August 31, 2011
IS THERE AN END-OF-LIFE RIGHT TO LIFE -- REGARDLESS OF COST?
Is there an end-of-life right to life? In other words, does every American have the "right," regardless of age or state of health, to get government-paid healthcare, regardless of cost? Among the ever-growing panoply of "rights" -- based on race, sexual orientation, disability, gender, plus those relating to guns, abortion, voting -- the non-beneficiary does not (except for handicapped accommodations) pay for the beneficiary. No so for "healthcare rights." Does an 80-year old have the "right" to a $125,000 hip replacement? Or a $75,000 new knee. Or $400,000-plus to fight terminal liver, pancreatic, lung or colon cancer? Or endless nursing care? How much is life worth when the quality is nebulous, and the cost enormous? Medicare is bankrupt. By 2025, it may cost $3 trillion annually. No sane politician wants to address this insoluble issue. Full Article...
August 24, 2011
QUINN GRAPPLES WITH FIVE "STAGES OF SLOTH"
The Land of Lincoln has, under the laughable leadership of Gov. Pat Quinn (D), evolved into the Land of Sloth. Remember the four stages of grief? Anger, denial, bargaining, acceptance. That's what America's few liberal governors are experiencing: The death of the dream of endless taxing and spending. Quinn has been battling the five stages of sloth: confusion, denial, procrastination, desperation and acceptance. He's been in his procrastination mode for over a year. Other governors are decisively reining in spending and refusing to hike taxes. Not quivering Quinn. Borrow more, tax more, because in 2015 Quinn will be out the door. Full Article...
August 17, 2011
POLITICIANS MUST DECIDE: TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN? AND WHERE?
For Illinois' politicians, it's Shakespeare time: To run or not to run? That is the question. And, given the Democrats' brutal remap of state legislative and congressional districts, the further question is: Where? Democratis eviscerated the districts of 10 of 11 Republican congressmen, and they're all scrambling for a winnable sincecure. But some Democrats were fed through the Madigan sausage machine: Camille Lilly is toast, as her once-black majority district is now mostly white; on the Northwest Side, State Rep. Joe Lyons may pull the plug. Full Article...
August 10, 2011
WASHINGTON'S GRIDLOCK CAN ONLY BE SOLVED BY ROSS PEROT-TYPE PRESIDENT
The worst is yet to come. Political gridlock has congealed and hardened in Washington. The Republicans will win the U.S. Senate in 2012. The 2016 presidential campaign will commence in 2013. There will be no serious entitlement reforms, or tax hikes, or defense cuts. If Obama wins in 2012, Republicans will spend his next term trying to chop spending, which he will veto; if a Republican ousts Obama, and attempts entitlement reductions, Democrats will be implacably opposed, and use that stance to win back Congress in 2014, inducing stalemate anew. Here's the forming 2016 presidential field: Democrats Clinton and Biden are too old, and too connected to Obama, so it will be Cuomo, Patrick, Hickenlooper, Warner and O'Malley. Republican contenders will be a slew of governors -- Jindal, Christie, Kasich, McDonnell, Martinez, Brownback -- plus senators Thune, Coburn, Paul, Rubio and Brown. Full Article...
August 3, 2011
LABOR UNION DOLLARS FLOOD NW SIDE ALDERMANIC RACES
There are three kinds of campaign cash: YOM, OPM and LUM. Those are acronyms for Your Own Money, Other Peoples' Money, and Labor Union Money. If you have to spend out of your own wallet, you're already a loser. As set forth in the fundraising chart which accompanies this article, Chicago's labor unions spent upwards of $3 million to elect various pro-labor candidates, and literally bought an aldermanic seat in the Northwest Side 45th and 38th wards. They missed an opportunity in the 36th Ward, but won the 41st Ward. In the 45th Ward, the unions spent over $500,000, initially for Marina Faz-Huppert, and then for John Arena, who won the runoff by 30 votes. The runoff loser, John Garrido, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Arena and the SEIU for allegedly false and libelous campaign mailings and TV ads on Arena's behalf. In the 38th Ward, an virtual armada of unions pumped over $200,000 into Tim Cullerton's winning campaign, which was run by union operatives. In the 36th Ward, Nick Sposato spent only $72,000, but John Rice refused to let the unions run and fund his effort, and he lost. Full Article...
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