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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 28, 2009 / 7 Menachem-Av 5769
Mr. Oblivious to Evidence
By
Mona Charen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The last moments of President Obama's press conference last week
have gotten the most attention, and some of the president's supporters have
wondered whether his big-footed interference in the Cambridge professor's
melodrama has overshadowed Obama's push for health care reform.
But the president's response to Gatesgate actually sheds a lot
of light on his approach to health care and other issues, for this reason:
Obama adopts his positions before knowing what he is talking about. To be
fair, Obama admitted as much, at least as far as Gates was concerned. "I
don't know all the facts," he acknowledged, before launching into a lecture
(later retracted) about the "stupidity" of the Cambridge police (while
misrepresenting what had happened).
How could he not have known all the facts? Press secretary
Robert Gibbs mentioned on Fox News Sunday that the Gates matter was one of
the issues the White House press operation had briefed the president on
before the press conference. Numerous accounts of the imbroglio were
available online though the president need only pick up the phone to get
all the information he wants.
He didn't want information. He preferred his comfortable,
prejudiced view.
This is worth bearing in mind as the country takes a good, hard
look at the president's plans for health care reform. On the day he
announced support for embryonic stem cell research, Mr. Obama also signed an
executive memorandum declaring that in the Obama administration, "we (will)
make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology." And yet, his health
care proposals or rather the congressional ideas he has endorsed seem
to skirt facts and evidence at every turn.
We are told, for example, that America needs a "public option"
for health insurance to "keep the insurance companies honest." How would
that work? Would it be the same as keeping Ford honest by having the
government own GM? In both cases, private companies who must make a profit
and pay their expenses will be forced to compete with public entities not
subject to market discipline.
Well, they counter, Medicare has been better at controlling
administrative costs than private insurance companies. Economist Robert Book
examined that claim and concluded that Medicare's per-beneficiary
administrative costs are substantially higher than the administrative costs
of private health plans. Democrats' argument to the contrary is based on
expressing administrative costs as a share of total costs. Book explains:
"If X Insurance Co. insures a healthy 25-year-old and he makes zero claims
in a year, then administrative costs are the only costs." By contrast,
Medicare's population is (by definition) disproportionately elderly,
disabled, or suffering end-of-life medical crises. In fact, Book argues,
Medicare's per-beneficiary costs are rising faster than those of private
insurance companies. And Medicare's costs have risen further and faster than
any of the sunny estimates politicians have offered over the past 40 years.
Medicare spending doubled every four years between 1966 and 1980. Without
adding any further burdens, Medicare has unfunded future obligations of $36
trillion.
Another proposal contained in some of the Democrats' legislation
is government-approved health insurance. All private insurers would be
required to provide certain benefits or be ineligible to "compete" with the
public option. Has anyone in the Obama administration checked the facts on
this? State governments throughout the nation have been piling mandates on
insurance companies for the past 25 years. The Council for Affordable Health
Insurance keeps track. Forty-five states mandate alcohol- and drug-abuse
treatment. Four require coverage for hormone replacement therapy. Bone
density scans are required by 16 states. Contraceptives must be covered in
29 states, and in vitro fertilization in 15. Forty-four states mandate
coverage of optometrist services; 18 require infant hearing screenings, and
the list goes on. Every mandate increases the price of insurance and makes
it progressively more difficult for the healthy uninsured to find no-frills,
catastrophic coverage. It also increases the cost of each of those "covered"
procedures because when they are paid for by third parties instead of
out-of-pocket by patients, patients become less cost-sensitive.
During the campaign, John McCain proposed to allow interstate
shopping for health insurance, which would at least introduce an element of
competition and cost-consciousness into the system. Obama ran ads
deceptively claiming that this (and other proposals) would cause people to
lose the coverage they already had.
Obama is the last man to talk of keeping others honest.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Mona Charen Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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