The federal government released the employment report for February at 8:30 this morning. The best word to describe it is "okay". The economy produced more jobs in February than it had for the previous two months when job creation dried up. The unemployment rate went up by 0.1% to 6.7%, however, since for the first time in a long time there were not large numbers of folks dropping out of the workforce. Even though the rate went up, it is a good sign that fewer people have just given up looking for work. With all the bad weather in February, it is hard to generalize from the results of the month. One would normally have expected industries like construction to take a hit, particularly since there was extreme weather in much of the country during the week when the employment surveys were taken. Instead, construction showed an increase in jobs. Results like that which are counter-intuitive may indicate that the survey was faulty or that there is a surprising strength in construction. Since there seems to be no other indication of a construction boom, I vote for a faulty survey which further undermines the importance of these latest numbers. I guess we have to wait for the next numbers in a month.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Obamacare -- the New Word For Failure
There were three principal selling points for Obamacare. According to the laws supporters, Obamacare was designed (1) to get insurance coverage for the 47 million uninsured Americans, (2) to reduce the cost of medical care, and (3) to save money for the federal government. To be fair, no one on either side (other than the delusional few) actually believed that passage of Obamacare would reduce the federal deficit, so the purpose of the law was really just the first two items. Indeed, the name of the law, the Affordable Care Act was chosen because medical treatment was going to be more "affordable" and there would be more widespread "care" across America as the number of those covered by insurance increased. But here's the rub: the law has now conclusively failed to achieve either purpose.
First of all, the law has not reduced the cost of medical care for the average American. President Obama estimated the saving at $2500 per family, another of his phony promises used to sell the law. In truth, surveys have shown that in all but four states, the average cost of health insurance has gone up and the rise has been over 25% in more than half of the states. On top of that, most of the new policies have much higher deductibles than the older pre-Obamacare policies, so the total out of pocket cost of an illness to an insured individual has soared. Indeed, almost all of the new plans have smaller networks with fewer options than the old policies, so the average American is paying more for healthcare but getting less for that expenditure. There are some people who have seen reduced costs, but they are a small minority, many fewer than those whose costs have exploded.
Second, we now have learned that the numbers of people with insurance has not risen much at all. The goal was to get 16 million uninsured people added to those with coverage. That number was to have been reached by the end of this month when the sign up period ended. According to the Washington Post, only 27% of those who signed up for insurance on the exchanges are people who were previously uninsured, and only half of that group has actually paid for the insurance. That means that only about 600,000 Americans have gained insurance coverage on the exchanges. Add to that the 2.5 million people who gained limited coverage through Medicaid and you find that only approximately 3 million people got insurance. That is less than 20% of the state goal of 16 million. On top of this we know that something like 8 million people lost coverage due to Obamacare, and we do not yet know how many of these people replaced that coverage. It may well be that Obamacare has actually reduced the number of people with coverage across the country.
Simply put, Obamacare is a total failure.
First of all, the law has not reduced the cost of medical care for the average American. President Obama estimated the saving at $2500 per family, another of his phony promises used to sell the law. In truth, surveys have shown that in all but four states, the average cost of health insurance has gone up and the rise has been over 25% in more than half of the states. On top of that, most of the new policies have much higher deductibles than the older pre-Obamacare policies, so the total out of pocket cost of an illness to an insured individual has soared. Indeed, almost all of the new plans have smaller networks with fewer options than the old policies, so the average American is paying more for healthcare but getting less for that expenditure. There are some people who have seen reduced costs, but they are a small minority, many fewer than those whose costs have exploded.
Second, we now have learned that the numbers of people with insurance has not risen much at all. The goal was to get 16 million uninsured people added to those with coverage. That number was to have been reached by the end of this month when the sign up period ended. According to the Washington Post, only 27% of those who signed up for insurance on the exchanges are people who were previously uninsured, and only half of that group has actually paid for the insurance. That means that only about 600,000 Americans have gained insurance coverage on the exchanges. Add to that the 2.5 million people who gained limited coverage through Medicaid and you find that only approximately 3 million people got insurance. That is less than 20% of the state goal of 16 million. On top of this we know that something like 8 million people lost coverage due to Obamacare, and we do not yet know how many of these people replaced that coverage. It may well be that Obamacare has actually reduced the number of people with coverage across the country.
Simply put, Obamacare is a total failure.
The Budget Proposal From Obama
In one of the funniest items of the last month, president Obama released his new budget proposal and actually said that "the age of austerity is over." The Age of Austerity? Really? How can he say that with a straight face?
Here are some facts: During Obama's Age of Austerity, federal spending rose to an average level some 38% higher than during the supposedly free spending period that preceded it. There is simply no way to call a huge spending increase by the federal government "austerity". That reality, however, does not stop Obama. Once again, the man thinks that if he says something, then it is so, no matter what the actual reality is.
We all know that Obama's budget proposal is dead on arrival. That has been the case since the Republicans took the House in 2010 and ended the spending binge of Obama's first two years of "austerity". The GOP, however, ended the huge increases, but it did not roll back the increases that had already been baked into the cake.
Budgets rarely are funny. Obama deserves credit for giving us all a good laugh.
Here are some facts: During Obama's Age of Austerity, federal spending rose to an average level some 38% higher than during the supposedly free spending period that preceded it. There is simply no way to call a huge spending increase by the federal government "austerity". That reality, however, does not stop Obama. Once again, the man thinks that if he says something, then it is so, no matter what the actual reality is.
We all know that Obama's budget proposal is dead on arrival. That has been the case since the Republicans took the House in 2010 and ended the spending binge of Obama's first two years of "austerity". The GOP, however, ended the huge increases, but it did not roll back the increases that had already been baked into the cake.
Budgets rarely are funny. Obama deserves credit for giving us all a good laugh.
The New Front on the War on Women
Last night, I wrote about Democrat Gary Peters, a Michigan congressman who is attacking a woman afflicted with cancer who is complaining about Obamacare's effect on her treatment. Peters does not answer the woman's contentions; he just makes a personal attack on her as a "liar" and even threatens TV stations that run the ad that features her. Now comes Democrat Alan Grayson, a Florida congressman who is opening yet another front in the Democrats' War on Women. You may recall Grayson as the disgusting scum who constantly attacks opponents with all sorts of lies and phony charges. In 2010, he was defeated in the single most satisfying result of that election cycle. Two years later, he won his seat back while Obama carried his district. This year, he is once again in trouble. So what does this have to do with a War on Women? Grayson, after all, was one of the prime movers of the Democrats' charge that Republicans mistreat women. The truth, however, is quite the opposite. Grayson's wife has gone to court to get a restraining order to keep her husband away from her, and the court issued the order. According to Grayson's wife, he physically assaulted her and she fears further attacks.
Let's put that into proper context. The Democrat congressman who said so much about the War on Women is an alleged wife beater. Of course, Grayson's response is that his wife is a liar.
Let's hope that the Florida voters have the sense to send this guy packing for a second time.
Let's put that into proper context. The Democrat congressman who said so much about the War on Women is an alleged wife beater. Of course, Grayson's response is that his wife is a liar.
Let's hope that the Florida voters have the sense to send this guy packing for a second time.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
One Election That May Be Over
In Michigan this year, the senate race is extremely close with the latest polls showing the Republican candidate with a small lead. That may change very soon due to the campaign tactics being used by the Democrat, congressman Gary Peters. The tactics center around an ad run by a group called Americans For Prosperity which features a Michigan woman named Julie Boonstra who complains about losing her health insurance plan due to Obamacare. Boonstra suffers from cancer and is in the middle of chemotherapy. She says that her new, Obamacare compliant plan is forcing her to change doctors away from the ones she trusts and wants to use.
Peters response to the ad was to call Boonstra a liar. He denounced the ad and said that the new policy did not cost more than the old one and provided good treatment for Boonstra. It seemed a questionable tactic to attack a poor woman suffering from cancer who just wants to keep her doctors, but that was the choice Peters made.
Now, Americans For Prosperity is running a response to Peters attack. Just watch this one minute video. It speaks for itself and is one of the most powerful political ads that I have ever seen. If most of Michigan sees it, I believe that it will be the end of Peters chances to win.
Peters response to the ad was to call Boonstra a liar. He denounced the ad and said that the new policy did not cost more than the old one and provided good treatment for Boonstra. It seemed a questionable tactic to attack a poor woman suffering from cancer who just wants to keep her doctors, but that was the choice Peters made.
Now, Americans For Prosperity is running a response to Peters attack. Just watch this one minute video. It speaks for itself and is one of the most powerful political ads that I have ever seen. If most of Michigan sees it, I believe that it will be the end of Peters chances to win.
So Was It Racism?
The Senate voted against president Obama's nominee to head the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department by a tally of 52-47. One senator was not present but had announced opposition to the nominee. Only Democrats supported Obama's choice, but the opposition was bi-partisan. The principle reason for opposing the nominee, Debo Adegbile, was his representation of cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal in one of the myriad of appeals brought on his behalf. Abu-Jamal killed a Philadelphia policeman in cold blood, admitted the crime and was tried, convicted and sentenced to death before he became a darling of the left wing radicals. That began a lengthy series of appeals which culminated when the death penalty was thrown out and reduced to life imprisonment. It was at that point that Adegbile got involved in yet another appeal which struck most people as more political than legal. Despite Adegbile crusading for a cop killer, Obama nominated him to head the Civil Rights Division.
It is almost funny to read the reactions to the vote. The far left is busy calling the result a manifestation of racism (both the nominee and Abu-Jamal are black). The opposition of the Fraternal Order of Police to the nomination of someone who crusaded for an admitted murderer of a policeman is also called racist. In The Nation, they call the vote "gutter racist politics".
Some day, the folks on the left will realize that it does not serve them well to call everything of this sort racist. After five plus years of watching Obama and his people use this tactic, most Americans no longer are moved by it. In the Obama era, anything that criticizes Obama is "racist". That ultimately means that racist or charges of racism have been devalued to a point where the words have become meaningless.
The truth is that opposition to Adegbile is not racist. It would be a terrible choice to have the person in charge of civil rights enforcement be someone who is so clearly hostile to police. Indeed, even if Adegbile is not hostile to police, his actions certainly make it seem that he is. For most people that perception will be the reality. Obama made a poor choice for the position. Fortunately the Senate kept that mistake from becoming a reality.
It is almost funny to read the reactions to the vote. The far left is busy calling the result a manifestation of racism (both the nominee and Abu-Jamal are black). The opposition of the Fraternal Order of Police to the nomination of someone who crusaded for an admitted murderer of a policeman is also called racist. In The Nation, they call the vote "gutter racist politics".
Some day, the folks on the left will realize that it does not serve them well to call everything of this sort racist. After five plus years of watching Obama and his people use this tactic, most Americans no longer are moved by it. In the Obama era, anything that criticizes Obama is "racist". That ultimately means that racist or charges of racism have been devalued to a point where the words have become meaningless.
The truth is that opposition to Adegbile is not racist. It would be a terrible choice to have the person in charge of civil rights enforcement be someone who is so clearly hostile to police. Indeed, even if Adegbile is not hostile to police, his actions certainly make it seem that he is. For most people that perception will be the reality. Obama made a poor choice for the position. Fortunately the Senate kept that mistake from becoming a reality.
The Shape of Things to Come
Yesterday brought the first primary of 2014; it was in Texas. There were no major surprises in the results. Senator Cornyn was renominated and faces an easy road to re-election. In the race for governor, Greg Abbott will be the Republican candidate and Wendy Davis will be the Democrat. Davis, you may recall, is the state senator who gained fame by her opposition to a bill against certain late term abortions. Her campaign is mostly about her biography as a single mother who struggled and succeeded. Of course, that story turned out to be false. Her husband actually paid for her education and took care of the kids while she went to law school. Then, once the last payment on her education was made, Davis left both the husband and the children and went off on her own. Her story is not one of struggle, but more of taking advantage of her husband.
In any event, we got the first post primary poll results for the governor's race today. Abbott leads Davis by 12%. Most likely, that will be close to the final outcome. Davis and her phony story will go down to defeat.
In any event, we got the first post primary poll results for the governor's race today. Abbott leads Davis by 12%. Most likely, that will be close to the final outcome. Davis and her phony story will go down to defeat.
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