Today

Today is the day we remember those we knew and lost, and those we never knew and lost. Loved ones and strangers alike who put it all on the line when it mattered most. The ones to whom we owe our freedom and even our lives.

While America remembers those we have lost in the past and while Obama makes a pretty speech at Arlington National Cemetery, America's enemies are preparing to create new conflicts certain to cost us more lives and loved ones.

North Korea and Iran continue to escalate and threaten. They will get little more than a nasty letter from the Obama Administration and perhaps the UN will call a special Security Council meeting that results in the typical deadlock. The tragedy is not the politics or bureaucracy, but rather the lives that could be saved by dealing with these thugs today, rather than tomorrow.

But we having bigger priorities, like global warming. Nuclear weapons tests aren't bad for the environment, are they?

So today I try hard to focus and remember. But while America honors the memories of our fallen heroes, we can't seem to honor the memory of what they fought for and we fail to learn from their ultimate sacrifice.

Finally, Some Economic Data that Makes Sense!

Sometimes things are way funnier than they should be first thing in the morning!

The Healthcare Plan

Instead of the socialized/universal health care we were promised, Obama is "working" with providers/insurers to cut costs. The agreement will create two trillion dollars (2% of health care expenses) of "savings" over the next 10 years.

Replace "working" with blackmail and "savings" with denied treatment and you'll see where I'm going.

Why is the private system important if it is to be partially or completely replaced by a universal one?

Because there is one huge obstacle on the road to socialized medicine; the paying system still works (for payers).

People who work and pay for plans still get affordable world-class care when they need it and have a choice on how they get and from whom. A universal system is a foregone conclusion for those who seek a health care entitlement or simply don't think they should have to pay, but for the majority of Americans, we would be paying more and getting less.

That reality presents a huge political challenge for Obama. Turning on a switch that increases costs while decreasing care would guarantee a single term Presidency.

The Administration's plan here isn't to make health care cheaper for Americans, but rather to lean on the private payer system until it breaks. When payers see failure in the private system, they will join the entitlement seeking masses and support a new universal system.

In short, the successful socialist creates a reality where the only salvation is socialism. Before the opportunity must come the crisis.

What can we expect from an arbitrary cutback in health care? We know that our private health care system is a business and just like any other is profit oriented. Providers will do anything they can to avoid taking losses and pass them on to consumers. Expect lower wages to current health care professionals, lower staffing levels = less capacity, and/or reduction in care/services while the system continues to cope with the government created inefficiencies; Medicare/Medicaid, urgent care for the uninsured, etc...

This will eventually have a dramatic effect on the quality of care payers receive leaving Americans to wonder if a universal system wouldn't be better. Will we be smart enough to see how the crisis has been created?