"And if there are going to be limits, who . . . is going to enforce the rules for a system like that?"

"President Obama called it the "right question" -- then failed to answer it.
This was not surprising: The query is emerging as the ultimate challenge in reining in health-care costs that now consume $2.5 trillion per year, or 16 percent of the economy. How will tough decisions be made about what to spend money on? In a country where "rationing" is a dirty word, who will say no?" - The Washington Post

The Wednesday, July 8, 2009 edition of The Washington Post features an article titled, "In Retooled Health-Care System, Who Will Say No?" For more on this issue, read the Public Interest Institutes's brief titled "A Health Care Prescription for Iowa."

We need Health Care Reform, but we can certainly argue what that reform should be and consist of.

Health Care Reform Will Succeed This Time, Say Experts -Talk Radio News Service - Laura Woodhead
Speaking at a discussion on health care reform at the Campus Progress National Convention, the experts argued that the mood within the US makes this year ...

Video: Biden Announces White House Deal With Hospitals - The Associated Press
Health Care vs. Rationing - Washington Post
White House, hospitals reach deal on health care - The Associated Press

CQPolitics.com - Chiropractic Economics

peace

Rising unemployment, mixed views on the Federal Stimulus spending

"This was supposed to be about jobs, jobs, and jobs. And the fact is, it
turned into nothing more than spending, spending, and more spending on a lot of
big government bureaucracy." - House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Oh)

The Monday, July 6, 2009 edition of The Wall Street Journal features an article titled, Calls grow to increase stimulus spending. For more on this issue, read Public Interest Institutes's Follow the Constitution rather than Keynes.

More misreading? - Dallas Morning News
Any chance they've misread the hoped-for stimulus results? Any chance they've misread what taking over GM is going to mean? Any chance they've misread what ...

Biden: Administration "Misread" Economy - U.S. News & World Report

Cantor open to second stimulus with tax cuts - The Hill

Cantor: Stimulus Isn't Working - RealClearPolitics

"I don't think anybody can honestly say that we're satisfied with the results so
far of the stimulus. But we believe the stimulus was absolutely
essential." - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md)

Hoyer: Stimulus Slow to Create Jobs, But Time is Not Ripe for New ... - FOX News

2 Democrat said Sunday that he is not satisfied with the results of the stimulus so far, but it's too soon to consider a second package since not all of the ...

The Stimulus: Six Months Later -National Ledger - Jon Kyl
With some now suggesting a second stimulus package, it's a good time to look at some preliminary results of the first package. In January, the president's ...

peace

Happy Birthday America!

Today in History - July 4 -The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, July 4, the 185Th day of 2009. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day. Today's Highlight in History: On July 4, ...

Fourth of July fun facts - Southtown Star

Americans need to wake up to liberty - Tulsa Beacon

What does Freedom mean Anyway? - Canada Free Press

Life - Liberty - Pursuit of Happiness America!

peace

College Football moves to Capitol Hill next week in the Senate

"I don't think a more accurate description of what the BCS does exists." He
noted that six conferences get automatic bids to participate in series, while
others do not. The system, he argued, "intentionally and explicitly favors
certain participants." - Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Senate to hold hearing on college football's BCS - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hopefully, we will see the BCS and the NCAA move to a +1 system and return the bowl system to original tie-ins. The BCS is supposed to be about getting the #1 and #2 teams in college football into the BCS Title Game.

peace

City Council takes right approach on Sugar Creek development of Darryl High

Council member Chuck Wieneke said most of the High Corp. proposal seemed to
be that the city was being asked to subsidize a typical, market-rate housing
development. He said it would be a terrible precedent to set and might open up
the council to paying for infrastructure and other help for every new housing
development that comes along. - The Gazette

Cedar Rapids not ready to assist housing project - The Gazette
The City Council has set aside a proposal for an 81-home development across...

Other Local News as we enter the Independence Day holiday weekend ...

Public Safety News:

Woman charged with prostitution during covert operation - The Gazette

UPDATE: Police detained six people tonight in what they called a
methamphetamine investigation after they were called to a house at 1552 Seventh
Ave. SE on a report of a chemical smell. - The Gazette

Six detained in Cedar Rapids meth investigation - The Gazette

Tax concerns and other governmental news:

This is going to be downtown, at the Tree Of Five Season, (that weird steel
tree thing, next to the river) Parking will be on street parking, on first Ave,
2nd, 3rd the parkades, or whatever is close. We are planning on having speakers
so far we have 5 speakers. You can participate by attending, you can bring signs
(anything related to the topic at hand, less taxes, smaller government, less
waste.... - Tim Pugh

Anti-spending Tea Parties gear up for July 4 - The Gazette

Cedar Rapids will study new downtown energy system - The Gazette

Cedar Rapids hiring private firm to manage downtown parking - The Gazette

Q&A with new Cedar Rapids superintendent Dave Benson - The Gazette

Cedar Rapids schools start shaping flood-recovery plan - The Gazette

Cedar Rapids’ Fong running for governor, blasts Culver's leadership - The Gazette

Happy Independence Day Holiday weekend everyone!

peace

State Governments: IOUs for California, while Iowa needs clean up its own Budget

The decision to issue IOUs, officially called "individual registered
warrants," will cost California heavily. The state will have to repay the
warrants with millions of dollars in interest. Investors will likely charge
California more for the short-term loans the state relies on every year as
it waits for tax revenue. Issuing IOUs also sends a negative message to Wall
Street about the state's financial shape. - The Wall Street Journal

The Thursday, July 2, 2009 edition of The Wall Street Journal newspaper features an article titled, "California Lays Plans to Issue IOU's to Creditors." For more on this issue, read Public Interest Institutes's brief titled "Iowa's State Budget: Spending Our Way to a Crisis Again."

More stories on California's budget woes ...

How California's Fiscal Woes Began: A Crisis 30 Years in the Making -TIME - Kevin O'Leary - ‎ 01, 2009 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses a joint session of the legislature discussing the state's budget crisis and the necessary steps ...

Video: Fiscal emergency in California - RT
Schwarzenegger can't terminate California money woes - Reuters
Arnie's ious Amid California Budget Woes - Sky News

Turning to the State of Iowa, State Representative Christopher Rants (R- Sioux City) commented in his blog on July 2, 2009 the following ...

Net tax revenues came in $161 million below the estimate of
the revenue estimating conference for fiscal year 2009 which ended Wednesday.
For those who love to know the details it breaks down this way:$57.7 million
reduction in gross revenue$72.3 million in increased refunds$31.0 million in
increased school infrastructure refunds to districts - Christopher Rants

Act Now to Balance the Budget - Christopher Rants, State Representative Iowa House District 54

A state parks budget squeeze -Omaha World-Herald - Paul Hammel ‎
In Iowa, all state agencies took a 15 percent budget cut. The unmown grass is already evident in many Iowa parks, an Iowa official said, including popular ...

State's budget woes deepen - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier - Rod Boshart
"The Iowa Constitution requires our state to operate with a balanced budget yet the fiscal year that ended yesterday leaves Iowa with an unbalanced budget," ...

Other States budget woes ...

State Budget Woes Worsen As Deadline Arrives -NPR - Deborah Tedford
Brian Sigritz, of the National Association of State Budget Officers, said California, Mississippi and Rhode Island has special challenges in passing their ...

State budget woes to hit consumers - Credit.com News
Tax hikes and budget woes: States crunched - CNNMoney.com
News roundup: Budget battles coast-to-coast - USA Today

Budget Vetoes Leave Ariz.'s Fiscal Woes Unresolved -Northern Arizona Today - Paul Davenport, Jonathan J. Cooper
Jan Brewer avoided a shutdown of state government Wednesday by signing a budget bill from the Legislature, but her vetoes of other spending proposals leave ...

Discussion: How would you solve AZ budget woes? - KVOA.com
Many states facing budget woes - Huntington Herald Dispatch

peace

Bad News: 'Cap and Trade' and challanges in State Budgets

In the 220 years of our republic, there may have been worse pieces of
legislation enacted by Congress than the Waxman-Markey bill, but none readily
comes to mind. The Senate needs to take a stand and stop this disastrous act
from passing into law. - Robert Zubrin

The Costs of the Cap -and-Trade Bill - Roll Call

McKinley and other Republicans note that Culver can pull $50 million from
the state's cash reserves of about $400 million without legislative approval,
and there was a $44 million surplus in the budget approved by the Legislature.
That roughly $94 million appears far short of the expected shortfall. -
Ames Tribune

The Wednesday, July 1, 2009 edition of The Ames Tribune features an article titled, "Iowa sees budget gap as fiscal year ends." For more on this issue, read "Iowa's State Budget: Spending Our Way to a Crisis Again."

“Governor Culver has allowed the budget mess to become far too problematic
for him to handle on his own – we have gone from having a projected deficit to
an actual deficit. He needs to call the Legislature back for a special session
to balance the budget. He then needs to ask the Legislature to reduce the budget
for the coming year by an equal amount.
Everyone in the state has seen this day coming, except for Governor Culver. Taxpayers and local governments cannot afford a ‘wait and see’ approach any longer. Action is needed now.
It is time to quit worrying about the political ramifications of admitting that we have a deficit and get about the business of fixing it. Governor Vilsack put aside
partisan politics and called a special session in 2001 and 2002 to balance the
budget after revenues declined; Culver needs to do the same.” - State Rep.
Christopher Rants

Rants Call for a Special Session to get Iowa’s Fiscal House in Order - The Iowa Republican

The impact of 'Cap and Trade' and our State Budget situation don't provide a lot of confidence for future planning and expansion. We see foreclosures mounting in the USA. We see unemployment concerns and we see both the Federal and State governments living beyond sustainability.

peace