The ADD President

For years, children have been prescribed Ritalin for a wide variety of symptoms under the vague grab-bag of Attention Deficit Disorder. Some experts claim that ADD is over diagnosed as high as 50%, others say that it is under diagnosed as much as 50%. While experts can disagree on the statistics, there is no doubt our President suffers from a very severe case.

Upon taking office, the economy was front and center. Gotta fix it and gotta do it now! TARP II, Stimulus II, omnibus, etc. were all passed with few members of Congress even reading the several hundred page bills. Some economists still warn of a double dip recession, a jobless recovery and that worries over tax code changes at the end of the recession are inhibiting growth.

Then, without skipping a beat and making a non sequitur tying it to the economy, the President pledged to fix health care. Gotta fix it and gotta do it now! Public option in, public option out, co-op's in, co-op's out. Three different bills all being referenced in the same breath and finally the Baucus bill emerges. No public option but there will be a tax on "gold-plated" policies. Since the bill is not indexed for inflation, much less medical inflation (which runs about three times regular inflation) and doesn't take affect until 2013, 40% of Americans will be considered to have "gold-plated" plans the first year it kicks in. In effect, it will be the new Alternative Minimum Tax.

Then, the President runs off to Copenhagen in the midst of the debate to get the Olympics for Chicago. Gotta get the Olympics and gotta do it now! In a time of crisis for Afghanistan, with a foundering economy and during a crucial time for his signature legislation, the President is focusing on the Olympics?

Multi-tasking is an important part of being President but when you leave every issue half-completed it is no longer multi-tasking, it is simply ADD.

To Obama: Don't Say I Never Gave You Anything

This week, Obama decided against installing a missle control shield in Poland and the Czech Republic? This breaks the previous administration's promise and angers our allies in Eastern Europe.

I applaud the move.

What vital interest does the US have in Poland or the Czech Republic? Why are both even in NATO? NATO is a defensive alliance pact. An attack on one is an attack on all. Of course, except if the attack is on the US. When Afghanistan's Taliban attacked the US on 9/11 in the worst attack on the homeland in our history, much of NATO balked or sent a paltry number of "non-combat" troops.

Even if Poland and the Czech Republic mobilized much of their army to support us in a future conflict, is it a worth the risk of having to mobilize our army to defend Krakow or Prague?

Charles De Galle doubted that America could be trusted to act as France's nuclear deterrent against Russia when he said he could not imagine the US bombing Moscow in retalliation for a possible bombing of Paris since America knew that Russia would bomb Washington in return. Essentially, would America trade Washington for Paris? De Galle decided we would not and created his own nuclear deterrant.

Are we now telling ourselves we would trade Washington for two capitals most Americans could not find on a map?

Russia does present a danger but moreso in Georgia and the Ukraine if they decide to seize oil lines. A missile shield in Poland would not defend against this possibility and might even spur Russia's aggression under the auspices of grabbing what they can while they can.

Russia is not the old Soviet Union and Obama is no Reagan. Reagan developed SDI to break the Soviets but the Soviet Union still lies in pieces. Russia has become the old sick man of Europe with it's dwindling population, rising AIDS rates, pathetic life expectancy and low birth rates

So, good work Obama. Even a clock that has stopped is right twice a day.

Is Finger Reattachment Covered Under Obamacare?

An Obamacare supporter bit off part of the pinky of an Obamacare protester. No greater message here, except maybe that liberals fight dirty.

Did We Say 7 Trillion? We meant 9...

The White House's forecast of the deficit has increased from 7 trillion dollars to 9 trillion. A mere 28% over what they forecasted. I guess we should all be thankful. Government always has done a terrible job of estimating what it is spending and why not, it's your money not theirs.

Medicare Part A spending was 700% over what was forecasted back in 1965. But maybe that is unfair to take such a long view of things. Stuff happens in 40 years no one can predict. How about a more recent example? The Medicaid special hospitals subsidy was $11 billion, more than 100 times the government's projection of $100 million in 1987. Is it that government is getting more irresponsible with their forecasting or just better at hiding the true cost?

Something as massive as healthcare reform as currently proposed is projected as creating a 1 trillion dollar deficit in 10 years. Many people believe that the true number cannot even begin to be calculated as to what this will really cost tax payers.

The fact that 2 trillion dollars can just pop into the deficit by "surprise" shows how fast the trillions can add up. If it is 7 times what they forecast, America is in serious trouble. If it is 100 times what they forecast, America ceases to be a nation.

You would never buy a home or a car or anything without knowing the true cost but government does this all the time. It is about time we told the politicians in Washington that this kind of spending in any climate is unsustainable at best and in our current economic climate, it is downright suicidal.