Libertarian Leanings

It Won't Work. It Never Works.

Obama plans to raise taxes on the rich to finance the federal takeover of the health care industry.  Now there's a novel solution.  Do you suppose the president thought it up all by himself?  Original or not, Alan Reynolds gauges the effectiveness of the idea.

It won't work. It never works.

The maximum tax rate fell to 28% in 1988-90 from 50% in 1986, yet individual income tax receipts rose to 8.3% of GDP in 1989 from 7.9% in 1986. The top tax rate rose to 31% in 1991 and revenue fell to 7.6% of GDP in 1992. The top tax rate was increased to 39.6% in 1993, along with numerous major revenue enhancers such as raising the taxable portion of Social Security to 85% of benefits from 50% for seniors who saved or kept working. Yet individual tax revenues were only 7.8% of GDP in 1993, 8.1% in 1994, and did not get back to the 1989 level until 1995.

Punitive tax rates on high-income individuals do not increase revenue. Successful people are not docile sheep just waiting to be shorn.

Just as health care reform is not intended to improve the health care system, "equality" is not about giving people an equal chance.  Both are, above all else, about extending government control.

Repeal

Daniel Henninger urges Republican and independent voters to repeal the Democrats.

When the voting stopped, the screen said the number of Republicans voting for Mr. Obama's bill was zero. Not one. Nobody.

Pristine opposition is being spun as a Republican liability. It looks to me like a Republican resurrection. The party hasn't yet discovered what it should be, but this clearly was a party discovering what it cannot be.

Put it this way: If you produce a bill that Olympia Snowe of Maine cannot vote for, you have not produced legislation "for the generations." You have not even produced legislation that is liberal. You have produced legislation from the left. You have produced once-in-a-lifetime legislation that no Republican from any constituency across America could vote for.

Finally, we are achieving real political definition.

The Democrats are now the party of the state. The 20th century hybrid version of the Democratic Party, which included private-sector industrial unions and Wall Street liberals, is being abandoned by its leadership as unwanted and increasingly unnecessary.

November 2, 2010

It's the Obama Effect

You'd think after a while our mainstream media might catch on, yet they continue to be caught by surprise.  The economic bad news they've been reporting has been "unexpected" for a year:

April 14, 2009 - Retail sales fell unexpectedly in March

May 13, 2009 - U.S. Economy: Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fell in April

June 15, 2009 - U.S. Homebuilder Confidence Unexpectedly Fell in June

June 24, 2009 - New home sales fall unexpectedly

September 25, 2009 - Durable goods orders fall unexpectedly

October 16, 2009 - Consumer sentiment falls unexpectedly

November 18, 2009 - U.S. home construction fell unexpectedly in October

And now this!

March 24, 2010 - U.S. new home sales unexpectedly fall in Feb

But we're turning the corner!  For about the twelfth time!

Ann Coulter Made Me Do It!

Last night student protesters surrounded Marion Hall at the University of Ottawa, preventing Ann Coulter from giving a scheduled speech.  After conferring with campus security Coulter's bodyguard decided it would not be safe for Coulter to enter the hall.

U of O political science student Faris Lehn, 23, said he doesn’t support Coulter’s message, but had hoped for a debate.

“It’s too bad she didn’t get to speak because I think she would have made herself look more ridiculous than anyone here could have made her look,” Lehn said.

“The problem with Ann Coulter . . . is that the arguments that she uses don’t necessarily promote good debate, they promote this,” he said, glancing at the chanting crowd.

Well said.  The problem with Ann Coulter is other people.

Health Care Takeover Passes

Washington Post writers break out the pom-poms as ObamaCare passes the House.  Headline: House passes health-care reform bill without Republican votes.

House Democrats scored a historic victory in the century-long battle to reform the nation's health-care system late Sunday night, winning final approval of legislation that expands coverage to 32 million people and attempts to contain spiraling costs.

Opposition to ObamaCare was bipartisan.  

In one of the most closely watched votes in history, all Republicans voted against the bill and 219 Democrats supported it. A total of 212 members voted against it.

Here is a list of the Democrats who crossed the aisle and voted against the bill:

Rep. John Adler (N.J.)
Rep. Jason Altmire (Pa.)
Rep. Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)
Rep. John Barrow (Ga.)
Rep. Marion Berry (Ark.)
Rep. Dan Boren (Ind.)
Rep. Rick Boucher (Va.)
Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.)
Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.)
Rep. Travis Childers (Miss.)
Rep. Artur Davis (Ala.)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas)
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.)
Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.)
Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.)
Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.)
Rep. Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.)
Rep. Mike McMahon (N.Y.)
Rep. Charlie Melancon (La.)
Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)
Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.)
Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.)
Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.)
Rep. Zack Space (Ohio)
Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.)
Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.)
Rep. Harry Teague (N.M.)

Contrary to what giddy Post writers report, we can only wish the bill was intended to contain spiraling costs.  This has never been about health care, it's about government extending its power and control over the American people.

These Democrats who stood with Republicans to oppose this legislative mess deserve praise and support.  It's too bad there weren't more like them.

Update:  On second thought no Democrat deserves support.  Democrats are simply not to be trusted.

Phone Calls Flood Congress

Yesterday afternoon I decided to give my congressman, Democrat Paul Hodes from New Hampshire's second district, another friendly little reminder about the perils of voting in favor of the health care industry takeover bill.  I dialed his Washington office phone number again... and again... busy.  It turns out a lot of people had the same idea.

Members continued to be inundated with phone calls from constituents and interest groups Friday thanks to an impending vote on health care reform this weekend.

Calls to the House numbered close to 100,000 an hour, creating a bottleneck in a phone system only meant to handle 50,000 calls an hour. The chamber has been similarly overloaded for four consecutive days, beginning on Tuesday when radio host Rush Limbaugh told viewers to call the Capitol switchboard phone number.

Jeff Ventura, spokesman for Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard, said the problem was essentially unsolvable. The issue lies with the capacity of the cables buried underneath the Capitol complex — and even if those could be dug up and replaced, Members simply don’t have enough staff to answer so many calls, he said.

Once again, Hodes' Washington office phone number is 202-225-5206.  Give him a call and tell him how you feel.

Health Care and the Constitution

From this morning's Washington Times:

As the Supreme Court wrote in Clinton v. City of New York in 1998, "Congress cannot alter the procedures set out in Article I, Section 7, without amending the Constitution." Specifically, the court wrote that no bill could become law unless "(1) a bill containing its exact text was approved by a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives; (2) the Senate approved precisely the same text."

If the courts pronounce the Slaughter Rule unconstitutional, members who voted for it not only will have borne the wrath of angry opponents but will get no credit from the few Americans who did support the bill but then would see no benefits.

On substance alone, Obamacare will be subject to constitutional challenges on at least three fronts, including the unprecedented "mandate" that every individual buy health insurance or face fines or jail time. The way Obamacare is designed, with enough interlocking parts to make even Einstein dizzy, the whole edifice crumbles if the mandate is declared unconstitutional. Politicians who survive this fall's elections would be forced to return to the subject and take even more tough votes cleaning up the mess.

There's no political upside to caving in to Mrs. Pelosi's pressure to pass flawed legislation.

Beyond Sleazy

According to CNN's Jack Cafferty Nancy Pelosi's "deem and pass" strategy is beyond sleazy.

Excerpt from NewsBusters: CAFFERTY: Just when you think you've seen it all in Washington, along comes something like this. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may try to pass the controversial health care reform bill without making members vote on it- simply unbelievable. Pelosi says she might use a procedural tactic where the House will vote on the package of fixes to the Senate bill, and then that vote would signify that lawmakers- quote, 'deem' the health care bill to be passed. Politically speaking, this is beyond sleazy. It's meant to protect House Democrats, who are all running for reelection in November, from having to make a tough vote up or down on health care reform. Pelosi says of this process- quote, 'I like it, because people don't have to vote on the Senate bill,' unquote. In Nancy Pelosi's world, accountability is a dirty word. The Senate bill, of course, contains many provisions that are unpopular among some House Democrats, including language on abortion funding and taxes on high-cost so-called Cadillac insurance plans. This tactic has been used in the past, but never- never for something as big and important as the $900 billion health care reform bill- never. Republicans are jumping all over this, rightfully so. They're painting it as a way for Democrats to avoid taking responsibility, which is exactly what it is. Some even suggest it's unconstitutional.

Call Congressman Hodes

I just called my congressman, Paul Hodes a Democrat representing New Hampshire's 2nd district, to ask how he plans to vote on the health care takeover bill.  The staff member who answered the phone said the congressman would not know how he plans to vote until he reads the bill.  A likely story.  I offered my view - the bill is trash - and advised that he vote against it.

Hodes is running for the retiring Judd Gregg's Senate seat. At the moment Hodes is polling behind Republican attorney general Kelly Ayotte 47 - 37, and behind Republican businessman Bill Binnie 46- 36.

Since Hodes is expecting to escape Pelosi's clutches anyway, it's very worthwhile for New Hampshire residents to call Hodes and gently remind him that his slim chances for winning that Senate seat go to non-existent if he votes for the health care takeover.  His Washington office phone number is 202-225-5206.

Petty and Pathetic

That would describe President Barack Obama – petty and pathetic.

The president will refuse to make fund-raising visits during November elections to any district whose representative has not backed the [health care reform] bill.

A one-night presidential appearance can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds which would otherwise take months to accumulate through cold-calling by campaign volunteers.

Mr Obama's threat came as the year-long debate over his signature domestic policy entered its final week.

Opposition to ObamaCare has been intense in those swing districts where Democratic representatives can expect the Obama cold shoulder.  A Wall Street Journal article yesterday carried the results of swing district polling commissioned by Independent Women's Voice.

The survey consisted of 1,200 registered voters in 35 districts represented by members who could determine the outcome of the health-care debate. Twenty of those members voted for the House bill in November but now may be reconsidering. Fifteen voted against the bill but are under tremendous pressure to change their vote.

The survey shows astonishing intensity and sharp opposition to reform, far more than national polls reflect. For 82% of those surveyed, the heath-care bill is either the top or one of the top three issues for deciding whom to support for Congress next November. (That number goes to 88% among independent women.) Sixty percent want Congress to start from scratch on a bipartisan health-care reform proposal or stop working on it this year. Majorities say the legislation will make them and their loved ones (53%), the economy (54%) and the U.S. health-care system (55%) worse off—quite the trifecta.

Given the "astonishing intensity" Obama may be doing those reps a favor by not showing up. Meanwhile, Rasmussen continues to report that overall public opposition to ObamaCare is steady.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43% favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, while 53% oppose it. Those findings include 23% who Strongly Favor the plan and 46% who Strongly Oppose it.

Those numbers have been consistent since Thanksgiving last year.  Democrats overwhelmingly support the plan because of the political advantage the gain with a government takeover of the health care industry.  Republicans and independents strongly oppose it because the plan will drive up the cost and drive down the quality of health care in America.

Aside from complementing the president on his pretty face, the best that you could say about him is that he has incredibly poor judgment.