Nancy Pelosi

I'm not sure there's a more despicable, disgraceful or detestable politician in Washington DC. Insurance companies are the villains now Madame Speaker? The companies which provide access to our health care system for the overwhelming majority of Americans are now villains?!?

To think this old multiple face-lifted hippie is only 2 heartbeats away from the presidency is terrifying. Any other American industries you'd like to smear, Nancy?

Absolutely pathetic.

White House Beer Garden

This has to be one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen, as well as an illustration of what I meant when I said Obama was not qualified to be president. This whole thing is pretty simple. The President of the United States should have kept his mouth shut from the very get-go on this issue, yet could not resist his community agitator past and chose to make this a racial issue and a slap in the face of law enforcement. This after saying that he didn't know the facts.

Basically, you have a cop called by a neighbor reporting a potential break-in. Cop shows up to home in question and asks to see the resident's ID. All Mr. Gates had to do was provide it and the whole story ends there. Instead, he berates the officer for being a racist, following him outside of the house and continuing to make a scene. Sgt. Crowley arrests Gates for disorderly conduct. I'm not sure how race even factors in to this whole situation, except for the fact that Gates decided to scream racism. For the record, there was also a black cop and a Hispanic cop at the scene, and they both said Sgt. Crowley did the right thing. In walks Obama.

First of all, this is a local law enforcement issue. This is not something for the president to comment on. But then to say that even though you don't know the facts, it's obvious that the police acted stupidly is just moronic.

Then Obama seems suprised that people are outraged that he's siding with a known race-baiter like Gates over law enforcement. He decides to have both men to the White House for a beer so he can appear to act as a mediator and they can have a "summitt" on race relations when there was never any racial issues other than Gates to begin with! This is our fearless leader.

God help us.

Health Care Article from The Economist

In a comment to my last post, Cody asked what my thoughts were on this article about health care from The Economist which seems to advocate for universal health care or at minimum attack the American health system. This is a very long article that jumps all over the place, but as I looked through it, there are many questions that popped in my mind. I'll quote a few things that stick out and give you my thoughts. I'd be curious to hear yours as well.

"Although 68% of them rate the care they receive as “excellent” or “good”, 52% are dissatisfied with the quality in the country as a whole."
I've seen studies that show a much larger percentage of the population than 68% are satisfied with their health care, but that aside, this seems to be the trend. The vast majority of Americans are satisfied with what they have personally, yet at the same time are dissatisfied with the system. This makes absolutely no sense to me, and the only conclusion I can draw is that people are stricken with guilt about what they have and what they perceive others not to have. I blame the politicians for this who are constantly agitating, dividing up a population and pitting the 2 sides against each other. This amounts to , "I love my health care system, so let's destroy it!" Absolutely no sense at all.

"But if the system in general were providing value for money, America’s vast expenditure would at least be reflected in a healthier population than in more frugal countries."
I think this is a false argument. Lifestyle is far more predictive of an overall healthier population and our affluence in this country which allows us to eat the crap we do, never walk anywhere, etc. has in my opinion caused the falling health of our population. Also, if you want access to the latest and greatest medical equipment, procedures, and medicine, you have to pay for it. Fact is, this country produces by far the most medical innovation which the rest of the world happily uses. A health care system designed after those like Britain would put a grinding halt to that innovation.

"...it appears that many Americans are getting mixed or even downright dreadful health care."
Huh? Where? If this system is so bad, why do so many come here when they need a procedure done and need it done now? I'd be curious to see the stats of America's "medical patient imports" vs. "medical patient exports". I have a feeling I know which way that study would turn out. This is an extremely broad statement with no backup whatsoever.

"Mr Orszag points to the Dartmouth work to argue that up to 30% of America’s health-care spending is sheer waste."
Ironically, the paragraph this sentence is in is referring to Medicare. Our government has driven this program into the dirt, yet we should trust them to run health care of all of us. This quote is a great reason not to have government-run health care. Again, a serious lack of logic. On another not, I didn't see anything in this article about the astronomical medical malpractice insurance premiums doctors must carry because of all the slip-and-fall lawyers and their effect on health care cost. Nothing about how fear of lawsuits does cause many doctors to run tests that they really don't think necessary as a CYA measure. If we're serious about reducing costs, why did the committees in Congress (run by Dems) that are drafting these bills immediately shoot down any ideas about limiting payouts in malpractice lawsuits?

"Such reforms would expand coverage, but could exacerbate the third symptom, cost, as the experience of Massachusetts, a trailblazing state that has already implemented a plan for universal coverage, suggests. The state faces possible bankruptcy unless it finds a way to rein in costs."
Not much to say on this, as I agree with it. It should also be pointed out that the respondents to a survey quoted in this article responded by a 2-1 margin that the largest concern was "Cost of care and insurance" vs. "number of uninsured" and "poor quality of care" combined. See, Americans don't really think our system sucks, they have just been conditioned to believe they shouldn't have to pay for it.

"For instance, the OECD countries have an average of 11 magnetic-resonance imaging machines per 1m people. America has 25.9. America uses them more often, too: 91.2 times per 1,000 people per year, compared with the OECD average of 39.1."
So what? Access to state-of-the-art equipment is now a bad thing? The only difference here is lack of supply in other countries (that pesky "reining in costs" thing) plus the fact that a government bureaucrat has to approve it, and we all know how efficient they are. I really don't care if it costs more. If a doctor says you need a certain test for diagnosis, I'd rather have the option available right then and not a few weeks down the line.

"If patients pay very little out of their own pockets they have little desire to curb consumption."
This I agree with, which is why I love high deductible plans and HSAs. However, I thought the point of the article was how much Americans pay for health care...

"In Britain NICE has come under fire for rulings that limited access to expensive drugs for Alzheimer’s and cancer on the NHS."
This is a very legitimate fear for many Americans. The article says we could get around it by leaving insurers and individuals to decide whether to pay for the treatment. That might be difficult when a government-run nonprofit plan with a printing press runs private insurance companies out of business. As I've said, any plan put forward by the Dems which has a government-run option is an automatic "no" in my book.

Joe Biden

Ah, Joe Biden. You can always count on this guy for a laugh. Yesterday, he was out making a speech defending the stimulus package. Facts have never been a constraint to this clown. My personal favorite quote was:

"To those who say that our economic decisions 'have not produced jobs, have not produced and simply have not worked' I say, take a look around...Come see what I see everywhere I go: workers rehired, factories reopened, cops on the street, teachers in the classroom (it's summertime Joe), progress toward getting our economy back on the move."

You know who Joe reminds me of? Take a minute and think about it...

That's right, BAGHDAD BOB!! Remember this guy, the Iraqi Information Minister? Better than any stand-up comedian I've seen before or since!

Who Would You Rather Have Staring Down al Qaeda?

Dem's Health Plan

Click on Picture for Enlargement

Obama has handed down orders that he wants to House and Senate to have their Healthcare Nationalization Bills ready in the next two weeks before the August recess. I saw an AP story that Obama has "shifted into campaign mode". Let's be honest. This clown's whole presidency has been one big campaign.

I found this paragraph particularly troubling:

Obama's political organization launched a series of 30-second television ads on health care, which were to begin airing Wednesday in Washington and on cable TV nationally. A version will run for two weeks on local stations in Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio to prod senators to back the health care effort.

Think about it...have you ever heard of a sitting US President having their private political organization at their beck and call? His group now "partners" with the DNC, but of course has complete allegiance to him.

Anyway, when you ask the Dems how they're going to pay for nationalizing healthcare, you get the standard "Tax the Rich!" mantra that they love to stir up wealth envy with. According to this CNN Money article, that just simply doesn't add up mathematically.

Here's an idea. Studies show that around 89% of the US is happy with their personal health care. 70% of uninsured Americans are satisfied or very satisfied with the health care they receive. Why don't we refrain from pissing away trillions that we don't have along with an extraordinarily accessible and superior health care system?

History Repeating Itself?

Just a couple of weeks ago I posted about a piece for the Chicago Tribune, Obama's home newspaper, telling him to slow down on cap & trade instead of shoving it through like the House did. Now, the same newspaper is telling him yet again to slow down, this time on trying to ram through the healthcare monstrosity. What is it about this guy and needing to get things done in a hurry? These 2 bills put together represent a HUGE, not to mention mind-bogglingly expensive, shift in our national culture and identity. I've yet to hear why it absolutely has to be done yesterday. If the bill is good, it should be able to stand up to prolonged scrutiny. If not, then we don't want it.

Again on healthcare, like cap & trade, I have 2 problems with the path we're going down. I agree with the article that Washington is moving WAY to fast on a bill that affects so many. However, I also disagree with the whole idea and premise, at least as it's currently being presented by the Dems.

To me, having a government-run option is a deal breaker, period, and I'll explain why. In business, when you are not allowed to write the applicable laws governing you as you go and you are not allowed to tax the public to cover revenue shortfalls, you will lose every time to the organization that is, in this case, the government.

Another deal breaker is the idea of taxing employer-paid health insurance to pay for the government option. Even though Obama has said that he will "allow" you to keep your current health care if you choose to (who the hell is he to "allow" you to choose your own care anyway?), when you take away the tax incentive, many companies will be forced to abandon their benefit plans and their employees forced to go to the government option.

This will produce a snowball effect that will, in the end, eventually snuff out the private health insurance system as we know it. The end game is that we'll all be on the government run system, except for those with enough money to pay for private care in cash like over in the UK. Trust me, you don't want that.

In fact, if you'd like to know how great the system will be for you, try calling your Congressman or Senator. Better yet, call those who support this bill. Call Nancy Pelosi. Call Ted Kennedy. Hell, call the White House. Ask if it is written in the bill that lawmakers and the President will be required to participate. If the answer is no, that should tell you that what they are peddling is inferior to what we have now. It's really as simple as that.

I Agree with Pelosi

Huh? Who said that? That's right, I did. Nancy Pelosi finally did something I agree with. It seems that one of the huge embarrassments of Texas, Democrat Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, wanted to pass a resolution honoring Michael Jackson. Pelosi shut that down today. Thank you, Madame Speaker, for halting an effort to degrade the House Chamber even further than you already have.

Obama Daily Tracking Poll

The latest Rasmussen polls show some very real slippage for Obama. A few different measurements I find very interesting. A big one is the 38% Strongly Disapproving of Obama's performance and 30% Strongly Approve. Also, the gender gap in those numbers is interesting. According to the website:

There is a gender gap when it comes to perceptions of Obama’s performance. By a 46% to 27% margin, men Strongly Disapprove. Women are more evenly divided—33% Strongly Approve and 30% Strongly Disapprove.

Finally, it looks like 39% say he is doing a good or excellent job handling the economy while 43% say he is doing a poor job. Is this a blip on the radar, or are people in this country beginning to see his policies for what they are and rejecting them? Also, how will Obama react if his numbers continue their downward spiral? Will he pull back the reigns a little, or try even to ram through policy even more quickly before more of the population catches on?

If he keeps overextending, 2010 may be a repeat of 1994 all over again.

Disney Hall of Presidents

Disney World has unveiled the new Barack Obama animatronic figure in it's famous Hall of Presidents attraction. Two questions:

1. Doesn't this kind of look more like a cross of Obama and Bush?
2. Where are the teleprompters?

Happy 4th of July Weekend a Day Early!!!

What do you get when you mix Craig Ferguson, a dinosaur puppet, and a sparkler use permit? Riotous show business entertainment, that's what. 2nd clip, 1st 4 minutes are where it's at. What's a "sparkler use permit", you ask? It's something you have to get in CA to light a sparkler. Don't worry, with the cap & trade bill I'm sure we'll all have to get one soon enough to light sparklers. As far as the song for the weekend, c'mon, do you really have to ask? Happy 4th of July everyone!

Shooter Jennings   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Insensitive Idea

If all the man-made climate change "gullibles" (opposite of skeptics) in this country think it's so important for the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by half, maybe they should try not breathing. I think that might do the trick.

From John Boehner

Is he partisan? Yep. Is he correct? Yep. Here's a little diddy from House Minority Leader John Boehner about the "Cap & Trade" bill which just passed the House. After reading some of this stuff, it's no wonder Pelosi shoved it through without allowing anyone the time to read it. Also explains the 300+ pages of amendments dropped at 3:00 AM the day of the vote. As I've said before, if the American people had the time to learn all that is in this bill, there's no way it passes.

I mean come on! Mandating California's building codes on the entire country. That state is a disaster, primarily because of bloated government, massive red tape, and the high taxes that go along with these which suck the lifeblood out of businesses. Will anyone please tell me why in the hell we'd want to follow California's example on anything?

Also, for anyone doubting that this bill amounts to a massive tax increase on Americans, let's hear from King B.O. himself.