"Thanksgiving" - by K Charles Marshall

Well as Thanksgiving is fast approaching, perhaps it is only appropriate for us to take a moment and give thanks to the government that is looking out for us. Indeed, with all the "bad-government" talk these days – I think someone should stand up say thanks to the President and Congress for rushing in and saving the day. Seriously... some people could be morally opposed to throwing bad money at a bad problem – but not in America. Capitalism is so antiquated – why bother letting the markets handle problems when you can intervene and make them do what you tell them! It's a win-win - now if I don't pay my Citi Card on time I can just call up and tell them I'm a majority shareholder so they can suck it! A more cowardly administration might be reluctant to spend so much money bailing out all the important financial gurus of today (damn they're so good at their job) but not here. No, we're pledging approximately $4.6 trillion dollars to the effort. Now when I read that this morning – I was like "hey $4.6 trillion that's not so bad… our national debt is like $11 trillion" but really, $4.6 trillion is a lot of freaking money – another sign of how awesome and fearless our country really is. Check out these numbers from Jim Bianco:

• Marshall Plan: Cost: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $115.3 billion
• Louisiana Purchase: Cost: $15 million, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $217 billion
• Race to the Moon: Cost: $36.4 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $237 billion
• S&L Crisis: Cost: $153 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $256 billion
• Korean War: Cost: $54 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $454 billion
• The New Deal: Cost: $32 billion (Est), Inflation Adjusted Cost: $500 billion (Est)
• Invasion of Iraq: Cost: $551b, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $597 billion
• Vietnam War: Cost: $111 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $698 billion
• NASA: Cost: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $851.2 billion
TOTAL: $3.92 trillion ___________________________________________________________________
(Data courtesy of Bianco Research)

So, on this Thanksgiving, I'm going to say "Thanks to America." Really… Thanks! Lets not be constrained by silly economic principles that use confusing French words like laissez-faire (besides who likes the French anyway), lets not let real capitalist countries like China force us to remain true to that stodgy "invisible hand", lets not worry about our children or grandchildren who will some day have to pay back all this debt (with interest – Carpe Diem right?) No, this Thanksgiving we can say thanks knowing that whatever we do, however much we suck at our jobs, however inferior our products are to the products of those damn foreigners, we can rest assured that America's government has our back and that, my friends, is worth our thanks.

Mr. Marshall's first submission

Greetings to my fellow Weaver Blog readers and contributors. I was delighted that J-Rod asked me to contribute some ideas to his new blog. I, like many of you, have surely spent many an hour puzzling over what goes on in that "big head" of his and so I suspect, this Blog may be a refreshing and illuminating foray into Weaverdom. I was struck by the notion Jarrod alluded to earlier about Conservative and Liberal and how these terms are simply insufficient for our present day discourse. If anything has been made clear over the last 8 years, it is that what used to be known as conservative (manifested in the Republican model) is no longer such. The days of small government, free markets, and individual liberty have been trumped by expansive deficit, government interventions, and a perversion of the constitution. Indeed, "the dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present" and so too are the labels which once characterized American political life. The challenges which face us today – sprawling wars, an economic collapse, a cultural battles within our borders – require solutions that far exceed the polities of Republican and Democrat. Without echoing the mantra of a "team of rivals" or "bipartisan cooperation" we need to find thoughtful strategies that are pragmatic and effective (if not intelligent) for if we are to continue on the path, blazed by both Republicans and Democrats, America shall certainly "perish from the earth." – K.Charles Marshall

The Farce that is Universal Healthcare

The concept is Utopian. What human being with even a shred of compassion for his fellow man wouldn't want free or practically free healthcare for all other citizens of this great land? One would have to be a real heartless bastard to not think this was a great idea!

But then we run into the problem of "how the hell can we make this work?" Are we going to have to garnish the paychecks of those who make enough money to afford their own healthcare to make up for those who aren't as fortunate? Well that hardly seems fair. I understand we are all in this together as people, but where does it end? What should be the reason for accepting such a tax increase (especially with Obama's already higher tax on the wealthy)? Patriotism? That hardly seems fair either. However taxes are not my concern for the healthcare system. As you will read below there are other issues that are much more devistating to a universal healthcare system than higher taxes.

I can hear some of my fellow young Americans already beginning to feel uncomfortable. They are stirring and just waiting to say "well maybe if we didn't spend $10 Billion dollars a month on Iraq then it wouldn't be an issue". True. I agree Iraq is the wrong battlfield and we should focus our military efforts elsewhere. But to resort to that old trump card would be irresponsible, because the bottom line is that we are in Iraq and need to see it through. Hindsight is always 20/20 and we can't continue using this arguement for every fiscal problem we have, especially since most of these problems have been problems long before the Iraq war.

Here are the problems with Universal Heathcare:

• We will throw away laissez faire thus contradicting what our Founding Father's sought in small government (some of the most liberal thinkers ever by the way)
• Doctor's will be forced to take on way too many patients. This creates overcrowded waiting rooms, and much longer waiting lists for appointments and surguries. There are two ways to combat this; doctors will be allowed to practice without the same level of qualifications that they need today. The other is to allow nurses, RNs and fellows to perform pysicals, initial diagnosis, and even minor surguries and procedures.
• The government will get in between you and your doctor. They will regulate which medicines and tools the doctors are able to use (see denti-cal).
• Because government will intervene with the healthcare, healthcare will have to follow the economic state of the nation. During tough times, the government is going to have to cut the bottomline. This makes for cheaper materials and less effective medicines and treatment techniques.

All of these options drive down the quality of healthcare. Sure everybody has it, but no one will get the attention and perhaps treatments that they need. At least not as quickly and not as available.

I have some thoughts on how we can make healthcare either Universal or extremely affordable.

First, lets regulate the pharmacuetical companies and health insurance providers. These people (CEOs and other ranking officials) are the scum of the earth. They exploit people's need for their drugs and health plans and hammer people hard for them. There is a lot of corruption in these businesses and we could cut costs big time for making people accountable for their actions.

We could perhaps borrow from the law sector. People who can afford a lawyer should be allowed to hire that lawyer and receive the legal council that they desire. If you can't afford a lawyer, a public defender is provided for you. We could do this for healthcare as well. If you choose to have a certain doctor or healthplan then you should be allowed to have it. If not, then there should be a seperate entity with free healthcare for those who choose to use it. This could have tax implications, but perhaps those who don't have healthcare should be responsible for being taxed on such matters. Perhaps you can get a tax exemption if you can prove that you already have healthcare. I would accept that over a universal system that throws everyone under the same system. Also, what exactly is the role of Medicare and Medicaid? I thought these programs were designed to help those who can't afford heathcare? Personally I need to research that a little more.

The last thing I will say is that everyone in healthcare (along with many other businesses) got greedy. There is absolutely no morality anymore, and its sad. The answer however, is not a universal heathcare system. Thatwould end up doing more harm than good. Is reform needed, yes. Does anyone know how to change it? No. If there was a right way of doing things, we would be doing it already. But lets not make a bad situation worse.

Introduction Part Deux

Politics, the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare and immigration are just a few of the topics that flood conversations (both public and private) all over the country. As a youth of America I and other people my age are constantly engaged in conversations and debates about our country’s current state.

Lately I have attempted to keep in touch with old friends that I blame myself for losing touch with, and some shocking perception of my political views have come to light. I have been described in an extremely wide range of political thought from a crazy right wing Republican to one of the most liberal people on earth. Both boggle my mind, but mostly the ladder. I am here to let my readers know what exactly is going on in this massive head of mine.

First, I never think in terms of Republican and Democrat. I think this is a dangerous approach to logical thinking. Especially since most of America is in the center of the political spectrum, I think it is most prudent to describe views, policies, and other topics in terms of Conservative and Liberal. That being said, I am for the most part conservative. Many social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, government programs (depending on the program), public housing, etc., I tend be lean toward the liberal side.

In the spirit of this blog, I will be expressing some of my personal views on some hot issues in the hopes that you will read and comment of why you agree or disagree. I will also be posting some articles I find pertinent (as many of you have witnessed on my facebook page). I usually will post an article I find interesting or funny, but mainly articles that the extremely liberal and self-serving mainstream media will not show you. I do this to try and give another perspective on what is going on in the country and world.

Thanks for reading

Introduction

Welcome to Weaver's Blog.

I started this blog for a couple of reasons:

The first reason is that I have come to the realization that I lost touch with a lot of people who are very important in my life. Lately I've tried to make of an effort and it has been very rewarding. I would like to continue it through this amazing thing the kids are calling the "interweb". Since I am so far away from many of you and, frankly, too lazy to pick up the phone on a regular basis, I would love to hear from all of you on this blog. I think we can do it this way.

The other reason is to have spirited, open, and well thought out debates on various topics of my (or other contributor's, which I'll get into later) choosing. Kinda like coffee talk sans verklempt.

Contributors: I want as many contributors as possible. I want a wide range of opinions; conservative, liberal, libertarian, constitutionalist, whatever. And people should comment accordingly. My goal here is to get many ideas out there without the usual bullshit commenst that many people (especially in my age bracket) tend to resort to in a discussion. So far there is one other contributor, Mr. Kevin Marshall, who will undoubtedly provide heated discussion topics for all to weigh in.

I really look forward to all contributions, comments, and discussions on this blog. I can't wait to hear from several people who have become distant (the blame is on me) over the years and hopefully help me turn this blog idea into a meaningful experience for me and all people who read it.

Thank you,

Jarrod Weaver