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Despite the fact that more and more Americans are convinced that the Obama healthcare plan is an economy killer, the doublespeak continues. AP Reports Obama used the “good” economic news yesterday to reiterate the claim that healthcare reform is of critical importance to reviving the economy. Americans are smarter than this. What was a sneaking suspicion originally has become a mounting distrust of the concept that big government and skyrocketing spending will improve the economy. Most Americans also know that somehow a bill will be paid, either through increased taxes, stealth taxes, rationing, further economic collapse or all three. And Obama knows it too. None but the most economically ignorant would continue to push such a cruel lie unless there was something else at stake. In this case, it is power. Luckily, more Americans are seeing this as well. Possible Elkhart renewable fuels plant discussed – reported by WNDU. Although we’re far from convinced that ditching our own oil industry in favor of pie-in-the-sky “green jobs” is the way to go, perhaps this will be good thing for Elkhart. ISMA spokesperson doubts bill will pass before August recess When the American Medical Association endorsed Obamacare yesterday, we thought it might be important to know how the AMA’s constituent organization here in Indiana felt about it. After all, we figured, Indiana doctors would certainly have an opinion regarding such a massive reordering of their profession, not to mention the US economy. But what Elkhart Review got from the Indiana State Medical Association was the equivalent of a shrug and a blank stare. Continue reading Indiana doctors’ association: A shrug and a blank stare on healthcare reform
The Hill reports Congressman John Boehner, in justifying his one-man attempt at a filibuster of the House Climate Bill, referred to it as a “pile of s–t”, while also decrying the middle-of-the-night addition of 300 some pages to the bill which left members little to no time to read it. We’re with Boehner. This is a bad bill, and the proof is the underhanded way in which it was pushed through. How can Pelosi et al in the House Leadership, plus Rahm Emanuel possibly feel good about ramrodding a bill, which, if members were allowed to truly study it, would never pass? Their contempt for fellow house members and for the American citizen knows know bounds, apparently.  We contacted Joe Donnelly’s office in Washington earlier today to give him our opinion on the Waxman-Markey Cap & Trade bill. We asked the staffer who answered the phone how Donnelly was leaning and she told me he was undecided.
How can this be? Our suspicion is that one of two political gambits are at work here. One: Donnelly could be holding off his vote until he can vote with the obvious winning side. This way, he has political cover. Two: Donnelly might be holding off so that he can vote “NO” (pleasing constituents) but only after being sure that it will pass anyway. This way, he has political cover. Neither of these possibilities is particularly confidence inspiring. Shouldn’t he vote by weighing what’s right for the country and what his constituency is telling him? Or is it possible Donnelly is truly not sure whether the bill is a good thing (it’s not) or a horrible job and economy killing monster (which it is)? It is this possibility that should worry us the most. Update: The House of Representatives has passed Waxman-Markey, 219-212. Donnelly voted “NO.” Which leaves us with option two above. He voted the way we wanted him to, but the timing points to political cover, not voting on the merits. If the vote had been in trouble for the Democrats, we wonder if his vote would have been the same. Had we not discoverd he was undecided only a few hours before the vote, we wouldn’t even be suspicious. But we did, and we are. And we are terribly disappointed that the congress voted to do this to us.
AP Reports. Under the economic recovery plan, laid-off workers have seen a $25 weekly bump in their unemployment checks as part of a broad expansion of benefits for the poor. But the law did not raise the income cap for food stamp eligibility, so the extra money has pushed some people over the limit. Laid-off workers and state officials are only now realizing the quirk, a consequence of pushing a $787 billion, 400-page bill through Congress and into law in three weeks. And for people hurt by the change, there’s no way around it.
As Taranto in the Wall Street Journal comments: This is why it’s so important to give these genuises control over our health care right this second!
The broader problem here is that our tax laws (and laws in general) have become so complex, unwieldy and foolish, it is folly to expect the government, especiallythis government, with its utter lack of competence, to manage anything trickier than a two-car funeral. And we say this with the utmost respect for two-car funeral directors. We’ve gotten into enough arguments with pro-”reform” friends who earnestly can’t understand why, when the government “competes” with private industry, the fight is anything but fair. The “public option” idea that is part of Obama/Kennedy’s health care package is simply the first step that will eventually wipe out all other options. The Wall Street Journal agrees. On Meet the Press this morning, apparently Biden said “everyone guessed wrong” on the impact of the stimulus. Joe, you’re a damn idiot. Stimulus Concession – The Page by Mark Halperin – TIME.com. |
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