Your pals all lived on your floor, eclectic and stimulating extracurricular activities practically found you, and keg-centric weekend entertainment was three bucks and a stumble away.  Also, there was the potential for learning during spare time.  Yeah, it was awesome.  Go, my alma mater!

But the unrelenting hangover that is adulthood seemingly remains inevitable.  We eventually must leave Milwaukee’s Best behind and advance to where we can afford beer that doesn’t taste like drainage runoff.  Sigh: I’m talking about becoming a grownup.  You can only stall after getting your diploma for a decade or so.

The only alternative to facing a reality of alarm clocks and workplace drudgery is to pursue employment that resembles a perpetual 15-credit course load.  Thankfully, smart-alecky freelancer is one; I can shave at my leisure and subsist on whatever can be microwaved.

But there’s a somewhat more prominent job that’s frighteningly conducive to the same mindset: depending upon the officeholder’s disposition, the job of free world leader can be morphed to approximate undergraduate life.  With that in mind, Barack Obama views his term as eight semesters.

He couldn’t be normal and go for an MBA or declare a third major if he liked academics that much.  Nope: Obama is turning the White House into Animal House just so he can never leave campus.

Worst, it’s a domesticated Animal House, as he’s not even trying to relive wobbly three-day weekends every weekend.  Instead, Obama was one of the odd dweebs who went to college because he liked class so much.

To be fair, who wouldn’t enjoy such a safely brainy haven?  University classrooms exist inside a bubble where every problem just needs an honors student to solve it.  For one, kids who wore shirts with collars to class know that we could scrub pollution and expand the economy by subsidizing green jobs.  Excepting for how it’s utterly counterproductive to warp the market in response to a non-environmental crisis, it’s brilliant in theory. 

Further, he conjured a formula in a basement lab to counter unemployment and economic upheaval, namely letting the feds exhaust every dollar you make.  It had to work: jobs follow investment, right?  Plus, jobs mean money!  Duh.

Such a profound truth is settled, even though it’s not thanks to how same initial outlay was confiscated from earners or borrowed from abroad in order to be spent by the fatally incompetent federal monopoly.  The result, namely perpetual double-digit unemployment, only shocks Ivy Leaguers.

Reality is mean that way.  Obama is too smart to accept that life doesn’t always flow smoothly.  Logic should fix everything, which is why he gets peevish every single time something bad happens under his watch.

Unfortunately, the impression he creates by pouting in the face of adversity is that he didn’t read the job description closely, not to mention that it seems as if he’s new to his human skin.  It’s his task to respond to and maybe fix some of the junk that happens, although he should have learned that during the interview process.

Most particularly, coping with this Gulf gush is such a hassle.   The leak should respond to wise federal planning, but it instead continues to petulantly sully federal waters.  How is the president supposed to implement his ploys for eternal sunshine when liquid darkness rises unabated from the Earth’s crust?

It’s ultimately our fault, of course: we’re hypocrites who love gasoline in our vehicles but not oil in our water.  Still, he could maybe take a temporary break from checking putting greens for tar ball contamination.

Man, he could accomplish much if there weren’t all these problems.  That’s also why Obama seems so put out when dealing with Islamic terrorists that attempt to destroy airliners or Times Square.

Addressing deeds aimed to cause chaotic mass murder seems like a chore to him, as he’d clearly rather be having a heart-to-heart rap session with coeds in a dorm stairwell.  There, he could explain how reaching out to our adversaries would end conflict if only we had a president willing to offer a hand.  I wonder if we’ll ever elect someone to try it; we’ll then see how it goes.

Oh, right: that’s him.  Remember that we’re not supposed to blanch when the former law school lecturer suggests that the miserable thugs need hugs.  Plots to slaughter innocents by the thousands will disappear if we can only learn to make those potential jihadists understand that we’re good guys.

Failing that, we can at least copy the market-destroying nonsense of mere commie thugs.  Notoriously, he portrays our aforementioned debt overlords in China as the epitome of clean energy generation despite the fact that the lone source of entertainment across their countryside is wallowing in filth.  Going green is easy when citizens have no money to buy fuel, not to mention any other stuff.

As for Obama’s other preferred international goons, he clearly cribbed off Cuba when it came to his health scheme.  And why not?  Eliminating greedy businessmen from the transaction should lead to better care, at least according to the results of many Introduction to Public Policy group projects.

His fellow Americans were supposed to docilely concur that a massive insurance renovation was utterly necessary.  But we’re apparently not sharp enough to know that dreadful care accompanied by a 37 jillion dollar deficit in lieu of simply buying what we need from insurers would be bad for us.

We’ll never agree with him on anything.  The Undergrad in Chief remains dismissive of conservatives, largely because he can’t believe they exist.  Those warmongers didn’t even want to celebrate their 18^th birthdays by chilling in the library and discussing the merits of a planned economy with other progressive students, so how can they be trusted?

He despises political conflict, as it’s a sign that others don’t possess enough sense to agree with him.  Obama wants everyone to respect his recitation-style brilliance.

The incumbent acquired a different academic lesson from someone more interested in winning class elections and learning from losing student council presidential races.  Namely, Bill Clinton spent his post-high school studies learning that he was willing do anything to remain popular and get re-elected, even if it eventually meant doing something sensible like cutting off eternal welfare benefits.  Chief Bubba spent his Georgetown time figuring how to win the next election when he wasn’t hitting on curvier lady librarians.

Conversely, Obama became proficient at stubbornness while obtaining his various degrees.  He inches toward the center just enough to shoehorn his modified dreams through an anxious Democratic congressional majority.  Thornily, his side of Congress is streaked with senators and representatives who aren’t as ideological as the executive on account of how they have to attract voters who have or had jobs.

Citizens with bills and mortgages they actually intend on paying off don’t look kindly upon politicians telling them their incomes and lives aren’t quite regulated enough.  Sadly for the president, he doesn’t sympathize with such piddling concerns as staying afloat: he made more slapping his name on books others likely wrote than he does at his current job, suckas.

So, we’re stuck with an alleged leader who won’t stray far from his law school commons ideals.  Life is about coping with difficulties as opposed to enjoying uninterrupted prosperity; many people learn the unpleasant but inescapable reality during college.  But Obama picked up a far different mentality in quad-adjacent buildings, as he schemed to perfect a world from which he was entirely isolated.

School taught Obama to remain sheltered.  After all, he was elected president at age 47 while having spent a huge chunk of his time before then in sundry campus halls.  He didn’t exactly dodge much trauma before he captured the presidency at any point in his adult life.  Debating Hillary Clinton doesn’t count.

The cushy-living president seems like the sort of parent who complains that the Harry Potter books are too dark for his children, as he wants a fantasy world of safe wizardry to which kids can escape.  Next, he’ll legally mandate that the sad parts be redacted from the final film.  We can all dream of a world without nightmares.

Obama’s embrace of the theoretical demonstrates that he may as well be serving his term back in Morningside Heights.  If he shifted his residence to where he’s already mentally residing, the president could revert to writing papers on Friday nights and actually visiting professors during office hours.

Picture Obama sitting enthralled as ancient doctorate holders regale him with tales of the disparity between the opulent and the poor or Imperial Britain’s wickedness, and his term’s course suddenly makes sense in its perverse way.  He clearly took notes, too.

Our eternally collegiate president was and is the worst sort of suck-up, namely the type who thinks that every single calamity can be solved with cogent planning from degree-laden paper geniuses stationed a thousand miles away.  Obviously, he’s the one most capable of doing said planning.  Your president is such an outstanding scholar that he doesn’t even need to release his transcripts to prove it.

In the meantime, we’re stuck with the least fun, most unpleasant sort of undergraduate: Obama is a Democratic Party animal.  If you encounter one at a university house soiree, it’s a sign to bolt back to your dorm and drink in your room.

Anthony Bialy is a freelance writer and “Red Eye” Conservative in Western New York.  He blogs at http://thebuffalobean.com and tweets at http://twitter.com/AnthonyBialy.

The inescapability of irritability applies more generally, too, as striving to make every adult happy is like giving Red Bull to five-year-olds and expecting them not to be fussy during naptime.  My suggested science experiment on kindergarteners might be considered by some uptight parenting experts to unlawful, immoral, or both.  Thankfully, we don’t need to conduct it: we already know that the individual humans comprising humanity can’t all get their joyful way, much less at once.

Short of researchers uncovering methods for generating unlimited free pizza and building roller coasters in place of highways, complete contentment will never be attained, especially since so many people seem to prefer wallowing in crumminess.

That cantankerous fact is immutable: even Barack Obama, who is of course the human quintessence of decency and sunshine, cannot mandate that his fellow Americans must ditch the permanent grumpies.  He’s still sadly trying, which is actually only infuriating us further.  Many are responding to his efforts to do so by gleefully waving at the executive with one finger.  Perversely and perfectly, the brazen gesture ameliorates gloom.

Of course, we have little about which to complain no matter how much damage George W. Bush has inflicted upon our wallets during the Obama presidency.  Even in the commanding, controlling year of 2010, most Americans enjoy astoundingly high living standards that are the envy of virtually all people ever.

Barons from earlier centuries would weep upon being exposed to the luxuries enjoyed by contemporary American bank tellers.  Poor people here are uncommonly blessed, although you may not always hear them praising the nation over the combined din of the microwave, air conditioner, and Margaritaville blender.

But the availability of ample simple comforts to most just isn’t enough for Obama.  It’s still not fair here, you see: some people aren’t able to McMansion themselves or tool around the burbs in a Range or Land Rover.  Why should only Wall Street goons get nice things?  Therefore, Obama’s guiding principle following his ascension has been to smack down the opulent in the name of assuaging the incompetent, ungifted, and/or hardscrabble at every occasion.

But confiscating from the rich while handing shady mortgages to the poor turns out to be as dangerous as asking Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) a question.  Hey: we’re all broke and fearful.  When Washington tells us to empty our wallets, they stay empty.  Blame the present administration for thinking everyone is entitled to nice things, only not too nice.

Of course, Whole Foods franchises aren’t the only ones penalized into oblivion when the rich are dragged down: the people fat cats employ get shafted, too, along with the respective Whole Foods register and cart jockeys.  And marginal homeowners aren’t precisely thriving post-foreclosure, either, unless they’re good squatters.  Spreading the wealth doesn’t work if there’s no wealth to spread.

The notion of broadening agony also applies to universally wretched health care.  The insurance system that not all but most mainly liked just wasn’t good enough.  In lieu of stitches, Obama slashed the patient until he was in debt, and also deceased.  To make it fair, Obama will make it so everyone hates their health treatments and costs equally; it’s an odd but technically accurate form of consensus.

Further, we can’t tap all the oil we can out of Mother Keg because it would sadden yaks, not to mention their human defenders.  The recently-single Al Gore and his evergreen minions can’t imagine a world where an airplane-sized chunk of Alaska is sullied by bulldozers, meaning oil that would help all of us goes unused to placate them.

The dirt adorers are joined by a handful of the rich twits who don’t like having their views obstructed by human creation.  Obama is supposed to loathe these opulent parasites.  Unfortunately, they wouldn’t donate to him if there’s a blip on the Gulf of Mexico’s horizon, so drillers can only ply their trade in the deep.  That may have consequences. 

The stab at fueling America without burrowing in or near it embodies how the president tries to give 100 percent of people everything they want.  How’s that working, Santa?  Ironically, his policies cause the precise opposite of widespread happiness, so at least there’s a reason you presently feel like junk.

His delusions about consensus are an international problem.  The man absolutely guaranteed to be a future United Nations Secretary-General loves the painfully turgid bureaucracy and consumer of souls that is the waste of Turtle Bay real estate.

The love for all things UN stands as Obama’s most defining broader aspect, other than his love for basketball that bigots like me feel obligated to mention.  What wouldn’t he like?  The pompous/puissant diplomats from national hovels who barely deserve flags embody noble human goals by occupying their assigned seats and telling Israel why it sucks.

More specifically, the Security Council epitomizes Obama’s idealized model of selflessly benevolent cooperation that all our planet’s peoples desire.  On an unrelated note, it’s merely coincidence that Obama was eight when Sesame Street premiered.  But the ideal doesn’t quite match the wretched reality.  In practice, the parking ticket-ignoring factory’s upper echelon is a practical example of why demanding unanimous consent is an undisputedly useless approach: some people are jerks, and it’s best to disagree with them.

In fact, the majority of the Council is comprised of nations who you’d duck at the reunion if they were high school classmates.  I’ll take the United Kingdom’s identical vote as a propitious sign, if only because I’ve seen the Rolling Stones twice.

But I don’t ever want to agree with the non-oatmeal stout-championing nations of France, China, or Russia at once on anything.  Finding ourselves in accord with all three varyingly disagreeable nations simultaneously is a sign to grab your flash drives and photo albums before rushing to your bunker.

But Obama wouldn’t see such a 5-0 vote as agreeing with the disagreeable.  After all, he thought that his soothing lectures were the only thing Americans and other Earthlings would adore more than his take on collectivism.

To Obama, the only American who should be held responsible for his actions is George W. Bush.  But absolving everyone else of accountability in the name of communality thankfully isn’t enough of an enticement for us to like him.

The president thought we all loved him while disregarding that he won under 53 percent of the popular vote.  Factor in how many of his former supporters aren’t interested in being fooled again, and it’s clear Obama can’t even cobble together a majority, much less full unity.  Don’t let him talk you into ordering pizza toppings you don’t want even if he plays the national harmony card.

Anthony Bialy is a freelance writer and “Red Eye” Conservative in Western New York.  He blogs at http://thebuffalobean.com and tweets at http://twitter.com/AnthonyBialy.

September has been a hard month on the foreign policy front for Obama. His lack of experience is showing. To no one’s surprise, he announced that the U.S. would not be following through with the missile defense shield.  The real question here is what, if anything was gained by this move? Did Russia agree to back sanctions against Iran? If so, that’s just peachy, but it doesn’t disarm Iran. Another ally sold out.

Then there’s Honduras. Why is the President publicly siding with the socialist dictators of South America? While it was the military that sent Zelaya packing, they acted on the order of the Supreme Court and Congress based on Zelaya’s violation of the Honduran Constitution. The military is not running the country, the interim President, Roberto Micheletti and Congress are in charge.  Unfortunately, Obama’s public stance condemning Zelaya’s removal, along with the freeze on funding and Hillary Clinton’s pulling the US visas of the members of Honduras’ Supreme Court, have created an environment that has encouraged Zelaya and his supporters and undermined democracy in Honduras. Zelaya has now returned to Honduras and a “real” coup may be imminent. Say goodbye to another South American democracy.

Finally, there’s Afghanistan. The President appeased Republicans in the election by being hawkish on Afghanistan, calling it the “war of necessity.” He seemed willing to pursue a strong strategy to ensure victory. The hawk is now looking more like a dove. General McChrystal was tapped to replace Bush’s choice of General McKiernan, and was touted by Robert Gates as the right man for the job. However, General McChrystal is expected to ask for more troops and suddenly he’s no longer the expert whose advice we should trust? Obama is planning to delay this decision and search for cheaper options. While troops are in harm’s way, delaying a decision on McChrystal’s advice is negligent at best.

How about a trade war with China, anyone?

Obama has had a hard month. He wants to focus on healthcare, but all these pesky foreign policy issues keep coming up. It’s no wonder he’s handled them so ineptly. Multi-tasking is certainly hard.

With so many socialistic agenda items to fight, you may be tempted to back off on cap and trade. Don’t give into that temptation, ladies. Cap and trade scares the pants off of me and it should scare you, too. The House passed the bill (a pox on those traitorous eight Republicans!) 219-212. This has gone too far.

The Community Organizer in Chief and fellow arrogant world leaders promised at the G8 Summit to keep temperatures from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average levels of more than a century ago. They also agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This would be knee-slapping humor except that they’re serious about it. They honestly believe that they (not God) have the ability to turn the world’s thermostat up or down. They ignore what many credible scientists say (the earth’s core has been cooling down for ten years) and they forge on.

Al Gore (who will be a billionaire if cap and trade becomes law) said on July 7, at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, “I bring you good news from the U.S. Just two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey climate bill.” Our former vice president lauded the Congressional climate bill as a step in the right direction for the fight of what he is constantly referring to as the crisis of global warming. The interesting part of his comments (yes, now and then Gore says something interesting, frightening but interesting) is this: “But it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements.”  Uh? Global governance? Why is the Left constantly undermining the United States’ right to govern itself?

If our Senate passes cap and trade (which let’s face it, is one big energy tax) China and India will take over the industrial world. Who will build a factory here?  Heck, who will build anything here? By taxing the use of energy, the government hopes to reduce usage. And it will. But at what cost? Businesses will go offshore to do their work. The Heritage Foundation says that by 2031 you won’t know anyone in the construction business. Over one million construction jobs will be lost by then. I haven’t even gone into the numbers for the trucking business or coal miners or steel workers.

If you own a house, you might want to sell it now while you still can. (I find it ironic that the Left in general, ACORN, Barney Frank, etc. want absolutely everyone to own a house and yet they also want to pass cap and trade. The two goals are mutually exclusive and do not co-exist). This climate change bill destroys home ownership. Cap and trade allows government inspectors into your home. Before you can put it on the market, it must pass inspection. You will be required to retrofit your residence to meet green guidelines. If you have an older home, you can kiss your home equity goodbye. It will be eaten up by replacing windows and appliances and installing more insulation. Your private property must receive the federal government’s stamp of approval before you are allowed to sell it.

Cap and trade spells the end of our country as we know it. It is the most far-reaching socialistic plan The Chosen One has yet to tackle. I’m continually impressed with his ability to arm twist, bully, lie and schmooze his agenda through our government’s system. He’s not foolish and he knows timing is everything.  I think the Senate will focus on health care (an equally terrifying prospect) before it gets back to cap and trade this fall. The Left hopes we’ll forget about this bill and focus on other issues. Keep this in mind. Check in on cap and trade weekly. Talk to your senators when they show their faces in their home districts. Share facts with your friends and family. Hold signs that dispute cap and trade when you attend tea parties. We must not let this bill become law.

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By Nichole Hungerford The problems associated with what is charitably called “Cap and Trade” (but more accurately called “Tax and Regulate”) was capture most succinctly in Congressman Boehner’s halting question, “Is there anything that we’re not regulating in this bill?”  Indeed, with the inherent energy requisite for every American-made product, unprecedented Orwellian intrusion into our homes, and millions of jobs to be sacrificed at the alter of climate change, the answer is not optimistic.

Weighing in at approximately 1200 unread pages, it seems as though the final straw for Boehner was the 300 plus page amendment incredibly submitted at 3:09 am the morning before the historic vote took place.  Fortunately, the univocal outrage over this subterfuge found voice in the gentleman from Ohio following the narrow passage of the bill.  Boehner used the opportunity afforded to the Minority Leader of the House to express an extended remonstrance on behalf of not just his party, but the jilted American public, who may soon find themselves yoked under this uniquely Californian quagmire.

Boehner began with an illustration of the bill’s staggering bureaucracy, the most useless sounding of which include the “Offsets Integrity Advisory Board,” the “Carbon Market Oversight Interagency Working Group,” the “Carbon Capture Board,” and “Clean Vehicle Technical Advisory Board.”  Bastions of governmental efficiency if ever I’ve heard of one.  Or, as Boehner quipped, “More power for a lot of unelected bureaucrats.”

The unrestrained government expansion is one thing, but the price c0-architect Henry Waxman deems the average American should pay is certainly severe.  Boehner highlighted, “This elaborate government structure [will] cost the American people several trillion dollars over the next ten years…”

In fact, the bill is loaded with allotments for vast sums of money without the slightest explanation as to how those funds will materialize.  “And then on page 164,” He pointed out from the amendment, “we authorize another 5 billion dollars. And there’s no—there’s no idea where this money comes from.”

To be honest, Congressman Boehner does know where the money will come from.  “Everything that we spend here we have to borrow from our kids and our grandkids—and the Chinese…”

But to be fair, the bill will surely offer some economic relief… mostly to China and India or other places which are not the United States.  “[Offsets] don’t have to be in the United States.  We’re going to see billions of American tax dollars being shipped around the world…I’m sure our constituents want our money being shipped around the world to plant trees.”

The great blessing to places like China and India will also be received in the form of American jobs.  As one example, Boehner describes the future of one of his district’s steel operations (which are practically on the American industry’s endangered species list), “The cost of their steel will increase 30-40%…the last thing they’re going to do is pay 30-40% more for their steel.  So what are they going to do?  They’re gonna bring it in from China.  They’ll bring it in from India.  Who are not burdened under this regulatory scheme, nor are they burdened under our current environmental regulations.  So, what happens is high energy jobs in America are going to get shipped overseas at exactly the wrong time.  The American people sent us here to help this economy, to help get them back to work.  This is the biggest job killing bill that has ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives.  Right here.  This bill.”  In fact, he laments, “Two and a half million jobs on average will be lost each and every year over the next ten year as a result of this bill.”

Of course, with great bureaucracy comes great absurdity, and the wealth of the latter in the bill provided Boehner with a few moments of levity, such as when he remarked on special provisions for “green banking centers.”  “Are you kidding me?  I’ve heard of blackmail, but now I know what ‘greenmail’ really is.”

He was also incredulous at the slew of studies stipulated by the bill, courtesy of the taxpayer, which only emphasize the greater damage it will inflict.  One will be on the availability of affordable mortgages.  “Really? After we drive the price of every mortgage up in America we’re going to have then to do a report on affordable mortgages?  Guess what?  They’re going to be a hell of a lot more expensive.”

And another:  “The Secretary will make grants…to study the effects of consumer behavior on total energy use.  Do we really need to spend government money to do a study on why people don’t want to pay twice the cost and get half the quality?”

Bristling from the intense criticism, after about twenty minutes of remarks, Congressman Waxman interrupted by calling a point of order.  He inquired into the time limit for the Minority Leader’s statements in a less than subtle effort to stifle his dissent.  No such limit was imposed, and afterward Boehner fired back, “The House is going to spend a whopping five hours debating the most profound piece of legislation to come to this floor in 100 years.  And the chairman has the audacity to drop a 300 plus page amendment…at 3:09 am this morning.  And so I would ask my colleagues–don’t you think the American people expect us to understand what’s in this bill before we vote on it?”  And of course, no one had—all this came after the vote had passed.

That Waxman, who slipped in the 300 plus page amendment under the veil of night in a blatant abuse of the legislative process, would raise a procedural objection is stunning.  However, Waxman is no stranger to making a mockery of American democracy—he originally hired a speed-reader to read the bill back in May, a stunt demonstrating marked arrogance and total disregard to the legal process.

Boehner emphasized the fact that the concern for the environment and development of a viable renewable energy industry was shared on both sides of the aisle.  But, in typical tax-and-regulate fashion, the Democratic way is simply misled and destructive.  “There’s not a member in this body who doesn’t want to improve the air quality in our country and around the world…but…do we need to have a national energy tax on every person in America who would drive a car, who would flip on a light switch or who would buy an American made product?”

In a very impassioned moment, Boehner railed against the nonsensical idea that the nation be forced to follow the lead of California–you know, that state that is on the verge of issuing IOUs and releasing criminals whom they can’t afford to house?  “For those of you who don’t know it, all California housing standards are now going to be imposed on every American community.  You don’t have the right to have your own building standards in your communities and your state.  Hell no!  The federal government’s going to tell you what they are!  And guess what?  We all get to have California standards!”

“And while I’m at it, we have to have an energy rating for every home in America.  In this bill.  And if you go to sell your house…you have to have a review [and] bring people in…[to] make sure your house is energy efficient.  And guess what if it isn’t?  You’ve got to bring it up to standards before you can sell it.  Now what kind of bizarre notion is that?”

The California connection really cannot be overstated.  Henry Waxman represents one of the most elite areas of California, for instance, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood.  He has made a lifelong political career almost exclusively in such areas and now stands to subjugate the entire nation under out-of-touch Californian notions of urgent environmentalism.  The bill was further rushed to the floor by Nancy Pelosi who represents the ever-sensible city of San Francisco. With respect to Cap-and-Trade, in many respects it remains a shinning example of Follow the Idiot.  Pray that the bill does not pass in the Senate, in the very least, without anymore unread, 300 page amendments.

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By Kelli Krauss

At a town-hall-style meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico President Obama said, “We can’t keep on just borrowing from China. We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.” He called the current deficit spending “unsustainable” and said that interest rates for consumers will go up if we continue to borrow from other countries.

Please excuse me while I bang my head against the wall!!! Is this not what we have been saying since January 20, 2009? Some of us have been saying it since the fall when the first financial rescue package was signed. This is what the Tea Parties on April 15th were about. More and more people are getting fed up with the spending in Washington and this Congress and Administration have been so good at it. Even John McCain, who I do not always agree with, called the current spending practices in Washington “generational theft”.

It is being reported that the Obama administration has revised it’s own estimates for the deficit this year to a record $1.84 trillion, which is up 5 percent from their February numbers and the 2010 deficit is being estimated at $1.26 trillion, up 7.4 percent from February.

Why is President Obama agreeing with us now? I guarantee it is not because he wants to stop spending. This is Obama paving the way for a tax increase and it will not be just for the “rich”. As he said during his campaign when gas prices were skyrocketing, “High gas prices are just fine by me, I just wish we could have raised them more slowly.” Will this be his model for tax increases?

Those of us who did not vote for him knew this was coming. So as the saying goes “Buyer beware”. Or in this case, “Obama-buyer beware”.

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By Bridget Geegan Blanton

The high cost of health care can be traced back directly to governmental manipulation of the free market system.   Soon after the 1965 enactment of Medicare and

 Medicaid, it was clear that the cost-plus payment system dramatically expanded the entire scope of healthcare.  Consumers of Medicare/Medicaid over-utilized the healthcare system which affected both pricing and volume of services.  The creation of artificial demand in conjunction with unprincipled free market manipulation placed a 

crushing burden on the system.  A warning from economists at the time predicted this consequence yet the warning went unheeded.  In response to unbridled demand on the system, medical insurance companies in the private sector increased premiums and passed the buck onto consumers.

In an attempt to displace responsibility for creating a spike in unwarranted demand, the government further manipulated the market by replacing the cost-plus system with cost-containment and cost-shifting measures.  Cost-containment resulted in set prices for medical services that do not reflect inflationary burdens on the medical care facilities.  Essentially, it is unlawful to charge what is not dictated by the state for medical procedures, even if it means that a facility loses money when treating patients.  If a facility can’t meet its payroll, it can’t keep the doors open.  While Medicare/Medicaid pay out less, costs continue to increase which has resulted in a focus on cost-shifting measures.  Hospitals shift the loss associated with cost-containment by charging higher prices to private payers just to stay on top of their operating costs.

Along with destroying the free market system, the government has dumped an onerous tax burden on the shoulders of Americans.  To trust the government to run a socialized medical system in this country is paramount to a complete avoidance of reality.  To date, Congress has failed to address the looming fiscal disaster of fixed entitlements such as social security and we’re supposed to trust them to run nation-wide medical care?   

Liberal Democrats are notorious for lacking any known skill set in the field of fiscal management.  Their approach to a budget seems loosely based on the economics of a drug deal in the park.  First, they support their power fix by paying off campaign backers with tax dollar funded projects favoring special interest groups.   From there, these same power obsessed  elites succeed in getting their voting bloc all strung out on addictive entitlements.   Need proof?  The fact that the state of California is about to fiscally implode showcases a complete lack of responsibility by Democrat legislators who dangerously enable Labor and their addiction to fantasy-based pension plans.  They’re looting California to support their habit.   Their addiction will kill California’s solvency.   Can’t you smell that smell?  The smell of death is all around you.  Furthermore, if the government wasn’t actively involved in confiscating nearly half of our annual income, medical care would be a manageable necessity of life.  In light of all this fiscal mismanagement, Democrat Presidential candidates spent the summer touting socialized medicine plans; wrongly describing this inefficient, gargantuan bureaucracy as ‘caring and compassionate’.

The description of ‘caring and compassionate’ never comes to mind once the true nature of socialized medicine is exposed.  It is ‘We the People’ who have always been caring and compassionate and not the state.  For over one hundred years, prior to governmental interference in medicine, our citizenry organized and donated funds to take care of those among us who were unable to provide for their own care.  Furthermore, the medical profession itself has always been generous in aiding the indigent.  It goes without saying that a safety net for the poorest among us will always be in place, but that program is not what is being debated here.

Consider this nightmare, courtesy of the Canadian healthcare system.  Canadian citizen, Lindsay McCreith suffering from seizures and headaches saw his family physician in January of 2006 and was suspected of having a brain tumor.  His MRI was scheduled for 4 1/2 months later.  The man and his wife wanted to pay privately to have the MRI done immediately, but private payer healthcare is outlawed in Canada.  In desperation, the McCreiths contacted a private medicine broker on February 2, 2006. On February 3, they flew to Buffalo, NY and had the MRI done.  It was determined the Mr. McCreith had a cancerous Grade 2 Astrocytoma.

With MRI results in hand, the McCreiths returned to the Canadian family doctor and a neurosurgery appointment was scheduled for 8 months down the road.  People with cancerous brain tumors don’t have 8 months to wait.  The McCreiths contacted their broker, Rick Baker and neurosurgery was scheduled in Buffalo, NY within the week. McCreith filed a re-payment claim with the government of Ontario, Canada and was turned down flat because he did not have permission to go outside of the country to save his life.  Broker, Rick Baker states that they are willing to go all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court to fight this case.  In an effort to warn Americans about socialized health care, Canadian film maker, Stuart Browning produced a film about the Mr. McCreith’s experience.  Browning finds it “ironic that while the Canadian government’s monopoly on health is slowly crumbling in the face of widespread suffering, liberal Democrats in the U.S. are pushing to adopt a system much like the one which has failed so miserably in Canada.”

Congressional Democrats have been less than forthcoming to the American people about the plan they are trying to fast-track through Congress.  If we find ourselves in a single payer system, enrollment in the government-run health alliance will not be a choice.  Congressional Democrats pushing the plan adhere to the collectivist ideology that completely disregards the rights of the individual.  We would be subject to government ‘gatekeepers’ who will decide the extent of care that people would receive.  Rationing is an inevitable consequence of socialized medicine, which translates to a bureaucratic power to deny treatment if you are too old or too sick.

Congress aims to finance the plan through a new payroll tax that can be raised at will.  Economists have determined that the new payroll tax will result in the loss of nearly 2 million jobs.  All doctors will be forced to join the newly appointed governmental health networks.  Bureaucrats will dictate what procedures they will be allowed to use – under penalty of fines, asset confiscation and imprisonment. You can also forget the freedom to choose your own doctor.  The specialties doctors practice will also be dictated by the state.  Incremental control of the entire medical industry is reflected by a proposal where 50 percent of new doctors will be forced to train in primary care rather than pursue a specific specialty field of their choice.  In addition, the state will decide who gets admitted to medical school, as well as the curriculum taught.

Here’s what you’ll get: endless, waiting lines, dirty, over-crowded clinics, over-worked, hostile doctors and indifferent support staff.  If that’s not enough, you can also expect frequent shortages of even the most basic drugs and medications.  Oh, by the way, if your government mandated health care results in chronic injury or even death, you’ll have scant legal recourse as the government will be protected from your lawsuit under sovereign immunity.

America’s medical system is the most advanced in the world.  The industry’s focus on research and development has brought forth amazing, technological advances. Under the draconian, socialized medicine debacle proposed by Congress, even research and development will be taken over by the government.  Imagine the pork that legislators will slap on any medical research bill trying to make its way through Congress!

It’s getting to the point where the government has all but squeezed us dry of tax dollars.  Clinton was dispatched by Obama to prostrate herself at the feet of the Chi-Coms to beg for money to pay for their socialist nightmare scenario.  This tainted money supply coupled with fiscally destructive monetary policy has all but finished off the American automobile industry.  Labor just about beat it to death with utopian pension deals and what was the result?   We’ll be importing cars from China.  How long before the Chi-Coms own more of America than Americans?  They’re taking over this country without firing a shot.  Will China somehow play a role in an American socialized medical system?  Will our pharmaceutical companies be the next industry on the Statist chopping block?  Maybe there’s a twisted silver lining to this surreal disaster waiting to happen.  Ingesting Chinese manufactured pharmaceuticals while driving Chinese cars will kill us long before the socialized medical system can. 

Have you noticed how quiet the health care insurance companies have been as the debate rages on?  They’re keeping a low profile because they’ve already been promised a seat at the tax dollar feast.  For the true American, freedom is as necessary as air and there is no dispute among those who value their liberty that the solution can be found in free market capitalism.  Instead of jumping off the abyss into still another unfunded entitlement, let’s permit the free market to work.  Health Care Insurance providers have earned their bad reputation.  Their greed rivals the greed exhibited by ambulance chasing trial attorneys and together they’ve burdened the free market with skyrocketing costs.  If there ever was a case for regulation, insurance providers and trial attorneys have proven over and over that they need to be cut down to size.  If anything, we might want to cut out the middle man or at least introduce health care insurance companies to the free market.  Most importantly, we must fight against further governmental encroachment; we can’t give them a single inch.  The solution is to permit the free market to compete for our health care dollars.