The Right Prescription
Pelosicare's Broken Window
Nancy, it won't cost you anything to read up on Frédéric Bastiat.
In his 1850 essay, "That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen," French economist Frédéric Bastiat wrote his famous Parable of the Broken Window in which he explained that the economic benefit to the glazier hired to replace an accidentally broken window is offset by the economic loss to the shopkeeper whose window was broken. In other words, what is seen is the cash paid to the window-maker and his ability to hire an employee or buy products from others with that cash. What is unseen is that the shopkeeper no longer has the use of his cash, with which he could have done any of the same things or simply used the cash for his family's benefit or his own enjoyment.
We frequently hear a version of the Broken Window fallacy during natural disasters, such as people crowing about the boom in sales of wood and the increased hiring of repair crews and construction workers after a major hurricane. Bastiat posed a similar point, reduction ad absurdum, by asking the rhetorical question, "How much trade would gain by the burning of Paris, from the number of houses it would be necessary to rebuild?"
While the issue raised by Bastiat is most clearly seen through an example of a broken window or burning house, the principle of needing to consider That Which Is Not Seen is critical during any analysis of the behavior of government, not least during the current health care "reform" debate. Between the typical Chicago thug political style of Barack Obama and his henchman, Rahm Emanuel, and the shell-game CBO manipulations of Harry Reid, far more is unseen than seen in the proposed legislation. As if to make that point even more obvious, the Administration is rebuffing C-Span's request that it live up to Barack Obama's often-repeated promise to have these specific negotiations take place in public view, indeed specifically on C-Span. Health care reform is now literally unseen.
The relevance of Bastiat to the health care debate struck me when reading a quote from Nancy Pelosi in which she said that she wants whatever compromise health care bill emerges from their closed-door negotiations to "lower costs at every stage" of our health care system.
As someone who thinks carefully about word choices, I found her statement troubling not only because I know she's lying about what she wants. It took me a few minutes, but then it hit me. The Bastiat fallacy lies in the word "costs."
What Pelosi really means is that she wants to lower prices paid by end-user consumers of health care.
She wants it to appear that costs have gone down, but in fact the bill will exacerbate the single greatest existing flaw in our health care system: the insulation of consumers of health care from the costs of what they consume. The majority of Americans, when they go to the doctor, feel as if they're spending someone else's money -- a situation which both Milton Friedman and common sense tell us cannot lead to disciplined spending.
All credible evidence and opinion points toward the current "reform" plans increasing the cost of insurance and medical care. Health insurance companies have said that premiums for almost everyone will rise, with prices doubling or tripling for many, particularly in the individual/family rather than employer group market.
When Democrats' plans to give everything to everyone for free or near-free and their intent to allow people to wait until they're sick before buying insurance (which would seem to defy the very definition of insurance, i.e. insuring against an unknown future event), take effect, costs will skyrocket.
The only way, then, for Pelosi to make prices for consumers decline in an environment of actually increasing costs is through massive government subsidies. This is the direction in which Bastiat's ghost is pointing -- while jumping up and down and screaming (in French), "Don't let them get away with such a transparent lie!" (The lie being the only thing about the situation that is transparent.)
"Subsidies" is simply another way to say "redistribution of wealth." The proposed Senate bill offers "assistance", meaning your money, to families of four making up to $88,200 (or individuals making $43,320). The House bill's numbers are similar. Under each bill, such a family of four's price to buy health insurance would be limited to about $2,500 and their out-of-pocket expenses capped somewhere between $4,000 and just over $6,000 per year. These numbers will massively increase the costs within the health care system as the subsidized insured over-consume health care and pay for less than the cost of services they use. This means that all Americans who aren't subsidized will see their prices go up to cover the unreimbursed costs.
In a way, what the Democrats want to do is to cause millions of Americans to have the same impact on our health care system that illegal aliens currently do: using health care services while paying much less than the costs they impose on the system, thus raising prices for everyone else.
The way in which politicians want to mask higher costs with lower prices is to increase taxes. Some suggest taxing "Cadillac" health insurance plans. Some suggest taxing upper-income earners, either through an income tax surcharge or lifting the cap on Medicare payroll taxes.
Should this "reform" pass, we will be living in Bastiat's nightmare -- in terms of the scale of what is seen and what is unseen -- when you go to the doctor's office or hospital. What will be seen, at least for many, is a low price. Reality, however, will be a health care system with costs exploding in a way that will make recent medical price inflation look tame. Some day, when the Democrats' intentional Broken Window fallacy is bankrupting the nation, reality and their schemes will have a violent collision. Even Pelosi won't be able to keep the cost of that collision hidden…and we'll all be paying the price.
About the Author
Ross Kaminsky is a self-employed trader and investor and is a senior fellow of the Heartland Institute. He blogs at Rossputin.com and is the host of The Ross Kaminsky Show on Denver's NewsRadio 850 KOA on Sundays from 11 AM to 2 PM.
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Spionnadh| 1.8.10 @ 7:49AM
We are paying the price now for all the citizens who did not see the reality of Barry's background during the 2008 campaigns. Send money to Scott Brown in Machussetts.
Ret. Marine| 1.8.10 @ 8:02AM
Expecting the Dem's to "tell it like it is" is a joke in of itself. These criminals deserve what they are peddling. But, NOOOOO we don't need to lower ourselves to the populas level in their heads is what they are in fact peddling afterall, they are oh so smart. Do you or anyone in their right minds expect the truth to be told, from san fran nanny piglosi of all people? get real.
The stain on their faces and the egg up their asses will be long felt by the middle class. Why do you think the legalization of the illegal invasion of the turd world of southern America is next on the agenda of the pretender-n-theif. You would have to be a stone cold idiot if you don't understand why the H/C issue was ahead of this game.
Can you say re-distribution of the middle class to the illegals for the purpose of vote buying? This product of a turd world mindset, obama, is one slick thug, chicago style. His minions are doing the dirty bastards bidding, so as to not get the blame. I am convinced tht the Dem's are falling right into his trap, hook, line and sinker. The end result is obama is willing to lose the next two election cycles back to the Repukeagain institutions because they know once this monster is in place all the king's men will never be able to put this broken egg shell back together again. If this legislation can withstand the Constitutional muster, this entire country will be on track with his committment of "in five days we are going to fundamentaly change this Nation" mindset.
What I want to know, if anyone can explain, is if We the People can legally take this crook to court by this one statement along? He swore to "serve and protect the Constitutiion" not change the tenets of it.
They have to lie, cheat, steal and hide to do their dirty work, they just know no better. It's how they have done business since the middle of the 18th century. Why change the tactic's now, what does it gain them to be honest anyway? They sure as hell arent making any friends on this side of the Country. Matter of fact I believe they have just made the 10-most wanted by the Patriots of our Country. Tell me I'm wrong.
wyn| 1.8.10 @ 7:45PM
Sorry Ret Marine. You are, unfortunately, right. I'd go further. This crew is cynical. Their entire purpose is to destroy the country, and they're using the mindless Progressives to do it.
Jimbo| 1.9.10 @ 1:53PM
Wyn, this crew is TOTALLY comprised of mindless Progressives. Socialists, Marxists, Progressives,
they're all the same, hell bent on bringing this country down to the level of the Third World.
hunter| 1.8.10 @ 9:50AM
Pelosi has apparently made too many flights from Washington D. C. back to California when the oxygen wasn't working. Another book that would have to be read to her is about the french revolution. This witch don't have a clue!
dave| 1.10.10 @ 2:09PM
Sorry hunter but I agree with wyn and Jimbo and I'm afraid that Pelosi not only has a clue about where she's taking us but that she's been way too successful. The only thing that's going to stop it now is for the rest of the Congress and Senate to remember before it's too late that they have brains and balls (figuratively in some cases) and can act on their own. Don't expect it though; it's easier to just not believe what you think you see.
Al Adab| 1.8.10 @ 10:33AM
The Speaker and her ilk don't read the bills; certainly haven't read the Constitution; so why do you think they would ever read Bastiat?
Heck it is likely they never read the founders either or they would know better.
Pingback| 1.8.10 @ 12:08PM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : Pelosicare's Broken Window [spectato links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Ross Kaminsky| 1.8.10 @ 12:23PM
Al Adab,
I don't think the Speaker has or will read Bastiat. However, my intention wasn't to get her to read it but to get readers of these pages to read it.
Some ideas, like those embodied in the Broken Window parable are powerful enough to impact forever how someone analyzes government actions.
At the end of the day, Pelosi will never change. But if enough voters understand well enough what is being done to them, they can at least vote her into the minority and out of effective power, even if she's in a safe San Francisco district as far as winning re-election.
If I get a dozen people to go read That Which is Seen and That Which is Unseen, or even just the Broken Window part of it, then I'll have accomplished my goal with this article.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Regards,
Ross Kaminsky
Al Adab| 1.8.10 @ 12:33PM
Thank you for the courtesy of your reply to my post. We find ourselves in clearr agreement on the Speaker's intellectual accomplishments. Hopefully many, as you suggest, will read Bastiat and the founders as well.
BTW, Rossputin is a very clever moniker.
Yours truly,
Al
Jimbo| 1.9.10 @ 1:57PM
Ross - Excellent article. As a reader of Bastiat, I highly recommend his works to our readers. A superb distillation of The Broken Window appears as a two-page chapter in the great Henry Hazlett's book "Economics in One Lesson", another text I very highly recommend to our readers.
Mindnumbedrobot| 1.9.10 @ 6:51PM
Cheers to Kaminsky for pointing us to Bastiat. I have read and reread several of his works (as well as an American version by a man called Emile Walter, I think) who wrote in the late 1800s about free trade. Just for information, I happened to speak with Alan West, a candidate for Congress from Florida, and he told me he is heavily influenced by Bastiat, which is great news to me. Thanks for this article, and I advise everyone to read Bastiat.
Jim Darlin| 1.10.10 @ 4:53PM
Your article is a very good one, and obviously your take on Speaker Pelosi is right on. The problem we have is that there is, sadly, no alternative. You see in 2002 we elected a republican controlled Congress and President; what we got was out of control spending, pork, earmarks, and massive deficits and debt. Granted the republican deficits and debt were not nearly as large, or as outrageous as what we are seeing now; but, really, how much difference is there? To my way of thinking the "bad"spending Bastiat talked about is something both parties deal in. Add to that the fact that third party is not an option; and where exactly does that leave us?
Max| 1.10.10 @ 6:16PM
Pelosi can read?
George F| 1.8.10 @ 12:32PM
I am shivering in my boots about this healthcare legislation because so many people are completely uninvolved and refuse to listen to reasons this is a bad idea. It's left to the few of us who see the truth to try and stop Dems. Are we enough?
dum&dummer;| 1.8.10 @ 12:48PM
george f, with our patty cake, lets just let 'em have what they want in order to get home in time for christmas so called conservative leaders, i doubt if we are enough. sad to say.
Pingback| 1.8.10 @ 1:12PM
Big day for Ross, journalistically | People's Press Collective Beta links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Flee| 1.8.10 @ 3:23PM
As a benefits mgr for a mid-size manufacturer I perish the thought of what our enrollments may look like if this monstrosity gets passed. We added the consumer driven health plan option this year with the HSA hoping to add some healthy participants and lower everyones costs. It is getting more and more difficult to tell employees with a straight face how much they will be paying for the privilege to be in our plans. It gets depressing.
SpiralArchitect| 1.8.10 @ 3:41PM
Increasingly, polls are displayed and opinions voiced that those known as constituants ( the represented) are not being even remotely represented by their Legislative representitives.
This is not new of course. The underlying theme is
disturbing. Those that are (actually) being represented are peoples and groups that are not only in the shadow but are interested in personal and financial ( corperate and / or political ) gain.
This gross lack of representation leads to resentment.
Pingback| 1.8.10 @ 6:00PM
The American Spectator : Pelosicare's Broken Window capital university links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Richard Baker| 1.8.10 @ 7:23PM
Good article. But after all, aren't the Democrats trying to "burn Paris" as we speak?
Pingback| 1.8.10 @ 7:43PM
The American Spectator : Pelosicare's Broken Window American Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
arlene| 1.9.10 @ 2:22AM
can not see the reality of Barry's backgroundgreen coffee 800
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Pingback| 1.9.10 @ 2:42AM
The American Spectator : Pelosicare's Broken Window links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 1.9.10 @ 2:42AM
The American Spectator : Pelosicare's Broken Window links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Northern Rebel| 1.9.10 @ 8:24AM
Mr. Kaminsky, your article was brilliant, and your interaction with us as readers, is most refreshing!
Al Adab is correct when he says Dead face Pelosi doesn't even read the bills in front of her, but I appreciate any knowledge I can gather, being a self educated high school drop out. Anything I have ever learned , I did on my own time, in between grueling 60 hour work weeks at blue collar endeavors.
Thank you for educating me. Sincerely.
Jimbo| 1.9.10 @ 2:01PM
NR - As I mention above, get a copy of Hazlett's "Economics in One Lesson". Follow that up with Thomas Sowell's excellent "Basic Economics" and Jude Waniski's "The Way The World Works". Plenty of good economics grist for your mill.
Ross Kaminsky| 1.9.10 @ 2:25PM
Rebel,
Thanks for the compliment, and you're welcome for any way in which I've been able to offer value to you.
I'd appreciate it if you (and others) would also check out my blog at http://rossputin.com from time to time, and don't be afraid to post comments.
maverick muse| 1.9.10 @ 9:28AM
"Some suggest taxing 'Cadillac' health insurance plans."
Sign of changing times, when the yet popular vernacular term "Cadillac" is becoming an extinct entity following My Merry Oldsmobile. In a nutshell, there is no such thing as luxury for anyone below Ivy League elitists who assume their status as the self-appointed aristocracy. To the "Democratic" Marxist majority in Washington, the Middle Class are peons for exploitation.
Bastiat was a genius who extended Jefferson's understanding through newer generations and across the ocean from France through Europe. We would do well requiring Bastiat's The Law be required reading to graduate from 8th grade. Get back to Civics Curriculum because Social Studies endorsed and legitimized US Marxism.
Ross Kaminsky| 1.9.10 @ 2:26PM
Maverick,
I buy 100 copies of The Law every year and give them away to that year's class of the Leadership Program of the Rockies. (http://www.leadershipprogram.org)
I think it's a great investment in our nation's future.
Jimbo| 1.9.10 @ 4:10PM
Ross - Where do you obtain your copies of The Law? Would be interested in getting a copy for myself.
lakewoodbob| 1.9.10 @ 10:34PM
The Law can be found on the Internet. Look for a copy that has the paragraphs labelled. You will know what I mean when you see it. The text is about 30 pages. You can also find an excellent Forward by Walter Williams if look around. Put it all in a WORD file, so you can email it to friends.
Good Luck!
Jimbo| 1.10.10 @ 8:21AM
Thanks, Lakewoodbob, will check that out. Walter Williams is also one of my heros, have several of his books and an autographed photo in my study. Also read his articles on Townhall.
Ross Kaminsky| 1.10.10 @ 1:52AM
Jimbo,
I buy them in bulk from the Foundation for Economic Education (Fee.org).
It's a world-view changing (and short) book.
Jimbo| 1.10.10 @ 8:23AM
Thanks Ross. I'm well acquainted with FEE. I get their daily e-mail "Notes from FEE" and use their articles quite frequently. Didn't realize however that they had this.
Thom| 1.9.10 @ 4:29PM
As I remember, Frédéric Bastiat destroyed Marx’s theories on economic ground back in his time but it seems that wasn’t too well read in France given their Marxist history. Getting non Marxists to read such stuff probably isn’t the core problem here but I would value a source of his works I could read in its entirety.
darcy| 1.9.10 @ 6:28PM
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." -- French Economist, statesman and author Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)
Perhaps, Thom, Bastiat's theories have in time in fact "destroyed" Marx's ill-conceived and despotic economic theories; yet Das Kapital entered the scene around 1867, a full decade-and-a-half after Bastiat's death.
How do you get your typeface to include the accents above the "e"s???
For socialism's incipiency (and for Bastiat's answer to it, perhaps), we can thank the French Revolution, and a certain Monsieur Babeuf -- who himself was "inspired" by another fellow (whose name I don't recall and can't access at the moment because I can't get to the library to thumb through the book, Heaven On Earth by Joshua Muravchik, just now because the [visiting] baby is sleeping).
lakewoodbob| 1.9.10 @ 10:44PM
You may be thinking of Jean-Paul Marat who was famous for "Ami du Peuple." Babeuf would call himself "the Marat of Somme." BTW , Heaven on Earth is a great book!
Thom| 1.9.10 @ 7:10PM
Darcy, two part answer, the easy part first.
I just cut and pasted in Frédéric Bastiat from the article’s title…. MS Word did the rest.
Second, while Bastiat’s writings preceded Marx I’m of the considerable opinion that nothing man has done in the way of evil is fundamentally different from one age to another. Many people get wrapped around the axle over what camp one belongs in vs. what one camp or the other does. Some people are obsessed with intentions and completely void of consequences too. The Broken Window is a lesson in that. I’m of the opinion that what Marx put to pen thanks in large part to the mass production of printed material that we take for granted today carries more weight than ideals put forth before him simply on the weight of market presence and a higher literacy level of the population in general. I believe this is not a stretch to say that many of the problems with government we have today were spoken to by Greeks thousands of years before either Marx or Bastiat but the general population of that time probably knew less of those writings (on stone) then we do today. Reasonable assumption?
Further it is a common practice by products of “University” to pigeon hole people into academic labels and that said labels be air tight and exclusive of any overlap with any other academic label made popular that year in academia. It is always fun to argue with people who think there is a real world long term difference between Marx’s ideals and Fascism as both are practiced. There is no difference to the OX, the OX’s owner or the person getting the benefit of the confiscated OX but people obsessed with putting a label on every variation of evil just can’t grasp the difference only matters to those not victimized by it.
What form of these government systems known as Communism, Socialism, Fascism, Liberalism, Feudal, etc would not fit Bastiat’s quote? Before these, it was called something else but Bastiat’s quote still applies and certainly he had some reference in his time to speak to as well. Somebody else has said something to the effect “Democracies can not sustain themselves because they tend to commit (fiscal) suicide”. I think humanity just recycles its worst tendencies using the latest technology and next marketing gimmick for the weakest minds in the herd.
philfl63| 1.9.10 @ 10:07PM
Obama & Co. want to control the healthcare system for purposes of raw and absolute power. Period. The healthcare system we currently have in place was created by dictates, laws, and regulations of the politicians and federal gov't. They created the monster. There is nothing they can do to "reform" it. The only remedy is for gov't to completely remove itself from our healthcare system, less the military and VA. Everything else that they have discussed, debated, and proposed is just one huge lie. Regards Obama & Co., they also want healthcare as a means of redistribution of my money and yours to low-life ghetto dwellers, illegal aliens, other minorities, and white trash so as to buy their loyalties. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the billions in campaign bribes the corruptocrats expect to reap from anyone involved in the healthcare industry whose livelihood depends on keeping the corruptocRats (DemocRats and Repugnicans) happy. Nuff said.
lakewoodbob| 1.9.10 @ 11:51PM
Here is the last paragraph from Walter E. William's Forward to The Law:
Collapse of communism and technological innovations, accompanied by robust free-market organizations promoting Bastiat’s ideas, are the most optimistic things I can say about the future of liberty in the United States. Americans share an awesome burden and moral responsibility. If liberty dies in the United States, it is destined to die everywhere. A greater familiarity with Bastiat’s clear ideas about liberty would be an important step in rekindling respect and love, and allowing the resuscitation of the spirit of liberty among our fellow Americans.
Bellicus Pium| 1.10.10 @ 10:47AM
Great reminder of "The Parable of The Broken Window."
Owen| 1.10.10 @ 11:14AM
I want my free lunch and I want it NOW!
valwayne| 1.10.10 @ 11:38AM
Elections have consequences, but nobody thought the consequence of Democratic Majorities in Congress and Obama in the White House would be corrupt spending and debt in the trillions and trillions. The corruption has been endless with the Lousisiana Purchase and Cornhusker Kickback only the lastest in trillions and trillions in corruption. It will take a generation to recover from what has already been done. If the corrupt Democrats retain power in 2010 our economy and nation will slide into permanent decline!
Old Oak Tree| 1.10.10 @ 3:14PM
I fully believe what Kaminsky has written. Furthermore, I believe the Dem's have planned this very carefully. They want to use immigration, card-check and ACORN to increase their base and possibly voter fraud. . . Capntrade to bankrupt the free-market system. . . Health-care reform would both cement their base and hasten the bankruptcy of the country. Here we come, dollar collapse, one-world currency, and one-world govt and one-world redistribution and permanent power for progressives. It's Cloward-Piven. I pinch myself and ask "Can this be true?" My answer: Yes, I think it is.
I have donated 4 times to Scott Brown, and I encourage others to do the same. He is a fiscal conservative running in the January 19 special election for the Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat. Donate now to capture the 41st seat for fiscal conservatives. We don't have to wait til November to make a significant difference!
Margie| 1.10.10 @ 8:13PM
www.brownforussentae.com/
Margie| 1.10.10 @ 8:15PM
scratch that one...typo fingers. Here's Scott's website:
www.brownforussenate.com/
vulgar moralist| 1.10.10 @ 4:11PM
Health care is part of a larger program, which leaves American citizens with two pretty stark alternatives. Either we allow ourselves to move to a European model of top-down, elite-managed government - a jumbo-sized Sweden, say - or we return to the Jeffersonian ideal of free citizens who mostly solve their problems by freely associating. I can't think of a middle ground.
See "A return to first principles: the test":
http://vulgarmorality.wordpres.....-the-test/
Alfred| 1.10.10 @ 6:01PM
Obama's "thug political style"?!? We must be living in different moral universes, Mr. Kaminsky. Mr. Obama seeks consensus. He refuses to vilify his opponents. He listens to his sharpest critics. He avoids ad hominem arguments. He offers reasoned argument and evidence in support of his policies and decisions. Thoroughly pragmatic in the best sense (i.e., in the tradition of William James, Charles S. Peirce, and John Dewey), he is the antithesis of an idealogue.
Flexible, informed, reasonable, and generous, the man is unlike any thug I've ever met!
Margie| 1.10.10 @ 8:11PM
As a matter of fact, thugs are actually tell you in a very nice voice just what they're going to do to you if you don't conform. The smoother the talker, the slimier the thug.
Just look at Bill Clinton, the first black President. The Master of deceit.. yes, wasn't he just so "brilliant?" As brilliant as a snake before it bites you with its venom. What was it he said to Juanita Broderick after he raped her? "Your lip is bleeding, ya oughta put some ice on it." The second black President is even slicker. While taking over the economy and bringing America to its knees he tells us things are getting better.. as they in fact get worse. Guess we better just put some ice on our collective lip because things are only gonna get worse.
Vote them all out now!
DMyers| 1.10.10 @ 9:05PM
WHAT? I haven't heard Obama say anything specific in his entire campaign or any speeches since then. He says nothing but generalities such as "if we spread the wealth around everyone benefits." He did call the police "stupid" before the "beer summit" but was not specific about how they were stupid. SEEKS CONSENSUS? How do you know? He lets his underlings Pelosi and Reid do the backdoor negotiations. He doesn't take responsibility for the health care bill, except in very general terms. He says "the buck stops with me" about the underwear bomber, but he doesn't say what that means. Maybe he means he won't fire Napolitano for being an idiot. Not an ideologue? How about his fealty to Saul Alinsky? Generous? Gives less than 1% to charity (see his income tax report). This entire post is nothing but generalities, just like Obama. I would not be proud of praising Obama as a pragmatist. A pragmatist is a person who tries a bunch of experiments and maybe one works and maybe not. How does a pragmatist know what works if he doesn't have any principles to base his program on? Actually, I don't think Obama is a pragmatist because he seems to base his activities on power-seeking. He might be more akin to Lenin or Mao. Obama certainly doesn't base his activities in preservation of individual rights, especially the right to private property, since he apparently believes it is OK to take some people's property (taxes) and give them to other people he deems more worthy. He certainly doesn't seem to have an appreciation of the individual as having any competence to plan his own life and dispose of his own funds and property as he sees fit, as long as he doesn't impose force on other people. I could go on, but I think Obama can best be characterized as aiming for the smiley-faced fascism outlined in Jonah Goldberg's book Liberal Fascism.
Ross Kaminsky| 1.10.10 @ 10:58PM
Alfred,
Please show me any Obama consensus seeking on anything that really matters. Republicans have been completely cut out of the health care debate. The Senate EPW Committee voted on Cap and Trade WITHOUT REPUBLICANS IN THE ROOM.
As for "thug politics", here's one example: Earlier this year, there was a meeting of Democratic Congressman and President Obama. One of the Congressman, Peter DeFazio, had voted against the so-called "stimulus" bill. When DeFazio asked Obama a question, Obama's response was "Don't think we're not keeping score, brother."
Finally, as far as pragmatism, in what sense is it pragmatic for a politician to force his party down a road that will lead to their electoral destruction so soon after such huge victories, to their being despised so soon after being given such goodwill?
Obama is in no sense flexible or informed or reasonable or generous. And given those FACTS, you are probably right that he is unlike most people, though he would then be most similar to a thug. By the way, would any honest person characterize Rahm Emanuel as anything but a political thug? If not, do you think it irrelevant that he is Obama's chief-of-staff?
You Obamabots are remarkable for your ability to put aside any obvious negative fact about Obama's background, including having come up through some of America's dirtiest politics and having surrounded himself -- since his youth -- with communists, anti-capitalists, and haters of America.
Nobody should be surprised at his consistent rhetorical attacks on our nation and his consistent political attacks on our economy and liberty.
You need to stop drinking the kool-aid. It's that simple. Let me put it another way: If Obama were not black, I would bet big money you would not be going so easy on him, even though you are clearly a Democrat.
Bob in TX| 1.10.10 @ 6:51PM
Alfred,
Concensus? Exactly how has Mr. Obama sought consensus? By letting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid manufacture backroom bargains?
"He refuses to vilify his opponents." He has blamed George Bush at EVERY opportunity. He tells his opponents to "shut up and get out of the way".
As far as "reasonable", we can agree to disagree.
Thomas Jefferson| 1.10.10 @ 10:53PM
… when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
mulp| 1.11.10 @ 12:27AM
If paying directly for health care provides better efficiency and better health and lower costs, then the uninsured must be the healthiest, the least likely to go bankrupt, and must cost society the least in taxes.
So, why are those who have renal failure and depend on taxpayer funded dialysis at public hospitals in Florida causing those hospitals to ration health care and terminate treatment such patients.
Not to worry, once these patients reach death's door, they will be treated in ERs after being admitted to the hospital with costs falling on tax payers and those with health insurance.
jaya| 1.11.10 @ 1:00AM
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Bilwick| 1.11.10 @ 8:30AM
Obama certain DOES seek consensus. He wants a general consensus of submission to collectivism, and a general consensus of how wonderful he is. Long live Il Dufe!
Tony in Central PA| 1.11.10 @ 10:33AM
" Reform " or not, I hate to tell everybody here that we already have socialized medicine in this country. Everything that is already bad about our system is only going to get worse.
As an example, my father - in - law is a very skilled and experienced general surgeon. I recently had a discussion with him about how the prices of various services are not determined by any sort of reality, but by government decree. Medicare sets the prices and the insurance companies follow. There are several operations which he performs that have " upside down " pricing. He discussed multiple examples of how the government often pays more money for conventional operations versus the same operation performed laparoscopically. The laparoscopic procedure is more difficult to perform, requires more skill and training, but results in better outcomes and shorter hospitalizations. It also saves costs, but in the arbitrary world of the federal government far removed from economic realities, this is not a consideration.
Richard Baker| 1.11.10 @ 5:28PM
Mr. Jefferson:
As a Virginian and American, I say Bravo, once again.
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jim| 9.7.10 @ 12:52PM
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roger| 10.12.10 @ 1:20AM
I will guarantee that everyone associated with this legislation knows full well that costs to the consumer, us, with skyrocket, but that is not their problem. The whole point of this legislation is not to reduce costs to the consumer, but to control the consumer. However when the consumer finally wakes up and finds that the government have stuck it to him again, all hell is going to break loose in this country. I know there are a lot of sheep out there that will just sigh and pay the bill, but there are millions that won't. Those are the ones that the administration fears and it's reason to build a private army.
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ride on sweeper| 10.9.11 @ 9:50PM
I don't think the Speaker has or will read Bastiat. However, my intention wasn't to get her to read it but to get readers of these pages to read it. Please show me any Obama consensus seeking on anything that really matters. Republicans have been completely cut out of the health care debate.
Solar Cell| 10.14.11 @ 2:28AM
Getting non Marxists to read such stuff probably isn’t the core problem here but I would value a source of his works I could read in its entirety. The problem we have is that there is, sadly, no alternative. You see in 2002 we elected a republican controlled Congress and President; what we got was out of control spending, pork, earmarks, and massive deficits and debt.
masilia| 10.20.11 @ 1:49AM
Either we allow ourselves to move to a European model of top-down, elite-managed government - a jumbo-sized Sweden, say - or we return to the Jeffersonian ideal of free citizens who mostly solve their problems by freely associating. I can't think of a middle ground. Why are those who have renal failure and depend on taxpayer funded dialysis at public hospitals in Florida causing those hospitals to ration health care and terminate treatment such patients.