Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happines, and Healthcare?

Many people have cited healthcare as one of the important issues of the upcoming election. When Obama supporters are asked why they support him, many reply that he has a plan for improving healthcare. My question to those people then becomes: Is healthcare an entitlement to all Americans? Did I miss the section of the Constitution that deals with this, or maybe I'm just confused? Since when does it become the responsibility of the United States Government to provide some sort of healthcare for its citizens? Should the government then also provide three square meals a day, impose exercise requirements, and ban certain fast-food restaurant chains? Aren't all of these things health related? It seems to me that if the government is going to provide healthcare for everyone, it should protect its investment by requiring people to live a healthy lifestyle. I don't know about you, but I don't really care to have the government regulating how I live my day-to-day life, but that's the only way providing healthcare would make sense. People make individual choices every day to live unhealthily - they smoke, they sit in front of the TV instead of exercising, they go through the drive-thru at McDonalds. And then they have the audacity to presume the government provide healthcare for them? I don't think so. It's true that we pay taxes in this country - but it's also true that the Constitution spells out quite clearly what those taxes are to go for - which is another thing that bothers me when people complain about how much money is spent on defense and the military, because according to the Constitution, defense of our nation and its people is the number one priority. That's another topic for another day, though. Let's stick to healthcare - so we've got people who make choices to live unhealthy lives and then assume it's the government's job to help them with whatever problems arise as a result of their bad choices. I know that some things are beyond an individual's control, and I really do feel for those people, but since when should the majority suffer by paying higher taxes for the benefit of the few? Remember the whole "greatest good for the greatest number" thing? That's what I'm going for here, and if I someday come down with some sort of ailment and have failed to obtain personal healthcare for myself by then, well then don't bother feeling sorry for me. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but I'm simply saying that it's ridiculous to assume that it's the government's responsibility to provide healthcare.

A Couple of Beefs

So there are a couple of things I need to rant about tonight. First, why do people feel the need to be so economically illiterate all the time? Here's a simple little econ lesson for the likes of the average American who just doesn't get it: OPEC recently announced a slight drop in production of oil. OPEC, who is responsible for pumping 40% of the earth's oil, usually has a great deal of influence over oil prices because of their ability to regulate supply. So, you'd think that after their recent announcement oil prices would have risen at least a little bit. Not so. The good 'ole Saudis promised to drill more if necessary just to keep up the current supply. This turmoil from within OPEC and the Saudi's promise, along with the strengthening U.S. dollar actually caused oil prices to drop. It's been dropping steadily ever since it's all time high of just over $147/ bbl and now is right around $100/ bbl. So, even though there's about a two week lag to get oil refined into gasoline and actually to the consumer, you would think that all of this news, along with dropping oil prices would lower gas prices. Again, not so. Gas prices shot up dramatically today because of the speculation that Hurricane Ike will significantly impact our domestic oil production. Radio commentators and the news media are the ones instigating this fear. Consumers see or hear that "gas prices are bound to go up!" so they rush out to buy gas before the price goes skyrocketing to $6 a gallon (as I heard on the radio today - no joke). There were lines at gas stations all across town, backing up traffic and causing all sorts of problems. Here's the problem I have with this - these idiots are giving into the speculators and actually creating their own bed to lay in. What's that mean? It means that all of the people who rushed out to buy gas real quick before prices went "skyrocketing" are the ones who in fact caused the prices to rise. A substantial and furious rise in demand is always followed quickly by a sharp rise in price. It's econ 101. I got more and more mad every time I passed a gas station and saw a line. If people would do a little research rather than listening to the speculators, they would find that oil prices are indeed holding steady. The United States derives such a minuscule percentage of our domestic oil production from the Gulf of Mexico that even every single platform shutting down really doesn't affect our supply that much. Much of our oil (domestic that is) comes from the Black Hills and Alaska. Stop creating our own nightmare people!

Ok, next - Matt Damon, please shut your overpaid mouth. You're an actor, and one that I actually used to admire...that is, until I heard your pathetic excuse for political commentary today on CNN headline news. Some people in life are born to be professional athletes. Some are born to be construction workers and even some to be ditch-diggers. You, my friend, were born to be an actor. You've got a flair for the dramatic and pulled off being Jason Bourne better than I think anyone else could have. So please stick to what you're good at. Speaking about Sarah Palin's alleged "book banning" is not only out of your league, it's also completely false. Check your facts before you go on a big network and embarrass yourself. I almost felt bad for you. Almost.

That's it for now. Well, one more plug before I go - remember to vote November 4 for Jack Hoogendyk and McCain-Palin. Our rights, wallets, and sanity depend on it.

Carl Levin Doesn't Get It

So Carl's done it again...he's put out another YouTube video stating exactly why he should not be re-elected. For some reason, though, he continues trying to project his own personal failures onto President Bush and John McCain. He frames it in a way that I'm sure he thinks is pretty clever. He says that John McCain, President Bush, and the Republicans do have a lot of experience just as they say. However, the hypocrite fails to mention that the attacks he makes on the fore mentioned also apply to him.

First, he says that McCain and Bush are experienced in running up the national debt. So, Carl, you're saying that you're not partly responsible for this? What about the millions in earmarks you've secured? Are earmarks not a wasteful form of spending that increases the deficit? In the 2007 defense authorization bill, you secured $210 million in earmarks - the most of any senator in the country. Hillary Clinton was 2nd, securing $148 million in earmarks. And you're trying to call out McCain and Bush? The DEMOCRATIC controlled congress approved the budget resolution for 2008 which increased deficit spending to all time highs, and you're saying it's Bush and McCain's fault? I don't even know what to say to this...

Next, you talk about Bush and the Republicans being responsible for the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs. Did you forget that the largest number of manufacturing jobs were lost in YOUR state, in counties from which you receive your largest campaign contributions? Did you also forget that your state, from which all these manufacturing jobs are leaving has been controlled by democrats for about 6 years now (governor and both senators) and that Detroit is also controlled by democrats? It's the changing economy and the business environment YOU'VE helped create that is killing manufacturing, not President Bush and the Republicans.

Then, you referred to the privatization of social security as a "slot machine." Are you so afraid of educating people on how to save their own money because you think the government will be losing power or because the more educated people are the more they tend to vote Republican? Either way, your lack of faith in the American people makes me sick.

You say that the Republicans have championed NAFTA and cost the United States in terms of valuable trade and created a towering trade deficit. Has it been so long that you've forgotten who really championed NAFTA? Oh, I'll gladly remind you - it was Bill Clinton, and if you are still fuzzy on the facts, Clinton was a DEMOCRAT.

You finally go on to talk about how our country and billions of individuals abroad are aching for change. Well, you finally got something right - it's time for a change, and that includes electing someone to the senate who hasn't been there for the last 30 years and become so indebted to special interests and his own party that he's forgotten the true job description of a United States Senator. I know you're a little slow, so I'll help you out - that's YOU I'm talking about.

Carl, I'm sick of your hypocrisy, and I'm sick of you lying to the people of our great state. Our state may be down and out at the moment, but contrary to the lies you've been spewing, the fault lies on your shoulders. I hope you're proud of yourself, because I certainly am not.