He who frames the debate wins.

Conservatives and Constitutionalists have already lost the health care debate.
As much as I hope that congressional conservatives will be able to slow the march to Socialism, that's all they can do now is slow it. They've missed their chance to stop it.
They have allowed the debate to be framed by the Socialists. The debate is now about the details, costs, and revenues. It's about the speed of the march, not the direction.
Where are the arguments about the proper role of government? About the constitutionality of becoming an insurance broker?
The first question any legislator should ask themselves about proposed legislation is "Is this the proper role of government?". If the answer to that is NO, there's no reason to move onto the next question.

From my blog to his teleprompter?

Wow, did I ever call that one? I listened today, against my better judgement, to Pres. Obama's news conference. At one point he actually used the phrase "what's in it for me?", referring to what he was sure people were asking about his healthcare plans.
But I was waiting to hear the phrase "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain".
He really is gifted on the podium. All his 'goals' and 'intentions' sounded really logical and good. What they weren't is honest.
It is not true that they have identified savings that will pay 2/3 of the cost. It is absolutely not true that they can raise the other 1/3 with the surcharge on evil rich people. It is not true that 49 million people are uninsured. (turns out that number is devised by counting everyone that was ever uninsured in a given year. If you changed jobs, and were uninsured for 24 hours between jobs, you're one of them)It is not true that the Republicans are being given a chance to have input. It is not true that......etc, etc, etc.
I sincerely hope that people are not bamboozled by this extraordinarily gifted orator, smooth politician, and devoted Socialist.
Can you even wrap your mind around the magnitude of the malfeasance of pressuring congress to pass the most sweeping and expensive government takeover in American history without even taking time to read the legislation? Or to even allow the minority party's ideas to be heard in committee?
Pass the Advil please!

Yeah, but what's in it for me?

I had a lot of time to listen to news/talk radio today.
I came to 2 important conclusions.
1) Listening to the news lately could very well be the reason my blood pressure has been high.
2) President Obama is using language designed to appeal to the very worst in people. If you listen to his rhetoric concerning health care, it is clear that he wants Americans to support his program based on what is in it for them, without regard for the burden it will unarguably place on our children, and their children, etc, etc, etc. Burdens in the forms of higher taxes, rampant inflation, and constricted freedom.
The sad thing is that, based on our history from the last 50 years, the strategy of appealing to greed is very often successful.

Resistance is futile.

It came to me yesterday as I pondered the president's apparent disregard for the destructive impact of his agenda on an already fragile economy. It hit me as an instantaneous rush of pure understanding, and now everything is so clear.
I know the real reason we can't see the president's birth certificate.
OBAMA IS BORG!
I'll explain for the readers that are not fans of Star Trek:The Next Generation. (As if there are any)
The Borg is an interstellar 'race' of humanoids that are fitted with bio-electrical components, all linked together in one great 'collective'. Some of their defining characteristics are: *There is no individuality. Borg serve, and are, the collective. *They are laser-focused on their primary purpose which is to 'assimilate' others into the collective. *The wishes of those to be assimilated are irrelevant. *They are ruthless and remorseless in this purpose, with no regard for any collateral damage they cause. There is no room for compromise. All are either assimilated or destroyed. ("You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile,") *They accomplish this purpose through overwhelming power. *When confronted by an adversary not considered to be a substantive threat, they simply ignore them. *They produce nothing of themselves. They simply strip those they assimilate of their resources.
President Obama has a vision for this nation that stands in stark contrast to that of our founding fathers. It seems that we are to be assimilated, like it or not, into the president's vision of central control, universal healthcare, nationalized industry, and 'wealth equalization'. In other words, The Collective.
Sometimes truth really is stranger, and more frightening, than fiction.
(Disclaimer: I am unaware of any Borg use of a teleprompter.)

'MILE'stone

My little Dodge Dakota had a big day today. On the way home from work this morning it rolled past 200,000 miles. Pretty darn good for a truck that still has the original plugs, wires, etc. Never been tuned up and still runs like a champ.
Admittedly it looks its age. But then again, so do I. :-)

Uh oh!

When does this, equal this?


I'm just making a point. Some people say we're on our way to greatly devaluing our currency. I disagree.
Of course there's really no comparison between our currency and Monopoly money.
First of all Monopoly money is only worth something because your fellow players agree that it is. So at any given time the other players could simply decide they don't want it anymore. It is not backed by any tangible asset such as gold like our currency, umm....., used to be.
Ok, but Monopoly money will never have any real value, like our currency does, because of the Law of Supply and Demand. Any time the makers run short of it they just print more and more. But our government exercises strict restraint in print.... ummmmmm..........,
This isn't going like I wanted it to!

The Unstimulating Stimulus

And you thought the stimulus package wasn't working!
Well, it is. Just ask the Obama team. They wouldn't make things up, would they? (see post below)
They report that the stimulus package has "created or saved" 1.5 million jobs. Of course they also say, now, that the intent was to save the jobs of teachers, firefighters, etc. and that it has done so. That's not the "shovel ready" mantra I remember. But I digress.
I don't how how you quantify 'saved' jobs, but even if we presume their numbers are accurate (stop laughing) that comes out to roughly $380,000 per job. I wonder how much of that the teachers and firefighters get.
Let's make something clear. The ONLY thing that government can do to stimulate the economy with any lasting effect is to GET OUT OF THE WAY!
Relieving burdens on business, either tax or regulatory, would help. ANY and EVERY attempt to micromanage the economy or any segment or industry therein can only hurt in the long term.
The Free Market is the economic equivalent of Darwin's Natural Selection.
Fiscal liberalism is a species that should be allowed to become extinct.