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E-mailNotes on the state of things
Colin McNickle is the Trib's director of editorial pages. Ring him at 412-320-7836. E-mail him at: cmcnickle@tribweb.com.
Nearly two dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are threatening to vote against House Democrats' health care "reform" package. Why? Roll Call reports they fear "language restricting the rights of illegal immigrants to buy insurance" from the so-called "public exchange" will be added to the bill.
What "rights" do illegal aliens have in the United States, again? They might, by custom, be afforded the protections found in the Bill of Rights. But the right to buy publicly subsidized health insurance? Don't think so. ...
The Wall Street Journal reminds that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's health care overhaul measure "partially" repeals tax indexing for inflation. That means a tax "surcharge" designed to tap those earning $500,000 (for single filers) and $1 million (for joint filers) would end up being applied to those with incomes of about half that in 20 years. (This assumes an annual rate of inflation of 4 percent.)
It's Washington's standard dirty little secret -- wring ever more revenue out of more and more income earners without ever having to write new legislation with TAX INCREASE stamped in big red letters atop it. ...
It was a year ago Thursday that these pages raised a firestorm among a small but vocal cadre of apologists for Barack Obama over the post-election editorial "Obama wins; America loses."
Indeed, the argument can be made that Mr. Obama inherited an economic and military mess from the Bush administration. But Obama's continuing foreign policy deferentialism is no cause for optimism; it's viewed as weakness abroad.
Neither is the administration's escalation of poorly vetted "czars" who, in too many cases, appear to have usurped the power of properly vetted and Senate-confirmed Cabinet officers.
And neither is Obama's continuation and, in some cases, expansion of Bush-era economic policies. To wit, how can anyone have confidence in the "Cash for Clunkers" program, which cost taxpayers an average of $24,000 per vehicle (when subtracting the number of vehicles that would have been sold anyway) and then primarily involved swapping old pickup trucks for new pickups that featured only marginally better gas mileage?
America's losses are mounting, as is the likelihood that Obama will be not a one-term wonder but a one-term convulsion. ...
For those believing the Republican Party of Allegheny County continues to be on life support, Election Day offered proof to the contrary. It might not be that the days of the Democrats' stranglehold on the county are over but they are indeed, as county Chairman Jim Roddey stated in a news release, "breaking loose."
Republicans won mayor races in six communities, now are newly in control of the councils of seven more communities and picked up seats in seven others.
Of course, this all didn't happen automatically. It required lots of feet on the ground and knocks on thousands of doors. It's a great new beginning for Allegheny County Republicans that true believers in good government born out of competitive politics should relish.
And ironically, Dan Onorato could aid the effort next year. The Democrat chief executive is seeking his party's nomination for governor. That could bring out hordes of Republicans, moderate Democrats and independents fed up with the art of government machinations that Mr. Onorato has so adroitly practiced.
