J's Cafe Nette

Archive for September 18th, 2007

Monday I wrote this piece complaining about not understanding the Microsoft technical support people or being able to fix problems that were on my desktop.

I am happy to report I sent an email to the vice president in charge of customer service and got a phone call from the Windows XP escalation team member who was able to restore the look of my desktop within five minutes.

I guess the squeaky wheel gets the oil and I’m so pleased to have everything back the way it’s supposed to be.

Thanks to Richard at Microsoft!

Tweet This Post

Karl Rove has an opinion piece in today’s Opinion Journal, saying the same things I’ve been saying about the dangers of socialized medicine.

All around America, families are grappling with health-care concerns. They wonder if they’ll have insurance at a price they can afford. They worry about how much out-of-pocket health costs take from the family budget. They question if they’ll be able to pick their own doctor. Some feel trapped in jobs they don’t like out of fear of losing their health insurance.

As the latest government-heavy plan announced by Hillary Clinton yesterday once again shows, the answers politicians offer on health care highlight the deep differences between liberals and conservatives. This is a debate Republicans cannot avoid. But it is one we can win–if we offer a bold plan. Conservatives must put forward reforms aimed at putting the patient in charge. Increasing competition will ensure greater access, lower costs and more innovation.

Liberals see the concerns of families as a failure of private insurance, and want the U.S. to move toward a government-run, single-payer model. This is a recipe for making problems worse. Socialized medicine inevitably leads to poor quality, inefficiency, rising taxes and rationing. The waiting lines and poor care that cause people from other countries to come here for treatment are not the answer.

Go over and read the problems he identifies and the solutions he offers to those problems.

Tweet This Post

A Venezuelan man who was injured in a car accident was declared dead and an autopsy begun and then stopped when the pathologists saw he was bleeding.

CARACAS (Reuters) – A Venezuelan man who had been declared dead woke up in the morgue in excruciating pain after medical examiners began their autopsy.

Carlos Camejo, 33, was declared dead after a highway accident and taken to the morgue, where examiners began an autopsy only to realize something was amiss when he started bleeding. They quickly sought to stitch up the incision on his face….

…Reuters could not immediately reach hospital officials to confirm the events. But Camejo showed the newspaper his facial scar and a document ordering the autopsy.

Incompetence by doctors is caused by no incentive to do better. This is what will happen to us if we get socialized medicine.

Maybe not a case like this, but some big mistakes will be made on patients with socialized medicine, which seems to be the way the Democratic presidential candidates want to go, regardless of what they call it.

Yep, that’s the kind of medical care I want for us. NOT!

Tweet This Post

Lots of luck enforcing the ruling if it goes in Chambers’ favor.

Tweet This Post

I try to leave the Michael Yon postings to Sue because she does such a great job with them, but she has had communication trouble and is now busy with her grandchildren so I will quote from Michael Yon’s latest dispatch: “Hunting al Qaeda Part II of III.”

Al Qaeda still lurks in the area, so the farmers were happy to see us. One woman said that seeing the Army out there was a blessing from God, which made the Soldiers happy. There’s not a lot of happiness to be had here, but the Soldiers respond when people show gratitude. It charges their batteries. And they really love those cards from home where kindergartners and first graders ask all kinds of funny questions like, “Is it hot in the desert?” Yes, a little bit. But along the waterways in Iraq, such as here next to the Diyala River, it’s hot and humid. Practically steaming. Even the mosquitoes must sweat here.

It’s amazing how the little things from home can make a Soldier happy.

I watched during the Senate hearings on 11 September 07 as some Senators attempted to corner General Petraeus, insinuating that the war in Iraq was a distraction from the fight against al Qaeda. It was clearly that during the initial invasion, but not today. These photos were taken at the center of what al Qaeda claimed to be their worldwide headquarters. Listening to some of the Senators’ questions, the true magnitude of the gulf between what is happening in Iraq and what people in America think is happening in Iraq became apparent.

One last quote to whet your appetite:

Before the war, our people had no street credibility in Iraq. Iraqis thought American Soldiers were soft, and that the body armor was a type of personal air conditioner. But if the Iraqis knew back then what they know now about American willingness to suffer and fight, it’s doubtful that Saddam would have taunted an angry America.

Please go over and read the entire post as well as view the magnificent photos he has on display in the post.

Tweet This Post

When a University of Florida student asked John Kerry if he was a member of the Skull and Bones as is President Bush, the university police moved in to grab him for arrest.

He resisted, asking what he had done to be arrested, was wrestled to the ground and told he would be tased, begged not to be tased, all while John Kerry tried to answer his question.

My questions are these: First, why didn’t John Kerry tell the police to let him alone to ask his questions? Second, why didn’t John Kerry stop talking over the melee and insist they let the student go as he had done nothing shown on the film that was illegal except resist an arrest that shouldn’t have taken place. Third, why did the campus police use a taser on the student?

Have we become Mother Russia, where no one is free to question any politician in a public forum?

Here’s even more disturbing video of the incident. The police said he was inciting a riot. He seemed to me to be asking a question .

Tweet This Post

When Bill Clinton was undergoing impeachment proceedings a new group of grassroots democrats started up with the slogan and name of move on.

They wanted to move on from impeachment and get on to other business of the country as they saw it.

Impeachment was a mistake by the republicans at the time and I think everyone realizes now that they went too far. A resolution of condemnation would have served as well as impeachment.

Moveon.org never disbanded after the impeachment, but only got larger to the extent they collect way more than the NRA PAC.

Not only have they been successful in defeating republican candidates in the last cycle, but they are more willing now to go after democrats who disagree with their positions:

MoveOn also punishes Democrats who stray from their liberal, anti-war world view. MoveOn ran a radio ad against Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell when he announced his opposition to higher fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks.

The script of the brief radio campaign portrayed a conversation between a father and son about something called a Dingellsaurus. The child asks his father what that is. The script reads in part:

“Someone who’s been in Congress so long, he forgets about the people who sent him there,” says the father.

“Are there any around today?” asks son, Billy, to which the father replies: “Our own Congressman John Dingell. He’s standing in the way of the first energy bill ever that would really combat global warming. It would also help the auto companies in the long run and that means more jobs.”

“Is a Dingellsaurus dangerous?” Billy asks. The father replies: “Very, because if the Dingellsaurus gets his way, we could all be extinct.”

Earlier this month, MoveOn ran a brief television campaign against Washington Democratic Rep. Brian Baird after he returned from a trip to Iraq and announced the Bush troop surge may be achieving important military gains. The ad featured an anti-war Iraq veteran. The script reads in part: “Keeping American soldiers in Iraq for an indefinite period of time being attacked by an unidentifiable enemy is immoral and irresponsible.” It asked viewers to “Tell Rep. Baird: Support Our Troops. Bring Them Home.”

“Just because MoveOn only supports Democrats doesn’t mean it supports all Democrats,” Ritsch said.

We all know the very active politically are the ones who donate their money for political causes.

Moveon.org has a lot of wealthy Hollywood donors I’m sure, as well as other wealthy democrats who give, along with the average Joes who give $50 or $100 contributions to be bundled and given to a favored candidate.

With their full-page New York Times ad last week calling General Petreaus “General Betray Us” we have seen how far below the belt they are willing to hit. The fact most democrats kept quiet about the ad instead of denouncing it shows just how much this group is feared even by the people they support.

Either that or they have no sense of decency to denounce such an ad, I’m not sure which is the case.

It seems to me that Moveon is pulling all the political strings in the Democratic party and I’m not sure that’s so good, but money talks and when it does people tend to do what they are told.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

That great prognosticator of current events in the House of Representatives, John Murtha, is predicting the Democrats will pick up 40 to 50 seats in the House in next year’s election.

We might as well pack it in, folks. He knows what he’s talking about. After all, he’s the one who wanted to redeploy our troops to Okinawa so they’d still be close to Iraq.

He’s the one who declared our Marines guilty of murder before they were found not guilty in courts-martial.

Congress has accomplished nothing in this session and he thinks the American public will be fooled once again into voting for the same do-nothing Congress, adding more do-nothing members to the Democratic side of the aisle.

Who knows? Maybe he’s right. Somehow I doubt it.

Tweet This Post

John David R. Atchison, an assistant U.S. Attorney from the northern district of Florida has been arrested in a sting operation in which he tried to arrange to have sex with a five year old girl.

An undercover officer posed as a mother offering her child to Atchison for sex, according to police.

Prosecutors said Atchison flew from Pensacola, Fla., to Detroit on Sunday intending to have sex with the 5-year-old girl. …

…The detective, acting as the child’s mother, allegedly arranged a sexual encounter between Atchison and her 5-year-old daughter, police said.

In deposition, detectives said Atchison suggested the mother tell her daughter that “you found her a sweet boyfriend who will bring her presents.”

The undercover detective expressed concern about physical injury to the 5-year-old girl as a result of the sexual activity. Detectives said Atchison responded, ” I am always gentle and loving; not to worry, no damage ever, no rough stuff ever. I only like it soft and nice.”

The undercover detective asked how Atchison can be certain of no injury. He responded, “Just gotta go slow and very easy. I’ve done it plenty,” according to detectives.

It sounds as though he has experience with this sort of thing.

I hope this pig gets thrown behind bars and never gets out.

Tweet This Post

The new, improved Hillary health care program sounds a lot like the old one and more like Big Brother on steroids.

The plan would mandate everyone have health insurance or they would lose some tax breaks.

Anyone making over $250,000 a year would have their existing tax cuts expire and the government would fork over $110 billion a year to support the fund.

In unveiling her plan, she called for a requirement for businesses to obtain insurance for employees, and said the wealthy should pay higher taxes to help defray the cost for those less able to pay for it. She put the government’s cost at $110 billion a year.

Mindful of the lessons of her failed attempt, Clinton said that under her new plan anyone who is content with their health coverage can keep what they have. She insisted no new government bureaucracy would be created even as it seeks to cover tens of millions uninsured.

“I know my Republican opponents will try to equate health care for all Americans with government-run health care,” Clinton said. “Don’t let them fool us again. This is not government-run.”

The New York senator said her plan would require every American to purchase insurance, either through their jobs or through a program modeled on Medicare or the federal employee health plan. Businesses would be required to offer insurance or contribute to a pool that would expand coverage. Individuals and small businesses would be offered tax credits to make insurance more affordable.

“I believe everyone — every man, woman and child — should have quality, affordable health care in America,” Clinton told an audience at a medical center in Iowa, the early voting state that launches the nomination process.

It won’t be government run? Then why mandate it and take taxes to pay for it?

To pay for her plan, Clinton said the tax cuts for Americans making $250,000 that were enacted under President Bush would be allowed to expire. She also projected she would identify $56 billion in savings through computerized record keeping, reducing the price of prescription drugs and cutting Medicare overpayments to hospitals and CEOs.

Despite the focus on letting people who are happy with their insurance keep what they have, her plan would raise taxes on some coverage for the wealthy.

The current exclusion from taxes of employer-provided health premiums would be limited for those who make more than $250,000 and have “very generous” plans. For such people, a portion of the premiums paid by the employer could become taxable income for the employee.

Show me a Democrat who can identify 56 cents in savings in the federal government, let alone $56 billion. Heck, lately, show me some Republicans who can do the same thing. No such animal exists in our federal government at the time.

You can choose to keep your employer’s plan, but if you do part of your employer-paid premiums will be taxed.

What is the incentive for an employer to provide an insurance package for employees when the government will make sure everyone is covered by mandate?

I’m all for helping the people out who have no insurance now. I think we should get rid of the deadwood on our welfare rolls and use the money saved there to actually spend on those who really need it.

Medicare is currently mandated. How well does it work? Do we save anything because of Medicare? People have to buy Medi-Gap insurance. Will we have to do this under the new Hillary Care?

Our government started down the road of cradle to grave care system with FDR and Hillary is just continuing it with her plan.

People who earn a good salary (or what passes on paper as a good salary) will no longer have any incentive to work hard, develop new products or technology, or save. Why should they? What would be the payoff?

I think this experiment was already tried in Mother Russia and other Soviet satellites. Some of those people still can’t get out of the mindset the government owes them a living.

The only good thing I see in this plan is it will cover pre-existing conditions, but it’s been my experience insurance companies will cover those conditions after a probationary period.

Don’t let her fool you. This is government-subsidized, socialized medicine and the monster will only grow bigger and bigger. You can also look forward to less quality health care from your doctors and hospitals.

Tweet This Post