The day after yesterday's passing of Obamacare, author Mark Steyn wants to wish everyone in the world a Happy Dependence Day! I just finished listening to his interview today on the Dennis Miller Show, and be warned that the outlook is grim. Mark is convinced that this will be fatal and cannot be repealed, so don't listen if you are looking for a good mood booster. However if you want a breakdown of what happened yesterday, I recommend listening to the Steyn and Krauthammer interviews on the Dennis Miller Show. You can download for free on iTunes, or visit Miller's website.
In this new era of bipartisan politics promised to us by Barak Obama, we have now witnessed the passage of one of the largest social reform packages in the history of America; and not only did zero Republicans vote for the bill, but 34 Democrats voted against it. David Frum is calling it a massive defeat for Republicans, but I'm trying to think what else they could have done. Not only did they all vote in unison, but 34 Dems voted with Republicans against the bill! Just because Obama and Pelosi had the audacity to go forward with an unpopular plan, that doesn't mean conservatives failed. In fact the pundits were successful in shifting public opinion significantly away from this policy.
The American people didn't vote this up in a referendum; the Democrats just went ahead even if it split their own party. Can it be repealed? I don't know. Do I think this plan is going to be a catastrophic financial disaster? Absolutely. Do I know what is going to happen next? Absolutely not. That debate is out of my hands. I just know that in Canada health care consumes an enormous amount of our budget, we have to wait a long time for treatment, and if you get cancer your probability of mortality is much higher in Canada.
The only bipartisan part of this event was the "no" side - Democrats and Republicans voted against the bill.
ReplyDeleteNow on to immigration "reform" which will be brought in before the Novemember elections.
I am not certain how prophetic Mr. Steyn's prognostications are in general, but rest assured his warnings re the insurance industry will come to pass. Now, I have no love for the insurance industry, (in fact, I believe the Mafia could learn a lot about extortion and criminality by watching them)but it is evident that the Democrats are intent on squeezing them out of the health insurance business. Since the criminals in congress are now setting the rules for the industry, subsequent leftist policy makers will keep adjusting the rules until the industry decides the risks are too great to manage regardless of how high the rates they charge. (although these rates will be set by congressional mandate.) This will drive everyone to the government option and by default Obama will have added another block to the edifice of socialistic big government.
ReplyDeleteWorse things are in store.
ReplyDeleteImagine if 30+ million illegal immigrants are given full amnesty and are all shaped and primed to vote democrat all their lives. Of course they will be so grateful that the messiah made it possible for them to live in the land of plenty at the cost of the taxpayer, they won't need much nudging to vote for Obama.
That's where the socialists are headed next, Amnesty for 30 million illegals.
Sweet, eh?!