Thursday, March 25, 2010

Is There a Fix?

Medicare and Medicaid, the soon-to-be insolvent social experiments put in place to care for the elderly and the poor, need only a good enema to accomplish their purpose. Through classic government bureaucratic inefficiencies of mismanagement, fraud, and waste, these noble programs have been kicked to the curb. The fix? Obamacare, the newest, largest, and, as we are supposed to now believe, the one government entitlement program that is going to give us "free" care.

Where would all the money come from to keep Medicare and Medicaid in place while concurrently funding Obamacare? Washington would have us believe that nearly one half will come from a newly-found sense of fiscal responsibility. Their idea is to squeeze $500B from the already failing programs it is intended to fix. How could anyone of sound mind and reasonable intelligence swallow this lie?

Could these savings be possible? Of course not, or they would have done this years ago.  But, just suppose it were true, then why is this magical source of income not redirected back into the existing programs? Cutting expenses by one-half trillion dollars could inject new life into the failing programs. Add another half-trillion in new taxes (the ones slated to begin in 2014) to Medicare, and you have a great start to help those 32 million people Obamacare promises to care for. At the expense of the other 85% of the country, of course.

I guess I just don't understand the progressive's belief that the answer to any and all evil is more and bigger government. In any case, the repeal of the Obamacare mandate should be of utmost priority to anyone who believes that a bigger government is the heart of the problem, and not "the fix" at all.

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Art of Deception

How is it that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi can look directly into a television camera and lie with such impunity?  Is this something they are taught in Politics 101, or it this simply a gift, a natural ability, a talent that sets people into a successful career of politics.

As Obama said last Wednesday, everything has been said.  With that thought in mind, he now sets forth to sell his turd sandwich.  This poor one-term loser still thinks America respects him, his huge ego refusing to let him believe otherwise.

I cannot understand his claim that "this is what the American people want."  I wonder which poll Obama follows:


 This could be the largest Ponzi scheme ever perpetrated upon the American people. Obama and his minions openly admits that his plan will only work if everyone participates, and he will mandate this participation whether we like it or not.

To see the outcome of Obamacare, look towards Massachusetts and see how this "great plan" will work. Yes, the state has provided coverage for all but 2% of the population. However, within four years, premiums have almost doubled, costs for care have steadily risen, and waiting times are now the longest in the country.

And, once again, our government "experts" have underestimated the true costs of another massive piece of social legislation. In truth, if they were to be completely honest, we evil "obstructionists" would no longer be the Party of "No", but would be known as the Party of "Hell, No! Have You Lost Your Damn Minds?" 

Massechusetts is now facing a severe budget crisis, and are planning to once again raise taxes while dropping coverage for the 'non-documented' people. Ironic how the humanitarian goal of covering this group was the strongest reason to impliment the program in the first place.

Now Obama wishes to serve up his turd sandwich to the entire nation.  Using some phony Clinton Surplus-like accounting, Obama plans to collect taxes/penalties for three years prior to begin paying out any substantial benefits.  This slight-of-hand is the only way he can claim deficit reduction until after the 2012 elections.  Bernie Madoff would be proud, but I can't help but wonder why he's in jail and Obama is in the White House, as Madoff's $60B is a mere 0.2% of Obama's scam.

Full speed ahead, Mr. President, as you seem so determined to ignore the American public, by all means reconcile away. Spin it however you wish, O, but this is simply a poorly disguised wealth redistribution, an expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, and a giant stride towards single-payer system.

Add this new enormous entitlement program to the unfunded liabilities of the other two (Social Security and Medicare), and you are looking at disaster, both politically and economically. Remember, the problem with Socialism is that, sooner or later, you will run out of other people's money.

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Lesser of Two Evils?

 So Pelosi wants her troops to fall on their own swords, and to pass  Obamacare at any cost.  Meanwhile, Republican leaders denounce the upcoming cram-down as a travesty.  This seems to me as a battle between village idiots.

The health care debate is a strongly debated topic, with both sides claiming to hold the moral high ground. I believe that neither side actually cares one way or another, as both are simply battling for control of congress and using us as pawns in their political infighting. It is time for this to stop.

These elitists, who have been elected to represent the will of the people, seem to have only their own interests in mind. Most are extremely wealthy, a neat trick considering their salaries, and have are far out of touch with the majority of Americans.

Washington is indeed 'broken', and if either party is able to claim victory after all of this, it will be purely a political victory. The real losers in this fight will be the American people, especially the generations yet unborn, for they will bear the ultimate brunt of this battle of hypocrisy.

Why does the 'solution' to rising health care cost have to be a total reconstruction and federal takeover? If I remember correctly, the entire reason we are in this situation is the unsustainable nature of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

I fail to understand why we cannot examine our current system, and simply repair what doesn't work using small but powerful and directed steps. I suppose the reason is that these programs are, by nature, unsustainable. Without massive infusions of cash, we cannot cover the cost to treat an aging and ailing population.

We all agree that some type of 'reform' is necessary. The health care debate can be summarized as agreeing on the best method to pay for the inevitable increase in cost. While Democrats wish to disguise the true costs and the hidden tax increases, the Republicans claim the right thing to do is to reduce spending and allow free market principles to control costs. While the Republicans wish to allow people to make their own decisions on health care, the Democrats feel the answer is more government.

I do not pretend to know the answer. Perhaps there is no answer. I only know what I can see, and from where I sit it is an ugly sight. I have nothing but disgust for the members of congress and, judging from their actions, they feel the same about the common citizen. We are apparent;y too ignorant to understand the complex intricacies of government. They are determined to expand their control over our poor, miserable lives, if only for our own good.

However this all comes out, whether we continue to have the best health care money can buy, or whether we adopt a government-run system, I can only hope that someday we come to our senses and legislate for the good of the people, and not for the political party.