Content by simpson316
Posted at 11:45am on Jul. 10, 2008 Public-Private Partnerships
By simpson316
The Future for Missouri (And Any Other State that Wants Them)
Rapidly increasing gas prices are hurting consumers everywhere. Missouri is no exception. One of the effects (I’ll let the reader decide for themselves if it is positive or negative) is that people have begun to drive less. Less driving leads to less gas purchased. Less purchased gas equals less state revenue via the gas sales tax. This has lead to an interesting dilemma for many states on how to fund road projects, bridges, and other transportation projects. States are searching for alternatives.
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Posted at 11:51pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Government Run Healthcare: In “Crisis”
By simpson316
Allow me to introduce you to Claude Castonguay. Mr. Castonguay is known as the father of Canadian Medicare. In the 1960s he was tasked by the Canadian government to examine the state of Canada’s health care system. After the Castonguay-Nepveu Commission on Health Care and Services released its report, the government of Quebec made sweeping changes to the health care system. The control of the health care system was removed from the hands of the clergy and placed in the care of the Quebec government.
Over the course of the last four decades since the report has been issued, the governments in Canada have continued to maintain their hold on the system. As a result, Canadian hospitals, clinics, and doctors offices have seen astounding wait times for visits, surgeries, etc. To Mr. Castonguay’s credit, he has taken note of these problems. Mr. Castonguay has again been asked to review the state of the health care system. This time, his recommendations are very different.
Four decades later, as the chairman of a government committee reviewing Quebec health care this year, Castonguay concluded that the system is in "crisis."
"We thought we could resolve the system's problems by rationing services or injecting massive amounts of new money into it,[ed. - sound familiar?]" says Castonguay. But now he prescribes a radical overhaul: "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."
“Freedom of choice.”
What an absolutely phenomenal concept. In those three small words, Mr. Castonguay has summed the biggest argument against universal health care. When the government controls, there is no freedom of choice. As American citizens, freedom is a virtue that we hold very dear to our hearts. Look to this upcoming weekend when we will celebrate 232 years of our struggle to maintain and promote freedom. Heed the message of Mr. Castonguay: “give a greater role to the private sector.” Don’t allow the proponents of universal health care to take away our freedom of choice.
Posted in Policy — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:22am on Jun. 29, 2008 Dem Party Unity Continues to Suffer
By simpson316
Two Prominent NH Dems Join Team McCain
At a time when Senator Obama is trying to rally his party to his side, he loses two key New Hampshire Democrats to team McCain. Jim McConaha and Valery Mitchell have joined Senator McCain’s campaign to serve as co-chairs of “Democrats for McCain”. From the press release:
Posted in 2008 — Comments (37) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 2:43am on May 23, 2008 Mitt Romney Launches Free and Strong America PAC
By simpson316
Not to be outdone by another former GOP candidate for President, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney has launched the Free and Strong America PAC. The purpose of the organization is:
Posted in Breaking News — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 1:59am on May 7, 2008 A Conservative Call to Arms
By simpson316
With Senator Barack Obama all but wrapping up his nomination, it is time for conservatives to prepare for the battle ahead. I will not lie: We face an uphill battle in this election. Our current President faces all time historic lows in approval ratings. The Republican name is sour. We are in the middle of an increasingly unpopular war. But despite all of this, I am optimistic for the future of the Republican Party and the upcoming elections. Why?
Read on.
Posted in Archived — Comments (73) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:17am on May 2, 2008 Missouri One Ups the Feds
By simpson316
In national politics, there has been much discussion about Senator John McCain's (R-Az) proposal for a federal gas tax holiday. Well, the State of Missouri has just moved one step closer to getting this done. Yesterday, the Missouri Fiscal Review Committee passed the measure on to the general assembly with a recommendation to pass the bill. [Summary of bill here] It looks like Missouri wants to do some good for its citizens this summer. Does anyone else want to step up?
There is more to the bill to be happy about too. Read on.
Posted in Taxes — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:06pm on May 1, 2008 Eminent Domain: Sticking It To The Minorities and Poor
By simpson316
David T. Beito and Ilya Somin have an op-ed piece in the Kansas City Star titled Battle over eminent domain is another civil rights issue. In the piece, they discuss how eminent domain abuse has had a disproportionate impact on minorities and the lower class. It is easy to see how that would be the case.
Posted in Law — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:36pm on Apr. 19, 2008 We Cling to Our Guns, Do We?
By simpson316
[H/T Marginal Revolution]
By now everyone has heard of the “bitter” comments that Senator Barack Obama made to a group of über-liberal donors in San Francisco, CA. Senator Obama claims that Americans “cling” to religion, guns and anti-immigration when they feel like they have been ignored by the government. Arthur C. Brooks, in an article in the Wall Street Journal (available here), points out that in respect to the gun issue, it just isn’t true.
Read On.
Posted in 2008 — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:14pm on Apr. 18, 2008 One Solution for Government Entities Facing Budget Problems
By simpson316
How One Missouri City Made a Change to Save Taxpayers Millions
In 2003, The United States Congress created a novel idea in health care funding: The Health Savings Account. It was included in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. [I like to refer to it as the good part of the bill seeing as how Part D has proven to be a budget disaster for the government.] Under the new plan, a consumer (or employer) purchases a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) and opens a health savings account (HSA).
The HSA has been commonly referred to as a “medical retirement fund” because of its similarities to an IRA (or 401k in employer purchased situations). Money that is deposited into the account is tax-deductible, reducing the consumer’s tax liability. The account grows on a tax-deferred basis (You don’t have to worry about getting a 1099 each year to file with your taxes). When money is withdrawn from the account for qualifying medical expenses (see IRS Publication 502 for a complete list of qualifying expenses) the money is tax-free. The account is owned by the consumer (important in the case of employer-sponsored plans) which means that they are able to take the money with them if they leave the employer.
How does this save government entities money? Read On.
Posted in Taxes — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:52pm on Apr. 15, 2008 Barack Obama: Half Right (Because I’m Feeling Generous)
By simpson316
Much has been made over the last few days about the comments that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made to a group of über-wealthy fundraisers in San Francisco. Much of the focus of ire (from both the right side of the political spectrum and Senator Clinton supporters) revolves around the idea that Senator Obama believes that people “cling to guns and religion” when times are bad (See link here for text and mp3). Much has also been discussed about Senator Obama’s dismissal of the voters in rural Pennsylvania as racist (See link here for text and video). As I stated in the title, I’m feeling a little generous today. I’m willing to give Obama a pass. I’m willing to believe that he was simply misunderstood and taken out of context as he and his supporters are now claiming.