"The undeniable reality is that you can’t run a European-style
welfare-entitlement state without European-style levels of taxation on
the middle class (and eventually without low European-style growth and
high jobless rates). It’s looking more and more like Mr. Obama’s
no-middle-class-tax pledge was one of the greatest confidence tricks
in American political history."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...267381152.html

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Well, hey - what the heck - let's throw a little more fuel on the
fire...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/...ummeting_taxes

"If it's just one year, then it's a remarkable thing, but it's totally
manageable. If the economy doesn't recover soon, it doesn't matter
what your social, economic and political agenda is. There's not going
to be any revenue to pay for it."

----

And then I got this email:

Dad,

I admit it - you were right. For a guy who has some huge blind spots
in terms of social issues, you have an amazing amount of perception
when it comes to busting through the walls of social obfuscation. :)

I looked at the portions of the Health Care bill you sent to me and I
agree - there are very disturbing policies being promoted as "health
care" when they are really social engineering. While I believe that
some of these issues are important to look at (and I grant that you
and I disagree on quality of life issues), the fact that some
anonymous beaurucrat can decide these issues via executive fiat
without appeal is worrisome.

What really concerned me was the item you pointed out on "preventable
re-admission" policy. I have to do that all the time and I don't
necessarily want a government clerk deciding what should be a medical
decision in particular with cancer patients. This is also linked to
the potential end-of-life policy where, or so it appears to me, that
cancer treatments will be withheld if the government deems it to be
too expensive. Make them comfortable and let them die seems to be
what this bill says and that violates everything I believe in and,
frankly, offends me not to mention violating my oath as a Doctor to do
no harm.

Medical ethics is not "public policy".

Let me be clear here because I know you will use that statement next
time we have dinner and have our usual debate session. :)

If a patient choses the PK route rather than the treatment route, I
will comply with that request. However that should be the patient's
decision only - not mine, not yours, not the government's.

So I was wr - wro - mistaken. There, I said it. Happy? :)

~~ personal news and family gossip snipped ~~

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That's my girl. :)