The Suspense Is Killing Me

The current administration has used an immense amount of political capital to get this health care reform farce to its current place and time. We have a president who, to please his whacked liberal and union base, has pledged to co-opt the entire health care and health care insurance industries. I keep hearing that amounts to 1/6 of the US economy. No wonder the president has squandered so much of his good name on creating a lasting memorial to himself. After all, isn’t FDR revered for his fathering the government as the do all, be all, end all for the dependant class? Obama wants to be the father of the Orwellian period of American history. Welcome to the prequel to 1984.

The person currently standing in his way is a lone independent, Joe Lieberman. This man, once a Democrat Senator, Vice-Presidential candidate, and supporter of the Iraq war, turned independent when his party threw him out with the bath water. He was forced to run as an alternative to the Democrat candidate and won. He told the Senate leadership that they would have to eliminate the public option and the Medicare change to get his support. They have done that but now have angered the balance of the Democrat senators. The health care bill forces all Americans to purchase health insurance. They wanted that to be from the government but without the public option in the bill, the profits will be going to private insurance companies thus providing them with business and the nasty, nasty thing called profit. No my precious, we must not allow a profit.

Now we wait, and wait, and uh, wait for the next contestant in the Senate lotto to see what can be offered up to buy their support for the bill. Hopefully someone asks for a pony and some cotton candy. It would seem only fitting as that is pretty much the way they are acting. They are all a bunch of children trying to get their way without regard to whether their way is best for the country. My biggest issue is that they want to put the IRS in charge of making sure everyone has purchased health insurance. That means you indicate on your tax return whether you have coverage. That is like putting the Gestapo in charge of the elementary education system. Can you see the SS assisting your kindergartner across the street or administering a spelling test? Seig Heil and all that. I know, don’t give them any ideas. Makes me want to not file for a refund and just let them keep what they have collected. Heaven help me if I ever owe them anything.

Icool

Cobb

Everyone’s A Winner

There have been several polls in the last few days that if correct, make me think about chucking in the towel and going off the grid. Today’s Bloomberg poll has Americans wanting the government to spend its way back to health and tax the rich to get there. I do not know what Americans have against rich people. I do not know any truly rich people but I know they or their ancestors found a way to be successful and tuck a few dollars away. They either made or inherited the money. Taking it from them because someone else thinks they deserve it is nothing more than stealing. Now that is either one of the 10 Commandments or possibly a Federal, State and local law.

If you flip that around and increase the taxes on those who approve of taxing the wealthy, they think it is unfair. “Why should I have to pay higher taxes? I am struggling to survive while they are taking vacations and living in mansions. They don’t need all of that money.” Yet they are more than happy to let it happen to someone they perceive as rich. They scream foul if you attempt to take their property but it is fine to take someone else’s. America was founded on property rights and equal opportunity. Each of us has the opportunity to accumulate wealth. Some people prefer to take the easy route and take it from those who have. It is the entitlement mentality that started working its way through our government almost as soon as the ink was dry on the Constitution.

A large segment of the US population appears to believe that redistributing wealth will make everyone’s life easier. If I could just get my piece of the pie, my life would be great. What they don’t see is that the wealthy supply the money that makes the engines of commerce run. They build the factories, create the businesses and pay the salaries of the American worker. We have seen what happens when the government runs the factories. It is called the collapse of the Soviet Union. If you have no true stake in the success or failure of a business, you will not take a risk to make it successful. It is accepting mediocrity and oblivion as the norm instead of expecting excellence. Our schools have been teaching that for years and we have finally created a society where everyone gets a trophy. Wow, I feel special.

Icool

Cobb