Author Archives: Bok
Nuclear Option
Harry Reid pulled the trigger on the so-called Nuclear Option on Thursday. The move changed a 200 year old rule that allowed filibusters against presidential appointments. Now the Senate can confirm nominees with a simple majority. That can happen with a straight party line vote – the same way ObamaCare was passed.
As usual, hypocrisy is non-partisan here. The Republicans threatened the same thing when President Bush was having trouble getting his judicial nominations confirmed in the Senate.
Nuclear Option
Here are some strong arguments against the Nuclear Option – from Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
JFK and a Silly Little Communist
Kennedy Week was a very good week for Ira Stoll’s book Kennedy, Conservative. He makes the case that JFK was an anti-communist supply sider and would be a conservative today.
Maybe. Most of the other 11 year olds I knew in those days were anti-communist too. Not so sure about the supply side part – my peer-group wasn’t up to speed on tax policy. A quick look at Youtube, however, does show Kennedy was for tax cuts to increase employment and cut the deficit.
He was also in favor of civil rights. At least his wife thought so:
“He didn’t even have the satisfaction of being killed for civil rights. It’s — it had to be some silly little Communist.”
Which brings us to this piece by Rich Lowry. He complains that James McAuley, in a NYT oped, pins the murder on “Dallas, a city of hate with a death wish in its eye”. (Now we know who shot JR.) Manny Fernanez, also in the NYT, blames it on an “angry anti-Washington culture”.
I think President Kennedy was swell but where can I sign up for this Angry Anti-Washington Culture?
JFK and A Silly Little Communist
The real conspiracy about the Kennedy Assassination is the myth built by the left that sinister right wing forces cut down the young president – when it was really just a silly little Communist.
Camelot
The MSM took our rulers on a pilgrimage to Camelot this week.
The first black president, along with the ersatz first black president, honored the first Catholic president on the 50th anniversary of his assassination.
President Clinton, earlier in the week, honored President Obama by telling him to stop lying about ObamaCare.
Red State Democrats ran away.
Young Healthies of Our American Family
In times of trouble President Obama is fond of mistaking “We the People” for “Our American Family”.
Makes sense in a sick sort of way. We’ve had Soccer Moms, NASCAR Dads, and now we have “Young Healthies”.
Young Healthies are the underemployed, student loan indentured, basement dwelling scions of our “American Family”. And while they stand to reap an unhealthy inheritance of $17 trillion in debt, their most immediate concern is to support the lifestyles of the “Old and Sick”.
Traditionally this support has been in the form of the employment tax which covers social security and medicare expenses. Ok, it doesn’t exactly cover them – see the $17 trillion debt inheritance. Anyway, a new turn of the screw has been added. The Young Healthies are required by law to buy insurance they don’t need so that their modest wealth can be transferred to the Old and Sick.
Young Healthies and young Our American Family Go Down Together
For some reason the Young Healthies were enthusiastic about this arrangement in the abstract in 2008, but not so much now that it’s real. That’s too bad, because if the Healthies don’t cough up the money they don’t have, Our American Family goes into a “Death Spiral“.
Trans Fat Fix
Like so much dirty underwear, the Emperor With No Clothes has changed another law. Or, as Mark Steyn says, “On Thursday, he passed a new law at a press conference. George III never did that”.
President Obama proclaimed you can keep your health plan after all. That is if your insurance company can find it, having tossed it out on his orders.
Meanwhile, the House, including 39 Democrats, passed the Upton Bill on Friday which would legally do what the president wants. He promised to veto it.
No Word on Your Trans Fat Fix
Also, last week, the FDA said it will ban trans fat. Even if you like it.
