The Rice Report

Yellow Journalism at its best!

Tuesday, August 25, MMIX

Last summer I did something unusual, ... for me. I took out a subscription to the ultra-liberal rag, Harper's, because I wanted access to their archive of back issues. Sometime in December I received their January, '09, issue. On the cover was a picture or rather drawing of Uncle Sam with an ice pack on his head. It highlighted their lead article which was entitled, "The 10 Trillion Dollar Headache: Paying the Price for Eight Years of Bush." It took Bush eight years to rack up $10 trillion in debt. Why, heck, Bush is just a piker. President B.O. has run up that much in less than eight months! Do you think Harper's will run an article on President B.O.'s $10 trillion coronary?

Speaking of debt, do you realize that the government's car buying program, known as cash-for-klunkers, is now out of money? Oh, and guess what? Car sales are now back to normal,... almost non-existent. So, how's that stimulus workin' for ya? (Didn't I say something like that would happen, a Report or two ago?)

I have a car that would qualify for the Klunker program, a 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis, but my Calvinist proclivities would make me throw up if I turned it in to the Klunker program. The program pays "good" money for a serviceable vehicle only to turn it into a pile of junk. And that's supposed to increase our economic worth?

Well, let's remember in 1993, Loyd Bentsen, then President Clinton's appointment to Secretary of Treasury, told a Meet the Press audience that the then flooding in the midwest would be good for the economy. Why? Well, it would create jobs! No thought was given by the now-room-temperature Bentsen that once you've destroyed massive amounts of infra-structure, the jobs and expense that recoup that loss don't even put you back at square one, economically. But that's typical Demo-crap thinking: Prosperity through waste. It's right up there with "Strength through joy" and "Work makes you free."*

But let's talk about something cheerful--Obama-care, compassion for the masses. Have you heard that you'll be able to keep your current healthcare plan under Obama-care? Isn't just criminal how the conservative media has been lying about that? The way they've vilified the magnanimity of the Dear Leader? Oh, but like every piece of government eelymosynary magnanimity there's a catch. It's found in section 102 of HR 3200. The title of the section includes the word "grandfathering." Now, as an academic, I know something about "grandfathering." It happens when an academic institution changes requirements and programs--which they do quite often. People under the old system keep their old requirements and programs. But, when they're gone, so is the old system. Well, guess what? If you now have health insurance you'll be "grandfathered." But if you don't have health insurance when Obama-care goes into effect, well, too damn bad, Obama-care is your only choice. So, your healthcare provider and your healthcare program will be forbidden to accept new members, read that, customers. So, can you guess what's going to happen to your healthcare insurance program? It's so simple, even a college student can figure it out. It's going to die by attrition. In ten years' time, or less, Obama-care will put everyone, but Obama-care, out of business. Can you say, "Choice"?

Oh, but there's something else. You can keep your current healthcare plan if, and only if, it provides "acceptable" healthcare. Do you know what "acceptable" healthcare coverage is? Guess what, neither does HR 3200. Acceptable health care is defined in section 202(d)(2)(A) of HR 3200 as "Coverage under a qualified health benefits plan." Huh? Have we gained any information? In the following paragraphs, all the current government plans are defined by fiat as "qualified," like medicare and medicaid, military plans, veterans' plans, and so on. Oh, and of course all those private plans that were "grandfathered" and initially referred to as "acceptable." Double huh? So, don't excoriate your representative for not reading the bill. Even if he read it, he wouldn't know what was in it. At some future date, the Health Care Commissioner (Czar?) will stipulate what the benefits are for "acceptable" and "qualified" health care. You just have to trust him.

Decide you don't want health care insurance? Think you'll save money if you're young and healthy? Ooooh, think again! It's the crime of "health care avoidance"! Under the part of HR 3200 entitled "Shared Responsibility" (isn't that a nice and cozy sounding phrase? Just share and share alike!) section 401 (or page 167 of the version I downloaded from Thomas.gov) there's a tax penalty of 2.5% of your adjusted gross income imposed on all you criminals trying to avoid your "shared responsibility."

But, what if you're an employer who doesn't currently, or after the bill goes into effect, provide health care to your employees? Naughty, naughty! You're a criminal too, now subject to a tax that is 8% of the aggregate of salaries you pay out to employees. If you work for such an employer, what do you think will happen to your salary? Your job? I think it's so simple, a college student can figure it out. See section 412, page 183 of Dr. Obama's compassion for America.

Oh, but suppose you're an employer who wants to suggest to your employees you shouldn't sign up for the government's compassion-express. Once again, that's naughty. You're subject to investigation and penalties by Dr. Obama's compassion police. Your advice will be called "improper steering" (see section 314 of HR 3200) What are the penalties? Oh, we don't know yet. They'll be set by the Secretary of Labor and Health and Human Services. So, again, please don't pummell your Congressman for not knowing what's in the bill. It's not his fault.

Oh, did you take advantage of Cash-for-Klunkers? Get a great new care with a $4500 government rebate? Feels good doesn't it? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. In most states your $4500 rebate counts as taxable income. For most of you, that's a jump of at least one tax bracket. And, of course, you'll pay that out of your salary that didn't get a $4500 cash increase. Gee, I hate being a spoil sport. Maybe you should try Calvinism. So, to borrow a cliche, how's that Cash-for-Klunkers thing working out for ya?

If you can't find President B.O.'s compassionate care bill on the web, email me and I'll send it to you. But be forewarned. It's two megabytes in size.

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*If you're not a college student, you might recognize these as Nazis party slogans ... which they were.

The views expressed here are my own--it's a good bet they don't reflect those of the University.