Tim Barry

As usual if Tim, Virgil, or anyone wants to use any of these to promote Tim just let me know and I’ll get you the full size images, raw, uncropped, whatever you need! Thanks to Tim for letting me shoot this show!

For something to be a right all people must have equal access to said thing. Every single citizen of the United States of America has equal access to health care. Every one of us can have the same services for the same price as anyone else. For a thing to be a right it does not mean, by any stretch of logic, that we all must have the same exact level of said thing. It must also, conversely, mean that we can choose to not have the thing. If you start applying the current liberal definition of “right” to other rights enumerated in our constitution it becomes painfully obvious just how ridiculous it is to say the current push to pass laws requiring us to have insurance is based on some sort of “right” to a thing.

If having a right to a thing means the government must provide it for me, as stated concerning health care, then I also expect the following in short order: my own printing press so that I can exercise my right to freedom of the press and a shipment of top quality arms so that I can exercise my right to keep and bear arms that has been affirmed by SCOTUS as an indivual right. We can talk about other rights later and how the government can provide them for me.

It’s not a right if the government requires us all to have it, gives us money for it, and runs the industry. At that point it’s a straight up entitlement and I do not believe we are entitled to anything. We have rights that we must choose to exercise but more importantly that we can choose, without penalty, to not exercise. The current attempts to push a set of health care entitlements on the American people and attempting to cloak them as rights is almost as perverse as the Patriot Act claiming to defend freedom whilst yanking freedoms away from us.

You have a right to believe that you are entitled to health care but since that isn’t codified anywhere in our laws your right to believe that ends where my belief that there is not an entitlement begins. You can claim, at the top of your lungs all day long, that the government should cover the cost of medical care for you and yours and it won’t make it right or true. You can scream about health care being a right but as long as you want to government to provide it what you mean is that it is an entitlement you want the government to give you since you already have a right to pay the same amount of money as me and have the same health care I have.

I can see how this wouldn’t seem fair to someone raised in the entitlement mentality that has permeated through our school systems and news media over the years as fair has been redefined to mean that everyone has to have the starting position, the same engine, and the same pit crew for this race and if their driver fails then it’s not their fault. That is not what fair has ever meant, not what it means now, and will not be what it ever means. It is fair because the government cannot stop either your or I from getting health care, it is fair because for the same dollar I can buy the same amount of health care as you. If you think that having better health care because I have money or having worse health care because I have less money than you isn’t fair then please tell me how we will start dumbing down smart doctors so no-one receives better care because their doctor is smarter because that’s where that logic takes you.

In closing all of this talk about rights and fairness is about neither one. They are merely words the current administration and the MSM is using in order to make this entitlement they want to pass more palatable to the American people. What they are doing is not fair, or just for that matter, and it certainly isn’t about rights since the right they are pushing already exists for every American. It’s just like the last administration trying to redefine freedom to make the Patriot Act easier to swallow and it’s still disgusting.

I will also say that my opposition to the health care take over that is being perpetuated by our federal government stems not from thinking that the Democrats involved are socialists, although some of the provably are, but rather from a base ideal that the federal government has no right to dictate to the states how to deal with the issue and furthermore has no right to force me to purchase anything from a private entity such as an insurance company. The plan on the table could be one, like Germany’s, that stood a chance of working and I would oppose it just as vehemently. I oppose almost all government meddling in the form of price fixing, dictating what any given company can offer the public, or what any private citizen is required to purchase. While I have addressed the fact I don’t think this plan will work, and history will prove me right, my opposition starts long before the question of whether any given plan will work or not. The tenth amendment sums up my feelings on the matter and while the federal government has been doing an end run around the amendment using subsidies like highway dollars and school funding the amendment exists and should be enforced. But I digress. I wanted to re-frame any debate that might take place here since the minutiae doesn’t matter concerning this bill hence this explanation.

If you take things down to a state level the things I agree with and disagree with change greatly as the states are granted all powers not explicitly granted to the federal government and while there are things that they cannot interfere with, like the bill of rights, they are afforded much more power over the existence and lives of their residents than the federal government. When it comes down to issues on a state level I will argue merits and flaws extensively and usually with great passion. In contrast with my views on the federal government which usually end with “They don’t have that authority and I wish that SCOTUS would smack them down” regardless of which party is in power.

I do not believe that taxation is illegal, that the amendment allowing it was ratified improperly or not ratified, that income is not defined properly, that I can opt out of the tax system. I do believe that a flat tax would be better this country. The figures show that a flat tax of 5% (that number may be inaccurate now as it’s been some time since I looked) with no credits, exemptions, and what not on every tax paying entity would bring in more money that our current arcane system. I know that the so-called stimulus could have paid off every dime of consumer debt in the country and had money left over but the way it was used didn’t do much of anything for the economy. I believe tax cuts will save the economy and that raising taxes will prolong the recession. I am not a truther and think that they should be kicked squarely in the teeth and I should be allowed to do so as protected political speech. I don’t believe in conspiracies for multiple reasons. And I am now rambling…

Suffice it to say I am not a huge fan of the current administration and its apparent desire to insert itself further into our private lives. I am also not happy about the other side of the coin, being Republicans, and their chosen path at the moment. I think things through on a regular basis and don’t tow any party line. So there’s my little, and completely inadequate, description of my political views. I had to post this as I have more posts planned this week where this reference will be good for my two or three readers.

I miss the swine flu…when people got swine flu they didn't ask for money, now it's tsunami this, earthquake that…money, money, money #

@autopsy4 You seem to love hating Shooter. I don't care for him myself but you don't care for him out loud, a lot. in reply to autopsy4 #

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@cowbelle78 I'd share your tent (ok maybe that was a little creepy but I thought it was funny) in reply to cowbelle78 #

@autopsy4 SXSW TB style as well: Raisin' hell and livin' cheap in reply to autopsy4 #

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So last week a co-worker came to me with three tickets to see out local hockey team, the Aeros, vs the Manitoba Moose. Since I have four boys a decision had to be made. Since I took Aoghdan to his first show last year and Diarmuid is really to young to enjoy a hockey game I decided it would be Seamus and Hamish going. I hadn’t seen a hockey game in years and was looking forward to spending the time with the boys. So I bailed out of work a little early and thanks to my better half was able to just pick them up and head downtown to the Toyota Center. We got there in plenty of time and since the tickets included a parking pass it was all very easy to manage. The boys, dressed rather handsomely I must say, were almost vibrating with excitement. Now Rob had warned me that these seats were amongst the craziest of hockey fans but I had idea what we were in for!

So the first shock involved how much they wanted for food. I have been to sporting events and a lot of shows and the Toyota Center’s food vendors rank up there with highest prices I have ever paid for what amounted to state fair food. Seamus got a personal pizza (8.00), Hamish got a corn dog (6.00), fries to split between the boys (4.75), I got four small chicken strips (8.50), and a large drink to share (5.75)(for a damn Coke)! A pleasant surprise was that the Aeros schwag was the cheapest sports memorabilia I think I have seen with a good selection of 5.00 stuff that wasn’t cheap or cheesy. But with the concession prices it didn’t balance out all that well. But the best surprise were the seats. They were, and I don’t know the hockey term for it, right behind the opposing team’s goal for the first and third periods, 2 rows from the glass!

We quickly found out that most of the noise in the arena during any given game is made by the section we were sitting in. At first the boys were a little intimidated by the cowbells, shouting, banging on the glass, and the friendliness of the folks sitting around us but the quickly got into it even sneaking up two rows and banging on the glass a couple of time. We learned a lot of the traditions for our section, joining in taunting Schnieder (Goalie for the Moose), berating the refs, and yelling at the Aeros to take shots. The first couple of times players were checked into the boards the boys were kind of taken aback but the first time someone got checked and his skates made it above the boards where you could clearly see them on the other side of the glass Seamus screamed out “I love this game!” which elicited a good chuckle from those around us. The first time a puck flew towards the glass, hitting with that gunshot sound hockey fans are familiar with, Seamus jumped out of his skin and had a shocked look frozen on his face for better than a full minute.

We even got see some guy set his beer on the ridge on the glass, and watch physics take effect and dump it directly into his lap about 30 seconds later. I hope his nice pants weren’t ruined. The boys loved the game and a lot of that was due to the section in which we got to sit. We plan to go back soon but plan to eat somewhere else first in order to avoid the outrageous prices. And Rob promises I’ll get all the tickets he can’t use since he has season tickets.

The boys are still talking about the game and Michelle even waited for us to get home and took more pictures (the ones in this post are from my horrible phone camera) and even used one of them for her Project 365 picture. The one below is the one she used. Make sure you check her site and her gallery on a regular basis since she’s a bad ass photographer and is only getting better!

Furthermore this unprecedented use of the reconciliation process will open it up to further abuse by sides of the corrupt political spectrum. This cannot and will not be a good thing. It will embolden both parties to use the process in ways that it was never intended to be used whenever partisanship rears its head and they want to bully the other side.

Right now the Democrats are crying about the filibuster process but they seem to forget that it was a Democrat that changed the rules to make it a procedural thing that is quiet and bloodless. Prior to the 1970’s a filibuster required continuous speeches on the floor of the Senate and then Mike Mansfield (D-MT) led a charge to change the rules and make the filibuster a quiet little paper blockade and at the same time changed the cloture requirements from 2/3 to the current 3/5. So the procedural hurdle that the Democrats can’t overcome is one that they put into place. By my count they have enough votes in the Senate to meet the 2/3 requirement that they changed. Now they want to use reconciliation, a tool both parties have used incorrectly in the past, in a manner that it has never been used and possibly in a manner that is not entirely legal.

So if you agree with nationalized health care you should still oppose this process that the President appears to be ready to order his lackeys to follow because it will open up any legislation passed to even more lawsuits beyond the already present problems. It will open the floodgates for either side to shove legislation through that couldn’t have been passed any other way. It will make mockery of the Senate rules and a further mockery of our Senators actually representing us. None of these things is healthy for the country regardless of how you feel about the law they are trying to slide through this back door. This process almost insures that if the legislation makes it through it will be brought before SCOTUS even faster than before and very likely struck down for violating the process necessary to pass laws in this country. It will sign the political death warrant of most of the people involved and power will change hands in a head spinning manner.

Obama is a one term President. He knows it. Congress knows it. The public knows it. He is trying to push his agenda, right or wrong, by any means necessary during that term. He knows that this is an election year. He knows he is leading his party to a slaughter on election day but all he cares about is his legacy and agenda. More and more Democrats are realizing this but with Pelosi doing the same thing they are afraid of being thrown under the bus at any given point. It’s not safe in Washington right now and the powers that be want to make sure they push their agenda down our throats whether we like it or not before they lose the power to do so. It is sickening to be honest. I don’t care what party is in power. This pushing of agendas through back doors and loopholes is wrong.

Call your representatives. Call your congressman. Let them know you do not support them refusing to represent their constituents. Let them know their jobs are on the line. Make your voice heard. I firmly believe that even with reconciliation that health care reform, at least this iteration, won’t make into law but this is a good time to let Washington know they are supposed to represent us and not do what they believe is best for us whether we want it or not. Let them know they are getting too big for their britches and maybe we can change something come election day. I don’t care what letter a person has by their name. If they swore to vote the will of their constituents regardless of their personal beliefs, and I believed they meant it (like that would ever happen), I wouldn’t think twice about voting for them.

The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. – G.K. Chesterton

@GobblersKnob That's a strange bit to sing, but it makes sense. My dream is to retire around Leakey. I love me some Hill Country. in reply to GobblersKnob #

@autopsy4 I love that revco tune in reality. That was a damn hard top 5, just 5 was hard. I missed one I REALLY wanted to put on there. in reply to autopsy4 #

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First and foremost every plan that has been presented is a plain violation of the tenth amendment to the Constitution. That should be the end of the argument but it is not. The current administration wants to shove a plan, any plan at this point, down the throats of the American people. Whether it’s mandating that private citizens purchase a product from a private company or pushing a public option on to the taxpayers they want to have something in their win column. This is despite plummeting poll numbers, members of the ruling party quitting, public outcry, and even Mass. electing a republican to a seat that had been filled by a Kennedy for almost half a century. And they are willing to do this by any means necessary and even if it means completely losing power in the next election. They are going for broke and it appears there is nothing the American people can do to stop them. They are threatening to attempt to use reconciliation, a tool for fixing budgets differences between the houses, to get something in place that even their own people don’t like. Behind the smoke and mirrors analysis shows that the American people will pay for this for three years before any benefits begin and in ten years the current plan will be running over a trillion dollar deficit. It’s not a happy thing to research to be honest. Furthermore all of this is happening while the administration continues to spend more than any administration ever has. I mean they have already spent more, and created more deficit, than any full term administration and we aren’t even two years in.

The federal government has no authority to mandate that I purchase anything. Period. End of story. I don’t care what your reasoning may be the plain fact of the matter is that the authority does not exist, is not granted in the Constitution, and has never been recognized by any federal court. States are another matter as their powers differ so there’s no reason to even delve into that discussion so I will keep this at the federal level. You may think that everyone having insurance would be a good thing, and I don’t disagree with you, but having it mandated by the government is a slippery slope that I have no intention of going down. If they can tell me I have to purchase insurance then they can mandate what level and from whom as well. They can also mandate I must purchase my next car from GM if they so choose or that I buy all of my milk from Promised Land Dairy. There is nothing to stop them, once this power is granted, from mandating everything we purchase. There is no check or balance once a mandate like this is in place. It subverts the free market, subverts individual choice, and provide the government a wide open door into every facet of our lives by mandating purchases for the the public good. If you don’t think this administration would mandate farther than health care I suggest you look very closely at Washington right now and think again.

The latest proposal from the White House expands the Senate version to cost 950 billion more, extends the union member exemption from the Cadillac tax, creates a “rate board”, and more. The rate board is the most worrying piece. Through this board the federal government will either approve or set rates for the insurance industry. It is a mechanism by which they could bankrupt private insurers and force a government controlled medical system. They leave out any tort reform, they don’t eliminate the state line boundary for competition, but they do allow some federal money to pay for abortions. In other words the answer to the public’s outcry against the previous plans is to give us more of the same. Never mind that I, personally, will be penalized for making enough money to pay for a decent insurance plan for my family by way of a tax on my health plan, but that my union friends will not be. The problems with this plan, and indeed the plans before it, are that they don’t solve any problems. They are all based on models that have failed or are failing very visibly in other countries. It’s almost like the administration is ignoring history and current events and just wants to push something they have faith will work. It has to be faith because no rational analysis shows these plans working, history proves them to be failures, and even the public doesn’t want this to go forward.

I think they will push something through. I also think the day it’s signed into law there will be lawsuits filed in every federal district court in the country, stays issued, and everything overturned by SCOTUS in the future. This power grab and interference in private industry is unprecedented in American history and won’t stand Constitutional scrutiny. From mandating purchases by private citizens to the “rate board” the federal oversteps of authority won’t stand SCOTUS scrutiny. The ruling party may think that once this is passed it will stand but I am willing to bet that the law is struck down either through the court system or by the next administration. Pushing this through will be the death knell for the Democrats and they will lose power in such a manner they won’t have it back for a very long time. The people of the US won’t stand for it and the politicians are, quite frankly, not listening.

All that said I pray that the Republicans don’t gain power as easily as it looks like they will. They are morons for a whole different set of reasons. I would love to see the Libertarians gain enough power that forces the voice of the people to be heard. A contingent of independents and third parties large enough to break the two party system and marginalize the morons we have in our two major parties right now. I would love to see the people be strong enough to make sure our representatives actually represent us. I doubt that will ever happen but one can dream.

In case you missed it in my diatribe: The reason we don’t need global health care is that it has never worked, won’t work, and will degrade the quality of health care we currently have.