Brain-Jockey

Calling All Inventors: Speed Bumps for Government Spending

Written by Audrie Zettick on October 6, 2009

South of the border, speed bumps are apparently as common as tequila–though admittedly not so enjoyable. In an attempt to ameliorate the “dirty air” around Mexico City, government officials are facilitating the private development of “smart speed bumps.”  The idea: when a car going the correct speed begins to go over the bump, the speed bump flattens, letting the obedient driver avoid the usual abrupt “thunk” while helping his or her gas mileage. 

I believe in American ingenuity, so I’m calling on inventors to apply similar technology here in the U.S. of A.  Think of it: a smart speed bump to slow down government spending.  Balance the budget and see that government lives within its means, then it’s smooth sailing. Spend a few billion too much and thunk–the speed bump slams into place. 

Of course, the ability to recall elected officials and a requirement for a balanced budget would be a good substitute for a smart speed bump.  And they might clear the hot air around D.C. as well.

Planned Aging, Choice and Pining For The Good Ole Days-ADDENDUM

Written by Audrie Zettick on July 28, 2009

If recent health care reform proposals like ”America’s Affordable Health Choices Act” are passed, where might we be 5 or 10 years from now?  Here’s a link to the proposed bill by House Democrats.  Here’s a brief shot at why we might pine for the good ole days:

Choice–well, not so much. 

Despite the word “choice” in the title, private medical insurers are not allowed to enroll ANY new customers as of the first day that the government plan begins.  As Investor Business Daily notes, Page 16 of the American Health Care Choices Act of 2009 actually makes private health care plans illegal.  Hang on to any current coverage you have, since any new* policies (*ADDENDUM: new policies not in line with government mandates–see new article) written after the effective date of the Act will not be allowed.  But at least you’ll still have your current private coverage, right?

Choice–well, choice of one.

Except that there may no longer BE any private plans.  There are many reasons for this, as outlined by the Heritage Foundation.  But let’s keep this simple: 

Employers will have to offer health care coverage or face penalties.  For large businesses (who are the ones currently offering health insurance benefits), the penalties will likely be 40 to 60% of what they now pay in health insurance premiums.  If I was their CFO, I’d say drop the coverage, let workers take the public option and we’ll pay the penalty.  

But at least they’ll have AFFORDABLE health care, right?

 Affordable? Depends on your definition.

Obama declared that “Health care reform is not going to add to that deficit, it’s designed to lower it.”  Not so much, according to the CBO which estimates that the health care plan offered by the House Democrats will ”add more than $230 billion to the federal budget deficit over the next ten years.”

The doctors may have been bought off (see Pink Elephant Pundit here–but frankly after the Prez’ tonsil-yanking claims, I bet pediatricians are no longer supporting the WH), but ten years down the road, their financial fix morphs into a giant fiscal cancer where the deficit will probably force the only available health plan–the ”public option”– to ration care, lest costs spiral out of control.  

Planned Parenthood Aging:  Then, of course, there’s the provision to MANDATE ( see section 1233) that all seniors have Advanced Care Planning Consultation every 5 years.  While this sounds well-meaning–who can argue with giving seniors information on living wills–the topics REQUIRED every five years include an explanation of end-of-life services.  I can imagine how happy my 91-year old grandfather would be had this already been in effect.  If we start this at 65, he’d already had 6 forced sessions of hearing about planning for the end of his life.  Boy, that would encourage ME to go to the doc’s.

While “rationing” of services is technically not allowed to happen according to the bill, budget pressures combined with the Advanced Care Planning are certain to have a similar result. 

Good Ole Days

Come 2020, we may be wishing we still had: access to private health insurance plans, some choice in what those plans were and less government on our backs, telling us when and what to plan for as we approach our latter years….and wishing we didn’t have to persuade medical and government officials that we still deserve care in our elder years.

A Mad Hatter’s Summer of Events

Written by Audrie Zettick on July 13, 2009

Like Alice at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, taxpayers have recently been assaulted with many wish-it-weren’t-for-real events that make me watch for the white rabbit.  It’s been a Wonderland of events and characters.  Among them:

Queen of Hearts: Nancy Pelosi.  Politico recounts how she “whipped” together the votes for Cap and Trade, replacing “off with their heads” with dogged, in-your-face (and perhaps other body parts) persistence.  Worried more about her reputation than the content of the bill, witnesses recounted that she and her sidekicks even surrounded one holdout–Rep. Joe Baca–who then (surprise!) voted in favor of Cap and Trade.   No wonder Congressman Ciro Rodriguez sprinted like a rabbit out of the House chamber after surprising Pelosi with a “no” vote. 

The Card-Deck Queen’s Men–The eight Republican Congressmen–called jellyfish by Deroy Murdock but who more resemble the cowed cards–who enabled the House to pass Cap and Tax.   They fell flat on their faces when the Queen appeared, but these Congressmen plus others in vulnerable districts will be trying to paint the roses red as they attempt to cover up their mistakes.

Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum and Even More Dum: Some of my home state Congressmen who voted for Cap and Trade in spite of the fact that PA gets a majority of its electricity from coal (great editorial here).  It’s been estimated that Pennsylvanians will see over a $3,000 hike in annual electricity fees.  Here’s an estimated impact by Congressional District.

The Caucus Race (click here if you don’t remember this part of the story), represented by the G8 and especially India and China on climate change.  In Alice’s story, the animals, led on by the DoDo, have a nonsensical race ending in everyone getting meaningless prizes, with Alice finding her own prize, which she gives to DoDo who presents it back to her.  Yeah, we may be a high consumption society, but it’s our economy and innovations that have given much of the world the freedoms and standards of living that have grown from development.  Having the U.S. commit to harsher standards while India and China go nearly full speed ahead with development is an absurd gesture. Maybe we should all ride bicycles like they do in China.   

Plus, even though Climate Change Happens, even THINKING that anything we do will make any meaningful impact on Global climate change is the absurdest gesture of all.  The G8 nations committed to limiting global warming (by reducing carbon emissions) to no more than two degrees.  A large volcanic explosion could do just that and more (will they claim success?).  A closer look at Climate Change science and models shows that all the pain caused to our economy by legislation like Cap and Trade is much greater than the impact on the environment.

The Dodo: New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.  He is emphatic that global warming is a bigger threat to America than terrorism.   Enough said.

Cheshire Cat: played by Obama.  I considered casting him as the White Rabbit, since you can argue that the American public followed him down the rabbit hole.  The Cheshire Cat might be more appropriate, as this character appears to be wise, yet Alice never knows if the cat is really steering her wrong.  

Recent White House policy on Iran was every bit as perplexing as anything the Cheshire Cat said to Alice.  In spite of the recent election-sparked violence in Iran, Iranian officials were originally invited to our July 4 celebration–first time they’ve been invited since the Iranian Revolution.  Then they were disinvited.  Of course, this was after it was clear they weren’t intending to show up anyway.  In Wonderland, this all makes perfect sense. 

And proposed health care reform that claims to allow that we keep private insurance while all but ensuring disappearance of private plans is, well, perfectly sensible too.

Czar of Czars: Obama.  Maybe we need a remake of Wonderland, featuring the Czar of Czars instead of the Queen of Hearts.   ”With President Obama, the CZAR business has not only picked up.. It has been put on Steroids, Human Growth Hormones, Protein Shakes, Speed, and Epinephrine Shots.”  Motley Fool

“Drink Me” potion:  Alas, we the American people are at fault, willing to drink whatever comes our way if it looks to benefit us, darn the consequences.  Growth of Big Government is the result. As Robert Samuelson recently noted: “Without anyone much noticing, our national government is on the verge of a permanent expansion that would endure long after the present economic crisis has (presumably) passed and that would exceed anything ever experienced in peacetime.”  

Time to pull ourselves out of the Rabbit hole with a dose of reality.  I wish I’d wake up.

My Big Fat Check: Truth-In-Politicking

Written by Audrie Zettick on May 14, 2009

I had a dream. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was presenting AIG and GM with an humongous size presentation check for their bailout bucks, signed by “U.S. Taxpayers.”  At the last minute, I stepped forward exclaiming, ”call the Feds and put a stop on that check.  I withdraw my signature.”  Then I noticed Geithner was holding a rubber chicken and wearing boxer shorts emblazoned with SpongeBob–and realized I was dreaming.  

In Pennsylvania, one legislator has a related idea (not related to the no-pants thing): make it mandatory to show that it’s taxpayers footing the bill when ceremonial checks are presented by state government officials and legislators.  Representative Jim Cox (R-Berks County) has introduced House Bill 596, the Presentation Check Act, which affects those big, made-for-photo op checks that legislators and others present to local groups, in advance of getting state funding.  Usually, the fake check has a signature line emblazoned with the elected official’s name.  Everyone knows it’s really state money, but we all play along, smile and are thankful to get the funds.

Of course, I’m less worried about the physical size of a check than the fiscal size of a check.  With the national debt estimated to zoom to over 82% of GDP as a result of the Obama budget, our kids will be stuck with the tab–whether or not these checks say “paid by U.S. Taxpayer.”  

A lot of presentations checks in the future may have to be rubber ones.  Maybe the rubber chicken in my dream was a prognostication.