Sebelius to Give Obamacare Testimony - Local Lawyer Helps Prep

HHS Secretary Sebelius applauds launch of HealthCare.gov

PPPS (Littleton)—Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, has finally agreed to testify before Congress regarding the less-than-perfect launch of HealthCare.gov, the web site for people to sign up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a Obamacare).

Secretary Sebelius, was unable to attend Congressional hearings this week, due to her  busy schedule of banquets, late-night TV program interviews, Planned Parenthood speaking engagements, and audiences with petitioners seeking waivers.

The Secretary will testify in a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee next Wednesday.

Our own PPPS staff attorney Pleader Pete, author of the best-selling legal tome, The Art of Testimony, has been asked  by Secretary Sebelius to assist her in preparing for the hearing.

PPPS was able to interview Pleader Pete as he was getting ready to drive to Norton, Kansas where he will supervise the construction of a mock Congressional hearing room at a secret farm location overlooking Sebelius Lake. Pete will then meet with Secretary Sebelius and her closest aids for an  intensive weekend of testimony prep.

Here is our exclusive interview: 

PPPS: What advice do you plan to give to the Secretary?

Pleader Pete: Well, as an attorney, my first advice to her will be to just tell the truth. But within the definition of truth, there is of course a great deal of latitude, as any lawyer or politician is fully aware. I've actually been able to stretch the definition of truth to three full chapters in my book The Art of Testimony.

Did I mention that the book is for sale on Amazon or at my web site, PleaderPete.com? That's P-L-E-A-D-E-R  P-E-T-E, one word, DOT COM.

PPPS: Very clever of you to get that book plug in. But, I'm sure our readers already know that any attorney would advise their client to tell the truth. Can you share any more specific advice you may have for the Secretary regarding her Obamacare testimony?

Pleader Pete: Yes, I will advise her to Just Follow the Chart.

And by chart I mean the diagram of the various components of the Affordable Care Act carefully prepared by Congressional Republicans. Charts and diagrams can be excellent aids to testimony, particularly when you can effectively use one prepared by your enemies, those rascally Republicans.

PPPS: Can you describe the nature of this chart for our readers? And perhaps how the Secretary might use it?

Pleader Pete: Yes, of course. In fact, I have a copy of the chart right here.

(click to enlarge)

As you can see, the chart provides some clarity regarding the various components of the Affordable Care Act, and yet, at the same time, is also a bit confusing. I will instruct the Secretary on how to use the chart to her advantage, sometimes to clarify, and at other times to obfuscate, depending on the nature of the question from the committee.

And of course, by providing this diagram to the Secretary to study over the weekend, it will afford her an opportunity, perhaps for the first time, to learn what was really contained in the 2,400 page bill. It will certainly provide that "first time" opportunity for  the Democratic committee members who voted for the law.

PPPS: I notice that there is a very large circle in the middle of the chart marked Secretary, with lines connecting the circle to nearly every other chart component. Will that have any bearing on the Secretary's testimony? It almost looks like the flow of every piece of data and every decision goes through that circle.

Pleader Pete: You're very clever to notice that. In fact, you've hit upon the most critical piece in the Secretary's testimony, and the main reason I've been hired to prep her.

You see, the Republican members of the committee will have noticed that as well. My sources tell me that they are preparing questions referring to that circle and those lines as the Center of Authority and the Lines of Responsibility, and that they may even demand the Secretary's resignation.

But I have a plan for the Secretary, through her testimony, to turn that strategy right on its head. When she is done, that circle and those lines will be known as the Circle of Least Responsibility and Lines Delegating Authority.

Of course, that last bit of strategy is strictly off-the-record. Client privilege and all.

PPPS: Of course, I understand. Why look, my recorder was turned off the whole time.

Do you have any other advise for the Secretary, say if, for instance, the atmosphere becomes a little heated, or the questions a bit too personal?

Pleader Pete: Well, my final advise will be this: "Never, ever, under any circumstances, reveal the address for any personal or unofficial alias email account that you might maintain. If pressed on this issue, first emphasize that you can't remember such details, and then, if necessary, liberally cite the first and fifth amendments."

Not that there are any such email accounts, of course.

PPPS: Of course.

Thus ended the interview.

Related Stories:
A great article about why Secretary Sebelious should NOT be fired.
Don't Fire Secretary Sebelius! — Charlotte Hays, Independent Women's Forum & Townhall.com

Don't Fire Secretary Sebelius!

Don't Fire Secretary Sebelius!

End of the Obama Shutdown - A Citizen's Reflection and Plan of Action

PPPS (Littleton)—As America celebrates the end of the government shutdown today, and life in Washington, DC resumes to its normal level of unabated deficit spending and blissful ignorance of the suffering of American citizens, we received this interesting email submission from one of our loyal readers, one Citizen Pete. 

We think that Pete offers an interesting perspective on the settlement reached to restart the government, and also an interesting plan to repeal Obamacare, despite the clear victory by the President in defeating the Republican efforts to hamper that important legislation, now clearly entrenched as the "Law of the Land".

Here is Citizen Pete's submission:

Reflections on the Obama Shutdown and a Plan for Action by Citizen Pete

Now that President Obama's Shutdown of the government is over, and the GOP has apparently caved once again, I thought I would offer up my own reflections on the recent battles in Washington, DC, from the perspective of a citizen engaged in efforts to save our great republic, and hopefully to offer a plausible plan to still achieve defeat of that worst of legislative monstrosities inflicted upon American citizens, Obamacare.

My Thoughts
This was only one great battle in a long war to save our nation. 

In this battle, thanks to the efforts of many Patriotic citizens and a few good legislators, and despite the efforts of many in the media to prevent it, millions of our fellow Americans learned first-hand the truth about President "No Negotiation" Obama, the "civil" rhetoric of Democrats, and that "harmless" little law they call Obamacare. 

This was a good thing.

And in this battle, We learned much about the nature of leadership, and who our true leaders are, the ones willing to stand up with courage on our behalf. 

We the People need to stand behind those leaders.

And for those others, well, we need to remind them of just one thing .....

  

A Song

As I was thinking about the shutdown battle, one song kept repeating in my head, a song of We the People Power and Patriotism. I soon found myself standing up straight and proudly singing the words "We Ain't Goin' Away".  

I first heard that song, sung by a Patriot named Bruce Bellot, at a small gathering of Tea Partiers in Washington, DC on September 12, 2010. 

As I continued to struggle with the events of the last few weeks, the direction our nation seems headed, the impending doom of Obamacare, the words of Bruce's song filled me with courage and hope. 

A plan of action began to form.

But first, before I outline my plan, I ask all Patriots to stand with Bruce and I and sing We Ain't Goin' Away. 
Here we go, altogether now, two, three, four, ....

Now, For That Plan of Action
It goes like this:

What if you, one person, went to the nearest office for your Congressional Representative or Senator........and walked in, sat down, and began singing We Ain’t Goin’ Away ........why, they’d think you were crazy, and might offer you a free White House Tour Pass, to get you to leave.

What if two people, walked in, sat down, and began singing We Ain’t Goin’ Away ..... they might think you were citizen journalists, secretly making a video, and threaten to have you arrested.

If three people....that’s right....three people walked in, sat down, and began singing We Ain’t Goin’ Away ....in three-part harmony.....why, they might think you were friends of Senator Ted Cruz, and proceed to call you all sorts of mean, nasty, horrible things right there on the reception area citizen’s bench, and then ask you politely to leave.

And if a busload of people..... just one busload of people, some of them in wheel chairs and carrying American flags.....rolled in, lined up, and began singing We Ain’t Goin’ Away.......they might think you were veterans, and have to start erecting barricades.

And if dozens of people.....dozens and dozens of ordinary Americans....every day, walked in, sat down, and began singing We Ain’t Goin’ Away......they might think you were part of a dangerous movement, and the Department of Homeland Security would have to issue a memo about you.

But what if……I mean…..what if…..hundreds of people……at Congressional and Senate offices all around the country……hundreds of people, all with same-colored t-shirts and carrying colored, glossy, pre-printed signs……I mean…..what if, all these people showed up, and began chanting all sorts of mean, nasty, horrible things, and then sang We Ain’t Goin’ Away……..why, they might think you were a union, and that they’d better do somethin’ pretty damned quick to get rid of Obamacare.

Well, that's it. Pretty simple, huh?  
If properly executed, the plan should bring about the complete repeal of Obamacare.

NOW GO OUT AND DO IT!

Citizen Offers Obamacare Amendment to Resolve Government Shutdown Crisis

PPPS (Washington)—All of Washington, DC is awaiting finalization of a citizen proposal to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which both pundits and legislators on both sides of the aisle or touting as a potential solution to the current government shutdown crisis.

The amendment, tentatively titled the Honoring the President's Promises Amendment, is being written by Citizen Pete, of Littleton, Colorado, with assistance from our own PPPS staff attorney, Pleader Pete. Apparently, some details in the amendment are still being finalized, and Citizen Pete is currently seeking a member of the House of Representatives to sponsor the bill.

PPPS has obtained a copy of the title page for the bill, which given the provisions outlined in table of contents, is likely to receive strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and at the White House. We will update this story when a copy of the full amendment is available.