My Question to Barack Obama

[This post is the result of a short conversation with school CFO Gary Latainer on the short fallings of the Democrat’s ’08 economic platform. If you read something and say to yourself, “Boy, Daniel, I didn’t think you were that smart,” all the credit should rightfully go to Gary.]

Lost in all the hype of HillaryCare 2.0—Senator Clinton’s proposed $110 billion annual socialized healthcare plan—is the equally-neophylic tax plan proposed by fellow presidential hopeful Barack Obama. The first aspect of Senator Obama’s plan is painful predictable: let’s spit in the face of the Laffer Curve, cut taxes for the middle class and elderly, and increase taxes on the rich (they have money to go around, no?). On top of that, as opposed to doing the responsible thing—such as cutting government spending and closing redundant programs and agencies—Senator Obama, according to the New York Times, plans to “raise capital gains taxes on the wealthy [...] and abolish tax breaks that have saved hedge fund and private equity managers billions of dollars.”

Here’s my question to the Senator. 

Stossel on Heathcare

John Stossel wrote a great article on Real Clear Politics last Wednesday on the errors of socializing healthcare. I’ve heard many make convincing arguments against universal health care based on the Constitution, but those are ineffective with those who want a mommy government. I’ve heard others make compelling cases against modeling our healthcare around other nations (e.g. Britain, Canada, and Cuba), but those arguments are useless with egalitarians. Still others have swayed me away from universal healthcare based on sound economic reasons, but only those who really care listen to these.

In this article, Stossel hits many of these normal points while coming back to his simple, unstated thesis: life in the welfare state sucks! It sucks to have to wait four months for a hospital visit. It sucks when your dog can get an X-ray months quicker than you can. It sucks when you have to leave the country for life-or-death surgeries your government has deemed “elective.”  Sure, healthcare needs to be fixed, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater!

I highly encourage you to read what Stossel has to say on the topic. He says it more eloquently, convincingly, and succinctly than I could ever hope to put it.

Pick Your Opponent

I was rewatching bits of last night’s GOP Presidential Debate this afternoon. It was certainly more-watchable than past debates. I was very impressed by Fmr. Governor Huckabee’s performance–he handled himself quite well going toe-to-toe with Congressman Paul, and the “Outsource to FedEx” analogy was classic–but apparently Sen. McCain was declared the winner. Peggy Noonan seems to agree with me more, writing in Friday’s Wall Street Journal:

Mike Huckabee, and for this I [heart] Huckabee, shot back that history will judge whether we were right to go in, but for now, “we’re there.” He echoed Colin Powell: We broke it, now we own it. “Congressman, we are one nation. We can’t be divided. . . . If we make a mistake, we make it as a single country, the United States of America, not the divided states of America.” David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network says he doesn’t know why Mr. Huckabee isn’t in the top tier. I wonder too. Maybe he is and we don’t know it.  

I found the whole “Crack a joke at Sen. Thompson’s expense” part unnecessary and a bit demeaning to the office, but entertaining nonetheless. What really stuck out to me though was what seemed like Mayor Giuliani’s silent campaign for his opponent, Fmr. Gov. Romney.

Understanding our Enemy

I normally don’t pay much attention to aging, eccentric primary candidates who are polling within the margin of error of having absolutely no support. Something Ron Paul said in an RNC debate this past May though has had me thinking–not because he was in anyway right or persuasive, but because I’ve heard too many of my friends spat off the same, fourth-grade Michael Moore argument regarding the most important event of our lifetime: 9/11.