Razornomics » Politics http://www.razornomics.com On The Cutting Edge Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:14:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Wealthcare: without the “we” http://www.razornomics.com/wealthcare-without-the-%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%9d/ http://www.razornomics.com/wealthcare-without-the-%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%9d/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:30:33 +0000 Dennis http://www.razornomics.com/?p=200 The debate over a reformed health care system is perplexing to me.  Instead of paying attention in Property class today, I was thinking about what the new law really did.  What did it change?

The answer is not much.

It did not end the government-sanctioned monopoly that the health insurance industry enjoys (and the MLB, those bastards).  It did not take significant power away from insurance companies (it could be argued that this law actually BENEFITS the industry by forcing people to buy insurance).  It did not create a government run health care program, separate from the private sphere.

It DID “give” (make people buy) health insurance.  It DID impose new regulations on insurance companies that were viewed as “ruthless” (pre-existing conditions, age limits, etc.).  But these old practices, now outlawed, were just good business practices for a profit maximizer, but really really bad for the public in general.  That’s what the government’s regulatory role is: to reap the benefits of the free market, and outlaw the ugly tendencies of capitalism.  (It should be noted we DON’T know what the free market would do with these bad practices in this case, since this is a oligopolistic structure).  It should be noted that financial regulation is a great analog here:  if activity is lucrative AND legal, but harms the public at large, it will be widespread (re: financial meltdown).

Why is policymaking so impotent to solve major problems?

The United States Congress is overrun with lobbyists and special interests.  Health care was watered down significantly to pacify Congress’s corporate overlords, and financial reform is toothless.  Again, very simple:  the political system has evolved to require candidates to fundraise with the help of corporate sponsors.  With the new SCOTUS ruling (Citizens v United), corporate speech is more powerful than ever.  Political influence is a zero sum game, the more profit maximizers have, the less the general public has.  Politicians are supposed to be looking out for the public good, not maximizing profits….

steeeeerike.

]]> http://www.razornomics.com/wealthcare-without-the-%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%9d/feed/ 0 Politics For the People–By The Government http://www.razornomics.com/politics-for-the-people-%e2%80%93-by-the-government/ http://www.razornomics.com/politics-for-the-people-%e2%80%93-by-the-government/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:19:23 +0000 Travis http://www.razornomics.com/?p=166 We wouldn’t be a blog if we didn’t jump on this political train. But I’m not that knowledgeable the situation itself, so I’m not going to pretend to be. My issue is with process. There is no “I” in government, but there certainly seems to be in election. While watching converge, over and over I heard representatives state “I don’t like this, I do like this, I wont do this” Since when did their OPINION matter? As far as I understand elected officials are supposed to act in the best interest of who they represent, personal feelings need not apply. Beyond any other problem in government, I feel that this is the core issue…I don’t really care what YOU think; it’s supposed to be the other way around. I voted for you because I felt you would be the best mouth piece for my concerns. Yet in this recent health care bill, I feel like that was lost. Now I don’t have official numbers, but it seems like MANY people are unhappy with how their elected official voted, and that’s where my anger lies. What happened to the days of real town hall meetings, where residents could voice their concerns? Has my district representative made any attempt to find out what I want…no, and therein lies the problem.

Speak up...Congress Cant Hear You!

President Obama made a speech saying that the passing of this bill showed that government for the people, by the people still worked. Funny…no one EVER asked what I wanted.

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