Our “Counter” View IS IN BOLD, ITALICS AND UNDERLINED AND EMBEDDED into the Petoskey News-Review’s editorial board’s (Ryan Bentley, Zac Britton, Rachel Brougham, Doug Caldwell, Brandon Hubbard, Jeremy McBain and Babette Stenuis Stolz) comments below and which appeared in their newspaper (on Friday, October 4th, 2013) and on-line at this link;  Our View: Benishek: Are you a Republican first or a resident of the 1st District?

Disappointing. Frustrating. Avoidable,….REALLY?  No,…we say Proud. Supportive. Inevitable. 

There are certainly many strong words to describe the situation involving the U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., which is in its fourth day today, Friday (October 4th, 2013).  

We say Amen and Thank God,…we favor shutting down even more federal government spending programs and departments; [youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/U-F0ajiWLEQ”]

In our opinion, our Federal Government is spending way too much money and needs to get their fiscal spending under control,…this inevitably had to happen!

We could certainly speak generally about the Republican Party‘s laughable attempt to throw an economic  and literal temper tantrum involving the Affordable Care Act along with the Democratic Party’s lack of efforts for compromises that don’t involve the Affordable Care Act.

We say most of the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress (House of Representatives) are acting as the ONLY adults in Washington D.C. and are putting our principles over politics as usual, especially Dan Benishek!  If anyone are acting like young children and throwing temper tantrums its Harry Reid the Democrat Senate Majority Leader and President Obama.

Today, however, we’re more than disappointed in our elected Representative, Dan Benishek.  “We the People” of the 1st District are proud and supportive of our elected Congressman Dan Benishek.

When an official is elected into office, they are naturally expected to represent their district and be a leader. He has not met those expectations.  We believe on this issue,  Dan Benishek has represented our district and has been a leader in standing up and representing our principles.

The key issue over the past few weeks — although officials in Washington, D.C., have failed to properly address for several years by going the route of financial extensions — deals with the federal budget. Not laws approved and signed nearly four years ago, but the financial resources of the U.S. government.

Agree,…but who has been responsible for NO  federal budget?  President Obama’s budget did not receive ONE single vote in the Democrat controlled Senate,…the Senate hasn’t even passed a budget,…even though the House which Dan Benishek is a member, has passed several budgets!  So who is not doing their job on the federal budget issue?  Answer,…the President and the Democrat controlled Senate!

Instead, Benishek chose to vote for a budget that acted as if the Affordable Care Act was suddenly voted in four weeks ago.  Wrong, Dan Benishek voted to extend the continuing resolution (CR) AGAIN, which would have funded all of the federal government except for the funding of “Obamacare” (the Affordable Care Act,…which it isn’t) because Dan Benishek vowed to repeal it when he ran for and was elected to office in 2010 and again in 2012.

We don’t mean to keep repeating it, but House GOP officials have tried and failed more than 40 times to repeal the law. The Supreme Court allowed it to stay with subtle changes. Hundreds of thousands of people have gone online this week to research and even sign up for health insurance.  Again wrong, wrong and wrong!!! 

The House GOP,…HAS repealed “Obamacare” 43 times,…only to have Harry Reid not even bring it up for a vote in his Senate while President Obama acts like a spoiled child not willing to compromise on any aspect of this legislation which bares his name, except for giving exemptions to HIS corporate donors, allies and unions!

The Supreme Court didn’t allow it to stay with “subtle changes”!  Chief Justice John Roberts said “Obamacare” is only Constitutional as a “tax”.   Since ONLY the House has the power to originate spending bills/laws as a new tax and since the “Obamacare” tax law originated in the Senate and since the House controls the ‘purse strings’,…they have the  constitutional right to de-fund it;

Click on this link: Defund “Obamacare” with a “Stand Alone Bill in the House”!!! By Dr. Harold Pease 

Lastly,…computer hackers have checked out the “Obamacare” website to find out that barely 10,000 people (as of Saturday morning) have actually been successful in enrolling in “Obamacare”,…not “Hundreds of thousands”!

That’s apparently not acknowledged in Washington.  If parents say “no” 40 times, should kids keep doing it?  If your boss say “no” over and over, do you keep doing your job exactly as you see fit?  Does this mean we can drive on the other side of the road now?  Not pay our monthly bills?  The parents ARE the real Republicans in Washington!!!  Why doesn’t Harry Reid and President Obama listen to the U.S. House of Representatives like Dan Benishek? 

Of course not, we all have responsibilities. Benishek’s responsibility is to be a leader.  How exactly is he being a leader by not acknowledging a law, which will have significant benefits to many people in Northern Michigan, and instead vote along the party line? Then placing the blame at a specific political party and the president of the United States? 

Again, Dan Benishek ran for office back in 2010 to do everything possible to repeal “Obamacare” and/or to defund it,…he won that election and was re-elected in 2012 to continue fighting against this law and the Democrats and a President that rammed it through without ANY Republican input or support.  When are YOU going to accept the fact that Dan’s promise to the 1st District on this issue was instrumental in his winning two elections?

Our representative has been clear from the beginning of his distaste for the law, stating he wanted to see it repealed and replaced with a “patient-centered approach.” Three years in, we’re still awaiting to see what this “better” idea would be.  Dan Benishek and the Republicans have a better plan of free market solutions, tort reform, interstate insurance plans which would lead to competiton and insurance cost reductions, etc…   But the Republicans can’t get anything accomplished until “Obamacare” is repealed or de-funded and the Democrats including their main stream liberal media (like the Petoskey News-Review) are forced to listen to their plans, hold discussions in the Senate and with this President, which is what we expect our elected officials to do!

That all aside, is all this disagreement worth stopping the wheels on the U.S. economy?

The wheels on the U.S. economy haven’t been stopped,…the stock market has been fine, banks are open, gas prices have actually dropped here in Northern Michigan the past couple of days and plenty of food and products are still in our stores!

The federal budget is more than health care. It is more than just military spending. It is more than open parks and recreation areas. It is more than one political party or another.   Again,…what federal budget?

The problem is that’s all tied together because elected officials didn’t like something and voted along party lines to stop all of it. Now popular tourist options are shuttered, small businesses are left wondering about loans, veterans are left seeking answers for assistance, government employees are out of work and even house sales are being held up.

Once again, Dan Benishek and the House of Representatives voted to fund EVERYTHING that the federal government does, except for ObamaCare,..so who is really causing all of these services from being provided?  Answer, Harry Reid and President Obama,…NOT Dan Benishek!  You cannot blame other people for not giving you everything you want. And it is a fraud to blame them when you refuse to use the money they did vote to approve, especially when it is ample to pay for everything else in the government.

So yes, Northern Michigan is going to be affected by this. It’s a threat to our well-being, so we have to ask: Is Benishek a Republican first or a resident, supporter, representative of the 1st District of Michigan?   On this issue, Dan Benishek  is a Republican AND a resident, supporter and a TRUE Representative of the 1st District of Michigan! 

The answer to that question was clear from Benishek’s predecessor, Bart Stupak. He knew a thing or two about leadership, setting an example in his final term by standing up to his own political party when he disagreed with certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act. He held firm for a few days, got his point across and got a handshake deal for changes from the president himself.  No temper tantrum. No blame of one political party or another. The economy’s wheels kept turning. Stupak clearly listened to the residents of his district, looked in the mirror and showed leadership.

Yes,…Dan Benishek’s predecessor who believed an “Executive Order” signed by this President was worth the paper it was written on,…and then went along with the party line to support this law, only to realize that it wasn’t what our 1st District wanted,…so he then chose to not run for re-election and retired from politics!                          

With his professional background, Benishek could provide a more forceful, informed argument and example of leadership. He has a medical degree and he has, by all accounts, been working in that profession for more than 30 years treating and helping people. Undoubtedly, he has worked with people on employer-supported health plans, Medicare and even no insurance.

Finally some true facts,…all of which is why Dan Benishek is so much against “Obamacare”!

What would have been the response if he simply closed up shop one day during his surgical career? Didn’t keep appointments or not even have someone answer the ringing phone in his office?

Don’t get this analogy at all,…Actually, Dan Benishek is still working in Washington, has agreed to forego his salary during this government shutdown and is answering his phones,…you obviously haven’t tried contacting him.   Feel free to call Dan’s Washington DC office at;  202.225.4735  or his District Offices at;  877.376-5613 .   You can also email him by clicking HERE.

All because he didn’t like something that is a small part of his office’s responsibility?  Well, he just did close up shop, risking the immediate financial future of many businesses and families in this district to try to prove a point.  Again, more flat out lies and misrepresentations!  To use Dan Benishek’s campaign slogan,…”Enough is Enough”!!!

Our View’ represents the opinion of the News-Review editorial board: Ryan Bentley, Zac Britton, Rachel Brougham, Doug Caldwell, Brandon Hubbard, Jeremy McBain and Babette Stenuis Stolz.

Our “Counter” View represents the opinion of Patriot Voice Radio and it’s talk show hosts:            Greg Marshall, Brian Sommerfield  and “Trucker Randy” Bishop – Chairman of the Antrim County Republican Party.

We can be heard Monday – Friday on 94.5 and 93.9 FM in Northern Michigan and on-line at; http://patriotvoiceradio.us/ starting at 9:00 am until 6:00 p.m.