My quick thought on the pending health care legislation and why it's bad. No, I'm not going to get into all the myriad of arguments that people offer against it nor am I going to spend time refuting every last argument for it.
Instead, I'm going to point out one little thing that makes this the wrong time to do anything about overhauling and putting the government in charge of health care.
The government is running a huge deficit and it is a deficit that we must eventually pay down. Now, like it or not, that means there is probably going to be some kind of tax increase when the economy gets rolling again.
However, if you raise taxes to pay for the health care bill, you then can't tap those people for more money in order to pay down the deficit. Except judging from the Obama Administration's behavior, they think that they can tap those people again and again with no consequences.
In fact, I think we need to look at the Clinton years to see the best case scenario for this. Health care legislation was defeated. By 1994, the Republicans took over the House. During the subsequent years, we had a combination of income taxes increases (but a decrease on capital gains taxes) and spending cuts. In the last two years of the Clinton presidency, we ran a surplus each year and not a deficit. Now, technically, we were still running a deficit because thanks to a change in the budget accounting rules during the LBJ administration, the government counts social security money as revenue and not as expenditures.
But overall, the deficit was reduced.
If health care legislation had passed, there is no way that the tax increases could have paid down the debt as they would have been paying for a new national health care plan.
And if this health care bill passes now, with $1 trillion in new spending, we will get the worst of all worlds: tax increases, increased spending, and higher deficits.
Not really the hope and change I'm looking for.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Is feckless Liberalism a precondition for the rise of Facism?
Glenn Reynolds posts this story which reports that a large percentage of British voters would consider voting for the "far right" party and says while it may not be a precondition, it's certainly a building block.
I'm taking the comparison one step further and adding this story about an NPR reporter forced to apologize profusely for comparing Obama's attack on Fox News as "Nixonian."
And to take it even one more step downrange... I hope I need not point out the Hitler-esque figure currently building up an army and a nice stash of nuclear weapons somewhere off on England's Eastern front.
Weird times we're living in.
I'm taking the comparison one step further and adding this story about an NPR reporter forced to apologize profusely for comparing Obama's attack on Fox News as "Nixonian."
And to take it even one more step downrange... I hope I need not point out the Hitler-esque figure currently building up an army and a nice stash of nuclear weapons somewhere off on England's Eastern front.
Weird times we're living in.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Guess what newsmedia... I don't care about Balloon Boy
And furthermore, I hope it WAS a scam because I love it when you guys get suckered. Of course the downside is now poor ole CNN is so upset that they got scammed that they're going to run coverage of this family 24/7 for the next three weeks to shame them and prove how powerful the media backlash can be when they've been wronged.
But it's having no effect on me because whenever I see another Balloon Boy story on TV, I change the channel. CNN... you got taken for a ride... and I love it. Whether or not you're able to extract your pound of flesh in revenge does not interest me.
Spend all the time you want trying to stoke outrage amongst your viewership, but it won't work. Turns out we don't like you very much and it's kinda funny when you get taken for a ride.
We're rooting for Balloon Boy.
But it's having no effect on me because whenever I see another Balloon Boy story on TV, I change the channel. CNN... you got taken for a ride... and I love it. Whether or not you're able to extract your pound of flesh in revenge does not interest me.
Spend all the time you want trying to stoke outrage amongst your viewership, but it won't work. Turns out we don't like you very much and it's kinda funny when you get taken for a ride.
We're rooting for Balloon Boy.
On Rush Limbaugh and the St. Louis Rams
I actually feel bad for Rush on this issue. I don't think he's done anything that should prevent him from being able to own a team in the sport that he loves. Being a fan of Mr.Limbaugh's, I know how much the game means to him and I know that owning an NFL franchise would have been as exciting for him as anything he's even done in his life or career.
That he's being prevented from doing so because of his politics is sad more than anything else, but it's also alarming. And those of us who are Conservatives should take note of what's being done to Mr. Limbaugh and prepare ourselves for the fact that it will one day happen to us as well, even if it's not on such a large and public scale.
But here's what this incident is not. It is not, as some claim, a free speech issue. Rush Limbaugh has the right to say whatever he wants, and to the extent that he says what he says on a high wattage radio broadcast antenna funded by large corporations, he has done so quite successfully.
But there is a misunderstanding among Americans that freedom of speech also means freedom from the consequences of that speech.
It does not.
If Michael Richards wants to get up on a stage in New York and scream the N-word at his audience, he should NOT, under any circumstances, be hauled of to jail for doing so. But if those actions effectively end his career, then, as they say, dems da breaks.
And if you want to walk down a busy New York street with a sign that says "The Holocaust was a myth" I will go to the mat to protect your right to do so, but I will also laugh my ass off when someone walks up and punches you in the schnozz... because you will deserve it.
Now, I do not believe that Rush is a racist. The evidence to the contrary is simply overwhelming and the quotes that have been used to label him are made-up. But it is also a fact that Rush, as an extremely successful Conservative voice, has pissed off a large number of very powerful Liberals. And when Liberals decide to take a Conservative down, they almost always do it by crying "RACISM!!!"
And so they have in this case. They are way off base on the charge, as they often are, but they control the outlets and they determine what voices get heard, and now that the overwhelming voice America has heard on this subject has been the one shouting racism, a large enough number of Americans have begun to believe it... and so Rush had to go.
I hope Rush fights the charge. He was wronged, and those who wronged him should pay as big a price as Rush can impose upon them. But I will not cry foul. Amercians are always going to be quick to believe a charge of racism levelled at a Conservative, and that's just the way things are. Frankly, I'd rather carry that burden than the burden Liberals face... that they'd rather tax and spend above all else, and that they wouldn't pick up a weapon in their own defense even if it meant the lives and honor of their own families.
Few things are more unforgivable to me than being a coward. And no one will ever accuse Rush of that.
But Freedom of Speech and the resonsibility to face the consequences of that speech goes both ways.
So Roger Godell and the NFL want to stake out the position that Rush Limbaugh is too divisive to own an NFL franchise... that his behaviour has been so beyond that pale that it damages the reputation of a fine and noble institution like the National Football League.
Does Rush's behaviour rise to a standard beyond that which should be acceptable for an NFL owner?
I don't know... but here's the problem for the NFL... now we are going to find out.
Conservatives, with Rush cheering them on from his corner, are going to dig into the background of every single man, woman, or child who owns so much as a dime's worth of interest in any of the 32 NFL teams and we are soon going to find out every single offensive thing those people have ever done or said in their entire lives.
I don't know how long the assault will last, but it's already started with folks like Fergie finding themselves under the microscope. It's going to be incredibly embarrasing for the NFL... but you know what, just as the NFL has a right to deny ownership to whomever they decide is not fit to own a franchise, they must also face the consequences of the decisions that they have every right to make.
And here those consequences come.
So Mr. Godell, to you I say... I hope it was worth it.
That he's being prevented from doing so because of his politics is sad more than anything else, but it's also alarming. And those of us who are Conservatives should take note of what's being done to Mr. Limbaugh and prepare ourselves for the fact that it will one day happen to us as well, even if it's not on such a large and public scale.
But here's what this incident is not. It is not, as some claim, a free speech issue. Rush Limbaugh has the right to say whatever he wants, and to the extent that he says what he says on a high wattage radio broadcast antenna funded by large corporations, he has done so quite successfully.
But there is a misunderstanding among Americans that freedom of speech also means freedom from the consequences of that speech.
It does not.
If Michael Richards wants to get up on a stage in New York and scream the N-word at his audience, he should NOT, under any circumstances, be hauled of to jail for doing so. But if those actions effectively end his career, then, as they say, dems da breaks.
And if you want to walk down a busy New York street with a sign that says "The Holocaust was a myth" I will go to the mat to protect your right to do so, but I will also laugh my ass off when someone walks up and punches you in the schnozz... because you will deserve it.
Now, I do not believe that Rush is a racist. The evidence to the contrary is simply overwhelming and the quotes that have been used to label him are made-up. But it is also a fact that Rush, as an extremely successful Conservative voice, has pissed off a large number of very powerful Liberals. And when Liberals decide to take a Conservative down, they almost always do it by crying "RACISM!!!"
And so they have in this case. They are way off base on the charge, as they often are, but they control the outlets and they determine what voices get heard, and now that the overwhelming voice America has heard on this subject has been the one shouting racism, a large enough number of Americans have begun to believe it... and so Rush had to go.
I hope Rush fights the charge. He was wronged, and those who wronged him should pay as big a price as Rush can impose upon them. But I will not cry foul. Amercians are always going to be quick to believe a charge of racism levelled at a Conservative, and that's just the way things are. Frankly, I'd rather carry that burden than the burden Liberals face... that they'd rather tax and spend above all else, and that they wouldn't pick up a weapon in their own defense even if it meant the lives and honor of their own families.
Few things are more unforgivable to me than being a coward. And no one will ever accuse Rush of that.
But Freedom of Speech and the resonsibility to face the consequences of that speech goes both ways.
So Roger Godell and the NFL want to stake out the position that Rush Limbaugh is too divisive to own an NFL franchise... that his behaviour has been so beyond that pale that it damages the reputation of a fine and noble institution like the National Football League.
Does Rush's behaviour rise to a standard beyond that which should be acceptable for an NFL owner?
I don't know... but here's the problem for the NFL... now we are going to find out.
Conservatives, with Rush cheering them on from his corner, are going to dig into the background of every single man, woman, or child who owns so much as a dime's worth of interest in any of the 32 NFL teams and we are soon going to find out every single offensive thing those people have ever done or said in their entire lives.
I don't know how long the assault will last, but it's already started with folks like Fergie finding themselves under the microscope. It's going to be incredibly embarrasing for the NFL... but you know what, just as the NFL has a right to deny ownership to whomever they decide is not fit to own a franchise, they must also face the consequences of the decisions that they have every right to make.
And here those consequences come.
So Mr. Godell, to you I say... I hope it was worth it.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Obama says he's looking at any way to create jobs
At least that's the headline that screams at me from the front page at The Drudge Report.
But of course it's not true. There is one very specific way of creating jobs that Obama is not only not looking at, it's something he would never even think to consider.
The one thing he could do to create jobs is to cut corporate, payroll, and income taxes. That would leave more money in the hands of the individuals and companies who actually create jobs in America and put less mooney in the hands of Government agents... who mostly just stifle job creation.
One problem with that. Cutting taxes for a Democrat is like Kryptonite to Superman.
Meanwhile... tick tock tick tock...
But of course it's not true. There is one very specific way of creating jobs that Obama is not only not looking at, it's something he would never even think to consider.
The one thing he could do to create jobs is to cut corporate, payroll, and income taxes. That would leave more money in the hands of the individuals and companies who actually create jobs in America and put less mooney in the hands of Government agents... who mostly just stifle job creation.
One problem with that. Cutting taxes for a Democrat is like Kryptonite to Superman.
Meanwhile... tick tock tick tock...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blame It On Rio
So it seems that President Obama's trip to Copenhagen to secure the 2016 Summer Olympics has failed. In fact, Chicago was the first city eliminated in a process that ultimately saw Rio come out on top. Congratulations to Rio!
What does this mean for President Obama? It means he risked the cache of being the leader of the free world to try to secure an Olympic games for his former cronies in the city of Chicago. And he lost. You never risk presidential cache on something where the outcome is in doubt. That would be like a prosecutor asking questions and not knowing the answers the witness is about to give (sure that happens in movies all the time, but in real life, not so much).
Perhaps this will get President Obama refocused on things that really matter to this country - like the unemployment rate that keeps rising, the fact that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon (and doesn't care what we think about it), and the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Mr. President, will you actually stand up and start governing rather than just campaigning? I suspect this is why he decided to go to Copenhagen. It felt like a campaign event since he was going to there to make a speech and talk about why the people should choose him, I mean, the city of Chicago, to host the Olympics.
Instead, it was a giant waste of taxpayers money. Unfortunately, that seems to be par for the course these days in Washington.
What does this mean for President Obama? It means he risked the cache of being the leader of the free world to try to secure an Olympic games for his former cronies in the city of Chicago. And he lost. You never risk presidential cache on something where the outcome is in doubt. That would be like a prosecutor asking questions and not knowing the answers the witness is about to give (sure that happens in movies all the time, but in real life, not so much).
Perhaps this will get President Obama refocused on things that really matter to this country - like the unemployment rate that keeps rising, the fact that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon (and doesn't care what we think about it), and the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Mr. President, will you actually stand up and start governing rather than just campaigning? I suspect this is why he decided to go to Copenhagen. It felt like a campaign event since he was going to there to make a speech and talk about why the people should choose him, I mean, the city of Chicago, to host the Olympics.
Instead, it was a giant waste of taxpayers money. Unfortunately, that seems to be par for the course these days in Washington.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Why private insurance cannot survive the public option
And no, it's not for the reasons you think.
The Republican line on the Public Option is that it will crowd out Private Insurance carriers because they won't be able to compete against an entity that can print its own money and has access to a potentially unlimited pool of tax dollars.
This is, in a word, horseshit. On this point at least, President Obama and I agree. And frankly, if the Republicans are going to push the idea that the free market will save the economy and not government intervention, then they should try to show a little more confidence in that free market... don't you think?
The American free market is the best in the world and we can compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime... sure would be nice to hear someone on the Republican side say this every now and then.
Now it IS true that the government plan will be cheaper... it will, in fact, be free (as much as anything that drains money out of your paycheck in the form of taxes CAN be free anyway). And it's pretty hard to compete on price when one side provides the service for free... but private companies will always be able to compete on quality.
We all know that when Obama says there will be no rationing and no lines under Obamacare, that he is absolutely 100% full of shit. We KNOW it. And I for one have no intention of ever turning over my health care needs to a government agency. I will always go out and pay for quality care delivered when and how I want, by a profit-driven company, on my terms...and million of my fellow Americans will join me.
We already have a precedent for this... it's called education. Government provided education in America sucks and gets suckier with each passing day. Millions of American families are willing to spend outrageous amounts of money to send their kids to private schools even though at the same time, their tax dollars are taken from them to pay for a free Public Option.
They choose quality over price every single time.
And they will do the same for Health Care.
Imagine the TV spots...
"Tired of waiting for six hours in the cinderblock lobby of the Bureau of Social Health Issues to see a doctor who graduated at the bottom of his class at the Rocko Clubbo School of Medicine? Log on to KaiserPermanente.net and take a look at all the high quality plans we offer. We guarantee you'll see a doctor within 30 minutes or your visit is free."
Which is why Obama simply cannot, and will not, allow private iunsurance companies to continue to offer high quality private plans.
Because when the stories of six hour waits and denials of procedures start to leak out, and they will, people will freak out... millions will leave the public option for private plans and those who remain will, by definition, be the poorest and sickest among us who cannot afford to leave a lower quality, though free, public service.
But in this world where quality healthcare has been re-defined as a "right", what does it mean if the wealthy can get great high quality convenient care on their own terms while the poor are corralled into cattle call waiting rooms for substandard care?
It won't happen. It CAN'T happen. It is the entire promise of Obamcare... that no one will be better off than anyone else.
And that's why private insurance companies must be eliminated. As long as they exist, Americans who work hard and are successful will refuse to allow themselves to be forced into a government definition of "equality."
And we can't have that, can we?
The Republican line on the Public Option is that it will crowd out Private Insurance carriers because they won't be able to compete against an entity that can print its own money and has access to a potentially unlimited pool of tax dollars.
This is, in a word, horseshit. On this point at least, President Obama and I agree. And frankly, if the Republicans are going to push the idea that the free market will save the economy and not government intervention, then they should try to show a little more confidence in that free market... don't you think?
The American free market is the best in the world and we can compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime... sure would be nice to hear someone on the Republican side say this every now and then.
Now it IS true that the government plan will be cheaper... it will, in fact, be free (as much as anything that drains money out of your paycheck in the form of taxes CAN be free anyway). And it's pretty hard to compete on price when one side provides the service for free... but private companies will always be able to compete on quality.
We all know that when Obama says there will be no rationing and no lines under Obamacare, that he is absolutely 100% full of shit. We KNOW it. And I for one have no intention of ever turning over my health care needs to a government agency. I will always go out and pay for quality care delivered when and how I want, by a profit-driven company, on my terms...and million of my fellow Americans will join me.
We already have a precedent for this... it's called education. Government provided education in America sucks and gets suckier with each passing day. Millions of American families are willing to spend outrageous amounts of money to send their kids to private schools even though at the same time, their tax dollars are taken from them to pay for a free Public Option.
They choose quality over price every single time.
And they will do the same for Health Care.
Imagine the TV spots...
"Tired of waiting for six hours in the cinderblock lobby of the Bureau of Social Health Issues to see a doctor who graduated at the bottom of his class at the Rocko Clubbo School of Medicine? Log on to KaiserPermanente.net and take a look at all the high quality plans we offer. We guarantee you'll see a doctor within 30 minutes or your visit is free."
Which is why Obama simply cannot, and will not, allow private iunsurance companies to continue to offer high quality private plans.
Because when the stories of six hour waits and denials of procedures start to leak out, and they will, people will freak out... millions will leave the public option for private plans and those who remain will, by definition, be the poorest and sickest among us who cannot afford to leave a lower quality, though free, public service.
But in this world where quality healthcare has been re-defined as a "right", what does it mean if the wealthy can get great high quality convenient care on their own terms while the poor are corralled into cattle call waiting rooms for substandard care?
It won't happen. It CAN'T happen. It is the entire promise of Obamcare... that no one will be better off than anyone else.
And that's why private insurance companies must be eliminated. As long as they exist, Americans who work hard and are successful will refuse to allow themselves to be forced into a government definition of "equality."
And we can't have that, can we?
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