Tuesday, September 09, 2008

I Understand....9/29



Yep, my attention has been diverted as well--the election looms in two months! Bet the decision on our case comes out within the week (after the election results.) Any takers?

But, let's go back to the election. It became a horse race in the middle of the Republican Convention...and with such a weak start, I was beginning to feel that it was all over.

Senator McCain took some advice, and brought in a ringer. She has to be. This was a conservative's wet dream: A working MOM, a member of the NRA, Pro-Life, happily married, active, a governor, and bucks the 'good ole boy' authority in the Republican party. And she can stand up before a record number of people and deliver a punchline. And a punch.


Salvation.


Maybe there are some fleas, but the Democrats are panicking. There are more PIs going through Sarah Palins life (and trash) than the number of times that Obama can say 'uh' in a speech. Their version of recycling is to hand the garbage to the next investigator in line.

And the more that the Democrats poke at non-issues, the more popular and the more of the sympathy vote the Republicans get. Kind of like the blog. When Essent was pursuing hot and heavy, they stirred up national attention. Now, the blog is barely hitting a thousand-fifteen hundred hits a week. (The record is about that in a day!)

But why bring the election up? Just trying to play on the Palin effect? Maybe, but Duc-boy's 'practice Scotish spending' reminds me of the Obama plea to fill your tires to solve the energy crisis. Far too little, Far too late

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will say this- Obama and Essent have one thing in common- all hat, no cattle.

Anonymous said...

H.L. Mencken said it best: "For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, direct and wrong". That has become the M.O. of the Republican party - giving simplistic, feel-good answers to the truly complex issues facing this country. This denigrating of intelligence and leading "from the gut" has brought us to the brink of ruin, with a crumbling infrastructure, an overextended military, a banana republic economy and, most relevant for those of us in health care, a health care system that is bloated, inefficient, corrupt and poised to implode. Years of making the government the enemy has had the effect of depriving government of the best and the brightest - just look at the ineptitude in CMS with the latest Medicare "don't pay" rules.

The current health care financing model is unsustainable. But it is directly related to the ongoing economic decline in America. This serves to make our already overpriced system even less affordable. The basic rule of economics is simple: that which is unsustainable will not be sustained. Why should we care? Because without substantial and profound change, it's not going to be long before marginal operations such as Essent's disappear. Maybe this would be a good thing (Milton Friedman would certainly agree), but let's not forget that there really aren't a whole lot of other good jobs out there.

Do the Democrats offer a panacea? Not by a long shot, but at least there would be an intelligent debate about how to fix the system. And as much as we hate paying taxes, remember that half of the revenue flowing into health care, and therefore into our paychecks, comes from government payers.

fac_p said...

Maybe it is "simple solutions for simple minds", but I don't think so. Right now, there is less incentive for change (for the better) in government then at any previous time in history.

We take a program that was to supplement the regular savings/retirement that you work towards and make it the comprehensive (bloated) program that it is now.

Social programs are like fly paper: touch them and you never get rid of them. And they will never, ever come in at budget.

The Medicare "don't pay" rules are an attempt at moderating the healthcare by litigation trend. We throw expensive tests against the wall to see what will stick...and to avoid being sued. The end result being a form of factory medicine in which one size fits no one.

"The current health care financing model is unsustainable...This serves to make our already overpriced system even less affordable." I couldn't agree more. We don't practice medicine, we are order-takers dealing with drug-seekers, bean counters, and those who's only concern with healthcare is how it will promote their position.

When a populous votes for those that promise more benefits, and more money for less effort, where is the incentive for change? We deride congress for voting themselves pay raises, but is what we have any different?

"...remember that half of the revenue flowing into health care, and therefore into our paychecks, comes from government payers." And that's what worries me.

Anonymous said...

What's up with the last three posts?

fac_p said...

Got spammed. Happens to the best and worst of us alike.

Anonymous said...

I was responsible for the first post relating Obama to Essent, and I stand by my comment. I've had all I can stand dealing with Essent and how they do things.

The second post- not mine, obviously. Ask MattinDallas about that one ;)

fac_p said...

Toddy has been pretty quiet, lately.