R WE STUPIT?

Does taxing the pharmaceutical companies an extra $22 billion and medical device manufacturers’ an extra $19 billion really make healthcare more affordable? Do we think Pfizer just says “oh well, those profit margins were nice while had ‘em”? Or do they do what any company does when they are hit with new costs- Raise prices!

Companies need to make X% profit to stay in business. Look at gas, if the price of oil goes up the price of gas goes up, because oil costs the companies money to obtain, it is a “cost”. Taxes are “costs” too. If we hit up Exxon for more tax $$$ then they will be forced to raise the price at the pump to recoup that “cost”, and maintain a profit margin of X%. Tobacco is a perfect example- When the tobacco industry was sued and forced to pay out huge amounts of dough in settlements they were forced to either raise their prices drastically or close up shop (too bad they chose option a).

Why do nations impose tariffs on imported goods? The people exporting those goods to the nation have to tack that money onto the price paid by the consumer, thus creating an advantage in the price category for the domestic producers of similar goods. So is it really a stretch to assert that those in control of Washington now want to raise the cost of private healthcare in order to secure an advantage for the “public option”, eventually doing away with the private sector altogether?

You, the end user, the consumer, you pay. Not the big corporations, not the share-holders of the corporations, not the insurance companies, not the “rich”, but you. That is the way it has always been, the way it will always be. One way or another, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” will cost you in the long run.

See the last line of the AP article- “Resolving these policy issues would be a historic accomplishment for Democrats. But the bill could still leave consumers feeling a little cheated.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

Sleep Tight

You wake up in a cold sweat, your world crashing in around you. You turn on MSNBC and watch in horror as Olbermann breaks down the latest horror story coming out of Washington. You thought it was bad enough that in the 1^st 100 days of the new administration we had lost our funding for studying the migration habits of yellow perch, cracked down unfairly on companies that are kind enough to employ undocumented migrant workers, and our military is now actually killing people in Afghanistan. “How could it get any worse” you wonder aloud. How did all these idiots not see this coming? You knew all along what a mistake it was to have Sarah Palin just “a heartbeat away” from the Presidency. When that wack-job senator from Arizona had a heart attack during the inauguration, you were not surprised; you had warned people about this. How could America have been so stupid? Well now they will see for themselves just how crazy this bitch really is. The unthinkable is happening right before your eyes as tomorrow congress is going to vote on Palin’s latest far right-wing initiative: Drilling in Alaska’s wilderness…. The HORROR!!!!!!!

You wake up again, this time for real, and you realize it was all just a bad dream. THANK GOD! You breathe a sigh of relief as you realize things are as they should be. The government has a firm grasp on the banking, housing, and auto industries, the US Army is still using rubber bullets with kind interrogation methods, and the big legislation on the table is the much needed government takeover of our “broken” health care system. This is no nightmare, maybe to those out of touch evil conservatives it is, but not to you. You can sleep easy tonight, all is right in the world.

Bad Medicine

First things first:

As I read through these graphs (from PBS, hardly right wing) this is what becomes clear to me.

• The vast majority of people who are not insured in this country are not citizens of this country.
• The largest group of uninsured people do not work.
• There are 21 million making over $50k a year and obviously choosing not to be insured.
• The biggest group of uninsured are aged 18 to 34, also the least likely ages to need medical help I would think.
  

The first problem I have with the current health care reform initiatives is the haste at which they are being attempted. As with almost everything, I feel it is more important to get it right than to get it now. The second problem, and perhaps the biggest to me, is that I am being asked to believe that there is a serious problem that I simply can not see. I’m not saying a problem does not exist, I’m just saying I have no first hand knowledge of it. Again, I’m not in denial, I just haven’t seen the evidence. I don’t have to see something to believe in it, I mean I believe there are probably some open minded liberals out there somewhere, yet I have witnessed nothing to affirm that belief. But, for the sake of argument, lets say the Boogey Man exists;

Life is what you make of it. Some people work harder than others. Some people are born into better situations than others. But as our latest Supreme Court nominee shows us, upward mobility is very achievable in this country. I believe health care is like anything else. We can't all drive a Bentley, eat fillet Mignon, and ski in Aspen. Most of us can however get a Hyundai, a piece of chicken, and occasionally tube down Mt. Wachusett. It is the same with visiting the Doctor. If you don't put in what is needed to ensure that your family is taken care of, that is on you, not me. When I say "I don't want to pay" for everybody else, what I mean is this; For the health care of all these uninsured people to get better, the health care of my children MUST necessarily get worse. I find that about as un-American as it gets. The following Article spells out exactly how much the current bills stink.

Article from CNN

Fixing our Economy WhileReforming Healthcare

As I sit here basically dying from a respiratory infection, strep throat, etc., It dawned on me that it is total bullshit that I must wait until late tomorrow to see my doctor to get a prescription for Erythromycin. I know that is what I need, and I will guarantee that is what my doctor will prescribe. So why can't I just go down to CVS and buy some? Why, because some people are stupid. Why must I wait until late tomorrow? Because in this horrible economy, companies like mine have done away with paid time off. So no sick days, no vacation pay, I can't afford to call in sick.

Here is the solution---

Immediately pass legislation allowing anyone over the age of 18 to buy any non-narcotic medicine over the counter. This would allow me to get my damn antibiotics so I can stop being sick. This would also greatly improve the economy and create job openings. How you ask? It is simple, stupid people would mis-diagnose themselves, buy drugs they should not take, overdose on them, and die. Think of all the job opportunities opened up by their sudden demise!

Please call your local representative today and ask them to pass this legislation... Our economy and our health care system are counting on you!

Gallup Daily

FREE CELLPHONES!!!!!!

I must preface this with saying I am fully aware of the need for social welfare programs in this country. I grew up on government subsidised "Free School Lunch", and would have no doubt needed more government assistance if it were not the church we attended helping us out in times of need. That being said....
.
So I'm watching tv on Monday, during the day, (it was a holiday so this is ok for me) and I see a commercial for free cellphones. The add states that everyone needs a cellphone, so the government has made them available. A free phone, with free monthly minutes. The ad states that if you currently recieve foodstamps or other assistance then you most likely qualify. Call to get yours today! So a few minutes later, after my wife revives me from the cardiac arrest this commercial placed me in, and after I brush my teeth (because this ad obviously causes someone like me to vomit), I decide I need to look further into this. This is what I found at www.safelinkwireless.com

Lifeline Benefits

Lifeline Assistance is part of a program that was created by the government to provide discounted or free telephone service to income-eligible consumers. To help bring you this important benefit, SafeLink Wireless is proud to offer Lifeline Service. Through our Lifeline Service you will receive FREE cellular service, a FREE cell phone, and FREE Minutes every month! SafeLink Wireless Service does not cost anything – there are no contracts, no recurring fees and no monthly charges.

Any Minutes you do not use will roll-over. Features such as caller ID, call waiting and voicemail are all also included with your service. If you need additional Minutes, you can buy TracFone Airtime Cards at any TracFone retailer Walmart, Walgreens, Family Dollar, etc). SafeLink Airtime Cards will be available soon.

Your exact benefits, including the number of free Minutes you will receive, depend on the state you live in. Please enter your ZIP code to get the details for your state.

Benefits in Massachusetts

Through SafeLink Wireless’ Lifeline Service you can receive:

• A FREE SafeLink Wireless phone
• A FREE cellular plan that gives you 80 Minutes every month
  

Qualifying in Massachusetts

You qualify for Lifeline Service in your area if...

1. You already participate in one of the following assistance programs:

   • Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children
   • Social Security Income
   • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
   • Food Stamps
   • MassHealth
   • Transitional Aid To Families with Dependent Children
   • Fuel Assistance

Now I know I am a mean evil Conservative that doesn't understand the nuances of helping the nation's needy, but give me a F'n break...PLEASE!!! How do people cry about any underfunded social program that might actually help someone, you know, like insurance for kids, when we are now giving people free freakin cellphones. And people wonder why I'm conservative, well this is it folks!!!!

--------------------------------------UPDATE!!!!
It has been pointed out to me that this is not taxpayer funded. I found this hard to believe so I looked deeper. As far as I can tell, some companies claim they are offering this service for free. I assume it so they can sell more prepaid minutes. Don't think for a minute that you do not pay for this! Check your cell phone bill. Look for the "Federal Universal Service Fund" , that is were the federal subsidy comes from. A tax by any other name is still a tax!

Before the Bitching Starts.......

-----So Exxon Mobil made 40 something billion in profits huh. You may instinctively be outraged. You may look back at last summer, paying 4 and change a gallon, and become sick to your stomach to think "these guys" made 45 b-b-b-billion dollars. I say slow down, lets look deeper.
-----First of all, Exxon is a publicly traded company, which means any Tom, Dick, or Harry can buy in. How many people out there have a 401k or IRA or annuity? Oh, you got one, well lets hope whoever is managing it had some Exxon then. Profit is not a bad thing. If you think they made all that money by jacking up the price, be aware, they don't really set the price of gasoline any more than Dominos sets the price of pizza. It stands to reason that if you refine and sell gas for cost plus a markup of say 10%, then if it all of a sudden costs twice as much to make, and you still mark it up 10%, then your profits double. I admit I'm no economist, but it seems reasonable to me.
-----Now keep this in mind, Exxon Mobil made a "profit" of 45.22 Billion dollars. Do you know what their tax rate is? Almost 50%! Put it this way, With out "Big Oil" you could not afford "Big Government". For more check out this article from CNN.

Lipstick Anyone?

-----------It took me a long time to decide to buy a PS3. I thought about it for over a year, seriously debated it in my own head for about 6 months, and then spent weeks figuring out how I could pay for it. I find it incredible that the government has spent a fraction of that time figuring out how to spend 819 billion dollars. While I am disheartened that this new welfare package passed in the house this evening, I am delighted that every single republican, along with 10 democrats, voted against it. They are on the right side history my friends.
-----------Thomas Jefferson said "if we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy". You may find Jefferson a bore, or outdated, or dismiss him as a slave owner, to which I would reply you are an ideological zealot at best, a pinko commie at worst. I feel there is infinite wisdom to be found in the words and deeds of the great founders of this nation, the greatest nation ever. Bad things will come from from this massive overspending, it always does. We are being bought for a $500 check that our children will be paying back until they die (This too seemed absurd to Jefferson, check out this letter to James Madison )
President Obama says "This recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years". That is one of the most unprovable and assanine statements our new leader could make. So if Americans lose 5 million jobs are we to believe that without this "stimulus", we wold have lost 8 million? I believe it was President Obama who while running for the office said "you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig". Well keep piling on the Revlon sir, because this pig of yours is uglying up the place in a hurry!

------------- Check out the complete stroke job here

THE OBESE POLICE

Boston Globe article on Deval's newest initiative: http://tinyurl.com/8xnb8u

Don't get me wrong here, I'm all for restaurants letting you know the calories/carbs/fat/protein breakdown in their meals, but please, please, please don't make them print them right their next to the descriptions. If I'm ordering Alice Springs Chicken at Outback, I already know it's bad. A piece of otherwise healthy chicken smothered in tasty sauce, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, and cheese, with fries on the side has to bad for you, really freakin bad for you, but please let me enjoy my infrequent gluttony in blissful ignorance! It is not as if I'm eating like this with any regularity. But this is not really my gripe here.

They say "It Takes a Village"to raise a child. Well, here in Mass, our government officials are "The Village People" indeed. Does anyone really need a report from the school letting them know that little Johny could stand to lose a few? I was always a chubby kid. I knew it, my parents knew it, and my peers knew it. I can't imagine that a detailed report on my fatness provided at the already financially strapped school system's (i.e. taxpayers') expense would have been a great tool in my parent's quest to quell by obesity. People are who they are, letters from school will not make parents stop buying the groceries they buy. The Village People can not save them from themselves. If a parent is so inattentive, or so stupid, as to not realize that their kid is overweight, what makes people think getting a report from school will change them?
So Deval Patrick, having failed on his campaign promise to offer real property tax relief, failed to get his all important casinos built, failed at virtually everything, is now going to all out to stop childhood obesity. Well, given his track record so far, I guess they should start ordering larger desks for the schools right away!