Monday, May 10, 2010

How Healthcare Reform Works in the Free Market

Okay, so when it rains, it pours. After not blogging for two months, I'm blogging twice in a day. A colleague of mine sent me this link last week with the subject line "Unreal." I would say it is not unreal at all, but very likely. If you wonder where the free market and the new health care proposal will intersect, be sure to check it out.

Summary: when Democratic Senators requested data from some of America's largest companies about their insurance cost increases as a result of the new health care bill, documents showed that all of them had considered dropping their employee sponsored benefit programs. Why? Because it would be cheaper to simply pay government penalties for dropping employees than actually paying for their health insurance.

Of course, the natural Democratic response will be to raise the penalties to attempt to make these companies maintain employee benefits, but anyone who has any experience paying for the rising costs of employee benefits certainly will understand the siren song of "free government health care."

Arson in Watkinsville?

It stinks to return to blogging with bad news.

But the news about the attempted arson of officer William Horton's home in Watkinsville is too maddening to ignore. While apparently damage to the home itself was minimal (although his truck was totaled), this action is reprehensible.

There are lots of links and some conjecture out there, but I just want to say that Officer Horton is one of our finest Watkinsville Police Officers, and we are glad to have him. Lots of links here, here, here, and here.

As for whoever did this, let's hope the long arm of Chief O'Dillon and the Watkinsville PD grab a hold of them real soon. There is a $10,000 reward for any information leading to arrests in the case.