Quote of the Day

Hatch has figured out something de Tocqueville did centuries ago:

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

Cradle-to-grave public programs are quite enticing to a politician; it gives them power and just as important, makes the public need him. This, in part, explains why it takes a near miracle to reform any government program - there are too many entrenched and well-funded interests wedded to the status quo.

It's amazing how people really believe that government health care will be so much better and cheaper than health care is today. Bollocks. It will only be cheaper for those who make less than X. X, of course, is set by the politicians. If you make, more, you must subsidize everyone under X. Health care is now more expensive for the population above X.

Of course, how the health care will somehow be better amazes me. You're not changing the number of doctors. Or improving medical training. Or mandating access to better supplies or equipment. You are simply increasing the possible number of patients. This is not a recipe for better health care.

I have to hand it to the Demcrats, though. And Drum - you know this as well:

as Democrats create more and more government services, they close ranks and make it harder for any Republican to oppose them. Name a Republican today who can campaign for fewer Social Security or Medicare or other entitlement benefits. You can't. As much as many Republicans would like to narrow the scope of the government, too many people are wedded to their SS check or their Medicare benefits and would oppose these changes, even if the people are normally conservative voters.

It's a nice game you liberals have going.

Be careful with cap-and-trade, though. There's no real benefits for any chunk of the electorate. Cap-and-trade could be your Waterloo.

"I agree, even if I'm puzzled why you refer to the finance industry as the public."

I didn't. And you can count me as a conservative who was against bailing out the finance industry, which of course enjoyed bipartisan support. What was even worse was Obama deciding GM and Chrysler needed a good bailout as well. How's that working out? Not too well since Chrysler looks to be going bankrupt - again. GM is probably not far behind.

"What we really need is an aristocracy (including father-son presidents) that will rise above the great unwashed and horribly selfish masses to do "what's right for the country"

No, what we really need is a bunch of politicans who don't engage in behavior that de Tocqueville noted. But that's not happening. It's far too easy to spend other people's money, to redistribute wealth and enact new and enticing entitlement programs with taxpayer money.

"See you there Monsieur Bonaparte."

Heh. You will see me there indeed.

"Democrats favor our health insurance reforms so that people who don't have insurance, people who (for cost's sake) let little health problems to become big ones and then go to emergency rooms for treatment, and people with chronic diseases for whom acute care is not appropriate can lead healthier and more productive lives."

This is not what Democrats want and you know it. The goal is single payer. No more, no less.

GET THE FACTS BEHIND THE NEWS!
The Republican party has an opportunity to seize this moment and establish themselves as the leading party. As the discussions on healthcare reform continue it has become apparent that the public wants healthcare reform that will cover almost everyone and they want it at the lowest cost possible.

Republicans have come up with several good ideas, selling insurance across state lines, giving individuals the same tax breaks as those who get insurance thru their employers, tort reform to lessen Doctors insurance costs etc. These idea will help but are not sufficient for almost universal coverage at the lowest cost possible.
How to save BIG MONEY on healthcare REFORM!
Despite all the smoke and mirrors the best opinion shows that the public option saves money not costs money. The Urban Institute of Washington DC estimated that a gov’t insurance plan would save $224 to $400 billion over a period of 10 years. The private insurance co’s simply will not offer the low cost full coverage insurance plans that would reduce the subsidy for the uninsured and underinsured. The gov’t plan would. The Massachusetts experience using Heritage Foundation ideas with exchanges has covered over 97% of the people but at high cost. Yearly insurance plans run from $800 to $1,000 per month. The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed the money saving of public option plans by estimating that the cost of one of the proposed House plans would be reduced from $1.1 billion to only $800 billion, a saving of $300 billion over a 10 yr period with a gov’t plan. The polls show 60% of the public want a gov’t option.

There is another important step we can take to reduce cost by an estimated $40 billion annually or $400 billion over a 10 year period.

According to Drs. David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler Physicians for a National Health Plan the public option misses at least 84 percent of the administrative savings available through a single payer, gov’t, healthcare plan. The public plan option would not do anything to streamline the administrative tasks (and costs) of hospitals, physicians offices, and nursing homes. They would still contend with multiple payers, and hence still need the complex cost tracking and billing apparatus that drives administrative costs. These unnecessary provider administrative costs account for the vast majority of bureaucratic waste. The Physician group research in California showed that now 31% of every health care $ was paid for administrative costs. This compared to 3% of Medicare administrative costs. The PNHP single payer information is available at Tel 312-782-6006, info@pnhp.org.

The Republicans will introduce a single payer healthcare reform bill with a gov’t plan. Many liberal democrats will go along. The Republicans will take control of the healthcare reform debate and give the public what it wants.

If Orrin Hatch and other Republicans see the healthcare reform plan as potentially that popular with the public then why didn't they take advantage of their time in control of the three branches of gov't to produce their own healthcare reform which would insure the public loved them (and would thank them by keeping them in power forever)?