When your own side is having trouble swallowing the pill, you’ve got some trouble:

Republican governors are not alone in being concerned about what the proposed health care legislation might mean for their already overstrained budgets: Democrats share the same worries.

“We’ve got concerns,” Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware said in an interview Wednesday, hours before getting elected as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. “And we’re doing our best to communicate them. We understand the need to get something done, and we’re supportive of getting something done. But we want to make sure it’s done in a way that state budgets are not negatively impacted.”

The issue here is that Reid, et al are lying through their teeth on the budget impact of Obamacare – and one of the ways they lie is by attempting to pass all sorts of new costs on to the States, and thus off the federal government’s books. The “Louisiana Purchase” was all about this – a special deal for which would offset the costs being piled on a State in return for Landreiu’s vote (yes, its corrupt and dishonest – but when has that ever stopped a Democrat?).

For the Democrat governors who will have to deal with these massive, new spending requirements its another story – they can’t help Reid pass the legislation and the Democrat party won’t need any governors as Presidential material until 2016 (Obama being certain to be re-nominated in a walk over in 2012) – and thus the Democrat powers that be are more than willing to throw them under the bus. But that is not where they, the governors, want to be thrown. They’d all like to get re-elected, and thus, so they are worried about budget-busting federal requirements on Obamacare.

It’d be nice if we could get some principled, Democrat support for rationality on health care – but it looks like we’ll just have to concentrate on self-interest on the part of individual Democrats; peeling off as many as we can who feel directly threatened in their political future.

The scandal has a direct bearing on US policy:

The emails and computer files from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) in Great Britain may prove to be of some importance to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current attempts to control greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

This is because the EPA — perhaps at the urging of others in the Obama administration — has proposed to regulate GHG emissions on the basis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports … and reports primarily based on the IPCC reports.

This is highly unusual for the EPA. I cannot think of any instance where the EPA depended so heavily on non-EPA synthesis reports to justify proposed regulatory action in their almost 39 years of existence.

As a result of this EPA decision, the EPA’s fortunes in regard to regulating GHGs are directly tied to the fate of the IPCC reports.

Which reports, of course, are bogus because the underlying data are bogus. The underlying argument in favor of regulating CO2 is the theory that human-caused CO2 emissions are a prime driver in increasing global temperatures in a disastrous manner. As global temperatures are not rising and human-caused CO2 is not the primary (or, even partial) culprit, the whole rationale for regulating things like CO2 disappears. However, the left doesn’t want to give up this leverage – this tailor-made “problem” which requires entire control of our lives by a leftist elite. So, we can expect a desperate fight on the part of the left to defend anthropogenic global warming and thus the need to regulate our emissions.

Its all about control, good people – that is all its ever been about since the left first raised its ugly head in the late 18th century. The self-absorbed, sophomoric dolts of the left are convinced that they, and only they, know what is best and are determined to force everyone else in to their mold. The battle is joined – and if we can kick out the support of global warming, we can start the process of entirely restoring our nation.

The story:

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday lashed out at President Obama for claiming the Bush administration rebuffed commanders’ repeated requests for more troops in Afghanistan.

In a rare break in his public silence since leaving the Pentagon, Rumsfeld rejected the claim as a “bald misstatement” and “disservice” that cannot go unanswered.

“Such a bald misstatement, at least as it pertains to the period I served as secretary of defense, deserves a response,” Rumsfeld said in a written statement. “I am not aware of a single request of that nature between 2001 and 2006.”

What Obama is still hoping is that he can shovel responsibility off for Afghanistan (and, indeed, everything else) to President Bush. Obama, you see, has nothing to do with the current state of Afghan affairs…that is all Bush; and if its necessary to shade the truth to make it so, then Obama is fine with that. Rumsfeld’s statement shows, however, that the truth of the matter is different.

At any event, Afghanistan is from now on entirely Obama’s – he’ll try to dodge the burden, but he can’t escape. Win or lose, its Obama on the line – and, Mr. President, as this is the case, you’d might as well do everything you can to win.

A bill pending in the U.S. Senate to provide shield protection to journalists who choose to protect their sources leaves out one very important part of journalism. I don’t usually go to Daily Kos for my information, but a tweet pointed me here: Continue reading →

Vastly bloated government budgets:

Provincial spending on health care continues to grow faster than provincial revenues, with six out of 10 provinces projected to be spending half of all available revenue on health care by 2034, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute, one of Canada’s leading economic think-tanks.

Ontario and New Brunswick face the biggest crunch, where health expenditures are on pace to consume half of total provincial revenues by 2014 or earlier.

The study suggests that Prince Edward Island will likely reach the 50 per cent point within 10 years, followed by Nova Scotia in 15 years, Manitoba in about 17 years, and Quebec in 25 years.

“Health spending has increased at an unsustainable rate in the majority of provinces over the past decade,” said Brett Skinner, Fraser Institute Director of Bio-Pharma, Health, and Insurance Policy and lead author of Paying More, Getting Less: 2009 Report.

There is no way around this – it is impossible to control costs when the government is in charge of providing the service and everyone is covered. And its not just the patients who are driving costs. To be sure, when you de-couple use of medical care from cost of medical care (which is really what insurance – including and especially government insurance) you get vastly more usage of the system – but that isn’t all.

There is also the fact that the government employees – the non-medical employees, that is – will demand ever higher pay and benefits and politicians will give in because (a) they don’t want to cross the unions and (b) they don’t want anyone being able to say they weren’t willing to support health care. Additionally, the contractors who provide the materials and supplies for the health care system will be politically connected and will pad their contracts with the connivance of the politicians who, in return for such kickbacks, will get campaign cash. The whole thrust of a government-run health system is ever increasing cost – and that would be ok, if at least we got good health care, but you don’t get that. Why? Because there is no upside to providing good health care – in fact, all it does is cause problems because then you’re spending money which could be spent on unions and contractors on patients, who don’t provide a lot of campaign cash.

Every country with socialized medicine – including France, for those on the left who like to hold France up as a paradigm – is going bankrupt with the cost of it. Its just not workable. So, why doe the left want it?

1. Because leftists don’t think; they are slaves to ideology and leftwing ideology requires support for government-run health care.

2. Because leftist leaders want control of the population and there’s no better way than to be in control of health care; don’t make the government mad or you won’t get the health care you want, and so voters are disinclined to vote for anyone who wants to return to a private system.

Will we get this program? Only if we refuse to fight.

A disappointing event because it would have been the most fun race, ever:

A couple of weeks ago on Fox News Sunday, Liz Cheney set off a round of (somewhat far fetched) speculation about her father running for president when she blurted out “Cheney 2012” in the middle of a panel discussion on national security.

Today, in an interview with Politico, the former Vice President put the kibosh any talk of a 2012 run, saying, ““Why would I want to do that? It’s been a hell of a tour. I’ve loved it. I have no aspirations for further office.”

Cheney is one of the most accomplished and intelligent men in American politics – just the thought of Cheney having a debate with his fellow GOPers (and, even better, with the lightweight Obama!) is enough to give us conservatives a thrill. But, he’s also massively hated – because the left spent 8 years lying about him and Cheney was too calm and reasonable to hit back. A loss to American politics, and a shame to our nation that we can’t find further employment for a man like Cheney.

Mish points out just how stupid we’ve been:

…we bailed out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Citigroup, and Bank of America bondholders while raping the GM bondholders (the latter so that Obama could appease the unions). In other words, Paulson, Geithner, Bernanke, Obama, and Congress effectively conspired to rob the poor to bail out the wealthy.

Supposedly this was done so that banks would start lending, and the economy would get the Fractional Reserve benefit (using the word benefit loosely) of debt expanding 10-1.

It did not work that way, nor will it because consumer and corporate debt remain, unemployment is high and rising, debt levels are intolerable, and consumer (and bank) attitudes towards debt and credit reached a secular peak and the pendulum to deleveraging has begun.

I recommend reading Mish’s whole post as well as the backup article he linked to. I’d like to assure one and all that I don’t lay blame for this entirely on Obama – I blame the system we built up from 1913 until today. A system based on usury and fiat money which is tailor made to benefit financial sharks at the expense of people who actually produce things – people who make, mine and grow things have been sacrificed on the altar of Faux-Capitalism. An economic system which apes the free market but which actually guarantees that our economy is increasingly unfree because wracked by debt and backed by fake money.

Now, Obama isn’t off the hook – if he’ll pay attention and start thinking about things, he’ll fire Geithner, figure out a way to replace Bernanke and start listening to genuine free market advocates who have all sorts of good ideas on how to both get rid of the debt and restart the process of wealth creation. Trouble is, Obama doesn’t seem to understand that the whole thing is falling apart and the stories about an improving economy are just so much smoke and mirrors put out by people who want to get more suckers in to the stock market before it crashes.

One thing certain, what we Americans will need to do is go back to a hard currency and encourage wealth creation rather than get-rich-quick usury. Until we do this, we’ll just continue to wallow in these economic doldrums – and don’t think it can’t go on forever: Japan has been stuck in this condition for 20 years and they still haven’t learned the lesson. Japan is set to pour yet more fake money in to the Japanese economy in order to “inflate” themselves back to prosperity – an idiotic idea which never had the least bit of merit to it (and thus, naturally, something liberals swear by).

A long, hard road back to prosperity lies ahead – and as long as Obama is in charge, we won’t even take the first step.

Did you watch his remarks? Talk about it here.

And, food for thought:

Chris Matthews called West Point “enemy camp.”

Also, Obama’s approval on Afghanistan is at 35%,

Barack Obama’s war: the final push in Afghanistan.

McCain Press Release: ‘Success is the Real Exit Strategy.’

With “strongly opposed” nearly double “strongly support”:

The U.S. Senate is now formally beginning debate on a plan to reform health care in America, but most voters remain opposed to the plan working its way through Congress.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Fifty-three percent (53%) are opposed to it. Those figures include 22% who Strongly Favor the plan and 40% who are Strongly Opposed.

The people don’t want it. Doctors hate it. Insurance companies are ok with it. You’d think by now rank-and-file liberals would grab a clue. But, no; intellectually stunted and easily lead by corrupt leaders, liberals just follow along. If Obama came out in favor of firebombing Sunday school, his followers would defend it.

For someone who loves the spotlight, Obama has been cautiously avoiding his once beloved news conferences. The Washington Times explains:

After months of what some critics called overexposure, President Obama has of late avoided questions from the White House press corps at large, closing the Oval Office to traditionally informal question-and-answer sessions with reporters and pulling back from the fast pace of news conferences he established when taking office.

The president, whose job-approval ratings have been on a steady slide, hasn’t held a formal news conference in 19 weeks, since July 22. That one ended badly, when Mr. Obama waded into a racial controversy by saying a white police officer “acted stupidly” when he arrested a black Harvard professor.

I guess it’s not hard to understand… afterall, the more he talks, the worse his approval ratings get… but it just goes to show you that this guy, so obsessed with his image, is starting to realize that he is his biggest liability.

Worse yet, after delaying and delaying and postponing and postponing and avoiding and avoiding making a decision on Afghanistan, he finally decides to make his formal announcement at the same time “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was supposed to air.