My fellow Americans, tonight I’m going to be straight forward and rather than hold a political rally or berate the judicial branch of government, I’m going to stick to the state of our union.
Let me begin by discussing our foreign relations. We’re involved in two wars in which we are not fighting other countries, but are fighting against religious zealots who wish to destroy our nation, our culture and our right to religious freedom. They cannot defeat us on the field of battle and have chosen to sacrifice innocents through the practice of terrorism.
Their way of winning is to control our actions through fear. With that in mind, I am asking that we develop less intrusives means of screening potential terrorists at our airports and increase interdiction at our borders.
In the past, I gave deadlines for our withdrawal and had to retract those promises because reality is a harsh mistress. The war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan are different. In Iraq, the people have shown a real interest in freedom. Many Iraqi policemen have been killed by suicide bombers, car bombs and IEDs. Still, they continue to sign up to be policemen and serve their country. For this reason, we will continue our commitment to the people of Iraq, but they need to understand that we cannot remain in Iraq over a long period of time. Americans will leave Iraq when we believe it can remain stable on its own.
I know many of you want us to withdraw from Iraq immediately, but we cannot afford to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. To leave now would jeopardize all we have accomplished and leave a free Iraq at the mercy of internal terrorists and oppressive theocracies such as its neighbor Iran.
In Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai has shown himself to be an opportunist and a coward, unable to commit to the freedom of his people. Karzai has continued his relationship with members of the Taliban, narco-terrorists and drug warlords, such as his own brother. A free country cannot be built on the foundation of such a corrupt state. We will not begin withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan at this time; however, because we need to invade northwest Pakistan where we are fairly certain that Osama bin Ladin is hiding like the coward he is.
While we do not wish to destabilize our ally Pakistan, we also know that the continued presence of bin Ladin will definitely cause the collapse of that government. We are asking the Pakistani government to clear all of its troops from that region until such time as we are convinced that bin Ladin is dead, captured and in our hands, or located in another country. In addition, we ask that civilians offer no resistance if they do not wish to be harmed. We have been patient long enough and we will bring all available resources to bear so that this criminal will be brought to justice.
In the area of trade, free trade only works if it is free on both sides. Our trade agreements with China now hinge upon the opening of China’s markets and proof that they are cracking down on the multi-billion dollar piracy of American trademarks and copyrights, especially intellectual properties such as software, music, movies and patents. This must end or we will close down our markets completely to goods of Chinese manufacture. Currently we have a $200 billion trade deficit to China. They need us more than we need them.
On the domestic side, we are in trouble.
We are approaching our debt limit of $14.3 trillion dollars. Over the past decade we have spent a tremendous amount of money in an attempt to make the country prosperous. That idea, which I was convinced was a good one, has failed. We must allow the private sector to grow. In order to do that, I am proposing three things.
First, I want to meet with a committee of committed deficit hawks from both sides of the aisle. We will consider all things, with the exception of the commitments we have made retirees and those within 10 years of retirement. We will look at all government subsidies and sweetheart deals. As a sign of commitment from our party, I will ask for the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act, and related laws, which cause our government to spend far more money than necessary to appeal to our union friends.
Second, I will form a group similar to the Grace Commission to examine regulations and see which ones can be either revamped or repealed to make it easier to do business in this country. We have handcuffed business and asked it to carry far too large of a burden in unnecessary regulations.
To show my sincerity, as of now I am withdrawing my Executive Order restricting the drilling of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, I am asking Congress to withdraw some of the more onerous, previous restrictions on all offshore drilling. I will also ask Congress to come to a compromise about Anwar. We will separate the areas of interests to tourists and reasonable environmental concerns, while allowing small footprint drilling for oil.
Also, concerning energy, I am asking the energy companies to construct three additional oil refineries. We will waive any unnecessary regulations while maintaining necessary controls to protect the environment. In exchange, I ask the oil companies to construct at least two of the three away from areas likely to be impacted by hurricanes.
I will also ask the auto manufacturers to lend us a hand. The American people were generous with their assistance and now we need help. I ask that 50% of all internal combustion engines made in the US, be altered to accept concentrated natural gas as fuel. This will result in lower uses of petroleum and we have natural gas in abundance.
Finally, regarding energy, I will ask Congress to consider a law rewarding retail manufacturers for installing energy stations for electric automobiles in their parking lots. The technology is available to allow consumers to swipe a credit card so that their vehicle can be charging as the customer shops. Enough of these retail outlets across the nation will increase the viability of electric cars and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.
Third, this is a much longer term solution, but I will ask for another committee to review our income tax situation. For individuals, sole ownership businesses, partnerships and S-Corporations any person of average intelligence with a high-school diploma and a decent command of the English language should be able to complete a tax form and have 100% certainty that they have accurately completed their forms and paid the proper amount.
In exchange for this, I ask the following from conservatives. All farm subsidies to C-Corporations should be ended as of the end of this fiscal year. Credit Card companies will not be limited in the interest rates they charge, but they cannot change the interest rates on money previously lent to consumers, so that prior balances remain at the same rate of interest. Penalties for late fees can be increased to help compensate for this loss of income.
I also ask for a bill to subsidize medical schools’ expansion and interest free loans to students in medical schools. In return, while I do not favor making malpractice lawsuits go away or capping damages, I do favor limiting them to situations where real malpractice or negligence can be shown. This should help lower doctors’ insurance rates while simultaneously allowing the protection of patients.
Finally, I ask for a real review of our health care system. Republicans and Democrats agree that the current system is broken, but disagree on the solutions. Let’s find the common ground and enact those laws so that improvements can be made.
Thank you and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Modern Prometheus
A very famous literary work subtitled “The Modern Prometheus” showed what happens when good, far-reaching, intentions are combined with arrogance to the point of hubris. For now, let’s just remember that in Greek mythology, Prometheus was a son of Zeus who befriended mankind by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. He made things much better for man but was severely punished.
Last year, Democrats rushed through a health care plan with more holes than Swiss cheese used for target practice by a platoon of sharpshooters carrying Thompson Submachine guns. It wasn’t just the GOP that the Democrats, particularly the US Democrat House leadership, brushed aside; it was also a large portion of the American public. Now that there is a GOP majority in the US House and now that most folks have figured out that there are a lot of problems and a lot of additional expenses, the Democrat tone has changed.
“Let’s sit down and work this out. I’m sure we can come to an agreement. We both know that you like some of our ideas. There’s no need to throw away all of this work.” Reasonable words, soothing words, and words that when put into context are, oh so very, easy to reject.
It’s about relative power in relationships and about timing. It’s also about a few assuming that they know what is best for the people of this country, better than the people themselves.
If Democrats wanted to compromise on government health care or to even debate government health care, that opportunity was last year. As you remember, Democrats had absolutely no interest in allowing Republicans to debate, much less amend, their 2,000 page bill. The Reality Check Moment was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing in front of reporters telling the nation that in order to know what was in the mysterious, impenetrable health care act, it would have to be passed first. Pelosi might as well have said, “Trust us. We’re from the government and here to help you.”
Oh, wait. Sorry. That IS what she was saying. Nancy Pelosi is no longer a joke. She has specialized. She has actually become the punchline to a joke. Congratulate her when you see her, will you? It's a big step up for her.
I won’t go into the many other examples that show Democrats were in suicidal haste to pass their bill. They are easily found and there are far too many to list. What is clear and incontrovertible is that Democrats made no actual effort to even consider other ideas. There was no offer to compromise or to debate.
When President Barack Obama met with Republicans, he rejected all of their ideas because he said that they were not “revenue neutral”. This means that the GOP did not play games with numbers the way that the Democrats did.
Now we know that Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf was not pleased with the manipulation brought forward by the Democrats. The CBO is often cited by Democrat leaders as a “neutral” body whose econometric models are without political bias. The problem for the CBO is that when they construct an econometric model they are restricted by the assumptions given them by Congress. What that means is, "Garbage In, Garbage Out."
If congressional leaders say, “Our model needs to assume that the economy will grow by an extraordinary rate for the next ten years, then that – though it is ridiculous – is what the CBO must do. If the CBO is told to assume that Medicare money can be spent multiple times, in multiple places, then that is what the CBO must do. This is why Doug Elmendorf raised a ruckus about the assumptions made by the Obama administration and by Democrat congressional leaders – he did not want the CBO to look like fools. I don’t blame him.
So the GOP, rather than mine through more than 2000 pages of regulations, looking for the occasional nugget of gold will likely want to scrap the whole plan. Most Americans agree and that is why the Democrats are sweetly asking for a compromise now that the health care plan has passed.
The Democrat line is that people need Obamacare whether they know it or not. While the Democrats claim to be Prometheus, bringing a great benefit down from Mt. Olympus, others of us will look upon them instead as “The Modern Prometheus” and understand that hubris is no substitute for knowledge. We remember that “The Modern Prometheus” was the subtitle for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s great work, “Frankenstein”. The Democrats have indeed released a monster among us that must be stopped.
Last year, Democrats rushed through a health care plan with more holes than Swiss cheese used for target practice by a platoon of sharpshooters carrying Thompson Submachine guns. It wasn’t just the GOP that the Democrats, particularly the US Democrat House leadership, brushed aside; it was also a large portion of the American public. Now that there is a GOP majority in the US House and now that most folks have figured out that there are a lot of problems and a lot of additional expenses, the Democrat tone has changed.
“Let’s sit down and work this out. I’m sure we can come to an agreement. We both know that you like some of our ideas. There’s no need to throw away all of this work.” Reasonable words, soothing words, and words that when put into context are, oh so very, easy to reject.
It’s about relative power in relationships and about timing. It’s also about a few assuming that they know what is best for the people of this country, better than the people themselves.
If Democrats wanted to compromise on government health care or to even debate government health care, that opportunity was last year. As you remember, Democrats had absolutely no interest in allowing Republicans to debate, much less amend, their 2,000 page bill. The Reality Check Moment was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing in front of reporters telling the nation that in order to know what was in the mysterious, impenetrable health care act, it would have to be passed first. Pelosi might as well have said, “Trust us. We’re from the government and here to help you.”
Oh, wait. Sorry. That IS what she was saying. Nancy Pelosi is no longer a joke. She has specialized. She has actually become the punchline to a joke. Congratulate her when you see her, will you? It's a big step up for her.
I won’t go into the many other examples that show Democrats were in suicidal haste to pass their bill. They are easily found and there are far too many to list. What is clear and incontrovertible is that Democrats made no actual effort to even consider other ideas. There was no offer to compromise or to debate.
When President Barack Obama met with Republicans, he rejected all of their ideas because he said that they were not “revenue neutral”. This means that the GOP did not play games with numbers the way that the Democrats did.
Now we know that Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf was not pleased with the manipulation brought forward by the Democrats. The CBO is often cited by Democrat leaders as a “neutral” body whose econometric models are without political bias. The problem for the CBO is that when they construct an econometric model they are restricted by the assumptions given them by Congress. What that means is, "Garbage In, Garbage Out."
If congressional leaders say, “Our model needs to assume that the economy will grow by an extraordinary rate for the next ten years, then that – though it is ridiculous – is what the CBO must do. If the CBO is told to assume that Medicare money can be spent multiple times, in multiple places, then that is what the CBO must do. This is why Doug Elmendorf raised a ruckus about the assumptions made by the Obama administration and by Democrat congressional leaders – he did not want the CBO to look like fools. I don’t blame him.
So the GOP, rather than mine through more than 2000 pages of regulations, looking for the occasional nugget of gold will likely want to scrap the whole plan. Most Americans agree and that is why the Democrats are sweetly asking for a compromise now that the health care plan has passed.
The Democrat line is that people need Obamacare whether they know it or not. While the Democrats claim to be Prometheus, bringing a great benefit down from Mt. Olympus, others of us will look upon them instead as “The Modern Prometheus” and understand that hubris is no substitute for knowledge. We remember that “The Modern Prometheus” was the subtitle for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s great work, “Frankenstein”. The Democrats have indeed released a monster among us that must be stopped.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Congratulations!
There are a couple of places where democracy simply doesn’t work well. One is among the lemmings, where the citizenry regularly vote for the entire community to leap off a cliff into the sea. The other is the Democrat Caucus in the US House of Representatives where the members also just voted to go over the edge themselves.
On Wednesday, US House Democrats voted to keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader; and congratulations are in order – to the GOP. You probably saw that coming, but it’s true. There are problems with electing a political leader from a district so secure that she has no need to understand the American public.
From San Francisco, the destruction of the House Democrat majority is fading smoke on a distant horizon. In Heath Shuler’s district, in Sanford Bishop’s district and in the districts of many other Democrat Representatives, it’s an angry, blazing forest fire so powerful that it sucks the oxygen from the air. In over 60 other formerly Democrat-held districts, it’s a smoldering mass of blackened cinders and ruined political careers. Unfortunately in the politically catastrophic aftermath, the defeated Democrat representatives had no opportunity to vote on Ms. Pelosi’s leadership skills.
Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid failed to anticipate the public’s strong reaction to their heavy-handed manipulation, broken promises and backroom deals granting special privileges to a few groups. Equally short-sighted were the arrogant and cavalier responses to voters’ concerns.
The worst mistakes made by Ms. Pelosi were inexplicable, amateur errors with large consequences. Never underestimate your political opponents and certainly don’t goad them into taking action against your own party and candidates. Ms. Pelosi did those things and reveled in her actions, thus becoming the poster child for “Washington Arrogance”.
Pelosi called TEA Partiers “Astroturf” and “Un-American” before accusing them of bearing swastikas at rallies. She refused to take them seriously and mocked people with legitimate concerns about the scope of government, America’s rising debt and the lack of Congressional responsibility. Finally in desperation, Pelosi and her allies even called the protesters racists. Americans did not buy it.
Because voters could not get Pelosi, and often their own elected officials, to acknowledge their concerns other ways, they sent a message via the ballot. The Representatives and Senators voted out in primaries and the general election were the price of postage on the voters’ letter to Washington. Some of the politicians got the message, but Pelosi needs a translator.
Speaker Pelosi’s attempt to encourage the remaining Democrats to maintain their path of defiance by celebrating their “accomplishments” will rub many voters the wrong way, as will her defiant rhetoric. There are those who will see Pelosi’s antagonistic and abrasive stances as courageous, but these people think George Armstrong Custer was brave.
The reaction of Speaker, soon to be Minority Leader, Pelosi does not appear to be appropriate under the circumstances. We are left with several possible explanations, but they all involve either some form of mental illness – mostly, but not limited to, forms of reality denial – or a total misreading of the political landscape. Take your pick, but either alternative is not a good one for a political leader.
Late in Georgia’s 8th Congressional District campaign, Democrat incumbent Jim Marshall said he would not support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. It was too little, too late and too unconvincing to help Marshall who had supported Pelosi’s bids for Speaker four times. Pelosi was already the focus of many yard signs tying Marshall to the House Speaker:
Marshall=Pelosi
‘Nuff Said
and,
Fire Nancy Pelosi
Defeat Jim Marshall
In two years, look for variations on these signs in districts across the country. If Pelosi’s approval ratings improve, it will be because of the faded memories of voters. Don’t count on that happening. Astroturf lasts a long time and it doesn’t need to be covered in reeking piles of fresh fertilizer.
Congratulations, GOP. Just remember to be properly grateful for this gift.
On Wednesday, US House Democrats voted to keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader; and congratulations are in order – to the GOP. You probably saw that coming, but it’s true. There are problems with electing a political leader from a district so secure that she has no need to understand the American public.
From San Francisco, the destruction of the House Democrat majority is fading smoke on a distant horizon. In Heath Shuler’s district, in Sanford Bishop’s district and in the districts of many other Democrat Representatives, it’s an angry, blazing forest fire so powerful that it sucks the oxygen from the air. In over 60 other formerly Democrat-held districts, it’s a smoldering mass of blackened cinders and ruined political careers. Unfortunately in the politically catastrophic aftermath, the defeated Democrat representatives had no opportunity to vote on Ms. Pelosi’s leadership skills.
Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid failed to anticipate the public’s strong reaction to their heavy-handed manipulation, broken promises and backroom deals granting special privileges to a few groups. Equally short-sighted were the arrogant and cavalier responses to voters’ concerns.
The worst mistakes made by Ms. Pelosi were inexplicable, amateur errors with large consequences. Never underestimate your political opponents and certainly don’t goad them into taking action against your own party and candidates. Ms. Pelosi did those things and reveled in her actions, thus becoming the poster child for “Washington Arrogance”.
Pelosi called TEA Partiers “Astroturf” and “Un-American” before accusing them of bearing swastikas at rallies. She refused to take them seriously and mocked people with legitimate concerns about the scope of government, America’s rising debt and the lack of Congressional responsibility. Finally in desperation, Pelosi and her allies even called the protesters racists. Americans did not buy it.
Because voters could not get Pelosi, and often their own elected officials, to acknowledge their concerns other ways, they sent a message via the ballot. The Representatives and Senators voted out in primaries and the general election were the price of postage on the voters’ letter to Washington. Some of the politicians got the message, but Pelosi needs a translator.
Speaker Pelosi’s attempt to encourage the remaining Democrats to maintain their path of defiance by celebrating their “accomplishments” will rub many voters the wrong way, as will her defiant rhetoric. There are those who will see Pelosi’s antagonistic and abrasive stances as courageous, but these people think George Armstrong Custer was brave.
The reaction of Speaker, soon to be Minority Leader, Pelosi does not appear to be appropriate under the circumstances. We are left with several possible explanations, but they all involve either some form of mental illness – mostly, but not limited to, forms of reality denial – or a total misreading of the political landscape. Take your pick, but either alternative is not a good one for a political leader.
Late in Georgia’s 8th Congressional District campaign, Democrat incumbent Jim Marshall said he would not support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. It was too little, too late and too unconvincing to help Marshall who had supported Pelosi’s bids for Speaker four times. Pelosi was already the focus of many yard signs tying Marshall to the House Speaker:
Marshall=Pelosi
‘Nuff Said
and,
Fire Nancy Pelosi
Defeat Jim Marshall
In two years, look for variations on these signs in districts across the country. If Pelosi’s approval ratings improve, it will be because of the faded memories of voters. Don’t count on that happening. Astroturf lasts a long time and it doesn’t need to be covered in reeking piles of fresh fertilizer.
Congratulations, GOP. Just remember to be properly grateful for this gift.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Heathcare - Words and Numbers
From September 6, 2009
First, please pardon the misnomer, but if I had entitled this “Insurance Reform” would you have read even this far? Yet, the attention of the American people is rightly focused on “Healthcare Reform” even if they know the wording is wrong. The real topic isn’t healthcare; it’s insurance, and this verbal sleight of hand needs to be examined because it brings complete misunderstanding to the subject.
So, when liberals - including our President - state that 45.7 million Americans “are without healthcare” that is simply wrong. There are 45.7 million residents without health insurance. As you and I both know, those two things are staggeringly different.
Where did the number of 45.7 million come from? It’s based on a 2006 Census Bureau report of a survey which assumed that if you refused to answer the questions on insurance (2.5 million projected non-respondents nationwide) that you had no insurance. Also, if you had no health insurance for any part of the year, even if you had health insurance at the time of the survey, you were also deemed to be uninsured. We’ll take this information into account later.
First, please pardon the misnomer, but if I had entitled this “Insurance Reform” would you have read even this far? Yet, the attention of the American people is rightly focused on “Healthcare Reform” even if they know the wording is wrong. The real topic isn’t healthcare; it’s insurance, and this verbal sleight of hand needs to be examined because it brings complete misunderstanding to the subject.
So, when liberals - including our President - state that 45.7 million Americans “are without healthcare” that is simply wrong. There are 45.7 million residents without health insurance. As you and I both know, those two things are staggeringly different.
Where did the number of 45.7 million come from? It’s based on a 2006 Census Bureau report of a survey which assumed that if you refused to answer the questions on insurance (2.5 million projected non-respondents nationwide) that you had no insurance. Also, if you had no health insurance for any part of the year, even if you had health insurance at the time of the survey, you were also deemed to be uninsured. We’ll take this information into account later.
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