The repository of one hard-boiled egg from the south suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and the occassional guest-blogger). The ramblings within may or may not offend, shock and awe you, but they are what I (or my guest-bloggers) think.
No, it’s not your friendly neighborhood bomb-thrower, who has gone soft since Shoebox came on board. Lance Burri earned that honor from the Pew Research Center for plastering a WaPo columnist.
Guess I’m going to have to start trying harder (or not go on vacation and miss opportunites that Lance seized).
Back in the day, I played a real cut-throat Monopoly. However, I wasn’t nearly as cut-throat as the federal government. I’ll let MadisonConservative explain:
Now, let’s say I’m playing with four other people. The four other people are normal monopoly players, playing by the normal rules. They represent private insurance companies. Now, I’m going to join the game. However, I get a different set of rules because I say so. I represent the public option.
First, in normal Monopoly rules, everyone collects $200 from the bank when they pass GO. Let’s refer to this as the capital that insurance companies get in order to run their business. They get it from revenues earned by competing in the health insurance market. However, for me, the rule is different. When I pass go, instead of getting $200 from the bank(customers), I instead collect $50 from each of the other players. Why? Well, the government gets its revenues by collecting taxes, not by providing competitive services. So, while the other players are collecting their money from passing GO from customers, I’m collecting my money from them. Their wealth is going down, directly leading to mine going up. Already, I have an advantage, because I’m the government. Guess what, though? Not only do I collect $50 from each of the other players every time I pass go, but I get $100 from the bank! See, the government doesn’t only collect taxes from businesses, but they also collect it from their customers! Once again, I have an advantage, because I’m the government.
Of course, there is more over at the HotAir Greenroom, so enjoy it. Do also read the comments.
Via The Rumbler Report…
Click for the full-sized pic
Of course, that doesn’t count the massive overhead built into the program.
On a conference call on Wednesday, President Obama took on the “myth” that the House bill contained death panels saying:
Let me give you just one example, this notion that somehow we are setting up death panels that would decide whether elderly people would live or die. That is just an extraordinary lie.
(emphasis mine)
There is no such thing as a death panel, at least that’s what those who refuse to read the plain language and implication of HR 3200 will tell you. No, the provisions that mandate end of life counseling are just one of the ways of “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!”
Folks, let’s be clear, call it what you want, but anytime you marry a limited ability to pay with an unlimited demand there will be rationing. Some of it will be subtle i.e. long wait times, some not so subtle i.e. procedures denied. The question is, would you rather deal with an employee of a health insurance company where you have legal and other options or would you rather deal with an employee of the DMV who tells you to shut up and sit down until it’s your turn?
Still not convinced? Watch this video. Pay particular attention to the question that they don’t think about:
H/T Dan McLaughlin
Do you suppose that proponents of Oregon’s government plan were telling opponents that a “death panel” was just an “extraordinary lie” as that bill was being debated?
“Is it cheaper to pay for someone to die than to help them live?”
This was the question that received the answer:
“That is not a question that we think about.”
Well of course it’s not! At least not anymore than:
Is it cheaper and less inconvenient to murder this unborn child than to allow it life?”
Maggie Thurber explains why the PermaCampaign that Obama is trying on health care is doomed to failure:
But that point aside, trying to convince people with the same ideology that you’re the best one of several to represent that ideology is much different from convincing an entire nation, the majority of whom claim no party or are Republicans, to join your cause.
Obama isn’t going to the opposing side and presenting his viewpoint on the issue, he’s handpicking audiences and ‘preaching to the choir’ and trying to re-energize his base. But that will only go so far as the vast majority of Americans are not in that group to begin with.
He’s still in campaign mode, trying to sell an idea, when the public would rather have the facts and the details – all the things they were too busy to bother with during the actual campaign. Now that Obama is in the White House, the public expects him to manage the operations, though he’s had absolutely no experience whatsoever in doing something even remotely similar. And now it shows, especially in how he blames everyone else for his failure in this regard.
As always, I highly recommend reading the entire thing.
Since I am a consitutent of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville), I’ll list his listening sessions first (with the note that some, like the already-moved Kenosha one, may yet be moved):
– Monday, August 24
EAGLE: 11:30am-12:15pm, Village Hall, 820 East Main Street
NORTH PRAIRIE: 1:30-2:15pm, Village Hall, 130 North Harrison
– Tuesday, August 25
SHARON: 9:00-10:00am, Community Center, 125 Plain Street
GENOA CITY: 10:30-11:30am, Village Hall, 715 Walworth Street
PADDOCK LAKE: 12:00-1:00pm, Village Hall, 6969 236th Avenue
KENOSHA: 2:15-3:45pm, Gateway Technical College, Madrigrano Auditorium, 3520 30th Avenue
– Wednesday, August 26
WILLIAMS BAY: 9:15-10:15am, Village Hall, 250 Williams Street
FONTANA: 10:30-11:30am, Village Hall, 175 Valley View Drive
WALWORTH: 11:45-12:45pm, Village Hall, 227 North Main Street
DARIEN: 1:45-2:45pm, Village Hall, 24 North Wisconsin Street
JANESVILLE: 3:30-5:00pm, City Hall, Council Chambers, 18 North Jackson Street Craig High School, Large Auditorium, 401 S Randall Ave
– Thursday, August 27
ROCHESTER: 9:45-10:30am, Municipal Hall, 203 West Main Street
STURTEVANT: 11:15am-12:15pm, Village Hall, 2801 89th Street
RACINE: 1:30-2:30pm, Gateway Technical College, Racine Building, Great Lakes Room #114, 901 Pershing Drive, use parking lot D Roma Lodge, Roma Lodge, 7130 Spring Street
– Monday, August 31
BIG BEND: 12:45-1:30pm, Village Hall, W230 S9185 Nevins Street Big Bend Elementary School, Gymnasium, W230S8695 Big Bend Drive
NEW BERLIN: 2:00-3:00pm, Citizens Bank of Mukwonago – New Berlin Branch, 5450 South Moorland Road GREENFIELD: 2:00-3:00 pm, Whitnall High School, Auditorium, 5000 S 116th Street
GREENDALE: 3:30-4:30pm, Safety Building, 5911 West Grange Avenue Greendale High School, Auditorium, 6801 Southway
Meanwhile, my friends at Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin are taking care of the folks in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th Congressional districts:
– Wednesday, August 26
MADISON: 6:30 pm-8:00 pm, Mariott Madison West, 1313 John Q. Hammons Drive
– Thursday, August 27
LA CROSSE: 11:30 am-1:00 pm, La Crosse Center, 300 Harborview Plaza
ROTHSCHILD: 6:30 pm-8:00 pm, Rothschild Pavilion, 1104 Park Street
They will be featuring ABC News’ John Stossell at all three townhalls, and they invited both the Representatives and their challengers to the respective townhalls. While the AFP-sponsored townhalls are free, they do ask that you register as they will be ticketed events.
Just as a reminder, Rep. Ryan also has a simple request for attendees, one that should be observed by all at every townhall:
A spirited debate on the future of health care and on the proper role of government in our society has come alive in recent weeks. I welcome the debate, and look forward to the 19 listening sessions and community forums I will be holding across Southern Wisconsin in the days ahead. I invite the residents of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District to actively participate at these listening sessions – and to respect the fact that your neighbors may disagree.
The widespread disrespect, and even violence, from the extremes on both sides of this debate is regrettable. I am disappointed by the attacks leveled by the White House and leaders in Congress against those raising the legitimate concerns and questions raised by citizens. To hold a differing view does not make one a “tool of special interests”, and to voice those disagreements is not “un-American” or a sinister “scare tactic”. There is room for common ground on common sense reforms – but this will require responsible leadership to trump partisan gamesmanship.
My staff and I will make every effort possible to accommodate your participation and to ensure that your voice is heard. Anticipating larger turnout, I’m working to move some of the listening sessions to larger venues. The Kenosha Listening Session, for example, has been moved to the Madrigrano Auditorium at Gateway Technical College (3520 30th Avenue). Please click here for an updated schedule.
I’d ask that all attendees respect your fellow citizen’s desire to communicate with me. Shouting down your opponents at a listening session is not only ineffective, but quite simply rude. Arguments are not won by the volume of one’s voice, but rather the merits of the idea. I will work tirelessly in the days ahead to conduct these listening sessions with civility and respect for all views, and trust that the residents of Wisconsin’s 1st District will do the same.
Thank you,
Paul Ryan
Revisions/extensions (9:30 am 8/21/2009) – Corrected a typo introduced by me. Some days, I need a proofreader.
R&E part 2 (10:35 am 8/25/2009) – The location of the Ryan Janesville listening session has been changed due to larger-than-expected crowds.
R&E part 3 (10:47 pm 8/25/2009) – The Ryan Racine listening session has been moved.
R&E part 4 (12:04 pm 8/27/2009) – The entire Monday schedule has been moved about.
R&E part 5 (12:24 pm 8/27/2009) – I should have noticed that either the Greendale High School or the address listed was off. I do have a request in to Ryan’s office for clarification, and will update when I get it.
R&E part 6 (12:31 pm 8/27/2009) – It is Greendale High School. Meanwhile, maps to the Monday locations have been included in the
Regular readers will know that Shoebox and I have been tracking Rasmussen’s Daily Presidential Tracking Poll, and that it has been not-so-good for Obama the last month. The Presidential Approval Index (those with strong opinions) has been negative since June 30, and most days since July 24, the overall approval rating has been negative.
Other pollsters are starting to notice this trend. Door #1 – Gallup. While they still show a positive job approval for Obama in their daily tracking poll (out of all adults, not just “likely voters” as Rasmussen polls), the spread has never been closer than the current 51% approve/42% disapprove.
Door #2 – Zogby Interactive (H/T – Allahpundit). I do have to caution that Zogby Interactive polls involve a pool of self-selected people, so I do not put a lot of stock in it. I also have to caution that Zogby has not yet released all the numbers itself; just the 45% approval among likely voters. However, Newsmax got a hold of the poll early, and again, the trend is not Obama’s friend: 50% disapproval, highest disapproval/lowest approval in the history of the Zogby Interactive polling, and a loss of independents (38% approve/59% disapprove).
Door #3 – The Washington Post/ABC News poll (H/T again – Hot Air Headlines). While Obama’s approval rating is still at 57% (versus a poll-high 40% disapproval), only 49% believe Obama will make the right decisions for the country, and 55% say the country is on the wrong track.
There is a reason why the blogosphere loves MKH beyond her beauty – she is brilliant. She teed off on Obama’s use of “wee-wee”:
“There’s something about August going into September where everyone in Washington gets all ‘wee-weed’ up,” the president said.
Yes, wee-wee, the sneakiest fear-monger. Tinkle, the silent consensus-killer. There is some debate as to what the president meant, though it may have had something to do with Sarah Palin? I don’t know, everyone’s equally stumped….
You’re going to have to go to The Weekly Standard to get the upshot. Trust me on this one.
You really should be following her on Twitter as well. Her younger brothers may not be too happy, but if one can’t laugh at family, who can one laugh at?
So you think greater government regulation will help bring down pricing in health care? If what we are about to experience with the repercussions of their decision to force “change” in the credit card industry is any indication, you may want to think again.
Newsmax has this articledocumenting the changes that credit card companies are now putting into place in anticipation of new government regulation which began yesterday. While reading through these changes, remember that the new regulations on credit cards were ostensibly implemented to make the various credit card agreements more transparent and easier to understand and to impose restrictions so that credit card companies are less able to uniquely address high risk accounts.
Amongst the changes being implemented:
Citi, for example, is in the process of informing some cardholders that it will institute an annual fee, about $30, on certain accounts.
That will help those who can’t pay….fewer of them will be able to get/afford a card at all!
And American Express Co. recently sent out notice it will eliminate over-the-limit fees on its consumer credit cards in October. They were dropped in response to a provision in that law that, starting in February, requires card companies to offer a way for customers to agree to pay each time a transaction triggers such a fee.
That’s good news for the over charger, until you see this:
the interest rate on her card will jump to 10.24 percent from 6.99 percent. If she makes any late payments, the rate will shoot up to 27.24 percent.
Citi and American Express aren’t alone:
American Express and Citi are not unique. A survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts of nearly 400 credit cards offered by the 12 largest issuers in the country found that rates have gone up on average 2 percent since December.
Yeah, consumers may find it easier to read their contracts but credit card companies aren’t going to give up the margins they’ve enjoyed. By removing the ability for credit card companies to selectively deal with higher risk accounts the new government regulations have created market conditions that have the credit card companies increasing costs to all consumers.
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