Cash for Clunkers A Failure : Auto Industry Lost Money

Cash for Clunkers was just another failed progressive nightmare used to fool the public. Worse millions were fooled, yet thousands weren't fooled and got new cars, but millions more were convinced the government was actually trying to solve a problem and as a result voted for more good deals.

Please explain what 'good deal' that has every worked that has shown to be workable and a social benefit by the Obama administration?

Cash for Clunkers Caused Auto Industry to Lose Money
Source: Ruth Mantell, "'Cash for Clunkers' stimulus stalled auto-industry revenues, research says," MarketWatch, August 8, 2014.

August 12, 2014

In 2009, the federal government instituted Cash for Clunkers, a stimulus program intended to boost the U.S. economy while encouraging consumers to purchase environmentally-friendly vehicles. By trading in their SUVs for a more fuel-efficient vehicle, automobile purchasers could receive a government credit of up to $4,500.

Most buyers weren't exchanging their SUVs for expensive cars like Priuses. Instead, MarketWatch reports that the Toyota Corolla was the top pick among all car buyers during the program. According to a study from Texas A&M University economists Mark Hoekstra, Steven L. Puller and Jeremy West, the automobile industry saw its revenue drop by $3 billion in less than a year.

Industry revenue fell because most fuel-efficient cars are small and relatively inexpensive. Car buyers were induced to purchase the less expensive cars, such as the Corolla, because of the government subsidy they received upon purchase.

According to the authors, "Environmental objectives undermined and even reversed the stimulus impact of the program."
 

ObamaCare Problems Remain : Fixes Are Failing

Question - how is it that progressive democrats, both political figures and citizens, rationalize away the problems of ObamaCare just by saying they do not exist and that everything is going great?

Nothing is wrong. Even when all evidence points to abject failure, the progressive democrat denies the reality of failure. The country is suffering but they refuse to accept the responsibility for damages that they have caused.

Ideological failure is not possible for the progressive socialist liberal democrat.

Obamacare Still Struggling A Year Later
Source: Peter Suderman, "Obamacare's Phony Success Story," Reason Magazine, August/September 2014.

August 12, 2014

Obamacare supporters labeled the Affordable Care Act a success after 8 million Americans had signed up for insurance at the end of March, but more than a few problems remain. In the latest edition of Reason Magazine, Peter Suderman delves into the problems still plaguing the health care law.

If one looks beyond the number of Obamacare sign-ups, it becomes clear that the Affordable Care Act is not in perfect shape:

• Eight million Americans may have signed up for health insurance, but the more important number is how many people actually paid their premiums. Estimates indicate that around 85 percent of sign-ups (or 6.8 million people) actually enrolled, less than the administration's target of 7 million enrollees.
• The demographics of enrollees is also important -- the ACA needs young, healthy people to sign up in order to cover the costs of insuring older and sicker individuals. The administration's goal was that 39 percent of its enrollees be between the ages of 18 and 35, yet just 28 percent of enrollees fell within that age range.
• Data indicates that ACA enrollees may also be sicker; a study by pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts determined that those on the exchanges were using expensive specialty drugs 47 percent more than those on employer-sponsored insurance.
• A state-by-state breakdown of insurance markets is also concerning. Some states easily met their enrollment targets, but others did not; Wisconsin met just 57 percent of its enrollment goal, while West Virginia met just 61 percent. With such low enrollment figures, the insured may see large premium spikes.
• The website still lacks full payment-processing capabilities as well as a system to check income eligibility discrepancies.

The Obama administration has used its executive authority 22 times to change the law. According to Suderman, these changes -- which have included allowing people to keep the plans that insurers were originally required to cancel under the law -- have only increased the likelihood that those enrolled on the exchanges are likely to be those who previously lacked insurance and, therefore, are possibly sicker than the average risk pool.
 

Ethanol E-85 Destructive Declares AAA (Video) : DON'T USE IT!

If you need more evidence that Mr Obama and the progressive socialist liberal democrats are driven by the need for money and power, just watch this video and make the decision for yourself. Declares

It would make sense that by all standards, Ethanol is not good for environment as its production causes far more damage to the environment then refining fossil fuels, and the damaged that it causes to any machine that uses it for combustion, goes unheeded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is now demanding we use even more of the new blend of  Ethanol, E-85, in our gasoline.

The question now is why would the EPA make these demands for E-85 Ethanol knowing the harm to the environment and machines will result? Can it be just for the political advantage of the manufactures, environmentalists, farmers and refiners to gain their voting blocks? Knowing and willingly demanding destruction to our country just for political gain?

Maybe it's worse then this, maybe they really don't have the mental capacity to see anything beyond their own ideology. They truly believe they are right, and no amount of evidence can dissuade them from their goal to gain power and control that will change them?

Is progressive liberalism a mental sickness, a madness that destroys logic and common sense?

I wonder where the people of this country come into play when the progressive democrats form their strategy for electoral success? One has to determine after 5 years of power in the hands of a progressive socialists, to the progressive liberal there is no down side to their ideology, it's 'by any means necessary' to gain power and there by control of all outcomes.

Screw the people and screw the country!


http://www.youtube.com/embed/ceW9Nc1hVHU?feature=player_detailpage

Mr Obama And Pelosi Embrace : Photo for The Ages

Here is photo for the ages - this just proves a picture is worth a thousand words. How would anyone explain this in words.  Yikes!

California's Plastic Bag Ban : Women & Children Hardest Hit

Who knew? This is old news, especially in the common sense challenged state of California. Research shows California's ban on plastic bags attack the poor and disadvantaged. Remember how the progressives socialist democrats always use the prop to illustrate any grievance they want to push; ' minorities, women and children hardest hit'.

Well, now it's the progressives that are after the poor and disadvantaged by forcing them to spend what little money they have on paper bags. They aren't going to lug around those have green cloth bags let alone buy them.

Maybe Californian will have to raise some more taxes to buy the 'environmental safe' bags for the poor women and children. Is there any tax to great that most Californians won't pay to feel good?

Is There Any Benefit to Plastic Bag Bans?
Source: Julian Morris, "Your Whole Foods Tote Could Be More Harmful Than a Plastic Bag," Time.com, August 5, 2014.

August 11, 2014

Julian Morris of the Reason Foundation debunks some of the myths surrounding the plastic bag. While advocates of plastic bag bans would have you believe that the bags harm the environment and contribute to litter, the facts paint a very different picture.

Morris provides a short history of the plastic bag. They were first introduced to the American public in 1982 in Krogers and Safeways across the country. Eighty percent of all bags were made from lightweight plastic by 1996.

But in 2007, San Francisco swooped in to ban the plastic shopping bag. To date, more than 150 municipalities have imposed bag bans or restrictions. Some localities -- like Washington, D.C. -- tax the use of a plastic bag, while others simply ban them. California has a collective 100 bag bans across the state, and its legislature is considering imposing the restrictions on all of California.

Morris says that banning the bags will do little to reduce cities' waste disposal costs or to benefit the environment. This is consistent with previous NCPA studies on plastic bag bans. Recently, the NCPA examined several cities with bag bans and found no evidence that the restrictions have reduced costs. Moreover, plastic bags account for just 0.6 percent of all litter and are entirely recyclable. In fact, paper and reusable bags use more energy and release more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic bags!

Morris hits on another point relating to plastic bag bans: they hurt the poor. Paying for reusable bags, or paying fees for the use of plastic bags, impose the greatest burden on those with low incomes.
 

Digital 'On Line' Education Gaining Ground : Free Market Solutions

As always, free market solutions to a problem will solve the problem. A government program that is unworkable and shows to be a problem for public education, Common Core, is illustrative of how interference in states by bureaucrats from Washington is divisive and destructive.

Charter schools, Vouchers as well now as digital 'on line' education can solves the educational gap that has limited the advancement of America's students. Innovation and common sense will be the answer.

Online K-12 Programs Grow in Popularity
Source: Dave Bohon, "Liberty-focused Online Academy Exploding in Popularity," New American, August 7, 2014.

August 11, 2014

As more and more parents become frustrated with state-provided education, as illustrated by the growing opposition to Common Core, some are turning to homeschooling and alternative online curriculum programs.

The New American reports that there are currently 2.5 million children, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, being educated at home or through an online academy. One such program that has caught on in recent years is FreedomProject Education (FPE). 

FPE is an online school with live classes that aims to provide students with exposure to the same type of subjects that America's founders would have studied. Children tune in to classes from their homes and, while the program covers traditional subjects (math, English, history and science), it also offers classes in logic, Latin, economics and American studies.

FPE began in 2011 and had only 22 students. This year, the program will have 600 students. Alan Scholl, who created the FPE program, says that students who are homeschooled perform anywhere from 15 to 30 points higher than their peers on standardized achievement tests.

According to the New American, school districts are recognizing parents' desire to withdraw their students from traditional public schools. Concerned about losing funding, they are beginning to offer online education programs. Private companies that offer online curriculums are contracting with local school districts to offer the programs. In return, the companies receive part of the school district's public education funding, which remains intact because students are still using the public education system.

Traditional homeschooling proponents contend that the public homeschooling option lacks parental control, which is what has made homeschooling successful.
 

Licensing Requirements Change : Proposed in Texas

What a great move on the part the candidate running for governor in Texas. And why is it that so many of the great ideas seem to originate from Texas?  hmmmm  Maybe that's why their population is rising every year and so many other states are losing population.

Maybe it's because Texas is run by Conservatives?

Texas Attorney General Proposes Lifting Licensing Requirements
Source: Pam Villarreal, "Finally! A Proposal That Would Foster Entrepreneurship in Texas," Retirement and Taxes: Reforms that Make "Cents" Blog, National Center for Policy Analysis, August 8, 2014.

August 11, 2014

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is in the running for governor. Just recently, Abbott proposed to get rid of occupational licensing in jobs that have no direct impact on consumer health or safety.
NCPA Senior Fellow Pam Villarreal says that the measure is a great way to help the poor, because it reduces costs on would-be entrepreneurs, allowing them to enter trades without being held back by unnecessary requirements. If the proposal passes, Texas can expect to see higher revenue and economic growth; as Villarreal notes, licensing laws reduce job growth by 20 percent.

The Abbott proposal would reform or repeal licenses in a number of fields, including:

• Interior designers
• Dog trainers
• Auctioneers
• Barbers
• Cosmetologists

Abbott offers a number of recommendations that could improve Texas' licensing system, including abolishing criminal penalties for licensing violations as well as creating a reciprocity regime that allows individuals licensed in other jurisdictions to practice in Texas. He also proposes an "opt-out" exemption for those working in occupations not related to health or safety. As long as a person gives notice that he is operating without a state-issued license, Abbott recommends allowing them to opt out of licensing requirements.

The NCPA has previously reported on the burdens of occupational licensing. While licensing advocates argue that licenses are for consumer protection, they reduce competition and are generally supported by those already in the affected trade. Villarreal explains that licensing is no guarantee of quality. Furthermore, by opening up a trade to more individuals, competition grows and forces out sub-par providers.
 

Tax Code Determines Who Stays & Who Goes : Wisconsin Losing Ground?

That Wisconsin taxes are causing problems is not lost on the Conservatives and Republicans as Governor Scott Walker is moving to make changes to benefit industry and citizens. He has lowered the property tax rate and has indicted he will work to make Wisconsin a 'Right to Work' state which will help stem the tide of younger residence fleeing to other states. He has also indicated he wants to extend his Act 10 law to all public employees. A huge undertaking.

Walker has to move slowly in his task to save the state from the clutches of the progressive socialist democrats that for decades reeked havoc on the economy and it's citizens with high taxes and a culture of regulation nightmares. Any quick moves to change the culture of ignorance and complacency among the dominant liberal  population will result in chaos.

Patience, education and stealth is the key to change in Wisconsin.

As mentioned in this article, the weather has always been a plaque on Wisconsin as it does in most other northern states. Snow Birds flock to warmer climes every winter and then decide to stay. Returning home to cool springs and summers is not what the 'Birds' want, let alone brutal winters.

Is the Tax Code Driving Taxpayers from Wisconsin?
Source: Pamela Villarreal, "Is the Tax Code Driving Taxpayers from Wisconsin?" Joint Publication by the MacIver Institute and the National Center for Policy Analysis, August 2014.

August 11, 2014

Since 2011, Wisconsin has cut its taxes by $2 billion. Under the leadership of Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin lawmakers have simplified the tax code, eliminated 17 different tax credits and reduced the number of income brackets from five to four.

Yet the state loses $136 million each year as its residents leave Wisconsin for other states. Could they be leaving because Wisconsin taxes remain burdensome? NCPA Senior Fellow Pamela Villarreal says that the tax code is a likely culprit. In addition to its income tax, Wisconsin has high property taxes (the fifth highest in the nation), though its sales tax (5 percent) is lower than the rates in the four states that border it.

In a joint publication from the MacIver Institute and the National Center for Policy Analysis, Villarreal identified the five states to which most Wisconsin residents are moving: Florida, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and North Carolina. Using the NCPA's State Tax Calculator, which calculates lifetime gains or losses from moving from one state to another, she discovered that, with a few exceptions, most Wisconsonites would be better off moving to one of those five states.

Of the money that Wisconsin has lost from its residents moving out of the state, the majority has gone to Florida -- a state with no income tax. Additionally, Florida's property tax rate is just 0.97 percent (half of Wisconsin's rate of 1.76 percent). Of nine states that Villarreal analyzed, Wisconsin residents have the most to gain, on a tax basis, from moving to Florida. For example:

• By moving from Wisconsin to Florida, a 25-year-old single renter with an annual income of $30,000 would gain $675 each year in discretionary income, for a lifetime wealth gain of $75,322.
• A 50-year-old married couple with a home earning $100,000 annually would gain $3,093 annually in discretionary income, for a lifetime gain of $202,891.

But Florida also offers warm weather - making it difficult for Wisconsin to compete. So, Villarreal also looked at Wisconsin's neighbors: how does it fare against similar Midwestern states?

• Of Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois, Wisconsin has a clear tax advantage only over Illinois which, while it has a flat income tax, boasts a high sales tax rate.
• Low and middle-income Wisconsin residents, especially renters, benefit from the Wisconsin tax regime compared to that of neighboring states, but higher income earners do not.

Villarreal cautions that Wisconsin should be concerned about the potential flight of high income earners from the state, as those earners are the ones who pay the most in taxes.
 

Interectual Property Rights (Laws) Based on Profit Motive : ie. Capitalism

Capitalism and the profit motive is at work in America and benefits the entire society. In progressive socialism and the ideology of the liberal democrats, of course, everyone loses except those that control the purse strings, they will live the good life demanding retribution from the people for having the mercy of not taking everything you have.

Without Capitalism, health care will not exit and socialists democrats will not have the opportunity to buy a new Mercedes every year. How cruel is that?

Why Intellectual Property (IP) Protection Is So Important to Health Care
Source: Will Rinehart, "Intellectual Property Underpinnings of Pharmaceutical Innovation: A Primer," American Action Forum. July 29, 2014.

August 8, 2014

Intellectual property (IP) laws protect companies that invest resources to develop innovative solutions and products. These laws are especially important in health and medicine. In a new primer, Will Rinehart, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy at the American Action Forum, explains how the intellectual property regime in America contributes to pharmaceutical innovation.

A patent grants the holder exclusive rights to develop and sell a particular invention for a limited period of time (typically for 20 years). A patent can protect a process or a machine, an article, an object's design or even a new plant variety.

The United States is known for having incredibly strong intellectual property protections. Patents allow creators to profit from their inventions, preventing copycats from benefiting from an inventor's time and effort and inspiring would-be patent-holders to develop and create new products. Without patent protections, inventors would be hesitant to pour time and energy into creating something from which they might benefit very little.

Patents are especially important in medicine -- not only because of the life-changing benefits that they can bring to patients but because the research and development and regulatory approval processes are incredibly expensive and require a great deal of time and effort. Rinehart describes these burdens on pharmaceutical developers:

• Between 1999 and 2005, the length of clinical trials have gone up 70 percent, work burdens have increased 67 percent, and routine procedures per trial have increased 65 percent.
• Ninety percent of the cost of drug development tends to be spent in clinical trials.
• The cost of bringing a new drug to market can cost a company an average of $1.2 billion.
• Only one in six drug compounds will actually obtain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

Without strong patent laws, pharmaceutical companies would be discouraged from developing innovative drugs because development costs would be too high for any company to bear without the promise of a return on their investment.
 

IRS Investigates Possible Evidence of Realty : No Stone Unturned (Humor)

This just humor but completely possible investigation from the IRS. Given who the progressives are that infest the IRS, there isn't any scenario that could be unthinkable.

This humorous antidote is how the real world works in the unreal world of progressive socialism and the new logic of liberal democrats. How cool is this. And what we need now is more of this new world, new norm of individual sacrifice to make sure nobody has anything except the faithful democrats that always vote as they are told, of course.

So in November, vote for more democrats to make sure that if there is "even a smidgen" of wealth left in the hands of hard working people, this will make sure that the democrats can steal it, turning it over those that really deserve it and the rest into the coffers of the democrat party

After all, it's really all just about a level playing field, right?

IRS suspected a fishing boat owner wasn't paying proper wages to his deckhand and sent an agent to investigate him.
IRS  AUDITOR: "I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them".

Boat  Owner: "Well, there's Clarence, my deckhand, he's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $1,000 a week plus free room and board.  Then there's the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of Bacardi rum and a dozen Budweisers every Saturday night so he can cope with life. He also gets to sleep with my wife occasionally".

IRS  AUDITOR: "That's the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one".
  
Boat  Owner: "That would be me. What would you like to know"?