Contemporary and meaningful thought, both my own and someone else's.
I think that I misunderstood Obama when he vowed to be transparent... he meant to be hard to pin down."Miss Information"* [Jonah Goldberg]
Byron has a good column on Linda Douglass and her new role as White House flack. One point he raises, that has been bugging me since I first saw her "rebuttal" to the YouTube video showing Obama endorsing single payer, is just how non-responsive Douglas' video is. She makes no attempt whatsoever to prove her assertion that Obama's comments were out of context or irrelevant.
And that's what's sort of interesting to me. Her rebuttal technique is truly Obamaesque, in that she does what Obama himself does: Quotes Obama as proof that Obama is always right. As has been noted many times around here, Obama has this tick where he says "As I've said before" or "As I said at the time" or "I've said repeatedly" etc etc. to make a point. Sometimes Obama is being less than truthful when he says he's said X before. And sometimes the fact that he said X before in no way bolsters the case he's actuall trying to make.
Douglass does the same thing. She simply quotes some boilerplate lines from Obama saying you can keep your own health insurance (which is not exactly true) and apparently that's supposed to obliterate any claim that Obama favors single payer, even though there's extensive evidence that he does favor single payer (he said it many times in the past when he wasn't trying to sell this specific health care bill) and there's serious concern that the public plan approach would lead, over time, to single payer. But rather than substantively deal with any of that, Douglass accuses people of "disinformation" and simply invokes the divine authority of Obama to rebut any criticism.
Reporting dissent is the highest form of patriotism! Is your neighbor suspiciously “well-dressed”? Is he mouthing off about cancer-survival rates under socialized-medical systems while wearing a cravat? Give us his name, and we’ll give you his spats! Just go to flag@whitehouse.gov, not to be confused with flagging@whitehouse.gov, which is the e-mail address for reporting President Obama’s latest approval rating. Go to flay@whitehouse.gov if you’d like Speaker Pelosi to walk across your back as a whip-wielding SS dominatrix barking “Vee haff vays of making you tokk less casually, dummkopf!” Go to flange@whitehouse.gov if you need parts for your new government car, or your new government hip replacement. Go to flaunt@whitehouse.gov if you’d like a special preview of President Obama’s latest bare-chested pictorial for Vanity Fair. Go to flatulent@whitehouse.gov if you’d like to report your neighbor’s cow for excessive CO2 emissions. |
Time for Courage. A message from a black man in Lubbock, Texas ... About tells it all... Sherman
At the TEA PARTY, a black man, Dr. Donald May, delivered this message from the courthouse steps in Lubbock . He electrified the audience like I haven't seen in a long time. His delivery was masterful. I am sorry you could not see him in action. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy his words. The news media was there, but not one word of this man's appearance ever appeared on TV or in print, even though he completely dominated the scene.
This is A Time For Courage
April 15, 2009 - 11:49 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, This is a Time For Courage.
We are gathered here today on the Plains of West Texas in common purpose. We are here to remind our government that this is our country. We the People are still in charge, and our government is still our servant and not our master.
Our Nation's founding document is The Declaration of Independence .. It tells us that our rights come from God and not from a small group of Elite men and women.
Our Constitution starts with the words "We the People." Our Constitution was written for ordinary Americans like you and me. Our Constitution protects us from our government and from the politicians.
Our President has complained that our Constitution gives ordinary people too much protection. He has ridiculed us for the high value we place on our Bibles, our guns, our personal property, and our Liberty .. He tells us we do not deserve to keep the money we have earned.
We are told freedom has not worked. Personal responsibility, free enterprise, and Libertyhave not been effective. Our government will now make more of our decisions for us.
Other than our military, I can think of not one government agency I have ever found to be helpful.
And speaking of our military, how about those Navy Seals blowing the heads off those three terrorist pirates? Don't you just wish our entire government would function with such efficiency, professionalism, and courage?
We watch in disbelief as our beloved United States is weakened economically, militarily, and morally by a Radical President and his eager accomplices.
What has taken generations to build is systematically destroyed and replaced with the same Socialist Evil that brought poverty, destruction, and despair to untold hundreds of millions.
The problems we face today have occurred because we have not defended our Nation from Socialism. For too long we have allowed the wrong people to make the worst possible decisions.
The Bible warns us of class hatred. The Radical leadership of our government daily fans the evil flames of class envy.
Our European and Canadian friends beg us to not make the same Socialist mistakes they did.
The President of the European Union warned our President that his Socialist economic plans are taking the World down the "road to Hell."
The path to power for Socialists includes taking God and guns from the citizens. Without spiritual and physical protection, people cannot defend themselves and their Liberty . They soon become slaves.
We are angered that our President apologizes for the exceptionalism and heroism of theUnited States of America . We are deeply troubled that he told others the United States is not a Christian nation.
We are angered that we have been called cowards and racists because we oppose Socialism. Socialism is not racial. Socialism is an equal opportunity destroyer.
We are angered that a recent Department of Homeland Security report has singled out our military men and women who are returning home as being radical threats.
The report also characterizes you and me as right-wing extremists and radicals because we favor smaller government and lower taxes.
You and I are average citizens who believe just like most of our fellow Americans. We want our government to leave us alone and to keep its hands off our money, our religion, our guns, our private property, and our lives.
We demand that our government stop spending money it does not have.
Stop confiscating our money and private property.
Stop printing money.
Stop subsidizing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the other failed financial institutions and companies.
Mr. President, stop appointing tax cheats to positions of power and influence.
Mr. President, secure our borders.
Mr. President, do not divert money from our missile defense, F-22 Raptors, and other vital military equipment. This gives encouragement, aid, and comfort to our enemies. Protecting us is your number one job.
Mr. President, do not give voting rights to millions of illegal aliens and felons. You have no more right to create new voters for your benefit than you do to use our money to buy the 2010 and 2012 Elections.
We gather peacefully here today because there is a growing concern for what our government is doing to us and to our future. We fear for the very survival of our Republic.
Yet there is much to make us hopeful and to fill our hearts with optimism and courage. This is still our country!
The Constitution of the Unites States belongs to We the People. Our Constitution still protects us from our government.
Call every possible elected official, including our President, Vice President, and the Speaker of the House.
Demand that they stop stealing our money and giving it to ACORN and their other political supporters in order to buy votes.
Call Senators Cornyn and Hutchison, and Representative Neugebauer. Thank them. Urge them to do much more. Remind them now is a time for action and not for campaigning.
Volunteer to work on our 2010 Census. Confront ACORN. Keep our Census honest. We must not allow our President to take control of our Census for his political advantage.
We must replace as much of our Far Left Congress as possible in 2010. Get involved. Do not let the ACORN control our 2010 Election.
Talk with someone every day who does not understand our nation's history and our great heritage. Tell them why the United States is a good and prosperous nation. It still remains that brightly lit city on the hill. It still is the best hope for all mankind.
Talk with all of the young people you can find. They are our future. Many do not understand what they have and that their future is being destroyed.
Encourage your elected State officials to pass legislation that will protect us from our Federal government. This is a time for strong peaceful action. Let us pray that We the People can quickly return our government to its Constitutional responsibilities.
Our President and Congress were elected to be our servants and not our masters.
May God help our President and Congress to quickly realize the error of their ways and stop their reckless and unwarranted spending, cut our taxes, and reduce the size of our Federal bureaucracy.
If they do not, may God grant us the courage and determination to vote them out of power next year.
May God richly bless and protect each of you, and our Constitution, as together we pursue Liberty !
Delivered at the Lubbock , Texas , TEA Party by Dr. Donald May
Cartoon from Mike Ramirez... Letter from Mike Walker... All, a. North Korea: Clinton+Clinton+Bolton=Pretty accurate view of US policy Hillary Clinton: The release of two US Journalists will not lead to a change in the Nuclear Talks with N Korea-Correct Bill Clinton: If the release of two US Journalists will not lead to a change in the Nuclear Talks with N Korea then getting them freed is a win-Correct John Bolton: The release of two US Journalists will not lead to a change in the Nuclear Talks with N Korea as a regime willing to let its children to starve to death so it can purchase nuclear weapon components rather than food will never give up its nuclear weapons-Correct b. Clunkers for Cash: The glass half full, half empty dilemma The glass half full: The program works, it gets inefficient cars off the streets and helps the struggling auto industry recover at a critical time. The glass half empty: Washington DC underestimated the future cost of Medicare by at least 500%. Washington DC initially underestimated the cost of the "Clunker for Cash" Program by at least 400%. Aren't those good reasons to be worried about how much Washington DC thinks Health Care Reform will cost in the future? Regards, Mike |
(This is a timely interjection in the "Health Care" debate from Mike Walker, USMC Colonel, retired)
All,
The head of the CBO recently stated that the Pelosi Health Bill will increase not decrease health care costs. To understand why the increase will occur we need to look at the four disjointed and unbalanced revenue streams that influence the price of health care and health insurance.
We also need to make the distinction between getting health care and having health insurance as this will have an impact on the future cost of health insurance. For millions of Americans without health insurance, getting health care is not an issue as they get it the old fashioned "pay-as-you-go" way i.e. they get sick, they go to the doctor's office, get treated and then pay their bill.
They get all the health care they want without having health insurance. I do not recommend this model (due to the cost of a major illness) but it is a component of the system we need to watch. More alarmingly, there is a mutant form of "pay-as-you-go" health care in some government run health care programs that creates a risk to the financial stability of the health insurance program. More later.
Let us return the four major revenue sources for Americans seeking health care.
1. The largest revenue source today is the Federal Government via Medicare/Medicaid
2. Next are those who have private health insurance.
3. We then have those cited above who do not have health insurance but get health care through "pay-go."
4. Finally, we have those without health insurance who cannot afford to "pay-as-they-go" for health care.
As is well understood, the last group still gets health care. The cost is not offset by revenue so the health care system looks elsewhere to pay the bill, primarily by increasing the rates paid through private health insurance. That is why insuring this group, if done right, can benefit everyone paying for health care.
What is less well understood is that Medicare/Medicaid also drives up the cost of private health insurance. The Federal Government does this, in the case of Medicare, through artificial cost controls i.e. they set a price for goods and services through the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) calculation that is below the actual cost of the heath care provided.
This distorts/perverts the equilibrium of the market and again, as in the case of those unable to pay for their health care, requires health care providers to look elsewhere for money to pay the bill. Again, the burden primarily falls on those covered by private insurance through higher premiums.
This distorted outcome will be exacerbated under the Pelosi Health Bill, as it proposes to further reduce the Federal Government payments for Medicare, which is one reason why the OMB raised the alarm.
There are only two viable remedies to ensure services match resources (or balance revenues to costs): (a) Limit services or (b) find additional revenues.
Most means of limiting services are not included in the Pelosi Health Bill so that leaves finding more revenues. Further, any government run health insurance program is guaranteed to follow Medicare with an SRG-type mechanism that will further distort/pervert the market calling for more revenues.
In both cases, this will default to Americans who get their health care from the private insurance sector through increased premiums, increased taxes on employers, or a combination of the two. None of this is good news for the economy.
There will be some efficiency savings from improved use of information technology, etc but since the greatest inefficiency in the system is not going to addressed (the effects of litigation) these savings will not add up to much of a change at all.
While the plaintiff lawyer industry only generates about $4 billion annually through health care court cases, up to 9% of the total cost of health care is tied up in excessive malpractice insurance and, even more damaging, medically unneeded testing that is carried out as “prevent-defense” against possible litigation.
Finally, let us revisit the "pay-go" system and the risk of a physically and financially devastating major illness for an individual who can afford but declines to get health insurance. A poorly crafted government health plan can significantly increase the cost of the plan if it does not require long-term participation by the "pay-go" participants in the health care system.
If there is (a) no barrier to/surcharge for entry into the government insurance plan based on pre-existing conditions and (b) the "pay-go" participants are allowed to opt in and out of the government insurance program at will then the plan has swallowed a "poisoned pill" for cost control.
What will happen is that many "pay-go" participants will only enter the government-run plan when faced with a high cost illness. They will then be willing to pay the premium equaling pennies on the dollar for the health care provided. As soon as they are well again they will opt out to save themselves the cost of the premium.
Everyone else in the government plan that is in for the long-term will have to pony up the additional dollars to pay for the bill for the "here-today-gone-tomorrow" crowd. If the cost of the government health plan is capped through an SRG-type mechanism then the costs will once again fall on the Americans in the private insurance sector.
All this has a remote potential of spiraling out of control if a tipping point is reached at some point in the future where the cost difference between the private insurance plans and the new capped government plan is so great that the numbers of Americans leaving the private plans for the government plan will cause the private insurance industry to collapse.
This is mentioned as the possibility of the home mortgage finance industry collapsing was also considered a very remote possibility in 2005 but became a harsh reality a few years later.
Fixing the health care system is critical. Now is the time to do it. But getting it right is the most important thing of all.
Warm regards,
Mike Walker
The author sits on the board of directors for a non-profit health insurance association in Southern California.
Another must read from Mike Walker, Colonel USMC (retired) All, Please resist the populist salve of taxing the "rich" that has crippled We have a model where 1% of the earners pay about 50% of the income taxes. What could be better? Soak the rich and the rest of us schmoos get it back in the form of government programs. Hurry, hurry, get your free ticket for the Government Gravy Train! Well, as we have painfully found out it First, They are also the largest percentage of high earners for income taxes. Movie stars and pro-athletes are a fraction of a percent of these earners. Tax small businesses into a cave and kiss job creation good-bye! Second, when 50% of your taxes are tied to 1% of the earners you get a life-long pass on the government revenue rollercoaster (which has no resemblance to the government gravy train mentioned above). It is a wicked ride. It kills you when it's up and it kills you when it's down. When the rich boys and girls are riding high, the government coffers will take in a fortune in taxes as How is this bad? Because politicians will never believe that this peak is a one-time occurrence. They will put on their rose-colored glasses and assume that the rollercoaster only goes up and up. So instead of pausing to enjoy the view, they commit the government to on-going spending increases that takes them (and the rest of us) right off the rails and out into the wild blue yonder. Which is an even better view until gravity takes over. And what happens when the rich boys and girls in We still do not know how sick So the moral to the story is that when you hear some Wahington D.C. politician (especially one elected from Because if these fools get their way the whole United States will be getting onboard "Mr. Crazy California's Wild-Ride" to governance oblivion. And then we can change the name of Washington from the District of Columbia to the District of California. Party hardy, dudes! All the best Mike |
When it comes to balancing California 's budget, many of the special interest groups in Sacramento just don't get it. Despite decades of ever-expanding state spending, they still demand more tax dollars and are battling ferociously against any attempts to bring spending under control. Rather than reducing state spending, they're attempting to balance the budget by piling more taxes on the backs of hard-working Californians. These special interest groups feel tax hikes are the best way to solve the state's financial woes - but this couldn't be any further from the truth.
Facts can be stubborn things. Take for example when taxes were increased in 1991 to paper over a similar budget crisis. Some thought higher taxes would cause state revenues to increase, but, to their surprise, overall state revenues actually declined the following two years.
The reason is simple: taxes take money out of the pockets of California families and stifle job creation – two things that must avoided, especially during an economic crisis like the one our state is currently facing.
What the special interest groups don't understand is that the real solution to California's financial problems is true economic recovery and spending discipline. The Legislature must do everything in its power to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that allows companies to do what they do better than any government program ever will: create jobs and provide opportunities for the two million Californians who are currently unemployed.
Some of my colleagues and I were successful during budget negotiations earlier this year when we passed a measure to give small businesses tax breaks for hiring new employees. This measure encourages companies to do business in California because they receive $3,000 for every new full-time employee that they hire. And since small businesses make up 99% of employers in California, this measure will undoubtedly help stimulate our economy and provide new opportunities for unemployed workers.
Another successful business incentive that we passed back in February was known as the ‘single sales factor.' This measure will spark economic recovery because it gives corporations the option of being based on their sales - rather than requiring them to pay taxes based off of their sales, payroll, and property. By providing tax flexibility, these corporations have an incentive to do business in California and hire more Californians.
During upcoming budget negotiations, I will continue to fight for measures like these that help revive our economy, not restrict it – because that's how we put Californians back to work and generate more revenue for the state. We must create a business friendly environment in California so that companies aren't forced to move to states with smaller tax burdens (taking their jobs and revenue with them). The only jobs these special interest groups are creating are in Nevada and New Mexico by making it too difficult and expensive to operate here in California.
The big spenders in Sacramento still want to believe that taxes are the solution to all of our problems – I think they are wrong. As your Assembly member, I will do everything in my power to keep their hands out of your wallet. If the Legislature is truly interested in generating more revenue, we must promote real economic recovery, create jobs, and not allow any new taxes or tax increases.
