Mark Steyn: American Twilight

National Review Online ^ | July 7, 2012 | Mark Steyn

[Mach9]

Do you honestly think that Americans will cut poor people off completely?

It’s not now nor has it ever been a matter of cutting poor people off completely. It may not even be a matter of cutting them off at all. Obviously, we’ve got to figure out what “poor” is and how to verify it case by case. Maybe it becomes a state issue. And it won’t be “Americans” who do the cutting but a Congress and executive branch designated by the voters to solve the problem. Simplistic? I don’t think so. So far, even the idealistic freshman House members have failed to make the case for responsible governing—especially where healthcare’s concerned. Insofar as returning to corporate healthcare plans, sure, fine. But we can also change the law—force competition among ALL carriers (like life, house, car insurance), cap damages, penalize both plaintiff and his counsel for wanton suits (not necessarily loser-pay all but perhaps loser & counsel pay all or something equally prohibitive for ambulance-chasers); automatic, graduated penalties up to and including loss of license & disbarment for fraud (including waste & duplication) by caregivers, hospitals, insurance carriers, drug- and health-equipment manufacturers AND THEIR counsels and accountants; encourage health professionals (docs, hospitals, clinics, drug-mfrs., etc.) in cooperation with state agencies and/or private charities to devise payment schedules (& price-lists) for uninsured, often emergency, patients. Little if any of this needs federal cash or supervision.

[Grampa Dave]

As VGH noted, the state of California can’t afford to arrest and convict felons, yet the criminals in charge of the legislature and their insane Moonbeam are passing the bullet train bill from nowhere to nowhere:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2904097/posts

You Decide: Obama’s Really Cool Train vs. Keystone’s Real Cool Jobs
Townhall.com ^ | July 8, 2012 | Mark Baisley

Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2012 7:19:12 AM by Kaslin

Four California Democratic State Senators joined twelve Republican State Senators last Friday in voting against funding for a new high speed train and rail line. But that only brought the opposition vote to 43% in the lopsided Democratic California Senate.

California continues to set new records in accumulated debt for a single state, now in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Only the State of New York is able to top California and only in one area; debt per citizen.

There is one good argument for the California State Senate to have passed the bill approving $4.7 billion in spending. It obligates the other 49 states to send $3.2 billion of their money in matching federal funds for the project. The Obama Administration committed that level of funding in 2009 primarily from his economic stimulus project.

[avenir]

Interesting analysis. Thank you.

[rurgan]

Thanks.That was an inspiring video!

[danielmryan]

Interesting analysis. Thank you.

Thanks yourself for bringing up the subject.

Keep priming me and I just might start blog-pimping /kidding