Soccer Dad

Submitted 07/31/09

This week's Watcher's council nominations and commentary are up. I'm sorting them by theme.

Gates gate

Gates & The Politics of Race - Wolf Howling takes a general look at the Gates case and how President Obama has proven not to be "post-racial."

Bigotry In Basic Black - Joshuapundit suggests that Prof Gates may have had an ulterior motive in claiming that he was profiled: it was a business decision.

Advice to Sergeant Jim Crowley - Right Truth suggests that Sgt. Crowley not attend the beer session at the White House. I thought that was sage advice, however despite the obvious awkwardness (via twitter) apparently the Sergeant did well (via twitter).

Common sense on the Gates arrest - The Colossus of Rhodey recalls a similar incident from his past.

Health Care

The Definitive Dossier on the House Health Care Bill (Pages 1-500) Part - The Provocateur reviews the first section of the House Health Care Bill and some of its implications.

Is Technology Responsible for Rising Healthcare Costs? - The Glittering Eye critiques and refutes an article that argues that technology is not the main engine of rising health care costs. (Though more effective treatment may be driving up the costs.)

Make me Well - Bookworm Room argues that the effect of President Obama's health care plan will be to limit choices.

Middle East

One Jerusalem Conference Call With George Gilder: Israel Is The "Crucial Battlefield For Capitalism In The World" - Mere Rhetoric wrote about a conference call he was on with George Gilder. One point he makes is this:

When Israel was in charge of Gaza and the West Bank those areas were among of the world's fastest growing economies. Incomes tripled. Palestinian life expectancy increased from 42 years to 70 years.

I have a review copy of the book and hope to finish it in about a week. Gilder's chapter on the Palestinian economy is eye opening. In fact it's safe to say the international approach to the peace process since 1993 has not only been harmful to Israel, but to the Palestinians too, ensuring that their governance would be corrupt. Still so many are still wedded to the peace process despite the evidence that it neither promotes Palestinian independence nor brings peace.

Miscellaneous

Time To Fix The Texas Social Studies Curriculum - Rhymes With Right suggests an approach to making the teaching of history more rigorous and less political.

Waging Lawfare: A Call To Arms - In light of Sarah Palin's resignation, The Razor suggests that Republicans start fighting the same way Democrats do.

It's the speeches stupid - I look at a "report card" on President Obama's first six months. I think the President's success has been limited to making speeches. I think that Michael Barone made a similar point, though with more rigor and elegance.

On the non-council side, I nominated Meryl's Obama insults the entire medical profession.

Normally I don't preview the non-council submission of other council members, but I highly recommend that you read Dave Price's Choice and Risk especially if you read today's Charles Krauthammer column, which concludes that the President will settle for a victory on health insurance reform and ...:

There will be only one way to make this work: Impose an individual mandate. Force the 18 million Americans between 18 and 34 who (often quite rationally) forgo health insurance to buy it. This will create a huge new pool of customers who rarely get sick but will be paying premiums every month. And those premiums will subsidize nirvana health insurance for older folks.

Net result? Another huge transfer of wealth from the young to the old, the now-routine specialty of the baby boomers; an end to the dream of imposing European-style health care on the United States; and a president who before Christmas will wave his pen, proclaim victory and watch as the newest conventional wisdom reaffirms his divinity.

When Krauthammer wrote "rationally" he meant it.

Read. Enjoy. Be informed.

Posted by SoccerDad at July 31, 2009 2:43 AM