Health Care in the good old USA. I once watched a woman die on the steps of a major hospital in Newark, NJ. She had a childbirth complication. She did not have health insurance. She was a woman. She was Black in the USA. 3.5 million other people watched her die on television. If there had been a socialist on those steps she might have gotten help.
On Sep 3, 8:53 am, Bruce Majors <[email protected]> wrote: > [image: TIADaily.com] <http://www.TIADaily.com> > > *TIA Daily* • *September 2, 2009 * > > The Lamps Are Going Out All Over Europe > > In a preview of what we can expect under "cap-and-trade," Britain is facing > the looming prospect of daily power blackouts. > > ------------------------------ > > *Top News Stories* > > 1. The Town Hall Battle <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+1> > 2. Obama's Empty Mandate <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+2> > 3. Contempt for the Governed <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+3> > 4. "American-Style Free-Market Economics" <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+4> > 5. The Lamps Are Going Out All Over Europe <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+5> > 6. Defeatism <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_Item+6> > > ------------------------------ > Submit articles, interesting links, letters to editor, or comments to > [email protected]. > ------------------------------ > > *Top News Stories* > > *Commentary by Robert Tracinski* > > 1. The Town Hall Battle > > Throughout the month of August, town hall meetings have been a route for the > advocates of socialized medicine. Opponents of Obama's health-care plan have > proven more numerous and more passionate—reflecting the views of the > American people as a whole. > > The left's response has been to denounce this spontaneous grass-roots > opposition as fake—"Astroturf"—and then to scramble desperately to rig a > fake grass-roots movement of their own. The article below describes how this > works, with Democratic congressmen trying to pack town halls with their > supporters. > > My favorite detail is the leftist organizer who is handing out hand-painted > signs. They're hand-painted, so they look as if people made them all by > themselves, on their own initiative. But they're actually manufactured in > bulk by leftist activists, then handed out at the door. > > Thus, town hall meetings are becoming a battleground. For example, TIA Daily > reader Mark Kalinowski, who is active in a northern New Jersey tea party > group, has had to urge people to arrive at an upcoming town hall meeting > three hours early—in order to counter leftist activists, who have told their > supporters to arrive two hours early. > > But I think this new effort by the left will prove to be too little, too > late. See another > report<http://thehill.com/homenews/house/57033-hoyer-gets-earful-at-volatile...>on > a town hall meeting for Steny Hoyer, the number 2 Democrat in the > House. > According to the report, "the Maryland chapter of Health Care for America > Now, had counted on filling 1,300 of the 1,500 seats with health reform > supporters." Read the rest of the report, and judge for yourself how > successful that was. > > "Boos Reign at Reston Health-Care > Event<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/26/connolly-faces-senior...>," > Joseph Curl, *Washington Times*, August 26 > > President Obama's own campaign spinoff organization on Tuesday descended on > a town-hall meeting in Northern Virginia, handing out hundreds of > hand-painted signs that said "reform now" and "vote yes on HR 3200," the > massive health care bill tabled in the House before its summer recess. > > Several workers passed out the homemade signs at the back of a high school > gym shortly before a town hall featuring former Democratic National > Committee Chairman Howard Dean. > > "The signs are from Organizing for America," said one woman handing them > out, but she would not give her name, saying, "I don't feel comfortable > doing that." > > The push by the organization was part of a major effort by supporters to > sway the debate, which has sent the president's approval rating on a free > fall and threatened to crush the cornerstone of his lofty agenda of change. > Proponents plan to hold about 500 events nationwide before lawmakers return > to Washington after Labor Day in an effort to build support…. > > Tuesday's town hall at South Lakes High School in Reston, 20 miles west of > Washington, was explosive before it even began. Thirty minutes before Mr. > Dean and the local congressman arrived, hundreds of people on one side of > the gym began chanting: "We can't afford it!" Hundreds more on opposite > bleachers began their own chant: "Yes, we can!" deploying Mr. Obama's > campaign slogan. > > "No, we can't! No, we can't!" people chanted back from the first side of the > bleachers…. > > Rep. James P. Moran…tried to explain the cost—at least $100 billion a year, > some estimates say twice that—Mr. Moran declared "that cost is fully paid > for." > > The crowd burst out into loud laughter, again drowning out the congressman. > > "Nine trillion debt!" one man yelled. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > 2. Obama's Empty Mandate > > Back on November 5, reacting to a bland victory speech in which the new > president-elect gave absolutely no indication to the American people of what > he actually wanted to achieve in office, I predicted that Obama would have > no "mandate" to pursue an ideological agenda once he took office. > > I concluded: "He may want to claim a mandate, but he can't use it get > anywhere if he refuses to tell the voters where he wants to go…. [I]f the > Democrats try to enact an ambitious socialist agenda, they will prompt a > backlash." Boy, did that turn out to be true! > > Having campaigned as a "blank screen" who worked assiduously to hide his > far-left convictions, Barack Obama has suffered a catastrophic decline in > his approval numbers after making his first big push for a central item in > his agenda. > > I don't have an excerpt for this story, just a link to a > table<http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_adminis...>of > Rasmussen polls showing the steady collapse of Obama's poll numbers, > starting with his inauguration and accelerating during the August recess, > and now bringing him into significant negative territory. (Look particularly > at the numbers for "strongly approve" and "strongly disapprove.") > Rasmussen's methods usually give less favorable results to Obama than those > of other pollsters—but look for the rest of the polls to eventually follow > suit. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > 3. Contempt for the Governed > > The agenda of the far left is deeply unpopular—which is why the left is > constantly searching for ways to bypass the consent of the governed and > force their agenda on us without our approval. > > How deeply that impulse is buried in the left's ideology and sense of life > can be gauged by the exposure of the Obama administration's FCC "diversity > czar"—who turns out to be a longtime enemy of free speech and advocate of > propagandistic state control of the media. > > I particularly like the description in the overview below from *Investor's > Business Daily*: that the left seeks power, "not from the people or for the > people, but over the people." > > "Diversity Czar Threatens Free > Speech<http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=336613763986105>," > *Investor's Business Daily*, August 31 > > When Mark Lloyd was appointed July 29 as the chief diversity officer at the > Federal Communications Commission, a nation focused on ObamaCare and a > deteriorating economy took little notice. But as angry constituents flood > town hall meetings and call in to talk radio, a man dedicated to silencing > them sits at the right hand of the president. > > They share a common hero—Saul Alinsky—who wrote the community organizer's > bible, "Rules for Radicals." It speaks of confrontation or, as candidate > Obama put it, of "getting in their faces" as a way to obtain power, not from > the people or for the people, but over the people…. > > Fox News host Glenn Beck has done yeoman work in exposing this threat posed > by Mr. Lloyd. He points out that in his 2006 book, "Prologue to a Farce: > Communication and Democracy in America," Lloyd wrote: "It should be clear by > now that my focus here is not freedom of speech or the press.... This > freedom is all too often an exaggeration.... At the very least, blind > references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the > critical examination of other communications policies."… > > He essentially proposes extorting money from broadcasters who have the > audacity to air the likes of Beck, Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham, all of whom > have competed in the marketplace of ideas and won in the ratings, and use it > to fund those outfits nobody wants to listen to—like NPR and Air America…. > > Lloyd praises Hugo Chavez's "incredible revolution" in Venezuela and the way > "Chavez began to take very seriously the media in his country" by "imposing > restraints on cable TV and revoking the licenses of more than 200 radio > stations" that insufficiently toed the Chavez party line. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > 4. "American-Style Free-Market Economics" > > Japan has just elected a new leftist government whose leader denounces > "American-style free-market economics." The *New York Times* > report<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/world/asia/01japan.html?_r=1&ref=world>on > this is uncharacteristically quite excellent, making clear that > Japan's > economic problems stem from *too little* American-style free-market > economics, particularly in its domestic market rather than its export > manufacturing sector. The article quotes an entrepreneur who complains that > "To do anything new in Japan means dealing with a nightmare of licenses, > rules, and vested interests." > > Meanwhile, TIA Daily Wayne Kline points out that Poland is doing quite well > during the current economic downturn precisely by adhering to American-style > free-market economics, having taken on far less debt and kept government > spending under control. > > "Despite the Downturn, a Polish City > Thrives<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/global/01zloty.html?_r=1&r...>," > Carter Daugherty, *New York Times*, August 31 > > In the 19th century, the Polish novelist Wladyslaw Reymont titled his > masterpiece about Lodz “The Promised Land” because the city attracted people > from throughout Central Europe to work in its booming textile mills. > > These days, the industries have changed, but something similar is happening > again, helping Poland to escape the searing global recession. With > multinationals like Procter & Gamble, Dell and ABB leading a wave of foreign > investment, cities like Lodz, in central Poland, are experiencing relative > booms. Poles who left the country in search of work years ago are trickling > back. > > As its peers in Central and Eastern Europe face a very rough year, Poland is > emerging as the one economy in the region that has the heft to withstand a > vicious downturn. And it just may end up being the one economy in Europe > that avoids an outright contraction in 2009…. > > The government reported Friday that Poland’s economy expanded at an annual > rate of 1.1 percent in the second quarter, bolstered by exports, > construction and services. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > 5. The Lamps Are Going Out All Over Europe > > What two World Wars could not achieve, Europe is now imposing on itself. The > lamps are going out all over Europe—literally. Monday marked the beginning > of Eruope's ban on the incandescent > lightbulb<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/energy-environment/01iht-b...>, > so that Europeans can pay 20 times more for the harsh light and dangerous > chemicals of fluorescent bulbs. > > But the really big story, brought to my attention by TIA Daily readers Nancy > Laney and Jeff Meek, is that even the fluorescent bulbs are going out soon. > In the name of fighting global warming, Britain has systematically > suppressed the production of energy from coal, while failing to replace it > with nuclear energy. > > That leave Britain with wind and tide power, where the supply of energy > fluctuates wildly. Or Britain can rely on natural gas—where the *price* of > energy fluctuates wildly, depending on the whims of Czar Vladimir in Russia. > > Oh yes, and speaking of the failure of environmentalism, a major "green" > business is going > belly-up<http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=336696347257270>in > California. > > This is the future envisioned for us under cap-and-trade. > > "Britain Facing Blackouts for First Time Since > 1970s<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/6118113/Britai...>," > Andrew Porter, *Daily Telegraph*, August 31 > > Britain is facing the prospect of widespread power cuts for the first time > since the 1970s, government projections show. > > Demand for power from homes and businesses will exceed supply from the > national grid within eight years, according to official figures. > > The shortage of supplies will hit the equivalent of many as 16 million > families for at least one hour during the year, it is forecast…. > > The gap between Britain’s energy needs and demand throws fresh doubt on the > Government’s assertion that renewable energy can make up for dwindling > nuclear and coal capabilities…. > > The admission that Britain will face power-cuts is contained in a document > that accompanied the Government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan, which was > launched in July…. > > Under the plan, 40 per cent of the UK’s electricity will need to come from > low-carbon energy sources including clean coal, nuclear, and renewables. > > Accompanying the report is an appendix, only published online, which warns > of power shortages. It details supplies and expected demand between now and > 2030…. > > The looming problem in Britain is caused by the scheduled closure by 2015 of > nine oil and coal-fired power plants. They are the victim of an EU directive > designed to cut pollution. > > In addition, four existing nuclear power plants are set to be shut, adding > to the need for new sources of energy. > > Labour failed for several years to commit to a new generation of nuclear > power stations. Several reviews and rows with the green lobby delayed any > definitive statement on the issue. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > 6. Defeatism > > Now that the Iraq defeatists have been defeated, be prepared for a > *new*wave of defeatism—about Afghanistan. And this wave of defeatism > will build > because it is being enabled *by the right*. The big news from the past few > days is a column from George Will advocating complete withdrawal from > Afghanistan. > > He is > joined<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/09/02/george_will_is_r...>by > libertarian columnist David Harsanyi, and by > Diane West <http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0809/west081709.php3>, who, > like Will, has been a defeatist for years. > > Will is also apparently > planning<http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2009/09/02/george-will-double...>to > add to his argument for defeat in Thursday's column. > > And make no mistake: it is an argument *for defeat*. The essence of > defeatism is not the recognition of grave difficulties and problems—which > there certainly are in Afghanistan. Defeatism is a commitment to the idea > that these problems are inherently insurmountable, so the only option is to > hasten the process of losing and get our defeat out of the way as soon as > possible. > > I'll have more to say about this new wave of defeatism later, but first I > just wanted to give you a heads-up that it is coming. > > "Time to Get Out of > Afghanistan<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR200...>," > George F. Will, *Washington Post*, September 1 > > Allen and others of America's finest are also in Washington's hands. This > city should keep faith with them by rapidly reversing the trajectory of > America's involvement in Afghanistan, where, says the Dutch commander of > coalition forces in a southern province, walking through the region is "like > walking through the Old Testament." > > US strategy—protecting the population—is increasingly troop-intensive while > Americans are increasingly impatient about "deteriorating" (says Adm. Mike > Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) conditions. The war already > is nearly 50 percent longer than the combined US involvements in two world > wars, and NATO assistance is reluctant and often risible…. > > So, instead, forces should be substantially reduced to serve a > comprehensively revised policy: America should do only what can be done from > offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, airstrikes, and > small, potent Special Forces units, concentrating on the porous 1,500-mile > border with Pakistan, a nation that actually matters. > > *back to top* <#1237ea8ccad0dbb2_TOC> > > ------------------------------ > > One-Year Subscription — $74 > Six-Month Subscription — $38 > > Subscribe now! <http://www.TIADaily.com/subscribe> > > Copyright © 2009 by Tracinski Publishing Company > PO Box 8086, Charlottesville, VA 22906 > > To remove yourself from this mailing list, reply to [email protected] with > the subject line "unsubscribe." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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