"Class Warfare" - Tim Allen Journal. 9/21/09. When I first read this I was amazed that Tim Allen wasn't only a funny man, but also someone who is able to understand certain economic ideas that some politicians and people just refuse to accept or think about. He makes a good point about how social programs such as a public option in the healthcare reform package are intended to be subsidized for the good of all, and profit-making isn't a primary goal. Only point is that the USPS is not directly subsidized by tax money.
"What’s the fuss with a public option?
Well, the post office for one...As a business it’s hard to defend sometimes with lines and spotty service. As a ‘social’ program it’s a wonderful place to assure a reasonable fee to get written or printed material and packages anywhere. If you asked FedEx or UPS to mail a letter, the carrier would scan it and you would wonder why you are paying $12.96 to send something when you could use the Post Office and mail it for under 50 cents. That’s the cost advantage provided by a ‘public option’. We are taxed to keep the price ‘fixed’, the fix augments the price of
doing its service. It does what businesses can’t. It operates a deficit. That’s the nature of a social program. The benefit or profit is of a very different nature than the profit of a capital business.
So agree with them, or not, social programs are a way for all of us to ease the burden for those of us who can’t. The characteristics of [social programs and socialism] vs. [laissez faire capitalism and free market] are then fair discussions on overall principles of government. For an experiment, take away the notion that a social government solutions would run at a profit. Trying to define a social program as a business or act like ‘for profit’ enterprises are doing a disservice to all involved. Adjust the viewpoint some, even aim for a bit more business-like guidelines for social programs with the goal to be break even. Or even at best, smaller deficits and financial conservatives, like me, might find the system workable."
"Bill Maher Challenges Obama" - Bill Maher via Huffington Post. 9/12/09. In this video, another celebrity, Bill Maher, believes Obama and Democrats wasn't tough enough in his push for reform. "Stand up for the 70% of Americans who aren't crazy," he says, "The Democrats just never learn. Americans don't really care which side of an issue you're on as long as you don't act like pussies." The latter was most likely to blame for the party losing the House in the 2010 midterm elections. Just gotta love Maher's wit.
Post 203 (Dated 9/09, see 200th post for reason)
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