Today the Senate passed Bush’s war funding request by an overwhelming vote of 92-3.
Quite a coincidence about the five who didn’t vote: they are all running for President.
That’s right: the five absentions were Biden (D-DE), Clinton (D-NY), Dodd (D-CT), McCain (R-AZ), Obama (D-IL). They must have been out campaigning, but how convenient to pass on such a key vote.
Micheal,here in Ontario Ca,in 1999 figures it was estimated that it cost the government $17,000 per person/year for health insurance.What is worse,OHIP insurance cards active were 32 million,when Ontario had only 1/3 population of that number. Lucky Canada is filthy rich in resources .
Can you handle this " Your country is broke". What is more pressing is a repeat of 2004 election–read "How Bogus Fears Bought Bush Four More Years ",antiwar article and plan instead to get out–pronto–like Canada-YR welcome {:-(
I hate Congress…they are so worthless anymore…crap like this passes and yet in a month I am going to have to pay for my son 200 a month to insure him health wise because my company just said they cant afford it anymore…and Bush will veto that bill…probably because its “unnecessary” to have my child covered.
I am getting tired of unlimited money for war and no money for anything else…cause god forbid we wouldnt want to be socialists.
I will be voting for Ron Paul…and I am not a socialist…but I would like to see my children be covered by someone at least…if we have money for endless war and unworkable missile defense systems then I think my precious 4 year old can have medicine.
Michael, I agree completely: http://antiwarleague.net/blog/index.php?itemid=22
The Medical Industry is a socialist(national) organization. That is the government controls(codling) artificially raise the cost of health care and heath care worker pay. Along with the drug war(forbidding self medication) raises costs of medicating.And letting Doctors prescribe medication is absurd as they are not trained as pharmacist! Now Doctors are nothing but pushers and cutters!
So if the government controls an basic need(food medicine etc)industry creating a artificial high cost of use, then that same government owes the need to everyone regardless of their ability to pay!
Another thing that pisses me off about the medical industry is when theses same national socialist(doctors etc) cry about getting sued for screwing up. They don’t want to be held accountable for their piss poor work! I think if you drink and drive and kill some one then if you wrongly treat some one and cause damage you either need to be held criminally or at least financially liable.
Michael, I don’t see why you would support Ron Paul if you want health care for your kids. The guy has consistently opposed such initiatives and favors stripping down the state and its attendant bureaucracy, as well as social services, to a minimum. The government that governs least, as they say. Not that I’m saying that you shouldn’t vote for him, but I think you should know who you’re voting for.
Here is a link to an Anti_war video I put together using Steve Earl’s
song warrior. It’s a bit graphic, but it was made to stir emotion.
Feel free to share it with others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWD8MDv7nA4
it’s called market discipline, michael. or “tough love”. how can children be expected to be responsible adults if they are just given stuff as kids? it teaches them to just expect all kinds of goodies later in life (like a means of retirement once these clowns successfully trick you into handing your social security and your pension over to them). stuff like that’s a privilege that is reserved for the disgustingly wealthy — the folks that the dear constitution (that has rarely ever been followed) was designed for. it will be good for him in the long run, really.
actually insurance for kids wouldn’t be “socialism”. socialism means worker’s control over the means of production. nothing more. it’s amazing how many people, who ought to know better, don’t. either that or they are just being dishonest. i highly suspect the latter. lots of dear libertarians are like that. it is one of the main reasons i do not donate money to this website when they come out every 3 or 4 months with their collection plate. i believe there’s a mission statement sort of thing somewhere that claims that they don’t engage in petty bickering, and yet the columns frequently do. usually by raimondo. if he can find some kind of non-war item in someone’s past to pick at, he’ll do it. then these guys probably wonder why they can’t meet the totals in a week anymore.
no one is really interested in ending the war. posting stories with passionate denunciations of Our Leaders will do about as much as candlelight vigils and yelling at globalists through bullhorns. absolutely nothing. despite the fantasies of some, it didn’t end vietnam. and despite my personal dislike of violence, that is probably what will be required to end this mess, at least until the complete theft of iraq’s oil is complete. but that violates the traditional stance of people opposed to war. so while there’s lots of nonviolent “resistance” in the anti-war camp, the pro-war camp is busy being really, really violent (and the war in iraq has been a success to this point…no one is being held accountable, lots of wealth has been stolen from the poor and handed to the rich, and the oil will be secured very soon when the bribes are in). this kind of stuff is similar to when people say they feel so awful about all of the disappearing jobs, and the rampant homelessness…so they go out and buy a couple of pair of shoes that they don’t need, or buy an anti-war bumper sticker. ridiculous.
The problem is most Americans are looking for someone else to solve their problems. How many have written or phoned their elected officials expressing their wishes to stop the war? How many Americans are willing to stop paying Federal taxes until our troops come home. Very few I suspect. Government does not want change. Change always starts at the grassroots level. If Americans want to end the war then get off your ass and start doing something about it.
socialism means worker’s control over the means of production. nothing more.
How utterly and erroneously simplistic.
Don’t you think that the problems with US medicine are coming from artificial, govt. imposed, monopoly on medical services?
And problems with “drugs” are equally created by excessive govt. intervention as well. Why can’t you go to a drugstore and buy of all things a stronger pain killer – like vicodine – without going through hoops – of you’re over 21 say?
Why did they charge me $65 to get a paper that public school demanded from the family doctor to confirm that my child was immunised properly?
None of these policies are libertarian.
I too support Ron Paul, so the state could be dismantled and I could afford insurance then. Congress will fight tooth and nail to stop him, but it is a step in the right direction. Americans, by the way are getting off their ass, it’s called the Ron Paul Revolution.
I to support Ron Paul but will I get a chance to vote for him come the 08 election? He will not get the Republican nod for president.
As you may realize, there are many people from across the spectrum planning to support Ron Paul: Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Green Party members, disenfranchised Democrats, and of course the disenfranchised Republicans.
Many of these people may not realize that they NEED to change party affiliations to Republican to vote in the GOP Primary in many States. I think this information is important to get out as is instructions on how to change ones’ party affiliation and the DEADLINE for each State. I think this information would be useful on every Ron Paul supporter website in existence, even if it is simply linked to.
This is the preliminary schedule, according to the article:
Phase One: Early Primaries and Caucuses
* January 14, 2008 – Iowa (41)
* January 19, 2008 – Nevada (34)
* January 22, 2008 – New Hampshire (24), Wyoming (12 of 28)
* January 29, 2008 – Florida (114)
* February 2, 2008 – South Carolina (47)
Phase Two: “Super-Tuesday” / “National Primary Day”
* February 5, 2008 – Alabama (48), Arizona (53), Arkansas (34), California (173), Delaware (18), Georgia (72), Illinois (70), Michigan (61), Missouri (58), New Jersey (52), New Mexico (32), New York (101), North Dakota (26), Oklahoma (42), Tennessee (55), Utah (36), West Virginia (18 of 30)
For the later primaries, please see the Wikipedia article.
An early win in any or all of these states would be HUGE. So people in the above listed states, switch your party affiliation to Republican, if you’re not one already. After you figure out how to do it, POST a message here to let others know how to do it/who to call/what office to visit and tell us how easy it was. I welcome any and all comments and suggestions below from people knowledgeable on this subject. I don’t know a lot about this, and I doubt most people do.
After you’ve changed your affiliation, how does one participate in a Caucus or Primary? Can anyone who is registered participate? Sadly, I’ve never done it myself. If enough good information comes in, I’ll take the comments and put them together into an updated article/guide and post it on the site.
The Meaning of a Grassroots Campaign
This is a grassroots campaign, and we are the grass and the roots. We are the ones that will make the difference in this campaign. Maybe Dr. Paul doesn’t have as much money as some of the heavy-hitters in either party, but he has something that money simply can’t buy. (Yes, there are some things money can’t buy) He has us. He has our trust, our love, our support, and our belief. Wouldn’t the other candidates love to have what Dr. Paul has? Unfortunately, all they have is money.
Let us not let Dr. Paul down.
If steps can be taken in the right direction to dismantle the Warfare State, the Welfare State ought to follow eventually. I’m on Social Security due to my deafness, but I want to see the last of the Warfare State; thus, my vote will go to Dr. Paul.
what else your story should be amplifying are the names of the three senators with the sanity and the courage to vote against it. so who were they? i’ll bet feingold and two others.
I would say that Obama and Dodd are the cowards on this vote. The other three just have the time to come and vote for it as we would expect.
The three senators who voted today for the American people and for liberty and peace, the only three, are indeed Feingold,Democrat, Wisconsin; Byrd, Democrat, West Virginia, and a Republican senator, Oklahoma. HURRAH for them,
One-half of Democratic contributions and one-fourth of Republican campaign contributions come from THE EXACT SAME PEOPLE. These people want the troops in Iraq. That is why even Obama and Hillary WILL NOT pull the troops out even if they are elected. Take it to the bank. Hillary did.
ah yes, socialism IS bad. Look at Europe. All those socialists. And that Germany or what the name of the country is, with at least 5 car manufacturers (MB, BMW, Audi, Porche, Volkswagen). While U.S. cannot sustain even 3.
And how can EU, where most nations have government funded health care and government funded colleges and universities, have a currency that is valued higher than the greenback? Besides that their economies have far smaller deficit and national debt levels and higher personal savings rates.
Perhaps all of this is because in the U.S. the corporations run their business like the government runs theirs. As if there is no tomorrow (or perhaps lets squeeze out as much as we can).
It’s sad that Americans are raised with this flag waving and pledging of allegiance to the government. When you need help, is the government there to help you? Of course not.
Even more subtle is how all this conditioning at a young age contrasts with the promotion of ‘less government’ which is quite common is the U.S.
But the government does not have to care also because they have raised you with these quaint little stories of American ‘moral superiority’ and personal hard working-ness. They know these stories work because they are so old that they have practically been etched to your nations psyche. Besides, Americans are more religious than Europeans are (a side effect of the U.S. form of capitalism which demands more of the individual), so stories about moral superiority will always hit deep, so to speak.
Where corporations are workers,
and the US government is the means of production,
we’re already socialists.
Who needs Healthcare when we have Skeletor to protect us from all sorts of evil?
Too many liberals flocking to Antiwar. They have no understanding of economics. Healthcare comes from the number of trained medical professionals available to provide services. It does not come from a government official that “passes a law” mandating that everybody gets free healthcare. That being said…it may be possible that if we went to a pure government controlled system healthcare and availability might improve (it would be a very small improvement). It would only be because we do NOT have a free market healthcare system. We have a mix of everything…socialism, corporate protectionism, some free market mixed in so the wealthy can insure themselves good medical treatment. In my opinion the corporate protectionist influences dominate. These interests will do everything in their power to maintain the status quo. HMOs, Drug companies, the AMA, AARP are going to make sure that whatever politician tries to make changes they are going to protect their piece of the pie. If we went to a strictly socialist system the HMOs and the AARP would become irrelevant and might even reduce the cost of healthcare a bit. This is why they fought so hard to shut Hillary down the first time. Hillary has changed her plan this time. She is just offering to help or force everybody to buy insurance…that way the system stays the same it just results in more money in the pot….all the interests win…although we will all wind up with huge lines and waiting periods…unless the AMA relents a bit and allows more care providers into the medical fields. This is the most you can hope for. The healthcare special interests will fight tooth and nail to protect their piece of the pie. No real reform will take place.
What would truly be best (and has no chance of happening in this country…due to a profound ignorance of economics…reinforced through public education) is a free market system. Any attempt at even trying this on the margins has been shut down by the AMA. And will continue to be shut down by the AMA. You might not be a believer in economics…but the well educated doctors who run the AMA sure learned a thing or two. They know the whole key to their lavish lifestyles is to keep supply low. What do they do…fight any changes to standard medical practice that allow experienced RNs and PAs to do the simplest of tasks doctors currently do. Lobby congress to make sure Walmart can’t open medical clinics in its stores run by RNs and PAs that could provide medical services to a huge number of people outside of the current corrupt hospital and HMO system of medical care. They lobby congress to make sure the number of new teaching institutions for medical services is kept to an absolute minimum. To top it off…claim this is necessary because if we don’t we’ll all be at the mercy of snakeoil salesman so the average joe doesn’t catch on.
The drooling masses might not believe in economics…but the doctors sure do!!!!!!!!!!!
And that…my dear liberal friends are why I can guarantee you better…cheaper…medical care is not on the horizon.
Europe is a joke. The Euro is doing well because we have become a nation of war mongerers. That is very expensive. If the Indians continue with fighting corruption and use the same semi-sound economic policies…the rupee could be the currency of the future. The Chinese could be also but their rulers refuse to take their hands off the reigns. I’m going to keep sticking to gold and silver myself. Screw fiat currencies.
Are you saying that Skeletor can’t protect me from evil diseases? Isn’t his job to secure the Homeland?
Chris S. As someone I’m sure you would could consider doesn’t understand “economics”, can you explain to me how a free market can possibly allocate noneconomic goods and services efficiently.
I’m sure, with your universal knowledge of “economics” that you’ll recognize what noneconomic ggods and services (and indeed sectors) are.
Thanks in advance.
BTW the healthcare acvailable in Europe under state systems didn’t seem to me to be a joke last time I looked at the OECD and WHO indicators.
The AMA is just one big closed shop union, if a blue collar union tried to do what the AMA does do there would be a Congressional hearing within months.
“The Lion” has it right. When I was a child nobody
had medical insurance and nobody needed it. In
those days medical care was inexpensive. With the
help of the government the AMA was able to restrict
entry into the medical profession. Restricted supply
raised prices. Larger doctor’s incomes attracted into
the profession people who are in it primarily for
the money. The quality of care has suffered.
The government needs to be got completely
out of anything and everything to do with health care,
whether it be drugs, medicines, doctor’s schools or doctor’s services.
Vote for Dr. Paul. He understands the problem and
he knows what to do about it.
The warfare state and the welfare state can both be neutered by getting rid of the Federal Reserve and running the Central Bankers back to their commie/socialist snake pits. Kennedy’s EO to issue no interest silver certificates through the Treasury was a good first step, and would have put the Fed out of business. It’s too bad he died six months after issuing the order and the certificates were pulled from circulation.
The problem lies with the American people. WE are the bosses of the government. You’re crazy if you think voting Republican or Democrat is going to change anything. We need a multi-party system so that more voices are heard and other opinions and viewpoints can be brought into the national dialogue.
It should be very obvious to all of you by now that voting for Dems in 06 did NOTHING. They could not let the war funding bill come to the floor, they could filibuster…but do they? No. Republicans and Democrats – two sides of the same corrupt coin.
You so correct. They do not care to filibuster for peace, and there is very little pressure from the mainstream anti-war movement, if any, on them to do so.
What usa needs is national health insurance.
Controll what hospitals and doctors get.
Controll the mal practice proble.
Get rid of private insurance companies who are milking the system.
Every one contribute a certain percentage of the income to pay for the healthcare similar to medicare.
The reason health care is expensive is because of government invlovement. More government involvement in health care would just mean even more money stolen to prop up their bloated system.
Eating is more important than health care, but you don’t see the government involved in the grocery store business in America, do you? That was tried in the USSR, and it failed miserably.
One day, when America no longer exists as it does today, people will look back and say: “Government regulation of health care was an obvious mistake, didn’t they learn anything from the Soviets?”
As for this vote, the three Nay votes came from Feingold, Byd, and Coburn.
kumar, you are too funny. I think you sent goldholder straight to the pub looking for a stiff drink.
I would have preferred your inclusion of the two words implicit in every one of your sentences: by force
“King” kumar does have a certain ring to it. Then again, after reading Andrew’s post, maybe “Commissar” kumar would be more appropriate.
Heath Care is so expensive and unavailiable to so many is because it is a for profit enterprise-the more expensive it is and the fewer people you have to pay out for, the better- Heath Care should be a 100% government run program…period!!
Since we’re arguing the (de)merits of socialist health care, I can break it down even further than most.
How government has ruined health care in America.
First, let’s review the ways in which government intervention has negatively affects the health care industry.
Through regulation, the cost of doing business is increased. This is because resources must be allocated toward compliance with those regulations. This increases start-up costs as well as the cost of daily operations. These artificially-imposed costs keep new competitors from being able to afford entry into the marketplace. I know this as “the compliance barrier”. This compliance barrier is a tool by which big businesses can stamp out their competition before it even forms.
Government intervention is anti-competition.
Corporate subsidies keep the big corporations immune from the marketplace. Where the market functions, it tends to shut down inefficient and ineffective business operations. When this happens, those deallocated resources can be put them to better use elsewhere in the market. Corporate subsidies stop this incredibly vital market function in its tracks. Malfunctioning businesses are kept alive into perpetuity regardless of consumer preference.
Government intervention is anti-accountability.
Along with regulation and corporate subsidies, another mainstay of the government intervention is licensure. Licensure is where only those who have the license required by law are allowed to enter into an industry. Licensure artificially restricts the supply of entrants (IE – doctors) and thus pushes up prices (IE – the cost of doctor visits). The consumer is forced to cover the cost. The consumer is coerced to choose between paying for what may be far more care than he needs or receive no care at all. The consumers with the least amount of wealth have even less choice. They go without.
Government intervention is anti-consumer and anti-poor.
Patent and intellectual property laws keep people from freely entering competitive products onto the market. This results in big pharmacy companies monopolizing segments of the market, increasing prices exponentially. Big Pharma is infamous for lobbying to use government power in its favor. Where governments are given power, that power is historically for sale to the highest bidder.
Government intervention is pro-monopoly.
The end result of all of these policies, as well-intentioned as they may have been, are tragic and dire. Skyrocketing prices, plumetting quality, steadily-declining efficiency, corporate cartelization, and outright monopolization. It is little wonder then how the health care industry in America got as bad as it has. It is little wonder that the market ceases to function in a positive way for the industries so hampered. In health care, the government has intervened in so many ways, the free market has literally been driven out of the equation.
These problems have been created by government intervention, not a lack thereof. These problems have not been created by market failures or the profit-motive. They have been created by a failure to allow markets to work. This is a consequence of the undeniable success in instituting government intervention.
The question I put forth is this – how can people blame the free market for these problems in the health care industry? In the sphere of health care, there is amazingly little of the free market left. There is mostly just government intervention piled atop government intervention. How does one logically blame lassaiz faire? With such pervasive government intervention, lassaiz faire has an alibi – it was forcibly kept away from the scene of the crime.
The health care industry has gone from a free market system to a fascist one; owned by private parties but essentially run by the government. Some advocate taking it just a few steps further. They advocate total socialization and central planning for health care. They want to make health care “free”, as in free beer. They think this will make things better. They will get the opposite of what they want. Take FEMA and put them in charge of America’s health care. That’s a rough approximation of what happens when you put the Federal Government in charge of anything. The job of FEMA and the job of private doctors are exactly the same; save people’s lives. But the results of each is starkly opposite. If you want something to blow up, the Federal Government might be your best bet. If you want efficient and effective services, you’re barking up a wrong and dangerous tree.
They argue that socialization of health care has worked in other countries. Their definition of “working” is a 50%+ tax rate for all citizens. Their definition of “working” is patients dying in large numbers awaiting treatments. Their definition of “working” is decaying infrastructures, frighteningly fast declines in quality, and skyrocketing costs. Certainly, the free market system which provides growing infrastructures, increasing quality, and decreasing costs is not a “working” system.
Consider also the economic problems with putting government in charge of health care. There is no incentive for government health care workers to be responsive to the demands of consumers. The consumers are held captive. They will take what they are given, and they will be told to love it or leave it. Government health care is a monopoly which receives its revenue through taxation. Consumers cannot go to another service provider down the street if they are unhappy. They certainly cannot “opt-out” since “free-to-everyone” ironically means that everyone must “help pay”. If private health care is even permitted, those who need better care (IE – services received in time to actually save their lives) they end up paying for both. Not many people can afford to pay for government health care AND private care. Certainly not the poor, of all people. The poor die waiting. The advocates of the socialist system justify their deaths as the price of progress. This should sound familiar.
Most importantly of all these arguments, there is the classic “calculation” problem expounded by Ludwig von Mises. Without a free market, there can be no rational pricing system. Without a pricing system, there is no way to determine supply and demand. Without a way to determine supply and demand, there is no way to rationally allocate resources to where they are needed. The only remaining way to rationally allocate resources under this system is politically. This fails horribly.
Initially the prescription for the ills of the health care industry was a little government involvement. The problems created by that prescription were addressed by doubling the dosage. As the problems increased accordingly, the dosage was doubled again. And again. Many times. Now there is very little part of the free market operating in the health care industry. The dismal results have been predictable. This is what our interventionist doctors in government have prescribed. They show no sign of rethinking their approach. They show only signs of intensifying it.
This is how government tries to heal things. It increases its control over parts of people’s lives more and more until it has total authority. It turns out to be a failure generally, but its control never fully recedes. Would you trust a doctor who followed this pattern of behavior? Would you trust a doctor who keeps doubling the dosage of his prescriptions until the patient keels over? Of course you wouldn’t. Then why would you trust the government to be you and your family’s doctor?
Bryan, that was eloquent. Bravo!
Current US medical system is worse then both free-market and socialist.
Therefore, any change would improve the situation for the customer.
It is easier to transition from socialist system to private, in fact they should coexist – socialist portion putting a pressure on a free market one, ensuring it stays free – since customers would have a choice between lower-grade medicine for free and more expensive for-pay one. But the prices in the later would not be able to go 10 times the cost as they do now.
Lower grade does not mean unsafe, it means less reliance on expensive and non cost effective procedures and approaches.
For example, it often seems that in the US conservative treatment is avoided untill more expensive surgical one would be required, as well as very little effort for prevention, as opposed to treatment, exists. But is’t much more cost effective to prevent, then to cure.
I don’t know where you get the fallacy that all countries with socialized healthcare pay 50% tax rates for all. Further, you are overstating (especially in comparison to the US model) the shortcomings of those systems in my experience.
I don’t know of any and ceratinly none of the countries that I am aware of have anything like 50% tax rates except above the top marginal threshholds. Further, the “problems” with these systems have largely occurred through neoliberal tinkering with the systems with the usual aim of creating a problem which they intend to “solve” down the track i.e. getting the bankers in to profit.
Most of the world’s population would see adequate healthcare as a human right as opposed to a commodity, and would vote in favour of their state providing a fair system. The only way to achieve a fair system is to keep the bankers out.
There is not a single example of laissez-faire capital minded governments decreasing the overall tax burden for any country ever. They merely shift the burden from the wealthy to the poor and the middle classes whilst running down public services and institutions.
Economics has become an ideological mathematical modelling exercise. In my day we looked at empirical evidence. Marxism and laissez-faire capitalism end up in the same place because they don’t work in practice and force is required to maintain the illusion in all cases.
Hell. Even if the five chickens had voted against you are still looking at 92-8.
But had they voted we would have been looking at 97-3.
Either way. A clear ass kicking.
Has anybody already said that? Tf so I apologize but there was no way I could swim through all of that health care blah, blah, blah.
Give me death with dignity. Stay away from the doctor and LIVE!
xearther…how did you know I was of Irish decent…lol?
I profoundly disagree with Frank Bockerman. The American people are not the bosses of the US federal government. That is the problem. They are the bosses of us. They decide what the media can and can not say about their plans. They decide who is a legitimate candidate and who is not. They decide what the public school educated kids will be taught about the federal government. My fav financial expert Doug Casey once said…”It’s too late for peaceful change…but it is still too early to line the bastards up against a wall and shoot them.” We have to complete the cycle. Our rulers have to ruin us before enough people become angry enough to “do something”. Then we can pick the pieces up and start building again.
The reason that it “seems” that they are bosses of us is simple. Because we let them. Do you realize how fast we could change this country? In one day we could give the government whiplash. Wanna know how? Simple: get off your ass (everyone) and risk and sacrafice something.
For example – I was at the San Franciso anti-Iraq war protest in October of 2003. There were over 10,000 people there. But imagine this – imagine if there were more – imagine if people found it important enough to put down the remote control, pass by the McDonalds drive-thru and come march with us?
Imagine this: the people don’t just march for a few hours and leave. they stay. they sit down in the streets, tens of thousands of us, and don’t move. it would have to be highly organized with lots of “runners” providing food and water, but do you realize what would happen? we would show the government WE have the power, WE are in control and we can stop buying things and we can sacrifice our lives for the betterment of our children’s lives.
This is but one example. Americans are a lazy, apathetic people. If you’re not running for the school board, or city council, writing letters to the editor, and protesting war (among many other things), then you’re part of the problem.
Before you place your votes in the upcoming ’08 elections be sure to watch the Healthcare in Crisis videos found on RxPop.com.
The videos feature U.S. politicians speaking out on the Healthcare Crisis in the United States.
Like it or not, your vote counts!