The health care clash continues, pitting Republican against Democrat. A third combatant has entered the fray, however: The Libertarians now are weighing in on the challenge to create a workable, healthy health care system out of the loose ends and leftovers of Trumpcare and Obamacare.
Although Libertarians might disagree on what constitutes meaningful health care reform, it makes no sense to replace one bad plan with another. Obamacare is like two government bureaucrats and an insurance company bureaucrat getting between you and your doctor. The Republicans would replace that with two insurance bureaucrats and a government bureaucrat between you and your doctor, declares Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee.
The Libertarian solution is to repeal and deregulate. You dont cover oil changes with your car insurance. You should not be forced to cover flu shots with your health insurance, larding the cost with overhead and profits that flow to insurance companies and government functionaries, he says, pointing out that a certificate of need must be approved before new hospitals and other health care facilities can be built in 35 states. Find the partys healthcare ideas here
Econ 101 tells us that restricting the supply of medical care increases costs, Mr. Sarwark advises. Repeal and replace Obamacare with Obamacare light? The Libertarian Party says no. Instead, repeal and replace with massive deregulation that will make the health care market competitive again and result in lower prices for everyone.
WHERE THE GOP REALLY STANDS
A West Virginia governors switch from Democrat to Republican means the GOP will have full control of legislative and executive branch in 26 states. Democrats have full control in just six states, advises John Karch, spokesman for American for Tax Reform, a nonpartisan coalition of the frugal and fiscally minded.
Indeed, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice made his intentions clear on Thursday. Numbers are telling here.
Mr. Kartch points out the total population of Republican-controlled states is now 164,138,104 people. The population of Democrat-controlled states: 50,190,213.
INFANTILIZATION OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT
Snowflakes have become a veritable blizzard as many of the nations universities and colleges give way to demands of students who seek safe places, careful conversations and utter political correctness when they are on campus. And here comes the book.
Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth by Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, arrives Monday, published by Regnery Faith Books.
Mr. Piper has listened to students who felt victimized by passages in the Bible; he himself has cautioned them to seek faith, not self-actualization and to skip delivering arrogant lectures in favor of humble learning.
What has happened to the American spirit? Weve gone from give me liberty or give me death! to Take care of me, please. Our colleges were once bastions of free speech; now theyre bastions of speech codes. Our culture once rewarded independence; now it rewards victimhood. Parents once taught their kids how to fend for themselves; now, any parent who tries may get a visit from the police, the author writes in the book, found here.
Such schools as Yale University and Oberlin College now include safe spaces and trigger warnings as part of the campus vocabulary. Mr. Piper calls the trend a sad and dangerous infantilization of the American spirit.
Theres a way out though.
It will get worse before it gets better, Mr. Piper tells Inside the Beltway. When we avoid truth it creates a vacuum, causing anarchy, which always leads to tyranny. But in the end, I trust the words of Christ: the truth shall set us free. If we reintroduce truth, truth will prevail.
DAYS OF YORE
Annoyance with the news media has been fomenting for, well, centuries.
From 40 years experience of the wretched guesswork of newspapers of what is not done in the open daylight, and of the falsehoods even as to that, I rarely think them worth reading, and almost never worth notice, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Monroe.
The date: Feb. 4, 1816.
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POLL DU JOUR
66 percent of Americans say the mood of the country is Its everyone for themselves; 65 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of independents and 67 percent of Democrats agree.
18 percent are unsure what the mood of the country is; 15 percent of Republicans, 23 percent of independents and 14 percent of Democrats agree.
16 percent say the mood is Were all in this together; 21 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of independents and 20 percent of Democrats agree.
64 percent are pessimistic that Republicans and Democrats in Congress can work together to solve the nations problems; 61 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents and 71 percent of Democrats agree.
20 percent are optimistic the two sides can work together; 30 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of independents and 20 percent of Democrats agree.
15 percent are not sure if they can work together; 9 percent of Republicans, 22 percent of independent and 10 percent of Democrats agree.
And Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted July 31-Aug. 1.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin
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Inside the Beltway: Libertarian health care: Repeal and deregulate ... - Washington Times