The Soap Box

If you participated in the cash for clunkers program you will owe income taxes on the rebate amount.  The government gives, and the government takes away.  How many people were taken in and believed they were getting something for free?  When will we learn – government programs are never free, someone always pays.

If you’ve never been to Pajamas TV – here’s a sample video.  Check it out.  Great site.

PJTV.Com

Keep this in mind next time you vote.  If you don’t vote, it might just be time to start.

Real Time National Debt Clock

Good articles and info about the health care debate.

Cost of  H.R. 3200   Congressional Budget Office Analysis

Preventative Care Increases Cost    The Preventive Care Myth, Real Clear Politics

Special Interest Groups   Michelle Malkin, Axelrod’s Ties to Drug Lobby

Why is the AMA supporting HR 3200   What’s Up Docs? – Wall Street Journal

Public Option Dropped?   Obama Not Backing Down On Public Option, In The Brain, Out The Fingers

50 Million Americans Uninsured – Really?  A True Count Of The Uninsured, Michael Tanner

What a success, for a few billion dollars the auto industry was again saved by the wisdom and quick actions of our elected representatives.  Please pay no attention to auto sales for the rest of the year – the government plan was just designed to “jump start” a stagnant industry.  All you dealers who trusted the government and are now waiting for your money shut up and act like good Americans.  It is your responsibility to make payroll, restock inventory, and keep the doors open.  You will be paid, eventually.

Keep your eyes peeled for the auto bail out coming  in Jan – Feb of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 …  as your government prevents yet another collapse caused by the free market system.

Reviewing the White House response to criticism of the health care bill, a series of videos debunking the “myths” propagated by the opposition,  I have begun to realize that no one will ever directly answer the questions and concern many citizens have regarding this bill. Do not bother looking for any information about cost and methods of paying for the bill.  This rather important question is not addressed. Instead we get more platitudes and promises without substance.

Health Care Myths Debunked

Reform will stop rationing

Until and unless questions regarding cost of the plan are addressed this statement is meaningless.  Unless every citizen is allowed to choose what and when procedures are to be performed health care will be rationed.    Increasing the number of patients in the system without increasing the number of providers will guarantee rationing.  How will the government increase the number of doctors and nurses?  Incentives are built into the plan to entice more people to enter the health care field.  What if the incentives do not work?  More and more doctors are already refusing to accept Medicare and Medicaid due to the complexity of the rules and regulations regarding treatment options and payment.  The more complicated a system is, the less likely people will want to work in that system.

You Can Keep Your Own Insurance

The ultimate destruction of the private health care system is dismissed with more promises.  The President has stated the government plan will not force anyone to change insurance policies. Trust in the government.  The problem is simple.  If I make disposable batteries using elements x,y,z and the government bans the use or increases the cost of element z eliminating my profits,  has the government banned disposable batteries?  No.  Has the government made it impossible for me to make disposable batteries?  Yes.  This is not complicated.  The ultimate aim is the elimination of private insurance.  The public option is simply a means to an end.

Reform will benefit small business

Small business will not be impacted by the health care legislation because small business will not be forced to provide insurance for employees.  Will small business be forced to pay additional taxes to fund the legislation?  Then small business will be impacted by the health care legislation.

The Euthanasia distortion

According to the White House  euthanasia fears are unfounded.  End of life counseling is depicted as the main problem and concern , with soothing words about how complicated government language can be:  those reading the bill misunderstand the purpose of the counseling.  Questions about coverage plans and procedures are not addressed at all.  A committee yet to be appointed will determine treatment options.  Is euthanasia a part of the current health care bill? No.  Will treatment options be limited by cost, potential survival rates, age, etc?  Unknown.

Vet’s Health Care is Safe and Sound

Since when?  Health care for Veterans is a disgrace and needs to be addressed.   Why is no one talking about the problems with the VA?  The lack of available VA centers?  The waiting list for care?

Medicare is safe and stronger with reform

Ludicrous.  Medicare is bankrupt now.  Adding more people to an overburdened system will not make that system safer.  Government has proven its inability to control cost.  Best examples: Medicare and Medicaid.

Problems do exist with health care in the US.  The cost of obtaining insurance if you have a preexisting condition is prohibitive.  Insurance companies have misused the right to cancel (rescind) coverage in some, perhaps even many cases.  We do not require nationalized health care to correct these problems.

Real questions regarding nationalized health care exist.  Real answers do not.

White House Health Care Reality Check

When Linda Douglass, Communication Director for the White House Health Reform Office, asked the public to report any websites or emails containing “fishy” information on the proposed health care bill the response to this draconian tactic was underwhelming to say the least.  No real outrage by the mainstream media.

Robert Gibbs, White House Spokesman, did attempt to diffuse the small public outcry.

“Nobody is collecting names. We have used on many occasions the Web site to debunk things that are simply not true.  We ask people if they have questions about health care reform and about what they’re hearing about its effects on them to let us know and we provide them information to show that that wasn’t true.”

Robert Gibbs

What we have here is a failure to communicate.  When Linda Douglass asked people to report websites or emails, she was really telling people to send in questions to obtain the truth about the health care bill.

Right……

Be careful, I think it’s contagious.

Read the rest of this entry »

The US lost 247,000 jobs in July, fewer than expected.  The unemployment rate dropped from 9.5% to 9.4%.  How can jobs lost translate to reduced unemployment?  The number of people actively looking for work also fell – reducing the unemployment rate.

Don’t blame the Obama administration for this one.  The unemployment rate has been calculated using this method since the 1950’s.  If you stop looking for work you are no longer considered unemployed.  If you are working part time because you can not find a full time position you are considered employed.

The unemployment rate for July including all labor “under utilization”  is 16.8%.

Feel better now?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Searched you tube, searched “liberal” sites, can’t find any right wing nut jobs waving swastika’s around at the now infamous health care town hall meetings.  That’s what I get for believing Pelosi.  Taken in again.  I did see a lot of angry people asking questions and not getting any answers just more platitudes.

Pelosi and the rest of those desperate to pass health care quickly are actually complaining that these protest are planned and not from “grass roots” sources.  Insurance companies, the Republican Party, and other evil organizations are mobilizing against this health care bill.

As a “grass root”, I certainly hope so.