This is a (very) lightly modified version of a letter composed at my house this weekend. The only changes are the removal of my personal information and the name of the company. FWIW -- I thought very hard about going Galt with the whole credit card industry. Still thinking about it, in fact... ***** August 15, 2009 To: My (former) Credit Card Services Company Re: Your … [Read more...] about Credit Card Reform: The Law of Unintended Consequences
The Death of the “Public Option”: What’s Really Going On?
So. Is the "public option" dead or not? One of the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, Kent Conrad, says it is. (And I responded yesterday.) Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says is it as well... or not. Therein lies some confusion, and she may very well herself be confused. She seemed to back it on This Week (ABC) yesterday, only to pull back on … [Read more...] about The Death of the “Public Option”: What’s Really Going On?
Death, Taxes and Tiger
There are a couple of near certainties in the world - paying taxes, dying, and that Tiger Woods closes out major championships when he is leading after 54 holes. For the record, I am a huge Tiger Woods fan. He is the reason why I watched most of the final round of the PGA Championship yesterday. However, I am happy that Y.E. Yang beat Tiger to become the first Asian golfer … [Read more...] about Death, Taxes and Tiger
Killing Competition? Yes, Really.
One member of our talented stable of writers here at TMV, Marc Pascal, published a long, detailed column on the health care debate yesterday which raises many questions currently being debated around the nation. Having taken such time and care to do so, I feel it only appropriate that a few of these points receive a full response. Unfortunately, Marc falls into the all too … [Read more...] about Killing Competition? Yes, Really.
A Modest Proposal, 2009 Edition (Guest Voice)
Guest Voice posts do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of TMV or its many writers. A Modest Proposal, 2009 Edition by Ed Morrissey I have discovered an unfair disparity in access to a vital resource based on the economic condition of the consumer. This disparity is not just egregious, but it threatens the very core of our American way of life. People routinely … [Read more...] about A Modest Proposal, 2009 Edition (Guest Voice)
Obama’s Public Option Quandary
Over the last few days we've seen stories that the White House is seriously considering eliminating the controversial public option segment of the health care reform plan. This news follows earlier reports that funding for the equally troublesome 'end of life' counseling programs would also be pulled from the package, presumably in conference committee once the two houses pass … [Read more...] about Obama’s Public Option Quandary
American Graduates Finding Jobs In China
The title is actually a recent headline from the New York Times for an article discussing what some U.S. college graduates are doing faced with a dismal domestic jobs market. In fact, this might be a solution to America’s more-than-likely future jobless recovery and our growing inability to create worthwhile new jobs. The U.S. today has now fewer jobs than it did in 2001, and … [Read more...] about American Graduates Finding Jobs In China
Quote of the Day: Hitler and Health Care Don’t Mix
Our political quote of the day comes from Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham who looks at how the left and right over the years -- and particularly this year -- have hurled charges of being-like-the-Nazis or being-like Hitler. First, he gives examples of the overripe and polarizing polemics on both sides, and then he writes this: Now the subject of President Obama's … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Hitler and Health Care Don’t Mix
Slippery Slope of Health Care
Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Slippery Slope of Health Care
Uneasy with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Boeing has had a tough time getting the first production 787 Dreamliner planes delivered. Some of the recent problems have involved the composite materials used in the construction of the fuselage and wings. Ordinarily, I'm all for the use of new technologies and new materials. The carbon composites being used in the 787 are significantly stronger than aluminum for the same … [Read more...] about Uneasy with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Are China and the US Headed for Eventual War?
That would be insane! But, I agree with Niall Ferguson that the two countries are, inevitably, headed for a divorce, the end of what he once called "Chimerica." Having said that, China's government clearly seems to be moving toward what Ferguson calls "empire building," which could be detrimental to regional stability, the environment, and US interests. For the … [Read more...] about Are China and the US Headed for Eventual War?
Michael Jackson: Mirror of Our Alienated Lives – Liberation, France
For those not enamored by the Michael Jackson-mania that has overtaken the world since the singer's death, this article by Gilles Hertzog of France's Liberation may prove satisfying. Decrying what the phenomena says about modern civilization, Hertzog's intense 1100-word intellectual diatribe says in part: "It was a universal tsunami of tears and lamentation; a worldwide … [Read more...] about Michael Jackson: Mirror of Our Alienated Lives – Liberation, France
KILLING COMPETITION – OH REALLY??
Some critics of current Democratic healthcare reforms falsely assert that a public option entity would kill competition within the U.S. private health insurance market. This claim begs several questions. Is the private health insurance market really competitive? Should it even be based on free-market principles? Several studies have shown that in most cases across the … [Read more...] about KILLING COMPETITION – OH REALLY??
Having Ignored Krugman’s Law, Obama Should Heed Cheney’s Law
Both laws are essentially the same -- the only difference being that one is stated as a warning, the other as a credo: … [Read more...] about Having Ignored Krugman’s Law, Obama Should Heed Cheney’s Law
Health Reform As Self Reform
This article in the Atlantic is the best "conservative" argument against the health system/reform that I've read. Regardless of how you feel about the policy proposal, the description of the root problem is entirely accurate and rarely addressed. For my money, I find two major problems with his proposal as well as a few over generalizations. Market competition relies on the … [Read more...] about Health Reform As Self Reform
Healthcare, Chess and Unintended Consquences (Guest Voice)
Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of TMV or its many writers. Healthcare, Chess and Unintended Consquences by Average Joe In the flap over an Op Ed article penned by the CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey rehashes a right wing idea I blogged about after the CPAC convention in March. This idea has been widely touted as one of the conservative … [Read more...] about Healthcare, Chess and Unintended Consquences (Guest Voice)
Jelly Donuts and Junk Food: Uncle Sam, Save Us!
In light of all the heated discussion about health care reform, this Houston Chronicle article seems pretty timely: Obesity is causing “death and illness on a massive scale,” according to a new study by University of Virgina and Urban Institute researchers. And it is all but impossible to treat. “Unless there is some vast improvement in the efficiency of the health care … [Read more...] about Jelly Donuts and Junk Food: Uncle Sam, Save Us!
Woodstock And The Slippery Economic Slope
The country is now remembering the Woodstock weekend's 40th anniversary. I missed that big mud slide four decades ago. I was bumming around Europe at the time after doing my military service. But Woodstock and my bumming have something in common — both, in very different ways, represented the very acme of American economic life. I don't want to pretend that the Ozzie & … [Read more...] about Woodstock And The Slippery Economic Slope
“Why We Need Health Care Reform,” from the Horse’s Mouth
Fellow blogger Mark Daniels just posted ”Two Helpful Primers on the Health Care Reform Debate," linking to two good overviews of the health care reform debate and issues, one from The New York Times and the other from The Wall Street Journal. In this morning's New York Times, there also happened to be an Op-Ed on "Why We Need Health Care Reform," by a person who, albeit far … [Read more...] about “Why We Need Health Care Reform,” from the Horse’s Mouth
Scenes from the Garden
For a hopefully relaxing Sunday morning, a few scenes from the garden to put your spirit at ease. Mother Nature is still failing to cooperate for the most part, but our plants are gamely working away during an unusually cold and rainy summer. What? You thought that somebody who totally fails to qualify as a liberal could enjoy working in a garden? Remember... even Hitler … [Read more...] about Scenes from the Garden