AMA endorses House bill; pay no attention those other doctor groups

The American Medical Association (AMA) has endorsed the Democrat government health bill scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives, but the medical community at large is far from consensus on the AMA endorsement.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) harshly criticized the AMA endorsement of the House bill. Separately, twenty surgical organizations, led by the American College of Surgeons, (ACS) sent a letter to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday stating they are prepared to oppose the Senate's health care reform bill because it will threaten patient access and harm quality.

"The AMA has sold out patients, and sold out the profession of medicine for a few dollars of Medicare money,” said Kathryn Serkes, AAPS Director of Policy and Public Affairs, in a statement on the association web site. "In July they endorsed HR 3200 and took a lot of heat and lost members in droves. With the endorsement of HR 3962, it’s now painfully clear the AMA does not represent it membership."

In the ACS letter, the surgeons stated that although they "strongly support health care reform that will expand access to quality surgical and medical care to as many Americans as possible," the current Senate legislation "fails to address some of the fundamental problems that plague the health care system," including medical liability reforms and reforms to the Medicare payment system.

The surgical groups that signed the ACS letter:

• American College of Surgeons


• American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery


• American Academy of Ophthalmology


• American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery


• American Association of Neurological Surgeons


• American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons


• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists


• American College of Osteopathic Surgeons


• American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics


• American Society of Anesthesiologists


• American Society of Breast Surgeons


• American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery


• American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons


• American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery


• American Society of Plastic Surgeons


• American Urological Association


• Congress of Neurological Surgeons


• Society for Vascular Surgery


• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons


• Society of Gynecologic Oncologists

111 reasons to vote against the Democrat health care bill

"As government expands, liberty contracts." —Ronald Reagan

The nearly 2000-page Democrat party's "health care" bill creates no less than 111 new bureaucracies. Just reading the list alone should be enough to give all Americans pause over this unprecedented attempt to give American society an extreme makeover. Let your member of Congress know that this expansion of government is patently unacceptable.

1. Retiree Reserve Trust Fund (Section 111(d), p. 61)

2. Grant program for wellness programs to small employers (Section 112, p. 62)

3. Grant program for State health access programs (Section 114, p. 72)

4. Program of administrative simplification (Section 115, p. 76)

5. Health Benefits Advisory Committee (Section 223, p. 111)

6. Health Choices Administration (Section 241, p. 131)

7. Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman (Section 244, p. 138)

8. Health Insurance Exchange (Section 201, p. 155)

9. Program for technical assistance to employees of small businesses buying Exchange coverage (Section 305(h), p. 191)

10. Mechanism for insurance risk pooling to be established by Health Choices Commissioner (Section 306(b), p. 194)

11. Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund (Section 307, p. 195)

12. State-based Health Insurance Exchanges (Section 308, p. 197)

13. Grant program for health insurance cooperatives (Section 310, p. 206)

14. “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 321, p. 211)

15. Ombudsman for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 321(d), p. 213)

16. Account for receipts and disbursements for “Public Health Insurance Option” (Section 322(b), p. 215)

17. Telehealth Advisory Committee (Section 1191 (b), p. 589)

18. Demonstration program providing reimbursement for “culturally and linguistically appropriate services” (Section 1222, p. 617)

19. Demonstration program for shared decision making using patient decision aids (Section 1236, p. 648)

20. Accountable Care Organization pilot program under Medicare (Section 1301, p. 653)

21. Independent patient-centered medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302, p. 672)

22. Community-based medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302(d), p. 681)

23. Independence at home demonstration program (Section 1312, p. 718)

24. Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Section 1401(a), p. 734)

25. Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission (Section 1401(a), p. 738)

26. Patient ombudsman for comparative effectiveness research (Section 1401(a), p. 753)

27. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1412(b)(1), p. 784)

28. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for nursing facilities (Section 1412 (b)(2), p. 786)

29. Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1413(a)(3), p. 796)

30. Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 1413(b)(3), p. 804)

31. National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 1422, p. 859)

32. Demonstration program for approved teaching health centers with respect to Medicare GME (Section 1502(d), p. 933)

33. Pilot program to develop anti-fraud compliance systems for Medicare providers (Section 1635, p. 978)

34. Special Inspector General for the Health Insurance Exchange (Section 1647, p. 1000)

35. Medical home pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1722, p. 1058)

36. Accountable Care Organization pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1730A, p. 1073)

37. Nursing facility supplemental payment program (Section 1745, p. 1106)

38. Demonstration program for Medicaid coverage to stabilize emergency medical conditions in institutions for mental diseases (Section 1787, p. 1149)

39. Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund (Section 1802, p. 1162)

40. “Identifiable office or program” within CMS to “provide for improved coordination between Medicare and Medicaid in the case of dual eligibles” (Section 1905, p. 1191)

41. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 1907, p. 1198)

42. Public Health Investment Fund (Section 2002, p. 1214)

43. Scholarships for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 1224)

44. Program for training medical residents in community-based settings (Section 2214, p. 1236)

45. Grant program for training in dentistry programs (Section 2215, p. 1240)

46. Public Health Workforce Corps (Section 2231, p. 1253)

47. Public health workforce scholarship program (Section 2231, p. 1254)

48. Public health workforce loan forgiveness program (Section 2231, p. 1258)

49. Grant program for innovations in interdisciplinary care (Section 2252, p. 1272)

50. Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment (Section 2261, p. 1275)

51. Prevention and Wellness Trust (Section 2301, p. 1286)

52. Clinical Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1295)

53. Community Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1301)

54. Grant program for community prevention and wellness research (Section 2301, p. 1305)

55. Grant program for research and demonstration projects related to wellness incentives (Section 2301, p. 1305)

56. Grant program for community prevention and wellness services (Section 2301, p. 1308)

57. Grant program for public health infrastructure (Section 2301, p. 1313)

58. Center for Quality Improvement (Section 2401, p. 1322)

59. Assistant Secretary for Health Information (Section 2402, p. 1330)

60. Grant program to support the operation of school-based health clinics (Section 2511, p. 1352)

61. Grant program for nurse-managed health centers (Section 2512, p. 1361)

62. Grants for labor-management programs for nursing training (Section 2521, p. 1372)

63. Grant program for interdisciplinary mental and behavioral health training (Section 2522, p. 1382)

64. “No Child Left Unimmunized Against Influenza” demonstration grant program (Section 2524, p. 1391)

65. Healthy Teen Initiative grant program regarding teen pregnancy (Section 2526, p. 1398)

66. Grant program for interdisciplinary training, education, and services for individuals with autism (Section 2527(a), p. 1402)

67. University centers for excellence in developmental disabilities education (Section 2527(b), p. 1410)

68. Grant program to implement medication therapy management services (Section 2528, p. 1412)

69. Grant program to promote positive health behaviors in underserved communities (Section 2530, p. 1422)

70. Grant program for State alternative medical liability laws (Section 2531, p. 1431)

71. Grant program to develop infant mortality programs (Section 2532, p. 1433)

72. Grant program to prepare secondary school students for careers in health professions (Section 2533, p. 1437)

73. Grant program for community-based collaborative care (Section 2534, p. 1440)

74. Grant program for community-based overweight and obesity prevention (Section 2535, p. 1457)

75. Grant program for reducing the student-to-school nurse ratio in primary and secondary schools (Section 2536, p. 1462)

76. Demonstration project of grants to medical-legal partnerships (Section 2537, p. 1464)

77. Center for Emergency Care under the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (Section 2552, p. 1478)

78. Council for Emergency Care (Section 2552, p 1479)

79. Grant program to support demonstration programs that design and implement regionalized emergency care systems (Section 2553, p. 1480)

80. Grant program to assist veterans who wish to become emergency medical technicians upon discharge (Section 2554, p. 1487)

81. Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (Section 2562, p. 1494)

82. National Medical Device Registry (Section 2571, p. 1501)

83. CLASS Independence Fund (Section 2581, p. 1597)

84. CLASS Independence Fund Board of Trustees (Section 2581, p. 1598)

85. CLASS Independence Advisory Council (Section 2581, p. 1602)

86. Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1610)

87. National Women’s Health Information Center (Section 2588, p. 1611)

88. Centers for Disease Control Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1614)

89. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women’s Health and Gender-Based Research (Section 2588, p. 1617)

90. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1618)

91. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 2588, p. 1621)

92. Personal Care Attendant Workforce Advisory Panel (Section 2589(a)(2), p. 1624)

93. Grant program for national health workforce online training (Section 2591, p. 1629)

94. Grant program to disseminate best practices on implementing health workforce investment programs (Section 2591, p. 1632)

95. Demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (Section 3101, p. 1717)

96. Demonstration program for substance abuse counselor educational curricula (Section 3101, p. 1719)

97. Program of Indian community education on mental illness (Section 3101, p. 1722)

98. Intergovernmental Task Force on Indian environmental and nuclear hazards (Section 3101, p. 1754)

99. Office of Indian Men’s Health (Section 3101, p. 1765)

100. Indian Health facilities appropriation advisory board (Section 3101, p. 1774)

101. Indian Health facilities needs assessment workgroup (Section 3101, p. 1775)

102. Indian Health Service tribal facilities joint venture demonstration projects (Section 3101, p. 1809)

103. Urban youth treatment center demonstration project (Section 3101, p. 1873)

104. Grants to Urban Indian Organizations for diabetes prevention (Section 3101, p. 1874)

105. Grants to Urban Indian Organizations for health IT adoption (Section 3101, p. 1877)

106. Mental health technician training program (Section 3101, p. 1898)

107. Indian youth telemental health demonstration project (Section 3101, p. 1909)

108. Program for treatment of child sexual abuse victims and perpetrators (Section 3101, p. 1925)

109. Program for treatment of domestic violence and sexual abuse (Section 3101, p. 1927)

110. Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1966)

111. Committee for the Establishment of the Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1968)

Freedom: you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone

Brandenburg Gate on December 1, 1989. (Photo: Mediawiki)

If the light of freedom in America is extinguished, there is no place left on earth to flee to. —Anna Marie Hirschmann

On November 9, 1989, Ronald Reagan's impossible dream to tear down the Berlin Wall became the inevitable. The East German government announced that its citizens would be free to cross the border into West Germany and West Berlin. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Suddenly, it seemed that freedom would reign all over the world.

Incredibly, in 2009, twenty years later, freedom is under assault in "the land of the free, and the home of the brave." Statism is now in fashion. Instead of protecting liberty, government is in the process of taking over the private economy and micromanaging private behavior from smoking to the cars we drive to the kind of light bulbs we buy. Wealth is being taxed from productive members of society to an unsustainably growing government and entitlement class. As Reagan said, "As government expands, liberty contracts."

On November 9, 2009, a former Hitler Youth Leader turned United States citizen will speak on the question, "what does it mean to be free?" Czech-born Anna Marie "Hansi" Hirschmann was orphaned as a baby, and grew up in a foster home, experiencing a life of loneliness, hunger, rejection and fear. After Nazi troops "liberated" Czechoslovakia, she was chosen for training to be a Nazi youth leader. Brainwashed, Maria’s god became Adolph Hitler, and when Germany fell, her world shattered. Hirschmann eventually came to the United States, became a naturalized citizen, taught school, wrote her autobiography, and now speaks around the world about her experiences.

Hirschmann will speak at a dinner sponsored by the Citizens Council on Health Care (CCHC). Why is a health care organization hosting Hirschmann? The CCHC quotes Reagan as saying, "One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine."

CCHC Freedom Dinner
featuring Anna Marie Hirschmann
Monday, November 9, 2009
Crowne Plaza Riverfront Hotel
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Tickets: $100, includes tax-deductible donation to the CCHC
See CCHC web site for details.

Paulsen opposes "cap and trade"

I wrote an e-mail to my federal representatives in opposition to the fraudulent United Nations Climate Treaty and the cap-and-trade scam (one of many before Congress). Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN-3) sent me his assurance that he also opposes both:

Thank you for letting me know of your opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, also known as the Waxman/Markey Cap-and-Trade bill.

Like you, I am opposed to this Cap-and-Trade legislation because it would destroy thousands of jobs, redistribute wealth and have an unfair and severe impact on Minnesota's traditionally low energy costs. I voted against this bill when it came before the House.

Studies have shown that the Cap-and-Trade bill would increase gas taxes up to $0.77 per gallon and boost energy costs for small businesses and families by as much as $3,100 per year. With the subsequent loss of global competitiveness from these dramatically higher costs, American companies would be forced to cut an estimated 2.5 million jobs. Our struggling economy cannot afford this huge new energy tax.

A recent analysis of the economic impact of the Waxman/Markey Cap-and-Trade bill projects that by 2035 the bill would:

• Reduce aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) by $9.6 trillion.
• Raise electricity rates 90 percent after adjusting for inflation.
• Increase inflation-adjusted gasoline prices by 74 percent.
• Boost residential natural gas prices by 55 percent.

I do believe that America needs a comprehensive energy solution to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and jump-start our economy. I am supporting the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act, H.R. 2227, which is comprehensive legislation that invests in both new and reliable sources of energy and recognizes that American energy produces American jobs. Among other provisions, it increases domestic supplies of both oil and natural gas by allowing exploration of the Outer Continental Shelf and expands the use of nuclear energy, which is emission-free.

As you know, the Constitution gives the Senate power to approve, by a two-thirds vote, treaties made by the executive branch. You can be sure that I will be monitoring the actions of the U.S. Senate as the President proceeds on the United Nations Climate Treaty.

I will also continue to oppose any Cap-and-Trade legislation that causes our energy prices to skyrocket or fails to keep jobs in Minnesota.

Thanks again for sharing your concerns, as I appreciate hearing from you. Please let me know whenever I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Erik Paulsen,
Member of Congress

Please visit NoCapAndTrade.com to learn more, and to let your Senators and Representative know what you think about these efforts to grow government, restrict freedom, kill our economy, and surrender our national sovereignty.

Our schools are leaving too many minority children behind

By Brian W. Grogan

Republicans and conservatives need to do a better job communicating to the voters that the Republican Party is really the education party. Let's face it: over the last forty years, the Democrat leadership has enacted and steered education policy that has produced a slow decline in academic standards and a steady rise in "social engineering" of behavior. This social engineering has lead to an increase in violence, disrespect and the breakdown of proper conduct within our schools. The Democrats' approach has failed our children! In Minnesota, the DFL opposes meaningful academic accountability standards within the teachers union contracts.

Minnesota has the highest achievement gap in the nation between whites and minorities. In Saint Paul and Minneapolis, 51% and 45% respectively of the African American children entering high school actually attain a high school diploma. The Dropout-Unknown rate for Saint Paul and Minneapolis black students is 41% and 61% respectively*. Who knows where these kids end up — drugs, prostitution and gangs? The graduation rates are worse for Hispanics (45% in Saint Paul and 32% in Minneapolis) and American Indians (42% Saint Paul, 30% Minneapolis) where a majority of the students do not attain a high school degree and over 40% disappear from our schools. Do we really wonder why high crime rates continue unabated in our state, especially within the Twin Cities?

Additionally, among high school graduates who pursue a post-secondary education, over 50% need remedial course work in either math or reading prior to enrolling in college-level courses. Why do voters believe the DFL party is committed to education when, under their leadership for the last forty years, we have this level of failure?

What role do teachers play in these results? Our teachers receive automatic pay increases within the "steps and lanes" system based on years of service (steps) and continuing education (lanes). Even during periods of high unemployment, major budget deficits and slumping economies, when private sector employees are not receiving pay increases or bonuses, what are teachers and their union negotiators demanding? Pay and benefit increases (in the Saint Paul school system in particular) that are over and above the step-and-lane pay increases and without any accountability for testing and graduation results. And the Democrats support this position! Why is this an acceptable use of taxpayer money? Why do we allow our children's academic results to be held captive to the wishes of our teachers and their unions, especially in light of the fact that Minnesota has the highest achievement gap between white and minorities in the nation?

What reform is needed most today? First and foremost, students should know whether they have attained a high school education prior to receiving their diploma. The GRAD legislation needs to be put into law, not deferred indefinitely. Secondly, we should build upon the Q Comp program and begin gradually tying increased pay to performance for all district teachers and administrators on the GRAD test district wide. We must be bold if we are going to turn around Minnesota's education system, which is leaving far too many African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans behind.

*Source: Minnesota Department of Education, 2008 Minnesota Graduation Rates by District.

Brian Grogan, Minnetonka, was the Republican-endorsed candidate in state House District 43B in 2008.

A Constitution Day primer

by Marjorie Holsten

In 1787, our young country faced serious problems including bitter division between states, a deeply depressed economy, and high inflation. The Continental Congress operating under the Articles of Confederation called for a convention of delegates (quote) "to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union." There were no limits placed on the authority of this convention.

On May 25, 1787 a quorum of delegates met in Independence Hall in Pennsylvania, the same hall where just over a decade earlier 8 of these delegates had signed the Declaration of Independence, birthing our nation.

George Washington was elected president of the convention.

Early on, the men realized that mere revisions to the Articles of Confederation would not be sufficient to solve the nation’s serious problems. America had experienced tyranny under Great Britain with a government that was too powerful. America had also experienced anarchy under the Articles of Confederation with a weak and ineffective government.

To establish a balance between these extremes, these Godly men decided to create a whole new form of government: A Constitutional Republic. They stated their six goals in the Preamble of the Constitution, as follows:

We the People of the United States

1. in Order to form a more perfect Union,
2. establish Justice,
3. insure domestic Tranquility,
4. provide for the common defense,
5. promote the general Welfare, and
6. secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The founders knew America needed three equal branches of government, with checks and balances so that no one branch became too powerful. For four long, hot months they debated and discussed every detail of the new Constitution, including casting more than 60 ballots solely on the issue of how a president should be elected. They debated the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Connecticut Compromise.

During one particularly difficult time, Benjamin Franklin, then 81, said "I have lived, sir, a long time, and, the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."

Form that time forward, the Founding Fathers prayed together daily and read the Bible. 34% of all citations during deliberations came from the Bible.

Thomas Jefferson was our Ambassador to France during the Constitutional Convention. He had no part in writing the Constitution. He didn’t write the phrase “Wall of separation between church and state” until 1802 in his letter to the Danbury Baptists. This phrase does NOT exist in our Constitution! The founders who prayed together in the State House clearly did not intend their document to be used to outlaw religion in the public arena.

Finally, on September 17, 1787, 222 years ago today, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the new constitution. Eleven days later, the Continental Congress unanimously approved the new Constitution without any changes and sent it to the states for ratification.

Many states raised objections at their ratifying conventions. Congress encouraged the states to ratify the body of the constitution and attach suggested amendments. The states did just that, attaching 189 Amendments. At the next session of Congress, James Madison distilled these down to 12 amendments, of which ten were finally approved and ratified by the states. These are known collectively as the Bill of Rights and use language such as “Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion…” “The right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed, and” the right of the people to be secure in their houses SHALL NOT be violated.”

Patrick Henry said, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."

The Constitution went into effect March 4, 1789. The first national "Thanksgiving Day" was originally created by George Washington in November of 1789 as a way of "giving thanks" for our Constitution.

Our constitution, article by article

This brilliant document, bathed in prayer, consists of a Preamble, 7 Articles, and 27 Amendments.

Article 1 governs the organization and powers of Congress. Section eight contains a list of 18 clauses, each with a specific duty of Congress. The first Clause is the “General Welfare Clause,” which states “Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes… for the general welfare of the United States….

There are 17 more clauses in Section 8 enumerating specific duties of congress – we call these the enumerated powers. If the Founding Fathers had intended Congress to have unlimited authority, they would not have written specified additional duties after creating a “general welfare” clause. Clearly the founders intended to have limits on Congressional authority.

When you read the list, you will see that the enumerated powers do NOT include

• the power to take over private companies


• the power to bail out failing companies


• the power to take over health care


• the power to regulate what is taught in classrooms.

There is a name for actions taken without Constitutional authority: UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

Article 2 deals with the Executive Branch of government and provides that “No person except a natural born Citizen shall be eligible to the Office of the President.” The current President has not produced a valid birth certificate proving his eligibility. He has spent significantly more than a million dollars fighting attempts to require that he produce one. On January 21st, 2009, his very first day in office, Obama signed Executive Order 13489 sealing his records.

Article 3 deals with the Judicial Branch and establishes the Supreme Court of the United States. The judicial branch does NOT have legislative or policy-making authority – only congress composed of elected officials can make laws. When the court oversteps its bounds, we have Judicial Tyranny.

Article 4 contains provisions relating to the states, including the Full Faith and Credit Clause. Under this clause, the marriage I entered into with my husband in Minnesota many years ago is to be honored in all 50 states. The founding fathers never intended this clause to be a foundation for gay marriage across America.

Article 5 provides the rules for amending the Constitution. If our founding fathers had intended the Constitution to be a “living, breathing document, there would be no need to amend it. We do NOT have a living Constitution. If a provision of the Constitution is unclear, one is discern the original intent of the founding fathers. More than 15,000 records from the convention exist today. It is not hard to discern the intent of these God-fearing men. One thing is clear: Our founders NEVER intended the Constitution to allow the murder of 50 million babies.

Article 6 provides that the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. This means that Supreme Court justices are NOT to look at international law when they interpret OUR Constitution.

Lastly, Article 7 provides the rules for the original ratification of the Constitution.

I challenge every one of you to read the Constitution.

To conclude, I would like to quote the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, who said “To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race.”

We the People, may God Bless you!

Attorney Marjorie Holsten delivered this speech at the Constitution Day Tea Party, September 17, 2009, at the Minnesota State Capitol. Holsten is a wife, mother, and attorney. She homeschools her children and teaches Constitutional Law to many homeschoolers. Ms. Holsten is president of 10-PACK: Politically Active Conservative Kids campaigning in 2010. She can be reached at marjholsten@yahoo.com.

See the National Constitution Day web site, sponsored by the National Constitution Center, for much more information, and learning resources for K-12 students, about the Constitution.

Americans still believe in Constitutional principles

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. —Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America

On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. "It is encouraging to see the principles enshrined in the Constitution over 222 years ago are as essential to Americans today as they were when we were initially fighting for those fundamental liberties," said National Constitution Center President and CEO Linda E. Johnson.

When asked which of the following statements comes closest to their view, 75% of respondents to a recent National Constitution Center/Associated Press poll chose "The United States Constitution is an enduring document that remains relevant today," while only 23% chose "The United States Constitution is an outdated document that needs to be modernized."

Poll respondents also endorsed the principle of the balance of powers. When asked, "If you thought it would help improve the economy would you favor or oppose giving the President more power at the expense of the power of Congress and the courts?," 75% would oppose, while only 24% would be in favor.

Americans also still favor private property and free enterprise. Poll respondents strongly oppose allowing the government to take partial ownership of private enterprise, even if it would prevent them from going out of business (71%) or losing jobs (66%), or if the failure of the industry would seriously harm the economy (60%).