The National Hustle

While many people turn on their auto-response when they hear the phrase “universal health care,” I would like to offer a follow-up to The Camo’s discussion from last week.  Whether you find yourself automatically a proponent or enemy of the concept (whether we have a true grasp of what it means or not), there are a few things far scarier than the government reforming our failing health care system:

1. You or a family member dying because you could not afford proper health care, and
2. Learning that the free market does not always have the motivators in place for insurance companies to break from the pack and do what’s morally right for consumers (read: removing rescission from their arsenal). 

A recent PBS Frontline program covered both these travesties. Continue reading

Universal Health Care?  In the United States, I feel the term is greeted with the same skepticism/derision as the mythical unicorn, perpetual motion, and World Champion Chicago Cubs.  So why then is the United States the only “industrialized” nation in the world to not have a universal health care system?  And what does the term actually mean to you and me? Continue reading

With 100 senators, 435 house representatives, and literally thousands of congressional and Executive branch staffers running around Washington, it’s nearly impossible to keep straight who’s who and who they “pal around with” (thank you, Mrs. Palin).

Fortunately, the folks at WhoRunsGov.com have removed the guess-work from this process and introduced a valuable resource that “offers a unique look at the world of Washington through its key players and personalities. It’s your window into how deals get made and policy is shaped in the new Obama administration that is remaking the nation’s capital.” Continue reading

It only took a few hours after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced his troubled-asset bank relief plan for House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) to label it “fundamentally flawed” and a “shell game that hides the true cost of the program from the taxpayers that will be asked to pay for it.”

While the country’s economy struggles and attempts to “right the ship” have been met with heavy partisan politics, it appears Geithner’s “bank plan” is not sitting well with every Democrat on Capitol Hill either.  Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California criticized the plan for rescuing banks while neglecting taxpayers.  This is a common refrain that’s beginning to sound like a broken record: Why are we “bailing out” banks that got us into this mess?!  Trust me, I’ve asked myself this many times.

Continue reading

This week, President Obama confronted the nay-sayers of his progressive budget:

The American people don’t have the luxury of just focusing on Wall Street. They don’t have the luxury of choosing to pay their mortgage or their medical bills. They don’t get to pick between paying their kids’ college tuition or saving enough money for retirement.

They have to do all these things. They have to confront all these problems. And as a consequence, so do we.

Obama states the obvious that only focusing on the economy (and AIG) is impossible for a successful president, and he’s clearly inherited a bevy of domestic and international issues to address.  He could try to handle them one-by-one, but since the World won’t wait, he should probably start fixing all of them…right…about…now:

• War in Iraq — As we spoon-feed responsibility to the Iraqis in accordance with the agreed-upon mandate, things are improving, right?
• War in Afghanistan — The new administration’s most seasoned veteran of U.S.-Afghan engagement (and I don’t mean just since 9/11), Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is telling everyone who will listen about the complicated difficulties of solidarity in Afghanistan.
• Military presence in Kosovo — Yes, we’re still there, with some criticism that we are using our bases as a European Guantanamo.
• Resurgent Taliban in Pakistan — The tribal regions and Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan are essentially under Taliban control. Continue reading