More observations on the economy

Second, one of the first causalities of Obamacare was the "public option" provision. This would have set up a government run and funded insurance plan open to anyone. Its proponents said that the provision would provide a little healthy competition to private insurers to "keep them honest." Private insurers are not saints, but they do not need politicians and bureaucrats to "keep them honest." Insurers today are the referees of this game we call a health care industry. Health care providers want to be paid well for all their training and services given to their patients. Patients want the best care possible with minimal out of pocket expenses. Employers want low premiums. Guess who has to come up with a way to appease these demands and stay on a budget. That's right, the insurers. Imagine, if you will, that the health care providers, consumers and employers were all guests at a dinner party. The host is the insurers. A large strawberry cheesecake is placed on the table for dessert. Each of the guests demanded one half of the cheesecake as their well earned slice. Do you still think the insurers are as greedy and evil as our politicians claim?

Also, the public option was a mandate, which is politico-speak for legal requirement. Option means choice. If the public "option" is required by law, it is not a choice or option. The politicians should have called it a public mandate. I think they were afraid the mandate would give away their real intent, to let the taxpayer subsidized "option" be chosen by so many people it would become a single payer system. Under a single payer system, who do you think will control the system. If you said the politicians, move to the head of the class.

Look back at the end of the first paragraph and the dinner party cheesecake dilemma. Now imagine the same situation except the government is the host instead of private insurers. How do you think the government would have handled the dilemma? Based on their past performances in similar situations, I believe they would have ordered 2 more cheesecakes and put the bill on a credit card billable to the American Taxpayers, present and future generations.

A few observations on the economy

I want to set a few facts straight here.  First,  President Obama is quite sincere when he says he will not raise our taxes by one cent.   The U. S. Constitution says that "All  bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."   US Presidents can and usually do propose legislation to Congress for their approval.   They can hit the campaign trail and try to raise voter support to their proposed bills.   They can hold press conferences  and media appearances to urge, support, cajole or whatever they believe necessary to get their proposed legislation approved by Congress.  They also have the right to veto any proposed bills and return them to Congress.   Congress then has the option to amend the bill to appease the President or hold a second vote in hopes of getting enough votes to override the veto.   Congress also has the option to let their proposed bills die on the vine.  

In summary, when our taxes go up in the future to cover all the funds given away in the name of economic stimulus and recovery, it will be the Congress that passes the legislation.  The President will only be able to veto the bills or sign off on them as law.  

More fact straightening to come soon.

A sign of REAL Hope from the health care front.

Quote of the Day:

"I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," Sebelius says, "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. We need some choices, we need some competition." Kathleen Sebelius US Secretary of HHS. NY Times August 16, 2009.

Counterquote of the Day

"It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error."
-- Robert Houghwout Jackson, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge at the War-Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg

I am glad to hear the President and his health care reform comrades are finally starting to listen to Americans who live outside of the DC Beltway. Most Americans know that health care costs are climbing but they still want their current insurance (if they have it). Remember, when the New Deal gave us the Social Security Act, the social security tax was 1% of the first $3000.00 annual wages for then covered employees. Now workers pay 6.2% of the first $102,000.00 for social security and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, the sky's the limit for Medicare. Despite these increases lots of people do not believe they will be able to depend on it at all. This is a major reason why American Voters are so concerned about a public option for health care. They believe it will open yet another door for more government intrusion in their personal lives and the American Economy.

Here is my suggestion for President Obama, Secretary Selebius, Speaker Pelosi et al.
Read Charles Krauthammer's article "Health care reform: a better plan" in the August 7, 2009 edition of the Washington Post. He believes tort reform is the first priority. He cites a Massachusetts Medical Society study that shows that 5 of 6 doctors report 1 of 4 procedures they order are purely for defense from lawsuits. Cut down on these wasteful tests and you will save lots of money that can be directed to more productive use.

Obama's unhatched chickens

We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors. AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.
-President Barack Obama at Portsmouth, N. H. town hall meeting August 11, 2009

AARP has been working with Democrats and Republicans to fix our broken health care system. While the president was correct that AARP will not endorse a health care reform bill that would reduce Medicare benefits, indications that we have endorsed any of the major health care reform bills currently under consideration in Congress are inaccurate
-Tom Nelson, COO, AARP August 11, 2009 AARP Press Center

Well, can you blame AARP for not endorsing Obamacare at this time? There are 5 different health care "reform" bills under consideration in Congress now. Nobody knows what the final bill will contain or even if there will be a bill to vote on this year. Another reason for AARP withholding endorsement is many seniors concern that Medicare benefits will be cut to help pay for insurance on the currently uninsured. Since AARP is the largest lobby for Americans age 50 and up, to endorse any of the bills at this point would cause an uproar from their membership base. The best thing AARP can do for Americans at this point is advocate what lots of Americans want. They do not want a complete overhaul of the USA health care system in less than 12 months. Maybe if AARP reminded President Obama that he was elected for 4 years he might finally get the message and stop trying to push 1000+ pages of legislation through Congress overnight as if it is emergency legislation. It's not an emergency!!

Three cheers for sensible and reasoned arguments

Quote of the Day:

"I suspect that once we get into the fall and people look at the actual legislation that's being proposed, that more sensible and reasoned arguments will emerge. And we're going to get this passed."
- President Barack Obama on his proposed 1000+ page health care reform bill. Yahoo News August 10, 2009

CounterQuote of the Day:

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what is will be tomorrow."
-James Madison Federalist no. 62 February 27, 1788. Italics added

President Obama has gotten me a little dazed and confused. I was in total agreement with this quote until the last sentence. I was hoping he meant that negotiation & compromise would prevail in a bipartisan effort to really trim this whale of legislation down to the size of a tuna, a walleye or even a trout. But no, my hopes are dashed. My interpretation of "and we will get this passed" means his wants the whole 1000+ pages. This quote was made in response of some of the more vocal citizens at the Town Hall meetings. Some were against Obamacare, some for it. It's definitely a political hot potato.

Take a lesson from recent history, Mr. President. Hillarycare was 1300 pages and it never made it to a single vote. Here's another quote from today's WashingtonPost.com to help illustrate this. This is from Susan Wells speaking to Perry Chang, a volunteer canvassing door to door urging people to call their representatives on behalf of Obamacare:

It's like one of those things where you'd like to try it before you buy it," Wells said. "But once we do it, there's no going back."

I'm not sure where she stands on this. She told Mr. Chang she was concerned about friends and relatives without insurance. She likes her insurance but is concerned that her employer, the Red Cross, is cutting benefits. She attributed her angst about Obamacare to "fear of the unknown". This made me realize what bothers me about Obamacare. It is close to fear of the unknown, it is fear of the unknowable, unfathomable and incomprehensible. I am reminded of an old Chinese saying, "We are living in interesting times." This fall will be very interesting inside the DC beltway.

P. S. Is it just me or is there a pattern developing. Whenever we elect lawyers as Presidents, Clinton then Obama, we end up with proposed legislation that no one in their right mind would want enacted.

An Historic Day for Justice Sonia Sotomayor

The US Senate voted 68-31 to approve President Obama's nominee for the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. She is the first hispanic/latina and the third woman appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of the US.(SCOTUS) See my earlier blog on this issue here. I am glad that this issue is resolved and our fearless leaders in the Congress can return to DC after their summer recess with this cleared from their agendas. Now they can devote more time to reforming the health care reform bills in Congress. As I have noted earlier in this blog, I would rather have smaller more efficient changes than a complete remake of the system.

If I found a magic lamp with a genie that could only grant wishes for US Congressional acts, these would be my wishes:

1. Term limits for members of Congress. Barney Frank, Teddy Kennedy, Maxine Waters, The Late Strom Thurmond. Need I go on?


2. Page limits for legislation. The health care reform under current consideration is 1000 pages. Hillarycare was 1300 pages. Get the point?

3. Abolish Government Sponsored Enterprises.(GSE) Social Security, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac.