Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Talking Points vs. Realty

by Thomas Sowell

In a swindle that would make Bernie Madoff look like an amateur, Barack Obama has gotten a substantial segment of the population to believe that he can add millions of people to the government-insured rolls without increasing the already record-breaking federal deficit.
Those who think in terms of talking points, instead of realities, can point to the fact that the Congressional Budget Office has concurred with budget numbers that the Obama administration has presented.
Anyone who is so old-fashioned as to stop and think, instead of being swept along by rhetoric, can understand that a budget-- any budget-- is not a record of hard facts but a projection of future financial plans. A budget tells us what will happen if everything works out according to plan.

The Congressional Budget Office can only deal with the numbers that Congress supplies. Those numbers may well be consistent with each other, even if they are wholly inconsistent with anything that is likely to happen in the real world.
The Obama health care plan can be financed without increasing the federal deficit-- if the administration takes hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare. But Medicare itself does not have enough money to pay its own way over time.
However money is juggled in the short run, the government's financial liabilities are increased by adding this huge new entitlement of government-provided insurance. The fact that these new financial liabilities can be kept out of the official federal deficit projection, by claiming that they will be paid for with money taken from Medicare, changes nothing in the real world.
I can say that I can afford to buy a Rolls Royce, without going into debt, by using my inheritance from a rich uncle. But, in the real world, the question would arise immediately whether I in fact have a rich uncle, not to mention whether this hypothetical rich uncle would be likely to leave me enough money to buy a Rolls Royce.
In politics, however, you can say all sorts of things that have no relationship with reality. If you have a mainstream media that sees no evil, hears no evil and speaks no evil-- when it comes to Barack Obama-- you can say that you will pay for a vast expansion of government-provided insurance by taking money from the Medicare budget and using other gimmicks.
Whether this administration, or any future administration, will in fact take enough money from Medicare to pay for this new massive entitlement is a question that only the future can answer, regardless of what today's budget projection says.
On paper, you can treat Medicare like the hypothetical rich uncle who is going to leave me enough money to buy a Rolls Royce. But only on paper. In real life, you can't get blood from a turnip, and you can't keep on getting money from a Medicare program that is itself running out of money.
An even more transparent gimmick is collecting money for the new Obama health care program for the first ten years but delaying the payments of its benefits for four years. By collecting money for 10 years and spending it for only 6 years, you can make the program look self-supporting, but only on paper and only in the short run.
This is a game you can play just once, during the first decade. After that, you are going to be collecting money for 10 years and paying out money for 10 years. That is when you discover that your uncle doesn't have enough money to support himself, much less leave you an inheritance to pay for a Rolls Royce.
But a postponed revelation is not part of the official federal deficit today. And that provides a talking point, in order to soothe people who take talking points seriously.
Fraud has been at the heart of this medical care takeover plan from day one. The succession of wholly arbitrary deadlines for rushing this massive legislation through, before anyone has time to read it all, serves no other purpose than to keep its specifics from being scrutinized-- or even recognized-- before it becomes a fait accompli and "the law of the land."
Would you buy a used car under these conditions, even if it was a Rolls Royce?

26 comments:

  1. Uh-Oh, Thomas Sowell criticizing the President. Black on black racism! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHA

    Not to criticize a brilliant man, but one thing Dr. Sowell gets wrong in my opinion; he should say that you would be getting a loan from your Chinese uncle to pay for the RR, and your children and grandchildren will have to pay back the loan with interest.

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  2. They don't give a shit about our kids and grandkids paying their debt. Just look at social security and medicare.

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  3. I know Chris. Look at little Joey crying about RNC buying some signs or something. THAT is important to those little socialist whining bitches, not the fact that the Hypocrats are re-writing Congressional rules and bending every law they can, and bribing fellow Hypocrats with taxpayer money in order to pass the biggest boondoggle in a generation! I mean, seriously, Pelosi could murder someone in cold blood and they would somehow find a way to justify it just because she is a Hypocrat (and they would probably try to pin it on Bush to boot)! Meanwhile the Tea Party just wants less government intrusion into our daily lives, regardless of the party affiliation, and more freedom for everyone, but THAT'S a problem?! What a bunch of commies.

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  4. John I'm getting all kinds of emails from my liberal friends lately. They are going through a mass hysteria.

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  5. So i'm in your head now huh john? Can't get me off your mind. obsessed with me???

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  6. Sure sure Joey. Just replying to your little whining comments. I see you're the one that can't answer my questions, like where are these kids that are being forced to study Christianity in public schools. Uh oh, now Gangster Joey is going to be forced to change the subject again! BWAAAHAHAHAHA

    Don't you have some gays to bash somewhere gangster?

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  7. Joey, is the fact that you didn't address WHAT I wrote an agreement that I am correct? Thanks for agreeing with me Joey, that you idiot Hypocrats are focusing on piddly-shit while your Hypocrat party is on a kamikaze course to destroy this great nation.

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  8. Democrats: We're so proud of our awesome takeover of health care that we won't go on record as actually having voted for it!

    http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2010/03/democrats-were-so-proud-of-our-awesome.html

    House Majority Leader Stenky Hoyer and Speaker Nancy "Stretch" Pelosi hit the press circuit earlier today to defend the so-called Slaughter Solution, an unprecedented method for enacting government-run health care. This last-gasp Democrat attempt to squeeze out a health care bill would "deem" the Senate health care bill as passed without a direct vote.

    Legal experts believe such a maneuver contravenes Article I, Section 7 of the U.S Constitution.

    It also compounds a callous disregard for the truth and American traditions:

    Democrats have already hidden 60 percent of the cost of the Senate bill, effected an obscenely partisan change in Massachusetts law to keep the bill moving, pledged more than a billion taxpayer dollars to buy votes for the bill, and packed the bill with an unconstitutional individual mandate and provisions that violate the First Amendment. It’s almost as if, to paraphrase comedian Lewis Black, Democrats spent a whole year, umm, desecrating the Constitution and at the last minute went, “Oh! Missed a spot!”

    In other words, this health care overhaul is so crazy good the leadership can't even convince Democrats to openly vote on it.

    Hoyer's attempted to deflect criticism by citing cases where Republicans used a "self-executing" rule.

    Oh, the Republicans used it, right? Well, Stenky, could we please have the list of bills and laws passed using this method? There aren't any. It's been used to add and remove amendments, not pass entire bills without a vote. And certainly not for a giant, new and unaffordable entitlement program. And certainly not one that has no bipartisan support whatsoever.

    Some have argued that the "Gephardt Rule" (House Rule XXVII) -in which a similar "self-executing rule" "deemed" the house to have voted on a new debt ceiling, is valid precedent. Wrong. That rule was for a joint resolution--not a bill. A joint resolution is a guide to the house. It is not a bill under the constitution, and has no force of law. Because a president has nothing to do with a resolution, a self-executing rule is valid for a resolution, but not for a bill.

    As Michael McConnell -- director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School -- explained yesterday, the Slaughter Solution is clearly unconsitutional.

    So, yes, let's create the largest entitlement program in history, but not require any House Democrat to actually vote on it.

    Let's require everyone in the country to purchase a product (health insurance), but exempt Congress, without having an actual vote on the matter.

    Maybe they'll pass a rule that says midterm elections aren't necessary either. After all, that's clearly in the Constitution as well -- along with how bills become laws.

    I guess this is the "fundamental change" we were promised.

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  9. John i didn't post any question on this thread. You could try answering them on the threads i put them instead of obsessing over me and all.

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  10. John, kamikaze course, where did i hear those talking points again...Oh yeah some national guy mentioned it and now its "words" for the right to post by.

    lol....

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  11. Knowledge Comes From Numerous Sources!

    " Hope and Change"!

    Transparentsy From Day One!

    NO More Ear Marks!

    Lazer in on JOBS!


    We Will Pass The Health Care Bill and Then Tweek It!

    Never Let A Crisis Go Unused!

    Now Theres Some Talking Points!

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  12. Joe are you trying to say that you are better then us because you use left wing talking points? That holier then thou bit from you on the left is getting old. You on the left are not better then us. We are all created equal under God. But you don't believe that. You on the left believe that there are no God given rights. You believe the rights are the governments to hand out as they please or to be taken away at the wimes of the leading party. Shame on you.

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  13. Poor drunk little Joey. Put down the bottle Joey, it's apparently hard for you to read through the Jagermeister's green glass. I never said you asked a question on this thread. It's a shame I have to move my questions to you to a different thread to expose the fact that you, like Comrade Bruce, refuse to answer the questions. You choose instead to whiiiiiine and deflect. So tell us Joey, where are those kids that are being forced to pray or worship God or even say the word "God" in public schools?! Where are the downtrodden workers?

    As for kamikaze being some kind of talking point, that is the biggest deflection nonsense I have ever heard in my life! LOL, if that is the best rebuttal you can do Joey, you and your Hypocrats are in big trouble!! I came up with that myself, based on what I see. Maybe a "national" guy did say it, but I wouldn't know because the only "national" guy I listen to would be Ed Schultz of "The Ed Show", a libtard idiot. I listen for the laughs, you should too, it's hilarious the idiots that call in just to lick Ed's nuts and repeat his talking points! And then, the funniest part is when a conservative slips through their screener and then I laugh my ass off when Ed says "Gotta go!" and runs for commercial cover!

    So Joey, kamikaze being a "talking point" or no, it doesn't make it any less true! What do you call it when your Hypocrat party is willing to destroy DESTROY their party just to pass this shitty bill? It sure isn't bravery, if they don't even want to take an honest vote on it. First Obama says he wants a majority, it can't be passed on partisan lines. Then he says 51 votes is fine (we OWE the American people an Up/Down Vote!!). Now they don't even want to VOTE on it?!?! EPIC FAIL, just like you and Comrade Bruce and the regressives and the Hypocrats. EPIC FAIL.

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  14. Chris, i'm saying your better than that, not that i'm better than you. Stop buying into soundbites and talking points.

    And i don't use talking points. The only talking points i get comes from the Ron Paul list the campaign sold to some rightwing pro-gun group. They email me the same things you guys say almost everyday.

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  15. Joey why do you use the same talking points as moveon? Joey you're better then that.

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  16. Is moveon even around anymore?

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  17. Say what you will, but i don't see Anon or anyone else calling out Chris for the Pelosi corruption blog.

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  18. Joe Anon is right. Why is it you stay on track with the moveon.org liberal media talking points? Joe are you saying Pelosi isn't corrupt? Or are you saying she shouldn't be looked into for her corruption? I have to say I'm having a hard time following you lately Joe. Is the Zoloft not working or did it just kick in?

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  19. LMAO....Snopes didn't verify it and you said they did. So did you lie or did you just repost something without questioning its veracity?

    Talk about TP's.

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  20. Well at least he didn't call her an attention whore for absolutely no reason.

    Are you guys talking about this:

    The 2007 bill raised the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour and extended for the first time the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands but exempted American Samoa. Starkist, a division of Del Monte Foods, has facilities in American Samoa with an employee base of about 5,000, roughly 75% of the work force on that island. The company is headquartered in Nancy Pelosi's district was and was very much against the raise in wages. A spokesperson for the Speaker of the House said that neither StarKist nor Del Monte had lobbied Pelosi in any way.

    Because they WERE exempted, and they ARE in her district and that IS suspicious. If they didn't lobby her, why were they exempted in the first place?

    Face it, regressives think policies like minimum wage are great, as long as they don't apply to them. Bunch of hypocrites these Hypocrats are. Seems to me laws should apply equally to everyone. Isn't that the law, EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW. Not with the Hypocrats.

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  21. So becuase of these things you can blog that she did do these things and suggest that snopes verified it? The former being nothing more than unsubstaniated rumor and the second being a deception.

    And you defend him? Thats why i call you a hypocrite, because the shoe fits.

    But you want to talk about Corruption in the US islands lets look at Mariana Labor Bill in 2006.

    Tom Delay and convicted criminal and former lobbist Jack Abramov opposed establishing a new minimum wage and requiring labor laws conform to those of mainland United States.

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  22. I don't even know WTF you are talking about dipshit. I was asking if that was what you were talking about, there was nothing on this blog about Pelosi until you started yammering about it. So shove your shoe right up your ass jackass.

    LOL ... once again Joey is going to start on the "two wrongs make a right". Hey Joey, I am against corruption no matter who or what when how or why. Apparently you justify corruption on YOUR side by saying someone else already did it. What an asshole you are.

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  23. John, i know alot gets passed you and you don't get things, but no need to be angry and swear at people.

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  24. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA ... go F**K yourself Joey. By the way, it's "past", not "passed". Idiot. Poor Joey's sensitive little eyes can't read heavily edited swear words. But his little fingers sure can type out "whore" like they were born to do it. You stay classy Joey. Hey, since it's all acceptable to call private citizen's houses to harass them, how's about you post yours on here? Then we can all just give you a call. That would be acceptable, right? Or did that somehow get "past" you, dumbass? LOL

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  25. Joey, do two wrongs make a right in your book? Seems like that's what you try to say every time. Funny, all of us conservatives on this blog are against corruption, no matter what party. You libtard regressives seem to think that sort of behavior is acceptable if someone else got CAUGHT doing it! Very mature thinking. Joey, do you only comment on Chris' blog during recess? LOL

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  26. I've really never seen such a whining bitch as Joey. Joey, even Bruce can roll with being called names, and he resorts to it also once in a while (in fact, he does it so rarely that it really cracks me up when he does it). You're the only one I ever see get so worked up about it. You're a real little whiny bitch. You must drive your co-workers crazy with your whining. LOL

    And then when you project your anger on everyone, that must make for some fun times too! LMAO

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