Socialized Health Care Creates The Poor

How many times have you heard, "we're the richest nation in the world and we still don't have universal health care"? And those who say it as an accusation apparently lack the logical aptitude to understand the connections in what they're saying. Folks, there is one reason that the United States of America is the wealthiest nation on the planet and it's called CAPITALISM.

Yes, France, Germany and Britain have socialized medicine, along with a few additional socialized scourges, and they also have an average family living space that rivals the size of an American closet and unemployment queues that are longer than the restroom lines at a bulimia convention.

There is no such thing as free health care. I lived in Germany and saw a huge chunk of my paycheck flow to the government health care plan while what was left paid for a small one-bedroom apartment filled with a pressed wood forest of cheap furniture. Expect the same to happen here. And rest assured that a socialized health care plan will need to cover the poor because there will be a helluva lot more of them. Unemployment will rise as businesses struggle to meet the tax burden while paychecks will shrink for the same reason.

The beauty of capitalism is that it's built for success without parameters. Regardless of your current social status, economic situation, gender or life choices, if you produce a good or service that somebody wants you can be successful. No other economic model offers such inclusive opportunity. These attributes should be applied to the health care debate as well.

First, consider those who provide health care services. Ever wonder why so many medical advance come out of America? It's because the U.S. health care industry is striving for profit and to be profitable you must produce something that people want. If a competitor develops a better, more cost effective treatment then you'd better make a breakthrough or you'll soon be stirring beans at the local Taco Bell. And where all of that much ballyhooed government research kick in? Those government research labs are responsible for only 5% or so of the treatments currently on the market. But I'm sure sticking a fork in the private sector will do wonders for our health care industry (that's sarcasm, in case you missed it).

Now let's look at the other key ingredient, the uninsured poor. Barack Obama loves to claim that there are 47 million uninsured in this country, but that is simply not the case (even though it would still only figure to some 13% of the population). But the truth about the uninsured looks more like this:

Analysis of data from earlier Census Bureau and other government reports shows that roughly 7 million are illegal immigrants; roughly 9 million are persons on Medicaid; 3.5 million are persons already eligible for government health programs; and approximately 20 million have, or live, in families with incomes greater than twice the federal poverty level, or $41,300 for a family of four.

So what does the real math look like for the uninsured?

47, 000, 000.00 - 7,000,000.00 (illegal immigrants) = 40,000,000.00

40,000,000.00 -9,000,000.00 (on medicaid) = 31,000,000.00

31,000,000.00 - 3,500,000.00 (eligible for medicaid but not enrolled) = 27,500,000.00

27,500,000.00 - 20,000,000.00 (choose not to be insured) 7,500,000.00

That's right 7,500,000 (or 2% of the population) are chronically uninsured. So here's a crazy idea: rather than destroy our current system while adding taxes that will increase unemployment and decrease income for the sake of 2% of the population, why not devise a system to cover that 2%?

So why does the President skew the numbers to push his radical health care agenda rather than look at ways to tweak a system that 84% of Americans do not consider to be a problem? Look deep in your heart, you know the answer. Obamacare is not about health care. Obamacare is not about the poor. Obamacare is about power. Obamacare is about seizing control. Obamacare is about another devastating attack on the private sector in order to shift more authority to the ruling elite in Washington D.C.

Sympathy For The Teddy

Some readers have complained on the Khaki blog or via Khaki email about my less than sympathetic treatment of Ted Kennedy's death. So to honor their heartfelt (and deeply empathetic) request, I vow from this day forward to treat Teddy's passing with all of the sympathy and respect that he treated Mary Jo Kopechne's untimely demise.

I will take my lead from this exchange on NPR's Diane Rehm Show between Newsweek’s Ed Klein and Katty Kay:

Kay: Ed Klein, that's what I'm hearing today, that people are sad at his passing, and yet celebrating this huge life and its huge long list of accomplishments.

Klein: I think he'd be the last person who would want us, those he's left behind, to, um, be, uh, morose and, and full of bathos. I think he, he --

Kay: He would come in with a big guffawing laugh and make us laugh too.

Klein: He would, yes. You're so right, he would. And he'd probably have a joke to tell as well.

Kay: At his own expense.

Klein: Well y'know, he, I don't know if you know this or not but, one of his favorite topics of humor was indeed Chappaquiddick itself. And he would ask people, "have you heard any new jokes about Chappaquiddick?" . . . I mean, that is just the most amazing thing. It's not that he didn't feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne (background music begins building), but that he still always saw, um, the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too.

Kay: Ed Klein, former foreign editor of Newsweek, and author of a new book on Ted Kennedy.

So our dearly departed Teddy got a kick throughout his life from hearing and telling joke about the women he left dead in his car. I suppose that explains why he didn't report it to the authorities, he need time to develop a killer punchline.

So Ted, if you're down there watching, this one is for you and you're gonna love it!

John Stossel Exposes Obamacare

Another great find via Nikki!

Remember Ted Kennedy; Remember Mary Jo Kopechne

You know me. Good ol' Khaki leaves politics behind when it comes to tragedy. It's one thing to criticize the dementia of the left, but when it comes to darkest moments of the human condition, sympathy should be our light.

But . . . yes, but, there's a "but" . . . when it comes to Ted Kennedy I can't muster that loving feeling. It's not his politics of destruction. It's not his drunken binges. It's not even the blatant hypocrisy of his faux environmentalism. I can't muster sympathy for Kennedy because of the Black Water.

Quick, word association:
Ted Kennedy -- Chappaquiddick

In 1969 Ted Kennedy got away with killing a woman and the Democrats rallied to his side then and throughout his life. Maybe that's the difference between them and us. Nixon was forced out by his own party. Lott was kicked to the curb by his own party. And neither of them left an innocent woman floating face down in the water without contacting the authorities.

Kennedy claimed until the end that driving his car into a tidal channel on Chappaquiddick Island and leaving his female passenger there to die was an accident, but his story never made sense. His timeline was inconsistent, the tale of his actions that night do not add up, the investigation was poorly executed and the Kennedy money flowed.

So while others may take this time to remember the significance of Ted as a beloved Kennedy, I'll remember the woman he didn't find significant enough to alert the police after he caused her death, Mary Jo Kopechne.

Thad McCotter Targeted By MoveOn

Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich) must be doing something right. While I sat tonight skimming the Bass Pro Shop ad . . . ok, all right, I was actually skimming a Pottery Barn catalogue, but that doesn't matter, while skimming I heard a TV commercial buzz in the corner of my ear and looked up in time to see an attack ad against McCotter accusing him of saying no to 1.7 million jobs that would be produced by the Obama administration's energy plan. If you were drinking while reading a sentence containing "jobs produced" and "Obama" you probably sprayed milk or something less healthy from both nostrils so I'll pause a moment to give you time to recover.

............da dee dee da dee dee.............

Of course, the TV spot then closed with the quick announcement that the ad was paid for by the filthy rich and equally filthy fibbing MoveOn.org. And while the ad didn't mention the "religious right" it did foist up another favored bogeyman of the left: Big Oil. Yes, McCotter is accused of being in league with "big oil" because he opposes the "Clean Energy and Security Act" -- legislature that has been more aptly labeled "Cap and Trade." That's right, the liberal elite are attacking McCotter for opposing a bill that will kill more jobs than it could possibly create (as some democrats admit) while at the same time levying a massive energy tax on every American who pays for energy. When God was handing out scruples I guess the folk from MoveOn had stepped out of line to take a leak.

If you follow politics than you know that the bill has already passed in the house, despite the defection of several democrats, and may be wondering why the left is spending more than $1 million on attacking McCotter and other politicians who have already voted. Navin Nayak, an official at the left-wing League of Conservation explains that "the ad is intended to send the message to legislators that there will be a cost to opposing the cap-and-trade bill."

My hope is that a price will be paid, but it will be paid by those forcing through yet another economically disastrous Obama bill; this one under the guise of conservation.

So let your voice be heard. Take 3 or 4 minutes to send an email to Thad McCotter by clicking here to tell him that you appreciate the stance he is taking against the administration's misguided policies. And then send a note to your senators demanding accountability when it is their turn to vote.

List of opposition voices to Cap and Trade that are currently targeted by MoveOn:

• Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.)
• Denny Rehberg (R- Mont.)
• Roy Blunt (R- Mo.)
• Frank Wolf (Va.)
• House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

National Debt Doubled Down . . . make that UP

Back in February the Obama administration told us that their slaphappy spending spree would only increase the national debt by $7.108 trillion over the next 10 years. Amazing that I could drop "only" in that sentence. More amazing is that some people actually believed Barack Obama. Now Reuters has revealed that a report due from the Office of Management and Budget tomorrow will quietly announce that the administration is now projecting the increase over that period to be closer to $9 trillion. Oh, and that without their health care package which they estimate will cost another trillion (while those calculating above a 3rd grade math level expect the number to be about 4 times that). In fact, if you believe the $9 trillion figure due to be released tomorrow, then just hold your breath and I'll poke you next year when the number hits $12 - $13 trillion.

Here now is an amazing perspective producing point which came to my attention through the Say Anything Blog:

since America breathed it first breath as a nation over 200 years ago the Republic has accumulated a total debt of $11.67 trillion. Under Obama's leadership we will double that debt in 10 short years.

Can anybody with fingers and toes for counting still believe this guy's economic policy is sustainable?

Obama's Snitch-Line Shut Down

It seemed like a good idea to Barack Obama at the time. If people are talking bad about you and your programs, why not start tracking their conversation. And since you've already spent billions on failed bailouts and federal favors why not try to gather the info for free by asking your faithful Obots to snitch on their neighbors for free.

As explained by the White House blog:

“There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

The plan: seek out those who oppose the administration's views and report them to big brother. Unfortunately for Obama, his grand plan to collect emails from those pesky people protesting his program hit a snag -- the constitutional right to privacy. So after intense Internet outrage the White House decided to shut down the email address, leaving lovers of free speech wondering what will be the next move by the insatiably power hungry left.

White House Violates Anti-lobbying Statues

It took a while, but the administration finally came clean. Not so clean that you'd want to eat off of them, but they removed a bit of their murky mud to admit that they actually were behind the unsolicited email that flooded the internet on behalf of their radical health care reform agenda. According to a Fox News report:

The White House hired a private communications company based in Minnesota to distribute mass e-mails, helping to shed light on how some recipients received e-mails in support of President Obama's health care plan without signing up for them.

The company, Govdelivery, describes itself as the world's leading provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions and says its e-mail service provides a fully-automated on-demand public communication system.

It is still unknown how much taxpayer money the White House provides to Govdelivery for its services.

If taxpayer cabbage was used for this obviously agenda-driven e-barrage, then we are looking at a clear violation of anti-lobbying statutes.

The Oval Office is trying to pass of the whole sordid affair as a mistake on the part of Govdelivery massive mailings, but as reported by Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air, who took time off from his Marriage Encounter weekend to dip back into the truth (I hope his wife understands), Govdelivery is not taking the fall and dropped this exchange on their website.

Q: Where do GovDelivery clients get the email addresses and mobile phone numbers used to reach the public through the GovDelivery digital communications platform?

A: GovDelivery’s clients can offer updates on specific topics through their websites, and often include a subscription sign-up (opt-in) form. Some GovDelivery clients serving a similar audience cross-promote content (topics) from related government agencies by offering subscription items from other agencies (think of this as ‘one stop shopping’ for government information that is of interest to a particular citizen). Finally, GovDelivery allows clients to upload existing contact lists into GovDelivery. …

Q: Does GovDelivery ever share one GovDelivery client’s contact list with another organization?
A: No. GovDelivery does not share contact information collected and stored by one client with any other clients under any circumstances.

In other words, the address list of recipients for this taxpayer-funded spam was provided by the White House. Oops.

Obama Camp Caught Planting Fake Doctor & The Media Doesn't Care

Obama and his minions in the press corp have gone to great lengths claiming that the protests against socialized medicine staged by malicious conservative operatives. Meanwhile that same Obama and his minions in the press corps praise how open and honestly the administration had presented their side of the health care debate . . .

. . . well, at least until they were caught planting a fake doctor to praise Obama's plan at a townhall gathering. As reported by CNN -- wait, they didn't really cover the story. The NY Times broke the story -- nope, couldn't find much there. AARP posted a story -- oops, that story has been mysteriously wiped from the internet.

I'm not the biggest Glenn Beck fan, but at least he covered this incredible story.

Mark Lloyd: The FCC's New Attack-Free-Speech Czar

The administration is calling him "the new FCC Chief Diversity Officer," but it's unclear whether or not there was and old FCC Chief Diversity Officer. What is clear is that Obama has given America yet another Czar -- one of those ill-defined and unelected Washington power brokers who provide us in political carnage what they lack in qualifications. I'm not sure because my math skills are struggling with the current economy, but I think this would be Czar number 132 for the Obama administration. Guinness has been notified (naturally, I'm referring to the beer rather than the record book because I need a few stiff ones these days).

More frightening than the fact that America now has more Czar's than pimple-backed baseball juicers, is the latest addition's background and intentions. His name is Mark Lloyd and he is . . . well, how do I deliver this to you gently . . . a socialist rube who abhors free speech and is dedicated to the eradication of opposition voices.

In 2006 while at the liberal Center for American Progress Lloyd wrote a book entitled, Prologue to a Farce: Communications and Democracy in America. In the book he presents the idea the private broadcasters (private business) should pay a licensing fees which equals their total operating costs so that public broadcasting station can spend the same on their operations as the private companies do. By doing so he hopes to improve the Corporation for Public Broadcasting currently at $400 Million.

In other words, the wealth should be redistributed from successful private businesses and poured into public broadcasting through taxes equal to the total operating cost of the successful stations. That's just slightly insane since no company in America could survive paying Federal fees equal to their operating costs. But Mark Lloyd isn't concerned about their survival.

It's no coincidence that Obama has put in place a Czar to attack-tax free speech in an arena dominated by conservatives: talk radio. You can bet television will somehow escape this "search for diversity," unless the Oval Office can figure out a way to single out Fox News with more than snarky comments fed through a teleprompter.

In Lloyd's own words:

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) must be reformed along democratic lines and funded on a substantial level. Federal and regional broadcast operations and local stations should be funded at levels commensurate with or above those spending levels at which commercial operations are funded. This funding should come from license fees charged to commercial broadcasters. Funding should not come from congressional appropriations. Sponsorship should be prohibited at all public broadcasters.”

In the view of Obama's latest Czar, the market should never determine success. Instead, the government should determine what we can listen to. (sorry for ending that sentence with a preposition, but this frustrates the grammar out of me). The "Fairness Doctrine" may be dead, but the liberal state machine has not given up the fight to suppress the voices of those who oppose their will. They've just taken off the mask of "fairness" and replaced it with false faces of "diversity" and "localization."

The Grassroots Politics of America

The Democrats and their media lapdogs are using the same techniques attempting to discredit the ObamaCare protests as they did to attack Tea Parties, claiming that they are nothing more than "Brooks Brothers" organized anti-Obama rallies . . . apparently forget that moments earlier they saw the rallies as a bunch of uneducated red necks gathering for free beer.

So how do these rallies really compare to . . . say, the grassroots gatherings of liberals. Hmmmmmmm

Them There Democrats Are Gettin' Bold

Now that they control the Congress, the Senate, the Oval Office and the mainstream media the Democrats are are experiencing a fresh new boldness when it come to expressing what they truly believe. I wonder if Americans are listening? We'll know when their ears start to bleed.

And to think, some voter/lemmings still think this is about "economic justice" rather than a power grab by the liberal elite. And that Obama is just so cute when he reads from his eloquent teleprompter.