Yeah, we knew that but now Sen. Max "Hey My Girlfriend Would Be A Great US Attorney" Baucus admits it.

...the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind. Wages have not kept up with increased income of the highest income in America. This legislation will have the effect of addressing that mal-distribution of income in America.

But don't you dare call it socialism!

Follow the link for the video and decide for your self if you think he's drunk.

Meanwhile, Obama says bring it on, when it comes to Republicans running on repealing health care. Be careful what you wish for O.

Via Allah's Twitter.

Posted by: DrewM at 03:23 PM | Comments (353)
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I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Obama and Castro are both pretty impressed with the destruction of health care as we know it.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform "a miracle" and a major victory for Obama's presidency, but couldn't help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago.

"We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama's) government," Castro wrote in an essay published in state media, adding that it would strengthen the president's hand against lobbyists and "mercenaries."

But the Cuban leader also used the lengthy piece to criticize the American president for his lack of leadership on climate change and immigration reform, and for his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, among many other things.

...Cuba provides free health care and education to all its citizens, and heavily subsidizes food, housing, utilities and transportation, policies that have earned it global praise. The government has warned that some of those benefits are no longer sustainable given Cuba's ever-struggling economy, though it has so far not made major changes.

In recent speeches, Raul Castro has singled out medicine as an area where the government needs to be spending less, but he has not elaborated.

No doubt Obama will get right on "climate change" and immigration reform. Fidel will be so proud!

As for the Cuban health care system, yeah, we might just be heading that way ourselves.

Then there is the real Cuban system, the one that ordinary people must use — and it is wretched. Testimony and documentation on the subject are vast. Hospitals and clinics are crumbling. Conditions are so unsanitary, patients may be better off at home, whatever home is. If they do have to go to the hospital, they must bring their own bedsheets, soap, towels, food, light bulbs — even toilet paper. And basic medications are scarce. In Sicko, even sophisticated medications are plentiful and cheap. In the real Cuba, finding an aspirin can be a chore. And an antibiotic will fetch a fortune on the black market.

A nurse spoke to Isabel Vincent of Canada’s National Post. “We have nothing,” said the nurse. “I haven’t seen aspirin in a Cuban store here for more than a year. If you have any pills in your purse, I’ll take them. Even if they have passed their expiry date.”

The equipment that doctors have to work with is either antiquated or nonexistent. Doctors have been known to reuse latex gloves — there is no choice. When they travel to the island, on errands of mercy, American doctors make sure to take as much equipment and as many supplies as they can carry. One told the Associated Press, “The [Cuban] doctors are pretty well trained, but they have nothing to work with. It’s like operating with knives and spoons.”

And doctors are not necessarily privileged citizens in Cuba. A doctor in exile told the Miami Herald that, in 2003, he earned what most doctors did: 575 pesos a month, or about 25 dollars. He had to sell pork out of his home to get by. And the chief of medical services for the whole of the Cuban military had to rent out his car as a taxi on weekends. “Everyone tries to survive,” he explained. (Of course, you can call a Cuban with a car privileged, whatever he does with it.)

Anyone want to consider how this endorsement will play out among Cuban-American's in Florida? Add this to the Medicare cuts in the law and well, Marco Rubio might want to start apartment hunting in the DC area.

Posted by: DrewM at 01:38 PM | Comments (278)
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Out of the alleged 15 uses of the slur, Breitbart reasons, surely one of them was picked up by the thousands of cell-phone and media cameras, right?

Right?

Posted by: Ace at 12:26 PM | Comments (264)
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Remember, after originally claiming to be spat upon (which the media trumpeted as a saliva-rope lynching), Rep. Cleaver then walked back the claim to someone "allowed" his spit to land upon his very dignified personage.

By which he means he was a victim of Say It Don't Spray it, a Class D Felony, though it becomes Aggravated Say It Don't Spray It, a Class C Felony, when "enhanced" by a racial motive.

Now, as much as the horrific crime of Say It Don't Spray it stains this country like blood, or, more accurately, saliva, most 2nd graders learn to handle this heinous offense without police involvement.

This asshole, on the other hand, called in the cops to detain and restrain the perpertrator.

Now the video's up. The guy was just shouting using his cupped hands as poor-man's megaphone, and was shouting as a general matter, not just at Cleaver.

But when Cleaver -- who is apparently Royalty, as it turns out -- suffered the low-tech lynching of a dollop of spittle landing unwantedly upon his princely cheek, he made a federal case out of it. Literally, a federal case.

Posted by: Ace at 12:09 PM | Comments (148)
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Thundering applause! Overwhelming support!

...The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the first two nights after the president signed the bill, shows that 55% favor repealing the legislation. Forty-two percent (42%) oppose repeal. Those figures include 46% who Strongly Favor repeal and 35% who Strongly Oppose it.

In terms of Election 2010, 52% say theyÂ’d vote for a candidate who favors repeal over one who does not. Forty-one percent (41%) would cast their vote for someone who opposes repeal...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 11:54 AM | Comments (88)
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I noticed the other day that Frum represented himself as a member of the conservative/capitalist American Enterprise Institute. That made me wonder about AEI.

Well, it made AEI wonder about AEI, too, and today, they terminated their relationship with Frum over lunch. Frum says in his "resignation" letter that it's a resignation, but, um, it seems to be one of those resignations that comes before a formal dismissal.

Dear Arthur,

This will memorialize our conversation at lunch today. Effective immediately, my position as a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute is terminated. I appreciate the consideration that delays my emptying of my office until after my return from travel next week. Premises will be vacated no later than April 9.

I have had many fruitful years at the American Enterprise Institute, and I do regret this abrupt and unexpected conclusion of our relationship.

Very truly yours,

David Frum

Thanks to DrewM.'s Twitter.

Posted by: Ace at 11:19 AM | Comments (203)
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The blogosphere is renowned for enabling "citizen journalism". And last night, I found myself facing a choice: write a satirical epic poem about health care reform legislation that revolves around Homer's Iliad, Mila Kunis' unrequited love for me, and the moral lessons embodied in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure or call in a few chips and do some original reporting. Fortunately for you, I chose to do some original reporting.

So, I called a couple of Democratic Members of the House of Representatives and invited them out for coffee so that they could share their horrific stories of abject terror with me. After all, don't we owe it to future generations to document our modern day Teabagging Kristallnacht? I think so.

We agreed to meet at the Capitol Hill Starbucks (237 Pennsylvania Avenue...just steps from the Capitol) and I had barely settled in when the stories started. I have to say your humble correspondent was shocked and dismayed by what he learned...... more...

Posted by: Jack M. at 10:27 AM | Comments (88)
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However, Republicans got a few small parliamentary objections in, and so the bill is not identical to the form passed by the House. The House will have to re-vote-- though I don't think that's such a big political hit for them. They already took 99% of the damage they're going to take.

Regressives are already agitating to take that opportunity to add the public option back into the plan.

But Democratic Senators aren't very enthusiastic about that... yet.

Democratic senators have expressed little enthusiasm for adding a public option to the health care reform fix-it bill that is expected to pass the Senate on Thursday before a final vote in the House.

"Not in this bill, because we can't make any substantive changes, but down the road we will be debating that," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told the Huffington Post.

Posted by: Ace at 10:26 AM | Comments (61)
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I don't know how many billions yet, so I went with Carl Saganesque vagueness.

Here's the skinny: The government used to offer corporations a subsidy to provide Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage plans to their employees. Why? Well, because businesses could offer the plans more cheaply -- it would cost a business only $665 per person to provide the coverage, whereas if those people were getting that coverage through Medicare, it would cost nearly double that.

So the subsidy was in fact a net-cash-winner -- by shelling out some money to induce businesses to provide the coverage, we avoided the additional costs of Medicare having to provide it.

So: Obama and the Democrats need some fake "savings" to claim their bill is "reduces the deficit." What do they do? They cut the subsidy.

On paper, gee, that saves money. But in the real world, that induces corporations to stop playing ball, stop offering Medicare Part D coverage, and dump those employees and retirees into Medicare again, costing the government even more money. Verizon just signaled it will likely be doing just that.

Other corporations will follow suit.

Upshot? They scored this cut as "saving" $5.4 billion. Not only won't it "save" anything, it will wind up costing additional billions as corporations dump their costly retirees into expensive government coverage.

If you like your insurance, you get to keep your insurance. And, PS, if you like me not coming in your mouth, you get to keep me not coming in your mouth. Swearsies.

PPS: Ooops.

Thanks to StarChamberMaid.

Posted by: Ace at 10:14 AM | Comments (62)
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Ain't that America.

Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday it will take a $100 million charge to earnings this quarter to reflect additional taxes stemming from newly enacted U.S. health-care legislation.

...

The charge is expected to be a one-time cost, but Caterpillar has argued that higher taxes and other potential cost increases related to insurance coverage mandates in the legislation will hinder the companyÂ’s recovery this year after a 75% plunge in income during 2009.

“From our point of view, a tax increase like this cannot come at a worse time,” said Jim Dugan, a Caterpillar spokesman.

And John Deere:

Farm equipment maker Deere expects after-tax expenses to rise by $150 million this year as a result of the health care reform law President Barack Obama signed this week.

Most of the higher expense will come in DeereÂ’s second quarter, the company said on Thursday. The expense was not included in the companyÂ’s earlier 2010 forecast, which called for net income of about $1.3 billion. Â…

The law could raise expenses for large U.S. employers. Industrial companies, which typically have large numbers of retirees, may be among those facing the biggest bill. Caterpillar had argued before the legislation passed that health reform would put it at a disadvantage against global competitors.

Video at Hot Air of Obama saying "you can measure America's bottom line by looking at Caterpillar's bottom line." Well, Caterpillar just took a massive tax hit. How's that workiin' out then?

Posted by: Ace at 10:04 AM | Comments (92)
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