flat soled shoes I slipped. I didn’t try to fight the fall and stayed upright all the way down the ramp. I was about to think I had it made when I reached the pumpkin sitting at the bottom of the ramp. It was impossible to avoid. I smashed into the squash and topple over into the driveway scraping my knee. I rested. What was the sense of scrambling back to my feet?

Ms. Perez Goes to Washington Part 3

Experiences Behind Opened Doors

I half expected to see at least one Senator. But they were in session. Well, at least Job Lieberman was. He stood speaking before his colleagues on the TV screen in the office of Senator Akaka. I slowly pushed the heavy glass door open and waited for the receptionist to end her phone call. Meanwhile another woman entered the office. Yes there would be two people from the Aloha State expressing concern about the Health Care Reform Bill. Me and Tish.

“May I help you?”

“I’m Valerie Perez, from the Big Island. I’m here to express my concerns about the Health Care Reform Bill and would like to speak to Senator Akaka.”

“He’s not in.” A long silence ensued. Was that it?

When it became apparent I wasn't turning to leave, she added, “You can leave him a note.” But she offered no pen or paper. Did it have to be this difficult? I could be on the other side of the Capitol yelling, “Nannnnn--cy, Nannnnn--cy” trying to make the speaker cry.

I scrawled a note, as neat as I could (not very). When I was just about finished, a young Hawaiian came out and greeted us. He confirmed the reason for our visit and then offered to find a staffer who would take our concerns. I imagined the conversation.

“Who wants to entertain a couple of old ladies who got some issues with the Health Care Reform.”

“Health Care? The House hasn’t even passed anything yet. Did they come all the way from Hawaii?”

“I assume so. Heads, I go. Tails, you go talk some sense into them.”

When I mentioned rationing to the young whippersnapper staffer, named Matt, he said, “What do you think happens under Medicare. Don’t you like Medicare?” Excuse me? Are you serious? It wastes billions of dollars annually. Am I suppose to like that and use that as an acceptable model for this Bill, making rationing okay? He tried to lecture. We didn’t come for no stinking lecture. Shut up and listen. You work for me.

The whole meeting went that way. He interrupted us, we interrupted him and he couldn’t get us out fast enough. In the end, I slowly gathered my coat, camera and backpack. He was at the other end of the hallway holding the door open. Body language: Get Out of Here. They learn to drink the Kool-Aid early.

It went a little better in Senator Inouye’s office, a two floored penthouse arrangement also in the Hart Building. At least the receptionists didn’t object to being in the photo I took of the office. The staffer Michelle was polite, took notes and then asked us specific questions. “How do you feel about the soda tax?” Don’t like, but boy could I use a soda right now.

I was tired and thirsty. It began to rain. I made my way back to the Longworth building to catch up with Maize Hirono, my Congresswomen. I’ve emailed her at least three times about this bill and never got a response, not even a form acknowledgment. The long lines that earlier wrapped around the building were gone. Coming through security someone asked, “Is it raining?” I wiped off my glasses, “Only on one side of the Capitol.” She laughed.

Of course, Maize wasn’t available either. The staffer seemed confused by my presence. She didn’t invite me into the office and ran out of the office after instructing me to sign in. Moments later a prim women entered with legal pad in hand. She introduced herself and sat down at the little table in the entrance way. She didn’t offer me a seat so I asked if I could. “Sure, sure,” she waved dismissing my request as if it was ludicrous. The conversation was rushed and brief. A few notes and three minutes later I dismissed as ludicrous. Oh boy.

By now I was starving. The halls were empty. Most of the riffraff gone. I walked listening to my shoes echo in the vacant corridors. I noticed the offices all had signs that welcomed visitors to enter. Since I was here and I use to write Zack Wamp when I was in Tennessee I decide to visit his office. It was getting close to 4:30 and I had to be back on the bus by 6PM. I knew Union Station wasn’t far, maybe ten minutes. I wasn’t going to sit in the train station for 90 minutes.

I opened the door to the Honorable Wamp’s office. “Hi, is that Zack guy here?” Gone were the formalities. I figured if I acted like we were old buddies, I might get to shake his hand and thank him for his support. When I wrote him, criticisms or compliments, I got a response. After explaining I was no longer his constituent, the receptionist offered to show me his office and let me take a photo, but someone was in there having a meeting. So in lieu, she offered me a pass to the House Gallery. Are you kidding me? I can get in there and see IN GOD WE TRUST right over the flag behind the Speaker’s seat? Hell yeah, but time was limited. I thanked her for the pass and bolted across the street to the Capitol. (My feet were beginning to kill me.)

That’s where I lost my lunch. “Ma’am, you can’t take bottles or food into the building.” The guard smiled, but was firm.

“But I haven’t eaten all day.” I protested.

“Go outside and eat.” I was hungry but running out of time. No time to eat. I didn’t want to get to the station right at 6 PM. I needed time to find the bus, at least fifteen minutes. I gulped some water and crammed the bagel into my mouth. Standing in line again for security I looked like a chipmunk. Chew, chew, chew, swallow.

“Next?” The security guard commanded.

I stepped forward, tossed my backpack, the one I took to Micronesia and have not washed since, onto the conveyor. Swallow. Chew. Swallow. I walked through the metal detector to find a guard rooting around my bag. Crap, he’s going to drop my watch into the bowls of the pack and I’ll have to find it. Need to keep track of time. He found my cough drops, examined them, but let them pass.

Still before entering the maze of hallways leading to the Galley you must check all bags, cameras, personal items, etc.. I knew this. Once done, I followed signs, roped aisles and hallways to my destination. I passed a guard and asked, “Do I come out this way?” Yes, and I’ll be here waiting to be sure you do.” Yikes, I'm lost.

Destination. I turned the corner and found myself walking a decorative tile floor under ached ceiling and entrance ways. I slowed down. I sensed something special. It was quiet because I was there alone with the final security guard and yet another metal detector. I waited to be asked to come forward. Then the heavy door was opened to me and I stood looking directly across from IN GOD WE TRUST. I almost cried.

I prayed. I could have sat there for hours. Not entranced by the proceedings of a thinly occupied room below me, but by the room itself. The place of debate. Great Speeches. Call to action. Decision. Compromise. Agreement. The place of taxes, partisan politics and “you lie”. The place where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should be protected.

I looked on as HR 1849 went to electronic vote. The usher asked me if I had any questions. “A million, but I have run out of time.” I want to come back. I stood to leave but noticed the state seals on the ceiling. I hesitated and the usher told me I had to sit back down if I wished to stay in the Gallery. “ I’m sorry. I got captivated by the surroundings.” He smiled and told me I could learn more about the room on line. By the time I left 18 Yeas and zero nays were cast.

I walked toward Union Station in the early twilight. I turned and saw the dome bathed in light. A light of freedom. A fleeting thought danced through my head. “Boy, I like to be a Congresswomen.” That vanished before I could even tell myself I was nuts.

On the bus we listened to the radio. They said a large crowd of protestors were at the Capitol today. Protestors? I didn’t protest. And despite this,”it is almost certain the House will pass the Health Care Reform Bill.”

Listen America, you are about to die a slow death.

Part 4 is coming...

Ms. Perez Goes to Washington Part 2

Standing on Hallowed Grounds

I had no idea how many people would assemble on short notice, or be able to come on a weekday at noon, but I reasoned not many would come from Hawaii. If I were to visit my senators and representatives from Hawaii, I would stand in a small crowd. I decided not to carry a sign which could cause me to be perceived as a fringe loonie. I dressed business casual.

My concern was for my feet. Keep them warm, keep them comfortable. They might have to take me places, quickly. My flat dress shoe looked fine, but I knew by the end of the day they would feel like they pounded concrete…barefoot.

We stepped off the bus at 11:30 am, right in front of the Capitol. People were gathering and moving toward the white dome on the hill. At that time, I estimated the crowd to be a couple thousand, but I’m no Park Service Ranger, so what do I know? I do know that it kept growing and growing. As I edged my way closer to the Capitol, I turned to see the Washington Monument. Many more people had come.

People dressed in red white and blue. The young and old. Men and women. Black, Hispanics. People dressed in business suits. Vietnam Vets with bandanas and biker vests. Many carrying signs. Many picking up the chants “Kill The Bill” or “Nannnncy.” By the time Michelle took the microphone to welcome us to “our House” we were 10,000 strong. There is no freaking way they are going to let us into the offices of our elected officials. But after opening prayer, guest speakers Mark Levine, Jon Vogt, and numerous other concerned legislators and after we sang “God Bless America”, we were dismissed to go visit with our representatives.

I stood among the people and absorbed the moment. The first time I became aware of Washington DC and the sprawling spaces between the Capitol and the Washington Monument was during the sixties. Martin Luther King. I closed my eyes. I listened to his voice. His dream. I imaged the history, the construction, not of just of the magnificent building before me, but of the country that it represents. The labor, the sweat and the blood shed to build this place, this country. The vision, the struggle, the debate, and the demonstrations. The melding of thought and action, the deliberate creation of a country that stated “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”

I’ve been to Washington twice before, but as a tourist. The Smithsonian. The World War II Memorial. Other Memorials. Now I stood here as a patriot. I stood as a concerned citizen, as a voice for those who couldn’t come. I came because it was my responsibility, my obligation, my duty. I had a job to do. I can to protect our freedoms.

Pages of the Health Care Reform Bill were distributed. “Take one to your representative and ask them to explain it.” I never got one, but I’ve seen the bill. Four reams of paper. And yes it is triple spaced and the margins are wide, but the language is vague legalizee. It contains more taxes, the creation of a tangled web of government bureaucracy, mandates for coverage, abortion coverage, forced coverage, government committees deciding what coverage will be paid for and which will not, fines for citizens and doctors, employers and companies. It is a financial burden that any rational person knows will become an economic nightmare that con not be paid for. Thus rationing will take place.
I never got close enough to the steps to see a single speaker. But I heard ever speech, every word. I heard every prayer. I sang every song. And when dismissed, I set off to find my Senators.

The crowd was slow to disperse. Like lemmings we followed each other to someplace “over there.” I found myself scaling a wall to free myself from the masses that trapped themselves against. On the sidewalk I encounter a couple of sharply dressed men carrying leather briefcases. They dodged the throngs like a running backs headed for the goal line. Destinations in sight, but all these people were in their way. A look of inconvenience shadowed their squinter eyes. Probably medical device lobbyists.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Ms. Perez Goes to Washington Part 1

I Took It As A Sign

I hate peeing on a bus. The two by two closet could be an amusement ride if not for the commode. Come test your equilibrium as you negotiate hovering over the seat. Two rides for a quarter. Finished, I leaned against the front wall, and I zipped up my pants as the bus lurched around the corner and headed up the ramp to I-81. South bound. Destination: Washington DC. I slammed the seat shut before any tank water could slosh out of the toilet. I checked to be sure no tissue stuck to the bottom of my shoes. Seventeen days through Europe on a bus and not once did I use the bus' toilet. Just an hour and a half into this ride I was using the head, trying to keep my balance, drawing upon my skills honed onboard the sailboat the Cosmic Muffin.

I opened the door. Forty five people sat in the dark. Beneath them the bus engine hummed. Forty-five strangers. Forty-five patriots. Some sleeping, some whispering. I took my seat and stared out the window. Nothing, but darkness.

It was Monday when I heard Glenn Beck’s interview with Michelle Bachmann, Congresswoman from Minnesota. She asked for patriots to call Congress and meet up with her at the Capitol on Thursday, November 5th at high noon. It was time to mobilize. Stop socialized medicine now.

“It's the 11th hour. Let's pay Nancy Pelosi a house call and tell her what she can do with the ‘Pelosi Health Care Plan’”.

Immediately, I wanted to go, but didn’t know how to get to DC on short notice. On Tuesday I would be in New Jersey attended my cousin’s funeral, making it difficult to search the web for options. Amtrak seemed convenient, dropping me at Union Station. The walk to the Capitol would take no longer than the time it takes the House to read their proposed 2000 page Health Care Reform Bill…about ten minutes. My indecisiveness cost me. On Monday a round trip ticket from Albany was $220. By Wednesday it was $280. Assuming the trains ran like Mussolini’s I would arrive just in time for the rally. But the price was a killer.

Wednesday afternoon, my sister emailed me about the Patriots from Rhode Island taking a bus from Providence for $60. “Maybe you could drive there?” I looked for a similar group out of Albany. I’m not saying there wasn’t such a group, but I found nothing on the various websites. However, a group called Central New York Patriots sponsored a bus for Michele Bachmann's Cannon Ball Run to DC from Syracuse. They were leaving at 3 AM from Price Chopper’s parking lot. That’s about 3 hours from Saratoga Springs. The cost, $60.

At 7 PM I called the organizer Joanne Wilder and got voice mail. “I’m from Hawaii. I know this is short notice and you’re probably taking a nap since you have to get up early, but if you have room, I’d love to go.” Joanne called back fifteen minutes later. Five seats left. I had an invitation.

“Bus will leave at 3:00 so be there by 2:30.”

I google-mapped Price Chopper and went on NOAA for a DC forecast, took a shower and headed out for Syracuse by 10PM. That was how I found myself rolling down I-81 through the darkened hills of Pennsylvania.