THE OTHER SHOE DROPS: Updates To Previous Posts
† Nationalized Healthcare Always Leads To Rationing: Cosmetic surgeon Loyd Krieger, who invests in health-care companies, makes the case that even though major provisions of ObamaCare won’t kick in until 2-14, healthcare “reform” has already caused “profound, destructive changes that will not be undone by repeal or defunding alone” in this Wall Street Journal op-ed:
The most significant change is a wave of frantic consolidation in the health industry. Because the law mandates that insurers accept all patients regardless of pre-existing conditions, insurers will not make money with their current premium and provider-payment structures. As a result, they have already started to raise premiums and cut payments to doctors and hospitals. Smaller and weaker insurers are being forced to sell themselves to larger entities.
Doctors and hospitals, meanwhile, have decided that they cannot survive unless they achieve massive size - and fast. Six years ago, doctors owned more than two-thirds of U.S. medical practices, according to the Medical Group Management Association. By next year, nearly two-thirds will be salaried employees of larger institutions.
Consolidation is not necessarily bad, as larger medical practices and hospital systems can create some efficiencies. But in the context of ObamaCare's spiderweb of rules and regulations, consolidation is more akin to collectivization. It means that government bureaucrats will be able to impose controls with much greater ease.
With far fewer and much larger entities to browbeat, all changes in Medicare and Medicaid policies will go through the entire system like a shock wave. There will be far fewer individual insurers, doctors, hospitals, device makers, drug manufacturers, nursing homes and other health-care players to resist. …
This is why simply defunding enforcement of the individual mandate and other upcoming directives will not be enough: Given all this consolidation, limits on treatment choices are already becoming hardwired into the system. Lawmakers must take concrete steps to stop and reverse this.
† The Magic Is Gone: A new national survey of 1,959 adults conducted between January 27th to February 9th by The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University finds that whites who don’t have a college education, “voters often considered a bellwether of the political ramifications of economic woes,” are the “epicenter of financial stress and frustration” and “are deeply pessimistic about his policies and are more inclined to trust Republicans than Democrats on key economic issues”:
President Obama has struggled to appeal to these voters. In both the Democratic primary fight and in the 2008 general election, he did far better among college-educated whites than among those without a four-year degree.
In the 2008 nomination battle, then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) outpolled Obama among whites without college degrees by 2 to 1 across primaries that had exit polls. In the general election, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Republican nominee, captured 58 percent of the white, non-college vote compared with Obama's 40 percent (about matching George W. Bush's 2004 reelection victory margin over Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts).
Based on the new Post-Kaiser-Harvard survey, fresh indicators show that Obama may again face difficulties corralling these voters in 2012.
Just 14 percent of non-college whites say the president's economic policies are making things better, half the number of white college graduates saying so. Only 15 percent say they are getting ahead financially, again about half the number among white college graduates.
About six in 10 say the Obama administration is doing "too little" to look after the economic interests of their families, and not enough for the middle class and for small businesses. Nearly half say the administration is doing "too much" for wealthy Americans.
Historically, Democrats have claimed to speak for voters with less education and lower incomes, but it is clear that many of those voters no longer think the party speaks for them. … When asked which party better understands the economic problems that people in the country are having, non-college whites side with the Republicans by a 14-point margin.
Editorial Note: Older voters have never been too thrilled by Obama to begin with, and are unlikely to appreciate the “scare the seniors” approach Dems are using to counter House Republican efforts to lower government spending. A letter the Social Security Administration sent to its employees' union that was circulated by congressional Democrats, agency officials raised the possibility of furloughing workers which “could mean shuttered Social Security offices and delayed benefit payments,” reports The Associated Press.
† Updates To Previous Posts (second item, Never Mind Marxism. Will An Obama Administration Be Totalitarian?: Part II): Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) pumped up a group of public sector union members (AKA President Barack Hussein Obama’s government minions) in Boston by exhorting them to get out on the streets and "get a little bloody," reports The Hill by way of the Statehouse News:
“This is going to be a struggle at least for the next two years. Let’s be serious about this. They’re not going to back down and we’re not going to back down. This is a struggle for the hearts and minds of America,” Capuano told union members.
Capuano, who is considering challenging Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) for the people’s seat, may find the battle is going as well as winning hearts and minds on ObamaCare, both nationally and in WI. The New York Times reports:
Wisconsin’s financial problems are not as dire as those of many other states. But a simmering resentment over those lost jobs and lost benefits in private industry - combined with the state’s history of highly polarized politics - may explain why Wisconsin, once a pioneer in supporting organized labor, has set off a debate that is spreading to other states over public workers, unions and budget woes.
There are deeply divided opinions and shifting allegiances over whether unions are helping or hurting people who have been caught in the recent economic squeeze. And workers themselves, being pitted against one another, are finding it hard to feel sympathy or offer solidarity, with their own jobs lost and their benefits and pensions cut back or cut off.
“Everyone else needs to pinch pennies and give more money to health insurance companies and pay for their own retirement,” said Cindy Kuehn as she left Jim and Judy’s Food Market in Palmyra. “It’s about time the buck stops.” …
[A]way from Madison, many people said that public workers needed to share in the sacrifice that their own families have been forced to make.
† Updates To Previous Posts (fourth item, Only The Little People Pay Taxes): Charles Lane knocks down fellow Washington Post opinionmeister Ezra Klein's contention that “there’s no distinction between unionism in the public and private sectors … “on the pass-along to the public of union conquests at the bargaining table”:
Of course private employers can attempt to incorporate the cost of higher wages and benefits into the prices they charge. But they are constrained in doing so by competition in the marketplace. … By contrast, public-sector services are generally monopolistic. When expensive union contracts drive up their cost, the consumer has no choice but to pay higher taxes.
It's true that voters can rebel against higher taxes and vote out the politicians who bargained the costly contracts - but that is a lot harder to effectuate than the decision to switch from an expensive UAW-built car to a cheaper import or a Honda made in Alabama. Come to think of it, this is probably one of the reasons that the union share of the private-sector workforce is plummeting while the public-sector share is not.
Along those lines, Steven Malanga, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of "Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer" (Ivan R. Dee, 2010), makes the case in this Wall Street Journal op-ed that “public-sector unions especially have become the nation's most aggressive advocates for higher taxes and spending”:
They sponsor tax-raising ballot initiatives and pay for advertising and lobbying campaigns to pressure politicians into voting for them. And they mount multimillion dollar campaigns to defeat efforts by governors and taxpayer groups to roll back taxes. …
Public unions are also among the biggest players in national politics. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Afscme) has been the third-biggest contributor to federal campaigns over the past 20 years, having given $43 million. The National Education Association is number eight with $31 million in contributions, while the SEIU—half of whose 2.2 million members are government workers—is No. 10, with $29 million in campaign donations.
Unlike businesses and industry groups that are also big givers but tend to split their donations between the parties, some 95% of government workers' donations has gone to the Democratic Party, whose members are far more likely to favor raising taxes and boosting spending than are members of the Republican Party. …
If Gov. Walker succeeds in Wisconsin, it's likely that other reformers will follow his lead and explore ways to restrict public-sector unions' use of members' dues. Tax advocates in California, for instance, have proposed an initiative that would require a government union to gain the approval of individual members in order to divert dues into political campaigns. Such measures would give opponents around the country a new playbook to follow in countering the rich resources and deep influence of public unions over taxes and spending.
The standoff in Madison “proved an important moment for public employee unions, whose interests are being pitted against those of other taxpayers,” notes The Washington Post. Meanwhile protests to show solidarity with WI’s public-sector unions were held in more than a dozen cities, including Denver. Even as public employee retirees are suing CO to force the state to keep raising their pension payouts 3.5 percent a year after state legislators passed a pension overhaul bill last year, Colorado Springs has “stopped collecting trash in its parks, stopped watering many medians on its roads” and darkened “a third of its 24,512 streetlights … to save $1.2 million on electricity” (fifth item). You can imagine how well the solidarity rally is being received by the residents of this town.
† Updates To Previous Posts (last item, Iraq Was Supposed To Become Like The USA - But The Reverse Has Happened: Part II): Iraqi immigrant Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, was convicted by an AZ jury of second-degree murder for running over his 20-year-old daughter, Noor, because she had become "too Westernized," including her decision to attend college, her rejection of an arranged marriage and choosing a boyfriend her parents disapproved of. The jury also found him guilty of aggravated assault, for causing serious injuries to Amal Edan Khalaf, the mother of Noor's fiance, and two counts of leaving the scene. Almaleki, who was acquitted first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder charges, could be sentenced to life in prison since the sentencing guidelines for first- and second-degree murder are similar because the jury found aggravating factors.
† Updates To Previous Posts (last item, The TSA Emperor Wears No Clothes: Part II): AK State Rep. Sharon Cissna (D-Anchorage) was barred from boarding a flight from Seattle to Juneau when she refused to submit to enhanced pat-down after undergoing a full-body scan. TSA agents wanted to grope her in the name of national security after the scan showed scars from her breast cancer. After recently undergoing the aggressive pat-down, she had vowed never to allow herself to be subjected to it again, reports The Associated Press. Here are excerpts of Cissna’s statement about the incident:
“I’d blocked out the horror of three months earlier, but after the pleasant TSA agent checked the ticket and ID, I suddenly found myself directed into scanning by the Seattle Airport’s full-body imaging scan. The horror began again. A female agent placed herself blocking my passage. Scan results would again display that my breast cancer and the resulting scars pointed a TSA finger of irregularity at my chest. I would require invasive, probing hands of a stranger over my body. Memories of violation would consume my thoughts again. …
“[A]s more and more TSA, airline, airport and police gathered, I became stronger in remembering to fight the submission to a physical hand exam. I repeatedly said that I would not allow the feeling-up and I would not use the transportation mode that required it.” …
“The TSA threat of “Do you want to fly?” means something very different to Alaskans. Flying in Alaska is not a choice, but a necessity. The freedom to travel should never come at the price of basic human dignity and pride.”
Cissna took a ferry home.
† Updates To Previous Posts (seventh item, A To Z Approach On Illegal Immigration In AZ): The AZ Senate Appropriations Committee blazed a legislative trail by passing a passel of bills challenging automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants; requiring proof of citizenship to enroll in K-12 public or private schools, or community colleges and universities; and prohibiting illegals from driving, buying a vehicle or obtaining a marriage license in the state, reports The Arizona Republic:
Committee members voted 8-5 to approve a controversial package of bills, which would challenge the 14th Amendment interpretation about citizenship.[NOTE: The paper has this backwards. It should be the interpretation of the 14th Amendment; several paragraphs later the reporter gets it right.]
Senate Bill 1308 seeks permission from Congress to set up a system in which states can create separate birth certificates for children who meet a new definition of a citizen and those who do not. SB 1309 creates that new definition of citizen, defining children as citizens of Arizona and the U.S. if at least one of their parents was either a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent U.S. resident. …
[T]he committee is the first step in a long process, and the bills' ultimate fate is unclear. They still need the support of a majority of the full Senate, a House committee and the full House before reaching the governor or becoming law. …
The legislative sponsors of the birthright-citizenship bills have said the goal is to get the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue.
† Updates To Previous Post (States’ Rights Vs. The Feds): The Obama administration has deemed the Defense of Marriage Act – which was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 1996 – unconstitutional, and will no longer defend it in court, reports The Associated Press:
Attorney General Eric Holder said President Barack Obama has concluded that the administration cannot defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. He noted that the congressional debate during passage of the Defense of Marriage Act "contains numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate and family relationships - precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus" the Constitution is designed to guard against.
The Justice Department had defended the act in court until now. …
Holder's statement said, "Much of the legal landscape has changed in the 15 years since Congress passed" the Defense of Marriage Act. He noted that the Supreme Court has ruled that laws criminalizing homosexual conduct are unconstitutional and that Congress has repealed the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. …
The attorney general said the department will immediately bring the policy change to the attention of two federal courts now hearing separate lawsuits targeting the Defense of Marriage Act.
One case, in Connecticut, challenges the federal government's denial of marriage-related protections for federal Family Medical Leave Act benefits, federal laws for private pension plans and federal laws concerning state pension plans. In the other case in New york City [sic], the federal government refused to recognize the marriage of two women and taxed the inheritance that one of the women left to the other as though the two were strangers. Under federal tax law, a spouse who dies can leave her assets, including the family home, to the other spouse without incurring estate taxes.
The Attorney General informed Speaker of the House John Boehner of the Obama administration’s decision in a letter. The Executive Branch determining that legislation signed into law during a prior administration is unconstitutional absent a Supreme Court ruling is without precedent. In a post on the Volokh Conspiracy blog George Washington University Law School professor Orin Kerr argues that this power grab by the West Wing will have dire consequences down the road if other presidents take this tack:
If Congress passes legislation on a largely party-line vote, the losing side just has to fashion some constitutional theories for why the legislation is unconstitutional and then wait for its side to win the Presidency. As soon as its side wins the Presidency, activists on its side can file constitutional challenges based on the theories; the Executive branch can adopt the theories and conclude that, based on the theories, the legislation is unconstitutional; and then the challenges to the legislation will go undefended. Winning the Presidency will come with a great deal of power to decide what legislation to defend, increasing Executive branch power at the expense of Congress’s power. Again, it will be a power grab disguised as academic constitutional interpretation.
† Updates To Previous Posts (fourth item, We Fight Them Over There So We Don’t Have To Fight Them Over Here?: Part IV): Tarek Mehanna - an American citizen from a wealthy Boston suburb who is accused of conspiring to kill our troops in Iraq, assassinate two U.S. politicians and shoot shoppers in U.S. malls - has been held without bail for 16 months and his attorneys have asked a federal judge to release him on bail, arguing that he is not dangerous, reports The Associated Press:
Authorities have said Mehanna and the other men never came close to pulling off the attacks but did seek training at terrorist camps in the Middle East. The men allegedly told friends they were rejected because of their nationality, ethnicity or inexperience, or that they were unable to make contact with people they hoped would get them into camps.
Prosecutors allege that the men dropped plans to attack shopping malls because their weapons contact said he could only find handguns, not automatic weapons.
In court documents, Mehanna's lawyers argue the charges are based on political comments he and others made in instant messages in 2006. They say the comments are "the essence of free and protected speech under our constitution." …
The lawyers also argue that Mehanna needs to be released on bail so he can discuss his defense and review thousands of documents, instant messages and audio recordings prosecutors may use during his trial.
† Updates To Previous Posts (last item, 10 Reasons Michelle Obama Should Be Proud – Really Proud – Of America): This latest installment in The Stiletto Blog’s ongoing series meant to help instill the necessary pride of country in Michelle Obama’s consciousness to enable her to serve as an unofficial ambassador focuses on pizza delivery driver Susan Guy, who insisted on checking in on one of her loyal customers when the elderly woman failed to call in her daily order of pepperoni pizza for three days in a row – even offering to clock out so she could go on her own time. WMC-TV (Channel 5-Memphis) reports:
Before Monday's incident, most neighbors knew little about Memphis resident Jean Wilson, except that she's eaten pizza daily for the past three years.
"We make her pizza every day before she even calls, because we know she's going to call," delivery driver said. …
Guy drove to Wilson's house and knocked on her door, but no one answered. Then, she banged on Wilson's windows, but there was still no response. …
Guy quickly called 911. When police arrived, they broke down the door to Wilson's home, and found her lying on a floor inside.
They soon learned that Wilson had fallen on Saturday, and couldn't get over to a telephone to call for help.
Wilson is recuperating at a local hospital.
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