Real Thought

Well, the President-elect has finished his prospective cabinet appointments and it looks like it is 1996 all over again.  We have Hillary as Secretary of State, Tom Daschle at HHS, Bill Richardson at Commerce and a host of other Clinton era retreads at various other posts.  Is this the “change” that the American people expected when they elected Senator Obama?  Somehow, I doubt it.

There are some interesting changes, however, like appointing Hilda Solis, a California congresswoman who is in bed with the AFL-CIO as Secretary of Labor and Tom Vilsack, the Iowa governor who never met a farm subsidy that he didn’t like, as Secretary of Agriculture.  Now there are a couple of appointments that signal “change”.  So we can see that government pay-offs to big labor and corporate agribusiness will continue and Americans will be forced to pay higher prices for food and consumer goods as well as higher taxes.

There has been a historic change in the American political landscape, one which I fear is not for the better.  But, for the short term at least, it appears that things will remain the same.

A date which has lived in infamy.  On this date 67 years ago, the United States was attacked by the Empire of Japan.  Today, we face a new enemy and we have a new date which will live in infamy, September 11, 2001.  We did not seek war in 1941 nor did we seek it in 2001; it was thrust upon us by those who wish to destroy us.  Sixty seven years ago we had the resolve to eventually defeat our enemies.  I pray that we have the same resolve today and I pray that I will never see a day like those again in my life.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving.  My turkey started out looking like this as some point in its live and by the end of today will be reduced to a mere shadow of its former self.

To President-elect Barak Obama when he wakes up on January 21st?  He has promised a health care reform, tax cuts for 95% of Americans, and end to the war in Iraq, a solution to the current economic downturn, energy independence, more jobs and a solution to global warming.  In other words he has made promises he cannot possibly keep even with the co-operation of Democratic majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives.  First, the current economic crisis is global, not just national and I am not convinced that any government action will alleviate the market correction which has been long overdue.  As a matter of fact, I am convinced that the actions of Paul Volker, Ben Bernake and Allen Greenspan have intensified the downturn by postponing its inevitability.  Artificially lowering interest rates in order to stave off recession has only added to the over extension of credit which began with the Clinton era push to make more mortgages available even to those who normally would not qualify.

Next, the War in Iraq.  Quite honestly, I don’t know why we still are there except we still have forces in Germany, Italy and Japan sixty three years after the end of World War II.  Rather than beginning with Iraq, might I humbly suggest that United States troops be brought home from those former Axis powers?  Surely they are not an immediate threat to United States security?  Surely the reason we had troops stationed in those countries no longer exists?  Even the Soviet Union is no more.  I say bring the troops home but from friendly countries first.

National health care, now known as Obamacare.  I can keep my private, partially employer funded insurance plan or have the government pick up the tab.  Now that is a no-brainer.  Why would I keep my current insurance when for a pittance, I can get the government to take care of me?  I believe that this plan will and untold trillions to the national budget and still not really provide coverage for those who need it.  Soon, employers will simply find out that it is less expensive for them to pay higher taxes, pass the cost onto the consumers, who are the ones who really pay business taxes and everyone will be part of the government health care plan.  We will see the rationing of treatment as is already happening in Great Britain and Canada and a deterioration of medical services all across the nation.  Don’t believe me?  Look at what has happened to public education over the last 40 years.

Energy independence?  Sure, we can become energy independent with a massive increase in the use of natural gas, coal, oil shale and nuclear energy.  Hydrogen?  Forget about it.  It takes more energy to produce hydrogen than is recovered from burning it.  Electric vehicles?  Who is going to expend our already nearly overtaxed power grid?  How is the electricity going to be generated? Solar?  Solar cells are only about 5% efficient and take huge amounts of energy, toxic materials and specialized technology to manufacture.  Wind?  OK, but what happens on calm days?  Biofuel?  Remember that the fossil fuels we are using today were once part of the biomass.  Are we really saying that we want to consume 60% of the world’s agricultural output on a per annum basis simply to provide energy?  That means that there will be a massive increase in global food prices and massive starvation.  Conservation?  The United States already produces 50% of the world’s output of goods and services using 25% of the world’s energy with less than 10% of the world’s population.  How much more efficient can we be?  In other words, the energy problem is not easily solved, there is no quick fix, no matter what President-elect Obama may say.

More jobs?  There are always new jobs created as new technologies are developed and old industries fade away.  After all, thousands of Americans used to be involved directly or indirectly in the whaling industry.  Of course, very few, if any Americans are employed in the whaling industry any longer, except as protesters.  My point is that jobs cannot be created by government fiat unless they are government jobs.  Most new jobs are created by small companies who find a new niche in the market to exploit or a new more efficient way to produce goods and services driving their competition out of business.  It is the market which creates jobs, not the government.

Global warming?  Despite the best efforts of the media, scientific and political elites who wish to keep this crisis in the fore front of public consciousness in order to gain power, profit and government largess, the simple fact is that there is no real evidence that the Earth is getting dramatically warmer on the whole nor is there any real consensus as to the cause of certain recent dramatic climatological phenomena.  Some areas of the Earth are warming, some are cooling.  Certain glaciers are receding and other are expanding.  There are more storms in some areas and less in others.  There are droughts in some places and more rain in others.  Are these events man made?  No one really knows.  Is this trend transitory or more permanent?  Got me.  I do know that those who predict doom and gloom have a vested interest in predicting doom and gloom.  Doom and gloom sells newspapers, magazines, radio and television airtime, elicits more grants for research and produces legislation that increases the power of government over the individual and favors certain industries over others.  Call me a cynic but I say follow the money and you will find the real cause of global warming.

So, what will President-elect Obama face when he wakes up on January 21st?  A political minefield, one from which he may find it impossible to extricate himself or his party.

since the election, the Republicans have decided to turn on themselves and the Democrats are trying very hard to convince people that Senator Obama will be a “centrist” president.  The simple fact is that the Republicans lost the presidential election thanks largely in part to the strategies of Karl Rove.  John McCain didn’t even attempt to contest New York or California, the states with the most amout of electoral votes.  Instead the McCain campaign concentrated on trying to retain traditional Republican states and shore up support in several undecided “swing states”.  Well, I have news for the Republicans, California and New York are the two most important states in the Union both in terms of electoral and economic clout.  To simply surrender those two states to the opposition is to concede defeat in any Presidential election.  Whay a phyrric victory, “We will give up on California but we have Montana!.”  If this strategy continues the Republican party will be doomed to decades of loyal opposition.

Here is a new idea, go to the Democratic strongholds and run passionate, attractive candidates and try to capture a few.  That will have the Democratic leadership running scared.  Further, how about actually getting back to some core conservative values; less government, lower taxes, individual freedom, fiscal responsibility and strong ethics.  Perhaps then the base supporters of the party will actually vote FOR the party instead of voting against the Democratic candidates.

Happy 4th of July!  Yes, I know that fuel prices are out of whack and the dollar is weak and we have two marginal candidates for president, but screw it!  We, the citizens of the United States are the most fortunate people on the face of the earth!  We are the freest and wealthiest country of all, by any measure.  We revel in discord and discontent for that is when we rise to our best.  We truly believe that all men are created equal.  So, today, I am going out with my Sea Scouts and we are going to anchor off Alcatraz Island and watch the San Francisco fireworks.  Tomorrow, I am driving (yes, I said driving) to LA and my buddy Dan and I are taking his boat over to Santa Catalina for a few days.  Now, where else in the world can the grandson of a fisherman and a small grocery store owner be able to do that?  Maybe Australia.  We really need to take a step back, realize that the future is not as gloomy as the chicken littles in the mass media would have us believe and simply muddle through.  Things will get better.  We survived a revolution against Britian, a bloody Civil War, Pearl Harbor and WWII, the Cold War and the attacks on September 11, 2001.  $4.50 a gallon gas is a piece of cake!  So, go out today, put some dead animal on the grill, watch some fireworks and be truly thankful that 232 years ago on a sweltering Philadelphia day, a few brave men voted to dissolve our political connection with Great Britian.  We, their posterity, can never thank them enough.

The BBC is reporting today that Dith Pran, the Cambodian journalist who was the subject of the movie The Killing Fields has passed away from pancreatic cancer in New Jersey.  Mr. Dith endured four years of torture and starvation at the hands of the Khmer Rouge and finally escaped to Thailand and then the United States with the help of his friend, Sidney Schanberg.  Schanberg’s reporting of the fall of Phnom Penh and Mr. Dith’s subsequent fight for survival and escape is truly one of the most moving stories of our time.  I honestly believe that anyone who believes that the United States should end it’s involvement in Iraq immediately should be forced to watch The Killing Fields repeatedly until they understand that when good men refuse to confront evil, evil triumphs.

Soon, the Khmer Rouge’s nightmare reign over Cambodia will be a fading memory in the West and men like Dith Pran will be forgotten.  One can only hope that this will not be true but I know it will be and stories like Mr. Dith’s will be repeated which will be a great tragedy.

Rest in peace, Mr. Dith and thank you for exposing, yet again, the evil which dwells in the hearts of men.

OK, here is my plan.  To provide health care for all Americans who are currently uninsured here is what Congress has to do, dis-establish the federal Department of Education.  Currently the Department of Education has a budget of $68.6 billion.  If we dis-establish that department, we can then give each of the 47 million Americans without health insurance $1, 460 each yearly with which to buy health insurance.  Or we can take that $68.6 billion and expand the United States Public Health Service and provide health care to the poor and indigent.  Since the federal Department of Education does nothing worth while, it seems to me that this would be the simplest solution to the problem of providing health care to those without insurance coverage.

Of course, I still believe that Universal Health Care is unconstitutional, but then again so is the Department of Education.  If the federal government is going to exert power beyond its constitutional mandate, it might as well provide a tangible benefit to the population.

Since I have posted any thing. What has happened? Well, Senator Barak Obama’s campaign has rejected an endorsement from Louis Farrakan, leader of the Nation of Islam and become mired in a controversy about whether or not the use of the Senator’s middle name, Hussein, is prejudicial to his image. As if the name Barak Obama isn’t odd enough. If the use of the good Senator’s middle name is somehow “unfair”, I would suggest that the problem lies with the Senator and his campaign staff, not anyone else. More importantly, one of my idols has passed away, William F. Buckley Jr. I have been a long time fan of WFB’s. He was truly a towering intellect among conservatives. My condolences go to his son, Christoper and to the rest of his family. I can only say that Mr. Buckley will be missed. There were many times when I looked to Mr. Buckley’s erudite writings for the words to give my thoughts expression. He taught me that sometimes the best weapon in a debate is not a strident shout but a sotto voce comment or a withering look. He, almost single handedly gave conservatism legitimacy in America and pulled it, as a political philosophy, back from being tossed in the dustbin of history. He will be greatly missed. I am sure that he is now with his wife Patricia, having a very nice glass of Bordeaux and wondering what all the fuss is really about.

Requiescat In Pace, Mr. Buckley.

Much has been made this election cycle about some form of universal health care for United States citizens. I am staunchly against any form of universal health care. Why? There are several reasons beginning with the simple fact that the creation of a universal health care system in the United States is unconstitutional. The Constitution clearly enumerates the powers of Congress in Article I, section 8. Nowhere in that section is Congress given the power to provide health care for all Americans. Furthermore, the 10th Amendment clearly states that any powers not granted to Congress are retained by the states or the people. Therefore without a constitutional amendment, any discussion of a Federal universal health care plan should be considered moot.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that I agree that the Federal government has the power to create a universal health care system. I would still be opposed to such a system. Why? Because such a system would be antithetical to freedom. Any time that an individual or group of individuals cedes part of their freedom of choice to the government, that freedom is lost forever. If we allow the government to take control of the health care system in America, we lose the ability to make decisions about our personal health care. The decisions will be made by the entity which pays for the service rendered and, in the case of Federal universal health care, that entity will be the Federal government. Instead of the individual having the ultimate power when it comes to health care decisions, that authority would be transferred to government bureaucrats who would have the power to decide what health care services you deserve. Personally, I do not want the employees of a government bureaucracy to make those decisions for me. Can you imagine the level of health care if the people who work at your local DMV office had to approve your medical treatment? If many Americans are already dissatisfied with HMO’s imagine the poor service if we were all forced into a single, national, government run HMO.

Next, the call for universal health care is simply a method for the thoughtful and fit to subsidize the health care of the careless and unfit. Some 89% of Americans already have access to affordable, high quality health care. Any universal plan would cause those of us who remain healthy and fit and have the forethought to plan for medical care to pay for those who have neither the forethought nor the sense to avoid excessive medical costs. Now, I know that there are those who, by accident or through no fault of their own, end up needing much higher than average medical treatment. Those people should be helped, but I believe that in this day and age, that number is very small, no more than a handful a year at best. Surely some form of catastrophic health care insurance would be a better alternative for those unfortunates than a universal system?

I am also concerned about the costs of a universal system. As we have seen recently with Medicare prescription drug coverage, what was supposed to be a program which would be modest in cost rapidly became a large drain on government resources. Has there been any government program in the last sixty years which has actually lowered costs for the services provided? I cannot think of a single one. Only when an industry or service is privatized and market forces are allowed to act upon said industry or service do real costs decline. Competition is the driving force behind cost containment. Any monopoly will be, by definition, less efficient and more costly than an industry which is open to market forces and competition. Look at the computer industry, the automobile industry or the telecommunications industry. In each of those industries increased competition and government deregulation have succeeded in driving down costs and lowering real prices of the products or services which east of those industries provides as well as expanding consumer choice. Why should the health care industry be any different?

Finally, I have been a longtime consumer of “managed health care”. First as a military dependent and then as a public employee. Have I been happy with the quality of health care which I have received? For the most part, yes. But I have not had any really serious health concern. I have been blessed with reasonably good health and I have not had any serious injuries nor chronic diseases. The clinic model has worked for me so far. But the anonymous “doctor on call” model may not work for everyone and I have real concerns that in any “universal” system many needed, but expensive, services will be rationed or denied to those who may most need them in order to contain costs. I would hate to have universal heath care that denies heart surgery to a patient because it may not be “cost effective” or disallows a CAT scan to a patient with a head injury because the necessary scanner is unavailable because it was “too expensive” to purchase one. This seems inhuman and cruel to me and yet that is what is happening in Great Britain and Canada. For these reasons I remain steadfastly opposed to any universal health care plan. In a future post I will outline a plan to bring low cost health care within reach of all Americans without creating a “universal” plan or creating a new and expensive bureaucracy.