Thursday, July 30, 2009

A Congressman in the Right Frame of Mind

Well, it's nice to see that not all Legislators are snowballed into thinking we need to rush to pass the current ObamaCare bill floating in the House or the Senate. In the video, it's obvious the network reporters are avid supporters of the bill. At one point, one reporter talks about giving every American the opportunity to have the same great healthcare the Legislators have. Representative Ryan quickly points out that what they have is the ability to choose from several private healthcare plans.

My favortie quote comes around 4:45, when Representative Ryan states.
"You're using capitalist rhetoric to try and move a plan that is inherantly anti-market." Of course the supporters are using capitalist rheatoric. At heart, almost everyone is a capitalist. Watch the whole thing.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday Healthcare Funny

I love this play on prescription drug ads.


I think we can all agree, the side effects are worse than the cure.

A Real Health Care Reform Aternative

After busting the myths associated with the Left's debate about why we need socialized medicine, this article by Governor Jindal in the Wall Street Journal is a natural step. He lays out some great points. If real health care reform is the goal of the Left, then these items he mentioned are worth debating. Jindal's suggestions would help decrease the cost of health care, while at the same time leaving choice for care where it ultimately needs to belong, with the individual.

What do you want to bet, though, that these items are not included anywhere in what the Democrats are proposing?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Great Video Recap of Nationalized Healthcare Experience

It's interesting that, when the progressive seems to be losing the arguement, his first step is to indulge in ad hominem attacks. Nothing facutal, just throwing around terms like "fear mongerer" and such. Me? I prefer a logical discussion that talks about the real consequences.

Another Screed Against Government Run Healthcare

This wonderful article, Health Care Mythology (also posted and linked here), should help people understand all of the points about the Health Care debate currently happening in Congress. There are several Myths, things that everyone just KNOWS are true. In this article, Mr. Asness points out how each of these several views is flawed.

One notion he keeps mentioning, one which has not received a lot of attention, is how the United States is currently absorbing the cost of invention for much of the world. The explicit example he provides is related to Canada and their "cheap drugs." Now, if someone else is paying part of your costs, is the real total cost of the product cheap? No

Read the entire article to help dispell the myths foisted on us by our Left leaning Congress and their helpers, the Mass Media.

Hat Tip - Crossfit

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The BS Package is Not Working

This article from the Washington Post gives a really good report on the BS Package and why the economy isn't really moving. Of course, the 'BS Package "was mostly a political exercise, designed to claim credit for any recovery, shower benefits on favored constituencies and signal support for fashionable causes." The author mentions the package was "an orgy of politically appealing spending increases and tax breaks." As if we didn't see that coming.

With an open ended spending bill that no one read being rushed through, of course the authors are going to put in a bunch of projects they couldn't fund otherwise. And, of course, there are issues with oversight and fraud in any government program, especially one as large as this. Heck, the bill isn't even creating jobs, as it was intended to do1.

Tell me again why we had to rush passage of this bill?

1 - Notice the date on the articles, February vs. May. Same Network, different news.

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Healthy Reminder

The Healthcare Debate right now is not new. Reagan talked about this during his time as well. The year is 1961, when another nationalized healthcare bill was being put forth. Like today, the call went out becuase of a trumped up "Great emergency." And if you dare to doubt the need for this Federal Government oversight, supporters will challenge you on an emotional basis.

Reagan quotes one of our Founding Fathers when he talks about the introduction and success of Socialism as a "gradual and silent encroachment instead of through violent means." Reagan did not support intrusive government. He talks about how we have "the right and the ability" to make our own choices. Abdicating this responsibility to our governemtn means we are no longer free.

Hear more of the speech below:


My favorite quote:

"Governments don't tax to get the money they need. Governments will always find a need for the money they get."

Hat Tip - Hot Air

Monday, July 13, 2009

Why the West is Slowly Sinking

Why is the Western world slowing losing influence globally? The short asnwer is an over-reliance on large regulations to "fix" everything. In this article from the Wall Street Journal, Mark Steyn discusses the trend in more detail. The book he references, Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift, is now on my reading list.

It's interesting to me the idea of men giving up their freedom of choice is not a new idea. The books author Paul Rahe references thinkers almost two hundred of years old, yet still relevant. What we see in the West is a soft slide to more state intervention and control. No major event or revolution, just an apathetic slouching towards control by the few.

Seems Devo was right, "Freedom from choice... It's what you want."

Friday, July 10, 2009

Friday Stimulus Funny

This wouldn't be so funny, except it's true.

The BS Package has produced no new jobs, it's intended goal. In fact, the job numbers are worse than those projected for the country by Obama's administration if we had 'done nothing.'

Hat Tip - Hot Air



Thursday, July 9, 2009

More Reasons to Hate Cap and Trade

The Cap and Trade bill keeps looking worse and worse. Not only will it put the brakes on our economy and become a hidden tax, it will limit personal choice and freedom when it comes to our homes. 'How?' you ask. By including regulations in Section 304 of the bill that allow more governmental intrusion, based on requiring more energy effiencies for your house. For a better look at Section 304, review this article from the American Issues Project web site. The tone is a bit alarmist but, based on how laws can be twisted to have unintended consequences, not too much of a stretch.

Tie the problems with Cap and Trade legislation in with the fact that anthropogenic global warming doesn't seem real, and it just looks like the "Environment Police" are going too far. The more I read about Cap and Trade (something already tried in Europe, with no real positive effects), the more I think it's a bad bill. But you already knew that.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Relevant Healthcare Numbers

This article from Hot Air lists some pretty good numbers to keep in mind as we discuss and debate the possibility of "Universal Healthcare."

Some highlights that caught my attention involved the "Health Care Ranking" for the U.S. by the World Health Organization. What was relevant was his statement that "no U.S. citizens travel" to higher ranked countries when they have a life-threatening illness. Especially check out the link on how the ranking system works.

Also of importance is the information on how our current government-run health systems are working out right now. Massive fraud, extremely high costs and no real funding. And they want to expand this? Incredible.

Check out all of the links to see the source for the numbers. A well researched, well put together article.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Why Slow is Better Than Fast

I wish our Congress worked slower. Seriously. It would be much better for the country if Congress went slow instead of fast. Slow is deliberate. Slow is contemplative. Slow is unhurried and just-in-time. Slow allows us to consider the ramifications of the bills (if passed) and determine whether we want to live with the outcome or leave well enough alone.

This article at Reason dares to ask, "What would happen if we do nothing, instead of rushing in?" The author gives some good examples of bills with unintended consequences.

One he only mentions in passing, though, is the BS bill. Remember, this is a bill needed to save America. How are we doing? Not so good, acutally. The unemployment rate is almost 2 percentage points higher than projected with the stimulus package. And, get this, the current unemployment is about 1 percentage point higher than if the stimulus bill had not passed.

Seems like we've discussed before how the BS package has enormous waste and little actual stimulus. Of course, if Congress had actually read the bill before they passed it, they might have noticed this.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Cap and Trade Explained

Funy stuff, if it weren't so bad for the economy.


I love the part where he mentions that the effects are not measurable! Of course, this assumes there is an anthropogenic cause to global warming, which there isn't.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

The Press Might Finally Be Waking Up

When is an open forum not an open forum? When all of the questions are known ahead of time and the audience is there by invitation only. That is the issue with the Town Hall Meeting planned for today. Luckily, the press is waking up to this tight control on dissenting views.

According to Helen Thomas, a reporter with the Associated Press, "not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press the way President Obama is trying to control the press."

I just wonder when the rest of the press corp will wake up and smell the coffee.