Thursday, September 20, 2007

Dover Picks

Unfortunately, I will miss the Sunday race in Dover, Delaware. I will be vacationing on the Gulf Coast in the midst of what I am sure will become Hurricane Jerry...just my luck...

In any event, the following are my picks for the race:

12- Newman - win (Here's hopin...)
1 - Truex
99 - Edwards
48 - Johnson
20 -Stewart
31 - Burton
5 - Kyle Busch
11 - Hamlin
17 - Kenseth
24 - Gordon

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Junior to Drive #88

...will be announced in Dallas tomorrow.

Now, instead of changing their tattoos, Jr. fans will only have to add to them.

Clinton Health Care Plan Unveiled

Senator Clinton unveiled her health care plan yesterday, which seems like pretty sound policy. It is a great leap in the right direction. With health care cost running at roughly 15% of GDP, every serious student of fiscal policy knows that you can't balance the budget without tacking the cost of health care. You just can't. Combine that with the fact that there are millions of Americans who live in fear of a bad diagnosis, a kid with a broken arm, or an unforseen tragedy, and it is intuitive to me that access to health care for everyone is a lofty, but noble, goal. It is also do-able. We live in a country that has the best health care in the world. It is also among the most expensive in the world. Something must be done.

Hillary's proposal is as follows:

- If you have health care insurance and are pleased with it, keep it.

- Provide affordable options for those who are not insured or are dissatisfied with their current coverage.

- Require portability.

The plan has the added benefit of having no element that should cause "Harry and Louise" to revisit the apoplexy of 1993. This isn't 1993, and Hillary learned from the mistakes that she made that year. E.J. Dionne has a piece on that point in today's WP.

The $110 billion a year sticker price might seem steep, but it's a bargain. The cost of treating the uninsured will evaporate.

A few points of perspective on the cost of the plan:

- In FY 2006, the US spent nearly $600 billion on Medicare and Medicaid, costs which would almost certainly go down (Medicaid especially) post-implementation of the Clinton plan.

- We have spend an average of $100 billion on the Iraq war each year that it continues.

This is a good idea. It is going to take Presidential leadership to get it done. It is an affordable, common-sense plan to extend access to health care to all Americans. I have become a cheerleader for Senator Clinton lately, and the "big ideas" candidacy that she is running is part of the reason why. This is a person who is ready to lead, and knows what she wants to do.

Small business reacts well to plan - WSJ
MSNBC wrap

Hillary Continues to Pull Away in New Hampshire

Latest polls show a statistically significant shift in Senator Clinton's direction in New Hampshire. Looks like she put the August recess to good use there.

Franklin Pierce College poll: Hillary at 36%, double her nearest rival.
Rasmussen: 40%- more than double Obama's 17%, and more than Obama and Edwards combined.

The New Hampshire primary is of pivotal importance- it may be her firewall against a loss to Edwards in Iowa. Although, Sen. Clinton's numbers in Iowa are improving dramatically.

So much for those who said she wasn't electable...Democrats seem eager to nominate her.