People like Moore believe...people have a "right" to free healthcare simply because they need it.

If so, why stop at medicine? Couldn't we claim the same "right" to other necessities? Take food, for instance. What if the government seized control of the food industry and fed us for free with a new entitlement, "Foodcare"?

Initially Foodcare will empty the horn of plenty into your lap. With your appetite and wallet parting company, the lobster you ate only on your birthday will become regular fare, as will your favorite Belgian chocolates and filet mignon.

Because the same idea occurs to 300 million others, costs skyrocket, and a Foodcare crisis develops. Big Brother can no longer foot the bill for your busy mouth, so he must limit your mastication. This requires new agencies, bureaucrats, and a 100,000-page rulebook.

You visit your favorite restaurant to find it changed. Gone are the tablecloths, flowers, and cheerful hostess to greet you, enhancements you had gladly paid for in the price of your meal. The Department of Restaurants eliminated them as frivolous indulgences of the people’s resources.

The menu is reduced to a few modest offerings. Missing are the savory specials of the talented chef, whose last creation took forty pounds—not of ingredients but of paperwork—to gain approval from the New Recipe Administration.

You want steak, but getting it requires that the chef call a central office to obtain pre-authorization. With the clock ticking and a long line waiting to slide into your barely warm seat, you order hamburger instead. You notice your neighbor eating steak—and sitting at the best table. You remember when he was laid off and you bought him dinner. Back then, he thanked you for your charity and quickly got another job. But now that he has a “right” to food, he's stopped working to eat courtesy of your tax dollars.

...As time passes, everyone forgets how it started, but the crisis worsens. Michael Moore makes a pilgrimage to North Korea in search of adequate food.

[A 60 year old man] who had a history of heart trouble, suffered severe chest pains a few weeks ago. He wisely went to the hospital seeking treatment. He was told that there was no space available for him. He was advised to go home and call back later to see if a room might have become available. He did so, but was told repeatedly that the hospital remained full to capacity. Several days later this man died at home, never having received hospital treatment.

This incident, while true, is also an anecdote. It doesn't prove anything about the merits or demerits of France's universal-health-care system compared to those of the (still somewhat) private system in the U.S. But this sad event does reveal that merely declaring, statutorily, that every citizen has a right to health care, or that health care is "free" to every citizen, does not make health care available to all or "free."

Warren Buffett, the third-richest man in the world, has criticised the US tax system for allowing him to pay a lower rate than his secretary and his cleaner...

Mr Buffett, who is worth an estimated $52 billion (£26 billion), said...that US government policy had accentuated a disparity of wealth that hurt the economy by stifling opportunity and motivation.

...inheritance tax, which raises about $30 billion a year from the assets of about 12,000 rich families..."You could take that $30 billion and give $1,000 to 30 million poor families. Or should you favour the 12,000 estates and make 30 million families pay an extra $1,000?”

Thanks to reader Brad Peterson for the link.

Update... An old friend comments,

You neglected to mention that Warren has essentially exempted himself from estate tax by donating most of his money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Apparently when it comes to spending his money, he also believes the government is an inefficient proxy as opposed to privately directed charitable organizations. Perhaps Warren should consider redirecting his $30B to those 30,000 families. The down side to that approach is his heirs probably would not get those cushy high-paying jobs working for the Gates Foundation.

Buffett is a board member of the “I’ve got my money so f*** the rest of you club”. That club’s chaired by Robert Rubin.

You also could have mentioned that Buffett is full of crap in claiming his secretary paid 30% of a $60,000 salary in taxes. She would have to voluntarily donate to the government to pay that much.

I think Mr. Buffet is including FICA taxes-from both employer and employee-to get to that 30%.

FICA wouldn't make that much difference to him, even if he does pay it (instead of dodging it by paying himself entirely in dividends and stock options) because the $90,000 salary level at which FICA caps out is such a small chunk of his multi-million dollar income.

You know, I could do a lot better than Uncle Sam if SS would let me have that 12% of my paycheck to invest for retirement.

Democrats did their duty for the AFL-CIO yesterday, offering and then quickly losing a vote on the Senate floor to eliminate secret ballots for union organizing elections. Democrats could muster only a single Republican vote -- Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania -- and so the bill went down to a GOP filibuster, 51-48.

The way the vote was managed says a lot about how little Democrats really wanted to debate this "card check" legislation in public. ...Leaving workers to fend for themselves against the gentle persuasion of, say, the Teamsters isn't a big political winner.

So it's not surprising that Democrats staged their losing vote the same day as a key immigration vote that was certain to get far more public attention. Democrats also did little PR work, and the vote itself had a ritual quality to it, like some of those Republican votes on cultural issues when Tom DeLay was House Majority Leader: Hold a largely symbolic vote, check off a box to pay off your election supporters, and move on to something that most Americans might even care about.

Nearly every business lobby made the vote one of its main priorities for judging which Members to support in 2008, suggesting how dangerous they believe this would be if it ever did become law.

The idea barely merits comment as to its economics. But as to its marketing brilliance, I'll point only to the last sentence, which is typical Reich. He says,

And it's good policy.

Sept. 7: Officers arrest Paris Hilton in Hollywood for investigation of driving under the influence after she was spotted "driving erratically." -- S&P 500 0.48%

Jan. 9: Hilton's lawyers enter not guilty pleas on her behalf to one count each of driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or above. --- S&P 500 -0.05%

Jan. 15: Hilton is pulled over by California Highway Patrol and informed that her license is suspended. She signs a document acknowledging she is not to drive. -- S&P 500 0.08%

Jan. 22: Hilton pleads no contest to a reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving. She is placed on three years probation, ordered to enroll in alcohol education and pay $1,500 in fines. -- S&P 500 -0.53%

Feb. 27: Hilton is ticketed for misdemeanor driving with a suspended license. A copy of the document signed Jan. 15 is found in her glove compartment. -- S&P 500 -3.47%

May 3: Prosecutors recommend Hilton serve 45 days in jail for a probation violation. -- S&P 500 0.43%

May 4: Judge Michael Sauer sentences Hilton to 45 days in jail. -- S&P 500 0.22%

May 16: Sheriff's officials say Hilton will serve 23 days in a special unit away from the general population. -- S&P 500 0.86%

June 3: Hilton reports to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood after attending the MTV Movie Awards and saying she's ready to serve her sentence. -- S&P 500 0.37%

June 7: Hilton is released from jail because of an undisclosed medical problem and is ordered serve the rest of her sentence in home confinement. Prosecutors object to her release and Hilton is ordered to appear in court the next day. -- S&P 500 -1.76%

June 8: Judge Sauer sends Hilton back to jail to serve the rest of her sentence. She is confined in the medical unit of the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles. -- S&P 500 1.14%

June 13: Hilton transferred back to Century Regional Detention Facility for women in Lynwood. S&P 500 1.52%

June 26: Hilton is released from jail. -- S&P 500 -0.32%

The market lost a total of 5.60% on days when Hilton caused trouble. The market gained 4.07% with Hilton in court or in jail.

The market dropped on her release.

The end of the rally?

One thing many people don't realize is that there is often a lot more behind the opinion pieces written by people like Paul Krugman, Greg Mankiw, Hal Varian, Dani Rodrik, Tyler Cowen, George Borjas, Robert Barro, Martin Feldstein, and others than it appears on the surface. That's not true in every case, but it is generally true when reputable economists weigh in on an issue.

"I predict that in the years ahead Enron, not Sept. 11, will come to be seen as the greater turning point in U.S. society."

--Paul Krugman, January 29, 2002

Tough guy aren't you? what idiot would lambaste somebody without allowing that person to rebut? I see you can use big words but have a small mind. Do you think that people are gpoing to fall for your crap? What you say about him is what you think about me and many many others. You can group us, label us,, even attempt to grow a public sentiment against us, even be so foolish as to try to censor us. Make sure you realize that we are the American people. I wonder who is slipping you a check behind the scenes?

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that one of your "freegans" scored a computer. And internet access.

A friend who would probably prefer anonymity writes, Did you check out Guy Munselle's website, based on his email domain name? It's http://fetdirect.com/, featuring "fetish based webdesign."

For example:

"Do you want to work in a clean, safe and 'drama' free atmosphere? We welcome top quality Dommes with experience..."

Or:

"Welcome! I am a Los Angeles based Professional Dominant that focuses on counseling and training for slaves and couples interested in exploring various aspects of BDSM. See My Interests page for more info."

Maybe Guy isn't a guy at all. And maybe Guy met "him" (PK?) through the website.

Update 3... And as long as we're talking about "freegans," here's Perry Eidelbus' take.

Posted by Donald L. Luskin at 3:10 PM | link