Doing the Right Thing

I watched President Obama's speech to Congress last night on the health care problems. It sounded good if you weren't taking notes. But I was taking notes, because I like to check the facts on government. I have been this way a long time, and it didn't just start with Obama. In fact sometimes I remind myself of the Mel Gibson character in the movie Conspiracy Theory.
It isn't that I don't want to trust my government. I have just read a lot of history that tells me that a lot of people have been taken advantage of by trusting our elected and appointed representatives. For the last two years, I have been worried enough to make sure that I am as well-informed as our government allows us to be. As far as the health care bill is concerned, in contrast to most of Congress, I have read H.R 3200. As well-intended as I believe President Obama may be in wanting to fix our health care, I believe he is either naive or disingenuous in stating his case.

He promised big, but one of the problems with that is that the bean-counters don't agree with his proposal. That was one of the discrepancies I noted last night. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that during the first two years the Medicare cuts he proposes, and the new taxes on the wealthiest 1% of taxpayers will possibly, fund the first 8 years of healthcare costs, but the best-case-scenario is that the program will start to run into deficit in the 9th year. If that is the best projection, what is the worst? These Medicare cuts that he promises come from waste and abuse, and will reduce costs and improve quality of care, just doesn't add up. It's a fairy tale. If these waste and abuse options are recognized and available for cutting, why are they not doing that first to make sure the money is available. No new bureaucracy would be necessary to do that. President Obama is under a lot of pressure from all sides. We all realize this, but he is trying too hard to appease everyone, and making a lot of promises he can't keep.

He mentioned the need for tort reform, but was vague as to what he would do to curb nuisance suits. Almost all the people who run our government are lawyers, so it is doubtful any meaningful reform is going to be made there. In fact, if you look at the people who were his largest compaign contributors, you begin to understand that he is in big trouble trying to please so many special interests that he is going to be ineffectual in putting together meaningful reforms, and have any chance of being relected for a second term. Regardless of the rhetoric, no one is comfortable with having a one-term and very likely, a failed presidency.

As far as not funding health care for illegal immigrants, that is a ridiculous claim. If these illegals remain here, they will be included by default just like they are now. Anyone and everyone can still go to the emergency room whether they can pay or not. Those costs are simply absorbed into higher taxes for all Americans. As far as taxpayer-funded abortions, it is a ridiculous premise that no federal money is used to fund abortion. The federal money that gets funneled into Planned Parenthood and the United Way funds abortions right now. The label may be D&C due to miscarriage, but nevertheless, it is being done. It is naive to think otherwise.

Our President is hamstrung by his supporters that put him in office, and he lacks the experience to know how to deal with his opponents. I think that is what is behind the appointment of all these "czars". Obama is ambitious and idealistic. He doesn't seem to accept the concept that we have to have comprehensive reform in increments if we are not to fall victim to the same problems the U.K. and Canada have in their nationalized health care. Under the current proposal, those pitfalls are inevitable. I also believe there is something he is not saying. I think we are on the verge of financial collapse. Lots of private individuals have predicted this, but of course the government can't come out and admit this because it would cause widespread panic and undermine our national security. I think this is what is driving the rush to pass something, anything.

The time is coming when the status quo has to be changed, one way or another. Either our government starts to be honest and step up to the plate to regulate and reform the way things have always been done in Washington, or there will be communism. The way that works is that the very few at the top will have the best life money can buy, and the rest of us will have whatever the government wants to pass out. I still believe that Americans are a special class of people, and that given the opportunity, they will work hard and sacrifice for the greater good. We just have to figure out what that is, and who it includes. President Obama and our Congress needs a do-over. Now.