Ebola: Coming to a City Near You

Zsuzsanna Jakab, the European Director of the World Health Organization warned today that Ebola is certain to spread throughout Europe.  He stated it was "quite unavoidable."

This warning was tempered in a way that he hoped would not frighten Europe but enable them to prepare for the certainty that people in their countries, and perhaps their cities would contract the disease. 

It's not easy to contract Ebola, but it is difficult to provide the necessary isolation to keep the disease from spreading.  Fear is our very worst enemy.  People will lie to both avoid isolation and to seek treatment.  It's a dangerous brew.

Jakab's warning should have been made for the United States as well.  As it spreads through Europe it will invade the USA increasingly often.  And we lack practical methods of prevention, reasonable methods of isolation, and we have zero efforts at education.  

I'm frankly more worried about the impact on our economy even more than our national health.  Even a relatively minor outbreak will frighten most citizens.  And frightened citizens do desperate things.  The cost of prevention will be astronomical.

As has been the case under President Obama, virtually every threat has been underestimated, minimized or dismissed by the administration.  Ebola is no different.  We need a national health response plan now and our citizens need to be educated and informed to avoid panic.  

Anecdotal Evidence

ObamaScare
by SCOTT SCHABLOW

So far, my experience with The Affordable Care Act provides me with ZERO confidence that any part of it will ever produce anything other than chaos. I am hereby renaming the plan ObamaScare, because frankly it frightens the hell out of me. Friends tell me stories about premiums rising 1000%, A friend called the Alabama Insurance Department and the spokesperson there said the average Alabamian may see a 300% increase in premiums. That is IF ANYONE EVER GETS TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS! I spent a couple hours filling out the online application. The section before the identity verification kept losing my information each time I logged off, even after repeated saves. Each time I logged back in I had to re-enter the same information. This game I repeated SIX TIMES at about 30 minutes each. I FINALLY got to the end of the section and I was ready to embark on the ID verification process and present the submitted application tfor verification.

But wait, after I submitted the information for the ID verification process I got an error saying that my ID could not be verified online. I needed to call the Healthcare Marketplace. Where is this cool sounding marketplace? Near the Wharf in SanFran? Or maybe PepperPlace in B'ham? Nope it's nowheresville. I place the call. After waiting on hold a short while I heard, "Hello this is the hellfiredamgeplace whatdjks;aieh kdsljf". Assuming that the inaudible mumbling I just heard actually confirmed I had called the correct place, I proceeded with, "Yes, hello, I am trying to fill out my application at Healtcare.gov (I really wanted to say I'm battling ObamaScare Gallactica!) and I got to the part where I need to verify my identity and I got an error saying to call this number."

She says "OK." Silence. . . more silence. . . not a word. Me: "Hello, is anyone there?' She: "yes." Then more silence, but this time I can hear someone in the background whispering, "Ask him mumble mumble blah blah." More silence (even the mysterious whispers have stopped). Then, like someone jumping out of a closet in front of an unsuspecting kid feeling this way through a dark hallway, "SIR, WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH?" Well by now I'm thinking, you can get me one of those portable de-fib units they have at public spaces - and set that phaser to stun 'cause you just gave me a heart attack! I recomposed myself and essentially repeat the same, "the web site told me to call you" blurb. Then I added is this the right number?" She assures me it is and that some other people have had trouble in that spot." BINGO, SCORE WE HAVE A WINNER, she knows what I'm talking about! Smooth sailing ahead! I wait with great anticipation for forthcoming wisdom; an action plan to set this thing into motion!

She says, "Umm, just a minute" and puts me on hold. Tick tock, tick tock. Another blanket of silence has covered this corpse of a customer service call. And this has officially, at this very second, shredded my hope of ever seeing my family alive again. Oh, sorry, It just felt that way. She returns again, this time at a normal volume level and the mumbling is understandable. But it's not exactly professional, or semi-professional or even business casual. It's an insulting combination of slang phrases and one word sentences that has no place in an private office conversation, much less in a customer service center. Things like "do wut," uh-huh, gonna, naw, nuttin', ain't and more. Aside from the slacker talk, the bottom line is the system wouldn't work for me, nobody could fix it, tell me why or what's wrong or anything. Oh, except I needed to write down my name, address, telephone number, and MAIL it with a copy of my driver's license, social security card, a lock of my hair, a DNA swab, a urine sample, fingerprints, a retinal scan, a psychological evaluation and my Facebook password. I asked her if she could just get a copy of the stuff she's needin' from the NSA, because they've been following me for years. Silence. Me: "I'm just kidding, I'll send the stuff, gimme the address. " She does and proceeds to tell me it would take 3 to 8 weeks to get verified. I'm no math whiz but I know there is not 8 weeks left in the year. "Ma'am, if it takes 8 weeks, what am I supposed to do for health insurance in the meantime. She: "I dunno" I hang up, resolved to find a real solution.

Today a friend tells me the new web site actually works. But she also says that I better get back in there quick because she had to start over. I login tonight and the application resumes on STEP NUMBER ONE. All the information I have entered again and again is gone. Along with it is a popup message saying that I need to remove, delete and destroy the old application and start all over again. Lucky number seven, right? Well tonight, I aint' doin' nuttin' like 'at. Gonna chill away from ObamaScare and dream of a better time.

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Scott Schablow is a long time friend. He is the Director of Digital Marketing & Social Media for The Hip Brand Group in Birmingham, Alabama. This essay originally appeared on Scott's Facebook page and is reprinted here with his permission. 

Health Insurance Now Cost MORE Than a New Car - Every Year!!

"Health Insurance Costs More Than a New Car" is certainly a Drudge worthy headline.  He has a eye for the grabber headline that yields massive click-thrus.  And this one sure caught my eye.


But in this case the click through from Drudge leads you to an honest to goodness news story in POLITCO (not even an op-ed piece).  But it's still a scary story.  Family Health Insurance for the average family in America now exceeds $15,000.00 a year.  That's more than the cost of a new Ford Fiesta. Every single year!


You could have a Jay Leno sized garage full of cars in just a few short years if you simply stopped buying Health Insurance!!


How can this possibly happen?  The key is that the average American doesn't realize how much he is being charged.  His or her costs are partially paid by the employer and the balance is split up by paycheck, between 24 and 52 payments a year, so they seem smaller than they actually are.


The POLITICO article goes out of its way to make certain readers know that OBAMACARE (or the Affordable Care Act) is NOT the reason for these huge premiums, it's mostly actual increases in healthcare costs.  In fact the POLITICO article points out that Obamacare may hold back future cost increases.


But this is reality and the article makes clear that these costs are increasing much faster than the rate of inflation.  I believe the so-called Affordable Care Act is not part of any solution.  I'm sorry the bill became so politically charged that real compromise was never even considered.  Republicans and Democrats share the blame equally.  Although I feel Nancy Pelosi was primary the architect of this fiasco.


Market forces could reduce these costs, but only once the actual payer, the patient or the employee, understands how much he is really paying.  Our system of employer paid health insurance hides the real costs from the insured, while forcing the uninsured into certain bankruptcy.

Byzantine Beyond Belief

The brilliant Camille Paglia, whose rambling columns over at Salon.com are often incendiary, has written the finest overall analysis of President Obama's health care initiative and the subsequent political battles that I've read by any author, anywhere. In writing Obama's Healthcare Horror, Paglia is witty, biting and, most of all, insightful in her look at the strange progress of what she calls, "one of the most vital issues facing the nation."

Paglia is an Obama supporter. She voted for him in the election and has high praise for his handling of foreign affairs and other issues. But, in this article, she dissects his political team and his handling of the healthcare debate alternatively with a razor sharp knife and a sledge hammer! She leaves no bodies unbloodied.

I must confess my dismay bordering on horror at the amateurism of the White House apparatus for domestic policy. When will heads start to roll? I was glad to see the White House counsel booted, as well as Michelle Obama's chief of staff, and hope it's a harbinger of things to come. Except for that wily fox, David Axelrod, who could charm gold threads out of moonbeams, Obama seems to be surrounded by juvenile tinhorns, bumbling mediocrities and crass bully boys. Case in point: the administration's grotesque mishandling of healthcare reform, one of the most vital issues facing the nation. Who would have thought that the sober, deliberative Barack Obama would have nothing to propose but vague and slippery promises -- or that he would so easily cede the leadership clout of the executive branch to a chaotic, rapacious, solipsistic Congress? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom I used to admire for her smooth aplomb under pressure, has clearly gone off the deep end with her bizarre rants about legitimate town-hall protests by American citizens. She is doing grievous damage to the party and should immediately step down.

Where Paglia is especially sharp is in her analysis of the various competing healthcare bills floating around Congress this summer. These bills do not do the very things the President promised. Worse yet, it is increasingly clear President Obama doesn't even know the content of the bills he is championing.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Obama's aggressive endorsement of a healthcare plan that does not even exist yet, except in five competing, fluctuating drafts, makes Washington seem like Cloud Cuckoo Land. The president is promoting the most colossal, brazen bait-and-switch operation since the Bush administration snookered the country into invading Iraq with apocalyptic visions of mushroom clouds over American cities. You can keep your doctor; you can keep your insurance, if you're happy with it, Obama keeps assuring us in soothing, lullaby tones. Oh, really? And what if my doctor is not the one appointed by the new government medical boards for ruling on my access to tests and specialists? And what if my insurance company goes belly up because of undercutting by its government-bankrolled competitor? Face it: Virtually all nationalized health systems, neither nourished nor updated by profit-driven private investment, eventually lead to rationing. And why such an abject failure by the Obama administration to present the issues to the public in a rational, detailed, informational way? The U.S. is gigantic; many of our states are bigger than whole European nations. The bureaucracy required to institute and manage a nationalized health system here would be Byzantine beyond belief and would vampirically absorb whatever savings Obama thinks could be made. And the transition period would be a nightmare of red tape and mammoth screw-ups

Camille Paglia echoes my exact sentiments in her review of the current, keenly orchestrated, Democrat effort to brand any concerned citizen as a member of an AstroTurf "mob." It simply isn't possible for a political party to so stunningly betray the American People.

And what do Democrats stand for, if they are so ready to defame concerned citizens as the "mob" -- a word betraying a Marie Antoinette delusion of superiority to ordinary mortals. I thought my party was populist, attentive to the needs and wishes of those outside the power structure. And as a product of the 1960s, I thought the Democratic party was passionately committed to freedom of thought and speech.

Be certain to read Camille Paglia's complete article: Obama's Healthcare Horror

The Casualties of The Health Care War

I was up in the middle of last night Twittering. Twittering at 2:00 am. But I couldn't sleep for some unknown reason. Lots of other folks are up Twittering at 2:00 am, too. Many are from Europe, where it's actually morning. And a few are my very favorite late night friends from Malaysia, China and Cambodia.

But the tone and tenor of last night's conversations were vastly different. Far to much of the communication was angry or bitter or sarcastic. Health care debate has entered the Twitterverse full force.

Most distressing to me, in both the Twitterverse and the Blogosphere, is the tendency to demonize opponents with nasty, often sexual, racial or ethnic slurs in place of any real discussion of issues and ideas. As a liberal and a Democrat I am most distressed because most of these slurs come from the left. As I witnessed a barrage of hate aimed at one particular conservative woman, I was deeply saddened. I kept thinking, "we liberals are supposed to be better than that."

The woman was attempting to engage in real discussion, raising genuine concerns. I never saw a single genuine factual response. I did see her vilified as "trailer trash" with other comments I'll chose not to repeat. It's sad.

Since I was up anyway, I watched cable news, switching between Glenn Beck and Rachel Maddow. That was a trip! How could two smart people look at exactly the same facts and arrive at such vastly different conclusions? Both, in effect, yelling "FIRE" at the top of their lungs.

I really like Rachel Maddow and I really dislike Glenn Beck. He is tough to watch and tougher to listen to. But I was appalled at Rachel's total inability and total unwillingness to even consider that someone else's concern was genuine. She decided, without benefit of any facts, that the "Brooks Brothers" protesters were bought and paid for by some corporate giant, secretly scripting every comment and busing in every protester. Then she actually REFUSED on air to meet with any of the protesters or to actually talk to them! Damn Rachel, You're Better Than That!!!

I have coffee with these "Brooks Brothers" protesters every morning of the week. You know, they just don't look like the picture on the left.

I've got terrible news for Rachel. They don't even know what "Brooks Brothers" is. They are (around here) mostly Democrats, mostly senior citizens, blacks as well as whites, mostly laborers, and just good folks.

They all like their current health care situation. They all like their current insurance options. They don't want that to change. At all.

They DO WANT the uninsured covered (universal health care), but they sure as hell don't want the government involved. They all want tort reform. They all want insurance to be transportable. Debt scares them. And the government scares them.

And now they are all really pissed off that they are being dissed, lectured, talked down to, and ignored by Barack Obama. Barack Obama yesterday told them, in effect, "to shut the hell up." Barack Obama has really made them angry.

Televisions endless replay of President Obama's speech isn't helping. Obama actually said, "I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them just to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess."

Barack Obama works for us, one man told me. How dare he think he is just too good to listen to us now?

I'll admit I was appalled at Obama's comments yesterday. I thought they were terribly unwise. I think the President is getting really bad advice. He came off as the arugula eating San Franciscan that accused Ohio residents of clinging to their guns and their bibles.

President Obama needs to listen to all Americans, not insult and ignore them. Or demonize them. Or, worst of all, scold them as foolish children, whose opinions don't matter.

My mother used to say, "You catch more flies with Honey than with Vinegar." If President Obama wants to win the Health Care Debate, he needs to remember that old adage.

What we've lost by waging a Health Care War, is an open exchange of ideas. My long post today SHOULD have been about the simple, elegant and logical approach to Health Care Reform offered yesterday from an unexpected source, Charles Krauthammer. Yep, Charles Krauthammer. It's worth reading. But in today's warfare environment, it will never be discussed, let alone considered.

The Town Hall Meetings of No

I've been researching the House versions of the proposed Health Care Reform and I can only say I'm appalled. In fact, I'm sickened. I need health care.

It is clear that compromise is dead. It is clear that bipartisanship is dead. It is clear that honesty, honor, and candor are on their respective death beds.

I had hoped for Universal Health Care this year. We need it and we deserve it and we can afford to do it. Alas, it's my own party, the Democrats, that has killed it. Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama have performed an abortion that was unnecessary.

When you set out to lie to the American people, to pull the wool over their eyes, you can only succeed for so long. President Obama wanted quick approval of a bill he hoped would be hidden from the light of day. Thank the gods he has failed.

The American people are not stupid. We are trusting and we are slow to learn. We want to believe. But the bill in the House of Representatives is a Trojan horse, convoluted, complex and duplicitous. It doesn't do any of the things Democrats and President Obama promised. It will destroy the current American Health Care System. It's sad.

You can only lie to the American People so many times before you get caught. And now the Dems have been caught red handed. And they are paying the price. Below are just two of dozens of examples, with more to come.





The tragedy is that this horrific lie will likely kill all chances of Universal Health Care.

I lay 100% of the blame at President Obama's feet. If he had told the truth, if he had genuinely allowed a bipartisan bill to emerge, Universal Health Care could have become a reality.

Now we can only hope the bipartisan efforts in the Senate can save the bill. It's a slim chance. If you don't believe me, replay the above video and the dozens like it from all across America.

It's The Economy, Stupid

I'm going to quote, well, paraphrase actually, a guest I heard on talk radio this morning. I have absolutely no idea who it was; I don't have a name. I was only in my car for five minutes. But is was a fascinating analysis that I thought was insightful and completely correct.

This unknown guest said that President Obama's problems with his Health Care Plan wasn't really caused by the health care proposal. Instead it was caused by the rapidly declining economy and the President's huge over promise when he pushed through Nancy Pelosi's stimulus bill.

President Obama put the maximum pressure on Congress to pass the bill quickly, so quickly that no one actually read the bill. He warned of dire consequences if the bill waited even a day. And he made grandiose predictions of a quick recovery and limited unemployment. Numerous speeches were made and numerous promises were laid out before the American People, including how Joe Biden was going to personally watchdog the spending to make sure it happened quickly and there would be no waste.

Among the many people who never read the bill was President Obama himself.

In effect, Congress and the American People went out on an $800,000,000,000.00 (eight hundred BILLION dollars) limb for the President and he has failed utterly and completely.

In spite of some reporting so stupid it literally defies belief, the economy is not recovering. It is in shambles. Unemployment is skyrocketing. And the stimulus is not working....... at all.

Now, many of us knew the grab bag of political greed, waste, paybacks and payoffs that Nancy Pelosi called a "Stimulus Package" was doomed to failure from the beginning. But we hoped for the best.

But today, faced with misuse of funds, government lies of epic proportions, waste, fraud and inefficiencies, Obama's credibility is shot. The people no longer believe him. Never has a President spent his political capital so quickly.

The unknown talk radio guest stated that the real problem in Congress wasn't Health Care, it was the economy. If the economy had responded as Obama had so boldly promised, passing Health Care would be a breeze and every other proposal would be a breeze.

But now it's the President himself who is facing hurricane force winds of change. And it's his agenda that needs a stimulus.

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The following information was helpful to me in the preparation of today's essay:

Associated Press: 'Help Wanted' counting stimulus jobs

Lee's Tidbits: Oregon Stimulus jobs created? 3,236 in first three months

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Obama Hits New Low

Rasmussen Poll: 49% of Americans Say America's Best Days Have Come and Gone. Obama's Approval Falls to Only 48%

Associated Press: May-June joblessness up in 90 pct of metro areas

Fox News: Stimulus Dollars Fund Erotic Film, Stage Show Yes, I know it's Fox News. And yes, I know it's a very tiny part of the stimulus funds, but this is exactly the kind of thing that just kills Obama's credibility. You would think that the Federal Government would have learned that lesson long before this. This was a bone headed, stupid mistake.

Three False Assumptions in the Health Care Debate

Part of the reason we are facing such a nightmare of a health care plan is that the architects in the White House and Congress have defined the need for a new and radical system based on assumptions that simply aren't true. The media has glossed over these assumptions. And Republicans and opponents to the President's plan have concentrated their fire on the plan itself, when they should be attacking the underlying assumptions.

Once the President set up the playing field to his advantage, he thought it would be easy to score the goals. Thankfully, opposition has risen to the plan and much of what Obama and Pelosi designed may never emerge. But, if we were playing on a level field, it is likely an entirely different solution would emerge.

I want to begin by stating clearly that we all share the same goal: Universal Health Care for everyone regardless of income, economic status and health conditions. This essay is not an effort to avoid the goal, but rather to make it much easier to achieve, at a lower cost, and with much less pain.

Three False Assumptions

Number ONE: The Current Health Care System is Broken

This is simply, totally wrong. The current health care system works beautifully. It provides the most choice, the finest doctors and greatest hospitals in the world. It develops 85% of all the new drugs in the world. People live longer and have a much better survival rate in the event of catastrophic illness.

Eighty Five percent of all Americans' get exactly the health care they desire. They have a huge smorgasbord of insurance options along with medical savings accounts and extraordinary cash payment options. Every major city has clinic open at virtually all hours and trauma and emergency rooms for crisis events.

And all this costs the government NOTHING!!! No taxes, no handouts, no rationing, no boards to oversee doctor and patient relationships.

The problem we face has nothing to do with the system being broken. It is that FIFTEEN PERCENT (15%) of Americans don't have easy or affordable access to the system. The system is absolutely wonderful. We simply need to get the last 15% in the doors!

Number TWO: The Current Health Care System is Bankrupting the Country

Again, this assumption is pure rubbish. The health care options currently used by the vast majority of Americans costs the government NOTHING. The part of our system that works is, in reality, cost neutral.

What doesn't work, at all, is the part that our government mismanages to the point of absurdity: medicare, medicaid and the Veteran's Administration Health System. Medicare is totally out of control, so badly run that is it bleeding both financially and physically. Many doctors and hospitals refuse to take Medicare patients because the government allowances don't begin to cover actual costs.

Meanwhile, because of pathetic oversight and ill defined guidelines, other doctors over order tests and procedures. There is little quality and virtually no oversight. Most seniors have to purchase Medicare Supplement Insurance to get back to the level of excellence enjoyed by younger Americans.

The problem is government run health care. It is not an insurance problem, it is not a health care system problem. It is the same problem that plagues virtually all government run systems in this country, a large, ill trained, poorly supervised bureaucracy.

To keep the country from going into bankruptcy, we must fix or scrap the current Medicare System, not enlarge it to include the entire nation.

Number THREE: The Current Health Care System Can't Cover All Americans

I beginning to wonder where all this bullsh*t comes from. Actually, the current system can easily absorb all Americans and the Insurance Companies have already stepped up to the table and agreed to cover everyone. The three big players, Insurance, Doctors and Pharmaceutical Companies are all on board.

There are thorny issues that require new laws and government oversight. But every key factor to achieve Universal Care has already been agreed upon. Insurance must be transportable form state to state and company to company. The Insurance Companies agree and are actually excited about this change as it will increase their potential customer base.

Premium pools must be greatly enlarged and then all people must be insured regardless of prior conditions. Once again, insurance companies are already on board. But there is one more step.

All people must be required, by law, to obtain insurance. And all companies must be required by law to provide insurance plans. Adding the young people who purposefully avoid purchasing insurance will enlarge the premium pools and provide some coverage for the critically ill. There will be costs here, but these are small compared to government run plan projections. And frankly there are some easy ways to reduce costs.

Health insurance should operate just like automobile insurance, with dozens of providers and competition based on coverage and premiums. It can be done and insurance companies are ready to do it.

That leaves one issue, covering the poor who simply cannot afford insurance. This will cost all taxpayers money. It can be done through a voucher system with premiums based on a a sliding scale by income level.

SUMMARY: The Current Health Care System Can Work Wonderfully

I haven't the time right now to go into the amazing cost reductions now available to everyone. MRI's and CAT Scans are available now for a fraction of their costs just two years ago. Doctor's visits are available now for $15.00 to $30.00 to people WITHOUT insurance. And, if we don't screw up the system, prices will begin to drop for everyone. Competition is the solution, it is not the problem.

What is wrong with the entire debate in Washington today, is that we are determined to break the huge part of modern health care that isn't broken without even attempting to fix the small government run parts that are draining our national wealth.

How to Make Universal Health Care an Overwhelming Success

If ever a national program deserves to succeed, it is Universal Health Care. It is a great goal, worthy of a great nation. Americans, and, indeed, all people deserve Universal Health Care. Even the weakest and poorest among us deserve health care with respect, caring and quality.

A catastrophic health crisis should not drive anyone into bankruptcy. There should never be a choice between a loved one and a mortgage. As a nation we can afford Universal Health Care and now is the time we should gather our brightest and our very best and design a plan that protects and shelters our people and strengthens our nation.

We should gather our best and brightest, our experts in each area of wellness, care and management and we should craft a program that combines our greatest strengths with our capacity for caring for our poor and those currently uninsured, for what ever reason.

We should bring our very best and brightest to the table. But we're not. Instead we've gathered a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats and partisan hacks who have virtually no real world experience and no health care expertise. What they do know how to do is raise money for their re-election. They do know how to demonize their opposition. The do know how to pad the wallets of their patrons. They do know how to fill reams and reams of paper with bizarre and convoluted legal jargon.

The one thing that is emerging from their efforts at Universal Health Care is the virtual destruction of our current system which works so very well for the vast majority of Americans to be replaced by a bureaucratic nightmare of forms, quotas, rationing and, well, more bureaucracy.

Both the House and Senate have now got drafts of programs that exceed 2,000 pages each! And the Congressional Budget Office has reviewed these plan and certified that they will not work. Taxes and health care costs will skyrocket to the point they will bankrupt our nation in just a few short years.

What doctors and health care experts are pointing out is that these few short years will be miserable. Delays in service. Loss of your personal physician. And doctors who will be unable to use their best judgement in treating your ailments.

How did this happen? Nancy Pelosi, the most incompetent, partisan hack to ever fill the seat of Speaker of the House, has DEMANDED that only far left liberal members even be allowed to work on the House proposal. Absolutely NO REPUBLICANS and no MODERATE DEMOCRATS were allowed to raise a single objection and add a single idea to the bloated give-away to party loyalists. As a result, great ideas that would have reduced red tape, lowered costs, increased competition and improve care were left out.

Harry Reid has done essentially the same thing in the Senate, although rules there will eventually demand more thoughtful input.

But, for reasons no one will ever understand, President Obama is attempting to rush the program through the Congress without review, input, ideas, study or analysis. It is impossible for anyone to guess why. It is, most assuredly, a betrayal of the American people.

Can this be fixed. Of course it can. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has signed on to the goal of Universal Health Care! Doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, virtually all Republicans and all Democrats. The team is here and ready to work.

It can be fixed. But it won't be unless Barack Obama wakes up and realizes that the Democratically controlled Congress is the problem. It won't be fixed unless Obama uses this recess to gather a true bi-partisan team at the White House and works them day and night to really compromise and to build the best possible plan. Republicans, Blue Dog Democrats and Liberals, all at one table, all with their eyes focused on the ball.

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana has submitted an excellent compromise plan. It's a hell of a good place to start. You can all read it here: How to Make Health-Care Reform Bipartisan

Who is President Barack Obama?

The Barack Obama we have as President today is not the Barack Obama we elected. I strongly believe Americans overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama because he promised massive reform in Federal Government. He promised honesty. He promised transparency. He promised the strict rule of law. He promised to keep his promises.

My fellow Democrats and I were sick and disgusted at what we felt was the "Imperial Presidency" of George Bush. Especially galling were the "signing statements" that President Bush claimed allowed him and the Executive Office to ignore the law. Barack Obama made this a centerpiece of his campaign against the Republicans.

And Barack Obama promised a new era in Washington, an era of bipartisanship. Republicans would have a place at the table and all bills would have input from all parties. All ideas would be welcome and we would have compromise instead of gridlock.

Barack Obama made more promises for transparency including posting all bills on line for at least 5 days before signing, no current lobbyists in his cabinet and more. Barack Obama is a great orator and we really did understand his message. He won the election by a modern day landslide.

I'm having a great deal of trouble today finding a single promise Barack Obama has made that he hasn't broken. Not just broken but flaunted. In six short months Barack Obama has made George Bush look like Honest Abe.

The Barack Obama we elected is not the man who is President today.

Immediately abandoned was the promise to post bills on line. In fact, in what has turned out to be the biggest lie in legislative history, Obama demanded Congress quickly pass and he quickly sign the Economic Stimulus Act, a pork barrel filled gift to lobbyists and supporters that has put the country deeply in debt. Now, six months later there is no stimulus and only a scant 10% of the money has been spent. There most certainly were five days available to post that turkey on line! As it turns out almost no bills have been posted on line for taxpayer review.

Exemption after exemption allowed lobbyists to fill the Cabinet. But what is much, much worse is the thirty plus CZARS who are actually responsible for everything from soup to nuts. None need be approved by Congress and several are radical zealots who aren't remotely qualified for the positions they hold. Some are downright scary characters. For example, consider Van Jones, the newest Environmental Jobs Czar, a religious and social fanatic.

Even more tragic is Obama's immediate implementation of "signing statements," which has really earned the ire of Democrats in Congress. The Associate Press reports:

President Barack Obama has irked close allies in Congress by declaring he has the right to ignore legislation on constitutional grounds after having criticized George W. Bush for doing the same. House Democrats on Tuesday said they were "surprised" and "chagrined" by Obama's declaration in June that he doesn't have to comply with provisions in a war spending bill that puts conditions on aid provided to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Earlier in his six-month-old administration, Obama issued a similar statement regarding provisions in a $410 billion omnibus spending bill. He also included qualifying remarks when signing legislation that established commissions to govern public lands in New York, investigate the financial crisis and celebrate Ronald Reagan's birthday. "During the previous administration, all of us were critical of (Bush's) assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of congressional statutes he was required to enforce," the Democrats wrote in their letter to Obama. "We were therefore chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude." If Congress can't place conditions on the money, "it will make it virtually impossible to provide further allocations for these institutions," they wrote.

While these are troubling signs, what has concerned me the most is his virtually total failure to even attempt to work on legislation in anything remotely resembling a bipartisan way. Instead the leadership in the House and Senate have completely shut out all Republican and even moderate Democrats from the legislative process. Bills are crafted in secret. Republicans are not allow to attend these sessions. Then Pelosi and Reid decry the lack of Republican support even though they are the total cause of the Republican alienation.

Barack Obama could put a stop to this with one single phone call. It's a call he has not made.

The tragedy is the proposed Health Care Reform Legislation. With the Insurance Companies and most Republicans FIRMLY on board for reform, this could have been Obama's finest moment. He is allowing EXTREME PARTISANSHIP to potentially scuttle the potential cornerstone of his young administration.

Later today or tomorrow I will post a special entry on the blueprint for real Bipartisan Health Care Reform that is already on the table from Republicans AND the Insurance Companies.

The Political Health Care Battle

This is a very short entry.

First we do need and must have universal health care. It might not need to be in the form of traditional "insurance," but today's Emergency Room approach to health care for the poor and uninsured is unacceptable. Every person must have access to primary care that is affordable and crisis care that will not leave them in bankruptcy.

Second the current Democrat Plan being rushed through Congress at a breakneck speed is horribly bad. If you haven't actually dug into the nuts and bolts, you can't imagine just how bad it is. While Republicans are exaggerating the potential results in terms of human suffering, the bill is a disaster that will, in fact, destroy the American Health Care System as we have known it, forever.

I am deeply disappointed with President Obama.

I thought the mangled wreck of a stimulus plan could be laid entirely at Nancy Pelosi's and Harry Reid's feet. President Obama took a hands off approach and the entire nation is paying the price. Obama was new at his job and Pelosi sold him down the river. At least that's what I thought.

But now President Obama is taking a virtually identical approach on Health Care and the result is terrifying. Even as the non-partisan but liberal leaning Congressional Budget Office tries valiantly to sound the alarm, President Obama absolutely refuses to listen. This Health Plan will not work and it will cost billions more than today's system. There is no money to pay for this program as designed. And cuts in Medicare and Medicaid alone will destroy health care for Seniors.

Yet the demand for quick passage mounts. Do not read the bill. Do not post the bill for taxpayers to read. Do not ever allow a single Republican is a single planning meeting. Do not allow amendments. Do not listen to taxpayers. Pass it now.

We need Universal Health Care. We need to manage costs and put the individual back in charge of his or her personal health. Insurance must be transportable and it must be universal.

I'm ready and willing to support a strong plan that will actually cover all Americans without dismantling the current system that works so amazingly well for the vast majority of Americans.

President Obama could have accomplished this. So far he has chosen not to.


Here are two different but informative views:

MadMikesAmerica: A MAD MIKE COMMENTARY: JOE LIEBERMAN AND HIS FELLOW OBSTRUCTIONISTS ARE AT IT AGAIN!

SHOOS BLOG: Health Care Costs

It's The End of the World as We Know It

Well, faithful readers, it is time for the very lengthy third part of my trilogy. Parts one and two below were necessary to provide context for this third and most important discussion. Below is my analysis of the current economic crisis in the United States and, ultimately, the world. As my title above suggests, it is not a pleasant prognostication.

Long time readers know that I have been sounding the alarm siren for the last six months. As soon as it became obvious that our Congress and President were on the wrong track in handling the economic downturn, I've done my best to bring the keys issues to the forefront. This link here will take you to a dozen or more past blog entries where I've outlined the coming problems and condemned in no uncertain terms the horrific Economic Stimulus Package.

Sadly, a quick review of comments from many readers proved two tragic facts. First, most people simply want to "play politics" and never, under any circumstances, read legislation or consider alternative solutions. If our fellow Democrats did it, it must be good. If Republicans proposed it, it's stupid, lame, old school and wrong.

Second, all too many people are just here for the free lunch. As long as some other "rich guys" pay the bills and they believe they'll eat for free, then they'll line up at the trough. Every day is a holiday and every meal is a banquet.

So just how bad is it? It's very, very bad. And you're going to feel the pain as early as tomorrow.

Borrow and Spend Democrats

I am a rather proud "tax and spend" Democrat. There are many things I genuinely believe the government can do better than the private sector and many others that the government must do because the majority of people simply will not do them. The beauty of being a "tax and spend" Democrat is there was a natural barrier that prevented us from going overboard: TAXES. If taxes got too high, the electorate would reign us in. And, as long as we worked with a nearly balanced budget, this system was nearly prefect.

Plus, by answering to the actual tax payers, we were forced to be honest, efficient and logical. We were forced to prioritize.

Today, under the vacuum of leadership from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the naivete of President Obama, none of that is happening. Instead of tax and spend, the new priority is borrow and spend without restraint. There are literally no priorities. There is no restraint. Pork barrel spending abounds, in fact it has become the coin of the realm. Payoffs are common place, corruption is rampant and institutionalized.

Barack Obama was and is totally unprepared for his job as President. He is no more than the band leader on the Titanic. The ship is sinking and it will take him down.

Where We Stand

About 500,000 new people apply for unemployment each week. Over 9 million new unemployed have been added to the dole since the pathetic non-Stimulus Bill passed. Unemployment has reached a 30 year high at 9.5% and virtually every economist predicts is will be over 10% by August.

Because the non-Stimulus Bill was nothing more that a massive pork barrel spending give-away three horrible things have happened. First, only about 7% of the money has actually been spent. Only 11% will be spent by year's end. Did Barack Obama lie? No, I don't think so. He simply had no idea what Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were doing. Again, Barack Obama was (and still is) woefully unprepared to play at this level.

Second, the stimulus money turns out to be primarily rewards for contributors and patrons. I know this comes as a total surprise to everyone, but the vast majority of the money seems to be headed to states that supported and voted for Democrats! WOW! Who knew?

Third, and perhaps most tragic, the paltry sums of money that are flowing out as being pirated away for bankrupt states and used to pay bills or lower debt, not for any stimulus at all. The report issued today by the General Accounting Office paints a tragic picture of misuse of funds.

But the surprises hardly end there. It turns out there actually were (and are) shovel ready projects needing funding and ready to hire people. Are they getting the money? Nope. Not according to an analysis by The New York Times.

In short, not one single job has been created and only a handful of jobs have been saved. This could have all been avoided. A stimulus package costing 1/3rd less was proposed and on the table from Republicans. Every single penny would have been spent to hire people for permanent, full time, high paying jobs. But, of course, none of it would have gone to pay off contributors. None would have been wasted. And it would be working hard today, not on hold until 2010 and 2011.

Where Are We Headed?

By borrowing insane amounts of money and not taxing anyone for anything yet, Democrats have appealed successfully to both the party partisans and the pigs down at the trough. But that's all about to end.

Interest rates are about to skyrocket. I know of no economist who predicts less than a doubling of interest rates in the next few months. While that assures there will be absolutely no recovery in the economy, it is actually much worse. As interest rates eclipse 7% the government will be totally unable to service the huge deficits. One hundred million dollars a day in interest!

Because of the inevitable collapse of the US economy, tax increases will move from counterproductive to impossible. My essay back on March 7th was tragically accurate, we are on the same economic policy path that led to The French Revolution. Let them eat cake!

President Obama's current drive for universal health care, a laudable goal, is moot. No matter what bill passes, the program will collapse, along with Social Security and the current Medicare/Medicaid in the next few years. We cannot borrow ourselves out of debt. We cannot service the debt. We cannot tax our way out of debt. Like a chess player who has been out maneuvered, we have no moves remaining. Checkmate.

Is there a way out? Like the immortal line from the movie War Games, the only way to win is not to play. Because of the non-Stimulus Bill and the pork filled Budget recently passed, it may already be too late. Inflation is coming. And the deficit is unsustainable. And Democrats are sadly still playing politics.

The public is about to explode. They are already feeling the pain. Even after siphoning off stimulus money, states are making critical cuts in goods and services. California, Illinois and New York are about to undertake massive layoffs that will further balloon stressed out welfare rolls. California is issuing virtually worthless IOU's to taxpayers and creditors as their bonds are being lowered to near junk status. Illinois is about to release 10,000 prisoners because they simply cannot pay the guards.

You are about to feel serious pain and it's just the beginning. We are entering The Greatest Depression.

It is likely Obama will end his single term as a badly failed President in spite of his many great talents. While Republicans are unprepared to regain control of both houses next election, they will make serious gains. And real, thinking Democrats will quickly break with Pelosi and Reid and Obama, if necessary, to demand repeal of most spending plans and reduced borrowing.

I'm not at all certain that is will be anywhere enough.

Intelligent Discussions

I've been ranting lately on several blog sites I visit about the distractions and irrelevant demagoguery directed at fringe personalities rather that the real issues than need discussion and civil debate.

Rush Limbaugh is simply never an issue. He has opinions and he has a style. You can disagree with one or the other or both, but he simply is never the issue, Not ever. Discussing Limbaugh or Ann Coulter or Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann might be fun, but they are side players. Read them or watch them, agree or disagree with them and then move on.

There are real issues and thanks to Barack Obama's far reaching vision we will need to become educated and well versed on many issues over the next four years. President Obama will drag us forward, even if we are kicking and screaming, toward the goals he has set for America.

If we are open minded and if we are really willing to learn we can contribute to this future. Once we actually focus on Education, the Environment, Government Regulation, and Health Care we can build a better America and, hopefully, a better world.

I often get really furious at Keith Olbermann. I feel he is intellectually dishonest, at best. But he often has learned guests and he represents a point of view that is shared by millions. He is saying important things, even if he says them badly.

I was out a noon time today, a real rarity for me. Naturally, Rush Limbaugh was on the radio and I listened for an extended period. Rush's comments and points were excellent. He can be snide and sarcastic. He is an easy mark for those on the left who love to copy, edit and paste. But, if you actually listen to him, he is extraordinarily bright and has extremely valid points.

Rush and Keith are simply two of many sources of information. They are not the issues, they have opinions.

For reasons I can only guess, some folks want to make them the center of the debate. People who do that have an agenda and it's not good. They want to limit debate. They want to distract. They want to inflame fears and build a mob mentality.

Despots have taken this approach throughout history. Blame the Jews. Blame the Blacks. Blame the Hispanics, the Irish, the Italians. Blame the Rich. Blame the immigrants. Blame the welfare mothers. Blame Rush Limbaugh.

Beware anyone who doesn't want to discuss the issues.

In the interest of learning and exploring the real issues, I want to CHALLENGE my readers to link over to Michelle Malkin's excellent discussion about Canadian health care, Did Canadacare kill Natasha Richardson? Michelle and other conservatives are already being demagogued to death by the powers that want to stifle debate for talking about Natalie Richardson's death.

By falsely claiming the Michelle and others are "exploiting" Natalie Richardson's death, these folks simply want to end the discussion about health care. That is so wrong on so many levels. Malkin's article is well written and excellent. It is thought provoking. It raises issues that simply MUST be discussed as we all work together toward the much need national health care system.

So don't listen to the people who want to somehow make Malkin the issue instead of Health Care. Malkin is not the issue. Read her article. And find others who actually discuss the real issues.

The Wizard Analyzes: Health Care

One week ago I promised to take a close and honest look at the seven issues most Americans think are most important this election year. For all you who actually think the big issue is Sarah Palin's tanning bed or Joe Biden's rumored ability to become invisible, you are about to be sadly disappointed.

We need instead to pick our next President on his proposals on the major issues and his ability to actually implement those proposals.

I will look at all the following issues between now and November 1st: [1] Health Care, [2] the Economy, Taxes and Spending, [3] Education, [4] Iraq and Afghanistan, [5] Environment, [6] Civil/Women's/Gay Rights and finally, [7] Style of Governing.

Today I'm looking closely at Health Care for two reasons. First it's the easiest to pick the best plan and candidate. Second, it's the single most important issue facing most Americans today.

I cannot possible analyze the two competing plans in 750 to 1,000 words and, no matter what I write, many will disagree with my conclusions and say I've misrepresented the facts. Good! Let's have a real debate on the issues.

I know this will be hard for you all to believe, but there are some real reporters working on this issue. Be sure to read these two articles: Reports criticize Obama, McCain health plans and New Studies Report Wide Disparity in Health Care Plans

Here is a link to John McCain's Health Care Proposal. And here is a link to Barack Obama's Health Care Plan.

Health Care and Health Care Insurance in America are both seriously broken. Costs are completely out of control. I personally was in an Emergency Room in Atlanta for 5 hours last spring. No major surgery or major tests were involved. I was released and was, thankfully, alright. The bill was (and I an neither joking or exaggerating) $17,000.00.

Any serious illness means almost certain bankruptcy for any American, even if they have health insurance. But 46 million Americans have no health insurance. These folks are clogging Emergency Rooms and further driving up health care costs. And they receive substandard care. A level of care that all too frequently means death.

To summarize in a sentence or two, Obama wants a rather complex layering of health care plans that would be coordinated by a huge federal bureaucracy. McCain would replace the current tax exemptions for employer provided health care plans in favor of tax breaks for every citizen.

On a simple or even a detailed reading, McCain's plan would seem to make more sense. Except it will never work. McCain might be on the right track, but his plan will never insure virtually any of the 46 million currently uninsured. His economics fall apart for all middle and lower income families. And independent analysts agree. McCain's plan would likely make matters much worse, not better. In fact most Americans might actually lose benefits.

Barack Obama is really on the right track. By most all independent accounts he would cover an additional 34 million people. It doesn't get us to universal health care, but it gets us closer. Obama's problem is that his plan is so expensive it cannot be sustained. He will need to simplify the plan and reduce it's scope. But it will help and it's likely to be implemented.

In my opinion, if Health Care is the deciding issue in determining your vote, you should cast your vote for Barack Obama.

But, there are six more issues to discuss.