March 2009 - Political Certainty

My previous post pointed out a few problems facing the United States and how, as President Obama has stated, we cannot correct long term economic problems without addressing

Why do we spend so much more on healthcare, per capita, than other developed countries? Why do we achieve worse outcomes on several important measures than countries that spend far less? Why do we spend up to twice as much per person as countries that provide universal coverage while leaving as many as 50 million Americans without insurance

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Posted By: Jim Stillman - Category: No Category

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The Obama agenda: healthcare - I

March 19th 2009 16:16

My daughter and son-in-law are hard working, dedicated and well-trained physicians. The latter is a specialist in pulmonary and critical care, works many hours a week without sleep and rest and is thoroughly dedicated to his profession and patients. My daughter has four children and Chipper, a very demanding Yellow Lab and is a pediatrician. They agree with me, I think, that changes are necessary in the delivery of health care in this country; they are, I am quite confident, opposed to my views. The Doctors would suggest that if only trial attorneys were forbidden to sue medical professionals, or even free to roam the streets, everything would be right in the world; as a retired attorney, I disagree.

This is the first post on this topic. The first two will point out flaws and problems with our healthcare delivery system, its costs and how our system puts us at a disadvantage in the world's economy. The final post will suggest solutions

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The economy bounces back?

March 15th 2009 14:38

Over the past months the economy of the United States has taken a beating; the stock market was plummeting to remarkable depths and much of the country having lost confidence that the problems would or could be cured. The far right core of the Republican Party was quick to blame Barack Obama, notwithstanding the fact that he has been in office less than two months and the banking, housing, mortgage foreclosure and unemployment debacle started during the Bush administration.

Moreover, in the opinion of most economists the crises are a result of massive expenditures on the Iraq war and an insistence of enacting equally massive tax cuts: in short, political dogma leading to irrational policies. But there is no need to rehash the past and assign blame to the Bush/43 regime

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Rush isn't the GOP leader. Too bad.

March 7th 2009 01:24

We should start out with several facts on which all can agree. Rush Limbaugh is popular and the very epitome of what a successful talk show host should be. He is thoroughly entertaining, speaks exclusively in hyperbole and, may, for all I know, truly consider himself as “talent on loan from God”. His radio program, on his modestly self-named, Excellence in Broadcasting network, brought him a multi-year contract that will earn him $400 Million through 2016. He has an extremely loyal coterie of listeners who describe themselves as “ditto-heads", many of whom believe that Mr. Limbaugh is a reputable purveyor of news rather than an extremely gifted entertainer

In recent months, the Obama administration has gone out of its way to describe Rush Limbaugh as the “voice” or “leader” of the Republican Party. In response, Mr. Limbaugh has “invited” the President of the United States to appear on his radio program and, presumably, debate the issues of the day on a one-to-one basis with total parity between them. This bit of chutzpah was accompanied by the offer to have Rush’s airplane ferry the President in a manner more opulent that Air Force One

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Obama's non-socialistic ambitious plans

March 5th 2009 15:57

Bank in the day, bad people – that is, those with whom we disagree – were branded “communists” not because they necessarily followed, believed in or even understood the precepts of that social-economic viewpoint. Today, the curse word of those opposed to the newly freely elected president is “socialist”. Again, the word is shorthand for many proposals of the Obama plans to develop a plan for affordable, universal health care, a restructure of the tax system, a fostering of the development of alternate energy, a recognition that the deficit will, at least in the short term, increase and federal government participation in a variety of areas to which the Right opposes, from a guarantee of education, free availability of birth control and on and on.

Are there non-ideological grounds to be raised in opposition to the broad nature of the Obama “wish list”? Certainly. I would suggest that the President, in his wish to correct all of the matters ignored or mishandled by the past Bush administration, has failed to establish priorities. We have to reverse ill-advised policies from the past, but it must be acknowledged that it cannot be done immediately and simultaneously. It took many years to create the banking and financial market mess, to reduce this country’s prestige and influence in the world, and to sacrifice the essential liberties of our citizens; it is unrealistic and disingenuous to expect a 180° change in direction and result in weeks or even months

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The party of No-No

March 4th 2009 16:38

This is not the first time that I have noted the collapse of the modern Republican party from being a vital participant in the nation’s political discourse, a necessary brake on too-extreme and ambitious progressive ideas from liberals and a source of alternative rational programs. The recent repudiation of the policies of the Bush administration could have been the impetus for a re-birth of this once-responsible party. Instead we now witness a split in the GOP, one faction willing to explore with the Obama administration possible solutions to the economic crises in the United States and the other content to condemn any initiatives of the elected president as socialistic or fascist or generally un-American and evil. The latter group has no possible alternative proposals, no counter suggestions, other than to reduce taxes and allow private business to regulate itself, free from government interference.

The party of the previous administration now demands fiscal responsibility and frugality, after spending billions on a war that was now seen, universally, as pointless

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