The debate continues to intensify over the prospect of a federally operated, national healthcare system.  The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation’s largest physician organization, and it staunchly opposes  government sponsored care.  Dr. Nancy Nielson, President of the AMA, stated, “…we absolutely oppose government control of health care decisions or mandatory physician participation in any plan.”  On the other hand, the Physicians for a National Health Program supports government-sponsored healthcare, though it believes private doctors and hospitals should be largely responsible for administering medical treatment.  Let the lobbying contest begin.

It appears as if the current administration and Democratic-led Congress will pass some version of nationalized healthcare plan in the coming months.  Many of us are fearful of the high costs, lower quality, decreased efficiency, and lack of freedom associated with any government-dominated program.  However, as we move forward, let’s refrain from the usual Democrat bashing and partisan insults.  Let’s not forget that the former Republican administration never balanced the budget in its 8 year tenure, doubled the national debt, increased the size of the Federal Government, seized private firms, and bailed out private companies with taxpayer money.

Instead, let’s make sure that we’re offering specific, free-market solutions.  Let’s ask our favorite TV & radio hosts to propose alternative solutions instead of just criticizing the Democratic Party.  Let’s ensure that candidates running for office in the 2010 elections are providing detailed answers on how to preserve patient choice, promote medical competition in the free market to lower costs and increase the quality of care,  explore outside-the-box solutions, and reform a system that is bankrupting our nation.  Let’s become the movement of actual ideas.

Read here.

The independent, Wartime Contracting Commission, is set to release a 111 page report documenting poor management, weak oversight, and a failure to learn from mistakes in Iraq & Afghanistan.  Since 2001, billions of dollars of taxpayer money have been wasted on various projects sponsored by the Department of Defense and private contractors.  Apparently, hundreds of thousands of private contractors are running amok in these war theaters with little to no oversight, accountability, or transparency.

What would you propose as a solution?

Read more here.

America’s elite central bank is hiring a veteran lobbyist to improve its public image.  This should be enough to sound the alarm bells of suspicion.  Can you blame them, though?  The Fed failed to predict the current crisis, devalued the Dollar by over 30% since 2002, inflated the real estate bubble with artificially low rates, and printed trillions of dollars out of thin air to rescue its buddies on Wall St.  Throughout the unfolding crisis, it colluded with the Federal Government, Treasury Department, and several, monolithic Wall St. firms, thus eroding its claim of monetary independence as a “private” bank.

A growing number of politicians, Republican, Democrat, and Independent, are growing wise to this act.  The American people are learning more and more about the Fed’s inflationary monetary policies.  Politicians are demanding more accountability and greater transparency.  The people are reading books about a banking institution they once knew nothing about.

Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, broke tradition and appeared on 60 minutes for a public interview.  Now, the Fed’s about to hire a veteran lobbyist, who worked for the scandalized Enron, as well as the Treasury Department under then President Bill Clinton.  Seems like somebody’s just a little bit worried.

Read here.

In an interview, the late Ronald Reagan once stated, “I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.”  To be clear, this blog is not meant as an endorsement of the libertarian party.   It is neutral on the issue.  However, it is a thought provoking statement worth careful examination.

What do you think former President Ronald Reagan meant by this statement?  What could we reasonably infer from his poignant insight? Let’s hear your thoughts.

It’s almost become an outlandish proposition these days.  Balance the budget, you’ve got to be kidding, right?  That’s for the next Administration, the next Congress,  the next generation to do, or so we’re told.   Fiscal responsibility is always pushed down the road, to be dealt with at a later time.  But, before you know it, you’ve created $2 trillion budget deficits, over $11 trillion of national debt, and over $99 trillion of unfunded liabilities.

However, there’s always some type of justification.  We have to spend more to stimulate the economy.  We have to spend more to prevent the onset of another Great Depression.  We have to spend more to reform healthcare.  We have to spend more to improve education.  We have to spend more to save the environment.  We have to spend more to fight terrorism.  We have to spend more to fund overseas military operations.  We have to spend more to rescue private industry.  It goes on and on and on.

Whatever happened to efficiency?  Whatever happened to the phrase, “Quality, not quantity”?  Whatever happened to living within our means? Would America really collapse if it stuck to a balanced budget?  Over the last eight and a half years, it appears as if most Republicans and Democrats would have you think so.

In the early 2000’s, the Dot-Com bubble burst and the U.S. entered into a recession.  The government significantly increased deficit spending, particularly after 9/11, the Federal Reserve began a long period of interest rate cuts, and the Dollar devalued.  Then, in 2008, the Real Estate bubble burst and the U.S entered into a severe recession.  The government significantly increased deficit spending, particularly in bailing out Wall St., and the Federal Reserve initiated a massive money printing program and lowered rates even further.

Some analysts and trends forecasters are warning of a new, Bailout Bubble.  Unprecedented deficit spending, more borrowing, endless bailouts, and a huge increase in money printing could be laying the foundation for yet another burst of the US economy.  This one, they warn, may produce severe inflationary consequences, worse than those seen in the 1970s and early 1980s.

The question is, when will this bubble burst?  Or, is it starting to burst already?  What do you think?

Even Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is sounding the alarm bells about record breaking budget deficits.  According to Bernanke, excessive government spending and borrowing will derail America’s future economic prosperity.  But, is anybody really listening?  Does anybody really take this threat seriously?

George W. Bush and a largely Republican Congress ran up big deficits and piled on more debt.  President Obama and a Democratic Congress are already projected to run up even bigger budget deficits and pile on even more debt.  The Obama administration’s idea of getting our budget under control is lowering the deficit from $2 trillion to $1 trillion at some point in the future.  Talk about lofty expectations.

Perhaps the time has come for We the People to start voting in candidates who will actually cut spending, end the bailouts, and balance the budget.  And perhaps the time has come for We the People to start voting out every single candidate, regardless of party, who has voted to increase spending, bail out Wall St, and pass unbalanced budgets.  The buck stops with us.

Read here.

Do you agree that the Tea Party movement is grassroots democracy in action?

Do you believe that all people, regardless of any outward attribute such as race or gender, should expect fair treatment and equal justice under the law?

Do you agree that that the Tea Party movement is an attempt to present our redress of grievances in a peaceful, non-violent manner?

Do you believe that the centralization of power in Washington DC is one of the greatest threats, if not the greatest threat, to our freedom today?

Do you want to leave future generations a cleaner, healthier environment?

Do you agree that we oppose the bailout and the Federal Reserve because the massive debt they are sticking to us is unmanageable and unsustainable?

If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations!  You could find yourself right at home in the “progressive” movement. (more…)

China is  is growing increasingly nervous about exploding budget deficits, skyrocketing debt, and a deteriorating Dollar in the United States.  We’ve borrowed $1 trillion or more from the Chinese to fund our massive budget deficits over the years, and China is worried that it could get paid back in worthless Dollars.  During the Bush administration, deficits surged, debt doubled, and the Dollar lost more and more of value.  Now, under the Obama administration, deficits, debt, and Dollar devaluation are accelerating at an even faster pace.

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