Simulations And Misinformation

I can't count the number of times I hear Congressional Republicans, conservative pundits, and bloggers prattle endlessly about the economics of proposed healthcare reform. From the fear-laced rhetoric that grandma and your cousin with Downs are gong essentially be tossed to the wolves unless you can pony-up more cash than you can even afford right now.

But economics and conservatives have never been good bedfellows. The reason is that the later has little interest in hard data and more interesting in generating that one soundbite that will get them mentioned by either Fox"News" or Rush Limbaugh - preferably both.

And now, from sickness, comes word that the savings of proposed healthcare legislation are correct, as the CBO has reported.

The new document arms Democrats with a response to the contention of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that the bill would mean “higher premiums, higher taxes, and massive cuts to Medicare.”

The “microsimulation” analysis is by Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Treasury Department official under President Bill Clinton. Gruber used data from the Congressional Budget Office.

It's never been a secret that conservative Republicans will only agree with the CBO so long as the CBO agrees with them. And in reference to healthcare reform, the Republicans in both houses on Congress haven't had a many reasons to agree with the CBO.

I'm actually waiting for the moment when someone like Mitch McConnell actually claims that the CBO is now a liberal organization with an agenda that they are trying to set.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Sarah Palin's sad attempt to hang onto any shred of notoriety found itself nestled in the odd confines of EBay recently. The disgraced former governor of Alaska was auctioning off a dinner with her to some poor sap willing to dish out more money than the average American makes in a year for the dubious "honor" of sitting across the table from her. However, this auction wasn't open to everyone. After all, this is about Palin donating money for tax-write-off purposes...........oh, I mean for "charity".

- A video has surfaced of a Fox"News" "producer" urging the crowd at the 9/12 rallies to cheer longer and louder when prompted. So, if Fox is allegedly impartial in these matters, then why would this woman be rallying the people? Oh, that's right..........

- Did you know that the CBO ( Congressional Budget Office ) that the right-wing conservative set has had such joy in referencing this past summer has released a new study that shows proposed Cap-and-Trade legislation would cost American families around $160 per year? That's 44 cents per day. Wonder why Mitt Romney is still using the already debunked $1761 per year number?

- Bill Moyers, whom my uber-conservative Aunt and Grandmother have been watching for years, recently did a piece on Dick Armey ( the point-man behind FreedomWorks ) and his current lawsuit to keep his government controlled healthcare plan. And, as we all know, Dick is also one of the point-men behind the "grassroots" Tea Party nonsense. But wait, don't they want government OUT of the healthcare industry? Ah, I love the smell of conservative hypocrisy on a Monday morning.

- Apparently, there was a wingnut convention somewhere in the US called the Values Voters Summit, and former governor Mike "I <3 Bass Guitar And Chuck Norris" Huckabee won the "straw poll" for potential presidential candidates. He even beat out Sarah Palin nearly 2 1/2 times over. Even though it's a poorly constructed and coneived idea ( because no matter what, a wingnut wins ) this just may say something of Palin's popularity at this point in the game.

- It seems that James O’Keefe, the VERY white guy that dressed completely unconvincingly as a pimp - yet somehow managed to dupe a few ACORN workers in the US - has a very interesting reason for going after the group. It doesn't sit well with him that ACORN registers minorites. And as we all know, most minorities are going to vote Democratic, as the Republican party has done nothing to make them feel like they were the same as white Americans since Lincoln ended slavery.

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That's Another Republican Talking Point Debunked

And by the group that they have been quoting for weeks now.

The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the public option proposed by Democrats would not drive private insurers out of business and most people would still choose to get their medical coverage through employers.

Considering that Republicans, en masse, completely ignored the CBO's finding in relation to the cost of the Bush Tax Cuts ( upward estimates were over $2-trillion ) I'm guessing they are either going to spin this or ignore it as well.

Some Thoughts On Healthcare Reform And The CBO

Here's some food for thought in regards to the CBO, deficits, and the concerned conservatives that have issue with the cost of healthcare.

1 - In 2004, the CBO predicted that Bush's tax cuts ( for the richest 1-2% of Americans ) would cost around $2.75 trillion over 10 years. That's more the twice the cost of the Obama administrations proposed healthcare.

2 - When Republicans attempted to spin the cost of the tax cuts, the CBO later found that, through stimulating rather than spending, the cuts would still produce a deficit of around $1.2 trillion which those same Republicans ignored en masse.

3 - The Obama adminstrations healthcare reform proposal will cost less than the occupation of Iraq and the continuing conflict in Afganistan. Of course, Republicans will cry that this money is being used to spread freedom, democracy, and keep American safe. But the reports of money being mispent or simply "lost" are increasing. These stories too are largely ignored by Republicans.

So, due to the practices of the Bush adminstration, we are still within the 10 year buffer zone stated by the CBO. That's $2.3 trillion dollars in deficit that has been left for America.