Economics

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Kasich for president in 2016

What!  Has Kramer lost his mind … his conservative credentials?

No, but tell me which of the twenty odd Republican candidates out there is a true conservative?  None of them.  And none of them are going to get elected repeating what they’ve told us so far.

Kasich (newsmax.com)

Is Ohio Governor John Kasich the Republican presidential contender everyone’s overlooking? (newsmax.com)

You’re right.  John Kasich hasn’t even declared he’s in the race, and neither has Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and a few others.

I have been giving this piece some thought over the past month, and when I saw he took the tenth spot in the latest Quinnipiac University national poll and heard that his announcement could come on June 30, I figured now is as good of a time as ever.  An April Quinnipiac poll revealed Kasich has a 61 per cent approval rating compared to a 29 per cent disapproval.

I’ve personally been impressed with Kasich since 1998 when I heard him give a campaign speech in support of another candidate in Phoenix.  There was something about him I liked.  He stood there with his shirt sleeves rolled up and no tie.  No microphone.  His message was straight-forward without clichés.  Down to earth and believable. Continue reading →

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Progressives pushing for more handouts

There he stood – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio – on the steps of the nation’s Capitol, flanked by the most liberal of liberals, including Al Sharpton and Representatives Raul Grijalva, John Conyers, Barbara Lee and Keith Ellison, all purveyors of the “taker” culture.

By now you have most likely heard about his 13-point Progressive Agenda, his attack on income inequality, recommending what he calls bold steps to make a difference for ”every day Americans.”  He jumps from increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, national paid sick leave and paid family leave, universal pre-K and after school programs and childcare, to closing tax loopholes that allow CEOs and hedge fund managers and billionaires to avoid – are you ready for it – “paying their fair share in taxes.”

deBlasio (usatoday.com)

Flanked by Washington’s purveyors of the “taker” culture, NY City Mayor Bill de Blasio outlines his 13-point Progressive Agenda. (usatoday.com)

He promises there’s more in his agenda, including the expansion of Social Security, debt-free college and investments in schools, not jails.

Ironically, President Obama was speaking at Georgetown University that day saying, “I think the effort to suggest that the poor are sponges, leaches, don’t want to work, are lazy, undeserving, got traction.” Continue reading →

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Inequality not a voter hot button

In my April 24, post, “Hillary to continue dividing the nation,” I related her charges that the deck is stacked in favor of those at the top and that CEOs are making 300 times more than the typical worker. She wants to be the champion of the middle class.

It doesn’t matter to her that in recent polls, one by CBS and another by Gallup, that income disparity was named by only 4 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively, as the most important problem facing the country.… read more

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Hillary to continue dividing the nation

“ … the deck is still stacked in favor of those already at the top.  And there’s something wrong with that. There’s something wrong when CEOs make 300 times more than the typical worker.” – Hillary Clinton

While the latest news of corruption from the Clinton crime family is sorted out, and we are again told there’s no shred of evidence, let’s return to Hillary’s initial campaign charges in the above quote.… read more

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A study to tell us what we already knew

Over the past few years, I have written extensively about my belief that extending the unemployment payments was a disincentive to work.  People who took advantage of the multiple extensions became the subject of pieces appearing in newspaper and magazines and television news.

“Too many Americans took advantage of a system that was meant to be a temporary cushion, and stopped looking for work as long as the free ride continued,” I wrote in my Nov.… read more

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Duly noted …

                                                                                              We won’t miss you, Ma’am

Boixer (politico.com)

Sen. Barbara Boxer announced she will not seek reelection in 2016. She apparently sees the handwriting on the wall for her party (politico.com)

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced she will not seek reelection in 2016.  It’s appropriate, I think, that the signal memory of her is one that clearly illustrates the arrogance of this egotistical, liberal senator.  It was in June 2009, during testimony by Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers, when he addressed her as “ma’am.”   Senator Boxer immediately interrupted him saying, “Do me a favor, can you say ‘senator’ instead of ‘ma’am?’”  Continuing, she said, “It’s just that I worked hard to get that title, so I’d appreciate it.  Thank you.” Click here if you want to see it.

A good soldier, he obliged, but it will be this incident that will linger when Boxer’s name surfaces long after she’s gone. Continue reading →

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Obama’s warm-up for State of the Union address

Ramierez cartoon

President Obama made no mention of the failure of automakers to put a million electric cars on the road by 2015 during his visit to Ford this week. (Cartoon courtesy Michael Ramierez, IBD)

Understanding that many of you may not have noticed, President Obama made stops in three states this week to do warm-up speeches in preparation for his State of the Union address, here are the low-lights.

Speaking at a Ford plant in Detroit, he again credited his steps to rescue the economy and rebuild it on a new foundation, stating that we are entering the New Year with new confidence that America is coming back.

“You don’t have to take my word for it.  The facts are the facts,” he stated while touting his administration’s statistics on job creation and unemployment.

Missing, however, was his glowing vision of the electric car market.  Could it be the reason that Ford and the other manufacturers have fallen far short of his goal of having a million of them on the road by 2015?  Some 850,000 short.

Having “invested” $8 billion in taxpayer funds, the president quietly shelved his goal.  The lower price of gas at the pump is sure to further reduce electric car sales. Continue reading →

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Obamacare: Looking past the heartbreak and a little bit of humor to a pending Court decision

With the U. S. Supreme Court scheduling of oral arguments in the case of King V. Burwell on March 4, 2015, I thought I would again touch on the controversial ObamaCare.  At issue is the questioning of how people in states with federally-run exchanges can lawfully get tax credit subsidies under the so-called Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).  The law clearly states they cannot.  Recently, two health insurance related stories came to my attention, providing the impetus for this blog post.

Doctors (dailycaller.com)

While many doctors are retiring, others are forming Concierge practices in order to better serve its members. (dailycaller.com)

I’ve been reading numerous stories about the misfortunes taxpayers are experiencing with increased premiums and deductibles, and those IRS penalties soon to hit many of them.  Bringing it a bit closer to home, a friend sent me a copy of a letter he received from his doctor outlining the challenges faced in his daily practice of medicine brought about by ObamaCare.

Faced with a decision on how to provide the kind of care he believed he wanted to provide his patients, like many physicians, he decided to transition to the Concierge model of care.  Beginning this month, he is limiting his practice to 500 patients agreeing to pay an annual membership fee.  As a result, 2,500 patients will be forced to find a new doctor.   This is happening across the nation. Continue reading →