Alan Grayson, Who is this nut?

I am sorry to write this way, but I can think of no other way to describe this fool of a congressman. He makes outrageous statements on the floor of the House, and now he is trying to run the Senate. Who voted for this guy? It's a good argument against universal suffrage. Chuckle.

AARP & AMA Misinformation

Imagine it! The AARP and the AMA are disseminating massive disinformation about health care reform. Actually it's easy to imagine. Neither represents its constituency. Please see this link http://action.aarp.org/site/PageNavigator/Myths_vs_Facts. Sounds convincing, but it's just cleaver misinformation and not what we will have if this terrible legislation becomes law.

In this propaganda, the AARP and AMA quote statements by opponents of current health care reform legislation and then label them myths. I will debunk one of these here.

They label assertions by opponents that health care will result in rationing as follows: "Myth: Health care reform means rationed care." However, the AARP/AMA response to this so-called myth never touches on the real reason why rationing will occur, namely that there are not enough doctors to absorb the patient load added by infusing tens of millions of new patients in the insured health care system. (Note: the uninsured receive emergency medical care by law and compassion, a far different service level than they would have under an insured program.) Imagine the number of new patients in your doctor's waiting room, which may already be overflowing, if the current reform bill is enacted. This automatically means that you will not be seen as long or as often as you need. That is a form of rationing.

If congress, the president, AARP and AMA really wanted to address this question other than by misdirection, they would first set up a program to find outstanding young people and then begin the process of helping them to choose and finance a medical education. Simply infusing the uninsured into the current system will result in rationing of medical care.

I urge you to read the other so-called myths and see what the AARP and AMA say. You will find that they do not have good and honest answers. Both groups see a big profit in health care reform and will sell you out for those profits - just what they say about the insurance companies. It's just a question of who profits.

I tore up my AARP card and quit them.

This country is broke and U.S. dollar is failing. Soon inflation will be headed our way unless we mend our ways. Our job as Americans is to fix our economy starting with our government. Adding a huge new social program is not the answer. We need to pay for the programs and services that we currently have and want, reduce some, and eliminate others. These are the hard choices before us.

We can open up health care to more people starting right now. The logical things include:

• Give everyone the tax credit that those who have employer sponsored insurance have.
• Offset the cost of tax credits with a combination of improved auditing of heath care charges, reductions to non essential government programs and an attack on excessive litigation in the system. (The latter should go far beyond health care. Too much money is spent on frivolous litigation.) I might also add that juries need to be educated that no matter how egregious an injury is that awarding huge settlements results in all of us paying more for goods and services. Litigation should not be viewed as the lottery.
• Increase competition among insurance companies by permitting individuals to select insurance plans that they want and for which they can pay. That is to say, make sure that there are a variety of policies some of which are for basic health services that cover true illnesses, especially life-threatening ones. We should not mandate that people buy policies that cover all manner of elective procedures.
• Increase competition by permitting people to purchase insurance across state boundaries.
• Increase spending on technology and practices that help to detect the onset of major illnesses before they reach critical stages.
• Expand access to health savings accounts. People should have the option to set aside money in a tax exempt fund to use for health care. They could use these funds to pay premiums, deductibles and co payments. Let us manage our lives, PLEASE!
• We must be hard nosed with people who do not purchase insurance when they have that ability; i.e., they have incomes. Don't buy insurance; you get emergency services only and just for life threatening situations. We should not pay for irresponsible behavior. Start doing this, and people will fall in line.
• We must assist the unemployed to purchase insurance for limited periods of time. just as we do unemployment compensation.
• Finally, there is too much emphasis on supporting or opposing the "government option" for health insurance. This in my judgment is a red herring argument. We don't need a government option, but if it is the judgment of the congress that we have one, then it should compete fairly with the private insurers. This could be done by designing a government option with premiums set at cost plus an allocated portion of total government debt. It would be unfair competition to have a government health plan that did not have to charge its full cost including overhead. After all the government does not have to balance its budget.

One last thing. I am tired of constant criticism of the government, criticism that centers on the false assertion it cannot do anything right. It does a lot of things right. We have a fine military, a state department to handle foreign relations, an air traffic control system that keeps us safe, police and fire services, a system of national parks, interstate highways, and much more. The government does many things right.

Even the much maligned post office is better than it is portrayed - remember that FEDX, UPS, and other private companies are not mandated to deliver mail to all business and residences every day no matter how remote they may or how few pieces of mail they receive. The decision to do this was made long ago, and if that decision is to stand, there are inefficiencies for which the costs must be born by someone. If you don't want this universal service then say so and change the law.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A TRADITIONAL AMERICAN HOLIDAY

1984

Do you ever feel that you are living in Orwell's 1984? Seriously, so much does not make sense.

• Trying confessed terrorists captured in foreign lands in a U.S. court?
• Perpetual investigations of our military, CIA and officials who have protected us from terrorists for years?
• Government running auto companies, banks and other private businesses?
• Government trying to take over our personal health care?
• Government condemning and taking private property for private use?

Go ahead, add responsibly to my list. I'll post it.

Obama Overexposure

Is anyone else tired of the constant presidential addresses? I just turn them off.

Obama - Stop The Partying

I think our President needs to give Air Force One a rest. We are struggling with serious economic problems. It's time for Obama to stay home, and do some work. Set the old ego aside, Obama.

The Mary Landrieu $300 Million Payoff

Senator Mary Landrieu (LA) took $300 million in aid for her state in exchange for her vote to bring so-called heath care reform to the Senate floor. She is proud of this.

She is wrong! Health care reform is not a penny ante issue. It is an attempt to change our entire health care system in order to fix some of its defects. It is a major encroachment of government to our personal lives, a serious threat to freedom and a threat to the economy of the United States. It is a fraud if for no other reason than its cost is so hugely understated that it defies logic as to why even its most ardent supporter would support it.

Basically, the budget for this plan includes ten years of revenue and savings but only about six years of costs. This would be like an individual who received a small inheritance adding this to his annual income and committing himself to a very large mortgage based on an income that will not be continued into the future. The rule is that you cannot use one-time money to support ongoing costs. Everyone knows this.

Back to Mary Landrieu. She traded her vote to support a further discussion of bill that is completely irresponsible and threatens the entire United States economy. This was not some small matter that was negotiated among senators to allocate funds in an ordinary budget. This was a matter of principle, and she has failed.

One caveat with one corollary: If she intends, in the end, to vote against health care reform (which only she knows), then I, for one, withdraw this criticism. The corollary is that there is not some undisclosed deal that Landrieu will ultimately vote against the reform bill (vindicating her vote sale), but other senators (who have not received a similar payoff) are not now planning to vote for the bill in exchange for a similar payoff.

Compicated isn't it. Sadly we have to entertain these suspicions because the Congress is engaged in dirty business.

Back At It & Questions Part I

I have become a bit discouraged of late. The problem is: I don't see a lot of intelligence and almost no wisdom in our country. I know it's there, but watching the news depresses me. To get started again I am going to list some questions and try to answer them in future posts. If anyone reads this blog, feel free to give me some counsel.

My questions - big and small:

1. Why does Congress think only of providing health care to the uninsured and not of the other side? Doesn't it think by raising taxes and by rationing that it is depriving the payers of these taxes of opportunities to use their hard-earned money for their needs and that by taxing these people they are depriving them of something?
2. Why should the United States tax its business and industry (what's left of them) to reduce carbon emissions when other carbon emitting nations will not do so? Are we suicidal? Do we think we can maintain our standard of living while handicapping ourselves?
3. Why do our governments waste so much time on issues that are really not the province of government or are eclipsed by greater matters? Do we really need government to tell us what to eat, what cars to drive, what our health insurance plans should look like, etc.?
4. Why do we say we are a "nation of laws, not men" and then selectively ignore some of them notably immigration laws?
5. Why don't we profile to protect ourselves when it is obvious where the central threat to the United States lies?
6. Why was a president elected who has so little experience, such questionable associations, and a philosophy so alien to our free market, liberty loving people?
7. Do we really have a press that is balanced in its investigation of powerful people/interest groups and its reporting of the news?
8. Why can the president fly a very expensive airplane almost daily and not be criticized for excess when business executives with important work are condemned for the same thing?
9. Why can Congress pass laws that do not apply to it?
10. How can Congress pass huge spending bills or government control of health care without letting the people see a plain English version of the legislation long before it votes?
11. How can we go to war without a declaration of war?
12. What is difference between torture and threatening actions that do not result in physical harm?
13. Why would we try terrorists captured outside of the United States or illegally in the United States in our courts especially when they may gain access to information about sources and methods of intelligence that has led to their capture?
14. Why do some in Congress defame our military and our intelligence agencies both of which have people whose sole duty is to protect us?
15. Why would we close Guantanamo Bay and recreate its conditions here in the United States at great cost?
16. Why don't we reform the tax system?
17. Why have a corporate income tax when all taxes are really paid by people? Or do some of us believe that corporations don't pass taxes on to us?
18. Why is about a third of my telephone/Internet/cable bill composed of taxes?
19. Why would a congressman shed principle (how to vote on health care, cap & trade, etc.) for increased government spending in his or her district?

I will augment this list as I think about the issues and with the help of wise people who contribute to them. Thanks for thinking about my questions?