It might just be me, but it seems like a large number of people who should have died a helluva long time ago, seem to be dying lately. If somehow Mary Jo Kopechne had of gotten out of that car in Chappaquiddick Creek in 1969 instead of drunken frat-boy Teddy Kennedy, the world would have been a much better place. I don’t say that because of the vile, lying, cheating, despicable character Kennedy proved to be; but rather because he was consistently on the wrong side of every single government action throughout his political life. He left wreckage, waste, and excess in his wake that diminished the quality of all our lives. He kept millions trapped in poverty, gave cover to abortionists who murdered tens of millions, and he squandered trillions in tax dollars. He helped create or protect the time bombs that all these various government programs proved to be. He squandered the political legacy of brothers JFK and Bobby. It was JFK who said “a rising tide lifts all boats” and cut our taxes and of course Bobby cut his teeth in combating government corruption by working for Senator Joe McCarthy combating communists.
His unspeakably vicious attacks on good men of character like Robert Bork, Samuel Alito, and so many others were despicable. He and cohorts like Joe Biden lowered the bar of civility in the Senate to unheard of depths. All this “reach across the aisle” business is just so much crap. What Kennedy sought repeatedly was the Trojan Horse of government invasion into our daily lives that is destroying our Nation. For those on the right who cooperated with him – the term “useful idiots” comes to mind. As one writer said recently, Ted Kennedy was the “poster-boy for term limits.” Of course the final indignity that Kennedy foisted on the American public is not a Health Care disaster, but rather the leadership disaster that is President Barack Obama whose campaign became a juggernaut with the endorsement of the fawning Kennedy clan.
Rather than showering Ted Kennedy with accolades because of his big heart, I keep looking at the results of his failed policies and discredited political philosophy. Everything that Ted Kennedy fought for failed – everything. Yet he will be remembered as the “Liberal Lion of the Senate.” More 1984 style double-speak from the left – more like “Liberal Lyin’.”
Now the final insult, they are going to bury him in the midst of actual American heroes in Arlington Cemetery – disgusting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ground erupted and spit out his disgusting remains.
Conservative Resistance – Day 298
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Mary Jo Kopechne Rest In Peace
There will be more than enough people celebrating the life of Senator Ted Kennedy today, so I will remember an innocent that died at his hands – Mary Jo Kopechne (1940-1969). I hope that Mary Jo and her parents were there at the Pearly Gates to watch them get slammed in Teddy Kennedy’s face. Teddy Kennedy was a despicable person and his actions the night that he killed Mary Jo Kopechne were particularly vile. While Mary Jo was drowning, Teddy was planning the cover-up. You can rest in peace now Mary Jo – that particular Kennedy is getting what is due to him now.
I will not miss Ted Kennedy and America doesn’t need him. I’m glad he is through embarrassing his (first) wife and the remainder of his family. Ted Kennedy actively worked to ruin this country – God may forgive him – I will not.
Conservative Resistance – Day 296
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
If this is “success” how do you define “failure?”
I have to confess that I don’t understand how anyone in their right mind can trumpet that the “Cash for Clunkers” program is a success. I do have a friend who was able to take advantage of it. His mother had just driven her 20 year old, low mileage car into a ditch. He was barely able to coax the car into the dealer and got $4500 of our money to trade in that piece of crap on a brand new car for his mom. Good for him – bad for the rest of us.
I guess that the program is successful in the same way that the free cheese program is successful. The government didn’t have any idea how it would work (like many of their programs) so “Cash for Clunkers” ran out of money twice – in record time. We have to replenish the free cheese program to give away free cheese too – does that make that program a success? Hardly.
The figures vary, but it looks like We the people bought over 450,000 clunkers – and destroyed them. While a good portion of these cars might have been like the one my buddy turned in, we removed a large number of perfectly good used cars that could have been a boon to someone who didn’t have a car. My first three cars were used cars. I bought a new car for my wife when we out grew the car she brought into the marriage, then I bought myself three more used trucks before I finally bought the first new car for my use – I was 42 years old. I saved thousands of dollars that way and in one unthinking moment our government removed that possibility from hundreds of thousands of citizens. I drove through a "cash for clunkers" lot on Sunday - the vast majority of those cars looked better than many of the used ones that I purchased.
I have given two cars to Purple Heart in the last few years. I wonder how they feel about not getting a shot at hundreds of thousands of vehicles that they might have been able to clean up and give to one of our wounded warriors. There are several other area charities that support themselves with vehicle donations. What would be their definition of “success” for this ridiculous program?
This is one of the best examples of how government destroys the free market economy. We probably won’t know for sure, but the government just sucked up pent up buyers. My buddy is a good example; he had to get his mother a car. He didn’t have any alternative. He might have bought a dependable used car, but the government was buying them up and destroying them. He was just lucky to need a car when the government was foolishly giving away our money.
Of course if all that wasn’t bad enough – the government isn’t paying the dealers as promised. This isn’t that unusual. My family was covered by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). It was a disaster. My wife was burdened with mountains of paperwork and doctors began to require us to pay up front as the government couldn’t manage to pay the providers within an acceptable time period. We had to seek additional insurance coverage. All that was put on the backs of military families. When the government didn’t pay the car dealers – we weren’t surprised.
One other thing perplexes me – who in the government processed the claims? What organization was authorized to create the forms? The websites? Who cut the checks? What will that organization do after that program is over? Will those people get laid off? Will they be moved to some other program? Our government is too big.
The only people who are probably happy about this are the Green-Nazis. Taking higher mileage cars off the roads solves the non-existent problem that they keep whining about. If we have more successes like this, our economy will probably be on par with Costa Rica’s. Obamanation here we come.
Conservative Resistance – Day 295
I guess that the program is successful in the same way that the free cheese program is successful. The government didn’t have any idea how it would work (like many of their programs) so “Cash for Clunkers” ran out of money twice – in record time. We have to replenish the free cheese program to give away free cheese too – does that make that program a success? Hardly.
The figures vary, but it looks like We the people bought over 450,000 clunkers – and destroyed them. While a good portion of these cars might have been like the one my buddy turned in, we removed a large number of perfectly good used cars that could have been a boon to someone who didn’t have a car. My first three cars were used cars. I bought a new car for my wife when we out grew the car she brought into the marriage, then I bought myself three more used trucks before I finally bought the first new car for my use – I was 42 years old. I saved thousands of dollars that way and in one unthinking moment our government removed that possibility from hundreds of thousands of citizens. I drove through a "cash for clunkers" lot on Sunday - the vast majority of those cars looked better than many of the used ones that I purchased.
I have given two cars to Purple Heart in the last few years. I wonder how they feel about not getting a shot at hundreds of thousands of vehicles that they might have been able to clean up and give to one of our wounded warriors. There are several other area charities that support themselves with vehicle donations. What would be their definition of “success” for this ridiculous program?
This is one of the best examples of how government destroys the free market economy. We probably won’t know for sure, but the government just sucked up pent up buyers. My buddy is a good example; he had to get his mother a car. He didn’t have any alternative. He might have bought a dependable used car, but the government was buying them up and destroying them. He was just lucky to need a car when the government was foolishly giving away our money.
Of course if all that wasn’t bad enough – the government isn’t paying the dealers as promised. This isn’t that unusual. My family was covered by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). It was a disaster. My wife was burdened with mountains of paperwork and doctors began to require us to pay up front as the government couldn’t manage to pay the providers within an acceptable time period. We had to seek additional insurance coverage. All that was put on the backs of military families. When the government didn’t pay the car dealers – we weren’t surprised.
One other thing perplexes me – who in the government processed the claims? What organization was authorized to create the forms? The websites? Who cut the checks? What will that organization do after that program is over? Will those people get laid off? Will they be moved to some other program? Our government is too big.
The only people who are probably happy about this are the Green-Nazis. Taking higher mileage cars off the roads solves the non-existent problem that they keep whining about. If we have more successes like this, our economy will probably be on par with Costa Rica’s. Obamanation here we come.
Conservative Resistance – Day 295
Monday, August 24, 2009
Patrick Henry on Hope
"It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth -- and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it." --Patrick Henry
From the Monday edition of Patriot Post: http://patriotpost.us/
From the Monday edition of Patriot Post: http://patriotpost.us/
Friday, August 21, 2009
Well we have an emergency now –
Yesterday I was working the Republican Party booth at our County Fair. One of the most interesting discussions I had was with a guy about the health care debate. Unfortunately this is a very complex issue and he had a very short attention span. It wasn’t so much that he was argumentative, rather it seemed that he was too impatient to listen to the entire explanation. I finally got tired of it and asked him “Do you recall anyone screaming about a health care crisis three years ago?” He paused thoughtfully and then replied “No, I don’t.” I explained that we don’t have a crisis just because Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid say we do. With overwhelming majorities of Americans happy about their health care regardless of the poll – this is the phoniest (fishiest?) of crises.
However, we have an emergency now. It was just reported that the Obama administration can’t hide from the truth anymore. They will be forced to admit that their 10 year budget deficit projection increased from $9 Trillion to $11 Trillion. I can’t even get my arms around how you can legitimately underestimate a projection by $2 Trillion. Unless of course you willfully make an inaccurate estimate and then leak the news of that on a Friday afternoon before leaving for vacation. Unfortunately my past experience extends to a company that went bankrupt – when that happens, you STOP SPENDING MONEY. However, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards with a democrat run House of Representatives, Senate, and White House. That is the basis of an actual crisis.
What annoys me most about this real crisis is that you had to have your head firmly thrust into the sand to have missed the legions of people who had projected exactly this outcome before the Obama administration made these decisions. How exactly did Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, David Axlerod, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman, and a myriad of other democrats make it through college without hitting Economics 101? These people are forcing us into a train wreck of their own construction. My heroes are the people attending the town hall meetings to protest this outrageous activity. Keep up the pressure on your representatives.
Conservative Resistance – Day 291
However, we have an emergency now. It was just reported that the Obama administration can’t hide from the truth anymore. They will be forced to admit that their 10 year budget deficit projection increased from $9 Trillion to $11 Trillion. I can’t even get my arms around how you can legitimately underestimate a projection by $2 Trillion. Unless of course you willfully make an inaccurate estimate and then leak the news of that on a Friday afternoon before leaving for vacation. Unfortunately my past experience extends to a company that went bankrupt – when that happens, you STOP SPENDING MONEY. However, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards with a democrat run House of Representatives, Senate, and White House. That is the basis of an actual crisis.
What annoys me most about this real crisis is that you had to have your head firmly thrust into the sand to have missed the legions of people who had projected exactly this outcome before the Obama administration made these decisions. How exactly did Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, David Axlerod, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman, and a myriad of other democrats make it through college without hitting Economics 101? These people are forcing us into a train wreck of their own construction. My heroes are the people attending the town hall meetings to protest this outrageous activity. Keep up the pressure on your representatives.
Conservative Resistance – Day 291
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
My Congressman is better than your Congressman
Thank you for contacting my office regarding health care reform. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I value your views on the important issues facing our Commonwealth and the Nation.
Like you, I am concerned about rising health care costs and the increasing number of Americans who do not have health insurance, have trouble keeping it, or are unable to find affordable health care. I also believe that those in Washington should not interfere with your relationship and confidentiality with your doctor, limit your right to seek better care, or raise your taxes.
As you may know, Representative John Dingell introduced H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, on July 14, 2009. This legislation would create a government-run health plan, mandate health plan benefits, impose employer and employee payroll taxes and establish the Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Furthermore, it would create a national health insurance exchange in which insurance plans would be offered for purchase. A federal commissioner would govern the exchange and would be charged with determining which plans could enter and compete in the marketplace with the government-run option.
H.R. 3200 would automatically enroll all Medicare-participating physicians in the government-run plan. This bill would also allow the Secretary of Health and Humans Services (HHS) to require physicians to deny services to patients with private insurance as a condition of participation in the government-run plan.
Additionally, H.R. 3200 would establish a Health Benefits Advisory Committee to recommend minimum federal benefits standards and cost-sharing levels. The Committee, in conjunction with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), would define what is 'acceptable' health insurance and impose new mandates on individuals and insurance carriers. Under the bill, all Americans would be required to have health insurance, a so-called 'individual mandate', with a few exceptions.
This legislation also includes many tax increases to pay for health care reform including an 8 percent payroll surcharge, or 'pay-or-play' provision, for businesses that cannot afford to purchase coverage for their employees. Most economists agree that the cost of health insurance is passed on to workers in the form of lower wages.
A 'pay-or-play' provision is particularly harmful to small businesses. Under this provision, businesses that opt out of the government-run system will be subject to an indexed payroll tax. A small business with a payroll of $350,000 to $400,000 would be subject to a 6 percent payroll tax which increases to 8 percent for a payroll over $400,000. This legislation would also impose a 2.5 percent tax on individuals who opt out of a government-approved health plan. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also noted that a "pay-or-play provision could reduce the hiring of low-wage workers, whose wages could not fall by the full cost of health insurance or a substantial pay-or-play fee if they were close to the minimum wage."
Moreover, this legislation increases the federal government's long-term spending obligations and fails to slow the growth of health care costs. CBO Director Doug Elmedorf testified before the Senate Budget Committee that "we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount. And on the Contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs." The CBO estimates that H.R. 3200 would increase the federal deficit by approximately $239 billion over ten years. This cost would be in addition to annual projected budget deficits expected to reach $1.8 trillion this year alone.
There is no doubt that real health care reform is critically needed. It is important that Congress support legislation that provides access to quality medical care for Americans without health care coverage. I support a consumer-driven system in which key decisions are made by you, your family and your physician. Competition is critically important in health care as in every facet of our economy. Unfortunately, I believe H.R. 3200 would have devastating consequences for families and small businesses. Moreover, I believe a government-run option would inevitably raise taxes, lead to rationed health care and let bureaucrats, not doctors, make decisions about your care.
Please rest assured, I will continue to support health care reform legislation that promotes quality, accessibility and affordability in the provision of health care. Thank you again for sharing your views and opinions with me. I am committed to serving you to the best of my abilities. If I can ever be of assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to call me at (202) 225-4261 or contact me online at: www.wittman.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Wittman
Member of Congress
Like you, I am concerned about rising health care costs and the increasing number of Americans who do not have health insurance, have trouble keeping it, or are unable to find affordable health care. I also believe that those in Washington should not interfere with your relationship and confidentiality with your doctor, limit your right to seek better care, or raise your taxes.
As you may know, Representative John Dingell introduced H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, on July 14, 2009. This legislation would create a government-run health plan, mandate health plan benefits, impose employer and employee payroll taxes and establish the Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Furthermore, it would create a national health insurance exchange in which insurance plans would be offered for purchase. A federal commissioner would govern the exchange and would be charged with determining which plans could enter and compete in the marketplace with the government-run option.
H.R. 3200 would automatically enroll all Medicare-participating physicians in the government-run plan. This bill would also allow the Secretary of Health and Humans Services (HHS) to require physicians to deny services to patients with private insurance as a condition of participation in the government-run plan.
Additionally, H.R. 3200 would establish a Health Benefits Advisory Committee to recommend minimum federal benefits standards and cost-sharing levels. The Committee, in conjunction with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), would define what is 'acceptable' health insurance and impose new mandates on individuals and insurance carriers. Under the bill, all Americans would be required to have health insurance, a so-called 'individual mandate', with a few exceptions.
This legislation also includes many tax increases to pay for health care reform including an 8 percent payroll surcharge, or 'pay-or-play' provision, for businesses that cannot afford to purchase coverage for their employees. Most economists agree that the cost of health insurance is passed on to workers in the form of lower wages.
A 'pay-or-play' provision is particularly harmful to small businesses. Under this provision, businesses that opt out of the government-run system will be subject to an indexed payroll tax. A small business with a payroll of $350,000 to $400,000 would be subject to a 6 percent payroll tax which increases to 8 percent for a payroll over $400,000. This legislation would also impose a 2.5 percent tax on individuals who opt out of a government-approved health plan. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also noted that a "pay-or-play provision could reduce the hiring of low-wage workers, whose wages could not fall by the full cost of health insurance or a substantial pay-or-play fee if they were close to the minimum wage."
Moreover, this legislation increases the federal government's long-term spending obligations and fails to slow the growth of health care costs. CBO Director Doug Elmedorf testified before the Senate Budget Committee that "we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount. And on the Contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs." The CBO estimates that H.R. 3200 would increase the federal deficit by approximately $239 billion over ten years. This cost would be in addition to annual projected budget deficits expected to reach $1.8 trillion this year alone.
There is no doubt that real health care reform is critically needed. It is important that Congress support legislation that provides access to quality medical care for Americans without health care coverage. I support a consumer-driven system in which key decisions are made by you, your family and your physician. Competition is critically important in health care as in every facet of our economy. Unfortunately, I believe H.R. 3200 would have devastating consequences for families and small businesses. Moreover, I believe a government-run option would inevitably raise taxes, lead to rationed health care and let bureaucrats, not doctors, make decisions about your care.
Please rest assured, I will continue to support health care reform legislation that promotes quality, accessibility and affordability in the provision of health care. Thank you again for sharing your views and opinions with me. I am committed to serving you to the best of my abilities. If I can ever be of assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to call me at (202) 225-4261 or contact me online at: www.wittman.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Wittman
Member of Congress
Friday, August 14, 2009
Happy Birthday Social Security
On August 14 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act and the greatest Ponzi scheme in the history of our Nation began. It seems particularly appropriate to evaluate this while we debate the socialization of the Health Care Industry. You see – democrats never talk about the results of their wacky ideas – they only talk about the good deeds they want to perform. FDR snuck in Social Security during a National emergency – the Great Depression. That is why Barack Obama manufactured an emergency to push Health Care through. It doesn’t appear that it is working – and that’s good.
If you don’t think that your government would lie to you – just examine Social Security. Remember the term “lock-box” in connection with Social Security – where exactly is that? The government took our money and then rather than put it away for the day that more people would be draw from Social Security than paying into Social Security – they spent it. The Social Security Administration continues to talk about the money they took from you as an “account.” If I have an account – can I have my money back? Bernie Madoff is in jail for doing exactly what the government is doing to us.
Social Security is another in the long line of programs that are either a train wreck (US Post Office, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac) or are about to be a train wreck (Medicare, Medicaid). No matter how bad things get – liberals stand in front of us and say “Trust us.” Yeah – let’s let them do to Heath Care what they did to Social Security and have it explode on our grandchildren.
Conservative Resistance – Day 284
If you don’t think that your government would lie to you – just examine Social Security. Remember the term “lock-box” in connection with Social Security – where exactly is that? The government took our money and then rather than put it away for the day that more people would be draw from Social Security than paying into Social Security – they spent it. The Social Security Administration continues to talk about the money they took from you as an “account.” If I have an account – can I have my money back? Bernie Madoff is in jail for doing exactly what the government is doing to us.
Social Security is another in the long line of programs that are either a train wreck (US Post Office, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac) or are about to be a train wreck (Medicare, Medicaid). No matter how bad things get – liberals stand in front of us and say “Trust us.” Yeah – let’s let them do to Heath Care what they did to Social Security and have it explode on our grandchildren.
Conservative Resistance – Day 284
Thursday, August 13, 2009
My Experience with Socialized Medicine
I realized recently that I had been the recipient (victim?) of socialized medicine. During my 22 plus years in the Marine Corps the health care that my family and I received was provided by the government, was free, and the practitioners were not motivated by financial gain. While as a general rule the care that I received was pretty good, I think that was principally due to the dedication and professionalism of the sailors and Naval officers who provided it even though they didn’t benefit beyond the salary that Uncle Sam deposited into their respective accounts on the 1st and the 15th of the month. This salary was much lower than that received by their civilian counterparts – but I don’t recall that any of them complained. However I wanted to provide a couple of anecdotes:
My first visit to a Navy dentist resulted in him breaking one of my teeth. He said that I had a cracked filling and when he drilled it out, he broke my tooth. I was at a training command and the office was a dental factory rather than a typical dental office. He piled silver on what was left of my tooth rather than give me a proper crown. That was cheaper, faster, and it didn’t require that he see me again. Problem solved. For the next 20+ years the only thing that I could eat that didn’t get stuck in the resulting gap was ice cream.
Most of the rest of my visits went pretty well. An appointment would be scheduled for an hour. I would show up, rarely did I wait very long, and the dentist would attend to whatever my issue was. It didn’t seem strange to me at the time, but the dentist was with me the whole time. He checked me out, determined what needed to be done, gave me the Novocain, chatted with me while it took effect and then fixed my teeth. It was only after I saw a for-profit outfit hum that I noticed the difference.
My current dentist is actually a former army dentist. In his office, there is a waiting room and then three exam/treatment rooms. All three treatment rooms have a patient in them all the time. If you are there when they open up in the morning, there are two other patients there as well. There is a constant stream of people in and out of that office. Part of that is because there are good people there who are trying very hard – the other reason is that none of those people get paid to entertain me. There is a system at work and technically qualified and hard working people feed you into process. It is like clockwork. The doctor only does those things that require his skill and expertise – everything else is done by wonderful people who no doubt make less money than he does. I see him every time I visit, but sometimes it is only for a few minutes. He replaced that monstrosity that the first Navy dentist perpetrated on my mouth with a state-of-the-art ceramic crown that they made right there in the office.
That operation is everything that the military system wasn’t. It is efficient, personal, and fast. My dentist delivers better care, faster, than any other three military dentists combined. I don’t think that he cares any more than those Navy officers who saw me did but he is motivated by profit. They deliver great care partly because they want me to come back. There are lots of dentists around, but I come back because I like this one. I like the lady that cleans my teeth even though I joke with her that I would rather be water boarded. The ladies that check me in remember my name, file the insurance claim, and check my records to make sure that I’m paid up to date.
I get my way too. He provided me with choices about how to approach the 20+ year old botched tooth repair. He has long stopped bothering me about flossing. He knows that I think it is for sissies and so he brings me in a little more frequently for Ms. Water-board to torture me. I pay a price for that in pain, time, and dollars as my dental plan doesn’t cover the extra annual visit. I don’t care – flossing is for sissies. The military ripped out all of my wisdom teeth – I can’t help but wonder if this guy might have saved them.
Non-government, for-profit medicine is the only way to go. Get the damn government out of health care and we will all be the better for it.
Conservative Resistance - 283
My first visit to a Navy dentist resulted in him breaking one of my teeth. He said that I had a cracked filling and when he drilled it out, he broke my tooth. I was at a training command and the office was a dental factory rather than a typical dental office. He piled silver on what was left of my tooth rather than give me a proper crown. That was cheaper, faster, and it didn’t require that he see me again. Problem solved. For the next 20+ years the only thing that I could eat that didn’t get stuck in the resulting gap was ice cream.
Most of the rest of my visits went pretty well. An appointment would be scheduled for an hour. I would show up, rarely did I wait very long, and the dentist would attend to whatever my issue was. It didn’t seem strange to me at the time, but the dentist was with me the whole time. He checked me out, determined what needed to be done, gave me the Novocain, chatted with me while it took effect and then fixed my teeth. It was only after I saw a for-profit outfit hum that I noticed the difference.
My current dentist is actually a former army dentist. In his office, there is a waiting room and then three exam/treatment rooms. All three treatment rooms have a patient in them all the time. If you are there when they open up in the morning, there are two other patients there as well. There is a constant stream of people in and out of that office. Part of that is because there are good people there who are trying very hard – the other reason is that none of those people get paid to entertain me. There is a system at work and technically qualified and hard working people feed you into process. It is like clockwork. The doctor only does those things that require his skill and expertise – everything else is done by wonderful people who no doubt make less money than he does. I see him every time I visit, but sometimes it is only for a few minutes. He replaced that monstrosity that the first Navy dentist perpetrated on my mouth with a state-of-the-art ceramic crown that they made right there in the office.
That operation is everything that the military system wasn’t. It is efficient, personal, and fast. My dentist delivers better care, faster, than any other three military dentists combined. I don’t think that he cares any more than those Navy officers who saw me did but he is motivated by profit. They deliver great care partly because they want me to come back. There are lots of dentists around, but I come back because I like this one. I like the lady that cleans my teeth even though I joke with her that I would rather be water boarded. The ladies that check me in remember my name, file the insurance claim, and check my records to make sure that I’m paid up to date.
I get my way too. He provided me with choices about how to approach the 20+ year old botched tooth repair. He has long stopped bothering me about flossing. He knows that I think it is for sissies and so he brings me in a little more frequently for Ms. Water-board to torture me. I pay a price for that in pain, time, and dollars as my dental plan doesn’t cover the extra annual visit. I don’t care – flossing is for sissies. The military ripped out all of my wisdom teeth – I can’t help but wonder if this guy might have saved them.
Non-government, for-profit medicine is the only way to go. Get the damn government out of health care and we will all be the better for it.
Conservative Resistance - 283
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Good Example Mr. President
I listened to the President’s “Town Hall” yesterday with great interest. He isn’t much for the rough and tumble of political discourse is he? I bet he wouldn’t have melted those folks in Pennsylvania with a wink of his eye like that lady who was handpicked to attend his “Town Hall.” However Obama did slip up and let us see a bit of the truth yesterday. He pointed out that both Fedex and UPS were operating just fine though in competition with the Post Office. It would be interesting to know exactly what he meant. You see in a head-to-head fair fight, if the US Postal Service wasn’t subsidized by taxpayers, protected from competition, and given financial breaks –there wouldn’t be a United State Postal Service. After all – the USPS has been dying for my entire lifetime – the government keeps propping it up.
Politicians get stipends (aka our tax dollars) to mail the crap that they send out all year. Political campaigns are given breaks on postal rates to send us all the crap that they send out. I don’t even know how many ways there are that we are encouraged to push things through the USPS. I have to mail documents to the Internal Revenue Service (the Great Satan) for example. The Post Office is the arm of the government we most interface with – where do you go for a passport application? Tax forms? Change of address cards? If all that went away – would the USPS go away? It might.
The Internet is killing the Post Office as well. I pay nearly all of my bills online. I was driven to explore that option principally by the alarming rate at which the USPS kept ramping up the cost of postage. When I was born, you could mail your Sears bill back with a 3 cent stamp, now it costs 44 cents to mail that same envelope – and I ain’t that old. Businesses of every stripe are moving away from mailing bills, statements, and the like to avoid postage. While some of that is for convenience, expensive postage is the mother of invention.
The government has mandated the use of the USPS for the American people. Think about it. I don’t get a choice as to where I receive mail or whether I receive mail at all. The mail guy is coming to my house whether I like it or not. Think about that little loss of freedom. I can add all the locations I want by purchasing a post office box at a wide variety of locations – but I can’t permanently stop the mailman from delivering to my house. While most days I like the convenience of home delivery, it becomes a burden if I want to go away for a few days. There is a UPS store half a mile from my house – I would rather have all my mail delivered there. But would the government give me a tax break if the mail guy didn’t have to come to my house? No they wouldn’t – you are forced to pay for government services whether you use them or not.
What would happen if the government sold some zip codes? Could you imagine what it would be like to have someone compete to deliver your mail? Look what competition did to the telecommunications industry. If MaBell had kept the monopoly on telephone service, we would all still have one phone in the house and you could have any color you wanted as long as it was black. The Fedex guy, the UPS guy, AND the postal carrier are in my neighborhood every day anyway – sometimes several times in a single day – I could see all kinds of benefits to having two outfits service our neighborhood rather than three. Maybe we can get the Green enviro-Nazis to look at that?
When was the last time you came out of a Post Office and remarked at how great the service was? The guy at the UPS Store remembers my name. Why do I still get mail for the lady that owned my home fourteen years ago? The Ford dealer I bought a Ford F150 from in 1995 has kept track of me and I get birthday card every year from the salesman.
The President made exactly the point that needs to be made about Health Care by alluding to the Post Office. While I use the Post Office and I am frequently amazed at how accurately and quickly the work of delivering mail is done – the USPS is a bloated (unions are partly to blame) and expensive luxury. This is particularly true for a government that is going deeper and deeper into debt – another nearly $200 Billion in July alone.
All-in-all I think that the United States Postal Service is pretty much a template for what the United States Health Services would look like in fairly short order. The USPS is about to close 700 offices and they asked for another $7 Billion to make it through this year.
Conservative resistance – Day 282
Politicians get stipends (aka our tax dollars) to mail the crap that they send out all year. Political campaigns are given breaks on postal rates to send us all the crap that they send out. I don’t even know how many ways there are that we are encouraged to push things through the USPS. I have to mail documents to the Internal Revenue Service (the Great Satan) for example. The Post Office is the arm of the government we most interface with – where do you go for a passport application? Tax forms? Change of address cards? If all that went away – would the USPS go away? It might.
The Internet is killing the Post Office as well. I pay nearly all of my bills online. I was driven to explore that option principally by the alarming rate at which the USPS kept ramping up the cost of postage. When I was born, you could mail your Sears bill back with a 3 cent stamp, now it costs 44 cents to mail that same envelope – and I ain’t that old. Businesses of every stripe are moving away from mailing bills, statements, and the like to avoid postage. While some of that is for convenience, expensive postage is the mother of invention.
The government has mandated the use of the USPS for the American people. Think about it. I don’t get a choice as to where I receive mail or whether I receive mail at all. The mail guy is coming to my house whether I like it or not. Think about that little loss of freedom. I can add all the locations I want by purchasing a post office box at a wide variety of locations – but I can’t permanently stop the mailman from delivering to my house. While most days I like the convenience of home delivery, it becomes a burden if I want to go away for a few days. There is a UPS store half a mile from my house – I would rather have all my mail delivered there. But would the government give me a tax break if the mail guy didn’t have to come to my house? No they wouldn’t – you are forced to pay for government services whether you use them or not.
What would happen if the government sold some zip codes? Could you imagine what it would be like to have someone compete to deliver your mail? Look what competition did to the telecommunications industry. If MaBell had kept the monopoly on telephone service, we would all still have one phone in the house and you could have any color you wanted as long as it was black. The Fedex guy, the UPS guy, AND the postal carrier are in my neighborhood every day anyway – sometimes several times in a single day – I could see all kinds of benefits to having two outfits service our neighborhood rather than three. Maybe we can get the Green enviro-Nazis to look at that?
When was the last time you came out of a Post Office and remarked at how great the service was? The guy at the UPS Store remembers my name. Why do I still get mail for the lady that owned my home fourteen years ago? The Ford dealer I bought a Ford F150 from in 1995 has kept track of me and I get birthday card every year from the salesman.
The President made exactly the point that needs to be made about Health Care by alluding to the Post Office. While I use the Post Office and I am frequently amazed at how accurately and quickly the work of delivering mail is done – the USPS is a bloated (unions are partly to blame) and expensive luxury. This is particularly true for a government that is going deeper and deeper into debt – another nearly $200 Billion in July alone.
All-in-all I think that the United States Postal Service is pretty much a template for what the United States Health Services would look like in fairly short order. The USPS is about to close 700 offices and they asked for another $7 Billion to make it through this year.
Conservative resistance – Day 282
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
You Da Man Now
A good friend of mine was in a convenience store the other day and heard a couple of guys at the front of the store railing against “the Man.” He grabbed a twelve-pack of beer and headed for the front of the store where he was confronted by two young black men who had been the source of the stream of complaints about “the Man.” He pointed out that “the Man” was now one of their own, indeed it was Barack Hussein Obama and he was President. The two men were stunned by the revelation.
I wonder if that same revelation is starting to dawn on “the Man” himself perched now at the top of the heap. For the first time in his 48 years Barack Obama is actually responsible for a large variety of things and there will be consequences to every one of his actions whether good or bad. These consequences range from the ridicule he received over wearing “Mom jeans” to a baseball game to the current outrage over the proposed takeover of the Health Care industry. President Obama and the Pelosi led House of Representatives along with the Harry Reid led Senate are now the “establishment.” Finally, they must feel like the piñata at a Cinco de Mayo party and they should. Now he knows how they made George Bush feel.
You see, about one third of the American electorate voted for a guy that they believed to be a conservative democrat (though that is a bit of an oxymoron). What they got was the bogeyman that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin had been warning everybody about. What the Obama administration is facing now is the third of the people who voted against him and the third of the people who didn’t go to the polls and just woke the hell up. The American people are mad and I am sure that Barack Obama is completely astounded.
You better get used to being the National piñata – we have just begun to fight.
Conservative Resistance – Day 281
I wonder if that same revelation is starting to dawn on “the Man” himself perched now at the top of the heap. For the first time in his 48 years Barack Obama is actually responsible for a large variety of things and there will be consequences to every one of his actions whether good or bad. These consequences range from the ridicule he received over wearing “Mom jeans” to a baseball game to the current outrage over the proposed takeover of the Health Care industry. President Obama and the Pelosi led House of Representatives along with the Harry Reid led Senate are now the “establishment.” Finally, they must feel like the piñata at a Cinco de Mayo party and they should. Now he knows how they made George Bush feel.
You see, about one third of the American electorate voted for a guy that they believed to be a conservative democrat (though that is a bit of an oxymoron). What they got was the bogeyman that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin had been warning everybody about. What the Obama administration is facing now is the third of the people who voted against him and the third of the people who didn’t go to the polls and just woke the hell up. The American people are mad and I am sure that Barack Obama is completely astounded.
You better get used to being the National piñata – we have just begun to fight.
Conservative Resistance – Day 281
Thursday, August 6, 2009
A Fishy E-mail
Ms. Linda Douglass (flag@whitehouse.gov),
In response to your request for "fishy" material - I am providing the e-mail below that was sent to me from a partisan in the Health Care debate. The person who wrote this is representing things that we know are not true. Let me explain:
- The Health Care bill is being written by the far left wing in the House of Representatives and they are not bound by any of the promises made by the President.
- No one has read the final bill, therefore we have no earthly idea of what crazy things are in it.
- The President has not promised to read the bill before he signs it, therefore he won't have any idea what is in it either.
- The government hasn't been able to run anything else effectively, so any guarantee that they can run Health Care is completely irresponsible.
- The President of the United States doesn't have a Health Plan, rather Congress is cooking up a Frankenstein-like bill that will no doubt destroy Health Care for the majority of Americans.
- Wherever any country in the world have tried anything even remotely like the President or Congress is designing, it has utterly failed.
As a tax payer, I would very much appreciate it if you would get to the bottom of these "fishy" claims immediately.
Kindest Regards,
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Friend,
If you’re like most Americans, there’s nothing more important to you about health care than peace of mind.
Given the status quo, that’s understandable. The current system often denies insurance due to pre-existing conditions, charges steep out-of-pocket fees – and sometimes isn’t there at all if you become seriously ill.
It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections:
No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
No cost-sharing for preventive care
No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
No gender discrimination
No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
Extended coverage for young adults
Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid
Learn more about these consumer protections at Whitehouse.gov.
Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt.
It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network.
Thank you,
Barack Obama
In response to your request for "fishy" material - I am providing the e-mail below that was sent to me from a partisan in the Health Care debate. The person who wrote this is representing things that we know are not true. Let me explain:
- The Health Care bill is being written by the far left wing in the House of Representatives and they are not bound by any of the promises made by the President.
- No one has read the final bill, therefore we have no earthly idea of what crazy things are in it.
- The President has not promised to read the bill before he signs it, therefore he won't have any idea what is in it either.
- The government hasn't been able to run anything else effectively, so any guarantee that they can run Health Care is completely irresponsible.
- The President of the United States doesn't have a Health Plan, rather Congress is cooking up a Frankenstein-like bill that will no doubt destroy Health Care for the majority of Americans.
- Wherever any country in the world have tried anything even remotely like the President or Congress is designing, it has utterly failed.
As a tax payer, I would very much appreciate it if you would get to the bottom of these "fishy" claims immediately.
Kindest Regards,
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Friend,
If you’re like most Americans, there’s nothing more important to you about health care than peace of mind.
Given the status quo, that’s understandable. The current system often denies insurance due to pre-existing conditions, charges steep out-of-pocket fees – and sometimes isn’t there at all if you become seriously ill.
It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections:
No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
No cost-sharing for preventive care
No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
No gender discrimination
No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
Extended coverage for young adults
Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid
Learn more about these consumer protections at Whitehouse.gov.
Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt.
It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network.
Thank you,
Barack Obama
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Diplomacy by Emotion
Imagine sending former President Bill “Horn-dog” Clinton to rescue two damsels in distress. The situation is dripping with irony . . . . sorry I just can’t help it. I wouldn’t allow my wife or daughters to be alone with Clinton much less overnight with the masher-in-chief on an overnight flight. But even putting that aside, you can’t make this stuff up. In one fell swoop the Obama catastrophe continues by giving the nut-job in North Korea exactly what he wanted – a public display with a former President of the United States. Kim Jong-il will milk this for all it is worth.
Two women who work for the national idiot, Al Gore stumble into North Korea. Does anyone spend any time thinking about exactly how hard it would be to stumble into one of the most heavily guarded countries in the world? If they intentionally crossed that border – then they are terminally stupid and they broke the law. I don’t care what the North Koreans believed the appropriate penalty was – Laura Ling and Euna Lee should have been prepared to pay that price. To upset decades of careful US diplomacy to rescue these two morons is reckless and unconscionable. Just another ridiculous and reckless act by the Obama administration.
Who knew that Al Gore had a television station? Precisely no one until he got non-stop national news coverage about twiddle-dee and twiddle-dumber who stumbled across a heavily guarded national border. Any agenda there? I think we should practice natural selection with reporters. North Korean concentration camps would be a good place for the stupid ones to keep them from delivering stupid news.
I spent two years in Korea. One thing that anyone with any interest in Korea knows is that Kim Jong-il has played us like a harp. That little dictator gins up a crisis every year and frequently he wins because we have no National memory. Congratulations Kim – you did it again with the willing and even eager participation of the goofiest collection of simpletons alive, Obama, Clinton(s), and Gore. Disgraceful.
Conservative Resistance – Day 275
Two women who work for the national idiot, Al Gore stumble into North Korea. Does anyone spend any time thinking about exactly how hard it would be to stumble into one of the most heavily guarded countries in the world? If they intentionally crossed that border – then they are terminally stupid and they broke the law. I don’t care what the North Koreans believed the appropriate penalty was – Laura Ling and Euna Lee should have been prepared to pay that price. To upset decades of careful US diplomacy to rescue these two morons is reckless and unconscionable. Just another ridiculous and reckless act by the Obama administration.
Who knew that Al Gore had a television station? Precisely no one until he got non-stop national news coverage about twiddle-dee and twiddle-dumber who stumbled across a heavily guarded national border. Any agenda there? I think we should practice natural selection with reporters. North Korean concentration camps would be a good place for the stupid ones to keep them from delivering stupid news.
I spent two years in Korea. One thing that anyone with any interest in Korea knows is that Kim Jong-il has played us like a harp. That little dictator gins up a crisis every year and frequently he wins because we have no National memory. Congratulations Kim – you did it again with the willing and even eager participation of the goofiest collection of simpletons alive, Obama, Clinton(s), and Gore. Disgraceful.
Conservative Resistance – Day 275
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