Posted on 07/20/2009 12:49:38 PM PDT by Signalman
The stimulus program must really be succeeding in Washington, D.C. Government is hiring; people are working. In fact, if news reports are to be believed, they're working night and day. So maybe there's some sleep deprivation thrown in for good measure. And don't forget the legendary heat and humidity that made service in the nation's Capitol hazardous before the advent of air conditioning.
What other explanation could there be for my friends in Congress and the administration thinking that what the country wants them to do right now is raise taxes and spend a trillion dollars to overhaul health care, much less to push it through in a month in a 1,000-page bill being rewritten every day?
In California, where I live, unemployment is in double digits and climbing, and the state has been issuing IOUs for weeks. I'm blessed, and I'm not complaining.
But not a day goes by that someone doesn't call me, desperate for help in finding a job. And it's never been harder to help. For all intents and purposes, unless you have some very special skill to sell, there are simply no jobs. You want to wait tables or make coffee drinks? Good luck. Get in line.
The idea that somehow you're going to tax the "rich" enough to pay for quality health care for every American who doesn't have it, can't afford it or stands to lose it, not to mention for all of the undocumented aliens who receive it for free now and presumably will continue to in Obama health land, is almost laughable. It's one of those things candidates say in campaigns, ignoring the fact that it doesn't add up. But in a bill that might pass? Add a 5 percent surtax on every small business in the country that makes $250,000 or more? This is going to create jobs? What am I missing?
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office came out with a report this week concluding that the bill being written by House Democrats would increase the deficit and weaken the already weak economy. Duh.
No one is explaining to people how the big changes in the bill will affect people who have insurance now, which happens to be the overwhelming majority of all Americans (and an even higher percentage of all voters).
Will our premiums and deductibles go up or down? Will our doctors and hospitals be better or worse off? It is simply not credible to tell me that if I like my insurance now, nothing will change. If you turn the health care delivery system on its head and start regulating, mandating and controlling the terms, don't tell me it won't change things.
Changing the tax treatment of insurance benefits changes who gets them and who pays for them. "Controlling costs" means what? Does my doctor have to see more patients? Get more approvals before ordering tests? Order less expensive tests? I don't know a single person who is willing to sacrifice, or even risk, their health care right now to an uncertain plan that they don't begin to understand — except folks in D.C.
I went to my doctor this morning and suspect I had an experience that's being repeated in doctor's offices across the country. My doctor told me how worried she is about the plan. Actually, it was much stronger than "worried."
She wasn't a big fan of HillaryCare, but from her reading, it was a carefully drafted and thought-out program compared to what's being discussed now. She's convinced that if the administration succeeds, the ripple effect will cost Democrats the House in 2010 and her patients' their access to high quality, affordable care.
I reassured her that the Democrats would never be that foolish. I hope. Maybe it's time for Congress to get out of Washington. They'll get an earful when they do.
To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
...this just in. Temperatures in hell have reached a record low of 31 degrees........
She’s just laying groundwork for her Wellesley crony Hillary Clinton.
I’m more convinced everyday she’s making another run for 2012 now.
HFO ping.
Hmm.
WTF? Susan Estrich wrote this?
Sorry. I have a strict NO READ policy on Estrich. Deathly afraid of lowering my IQ and seeing a photo of the old hag.
Susan Estrich’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
Notice Susan Estrich’s strained effort to draw a sharp distinction between Hillarycare and Obamacare. This is just priceless.
How long can Hillary remain part of the Obama administration now that their armistice has lapsed? I'm guessing she leaves soon to run for Governor of New York. And in 2012 we get Operation Chaos — The Next Generation. I doubt the Dems can salvage anything from the wreck of the SS Obama, even if they walk away from him and nominate Hillary in 2012, which they are very unlikely to do for reasons having to do with skin tone. This early outbreak of Democrat civil war is just about the best political news imaginable.
Very good analysis.
“For all intents and purposes, unless you have some very special skill to sell, there are simply no jobs. You want to wait tables or make coffee drinks? Good luck. Get in line.”
Susan, for once you are so so right.
It still frustrates me to hear Freepers talking about losers who aren’t working. A year ago or more it was true, but not anymore.
Yup.... but she absolutely nails this one, and for all of the right reasons. Plus which, Estrich is not stupid. And this stuff is all obvious, and it's galling to those who stand to get screwed by it ... and who aren't a priori Obamaphiles.
But I suspect there's more to this.
Now, I believe that Ms. Estrich is a big Hillary! supporter. Some of her ire may come from the fact that Hillary! is trying to fight her way out of Obama's shadow.... and the best way to do that is to hit Obama hard on a topic where Hillary! has already done work.
Foreign policy will fail on its own, so Hillary! is not to blame. ObamaCare is ghastly ... even Hillary's version looks sane by comparison.
It's all part of the script.
Absolutely. Laying the groundwork for a legitimate primary challenge based on Obama's failures.
Look for Hillary! to resign over something big, after a year or so. That will be the beginning of her campaign.
You need to read this one ... it's surprisingly on the mark, and it's politically very interesting if you consider her ties to Hillary! Clinton.
She could... but I don't think so. She's got three areas where she can blast Obama to great effect.
1. Health Care
2. Deficits
3. Foreign policy.
This article opens the "Health Care" debate. Robert Samuelson's offering) opened the deficit/spending debate.
Given her position, foreign policy is something that Hillary Clinton can bash him with at a time of her choosing. Obama has done so many stupid things ... and he has quite clearly pushed Hillary! into the background. Obama has made it clear that Foreign Policy belongs to him, and him alone.
Hillary!'s campaign begins when she resigns over a major matter of foreign policy. We can speculate on what it will be ... probably something having to do with Israel, I'm betting.
“I reassured her that the Democrats would never be that foolish. I hope. Maybe it’s time for Congress to get out of Washington. They’ll get an earful when they do.”
By the way, this is exactly why Obama wants it passed before they leave August 7.
Read the whole thing, and it makes sense from start to finish. In other news, I just reread Revelation, and I think one of the seals just broke.
The foreign policy issue would be a slamdunk. Even the most ignorant American can see how stupid Obama has been to our allies and how suckyface he’s been to terrorist countries.
All she would have to do is resign in a fit “I just can’t represent this President any longer...”
It would be risky, but it could probably put her over the top for the already fed Democrats and the fence sitters.
But she needs to be running for or occupying some office to reassure herself that she is alive and not merely reflecting Bill's glory. The Senate was her first independent toehold in politics, the State Department replaced it and I don't think she'll leave State without staking out a claim on some other piece of political real estate. The White House itself won't do because 2012 is too far off. Running for her old Senate seat would be a step backward. The Governor's chair is effectively vacant and Governor of New York is one of the biggest political jobs in the world. If she could hold that seat for the Dems, especially against Rudy G, she would cement her position as the moderate alternative to Obama and give herself a secure position from which to snipe at him for a year before sallying forth to campaign against him in earnest.
It will be fascinating to see what Hillary does, but she needs office like fish need water. If a resumption of hostilities with Obama makes her current position untenable I'm betting she goes looking for an alternative.
For all intents and purposes, unless you have some very special skill to sell, there are simply no jobs. You want to wait tables or make coffee drinks? Good luck. Get in line. The idea that somehow you're going to tax the "rich" enough to pay for quality health care for every American who doesn't have it, can't afford it or stands to lose it, not to mention for all of the undocumented aliens who receive it for free now and presumably will continue to in Obama health land, is almost laughable. It's one of those things candidates say in campaigns, ignoring the fact that it doesn't add up. But in a bill that might pass? Add a 5 percent surtax on every small business in the country that makes $250,000 or more? This is going to create jobs? What am I missing? The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office came out with a report this week concluding that the bill being written by House Democrats would increase the deficit and weaken the already weak economy. Duh.
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