Archive for July 24th, 2009

Flash Report: Obama’s approval drops below 50%

July 24, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 49% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. Fifty-one percent (51%) disapprove.

Today marks the first time his overall approval rating has ever fallen below 50% among Likely Voters nationwide. 

30% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -8 .

Just 25% believe that the economic stimulus package has helped the economy.

Fifty-three percent (53%) now oppose the Congressional health care reform package. That’s up eight points over the past month.

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http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

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Posted in Obama Administration | 3 Comments »

The Cleveland Clinic business model: gouge the foreigners … works for me

July 24, 2009

Ken’s Take: If the U.S. healthcare system is so bad, why do foreigners from the utopian systems come to the U.S. for critical treatment? 

I like the notion of making them pay list prices – very high list prices – to offset citizen healthcare costs.

Idea: why not put a high tax on healthcare services delivered to non-U.S. citizens ?

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WSJ, Replicating Cleveland Clinic’s Success Poses Major Challenges, July 23, 2009

The key to the Cleveland Clinic’s success, many policy makers say, is its integrated approach. Like other so-called multispecialty clinics, the Cleveland Clinic employs its own physicians, creating teams of specialists that collaborate in treating each patient. By contrast, at most traditional community hospitals, doctors remain independent, private practitioners.

The Cleveland Clinic stays profitable by offsetting its losses on Medicare patients with payments from private insurers and thousands of foreign patients who often pay its full list prices. Those prices can be two to three times higher than what U.S. insurance plans negotiate with the clinic.

Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124831191487074451.html

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Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance | 5 Comments »

Obama plays the race card …

July 24, 2009

As usual, I have a different take on Obama’s press conference remark that Cambridge Mass. police acted “stupidly” by arresting a prominent black academic just because he was being disorderly.

Most press reports describe that statement as an “off the cuff” remark.  I doubt it.  Obama’s prior press conference outted the administration’s careful selection of questioners and their likely (or assured) questions.  The mere fact that the question was last in the press conference leads me to conclude that it was orchestrated, and that the President’s answer was deliberate.

Why?

Though Obama campaigned as a grand uniter, he governs as a divider – rewarding folks he deems good guys (i.e. those who agree with him), and punishing those he considers bad guys (i.e. those who disagree with him).

RealClearPolitics observes “Obama maintains the strong support of his base  …  he continues to be the most polarizing modern president.”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/23/obamas_public_support_cracking_at_6_months_97574.html

Cutting to the chase: Obama’s overall approval rating is 94% among blacks.

But 40% of whites and “others” strongly disapprove of his performance as president. 

And, though his total approval among blacks remains  sky high, the approval intensity is dropping.  Shortly after the inauguration, over 80% of blacks strongly approved of his performance as president.  That number has slipped down to 64% – still high, but eroding.

My take: Obama is a win at all costs guy. With his overall approval ratings falling and his chaotic healthcare plan faltering, he is going back to the well – revving up his core constituency – getting their intensity level back up – framing issues as “us” versus “them”.  Watch that theme spill over to the healthcare debate.

Though I think he was trying  to be clever,  it looks like the gambit failed.  Most news shows led with the “stupid white cop”  story – pushing healthcare to the backburner – and stoking even greater polarization.  Not good.

As the expression goes: “Too clever by half.”

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Posted in Obama Administration | 2 Comments »

Summer Read: Liberty & Tyranny by Mark Levin

July 24, 2009

Liberty & Tyranny, Mark Levin, Threshhold editions, 2009

13 weeks as #1 on the NY Times best seller list  … w/o a NY Times review or author appearances on mainstrean TV

Ken’s Take: A tightly argued case – he’s obviously a (former) lawyer.  Not much new news for card-carrying conservatives.  I recommend the book for liberals – not because it will change your minds, but because it’s an efficient synopsis of conservative thinking. Know thy enemy.

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Highlights

Levin is constitutional scholar and former lawyer turned conservative radio talk show host.  He’s quite animated on his show, so I was surprised that his book was very thoughtful.  In summary, it lays out the body of conservative logic, tying it back directly to the Constitution.

He basic thesis is that liberal progressives – who he refers to as “statists” —  consider the state (i.e. government – especially the federal government) to be supreme.  Constitutional conservatives – he argues – consider the individual to be supreme.  Preserving the rights of individuals is liberty; subordination of the rights to the is tyranny.

So, Levin argues:

For  rights bestowed from a higher authority (i.e. God)  — because the Constitution says so.

For faith, arguing that the establishment clause doesn’t foreclose mean that religion must be hidden and dismissed.

For states rights, saying that (1) the Constitution was meant to limit federal jurisdiction (2) that the diversity of wants, needs, and means requires it, and (3) that ‘mobility’ among locales let’s citizens situate in places most compatible with their interests (e.g move to Florida if you don’t like income taxes)

For the free market, arguing that it is the economic mechanism that promotes self-worth, self-sufficiency, shared values, and honest dealing.

Against taxes, except those that generate the revenue required to support the government’s constitutional activities (e.g. defence & security).

Against “enviro-statism” (e.g. cap & trade), asserting that the costs are usually far understated – for example, banning DDT eliminated a carcinogen, but also caused the incidence of malaria to re-surge and cause millions of deaths – especially in undeveloped areas.

For legal immigration, but against illegal immigration, including citizenship by birth,  “chain” immigration (i.e. spousal citizenship), and sanctuary cities.

Though Levin offers a list of remedial actions  — his Conservative Manifesto – it’s composed mostly of the usual list of suspects.  Ideas that caught my eye are: term limits for judges (vs. lifetime appointments), sun-setting all Federal agencies (i.e. require that they be reestablished each budget cycle), and replacement of the current income tax system with a “fair” or flat tax.

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Posted in Book Summaries, Conservative Thinking | 1 Comment »