The focus of the national agenda this summer has clearly become reforming America’s health care system. Bring it on! There is no question that our health care system needs to be reformed to squeeze out the much inflated expenses and to assure high quality care. The American healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. And it is clear that, by any statistical measure, we are not getting value for money. Not only do these costs put proper heath care out of reach for many middle class Americans, but these inflated costs are also making our products uncompetitive in the world economy, adding to our other economic problems.
Unfortunately however, in the proposals that have emerged, we seem to have taken our eye off the ball. The true challenge - the cost vs. quality issue - has become sidetracked. The debate has now become about health insurance, though this is only a part of the problem. Important as it is, insurance coverage is merely a way to pay for medical care. The focus should really be on the actual medical care delivery system, where the costs versus quality problems are to be found. To date, we have not touched those issues. We are, in effect, putting the cart before the horse. And if the acrimony over insurance is any guide, the storm from that debate will be even more ferocious than today’s.
With the August Congressional recess, Washington has suddenly gone quiet. The contentious debates on the issues of the day are still there. But they have moved off the Washington stage back out to the heartland of America. That is really where they should and will be decided.
This momentary lull is perhaps a good time to reflect on the nature of the debates and where they are taking us. Much is being made about divide between the Democrats and the Republicans, the liberals and the conservatives, the Blue Dog Democrats and the House leadership, business vs. government, the Congress vs. the Presidency and with the Supreme Court nomination, the role of the Congress vs. that of the Courts. Add to this the debates over specific issues and one gets a strange brew of passion, argument and hostile feelings.
But, at the heart of these debates there is a central theme that is often being overlooked. That is, what is the proper role of government and how can it and should it fit into our lives? This was the central questions that our Founding Fathers grappled with in their day. We know that those debates grew very heated and strained many of their personal relationships to the breaking point. It is therefore no surprise that tempers and passions boil over in today’s discussions.
Our Congresswoman, Carol Shea Porter proudly reported today that she had secured all of $1.5 million to fund two local New Hampshire projects. One million of this was for streetscape improvements in the Gaslight District in Manchester and $500,000 for infrastructure improvements for the Berwick Bridge in Somersworth.
Great, thank you! In the meantime, the State Department of Transportation has a Red List of 77 bridges most in need of repair. The projected cost, according to DOT, would be $403 million. The DOT estimates that there are resurfacing needs on highways that would cost $58.7 million. A quick calculation shows that this appropriation represents 3/10 of one percent of what New Hampshire needs.
2JoesLive Chat - February 24, 2009
The full interview can be viewed on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg5UTARrxxI
2JoesLive Chat - November 18, 2009
The full interview can be viewed on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGgrk-O6aw
You can also watch these excerpts:
The U.S. Congress is Broken….Why I Am Running: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XNb2qyn03Y
The Three Main Issues….Why I am Running: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iETmCJZjNfI
The Economic Stimulus, the Federal Deficit, and Health Reform: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EaQI4mgrmQ
America’s Involvement in Afhghanistan and [...]
As the health care reform debate rages in Congress, the establishment of a new publicly funded medical insurance provider seems to be on center stage. With their monopoly on power in Washington, the Democrats are fully intent on creating yet another new government agency to handle this function. This is hardly shocking; the Democrats have always represented growth in government.
But what is interesting and new is the argument being used that the creation of such entity will keep the private sector competitive and on its toes. This novel idea represents a first. Where, one is tempted to ask, has the public sector ever provided honest competition to the private sector?
Bob Bestani is running a positive and issue-based campaign in NH. Bob’s goal is to make New Hampshire a place of economic development, continue the strong spirit of its citizens, minimize government and provide a vision for the future. Bob’s campaign will make you proud.
Your contribution will make a difference and when Bob wins he [...]
So, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and the Obama Administration have now made a proposal for financial regulatory reform. Clearly, such a proposal was very much needed. But the proposal that the U.S. Treasury has now presented is sorely off target. It is neither comprehensive enough, nor does it address the core problems that everyone on Wall Street knows exist. It merely tinkers on the margins.
Until the fundamental problems are addressed, all we have been given is a fig leaf. This is dangerous as it has the potential of lulling us into a false sense of complacency. We have been here before with smaller crisis (such as with the Long Term Capital fiasco) and nothing was learned. Let’s not repeat our mistakes.
So here is the question: when Kia Motors or Hyundai were recently looking to open new assembly plants, why is it that no one tried to persuade them to build a plant in NH? With New Hampshire’s great lifestyle, low taxes, our high tech base and our business environment, our state should be an excellent destination for all kinds of business operations. More often than not, foreign businesses are looking to establish operations where the enabling business environment is considerably better than in their home countries. This usually means the U.S.A. It should also mean New Hampshire.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave America’s infrastructure a grade of D and estimated that the nation needed to spend more than US$1.6trn in the next five years. Our roads, ports, dams, water systems, highways, power plants, airports, schools, etc, are all in desperate need of new investment. Our infrastructure has been badly [...]
In today’s economic environment, helping small businesses create new jobs needs to be our leading priority. Yes, we must take care of the displaced, but we must do it through job creation. The Democrats in Concord can’t seem to understand this. They keep adding more and more weight onto the state’s business community, expecting them to continue to fly. They have just done it again this week by adding more social safety net legislation at the expense of job creation. While they will now crow about “helping people” their policies will have the exact opposite impact.