Why Obamacare Can't Work: The Calculation Argument - Gabriel E. Vidal - Mises Institute

Why Obamacare Can't Work: The Calculation Argument - Gabriel E. Vidal - Mises Institute: "Obama assures us that this is not government-run healthcare, that this is not a single-payer system, that the only consequence to these reforms is that healthcare will cost less and that anybody who denies this is misleading or does not understand the facts. Without his reform, he insists, costs will grow unsustainably, which will threaten reimbursements and the stability of the healthcare system.

Unfortunately, since Obama uses faulty logic to diagnose the problem, his solutions will only make matters worse faster. The correct framework within which to diagnose the problem is to admit that costs are out of control because they do not reflect prices created by the voluntary exchange between patients and providers, between customers and producers, like every well-functioning industry."

"But it is theoretically and practically impossible for a bureaucrat — no matter how accurate the cost data, how well intentioned and how sophisticated his computer program — to come up with the correct and just price. The just price of a health service can only be determined by the voluntary exchange of a patient with his hospital, physician, and pharmacist. The relationship between the patient and his private provider has been corrupted by the intrusion of government and its intermediaries (HMOs, for example) to such an extent that we can no longer speak of a relationship that can produce meaningful pricing information."

"Billions of dollars have already been invested in HIT. Some systems have worked, while others have not. Billions more will need to be allocated until the best systems are adopted. But the idea that somehow a government agency with no shareholders at risk will help us better coordinate the allocation of capital and the experimentation necessary to develop these solutions is laughable, especially when one of its agents, the Department of Veterans Affairs, in all likelihood has the record for the most expensive failed HIT experiment to date, the $467 million computer system at its Bay Pines hospital in Florida."

Banning Alcohol Ads Won't Cure Alcoholism | Patrick Basham and John Luik | Cato Institute: Commentary

Banning Alcohol Ads Won't Cure Alcoholism | Patrick Basham and John Luik | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The US Surgeon General's warnings about the risks to pregnant women from drinking have been mandatory since 1989. A study of alcohol consumption by pregnant women reported by the US Centers for Disease Control noted that almost eight years after the implementation of the warning labels the number of women drinking during pregnancy had risen. As Dr Janet Hankin in a review of fetal alcohol prevention discovered, only the lighter drinkers who were less at risk of having children with fetal alcohol syndrome followed the warning. 'Among high-risk drinkers', Dr Hankin noted, 'the label law clearly has not affected drinking behaviour'."

"The World Health Organisation's 2003 study on alcohol noted that warnings failed to increase young people's perceptions of alcohol risks and had 'no direct impacts' on consumption. Studies have also found that heavy drinkers, while aware of the warnings (they see them more frequently), are more likely to consider them less believable and to discount them more than other drinkers."

Do Anti-Smoking Programs Work to Reduce Smoking? | Michael Marlow | Cato Institute: Commentary

Do Anti-Smoking Programs Work to Reduce Smoking? | Michael Marlow | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Statistical analysis that I've conducted shows that there is a very tenuous link between cigarette sales and state anti-tobacco spending. At best, spending large amounts of money on anti-tobacco programs seems to produce a trivial drop in cigarette sales — less than a pack a year per capita. States would be better advised to put these resources toward other public health policies that produce larger results."

Why the Obama Stimulus Plan Must Fail | Richard A. Epstein | Cato Institute: Commentary

Why the Obama Stimulus Plan Must Fail | Richard A. Epstein | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Congress passed the President's $787 billion package this past February with no Republican support in the House and only three Republican defections in the Senate. At the time, brave presidential words promised that this package could create some 4 million new jobs, so that the unemployment rate would top at around 8%. Alas, there are 2.6 million fewer jobs today than when the bill passed, with an unemployment rate of 9.5%, which is still inching upward."

"One component of these programs is to funnel cash in the form of one-time rebates or tax cuts to particular individuals. But that money has to come from somewhere else."

Time To End The Monopoly In Education | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary

Time To End The Monopoly In Education | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The productivity collapse in education is more than staggering; it's unparalleled. Can you name any other service or product that has gotten worse and less affordable over the past two generations? The reason you can't is that no other field is organized as a state-run monopoly.

The general argument against monopolies is well understood and accepted. A concrete case study might drive home the point that monopolies are just as harmful in education as in other fields."

"That is, the [D.C.] voucher program yields substantially better results at less than one-quarter the cost.

For those unfamiliar with the D.C. voucher program, it is the one that President Obama has decided to phase out, despite his stated goal of pursuing education reform that's effective and efficient."

"In literature on education, 59 findings show that markets outperform school monopolies. Not a single study has found a monopoly school system to be as efficient as a market system."

Doctors Wage War Against Obama's Health Care Overhaul - Political News - FOXNews.com

Doctors Wage War Against Obama's Health Care Overhaul - Political News - FOXNews.com: "As President Obama pushes for passage of his first major domestic policy change, some physicians are waging an all-out war against a health care reform bill they say amounts to nothing more than socialized medicine."

"Some doctors charge the bill will lead to inferior patient care as physician offices around the country triple their patient lists and become forced to ration care."

'"The doctors who have responded this way exhibit a serious case of doctor greed," McDermott told FOXNews.com. "They have lost sight of the common good and the pledge they took in the Hippocratic Oath."'

How will rationing help the common good or be in line with the Hippocratic Oath?

'"These people are practicing fear without a license and they should be subject to a malpractice suit. If things are so good, why are doctors buried under an ever-increasing mountain of paperwork from insurance companies?" McDermott asked.'

No one said that the current system is good -- but the proposed system is much worse!

Dems Plotting Health Bill Seek $245B for Doctors - Political News - FOXNews.com

Dems Plotting Health Bill Seek $245B for Doctors - Political News - FOXNews.com: "House Democrats want to give doctors a $245 billion sweetener that helps ensure their critical support for a health care overhaul bill."

If they have to bribe them then maybe it isn't such a good idea.

"Their only-in-Washington reasoning is that they already decided to exempt it from congressional "pay-as-you-go" rules that require new programs to be paid for. In other words, it doesn't have to be paid for because they decided it doesn't have to be paid for."

Bernanke: Fed Can Handle Financial Supercop Role - Political News - FOXNews.com

Bernanke: Fed Can Handle Financial Supercop Role - Political News - FOXNews.com: "'The Fed has made some big mistakes,' said the panel's highest-ranking Republican, Spencer Bachus of Alabama. Letting the Fed become the financial supercop would be 'just inviting a false sense of security' that would be shattered at taxpayers' expense, he warned."

"Bernanke urged Congress to keep proposals to audit the Fed away from monetary policy duties. 'A perceived loss of monetary policy independence could raise fears about future inflation,' he warned."

i.e. Don't watch what we are doing or bad things will happen. That would be funny if the impact weren't so huge.

"Bernanke sought to assure investors and Congress that the Fed will be able to reel in its extraordinary economic stimulus and prevent a flare up of inflation when the recovery is more firmly rooted."

With the huge increases in the money supply, the political pressure for short-term growth, and the complexity of the economy this is virtually impossible. If the Fed can do that effectively why couldn't it prevent the recession?

Shortage of Cyber Experts Could Pose Threat to U.S. National Security - Political News - FOXNews.com

Shortage of Cyber Experts Could Pose Threat to U.S. National Security - Political News - FOXNews.com: "The size of the government's cyber work force is largely unknown, because agencies often classify their employees differently. The Pentagon says it has more than 90,000 personnel involved with cybersecurity, while the non-defense department civilian cybersecurity work force has been estimated at 35,000 to 45,000. Intelligence community estimates are classified."

Over 125,000 cybersecurity experts sure seems like a lot to me!

Walker again advocates dismantling county government - JSOnline

Walker again advocates dismantling county government - JSOnline: "Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on Monday renewed his call to blow up county government, suggesting that many functions could be parceled out to the state, municipalities and new entities."

Removing extra government layers: good
Giving more control to higher government: bad
Giving more control to lower government: good