Health Care And Immigration

There is a discussion going on at Talk Polywell about what the changes in Turkey mean to Europe. The question of health care came up in the context of immigration. I had a few words to say. (edited)

Well yes. Health insurance is a problem. But health care is not. You walk into a hospital with a complaint and you must be served. Pregnant women especially. The hospital has classes. Expensive? Yes. The deal is we can afford it. And our wait times are shorter. We like that. As in any queuing system - if you over provision sufficiently the service is good. If you are efficient the wait times extend. And if you are perfectly efficient the system ceases to function (eventually).

Here at Talk Polywell we often discuss why the US spends so much of its income on health care. My reasoning is as follows: The way income is spent (allocations) varies as you move up in income. The poor spend all their money on food (and shelter if they can afford it). You do not expect the same allocation in a $30K per capita economy as a $45K per capita economy.

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Now should we be providing every one in the country with health care? It is probably a good idea from a public health standpoint.

But maybe we need to do something about those coming across.

Coyotes charge from $500 to $2,000 to get people across the Mexican border. We could set up way stations. Make them watch a video (choice of Spanish or English) about the US Constitution - (focus on the right to bear arms HEH.) give them a copy of the US Constitution (Spanish or English) and issue them a work visa and SS # (foreign nationals cannot collect). And charge them for the privilege.

Right away you make money on the deal. Spread your ideals. And to some extent you can track the individuals (SS#).

This makes more sense than our current approach (doing nothing) but we can't get there because the positions of all sides has hardened.

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else. - Winston Churchill. Let us hope the try everything period is almost over.

Dream On?

For those of you hoping for a music post. Let me get that one out of the way at once. Now to the matter of current interest: Is Obama goading Congress into passing the DREAM "Amnesty for Illegals" Act? Robert Heston thinks so.

It appears that President Obama hasn’t learned a thing from the Democrats disastrous midterm elections just a few weeks ago. He’s now attempting a back door approach to pass an unwanted immigration bill. Apparently he’s willing to shoot himself in the other foot too.

So far the Lame Stream Media in an attempt to improve their ratings has been covering this up. And the sneaky part? They are tacking this DREAM ACT on to a defense bill. Too clever by half.

To help clarify the issue here let’s admit one thing. “Immigration Reform” is PC speak for amnesty. This article is intended to address the current status of the Dream Act, and not the larger issue of illegal immigration. It is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. But this sleazy back door approach will be just as divisive as the Health Care Bill if it receives much media coverage. It’s even being pushed by the same people who gave us the Health Care Bill. So far it’s received little coverage by the media, and that’s to Obama’s benefit. If it does become a major topic of the media, Obama and the Democrats will have shot themselves in the other foot.

I wish he'd quit aiming for the feet and try for something a little higher.

Jihadis Not Welcome

Fjordman at Gates of Vienna discusses the current situation in Europe with respect to their unassimilated Muslims.

The best prescription he gives for solving the problem is mentioned in the comments. It is rather simple:

The truth is that Europe has got itself into a bad fix, again, and will have some turbulent and painful decades ahead regardless of what we do at this point. The choice is between some pain where at least parts of Europe prevail and pain where Europe simply ceases to exist as a Western, cultural entity.

The most civilized thing we can do in order to save ourselves, but also to limit the loss of life among both Muslims and non-Muslims, is for Westerners and indeed infidels in general to implement a policy of containment of the Islamic world. This includes stopping Muslim immigration, but also by making our countries Islam-unfriendly, thus presenting the Muslims already here between the options of adapting to our societies or leaving if they desire sharia law. Even whispering about Jihad should be grounds for expulsion.

Rather harsh, but in the long run necessary.

Gates commenter heroyalwhyness suggested:

*Monitor all mosques and any found to solicite jihad (to any degree) or accept foreign aid should loose tax exempt status. Further seditious infraction(s) will result in shutting the entire congregation down with RICO Laws used for confiscating all properties to help fund anti terror measures.

I like that one. Sic our most vicious troops on them. Lawyers. Something that is already being done.

I had a dream

It appears that conservatives are about to get their immigration wet dreams fulfilled.

You will need to be in a government data base to get work or to hire workers.

Just like a national ID card without the card.

Talk about the mark of the beast.

Government as usual is preying on people's fears to increase its power.

I love it.

Money quote:

In August the Government Accountability Office reviewed that program and found it to be staggering under the weight of 3,600 employers (Pdf). Mandatory usage would bring that number to 8.4 million.

How does the government that brought you the prescription drug benefit debacle plan to manage an electronic system involving every employed person in these United States? The GAO needs a color-coded map to explain, but here is the basic summary: Employers send data for every new hire to DHS, which then sends information to SSA, which then sends information back to DHS, which sends info back to the employer, who can either contest any rejected applicants and begin the process anew, risk fines for not complying, or accept the findings. The burden of contesting mistakes and keeping records lies with employers. The cost, says the GAO, will be about $11.7 billion—annually—"with employers bearing much of the cost."

Another tax on business. Which will do a few things:

Make it more profitable to hire undocumented workers.

Create a black market in labor.

Encourage outsourcing.

This will be like Canadian gun registration. Only worse. That scew up went on for years until they scrapped that one.

The government is my union. It will protect me from low cost labor. For a small price. And power and control.

Reminds me of the story of the genie who offered an American a wish provided his Mexican neighbor got double what he asked for. The American was no fool. He told the genie “poke out one of my eyes.”

It looks like we are going to get a poke in the eye.

This is going to flush the economy. Just to punish those evil businesses that hire Mexicans.

Of course with the economy withering in America, Mexico’s economy will choke. Sending more folks to the north. A strategy so brilliant I wonder why no one has thought of it before. Ya, gota wonder why Bush opposes such a move.

Anybody with any sense would love to see our economy tanked if we can drive out the Mexicans.

Texas with a very large population of illegal Mexicans is thriving. How can that be?

And as for enforcing the old laws. Don’t matter. You are getting new ones.

BTW I wonder why are drug laws aren’t being enforced? There are 40 million druggies in America and only 1 million in jail. We need to punish those other 39 million. More laws and stronger penalties has always been the answer. The government always needs more tools.

Update: 27 May '06 0552z

More unfortunate effects of immigration law.

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Immigration, Mexico, Border, Economy, Illegal Aliens, Mexicans, Economics, Labor