(Members are: Allen Quist, candidate for Congress;  Brian Davis, MD, Rochester; Scott Wright, MD, Rochester;  Paul Double, Winona;  Katie Jones, pharmacist, Mankato;  Michael Van Norstrand, MD, La Crosse, WI., others to be added)

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Quality healthcare is a keystone of the Minnesota 1^st District’s economy and is a major reason that living and working in southern Minnesota is such a privilege.  It is no surprise that the state of our nation’s healthcare system, together with the state of the overall American economy is of highest concern to 1^st District voters.  The recently passed Senate healthcare bill, now known as Obamacare, clearly fails to recognize the excellence that American medicine has achieved, ignores the real problem of rising healthcare costs, fails to address the greatest needs we have in our healthcare delivery system and prevents competition in a free marketplace from playing any significant role in building an equitable American healthcare system.  Allen Quist believes this is unacceptable and will work to repeal Obamacare which is clearly meant as a stepping stone to a nationalized healthcare system.  In its place, Allen Quist and fellow Republicans will engage healthcare leaders from our region to create a truly reformed, free market, healthcare delivery system with transparent goals that:

• Enhances competition in the health insurance industry nation-wide and drives down cost
• Provides a secure foundation of healthcare available to the low-income uninsured and the uninsurable with pre-existing conditions
• Prevents Washington bureaucrats from distorting the delivery of healthcare through backroom deals and self-serving rules that usurp personal rights and State constitutional authority
• Provides for non-partisan management of Medicare and Medicaid that guarantees that healthcare will be available for our senior citizens
• Decreases the burden of unjustified litigation against healthcare providers driven by trial lawyers seeking only their own personal gain
• Has a cost which is contained and is visible and does not increase the power of the IRS as an enforcement agency
• Rewards quality of healthcare delivered, not quantity of services charged to patients
• Does not make insurance companies or the government the arbiter of quality healthcare

The Democratic incumbent has voted with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for a politically driven system that will put our children trillions of dollars in debt in a European-style social system.  Allen Quist knows what he believes and will speak for us with a powerful voice in Congress.  As the campaign to replace the Democratic incumbent advances toward the general election, Allen will present specific proposals to accomplish each of these goals.

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PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Mankato, MN) – Allen Quist is calling on Congressman Tim Walz to reject the strategy being concocted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to “pass” health care without her members ever voting on the bill. It’s accurately called the “Slaughter Strategy,” after Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-NY, who dreamed it up, Quist said.

Quist says it works like this: The House would pass a rule that proclaims that the Senate Health Care Reform bill that passed on Christmas Eve is “deemed” passed in the House without members ever actually voting on it.

The bottom line, says Quist, is that Pelosi is set to declare the Senate Bill to have “deemed to have passed” when it did not actually happen—she is set to say the House effectively passed the bill when it wasn’t even voted on.

Quist notes that our Constitution, Article I, Section 7, states: “Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes Law, be presented to the President of the United States;”

This statement in our Constitution clearly means, according to Quist, that, to become law, a bill must pass the House and the Senate and must do so in exactly the same form. By the words: “shall have passed the House of Representatives” is meant to have actually passed, not just “deemed to have passed.”  Our Constitution does not allow “deemed to have passed” as a genuine method of passing law, Quist said.

Quist also said, “All members of Congress have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. They have not taken an oath to blindly support Nancy Pelosi. That should make the choice before our lawmakers remarkably simple. Charles Krauthammer wisely said that national decline is a choice. Reaffirmation of freedom is a choice, as well. Members of Congress who vote yes on a fraudulent rule such as this demonstrate contempt for our Republic and for freedom. Let us hope and pray that members of Congress choose wisely.”

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Contact:  Brad Biers 651-261-2182

Although the majority of Americans oppose the current health care ‘reform’ bill, Nancy Pelosi is planning to ram this bill through Congress with a vote scheduled for March 18.

If you care about preserving your right to make your health care decisions for you and your family, please be sure to come to Saturday’s rally. Bring a sign demonstrating your opposition to the bill.

Sponsored by:

• Tea Party Patriots of the Twin Cities
• Citizens Council on Health Care
• Minnesota Majority

It’s ba-ack! Health-care plan redoubles ‘marriage penalty’

Congressional proposals could penalize couples $10,000 for saying ‘I do’

By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

Bills pending in Congress that would nationalize health care by setting up mandatory insurance purchases and fines for not complying could penalize married couples $10,000 annually and are a direct attack on marriage, families and the church because of their discriminatory provisions, according to a congressional candidate.

“This is as awful, I will say evil … this is as evil as it gets,” Allen Quist, who is running to unseat Democrat Tim Walz in Minnesota’s 1st congressional district, told WND.

Quist said the fine print of provisions still alive in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives deliberately create enormous pressure for couples to live together without marriage – or even get divorced – by charging married couples thousands of dollars more in premiums and fees.

“And it’s deliberate,” Quist added, “This is clearly not accidental.”

Continue reading at WorldNetDaily.com

Bachmann to join Quist in Rochester Town Hall

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann heads to Rochester on Monday in a big show of support for 1st Congressional District Candidate Allen Quist.

Bachmann will join Quist at a health care town hall from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in Rochester. Also joining in the forum is GOP Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas, a doctor originally from Rochester. Quist is among four Republicans vying for the chance to take on Democratic Congressman Tim Walz.

This could prove to be a big boost for Quist among the Conservative wing of the party given Bachmann’s support among the Tea Party Movement and her ability to draw media attention. The visit comes at a critical time — one day before the state caucuses, a key step in determining the delegates for the state GOP convention.

Quist does have a personal connection with Bachmann. His wife, Julie, heads Bachmann’s Minnesota office.

Prior to the town hall forum, there will be a fundraising luncheon in Quist’s honor. Burgess will be the keynote speaker for that event.

At the town hall, Bachmann is expected to discuss a “Declaration of Health Care Independence.” Those principles include her call that the process of health care reform be transparent and that it not add to costs.

Fundraiser Luncheon and Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Michael Burgess in Rochester February 1, 2010. UPDATE: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will also be speaking at the Town Hall Meeting.

Sponsors of the events are:

• Congressman Gil Gutknecht
• Drs. Brian and Lori Davis
• Drs. Bernie and Suzanna Kuipers
• Dr. Michael and Jane Van Norstrand
• Dr. William and Elise Wood

The Luncheon is a fundraiser on behalf of First Congressional District Candidate Allen Quist.

Dr. Burgess will speak to a noon buffet luncheon at the Rochester Ramada Inn (11:30 to 1:00, cost of $50) and at a town hall meeting also at the Ramada (1:30 to 2:30, no charge and open to the public).

U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., is a five term Congressman from the 26th District in Texas. The luncheon is a fundraiser on behalf of Allen Quist for Congress.

The topic addressed by Dr. Burgess will be “Real Health Care Reform.”

RSVP for the luncheon to Lori Davis at 507-281-3024.

U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D.

After spending nearly three decades practicing medicine as an Ob/Gyn in North Texas, Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., was first elected to Congress in 2002, and re-elected in 2004, 2006, and most recently in 2008.  During his time on Capitol Hill he has earned a reputation as a problem-solver who seeks sensible solutions to the challenges Americans face.

Dr. Burgess serves on the prestigious House Energy and Commerce Committee and three of its subcommittees: Health Care, Energy & Environment, and Oversight & Investigations.  He is also a member of the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, and Dr. Burgess recently founded and is Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus.  During his six years in Congress, Dr. Burgess has been a strong advocate for health care legislation aimed at reducing health care costs, improving choices, reforming liability laws to put the needs of patients first, and ensuring there are enough doctors in the public and private sector to care for America’s patients, and played an important role in bipartisan efforts to ensure the safety of food, drugs, and consumer products.

As a Member of Congress representing one of the fastest growing areas of the country, transportation is also a top priority for Dr. Burgess. He successfully amended the 2005 Highway Bill to include development credits, design-build, and environmental streamlining. During his time on Capitol Hill, he also has worked to build, maintain, and improve the safety of our roads, bridges, air service and transit in the North Texas region.

While in the House of Representatives, Dr. Burgess has received several awards, including the 2008 House Legislator of the Year from the Multiple Sclerosis Society; 2005 Legislator of the Year by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners; Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB); and the Spirit of Enterprise award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Today Dr. Burgess represents parts of suburban Dallas and Fort Worth.  He was raised in Denton, Texas and attended The Selwyn School, graduating in 1968 as valedictorian.  He graduated with both an undergraduate and a Masters degree from North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas. He received his M.D. from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and completed his residency programs at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.  Dr. Burgess also received a Masters degree in Medical Management from the University of Texas at Dallas, and in May of 2009 was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center.  Dr. Burgess has been married to his wife, Laura, for 35 years, and they have three children and a grandson.

 507-281-3024

… what is even worse is that the subsidies are suddenly and completely cut off once somebody reaches 400 percent of the official poverty-level income ($63,360 in 2016). The arithmetic is complicated, but what it means is that two unmarried persons earning $32,000 each ($64,000 total) would pay a maximum combined $5,684 in premiums, but if they got married, they would pay about $15,000. That is an astonishing penalty of 164 percent. It is almost impossible to imagine a policy that could be any more anti-family than that.

Again, that was for middle-income earners receiving government subsidies in lieu of employer tax breaks for insurance. Now consider a high-earning couple. The Senate bill imposes a payroll tax increase on individuals who make more than $200,000. For married couples, though, the tax increase kicks in at $250,000. So, if you live together without matrimony, you can earn up to $400,000 combined without the higher tax – $150,000 more than you can earn together if you are married. At a maximum of $1,350, this marriage penalty through taxation isn’t anywhere near as damaging as the $9,316 knockout punch via lost subsidies for the $64,000 couple described above, but it’s still nothing to take lightly.

Read the full editorial here. You can also read Quist’s original research publication here.

(Mankato, MN) – First Congressional District Candidate Allen Quist said Representative Tim Walz should vote “No” on any health care reform bill that comes back to the House for a vote. “On numerous occasions Rep. Walz promised to represent the people of the First District,” said Quist. “The voters are overwhelmingly opposed to what the Washington politicians are putting together on health care,” Quist added, “and they deserve to have their voices heard,” he said.

Quist said he rejects Walz’s argument that we have to something, and this means we should pass the current proposals up for consideration. “The ‘do something even if it’s wrong’ philosophy has been rejected by the people here,” said Quist.

A major concern of former Minnesota House member Quist is the huge marriage penalty contained in both the House and Senate versions. “There is no way Mr. Walz can justify discrimination against married people,” Quist said. He added that Rep. Walz has an obligation to inform the public of the shocking marriage penalty hidden in the bill he voted for previously.

“Middle class married persons will bear the brunt of the huge financial burden of this health care legislation,” Quist said.

“Real health care reform,” said Quist,” includes solving the malpractice litigation problem along with more competition and flexibility for insurance companies. People’s free choices, along with genuine competition, will be central features of real reform,” he added.

Quist said that if he is elected this coming November, and if the current health care bill has passed, replacing it with real health care reform will be one of his top legislative priorities.

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