Health Care Polls

Take a look at the latest polls on the Affordable Care Act. The first takeaway is that the gap between approve and disapprove is narrowing. The other more important one is that there are more unsure which spells a hot mess for the Right. I think people are going to wait and see what happens in the next few months before rendering a judgement.

Shutdown A Go Go

Quite a bit to talk about today as we enter the last 48 hours before we default on our debt so let's get to it...

It looks as though Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have crafted a deal which re-opens the government and raised the debt ceiling into early next year. The House has just announced that they are going to push their own deal as well. The former doesn't have much about the Affordable Care Act in it but the House bill wants to delay the medical device tax for two years. The House just can't let go of the ACA, can they? Of course, it's part of their overall temper tantrum summed up quite eloquently by another Mark...

Speaking of the House, Pryor told CNN that "some Republicans are, quite honestly, they're acting childish about this. They almost want a shutdown. They almost want to see us break the debt ceiling."

Marks are cool people. I wonder if he has been reading my blog...:)

Here are the basics about the Senate deal which is the one likely to pass.

I must admit that the Right really had me fooled on this one as I thought they were much smarter and had more power than this. What a bunch of fucking idiots. Had they not taken this route, they could have sat back and made much hay out of the problems with the launch of the health care exchanges. Their popularity would have soared and they might have even gotten some changes through in regards to the ACA.

Instead, they had several irrational and incoherent outbursts (see video below) followed by the usual stomp down the hallway, door slam, and adolescent room trashing. The American people now realize exactly how ridiculously immature these people are and have rejected them. It's now more than possible that the Democrats will take back the House in 2014, six years earlier than I predicted. Had the GOP not engaged in this shutdown/debt ceiling folly, they would have solidified their hold on the House and possibly taken the Senate.

But they can't resist the catnip of being moonbats and, man oh man, have they released a full pack of them in the last two weeks. Roger Simon sums it up quite nicely in this piece.

Protesters marched through the streets of Washington on Sunday with a Confederate flag and then a protester lounged against the White House fence with one. Displaying the Confederate flag in front of a home occupied by a black family was meant to send a particular, and particularly repellent, message. There were other signs of our descent. 

Remember Samuel Wurzelbacher? Known as “Joe the Plumber,” he was selected by John McCain as his presidential campaign mascot in 2008 with the same care McCain used to select Sarah Palin. Over the weekend, Wurzelbacher posted an article on his blog titled: “America Needs a White Republican President.” “Admit it,” the article said. “You want a white Republican president again. Wanting a white Republican president doesn’t make you racist, it just makes you American.” 

At least one can appreciate the fact that they aren't hiding it anymore. Check out this video.



"I call upon all of you to wage a second American nonviolent revolution, to use civil disobedience, and to demand that this president leave town, to get up, to put the Quran down, to get up off his knees, and to figuratively come out with his hands up," Klayman told the crowd.

Wow.

Through all this anger and hatred, though, it was nice to see that the World War Two vets who have been pushing to re-open the memorial gave the middle finger to the dark hart of American populism.

The political agenda put forth by a local organizer in Washington DC was not in alignment with our message. We feel disheartened that some would seek to hijack the narrative for political gain. The core principle is about all Americans honoring Veterans in a peaceful and apolitical manner. Mr. Cruz, Ms. Palin and some attendees, including political parties may have not been aware of the goals of the marches which took place in over 60+ rallies across the nation.

Double Wow. It looks like they are losing the old white guy crowd now as well.

The next two days are going to be interesting, folks. Check back here often as the news unfolds.

Inhaling Inelastic Demand

The Times had a great piece in yesterday's paper which illustrated yet again how the relative inelasticity of demand in many health care markets leads directly to unfair pricing and erosion of consumer surplus.

Unlike other countries, where the government directly or indirectly sets an allowed national wholesale price for each drug, the United States leaves prices to market competition among pharmaceutical companies, including generic drug makers. But competition is often a mirage in today’s health care arena — a surprising number of lifesaving drugs are made by only one manufacturer — and businesses often successfully blunt market forces.

Exactly right. With only one manufacturer, the sole supplier can set his price way above the natural equilibrium of the market. That's why in cases like this the government needs to step in to improve market efficiency.

Of course, as Stiglitz points out many times in his book, the government doesn't actually do that and, instead, makes the problem worse.

Thanks in part to the $250 million last year spent on lobbying for pharmaceutical and health products — more than even the defense industry — the government allows such practices. Lawmakers in Washington have forbidden Medicare, the largest government purchaser of health care, to negotiate drug prices. Unlike its counterparts in other countries, the United States Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which evaluates treatments for coverage by federal programs, is not allowed to consider cost comparisons or cost-effectiveness in its recommendations. And importation of prescription medicines from abroad is illegal, even personal purchases from mail-order pharmacies. 

“Our regulatory and approval system seems constructed to achieve high-priced outcomes,” said Dr. Peter Bach, the director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “We don’t give any reason for drug makers to charge less.” 

And taxpayers and patients bear the consequences.

In trying to find common ground in this day and age of hyperpartisanship, we should look to the very simple solution of government actually doing its job as opposed to succumbing to special interests. This is where critics on the right always misread the left and it has to stop. As a Democrat, I don't want "bigger" government. I simply want better government and that means no more lobbying.

Let's just do that first and then we can worry about the size of government.

A Confederate Flag At The White House

Cranking up the moonbat meter to "More Disturbed," Sarah Palin (not to be left out of all the hubbub in DC) joined Ted Cruz in storming the WWII memorial and protesting...their own behavior? What is it about that place that just brings out the douche? Guilt?

Anyway, the most disturbing part of that story was this image.

A confederate flag at the White House? Really?!??

Good Words

“Congress has no power to make any religious establishments.” ~Roger Sherman, Congress, August 19, 1789

The Kingdom of God

With Nobel prize given to Francois Englert and Peter Higgs for their work in subatomic particles, it seems we are moving closer to the goal that Christ made for us. We are indeed doing his works and greater than these. God's children understand more fully what mechanism gives subatomic particles their mass....amazing...

On many levels, this is a completely stunning thing to consider. Obviously, they have research and mysteries about the particle to unravel (how gravity fits in, for example) but the basic understanding is now there. We know what holds together the atoms that are a part of all matter in the universe. This includes everything from the stars all the way down to us. 

This discovery brings new meaning to Luke 17: 21 in which Christ says that the kingdom of God is in each one of us. Perhaps he was speaking more literally than we thought...

Good Words

“God has appointed two kinds of government in the world, which are distinct in their nature, and ought never to be confounded together; one of which is called civil, the other ecclesiastical government.” ~Isaac Backus, An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty, 1773

Crazy!

John and the Happy Days gang? Must have been during the "Lost Weekend" years...

They Shittin' Theyselfs...

No wonder House Republicans are ready to deal now...

Republicans hit all-time low in Gallup poll

I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked this is what happened. Did they actually believe that people would embrace their moonbattery and join them?

Meanwhile, we have this conservative leaning poll on the president...

Good Words

“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.” ~Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man, 1791

Good Words

“Some very worthy persons, who have not had great advantages for information, have objected against that clause in the constitution which provides, that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. They have been afraid that this clause is unfavorable to religion. But my countrymen, the sole purpose and effect of it is to exclude persecution, and to secure to you the important right of religious liberty. We are almost the only people in the world, who have a full enjoyment of this important right of human nature. In our country every man has a right to worship God in that way which is most agreeable to his conscience. If he be a good and peaceable person he is liable to no penalties or incapacities on account of his religious sentiments; or in other words, he is not subject to persecution. But in other parts of the world, it has been, and still is, far different. Systems of religious error have been adopted, in times of ignorance. It has been the interest of tyrannical kings, popes, and prelates, to maintain these errors. When the clouds of ignorance began to vanish, and the people grew more enlightened, there was no other way to keep them in error, but to prohibit their altering their religious opinions by severe persecuting laws. In this way persecution became general throughout Europe.” ~Oliver Ellsworth, Philip B Kurland and Ralph Lerner (eds.), The Founder’s Constitution, University of Chicago Press, 1987, Vol. 4, p. 638

The Lowest of the Low

Our federal government spends money on all sorts of things that are beneficial. Here is one of them.

Shutdown Denies Death and Burial Benefits to Families of 4 Dead Soldiers

The fault for this lies directly with the Republicans and their current adolescent temper tantrum about spending....spending, I might add, they already approved! This example is one of many and very illustrative about how the lack of federal spending has a very real affect on people's lives. This would be why I continually try to remind people that the federal government does all sorts of good things that people fail to note through their continued complaints about it.

Republican Type #7

Sadly, I know a few of these types...

Extremely Uneducated Republicans: 

These Republicans are Republicans because they think it’s cool. They have a Republican friend in one of the other groups listed, so they think they know what they’re talking about. They have terrible spelling and grammar but they expect you to believe whatever they say because they are saying it to you. 

The problem with this type of Republican’s views: 

It’s hard to tell if they ever made it past the 4th grade. Most of their posts are illegible. They don’t know anything about their position other than what they have heard their friends say. They think Republicans are fiscally conservative because they say that they are, and call anyone who doesn’t agree with them “sheep.” They ignore all historical information that is contradictory to what they say. They are 100 percent blind to facts. 

What to remember when debating them: 

No amount of facts or logic will ever convince them that their buddies are wrong. You could be a college professor and they will still think your facts aren’t credible. Instead of trying to argue with them, try explaining algebra to your dog. I’m sure it will be much more productive.

Good Words

“Knowledge and liberty are so prevalent in this country, that I do not believe that the United States would ever be disposed to establish one religious sect, and lay all others under legal disabilities. But as we know not what may take place hereafter, and any such test would be exceedingly injurious to the rights of free citizens, I cannot think it altogether superfluous to have added a clause, which secures us from the possibility of such oppression.” ~Oliver Wolcott, Connecticut Ratifying Convention, 9 January 1788

Shocking...Not

Uninsured Find More Success via Health Exchanges Run by States..

It does help when you don't have adolescents who can't stand losing trying to sabotage your efforts.

Sowell Goes Full Moonbat

A conservative friend of mine posted this piece by Thomas Sowell on his Facebook wall. Check out this insanity.

Perhaps the biggest of the big lies is that the government will not be able to pay what it owes on the national debt, creating a danger of default. Tax money keeps coming into the Treasury during the shutdown, and it vastly exceeds the interest that has to be paid on the national debt. Even if the debt ceiling is not lifted, that only means that government is not allowed to run up new debt. But that does not mean that it is unable to pay the interest on existing debt.

I've come to the conclusion that Jesus of the Right Wing Blogsphere is not as intelligent as I thought he was. Either that or he is just trying to play to his audience for dollars. He's certainly done that in the past. And I still can't figure out why he doesn't write "Liberals are stupid" for everyone of his books and columns. He certainly could save more time.

But if he does actually believe what he has written here, then he has officially gone full moonbat (as well as not understanding basic math). Raising the debt ceiling does not allow the federal government to spend more money. Congress authorizes how much money the government is allowed to spend and they have already done that. The debt ceiling only determines whether the U.S. government can borrow enough money to fulfill the spending obligations that Congress has already passed into law, like Medicare reimbursements or military pay not to mention unexpected crises that arise that may need funding.

He's not alone either. Politico has a piece up about the default deniers in Congress.

“Spending a day highlighting the debt and the deficit in Congress as part of raising the debt ceiling is probably a healthy thing,” said Tony Fratto, a consultant at Hamilton Place Strategies and a White House and Treasury official under President George W. Bush. “But the moment you start talking seriously about not raising the debt limit it becomes dangerous. And a lot of members of Congress are now saying things that give evidence that they have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to the debt limit and the way government financing works.” 

The tax money the moonbats are talking about speak won't be enough to cover the daily expenses of the government. We already hit our debt limit last May and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has been doing things like tapping exchange-rate funds to raise extra cash. A recent analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center shows that the government will bring in roughly $222 billion and owe roughly $328 billion between Oct. 18 and Nov. 15, assuming the government is open, hence the date of October 17th and the threat of default.

Of course, none of this takes into account the uncertainty factor and how that will play with the image of the United States and interest rates. Sowell simply ignores this. The treasury will be in the position of having to choose which obligations to honor and which ones it won't. And the drastic spending cuts will have an extremely adverse effect on the economy, cutting growth massively. it would lead to another recession.

Whether they choose to believe it or not, a $175 billion dollar cut in government spending would take about 1 percent out of the economy. Stock markets would likely fall. Household wealth would shrink. Consumer confidence would plunge as Americans would cut back on spending. Higher rates on debt would raise borrowing costs, including mortgage rates. That's just the cut in spending, mind you, not an actual default which would add fuel to the flames.

The American Taliban doesn't really care about any of this and simply wants to burn the house down at this point. They want American to fail on Obama's watch. I guess Sowell is has now joined them.