Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Real Path to Effective Health Care Reform

Daniel,

I am a conservative with a question. Can you explain to me the detriment that universal health care would present to us as a country. My question comes on the heels of the documentary "Sicko". I am willing to admit that it is just a movie from a man with an agenda. However Mr. Moore does, in my opinion, bring up some good points. Particularly with the health care/taxes that Parisians experience. I understand that this is a very complicated question. An email with extreme brevity would be understandable and appreciated.

Thanks

Travis Chandler
Plano, Texas



Travis,

Let me respond to your question with three points:

1. If you are truly a Conservative, as you have said, then you will agree most things that grow government are bad for our country. The government should definitely not be involved when people make decisions about their health and how to care for it. That is a decision to be made between a doctor and a patient. Its as simple as that.

2. We cannot afford it. Our national debt continues to balloon and if we don't reign in spending, we will in real trouble fiscally. There will be no choice but for government to raise taxes on the middle class, not to mention the buying power of our American dollar will continue to weaken.

3. A government takeover of health care will prevent the REAL reforms that we really do need!

(Once again, a list of three)

1. We need to offer a tax credit to Americans who maintain healthy lifestyles (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure)

2. We need interstate competition in the insurance markets, this will bring down cost and make insurance affordable for even more Americans (if they choose to buy it).

3. We need tort reform. Capping damages on medical liability suits would prevent the excessive prescriptions and procedures being promoted by docs today, because they would not be constantly under the threat of multi-million dollar suits, not to mention it would reduce the amount of insurance they would have to buy, the cost of which is ultimately passed to the consumer.

Thanks for the question, Travis. Conservatives have the best solutions to the health care situation and nationalizing the whole system is definitely not the answer. It will be too expensive, it will have major costs in terms of the quality of care provided, and ultimately it will not even solve any of our problems. Conservative solutions (like the three I just gave you) will.
I hope I was able to answer your question successfully and I hope you agree.

Cheers,
Daniel Dyas

Monday, July 6, 2009

Baldwin County Commission- Candidacy Announcement

July 6, 2009

Dear Friends:

I hope you and your families are all having a great Summer and had a nice 4th of July Holiday!

Today is July 6, 2009. Open Campaigning for the 2010 election cycle began a month ago and for me, it is decision time. For over a year now, I have been involving myself heavily in our county's long-term planning process and considering running for the Baldwin County Commission in 2010. I think my candidacy for County Commission could make a major, positive difference in the future of Baldwin County and even that of our state.

This is a significant crossroads and I know I must choose wisely. I do believe the time is now. Our nation finds itself at a critical moment in history where we are thirsting for young and fresh leadership. The conservative movement is stagnating. There must be a new generation of leadership in our nation's conservative movement or our values will continue to whither on the vine and be forgotten.

Hence, I endeavor to seek the Republican nomination for the Baldwin County Commission District #2 seat, and ultimately the seat itself, in 2010. If elected, I will commence to enacting a Transferable Development Rights policy in each district of our county that has chosen, or chooses in the future, to come under the authority of The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Department. By enacting this "TDR" policy, we will protect our farmers and our county's citizens from continued loss of valuable farmlands and greenspace, thus ensuring the continued quality of life and scenic beauty, which we enjoy today in Baldwin County.

One of the beauties of a TDR program is its optional nature. No one is forced to participate, farmer or developer. It is a market driven system that allows farmers and rural land owners to sell the development rights (TDR Credits) from their rural land and transfer them to a more urban or appropriate site for development. After selling the TDR Credits the rural landowner does not sacrifice anything but the ability to develop his land in the future. He continues to enjoy the benefit of using, selling or bequeathing his land to his heirs. By using this system, we will foster "Smart Growth" and discourage inappropriate suburban sprawl.

Over the past two years, I have involved myself in our county's planning process. I contributed to the development of "Horizon 2025", Baldwin County's Comprehensive Plan which will guide our growth in the coming fifteen years. During the initial public input sessions hosted by the planing department and the Genesis Group, I suggested to the group that TDRs be used as a growth management tool, giving rural landowners another option (besides selling their property outright or leveraging their land with a bank) when making decisions relating to cashing in equity in their assets. I continued to be involved the process of developing the Comprehensive Plan and ultimately was successful in getting the TDRs included in it.

If I am elected to the Baldwin County Commission:

- I will see to the completion of this effort and enact a TDR program in Baldwin County that will ensure out county's continued scenic beauty, and the sustainability of the rural lifestyle, which many of our residents enjoy.

- Many of our rural landowners will enjoy having the option of selling their TDRs.

- The development community will have a new tool to use, which will encourage continued sustainable economic growth.

- We will all continue to enjoy the fresh local produce grown on Baldwin County farms over the coming century and beyond.

- We will enjoy improved water quality in out rivers and bays as a result of consolidated growth into villages and hamlets.

- We will experience reduced need for transportation infrastructure and reduced traffic, as new residential populations begin to consolidate into the "Receiving Area" of villages and rural hamlets, increasing walkability and pedestrian lifestyles.

- We will enjoy cleaner air as the need for vehicular travel becomes less prevalent and pedestrian living more so.

- We will continue to enjoy the diversity of species, (flora and fauna) which we still do today

There are other issues facing our county in the coming years, but I think that growth management is the most prevalent in terms of long term effect on the quality of life for Baldwin County's citizens today and that of its future generations. If growth is not managed well, and I contend that here to for it has not been, our county could suffer irreparable damage. If this is allowed to happen, the Baldwin County in which our children and grandchildren will live, will not share the same beautiful and scenic characteristics of the Baldwin County in which we live today.

Thank you for taking some time to read this email. I hope you will contact me to discuss my candidacy and ultimately, help me with the campaign and winning the election!

For the Future of Baldwin County!

Your Friend,

J. Daniel Dyas
DYAS Construction Management, LLC
23210 US Hwy 98
Fairhope, AL 36532

Monday, March 9, 2009

Steele- Limbaugh Drama at RNC Could Have a Positive Ending

Right now, the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement is running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, worrying about how they can do to draw back the support of the common American man and ultimately regain control over the direction of our nation.

There is a power vacuum in the party right now, so much so that we have allowed the Obama machine to create a soap opera of this so called Rush Limbaugh/ Michael Steele drama. It is so bogus. But the TV networks have gotten a hold of it and now it is portraying the Conservative Movement in America as a ship without a rudder or even worse a ship with two captains. Every one knows a ship can only have one captain, and Michael Steele is the Captain at the RNC. Its as simple as that.

Thats not to say that Michael Steele is a natural born leader. He is a leader by virtue of the fact that the RNC bestowed on him the title of "Chairman", in essence asking him to lead the party. It seems to me that the RNc was so damn eager to try to match the DNC's black man on the ticket- they put Michael Steele in charge of the party. And whatever- Thats great that there is an African American at the helm of the RNC. I think it is wonderful that we have reached that level of racial equality in our nation, but it just seems that the RNC was trying to keep up with the Democrats by making that move. Don't get me wrong: Micheal Steele is as intelligent as the day is long and as conservative as one ought to be. The problem is this: he is not a natural born leader- the charismatic type- the obama type- the Rush Limbaugh type. The type of man that when he speak people have a natural tendency to stop and listen to what he has to say. This is why as long as he is the "voice" of the party, the party will not recover.

Rush IS a natural born leader (not to mention the fact that he is a nationally syndicated radio personality-that helps too...and he got there because he is a leader), so the constituency of the party and those who may be interested in what the party has to say naturally want to listen to Rush. The best thing Micheal Steele could do is ask Rush to accept a role as the official "Voice" of the party- They could make him the RNC Spokesman. He could be kind of like the Ted Nugent of the RNC- only a little more civilized and a lot more widely accepted.

Steele has the wits to know what the party needs, Rush has the following and the leadership to bring the party back together. Steele is the Chairman- Rush would be the Spokesman- now that is a winning solution.

God Bless America,
Daniel Dyas