Fool Us Twice, Shame on US! -or- How We've Taught the Washington Weasels That We'll Put up With the Same Shit Over and Over Again.

It is said, that we will get the government we deserve.  And when we don't keep an eye on things, we do indeed get what we deserve.

Well this is the latest reiteration of the great social security scandal... now foisted upon the public in the name of "the common good" in order to "do something" to help all those millions of uninsured people gain access to healthcare.

     "But we have to do SOMETHING!"

Now don't get me wrong: I'm NOT opposed to fixing healthcare.  However, when a car has a flat tire, you don't have to get a new vehicle.  Change the damn tire.  The 2000-page health bill monstrosity proposes a complete overhaul.  And this particular "something" is NOT better than "doing nothing."

Actually read the bill.  It's full of goodies.  Taxes starting 3 years ahead of the 'benefits.'  Hmmm... and it's called "deficit neutral" over the next 10 years even though we will be getting a running start on the costs by starting to pay 3 years early.  How does that work? That means, that after the first 7 years - assuming that the goverment cost estimations are correct- it will be adding to the deficit.  And seriously, really, when has the government been good at managing cost estimates?

I know~ Mail.  The Post Office.  Nope, broke.
What about mortgages and financing?  Fannie. Freddie. Indy.  All broke.
And yes, that unbustable fail-proof institution, the FDIC? Now totally broke too. 
What about auto industry stimulus, cars?  Yeah! Cash 4 Clunkers!  Nope, broke ahead of time and actually helped cause tremendous problems because they didn't pay the participating car dealers in time.
Retirement?  Oh yes.  That was Social Security.  Broke.
Transportation.  Yes. Transportation is easy.  We have Amtrak.  Has never operated except at a loss.
Well.. uh... I know!  The stimulus saving or creating a million plus jobs!  Nope. Did you check out the problems?  Lookie here: Jobs Created or Saved in Districts that Don't Exist (ABC News)

Oh c'mon.  Don't be such a doomer-gloomer. This is healthcare. It's different.

Okay then... let's look at actual examples of how well the government handles medical-related programs.

I know, Mediare.  Oops, nope. It's broke.
Ah, Medicaid.  No, no, broke too.
Ooh, ooh- Veterans Administration Hospital system.  Ever been to a VA hospital?  'nuff said.
Socialized Medicine Experiment at the state level: I present the state of Massachussetts.  Romneycare. 1 year into their grand experiment and already rationing.  Yes, indeed- yet our politicians don't bother to look at all these examples.

Statistically speaking, remember HillaryCare?  Remember what a huge bust that was? Well *this* current proposal is even LESS popular than HillaryCare.  The American public does not want this.  Yet our politicians are charging forward.  Well, except for Joe Lieberman (Yay Joe!) who is standing firm on his "NO."

Damn.  That pesky math again!

Goverment healthcare, mathematically speaking, is a self-draining system.  Again, that pesky math.  When it is "free" people will "drive it like a rental."  And there's no cost control built in because people have no accountability and very limited control over their medical decisions.  It simply isn't going to work.  Additionally, think of all the additioal layers of administration and internal systems involved in this entire process... how can we "save" money when we have added 30+ boards and oversight committees and all the employees, infrastructure, administration, and operating costs associated with these?  Think of government forms.  Paperwork.  Seriously- follow this down the road just a bit.

It simply doesn't make sense.

Percentage profit in the healthcare industry:  3.4 %.  That's it.  Really.

"Overall, the profit margin for health insurance companies was a modest 3.4 percent over the past year, according to data provided by Morningstar. That ranks 87th out of 215 industries and slightly above the median of 2.2 percent. By this measure, the most profitable industry over the past year has been beverages, with a 25.9 percent profit margin." 

[source: US News & World Report, "Why Health Insurers Make Lousy Villians" Aug 25, 2009, Rick Newman]  

And you actually believe that the govermnent is capable of running MORE efficiently than private industry?  Remember, even if the goverment adds a 3.5% overhead, (aka: 3.5% less efficient than private industry) we see increases in costs.   Think of the efficiency at the DMV.  The Department of Transportation.  Amtrak.  Any government agency and how these institutions are the model of efficiency, precision, customer service, accountability, and initiative.

The math doesn't work.  Government cannot, has never, and will not operate more efficiently than private industry.  This is why this healthcare bill will cause prices to go up. 

Government doesn't answer to a board of directors or earnings-per-share committees, stockholders.  Therefore, they don't make the smart business decisions that are made in the private industry.  They don't have to.  And so they don't.  

And when the costs go up, either quality goes down or taxes go up to compensate.  Probably both.      

Wormhole Alert: Major Bank publishes a 68 page report on global collapse, 6 mos of predictions.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard telling it like it is.  Again.  Ambrose, do you sleep at night?   

Societe Generale tells clients how to prepare for potential global collapse.

Gold is responding.  I don't think it's a 'bubble.'  I think people know the jig is up but no one wants to start the flash exodus from the ship of fools.  This could get ver-ry interesting after Christmas. 

My prediction: everything stands fine till January/February when all the credit cards are defaulted on after people have spent their last 'hurrah' bucks with no intent of paying the cards back.  Remember, most of the credit companies have sent out letters pumping rates to 29.9% even to those people who carry no balance, pay their bills on time, have perfect credit, etc.  [I got one of those letters.  Closed the account.  I really don't give a rip if it hurts my credit score.  Won't give those usurious bastards a flippin' dime. ]

So when there's massive defaults, there will be a credit crisis sometime in Jan/Feb.  My theory based on gut alone.

Sometime in that time, Healthcare will be rammed down our throats and passed. [Goodness I hope I am wrong on this prediction!  I really do b/c that means lights-out for our country.  Yes it does.  But I digress.... ] Why will healthcare pass in Jan/Feb?  It's the DC Mantra: "We have an emergency, folks.  We've got an emergency and need to do *something!* " 

Why healthcare? Because the taxes to fund it start immediately even though the healthcare doesn't kick in till 2013.  So the govt has 3 years of spending fun till the healthcare bill comes due.  This is going to happen Jan/Feb because come April 15 the govt won't get the payday they need to keep working.  Kinda hard to pay taxes when you're not employed, eh?  Hard to collect taxes from people who have Gone Galt and pay for karate lessons for their kids with backyard tomatoes or silver eagles.  Hard to collect taxes when there's a tax revolt via withholdings changed to ZERO in a semi- passive statement?  I'm seriously considering it.

So when people aren't sending in as much tax revenue as our Fed govt needs, there will be even more strange things from DC.  Perhaps another Stimulus package.

Better be careful though, boys and girls.  2010 elections 1 year from now and people are watching.

We'll see what comes of this prediction.   I hope I am wrong.  I truly do.  I thought we would have been here already after the Oct/Nov 08 situation.  I was happy to be wrong.  Perhaps I am too gloom-n-doom yet again.  That would be a happy discovery for me.  
 

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Get Any More Orwellian, Britain Writes a New Chapter.

I see this and just about shit myself.  How is it possible that the people are standing for this?  It's crazy.  Best part: check out the comments at the end of the article for a good laugh.   
Excerpt from the UK Telegraph: 

"Everyone in Britain could be given a personal 'carbon allowance'

Everyone in Britain should have an annual carbon ration and be penalised if they use too much fuel, the head of the Environment Agency will say."

Blood.  Shooting from my eyes... holy crap.