Wal-Mart, Compassion, Midwestern Values and Economic Indicators

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?

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

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.

Obama's Spending Plan

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.

The Gathering MSM Anti-Obama Swarm

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.