San Antonio Tea Party (SATP)

Health Care Tiger Team (HCTT) meeting minutes

26 Sep 2009

Attendees:

Harry Sims

Dr. Stan and Joyce Thompson

Hope D’Amore

Gene Reber

Margaret Zucco

Laura Mullaney

Franklin Sullivan

Cynthia Konicek

Nita Kaplan

Jon Kaplan (Team Co-Leader)

Steve Baysinger (Team Leader)

Steve Baysinger opened the meeting by describing a conference call he participated in the previous evening with SATP chairman, Matt Perdue, Dr. Larry Hunter (President and CEO of Social Security Institute) and Gerald Merits.  Steve also reviewed with the HCTT the Demint amendments which were, initially ,overwhelmingly passed by the senate only to be single handedly negated by Senate Committee Chairman, Kent Conrad of North Dakota.  With what authority Conrad acted was not clear.  In his paper, “Defeating Democrats’ 3Rs Strategy–Rolling Republicans with 60 Votes, RINOCare and Reconciliation”, Dr. Hunter described strategies for using the Demint amendments such as: applying pressure to 8 Senators who appear to be swing votes on health care; to demand of all conservative senators that they stand their ground in killing/delaying passage of the Baucus bill by reconciliation or any other method; to seek guidance from politicians aligned with the SATP (e.g., Sen. John Cornyn and Congressman Lamar Smith) regarding how conservative groups like the Tea Party movement can assist them in their mission to defeat government health care in any form it may morph into, and; apply “Grass Roots” pressure forcefully and often upon left-leaning senators and congressmen (such as Sen. Olympia Snow (R-Maine), et. al.) to stand up against bills unacceptable to conservatives.

NATIONAL ACTION PLAN

Immediate action must be taken to defeat/derail existing/proposed health care bills. What can SATP do?

1. Post, via the SATP website, a request for all supporters who know of Tea Party and 9-12 members in other states to contact SATP immediately with intra-state supporters names, email addresses and phone numbers and establish lines of communication.

1. Provide other Tea Party and 9-12 groups a template of SATP’s organizational structure to included mission statement, Tiger Team format and subject matter areas of expertise and focus, etc., for assimilation into their respective state Tea Parties and 9-12 groups.

1. Encourage other Tea Party and 9-12 groups to join with SATP in actions to defeat unacceptable health care proposals from passage in Congress.

SAN ANTONIO TEA PARTY ACTION PLAN

The members of the HCTT concluded a four-pronged approach to action, with respect to current health care bills currently under consideration, should be:

1.  (HCTT sub-team #1) Federal level–Communicate with Sen. John Cornyn and Congressman Lamar Smith (and/or their aides) immediately to share ideas on what more we (SATP) can do.  Faxed, hand written letters to members of congress are not enough.  After the recess concluded in August, the Congress appears to have reverted to its “business as usual” mode of operation and is ignoring all Patriot input received from town hall meetings, protest rallies, etc. Bottom line: We the People must stay on the offensive. Input from Cornyn and Smith is required.  (Steve Baysinger will lead this sub-team.)

2.  (HCTT sub-team #2) State level–Communicate with Texas state Rep. Doug Miller, who can guide us to the right people at state level to promote state assertion of Tenth Amendment rights (both as proactive effort now and as reactive efforts later, i..e. “push back/nullification”) if onerous federal health care legislation actually passes.  As well, gain an understanding of the Texas Insurance Board and how it currently operates. (Hope d’Amore will lead this sub-team.)

3.  (HCTT sub-team #3) Constitutionally challenge the right of the federal government to administer health care–Communicate with the best Constitutional lawyers we can find to see if there is a way to “use the law to enforce the law” through Constitutional challenge, injunction, and/or other legal mechanisms.  (Jon Kaplan will lead this sub-team.)

4.  (HCTT sub-team #4) Private sector level–Make contact with representatives of the health insurance industry, eg. Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, Humana and others; Texas Medical Association/Bexar County Medical Society; Hospital Associations, health care economists, etc., to determine their positition on proposed health care related legislation in Congress.  The objective here is to build alliances around a state and private sector administered health care delivery and insurance system that addresses cost containment, pre-existing conditions coverage, insurance/healthcare affordability and universal access.  If this could be accomplished, it would add a bigger constituency with more resources to stop the bills in Congress and promote a better alternative.  We must get behind alternative legislation at federal, state and/or local levels and through the private sector.  These alliances would attempt to build that consensus. (Harry Sims will lead this sub-team.)

It is hoped this four-pronged strategy will be employed by other Tea Party and 9-12 groups around the country as a model..

The timeline for accomplishing all objectives shown above is immediate.  The HCTT subteams will report back on our efforts and accomplishments to the HCTT body as a whole at our next meeting (Saturday, 3 Oct 2009, “Eyes of San Antonio,” NW Loop 410 @ Blanco, 2 pm – 5 pm).  (Note: Steve will not be able to attend this meeting.  Jon will serve as HCTT lead during Steve’s absence.. )

A closing prayer was offered and the meeting was adjourned.

Steve Baysinger (Lead/HCTT)          Jon Kaplan (Co-Lead/HCTT)