Never murder a man who is committing suicide.
Woodrow Wilson
Civil War Among Democrats Over Medicare Reform?
It's not unusual that Pelosi, who has run several campaigns on resisting changes to senior entitlements, is opposing any concession like one proposal by Speaker Boehner to phase in an eventual raising of the eligibility age to 67, at least for Medicare, in some variable monthly increments. This could cut costs by tens of billions, although there's a possible wash of some of those savings. instead going on Medicaid or getting ObamaCare subsidies. This is a baby step in the right direction but it barely offsets tens of trillions in unfunded liabilities. The government needs to vest consumers in program costs, and I briefly discussed a couple of ways for more of a free market in last Monday's post. Just to give an example, what if foreign hospitals were to open locations in low-cost (say, rural) areas, if we made pricing more transparent, if we allowed easier doctor flows in and out of the country, if foreign medical professionals or clinics could bid on high-cost procedures, etc. We need to give up this megalomaniac delusion that central planning can solve the health care bubble: this in the same government that has maneuvered us into an unsustainable de facto $80T-plua debt (counting unfunded liabilities).
I also have to criticize the GOP here--you need savings sooner than later: current beneficiaries are eating the seed corn for future Medicare beneficiaries. Waiting for savings until after Obama ix out of office ix not a serious proposal.
Judge Napolitano: Two Bad Presidents: Teddy and Woody
Familiar readers know my two favorite Fox Business/News personalities are John Stossel and Judge Andrew Napolitano.The judge has written about the two Presidents Glenn Beck loves to hate These two Presidents routinely are listed among the mainstream media's top 10, and, of course, the former is a face on Mount Rushmore. The GOP in the early twentieth century had two factions: the conservative pro-business (sound money) high tariff/protectionist/non-interventionist) faction and the Progressives/reformers. Teddy was a more aggressive reformer/populist and groomed William Taft to succeed him. Taft was a reluctant politician and a less assertive progressive whom believed in the rule of law (he openly coveted a lifelong SCOTUS appointment; he also attempted to mollify the conservative wing and, Roosevelt, for political and personal reasons, lost faith in his protege.Taft, whom had attempted to mend fences with conservatives. Taft, with the backing of Southern conservatives, fought off Teddy's attempt to regain the GOP nomination, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, because it let to a schism: Roosevelt headed the "Bull Moose" party, the most successful third party run in history, winning more votes and states than Taft., the worst reelection rebuke in history. Wilson, maintaining most of the typical 45% or so Democrat votes, easily conquered the divided GOP. Taft did win a valuable consolation prize: Wilson would later nominate him as the new SCOTUS chief justice. Napoliitano below implies that Taft was a David Souter type justice: he initially started out as a more conservative justice and slowly drifted left.
Video liner notes:
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano reveals how Teddy Roosevelt, a bully, and Woodrow Wilson, a constitutional scholar, each pushed aside the Constitution's restrictions on the federal government and used it as an instrument to redistribute wealth, regulate personal behavior, and enrich the government. These two men and the Progressives who supported them have brought us, among other things: -the income tax -the Federal Reserve -compulsory, state-prescribed education -the destruction of state sovereignty -the rise of Jim Crow and military conscription -prohibition and war.
The Progressive Era witnessed the most dramatic peaceful shift of power from persons and from the states to a new and permanent federal bureaucracy in all of American history.
THEODORE AND WOODROW exposes two of our nation's most beloved presidents and how they helped speed the Progressive cause on its merry way.
Musical Interlude: Christmas Retrospective
Andy Williams 1964 Christmas Show Medley with the Young Americans
