Birkenstock Conservative

Wal-Mart, Compassion, Midwestern Values and Economic Indicators

2010-05-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

The current default mode in Washington is government takeover: health care, student loans, the financial sector, etc. The assumption is that the government is better equipped to manage elements of our lives than we ourselves are; that the capabilities of the government exceed those of the private sector. Implicit in this mode is the assumption that individuals turn first to the government for solutions to life challenges. Have those leading this charge bothered to ask individuals how they would prefer to manage their lives; whether they share the belief that government is better equipped than the private sector to provide long-term sustainable solutions to health care innovation or job growth, for example?

This afternoon, when pulling into the Wal-Mart parking lot, I saw a 30-something man, in apparent good health and wellness of mind, standing at the Wal-Mart parking lot exit holding a hand lettered sign that read:

Need Work.
Donations Accepted.
God Bless.

With unemployment in the 11% range, northwestern Ohio's economy is in a challenged state. The unemployment is impacting folks across the spectrum of jobs. Unusual, in this area, is to see an unemployed individual actively reach out like this. Sure, I've seen individuals elsewhere -- Boston, Phoenix -- use this approach. Never before have I seen it in our smallish town. Could this be a leading economic indicator? Could this be an indicator that the economy is lagging in a way the media is reluctant to report? Or is this a one-off event?

Is this man acting in the way the government expects? Why was he reaching out to his fellow townspeople? Why was he at Wal-Mart and not at the local unemployment center registering for entitlement benefits? Is this a leading indicator? An indicator that individuals prefer to solve life challenges using the resources available to them?

When exiting the Wal-Mart parking lot, the woman driving the Honda Civic ahead of me stopped. She handed the sign holder a bag of grocery items just purchased at Wal-Mart. A few words were exchanged. She drove on.

Did I witness a leading indicator of how individuals prefer to solve life challenges through voluntary assistance of one another? Do individuals outside of D.C. view Wal-Mart as key to restoring the economic health of this country?

Intrade Trending Favorably for a Brown Win in Mass.

2010-01-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

The Intrade market on winning the Senatorial special election in Massachusetts is trending toward a Brown win:

The contract ID of this contract is: 693300

Obama goes to the land of Teddy Kennedy and Discovers the Chappaquiddick is Chilly

2010-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

Obama goes to the land of Teddy Kennedy gets heckled and can't fill the hall. Meanwhile, Teddy's stand-in, Kirk, can't function as a Senator after January 19th More here. Currently inTrade, the most accurate predictor of election outcomes, is trending toward a decisive victory by Brown. This is getting very interesting. I agree with Cramer, a Brown victory will go a long way toward reducing the uncertainty that paralyzes business leaders and is stunting the economy; a Brown victory will unleash the markets.

In case you were wondering, it's all Bush's fault.

Umm ... yeah. Right.

Is Election Fraud the New Normal?

2010-01-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Massachusetts senatorial candidate Scott Brown's Chief Legal Council is calling for volunteers for Scott Brown's legal team to assemble:

a volunteer team to ensure that every legally cast ballot is accurately counted. The citizens of Massachusetts deserve a fair and honest election.

Given the gyrations the Wisconsin Comedian's legal team executed, this seems a wise move. If the election is close, cheating will occur. It saddens me to conclude that election fraud is the new normal.

UPDATE: Here's a nice summary of a systemic effort to implant election fraud as business as usual.

Is it possible that healthcare "reform is really ...

2010-01-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

President Obama met today with union leaders. Is it possible that health care "reform" is actually cover for relieving the unions of their massive health care pension obligations?

Update: Bingo!

Is global warming ...

2010-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Is global warming the best policy money can buy? Just wondering.

What's with all this App Envy?

2010-01-02T13:50:00.001-08:00

TechCrunch opines Palm’s WebOS Now Has 1,000 Apps. Only 99,000 To Go To Catch Up To Apple.

OK folks, help me out here. What's with all this app envy? On what planet is the number of apps a useful indicator of anything meaningful? Acknowledging the long-tail implications, what's the point of claiming 1,000,000 apps if 90% are of marginal value?

Obama's Longest Gig

2009-12-31T06:07:00.000-08:00

Presidential fatigue has been much in the news of late. And has been, since the dawning days of the Obama presidency (recall the excuses for the DVD set gifted to the British?). Why is anyone surprised? This is, as far as I can tell, Obama's longest running gig since college. Unless Obama pulls a Palin, he's locked into the longest obligation he's ever had to navigate.

Senator Sherrod Brown's Fatally Flawed Logic about Health Care Reform

2009-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

I recently emailed Senator Sherrod Brown to urge him to vote no on the "health care" legislation currently before the Senate. In response, Senator Brown's office sent the reply reproduced below. The Senator and I agree that there is room for reform in the health sector. The Senator's rationale for supporting the current "health care" legislation before the Senate is fatally flawed. The Senator appears unfamiliar with the factors that drive health care costs. Were he familiar with those factors, he would realize that the solution he advocates intensifies the inefficiencies inherent in the existing health. Only measures that (1) shift system focus to outcomes and managing disease states, rather than delivering services, and (2) stimulate and reward innovation will bring about improved health outcomes AND lower costs.

I recommend the Senator read Michael Porter's book Redefining Health Care as a start.

The Senator's illogic follows:

Sherrod Brown
to me
show details 4:30 PM (1 hour ago)

Dear Dr. Kleine:

Thank you for sharing your views on health reform.

With health care costs rising to a breaking point and access to health coverage rapidly eroding, our health care system is in need of reform. We must reduce the long-term growth of health care costs for patients, taxpayers, and businesses; protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health expenditures; guarantee a choice of doctors and health plans; invest in prevention and wellness; improve patient safety and quality of care; assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans; and end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.

One promising solution to the problems of cost, quality, and access that plague our health care system is to increase competition in the health insurance market. If the private insurance industry was truly competitive, then there would be strong incentives to provide coverage to as many Americans as possible and to build customer loyalty through cost savings and quality improvements. Unfortunately, insurers do not truly compete against one another; instead, they make use of the same basic strategies to earn significant profits. These tactics include selectively insuring the lowest risk enrollees, slow-walking claims payments so they can earn interest on every premium dollar, and denying as many claims as possible.

What the insurance industry needs is some healthy competition from a public insurance option. This option would not replace employer-sponsored coverage and no one would be forced into it; the public option would simply give uninsured or underinsured Americans the choice of enrolling in a quality, affordable health insurance plan that does not engage in the same cost-avoidance tactics that some private insurance plans do. The public health insurance option would also be a vehicle for improvements in quality, coverage, and provider-access that sets the bar higher for private insurance plans. This option would be available to all Americans: both private and government employees, including members of Congress and their staffs.

Since Congress began debating health reform, an overwhelming number of people in Ohio have contacted me. I appreciate this input and am carefully considering the thoughts, questions, and concerns that you and other Ohioans have shared with me.

One question I am often asked is whether I would enroll in the public insurance option. Since first coming to Congress in 1993, I have refused to enroll in the coverage offered to members of Congress until every American has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. Should a health care reform bill pass that offers a public insurance option, I would be pleased to enroll.

I have also heard from Ohioans concerned about proposals to tax employer-sponsored benefits. I am opposed to taxing these benefits, which would unjustifiably increase the cost of health insurance for working families in Ohio.

Several Ohioans have also questioned whether Americans should be required to purchase coverage. They have expressed concerns over establishing fines intended to increase participation in the health insurance system.

It is important to clarify that these fines would not affect anyone who is currently insured. One of the key principles of the reform effort is that Americans who are satisfied with their coverage today should be able to keep it without being subject to additional costs. However, without a mechanism that encourages the purchase of insurance, some individuals will continue to forego coverage, resulting in uncompensated care costs that inflate insurance premiums and increase the costs of Medicare and Medicaid.

Unfortunately, too many Americans today forego health insurance not by choice, but by circumstance. Many Americans are left without health insurance because their employers don’t offer it, and because it is too expensive to buy in the individual market. That’s why I am working to ensure that individuals who cannot afford the high costs of coverage are provided with federal subsidies to help them purchase insurance. I recognize that, even with federal help, some individuals will still not be able to afford health insurance and I firmly believe that those individuals should not have to pay any fines because they are unable to afford health insurance.

A consolidated Senate health reform bill, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” was released on November 18, 2009, and will be considered by the Senate over the next few weeks. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this bill would extend coverage to an additional 31 million Americans, would cost approximately $848 billion to implement, and would reduce the national deficit by $130 billion over the next decade. The bill is available online athttp://democrats.senate.gov/reform/patient-protection-affordable-care-act.pdf.

On November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives passed legislation, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), by a vote of 220 to 215. For more information on the House of Representatives’ health reform bill, please visit http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327.

I am currently reviewing the Senate bill, but am pleased we are one step closer to passing health reform legislation beneficial to health care consumers, businesses, and taxpayers alike. I also support giving every member of Congress, and every member of the public, time to review the bill.

As Congress moves forward on health reform, I will certainly work to address the issues contained in your letter. If you wish to learn more about my work on health reform as well as the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that Ohioans have posed to my office, please visit my website at:

http://brown.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/stories/share/?issue_id=f565635b-e37a-45d3-b15f-edf6b930bd1a.

Thank you again for getting in touch with me on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown

United States Senator

Recovery.gov: The New Transparency

2009-11-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Much has been made this week of the Recovery.gov database (here and here, for example). Some are of the opinion that listing TARP dollars spent in nonexistent congressional districts -- such as the $752,292 spent in Texas Congressional District #00 -- are errors.

I believe these reports are part of the new Obama regime transparency standards. It seems plausible that Obama is being completely transparent about where TARP funds are going. It seems reasonable that the codes that don't map to known congressional districts, instead designate uses of the funds for purposes that don't benefit the congressional districts (e.g., graft, political war chests, ACORN, etc.). Yep, complete transarency!

The lingering question is: who will decipher those non-valid district codes?

Update: Congress to investigate phantom Congressional districts. THAT ought to be entertaining. If the districts are fake, is the investigation real?

Update 2: Bosse for NHCD 00. Oh, the fun factor is following a hockey-stick trajectory.

Consumers Union Goes All Political ... Time to Cancel my Subscription?

2009-10-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

Below is the content of an email I just sent to Consumers Union:

Consumer Report's position on the health sector has the appearance of political posturing and lacks Consumer Report's neutral perspective. It appears that Consumer's Union is violating its mission in how it has chosen to address the health sector (for example: http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2009/10/consumer-reports-specious-stand-on.html

and also

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2009/10/supposedly-neutral-consumer-reports.html

As a long-time subscriber to Consumer Reports these violations of Consumer Union's mission has me on the verge of cancelling my print and online subscriptions as Consumers Union has afforded me reason to question the veracity of its reporting.

Clayton Christensen and Michael Porter recently released books that critique the US Health Sector. Interestingly, neither book affords support to the models advocated by CU.

What is Consumers Union's response to mission violations? Does Consumers Union intend to continue following its current path on the health sector which undermines CU's credibility in my eyes? Has CU chosen to alter its mission and become a political advocate? Why should I continue to trust CU's evaluations of products generally, and assessment of the health sector specifically?

It will be interesting to see whether they reply.

What Happened to Live Free or Die?

2009-08-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

New Hampshire congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter has police eject a constituent because he lacked a 'golden ticket'. What happened to New Hampshire's Live Free or Die attitude?

Montana Lobster

2009-08-24T18:31:00.001-07:00

Lobster in Montana? Go figure.

Short Life

2009-08-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

One has to wonder: Would Obama's health plan would have a life-span akin to the duration of the cash for clunkers program?

I Support the Law ... Except when it's inconvenient

2009-08-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

The ailing Senator Ted Kennedy:

“I strongly support that law and the principle that the people should elect their senator,’’ Kennedy wrote. “I also believe it is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election.’’

So, the Senator is law abiding except when the law is inconvenient to his priorities. Given the Senator's obvious familiarity with Massachusetts's Senate succession law, and its implications, he should have planned his resignation from the senate accordingly.

Guiding Principles Health for Care Innovation: Some Initial Thoughts

2009-08-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

As discussion about the health care sector approaches a full howl, here are some thoughts regarding principles I believe should be guiding discussion about health care innovation:

1. Change the reward structure. A major problem with the health care system is that it rewards treating the sick. I believe the system should be re-imagined as a wellness support system. By increasing the baseline wellness level, resources needed to treat illness due to preventable causes, overall cost of health expenditures would reduce freeing up resources that could be directed elsewhere (perhaps to aid those with catastrophic health issues such as your friend). This tool lets you fiddle with wellness ROI. Essential to wellness program success is careful targeting of behaviors to change.

2. Personal responsibility. I believe that health is a personal responsibility. We each have a responsibility to actively pursue a health. System incentives should be aligned with pursuit of healthful life.

Incentives in the form of modest co-pays, and the like, insulate consumers from the cost of health care. Consumers, rationally, are less price sensitive as a result. Consumers need to have incentive to be concerned about the cost of health services. Increasing price sensitivity of consumers will increase pricing pressure on health care providers.

3. Empower innovation. Innovation is the only path to reducing the cost of health services while simultaneously increasing the quality of health care. Encourage entrepreneurs to do what they do so well: create effective solutions to problems. Innovation is needed in myriad areas, including diagnostic and delivery technologies and in business models. Christensen, in The Innovator's Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care, provides an outstanding blueprint for how to empower innovation in the health care sector.

A challenge of innovation is that innovation spurs changes in consumer expectations. Expectations re. what the health care system can deliver (e.g., ., what can be treated) are a function of the system's ability to innovate and get rewarded for that innovation. The more the system can deliver, the more we expect of the system; the more treatment we expect to be included in our health care coverage.

4. Focus on outcomes rather than inputs or specific solutions. A focus on outcomes spurs innovation that can yield better outcomes at lower costs. A focus on outcomes is consumer-centric; it puts the focus on quality of patient care rather than on the caregiver.

5. Health care, is a complex adaptive system. System improvement is a function of the system being able to cycle, adapt, and 'emerge'. This implies identifying and removing barriers that inhibit system innovation and adaptation.

6. The market is smarter than any individual entity (human or organization). Ergo, the health care system will operate most efficiently -- yielding the optimal patient outcomes -- when barriers to market function are systematically identified and removed.

These thoughts are necessarily incomplete and preliminary.

Deficit IcOnography

2009-08-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

http://gunzip.weebly.com/line-by-line.htmlO's deficit deftly illustrated:

Source.

Cash for Clunker (in)Competence

2009-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

At a time when -- one would think -- the Obama Administration would be pulling out all the stops to prove their thesis that government solutions lower costs and deliver better service, Administration supported government programs don't seem to be faring too well:

Hundreds of auto dealers in the New York area have withdrawn from the government's Cash for Clunkers program, citing delays in getting reimbursed by the government, a dealership group said Wednesday.

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which represents dealerships in the New York metro area, said about half its 425 members have left the program because they cannot afford to offer more rebates. They're also worried about getting repaid.

And Obama expects us to believe claims that expanding government involvement in the health sector will improve quality of care and reduce costs?

Obama's Negatives Continue to Build

2009-08-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Obama scores a -9 in Rasumssen's latest Presidential approval tracking poll:

That the strongly disapproves and strongly approves both ticked up in this latest poll may suggest that the middle is tipping toward strongly disapprove. The data also suggest public opinion is trending against Obama.. This tweaking of Rasmussen's graph emphasizes Obama's reversal of fortune:

Apple is Enablng 2009 to be 1984

2009-08-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

Apple's famous '1984' ad concluded, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce MacIntosh. You'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984":

Scott Ott illustrates how Apple is enabling 2009 to be like "1984". Yep, there's an app for that:

The Health Care Diversion: It's the Economy, Stupid

2009-08-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

One has to wonder: Is the Democrat's emphasis on health care a diversionary tactic? Sure, there is room for improvement in the U.S. health care system. Is a whole-sale make-over of the U.S. health care system needed? I don't read the tea leaves that way.

The momentum for whole-sale reform of the U.S.'s health care system is premised on a sour U.S. and world economy. The logic may go thus: The more people there are out of work, the more people there are that may be interested in government health care. Hence, the Obama administration has incentive to delay the recovery of the U.S. economy to increase the likelihood of passing government-run health care. My intent here is not to be conspiratorial. However, Rahm Emmanual's infamous, "Don't waste a 'serious crisis" comment, affords a basis for skepticism. The depressed U.S. economy affords just such a 'crisis' that can be 'leveraged.'

Issues with the U.S. health care system are meaningfully a function of the state of the U.S. economy. The healthier the U.S. economy, the more wealth there is available in the private sector. Wealth in the private sector reflects job creation, salary and benefits expansion, increased charitable giving to non-profit hospitals and other community support organizations, and greater freedom of individual choice. These, collectively, reduce the need for government involvement in health care.

The current government efforts to reconfigure the U.S. health care system reflect an attempt to address perceived systemic symptoms without an initial diagnosis. Proposed measures are akin to treating a fever generated by a bacterial infection with an ice-pack. The ice-pack is noticeable, and appears to offer relief, yet has no therapeutic impact on the underlying infection.

The considerable effort pouring into health sector reconfiguration focuses on a symptom that diverts energy and attention away from the underlying weakness of the U.S. economy. The focus on health sector reform is a diversion that pulls energy and focus away from engaging discussion on what is needed to ensure the long-term health of the U.S. economy; to engage entrepreneurial efforts that create jobs; to divert attention away from the fact that the U.S. economy continues to shed jobs.

To reprise a phrase popular with the last Democrat to occupy the White House: It's the economy, stupid. Getting the U.S. economy back on solid footing would seem to go a long way to improving the health care experience of every U.S. citizen and do so in a way that generates, rather than consumes, wealth and health for all.

The IRS and Your Health Care

2009-08-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

William Jacobson shines the light on a provision in draft health care legislation that would put the IRS at the epicenter of the healthcare system:

Under both the House and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bills released to the public, the Internal Revenue Service will play a key role in monitoring and enforcing health care mandates against individual taxpayers. Yet the introduction of the IRS into the health care system has received scant attention.

The Senate bill imposes a new requirement that all persons who provide health care coverage to others must file a return with the IRS listing the names, addresses, social security numbers, and the coverage period for each person, and "such other information as the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] may prescribe." (Section 161(b) starting at page 107). The bill does not limit what information the Secretary may request, so it is conceivable and likely that information as to the nature of the coverage, the family members included, and other details will be reported to the IRS.

Read the whole thing. Would you want the IRS to be monitoring your health care and have the power to decide whether you have paid properly for care received?

Kindle Reading at the Barnes & Noble Cafe

2009-05-26T14:04:00.001-07:00

President Oblivious

2009-05-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Drudge is featuring this stunning interview excerpt of C-SPAN host Steve Scull with President Obama:

SCULLY: You know the numbers, $1.7 trillion debt, a national deficit of $11 trillion. At what point do we run out of money?

OBAMA: Well, we are out of money now. We are operating in deep deficits, not caused by any decisions we've made on health care so far. This is a consequence of the crisis that we've seen and in fact our failure to make some good decisions on health care over the last several decades.

So we've got a short-term problem, which is we had to spend a lot of money to salvage our financial system, we had to deal with the auto companies, a huge recession which drains tax revenue at the same time it's putting more pressure on governments to provide unemployment insurance or make sure that food stamps are available for people who have been laid off.

So we have a short-term problem and we also have a long-term problem. The short-term problem is dwarfed by the long-term problem. And the long-term problem is Medicaid and Medicare. If we don't reduce long-term health care inflation substantially, we can't get control of the deficit.

So, one option is just to do nothing. We say, well, it's too expensive for us to make some short-term investments in health care. We can't afford it. We've got this big deficit. Let's just keep the health care system that we've got now.

Along that trajectory, we will see health care cost as an overall share of our federal spending grow and grow and grow and grow until essentially it consumes everything...

Is Obama suggesting that the current deficits -- deficits created by legislation signed by Obama since he became President -- don't count because they are "not caused by any decisions we've made on healthcare so far."? What does healthcare have to do with the current deficits? Does Obama not realize that his ideas for the healthcare system will further the increase in federal spending on healthcare, further increasing federal obligations and deficits? Is Obama oblivious to the billions of dollars that have been spent on projects -- like forced lending to financial institutions and purchasing auto companies -- and earmark sweetheart deals for congressional and senate districts are responsible for the current tsunami of federal spending? Is Obama oblivious to how his administrations intervention with the capital markets has poisoned the atmosphere for investment?

Stunning. Simply stunning. President oblivious.

UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds puts it succinctly:

So we’re out of money because we don’t have national health care? Bogus. I think, instead, that it has something to do with the fact that Obama has been pouring money down a crony-statist rathole at absolutely astronomical and unprecedented rates. Yep, here’s that graphic again. Note that it doesn’t support Obama’s claim at all — but it does support mine.

Obama Connections

2008-12-09T17:41:00.000-08:00

It is interesting that the MSM is now raising questions about Obama's connections to the chronically corrupt Illinois political machine. For example:

On the Chicago TV show "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz" on June 27, 2002, state Sen. Obama said, "Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor, we..."

"You working hard for Rod?" interrupted Berkowitz.

"You betcha," said Obama.

"Hot Rod?" asked the host.

"That's exactly right," Obama said.

In 2004, then-Gov. Blagojevich enthusiastically endorsed Obama for the Senate seat after he won the nomination, and Obama endorsed Blagojevich for his 2006 re-election race in early 2005.

While I'm not an advocate of guilt by association, it will be interesting to see how the Illinois corruption network expands.

Fred Dispenses a Little Common Sense

2008-12-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

If Fred Thompson had been this entertaining on the campaign trail, the primaries might have unfolded differently:

Anh Cao: The New Face of Congress

2008-12-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

In a most heartening development, Anh Cao will replace Congressman William "Freezer Cash" Jefferson:

Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson suffered what may be the final blow of his storied political career in the most improbable way Saturday, when an untested Republican opponent took advantage of Louisiana's new federal voting rules -- and an election delay caused by Hurricane Gustav -- to unseat the nine-term Democrat.

With the upset victory, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a eastern New Orleans attorney who fled war-ravaged Saigon as a child, becomes the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. He will represent a district that was specifically drawn to give African-Americans an electoral advantage and one in which two of every three voters are registered Democrats.

Does this election outcome provide another data point suggesting a post-racial America?

Obama's Spending Plan

2008-12-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

Obama unleashed today details of his vision for re-energizing the US Economy. Politico summarizes thusly:

—ENERGY: “[W]e will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won’t just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work.”

This is a government subsidized make-work project wrapped in the flag of energy conservation. A gift to the unions?

—ROADS AND BRIDGES: “[W]e will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we’ll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn’t act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they’ll lose the money.”

A government subsidized make-work. Another gift to the unions?

—SCHOOLS: “[M]y economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen. We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools.”

Note that this proposal says nothing about improving the quality of education our children experience. This proposal is all about justifying more government subsidized make work programs. I know of no research that connects the energy efficiency of a school building with student performance as a result of an educational program.

—BROADBAND: “As we renew our schools and highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m president – because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.”

It his a proposal for government subsidized broadband? The US already has an oversupply of broadband capacity.

—ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS: “In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the Internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the Internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I’m proposing will help modernize our health care system – and that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year.”

The thought of the government driving the adoption of an electronic medical records system raises more concerns about preservation of personal privacy than I can begin to enumerate. Given the numerous violations of privacy laws by State officials poking into "Joe the Plumber's" records, I have zero confidence in an electronic medical records system that is touched by the government (state or national) in any way. I support movement of medical records from dead-trees to electronic media. Let's encourage companies like Google to lead that charge.

These proposals are all about expanding the reach of big brother government.

Stunningly absent from Obama's proposals are incentives to spur entrepreneurs to take risk and create value. Innovation and entrepreneurship are the true strength and defining nature of this country. Only value created in the private sector can reenergize the US and World economies.

UPDATE: Has Obama proposed a Macho Stimulus Plan? Pass the Viagra please.

How Obama Got Elected

2008-11-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, here's some insight into how Obama was elected president:

More at HowObamaGotElected.

Is Obama Qualified?

2008-11-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Questions about Obama's status as a Natural Born Citizen persist. Alan Keys has filed suit in a Califoria court to force clarification of the issue. More here .

Why has Obama failed so far to difinitively address this issue?

hattip: ace.

Jimmy Obama

2008-11-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Ann Althouse thinks Obama sounds a lot like Jimmy Carter :

What do you think?

And, oh, BTW, since when did it become appropriate for The Office of the President-Elect to issue a weekly address? Is it my imagination, or are the marionette-like strings connecting Obama to his handlers visible in this weekly address video?

While we're at it, is there any meaning to be found in the fact that,. while the world's leaders are meeting, Obama is holed up in Chicago?

A question to which we may soon learn the answer: Is Obama a follower, or can he lead?

Election Aftermath: Obama Zombies

2008-11-11T03:33:00.001-08:00

A humble prediction

2008-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a humble prediction: Severe buyer's remorse will have settled in by the time Obama is sworn in, on January 20, 2009, as President of the United State.

The Hypocracy of Dividers and Uniters

2008-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Free Speech in the Obama Era: Censor Your T-Shirt

2008-11-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Free speech in the Obama Era. A man is arrested for simply wearing a McCain/Palin t-shirt:

H/T: Ace .

The Multi-Trillion Dollar Question about Obama

2008-11-06T03:52:00.000-08:00

Obama has demonstrated exemplary skills at running a campaign. Obama has proven his ability to run an effective Presidential campaign. Just as Obama proved his ability to run a successful Senate campaign. Just as Obama proved his ability to run a successful campaign to become a legislator in the state of Illinois.

The campaign is over. Obama is now president-elect. There is no next campaign for Obama to pivot to; the President's office is not a springboard to another position up toe political food chain. Being president is about leadership. About governing. Voting "present" is not an option.

The multi-trillion dollar question about Obama is: can he govern?

Only in time will we learn of Obama's ability to govern. The stock market, however, excels at incorporating the future into current stock prices. On learning Obama is the president-elect, the stock market declined by more than 5%. The largest post presidential election stock market decline ever. Is the market prophetic?

Obama's Finger

2008-11-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

These videos are making the rounds today. The first is of Obama speaking in a disparaging way about Hillary Clinton:

The second video is of a (tired looking) Obama speaking about John McCain:

Coincidence? Careless gesture or intentional insult?

The Dead Vote in Cleveland

2008-11-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

As we are on the eve of a Presidential election, these findings by Cleveland TV station 5 are unsettling:

CLEVELAND -- Among the thousands of graves at Highland Park Cemetery, one modest tombstone stands out.
Alex Holmes Sr. has been at rest in that cemetery for 15 years. But recent election records show he cast a ballot in this year's primary.
And our 5 On Your Side investigation found a home on Cleveland's east side listed as Holmes' address.
Jeremy Moore, Holmes' grandson, was stunned.
"He's deceased. Deceased since 1993," Moore said.
And it doesn't appear to be a name mix-up.
Records reveal Alex Holmes Jr. -- who is still alive -- voted in the same election as his deceased father.
Cuyahoga County Elections Director Jane Platten said she'll look in to it.
"Without having full detail, I have no idea why that would have happened," Platten said.
But this isn't the first time we've uncovered dead voters. Two years ago, another 5 On Your Side investigation exposed 13,000 dead voters registered in Cuyahoga County. More than two dozen of them cast ballots.

Obama's Energy Policy: Bankrupt Coal-Fired Power Plants

2008-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

An audio file in which Obama outlines his energy policy includes a promise to eliminate generation of new electricity using one of America's most abundant resources:

So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.

Approximately 30% of US electricity production is from coal-powered facilities. The US holds approximately 25% of the world's known coal reserves. R&D has produced significant advances toward clean coal power generation. New coal fired electric plants would incorporate the new technologies.

Perhaps Senator Obama was speaking recklessly. Perhaps. To my eye, greater bang for the buck would be achieved by stimulating building of power generation facilities, including coal powered facilities, that are cleaner than existing facilities. New capacity could enable retiring old inefficient and dirty facilities. Categorically ruling out expanding electricity production that leverages one of America's most abundant resources is short sighted.

More on Obama's Illegal Campaign Donations

2008-11-02T06:58:00.001-08:00

An Instapundit reader does some important leg work on illegal foreign contributions to the Obama campaign:

Meanwhile, reader Joseph Edwards emails:

All these stories about Obama's campaign contributions (lack of credit card verification, Aunti Zaitun, etc.) prompted me to check Google Trends (http://www.google.com/trends) to see from which countries people are searching for "Donate McCain" versus "Donate Obama." Check it out yourself. Nothing other than the USA registers for McCain, but a statistically significant number of Canadian and British residents apparently have enough interest in donating to Obama's campaign they show up as numbers two and three. Somehow I don't believe these are all US service men and women stationed in Montreal or London who are googling this topic.

He's right. Here's "Donate Obama," and here's "Donate McCain" on Google Trends. Of course, that just tells you who's searching, not who's donating.

Agreed. It does raise myriad questions the Obama campaign should address pronto.

Biden Crowds vs. Palin Crowds

2008-11-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

I'm a strong believer that actions speak louder than words. Both vice presidential candidates visited Bowling Green this week. Palin was in town Wednesday morning (Oct 29). She drew a crowd estimated at 5,500 on a work-day morning. The event required attendees to plan in advance and obtain a ticket to the event. It took commitment to attend the Palin event.

Biden spoke last evening, a Saturday, at an outdoor event held on the BGSU campus that attracted a crowd estimated at 1,500. Barriers to attending the Biden event were limited: no ticket required (show up), no need to miss work. Kids living in the nearby dorms didn't need to travel far. Parking was abundant. It appears Obama/Biden supporters were more committed to their beers than to making the limited effort required to rally their candidate.

Will a similar difference in commitment be apparent at the polls on Tuesday? We'll see.

Tito the Builder

2008-11-02T05:39:00.001-08:00

Obama on Civilian Security

2008-11-02T05:07:00.000-08:00

This clip is disturbing for a number of reasons. One is that it appears Obama is proposing yet another government program. Two, one might infer that Senator Obama is unawares that the US already has voluntary civilian security organizations we variously call the US Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, and even local police officers. Three, it could be interpreted as a promise of jobs for many individuals. Fourth, the prospect of 'civilian' enforcers is a chilling prospect reminiscent of Cuba and other totalitarian regimes. Is this program intended to enforce internal compliance with Obama's views?

UPDATE: The Captain's Journal has some questions:

How will this Civilian National Security Force (hereafter CNSF) be just as powerful as men with guns, artillery, ordnance, war ships and aircraft?
What will make the CNSF “just as strong” as the U.S. Marine Corps?
How will this CNSF implement national security policy?
Since the 2009 budget includes just over half a trillion dollars for defense spending (The Captain’s Journal supports this, and calls for even more), and since it is judged that this CNSF be “just as well funded” as the military, where will this half a trillion dollars come from?
Finally, if he didn’t really mean that this CNSF would be the beneficiary of half a trillion dollars (to do with we don’t know what), then why did he say so?

Excellent questions. I'm not holding my breath that anyone will bother to ask these questions of Obama or that Obama would answer them if they were asked.

Dear Mr. Obama

2008-11-01T18:56:00.001-07:00

2008-11-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Powerline's John Hinderaker captures powerfully the irony of the current presidential campaign:

But because McCain was so spectacularly right, and because President Bush ultimately took his advice, the war has become a non-issue in the campaign. No one could have foreseen it: the 2008 Presidential race is about the banking industry and the stock market, not the war against Islamic terrorism. And, in just one of the many ironies of this election season, the result may well be that the candidate who was most spectacularly wrong about Iraq--Barack Obama--will benefit from the fact that his opponent was proved right, and win the White House. This is why throughout human history, people have referred to the "wheel of fortune," not the "wheel of justice."

Does this pattern also reflect the short collective memory of the US voting public?

The Govenator Challenges Obama to "Pump it Up"

2008-11-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Stumping for McCain in Ohio, the Govenator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, packages Obama:

Every year in March I come here to organize the Arnold Classic, which is all about building the body and pumping," Schwarzenegger said.

"That's why I want to invite Senator Obama because he needs to do something about those skinny legs. I'm going to make him do some squats.

"And then we're going to make him do some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms. But if he could only do something about putting some meat on his ideas.

"Senator McCain on the other hand is built like a rock. His character and his views are solid."

UPDATE: Here's the video:

Obama's Illegal Alien Problem

2008-11-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

The AP is reporting that Obama's aunt, a Kenyan, is in the US illegally and living in subsidized public housing:

Zeituni Onyango, 56, referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in Obama's memoir, was instructed to leave the United States by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request, a person familiar with the matter told the AP late Friday. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss Onyango's case.

In fairness, it is unreasonable for a candidate to be held accountable for the actions of his/her relatives. On the other hand, to my eye, Obama has an unusually large number of personal connections to individuals with personal histories or circumstances that fall outside the realm of my personal experience. We know from the extensive literature rooted in symbolic interactionist theory that one's social ties determine a substantial amount of variance in an individual's views of the world. In short, those social ties DO matter, no matter how hard Obama and his surrogates try to shrug them off. There is much truth in the old saying, "You can tell a man by the company he keeps."

2008-10-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

Powerline sums up McCain beautifully:

McCain himself seems to me beautifully captured in the almost Churchillian quote from JFK's inaugural with which we conclude our column. JFK described himself as the representative of a generation "tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world."

Obama will ...

2008-10-31T13:22:00.001-07:00

Obama will pay my mortgage ...

How gullible can people be?

2008-10-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hattip: Powerline.

Obama: I apologize for ...

2008-10-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Obama: I apologize for being late:

What a sterling example of leadership in action.

The Gathering MSM Anti-Obama Swarm

2008-10-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Growing consensus is that Obama's 30 minute infomercial has strengthened McCain/Palin's odds of winning the White House. The MSM's tradition of fawning coverage of Obama appears to be on the wane. Consider this from CBS News:

Without question, the Barack Obama infomercial served as a very slick and powerful recitation of the biggest promises he's made as a presidential candidate. But the very bigness of his ideas is the problem: he seems blind to the concept his numbers don't add up.

Is saying that "his numbers don't add up" tantamount to calling Obama a lier? Are we witnessing a gathering MSM anti-Obama swarm? It is about time the 'professional' journalists stop writing opinion pieces and start writing news. Assuming they know how.

Big Brother is Looking in Your Pocket: More Inquiries into Joe "the Plumber's" Ohio records

2008-10-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

News reports indicate that abuse of restricted access databases in Ohio, in search of dirt on Joe 'the Plumber' is greater than initially reported:

Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, disclosed today that computer inquiries on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher were not restricted to a child-support system.

The agency also checked Wurzelbacher in its computer systems to determine whether he was receiving welfare assistance or owed unemployment compensation taxes, she wrote.

Jones-Kelley made the revelations in a letter to Ohio Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, who demanded answers on why state officials checked out Wurzelbacher.

Harris called the multiple records checks "questionable" and said he awaits more answers. "It's kind of like Big Brother is looking in your pocket," he said.

Extremely chilling is this quote from Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services:

'"[the] department frequently runs checks for any unpaid child support obligations "when someone is thrust quickly into the public spotlight."

This is troubling for so many reasons. One is that is reveals how haphazardly the ODJFS approaches locating individuals that are behind in their child support payments. A second is the apparent privacy violation.

I can't help but wonder: were similar checks run when Jennifer Brunner, Ohio's Secretary of State, was thrust quickly into the public spotlight due to law suits challenging her one-stop register and vote program.

Obama: Fighting to Stop the Outsourcing of America's Shitty Jobs

2008-10-30T06:17:00.001-07:00

Obama Promises To Stop America's Shitty Jobs From Going Overseas

Obama Family Values

2008-10-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Obama family values on display:

Barack Obama has lived one version of the American Dream that has taken him to the steps of the White House. But a few miles from where the Democratic presidential candidate studied at Harvard, his Kenyan aunt and uncle, immigrants living in modest circumstances in Boston, have a contrasting American story.

Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father, lives in a disabled-access flat on a rundown public housing estate in South Boston.

A second relative believed to be the long-lost “Uncle Omar” described in the book was beaten by armed robbers with a “sawed-off rifle” while working in a corner shop in the Dorchester area of the city. He was later evicted from his one-bedroom flat for failing to pay $2,324.20 (£1,488) arrears, according to the Boston Housing Court.

If these were Palin or McCain relatives, the press would have been all over this story months ago. Here, a paper from the UK is doing the spade work.

Perhaps it is unfair, but I have to wonder: If this is how Obama treats his family, how should the American people expect to be treated if Obama were to become president?

Ohio Vote Fraud Alert: Ohio Judge Rules Park Bench is Official Residence for Voter

2008-10-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is incomprehensible:

A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that counties must allow homeless voters to list park benches and other locations that aren't buildings as their addresses.

At minimum, this seems a green light for voter fraud. Unbelievable.

Obama's "Small Donor" Problem

2008-10-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

"Ninety percent of our contributions are from small donors" claims B. Obama in his standard lawyerly parsing. Unsaid is the fact that many of those contributions are from small donors that are either nameless or give repeatedly under a false name.

CBS News is now on the hunt for Obama's mystery donors. Can the rest of the MSM be far behind? Will Obama explain the mystery of his "small donor" problem?

We Don't Need Another Eight Years of Lawyers in the White House

2008-10-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

Obama's wealth redistribution advocating history is increasingly dominating the campaign discourse. The Obama campaign doesn't like it:

The Obama campaign immediately pushed back, arguing that the Right is deliberately misinterpreting a narrow legal argument Obama was making about decades-old court cases.

Hmm ... how many times has Obama directly, or his campaign surrogates, said some variation of, "what I meant to say was ...," when folks run with the plain meaning of Obama's words? Note also the extremely narrow lawyerly parsing: "a narrow legal argument ... about decades old court cases." Yep, let's distract by trying to refocus the discussion on the trees rather than the forest.

After eight years of Clintonian lawyerly parsing of the of the obvious, haven't we had enough of lawyers in the White House?

You Liberals are supposed to be open minded, well now's your chance. ...

2008-10-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

You've likely seen this before, but it's worth another watch:

H/T to LightSeekingLight

Obama Campaign Lawyers Threaten Ohio Collegiate Journalists

2008-10-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Obama campaign lawyers are again striving to stifle reporters and suppress freedom of speech. Maggie Thurber has a great round-up in this blog post. The latest targets are Tiffany Wilson and Shelby Holliday, reporters for a college news service.

Update: LGF is on the beat.

Obama's Got Friends: Carole King is on the Stump

2008-10-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

In one of the more bizarre episodes of this election cycle, singer Carole King is stumping for Obama:

King, whose "You've Got a Friend" is just one of many blockbuster songs she's written, is visiting small towns across the Midwest to urge voters to cast their ballot for Obama. On Saturday, she stopped at the Hancock County Democratic Headquarters in Findlay and spoke to a crowd of about 100 people, many of whom brought worn copies of King's albums to be autographed.

I'm guessing that the "about 100 people" that mobbed King's stop were more interested in seeing the (true) legend than in hearing what she had to say about Obama. Just a hunch.

I do wonder: Why do Democrats have such a fondness for celebrity?

Obama: Advocating "Redustributive Change"

2008-10-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Obama speaks clearly about redistributing wealth in a 2001 interview:

Hat tip: LGF
Obama opines that the civil rights movement "wasn't that radical" because it didn't include massive wealth redistribution. Interesting.

UPDATE: McCain and Boehner are using this interview as additional ammo in the campaign.

Killing the Conversation

2008-10-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Democrats proclaim to value nuance and considered thought. Democrats claim that Republican lack nuance and don't think. Democrats also are masters of claiming x while acting out y. The latest installment is this interview with VP candidate Joe Biden. On encountering questions that required nuance and considered thought, Biden ended the interview:

What does this portend of an Obama presidency? Will they end they conversation every time it deviates from their preprogrammed talking points?

UPDATE: LGF weighs in:

Biden claimed that the Obama campaign did not pay “one cent” to ACORN.
That’s true. They paid at least $832,598 to ACORN. And 29 cents. Obama paid ACORN for voter registration.

Biden Doesn't Trust Obama's Experience: Giuliani Responds

2008-10-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

Obama: "I'm not that kind of person ..."

2008-10-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

Obama talks one game and plays another:

ACORN Fraud Map

2008-10-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Election Journal is crowdsourcing a map of confirmed cases of vote fraud related to ACORN:

View Larger Map
Those of us in Ohio should be extremely concerned about the sanctity of our vote.

Obama "probably won't" Cut My Taxes

2008-10-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

Truth is finally emerging from the Obama campaign about his infamous claim that 95% of Americans will receive a tax cut. I took the Obama tax calculator for a spin. It definitively proclaimed that I "probably won't" get a tax cut under the Obama tax plan. OK, so much for truth. "Probably" strikes me as mighty weaselly.

UPDATE: To counter Obama's "you probably won't get your taxes cut" calculator,he McCain campaign should publish a "spread the wealth" calculator.

McCain Tags Obama

2008-10-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

McCain finally takes off the gloves and is starting to call out Obama for what he is:

"At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

Glen Johnson, the AP stringer that wrote the story, sensationalizes McCain's observation by calling it "his charge." Unclear to me how giving a shout-out about Obama's wealth redistribution program is a "charge." But then, in this election cycle, the Obama campaign prefers to shoot the messenger rather than the message.

How to Show Understanding of the "Middle Class"

2008-10-18T07:48:00.001-07:00

Obama continues to demonstrate his immense understanding of the "middle class" voters he claims his policies support:

Note that Obama misrepresents what "Joe the Plumber" said. Joe didn't say that he would make $250,000+ per year, he said that the business he wanted to buy makes about that much a year. Again, Obama appears to not understand small GROSS income.

Even more unsettling is that Obama is attacking the messenger and not the message. What does this episode portend for an Obama administration?

Which Party was the Canary in the Economic Coal Mine?

2008-10-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

A timely reminder of party engagement in the history of the current economic fiasco. Clearly Republicans were the proverbial canary in the economic coal mine while Democrats preferred to insist that evidence of crumbling tunnel supports was erroneous:

McCain & Letterman

2008-10-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

McCain returned to Letterman and "gave David Letterman his highest viewership in nearly three years." McCain the Politician provided better comedy than Letterman the comedian. Me thinks it is past time for Letterman to retire.

Joe the Plumber ... Does Obama understand GROSS income?

2008-10-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

McCain made Joe the Plumber famous. Listening carefully to the video it is clear that Obama either does not understand business income, plans to raise taxes at a lower income threshold than reported previously, or both. Note that Joe states that the business he plans to buy "makes about $250, $270, $280 thousand dollars a year ..." It seems reasonable to assume Joe is reporting GROSS income. If so, Obama's reply to Joe is beyond troubling. Obama appears to not understand the relationship between a GROSS INCOME from a business and a business owner's take home pay. Does Obama intend to tax GROSS INCOME?

Gateway Pundit has an excellent Joe the Plumber round-up.

UPDATE: Hmm ... how many factual errors or irrelevant, but mis leading, details can you identify in this paragraph:

A day after making Joseph Wurzelbacher famous, referencing him in the debate almost two dozen times as someone who would pay higher taxes under Barack Obama, McCain learned the fine print Thursday on the plumber’s not-so-tidy personal story: He owes back taxes. He is not a licensed plumber. And it turns out that Wurzelbacher makes less than $250,000 a year, which means he would receive a tax cut if Obama were elected president.

Guilt by Participation

2008-10-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ayers Troubling Present

2008-10-13T08:29:00.001-07:00

Obama tries hard to dismiss le affair de Ayers as a bit of ancient history that occurred when Obama was a mere lad of 8. This posturing intentionally deflects attention from the role Ayers has played in Obama's adult life. As the Post observes:

All told, Ayers and Obama won more than $150 million to ladle out.
McCain, to be sure, has never accused Obama of sharing Ayers' terrorist views.
He's merely questioned the Democrat's judgment in having worked with Ayers - and having launched his political career from the ex-terrorist's living room.
It's a fair point.
Incredibly, an Obama aide suggested that the senator didn't know about Ayers' terror past - which is a little disquieting, if true.
But he had to know what Ayers was up to with his school efforts - because Obama himself was helping him.
Bad judgment?
What an understatement.

Obama owes the citizens of this country an accounting of his activities as a "Community Organizer" in Chicago.

Leading Economists Oppose Obama's Tax Plan

2008-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

TaxProf reports:

Hundreds of economists (including Nobel Prize winners Gary Becker, James Buchanan, Robert Mundell, Edward Prescott, and Vernon Smith) have signed letters opposing Barack Obama's economic and tax plans (here, here, and here):

We are equally concerned with his proposals to increase tax rates on labor income and investment. His dividend and capital gains tax increases would reduce investment and cut into the savings of millions of Americans. His proposals to increase income and payroll tax rates would discourage the formation and expansion of small businesses and reduce employment and take-home pay, as would his mandates on firms to provide expensive health insurance.

After hearing such economic criticism of his proposals, Barack Obama has apparently suggested to some people that he might postpone his tax increases, perhaps to 2010. But it is a mistake to think that postponing such tax increases would prevent their harmful effect on the economy today. The prospect of such tax rate increases in 2010 is already a drag on the economy. Businesses considering whether to hire workers today and expand their operations have time horizons longer than a year or two, so the prospect of higher taxes starting in 2009 or 2010 reduces hiring and investment in 2008.

What will be the response latency before someone brands this a racial smear?

This list of Economists for McCain is impressive!

Political discourse at its finest

2008-10-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

Political discourse at its finest NYC style:

Back to Basics: Tax Cuts & Flat Tax, Too?

2008-10-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal is quoting Lindsey Graham:

"It will be a very comprehensive approach to jump-start the economy by allowing capital to be formed easier in America by lowering taxes," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "Now is the time to lower tax rates for investors -- capital-gains tax, dividend tax rates -- to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started."

That's good news. Simplify the message. Lower taxes = Economic growth created by the people for the people.

If McCain takes this approach, it will offer a clear contrast from Obama's classic "let's spend our way out of this" government funded approach which relies on funds the U. S. Treasury does not have. Besides, the kind of infrastructure needed is not more bridges and highways. If the U.S. were to embark on a serious infrastructure project, the emphasis must be on installing a new energy infrastructure.

McCain could further distinguish his message by reviving his call for offering us a voluntary Flat Tax alternative.

Twittering ACORN

2008-10-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

If Twitter activity is any indication, Obama's ties to ACORN are definitely now part of the conversation.

Obama and ACORN

2008-10-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Obama's ACORN past:

Pull a Judo Move on Obama: Thoughts on How McCain/Palin Should Close the Deal

2008-10-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

While Obama's enjoyed a nice run the last couple of weeks, McCain/Palin are still clearly in the running. One might look to the 2004 election for parallels. "Who 'ya gonna' trust?" is a question that loomed large in 2004 and looms large in the final stretch of this campaign season. The current economic climate is a top-of-mind issue for many. As are energy and international issues. McCain/Palin are well positioned on all of these issues. Both are hightly effective communicators. This is doable.

A two-pronged approach for squeezing Obama seems fruitful.

Prong one is to shine a ray of hope. To make clear that McCain has a vision that can simultaneously navigate us through current challenges and transcend them. Take on the Democratic leadership. Take on how the Democrats came into leadership promising improved ethics, etc. Take on how ineffective they have been. And how Obama is part of the effectiveness problem.
Prong two is to pull a judo move on Obama. Obama has frequently held up his days as a community organizer as evidence of his leadership skills. Obama is silent on what he has organized. Turn Obama's history of community organizing against him by shining the light on the issues around which he organized communities, the effectiveness of those efforts, and the Chicago context in which those efforts took place.

This isn't terribly different from the path the McCain campaign has been following, but they must become more focussed and more effective in making these points. In particulary, they must be more effective in communicating how McCain intends to lead through the financial crisis and beyond. Make the path clear!

When the truth becomes uncomfortable, it becomes a smear

2008-10-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Anchoress is on a roll:

Now, the GOP is trying to shed some light on the clear and important connection between Barack Obama and the corrupt ACORN - whose activities are on the verge of discrediting the election in 11, or perhaps as many as 14 states - and even Thom notices that their effort is “seen mostly as ‘another right wing attempt to smear Obama.’” Because you know, when the truth is uncomfortable, it becomes a “smear.”

The choice of many in the press to champion Obama is beyond disgusting. How they behaved during the Clinton era is a mere shadow compared to current efforts.

Shout Out: Grizzly Groundswell

2008-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

A shout-out to Grizzly Groundswell for doing fantastic work this election cycle bringing to the fore issues the msm are too blind, lazy, or inept to touch.

On Limited Government: KISS?

2008-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

While ruminating this afternoon about the current presidential election campaign, something shifted in a way that revealed how the concept of limited government has been emasculated. The concept of limited government has been reduced to war cries about two issues: abortion and taxes. To be clear both are vital issues. However they have become means to different ends, rather than two manifestations of a common theme: limited government or minimizing the role of government in our daily lives.

The abortion 'debate' gets pitched as a debate about "individual rights," "reproductive rights," and myriad other "rights." At risk of being overly simplistic, the discussion should be about individual choice. A less government approach would preclude the government from entering this arena; would allow individuals to make decisions about their lives. Simplistic, yes.

Taxes reflect the scope and range of government programs. Fewer government programs translate to less demand for government funds. Lower demand for government funds translates to a lower tax burden. Simple.

Encourage discussions about programs to take place at the local level. The closer a program is to the source of need and support, the more efficient the program is likely to be in terms of financial and human resources.

Would that our politicins be able to communicate clearly about what government programs, especially federal government programs cost -- both in financial and human terms. Would that our politicians could effectively make the case that less government translates to greater individual freedom, greater efficiency in delivery of programs (if decision making is moved to the local level), and a more dynamic set of choices as market forces are not impeded.

Simplistic? Yep. But there's much to be said in support of the KISS principle.

Catching Up

2008-10-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

For reasons of convenience, I have been posting on the 2008 Presidentail Campaign over at Digito Society. I'll try to resist the pull of convenience and return to posting political ditties here. Digito Society will return to its normal apolitical issues.

Entering a Post-Convention Era

2008-09-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

A modest proposal: Can the Conventions!

Political conventions have been a fixture of American presidential politics since the beginning. Will changes in electoral politics and Hurricane Gustov change that? Both parties ended their primary seasons with only one candidate standing. The Democrats went so far as to do away with the traditional roll-call vote to determine their candidate. They opted for a behind the scenes, out of public eye, voting process.

Hurricane Gustov has the Republicans curtailing their convention plans.

Given the inevitability of the conventions' nominating processes, why hold the conventions at all? Couldn't the voting be handled by a secure on-line system? Granted the host cities would not reap the millions of dollars of revenue the presidential conventions bring to town. However, couldn't the human capital and monies be put to better use?

McCain's introduction of Sarah Palin as his VP candidate was far more dramatic than anything that could happen at the convention.

Solution? Can the conventions!

Social Security Debate Turns the Corner

2005-04-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some encouraging facts about the Social Security discussion from Patrick Ruffini:

Time for Affirmative Action?

2005-03-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

This one is from the "well duh" file:

"By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans."

If these numbers documented any other flavor of diversity, heads would roll at affirmative action offices across the land.

Churchill Update

2005-03-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

More on Ward Churchill's travails at digito society.

Academic Freedom Cont'd: Yet more on Ohio Senate bill 24

2005-02-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

The Faculty Senate at Ohio University unanimously passed a resolution opposing Ohio Senate Bill 24, which calls for the establishment of a so-called 'Academic Bill of Rights.'" More. Churchill here.

Assault on Academic Freedom

2005-02-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Ohio Senate's consideration of Senate Bill #24 has stirred predictably hilarious responses from the left. Predictable in that commentators rant, but don't critique the proposed legislation. Predictable, because anytime a light is shone in a sacred dark corner, the left screams.

Summaries of reactions are available here, here, and here.

The most cogent argument against the legislation is that it is unnecessary because the faculty handbook at several universities in Ohio contain language consistent with the core point driving the legislation. The unanswered question is: are university administrators enforcing their own regulations?

As I pointed out elsewhere, administrators at universities in Ohio should regard this legislation as a warning shot that the legislature is serious about university students receiving the education they believe they are purchasing. And that, ultimately, is what this is about.

Some argue that student evaluations, if made public, would provide students the information needed to avoid classes taught by serial airbags. In theory, this could work. In practice, if a single faculty member teaches all sections of one or more required classes, students cannot dodge individual faculty members and proceed in that degree program.

Welcome!

2005-02-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Two questions are likely at the forefront of your mind:

Why the name? Birkenstock Conservative because, well, I'm a Birkenstock wearing conservative. Birkenstocks don't define me. They're just so darned comfy. The left believes it owns the "Birkenstock crowd." Not true. Case in point. Moi (that's an attempt at French as, I believe, French is the only language spoken by the left).
Why the blog? Political events occasionally inspire me blog. As such ruminations aren't appropriate for Digito-Society, my primary blog, an alternate outlet seemed approprite.