Health

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Obamacare Means an End to Liberty and Freedom

July 22, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

It may seem silly, but the singular fact about freedom is that having it means you have the God given right to ruin your own health without government saying you can’t, or standing in your way to get the medical care you need to fix your own mess. Obamacare, however, will both tell you how to live (taking away your freedom) as well as withhold from you the medical care you need to fix yourself. In fact, by its very nature, government healthcare has to end up that way.

Do you doubt that statement? Do you think that the benevolent father in Washington would never withhold medical care from those in need just because they are fat, old, or because they smoke or drink too much? Is this just fearmongering on my part as far as you are concerned? Au contraire. It is already happening in countries that have national socialistic healthcare systems and the sad tale of Gary Reinbach (RIP) of Dagenham, Essex, U.K. is exhibit number one.

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Obamacare Means an End to Liberty and Freedom”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

The Old Age Penalty For Healthcare Services

July 22, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last week England’s Yorkshire Post featured a few stories on the failure that is British nationalized healthcare. Among others, it featured one 54-year-old woman that had to wait 18 months to get an abscess taken from her mouth and a 74-year-old man that found he could not get the care for his heart condition that he needed because he was deemed too old to be worth the effort.

Once again, we have a perfect example of the sort of nationalized healthcare administered by government bean counters and bureaucrats (and NOT doctors) that will result here if we institute Obamacare.

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The Old Age Penalty For Healthcare Services”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Freedom - Health - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Even Healthcare Liberal Wants Process Slowed

July 21, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Obama is just about to ride his “skycycle” over the edge of Snake River Canyon, right to certain disaster.

Barack Obama is rushing headlong off the healthcare cliff despite rising calls to slow the debate so that lawmakers can wrap their heads around the whole thing. Even liberal Douglas Elmendorf, Harvard trained and member of the leftist Brookings Institute, is practically begging Congress to slow down and deliberate with the attention the whole enterprise deserves.

Elmendorf is a true believer in healthcare “reform,” too. He believes in a massive, socialist take over of healthcare by the government. But even he is saying that the bills currently under consideration are a mess that will cause more trouble in healthcare than they will fix. His primary concern is that the legislation being considered would cause wild increases in healthcare costs despite the claim by Obama that such costs will come down.

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Even Healthcare Liberal Wants Process Slowed”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes

Liberal Mantras

July 21, 2009 by

-By Dan Scott

The new liberal mantra regarding the current drive to quote, reform our health care system, unquote, is that the current system is broken and furthermore, we have debated the idea for 40 years as thee reasons for change. On the surface, the sales pitch is compelling, but like all things liberals attempt to sell the public they are short on details and when those details are revealed, the whole system is found to be one big unworkable boondoggle. One thing we have learned over the years is that liberal assertions are nothing more than falsehoods waiting to be exposed. I don’t know about you, but once I determine someone is misleading me, I stop believing anything they say.

How is our health care system broken? Most citizens have health care via insurance or direct pay, 1. Employer sponsored plans, 2. A COBRA plan because they are unemployed (indirect pay), 3. An individual plan (indirect pay), 4. Medicare if you are over 65, 5. Medicaid if you are indigent or 6. The wealthy that for their own reasons pay the bill presented by any health care provider directly. The observed facts say the system works for the majority of users. For a system that is supposedly broken, thousands of foreigners flock to the US to receive health care they see as clearly second to none. The system is said not to work for illegal aliens, the young who choose not to have insurance and those between jobs who elect not to take advantage of COBRA or get an individual policy. Who are we missing here? Those people who choose not to prioritize monthly health insurance payments over that of their other personal priorities.
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Liberal Mantras”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Time Warns President He Could Lose Healthcare Battle

July 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It looks like Time Magazine’s Karen Tumulty is getting scared that we could be losing the healthcare battle so she is urging Obama to “step in” and fix it all for us. Why, only the dulcet tones of The One could save us all from… wait, isn’t this whole thing his deal in the first place?

What is curious with this piece is the fact that Tumulty seems oblivious to the possibility that if healthcare is failing to win the day, that failure could be squarely laid at the president’s feet. After all, it is his campaign promise and his “highest priority” that we tackle healthcare. Yet Tumulty, while mildly scolding Obama for not being hands on enough, is all too willing to blame everyone but Obama for the floundering of the debate.

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Time Warns President He Could Lose Healthcare Battle”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Environment - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Is Dem. Arrogance Causing Pelosi Trouble on Healthcare?

July 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Hill newspaper is reporting that Speaker Pelosi is finding that the tough slog that the healthcare debate is having in the House of Representatives is the “price” she is paying for the arrogant rushing of the Cap and Trade bill that the Democratic leadership earlier forced through the House. The way that bill was rammed down the throats of Democrat moderates rankled them and they are getting payback by slowing progress, even opposing parts, of the healthcare bill.

Pelosi rushed the climate bill through without giving her own members time to read the bill and come to understand it. The result was a vote that has gotten moderates beaten up pretty well by constituents that were never given an opportunity to voice their opinions before their representatives voted.

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Is Dem. Arrogance Causing Pelosi Trouble on Healthcare?”

Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Health - Liberals - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Senate Calls Its Healthcare Plan Ca Ca. No Really!

July 17, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

OK, is it just me or did the Democrats on the Senate’s health committee make their healthcare plan out to be …well, poo poo? It can’t be just me. Look at the name they’ve chosen for their healthcare plan. They have called it the Quality, Affordable Health Coverage for All Americans plan. The acronym for that would be QAHCAA. How else can one pronounce that but cahca? And what is that closest to but ca ca? That’s a little Spanish lingo for… well, poo poo.

Yes, the Senate is raining QAHCAA down upon us with its healthcare bill. Soon we’ll be knee deep in QAHCAA. QAHCAA will be coming out our ears. The whole thing is a pile of QAHCAA. The Senate has jammed 10 pounds of QAHCAA into a 5 pound bag. We are all in deep QAHCAA.

Nice going Democrats. That is one fine acronym for your bill. Very fitting. Right on. Props to what ever half-witted staffer you let come up with that one!

(H/T P.J. Gladnick of Newsbusters.org)

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Snowe Dampens Dems Healthcare Ardor and Polls Begin to Turn

July 17, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Senator Olympia Snowe is the Democrat’s one great hope for “bi-partisan” healthcare. Of course, by that Democrats mean that Snowe is the only one that will give them any cover at all that what they are considering could possibly appeal across party lines. But, even Snowe is saying that the healthcare train needs to be slowed down despite Obama’s cries for full speed ahead.

Snowe has recently begun to say that a vote on the bill before the August recess, as Obama keeps pushing for, is way too soon and that the Senate needs to slow down considerably.

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Snowe Dampens Dems Healthcare Ardor and Polls Begin to Turn”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Nancy Pelosi - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Pelosi Says Surtax Could go for Deficit Reduction, too?

July 17, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I’m sorry, I’m not much for name calling but this woman is an idiot. She is claiming that the oppressive surtax can “also” go to retire the Obama $1 trillion deficit if there is any “left over” after Obamacare is “paid for”!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats could use a proposed new tax on the wealthy to pay down the deficit, if there’s money left over after funding healthcare reform.

But, the CBO is claiming that Obamacare will cost in excess of $1 trillion and the surtax is “only” going to raise $544 billion. How, exactly, is there supposed to be anything “left over” after Obamacare is “paid for.”

I know, I just used a lot of quote marks, but they are deservedly derisory.

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Pelosi Says Surtax Could go for Deficit Reduction, too?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

NYT Decries ‘Partisan Divide’ in Healthcare, Never Mentions Democrat Opposition

July 17, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here’s another one of those wonderful examples of how the Old Media will use a headline that makes a stark claim about how rotten Republicans are for opposing a Democratic plan while at the same time conveniently ignoring the opposition to the same idea among Democrats.

This time it is the “partisan divide” in the healthcare debate. The Times tsks Republicans for solidly lining up to oppose Obama’s wild grab for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s economy through his healthcare plans. Yet not once does the Times mention the many areas in which Democrats are disagreeing with Democrats on Obamacare. The Times makes it seem as if there is no dissent among Democrats and it is only those meanie Republicans holding up the wonderfulness of Obamacare.

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NYT Decries ‘Partisan Divide’ in Healthcare, Never Mentions Democrat Opposition”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Bad Economy to Get Worse With Obamacare

July 16, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

This week and last we’ve seen some firmer ideas from House Democrats on how they expect to pay for Obamacare and from those ideas it is becoming increasingly, painfully obvious that small businesses will be hit hard with tax increases and this during one of the worst economic downturns in decades. Right when we need economic growth from small business, the backbone of the country, Democrats are making to punish them thereby pushing any economic recovery far off into the future… if at all.

Not all Democrats want to tread this suicidal path, granted. We’ve discussed the efforts of the 40 self-professed Blue Dogs several times before (Here and here) as last week they sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Stenny Hoyer of the Democratic leadership in the House warning them that they weren’t necessarily on board with the current direction that Democrats in the House were going on healthcare.

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Bad Economy to Get Worse With Obamacare”

Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Romneycare Failing, Obamacare Will Follow

July 15, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

It is surprising that the national debate on Obamacre has thus far excluded any real examination of the state wide healthcare program signed into law in 2006 by Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. But maybe the fact that Romneycare, a system closely resembling Obama’s policies, is failing on several levels serves as a reason that Democrats want to pretend that system doesn’t exist when debating their own programs.

The Wall Street Journal had a July 11 editorial that looked a little closer at Romneycare and found the whole thing wanting, suggesting that Obamacare might be “dead on arrival” if Romneycare is reviewed.

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Romneycare Failing, Obamacare Will Follow”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - California - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Wants to Fine YOU for Not Bowing to HIS Wishes

July 14, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, one of the aspects of Obamacare that is not being talked about too much is the fines Obama will inflict on average, middle class Americans that don’t want to join his nationalized healthcare service.

At this point, Obama favors a $1,000 fine to those of you that don’t want any part of a nationalized system under his control. That’s $1,000 of your hard earned money swiped away from you for not knuckling under to his dictats.

For an interesting exercise, I thought I’d check around the web to see what fines around the country would be for other things, things that are far more egregious of a violation of the law. Things like illegal drug possession, assault, or drunken driving.

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Obama Wants to Fine YOU for Not Bowing to HIS Wishes”

ACORN - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Health - Jobs - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

ACORN Shenanigans in South Carolina

July 13, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Recently, the Smosska Corporation swooped into Florence, South Carolina promising to instantly create some 400 new jobs with an assurance of 3,000 before next year is out. For an area that needs jobs this seemed like welcome news.

Last week a job fair was held in Florence by the new company at which free health care was offered those that would be hired. At that time an aptitude test was taken by applicants if, that is, they had the $40 fee to pay to take the thing. The company claimed this “fee” would be used to pay for drug tests if they were hired. This fee, however, made some people curious.

The fee and several other curious characteristics of this company caused suspicions to be raised about its legitimacy. It turns out, there is not yet an actual building in which this Smosska Corporation is housed, there don’t seem to be too many current employees, and there doesn’t seem to have been any actual products created by Smosska in the past — though the corporation is supposed to have been formed in 2001. Even the original email address given out was a Yahoo account, not an official corporate web host address.

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ACORN Shenanigans in South Carolina”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Democrats/Leftists - Family - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Religion - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

NYT Encouraging Old Folks to Give up and Die

July 13, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Hey, grandma, hurry up and die so that Obamacare can pay for healthcare for more worthy, younger folks. That seems to be the message that The New York Times is selling in order to smooth the waters for the nationalized healthcare system that president Obama is trying to peddle to us all.

The Times is running a series titled “Months to Live” in order to help spread the sort of end of life issues that are helpful to Obama’s healthcare agenda, one of which seems to be the idea that elderly should forgo any sort of heroic measures to keep them alive so as not to waste those resources that might be able to go to younger, more vital patients.

In a July 8 article reporting on the end of life care afforded Catholic Nuns in Pittsford, New York, the Times hailed the “dignified” way that nuns end life there with particular emphasis on how many of them refuse extraordinary efforts to keep themselves alive. Apparently, the Times thinks we should emulate the nuns and just let ourselves die without trying too hard to keep on living.

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NYT Encouraging Old Folks to Give up and Die”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Dems Address Paying For It

July 12, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Soak the “rich.” That’s the plan. In fact, that is always the plan with tax and spend Democrats. This time it is a new “surtax” on Americans making over $250,000 a year (or $350,000 per couple) to pay for Obamacare.

Ominously, the plan has a hike mechanism right at the outset as Charlie Rangel (D, NY), head of the House Ways and Means Committee, has inserted language that will raise the tax higher if they don’t get as much money as they want with this first dip into the rich folk’s wallets. If anyone thinks Democrats will imagine they’ve gotten enough the first time and that the hike trigger doesn’t need to be pulled… well, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

So, who will this hit? Can anyone doubt that it will be doctors themselves? After such a raid into American’s paychecks, it will be doctors that will find that they are being taxed in order to pay themselves further reduced rates by government reimbursements through this new healthcare system.

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Dems Address Paying For It”

Barack Obama - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Democrats proving Again That Compromise is Not an Option on Healthcare

July 10, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

In this report we get a nice one-two punch. Not only are we seeing Democrats once again refusing even a tiny compromise with Republicans on Obama’s takeover of nearly 20% of our economy with his healthcare plans, but we also get to see another example of why Huffington Post is not journalism. I like a nice one-two punch for a Wednesday.

For one thing, the HuffPo article hilariously calls Democrat pitbull Rahm Emanuel a “conservative Democrat.” But let’s start with the more important political point and deal with the HuffPo chicanery second.

In a HuffPo “report” by Sam Stein, we see leftists, and extreme activists getting their shorts in a wad over the proposition from Republicans that the so-called public option only be set off by a “trigger,” one that would usher in that public option if insurance companies “fail to deliver” the affordable coverage that Obama is demanding. This trigger idea would exclude the public option at the outset only to have it come in later if needed.

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Democrats proving Again That Compromise is Not an Option on Healthcare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

What Kind Of Care, Anyway?

July 10, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

For those that want universal healthcare, the panacea of “coverage” is expected to “give” all those currently without healthcare coverage the access they need to the medical care they now lack. This sounds wonderful all things being equal. It sounds caring and big hearted of them to want everyone to get medical care. But what is the practical outcome of this desire with a system in government hands?

Obama has claimed that he wants to create a sort of standard minimum of coverage provided by government for those entirely without. Again, it sounds like a great idea but how long does that minimum standard stay minimum? Unfortunately, what might be considered minimum now would quickly become all inclusive with just every kind of service imaginable added to the plan as inevitable government “mission creep” continues to raise the bar for political reasons.

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What Kind Of Care, Anyway?”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Judges - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

One Reason Our Healthcare System is in a Mess: Trial Lawyers

July 8, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

OK, my headline is admittedly too simplistic. In fact, the whole medical malpractice milieu is sorely in need of a fix. We have unnecessarily large awards to aggrieved patients, crushing insurance costs to doctors to cover malpractice, a situation where defensive medicine drives up costs, and an entire industry of lawyers whose job it is, apparently, to rape the system and cause it to be burdensome for all of us. On top of that, we have a national party in the Democrats assisting these very destructive lawyers to do just that. This is a part of our medical system that truly needs reform.

We can start by getting Democrats to stop doing everything they can to bend over backwards for the John Edwards’ of this world — ambulance chasers extraordinaire. Democrats are the reason this has gotten so bad. And imagine, we are trusting to Democrats to “fix” what they, themselves broke with the greedy assistance of the trial lawyers.

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One Reason Our Healthcare System is in a Mess: Trial Lawyers”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

State Workers Worried About Losing ‘Cadillac’ Medical Benefits

July 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you want to see the logical disconnect of unions and their lap dog lawmakers where it concerns costs to government, one need look no further than the over indulgent healthcare plan that New Hampshire’s state workers have been lavished with.

On July 4, the Boston Globe published a story that details the incredibly rich healthcare plan that state workers have succeeded in getting due to union negotiations with pliant Democrat lawmakers. It seems that they get just about any kind of care they want and all for “free.” It’s called a “Cadillac” healthcare plan and it is amazing for its coverage.

According to the Globe, surgery is free for New Hampshire state workers. So are MRIs, CT scans and X-Rays. It gets even more indulgent.

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State Workers Worried About Losing ‘Cadillac’ Medical Benefits”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Democrats Will Reveal How They Want to ‘Pay’ For Healthcare

July 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We may know by the end of the week how the Democrats are claiming they will pay for their healthcare plans. News out of the House of Representatives is that they will introduce their bill on either Thursday or Friday of this week.

In the mean time, on Tuesday a caucus meeting with Energy and Commerce Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will be held on Tuesday to discuss the funding plans. This will be followed by a brief by House Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) while Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) will speak on Friday. Rangel is last because his committee is in charge of finding the tax increases that will pay for the plan.

Democrats also say that the “public option” will be a prominent feature of their bill and will be similar to the current Medicare system.

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Democrats Will Reveal How They Want to ‘Pay’ For Healthcare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Reid, Pelosi Don’t Want Healthcare Bill Read by Congress, Public Before Vote

July 6, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Amazingly, neither Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nev) nor Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D, Calif) want to give Congress or the public much time to read the upcoming Healthcare bills they are rushing through their respective chambers before forcing a “yes” or “no” vote on them.

In a recent interview, Senator Reid was asked if he’d commit to giving the Senate and the public a week to digest any healthcare “reform” bill before he brought the bill up for a vote. Reid however, refused to make such a commitment.

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Reid, Pelosi Don’t Want Healthcare Bill Read by Congress, Public Before Vote”

Barack Obama - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Businesses Hit Hard With Obamacare, Say Goodbye to Mom and Pop Stores

July 2, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The most insidious part of Obamacare is the backdoor taxes, and defacto control of our healthcare by the nanny state that President Obama’s plan is loaded with. And here is another one that is not getting much play. Employers would be socked with requirements to pay for 72.5 percent of the cost of insurance premiums for their full-time employees under the plan being considered in the House.

They would also be required to pick up an as yet undetermined percentage of the insurance plans for part-time employees, as well. This alone will insure that part-time jobs across the nation are terminated for the destructive cost involved in having them.

Or, conversely, many full-time jobs will be eliminated if the costs of insurance is so steep and that of part-timers less so. Either way, jobs will be lost because of these new, never before seen expenses.

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Businesses Hit Hard With Obamacare, Say Goodbye to Mom and Pop Stores”

Barack Obama - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

If Canada’s System is So Great, Then Why…

July 2, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left continually holds up the Canadian socialized healthcare system as the best example, one we should strive to emulate. But as each week passes we find more and more reason to doubt the panacea in the Great White North.

Last week news came out that Canada forced an infant to flee its country and into our own to get life saving treatment. A baby was born 13 weeks premature in Ontario, Canada but there were no neonatal intensive care beds open for the child there.

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If Canada’s System is So Great, Then Why…”

Barack Obama - Business - California - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Talk Back: A Reply to the CNA Talking Points

July 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Unions are spearheading the attack on our healthcare system and none more so than the Service Employee’s International Union and its sister organization the CNA. The ten talking points that the California Nurses Association has put out in order to rev up its membership to support a universal, single payer healthcare system is interesting, to say the least. In this posting, I’d like to reply to each of them with a little rebuke of my own.

But first I’d like to remark on the ham-handed style in which these talking points were written. The class warfare rhetoric here is more reminiscent of a protest placard than any serious discussion of public policy. But, be that as it may, here we go…

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Talk Back: A Reply to the CNA Talking Points”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

Massachusetts Universal Healthcare System Breaking Down Already

June 30, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

When Governor Mitt Romney instituted a universal healthcare plan for Massachusetts in 2006 he proclaimed it a conservative idea. “It’s a conservative idea insisting that individuals have responsibility for their own health care,” he said. “I think it appeals to people on both sides of the aisle: insurance for everyone without a tax increase.” The plan passed and was put into practice. But has it worked? Has it been successful?

For a time, many thought it might but cracks in the system are already being seen. These cracks are instructive as a lesson on how Obamacare will crash and burn just like Romneycare is now in the process of doing.

One of the early claims that helped push Romneycare through to law was the insistence by its supporters that Emergency Room visits would fall as more and more citizens became covered under healthcare insurance. Since ER care is far more expensive than a doctor’s care, it was thought that more people with insurance would ease the overcrowding of ERs as well as lower the overall costs of healthcare.

However, a flaw in this logic has been seen throughout the state. As more people became insured, more people demanded the care of doctors. These doctors became overloaded with patients and waiting lists for doctors got longer and longer. As a result, ERs in Massachusetts have not seen a downturn in visits. On the contrary, it seems that ER visits are actually on the upswing in the Bay State. In fact, in 2007 they were higher than the national average by 20 percent.

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Massachusetts Universal Healthcare System Breaking Down Already”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Meet Claude Castonguay

June 28, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

As I have done several times, an instructive way to learn about what might happen if we are so foolish as to institute a national healthcare program like the one president Obama wants is to look to those unfortunate nations that have already trod that path. To understand what could happen here we need to hear from those leaders elsewhere that once thought they had the solutions that Obama seeks.

One such man is Claude Castonguay of Canada, a man that championed national healthcare for his country when that nation first began to explore the concept. It was full speed ahead as far as Castonguay was concerned. He too thought it an emergency.

In fact, he became known ever after as the “father of Quebec medicare” for his efforts. The Canadian government agreed with him and the plan was entered into with back slaps and hearty congratulations all around.

Yet, four decades later, it was Castonguay that declared that the Canadian healthcare system was in “crisis.” Things weren’t as rosy as he first thought they might be.

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Meet Claude Castonguay”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Liberals - President - Rights - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

6 States Want to Nullify Obamacare With Opt Out Law

June 28, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Six states are currently looking to add an “opt out” law to their books to protect citizens from the possibility of a national healthcare plan imposed by federal fiat.

Arizona started the ball rolling by introducing the Health Care Freedom Act, a voting initiative that will be put before voters on the 2010 ballot. If accepted by the majority of the voters, Arizona will be able to opt out of any federal healthcare laws passed by Washington. Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming are considering similar measures.

The arrogance of Congress and the president worries many of these state lawmakers, some even consider Obama’s healthcare policies a naked power grab.

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6 States Want to Nullify Obamacare With Opt Out Law”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare

ABC/Obama Healthcare Special Not so Special in Ratings Game

June 27, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

For those of you that are curious, Obama’s super special, ultra spectacular healthcare infomercial was a dud in the ratings last Wednesday night.

ABC’s Brarackspactacular Healthcare Extravaganza (I think that was the official name of the show, wasn’t it?) went up against the NBC premiere of “The Philanthropist,” widely panned as disappointing, and a repeat of “CSI: NY” on CBS, widely seen as already once widely seen. Unfortunately for ABC, its prop”O”ganda special got a dismal 1.2 rating to the 2.0 and 1.8 ratings respectively for the entertainment competition.

Apparently the TV show where he’s president but plays a doctor on TV didn’t go over well. The “Super-dooper, Obamalicious, Doctor Spock medicine woman show” was only able to cajole 4.703 million viewers into watching while NBC picked up 7.414 and CBS got 7.393 in the ten O’Clock hour. Remembering that we have 300 million citizens and healthcare is supposed to be the biggest emergency in history, well, that is a paltry number of viewers that Doc Barack got.

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ABC/Obama Healthcare Special Not so Special in Ratings Game”