Here’s the listing of everyone that voted for the greatest increase of government size and power in my lifetime: ObamaCare.
Author Archives: scottsoapbox
We’re Headed Off a Cliff If ObamaCare Passes
Cal Thomas with FOX News has a great column on how ObamaCare will share Medicare’s waste, fraud and abuse as well as it’s shrinking coverage and ever ballooning costs.
…Democrats now readily admit that Medicare is full of waste, fraud and abuse, but they want us to believe they can run an even larger venture without throwing additional money away. Amazing!
…Addressing critics of the bill, President Obama said no one is “going to pull the plug on grandma.” They won’t have to. Grandma will be denied treatment because she will be too much of a financial burden on government. It’s called rationing. Grandma had better start working out, eating lots of oatmeal and hope she doesn’t get sick. Why do you think the president kept mentioning sick children? It’s because children are the ones who will get the most – and best – treatment. Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ezekiel, has said government has a right to decide how many health care dollars you are worth. And if children with a lifelong taxpaying potential are worth more than grandma who is taking more from the tax pot than she is contributing, that’s too bad for grandma.
…The president promised again “you can keep your doctor.” But what if the doctor quits because he or she can’t afford to accept reduced fees mandated by government to keep costs down, while paying ever-increasing premiums for malpractice insurance to protect the doctor from lawsuits, which, by the way, is another reason the doctor did so many tests.
Companies sometimes test-market new products in regions of the country to see how well they sell. Government-run health care has been test-marketed in Massachusetts and it is a disaster. The cost of the state’s insurance program has ballooned by 42 percent, or almost $600 million. According to an analysis by the Rand Corporation, “in the absence of policy change, health care spending in Massachusetts is projected to nearly double to $123 billion in 2020, increasing 8 percent faster than the state’s gross domestic product.”
The cost of insurance in Massachusetts is the highest in the nation. Double-digit rate increases are expected again this year. Yet, President Obama claimed Saturday that under the Democrats’ plan, rates will go down. How is this possible? If Massachusetts can’t run a cost-effective health program, how can the federal government? And by the way, the only reason Massachusetts has not gone broke (but is headed there) is because Washington has conducted large transfusions of cash because it has a vested interest in protecting the illusion of Massachusetts’ success.
The president said we should support the health insurance bill out of “a sense of neighborliness and community.” When I was growing up, that meant you, not government, helped your neighbor. Government was a last resort, not a first resource…
Jobs will be lost because of this bill. Already, Caterpiller Company is laying-off workers because it estimates the health care bill will cost the company $100 million… – FoxNews
Financial Analyst Predicts 50-60% Income Taxes With ObamaCare
Jim Cramer of CNBC’s Mad Money, co-founder of TheStreet.com (provider of financial commentary, analysis and news) and the “Bottom Line” columnist for New York magazine made a prediction on MSNBC’s Morning Joe recently: steep tax increases because ObamaCare will “break the budget”. Not only will income taxes as much as double, capital gains tax will sky rocket from 5-15% currently to 50-60%.
Remember capital gains is not just a tax on the rich but anyone with an investment account such as Baby Boomers scrambling to save for retirement or little old ladies living off their invested life savings.
He goes on to mention that since he pays state income tax as well, that ObamaCare will mean he get to live off of 35% of what he makes and the government will get 65%. That’s fair – right?
Cramer also recently had a nice segment on how the spirit and the tax code has always historically supported Tax Avoidance (recently called unpatriotic) it is Tax Evasion that is both illegal and possibly immoral. An important difference apparently lost on some simple minded elected officials.
Lenovo Mini Wireless Keyboard Review
I just got my hands on the new mini keyboard from Lenovo today. Targeted at HTPC setups, this wireless wonder solves the problem of needing full PC controls in a remote form factor. But does it work as well as one would hope? Mostly.
Overall
The overall feel of the device is nice. It fits in your hand as you would expect from a well made remote. The underside is a soft matte plastic that I wish they had continued on the top of the device. The shiny black plastic around the trackball isn’t nearly as supple and quickly accumulates fingerprints (see pic below). At 126 grams with batteries the device is noticeably lighter than a Tivo remote (164 grams). The fact that you don’t need a driver disk is another bonus.
Wireless
The Lenovo N5901 uses 2.4G wireless promises up to 10 meters of range, and in my testing I had no problems at 23 feet or even at 27 feet through a wall. At 35 feet and through two walls the controls would work sometimes. Needless to say, if your media room is larger than this thing’s range – you can afford a much more elaborate solution. The fact that the micro transmitter fits inside the battery compartment is a nice touch especially if you are using this for on-the-road power points instead of sofa surfing.
Keyboard
Levovo is famous for keyboard quality and this mini is no exception. The keys are straight off any good texting device, and provide solid feedback when thumbing away. However, since this “media remote” is targeted HTPC use, I would have like to see back lighting on the keys. Which would come in handy during dimly lit movies. The media buttons across the top are a welcome addition. The orange button launches your “my computer” window – good for easy DVD access or an extra HD filled with media.
Trackball
This is the most disappointing part of the otherwise top notch package. The trackball seems cheaper than the rest of the device. The feedback is just a tad off. It can both seem too jumpy when clicking a link and too slow when moving around the screen. Again this isn’t a huge issue, it is just not a smooth as you would expect. Another problem is that trackball is too tall. (see pic below) It is too easy when right clicking to hit the track ball and move the curser. (Lefties would have the opposite problem) A slightly larger trackball sitting lower probably would have reduced this problem. And the Lenovo eraser nub may have been the best solution. Though it may have been price considerations that left that off the table.
Conclusion
Is the Mini Wireless Keyboard perfect? No. However considering the other options on the market, you’d be hard pressed to find a better solution anywhere near the $60 list price. Watch for a coupon from ThinkPads.com and it becomes an easy decision.
Racism Running Rampant?
It seems like you can’t turn around without seeing another comment on racism today. Here’s the quick summary.
ABC is pushing against inter-racial adoptions both on World News and The View:
On the Wednesday, March 3, World News on ABC, inspired by current efforts to adopt orphans in Haiti, correspondent Ron Claiborne filed a report promoting the view that black children may be harmed psychologically from being adopted and raised by white parents. Claiborne focused on the case of black filmmaker Phil Bertelsen who complains that “he and other black adoptees tell a similar tale, of feeling estranged, cut off from their own racial identity and culture.”
Monday, March 8, The View on ABC, as the group discussed the film The Blind Side which features a white family taking in a black teen, co-host Barbara Walters complained about those who criticize interracial adoption as the more left-leaning Joy Behar and guest co-host and actress Vanessa Williams complained that the film portrayed white parents as being the answer to social problems of troubled black kids. – NewsBusters.org
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter is not a fan of all the black imposters in MLB:
“Even people I know come up and say, ‘Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?’ I say, ‘Come on, he’s Dominican. He’s not black.’ ” […]
“As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us,” Hunter says. “It’s like they had to get some kind of dark faces, so they go to the Dominican or Venezuela because you can get them cheaper. It’s like, ‘Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?’
“I’m telling you, it’s sad.” – USAToday.com
And finally, Dan Rather had to apologize for his comment that Obama “couldn’t sell watermelons”.