Brian Higgins Talks Obamacare With Artvoice

So, I picked up a copy of Artvoice yesterday to find their cover story this week is an interview with Brian Higgins about the public option.

Are we supposed to be impressed that Brian Higgins spoke about this issue with a left/wing publication that is as likely to factcheck Higgins as they are likely to praise George W. Bush? Of course Higgins was too afraid to face the voters of this district (myself included) because he couldn’t handle being challenged.

So, how did this interview go? Ironically, Higgins is rather candid about how intrusive the government would with the public option in place.

“The bill coming out of the House will have a strong public option. The rates will be negotiated between the providers and the secretary of health and human services.”

Because we really want a government official involved. It’s amazing how Democrats suddently became libertarians under the Bush years when it came it the government fighting terrorism, but now, with health care, they just the government to have more power and control.

“The idea here is to create exchanges to give individuals and small businesses, by pooling together, the leverage that they currently don’t have.”

George W. Bush proposed health insurance pools for small businesses as part of his health care plan back in 2004… This is hardly a new idea.

One of my favorite parts was when Higgins cited a ridiculous study by the World Health Organization.

“We pay 50 percent more for healthcare in America than any other industrialized nation, but, according to the World Health Organization, we’re 37th of 192 countries in terms of overall healthcare quality—37th, despite paying more than any other industrialized nation. Unacceptable.”

Hogwash, according to CATO Institute research by Glen Whitman. Whitman noted that according the WHO study, Costa Rica ranks higher than the United States for quality of health care. Is Rep. Higgins going to Costa Rica for medical care? In case you were wondering, Artvoice didn’t ask him that.

“We have to find a new way, not only in terms of the cost of healthcare but also quality.”

Again, is there anywhere else in the world Higgins would rather have medical care? Does he cross the border into Canada when he needs treatment? If he ever gets prostate cancer, would he rather go to Roswell Park, or some cancer treatment center in Central America? I only ask because apparently he thinks health care in this country sucks so badly that obviously, as someone so interested in getting the best possible health care for himself (and allegedly the entire country), he’s looking outside this country for treatment.

It’s not-for-profit. None of the doctors are tenured. Everyone is salaried, so there’s not a profit motive for a doctor to order a lot of tests.

Of course, what Higgins doesn’t say is that doctors order lots of tests because if they improperly diagnose someone, they get sued. Because of this, doctors have to pay high insurance premiums, which ultimately drive up the cost of health care. But, does this bill include any medical liability reform? No, it doesn’t. Obama doesn’t want it. Democrats don’t want it. They don’t want anything that will legitimately drive down the costs of health care or health insurance (like medical liability reform or interstate competition among health insurance plans) they just want to tax Americans to pay for a new collossal bureaucracy. There is nothing pro-competition about a public option. How can private companies compete with the “unlimited” resources of the government?

Brian Higgins may have his left-wing talking points down, and Artvoice may have no interest in challenging the misinformation Higgins is pushing, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is bad legislation. Other government programs like Social Security and Medicare, are running out of money. If those programs are unsustainable, how can government-run health care be? Then of course there’s the fact that the government badly mishandled the swine-flu problem… If they couldn’t do that right, how can they be trusted to get health care right?

Then there’s the cost issue. No one honestly believe that the plan will be deficit neutral. And no one can be so stupid to believe the cost won’t go up. I was against the health care plan Governer Mitt Romney pushed in Massachusetts, and it certainly hasn’t worked out well… as I expected.

If Higgins really wants to impress, he could  accept an interview from me… but, for a guy more interested about running to cameras to take credit for something than in answering tough questions, I suspect he’ll just go to “media” he can trust to let him spew his false talking points uninterrupted and unchallenged.

Election Day 2009 Reax

Well, it was a pretty good Election Day… certainly better than last year. My apologies for the lateness of this reaction post. Circumstances beyond my control kept me from writing… anyway…

It was extraordinarily gratifying to see Jon Corzine lose in New Jersey. That alone made last night beautiful. Aside from the fact Corzine is a corrupt scumbag, the fact Obama lost his “best partner” made it so much better. Obama suffered two big loses last night. McDonnell’s victory in the Virginia gubernatorial race was huge. It is very telling that a year after Democrats won big with independents they swung back in support of Republicans. For those of you who think Obama is a moderate, tell that to genuine independents.

Owens victory over Hoffman was a disappointment, and a bit of shock, considering the polls leading up to the election. But, with Scozzafava’s 11th hour departure, endorsing of Owens, and remaining on the ballot… there wasn’t enough time for Hoffman’s momentum to carry him to victory. The national Democratic Party invested over a million dollars in the final weekend alone.

Anyway, local races.

Erie County

Sheriff Tim Howard was reelected – despite the smear campaign waged against him. Howard is a good guy, and I congratulate him. That’s pretty much all I can say that about that race due to a professional conflict.

There were three GOP pickups in the Erie County Legislature… So, there was some good news for Chris Collins last night. In my district, Lynne Dixon won handily. Kevin Hardwick easily defeated Michele Iannello. I’ve known Kevin Hardwick for a little over a year now. He was kind enough to invite me on his radio show on WBEN several times. He was always committed to fairness, and the Erie County Legislature is lucky to have him on there.

Poloncarz defeated Kadet for Comptroller, so that was a setback for Collins, who invested quite a bit in Kadet. But, overall, the evening was a good one for the GOP.

Amherst

It was nice to see Alice Kryzan get put in her place again. Let’s hope she doesn’t pull a Jon Powers and go missing for a while then run away out-of-state.

I offer personal congratulations to Richard “Jay” Anderson and Steven Sanders, who were both elected to the Amherst Town Board. Both Jay and Steven have made appearances here on The Bean, so I was thrilled to see them both elected.

Buffalo

Hey, Buffalo deserves what it gets. I am still bitter that the Buffalo Republican Party didn’t get someone to face Byron Brown in the general election.

New Voting Machines

They suck. Call me old school, but I prefer traditional voting booths and the old lever machines. Folded cardboard dividers are no subsitute for a real voting booth, and as much as I believe voters should be smart enough to fill out those scan-tron ballots, everything ought to be as simple as possible.

Oh yeah, and at my polling place we didn’t get a receipt. So, what was the point, really?

Fusion Voting

Seriously, can we put an end to this madness? This, more than anything made the already bad ballot design even worse. I don’t see how it helps anyone but lawyers who get involved in the inevitable lawsuits that arise out of these minor party lines.

So, I guess there isn’t all that much to say about Tuesday that hasn’t already been said. It is obvious from the results New Jersey, Virginia, and elsewhere that the Democratic Party has major cause for concern. News today that the unemployment rate broke into double-digits only adds to their problems, since Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress own the economy.

Good times ahead. We’re taking the country back.

Fusion Voting: Still Stupid After All These Years

Whatever you want to call it: electoral fusion, fusion voting… no one can convince me that it is a good idea. Last week, we saw another example of how it actually causes more problems in the electoral processi

The county’s two elections commissioners Wednesday said the Independence Party primary for Erie County comptroller has landed in a tie because they cannot settle some outstanding issues.

As it stands now, 937 votes each went to Michael J. Abramo of the Independence Party and Philip C. Kadet, a Republican seeking the Independence line.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Kadet said later.

Dead heats are rare, and this one hinges on the scrapping of a half-dozen votes because of quirks at two polling places.

The two commissioners—Republican Ralph M. Mohr and Democrat Dennis Ward — agreed the candidates can now go to court in their attempts to obtain the Independence line for the Nov. 3 election.

As long as this “fushion voting” exists, candidates will continue to waste time pursuing minor party lines, or creating their own minor party line… and it seems like those pursuits usually end up being debated in court. From Alice Kryzan wanting the WFP line after Jon Power lost the Democratic primary, Kathy Konst creating her own Integrity Party, or the equally meaningless Taxpayers First Party, belonging to Chris Collins.

Waste. Of. Time.

Isn’t it about time we put an end to this madness? Even Massachusetts voters were smart enough to reject it in 2006.

Is Chris Collins Planning To Run For Governor?

A $1,000 per ticket fundraiser in Rochester today for Erie County Executive Chris Collins has fueled speculation that Collins may run for governor next year.

Buffalo News reporter Bob McCarthy recaps Collins’ recent activity:

The county executive, meanwhile, has been traveling the state in recent weeks to meet party leaders. He has attended various county dinners and summer picnics, as close as Genesee County and as far as Manhattan.

Earlier this week, he attended the fall meeting of the Republican State Committee in Albany, where he was featured as one of the party’s “up and coming” figures and gave what one observer called an impressive speech.

“He worked the county [chairmen] before and after the speech,” said the GOP insider, who asked not to be identified. “Collins did a good job.”

Collins also has been working closely with Washington consultant Michael J. Hook, a Lancaster native who is also a supporter of new State Republican Chairman Edward F. Cox. Hook also ran the gubernatorial campaign of Republican John J. Faso in 2006.

I heard Collins on WBEN this morning, and he insists that he supports Rudy Guiliani, though also says that he’s waiting for Guiliani to make a decision on whether he plans to run. It sounds like he’s not willing to say whether he is or isn’t, but there has been plenty of talk that he is a back-up if Guiliani doesn’t run. I am sure most political insiders are assuming Guiliani won’t run, but I think that decision is entirely dependent on Andrew Cuomo and whether he officially jumps in the race or not. Guiliani says that he’s waiting until after this year’s elections, but, I think he’s really waiting for Cuomo.

That said, regardless of Cuomo’s move, I think Guiliani should run, and I believe that would be a good opportunity for Collins to be his running mate.

A Republican primary, sans bitter attacks, would be good for the Republican Party in New York, especially if there is a Democratic Party primary — which is sure to be a bitter one.

I like Collins, and think he’s done a good job for Erie County, but, there is no way he can top a ticket in a statewide election yet. The only Republican in the race so far, Rick Lazio, has previously run in a statewide race but still has to make a huge effort to build up name recognition, I would say Lazio has a significant head start, which is pretty important when the others in the race (Paterson and potential Cuomo) are starting a few laps ahead, I have said before that Collins is not ready to run for governor. But, Lt. Governor? i can get behind that.

Collins, I imagine, would be more than happy to balance a Guiliani ticket, and at the very least give him the opportunity to be introduced statewide with the help of Guiliani’s star power.

Keep Working: You’ve Got a Government to Feed

We pay dearly when lawmakers spend at will: American workers toil deep into summer to cover our officials’ thorough profligacy. August 12 was Cost of Government Day, which is

the day of the calendar year when the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state, and local levels.

The moment when you’re at last keeping your money offers cause for bittersweet celebration But don’t worry if you missed the national milestone, as New York’s particular date comes much later The Empire State’s residents observe the day they actually take home income on August 31, or, ironically, a week before Labor Day Only citizens of New Jersey (September 6) and Connecticut (Labor Day itself, the 7^th) spend more working hours funding the spending habits of various authorities It’s little comfort knowing there are two worse states in which to reside when it comes to having one’s finances confiscated.

Workers across the nation already face a daunting percentage of income loss thanks to the feds acting like drunken trust fund kids armed with American Express Black Cards Aside from financing novel expenses such as bailing out failures and stimulating nothing, taxpayers now face the prospect of paying for national programs such as DMV-style health care or cap and trade and tax and ration.

If that’s not enough, those in New York face the added load of bankrolling an overbearing, woefully inefficient state bureaucracy It’s almost at the point where it would be unsurprising if the aggravation incited droves of people to move out of, say, Erie County. Oh, right.

Nevertheless, those who have remained behind may as well enjoy themselves when the calendar reaches the 31^st New Yorkers can perhaps commemorate the day by driving (ridiculous gasoline tax of 42.5 cents per gallon, highest in the nation) to the mall or a restaurant (crippling sales tax) Alternately, those who indulge in vices can have a beer or glass of wine (excise taxes for those who drink to cope with other high taxes) or enjoy some tobacco (about as expensive as illicit drugs) Otherwise, New Yorkers could just go to work (state income tax rate up to 8.97 percent) or try to run their businesses (regulated into oblivion).

It’s depressing to confirm that things can always be worse, as New York has done when it comes to burning through money On the other hand, change is possible: voters simply have to grow tired of state-level politicians who add to the trying, countless burdens weighing down all Americans.

The alternative is to maintain the status quo, which is fine as long as we have no aspirations to climb to 47^th -best or higher But New Yorkers are collectively reaching the point where we’ve finally, mercifully had enough Best, we get the chance to concurrently swap out the national prodigal office-occupiers while we’re at it If everything goes well, we can eventually look forward to partying on Cost of Government Day in early to mid-spring.