The Health Care Vote Really Was Historic!!

The Liberals like to tell us that Sunday's vote on health care "reform" was historic. They are right.

Never before has the U.S. Congress voted on a bill so massive, so intrusive, that affects every person in the United States, all the while showing absolute contempt for the will of the American people and a total disdain for the voices of opposition.

Never before has Congress been so blatantly corrupt, so nakedly unashamed (and even proud!) of the backroom deals, bribery, threats, and extortion that were all required to get this bill passed by the slimmest of margins.

It was an historic event.

Hurricane Katrina was historic, too. As was 9/11, Pearl Harbor, Nixon's resignation, Clinton's impeachment, and the Mura building bombing.

Historic does not necessarily mean good for America.

With the health care "reform" bill, we saw an historic abdication of responsibility, an historic display of hubris and political self-gratification, an historic corruption of the American political process, and an historic shift in the government/populace relationship that might be forever damaged.

John Boehner was right, Democrats; you should be ashamed of yourselves.

I know I am ashamed of you.

Does the Automaker Bailout Actually Bailout the Unions

The major U.S. automakers have requested $50 billion in "loans" to keep the companies from going under.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats seem warm to the idea of fronting cash to Ford, GM, and Chrysler. She believes that the failure of one or more of the major American automobile manufacturers would have a devastating impact on our economy.

Why are the automakers in such desperate straits?

The companies blame a drop in sales due to the high costs of gasoline over the summer.

But, one reporter from NPR cites poor planning as part of the cause:

Many people, however, blame the auto companies for their own problems. U.S. automakers built high-profit sport utility vehicles, but the market for SUVs declined when gas prices spiked.

The editors at National Review Online agree, and further the complaints about the automakers:

(T)hey invested too heavily in the manufacture of sport-utility vehicles as rising oil prices spurred a demand for more fuel-efficient cars that they were unprepared to meet. (And) Uncompetitive labor contracts coupled with the rising cost of health care have left the big three with unmanageable liabilities.

Whatever the cause, why not allow the companies to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Circuit City did recently?

Could it be that union lobbyists are pressuring Washington to keep the Big 3 out of bankruptcy court? In a bankruptcy filing could lead to a judge voiding these "uncompetitive" union contracts.

According to Wikipedia:

Some contracts, known as executory contracts, may be rejected if canceling them would be financially favorable to the company and its creditors. Such contracts include labor union contracts...

If the Big 3 automakers are in trouble because of declining sales and mis-management, let them file for bankruptcy like any other business.

After bailing out the mortgage companies, banks, insurance companies, and now the automakers, who is next, credit card companies?

Obama: The First Change is Lowered Expectations

Just hours after the Barack Obama victory, Democrats are already backing away from the "Change" mantra that hurtled Obama to the White House.

According to The Hill website, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is toning-down the rhetoric of the campaign, instead calling for fiscal responsibility.

A wave has swept this country, a wave of hope, hope for the future, a befuddled Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, as reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Not a mandate for an ideology, a mandate for change, for hope.

Reid had not yet gotten the memo, as he prattled off the list of objectives: fixing the economy, developing renewable energy, helping middle class, improving the schools, and defend country. Plus one odd charge about kids not being able to go to school when they want to.

However, the TimesOnline reported before the election that Team Obama "have drawn up plans to lower expectations for his presidency," fearing that Obama could not live up to expectations.

Expectations that he fostered!

According to the Times, Obama told a Colorado radio station:

The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference, he said. He has also been reminding crowds in recent days how “hard” it will be to achieve his goals, and that it will take time.

Obama's plans are certainly muted by the relative small margin of victory, pulling only 5% more voters than John McCain. Obama's margin of victory was lower than the victories of Reagan ('80,'84), Bush ('88), Clinton ('96) and only slightly higher than Clinton in 1992.

His electoral college victory was middle-of-the-pack, trailing Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton also.

As Harry Reid said, tonight one journey begins and another long, long journey begins...