Davis bond proposal...not bold enough

Davis County is asking voters to approve a new bond initiative this coming election. The bond is for new schools. It is meant to raise money for four elementary schools (1 rebuilt) 1 junior high school in west Kaysville and for a 10-classroom addition to Woods Cross High School.

At first blush, it might seem a little bold, but looking at growth projections in the county it is not bold enough. It will lead to more portable classrooms and year-round schools. These new schools will not be enough. What is needed is six elementary schools, 2 junior high schools and one new high school. The other 3 elementary schools, the other junior high and the high school will be needed to be bonded in another two years. But it would be better to bond these projects now while the materials are at a lower cost and labor is willing. We may not have this luxury in another two years. Also, adding 250 new students to Woods Cross High School will mess up an already ugly boundary problem in the south end of the county. Are you going to bus kids in the Porter-Walton area of Centerville all the way to Bountiful High School and have the buses drive right by Viewmont High School on the way?

For more information on the Davis County School bond issue, please visit this link:

http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/district/2009_bond/

1,000 new students in the county every year. We need at least 6 new elementary schools, 3 new junior highs...Kaysville, North Salt Lake, and South Weber or East Layton. And at least one new high school in Farmington. This location will fix the boundary problem in the south end of the county and relieve the overcrowding at Davis High.

Is This You?

In the health care debate, most of the complaints are about price. I want to know if anyone has a complaint that NOT related to price. This can include:

-Doctor Mistakes
-Waiting too long in the waiting room
-Inability to get an appointment
-"Bedside" manner
-Inability to make a complaint

Any problems at all other than price.

Post a comment to this blog.

Pass this on to your friends.

-Ben

Obama can come to my school

Yes, I am a republican. But Obama can come to my school and speak to my kids any time he pleases. I would be pleased to hear him motivate the kids to do their homework, to be active in politics, to be physically fit. It would be an experience that they would never forget. I would even be pleased if he would address the kids about his struggles with tobacco.

What bothers me is when any politician, no matter the office, uses children to push their policies, whether I agree with them or not.

So, on behalf of all Clearfield High School parents, I hereby invite President Obama to come to our school and speak with our kids in an assembly. Please come and inspire and motivate our children and give them an experience that they will never forget. The children are the future of our country, and our chief should lead them to that future.

Speaking of which, the "I pledge allegience to our debt" commercial that has been running give me pause for thought. And remember, the debt is owned by both parties.

Give Up Put Downs

I finally saw one, and I knew that it was coming. A bumper sticker that said, "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for the American."

I am not happy about this kind of rhetoric. Why? The original bumper sticker "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Bush" were aimed at those who voted for H. Ross Perot in 1992. John McCain did not loose the last election because a third party candidate stole votes away from him. Second, it flames hatred in Politics. Here is the chain of hatred, as I see it.

Hatred against Lyndon Johnson for the Vietnam war gave us Richard Nixon.
Anger against Gerald Ford for his pardoning of Nixon gave us Jimmy Carter.
Anger against Carter for a weekend military and a poor economy gave us Ronald Reagan.
Anger against George H Bush for tax increases caused GOP defections for Perot that gave us Clinton.
Anger against Clinton gave us W.
Hatred for W gave us Obama.

We will not get a good president through anger and hatred. Focus that anger against your representatives in the House and against your senators. Here in Utah, focus your anger and Hatch, Bennett, Matheson and Bishop. Hold their feet to the fire. Make them understand that they represent you in Congress. Make your voice heard.

Then let's work to get a positive candidate for President in 2012. But remember, we have another election before then.

Memo to Fox News...

Next time a big democratic senator dies, you will appear "fair and balanced" if you do not send Sean Hannity as a commentator.

Memo to the GOPs in Congress...

Some of you in Congress, including Bennett, are pushing a plan in Congress that is actually worse than Obama care. It requires businesses to provide insurance for their employees, where now it it just optional. Why will it be more costly? First, enforcement of the new law. It would require a new class of IRS auditors. Second, some businesses would close their doors if forced to provide insurance. Finally, companies that do still provide insurance to their employees would loose a recruiting advantage.

I once thought that Universal Coverage would be as simple as requireing all businesses to provide insurance, but I am re-thinking that position. If it makes Obamacare look good in comparison, no way.

My question: how can you really call yourself a Reagan Republican and completely ignore the supply side of the equation? The real complaint most people have about healthcare is the price. Demand is escalating, and there is very little you can do about it. This is because our population is aging.

Everything that is spoken of by republican commentators will work...a little. But there needs to be some serious supply-side solutions to relieve the pressures that are really driving up prices. If building more refineries and opening more oil fileds will help with energy costs, then training more providers, building more clinics and hospitals, making more pills and flooding the market with more of everything will bring down costs more than anything else that is being proposed right now.

Rest assured, that when Bennett votes for something, a cash register rings and someone makes a killing.

God Speed Ted Kennedy

I have a lot that I want to say about Ted Kennedy, but I want to stay positive for the time being and allow the family to morn. You will never hear me say anything about the Chappaquiddick incident in a negative light. From what I have read about the incident, it was not as bad as it looks at first blush. I will not address it again.

But I wish that on the conservative side, we has someone like Kennedy. I do not think that we would be as bad off as we are today.

Citizenship Ammendment

Is a child born in the US automatic citizens, even if they are born to illegal immigrant. True, that court precedent does not allow us to deny them a public education, welfare or health care. But what happens when they turn 18? What about voting? All that they need is a birth certificate, and they get a drivers license and just about everything else that comes with it, including a voting registration.

The case US v Wong, the same case cited in the courts to grant these privileges to the children of illegals, also provides the guidance for who is a US citizen by birth. This also could be the template for the constitutional amendment many claim we need.

A person born inside the borders of the states of the United States is a natural born citizen if...

1. One parent is a a citizen of the United States.
2. One parent is a legal resident of the United States.
3. The parents are not diplomats

A person born outside the United States is a natural born citizen of the United States if...

1. At least one parent is a Citizen of the United State who has been a resident of the United States at least five years prior to the birth of that child.

2. One parent is a member of the US Armed forces or Diplomatic Corps.

The current law is more complicated than this, but this is simple. A constitutional amendment should be simple. There should also be a clause in the amendment ensuring that only Congress has the right to set laws regarding naturalization and immigration to ensure uniformity.

If Health Insurance Were More Like Auto Insurance

There was a rant by Limbaugh sometime ago about how different Auto Insurance would be if it was run like medical insurance. I apologize for not having a link. How about we turn it around.

1. The owner...or the patient would be responsible for all maintenance costs including gym memberships and routine visits to a physician.

2. The patient would be responsible to pay for minor damage or defects to the body...like glasses, contacts and routine prescriptions.

3. The providers would price items that the patients pay for at a reasonable enough price to allow patients to meet these costs with their own funds...without having to file a claim with a third party.

4. The patient would be responsible for carrying an insurance policy.

5. There would be a penalty from the state if the patient fails to pay the cost of insurance.

6. Persons with a higher risk of needing to file a claim pay a higher premium for that insurance.

7. Insurance companies would provide discounts for people who take steps to reduce their risk.

8. The price of the insurance policy would not change if the patient looses a job.

9. The government would only regulate the system to ensure it is fair for all. The larger burden for this regulation would fall upon the state.

10. The patient would not be expected to pay a steep deductible for claims beyond control.

11. When it gets to a point where nothing can be done for the patient, when it is time to die, the patient would be allowed to go peacefully.

12. All final decisions are made by the patient.

13. Prices would be part of the discussion when determining what should be done. Patients would know the cost up front.

14. There would be a minimum amount of coverage that people would be expected to carry. There would add-ons and options, as well.

15. People who abuse the system are put on a special, more expensive plan.

There is one huge difference between me and my car. My car does not feel pain. I can put off a car repair or ride the bus. There should be reasonable differences, but not many.

If you really want to know how good a single-payer, government run system will work, take a good look at how well the families of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and veterans are taken care of. I thought that my family had good care when I was in the Air Force, but there were some things that bothered me as well. Most of the abuse, however, comes from the families of our heroes. A lot of people over using the system. But I left in 1997...has it gotten better or worse? I know there are fewer providers and more people using them. I know that families use a plan and don't see military providers any longer.

I have a post-grad cert in Health Care Administration. According to what I have studied, the biggest problem is that Americans expect the best health care in the world, and they expect to pay next to nothing for it. I also think that the prices are unreasonably high. When you provide a good or service in this country, you should consider how much your customers can afford. People should not be forced into bankruptcy for most medical procedures. I understand the difference between a three year battle with cancer vs a gall bladder extraction. The latter procedure should bankrupt no one. I think that it is unreasonable to expect that people who allow their bodies to waste away should pay the same costs as someone who takes care of their body. People should not expect any insurance reimbursement for something that is routine and planned.

When demand is high and price is high about the only thing that can reasonably be done is increase demand. If I had a trillion dollars to improve the system, I would give a billion to every medical school to doubled their enrollment in five years. There would be bonus money for accepting retiring soldiers and other middle aged people into medical schools. (That's about 50 billion, leaving 970 billion) I would give ten billion each to the first new 10 medical schools. (That is another 100 billion, leaving 870 billion.) Then I would use the remaining money to build more hospitals, bring more generic drugs on the market, triple the number of nurses and PAs and finally to beef up the licensing boards that will be needed to certify all of this. In other words, increased supply, and also more jobs. And we desperately need jobs right now. Yes, we can improve our health care system and the economy at the same time!

Word To The Wise

I don't have a lot of time today, but I have 3 words for people who think that Obama is not a US Citizen. They are three of the most scary words I can think of right now.

President Joe Biden

Let's just vote them both out in 2012.

Name Change

Fire Orrin Hatch has changed it's name. And to my two readers, I will send you emails letting you know.

I have changed the name of my political blog for three reasons:

1. The dismisal of the TEA-party movement and protests against health care reform as being fake and contrived.

2. The fact that Orrin Hatch is not up for election again until 2012.

3. There are bigger threats to my current way of life than Orrin Hatch.

I am still committed to:

1. A congressional term-limit ammendment to the constitution. (18 years. 3 terms in the senate, 9 terms in the house. That would apply to 23 senators and 71 members of the house)

2. Lobbying for good government. Especially in Utah.