Archive for the ‘DownsizeDC.org’ Category

Could they speak if they didn’t lie?

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Quote of the Day: “How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving.” — a proverb

Subject: Do you need the government to provide non-profit health insurance?

If some magic could be used to prevent politicians from lying, would they have anything left to say? We ask this question only partly in jest. Deception really does seem to be the dominant mode of speech for politicians. The latest example comes from claims being made by the President and Congressional leaders that . . .

* There’s too much profit in the health insurance business
* We need more non-profit health insurance providers
* The government should foster non-profit insurance by creating co-ops

John Lott punctures these claims in a column that’s well worth reading . . .

(more…)

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Are free market prices and government rationing the same thing?

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Quotes of the Day:

American Colonel: “How dare you relax our rationing system, when there’s a widespread food shortage?”

Ludwig Erhard (German economics minister):“But, Herr Oberst. I have not relaxed rationing; I have abolished it!”

Subject: Are free market prices and government rationing the same thing?

If you tell someone that government-controlled healthcare will lead to rationing, they may respond by saying, “Healthcare is already rationed, by prices. If you can’t afford a treatment, you can’t get it.”

This seems like a powerful argument, but it isn’t. Here’s why . . . (more…)

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Beware the Surrender

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Quotes of the Day:

“You could theoretically design a co-op plan that had the same attributes as a public plan.” — Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

“Well, I think in theory you can imagine a co-operative meeting that definition.” — President Barack Obama

Subject: Beware the surrender on the so-called “public option”

The Big Government health care bill doesn’t have the votes in the Senate and it’s taking a beating in public opinion. The latest Rasmussen Report shows that 54% of Americans now think passing no health care reform at all is better than passing the current plan.

The President and Congressional leaders have responded by appearing to surrender.

President Obama claims the so-called “public option” (tax funded health insurance) isn’t crucial. They would settle for something called a co-op instead.

Beware of politicians appearing to surrender. They’re almost always “Greeks bearing gifts.” The co-op alternative to the “public option” is a Trojan Horse.

Michael F. Cannon sums it up perfectly: (more…)

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Another Shocking Fact

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “In 2006, Massachusetts snuck a health care boondoggle past the voters by pushing 20 percent of the cost on to the federal government and 60 percent onto private individuals and employers, according to data from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.” — Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Subject: Another shocking fact about the true costs of the big health care bill

Yesterday we told you that the big health care bill delays the full implementation of its programs until after the 10-year period evaluated by the CBO (Congressional Budget Office). This serves to hide the fact that these programs will probably cost at least 50% more than the $1.2 trillion reported by the CBO.

But it gets worse . . .

* The $1.2 trillion cost reported by the CBO only includes ON-BUDGET items
* The bill also imposes other huge costs on taxpayers that won’t be reflected in the federal budget

This is one of the tricks Republican Governor Mitt Romney used to pass his train-wreck health care bill in Massachusetts, and now the Democrats in Congress are pursuing the same fraudulent course.

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again — you won’t get what you want just because a politician holds office who happens to wear the partisan label you like. The labels mean nothing! You will only get what you want by raising a stink, and doing it constantly, with overwhelming pressure. Now here’s how the Democrats are using Mitt Romney’s playbook to defraud you . . . (more…)

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This One Is Short, But Shocking

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “Democrats are using smoke and mirrors to hide the impact of their health plans. Existing estimates, therefore, reflect only a fraction of the total cost.” — Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constition

Subject: The politicians aren’t telling you about all the costs

The politicians are lying to you about the true costs of their massive health care plan.

In fact, they’re lying to you in several ways, using fraudulent accounting tricks and sleights of hand.

We’ll be exposing their tricks this week. Here’s the first one . . . (more…)

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Have you noticed that there’s a rebellion underway?

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Quote of the Day: “It is the competition of profit-seeking entrepreneurs that does not tolerate the preservation of false prices . . .” — Ludwig von Mises, “Human Action” 3rd edition, pages 337-338

Subject: Have you noticed that there’s a rebellion underway?

The latest Rassmusen poll released on August 11th is bad news for the Big Government health care bill . . .

* A majority oppose the bill — 53% to 42%
* That’s down 5 points from two weeks ago and 8 points from six weeks ago

The intensity numbers are even better — 44% strongly oppose the proposal while only 26% strongly favor it.

This intensity is being demonstrated in the rebellion members of Congress are facing at town hall meetings. While we dislike the rude tactics some citizens are using, we completely understand and agree with the anger.

One thing driving this is the spreading realization that the so-called “public option” is really a Trojan Horse that will lead to a “single payer” system . . . (more…)

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Friday, August 7th, 2009

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch…

Quote of the Day: “The high cost and inequitable character of our medical care system are the direct result of our steady movement toward reliance on third-party payment. A cure requires reversing course, re-privatizing medical care by eliminating most third-party payment, and restoring the role of insurance to providing protection against major medical catastrophes.” – Milton Friedman

Subject: New allies fighting for what you want

We’ve always worked with other groups, forming coalitions to protect your money and your rights. These groups have been as diverse as the ACLU and Focus on the Family. We’ve been able to do this because . . .

Partisan electoral politics divides, while a focus on specific issues unites.

People of many differing partisan and philosophical views can still find many issues on which they agree. When these agreements aim at Downsizing DC we try to make common cause.

A great example is the health care issue, where DownsizeDC.org is joing with other groups to . . . (more…)

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