18 myths demolished, mostly from a lefty point of view, but many of them simply repudiating Obama's claims.

Here's Obama's idea of "bending the cost curve:"

Myth 11: The bill "bends the cost curve" on health care.

Fact: "Bends the cost curve" is a misleading and trivial claim, as the U.S. would still spend far more for care than other advanced countries.

In 2009, health care costs were 17.3% of GDP.

Annual cost of health care in 2019, status quo: $4,670.6 billion (20.8% of GDP)

Annual cost of health care in 2019, Senate bill: $4,693.5 billion (20.9% of GDP)

A tenth of a percent increase over projections of increasing premiums in the status quo.

Posted by: Ace at 11:03 AM | Comments (36)
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Obama and Pelosi and Reid keep telling us that "every economist" says the stimulus worked. I guess this guy isn't an economist, then, despite being a professor of economics as the U of C, Irvine.

"Where does the money come from?" he keeps asking. Obama & Co. don't seem to find this an interesting question.

Thanks to rdbrewer.

Posted by: Ace at 10:34 AM | Comments (120)
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That's the word from Mitch McConnell today.

I get the theory, there are things in the bill that will kick in before 2012 that may be hard to take back (ban on pre-existing for kids, prohibition on lifetime caps and an end to rescissions all kick in in 6 months, right around the mid-terms). Those are popular things people will want. Promising to take them away is not good politics (in the case of rescissions, I think it would be bad policy as well).

The problem is offing up a replacement plan ensures the focus of the debate will shift to, Which plan is better for Americans? That's an argument we might win but it's a tougher one to have. The Democrats will run out their sob stories and we'll be on the side of arguing cold, hard, theoretical numbers.

Keeping big issues simple is usually the most effective way to go about things, "ObamaCare Bankrupts America, Repeal It!" is a clean and neat concept most people will get behind.

In fact, Congressman Steve King (R-IA) has a bill ready. It reads in full...

Effective as of the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.

As someone who doesn't think the federal government actually has a role in this issue, I gotta say I like King's approach. Alas, I'm not a majority of voters.

Time for choosing.

Posted by: DrewM at 10:14 AM | Comments (208)
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The video is not embeddable as far as I can tell, but at the end of this clip when Biden hugs Obama, the Vice President offers up his own pithy commentary on the importance of the day.

Somehow, I suspect this will get a lot less attention than George W. Bush's caught on mike moment when he gave his opinion of NYT reporter Adam Clymer.

Update - Thanks to DrewM, here's the embedded video:

I know I should be outrageously outraged by this, but itÂ’s not as though the event was all that dignified to begin with. It had all the solemnity of a junior high school pep rally.

Posted by: Slublog at 08:27 AM | Comments (274)
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"No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. So governments' programs, once launched, never disappear."-Ronald Reagan, "A Time For Choosing"

There are a couple of problems with this video selection.

One, it sucks we have to go back to Reagan to find this but classics are the best.

More troubling is when you look at the problems he identified...taxes, spending, and the growth of the federal government, They have only gotten worse in 40+ years. Perhaps we have chosen as a nation. If so, we have chosen poorly.

One last time we will have to chose...will Republicans finally stand up and try and shrink the size and scope of government or will they simply be content trimming the edges and handing out scraps to their favorite groups? Will America stand with them and force the government to reduce itself in size?

If the individual mandate stands, either through legislative inaction or by court ruling, America is done. A new country will exist and it's founders won't be Washington, Jefferson and Madison. It won't have been inspired by philosophers like Montesquieu and Locke. No it will be a country founded by Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. Their philosophical inspirations, John Dewey, Herb Croly and of course Saul Alinsky, are the antithesis of those who espouse individual liberty.

The Democrats have won the day but we will submit our respective visions for America to the people in the coming elections. Then we will know what path America will select once and for all.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:55 AM | Comments (260)
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Obama's nominee for the Ninth Circuit, Goodwin Liu, is scheduled for a hearing with Senate Judiciary on Wednesday. Not surprisingly given Obama's other judiciary picks, Liu has made a fetish out of race-based scholarship.

Morgen at Verum Serum has dug up Liu's 2008 appearance on PBS. There's no easy soundbite here, like there was with Justice "Wise Latina" Sotomayor. Liu talks about white guilt and then obscures that issue somewhat by asserting that all modern non-black Americans share responsibility for the "benefit" of the slave trade and must agree to give something up. He suggests, "the seat at Harvard, our segregated neighborhoods, money."

During the Sotomayor confirmation process, Republican Senators led by John Cornyn preferred to hide under their desks rather than be perceived as "mean" to a Latina candidate. Despite all of the evidence we had that she harbors deep racial and gender bias, they couldn't be bothered to make the effort to stop her nomination.

Will they give Liu a pass too?

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:44 AM | Comments (382)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:23 AM | Comments (108)
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Well, this brought a smile, even if he is Swedish. Includes some moronblog favorites like Cheers and Firefly. (And my own favs Fresh Prince and Scrubs.) more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 08:41 PM | Comments (103)
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Senate: Hey little bro.

House: Hi, big bro!

Senate: Whatcha working on?

House: A letter to the easter bunny.

Senate: Oh yeah? What are you asking him for?

House: A chocolate bunny.

Senate: Anything else?

House: Some of those yummy Cadbury eggs.

Senate: Love those. That it?

House: I also want him to write me back with a letter promising he wont spend any chocolate coins on killing those cute baby chicks that sometimes end up in people's baskets. Wanna sign it with me?

Senate: Ummmmm....

House: I just love those little chicks...you know how cute they are when they go "peep, peep, peep"?

Senate: Dude. The easter bunny isn't real. How can you not know this? You are about to turn 221 years old!

-End scene-

Posted by: Jack M. at 05:34 PM | Comments (97)
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Welcome to the Monday after.

And oh yeah Happy Birthday to William Shatner

Leafblower + Pulse Jet + RC airplane = Awesomeness
A pulse jet model of the pulse jet He 162. Noisy but awesome. I've always thought pulse jets and especially the valve-less models were a nice example of mathematics operating in the real world.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:21 PM | Comments (837)
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