Generally I’m optimistic about the future. However, I’m starting to adopt Mark Steyn’s view of the world. Western civilization is getting older, not having children, and is in so much debt that the barbarians are ready to fight over what’s left. In a few years the United States’ interest payment on our debt will be enough to fund China’s military budget. Why isn’t anyone alarmed about this? A greater number of American citizens cannot see a future without their particular handout.
The farming industry has its stupid subsides. Health care is bankrupting the West. The United States paid for Europe’s defense for a half century and the continent is still going bankrupt. Shouldn’t that be a warning for the United States? If Europe is going bankrupt on unsustainable health care entitlements, government pensions, and bureaucracy why do we think this will it work in the United States? It’s just not liberals who are stupid. The Republicans have grown into government caretakers. No one is talking seriously about the world’s fiscal problems. Restoring the United States government to year 2000 levels would be a good start, but it needs to go back to 1960 if there’s ever a chance of climbing out of the hole.
What is the new answer from the conservative establishment? Rick Santorum? A culture war hero who is against free trade, in favor of corporate welfare, and thinks birth-control pills are a problem. Mitt Romney? The former governor of Massachusetts who thinks RomneyCare is fundamentally conservative? This is how a Republic ends folks. Since the FDR administration the populace has traded more and more freedom to the federal government for welfare, health care, and social security. None of these things are sustainable and the size of the government grows ever larger. The bureaucracy’s reach grows ever further. You can’t sell homemade pies in Pennsylvania without a permit. You can’t sell lemonade on your street without paperwork. Did you catch a fish by accident? Yep, the government has a role in that as well.
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the government fought large corporations. The same can’t be said now. Major corporations learned their lesson. Now they give generously to both parties. Their lobbying efforts have not gone unrewarded. The government has bailed out airlines, car manufactures, and banks. What is the risk in running your company into the ground if the state is always there to bail you out? It’s just not bailouts. The government has become a tool for telecommunications companies. The United States telephone, cable, and internet infrastructure is at the disposal of AT&T and Verizon. Not too big to fail, but too big to allow competition.
It should be embarrassing to the average American that our internet speeds are slower than Europe or that our airline industry doesn’t allow competition. However, most Americans don’t know. The product of a prosperous nation is to be run by corrupt leaders and corporations with too much influence. When you boil it all down we’re past the point of elections having any special significance. If you’re driving off a ledge does it really matter how fast you’re going?
Bureaucrats and corporations are corrupt, but they’re not dumb. They see the handwriting on the wall. This is a scary time to be living in the United States because some action has to occur to keep this business model afloat. Usually that means war. This time next year it’s likely that there will be a new President-elect, but I won’t be any more optimistic. The names change but the policies remain the same.
This picture got me thinking. How many babies will Romney have to see over the next 16 months?
The only thing more annoying than a politician announcing the formation of an exploratory committee is the inevitable announcement they’re running for president. Today Mitt Romney declared his candidacy for presidency. If you’re anything like me you didn’t know he wasn’t already running. He’s been running since he endorsed McCain in 2008.
Romney’s biggest challenge to secure the GOP nomination is RomneyCare. ObamaCare is toxic and Romney’s greatest legislative achievement while he was governor of Massachusetts was a healthcare overhaul suspiciously like ObamaCare, and almost as crappy.
RomneyCare isn’t working and Romney won’t distance himself from it. I’m not sure how Romney runs a successful race with this albatross. The one thing Romney has going for him is that he’s the safe choice. If no other candidate comes forward that captures the imagination of GOP voters Romney suddenly becomes the John Kerry candidate.
Being the next John Kerry isn’t much to get excited about, but if the economy continues to drag on into next year Obama faces a very difficult reelection. If the economy gets worse Obama could be facing an electoral disaster. Simply securing the GOP nomination may be enough to get in the White House. It will be interesting to see if this week’s bad economic data forces some potential candidates to rethink their 2012 strategy.
Mitt Romney is the candidate no one really loves, but the candidate everyone might settle for if there’s no other choice.
Please Don’t Panic: I’m happy that Homeland Security had gotten rid of the confusing color coded terrorism alert system. It was always a bit of a farce. The new big idea is to send a mass text message to those who are in harm’s way.
A new national alert system is set to begin in New York City that will alert the public to emergencies via cell phones. It’s called the Personal Localized Alert Network or PLAN. Presidential and local emergency messages as well as Amber Alerts would appear on cell phones equipped with special chips and software.
Ah yes, I can see it now. Can you just image the chaos if the government sends a mass text to everyone riding the subway in New York? It would be a huge panic scene. I’m very interested to see how this works. Right now it seems like a good way to start a stampede. Why not just send a mass text to the entire nation that says “FIRE! RUN LIKE HELL!!” This clip below from Seinfeld is how I imagine the system working
Allies? It’s bad enough that Pakistan has nukes and that the nation is full of Islamic fundamentalists. Now they’re thinking about cooperating with the Chinese on the downed helicopter we left after the Osama Bin Laden raid. Apparently the United States’ helicopters are equipped with some kind of anti-detection technology. Obviously China is interested in getting their hands on the technology.
I’m confused as to what the United States policy is on Pakistan. They didn’t help us find Osama Bin Laden after 10 years and we had to invade their nation to take him out without authorization. The U.S. was afraid that someone in the Pakistan government would tip Osama before we got there. It’s been a bad PR week for Pakistan. Handing over this helicopter to the Chinese isn’t going to help things.
RomneyCare/ObamaCare 2012: Mitt Romney is set to give a speech tomorrow on the issue of health care. Romney hasn’t backed down from the health care reform he passed in Massachusetts while he was governor. Going into 2012 this is a huge problem for Romney because RomneyCare looks a lot like ObamaCare. Plus, RomneyCare is having all kind of problems in Massachusetts (shocking).
It doesn’t appear as though Romney is going to back away from his legislative failure. In other words, his candidacy is dead on arrival. President Obama’s most significant legislative achievement is a dismal failure and a dramatic overreach by the federal government. If it’s not overturned by the courts voters are going to going to have it abolished. I’m not sure how Romney can dance around this problem.
Religion of Peace News: Mark Steyn over at The Corner points out the absurdity of the mainstream press when it comes to covering crimes by Islamic extremists.
A 28-year old Yemeni man boards a flight to San Francisco in Chicago, and shortly before landing charges the cockpit while shouting “Allahu Akbar!” Authorities say they “do not yet have a motive.”
By the way, this is from the evil FOX News network. It should be pointed out that when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was tragically shot a few months ago the press had no problem attaching Sarah Palin to the story. When Jared Lee Loughner started shooting he didn’t yell “you betcha” or “for Palin.” Over the last twenty years the list of attacks that started with “Allahu Akbar!” are too numerous to mention, but the press can’t speculate on a motive unless it’s Sarah Palin.
This is non-breaking news: Mitt Romney is running for president… again. Today he announced he’s launching an exploratory committee. I’m not sure what he has to explore since he ran four years ago. There’s something very inevitable about this candidacy… John Kerry if you will.
The video isn’t quite as exciting as Tim Pawlenty’s visual masterpiece. I voted for Mitt Romney during the 2008 Florida primary. How bad was the field for the GOP in 2008? Romney was the best choice available.
In 2012, I’m not sure Romney has a chance. Things have changed. ObamaCare looms over the political landscape like a steaming pile of dung. Romney greatest political accomplishment is passing RomneyCare in Massachusetts. Much to the surprise of no one it hasn’t worked. For whatever reason Romney has refused to distance himself from it and thus it sits as the proverbial albatross around his proverbial neck.
If Romney is the GOP’s best choice for a second consecutive election cycle then President Obama really is the luckiest man alive.
Mitt Romney would seem to be the person who will benefit the most from the political demise of Obama. There’s no other Republican that ran in 2008 that has a proven record. While Romney has a track record of success in troubling situations he’s also saddled with RomneyCare.
The issue of health care wasn’t settled when Obama signed the bill into law yesterday. This is going to be hotly contested issue for years to come. That’s why the events in Massachusetts are going to be an important factor.
Like the bill that President Obama signed on Sunday, the 2006 Massachusetts plan was sold to voters on the now-familiar promise that it would reduce costs and lower unnecessary emergency room visits. That’s not what happened.
Since the bill became law, the state’s total direct health-care spending has increased by a remarkable 52 percent. Medicaid spending has gone from less than $6 billion a year to more the $9 billion. Many consumers have seen double-digit percentage increases in their premiums.
Even more striking, the 2006 law has done little to ease the burden on emergency rooms, a central goal of all heath care reform plans. A report by the Boston Globe found that in the first two years of the program, the state’s ER costs actually rose by 17 percent. “They said that ER visits would drop by 75 percent, and it hasn’t been even close to that,” said State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who is currently running for governor as an Independent. “It hasn’t changed people’s habits. It hasn’t been successful at getting people to use less expensive alternatives.”
Nothing about the problems of RomneyCare in Massachusetts should be surprising. This is the inevitable outcome of government intervention in a complex market. Politicians always overestimate the benefits and underestimate the costs. The question going forward is, will Romney defend his record in Massachusetts or will he have another “I’ve seen the light” moment?
There’s something to be said about using the states as the testing ground for reform; however, in the case of ObamaCare there are no useful success stories that we can reference. Health care is about to become more expensive.
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