Dr. Deborah Honeycutt for Congress in Georgia's 13th

Dr. Deborah Travis Honeycutt calls herself an "independent Frederick Douglass Republican." She says she's running for Congress because she's "angry" at what our government is doing. "Congresspersons are supposed to be leaders, servant leaders, serving the people and leading them toward solutions... I do believe that anyone in leadership must exhibit honest, integrity at the highest levels. Otherwise, we need to allow them the opportunity to do something else," she says on her website. And if Honeycutt has her way, Congressman David Scott of Georgia's 13th Congressional District will be allowed "the opportunity to do something else." Here is a look at Honeycutt's life and where she stands on the important issues facing Georgia and the United States.

Dr. Deborah Honeycutt was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois - Urbana, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Dance Education, Master's degree in Dance, and eventually attended the school's College of Medicine, where she became a doctor and laid the foundation for what would be a very extensive career in the medical profession.

She's worked as a faculty member at Atlanta Medical Center's Family Practice Residency Training Program and has also worked as an educator at Emory University's Family Practice Residency Training Program. She's worked as a family physician at Georgia Baptist; at her own private practice, Five Points Family Practice in Fairburn, Georgia; and Eagles Landing Family Practice in Hampton, Georgia.

In 2004, Dr. Honeycutt became the President of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians and later served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. She's been appointed to the American Academy of Family Physicians' Commission on Education and served twice as the Minority Constituency Delegate and twice as the Georgia State Delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians. In 2005, she was appointed Medical Director of Good Shepherd Clinic, a free clinic located in Morrow, Georgia and she worked in this position until her decision to run for Congress.

She has been instrumental in lobbying for better health care at both the state and federal level and is very involved with the community and health care-related activism. She often speaks on topics that often affect African Americans such as diabetes, obesity, and domestic violence, and has served on the board of the CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center of Atlanta, as well as the Board of Directors of the Georgia Partnership for Caring. Currently, she is a member of the Georgia Free Clinic Network Board of Directors and is co-chair of the Georgia Department of Community Health Minority Health Advisory Council.

With all of this experience in health care under her belt, Dr. Honeycutt strongly opposes nationwide, government sponsored health care, saying the issues failed in other countries, and "a government sponsored one size fits all solution won't fit anyone." Instead, she feels we should rely on "free markets and multi group efforts that allow government to do its part and citizens to do their part." She says that when she was working in her own private practice, she was not able to help the people who most needed help because of government restrictions in place that prevented her from doing so and feels people should be empowered to help themselves, not to be helpless.

Dr. Honeycutt is also a proponent of the Fair Tax system. From her website,

"I have examined alternatives and found the FairTax to offer the best hope of returning our tax system to our constitutional principles, providing both increased fairness and dramatic simplification, as well as positioning this country to continue to prosper in the increasingly competitive global marketplace of the 21st century. "

Even though she's currently campaigning, Honeycutt continues to work as a volunteer physicians at the Good Shepherd free clinic. She has also taken an active roll, becoming a voice for issues in her community, such as community values and public education. She attends school board meetings in Clayton County, as well as Clayton County Home Owners Association meetings, and regularly meets with elected officials.

Dr. Honeycutt is married to Dr. Andrew Honeycutt, a Distinguished Fellow of Business at Shorter College. They are members of the Word of Faith Family Cathedral in Austell, Georgia and reside in Fayetteville, Georgia.

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Cynthia Lummis: Wyoming's Congresswoman

Most people do not realize that the state of Wyoming has had only one Congressional District since Statehood. Wyoming's "at-large" district is the fourth largest in the country and is also the least populated. It has been held by notable people such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator Craig L. Thomas and is currently the largest district in the country being represented by a female. That woman is Cynthia Lummis, who was elected to the seat in November 2008. Here is a look at Wyoming's only Congresswoman.

Cynthia Marie Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 and raised in Laramie County, Wyoming, on her family's ranch. She was active in 4-H as a child, raising Hereford calves for the annual county fair. In 1919, her great-grandfather started the Lummis Livestock company and Lummis still runs the ranch today, as well as ranches in Wheatland and Lincoln Counties.

After graduating from high school, Lumis attended the University of Wyoming, where she graduated with two bachelor of science degrees: one in animal science and one in biology. A year later, she entered politics at the age of 24, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Wyoming Legislature. She eventually returned to the University of Wyoming, graduating with a law degree in 1985.

Lummis was a member of the Wyoming Senate for twelve years and the Wyoming House of Representatives for three. She was the first woman to serve on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Board and became "Miss Frontier" in 1976. While serving in the Legislature, her main focuses were taxes and natural resources. She was a driving force behind Governor Jim Geringer's Open Spaces Initiative and edited Wyoming's Open Lands Guidebook, and she has served on the Board of the Institute for Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, as well as being the former interim director of the Office of State Lands and Investments.

Many people accredit Lummis with sharp increases in state revenue during her time in local office and in 1998, she was elected State Treasurer. She served two four-year terms. During that time, she, according to her website, "converted Wyoming’s primarily fixed income investment portfolio of $3.5 billion to a fully diversified portfolio of equities, real estate and fixed income investments, public and private, domestic and international, totaling $8.5 billion."

While serving as State Treasurer, she was named a "Women in Business Advocate of the Year 2005" by the Small Business Administration. She was also honored by the University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture as an "Outstanding Alumni." Lummi was affiliated with the American Women's Financial Education Foundation, the Center for the Rocky Mountain West Advisory Board, Cheyenne's Vision 2020, the Wyoming Business Alliance, and the Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust.

In 2007, upon the death of Senator Thomas, Lummis was just one of 31 Wyoming Republicans looking to replace him in the Senate. She was chosen as one of three finalists for the position but eventually lost to John Barrasso. Many believed she would challenge him in the 2008 special election but instead, she announced she'd be running for Congress. Despite not receiving report from the state's Governor and not having the same financial backing of her opponents, Lummis won the seat by 10%. She campaigned on a pro-life, fiscally conservative platform.

Though she's only been in Congress for a year, Lummis is already making her voice heard. She serves on the Committee on Agriculture, Committee on the Budget, and Committee on Natural Resources. She has been a critic of the current administration's excessive government spending and of health care reform. You can see more about what she has to say on health care and her constituents' concerns about their health care choices and lack of competition here:



Lummis is married to attorney and businessman Al Wiederspahn. Widerspahn, like his wife, is also a former member of the Wyoming legislature, but unlike his wife is a Democrat. The couple has one daughter, Annaliese. They are members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cheyenne.

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Jane Norton to Run for Colorado Senate Seat

Add former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton to the list of Republican women looking to run for office in 2010. On Tuesday, September 15, the native Coloradan traveled the state to announce that she would be entering the race to unseat Democrat and current United States Senator Michael Bennett. During her announcement speech, she was not hesitant to tackle Washington D.C.'s "giant hand,"

"Seizing control of our car companies, banks, insurance companies - exploding the national debt - and chipping away at individual liberty. And now, the federal government is attempting a take-over of 17% of our nation’s economy in the form of government-run health care. They have unleashed a tidal wave of spending unprecedented in American history... That is why I have decided that I cannot and will not sit by and do nothing."

Norton also addressed illegal immigration and a subject that has been a big part of her own life: health care. With a Bachelor's degree in health sciences, Norton has served in a number of prominent health care-related positions. Not only did she serve her home state as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, but she also served under President Reagan as the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. On health care, she had this to say,

"We need to reduce the cost of health insurance by promoting choice and competition. We need to provide tax equity so that people who buy their own insurance receive the same tax benefits as those who get insurance through their employers. We need real tort reform that limits expensive and frivolous lawsuits that drive up costs. And we need to tell President Obama and Senate Democrats that cutting Medicare for seniors as a way to pay for health care reform is immoral and wrong. And as the daughter of two Medicare recipients, I will not allow this to happen."

So who exactly is Jane Norton?

She was born October 12, 1954 in Grand Junction, Colorado, to Walter "Bus" and Elinor Bergman. After graduating from Grand Junction High School and Colorado State University, she began teaching middle school and would eventually work for Medical Group Management Association, heading its Office of State Government Relations and Office of Strategic Relationships. She also holds a Master's degree from Regis University. Norton is married to Mike Norton, former United States Attorney of Colorado, is the mother of two children and two step-children, and grandmother to seven.

Norton has been involved with Republican politics for most of her adult life and has served in countless leadership roles. She was a member of the Colorado General Assembly from 1986-1987. In 2003, she became the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado where she achieved a number of accomplishments including appointing a state court judge, signing legislation into law, and hosting the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Jordanian Armed Forces. She also convened a Committee to Promote Adoption, was chair of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, co-chair of the Colorado Space Coalition, worked tirelessly to help small businesses to purchase lower health care plans, restored funding to the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program, oversaw the Governor’s Commission on Community Service, and was recognized for her countless other efforts in matters such as veterans affairs, education, community preparedness, strengthening families, and numerous other health care-related services. She also served as part of a Council of State Governments delegation to Mexico that worked to promote dialogue between American leaders and their Mexican counterparts on trade, cross border cooperation, and immigration policy.

Jane Norton currently works to support law enforcement as the executive director for the Denver Police Foundation, a group that reaches out to police officers and their families in times of crisis and also, provides equipment, training and technology. She also serves as as President of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership. Norton has participated in a tour of the nation's missile defense operations, the West Point Combating Terrorism Center and National Homeland Defense Foundation Symposium training sessions. She is also a graduate of the FBI's Citizen's Academy.

Michele Bachmann's Health Care Town Hall

Like many members of Congress have doned this summer, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann held a town hall meeting for her constituents today, allowing them to voice their opinion about the very controversial proposed health care reform bill. Bachmann, who is against the bill, was joined by Texas Congressman Michael Burgess, who is a doctor and chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus.

Hundreds of people packed the Lake Elmo, Minnesota middle school where the town hall took place, with overflow seating and video feed being provided for those who couldn't get into the auditorium. Most audience members applauded and cheered on the Congresswoman from the time she entered the room and told her they supported her decision to vote against the bill. One speaker, who had recently undergone knee surgery, told Bachman, "You're my hero - I like the fight you have."

The loudest cheers came when Bachmann spoke of British citizens giving birth in the hallways of hospitals, due to overcrowding. When a man interrupted, Bachman quickly retorted, "I'll tell you what, I've given birth here probably more times than you, sir. I've given birth in the Stillwater hospital and I'll tell you it is the finest care you could ever receive."

While most attendees applauded Bachmann's criticism of the bill, there were several who were there to speak out against her and other Conservatives. Dr. Ilya Gorodisher asked the Congresswoman, "Why do you persist on destroying the president's plan. Why do you persist on stretching the truth to the point of lies?" Others shouted the words "lies" and "shut up" over Bachmann's remarks.

Media who attended the event described it as "lively" and "feisty" and said many speakers' words were drowned out due to applause and boos. Some audience members even left early, stating that they were tired of the yelling and screaming. Hostility amongst attendees on both sides of the fight has been a fairly common theme at many similar town hall meetings throughout the summer.

Bachmann referred to the American health care system as the "greatest health care system the world has ever known" and insisted the new health care bill would destroy it. Last week, she appeared on Fox News' "Hannity" to discuss this very issue. There, she stated that the bill was unconstitutional and asserted that many members of Congress were not listening to their constituents. She encouraged the American people to stand up against the bill and not to be fooled when leaders referred to the "public option" by another name.

You can watch video of Bachmann's appearance on "Hannity" here:

Sarah Palin vs. Nationalized Health Care

Since resigning from her position as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has not given up on her quest to remove excessive government from our everyday lives. Over the course of the last week, Palin has, as promised, bypassed the media to deliver her message to the American people by way of her official Facebook page. Response from the public, the media and even the President proves that not only is Palin relevant, but she is still a huge threat to "business as usual" politics in Washington DC and throughout the country.

On April 7, Palin began her quest against the nationalized health care plan by simply saying "...hell no." In a brief statement, she suggested that not only will the system not reduce the cost of health care but rationing of care will cause the sick, the elderly and the disabled to suffer at the hands of a "death panel:"

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

Palin goes on to commend Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for standing up to the Obama administration and insists we must stand up to the debate because nationalized health care is a "point of no return for government interference" in our lives. A few days later, Palin posted a number of supporting articles authored by everyome from Senator Sam Brownback to economist Thomas Sowell.

On August 11, at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, President Barack Obama responded to Palin's claims that health care would be rationed and that the weakest members of society would suffer most:

“Let me just be specific about some things that I’ve been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here. The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we’ve decided that we don’t, it’s too expensive to let her live anymore....It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etc. So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything.”

Late last night, Palin fired back, citing a section in the bill entitled "Advance Care Planning Consultation." She says the Presidents words are "misleading" and goes on to cite Section 1233 of the health care bill which essentially says that when a Medicare recipient's health changes significantly, when they enter a nursing home, or every five years, these "Advanced Care Planning Consultations" are authorized by the bill. Palin points out that if the consultations are there strictly for compassionate reasons, as many would have you believe, why does it even belong in a bill whose purpose is to "reduce the growth in health care spending."

Palin goes on to say that the problem doesn't lie in the bill, alone, but in statements made by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a policy advisor to Obama and brother to the President's chief of staff. Palin points out that Dr. Emanuel has gone as far to say that health care should not be provided for those who cannot and never will be participating members of society, such as patients with dementia. Emanuel has also advocated preferred medical care to individuals between the age of 15 and 40.

Check out more of her thoughts on Nationalized Health Care by reading Palin's response to Obama.

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