For many many years the Republicans ignored the health care crisis. They were poked and prodded by the Democrats for decades and were able to successfully kick the can down the road. Then Barack Obama becomes president off the counter winds of the Bush incompetence. health care and the obscene practices and immense power of the health insurance industry became center stage. The president and congress did some serious and ugly sausage making to finally shake things up. On paper the idea is incorporates market competition and actually designed to save money in the long run. The real balance in my mind is that competitive health care industries are more efficient but the companies retain somewhere like 20% in profits by ensuring they deny as much coverage by making it complicated or by actual chicanery. The counter is that public offices are non-profit but loaded up with bureaucracy, inefficiency, and a "set in stone mentality" where no innovation is possible.
I am excited about the prospect of the republicans taking over, I am excited because they would actually have to solve the same problems with health care 2.0. The democratic health care reform may get repealed, but the they can't repeal without a replace and you can't keep all the popular line items without solving the universal coverage issue. In the end the point I want to make and the realization that led me to share my thoughts is that the democrats got us health care and it will be next to impossible for even the most fervent republicans to turn the clock back to the point where the problem just gets swept under the rug again.
The democrats attacked one of the largest and controversial issues of America and, even if all the details change in some final republican version or grand compromise, it was that shake up that shake up that ultimately changed things. Change happened, change is scary, and I am confident this change is just starting and that it will be good. I often think back to the first fedralist papers that pre-dated our current constitution; sometimes you need democracy to crash and burn in a 1.0 version to get to democracy 2.0.
Also, in the upcoming month I will be analyzing my local candidates and any national ones that strike my interest. Stay tuned for some punditry from Jazz Hands. Today's insight, I think I kinda like Tea Party Mc' Marc Rubio and will have more on that later.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Losers
I have decided I need to talk more about the movies I watch because I watch a lot of movies, even bad ones, and I judge, and from robo cop to ghosts of girlfriends past, there is some stuff that needs to be called out on how crappy it is and its due if it shines.
Tonight I am sad to say that loser is how I felt about the movie the losers. for the love of god they have the denny dude from greys anatomy playing the cliche super good guy. And not only was the movie so cliche for the whole "heros on a mission" genre, but it was over the top and poorly orchestrated. I wanted to vomit when super hero guy saved the 24 innocent children. I was so annoyed by the children gimmick that I first decided I am not going to root for writers next time they go on strike. I bet some stoner just lifted "rescue the children" story line from an old A team episode. Ironically it may still have been better that the A team. I understand the movie was based on a comic, er ah, graphic novel; but come on. Please. They could have kept the story simple without it being ridiculous. And was I not supposed to notice all those stomach churning moment where you just say "really". I have seen video games with better stories.
But I gotta say this movie did have something in the explosions, the over the top fight scenes, and just that raw sex appeal. Those things were on point at worst and kick ass in rare exceptions. There were some good names like the Stringer Bell guy, the Torch guy from fantastic 4 but there was one that stood out. The chick from Avatar/Star Trek (forget her name). That chick is so friggin hot you forget how ridulous the plot is or how stupid the shit they have her saying is.
All in all this film was bad. But I would like to introduce you to my new rating system for movies... drum roll... was it worth those 2 hours of my life and do I want them back? Even with all its flaws, I will say the movie was worth 2 hours of my life. But those two hours would have to have very little competition with a better movie.
Tonight I am sad to say that loser is how I felt about the movie the losers. for the love of god they have the denny dude from greys anatomy playing the cliche super good guy. And not only was the movie so cliche for the whole "heros on a mission" genre, but it was over the top and poorly orchestrated. I wanted to vomit when super hero guy saved the 24 innocent children. I was so annoyed by the children gimmick that I first decided I am not going to root for writers next time they go on strike. I bet some stoner just lifted "rescue the children" story line from an old A team episode. Ironically it may still have been better that the A team. I understand the movie was based on a comic, er ah, graphic novel; but come on. Please. They could have kept the story simple without it being ridiculous. And was I not supposed to notice all those stomach churning moment where you just say "really". I have seen video games with better stories.
But I gotta say this movie did have something in the explosions, the over the top fight scenes, and just that raw sex appeal. Those things were on point at worst and kick ass in rare exceptions. There were some good names like the Stringer Bell guy, the Torch guy from fantastic 4 but there was one that stood out. The chick from Avatar/Star Trek (forget her name). That chick is so friggin hot you forget how ridulous the plot is or how stupid the shit they have her saying is.
All in all this film was bad. But I would like to introduce you to my new rating system for movies... drum roll... was it worth those 2 hours of my life and do I want them back? Even with all its flaws, I will say the movie was worth 2 hours of my life. But those two hours would have to have very little competition with a better movie.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
If you overreach... 39 will turn into 80... again...
None of my stats are accurate, they are close, but not accurate and I want to call that out with full transparency up front.
A 39% tax bracket is not going to kill the economy and, even if it presumably slows it, it won't slow it to the tune of the 700 billion or so we would be borrowing to make up for the loan and interest payments. I am not against that tax bracket but you must offset it with spending cuts and the GOP shouldn't get away with an unfunded give away and giving cash to rich folks under the guise of "it'll help the economy trust me" any more then the Dems should get away with inefficient stimulus programs (though I find it comical that those who say the stimulus didn't work cite the drying up of stimulus as one of the reasons for contraction).
Furthermore I never trust the man who thinks he is fooling me because when you are right all you need is the truth and the GOP talking points are specious/misleading at best and all out lies at worst. For example only 3% of small businesses will be affected by the tax rate cuz most are smart enough to ensure the books only show 250k in profits anyways despite the fact that they claim 50% of small businesses which are the "job creators" will be affected. There was a time of class warfare when the highest tax brackets where things like 80% and such and those kinds of brackets were ridiculous and releasing that irrational amount of burden on the upper brackets led to all the good things about Reaganomics. That rising tide has risen now and the only way to raise the US again is to rebuild the middle class and I think a bit (ie 35% to 39%) is completely rational even if I someday soon fall into that bucket.
I am generally in favor of pro-business and lower taxes but you must offset with cost savings. It is just as irrational to let the chinese pay for our healthcare as it is to let them pay for the top 1% of American's private jets, but at least my Christian values feel warm and fuzzy on that one. The GOP is a great propoganda machine and this may very well cost Obama and Democrats, but that will have to be the price they pay to do the right thing. And when the GOP gets into power and drives us into the ditch again there will be a 1930's style backlash and all the people complaining about a sensible 39% are going to be overrun by a tide of populism when it jumps back up to 80% because they were short sighted now.
A 39% tax bracket is not going to kill the economy and, even if it presumably slows it, it won't slow it to the tune of the 700 billion or so we would be borrowing to make up for the loan and interest payments. I am not against that tax bracket but you must offset it with spending cuts and the GOP shouldn't get away with an unfunded give away and giving cash to rich folks under the guise of "it'll help the economy trust me" any more then the Dems should get away with inefficient stimulus programs (though I find it comical that those who say the stimulus didn't work cite the drying up of stimulus as one of the reasons for contraction).
Furthermore I never trust the man who thinks he is fooling me because when you are right all you need is the truth and the GOP talking points are specious/misleading at best and all out lies at worst. For example only 3% of small businesses will be affected by the tax rate cuz most are smart enough to ensure the books only show 250k in profits anyways despite the fact that they claim 50% of small businesses which are the "job creators" will be affected. There was a time of class warfare when the highest tax brackets where things like 80% and such and those kinds of brackets were ridiculous and releasing that irrational amount of burden on the upper brackets led to all the good things about Reaganomics. That rising tide has risen now and the only way to raise the US again is to rebuild the middle class and I think a bit (ie 35% to 39%) is completely rational even if I someday soon fall into that bucket.
I am generally in favor of pro-business and lower taxes but you must offset with cost savings. It is just as irrational to let the chinese pay for our healthcare as it is to let them pay for the top 1% of American's private jets, but at least my Christian values feel warm and fuzzy on that one. The GOP is a great propoganda machine and this may very well cost Obama and Democrats, but that will have to be the price they pay to do the right thing. And when the GOP gets into power and drives us into the ditch again there will be a 1930's style backlash and all the people complaining about a sensible 39% are going to be overrun by a tide of populism when it jumps back up to 80% because they were short sighted now.
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