…it’s so easy to see that the claim that the health care reform law is unconstitutional is invalid even I can understand it.  It’s all about the so-called “individual mandate” to buy health insurance.  Opponents claim the Constitution doesn’t empower the federal government to force citizens to buy a private product (health insurance in this case).  That may be the case (I’m no lawyer), but the law clearly doesn’t do that.  What it does do is establish a tax which a citizen can avoid by choosing to buy health insurance.  You can still choose not to buy the private product, but you then accept the tax liability. 

The tax is necessary to sustain the insurance industry, which would be faced with potential collapse if too many people chose to only buy insurance when they become sick (due to the law’s mandate that insurance companies can’t deny coverage due to an existing condition).  This all falls neatly under the government’s constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce.  And the government has the authority to establish taxes.

Here’s some more light reading on the subject.  Let’s hope the Roberts court can see beyond the majority’s idealogy when it decides on this important issue.

The federal debt crisis that Republicans claim can only be solved by wrecking Medicare, drastically cutting back Medicaid and all non-defense spending (while giving the wealthy even bigger tax breaks!?) was largely caused by Republican policies. 

While the CBO estimates spending initiated under Obama, including the stimulus package, added $1.7 trillion in new debt, Bush-era policies have wracked up more than $7 trillion on the nation’s credit card.  That fact and the budget proposals by Republicans currently in congress prove that either Bush set the stage to “starve the beast” or he and those who went along with his fantasies were terribly inept at managing the nation’s finances.

I know I’ll be accused, once again, of “Blaming Bush,” and that’s fine.  I’ll go on blaming Bush for all the damage he did to our great nation.

Washington’s Higher Education Coordinating Board reports that employers all over the state are clamoring for more college graduates in a number of fields.  At the same time the state continues to cut millions from higher education to help make up for budget shortfalls.  Maybe it’s time to examine tax breaks the state bestows on many businesses. 

I’m not blaming businesses for the budget mess we’re in, and it makes sense for any entity to take advantage of tax rules that benefit it.  But some of these breaks were written into the tax code generations ago and don’t reflect economic reality today. 

The bottom line is that higher education is critical to our state’s economy and businesses located here, and we need to make it easier, not harder, for state residents to have a chance to earn a degree.

It’s time to bail out on the big banks that we bailed out.  Inspite of attempts to shift the blame for this economic disaster we’re living with, risky practices by banks deemed too big to fail created it.  With those risks came huge profits, then came the collapse.

An event this Saturday in Bellingham will highlight action we can take to fight back.  It’s the Move Your Money Action day, aimed at getting us to invest our money in local banks and credit unions.  They’re the real drivers of our economic engine, loaning money to local residents and businesses.  And much of that money stays here rather than going into a banking system that supports weapon development, mountain top coal mining or other unsavory economic activities.

There will be speakers and representatives from local banks and credit unions to discuss the advantages of keeping your money local.  It’s happening from 1-3pm at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship at 1207 Ellsworth Street.  Check out The Joe Show we did on this topic.

While our county council dithers, our rural lands become even more over developed.  Check out this map for a clear look at how development has spread in Whatcom County in just the last 5, 10 or 15 years.  And remember, much of the land with the new construction is where we grew food not long ago.  (Thanks to Jean Melious for the link to what she rightly calls the “sprawl map)

I’ve heard it said many times that government officials and (evil) environmentalists want to get us out of our cars.  A listener to the morning show sent me this article to prove the ghastly intent.  Well, you’re darn tootin’ they do, and for good reason. 

The fact is that the HOV lane wasn’t a solution looking for a problem.  The problem (traffic congestion)  had already been with us for many, many years.  Just look at one statistic that the author points out:  240,000 vehicles traveled that stretch of highway carrying (just) 260,000 people!  And simply building more highways won’t fix the problem.  Study after study along with real-world observations show that “when you build it they will come.”  Motorists take to new roads in ever greater numbers believing that congestion has been eased.  Plus, those who complain about government efforts to restrict their “freedom” to drive are often the first ones to also complain about government adding more and more tax to a gallon of gas (which, of course, pays for those ever-expanding-but-still-clogged roadways).

But no matter what government does, you’re still free to drive where ever you want - along with everybody else.

Wisconsin’s governor says it’s all about balancing the budget.  But the facts don’t support that at all. 

The unions have all said they’re willing to compromise on their benefits but not give up their collective bargaining rights and allow the state to basically put them out of business.  Why are those things even in the legislation if it’s “all about balancing the budget?”  Plus, the governor’s contention that workers need to pay more of their pension costs is ludicrous.  They already pay 100% of their pension costs.  What the governor is asking workers to do is take a pay cut.  That’s certainly something you can do, Governor Walker. But, please, be honest about it.