Free Republic

More than a month after a new fiscal year began Oct. 1, the House and Senate are still pressing to pass a group of bills to improve veterans’ benefits and health programs, rolling them together in “omnibus” legislative packets. The omnibus bills can then be shaped by final compromises between the two chambers and passed relatively quickly, often by voice vote, so lawmakers can move on to other business. Standing athwart those plans this month, however, is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a family physician whose top goal as a lawmaker has been to slow the rising tide of debt caused,...

Sen. Tom Coburn, the Oklahoma Republican who developed a close friendship with President Obama when they served together in the Senate, is threatening to have the entire health care bill read on the Senate floor. Senior Senate Democratic aides had heard Coburn was considering having potentially thousands of pages read aloud in effort to stall passage. “If he did this it would be even outrageous for a guy who’s become known as Dr. No around here,” one of them told POLITICO. Coburn’s office confirmed that he is indeed thinking about having the bill read. “That’s a possibility,” Coburn spokesman John...

Even as Republicans pummel President Barack Obama's health care proposals, some GOP leaders worry their party is being hurt by a Democratic counterattack: Where is your plan? Republican leaders chose not to draft their own comprehensive bill, focusing instead on attacking Democrats' plans as too costly and bureaucratic. Some prominent Republicans now fear they are getting tagged as the "party of no," and they want the GOP to offer more solutions to the nation's health care problems. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential GOP presidential contender in 2012, said it's time for Republicans "to pivot and say, in addition to...

VIDEO: On this episode of "The Senate Doctors Show," Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D., and Sen. John Barrasso, M.D., talk about the importance of reforming health care in a step-by-step manner to lower costs and expand access without raising your taxes or adding billions of dollars to the deficit. The Senate Doctors are joined by bloggers Ryan Grimm of the Huffington Post and David Weinberger of the Heritage Foundation.

I'm in an argument on a forum, and I'm sure somebody must have a good link to explain the GOP proposal. I can't google one up ...

video 23:23

Mccain's abstain "makes sense" to me, given that he's the de facto amnesty republican. But what's Vitter's excuse? He also had an amendment to defund ACORN, did he not? I say defeat them all in the primaries for their support of this criminal enterprise.

I spoke with thousands of voters at town-hall meetings this summer. What I gathered from them is that it's not just the proposed overhaul of health care that has them upset. Many also expressed a sense of betrayal. In spite of their hope for change, it still appears that the government in Washington is run for its own benefit and the benefit of special interests—not for the benefit of the American people. The folks I met with also don't trust politicians in Washington to address mounting long-term challenges to our economy.

“IT is time to water the tree of liberty” said the sign carried by a gun-toting protester milling outside President Obama’s town-hall meeting in New Hampshire two weeks ago. The Thomas Jefferson quote that inspired this message, of course, said nothing about water: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” That’s the beauty of a gun — you don’t have to spell out the “blood.” The protester was a nut. America has never had a shortage of them. But what’s Tom Coburn’s excuse? Coburn is a Republican senator from...

The current attempt to steamroller a drastic healthcare reform bill through Congress has created a rift between the Obama-Pelosi (OP) Democrats and what might be called the "blue-chip" (BC) faction---the moderate mainstream Democrats whose alliance, or at least acquiescence, is probably essential for the passage of any legislation. These two factions have very different ideas of what "healthcare reform" should mean. It is difficult to pin down exactly what BCs want. Caught in the crossfire between the Chicago-style strong-arming of the White House and the anger of the electorate, they have become evasive [1]. But it is likely that most...

Amid a national debate on constitutional rights, a national conservative group hosted a banquet in Tulsa to honor Sen. Tom Coburn for his defense of the 2nd Amendment. Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, spoke before a packed banquet hall Friday and praised Coburn for passing the only federal legislation this year to defend the people’s right to bear arms. “The people are becoming confrontational, “ Pratt said in reference to town hall meetings over proposed changes in health care. “Politics is confrontational.” “What is happening around the country and what is happening in Oklahoma gives me...

Local residents packed the Bartlesville Community Center on Thursday to attend a town hall meeting held by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn. Originally slated for the Community Room, large crowds forced the BCC to move the meeting into the larger Performing Arts auditorium. Coburn commented that his last town hall meeting netted about 150 visitors. Thursday’s meeting brought in excess of 1,000 citizens. Although attendees were passionate about their concerns, the crowd was sedate compared to national reports of town hall meetings gone bad. Audience members took turns asking questions or stating comments on topics including health care, social security and...

Dr Tom Coburn - anti-incumbent , term-limited -populist, citizen legislator, published Book- Breach of Trust - How Washington turns Outsiders into Insiders...our Paragon of Integrity and Courage, Lincoln of 21st Century, expert on healthcare , fiscal conservatism , yet progressive in his sentiments towards healing our nation ...NO EARMARKS AND PROTECTOR OF ALL NEWBORNS...NOT JUST THEIR FETAL EXISTANCE BUT THEIR FISCAL FUTURE..a divine Legacy...Dr COBURN FOR PRESIDENT 2012

"The health care system in America is broken. Costs are rising at an unacceptable rate -- more than doubling over the last 10 years, which is nearly four times the rate of wage growth. Too many patients feel trapped by healthcare decisions dictated by HMOs. Too many doctors are torn between practicing medicine and practicing insurance. And 47 million Americans worry what will happen to them or their children if they get sick." Who do you think said that? President Obama? Actually, those words were written by Republicans. They are part of the summary of the Patients' Choice Act, introduced...

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passed a resolution by voice vote last week apologizing "on behalf of American people" to all Indian tribes for the mistreatment and violence by American citizens. Senate Joint Resolution 14, sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), states that its purpose is “to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Federal Government regarding Indian Tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States.” In Section 1A, No. 4 of the resolution states that the apology is on behalf of U.S. citizens for harm they...

August 10, 2009, 4:00 a.m. Ten Questions Politicians Won’t AnswerEvasive politicians, not concerned citizens, are dividing America over health-care reform. By Tom Coburn The past week’s debate about health care has shown that in Washington the only things more stubborn than facts are politicians who evade them. In spite of a torrent of independent analyses showing that the so-called health-care “reform� bills moving through Congress will dramatically increase the deficit and cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, the politicians leading the effort have steadfastly refused to consider that their ideas and policies, rather than the character...

Sen. Tom Coburn, a fierce opponent of a public option for health care reform, has introduced an amendment requiring all lawmakers to enroll in the plan if it is included in a final bill that is passed. "So that we feel the same effects of that plan as every other American that ends up in it and the data shows that a 104 million Americans are going to end up in that plan, so what's good for us ought to be good for everybody else," the Oklahoma Republican and doctor said. While the amendment evokes the old goose and gander...

WASHINGTON — Sen. George Voinovich's comments about the U.S. Senate's southern caucus reverberated in Washington today. But publicly, one of the southerners Voinovich criticized declined to lash back this afternoon. And Voinovich's own campaign finance records show he has had no problem whistling Dixie. The story begins with a conversation the Ohio Republican had with editors from the Columbus Dispatch. When asked about the GOP's biggest problem, Voinovich told the Columbus newspaper: "We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It's the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, 'These...

Today’s edition identifies millions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending Federal stimulus funds will ensure there will be a San Jose Jazz Festival in 2010 click here to read more California Lawyers for the Arts, a San Francisco film festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival among the other recipients of stimulus funds in California click here to read more Small airports getting big payouts from stimulus program while safety violations at major national airports receiving little attention click here to read more The American Museum of Ceramic Art to receive a $50,000 grant from the federal economic stimulus recovery package...

only watched bits and pieces and so I'll just speak to the most interesting thing I noticed. Senator Tom Coburn questioned Judge Sotomayor repeatedly about the second amendment and Judge Sotomayor was very technical about exactly how far the right extended. Suffice to say, Judge Sotomayor doesn't see the 2nd amendment as an absolute right that no government can take away. Senator Coburn later asked Judge Sotomayor if there is a Constitutional right to defend one's self. Judge Sotomayor thought about this question and she answered that the particular question had never come before the court. In other words, one...

LIVE. ONLINE. THURSDAY. Tune in for a new, live, online show – “Senate Doctors” – broadcasting here every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00 p.m. Mountain time. The first show will air today, Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) – an orthopedic trauma surgeon and former President of the Wyoming Medical Society – and Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) – a family practice physician specializing in obstetrics – will be regular hosts, with guests making appearances. The show will focus on policy discussions, with constituents sharing their questions, stories, concerns, and comments about health care proposals being...

This afternoon, catch the very first broadcast of the twice-weekly "Senate Doctors" show, part of a growing GOP effort to increase outreach and inform Americans about alternatives to the agenda being put forth by President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party as the nation hurtles toward an intense debate over health care reform in America. The group is comprised of several Republican medical doctors currently serving in the U.S. Senate. From the Senate Doctors' press release: WASHINGTON – Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced today a new, live, online show – “Senate Doctors ” – broadcasting here every...

As you read the press clips, what we have heard is there was a coup. That, in fact, is not true. The Supreme Court of Honduras, under the direction of the Congress, asked the military to intercede because the President of Honduras had violated their own laws. Yet our State Department and our foreign policy sided with Hugo Chavez, Raoul Castro, and the former President. There is no question that improvements have been made in the past in Central and South America, but tonight we find ourselves supporting an anticonstitutional President of Honduras when, in fact, the Congress of Honduras...

GOP's Coburn likes plan to require birth certificates. BY BOB UNRUH Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., says it's the responsibility of the states to make sure political candidates are eligible for the offices they seek, but he's in favor of both state and federal demands that future presidential candidates have a formal procedure to document their qualifications. The relatively strong statement from Coburn on the issue of the eligibility of a president came in a recent letter to a constituent who contacted WND. WND has reported on a federal plan in the U.S. House by Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., that would...

WASHINGTON – Repairs for rural bridges, an under-highway safe crossing for turtles and efforts to protect the sage grouse population are among 100 projects a Republican senator pointed to Monday as questionable federal stimulus spending. The list by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., includes projects others would identify as ideal for creating jobs and benefiting generations of Americans: skateboard parks, streetscapes, upgrades of park facilities, bike trails and parking garages. ... Coburn also criticized a $3.4 million Florida Department of Transportation project for an "eco-passage" — an underground wildlife road crossing for turtles and other wildlife in Lake Jackson, Fla., along...

Capitol Hill interns might miss out this summer on a famed lecture from Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases -- all because of a dispute over who will pay for pizza. The Senate Ethics Committee is requiring that Coburn, a Republican, buy the pizza for the 150 to 300 interns -- rather than have outside groups that have previously helped sponsor the event foot the bill

Sen. Tom Coburn, who is also a medical doctor, is calling for an outright ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. "What we should be doing is banning tobacco," the Oklahoma Republican declared on the Senate floor during a debate on a tobacco regulation bill. "Nobody up here has the courage to do that. It is a big business. There are millions of Americans who are addicted to nicotine." The battle against tobacco use has been ongoing. Earlier this year Congress passed legislation that included an increase in the federal tax on cigarettes of more than 60...

Text I copied from Thomas.loc.gov on the Coburn Amendment listed as S5383-5384. They only give you a temporary URL at Thomas for the text. TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S5383-5384 Here's S5383. I guess CR means Congressional Record. SA 1068. Mr. COBURN proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 627, to amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan, and for other purposes; as follows: At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following: SEC. __. PROTECTING AMERICANS FROM VIOLENT CRIME....

POINT OF VIEW Guns in national parks In 1999, a woman and two teenagers visiting Yosemite National Park were brutally murdered at gunpoint. That same year, park ranger Steve Makuakane-Jarrell, a father of three, was shot to death in Hawaii’s Honokohau-National Historical Park. These are just two of the many tragic crimes that have claimed the lives of innocent national park visitors since the possession of loaded weapons was banned in the national parks. How have law-abiding Americans been stripped of their Second Amendment right to bear arms and left unable to protect themselves and their families in national parks...

WASHINGTON -- A coalition of House Democrats, retired rangers and supporters of national parks called on House leaders Tuesday to kill a Senate-passed amendment by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to allow loaded guns in national parks. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, conceded the group faced an uphill battle. That did not stop Grijalva and other members of the coalition from describing the Coburn amendment and its consequences in stark terms. Grijalva warned the Coburn provision would be dangerous and accused the senator of hijacking a popular credit card...

Seven Republican Senators have this week signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asking for the proof upon which the Department of Homeland Security based its outrageously accusatory report on so-called rightwing extremism in the Untied States. The seven scold the DHS and the Obama administration for its over-broad generalizations that seem to assume that nearly half the electorate is prone to becoming terrorists merely because they hold right of center political views. The letter alludes to the central point in this whole episode: that the U.S. government has now determined that the traditional American beliefs of small...

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn says he is still definitely undecided about whether he will seek another term in 2010. “I’m not playing games,” he said Tuesday. “I really haven’t decided.” The Muskogee Republican attracted large crowds to town hall meetings in Sapulpa on Monday night and Tulsa Tuesday morning, and he heard a good deal of praise for his anti-Washington message. Coburn, though, said politics will not enter into his decision. “It’s a spiritual thing,” he said. Coburn, in fact, traded Bible lessons with a constituent in Sapulpa worried about President Barack Obama’s religion. When someone asked why political parties...

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn kicked off a series of 16 Town Hall meetings in Cushing on Monday, speaking to and answering questions from a group of about 50 people at Cushing City Hall. Coburn answered questions ranging from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and the Second Amendment and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Coburn said he led the fight against Holder's nomination in part because of his stance on the Second Amendment. Coburn also said that he voted for the TARP bailout, because he thought it was important to "unfreeze" credit for Oklahomans, even though he is generally against...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The shipping company whose captain is being held hostage by Somali pirates said the US Navy saw him alive Sunday, as a top senator said the United States is "not going to give in to blackmail." Maersk Line, operators of the Maersk Alabama which was briefly hijacked by armed pirates this week before its captain was taken captive, said the navy told them they "had sight contact of Captain Richard Phillips" Sunday. Intense negotiations are ongoing off the coast of Somalia where the small band of pirates have held Phillips in a lifeboat since Wednesday, closely shadowed...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate on Thursday night rejected an amendment from a pro-life senator that would have provided conscience protection on abortion for doctors and medical centers. The amendment comes at a time when President Barack Obama is considering overturning further protections.Sen Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, sponsored an amendment to the Senate budget bill that would protect the right of conscience for health care workers.His budget amendment was to "protect the freedom of conscience for patients and the right of health care providers to serve patients without violating their moral and religious convictions."However, the Senate rejected the...

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:1

Since 2004, alliance has transcended political differences.BY CHRIS CASTEELWASHINGTON — Some Oklahomans who saw Sen. Tom Coburn hug President Barack Obama after the president’s recent speech to Congress were probably perplexed. Some weren’t too happy about it. "We had about 50 letters that were highly critical of him hugging me and me hugging him,” Coburn, R-Muskogee, said in an interview last week. "But you need to separate the difference in political philosophy versus friendship. How better to influence somebody than love them? "I’m not aligned with him politically. I don’t know what people back home in Oklahoma would be worried...

On Feb. 25, I wrote an article for Examiner.com titled “To obey or not to obey government". In other words, I asked the question whether Civil Disobedience would be proper under certain circumstances. In the article, I gave a few reasons that people, especially Christians might defy a government law, regulation or directive. In all of those cases, I noted that Acts 5:29 tells us that we should obey God’s law and not man’s law. Abortion was one of the things that I mentioned that would qualify to allow us to be justifiably civilly disobedient. Since that time, Obama has...

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who is also an OB/GYN, told CNSNews.com on Friday that many medical practitioners, including himself, will go to prison before agreeing to engage in medical practices they morally oppose, such as abortion. Earlier that same day, the Obama administration had announced it was “reviewing” a Bush administration regulation known as the “conscience clause.” That Health and Human Services regulation protects health-care workers at federally funded institutions from having to engage in practices that violate their moral or religious beliefs. These practices include performing or referring abortions, performing sterilizations, or giving or receiving training in these practices....

female speaks for about one minute, then Dr. Coburn

Dr. Coburn Says Conferees Should Postpone Stimulus Vote to Correct Health Care Provisions House version would create a government formula, board to ration care (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), a practicing physician, released the following statement today regarding ongoing negotiations between House and Senate over controversial and complex health care provisions in the stimulus bill. “The health care provisions in the House stimulus bill represent ideological and partisan overreach of epic proportions. It is ludicrous to ask a body that can’t track its own spending to determine which medical treatments are best for individual patients suffering...

Tom Coburn R-OK, author of Betrayal of Trust, fiscal conservative has analysed the Stimulus Bill for us. Read this, write your congressman, please!

It's time to wave the white flag and surrender to "post-partisan" unity. Yes, it's time for conservatives to abandon core principles and just allow the Pelosi/Reid/Obama pork-a-palooza, also known as the stimulus or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, to pass into law. At least that's what one Newsweek columnist would have conservatives do. Now is not the time for political bickering in this "post-partisan" era, said Newsweek columnist Michael Hirsh in a Web exclusive piece for Newsweek dated Feb. 4. Hirsh reflected on how Obama has lost grip on the "agenda in Washington," and complained how the...

Can Obama really defend this 'line by line'? As the Senate considers a massive $1.1 trillion stimulus bill, it is vital that the American people ask hard questions of their elected officials. When they do, it will become very clear that the bill will not only fail to stimulate the economy, but could seriously delay economic recovery.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Ten Republican senators met in Sen. Mel Martinez's office Tuesday morning to discuss a broader stimulus measure than their leadership is proposing — but a narrower one than Democrats are considering. CNN was the only news organization outside the meeting. Afterwards, Martinez told CNN the details are still being debated and finalized, but they are looking at a ballpark figure of $500 billion, including the cost of tax cuts, infrastructure and military spending, and provisions to address the housing crisis. Martinez and Sen. Lindsey Graham said they plan to present their ideas to fellow Republicans at their...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former presidential rival John McCain expressed disappointment on Friday that President Barack Obama has not negotiated with Republicans over a huge economic stimulus plan and said he is working on an alternative package. Speaking to Reuters, Arizona Sen. McCain said the alternative plan would include what he described as "more effective tax cuts, such as a payroll tax cut" and spending on projects aimed at immediately creating jobs. "A group of us Republican senators are working on coming up with an alternative package that I would hope would have some elements to it that Americans would support,"...

No links to Bloomberg. Approved 17-2 with 6 of 8 Republicans going for him. It's over...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate committee voted to approve Eric Holder to be the first black attorney general, sending his nomination on Wednesday to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm him. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to confirm President Barack Obama's nomination of Holder, a deputy attorney general under former President Bill Clinton. Holder had faced questions over his record, including his support for controversial pardons issued by Clinton, and Republicans had delayed the vote for a week until Wednesday. "Eric Holder is a good man. He's a decent man. He's a public servant committed to the...

The Senate voted during a rare Sunday session to move forward on a package that has become known as the “Coburn omnibus” because it is designed to thwart a filibuster by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). The most recent version of the Coburn omnibus is a 1,000-plus page package that consists of more than 160 different provisions governing various land-use issues. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried to move many of the provisions through the Senate last year but action was held up by Coburn’s use of dilatory procedural tactics. Reid’s decision to vote on a Sunday to quash Coburn’s...

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) are renewing their longtime reform partnership to launch an aggressive attack on earmarks. McCain, back to the daily Senate routine after his failed White House bid, joined Sens. Feingold, Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) on Wednesday to unveil a landmark bill they will try to add as an amendment to the economic stimulus legislation.