Forward!

There Ya Go Again, Joe.

Joe Biden is at it again. Campaigning in Detroit Ol' Joe said that the gubmint could re-fi 12 million homeowner loans that are underwater and it wouldn't cost a thing. Not a penny. The Money Fairy refused comment. 

www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/08/22/Biden-Won-t-Cost-Government-A-Penny-To-Refinance-12-Million-Mortgages

Why Is Obama Even in the Race?

You Know It's a Bad Day When...

You swerve to avoid a moose and hit a bear instead. The poor Norwegian driver who did so probably had less damage  done to his car by the bear than if he had hit the moose, but a wrecked car and a p.o.'d brown bear aren't my idea of a good time! I bet the driver had an extra aquavit when he finally made it home.

now.msn.com/driver-avoids-a-moose-but-hits-a-bear-instead

Much Obliged. Not

On January 11, 2012 I blogged that Governor Cowboy's (Kitzhaber) vaunted economic plan had produced the fourth consecutive month of decline in the state's economic indicators. BTW, two months of consecutive decline = recession. Well, some things just don't change. 

Oregon's unemployment rate went up in July. I'm shocked! I'll let the Statesman Journal tell the news:

"Oregon’s jobless rate increased slightly in July to 8.7 percent, as the private sector posted anemic job growth.

The state’s private sector added only 100 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in July, Oregon Employment Department officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a point from June.

Nick Beleiciks, a state employment economist, said strong job gains in professional and business services and the construction sector were offset by losses in other industries. The largest job losses were in educational and health services, manufacturing, and a category called “other services.”
Government employment experienced a seasonally adjusted increase of 1,700 jobs. Those jobs were broadly spread across federal, state, and local government employment.

Beleiciks said he couldn’t identify a trend to explain the recent gain in government employment."

www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120815/BUSINESS/308150070/Oregon-s-unemployment-rate-up-despite-new-jobs?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Mr. Beleiciks may not know why government employment gained, but I've got a pretty good idea. Which of these things is not like the other? That's right kids - government employment goes up up and away and the private sector goes down, down, down. Perhaps there is an inverse relationship that has something to do with employers having to pay surcharges for unemployment taxes and taxes on gross income, not net, and all the other taxes to pay for the government spending.  On the other hand, this is Oregon and nobody cares as demonstrated by electing a hack politician to the governorship for a third term when he previously said the state was ungovernable. At least his folks get government jobs or in the case of his squeeze, government contracts. Some things never change.

Just to Make It Clear

Obama took $716 billion out of Medicare to finance Obamacare; Romney and Ryan aren't taking anything out for people 55+. Obama's cuts will immediately affect anyone on Medicare; the Romney/Ryan plan will not. Can you hear me now?

Democrats' Mediscare

Well here we go with the standard Democrat booga-booga treatment, this time for Paul Ryan. The target audience is seniors and the theme is "Paul Ryan will end Medicare as we know it." Booga booga! Of course the dirty little secret that the Dems aren't telling seniors is that Medicare costs are out of control and pretty soon there won't be Medicare for anybody because the system is flat broke. Ryan, on the other hand, respects seniors by being honest with them and proposing changes designed to keep senior health care available. Let's take a look at some facts.

Ryan and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden have proposed an overhaul of the Medicare system designed to keep it solvent and provide the maximum benefits possible. Some particulars:

• People over age 55 continue under the current system. NO CHANGES!
• People under 55 will have the option of a public option or a private option. 
• Right now Medicare pays for services. Because there is no way to predict the services needed in a given year, the system is going broke. Under the Ryan plan, the government will instead pay premium support at an estimated level of $9,300/person/year, which will be indexed. Because the payout is capped the system's costs are predictable. Insurance companies will bid to provide services. People are free to pay higher premiums for plans with more benefits if they wish, but everyone will get a base level of care. In other words, seniors get to choose their own care level. Under the Obama Plan, 15 faceless bureaucrats in Washington will decide who gets what level of care. Which respects seniors more? 

There's more, of course, but these are some easily understood key points. Get the facts and tell seniors the truth - don't let them fall for the fraudulent scare tactics of the Dems.