Archive for October, 2013

165 “Adding and Subtracting”

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

#165

“Adding and Subtracting”

October 8, 2013

The federal government has income of over $200 billion monthly and the interest on the debt is $18 billion. By law, under our U.S. Constitution, we must pay the interest on the debt first. So, what on earth is this about? Control. Now that we glimpse the dangers in the Affordable Care Act that the increases will top $600+ billion over ten years, we see that the new system said to save every family $2500 is simply not true. No savings, folks — just more spending and millions still uninsured. How’s that for the “new math?”

This same type of face off over the debt ceiling has gone on for decades. In fact, a similar White House vs. Congress event happened after World War II. President Dwight Eisenhower wanted to launch the interstate highway system and Robert Byrd (D-W VA) tried to stop it. This back and forth over the debt ceiling is nothing unique to today’s politicians, but remember that President Obama (then Senator Obama) voted against raising the debt ceiling in 2006 and today he demands it. He called it “unpatriotic.” Now, the shoe is on the other foot and his 180-degree turn says to raise that ceiling.

But, remember, this debt ceiling is painted red — bright red. Remember red, it equates danger and says “STOP!” Remember red, it means loss on a financial statement. Evidently, the majority leadership in the Senate has forgotten what a warning sign really looks like.

Ever try to correct a stubborn child who stands there with hands on hips like a sugar bowl refusing to budge? Well, we have him. He’s at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Either the Congress gives him everything he wants or he won’t play.

‘Nuf said. Think about it.

164 – “Muddy Waters”

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

#164

“Muddy Waters”

October 2, 2013

No, I do not mean the blues artist — just the normal, everyday machinations of government at its highest (?) level. Just in case anyone hasn’t noticed, socialized medicine has not worked in the history of the world — anywhere. If the goal is long lines, months before seeing a physician, hours upon hours in waiting rooms for emergency rooms, badly needed drugs and treatments not covered in the plans, and doctors leaving their practices, then the whole debacle will be a raving success.

If the ACA is the “law of the land” as Reid and the president claim, then it should apply to everyone. The courts try case after case where a citizen claims “unequal treatment under the law.” Yet, sadly, that is precisely what we see when vouchers spew forth from the administration with abandon.

While countless American families and businesses “without connections” must comply or pay a fine, the “chosen ones” go their merry way untouched by the thousands upon thousands of pages of regulations. Forget that the most personal information for each of us will be in one place. Oh, joy.

And then there is a small item of income declaration. One real danger is the fraud that looms because there is no way to verify one’s income. Gee, that means anyone can lie and get a subsidy. Isn’t that a boon for people who want to get around the system and get something at discount? When you combine those who will sign up to get free, government paid care and those who move quickly to sign up to avoid a penalty or going to jail, you have a big swath of the population. My, that is comforting.

Add to that the fact that the “facilitators” do not undergo background checks and operate with very little training, and you see how deadly this legislation can be for the working population. It is, at its core, a redistribution of wealth: the nexus of socialism. And it’s done in the guise of “fairness”. Rot! Fairness is a term that has lost its true meaning. The ACA is not fair.

If I didn’t know better, I would think that I’ve been dropped into a bad movie about a foreign country. If a stick will not bend, it will break. Will that be the fate of the party who gave us this mess? Only time will tell.

I do not blame the House of Representatives for axing the medical device tax and asking that everyone in congressional members and staff participate. That is common sense. I’ve watched these tirades before, and it doesn’t escape me that it is very one-sided. Yes, there is a double standard.

It’s just fine when the administration resorts to personal attacks. My father said that if you don’t know much, you call names. However, facts are stubborn. As the old saying goes, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.”

One can only imagine what would happen if a member of the minority caucus in the Senate called a member of the other party a nasty name. All hades would break loose. This whole thing would be funny, were it not so sad.

This is our children’s and grandchildren’s money the government is pouring down this rat hole. When the government defended the ACA before the Supreme Court, initial papers claimed that it was not a tax. Yet the opinion of the court affirmed it constitutional as a tax. It is so incongruous that it baffles the mind. I remember standing in the kitchen aghast at the lack of logic in the majority opinion.

I had a wonderful professor of Constitutional Law, and he warned that the high court has the ability twist the wording and ignore the simplicity and directness of the Founding Fathers who wrote it. He was right.

Yes, this voluminous act is the law; but, no, it is not being applied equitably. Yes, opponents demand that all Americans comply. No, the administration refuses to negotiate on any part of it. Standing on principle when it means that fairness applies to all is laudable. Refusing to budge on party line because you wield the power is shameful. If, as I believe, the ultimate drug is power, then this administration is blitzed.

It’s another, repetitive, instance of “do as I say” not “do as I do.”

It is evident that the ACA passed before anyone read it. So, what do we do now? We sit back and watch trillions of dollars evaporate before our eyes. That’s trillion with a “T”. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that even when the ACA is fully implemented, over thirty million people will still be uninsured. That is equal to or more than the number of uninsured people before the bill was passed. Some result….

The voices of reason and experience in the medical field, such as Dr. Ben Carson, are dismissed. We need to look forward. We change the players in 2014. We need to elect on ability and resolve paired with reason and patriotism laced with sound financial practice. Repeal is on the horizon, but a lot of debt will accumulate along the way. Don’t doubt that.

Not much for our money, huh? Good decisions do not come from muddy waters. They come from clear and sensible steps. If the entire ACA falls in on itself, it may usher in real reform, but at what cost? I’ve been told often — and by someone I truly respect — that “It’s very expensive to be stupid.” It is just too bad that generations unborn will pay the price. Think about it.