Sit back, enjoy the fire, watch the snow fall, and check out this great video by Michael McPadden and Due South.
McPadden is running for Congress in the 5th district of Virginia against freshman liberal Democrat Tom Periello. There is a lot of competition in this race. Everyone is ready to give Periello his walking papers. This video combines commentary from McPadden with the song We the People, and video from the 9.12 DC Tea Party. McPadden explains how this nation was founded on the primacy of the People, thus the famous opening words of the Constitution.
Enough time wasted. Watch the video. Let me know what you think. Liberty Wins.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
A Bountiful Crop in the 5th District--- A Positive Spin
There has been a lot of moaning and groaning and in-fighting on the blogs about the 5th District congressional race. I am sure that is par for the course, but I prefer to look at the positive side. Why get down about it? Let's count our blessings.
We have six candidates who are highly motivated to serve our district, state and nation, at no little expense to themselves in time, money and hardship on their families. They are motivated, not out of personal ambition, from anything I have seen or heard, but out of patriotism. They are not politicians, but citizens who have decided it is time for statesmen to step forward. I admire every one of them for their courage and commitment.
There has been some talk in the press and blogs regarding some of them who may consider independent runs for office, should they not win the nomination. I think it is early to be talking about that, but those rumblings are cause for concern. I think it is a shot across the bow for those in the party who may be willing to settle for a status quo, go-along-to-get-along candidate. We cannot afford that any longer, not when this country is running a 100 miles an hour -- no, make that a trillion miles an hour -- in a Lamborghini with no brakes toward a massive precipice. No, same old, same old will not cut it any more. We need a pride of new Young Lions in Congress, and we are going to elect one from the 5th district. Let's hope the one we elect is a Republican.
There has also been talk of our good, old friend Virgil Goode running, either at the last minute as a Republican, or as an Independent. Mr. Goode is deservedly loved and respected throughout the district, and many wish that he would run again. I say the time has past for that. If he had been ready to fight for this district again from the get-go, that would have been GREAT. But he declined, and he has been sitting on the sidelines. I think the time has come for him to pass the torch. He can best serve now as a force for party unity. I hope he will support the efforts of the six conservatives in the race, and whichever one of those is the eventual nominee. I pray that he will serve as a mentor and elder statesman, assisting in the campaign to the finish line and, even more importantly, in Washington next year.
We have six candidates who are highly motivated to serve our district, state and nation, at no little expense to themselves in time, money and hardship on their families. They are motivated, not out of personal ambition, from anything I have seen or heard, but out of patriotism. They are not politicians, but citizens who have decided it is time for statesmen to step forward. I admire every one of them for their courage and commitment.
There has been some talk in the press and blogs regarding some of them who may consider independent runs for office, should they not win the nomination. I think it is early to be talking about that, but those rumblings are cause for concern. I think it is a shot across the bow for those in the party who may be willing to settle for a status quo, go-along-to-get-along candidate. We cannot afford that any longer, not when this country is running a 100 miles an hour -- no, make that a trillion miles an hour -- in a Lamborghini with no brakes toward a massive precipice. No, same old, same old will not cut it any more. We need a pride of new Young Lions in Congress, and we are going to elect one from the 5th district. Let's hope the one we elect is a Republican.
There has also been talk of our good, old friend Virgil Goode running, either at the last minute as a Republican, or as an Independent. Mr. Goode is deservedly loved and respected throughout the district, and many wish that he would run again. I say the time has past for that. If he had been ready to fight for this district again from the get-go, that would have been GREAT. But he declined, and he has been sitting on the sidelines. I think the time has come for him to pass the torch. He can best serve now as a force for party unity. I hope he will support the efforts of the six conservatives in the race, and whichever one of those is the eventual nominee. I pray that he will serve as a mentor and elder statesman, assisting in the campaign to the finish line and, even more importantly, in Washington next year.
McPadden for Congress - Tea Party Movement from Michael McPadden on Vimeo.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Health Care Free Market Solutions.
We have had a year of Democratic proposals whose purpose is not to fix problems with health care cost and access, but simply to give complete power to the government over the People, which is a total reversal of the relationship which has existed in this nation since the founding, which has been that Individual takes precedence over the State, and the government is Of, By, and For the People, that it governs only as long as it has the consent of the governed. We know that Democratic proposals have nothing to do with health care cost or access because any honest economist will tell you that the proposed solutions will increase costs and reduce access.
We have heard only a little about alternative proposals, partly because the state-run media shuts out alternatives, and partly because the Republicans are not good at getting out the message. The points we have heard have been solutions that would work: most notably tort reform and portability across state lines. Since the Democratic Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the trial lawyers, the first is not going anywhere anytime soon. Portability, which would allow one to purchase from any licensed insurance company anywhere in the country would expand choice in the open market from a small handful of companies to over a thousand. Big government advocates do not like this for two reasons: first, it diminishes the power of the states, which means that state legislators have less power to extract money from lobbyists; secondly, socialists do not want to increase competition in the private sector, because that would reduce the access problem and reduce interest in the so-called competition of a public option. Those are two fixes about which we have heard a little, but not enough.
What we have heard almost nothing about is the fact that the biggest problem we have is that the majority of Americans have health insurance that is tied to employment. This is a ridiculous situation that completely removes insurance from free market forces. We are in this position because of wage and price controls during World War II, which forced businesses to offer health insurance as a way to attract employees in a very tight labor market. This was encouraged by government tax credits to business for offering health care. Under this system, how does one shop for insurance, if it is tied to one's job? You cannot do it, unless you also shop for another job. Thus, there is practically no competition at all in health insurance. Yet, that is easy to correct. If health insurance was a simple commodity in a free market, the price would decrease from competition. Auto, fire, life -- every other kind of insurance is quite competitive, because every individual shops for it in a free market. Suppose our food was provided by our employers? Sounds crazy? It is not a new idea, and it is exactly analogous to the situation with health insurance in this country. Food was linked to employment in the coal industry; in fact, not only food, but housing and most essentials of life. Ever hear of the hated company store? Miners were paid in script which could only be redeemed at the company store. It offered some conveniences, but it also allowed the mine owners to control the work force, and to profit doubly when they spent their earnings on overpriced merchandise. Today, people look back on this situation in the coal industry as horribly exploitative, slave labor, almost. But how many realize that they are in the exact same situation with their health care?
The solution is simple. End the deductibility of health insurance for employers. Instead of paying for insurance, employers will increase pay by the same amount, which of course is a deductible expense, allowing workers to shop for an purchase their own policy customized to their needs. The government could then give the employees the tax credit for purchasing insurance.
We have heard only a little about alternative proposals, partly because the state-run media shuts out alternatives, and partly because the Republicans are not good at getting out the message. The points we have heard have been solutions that would work: most notably tort reform and portability across state lines. Since the Democratic Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the trial lawyers, the first is not going anywhere anytime soon. Portability, which would allow one to purchase from any licensed insurance company anywhere in the country would expand choice in the open market from a small handful of companies to over a thousand. Big government advocates do not like this for two reasons: first, it diminishes the power of the states, which means that state legislators have less power to extract money from lobbyists; secondly, socialists do not want to increase competition in the private sector, because that would reduce the access problem and reduce interest in the so-called competition of a public option. Those are two fixes about which we have heard a little, but not enough.
What we have heard almost nothing about is the fact that the biggest problem we have is that the majority of Americans have health insurance that is tied to employment. This is a ridiculous situation that completely removes insurance from free market forces. We are in this position because of wage and price controls during World War II, which forced businesses to offer health insurance as a way to attract employees in a very tight labor market. This was encouraged by government tax credits to business for offering health care. Under this system, how does one shop for insurance, if it is tied to one's job? You cannot do it, unless you also shop for another job. Thus, there is practically no competition at all in health insurance. Yet, that is easy to correct. If health insurance was a simple commodity in a free market, the price would decrease from competition. Auto, fire, life -- every other kind of insurance is quite competitive, because every individual shops for it in a free market. Suppose our food was provided by our employers? Sounds crazy? It is not a new idea, and it is exactly analogous to the situation with health insurance in this country. Food was linked to employment in the coal industry; in fact, not only food, but housing and most essentials of life. Ever hear of the hated company store? Miners were paid in script which could only be redeemed at the company store. It offered some conveniences, but it also allowed the mine owners to control the work force, and to profit doubly when they spent their earnings on overpriced merchandise. Today, people look back on this situation in the coal industry as horribly exploitative, slave labor, almost. But how many realize that they are in the exact same situation with their health care?
The solution is simple. End the deductibility of health insurance for employers. Instead of paying for insurance, employers will increase pay by the same amount, which of course is a deductible expense, allowing workers to shop for an purchase their own policy customized to their needs. The government could then give the employees the tax credit for purchasing insurance.
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