Tag: Health Care

Canada, Political EconomyLeave a comment

Smoking Hot

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Canadians are trapped in an immoral system in which an economic good—medical care—is supplied exclusively by government. Canadians are not permitted to participate in any domestic market for medical care, even as they are constrained by the economically predictable shortages and rationing of care that result from bureaucratic supply. It should not be surprising that under such a system there are elevated levels of stress and conflict. The politicians and bureaucrats charged with “managing” the system are constantly and futilely attempting to get their annually escalating budgets under control. They have their own ways of dealing with conflict. It usually … Continue reading Smoking Hot

Ethics, Government, RightsLeave a comment

What’s the Big Idea?

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The most significant development of 2010 was a life-affirming idea demonstrating the concept of spontaneous order and implying the cardinal virtue of independence of the individual. One frustrated individual, Rick Santelli, ranted on-air at CNBC on February 19, 2009 about certain oppressive interventionist actions of government and called for a new Tea Party. Some credit this rant as the start of the movement. Whether Mr. Santelli was the catalyst or not doesn’t matter. Despite broad media and political efforts to trivialize the phenomenon, Tea Partiers collected support across party lines, social classes and cultural subgroups. The influence of the Tea … Continue reading What’s the Big Idea?

Media, Politics3 Comments

Random Stories Earn Consistent Comment

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Tiger Woods The mind and body are inextricably linked. There is no soul-body dichotomy. Tiger will continue to perform as a superb golfer (as long as he doesn’t cheat). His conduct at the “19th hole” and beyond reveals much about his incomplete development as a human being. His primary moral obligation now is to maintain some practical level of relationship with his wife for the sake of the children they’ve brought into existence. Any “obligation” to golf fans is subordinate. Jesse James Clearly, an essential aspect of this man’s knowledge and psychology is the adornment of human bodies—his own and … Continue reading Random Stories Earn Consistent Comment

Foreign Policy, PoliticsLeave a comment

Health Care for Terrorists

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The biggest beneficiary of the process of bringing socialized medicine to the United States health care industry may be the Iranian terror regime. The Obama administration clearly views the ramming of a health care bill through Congress, against the wishes of the majority of Americans, as a top priority. The well-financed Left associated with the Democratic Party contributed mightily to its election successes. Socialized medicine is one of the big payoffs that must be delivered to promote continued political support from Big Left. It is so important, that implementing strategy and tactics relative to the “overseas contingency operation” in Afghanistan … Continue reading Health Care for Terrorists

Media, Politics, RightsLeave a comment

No Time For Individuals

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With the unappealing headline of “Doctors courted in special interest war, “the following introductory paragraph appears in an Associated Press article on MSNBC.com: “In the special interest war over health care, the White House and congressional Democrats have the nation’s drug makers and hospitals generally on their side; the insurance industry, not so much.” The article then goes on to describe the struggle for relative privilege between the sausage makers in Congress and the American Medical Association (AMA), which claims to represent 250,000 doctors. Evidently, the lawmakers of Big Government, Big Labour and Big Business are striving to add Big Medicine to the … Continue reading No Time For Individuals

Canada, Media, Politics2 Comments

“Dummies” List Adds Clayton Ruby

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Regarding my earlier post on Lucy the elephant it would appear this non-story is getting “legs“. Notwithstanding the uncommon sense of the folks at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, those who differ on grounds apparently involving their emotions, would rather take the populist route and risk the death of Lucy prematurely. Bob Barker, who “admits he doesn’t know much about elephants” is nevertheless prepared to continue to fight the “free Lucy” campaign. The involvement of criminal-defence lawyer Clayton Ruby, who has been retained by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is a sure sign that the circus is not … Continue reading “Dummies” List Adds Clayton Ruby

Canada, Politics, Rights4 Comments

Lucy in the Sky with Dummies

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For 32 years, an Asian elephant named Lucy has lived in relative comfort and splendor at the Edmonton Valley Zoo in central Alberta, Canada. At age 34 years, she is like other older creatures, suffering from declining health. Lucy has labored breathing, dental problems, and is arthritic. Professional veterinary care is part of her ongoing health care plan. No death panels have been convened for Lucy, yet. Along come the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a growing host of celebrities, adding their support to a plan to relocate Lucy from the frigid winters of sunny Alberta … Continue reading Lucy in the Sky with Dummies

Media, Political Economy, PoliticsLeave a comment

Dancing Around Reality

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“Look, President Obama is smart, right?” suggested Joe Kernen of CNBC’s Squawk Box as he posed a question to his guest Gerald Greenwald on Tuesday morning. Kernen, who has been with CNBC since 1991 is no dummy either I’d bet. His guest is on the Board of Directors of Aetna and is a founding principal of Greenbriar Equity Group. Upon agreement from Greenwald that yes indeed, President Obama is smart, Kernen continued with the following, which I am putting into my own words from recall. He proposed that the things Obama is saying about his health care reform proposals and … Continue reading Dancing Around Reality

Economics, Political Economy, Politics1 Comment

Wal-Mart “Gets It”

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“Don’t count on big business to support the free market“. (In Brief, 7/1/2009, Foundation for Economic Education, Editor’s comment.) That’s one observation about Wal-Mart’s announcement of support for the Obama-inspired plan to force employers to provide health insurance coverage for employees. There have been others, such as allegations of “Chicago-style backroom deals with unions” relative to the “card check” program where it is suggested that the magnanimous gesture by Wal-Mart might have bought off the unions on the long standing efforts to get the giant retailer unionized. That Wal-Mart does supply health coverage to employees after a certain period of … Continue reading Wal-Mart “Gets It”

Ethics, Political Economy, Politics2 Comments

Keynesian Health Care

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John Maynard Keynes, the economist who provided academic justification for statists to spend money and distribute political favors may have offered those same statists a solution for the high cost of health care too. Keynes was the theorist who argued that deficit spending by government was necessary during recessions, which he said were caused by the inherent instability of markets. The government by his calculations would be the great stabilizer, making full employment possible. President Obama’s economic advisors and others like Nobel economist Paul Krugman, a columnist for The New York Times are so taken in by Keynesianism that the … Continue reading Keynesian Health Care