Friday, May 27, 2011

The Politics of Medicare

Politics
Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan on Medicare Election: ‘Give me a Call’

The day after the stunning upset in the special congressional election in upstate New York, Rep. Paul Ryan is a man under fire.

But ABC News was behind the scenes with the Wisconsin Congressman and GOP Budget Committee Chairman when he got some words of encouragement none other than former President Bill Clinton.
"So anyway, I told them before you got here, I said I’m glad we won this race in New York," Clinton told Ryan, when the two met backstage at a forum on the national debt held by the Pete Peterson Foundation. But he added, “I HOPE DEMOCRATS DON'T USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO DO NOTHING.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/bill-clinton-to-paul-ryan-on-medicare-election-give-me-a-call-.html

In fact it appears the Democrat plan is to do something about Medicare. They plan to Mediscare people with it.

Are Voters As Stupid As Insiders Think?

Do Americans have the will to cut government spending in order to curb the rampant growth in government debt and liabilities? Not if the politicians they send to Washington have anything to do with it.

On Tuesday, a Republican candidate lost a special election to replace a disgraced GOP congressman from Buffalo, N.Y. -- to a Democrat who won with the help of a third-party candidate. Presto.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called a vote on the House GOP budget bill. As The New York Times reported, REID "BROUGHT THE LEGISLATION TO THE FLOOR SO THAT SENATE REPUBLICANS WOULD EITHER HAVE TO VOTE FOR IT, EXPOSING THEM TO ATTACKS FROM DEMOCRATS AND THEIR ALLIES, OR AGAINST IT, EXPLOITING GROWING REPUBLICAN DIVISIONS ON THE ISSUE…."

THE GOP PACKAGE FAILED, AS EXPECTED, after four moderate Republicans and Kentucky purist Rand Paul voted against it.

THEN THE SENATE VOTED ON THE OBAMA SPENDING BLUEPRINT. IT TANKED 97-0. While headlines focused on the GOP 57-40 loss, there was not a single Democrat who voted to take up the Obama budget. Gee. Reid sure is good at exploiting GOP divisions.

So tell me, what do the Democrats stand for?...

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_debra_j_saunders/are_voters_as_stupid_as_insiders_think

The only time Reid takes a stand is when he’s going to the men’s room. But this isn’t a good sign. The Democrats are playing politics rather than trying to solve a problem that can destroy not just Medicare but the country.

We’re from the Government and we’re here to help

An astounding DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THREAT TO CANCEL AIRLINE FLIGHTS TO AND FROM TEXAS, in addition to underhanded lobbying by TSA representatives, has killed efforts in the state to pass HB 1937, a bill that would have made invasive pat downs by TSA agents a felony.
HB 1937, a bill that would have made it “A CRIMINAL ACT FOR SECURITY PERSONNEL TO TOUCH A PERSON’S PRIVATE AREAS WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE AS A CONDITION OF TRAVEL OR AS A CONDITION OF ENTRY INTO A PUBLIC PLACE,” was headed for an imminent Senate vote in Texas having already passed the House unanimously 138-0, before the federal government stepped in to nix the legislation.

In a letter sent to Texas lawmakers, including to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus, the House Clerk, and the Senate Secretary, U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy threatened to cripple the airline industry in the state if legislators did not back down.

http://www.infowars.com/financial-terrorism-tsa-holds-texas-flights-hostage/

Fascism is coming to America.

The Dreamer Goes Down For The Count

I HAD NEVER THOUGHT THERE WERE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE PLEASURE-LOVING CHARLES II OF ENGLAND AND THE MORE UPRIGHT BARACK OBAMA UNTIL THIS WEEK. Listening to his speeches on the Middle East at the State Department, US-Israel relations at the AIPAC annual meeting and most recently his address to the British Parliament the comparison becomes irresistible.

“Here lies our sovereign king,” wrote the Earl of Rochester about King Charles:
Whose word no man relies on.

WHO NEVER SAID A FOOLISH THING
OR EVER DID A WISE ONE.

THIS SEEMS TO CAPTURE PRESIDENT OBAMA’S MIDDLE EAST PROBLEMS IN A NUTSHELL. The President’s descriptions of the situation are comprehensive and urbane. He correctly identifies the forces at work. He develops interesting policy ideas and approaches that address important political and moral elements of the complex problems we face. He crafts approaches that might, with good will and deft management, bridge the gaps between the sides. He reads thoughtful speeches full of sensible reflections.

But THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE CAST HIM AS THE LEAST COMPETENT MANAGER OF AMERICA’S MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC PORTFOLIO IN A VERY LONG TIME. He has infuriated and frustrated long term friends, but made no headway in reconciling enemies. He has strained our ties with the established regimes without winning new friends on the Arab Street. He has committed our forces in the strategically irrelevant backwater of Libya not, as he originally told us, for “days, not weeks” but for months not days…..

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/05/25/the-dreamer-goes-down-for-the-count/

A good article which demonstrates just how incompetent this president is.

Obama’s problems caused by his skin color

South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representative, holds racism accountable for most of President Obama’s failures.

Clyburn was quoted by McClatchy Newspapers saying, “You know, I’m 70 years old. And I can tell you; people don’t like to deal with it, but THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THE PRESIDENT’S PROBLEMS ARE IN LARGE MEASURE BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN.”

http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/26/president-obamas-problems-are-mostly-caused-by-the-color-of-his-skin-says-clyburn/#ixzz1NTPUHGVp

The term “racist” in its modern, catch-all sense is that it’s a bit like witchcraft in the 17th century: denial just constitutes further proof of guilt.

Democrat chair calls into question GOP on American Exceptionalism

Wasserman Schultz said she in no way was calling those GOP candidates unpatriotic, but that SHE DOUBTED THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE IDEA OF U.S. EXCEPTIONALISM. She also laid out a litany of policies she claims those GOP figures should have supported if they were that committed to the concept.

"Why aren't THEY SUPPORTIVE OF CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES to make sure that we cannot incentivize companies to ship jobs overseas?" she asked, riffing on a series of questions on the GOP's policies on taxes, the auto industry and other issues. "These things — WITHOUT THEM IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED US FROM OUT-EDUCATING AND OUT-INNOVATING AND OUT-COMPETING OUR COMPETITORS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/163441-dnc-chief-on-republican-field-im-concerned-about-their-commitment-to-american-exceptionalism

It appears “little Debbie” doesn’t understand what American exceptionalism is all about. It doesn’t come from taxes or bailouts or subsidizing things. It comes from freedom. It comes from allowing people the freedom to risk and to win or lose.

Climate

Freedom of Information harassing scientists?

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAWS ARE BEING MISUSED TO HARASS SCIENTISTS AND SHOULD BE RE-EXAMINED BY THE GOVERNMENT, ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse told the Guardian that SOME CLIMATE SCIENTISTS WERE BEING TARGETED BY ORGANISED CAMPAIGNS OF REQUESTS FOR DATA AND OTHER RESEARCH MATERIALS, AIMED AT INTIMIDATING THEM AND SLOWING DOWN RESEARCH. He said the behaviour was turning freedom of information laws into a way to intimidate some scientists.

Nurse's comments follow the launch of a major Royal Society study into how scientists' work can be made more open and better used to inform policy in society. The review – expected to be published next year – will examine ways of improving access to scientific data and research papers and how "digital media offer a powerful means for the public to interrogate, question and re-analyse scientific priorities, evidence and conclusions".

NURSE SAID THAT, IN PRINCIPLE, SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE AS A MATTER OF COURSE, a practice common in biological research where gene sequences are routinely published in public databases. But he said freedom of information had "opened a Pandora's box. It's released something that we hadn't imagined ... there have been cases of it being misused in the climate change debate to intimidate scientists.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/25/freedom-information-laws-harass-scientists

This might have made sense if there hadn’t been ClimateGate where we have a record of scientists hiding data, threatening to destroy data etc. rather than turning it over. It appears this is harassment only to scientists who fail to follow the scientific method.

Education

Computers Cut Reading Ability In Children?

SWEDEN AND THE US ARE TWO COUNTRIES IN WHICH INCREASED LEISURE USE OF COMPUTERS BY CHILDREN LEADS TO POORER READING ABILITY. This is the conclusion from research carried out at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Professor Monica Rosén of the Department of Education and Special Education has analysed differences between different countries over time in order to explain change in reading achievement among 9-10-year olds. Within the framework of the research project she and her colleagues have studied how pupils' reading skills have changed since 1970. Hungary, Italy, the US and Sweden have been included in all of the international comparisons. Reading ability has improved steadily in Italy and Hungary, while IT HAS FALLEN RAPIDLY SINCE 1991 IN BOTH THE US AND SWEDEN.

During this period, many factors within the school system have changed, as have also society in general and the after-school activities of children in particular. THE SWEDISH AND AMERICAN PUPILS DESCRIBED A LARGE INCREASE IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS IN THEIR FREE TIME DURING THIS PERIOD, WHILE A SIMILAR INCREASE WAS NOT REPORTED IN HUNGARY OR ITALY.

The researchers argue that COMPUTER USAGE HAS DISPLACED LEISURE TIME READING and the leisure time reading provided a richer experience with words that do computers. This seems plausible for a couple of reasons:

• Computer games do not require much text reading.
• Messaging with friends involves using words you all know and abbreviations of simple words.
• The web has lots of porno and other content that isn't intellectually enriching.

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/008102.html

A very interesting article which again points us to the law of unintended consequences.

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