I turned on the news this morning and watched no less than fifteen minutes of sheer nonsense before they reached anything of import. It was then I decided to do a selection of blurbs from today’s news in a segment on sense and senselessness.
Of course one thing on the mind of many Americans today is the President’s upcoming speech on Afghanistan. Scheduled for 8:00 PM this evening, rumor has it that he intends to come close to the 40,000 troops that General McChrystal has asked for – almost. Obama is to announce the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops however; the timeline for that deployment is in question. Some estimates were as high as two years and the anti-war Democrats have already floated the idea of a “war tax” to raise money for the additional troop levels in some half-witted attempt to dilute American support for the Afghan war.
Why 30,000 and not 40,000? Facing waning support from the independents and moderates, Obama is fearful of losing his leftist base and becoming a lame duck before his first year is even over. 30,000 would help him show strong support for the soldiers in the field and yet give him the ability to show his radical friends that he is not going to allow the Generals to dictate policy. Of course Obama is just narcissistic enough where he believes that this token gesture coupled with his charismatic aura will keep his base support chugging away at the Kool-Aid. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the left does not compromise and anything less than a wholesale retreat from Afghanistan makes him as much of a war monger in their eyes as Bush ever was.
Michael Moore issued an open letter in advance of Obama’s speech declaring that any reinforcement of the troops in Afghanistan will make him a “War President”. Moore’s contention is that Obama was elected to end that war, not escalate and he risks losing the support of his most loyal supporters if his speech does not detail the complete withdrawal of US forces from the region. Anti-war activists, Code Pink, also weighed in with their demands for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan. Code Pink had recently sent emissaries to Afghanistan and visited with the women who had been brutalized and even murdered under the totalitarian Taliban regime. Afghan women are breathing freely for the first time in years and as fellow women, Code Pink should realize that a premature US withdrawal would mean a death sentence for many of the women that showed them thankful hospitality during their visit.
I am an unapologetic proponent of the freedom of speech however, while the First Amendment guarantees our right to express our ideas and opinions, it does not include a right to be heard. The senselessness of this is that we continue to place microphones and cameras in front of these people. Michael Moore and the members of Code Pink have never served their country and cannot begin to understand the resolve of the military when our nation has fallen under attack. They do however; serve their own agenda which is sadly full of views that are myopic and ill informed. They speak as if they possess an authority that they simply have no claim to. That authority can only be gained by a thoughtful examination of all of the facts and what actions will best meet the prime interest of America; denying Al Qaida a base of operations within the remote regions of Afghanistan.
It is strange that the anti-war factions all claim that American involvement in Afghanistan is the catalyst of hatred that actually creates terrorists intent on destroying America. We were not in Afghanistan or Iraq when airliners flew into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. These people hate us for hates sake and a quiet withdrawal would only serve to show that orchestrated terror campaigns pay; that even a few militants can bring an America bridled with a weak President to its knees.
Next on the list is healthcare. The Senate began debating the healthcare bill today just as they had threatened to do. This is a serious issue and something that most independent analysts say that we just cannot afford. With the first day of debate already pockmarked with fits of fury there is little indication that anyone is having a good time doing this. About the only thing I have found that could be called a bit of ironic humor was the announcement today of six Massachusetts hospitals filing suit against the State for financial restitution. Massachusetts is the home of two of Congresses biggest supporters of a government run, single payer, universal healthcare system; Representative Barney Frank and the late Senator Edward Kennedy. If you recall, Democratic Congressmen stooped so low in their fight to force this legislation through that they even invoked the name of Ted Kennedy during the debates and said that they must pass this in his memory.
The irony is that Massachusetts passed a state-wide healthcare reform act complete with mandates to obtain healthcare insurance, tax increases and a subsidized public option in 2006. Massachusetts plan mimics many of the provisions of the Senate bill that narrowly passed the vote to allow debate prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. In a 2005 speech at a Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation conference, Massachusetts House Speaker, Salvatore DiMasi pledged that they would pass a healthcare reform bill before the close of the session that year (sound familiar?).
So how did that work out for Massachusetts? By 2008, 5.7% of Massachusetts residents were still without insurance, many opting to pay the fine rather than obtain the mandated coverage. New business starts had declined 16% as up and coming entrepreneurs slid across state lines into New Hampshire to escape Massachusetts’s socialist edicts. The program was supposed to curb costs but in reality, the costs have increased at 10% per year, more than three times the rate of inflation. The original projections were for the program to ultimately cover approximately 215,000 people at a cost of $725 million but recent projections now say that enrollment is projected to grow by June 2011 to 342,000 people at an annual expense of $1.35 billion. The Globe reported that “Commonwealth Care” was facing a short term funding gap of $100 million dollars and that Massachusetts would need to obtain a new three year funding commitment from the Federal Government for $1.5 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the Massachusetts state budget deficit was $1.3 billion dollars in 2008 as well.
Rather than admit failure, Massachusetts is considering a whole slew of new taxes to cover the shortages and of course, cutting costs by further slashing payments to the hospitals that actually provide the care. That is the basis of the law suit. Now that Massachusetts has become the insurer, the hospitals no longer have a few people showing up here and there to steal medical services from the ER. Massachusetts has made that theft systematic, leaving hospitals stuck with anywhere from 30 to 70% of the bill unpaid. In case you are interested...Massachusetts has a great model we can all look at to see what a Federal Healthcare Reform Act will actually look at. It looks like budget deficits, bankrupt hospitals, tax increases, job losses and rationed care. Hmmm? I think I've already said that.
Finally, Tiger Woods. The main stream press is falling all over themselves because Tiger Woods had refused to comment on his car accident beyond the prepared statement issued over the weekend. The Florida police fined Tiger Woods roughly $160 for the accident and closed the books, leaving the media slack-jawed at the notion they would not get the juicy little tidbits they were hoping an investigation would yield.
The most idiotic statement I heard was that “Tiger Woods is a celebrity and just can’t refuse to talk about this”. Oh really? Apparently, these people have forgotten that Mr. Woods is first and foremost, a human being. Believe it or not, even celebrities have their problems and since the accident occurred within the confines of the gated community that he lives in, it’s none of their damned business what, if anything, led to the accident. Apparently the neighbor’s statements taken by the police satisfied them to the point that they did not need to investigate the matter further. That is good enough for me and I hope both Tiger and his wife sort this matter out privately to their children’s and their own benefit. Let the newspapers go chase another ambulance or maybe they’ll find the time now to actually report some real news….like the scam Congress is trying to pull in the name of healthcare.
Paul
Of course one thing on the mind of many Americans today is the President’s upcoming speech on Afghanistan. Scheduled for 8:00 PM this evening, rumor has it that he intends to come close to the 40,000 troops that General McChrystal has asked for – almost. Obama is to announce the deployment of an additional 30,000 troops however; the timeline for that deployment is in question. Some estimates were as high as two years and the anti-war Democrats have already floated the idea of a “war tax” to raise money for the additional troop levels in some half-witted attempt to dilute American support for the Afghan war.
Why 30,000 and not 40,000? Facing waning support from the independents and moderates, Obama is fearful of losing his leftist base and becoming a lame duck before his first year is even over. 30,000 would help him show strong support for the soldiers in the field and yet give him the ability to show his radical friends that he is not going to allow the Generals to dictate policy. Of course Obama is just narcissistic enough where he believes that this token gesture coupled with his charismatic aura will keep his base support chugging away at the Kool-Aid. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the left does not compromise and anything less than a wholesale retreat from Afghanistan makes him as much of a war monger in their eyes as Bush ever was.
Michael Moore issued an open letter in advance of Obama’s speech declaring that any reinforcement of the troops in Afghanistan will make him a “War President”. Moore’s contention is that Obama was elected to end that war, not escalate and he risks losing the support of his most loyal supporters if his speech does not detail the complete withdrawal of US forces from the region. Anti-war activists, Code Pink, also weighed in with their demands for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan. Code Pink had recently sent emissaries to Afghanistan and visited with the women who had been brutalized and even murdered under the totalitarian Taliban regime. Afghan women are breathing freely for the first time in years and as fellow women, Code Pink should realize that a premature US withdrawal would mean a death sentence for many of the women that showed them thankful hospitality during their visit.
I am an unapologetic proponent of the freedom of speech however, while the First Amendment guarantees our right to express our ideas and opinions, it does not include a right to be heard. The senselessness of this is that we continue to place microphones and cameras in front of these people. Michael Moore and the members of Code Pink have never served their country and cannot begin to understand the resolve of the military when our nation has fallen under attack. They do however; serve their own agenda which is sadly full of views that are myopic and ill informed. They speak as if they possess an authority that they simply have no claim to. That authority can only be gained by a thoughtful examination of all of the facts and what actions will best meet the prime interest of America; denying Al Qaida a base of operations within the remote regions of Afghanistan.
It is strange that the anti-war factions all claim that American involvement in Afghanistan is the catalyst of hatred that actually creates terrorists intent on destroying America. We were not in Afghanistan or Iraq when airliners flew into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. These people hate us for hates sake and a quiet withdrawal would only serve to show that orchestrated terror campaigns pay; that even a few militants can bring an America bridled with a weak President to its knees.
Next on the list is healthcare. The Senate began debating the healthcare bill today just as they had threatened to do. This is a serious issue and something that most independent analysts say that we just cannot afford. With the first day of debate already pockmarked with fits of fury there is little indication that anyone is having a good time doing this. About the only thing I have found that could be called a bit of ironic humor was the announcement today of six Massachusetts hospitals filing suit against the State for financial restitution. Massachusetts is the home of two of Congresses biggest supporters of a government run, single payer, universal healthcare system; Representative Barney Frank and the late Senator Edward Kennedy. If you recall, Democratic Congressmen stooped so low in their fight to force this legislation through that they even invoked the name of Ted Kennedy during the debates and said that they must pass this in his memory.
The irony is that Massachusetts passed a state-wide healthcare reform act complete with mandates to obtain healthcare insurance, tax increases and a subsidized public option in 2006. Massachusetts plan mimics many of the provisions of the Senate bill that narrowly passed the vote to allow debate prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. In a 2005 speech at a Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation conference, Massachusetts House Speaker, Salvatore DiMasi pledged that they would pass a healthcare reform bill before the close of the session that year (sound familiar?).
So how did that work out for Massachusetts? By 2008, 5.7% of Massachusetts residents were still without insurance, many opting to pay the fine rather than obtain the mandated coverage. New business starts had declined 16% as up and coming entrepreneurs slid across state lines into New Hampshire to escape Massachusetts’s socialist edicts. The program was supposed to curb costs but in reality, the costs have increased at 10% per year, more than three times the rate of inflation. The original projections were for the program to ultimately cover approximately 215,000 people at a cost of $725 million but recent projections now say that enrollment is projected to grow by June 2011 to 342,000 people at an annual expense of $1.35 billion. The Globe reported that “Commonwealth Care” was facing a short term funding gap of $100 million dollars and that Massachusetts would need to obtain a new three year funding commitment from the Federal Government for $1.5 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the Massachusetts state budget deficit was $1.3 billion dollars in 2008 as well.
Rather than admit failure, Massachusetts is considering a whole slew of new taxes to cover the shortages and of course, cutting costs by further slashing payments to the hospitals that actually provide the care. That is the basis of the law suit. Now that Massachusetts has become the insurer, the hospitals no longer have a few people showing up here and there to steal medical services from the ER. Massachusetts has made that theft systematic, leaving hospitals stuck with anywhere from 30 to 70% of the bill unpaid. In case you are interested...Massachusetts has a great model we can all look at to see what a Federal Healthcare Reform Act will actually look at. It looks like budget deficits, bankrupt hospitals, tax increases, job losses and rationed care. Hmmm? I think I've already said that.
Finally, Tiger Woods. The main stream press is falling all over themselves because Tiger Woods had refused to comment on his car accident beyond the prepared statement issued over the weekend. The Florida police fined Tiger Woods roughly $160 for the accident and closed the books, leaving the media slack-jawed at the notion they would not get the juicy little tidbits they were hoping an investigation would yield.
The most idiotic statement I heard was that “Tiger Woods is a celebrity and just can’t refuse to talk about this”. Oh really? Apparently, these people have forgotten that Mr. Woods is first and foremost, a human being. Believe it or not, even celebrities have their problems and since the accident occurred within the confines of the gated community that he lives in, it’s none of their damned business what, if anything, led to the accident. Apparently the neighbor’s statements taken by the police satisfied them to the point that they did not need to investigate the matter further. That is good enough for me and I hope both Tiger and his wife sort this matter out privately to their children’s and their own benefit. Let the newspapers go chase another ambulance or maybe they’ll find the time now to actually report some real news….like the scam Congress is trying to pull in the name of healthcare.
Paul
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